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International journal of legal medicine 136(2), 405-413 (2022). doi:10.1007/s00414-021-02736-3, Published by Springer, Berlin ; Heidelberg

The IoT (Internet of Things) society will be arriving in the near future, and many things will be connected by the Internet. Consequently, data traffic will be increased, and so will the demand to ...

Introduction New contexts of practice demand that professionals engage in critical reflection to handle new situations and to create new knowledge that is responsive to professional practices situated in unique historical and social contexts. Community of Practice offers a framework for professions to reflect together on practice dilemmas and to generate practical solutions. Methods This paper presents a participatory action research project that traces the trajectory of a Community of Practice made up of seven occupational therapists working in primary health care and a researcher team, in Brazil. This study mapped the Community of Practice's trajectory between 2013 and 2017 through a group timeline analysis, which occurred gradually, in a collaborative mode. Results Three distinct phases in the trajectory of the development of the Community of Practice were identified: narrative perspectives were utilised as a means to identify dilemmas and difficulties in practice; the investigation of clients' needs and identification of issues was an ongoing process; and the generation of practice-based knowledge through the development of instruments to sustain clinical reasoning was a creative solution to practical dilemmas. Conclusion Three main aspects were highlighted: the partnership between researchers and practitioners as a potential avenue for the production of knowledge relevant to professional practice; the negotiation of the dilemma of "putting practice into words" in the context of constantly changing local and global perspectives; and the investigation of situated practice as an important element that can strengthen, strain, resist or even modify hegemonic perspectives of knowledge production in our field.

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is a severe invasive infection characterized by the sudden onset of shock, multiorgan failure, and high mortality. Although STSS is mainly caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, group G streptococcus identified as S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) causing STSS has also been reported; however, no study has analyzed >100 isolates of SDSE causing STSS. Therefore, we characterized the emm genotype of 173 SDSE isolates obtained from STSS patients in Japan during 2014–2016 and performed antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the broth microdilution method and emm gene typing. The predominant emm genotype was found to be stG6792, followed by stG485, stG245, stG10, stG6, and stG2078. These six genotypes constituted more than 75% of the STSS isolates. The proportion of each emm genotype in STSS isolates correlated with that in invasive isolates previously reported. We found that 16.2% of the isolates showed clindamycin resistance. The proportion of clindamycin-resistant SDSE isolates was significantly higher than that of S. pyogenes isolates. Thus, while treating STSS caused by SDSE, it is necessary to consider the possibility of clindamycin resistance and to ensure judicious use of the drug.

The quantitative impact of weight gain on prediabetic glucose dysregulation remains unknown; only one study quantitated the impact of weight loss. We quantified the impact of weight gain on the evolution and regression of prediabetes (PDM).In 4234 subjects without diabetes, using logistic regression analysis with a 4.8-year follow-up period, we analyzed the relationship between (1) δBMI (BMIMean (±s.d.) δBMI was 0.17 (±1.3) kg/mIn Japanese adults, an increase in the BMI by even 1 kg/m

Compared with conventional semen, use of sexed semen decreases the conception rate (CR); therefore, it is important to address the factors that lead to sperm damage. Recently, a novel sexed semen technology was developed for improving dairy cattle fertility (Betthauser et al. 2016 J. Dairy Sci. 99 (E-Suppl. 1), 534). However, there are few reports about the fertility of this novel sexed semen in dairy cattle in Japan. The objective of this study was to compare the CR of traditional sorting semen (S1: flow cytometry/cell sorting) and the novel sexed semen (S2: SexcelTM, ABS Global Inc.) in Holstein heifers and cows in Japan. The CR for the first insemination was obtained from 391 Holstein cows and 148 heifers (10.7-17.8 months old) from 14 dairy farms in Hokkaido from June 2017 to April 2019. Semen used for AI was collected from six bulls and packaged into 0.25-mL straws and frozen. Cows inseminated with conventional frozen semen (S3: unsexed semen in 0.5-mL straws) were used as controls. Calving data were collected from 123 cows and 69 heifers that had calved between January 2018 and May 2019. The diagnosis of pregnancy was confirmed using ultrasonography between 30 and 45 days after insemination. The CR and sex ratio were analysed using chi-square test. The average parity number was 1.9±1.1, and average days open was 84.9±20.4 days. The average interval between calving and the first service was 86.2±20.3 days. The average milk yield (at 305 days) was 12 195±1595 kg. All of the animals were inseminated after the onset of standing heat or removal of the tail chalk of natural heats and oestrus and ovulation synchronisation programmes on the farm. Conception rates of heifers of the first service of S1 (n=54) and S2 (n=94) were 68.5 and 70.2%, respectively. Conception rates of cows of the first service of S1 (n=32), S2 (n=173), and S3 (n=186) were 56.3, 57.8, and 53.8%, respectively. There were no significant differences in CR between these groups (P>0.4). The proportion of female calves produced using S1 (n=61) and S2 (n=57) was 91.8 and 93.0%, respectively, which was significantly more (P0.8) in terms of the proportion of calves produced. The results of this study demonstrated that the traditional sorting and novel sexed semen (S1 and S2, respectively) did not differ in terms of the first-service CR and produced considerably more female calves than when the conventional semen (S3) was used. Furthermore, these findings indicate that the use of this novel sexed semen could achieve a sex ratio close to 90% female offspring.

