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We have developed an automated image-classification method for the examination of urinary sediment. Urine contains many kinds of particles of various colors and sizes. To classify these particles automatically, we developed a hierarchical modular neural network (HMNN) to enable accurate classification of urinary-sediment images. Simulations results showed that a neural network with a modular structure can classify artificially generated patterns more accurately than a single neural network (SNN). By using a HMNN, any kind of particle contained in urine can be automatically classified. We compared the classification accuracy when using the HMNN to that with a SNN and found that the classification accuracy for some classes of particles when using the HMNN was 25% to 30% higher than when using the SNN. With the HMNN, the examination accuracy was sufficient to allow automation of the examination process.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

The morphological properties of cell organelles and nuclei in rat hepatocytes were compared, when the hepatocytes were either chemically fixed in glutaraldehyde and osmium (GA-Os), chemically fixed only in osmium (Os-2h) or physically fixed with a microwave-irradiated osmium (Mw-Os) fixative for a short duration. Judging from the fine structure, the mitochondria and rER were best preserved after physical fixation; because of the smooth surfaces and regular open contours, but both organelles shrank in the two chemical fixatives. The Golgi complexes and peroxisomes of the hepatocytes were not markedly changed by any of the fixative procedures. However the lysosomes and sER were changed to some extent after physical fixation. In the nucleus, the two kinds of chromatins and the nucleolus were best preserved with physical fixation. In conclusion, physical fixation is a very simple and fast procedure that is convenient for routine electron microscopy if some attention is paid to the morphological changes.

Instant wave-free ratio (iFR) is a new index of coronary stenosis severity calculated without the need for vasodilators. iFR uses automated algorithms over baseline pressure traces to detect a phase in the cardiac cycle when resistance is lowest and most stable. Previous studies have calculated iFR

An elevated serum level of lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) may be an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, but the relation of Lp(a) to aortic valve (AV) sclerosis has not been determined. We measured serum concentrations of Lp(a) and investigated their relation to the presence of echocardiographic AV sclerosis in residents of a rural village in Japan. We measured serum Lp(a) levels in 347 men and 437 women aged 35 to 90 years (mean +/- SD: 62 +/- 11 years) who participated in mass screening examinations in Wara village, Gifu, Japan. AV sclerosis was assessed by long- and short-axis 2-dimensional echocardiographic views and continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography. AV sclerosis was graded as follows: 0 = normal AV; 1 = increased echo density; 2 = thickening or calcific depositsor = 3 mm; and 3 = same as 2 with mildly restricted motion (pressure gradient16 mm Hg). Lp(a) levels ranged from1 mg/dl to 153 mg/dl. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile values were 7, 16, and 28 mg/dl, respectively. Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in women than in men (p0.01), and did not increase significantly with age. The prevalence of AV sclerosis (grades 2 and 3) increased significantly with age (p0.001). AV sclerosis was present in 65 (36.1%) of 180 subjects with Lp(a) levelsor = 30 mg/dl and in 77 (12.7%) of 604 subjects with Lp(a) levels30 mg/dl (p0.001). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of AV sclerosis in terms of sex, blood pressure, or levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, or blood sugar. We conclude that increased serum levels of Lp(a), as well as aging, are closely related to AV sclerosis.

