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Dropped head syndrome (DHS) is presumably caused by focal myopathy in the cervical posterior muscles; however, distinguishable radiological features of the cervical spine in DHS remain unidentified. This study investigated the radiological features of the cervical spine in dropped head syndrome. The records of DHS patients and age- and sex-matched cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients were reviewed. Cervical spinal parameters (C2-7, C2-4, and C5-7 angles) were assessed on lateral cervical spine radiographs. Quantitative radiographic evaluation of cervical spine degeneration was performed using the cervical degenerative index (CDI), which consists of four elements: disk space narrowing (DSN), endplate sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and listhesis. Forty-one DHS patients were included. Statistically significant differences were noted between the upper and lower cervical spine in the sagittal angle parameters on the neutral, flexion, and extension radiographs in DHS group, whereas no significant differences were observed in CSM group. CDI comparison showed significantly higher scores of DSN in C3/4, C4/5, C5/6, and C6/7; sclerosis in C5/6 and C6/7; and osteophyte formation in C4/5, C5/6, and C6/7 in DHS group than in CSM group. Comparison of listhesis scores revealed significant differences in the upper levels of the cervical spine (C2/3, C3/4, and C4/5) between two groups. Our results demonstrated that the characteristic radiological features in the cervical spine of DHS include lower-level dominant severe degenerative change and upper-level dominant spondylolisthesis. These findings suggest that degenerative changes in the cervical spine may also play a role in the onset and progression of DHS.

Microchannel devices are promising tools to intensify the liquid–liquid extraction and reaction processes. To realize multi-stage extraction, which is widely implemented in industrial processes, se...

Purpose This viewpoint paper has two purposes: One is to argue that the Academy activities should increasingly be promoted and used for disseminating the practical and useful skills for the related law enforcement people who fight against financial crime, while the other is to contribute to the basis of discussions and further academy research. Design/methodology/approach This study summarizes and indicates potential usefulness of the new academy, specializing in the related social and political contexts in qualitative and descriptive ways. Findings This study indicates that the new academy activities in Japan would continue for a long time, thus providing immediately useful skillsets for the investigators and officers at the very frontline who face against various financial crimes. Originality/value While little research has been done about the series of related academy activities by OECD, this study describes the historical background and usefulness of the academy of the OECD in a specialized manner, thus showing its linkage with FATF.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to warn policymakers, by examining certain aspects of policy, possibly overlooked, against overestimating the power of corporate social responsibility (CSR) idea to inhibit tax avoidance by the multinationals. Design/methodology/approach By examining, with narrative and qualitative means, existing insights such as ones with regard to the inefficiency of the public sector. Findings Implication that the following three factors could not co-exist: promoting CSR activities, which include moral tax payment by the multinational corporations; requiring the multinationals to refrain from immorally reducing effective tax rates and keeping the current level of public utilities. Originality/value To sound an alarm to tax policymakers who are particularly addicted to the base erosion and profit shifting by multinational enterprises recently by this new implication mixing up with existing findings with regard to the CSR idea and cost-inefficiency character of the public sector activities.

Scholars of international relations have not cultivated the groundwork of international taxation. However, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project, Post-BEPS, and the Common Reporting Standard system, have attracted political attention on an international level. The purpose of this paper is to explain the recently formed and still being formed international tax regime by applying international regime theory from a power-based perspective. This study addresses the regime in two aspects: tax rulemaking and tax administration. The author uses qualitative discussion, breaking down the recent international tax regime issues for each sub-regime. Through the discussion, this research implies that major economic powers, pressures of fear of being labeled uncooperative, the force of theoretically grounded idea regarding a fundamental international tax principle, and the desperate need for tax authorities to ensure taxpayer and money flow transparency, are assisting the formulation of the new international tax regime.