We have shown that a simplified oestrus synchronization protocol using prostaglandin F2α (PG) and oestradiol benzoate (EB) resulted in a satisfactory conception rate, similar to that obtained in high-producing dairy cows with natural oestrus (Yamaguchi et al. 2018 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 30, 147 abstr). However, we found no significant effect of PG + EB protocols on the first-service conception rates (CR) of dairy cows. This study investigated the effect of the first-service CR by using PG + EB protocols in the high-producing dairy cows that had not exhibited oestrus expression after calving. Data concerning the first-service CR were obtained for 481 Holstein cows from 4 commercial dairy herds in Hokkaido and Ibaraki, Japan, from 2014 to 2017. The average number of parity, average interval between calving and the first service, and average milk yield (at 305 days) of the cows were 2.2 ± 1.3, 89.7 ± 26.1 days, and 10314 ± 1994 kg, respectively. We carried out the PG + EB protocols on cows not showing evident standing heat from Days 50 to 150 postpartum regardless of the presence of a corpus luteum in the ovary. The statuses of ovaries of cows were confirmed using ultrasonography before starting the treatment. Prostaglandin F2α (25 mg; Lutalyse, Pfizer, New York, NY, USA) was injected into cows with a >20 mm cutoff for functional corpus luteum diameter at a random stage of oestrus, and EB (1 mg; Ovahormon®, Aska Animal Health Co., Tokyo, Japan) was injected 24 h later, and AI was carried out 24 to 48 h after EB injection. Cows with a natural oestrus service from Days 50 to 150 postpartum were used as control. All the cows were inseminated after the onset of standing heat or removal of the tail chalk. Pregnancy diagnoses were performed using ultrasonography 30 to 45 days after AI. The CR and intervals of partum to conception were analysed using a chi-square test and ANOVA. The first-service CR (i.e. the number of pregnant cows/total number of cows in the treatment group) of the natural oestrus (n = 330) and PG + EB (n = 151) groups were 42.7 and 41.1%, respectively, and there were no significant differences between these 2 groups (P = 0.7). The average interval between calving and the first service of the PG + EB groups was significantly longer than that of the natural oestrus groups (86.4 ± 1.5 days v. 96.9 ± 1.9 days; P

Growing evidence suggests that personality trait is associated with longevity, however, the mechanistic link has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between personality traits and longevity and to investigate mediating pathways of this link in the very old. In a cohort of 460 senior (200 men and 260 women) aged 85 years or older living in the community, personality traits were assessed with NEO five-factor inventory, which consists of conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion. Activity of daily living (ADL), Cognitive function (mini-mental state examination), wellbeing (WHO5), leisure time physical activity (time spent for walking and exercise per week), denture wearing during sleep at night, and body mass index were assessed at the baseline, and all-cause mortality was followed-up for 6 years. Extraversion and conscientiousness showed significant positive association with wellbeing and physical activity, while neuroticism was negatively associated with wellbeing and cognitive function. Agreeableness was associated with being woman and wellbeing. During the study period, 151 (32.8%) persons died. In a multivariate cox proportional hazard model adjusted for demographics and potential confounders, only neuroticism was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (hazard risk for the highest tertile, 1.63, 95% confident interval, 1.05–2.52, p=0.029). Our results suggest that extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with wellbeing and health behavior, however, the two traits has limited impacts on mortality beyond 85 years. Neuroticism was significantly associated with mortality independently from wellbeing, cognition, and health behaviors.