The authors studied the distribution of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) levels with stratification for age and sex, as well as the relation between Lp(a) and atherosclerotic risk factors in a large Japanese population between 1992 and 1993. The subjects were 1,235 males and 1,762 females over 30 years old. Lp(a) was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lp(a) levels were higher in females than in males. The increase in Lp(a) with age was statistically significant, and the proportion of subjects with Lp(a) levels > 30 mg/dl also increased with age. In the obese subjects (body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) > 26), Lp(a) levels were lower than in the non-obese subjects (BMI < or = 26) (p < 0.01 in males; p < 0.05 in females). Male alcohol drinkers had lower Lp(a) levels than nondrinkers (p < 0.05). Age, low density lipoprotein subtracting Lp(a) cholesterol [Lp(a) x 0.3], and fibrinogen level were all positively correlated with Lp(a) in both sexes. Alcohol consumption (g/day) and triglycerides were inversely correlated with Lp(a) in males, while total cholesterol subtracting Lp(a) cholesterol [Lp(a) x 0.3], high density lipoprotein, and factor VII were positively correlated in females. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that triglycerides in males and BMI and fibrinogen in females were significant independent variables. The authors conclude that Lp(a) level is affected by various factors, such as alcohol drinking, BMI, sex, and age, and is not only correlated with lipid levels but also with hemostatic factors such as fibrinogen and factor VII.

On electrogastrography (EGG) spectral analysis, an activity of 3 cycles per minute (cpm) is supposed to be specific for the stomach. After total or subtotal gastrectomy, the original site of the stomach is occupied mainly by the intestine. We attempted to determine if intestinal activity could be recorded in this region with EGG. Epigastric recordings were performed in patients prior and following gastrointestinal or control surgeries. Spectral analysis, using the maximal entropy method and ensemble means was applied to data analysis from these recordings. Preoperatively, the majority of the power peaks were found around 3, 6, and 11 cpm. The postprandial-to-fasting power ratio of all of these power peaks increased significantly postprandially (P < 0.05-0.01). Following total gastrectomy, the power peak around 3 cpm disappeared or was significantly diminished in amplitude (P < 0.05). The postoperative-to-preoperative power ratio ranged from 0.03 to 0.10 (P < 0.001-0.01). However, the power peak around 11 cpm did not significantly change prior to or following total gastrectomy, and the 11 cpm peak appeared relatively dominant. Simultaneous manometric studies in the Roux limb demonstrated a correlation between the power spectral frequency of EGG and manometry at 11 cpm. Therefore, the 11 cpm peak appeared to reflect jejunal or Roux limb electrical activity. The postoperative to preoperative power ratio for the 3 cpm also was significantly reduced following subtotal gastrectomy and gastric tube formation in patients in the postprandial state (P < 0.05-0.001).

In this paper, we introduce a method for the fast simulation of 3D impurity profile simulation. We analytically integrated the approximated non-linear transport equation and derived an analytical equation of 3D non-linear diffusion by introducing a new physical parameter, called the Accumulated Diffusion Length (ADL). This method allows us to simulate a 3D-profile by using a coupled 1D simulator and analytical equations, where the ADL is obtained during 1D simulation. Our new methodology is implemented in the 3D process simulator, SPIRITIII/ADL. Our 3D-TCAD system composed of SPIRIT-III/ADL and our in-house device simulator was applied to the design of 3D-shaped power MOSFETs.

Three-dimensional structures of the capitulum and first mitochondria in the neck region of the hamster spermatozoa, were observed with transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Some capitula revealed a variable contour even in the caudal epididymis, but most finally developed to form a typical wagonette shape. The final shape of the capitulum is probably produced by the aid of apical protrusion of the right, pyramidal mitochondrium. The right and left first mitochondria were triangular pyramids in contour, while the dorsal and ventral ones were rod-like in shape. The mutual transformations between the capitulum and the first mitochondria are discussed in relation to the completion of the neck region.

The determination of the myocardium at risk before intervention and the change in that region after intervention constitute a promising measurement tool for the assessment of acute therapy. A new 99mTc labeled myocardial blood flow tracer, 99mTc tetrofosmin, is expected to enable the evaluation of myocardium at risk because of the absence of redistribution. This preliminary study was performed in 9 patients with acute coronary syndrome (4 unstable angina and 5 acute myocardial infarction) to investigate whether recovery of perfusion by tetrofosmin imaging parallels mechanical improvement. Tetrofosmin imaging was performed acutely and 3-30 days later. Visual analysis of defect severity was assessed in both studies. Segments with improvement in perfusion were accompanied by significant wall motion recovery compared with normal and unimproved segments (delta WMI: normal segments 0.40 +/- 0.67, improved segments 1.79 +/- 0.68, unimproved segments -0.15 +/- 0.16, p0.01 for improved segments compared with other groups), suggesting the efficacy of this tracer for the assessment of the acute therapy. These data suggest that 99mTc tetrofosmin imaging is a useful method for the assessment of the myocardial area at risk and the efficacy of acute therapy in acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina.