Dropped head syndrome (DHS) is presumably caused by focal myopathy in the cervical posterior muscles; however, distinguishable radiological features of the cervical spine in DHS remain unidentified. This study investigated the radiological features of the cervical spine in dropped head syndrome.The records of DHS patients and age- and sex-matched cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients were reviewed. Cervical spinal parameters (C2-7, C2-4, and C5-7 angles) were assessed on lateral cervical spine radiographs. Quantitative radiographic evaluation of cervical spine degeneration was performed using the cervical degenerative index (CDI), which consists of four elements: disk space narrowing (DSN), endplate sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and listhesis.Forty-one DHS patients were included. Statistically significant differences were noted between the upper and lower cervical spine in the sagittal angle parameters on the neutral, flexion, and extension radiographs in DHS group, whereas no significant differences were observed in CSM group. CDI comparison showed significantly higher scores of DSN in C3/4, C4/5, C5/6, and C6/7; sclerosis in C5/6 and C6/7; and osteophyte formation in C4/5, C5/6, and C6/7 in DHS group than in CSM group. Comparison of listhesis scores revealed significant differences in the upper levels of the cervical spine (C2/3, C3/4, and C4/5) between two groups.Our results demonstrated that the characteristic radiological features in the cervical spine of DHS include lower-level dominant severe degenerative change and upper-level dominant spondylolisthesis. These findings suggest that degenerative changes in the cervical spine may also play a role in the onset and progression of DHS.

Background Most of the previous studies about the surgical treatment of dropped head syndrome (DHS) are small case series, and their primary outcome measures were cervical alignment parameters. Therefore, little is known about the associations between pre- and postoperative global sagittal alignment in the whole spine and the clinical outcomes of the surgical treatment of DHS. In this study, we investigated the surgical outcomes of DHS, including correction of cervical and global spinal sagittal alignment. Methods This study was a retrospective observational study. Fifteen patients with DHS who had undergone correction surgery were enrolled. Surgical outcomes, including complications and implant failures, were investigated. We assessed cervical alignment parameters as well as spinopelvic global alignment parameters, including pelvic incidence (PI), lumbar lordosis (LL), and C7-sacral sagittal vertical axis (SVA). We examined the changes in these parameters using pre- and posoperative whole spine lateral radiographs. The parameters were compared between the failure and nonfailure groups. Results Recurrence of sagittal imbalance and horizontal gaze difficulty was observed in 6 cases (40%). In all, 3 cases (20%) exhibited a distal junctional failure and required multiple surgeries with extension of fusion. Of all the radiographic parameters compared between the failure and nonfailure groups, significant differences were only observed in pre and postoperative SVA and PI-LL. Conclusions Our results suggest that the global sagittal alignment parameters, including PI-LL and SVA, were different between the patients with failure and non failure, and these parameters might have notable impacts on surgical outcomes. Surgeons should consider PI-LL and SVA while determining the surgical course for patients with DHS.

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to compare the clinical results of revision interbody fusion surgery between lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with propensity score (PS) adjustments and to investigate the efficacy of indirect decompression with LLIF in previously decompressed segments on the basis of radiological assessment.METHODSA retrospective study of patients who underwent revision surgery for recurrence of neurological symptoms after posterior decompression surgery was performed. Postoperative complications and operative factors were evaluated and compared between LLIF and PLIF/TLIF. Moreover, postoperative improvement in cross-sectional areas (CSAs) in the spinal canal and intervertebral foramen was evaluated in LLIF cases.RESULTSA total of 56 patients (21 and 35 cases of LLIF and PLIF/TLIF, respectively) were included. In the univariate analysis, the LLIF group had significantly more endplate injuries (p = 0.03) and neurological deficits (p = 0.042), whereas the PLIF/TLIF group demonstrated significantly more dural tears (p < 0.001), surgical site infections (SSIs) (p = 0.02), and estimated blood loss (EBL) (p < 0.001). After PS adjustments, the LLIF group still showed significantly more endplate injuries (p = 0.03), and the PLIF/TLIF group demonstrated significantly more dural tears (p < 0.001), EBL (p < 0.001), and operating time (p = 0.04). The PLIF/TLIF group showed a trend toward a higher incidence of SSI (p = 0.10). There was no statistically significant difference regarding improvement in the Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores between the 2 surgical procedures (p = 0.77). The CSAs in the spinal canal and foramen were both significantly improved (p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSLLIF is a safe, effective, and less invasive procedure with acceptable complication rates for revision surgery for previously decompressed segments. Therefore, LLIF can be an alternative to PLIF/TLIF for restenosis after posterior decompression surgery.

