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No previous research papers have reported a comparative survey of local radiologic diagnoses and central review in children with hepatoblastoma.To evaluate the utility of central review of children with hepatoblastoma enrolled in a clinical trial.The study included 91 children enrolled in a clinical trial conducted by the Japanese Study Group for Pediatric Liver Tumor. We compared the results of the initial pre-treatment extent of tumor (PRETEXT) disease staging performed at local sites with the results obtained on central review to determine the concurrence rates for tumor staging and additional criteria.The concurrence rate for PRETEXT staging was 70%. As the stage increased, the concurrence rate decreased. Using additional criteria, central review identified 143 lesions (157.1%), about 1.8 times higher than the number identified for the local site diagnoses. The additional criterion found most often on central review was "multifocal lesion" (n=19). The concurrence rate for lung metastases was high. However, our central review found many false-positive assertions of hepatic vein lesions, portal vein invasion and extrahepatic lesions among the local site diagnoses.In a clinical trial of hepatoblastoma, central review provided a more precise diagnosis than local site diagnoses with respect to severe PRETEXT stages III and IV cases and other cases including hepatic and portal vein invasion. The central review process appears to be effective and essential for improving the quality of clinical trials.

Purpose The present study introduced the half-dose method (HDM), which halves the radiation dose for conventional head computed tomography (CT), for postoperative hydrocephalus and follow-up for craniosynostosis at a children’s hospital. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of selective head CT scanning optimization towards the overall reduction of radiation exposure. Materials and methods We retrospectively assessed 1227 and 1352 head CT examinations acquired before and after the introduction of the HDM, respectively, in children aged 0–15 years. The radiation exposure was evaluated using the CT dose index volume (CTDI-vol), dose-length product (DLP), rate of HDM introduction, and effect of reducing in-hospital radiation dose before and after the introduction of the HDM. For an objective evaluation of the image quality, head CT scans acquired with HDM and full-dose method (FDM) were randomly selected, and the image noise standard deviation (SD) was measured for each scan. In addition, some HDM images were randomly selected and independently reviewed by two radiologists. Results The HDM was introduced in 27.9% of all head CTs. The mean CTDI-vol of all head CTs was 21.5 ± 6.9 mGy after the introduction, a 14.9% reduction. The mean DLP was 418.4 ± 152.9 mGy.cm after the introduction, a 17.2% reduction. Compared to the FDM images, the noise SD of the HDM ones worsened by almost 0.9; however, none of the images were difficult or impossible to evaluate. Conclusion The HDM yielded diagnostically acceptable images. In addition, a change in protocol for only two diseases successfully reduced the patients’ overall radiation exposure by approximately 15%. Introducing and optimizing the HDM for frequently performed target diseases will be useful in reducing the exposure dose for the hospital’s patient population.

Background Pleuroperitoneal communication (PPC) is an uncommon, but potentially life-threatening complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). If a fistula does not close with conservative treatment, surgical repair is required. However, approximately half of these patients are forced to shift from PD to hemodialysis. Although it is important to confirm the site of the fistula to achieve a successful surgical treatment, this identification is more difficult in pediatric patients than in adults. Case presentation We report two infantile cases of severe PPC associated with PD. In both cases, the age at onset was less than 2 years, and right-sided pleural effusion with dyspnea was observed. PPC was diagnosed by the change in color of the pleural fluid after the injection of a dye into the peritoneal cavity. Peritoneal scintigraphy and single-photon emission computed tomography and computed tomography (SPECT/CT) were performed, and these were effective in locating the fistula site. Endoscopic surgery (video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and laparoscopic surgery) was performed. Indocyanine green (ICG), which was injected into the abdominal cavity, showed the exact site of the fistula. The fistula was successfully closed by attaching an absorbable sheet to it from the thoracic side and an autograft (the falciform ligament) to it from the abdominal side in one patient. In the other patient, the fistula site was resected and sutured, and reinforced with an absorbable sheet. In both cases, PD was resumed without any complication. Conclusion We successfully treated two infants of PPC by endoscopic surgery. To identify the fistula site, the ICG navigation method was useful. Even in small infants, PPC can be treated successfully by endoscopic surgical repair if the site of the fistula is identified.