We investigated the relationship between the formation of small grains and the distribution of precipitates such as Si 3 N 4 and SiON in a multicrystalline silicon ingot grown by the unidirectional solidification method. Si 3 N 4 precipitates were mainly observed inside the small grain region, while SiON was mainly precipitated outside the small grain region. SiON started to precipitate before the formation of Si 3 N 4 precipitates. Therefore, precipitation of SiON before precipitation of Si 3 N 4 is a candidate in the formation of small grains.

Ten patients with acute cerebral embolism were treated with 10% glycerol infusion. The infusion of glycerol was continued for 2–3 weeks and increased maximally to 1600 ml/day. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in six of ten patients by 123I-amphetamine (IMP) SPECT. Two patients died of ischaemia of a whole hemisphere resulting in progressive herniation; one patient died from pneumonia. The other seven patients were helped despite ischaemia in the whole territory of a middle cerebral artery or in the midbrain. In most of these cases, delayed IMP SPECT images showed a partial redistribution phenomenon which might suggest a good prognosis. In the chronic stage, ischaemia is more clearly demonstrated than in the acute stage with the early images, particularly in the affected hemisphere, while in the delayed images a redistribution phenomenon was observed only in the unaffected hemisphere. This indicates paradoxically that redistribution of rCBF from hyperaemic to ischaemic zones might have existed in the acute stage of cerebral embolism.

A 58-year-old man presented right hand hypaesthesia and dysarthria with memory disturbances and disorientation. CT and MRI showed small lesions on the left, while carotid angiography showed left carotid siphon occlusion and a stenosis of the proximal left anterior cerebral artery, with collaterals via the anterior communicating artery. 123I-IMP SPECT images showed extensive hypoperfusion in the left anterior parietal cortex. From the haemodynamic point of view, bypass surgery was considered. After surgery, right hand hypaesthesia disappeared and speech became normal, with improved orientation and memory. Postoperative angiography showed good filling of the left middle cerebral artery from the bypass. Flow distributions showed good recovery in the left cerebral cortex. The extracranial-intracranial bypass improved neurological deficits and cortical blood flow in a patient with haemodynamically significant carotid lesions.

Tomographic regional cerebral blood flow was measured by 123I-amphetamine SPECT in three patients, who presented with motor or total aphasia showing capsular/putaminal infarctions on CT and MRI. The tomographic blood flow of the left frontoparietal cortex was decreased in all three cases and this persisted up to day 36 after onset in one case despite rapid resolution of the aphasia. An interruption of a neural connection between frontoparietal cortex and subcortical lesions, i.e. diaschisis, is regarded as a cause of cortical hypoperfusion in capsular/putaminal aphasia syndromes.

A sample cell with a small internal volume was constructed to perform small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements for poisonous samples such as benzene in the supercritical state. The cell was specially designed to keep temperature and pressure of the samples constant. Use of the cell makes it possible to prepare samples easily and quickly for SAXS measurements.

An optical cell suitable for supercritical fluids was constructed for measurements of far infrared absorption spectra with terahertz radiation as a light source. It was designed to withstand temperature up to 400 K and pressure up to 15 MPa. The cell has two characteristic devices; one is diamond windows set in the Brewster angle to the incident far infrared light and the other is a variable optical path length from 30 μm to 20 mm under high pressure conditions. Using the cell, fringe-free spectra of CHF3 ranging from low-density gaseous states to high-density supercritical ones were measured in a low-energy region of 10–100 cm−1.

