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The purpose of this study was to clarify coaches’ competencies (COM) regarding dual-career (DC) support for student athletes in Japan. The questionnaire survey was conducted at 31 universities with an online survey URL that was distributed to 300 collegiate athletic coaches. In total, there were 152 respondents (female, 19; male, 133; mean age, 43.15 ± 12.07 years; coaching experience, 12.83 ± 9.72 years). The online survey adopted a Japanese-translated version of the Dual-Career Competency Questionnaire (DCCQ), which has been translated into nine languages and is widely used in European counties. The scale consists of six factors and 33 items, each rated on a five-point scale of importance (IM) and possession (PO). The Japanese version of the DCCQ was validated through a confirmatory factor analysis, and the internal consistency of the items was confirmed by calculating the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. In addition, we examined differences between the IM and PO for DC support by t-tests and by calculating effect sizes. The validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the DCCQ were confirmed based on the goodness-of-fit index and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, respectively. Our examination of the differences between IM and PO in DC support revealed that coaches perceived the importance of DC support but did not possess the necessary COM to offer DC support. That finding was similar to those of previous European studies. In particular, the Japanese coaches who participated in our online survey recognized the importance of COM in terms of “collaboration with various stakeholders and departments” for DC support but did not feel as though they held sufficient COM in that regard. In other words, the improvement of DC support requires the development of a coaching program that fosters COM to work with various stakeholders. This key insight provides a direction and specific focus for programs to improve coaches’ DC support for student athletes.

Attenuation of the secondary injury of spinal cord injury (SCI) can suppress the spread of spinal cord tissue damage, possibly resulting in spinal cord sparing that can improve functional prognoses. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a haematological cytokine commonly used to treat neutropenia. Previous reports have shown that G-CSF promotes functional recovery in rodent models of SCI. Based on preclinical results, we conducted early phase clinical trials, showing safety/feasibility and suggestive efficacy. These lines of evidence demonstrate that G-CSF might have therapeutic benefits for acute SCI in humans. To confirm this efficacy and to obtain strong evidence for pharmaceutical approval of G-CSF therapy for SCI, we conducted a phase 3 clinical trial designed as a prospective, randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled comparative trial. The current trial included cervical SCI [severity of American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) B or C] within 48 h after injury. Patients are randomly assigned to G-CSF and placebo groups. The G-CSF group was administered 400 μg/m2/day × 5 days of G-CSF in normal saline via intravenous infusion for five consecutive days. The placebo group was similarly administered a placebo. Allocation was concealed between blinded evaluators of efficacy/safety and those for laboratory data, as G-CSF markedly increases white blood cell counts that can reveal patient treatment. Efficacy and safety were evaluated by blinded observer. Our primary end point was changes in ASIA motor scores from baseline to 3 months after drug administration. Each group includes 44 patients (88 total patients). Our protocol was approved by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device Agency in Japan and this trial is funded by the Center for Clinical Trials, Japan Medical Association. There was no significant difference in the primary end point between the G-CSF and the placebo control groups. In contrast, one of the secondary end points showed that the ASIA motor score 6 months (P = 0.062) and 1 year (P = 0.073) after drug administration tend to be higher in the G-CSF group compared with the placebo control group. Moreover, in patients aged over 65 years old, motor recovery 6 months after drug administration showed a strong trend towards a better recovery in the G-CSF treated group (P = 0.056) compared with the control group. The present trial failed to show a significant effect of G-CSF in primary end point although the subanalyses of the present trial suggested potential G-CSF benefits for specific population., Koda et al. present the results of a randomized phase 3 trial comparing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor versus placebo in patients with acute spinal cord injury. While the primary endpoint was not met, a sub-analysis revealed a trend towards superior efficacy of G-CSF versus placebo in an elderly population.

It is shown that a new mode of radio wave diffraction occurs at the peak of mountains mediated via the terrestrial surface plasmon. If mobile electrical charges exist on the earth's surface, the electromagnetic theory predicts strong coupling between the radio wave and the surface plasmon on the ground. If sufficient amount of electrical charges of the same sign appear on the ground as a consequence of some underground pre-seismic activity, they will be subject to the electrical repulsive forces. The surface electrical charges will then move towards topographic highs of nearby mountain peaks. Radio waves are then shown to interact with such electrical charges and create collective oscillations of the surface charges to induce a surface plasmon. Here it is clarified with numerical analyses on a massively parallel supercomputer that such interactions occur on the peak of mountains, hence causing peculiar phenomena of random diffraction. Depending on the density of the electrical charges on the ground surface, the interaction becomes strong enough to cause intense and random scattering and diffraction of the radio wave from the rough surface of the mountain topography. Mountain peaks thus act as a secondary source of radio waves; unexpectedly, radio waves are reradiated from the peaks into various directions by the anomalous diffraction and scattering, and the reradiated wave can propagate beyond the line of sight over mountains to reach distant locations. Such effects may arise randomly but concurrently with some pre-seismic activity in the crustal rocks, of which observation may allow statistical analysis of the critical state of crustal rocks over a broad area of a few hundred kilometers.