There is growing interest in "osteosarcopenia" as the coexistence of osteoporosis and sarcopenia exacerbates negative outcomes. However, limited information is available regarding the risk factors of osteosarcopenia development in patients with osteoporosis. Therefore, we retrospectively reviewed 276 consecutive patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis who regularly visited Showa University Hospital. Patients were eligible for the study if they were ≥65 years of age and underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, blood sampling, and physical performance assessment. Patients were divided into the osteosarcopenia and osteoporosis alone groups according to the diagnostic criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Of the 276 patients with osteoporosis, 54 patients (19.6%) had osteosarcopenia. Patients in the osteosarcopenia group had a greater risk of frailty than did those in the osteoporosis alone group (odds ratio 2.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-4.80, P = 0.028). Low body mass index seemed to be the strongest factor related to the development of osteosarcopenia, and none of the patients in the osteosarcopenia group were obese (BMI ≥27.5 kg/m2). Multiple logistic analyses revealed that patients aged 65-74 years who had comorbidities such as kidney dysfunction and high levels of HbA1c were at risk of developing osteosarcopenia. Thus, we strongly recommend the assessment of the key components of the diagnosis of osteosarcopenia in an osteoporosis clinic for patients with low body mass index. Furthermore, appropriate assessments, including comorbidities, will help in identifying patients at greater risk of developing osteosarcopenia.

Prospective feasibility study on consecutive patients.The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of regional BMD around the pedicle screw to predict the screw fixation.Pedicle screw fixation is the gold standard technique for spinal fusion. Despite the advantage of biomechanical stability, screw loosening is a common complication. In previous studies, pullout strength and screw insertional torque were correlated, and most importantly, affected by bone mineral density (BMD). Although the density and structure of the vertebral body are not homogeneous, no study has yet evaluated the relationship between screw insertional torque and regional BMD around the pedicle screw in vivo.Consecutive 50 patients, scheduled for transpedicular fixation, were evaluated preoperatively for BMD measured by dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Regional volumetric BMD around the pedicle screw (PS-vBMD) using the novel QCT technique was also evaluated. Among all patients, 190 screws (diameter, 7.5 to 8.5 mm; length, 40 to 45 mm, inserted from L1 to L5) were eligible for this study and were analyzed to identify factors contributing to insertional torque. The following factors were investigated: age, body mass index, laboratory data, pedicle diameter, screw diameter, screw length, and 5 types of bone mineral density measures [DXA: spine-areal BMD (aBMD), total hip-aBMD, femoral neck-aBMD, QCT: central-vBMD, PS-vBMD].Insertional torque was significantly correlated with each BMD measurement and strongest with PS-vBMD (r=0.61, P0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed PS-vBMD was most strongly correlated with screw insertional torque (stdβ=0.494; P0.001). A model containing the following 5 predictors was significantly associated with screw insertional torque: age, pedicle diameter, screw diameter, screw length, and PS-vBMD.The preoperative measurement of PS-vBMD was technically feasible and reliably predictive of screw insertional torque during transpedicular fixation in a clinical setting.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to unveil the true background of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project and to suggest crucial indexes for bringing a movement into a future ceiling causing a struggle of the international tax system. Design/methodology/approach This paper looks into the historical context of this project before and after Starbucks’ scandal, comparing to other contexts of the international tax system. Also, this paper partially reviews BEPS from a legal perspective. Findings The key factors for building momentum of reform of international taxation are a country having a government willing to embrace the cause of reform, unfairness felt toward entities using tax avoidance schemes which other comparable entities could not be use, grass-roots pressure for the reform, effective places to negotiate cooperation among major countries for the reform, solid cooperation among many countries in the world to implement standards and rhetoric of slogan with less opposition. Originality/value The momentum of the reform of international taxation was analyzed before. But the BEPS Project has involved some unique events as compared with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s project on harmful tax practices, such as initiation of NGOs and boycott by consumers. Additionally, this paper will discuss insights, which the former research did not do.

Purpose To identify the reason of Japan not complying with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendation 35 and suggesting a strategic solution to overcoming the barrier. Design/methodology/approach Through contextual, historical, and legal analysis of the anti-money laundering (AML) measures in Japan. Findings This paper implies that less flexible mindsets in stone of major players in the field of AML measures in Japan are the fundamental barrier for Japan not complying with the FATF Recommendation 35, while this paper suggests better realistic ways to address the barrier. Originality/value The novel point of this paper is that this paper illustriously uncovers the mindsets of the major players pertaining to the Japanese AML measures in a very illustrative way, points out the underlying true barrier, and describes a useful strategy desperately needed to address the barrier.