Objectives The present study analyzed surgical outcomes of laryngotracheal separation (LTS) in children with neurological disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate respiratory impairment and severe complications after LTS in children, and identify the possibility of permanent tracheostomy without a tracheostomy tube as the safest respiratory management method. Methods Twenty‐eight patients (male:female = 16:12) with neurological disorders (6 months to 32 years) who underwent LTS between January 2012 and April 2018 were reviewed. Tracheal diameter, Cobb angle, and sternocervical spine distance (SCD) were measured to assess the potential risk and possibility of removing tracheostomy tube management. Results Tracheostomy tube could be removed shortly after LTS in 57% (16/28). However, nine of these patients developed respiratory problems that required tracheostomy tube placement 2 years after LTS. New requirements for a tracheostomy tube as a stent were strongly correlated with SCD (P 1) as well as tracheal deformity. Conclusions Respiratory management in neurologically impaired children after LTS without a tracheostomy tube is challenging because thoracic deformity during physical growth affects tracheal disfiguration. Thoracic deformities and progression of scoliosis should be considered in respiratory management approaches in children with neurological disorders, and long‐term follow‐up by computed tomography is necessary. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

We report a case of prolonged motivational deficit as a sequela of high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), the most severe form of neuropsychiatric dysfunction arising from traveling to high altitude. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed hyperintense lesions in the globi pallidi bilaterally on T2-weighted images. Single-photon emission computed tomography showed hypoperfusion in dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortices bilaterally and in the anterior cingulate cortex. This case suggests that a prolonged motivational deficit can occur in patients with HACE. The case may also suggest that HACE can cause network disturbances between the prefrontal cortex and the globi pallidi.

A variety of underlying diseases can predispose infants and children to bacterial meningitis (BM). For the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of its recurrence, radiologists should be familiar with its predisposing conditions so that they can suggest the appropriate imaging approach. Predisposing conditions of BM can be broadly classified into two categories: infection spread from the adjacent tissue to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space and immunodeficiency. Diseases in the former category are further divided according to regardless of whether there is a structural defect between the CSF space and the adjacent tissue. When a structural defect is suspected in a patient with BM, computed tomography (CT) of the head and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are first-line imaging examinations. Radionuclide cisternography should be implemented as a second-line step to identify the CSF leak site. In patients with suspected parameningeal infection without any structural defect, such as sinusitis or otitis media/mastoiditis, CT or MR images can identify not only the disease itself but also the associated intracranial complications. The purpose of this article is to discuss the diagnostic approach and imaging findings associated with the variety of conditions predisposing patients to recurrent BM, focusing on the role of radiology in their management.

Here, we present the case of a 47-year-old woman with liver masses having distinct borders, which were located approximately 13 cm from the left hepatic lobe S4, as visualized on a CT scan. Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)was suspected from these contrast findings. Additionally, we found nodules in the right upper lobe of the lung and in the left apex. Although test results for hepatitis B and C viruses were negative, the α-fetoprotein(AFP)level was elevated. The tumor was diagnosed as a HCC with suspected multiple lung metastases. Thereafter, a resection was performed for the HCC. However, multiple recurrences were observed. Arterial embolization using transcatheterization was performed thrice 5 months after resection. Further, 6 months after resection, lenvatinib therapy was initiated as the pulmonary nodule increased in size. One year after the operation, a recurrent neoplastic lesion in the liver was detected on the contrast-enhanced MRI. Since the earlier treatment with transcatheter arterial embolization proved to be minimally effective, we opted for arterial injection chemotherapy with cisplatin plus 5-FU for approximately 3 months. The contrast-enhanced CT revealed that the lesion became a low absorption lesion in the liver outside the central area, and the AFP also decreased rapidly. Therefore, the therapy was considered effective. As a side effect of arterial injection chemotherapy, the patient developed a duodenal ulcer. However, after treating the ulcer, a pulmonary metastasectomy was performed and no obvious recurrence was noted. Typically, for treatment of extrahepatic metastases of HCC, drugs such as sorafenib or lenvatinib that have molecular targets are selected according to a treatment algorithm based on liver cancer practice guidelines. However, these drugs were not effective in this case, whereas arterial injection chemotherapy showed satisfactory therapeutic effect on the recurrences in the liver. Although there was a complication of duodenal ulcer, this case report highlights that combined modality therapy including arterial injection chemotherapy is successful in treating HCC.