To clarify the relationship between earthquakes and electrical phenomena, signals of three parameters were observed continuously at Sennan in Akita Prefecture, Japan: ground acceleration (GAC), earth potential difference (EPD), and electrostatic field in the atmosphere (EFA). A large metal plate was used as an electrostatic antenna to observe EFA variation. For this paper, we used the digital natural observation (D-NOB) method as a signal processing technique and found clear EPD and EFA waveforms during seismic wave propagation. Our observation and examination results show that GAC causes EPD variation. Subsequently, the EPD variation induces EFA variation

Introduction We experienced two occupational lung diseases on a different situation in military training. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of CT images for inhaled pulmonary edema from the standpoint of early diagnosis and assessment of severity. Materials and methods Case 1: Two soldiers who used the rust proofing sprays and dust removal sprays for the daily maintenance of their arms suffered from severe lung edema. Case 2: Four soldiers suffered from severe dyspnea because they drilled in the field where many smoke canisters were used. We evaluated these patients by clinical symptoms, laboratory data, pulmonary function test, chest X-P and CT images. Results Case 1: Their chest CT scan showed bilateral infiltration mainly in the upper lung field. Steroid pulse treatment was used for recovery. Seven days later, their chest X-P showed almost normal. Case 2: Their chest radiographs showed mild infiltrative shadows. Their chest CT scan showed bilateral ground grass attenuation with the peripheral lung spared. They recovered gradually by steroid therapy. Seven days later, mild abnormal shadow was observed in their chest CT images. Discussion In the literature, chest CT scan showed diffused ground glass opacities mainly in the upper lung field of inhaled pulmonary edema patients. The peripheral part of the lungs was kept normal excluding the seriously injured cases. These findings are the same as those in our cases. When differential diagnosis was needed, we considered chest CT scan especially useful. The findings of CT scan are useful not only for the diagnosis of inhaled pulmonary edema but also for determining the severity of lung injury.

In vitro-produced (IVP) bovine embryos tend to have a lower survival rate after cryopreservation than in vivo embryos do. Therefore, the freezing medium (FM) and concentration of cryoprotectant are very important factors. This study was to investigate the effect of 1.2 M ethylene glycol (EG) with 0.1 M sucrose (SUC) on survival of IVP embryos after freezing. The COC were matured in 25 mM HEPES-buffered TCM199 (TCM199) supplemented with 5% calf serum (CS) and 0.02 AU mL−1 FSH. Oocytes (20 to 25) were cultured in 100-μL droplets of maturation medium for 20 h. After 6 h of gamete co-culture (5 × 106 sperm/mL), the presumptive zygotes were cultured in CR1aa medium supplemented with 5% CS for 9 days (fertilization = Day 0). Only the expanded blastocysts from Days 7 to 9 were used in this experiment and separated into 3 treatment groups. The first and second groups were frozen in Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline (D-PBS) supplemented with 20% CS, 0.1 M SUC, and 1.2 or 1.5 M EG (groups 1.2 or 1.5 M EG), respectively. The third group was D-PBS supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum (FCS), 0.25 M SUC, and 1.4 M glycerol (group GLY). In each group, embryos were equilibrated with their FM for 10 min and loaded into 0.25-mL straws individually. These straws were placed into the cooling chamber of a programmable freezer precooled to −7°C. After 2 min, the straws were seeded and then held for a further 13 min at −7°C. Then, the straws were cooled to −30°C at −0.3°C/min before being plunged into liquid nitrogen. The cryopreserved embryos were thawed by allowing the straws to stand in air for 7 s and then warming them in a 30°C water bath for 20 s. The thawed embryos were washed twice using 38°C D-PBS supplemented with 20% FCS. Subsequently, they were immersed in the same medium, held at 38°C for 10 min, and then each embryo was cultured in 20-μL droplets of TCM199 supplemented with 20% FCS and 0.1 mM β-mercaptoethanol for 72 h. The rates of embryos developing to the re-expanded and hatching blastocyst stages were determined 72 h after thawing. All data were analysed by the chi-squared test with Yates’ correction. The re-expanded and hatching rates of frozen-thawed embryos after 72 h in culture were not significantly different between 1.2 M EG (n = 39: 71.8% and 69.2%), 1.5 M EG (n = 38: 76.3% and 63.2%), and 1.4 M GLY (n = 37: 75.7% and 64.9%) groups (P > 0.05). Survival and hatching rates according to embryo quality were also not significantly different between 1.2 M EG (good n = 18: 88.9% and 88.9%; fair n = 21: 57.1% and 52.4%), 1.5 M EG (good n = 19: 89.5% and 84.2%; fair n = 19: 63.2% and 42.1%), and 1.4 M GLY (good n = 18: 77.8% and 66.7%; fair n = 19: 73.7% and 63.2%) (P > 0.05). In conclusion, cryoprotectant type and concentration did not affect embryo survival or development after cryopreservation in this study. Therefore, the ethylene glycol concentration used for the cryopreservation of IVP embryos can be reduced.