[1] It is shown theoretically that if mobile electrical charge exists on the surface of the ground, a ground surface plasma wave is induced by radio waves. If the electrical charges are generated by tectonic stresses acting on crustal rocks prior to major earthquakes, the detection of a ground surface plasma wave could be used as a pre-earthquake electromagnetic phenomenon. The ground surface plasma wave has a dispersion relation, i.e., the relation between frequency and wavelength, similar to that of the free-space plane wave in the atmosphere over the radio broadcast frequency range. It allows for a strong coupling between these two types of waves. This is a mode of electromagnetic wave propagation that has not been previously reported. Numerical analysis demonstrates (1) the propagation of the ground surface plasma wave along a curved surface beyond the line of sight, (2) anomalous scattering by ground surface roughness, and (3) the generation of cross-polarized waves due to the scattering. These results all agree well with radio wave anomalies observed before large earthquakes.

The force exerted on metal nano-particles is investigated numerically when the particles are in contact to form a cluster and are illuminated by a light of their fundamental plasmonic resonance frequency. For touching spheres, the mode of resonance changes drastically from those of separate spheres, and the resonance typically appears in the infrared wavelength range. For silver and gold two-sphere clusters, i.e. homo-dimers, of various radii, the magnitudes and the directions of the exerted forces are analyzed. It is found that the field enhancement in the gap region between the spheres depends largely on the sphere radius, and the force on the fundamental resonance exhibits binding only for small spheres; the greatest binding force is observed for radii of 40–60 nm; and the force turns to repelling when the radius becomes greater than approximately 100–150 nm as the field in the gap region becomes weaker.

Introduction Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is generally used for neutropaenia. Previous experimental studies revealed that G-CSF promoted neurological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Next, we moved to early phase of clinical trials. In a phase I/IIa trial, no adverse events were observed. Next, we conducted a non-randomised, non-blinded, comparative trial, which suggested the efficacy of G-CSF for promoting neurological recovery. Based on those results, we are now performing a phase III trial. Methods and analysis The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of G-CSF for acute SCI. The study design is a prospective, multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled comparative study. The current trial includes cervical SCI (severity of American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale B/C) within 48 hours after injury. Patients are randomly assigned to G-CSF and placebo groups. The G-CSF group is administered 400 µg/m 2 /day×5 days of G-CSF in normal saline via intravenous infusion for 5 consecutive days. The placebo group is similarly administered a placebo. Our primary endpoint is changes in ASIA motor scores from baseline to 3 months. Each group includes 44 patients (88 total patients). Ethics and dissemination The study will be conducted according to the principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki and in accordance with the Japanese Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act and other guidelines, regulations and Acts. Results of the clinical study will be submitted to the head of the respective clinical study site as a report after conclusion of the clinical study by the sponsor-investigator. Even if the results are not favourable despite conducting the clinical study properly, the data will be published as a paper. Trial registration number UMIN000018752.

Objective Changes in metabolic syndrome and its components with lifestyle modification were evaluated in Japanese men. Methods We used data for 160 Japanese men (45.6±8.8 years) with a 1-year follow up. Anthropometric, blood examination and blood pressure measurements were evaluated. Metabolic syndrome was defined by using a criterion in Japan. All subjects were given instructions by well-trained medical staff on how to change their lifestyle. Results With a 1-year follow-up, anthropometric parameters, blood pressure (BP), triglyceride and HDL cholesterol were significantly improved and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly reduced. The number of subjects with abdominal obesity at baseline and at follow-up was higher (81 men) than that of subjects with other components at baseline and at follow-up. Parameters at baseline were significantly correlated with changes in parameters for one year. With lifestyle modification, the level of 163 mmHg in systolic BP (SBP), 115 mmHg in diastolic BP (DBP), 226 mg/dL in triglyceride and 33 mg/dL in HDL cholesterol at baseline was estimated to improve to the level without medications with a 1-year follow up. Conclusion Lifestyle modification is useful for improving metabolic syndrome and its components. However, items of metabolic syndrome were improved, even when the abdominal circumference was greater than the normal value for Japanese men.