The authors report a case involving a 55-year-old female patient who presented with melena and anemia 8 years ago. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, and CT did not reveal any sign of lesions except multiple uterine myoma. On reevaluation after the onset of melena, we did not find any lesions. However, the patient had a recurrent episode of melena with progressive anemia(Hb level 12.8 g/dL→9.8 g/dL). CT revealed a 29mm mass in the right side of the pelvis, which was retrospectively observed in the past CT scan, although its position had changed. We suspected gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Small intestine fluoroscopy revealed the tumor with effusion of barium inside the translucent areas of the ileum. For diagnostic treatment, laparoscopic partial jejunum resection was performed. Pathological diagnostic examination revealed that the tumor consisted of spindle cell disarray with moderate density, fewer heterocysts, and rare mitosis. The tumor cells were c-kit positive and CD34 negative in immunohistochemistry. All the results were consistent with GIST. Eight years had passed before diagnosis and surgical treatment were performed. This case report emphasizes the difficulty of diagnose of GIST because of its low malignancy and slow progression.

We report a case of long-term survival in a 65-year-old woman with recurrent appendix cancer. In March 2002, she was diagnosed with appendix cancer and underwent ileocecal resection. The pathological diagnosis was mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, pT2N0M0, Stage Ⅰ. In April 2006, ovariohysterectomy was performed for right ovarian metastases. In February 2011, tumor resection was performed for disseminated recurrence after 4 courses of systemic chemotherapy(bevacizumab plus mFOLFOX6). Although no recurrent lesions had been detected on imaging, stepwise elevation of serum CEA level was observed from June 2016. In November 2017, computed tomography scan revealed a slow-growing tumor on the liver. We performed partial resection of the right hemidiaphragm for the disseminated tumor, and the pathological diagnosis was mucinous adenocarcinoma. The patient has been on continuous postoperative follow-up without recurrence until June 2019. Appendix cancer is relatively rare and has a worse prognosis compared to colorectal cancer because of higher frequency of disseminated metastases. With the multimodality therapy, our patient showed long-term survival over 17 years despite a disseminated recurrence. In cases of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix, persistent follow-up and aggressive treatment are recommended.

Aging in local cities is increasing in Japan, and Kitakyushu city is one of them. In particular, in the area in which our hospital is located, the old-age dependency ratio(ie, individuals who are 65 years old or older per hundred individuals who are 15-64 years old)is 35.2%, which is much higher than the old-age ratio of 26% in Japan, and the average age is 50.6 years. In Yahatahigashi-ku, elderly people who are older than 80 years of age account for 35.4%of the population. In consideration of this, we examined how far to do the treatment administered for CRC in elderly patients. We studied 17 patients who were older than 80 years of age and diagnosed with CRC in 2017. The performance status(PS)scores were PS 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 in 4, 5, 1, 6, and 1 cases(s), respectively. The patients who were immobile, but still able to retain regular dietary intake, also underwent surgery. The degree of progression of the cancer was Stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, ⅢA, ⅢB, and Ⅳ in 1, 11, 3, 0, and 2 cases, respectively, and chemotherapy was administered for the 2 patients with Stage Ⅳcancer. One patient died unexpectedly due to thoracic aortic rupture after the surgery. In our hospital, we positively perform surgeries for CRC to avoid decreases in ADL. On the other hand, we often encounter unexpected complications due to many comorbidities. We report the CRC treatment strategy for elderly people in our hospital with specific examples.

