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Co-doped LaAlO3 nanoparticles with partial reduction were applied as a catalyst to ethanol steam reforming. Co-doped LaAlO3 nanoparticles were prepared using chemical solution deposition. The Co component was generated on the nanoparticle surface by a partial reduction process. The estimated H2 yield of the ethanol steam reforming process was changed by altering the reduction conditions, although the surface areas of the reduced nanoparticles were almost equal. The highest H2 yield was attained at 948 K reduction temperature. The calculated H2 yield and the conversion ratio were, respectively, 78% and 99%. Reaction bi-products during steam reforming were measured to elucidate the change of the H2 yield with the reduction temperature.

The simplest and most time-efficient phase-separation dynamics simulations are carried out on a disordered lattice to calculate the partial structure factors of coarse-grained A-B binary mixtures. The typical coarse-grained phase-separation models use regular lattices and can describe the local concentrations but cannot describe both local density and concentration fluctuations. To introduce fluctuation for local density in the model, the particle positions from a hard sphere fluid model are determined as disordered lattice points for the model. Then we place the local order parameter as the difference of the concentrations of A and B components on each lattice point. The concentration at each lattice point is time-evolved by discrete equations derived from the Cahn-Hilliard equation. From both fluctuations, Bhatia and Thornton’s structure factor can be accurately calculated. The structure factor for concentration fluctuations at the large wavenumber region gives us the correct mean concentrations of the components. Using the mean concentrations, partial structure factors can be converted from three of Bhatia and Thornton’s structure factors. The present model and procedures can provide a means of analysing the structural properties of many materials that exhibit complex morphological changes.

An 80-year-old woman was admitted with continuous fever, hepatic dysfunction and cytopaenia. The presence of hepatosplenomegaly, hyperferritinaemia, hypofibrinogenaemia and phagocytosis by macrophages in the bone marrow was consistent with a diagnosis of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We suspected that HLH was induced by pre-existing tuberculosis, and antitubercular agents were started. Positive nucleic acid amplification and sputum culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis resulted in a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient improved with three months of treatment. In this patient, manifestations of HLH preceded those of pulmonary tuberculosis. A diagnosis of HLH should increase suspicion of disseminated tuberculosis and thus contribute to early detection.

A strontium ruthenium oxide (SRO) electrode was deposited on a Si substrate using chemical solution deposition (CSD). For this study, the crystal orientation of the SRO electrode was controlled using a CSD-derived seeding layer deposited on a Si substrate. Thereby, SRO thin film with a-axis preferred orientation was obtained on the Si substrate. Furthermore, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film with Zr/Ti=50/50 composition (PZT50) was deposited onto the a-axis oriented SRO layer. The deposited PZT thin film also exhibited preferred orientation in the direction of the a-axis and c-axis. The estimated remanent polarization and the effective piezoelectric constant ( d 33 e f f ) were, respectively, 20 μC/cm2 and 298 pm/V. These values were nearly equal to those of the reported bulk PZT of the same composition.

Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 –PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) has attracted a great deal of attention for its use in capacitors, piezoelectric actuators, sensors, and optical devices in integrated circuits. For these applications, epitaxially grown PMN-PT thin films on Si wafers are required. This paper describes the first trial in fabricating epitaxially grown PMN-PT thin films on a LSCO/CeO 2 /YSZ buffered Si substrate using chemical solution deposition (CSD). High-quality buffer layers make the epitaxial growth of PMN-PT thin films possible, even by CSD. Despite very thin films that have thicknesses of 170 nm, the resulting PMN-PT thin films exhibit good electrical properties, such as a high dielectric constant of 1400 and well-defined P–E hysteresis loops.