Medical waste poses health hazards, increases the environmental load and is costly to dispose of. To solve the above problems, we applied the hazard analysis and critical control point system (HACCP) to the management of wastes generated from endoscopy. First, the wastes in three hospitals were quantified. The number and weight of waste per case differed significantly among the three hospitals. Second, HACCP was applied to the endoscopy unit of Hospital X for a year. Wastes were segregated into five types and weighed. We found that 25.8% of ‘infectious waste’ was in fact ‘non‐infectious waste’ and ‘non‐infectious plastic waste’. The numbers of needles and needle caps did not correspond in two occasions (needle‐loss rate: 0.42%). Bacterial counts of the waste container were determined to investigate infection hazard. The counts were 0 cfu/cm2 in all examinations except one occasion. The waste control manifests were reviewed, and all entries were consistent with the waste sent for disposal. In Hospital X wh...

Objective We investigated the link between a reduction in waist circumference and metabolic syndrome. Methods 105 obese Japanese men were enrolled in this study with a 1-year follow-up. Anthropometric and body composition parameters, i.e. height, body weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference and hip circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and blood sugar, were evaluated. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using criteria developed in Japan. Results After a 1-year follow-up, the parameters of metabolic syndrome were significantly improved. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly reduced in subjects with at least 3 cm of waist circumference reduction (Group R). However, in subjects without such reduction (Group C), the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was similar to baseline levels. The prevalence of abdominal obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia was also significantly reduced in Group R. In addition, there were remarkable differences of delta triglyceride (delta represents positive changes in parameters) and delta HDL cholesterol between Group R and Group C. Conclusion At least 3 cm of waist circumference reduction may be beneficial for improving metabolic syndrome in obese Japanese men.

Objectives: We investigated the correlation between changes in body weight and body composition parameters. Methods: We used the data of 2635 Japanese (40.2±12.2 years) at baseline and at 1-year follow-up from a database of 13522 subjects, which is available at the Okayama Southern Institute of Health in Okayama prefecture, Japan. Body weight, waist circumference at the umbilical level, hip circumference, and body fat percentage were used in the analyses. Results: Body composition parameters were significantly reduced after 1 year. Changes in body weight significantly correlated with changes in waist circumference, changes in hip circumference, and changes in body fat percentage. A decrease in body weight of 3 kg corresponded to a 3.45 cm decrease in waist circumference in men and a 2.83 cm decrease in that in women. Conclusion: A decrease in body weight of 3 kg corresponded to an almost 3 cm decrease in waist circumference at the umbilical level in Japanese men and women.

Aim: To re-evaluate exercise intensity for overweight Japanese men by ventilatory threshold (VT). Methods: Cross sectional clinical intervention study. Subjects and materials: One hundred and ten overweight Japanese men aged 32–59 years were recruited. The average body mass index was 28.5 ± 2.5 kg/m2. Aerobic exercise level was evaluated by measuring VT. Fifty per cent heart rate (HR) reserve by Karvonen's formula was calculated and compared with HR at VT. Fat distribution was evaluated by visceral fat and subcutaneous fat areas measured with computed tomography scanning at umbilical levels. Anthropometric parameters such as height, body weight and body fat percentage were also measured. Results: There was significant correlation between HR at VT and 50% HR reserve by Karvonen's formula (r = 0.642, p

Objective: To investigate the difference between air displacement plethysmograph (ADP) and bioelectrical impedance (BI) for assessing body composition changes during weight loss in Japanese women. Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation study. Subjects: In a first cross-sectional study, we used data of 7380 Japanese women aged 14–83 years [body mass index (BMI): 22.6 ± 3.7 kg/m2] at baseline. Among the participants, we used data of 54 women (BMI: 25.9 ± 3.9 kg/m2) for a 5-month follow-up study. Measurements: Body fat percentage was evaluated by ADP and BI, and body fat (kg) and lean body mass (kg) were calculated. Anthropometric parameters, such as height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist hip ratio, were also measured. In a second longitudinal study, they were also investigated before and after the study. Results: In a first cross-sectional study, body fat percentage was 31.2 ± 7.0% in ADP and 25.7 ± 6.8% in BI. A significant relationship was observed between ADP and BI (r = 0.761, p