Background Intrapulmonary shunt (IPS) is recognized in 10% of chronic liver disease patients. Liver transplantation (LT) is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality in patients with IPS. Patients and methods Of 519 pediatric LT cases between November 2005 and October 2018, 50 patients with IPS were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into 3 groups, according to the shunt ratio, calculated by scintigraphy: mild (15%-20%, n = 26), moderate (20%–40%, n = 19), and severe (> 40%, n = 5). We compared the patients’ characteristics before LT and the outcomes of LT between these groups. Results The major original disease resulting in LT in the mild and moderate groups was biliary atresia (73.1% and 52.6%, respectively), while that in the severe group was congenital portosystemic shunt (60%). The median ages at LT were 7.5, 6.1, and 8.3 years in the mild, moderate, and severe groups, respectively. All of the mild and moderate IPS patients lived; however, 3 patients with severe IPS (60.0%) died within 3 months. The shunt ratios of the mild and moderate IPS patients normalized within 2 years after LT, while the 2 surviving severe IPS patients showed a slight improvement. The autopsy findings of the lung in 1 deceased severe IPS patient showed medial hypertrophy and proliferation of intimal cells of the pulmonary arteries, suggesting a diagnosis of portopulmonary hypertension. Conclusions LT can be safely performed for mild and moderate IPS patients; however, LT for severe IPS patients should be carefully indicated because concomitant portopulmonary hypertension may be masked by IPS.

As the treatment for the liposarcoma, there is no effective chemotherapy and a surgical remedy is required. We present the case of a 64-year-old man who complained about difficulty in swallowing and discomfort of throat. Computed tomography revealed a large enhancing left sided retroperitoneal mass invading the retroperitoneal space and it was displaced to the right. Preoperative diagnosis was retroperitonealmal ignant tumor. Tumor excision were performed and around 4.0 kg tumor was removed though its size was too big and resected it separately. Tumors increased 5 months later and became the second enucleation. After the second operation, we used eribulin as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. However, we needed extraction 3 times by the surgery because it recurred as peritonealdissemination. We continue surgicaltreatment and chemotherapy together as there are a part increasing relatively slowly and a high grade part increasing rapidly.

The patient was a 65-year-old man who had been previously diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, but the patient had discontinued treatment while in his thirties. The patient was admitted to the emergency department after losing consciousness due to abdominal pain. Emergency contrast CT was performed in the shock state, and the diagnosis was hemorrhagic shock due to rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Emergency TAE was performed, and hemostasis was successful due to left hepatic arterial embolism. The tumor was confined to the liver lateral area and it was judged to be resectable curatively, upon state restoration. Ten days after TAE, lateral segmentectomy of the liver was performed. Pathological findings indicated moderately differentiated HCC, mostly necrotic and partially viable. He was discharged on 11POD. On 69POD, the patient reexperienced sudden abdominal pain after lunch. The abdominal pain continued while emergency contrast CT was performed at the time of visit in the shock state. Recurrence of multiple dissemination via high-absorption ascites was found around the largest tumor nest with lower left diaphragm diameter of 15cm, and it was judged that the HCC disseminated recurrence had ruptured. Emergency TAE was performed again, and hemostasis was successful by embolization of the left gastric artery and lower left diaphragm artery. Subsequently, tumor growth slowed after initiating oral administration of sorafenib, and the patient is alive 8 months after re-TAE.