Recently, in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos have been increasingly produced using ovum pickup (OPU) and IVF in cows worldwide. However, the conception rate of IVP embryos is lower than that of in vivo-derived embryos. This study was conducted to determine the proportion of embryos that led to a high conception rate when the embryos were selected according to the 4 predicting factors. A total of 30 Holstein and 20 Japanese Black cows were used, and 81 OPU-IVF sessions were performed from October 2014 to May 2016. The collected cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were cultured for 22 h. Capacitated sperm (at a final concentration of 5 × 106 spermatozoa/mL) were incubated with COC for 6 h. After insemination, presumptive zygotes were separated from cumulus cells and sperm by pipetting. Then, the presumptive zygotes were cultured for 9 days in CR1aa supplemented with 5% calf serum by using a micro-well culture dish (Dai Nippon Printing, Tokyo, Japan). The kinetics of embryo development was observed at 27, 31, and 55 h post-insemination (hpi). The 4 factors used to select embryos were as follows: (1) time at which first cleavage occurred (less than 27 hpi, or less than 31 hpi, in case any of the zygotes did not cleave at 27 hpi in each culture dish); (2) 2 blastomeres after first cleavage at 31 hpi; (3) absence of fragments after first cleavage at 31 hpi; and (4) 8 or more blastomeres at 55 hpi. The number of blastocysts was analysed at 7, 8, and 9 days post IVF. Additionally, the number of produced embryos that could be used for embryo transfer (ET) was determined. The data were analysed using the chi-square test. The total numbers of blastocysts and produced embryos were 615 and 503, respectively. The numbers of blastocysts and produced embryos selected using the combination of factors 1 to 4 were 200 (32.5%) and 169 (27.5%), respectively. The numbers of blastocysts and produced embryos selected using factor 1 were 397 (64.6%) and 340 (67.6%), using factor 2 were 445 (71.3%) and 378 (75.1%), using factor 3 were 364 (81.8%) and 307 (81.2%), and using factor 4 were 374 (60.8%) and 308 (61.2%), respectively. The numbers of blastocysts and produced embryos that were rejected using a combination of factors 1 to 4 were 123 (27.5%) and 90 (17.9%), respectively. The conception rate of fresh embryo transfer was 46.6% (n = 73). We found that the conception rate of the embryos selected using factors 1 to 4 was significantly (P

We are developing two prototype systems based on high- T c superconductor (HTS) samplers for measuring high-frequency electrical waveforms. One is a digital waveform measurement system in which high-frequency digital signals are directly inserted into the sampler circuit via a 40-GHz frequency assembly. The system can reconstitute a 5.9-Gbps digital waveform at 37 K. The other system is a current-waveform measurement system in which the signal current is picked up by a superconducting closed loop, and the waveform is measured by the sampler included in the loop. A sinusoidal waveform at 7 GHz was successfully measured using this system at 38 K.

We are developing a system using a high-T/sub c/ superconductor (HTS) sampler for measuring a 40-Gbps digital signal waveform, which will be used in next generation ultra-high-speed communications. To measure a 40-Gbps digital signal, the sampler bandwidth needs to be more than 120 GHz. The HTS sampler has the potential to achieve this bandwidth. As a first step in developing this system, we have developed a prototype whose target bandwidth is 40 GHz. In the prototype system, the sampler chip is cooled down to 35 K by a single-stage Stirling cryocooler, and the digital signal is transmitted to the sampler chip via a 40-GHz bandwidth assembly line. This system is the first to integrate an HTS device, a cryocooler, and a high-frequency assemble line. A 5.9-Gbps digital waveform was reconstituted by the prototype system with the correct period.

A new method was developed to identify and differentiate varicella-zoster virus (VZV) wild-type strains from the attenuated varicella Oka vaccine strain. The PCR technique was used to amplify a VZV open reading frame (ORF) 62 region. A single specific amplicon of 268 bp was obtained from 71 VZV clinical isolates and several laboratory strains. Subsequent digestion of the VZV ORF 62 amplicons with SmaI enabled accurate strain differentiation (threeSmaI sites were present in amplicons of vaccine strain VZV, compared with two enzyme cleavage sites for all other VZV strains tested). This method accurately differentiated the Oka vaccine strain from wild-type VZV strains circulating in countries representing all six populated continents. Moreover, the assay more reliably distinguished wild-type Japanese strains from the vaccine strain than did previously described methods.

We study all the SU(3) baryonic states known experimentally and identify them in the scheme of the deformed oscillator quark (DOQ) model. The DOQ model is motivated by confinement of quarks and chiral symmetry breaking, which are the most important nonperturbative phenomena of QCD. We find most of the baryonic states fall into the DOQ scheme. We then attempt to study the microscopic origin of the DOQ model using a model of three constituent quarks with two-body interactions. We find, however, that such a simple treatment is not able to produce the large deformation effect. We argue then that the confinement caused by the gluon dynamics is essentially important for the deformed baryons.