Aim: To investigate the link between serum leptin concentrations and exercise. Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of an exercise intervention. Subjects: 110 Japanese overweight men aged 32–59 years were recruited. At baseline, the average body mass index (BMI) was 28.5 ± 2.5 kg/m2. From this group, we used data of 36 overweight men (BMI, 28.9 ± 2.3) for a 1-year exercise programme. Measurements: Leptin was measured at baseline and after 1 year. Fat distribution was evaluated by visceral fat (V) and subcutaneous fat (S) areas measured with computed tomography (CT) scanning at umbilical levels. Anthropometric parameters, aerobic exercise level, muscle strength and flexibility were also investigated at baseline and after 1 year. Results: In the first analysis, using cross-sectional data, leptin was significantly correlated with total body fat (r = 0.760, p

Objective: To investigate the link between a reduction in blood pressure (BP) and daily exercise. Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical intervention study with exercise education. Subjects: 43 overweight Japanese men aged 32–59 years (BMI, 29.0±2.3 kg/m 2 ) at baseline. Among the participants, a randomly selected 23 overweight men (BMI, 28.5±1.7) were further enrolled into the 10 months exercise program. Measurements: BP was measured every week and steps per day were also recorded every day throughout the observation period. Fat distribution was evaluated by visceral fat (V) and subcutaneous fat (S) areas measured with computed tomography (CT) scanning at umbilical level, at before, 5 months and after intervention. Anthropometric parameters were also measured at same point. Aerobic exercise level, muscle strength, flexibility and calorie intake and insulin resistance (HOMA index) were investigated at before and after the study. Results: In a cross sectional analysis, systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were significantly correlated with body composition. In a second longitudinal analysis, SBP was significantly reduced at 2 months and DBP was also reduced at 3 months, and almost maintained until the end of the observation period. Increasing daily walking was observed in 3 months and maintained until 10 months. Body composition, aerobic exercise level, muscle strength, flexibility and insulin resistance were significantly improved. There was positive correlation between ΔDBP and Δvisceral fat area (1–5, 5–10, 1–10 months). By stepwise multiple regression analysis, only Δvisceral fat area was independently related to ΔDBP at a significant level (1–10 months: ΔDBP=−0.608+0.105Δvisceral fat area, r 2 =0.227, P =0.0334). Conclusion: The present study indicated daily exercise lowers BP and visceral fat area is the critical factor for BP change.

Biorthogonal interpolating wavelets have been applied to electromagnetic field modeling through the wavelet collocation method in time domain, yielding a versatile first-principle algorithm for the solution of time dependent Maxwell's equations with inhomogeneous media. The resulting scheme maintains high accuracy, while, by virtue of its sub-gridding capability, significant reduction of the computational expenditure has been obtained. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of two-dimensional dielectric waveguide discontinuities. Particularly for the modeling of electrically large optical waveguides, where the dimension of the analyzed structure is much larger than the wavelength of the highest frequency content of the transmitted signal, the proposed method has been proven to be highly efficient compared to the standard finite-difference method.

A multiresolution time-domain (MRTD) technique based on Haar wavelets has been applied to model the propagation of waves in dispersive materials, using a discretization of the convolution equation that governs the behaviour of the media. To validate the method, the reflection coefficient at the interface between air and several different linear dispersive media, as well as the propagation of a plane wave towards a non-linear dispersive medium have been calculated and compared with other numerical techniques and theoretical results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

It is shown that Mie's solution to Maxwell's equations no longer holds for the analysis of resonance of a plasmonic metal nanosphere. The conventional Mie's solution is based on the spherical Bessel and the spherical Hankel functions of an outgoing wave, whereas the permittivity of metals of a negative real part leads to a phase velocity that directs inward to the sphere, which is opposite from the direction of the energy flow as often discussed for negative-index metamaterials. This is a fundamental problem overlooked for a long time; a correction can be found from the viewpoint of a time-reversal problem involving negative permittivity media. The continuity of the field solution at the sphere surface is shown to be corrected by replacing the spherical Hankel function of an outgoing wave with that of an incoming wave, i.e., by adopting the complex conjugate of the conventional solutions. The corrected theory has been verified by the analyses of various metal nanospheres. In addition, the derivation of the scattering cross sections based on the corrected theory has elucidated that the conservation law of energy holds and that, more importantly, the conventional Mie's solution gives the same amplitude of the cross sections when they are obtained for real, not complex, frequency.