This paper describes a simple way for the coating of superparamagnetic magnesium ferrite (MgFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles with amorphous silica layer. First, core MgFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles were synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique from the aqueous metal nitrate precursor solution. Afterward, silica was coated on the obtained particles surface by a sol–gel approach. In this reaction, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used as precursor of silica and HCl as a catalyst, and it has been found that acidic catalyst plays an important role to form amorphous silica layer on nanoparticle surface without formation any core-free silica particles. The composition, morphology and structure of the products were characterized using different analysis technique such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), electrophoretic scattering photometer, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. The results indicate that the product has a core–shell structure, which is combined through the chemical bond of Fe O Si. The silica thickness lies in the range of 30–50 nm with overall dimension of the resulting nanospheres 200–300 nm. Magnetic measurement were carried out on a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and the measurement results indicate that MgFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles remain superparamagnetic after coating with silica although their Ms values is significantly less than uncoated samples. This core/shell nanocomposite can be used for several applications especially in the biomedical field due to having superparamagnetic property of core and unique properties of silica.

Cubic garnet-type Li ion conductor such as Li7La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 (c-LLZTO) are promising materials to develop all-solid-ceramic type Li ion batteries. For this study, we prepared c-LLZTO through the metal alkoxide route with chemical modification. Results show that chemical modification using acetic acid and distilled water for the partial hydrolysis lowered the crystallization temperature of the c-LLZTO with mono-phase at 973 K under ambient atmosphere. The obtained c-LLZTO with 63 nm crystallite size was sintered at 1373 K for 3 h to obtain a dense c-LLZTO pellet. The Li ion conductivity of the sintered c-LLZTO pellet exhibited higher ion conductivity of 3.48 × 10-4 Scm−1 at 300 K than those of the reported chemical-solution-derived cubic garnet-type Li ion conductors.

A symposium entitled "Legacies of surgery for tuberculosis and succession to the next generation" was held at the 89th annual meeting of The Japanese Society for Tuberculosis in Gifu. The purpose of the symposium was to look back at the history of surgery for tuberculosis and development of surgical techniques. The contribution of those techniques to the next generation was also discussed. Many unique and universal techniques such as segmentectomy, thoracoplasty, muscle flap plombage, greater omental plom- bage, open window thoracotomy, cavernostomy, and decortication have matured during a long history. Based on the development of antituberculous drugs, surgery seems to have a less important role. However, surgical techniques are still required for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and non- tuberculous mycobacteriosis. Core techniques are apjlied in the surgery for many thoracic diseases, such as lung cancer, mycosis, pyothorax, and mesothelioma. This manuscript summarizes the presentations.

We develop a method to analyze stochastic jump processes with a finite number of states ${0,1,...,N}$. It is known that the system can be analyzed using su(2) Lie algebra and the spin coherent state path integral. First, we analyze a linear susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemic model by using the Lie algebraic method and path integral. Then, we apply the instanton approximation to more general models where stochastic noise can induce bimodal distributions. By using density variables, we show that instanton solution can be interpreted as a solution of the equation of motion of the deterministic system corresponding to the stochastic system. It is also shown that instanton approximation correctly reproduces the noise-induced bimodality of the system.

Background Trigeminal neuralgia caused by vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is rare and challenging to treat. Some authors have reported techniques for treating trigeminal neuralgia caused by VBD using various kinds of objects including clips, Proline slings, and titanium plates. Methods Here, we report the effectiveness of cutting and splitting of the tentorium in 3 patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Results The clinical results were good, the pain disappeared in all patients without medication, and no complications occurred. Conclusions In cases of trigeminal neuralgia caused by VBD, this technique may be as useful as traditional microvascular decompression around the trigeminal nerve root entry zone.