Mass-adoption of thin-film silicon (TF-Si) photovoltaic modules as a renewable energy source can be viable if the cost of electricity production from the module is competitive with conventional energy solutions. Increased module performance (electrical power generated) is an approach to reduce this cost. Progress towards higher conversion efficiencies for ‘champion’ large area modules paves the way for mass-production module performance to follow. At TEL Solar AG, Trubbach, Switzerland, significant progress in the absolute stabilized module conversion efficiency has been achieved through optimized solar cell design that integrates high-quality amorphous and microcrystalline TF-Si-deposited materials with efficient light management and transparent conductive oxide layers in a tandem MICROMORPH ™ module. This letter reports a world record large area (1.43m 2 ) stabilized module conversion efficiency of 12.34% certified by the European Solar Test Installation; an increase of more than 1.4% absolute compared with the previous record for a TF-Si triple junction large area module. This breakthrough result generates more than 13.2% stabilized efficiency from each equivalent 1cm 2 of the active area of the full module. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Case 1 involved an 87-year-old woman. She had increased serum amylase levels, and intraductal papillary mucinous adenocarcinoma( IPMC)in the accessory pancreatic duct was diagnosed following various medical examinations. Radical surgery is possible for such a lesion when there are no issues detected following evaluation. The patient and her family decided that she should undergo surgery; therefore, pancreatoduodenectomy was performed for Stage III IPMC. Various morbidities required medical treatment, but she was finally discharged from hospital 89 days after surgery. She has had no recurrence 2 years and 11 months after surgery. Case 2 involved a 90-year-old man. He had liver dysfunction, and progressive hepatocellular carcinoma( HCC)was diagnosed based on computed tomography(CT)findings. The tumor size reduced to around 10 cm with enforced 2 degrees TACE. The patient and his family chose for him to undergo radical surgery; therefore, right trisegmentectomy of the liver was performed for Stage III HCC. He was discharged from the hospital 22 days after surgery, and has had no recurrence for the past 1.6 years. More careful examination and a general assessment are necessary to make decisions on surgical indications in super elderly patients.

Currently, the rate of aging is increasing rapidly and the number of elderly patients in hospitals is rising in Japan. Under such circumstances, we established an emergency care unit for the elderly at our hospital in July 2014 to provide acute healthcare of the community. Our unit has been active in providing treatment for acute diseases in elderly individuals in the community. We are also pursuing continuous medical care for elderly individuals in collaboration with the community comprehensive care unit at our hospital and other facilities in the community, such as care facilities for the elderly and specialist elderly nursing homes. From January to December 2015, we examined treatment policies for colon cancer at our hospital. The presence or absence of dementia and patient's age are factors considered before treatment at our hospital; however, in many cases colon cancer was treated using surgery if the patient's generalcondition permitted it. In colon cancer patients, this takes into consideration the decreased quality of life resulting from losing the ability to eat due to bleeding and intestinal obstruction. We hereby report specific cases of colon cancer treatment policies for elderly patients at our hospital, together with a discussion of the literature.

The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine has recently published the consensus guidelines for pediatric nuclear medicine. This article is the English version of the guidelines. Part 1 proposes the dose optimization in pediatric nuclear medicine studies. Part 2 comprehensively discusses imaging techniques for the appropriate conduct of pediatric nuclear medicine procedures, considering the characteristics of imaging in children.

Chemotherapy is not effective for metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC); however, prolonged survival can be expected for patients with multiple metastases who are treated with surgical resection in addition to chemotherapy. We present a case of a 36-year-old woman with hepatitis B who developed HCC with multiple intrahepatic and lung metastases after undergoing resection of HCC in 2010 in Canada. The patient returned to Japan for additional treatment. She was treated with TACE therapy and systemic chemotherapy, but her lung metastases did not improve. The patient's PIVKA-Ⅱ levels remained moderately elevated after initiation of chemotherapy. Therefore, we performed surgical resection of the lung metastases in March 2014. Five months later, the patient received additional TACE therapy when an isolated metastasis was found in the residual liver. Since then, no recurrence of HCC has been found, and the patient's PIVKA-Ⅱ levels have remained in the normal range. This case demonstrates that surgical resection for multiple lung metastases is possible in select patients.