It is well known that obesity is closely related to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and the insulin resistance associated with obesity is supposed to play a central role for the development of these diseases. Thus, effective prevention and treatment of obesity need to be explored. In 357 obese (body mass index ≧26.4) subjects, aged 20–79 years, grip and leg strength were determined and compared with age- and sex-matched 1683 nonobese control subjects. Age-dependent alteration of body composition, evaluated by waist–hip ratio and the relative fat mass volume, was also compared. Finally, the relationship between the number of risk factors related to atherosclerosis and muscle strength was evaluated. Grip and leg strength in obese subjects were obviously stronger than controls under the age of 60 in both sexes. However, in the subjects over 60 years old, muscle strength was similar between obese subjects and controls. Weight bearing index (WBI) (leg strength (kg)/body weight (kg)) in obese subjects was remarkably lower than that in controls in all generations. In obese subjects, the waist–hip ratio and relative percentage of fat increased with aging, and obese subjects with multiple risk factors had higher waist–hip ratio and a tendency for lower muscle strength. Reduced WBI was considered to be a fundamental feature of obese subjects, and obese subjects increased fat composition with aging, which may be linked with low muscle strength. Thus, we need to design the most effective protocols to maximize and maintain quantitative and qualitative properties of muscle.

Mie's solution to the Maxwell's equations misbehaves when applied to the analysis of metal nano-spheres due to its negative permittivity. I show adopting complex conjugate solutions is essential to achieve thorough correction to it.

Twenty-four previously treated patients with refractory or relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were entered into a prospective, multicenter phase II study. All 24 patients had been pretreated with some form of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The median time of chemotherapy was 4.2 months (range 1.4-9.4 months). Patients were treated with a dose of 25 mg/m2 of vinorelbine weekly. Twenty-four patients were eligible for response and for toxicity. Partial response was observed in 3 out of 24 eligible patients (12.5%; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-32.4%). All 3 patients who responded had previous chemotherapy including vincristine. The most common toxicity was leukopenia (91.7%, 66.7% in WHO 3-4 grade) and anemia (70.8%, 20.8% in WHO 3 grade). Nonhematological toxicities were moderate and mild. These results support a two-state sequential study design of previously untreated patients for further phase II study in SCLC.

Oral BOF-A2 (Emitefur), a new derivative of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) containing both 1-ethoxymethyl-5-FU (EMFU), a masked form of 5-FU, and 3-cyano-2,6-dihydroxypyridine (CNDP), an inhibitor of 5-FU degradation, was administered to 71 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in a multi-center phase II study. The patients were scheduled to receive at least 2 courses of treatment, each consisting of 200 mg twice daily for 2 weeks followed by a 2-week rest period. Out of 62 evaluable patients, 11 (18%) responded (8 of 44 adeno- and 3 of 15 squamous cell carcinomas). Thirty-four patients showed no change and 17 progressive disease. The incidences of gradeor = 2 hematologic toxicity were 5-8% for leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. The incidences of non-hematologic toxicity of gradeor = 2, such as anorexia, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea, were close to 20% or lower.

We analyze light-induced forces on metal nano-spheres by using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method with the Lorentz force formulation. Convergent analysis of the force on metal nano-particle clusters has been achieved by integrating the Lorentz and the Coulomb forces over the volume of the metal particles. Comparison to the Mie theory of radiation pressure on metal spheres under a plane wave illumination has verified rigorously the accuracy of the numerical method. We also analyze separate two metal spheres in close proximity and the results of the induced forces are compared to those in previous publications. The present method allows analysis of forces on various irregular structures; we apply the method to touching metal spheres, forming a simple cluster with a slight deformation at the contact point, to analyze the forces induced by the plasmonic resonance of the clusters. We show that the fundamental resonance modes, which newly appear in an infrared range when spheres are touching, exhibit strong binding forces within the clusters. Based on the numerical analyses we identify the resonance modes and evaluate quantitatively the infrared-induced forces on metal nano-sphere clusters.

Between April 1981 and December 1987, 148 patients with newly diagnosed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were treated using combination chemotherapy with or without thoracic irradiation and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in a series of cooperative therapeutic trials. With a minimum follow-up of 4.7 years, 13 (9%) patients survived and were free of SCLC. These included 11 (15%) of 76 patients with limited disease and two (3%) of 72 patients with extensive disease. Three died without any evidence of SCLC (one each from second leukemia, non-small cell lung cancer, and unrelated disease). The remaining 10 (7%) patients are currently alive and free of SCLC beyond 4.7 years. Since late relapse beyond 5 years is a very rare event, these patients may have been cured. However, late toxicity of PCI must be kept in mind. Three among the 10 patients have suffered from neuropsychologic symptoms of varying degrees in severity. Although the long-term survival rate is a benchmark in the treatment of SCLC, modifications of therapy that may potentially avoid such toxicities should be considered hereafter.