Compounds for a series of alkyltrimethylammonium salicylates (C12TA-Sal through C16TA-Sal) were synthesized. Their physical properties in aqueous solutions were investigated by conductometry, viscometry, vortex inhibition, viscoelastic recoil and swirling decay time from a view point of drag reduction. For critical micelle concentrations (CMC) obtained for a series of compounds by conductometry, it was found that a linear relation of the form, log(CMC)= 4.088﹣0.305*Nc (Nc: carbon number in the alkyl chain), holds. From the viscosity measurement, all the compounds showed viscosity increase above their CMC. Vortex inhibition was observed above the CMC for the compounds with the chain length longer than C13. Viscoelastic recoil was observed above the concentration of one and a half times the CMC for the compounds with alkyl chain length longer than C14.

Ni doped lanthanum aluminate (LAO) was prepared by chemical solution deposition, and the Ni component was generated on the surface of Ni doped LAO by the H 2 reduction process. The obtained Ni doped LAO was perovskite mono-phase. The specific surface area and the reduction degree of the obtained catalyst was controlled by control the reduction conditions. As a result, almost the all Ni component near the surface was reduced by H 2 reduction process even in the case of low H 2 reduction temperature, although the catalytic activity changed depends on the reduction temperature. Thus, we concluded that the reduced perovskite part was also important factor to determine the catalytic activity in the case of Ni doped LAO catalyst. The highest catalytic activity (H 2 yield) was attained under the 873 K reduction temperature.

Pituitary stalk transection syndrome (PSTS) is a rare complication that can accompany breech delivery. Early diagnosis of this syndrome is difficult, and it may cause a serious delay in the diagnosis. We present a case of PSTS ascertained after breech delivery. A 20-year-old woman presented with primary amenorrhea. The patient was born by breech delivery and had a history of treatment for pituitary dwarfism. Her laboratory findings showed pituitary hypothyroidism, and hormone replacement therapy was initiated. At 28 years old, she became pregnant and had a normal delivery at 38 weeks' gestation. One year after delivery, her thyroid hormone level changed. Laboratory test showed adrenocortical insufficiency, and magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary gland showed transection of the pituitary stalk and development of an ectopic posterior lobe. These findings were compatible with PSTS. When a patient who has been born by breech delivery presents with symptoms of pituitary deficiency, PSTS should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Resistive random access memories (ReRAMs) have been intensively studied as potential candidates for the next generation of memory devices due to their simplicity in structure. Among various switching materials, Si-rich oxide (SiOx) has been received much attention from the viewpoint of the good compatibility to the current Si-ULSI technology. So far, we have studied resistance switching behaviors of SiOx sandwiched with Pt and/or Ni electrodes caused by formation of conducting filament path presumably due to the oxygen deficiency [1, 2]. In addition, from local I-V measurements performed by contacting a single Ni-nanodots (NDs) as a top electrode with a Rh coated-AFM tip, we have confirmed the size scalability of SiOx as a resistive switching material. However, to realize low power switching operation, one of the major concerns is the control of the formation of the conductive filament paths in SiOx. In this work, we have expected that NDs can trigger the formation of the conductive filament path in SiOx, and evaluated an impact of NDs embedding into SiOxon the switching characteristics. MIM diodes consisting of Ni electrodes and SiOx in which Ti-NDs were embedded were fabricated on SiO2/Si(100) by electron beam (EB) deposition and surface treatment using a remote plasma of pure H2 (H2-RP) as follows: At first, a ~15 nm-thick Ni layer was formed as a bottom electrode and followed by the EB deposition of a ~1 nm-thick SiOx layer. And then, Ti-NDs were formed by a combination of a Ge(20 nm)/Ti(3 nm) stacked layer formation and subsequent H2-RP exposure without external heating [3], where Ge layer was used as a barrier layer against oxidation of the ultrathin Ti layer. During the H2-RP exposure, H2 gas pressure and VHF power of a 60 MHz generator were maintained at 24 Pa and 500 W, respectively. After the H2-RP exposure, a ~8 nm-thick SiOx layer and then Ni top electrodes were formed by EB deposition. We also fabricated Ni/SiOx/Ni-MIM diodes without NDs as references. AFM observations showed the formation of Ti-NDs with an areal density as high as 3.3×1011cm-2 was taken after H2-RP exposure. XPS analysis confirmed that the Ge layer was completely etched away by H2-RP exposure and surface oxidation of Ti-NDs proceeds during air exposure. Resistive switching characteristics of SiOx with and without NDs were measured from I-V curves in voltage sweep mode (Figs. 1(a) and (b)). In both cases, a distinct unipolar type resistive-switching was repeatedly observed. However, SET and RESET voltages were well separated by embedding NDs. These results indicate that the NDs in SiOx are likely to act as a trigger for the formation of conductive path in a reproducible fashion. Also, the resistances in high and low resistance states (HRS and LRS) calculated from the current levels at -0.1 V were summarized as functions of the switching cycle (Fig. 2). Obviously, for the diodes with NDs, a stable resistive switching was repeatedly observed in comparison with the diodes without NDs. With embedding NDs, the variations in the resistance of both ON and OFF states became large markedly, and the ON/OFF ratio in resistance was increased from 45 to 150, which indicates that the Ti oxide formed at embedded Ti-NDs surface reduces the current levels through the SiOx. In summary, the embedding of Ti-based NDs in SiOxis very effective to separate the operation voltages between SET and RESET voltages and to increase in the ON/OFF ratio in resistance. Acknowledgements This work was supported in part by Young Scientists (A) No. 15H05520 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan and by JSPS Core-to-Core Program of International Collaborative Research Center on Atomically Controlled Processing for Ultra large Scale Integration. References 1) A. Ohta, et al, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 52(2012) 06FF02. 2) A. Ohta, et al, IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics, E96-C(2013) 702. 3) K. Makihara, et. al, J. Optoelectronics and Adv. Materials, 12 (2010) 626. Figure 1