This paper describes an approach to designing fuzzy if-then rules for the fuzzy-controlled static var compensator (FCSVC) in a three-phase electric power system. In general, it is very difficult to control the rms line voltage in the three-phase ac circuit. We propose the FCSVC system to control the voltage. FCSVC is an rms line voltage stabilizer using three static var compensators (SVC) which are controlled by a fuzzy logic controller (FLC). Moreover, we propose an easier and more efficient approach to designing the fuzzy if-then rules of FCSVC. The effectiveness of the FCSVC described in this paper is verified by the experimental results.

In the present study, we measured the accumulation of glutamate after hyperosmotic shock in Escherichia coli growing in synthetic medium. The accumulation was high in the medium containing sucrose at a pH above 8 and decreased with decreases in the medium pH. The same results were obtained when the hyperosmotic shock was carried out with sodium chloride. The internal level of potassium ions in cells growing at a high pH was higher than that in cells growing in a neutral medium. A mutant deficient in transport systems for potassium ions accumulated glutamate upon hyperosmotic stress at a high pH without a significant increase in the internal level of potassium ions. When the medium osmolarity was moderate at a pH below 8, E. coli accumulated gamma-aminobutyrate and the accumulation of glutamate was low. These data suggest that E. coli uses different osmolytes for hyperosmotic adaptation at different environmental pHs.

To determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the inhibition of aggrecan synthesis, we measured levels of NO produced by bovine chondrocytes from different layers of articular cartilage in the presence of interleukin-1 (IL-1). Chondrocytes from the superficial layer showed a large increase in NO synthesis in response to IL-1. Although chondrocytes from the deep layer also produced NO in response to IL-1, the amount was less than that from the superficial layer. Enhanced NO production evoked by IL-1 was accompanied by a significant inhibition of aggrecan synthesis. These data suggest that chondrocytes in both superficial and deep layer of articular cartilage inhibit aggrecan synthesis with IL-1 via NO production. In addition, superficial layer cells respond to lower amounts of IL-1 with respect to NO-production and inhibition of proteoglycan synthesis.

In order to establish the method of analyses of implanted hydrogen isotopes by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and to understand the accumulation process of hydrogen in plasma-facing materials, the depth profile of implanted deuterium in tungsten has been examined by SIMS. Introduction of oxygen on the specimen surface made it possible to analyze the depth profile in the near surface region. The deuterium distribution was found to depend on both the incident energy and fluence. Implanted deuterium was expected to be trapped by radiation defects of vacancy type after migration at room temperature. These results imply that the radiation damage by irradiation with hydrogen isotopes from plasma in fusion devices enhances the hydrogen isotope retention in the near surface regions.

We have successfully used antisense RNA to inhibit replication of the mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) in a cell culture system. MHV is a single-stranded RNA virus of positive polarity. Mouse L2 cells were stably transfected with an antisense construct that targets regions of genes 5 and 6 of the virus. High levels of expression from this construct, which is under control of the human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter, were found. After infection of the antisense cell lines with MHV, replication of the virus was significantly reduced compared with control cells. In a viral plaque assay, smaller plaques were found in the antisense cell lines. In addition, up to a 92% inhibition in the number of viral particles produced in one antisense cell line could be seen. This inhibitory effect decreased at longer (16 hour) infection times. It was possible to both increase the amount of inhibition and prolong the inhibitory effect by reducing the multiplicity of infection. Our results suggest that antisense RNA may be an effective tool to slow down progression of MHV infection in mice.

In recent years, the use of ovum pick up (OPU) and IVF for embryo production has increased worldwide; however, the conception rate of embryo transfer is lower for OPU-IVF embryos than for in vivo-derived embryos. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of embryo selection by a 3-step observation method by using a micro-well culture dish (Dai Nippon Printing, Tokyo, Japan). In this study, 9 Holstein and 15 Japanese Black cows were used, and the OPU-IVF was conducted from October 2014 to May 2015. The collected cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were cultured for 22 h in 25 mM HEPES-buffered TCM-199 supplemented with 5% calf serum (CS) and 0.02 AU mL–1 of FSH. Sperm (at a final concentration of 5 × 106 spermatozoa mL–1) were incubated with COC for 6 h. After insemination, presumptive zygotes were separated from cumulus cells and sperm by pipetting. Then, the presumptive zygotes were cultured for 9 days in CR1aa supplemented with 5% CS by using a micro-well culture dish. Kinetics and morphology were observed at 27, 31, and 55 h post-insemination (hpi). The presumptive zygotes were divided to 3 groups (more than 2 cells, 2 cells, and no cleavage) at 27 and 31 hpi. Then, embryos at the 2-cell stage at 31 hpi were divided into 2 groups: 2-cell with normal cleavage and 2-cell embryos with abnormal cleavage (unequal cleavage, 2-cell with fragments, and 2-cell with protrusion). Subsequently, embryos were classified as 8-cell and more than 8 cell, or less than 8 cell at 55 hpi. The blastocyst rate (BL%) was analysed at 7, 8, and 9 days post IVF. Embryos selected by the 3-step observation method were used for fresh embryo transfer. The data were analysed by chi-squared test. In total, 856 oocytes were collected by OPU and 633 oocytes were cultured, of which 39.7% (263/663) developed to the blastocyst stage. The BL% of 2-cell embryos (72.5%, 116/160) was significantly higher (P