A family of biorthogonal interpolating wavelets has been applied to time-domain electromagnetic field modeling through the wavelet-Galerkin scheme. The scaling functions are the Deslauriers-Dubuc interpolating functions and the wavelets are the shifted and contracted version of the scaling functions. This set of bases yields a simple algorithm for the solution of Maxwell's equations in time domain due to their interpolation properties. The derivation of the algorithm is presented in this paper, followed by a series of numerical verifications on some resonant structures.

The minimum possible size of sub-diffraction-limit imaging by the surface plasmon polarition (SPP) induced in thin metal lenses has been analyzed with FDTD method, considering plasmon interference, reflection and transmission of evanescent fields.

反回神経麻痺を契機に発見された肺癌患者19例について, 反回神経麻痺の原因となった病変の胸部単純写真と胸部断層写真, CTによる検出能を比較検討した. 胸部単純写真では, 反回神経麻痺の原因となった肺癌病変をまったく読影困難なものが1例, 見落とし易いと思われたものが2例あった. CT像では全例で反回神経麻痺の原因となった病変が明瞭に描出されていた. 反回神経麻痺を訴える患者で, 耳鼻科領域に原因となる病変を指摘できない時, 胸部単純写真では異常を指摘し得なくても肺癌が原因となっている場合があり, CT検査は不可欠と考えられた.

Sub-diffraction-limit imaging by the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) induced in thin metal film lenses has been analyzed numerically. The SPP images are deteriorated by interference of plasmon fields in layered metal-dielectric structures. To obtain a clear imaging capability, the reflection and the transmission property of evanescent waves in the layered structures has been investigated by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. For verification, a full 3-dimensional analysis of large-scale layered structures demonstrated sub-wavelength images similar to those obtained in the recently reported experiments. The analysis has been extended further to a lithography of nano-scale images to predict the minimum possible size of the images resolved by the silver thin film lenses.

A miniaturized circuit of a microstrip ring resonator lowpass filter with sharp attenuation is investigated in this paper. The miniaturization of the circuit is realized by using a simple specific transmission line with two open stubs. The ratio of the original ring length and miniaturized ring length is 3:2. However the miniaturized circuit is equivalent to the original circuit at three frequencies ƒ 0 , 1.5ƒ 0 and 2ƒ 0 . Thus, the width of the stopband is maintained as for the original circuit. Therefore, the filter characteristic is not distorted after miniaturization. The theoretical result of a miniaturized circuit shows a broader stopband and a sharper cut off frequency response than the original one, though it also shows smaller minimum attenuation in stopband and larger maximum attenuation in passband compared to the original one. Experimental result is shown for verification of the present study.

We investigate numerically a non-reciprocal switching behavior in strongly modulated waveguide Bragg gratings (WBGs) having a longitudinally asymmetric stopband configuration. The minimum power predicted for a stable switching operation is found to be approximately 77 mW for a realistic waveguide structure made of prospective materials; we assume in this paper a nano-strip InGaAsP/InP waveguide having longitudinally asymmetric modulation of the waveguide width. The analysis has been performed with our in-house nonlinear finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) code adapted to parallel computing. The numerical results clearly show low-threshold Schmitt trigger operation, as well as non-reciprocal transmission property where the switching threshold for one propagation direction is lower than that for the other direction. In addition, we discuss the modulation-like instability phenomena in such nonlinear periodic devices by employing both an instantaneous Kerr nonlinearity and a more involved saturable nonlinearity model. © 2006 Optical Society of America.

A new type of power divider with simple design theory is proposed based on Bagley Polygon power divider. The design theory is explained by using the equivalent circuit model. Comparing with the Bagley Polygon power divider, it takes less area on substrate board and the output ports can be neatly arranged on the board. The theoretical results are presented and discussed.

Prescription of aerobic exercise for obese subjects with mild hypertension in clinical practice remains to be investigated.Forty-one Japanese obese males with hypertension were enrolled and compared with 41 age-and sex-matched obese subjects without hypertension and control subjects. In addition, 25 obese subjects with or without hypertension participated in a one-year follow up study. They were instructed to keep their low exercise intensity and record their daily walking. Before and after exercise prescription, body composition, blood pressure and aerobic exercise level were evaluated. Ventilatory threshold (VT) was determined breath by breath during exercise test using a ramp protocol and rates of oxygen consumption (VO2), work rate (WR), heart rate (HR), deltaHR, %HR max, %HR reserve and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured at VT.At VT, obese subjects with hypertension had significantly lower VO2 (13.5 +/- 2.1 mL/kg/min) and WR (75.1 +/- 16.5W) than control subjects (VO2, 18.1 +/- 5.7; WR, 92.0 +/- 32.4). %HR reserve was also significantly lower compared with control subjects, while %HR max, was not different. RPE was also similar among the 3 groups. By prescribed low-grade exercise during one-year follow-up study, not only body composition but also blood pressure at rest was improved in obese subjects with and without hypertension.Our results indicated reduced exercise capacity in Japanese obese males. Exercise intensity of 60%HR max, 30%HR reserve and RPE 12 is recommended in obese subjects with hypertension as well as obese subjects without hypertension.