We present a case of a 74-year-old woman treated with maintenance dialysis for chronic renal failure. She had undergone intravascular treatment of lower limb arteriosclerosis obliterans 3 times. Low anterior resection was performed for rectal cancer StageⅡ, but adjuvant chemotherapy was not administered after the operation. S5/S6 partial hepatectomy was performed after confirming a liver metastatic recurrence 7 months after the first operation. Tumor pathology examination of the resected specimen revealed necrosis in most parts of the specimen. Residual primary lesion similar to adenocarcinoma tissue was found only in a small part of the specimen. Artery wall embolism and recanalization image with cholesterol crystals indicated a Grison's lesion, which was considered to have likely developed into tumor necrosis from the embolization. Spontaneous regression of a malignant tumor is a rare condition found 1 case in 6-10 ten thousand cases. In hepatocellular carcinoma, secondary tumor infarction from tumor invasion and tumor thrombus may occur. The present case was a metastatic liver cancer, in which the cholesterol crystal embolism possibly reached the tumor necrosis. The suggested cause of the cholesterol crystal embolism in this case was intravascular treatment related.

A Non-Crimp Fabric (NCF) is composed of some layers which have large number of fiber bundles aligning in a certain direction and are stacked and fixed with a thin thread compared with the reinforcing fiber bundle by warp knitting technology. In the reinforced form of the composite material, there is no crimp of the fiber bundle compared with other fabric such as woven, knitted fabric or etc., and composite materials reinforced by NCF shows better mechanical properties. Since it is easy to control the orientation angle, it is also possible to control the mechanical properties as required. Therefore, in recent years, it has been widely used as a reinforcement of large-sized composite material structural members such as watercraft, automobile, wind turbine blades, and etc. Many studies on the mechanical properties of composite materials using NCF have been made so far, however, little attention has been paid to the difference in the tension and structure of the warp knitting yarn binding the reinforcing fiber bundles in NCF. In this study, the effect of difference of tension and structure of warp knitting yarn on the structure of reinforcing fibers and the mechanical properties of composite materials were investigated. In addition, the effects of those differences in NCF on permeability properties were also investigated.

This paper shows four statistical methods that examine the distribution of points on a network (such as the distribution of retail stores along streets). The first statistical method is an extension of the nearest-neighbor distance method (the Clark-Evans statistic) defined on a plane to the method defined on a network. The second statistical method examines the effect of categorical attribute values of links (say, types of streets) on the distribution of activity points on a network. The third statistical method examines the effect of infrastructural elements (such as railway stations) on the distribution of activity points on a network. The fourth statistical method examines the compound effect of multiple kinds of infrastructural elements (say, railway stations and big parks) on the distribution of activity points on a network. These methods are discussed with empirical examples.

This paper shows a computational method for market area analysis assuming that stores and consumers are distributed over a network and the distance between two points on the network is given by the route distance. First, we consider five basic questions often raised in market area analysis, and show a general method, called the network transformation method, that gives an intuitive way of looking at computational methods for solving these questions. Second, assuming that consumers follow the Huff model, we consider four questions concerning market area delineation and market potential often discussed in market area analysis in practice. We show that the network transformation method is also useful to develop computational methods for solving these questions. One of the notable results is that market area delineation of the Huff model (which is analytically difficult to obtain on a plane) can be exactly obtained on a network.

症例は22歳，女性．職場検診の胸部X線写真にて右肺に境界明瞭な孤立性結節を指摘され当院内科を受診された．胸部CT検査にて右肺S6やや肺門部寄りに径1.5cm大の境界明瞭な腫瘍が認められ，肺過誤腫が最も疑われた．2年前の職場検診の胸部X線写真では指摘されていなかった．増大傾向であり悪性腫瘍も否定できなかったため，手術目的に当科に紹介された．胸腔鏡下に切除を試みたが，腫瘍の位置をはっきりと同定することが困難であったため，小開胸下に右肺S6区域切除術を行った．病理組織学的所見では，紡錘形細胞の増殖，リンパ球や形質細胞を主とする炎症細胞浸潤を認めた．免疫組織化学所見にて紡錘形細胞がALK（anaplastic lymphoma kinase）およびvimentine陽性であった．以上より肺原発の炎症性筋線維芽細胞腫瘍と診断された．肺原発の炎症性筋線維芽細胞腫瘍は稀な疾患であり，今回われわれは若干の文献的考察を加えて報告する．