Lithium ions were extracted from aqueous solutions into cyclohexane containing di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) through slug flow in millimeter-diameter glass and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tubes. The PTFE tube produced a higher initial mass transfer coefficient than the glass tube by increasing internal circulation in the organic phase, and maintained its specific surface area. Slug flow occurred in the PTFE tube when the interfacial tension between the aqueous and organic phases exceeded 50–55 mN/m, which increased the rate of extraction owing to increased circulation in both phases. The addition of tributyl phosphate (TBP) enhanced the extraction efficiency, but did not affect the extraction rate.

Background Dropped head syndrome (DHS) is a low prevalence and the clinical features remain unclear. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the general overview of DHS. Methods The subjects were 67 consecutive DHS patients (17 men and 50 women; average age 72.9 ± 10.2 years) presenting difficulty of horizontal gaze in up-right position. The patients' background, global spinal alignment, clinical findings and treatment were analyzed. Results The peak population of DHS was 75–79-year-old females. The comorbidities included Parkinson's disease in 9 cases, minor trauma in 9 cases, post-cervical operation in 3 cases, mental depression in 3 cases, malignant tumor in 3 cases, diabetes mellitus in 2 cases and rheumatoid arthritis in 2 cases. The C2–C7 cervical coronal vertical axis was distributed more to the right side (2.6 ± 12.8 mm). Regarding sagittal alignment, 24 cases (35.8%) showed negative balanced DHS (N-DHS) and 43 cases (64.2%) showed positive balanced DHS (P-DHS). There were significant differences in C2–C7 angle, T1S, LL and PI-LL between the two groups. Cervical or back pain was present in 62 cases (92.5%), and average numerical rating scale was 3.0 ± 2.6. Fourteen cases (20.9%) recovered (average 11.3 months), but 29 cases (43.3%) did not recover without surgery. Twenty-four cases (35.8%) underwent surgery, 20 for cervical spine and 4 for thoraco-lumbar spine, and horizontal gaze difficulty was improved in all patients post-surgery. Conclusion DHS was mainly observed in elderly women. About 20% of DHS patients recovered without surgical treatment. DHS was accompanied by scoliosis in 37.3% of the cases.

Discontinuation of denosumab during osteoporosis treatment leads to rapid loss of bone mineral density and induces a bone turnover rebound effect. Previous studies have reported analysis based on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning (DXA). Here, we report the first case involving analysis of three-dimensional bone mineral density and bone strength, measured by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) after discontinuation of denosumab. An 82-year-old woman who discontinued denosumab because of patient’s wish was administered the fifth dose after a gap of 14 months. Her bone mineral density evaluated by DXA and QCT, bone strength, and bone turnover marker levels showed significant rebound phenomenon. The levels of the cortical parameters of the hip were also decreased indicating an increased risk of femoral fractures after denosumab interruption. Our case highlights the increased risk of fractures after discontinuation of denosumab. Therefore, denosumab must be used judiciously without interruption in the dosage schedule.

In this study, the liquid–liquid two-phase flow pattern and mass transfer rate in microchannels were investigated by an extraction experiment. Slug flow was observed at low flow velocities, which changed to annular and slug-annular flows at high flow velocities. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient (Ka) of the slug flow increased with increasing flow velocity; however, the flow pattern transition from slug to annular flow led to a discontinuous decline in Ka and reduced it to below that of slug flow. Since the difference in the specific interface areas (a) between the slug and annular flows was not large enough to address the difference in Ka for the slug and annular flows, it was suggested that the decrease in the mass transfer coefficient (K) was mainly responsible for the decrease in Ka with flow pattern transition. The highest Ka was obtained at the highest flow velocity within the slug flow region. Therefore, it was demonstrated that increasing the flow velocity as much as possible within the range where the stable slug flow is formed without causing the flow pattern transition from the slug to annular flows is an effective design strategy for minimizing the microchannel volume.