A high-temperature and high-pressure sample holder suitable for water under supercritical conditions was constructed for small-angle X-ray scattering experiments, which was designed to endure the temperature up to 750 K and the pressure up to 40 MPa. By use of the holder, preliminary experiments for supercritical water were carried out along the isotherm at 663 K with pressures from 22.5 to 29.5 MPa. Isothermal change of the correlation length obtained from the scattering data showed maximum near the critical isochore. The tendency is similar to other supercritical fluids, e.g., carbon dioxide, trifluorometane and ethylene.

This paper presents the latest design work of high speed adder logic based on Josephson elements. The Josephson adder uses a novel exclusive-OR logic and performs high speed carry propagation technique. The idea of directionality is also undertaken to avoid the necessary distortion in carry signal. The principle of operation with salient feature of simulation of the adder are presented in full detail. Necessary checks for carry skip and other fabrication parameters are investigated using detailed model of the device based on its highly miniaturized size. The results of the simulation show that the nominal delay of the adder logic is 20 ps/stage and average power dissipation is 47 μW/stage. Authors have mainly stressed upon how to obtain ultra fast speed at the cost of very low power dissipation of the presented adder with its small size.

Convective heat transfer is experimentally studied in the impingement region where a free jet of high-temperature burned gas impinges normally on a circular flat plate cooled from the back. Taking into account the effect of jet-to-ambient fluid density ratio on the jet development, a generalized, design-oriented model is proposed, which permits local prediction of the wall heat-fluxes over a wide range of the initial density ratio.

慢性血液透析患者の細胞外液量ならびに血漿浸透圧の変化に対する抗利尿ホルモンと心房性Na利尿ホルモンの反応を検討した.対象は10例の慢性糸球体腎炎を基礎疾患とする慢性血液透析患者で, 平均年齢57.2歳, 週3回, 計15時間の血液透析を受け, いずれも体液平衡は良好に保たれている症例である. 早朝空腹時の血液透析直前, 1時間のECUM後ならびに4時間の血液透析後に採血し, 抗利尿ホルモン, 心房性Na利尿ホルモン, 血漿浸透圧, クレアチニン, 尿素窒素, Na, K, Clを測定した. また同時に体重, 血圧を測定した. なお健常者10名 (平均年齢45.6歳) より早朝空腹時に採血し, 抗利尿ホルモン, 心房性Na利尿ホルモンを測定し対照とした. 以下の結論が得られた.1) 慢性血液透析患者の早朝時の抗利尿ホルモン, 心房性Na利尿ホルモンは健常者に比べ高値を示した.2) 抗利尿ホルモンは血漿浸透圧の低下により軽度に低下したが, 血漿浸透圧, 細胞外液量, 平均血圧との間に相関は認められなかった.3) 心房性Na利尿ホルモンは細胞外液量の減少により低下し, 平均血圧との間に有意の相関が認められた.

消化性潰瘍穿孔に対する外科治療の実態を知るために, 新潟市の穿孔手術例を調査した. 手術数は, 1976年から1981年までの6年間 (前期) は平均34例/年であったが, H2受容体拮抗剤が登場した1982年から1985年までの4年間 (後期) は平均41例/年で, 後期は前期の121%であった. 穿孔例のうち1981年から1985年までの5年間に手術が施行された195例について臨床的に検討した. 広範囲胃切除術が170例 (87%) に施行され, 死亡率は3.1%であった. 予後規定因子は年齢, 術前ショックの有無, 併存症の有無, および穿孔から手術までの時間であった.