BACKGROUND Left ventricular function is the main predictor of long-term survival in patients with coronary artery disease. In patients with impaired left ventricular function after myocardial infarction, end-systolic volume is a better predictor than the global ejection fraction. We analyzed long-term follow-up of patients with impaired left ventricular function undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery to evaluate preoperative predictors of survival. METHODS AND RESULTS Consecutive patients with ejection fractions < or = 40% (n = 193) who had undergone surgical revascularization were followed to assess the predictive value of preoperative baseline characteristics and catheterization findings for long-term survival. Patients were followed for 133 +/- 30.7 months. At the time of surgery, patient age was 56 +/- 7.9 years and 169 patients (87.6%) had a history of previous myocardial infarction. Thirty-one patients (16%) were female. The ejection fraction was 32 +/- 7%, and the end-systolic volume was 147.4 +/- 52.6 mL. One hundred sixty-four patients (84.9%) had three-vessel disease, and 44 (22.8%) had a left main stenosis with > 50% diameter loss. Follow-up was complete in 99%. Fourteen patients died (7.3%) within the first 30 days after surgery. Twelve-month actuarial survival was 86%, 4-year survival was 80%, and 10-year survival was 40%. Predictors of poor long-term survival on multivariate analysis were end-systolic volume index (chi 2 = 14.02, P = .002), number of previous myocardial infarctions (chi 2 = 6.47, P = .001), preoperative stenosis score (chi 2 = 4.97, P = .02), and age at the time of surgery (chi 2 = 4.45, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS End-systolic volume index is the major predictor of survival after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with impaired left ventricular function. Strategies to prevent ventricular dilatation, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, may improve the long-term outcome in these patients.

It is a well known phenomenon that the amplitude of radio waves propagating through solar control glass is greatly reduced, because the electrical conductive film on the surface of solar control glass reflects the incident radio waves with frequencies lower than that of the plasma oscillation of free electrons in the conductive film. As a result of the moment method analysis of the scattering problem in the spectral domain, it was found that the amplitude of radio waves was not damped when the conductive film was divided into discontinuous segments with a periodic array because the motion of free electrons induced by the magnetic field of incident radio waves is restricted in the divided film. The effect of dividing the conductive film of solar control glass has been examined experimentally in the television wave region.

BACKGROUND: To perform a minimally invasive repair for pectus excavatum safely, accurate knowledge of the anatomy of the retrosternal region is crucial. This study was carried out to provide more information on this region. METHODS: 1. Using 32 human cadavers, the vascular structure in the retrosternal region was studied. 2. The pleura, transverse thoracic ligament, pericardium, and diaphragm were taken from 10 fresh cadavers, and their thicknesses and breaking strengths were measured. RESULTS: Thick vessels connecting the internal mammary vessels and anterosuperior phrenic vessels were present in a certain number of cadavers. This presence of a vascular communication was observed in 44 % of left thoracic cavities and 12.5 % of right thoracic cavities. The breaking strengths of the pericardium and diaphragm were found to be nearly ten times greater than that of the pleura. CONCLUSIONS: Care should be taken not to injure vessels connecting the internal mammary vessels and anterosuperior phrenic vessels when performing retrosternal undermining of the xiphoid region. Since the pericardium is much thicker than the pleura, injury of the pericardium can be avoided by careful undermining.

The population of microaerophilic bacteria, along with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, was investigated in the water and sediment of a grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) culture pond. Viable counts of microaerophiles were generally 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than those of aerobes/facultative anaerobes in both water and sediment samples. The number of microaerophiles in pond water was higher than the number of obligate anaerobes, while in the pond sediment similar numbers were found. In total 86 microaerophilic bacteria were classified tentatively into 13 groups.