Liquid-liquid two-phase Taylor flow mass transfer in microchannels, which has many advantages for heat and mass transfer operations, should be studied to develop practical applications in various chemical processes. To understand the effects of various parameters on mass transfer and develop an estimation method of mass transfer performance, mass transfer in microchannels was examined by an evaluation of phenol extraction from dodecane to water. Under stable Taylor flow conditions in a 1 mm inner diameter glass channel, the organic phase (dodecane) formed liquid droplets and the aqueous phase (water) formed liquid slugs with a liquid film enclosing the organic phase droplets. The effect of the droplet length on mass transfer was investigated with a microchannel device that consists of a circular channel with a 1 mm inner diameter and union tees with inner diameters of 2.0 mm and 2.4 mm. Although the droplets lengths were varied in the range of 7.4 mm to 30.5 mm, approximately the same volumetric mass transfer coefficients ( Ka ) were obtained. This result suggested that the side interface of the droplets that contact the thin liquid film becomes a mass transfer interface as well as an end interface. This occurs because the side interface area increases with increasing droplet length and droplet volume while the specific interfacial area remains approximately constant. The volumetric mass transfer coefficients were obtained for various cross-sectional shapes and hydraulic equivalent channel diameters at various flow velocities. The mass transfer coefficients were derived by dividing the volumetric mass transfer coefficients by the specific interfacial area. It was found that the Sherwood number ( Sh ), which is a dimensionless expression of the mass transfer coefficient, has excellent correlation with the Reynolds number ( Re ); thus, the estimation of the mass transfer performance for a given channel and given operational conditions can be determined using the correlation between Sh and Re .

We report a very rare (5~7%) case of bilateral C5 palsy after cervical surgery. A 71-year-old male patient with cervical ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) with foraminal stenosis at bilateral C4/5 underwent posterior decompression and fusion surgery. After surgery, muscle weakness in his both deltoid and biceps was detected and gradually deteriorated to complete paralysis. Postoperative MRI showed sufficient decompression of the spinal cord and posterior shifting. Subsequently, an additional bilateral foraminotomy at C4/5 was performed, with a suspicion that bilateral foraminal stenosis at C4/5 may have been the cause of the paresis. After foraminotomy, muscular contraction was seen in both deltoid and biceps. Finally, complete motor recovery was achieved in a year. Although the gold standard procedure for the prevention and treatment of postoperative C5 palsy has not yet been established, an additional foraminotomy may be recommended for severe C5 palsy in cases of foraminal stenosis even after the occurrence of palsy.

Microreactors with two-phase slug flow have an advantage over the conventional batch reactors in mass transfer because of the internal circulation flow within the slugs. The slug flow in the microreactors have to be monitored, because the slug lengths influence mass transfer performance. In this work, an experimental investigation is carried out to analyze the formation of gas-liquid slug flow in a single T-shaped channel. The result shows that the feed pressures oscillate periodically along the formation of a pair of gas and liquid slugs. Based on this result, a feed pressure-based method is developed to monitor whether a slug having the desirable length is generated. By the developed method, the slug flows can be monitored without complicated processing, such as the placement of the windows or electrodes on channels. In addition, the applicability of the developed method to a multi-channel reactor connected to manifold-type flow distributors is investigated. As a result of the investigation, it is proposed that, by using Fourier transform analysis of pressure signals obtained at the inlet of either flow distributor, the number of pressure sensors required for estimating all the pressure oscillation cycles is reduced to just one. The effectiveness of the proposed method is experimentally demonstrated under both normal and abnormal conditions of the process.

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study on the occurrence of microexplosion in water-in-oil emulsion droplets. Experiments are performed for a single water/n-hexadecane emulsion droplet heated in an electric furnace. The volume fraction of water in the emulsion varies from 0.1 to 0.3 and the furnace temperature ranges from 973 to 1173 K. A mathematical model used in the numerical simulation describes the unsteady heat conduction in the emulsion droplet and the homogeneous bubble nucleation in the dispersed water droplets. Throughout the experiments, microexplosion is observed when droplet temperature is about 473 K. An increase in the furnace temperature decreases the microexplosion droplet temperature, and an increase in the water content decreases the microexplosion droplet temperature. In the numerical simulation, the strength of microexplosion when the water droplet temperature reaches the superheat limit is estimated from the homogeneous bubble nucleation rate. The strength of microexplosion peaks near the surface of an emulsion droplet. A water droplet heated to the superheat limit evaporates explosively. Furthermore, water droplets rapidly heated to the superheat limit in the higher furnace temperature evaporate explosively, so that the temperature of the droplet center is low compared with the lower furnace temperature. Although water content has no influence on the temperature of water droplets, an increased number of water droplets proportional to the water content indicates an increase in bubble nucleation. Therefore, higher water content is favorable for microexplosions, which indicates the occurrence of microexplosion at a lower droplet temperature.