High contrast integrated optical devices for communication wavelengths are investigated. Simulations are run on a large parallel cluster using a wavelet-based FDTD algorithm. The dependence of sidewall roughness on attenuation of strip waveguides is studied. We compare simulations with microwave model measurements, and discuss fabrication steps for optical material systems.

Objective : To investigate the link between visceral fat (V) accumulation and physical fitness. Design : Cross-sectional clinical investigation study. Subjects : Twenty-eight overweight Japanese women with abdominal obesity (abdominal obesity) (body mass index, BMI≧25, visceral fat area≧100cm 2 ) aged 38–65 years (BMI 29.5±3.3kg/m 2 ) were enrolled in this study. They were compared with age and sex matched 28 normal weight subjects (BMI 2 ) and 28 overweight subjects without abdominal obesity (overweight) (BMI≧25, visceral fat area 2 ). Measurements : Fat distribution was evaluated by visceral fat and subcutaneous fat (S) areas measured by computed tomography (CT) scanning at umbilical level. Anthropometric parameters, aerobic exercise level, muscle strength, flexibility and blood examination were also investigated. Results : Anthropometric and body composition parameters were significantly higher in abdominal obesity subjects than those in normal weight subjects. BMI, waist circumference, waist hip ratio and visceral fat (V) area were also significantly higher than those in overweight subjects. Reduced oxygen uptake at ventilatory threshold (VT), lowering weight bearing index (WBI), and elevation of blood enzymes were noted in abdominal obesity subjects. There were significant relationships between oxygen uptake at VT and visceral fat area, and also between oxygen uptake at VT and WBI. Conclusion : Reduced aerobic exercise level and WBI are characteristic and visceral fat may play an important role for the etiology in Japanese women with abdominal obesity.

The convergence of the effective dielectric constant (EDC) model of curved dielectric surfaces has been investigated precisely for the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) as well as for the wavelet-collocation method based on interpolets. The EDCs are computed by solving the Laplace equation of static electric potential by a finite-difference (FD) method for the cells located on the interface of arbitrary dielectric media. The finite-difference solution of the Laplace equation provides accurate EDCs for arbitrary curved interface with even high contrast of the dielectric constants. It has been demonstrated that the precisely chosen ECDs allow both the FDTD and the wavelet-col location methods to exhibit second-order convergence for the analysis of not only plane boundaries but also curved dielectric interfaces.

We developed a one-year exercise program based on evaluation of life style and physical fitness and investigated its efficacy.Sixty one Japanese males (30or = age59, body mass index: BMIor = 26.4 kg/m2) were enrolled in the stady. The exercise program consisted of four sections: (1) Preparation for preventing injury; (2) Increase of daily activity; (3) Enjoying exercise; (4) Preparation and practice of individual-based on a exercise program. The subjects visited Okayama Southern Institute of Health and were being monitored weekly for one-year. They were instructed to check daily steps every day and increase daily walking to at least 1000 steps more than the daily walk at baseline. Before and after one-year follow up study, we evaluated life style and physical fitness in terms of body composition, aerobic exercise level, muscle strength and flexibility.The continuation rate for the program was 66%. Body weight (pre 81.5 +/- 7.4 kg vs post 78.6 +/- 7.3 kg), body fat percentage (pre 30.3 +/- 4.1% vs post 28.4 +/- 5.0%) and waist hip ratio (pre 0.95 +/- 0.04 vs post 0.92 +/- 0.04) were significantly reduced. Aerobic exercise level and muscle strength were increased. Regarding volition for exercise, execution, continuation and steps per day were also improved.Regular exercise at an institution (once a week) and change in daily life style may play critical role in reducing body weight. This new program proved quite useful for Japanese obese males.

We have developed a modified anisotropic perfectly matched layer (APML) absorbing boundary condition (ABC) for the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis of nonlinear and dispersive media. The formulation is a simple modification to the original non-split APML, and retains the robustness and the simple implementation in the FDTD and the higher-order schemes. The proposed ABC has a broad area of application, and is especially suitable for the analysis of nonlinear optical waveguide problems.