A generalized eddy transfer coefficient model has been experimentally obtained for axisymmetric, nonisothermal variable-density jets, the initial density ratio of which ranges from 0.66 to 5.1. The local variation in the dynamic eddy transfer coefficients for momentum and heat has been measured in the developed region: both transfer coefficients on the jet axis are proportional to the square root of the initial density ratio, but are almost independent of the axial distance from the nozzle exit; the transfer coefficients for momentum and a chemical species remain constant in the inner region whereas the transfer coefficient for heat decreases slightly with increasing radial distance; all the transfer coefficients decrease rapidly in the outer region owing to the intermittent entrainment of the quiescent ambient fluid. The present model can perdict local values of the transfer coefficients over the range of initial density ratio from 0.66 to 5.1 if the initial jet condition alone is specified at a nozzle exit.

A generalized model for axisymmetric free jets which allows for change in fluid density with temperature is proposed by experiment. Experimental work was carried out to obtain data on jet velocity and temperature variations over a wide range of jet-to-ambient fluid density ratio (i.e. the initial density ratio) by use of nonisothermal free jets of burned gas exhausting into quiescent air as well as isothermal free jets of CO2-air mixture into air. Core lengths of velocity and temperature can be correlated as a function of initial density ratio and jet Reynolds number. The radial profiles of velocity and temperature in the fully-developed region can be expressed by the isothermal formulation using the corresponding jet half-radii as the characteristic radial distance. The jet half-radii and centerline decays can be described by new characteristic streamwise coordinates which take into account the effects of core length and initial density ratio. If the initial condition at the nozzle exit is specified, the present model can determine the radial distributions of velocity and temperature at any axial position.

A highly accurate one-dimensional table model has been developed for an MOS transistor simulation used in a circuit simulation necessary for the VLSI design. The usefulness of the model for the circuit simulation has been tested. Traditionally, the one-dimensional table model has been used in the area where high precision is not required, such as the timing simulators. It is not sufficient for simulation of a high-precision circuit and the accuracy has been a particular problem for the MOS transistor of submicron level. In the new one-dimensional table model, the two-dimensional effect of the drain and gate electric fields is included and only two one-dimensional tables are added. The model can be applied to a high-precision circuit simulation. This model has been applied to three devices with the effective channel length of 0.66 ∼ 2.30 μm fabricated in different processes. It was found that the maximum of the average relative error within the practical voltage range is 3.87% which corresponds to the acuracy four times that in the conventional model. Increase of the error for the variation of the substrate voltage is especially small. It has been demonstrated that the present one-dimensional table model is a transistor model capable of high-precision circuit simulation.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment with statins on the progression of coronary atherosclerotic plaques of a nonculprit vessel by serial volumetric virtual histology (VH) intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).BackgroundRecent clinical trials have demonstrated a reduction of atherosclerotic plaque, yet whether statin therapy affects the change in components of plaque remains unknown.MethodsThis study was a nonrandomized and nonblinded design. Eighty patients with stable angina pectoris were divided into either the fluvastatin group (n = 40) or the control group (n = 40) according to their total or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level. The volume of each plaque component (dense calcium, fibrous tissue, fibro-fatty, or necrotic core) was evaluated at baseline and at 12-month follow-up.ResultsThe LDL cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in the fluvastatin group were significantly decreased at time of follow-up. In VH IVUS findings, fibro-fatty volume was significantly decreased (baseline 80.1 ± 57.9 mm3 vs. follow-up 32.5 ± 27.7 mm3, p < 0.0001) and fibrous tissue volume was increased (baseline 146.5 ± 85.6 mm3 vs. follow-up 163.3 ± 94.5 mm3, p < 0.0001) in the fluvastatin group. In the control group, the volumes of all plaque components without fibrous tissue were significantly increased. Change in fibro-fatty volume has a significant correlation with a change in LDL cholesterol level (R = 0.703, p < 0.0001) and change in hsCRP level (R = 0.357, p = 0.006).ConclusionsOne-year lipid-lowering therapy by fluvastatin showed significant regression of plaque volume and alterations in atherosclerotic plaque composition with a significant reduction of fibro-fatty volume.