We have previously reported that bisleuconothine A (Bis-A), a novel bisindole alkaloid isolated from Leuconotis griffithii, showed cytostatic activity in several cell lines. In this report, the mechanism of Bis-A-induced cytostatic activity was investigated in detail using A549 cells. Bis-A did not cause apoptosis, as indicated by analysis of annexin V and propidium iodide staining. Expression of all tested apoptosis-related proteins was also unaffected by Bis-A treatment. Bis-A was found to increase LC3 lipidation in MCF7 cells as well as A549 cells, suggesting that Bis-A cytostatic activity may be due to induction of autophagy. Subsequent investigation via Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining indicated that Bis-A induced formation but prevented degradation of autophagosomes. Mechanistic studies showed that Bis-A down-regulated phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) and its downstream kinase, PRAS40, which is an mTOR repressor. Moreover, phosphorylation of p70S6K, an mTOR-dependent kinase, was also down-regulated. Down-regulation of these kinases suggests that the increase in LC3 lipidation may be due to mTOR deactivation. Thus, the cytostatic activity shown by Bis-A may be attributed to its induction of autophagosome formation. The Bis-A-induced autophagosome formation was suggested to be caused by its interference with the AKT-mTOR signaling pathway.

Relaxor ferroelectrics Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 –PbTiO 3 (PMN–PT) have attracted considerable attention because of their excellent electrical properties, which include high dielectricity and piezoelectricity. Their thin films are promising for use as super capacitors and piezoelectric actuators. However, the reported electrical properties of PMN–PT thin films, such as dielectric and piezoelectric properties, are markedly lower than those of bulk ceramics and single-crystals. This study investigated the effects of synthesis conditions such as annealing temperatures, excess lead amounts, and the molecular design of the precursor solution on the electrical properties of the Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD)-derived PMN–PT thin films to deposit single-phase perovskite PMN–PT thin films with superior electrical properties on a Si substrate at lower temperatures. Results of studies demonstrated effectively that suitable processing is necessary to elicit the enhanced electrical properties of PMN–PT thin films, such as introduction of suitable seeding layers and optimization of synthesis conditions. Results show that CSD-derived polycrystalline 0.65PMN–0.35PT thin films with preferred orientation exhibited a higher dielectric constant over 4000 (1 kHz, at room temperature) and higher remanent polarization of P r = 27.7 μC/cm 2 (1000 kV/cm, at room temperature) as well as a higher electrostrictive constant of d 33 about 200 pm/V. Further investigation and development are expected to improve these electrical properties of the PMN–PT thin films by stress engineering or residual stress.