Non-accidental trauma is the leading cause of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in infancy. In contrast, ICH as a part of vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) secondary to hepatobiliary disease is rare, but encountered even in the era of vitamin K (VK) prophylaxis. During 43 months, six cases with ICH were diagnosed as an initial presentation of VKDB. Clinical features and imaging findings of them were retrospectively reviewed. All cases were breastfed and received oral VK prophylaxis. Liver dysfunction was found in five. Brain CT showed hemorrhage in subdural and subarachnoid space in six, parenchyma in three, and ventricle in one. Abdominal ultrasound was positive in four with final diagnoses of biliary atresia in two, neonatal hepatitis in one, and milk allergy in one. Two cases with negative ultrasound were diagnosed as idiopathic VKDB. In conclusion, ICH with secondary VKDB is rare, but important in infancy in the era of VK prophylaxis.

In this paper, we propose an Active Body-biasing Controlled (ABC)-Bootstrap PTL (Pass-Transistor Logic) on PD-SOI for ultra low power design. Although simply lowering the supply voltage (V DD ) causes a lack of driving power, our boosted voltage scheme employing a strong capacitive coupling with ABC-SOI improves a driving power and allows lower voltage operation. We also present an SOI-SRAM design boosting the word line (WL) voltage higher than V DD in short transition time without dual power supply rails. Simulation results have shown improvement in both the delay time and power consumption.

The dual supply voltage (dual-VDD) scheme reduces the active power consumption without performance degradation by using two power supply rails. However, an increase in the delay due to the scaled-down supply voltage has made assigning the lower supply voltage (VDDL) more difficult in the conventional dual-VDD scheme. We propose a technique for the dual-VDD scheme employing the Active Body-biasing Control (ABC) on PD-SOI, which increases the number of VDDL-cells owing to lowered threshold voltage. Simulation results have shown our approach effectively reduces the power consumption even at low voltage operation.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) (hypoxaemia due to intrapulmonary vasodilation and a right-to-left shunt associated with liver disease) resolves after liver transplantation. The authors describe a case of spontaneous resolution of HPS prior to liver transplantation. This patient was diagnosed with HPS associated with extra-hepatic biliary atresia when she was 10 years old. She exhibited digital clubbing, facial vascular dilation, cyanosis, and suffered from dyspnoea during exercise. The patient's PaO(2) at rest was 53.8 mm Hg in room air and a Technetium-99m macro-aggregated albumin lung perfusion scan demonstrated a right-to-left shunt. Although her symptoms and laboratory data supported a diagnosis of HPS, she nevertheless showed spontaneous resolution within 2 years. When she was 14 years old, pulmonary hypertension was evident upon examination of her echocardiogram. HPS may be improved or masked by an accidental overlap with pulmonary hypertension in the terminal stage of liver disease.

Growth of SiGe bulk crystal was attempted by the floating zone (FZ) technique using high-power semiconductor lasers. SiGe feed rod with uniform composition was pre-synthesized from Si and Ge powders, and utilized as a source material for FZ growth. The Ge composition of the grown SiGe crystal was found to be smaller than that of the feed rod owing to the segregation phenomena especially during the initial stage of the growth. This reduction of Ge was shown to be avoidable by applying an appropriate artificial design of the composition in the feed rod. Low-temperature photoluminescence measurement clarified that the grown SiGe crystal exhibits well-resolved band-edge luminescence without any deep-level emissions.

The floating zone technique was employed to grow multicrystalline Si with controlled grain boundary configuration. Purposely designed bi-crystals were utilized as seed crystals to investigate the effect of the tilt angle from the perfect twin boundary on the growth behavior. When the growth was initiated from a bi-crystal with a Σ 3 twin boundary, no particular change took place on the grain boundary configuration during growth. On the other hand, the decrease of the tilt angle during growth was observed when the growth was initiated from a bi-crystal with a tilted boundary from Σ 3 . This was accompanied by the appearance of new crystal grains. The reduction of the total interface energy would be a possible driving mechanism for this phenomenon.