Ce/TM (transition metal) (TM=Cu, Fe) bilayer has been grown on STO (1 0 0) and GaAs (1 1 0) substrates by MBE method. The structure of TM buffer layers is dominated by substrates. As-deposited Ce is amorphous at RT on any TM buffer, but it changes to Ce–TM compounds by annealing. In the case of Ce/Cu on STO (1 0 0), a single phase could be obtained by annealing. Ce/Fe system shows interesting growth characteristics depending on the substrate temperature and the structure of Fe buffer. These results may provide us with a chance to control the formation of Ce–Cu or Ce–Fe compounds by using the annealing and the crystal structure of buffer layers.

Dilute hydrochloric acid (10% w/v, 2.74 N) was reacted with peptides and proteins at 25 degrees C for 14 days and 30 days or at 50 degrees C for 1 to 16 hours.These reactions caused successive C-terminal degradation and deamidation of C-terminal alpha-amide and acidic amino acid amides. Under these conditions, the reaction also partially cleaved acid labile peptide bonds, including the C side of aspartic acid and both sides of glycine.

Ce/Cu double layer was grown on GaAs by MBE method in ultrahigh vacuum. Epitaxial Cu (1 1 1) film was successfully grown on cleaved GaAs (1 1 0) substrate. The streaked RHEED pattern disappeared immediately after small amount of Ce deposition on Cu, but a different pattern from Cu turned up by the annealing. It is suggested from AFM and RHEED that some kind of Ce lattice including Ce–Cu compound was grown on Cu.

This paper proposes a scalable video scrambling method in MPEG domain. Scrambling strength could be controlled to produce video with distortion level ranging from insignificant to significant. AC components in each coefficient block are first scalably transformed according to desired level of distortions. Then, all pairs of the length of zero-run and the level of non-zero component are locally shuffled in each coefficient block. Furthermore, all coefficient blocks are globally shuffled within a region to be scrambled. The scrambled video stream could be descrambled to restore the original video with a right key. The basic performance of this method is verified through computer simulations.

Placental protein 19 (PP19) is one of the new placental tissue proteins identified in extracts from human term placenta by Bohn and Winkler. We measured the PP19 concentration in body fluids and placental tissue by radioimmunoassay; the minimum detectable dose of standard was 1.5 ng/ml. Although ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA-2K) inhibited the immunoreaction between PP19 (225/242) and anti-PP19 antibody (632 ZA), the PP19 concentration did not differ between serum and heparin and sodium citrate plasmas. The serum PP19 concentration was increased by hemolysis. In blood cell fractions separated by the Ficoll-Paque/Macrodex method, polymorphonuclear leukocyte fraction contained the highest PP19 concentration. The circulating serum PP19 concentration was 4.5 +/- 1.1 ng/ml (mean +/- standard deviation) in the proliferative phase (n = 8) and 5.1 +/- 1.6 ng/ml in the secretory phase (n = 7) for nonpregnant women, and 4.6 +/- 2.2 ng/ml from men (n = 12). Seminal plasma (n = 8) contained 212.2 +/- 99.7 ng/ml. The maternal serum PP19 concentration in 291 normal pregnancies increased from 6.2 ng/ml (median) at 6-7 weeks of gestation to 34.1 ng/ml at 38-39 weeks. The mean PP19 concentration was higher in amniotic fluid and retroplacental blood, but lower in umbilical cord blood than that in circulating maternal serum. In hydatidiform mole, vesicular fluid contained high PP19 concentration (1154.6 +/- 659.5 ng/ml), although these maternal serum concentration was not statistically higher than normal range. The chorionic villous trophoblast contained more PP19 than decidua, chorion, and amnion. These results suggest that PP19 has an extraplacental source, even though the chorionic villous trophoblast may be the main source throughout pregnancy.

Bovine IVF embryos are evaluated morphologically using light microscopy just before transfer. However, this evaluation method is subjective, and an objective method with more certainty is needed. Sugimura et al. (PLoS ONE 2012 7, e36627) reported a promising system for selecting healthy IVF bovine embryo by using time-lapse cinematography and 5 prognostic factors. This study was to investigate the efficacy of a 2-step evaluation system of IVF embryos using microscopy for selecting high developmental competence IVF embryos. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were collected by ovarian follicular aspiration (2 to 5 mm diameter) obtained from a local abattoir. The COC (n = 488) were matured in TCM-199 medium supplemented with 5% calf serum (CS) and 0.02 IU mL–1 of FSH at 38.5°C for 20 h in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 (20 COC 100 µL–1 droplets). After 10 h of gametes co-culture (5.0 × 106 sperm cells mL–1), the presumptive zygotes were cultured in 125 µL of CR1 aa medium supplemented with 5% CS in well of-the-well culture dishes (AS ONE, Japan; 25 zygotes well–1) at 38.5°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2, 5% O2, and 90% N2 for 9 days. Two-step evaluations of embryos were done at 27 and 55 h post-IVF (hpi). In the first step of evaluation, cleavage patterns at 27 hpi were categorized as mono-cell, 2-cell with even blastomeres and without fragments (normal cleavage), 2-cell with uneven blastomeres, and ≥3 blastomeres. During the second step of evaluation, embryos were classified by their number of blastomeres (2 to 5 cells, 6 to 8 cells, and >8 cells) and the absence or presence of multiple fragments (20%) at 55 hpi. The data were analysed by chi-square test. The blastocyst rate (BL%) of embryos cleaved before 27 hpi (56.6%, n = 106) was higher (P 8 cell stage (70.6%, n = 25) compared with those embryos at the 2- to 5-cell stage at 55 hpi (26.1%, n = 176). Embryos with no fragments (58.0%, n = 467) had higher BL% (P 20% fragments (17.5%, n = 25) at 55 hpi. The highest of BL% was observed in embryos showing a normal cleavage to 2-cells with at 27 hpi and having >6 cells with no fragments at 55 hpi (95.2%, n = 21, P