A low-cost and simple monitoring method for early warning of landslides is proposed. To detect abnormal deformation of a slope, this method employs a tilt sensor in place of an extensometer on the slope surface. In order to examine the relevance of measuring rotation angle on a slope surface by tilt sensor, model tests were conducted, and rotation on the slope surface was observed together with slide displacement along the surface. The rotation data responded 30 min before failure in a model test, which could be useful as a signal for early warning. However, the behavior of rotation before failure varies from case to case, and thus, criteria to issue warning should be defined more carefully. For a model slope made of uniform loose sand, measurement of slide displacement along the slope surface is sensitive to failure at the toe, while the measurement of rotation on the slope surface is useful to detect the development of progressive failure upward along the slope. Wireless sensor units with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) tilt sensor and volumetric water content sensor were also examined on a real slope in Kobe City, and a long-term monitoring was attempted. A simple but possible way to define the criteria of judgment to issue warning can be proposed based on combination of data obtained by the tilt sensors and volumetric water content sensors.

In this study, we examined the temporal aspects of the right posterior parietal cortex in easy feature visual search using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The transcranial magnetic stimulations were applied over the right posterior parietal cortex of the subjects with the TMS onset times were set at 100, 150, 200 and 250 ms after visual stimulus presentation. We found that when TMS stimulus onset asynchronies SOA = 150 ms, compared to the no-TMS condition, there was a significant elevation in response time when TMS pulses were applied. However for the other SOA cases, there was no significant difference between the TMS and no-TMS conditions. Therefore, we considered that the feature search was processed in the right posterior parietal cortex at about 150 ms after stimulation.

It is known that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays a dominant role in spatial processing during visual search. However, the temporal aspect of the PPC is unclear. In the present study, to investigate the temporal aspects of the PPC in feature search, we applied Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) over the right PPC with the TMS stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) set at 100, 150, 200 and 250 ms after visual search stimulation. We found that when SOA was set at 150 ms, compared to the sham TMS condition, there was a significant elevation in response time when TMS pulses were applied. However, there was no significant difference between the TMS and sham TMS conditions for the other SOA settings. Therefore, we suggest that the spatial processing of feature search is probably processed in the posterior parietal cortex at about 150-170 ms after visual search stimuli presentation.

Spatial distributions of electron density (ne) and electron temperature (Te) of a micro-discharge plasma for an alternating current plasma display panel cell were directly measured using the laser Thomson scattering method. The use of a triple-grating spectrometer was very successful in suppressing the strong stray laser light and allowed us to perform measurements at 0.1 mm above the surface of the electrode substrate. Values of ne and Te were (0.2–3)×1019 m−3 and (1.6–3.4) eV, respectively, depending on the time from the beginning of the pulsed discharge and the observation position. The structure of the micro-discharge is discussed in terms of the obtained distributions of ne and Te.

Emission enhancement of the organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) by the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect was studied. Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were fabricated by vacuum deposition method and annealing. OLEDs with and without Ag NPs were fabricated to evaluate the LSPR enhancement effect. As a result, the luminance of OLED containing Ag NPs was enhanced successfully by the LSPR.

We describe an improved method for the kinetic measurement of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TrACP; EC 3.1.3.2) activity in serum. Of the TrACP derived from erythrocytes, platelets, and macrophages (osteoclasts and others), that from the first two sources is also resistant to fluoride, whereas skeletal TrACP is sensitive to fluoride. Thus, osteoclast-derived TrACP can be measured specifically by exploiting its sensitivity to fluoride. We measured the activity of tartrate-resistant and fluoride-sensitive acid phosphatase (TrFsACP) by using 2,6-dichloro-4-acetylphenyl phosphate as substrate at pH 6.2. The activity of TrFsACP in serum was increased by adding hexadimethrine bromide (Polybrene) to the reaction mixture. This method was not influenced by hemolysis with hemoglobin concentrations as great as 0.9 g/L. The mean ± SD values of TrFsACP activity by this method were 20.4 ± 2.8 and 16.4 ± 2.3 U/L for young (ages 20–29 years) men (n = 34) and women (n = 50), respectively. The highest mean TrFsACP activity was found among children younger than 15 years, followed by that in elderly subjects (older than 60).