Objective: It is known that the accumulation of abdominal fat is one of the risk factors for atherosclerosis. Although exercise is commonly prescribed to reduce body weight, the efficacy of low intensity exercise for the reduction of abdominal visceral adipose tissue remains to be investigated. Research design and methods: Thirty one obese Japanese males (body mass index (BMI) ≥25) ranging in age from 32 to 59, participated in a 1-year follow up study and they were instructed to have a modest increase in daily activity and record their daily walking. Before and after exercise prescription, body composition, blood pressure, physical fitness i.e. aerobic exercise level, muscle strength and flexibility were recorded. Insulin resistance was evaluated using a homeostasis model assessment, the HOMA index. Results: HOMA index, parameters of body composition, blood pressure, triglyceride and HDL cholesterol were significantly improved. The aerobic exercise level, leg strength, weight-bearing index (leg strength/body weight) and the steps taken per day were significantly increased. By stepwise multiple regression analysis, Δvisceral adipose tissue area was the major determinant for ΔHOMA index. (ΔHOMA index=−0.386+0.016 Δvisceral adipose tissue area, r2=0.267, P

To explore the potential use of ultrasound measurement (SoundScan 2000 Compact, Myriad Ultrasound Systems Ltd., Rehovot, Israel), and to assess both quantitative and qualitative properties of bone.The speed of sound waves (SOS; m/s) propagating along the cortical bone was determined at the tibial shaft. The performance, reliability, validity, and clinical application of this system were evaluated in Japanese subjects.In phantom experiments, validity of this system was 0.04 (%), coefficient variation (CV: %) in same-day tests was 0.12, in five-separate-day tests was 0.13, and in independent operators was 0.11, respectively. In experiments with Japanese subjects, CV in same-day tests was 0.38, in five-separate-day tests was 0.99, and in independent operators was 0.90, respectively. In addition, cortical bone status of 1176 Japanese subjects (372 males, 804 females) was clinically evaluated by SoundScan 2000 Compact. SOS was negatively correlated with body fat percentage (%), body fat (kg) and waist hip ratio in females and subjects with higher weight bearing index (leg strength/body weight; WBI) have higher SOS in females under the age of forty.These findings indicate that the SoundScan 2000 Compact is a highly reliable and valid method for determining cortical bone status and body composition and WBI are closely related to cortical bone status in Japanese females.

The performance in computation time, computer memory and computation accuracy of the TLM, FDTD, 0-0rder and 1st-Order Haar wavelet MR.TD algorithms have been tested. The results show: (1) The FDTD algorithm is about 1.25 times as fast as TLM. The CPU runtimes for the 0- and 1st-Order MR.TD are almost the same as that of FDTD although much less time steps are required in the 0- and 1st-Order MRTD for the same time duration. The CPU runtimes linearly vary with the time step. Thus the CPU runtime of each algorithm is mainly determined by the number of variables that must be retrieved from, and stored in memory at each time step; (2) Because of the numerical comparison and memory reallocation in each time step, thresholding greatly increases computing load; (3) The 1st-Order Haar wavelet MRTD can save much more memory. The optimal relative threshold fraction is about 0.01 % and large memory savings are attainable while maintaining reasonable accuracy. But the CPU runtimes are too long for the 0-0rder and 1st-Order MRTD with thresholding technique. Thus the tradeoff between computational efficiency and memory saving should be taken into consideration. An optimum procedure and well-designed data structures are necessary to ensure that memory requirements are kept at a minimum while maintaining computational efficiency at the same time.

In an attempt to determine the prognostic significance of pretreatment factors for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 24 pretreatment clinical variables were analyzed for 185 patients with NSCLC who underwent chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy between 1985 and 1994. Following univariate analysis, we applied two multivariate statistical techniques. In a Cox regression mode, independently significant factors influencing patient survival included performance status (PS), disease stage, hemoglobin level, and serum calcium level. Recursive partitioning and amalgamation (RPA) resulted in three distinct prognostic subgroups based on PS, stage, weight loss, and hemoglobin level. The best survival was observed for patients with a good PS and Stage III disease who had a hemoglobin level > 11 g/dl. The worst survival was observed for patients with a poor PS and presence of weight loss irrespective of stage. All other patients had an intermediate prognosis. Median survival times were 95.1 weeks, 17.1 weeks and 39.3 weeks, respectively (P < 0.00005). The results of our analyses show that three important prognostic subgroups could readily be discerned using RPA.