Recently, several scrambling techniques have been proposed for video digitally archived. These methods realize efficient processing by partial encryption on MPEG compressed data while keeping compatibility to MPEG format. However, they have common drawbacks expanding the entire code. Also, they have not reported on local shuffling in a frame. In this work, we propose a new video scrambling scheme on MPEG compressed domain, which shuffles a part of DC and AC coefficients by DCT in a frame. Our scheme is applicable to local region without data expansion from the original MPEG file

In this paper a new lane detection method is proposed for a highway lane departure warning system which hardware cost is reduced by using an existing wide-angle back monitor camera and an embedded CPU on the market. The extended Hough transform and a bird's-eye view image are effectively applied to perform realtime lane detection. The method was built on an embedded CPU (Hitachi SH2E) as software. Then the extended Hough transform was executed at less than 66 milliseconds.

By application of the electrooptic Pockels effect of the BSO (Bi/sub 12/SiO/sub 20/) crystal, a measurement method for measuring the electrical surface charge distribution on an insulating film was developed. Using an image lock-in amplifier and a spatial optical phase modulator, the measurement system was improved with respect to sensitivity and resolution. With this improvement, the amount, polarity, and pattern of surface charges produced by an impulse surface discharge on insulating materials can be observed very clearly. The spatial resolution is enhanced from 750 /spl mu/m to 200 /spl mu/m, and the sensitivity is also enhanced. The typical surface charge distribution of a positive streamer generated by a high-voltage impulse (5 kV peak) is presented. >

Spanning tree is one of classical combinatorial optimization problem. Recently, more attention has been paid to this problem by using genetic algorithm. Several tree encodings have been suggested to code the solution of the problem, such as Prufer number and so on. But all of them are focused on dealing with the MST problems on a complete graph. Actually, it is not always the case in practice because most practical network structures are not a complete graph. In this paper, we propose a matrix-based tree encoding to cope with the MST problem on a sparse graph. Each chromosome consists of a matrix whose gene (element) is an integer. If there is no connection between a pair of vertices, its corresponding gene is a larger positive number M (M/spl Gt/0), otherwise, an integer arranging from 1 to 256. Actually, this encoding occupies more memory, but it is more efficient to deal with the MST problem on a sparse graph. Numerical examples show that this new encoding is effective to get the optimal or near-optimal solution of the MST problem on a sparse graph.

The paper describes an approach to design fuzzy IF-THEN rules for the fuzzy-controlled static VAr compensator (FCSVC) in a three-phase electric power system. In general, designing fuzzy IF-THEN rules for fuzzy-controlled non-linear MIMO systems is very difficult because the system is too complex to obtain the knowledge of experts sufficiently. Therefore, automatic design of the rules from input-output data is studied by many researchers. However, it is impossible to apply the designing method to the FCSVC in a three-phase electric power system because the system is so dynamic and the input-output data are not obtained completely. We propose a FCSVC, the rules of which are designed more easily and more efficiently and depend on the condition of the system. The effectiveness of the approach described in the paper is verified by the experimental results.

The purpose of this paper is to detail the development of a mobile robot and control support system. The robot has five infrared (IR) ray sensors and three ultrasonic sensors to enable it to follow a guide person with an IR ray transmitter. The robot follows the IR rays emitted by the transmitter and moves towards its destination. The control system has been developed by using network technology (client/server model) based on the TCP/IP protocol; the CPU of the robot system has a low-enough speed for this. The advanced control strategy for the mobile robot is carried out with a high-speed host server computer connected through the TCP/IP network. In this paper, the autonomous mobile robot system and the control support system aided by the TCP/IP network are described.