Alkoxide-derived lead zirconate titanate thin films having Zr/Ti = 50/50 to 60/40 compositions with different residual stress conditions were deposited on a Si wafer to clarify the effects of the residual stress on the morphotropic phase boundary shift. The residual stress condition was controlled to − 0.1 to − 0.9 GPa by the design of the buffer layer structure on the Si wafer. Results show that the maximum effective piezoelectric constant d 33 was obtained at 58/42 composition under − 0.9 GPa compressive residual stress condition. Moreover, the MPB composition shifted linearly to Zr-rich phase with increasing compressive residual stress.

In this paper, we propose a robustness cryptosystem with a small amount of computation. By adopting a stream cipher not but block cipher like AES, the processing speed is improved. Furthermore, it has chaotic properties and improved randomness. Moreover, since an expression for synchronizing the encryption system and the decryption system is not used in the proposed method, even when a bit error occurs, it is correctly decrypted. In general, nonlinear signals such as chaotic map, Jacobian can be estimated from time series signals by Sano-Sawada method. In the chaotic cipher, the parameters in the expression are used as cryptography keys. Therefore, if Jacobian is a constant, the cryptographic key will be estimated. In the proposed system, we formulate the expression so that each element of Jacobian becomes time-variant as much as possible. Thereby the safety of the system is secured.

An 80-year-old female was admitted to our hospital due to malaise. The initial diagnosis on admission was pernicious anemia (PA), Hashimoto thyroiditis and autoimmune atrophic gastritis. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia was suspected because direct antiglobulin test (DAT) was positive. Treatment with vitamin B12 improved anemia, with the disappearance of hemolysis. In some cases, PA patients with positive DAT may have hemolysis without the involvement of the autoimmune mechanism. Therefore, it is important to carefully assess PA patients with hemolysis and positive DAT for the prevention of unnecessary administration of steroid therapy.

Genetic mutations contribute to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a common, heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, and repetitive and restricted patterns of behavior. Since neuroligin3 (NLGN3), a cell adhesion molecule at the neuronal synapse, was first identified as a risk gene for ASD, several additional variants in NLGN3 and NLGN4 were found in ASD patients. Moreover, synaptopathies are now known to cause several neuropsychiatric disorders including ASD. In humans, NLGNs consist of five family members, and neuroligin1 (NLGN1) is a major component forming a complex on excitatory glutamatergic synapses. However, the significance of NLGN1 in neuropsychiatric disorders remains unknown. Here, we systematically examine five missense variants of NLGN1 that were detected in ASD patients, and show molecular and cellular alterations caused by these variants. We show that a novel NLGN1 Pro89Leu (P89L) missense variant found in two ASD siblings leads to changes in cellular localization, protein degradation, and to the impairment of spine formation. Furthermore, we generated the knock-in P89L mice, and we show that the P89L heterozygote mice display abnormal social behavior, a core feature of ASD. These results, for the first time, implicate rare variants in NLGN1 as functionally significant and support that the NLGN synaptic pathway is of importance in the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders., Author summary Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a childhood disorder manifested by abnormal social behavior, interests, and activities. The genetic contribution to ASD is higher than in other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. Here, we found a novel mutation in NLGN1, a gene encoding a synaptic protein, in patients with ASD. We also developed a mouse model with this mutation, and showed that the model mouse exhibits abnormal social behavior. These results suggest that a rare variant in NLGN1 is functionally significant and support that the NLGN synaptic pathway may be important in the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. This humanized mouse model recapitulates some of the symptoms of patients with ASD and will serve as a valuable tool for therapeutic development.

This paper investigates pressure influence on polycrystalline diamond formation using sawtooth-waveform modulated induction thermal plasma. Modulated induction thermal plasma was used to promote nucleation of diamond particles in the first stage. The operating pressure was set to 32, 60, and 90 Torr. The deposited diamond films were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope and Raman spectroscopic observation. Experimental results indicated that a lower pressure condition provided a higher deposition rate and a qualitatively better diamond film. Spectroscopic and high-speed video camera observation showed that a lower pressure condition expanded the thermal plasma flow axially onto the substrate. Numerical simulation was also made for Ar/CH 4/H 2 induction thermal plasma to study the influence of pressure on the thermal plasma flow. Calculation results showed that lower pressure involves a higher particle flux of neutral hydrocarbon species on to the substrate surface because of higher convective transport of these species before their ionization. These results imply that neutral hydrocarbon would play a more important role for diamond deposition than hydrocarbon ions in the present thermal plasma diamond film deposition.

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a contiguous gene deletion syndrome of the distal 4p chromosome, characterized by craniofacial features, growth impairment, intellectual disability, and seizures. Although genotype-phenotype correlation studies have previously been published, several important issues remain to be elucidated including seizure severity. We present detailed clinical and molecular-cytogenetic findings from a microarray and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based genotype-phenotype analysis of 22 Japanese WHS patients, the first large non-Western series. 4p deletions were terminal in 20 patients and interstitial in two, with deletion sizes ranging from 2.06 to 29.42 Mb. The new Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome critical region (WHSCR2) was deleted in all cases, and duplication of other chromosomal regions occurred in four. Complex mosaicism was identified in two cases: two different 4p terminal deletions; a simple 4p terminal deletion and an unbalanced translocation with the same 4p breakpoint. Seizures began in infancy in 33% (2/6) of cases with small (6 Mb) deletions and in 86% (12/14) of cases with larger deletions (6 Mb). Status epilepticus occurred in 17% (1/6) with small deletions and in 87% (13/15) with larger deletions. Renal hypoplasia or dysplasia and structural ocular anomalies were more prevalent in those with larger deletions. A new susceptible region for seizure occurrence is suggested between 0.76 and 1.3 Mb from 4 pter, encompassing CTBP1 and CPLX1, and distal to the previously-supposed candidate gene LETM1. The usefulness of bromide therapy for seizures and additional clinical features including hypercholesterolemia are also described.

Various conservative treatments for cervical pregnancy have been reported. However, unlike tubal ectopic pregnancy, the treatment of cervical pregnancy has not been well established. For patients who desire fertility preservation, treatment with methotrexate chemotherapy carries a high success rate for preservation of the uterus. When methotrexate is injected i.v. or i.m., expulsion of pregnant tissue occasionally takes up to 1 month. In this report, we present four cases of cervical pregnancy which were successfully managed by methotrexate injection into the bilateral uterine arteries. In cases presenting with massive bleeding, embolization of the bilateral uterine arteries was performed. Cervical pregnancy was aborted within 8 days safely, and fertility could be preserved without harmful side-effects.

The assembly scenarios and assembly tools of the major tokamak components for JT-60SA are studied in the following. (1) The assembly frame (with a dedicated 30-tonne crane), which is located around the JT-60SA tokamak, is adopted for effective assembly works in the torus hall and the temporary support of the components during assembly. (2) Metrology for precise positioning of the components is also studied by defining the metrology points on the components. (3) The sector segmentation for weld joints and positioning of the vacuum vessel (VV), the assembly scenario and tools for VV thermal shield (TS), the connection of the outer intercoil structure (OIS) and the installation of the final toroidal field coil (TFC) are studied, as typical examples of the assembly scenarios and tools for JT-60SA.