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In recent years, improvements in display image quality have made it easier to perceive rich object information, such as gloss and transparency, from images, known as shitsukan. Do the different display specifications in the world affect their appearance? Clarifying the effects of differences in pixel structure on shitsukan perception is necessary to realize shitsukan management for displays with different hardware structures, which has not been fully clarified before. In this study, we experimentally investigated the effects of display pixel arrays on the perception of glossiness and transparency. In a visual evaluation experiment, we investigated the effects of three types of sub-pixel arrays (RGB, RGBW, and PenTile) on the perception of glossiness and transparency using natural images. The results confirmed that sub-pixel arrays affect the appearance of glossiness and transparency. A general relationship of RGB > PenTile > RGBW for glossiness and RGB > RGBW > PenTile for transparency was found; however, detailed analysis, such as cluster analysis, confirmed that the relative superiority of these sub-pixel arrays may vary depending on the observer and image content.

Depending on various design conditions, including optics and circuit design, the image-forming characteristics of the modulated transfer function (MTF), which affect the spatial resolution of a digital image, may vary among image channels within or between imaging devices. In this study, we propose a method for automatically converting the MTF to the target MTF, focusing on adjusting the MTF characteristics that affect the signals of different image channels within and between different image devices. The experimental results of MTF conversion using the proposed method for multiple image channels with different MTF characteristics indicated that the proposed method could produce sharper images by moving the source MTF of each channel closer to a target MTF with a higher MTF value. This study is expected to contribute to technological advancements in various imaging devices as follows: (1) Even if the imaging characteristics of the hardware are unknown, the MTF can be converted to the target MTF using the image after it is captured. (2) As any MTF can be converted into a target, image simulation for conversion to a different MTF is possible. (3) It is possible to generate high-definition images, thereby meeting the requirements of various industrial and research fields in which high-definition images are required.

Abstract Background Cryobiopsy is an established technique that yields larger and higher-quality samples than does a forceps biopsy. However, it remains underutilised in the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs), mainly because of difficulties in handling conventional cryoprobes. A recently introduced single-use cryoprobe with a smaller diameter and more flexibility than conventional ones may improve its diagnostic ability for PPLs. We conducted this prospective study to evaluate the feasibility of transbronchial cryobiopsy in the diagnoses of PPLs, using a new 1.7-mm cryoprobe. Methods The study included patients with PPLs less than 30 mm in diameter scheduled to undergo bronchoscopy. All the procedures were performed using a combination of virtual bronchoscopic navigation, radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) and X-ray fluoroscopy, and all the samples were collected using the cryoprobe alone. Thereafter, we assessed the diagnostic outcomes and safety profiles. Results A total of 50 patients were enrolled and underwent cryobiopsy. The median lesion size was 20.8 mm (range, 8.2–29.6 mm), and the negative bronchus sign was seen in 34% of lesions. The diagnostic yield was 94% (95% confidence interval, 83.5–98.8%). A positive bronchus sign had a significantly higher diagnostic yield than did a negative bronchus sign (100% vs. 82.4%; P = 0.035). The yield was achieved regardless of other variables, including lesion size, location, and R-EBUS findings. The major complications were mild and moderate bleeding in 28% and 62% of patients, respectively. Pneumothorax was identified in one patient. Conclusion Transbronchial cryobiopsy using the new 1.7-mm cryoprobe is a feasible procedure that has the potential to increase the diagnostic accuracy for PPLs. Trial registration Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCT1032200065. Registered July 8 2020, https://jrct.niph.go.jp/en-latest-detail/jRCT1032200065

This study focuses on the analysis of the cross-modal effects between sight (color) and smell (fragrance). While most previous researches have studied the harmony of color and fragrance using small-field colors such as patches and display stimuli, this study analyzes harmony in lighting environments. In our experiments, we focused on the finding that emotional states manifest themselves in responses in the orbitofrontal cortex and used near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate orbitofrontal responses. Five different aromas were prepared for fragmentation. Initially, the observers were asked to select the most pleasant and least unpleasant aromas. The two selected aromas were soaked in non-fat cotton cloth and placed in a light-shielding brown bottle, which was used as a scent stimulus. For the lighting environment, 36 different lighting colors were designed using a luminaire consisting of 14 LEDs. The results of the experiment showed that the lighting color that the observers judged to be harmonious by actually smelling the fragrance (sensory color) activated the orbitofrontal cortex more than the lighting color that they judged to be harmonious by recalling the name of the fragrance (imagery color).

Abstract Background Dry pleural dissemination (DPD) and minimal (

Abstract Background Patients treated for non-squamous (non-Sq) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often require repeat biopsies to determine the optimal subsequent treatment. However, the differences between rebiopsy and initial biopsy in terms of their diagnostic yields and their ability to test the molecular profiles using bronchoscopy with radial endobronchial ultrasound guidance in patients with advanced NSCLC remain unclear. Hence, we aimed to compare the diagnostic yields and ability for molecular analyses of rebiopsies with those of initial biopsies. Methods We investigated 301 patients with advanced non-Sq NSCLC who underwent radial endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial biopsy (TBB) for peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) between August 2014 and July 2017. Patients were divided into the rebiopsy and initial biopsy groups: the latter referred to the biopsy that determined the definitive diagnosis. The diagnostic yields and ability for molecular analyses were compared between the two groups, and the factors affecting the TBB diagnostic yield were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results The diagnostic yields of the rebiopsy and initial biopsy groups were comparable (86.8 and 90.8%, respectively; p = 0.287). Furthermore, 93.0 and 94.0% of the patients in the rebiopsy and initial biopsy groups, respectively, had adequate specimens for gene profiling and mutational analysis (p = 0.765). The factors that increased the diagnostic yield were a positive bronchus sign (p

Kampo medicine has been practiced as traditional medicine (TM) in Japan. Kampo medicine uses Kampo formulae that are composed of multiple crude drugs to make Kampo formulae. In Japan, Kampo formulae are commonly used instead of or combined with Western medicines. If drug therapy that follows the guidelines for neuropathic pain does not work or cannot be taken due to side effects, various Kampo formulae are considered as the next line of treatment. Since Kampo formulae are composed of two or more kinds of natural crude drugs, and their extracts contain many ingredients with pharmacological effects, one Kampo formula usually has multiple effects. Therefore, when selecting a formula, we consider symptoms other than pain. This review outlines the Kampo formulae that are frequently used for pain treatment and their crude drugs and the basic usage of each component. In recent years, Yokukansan (YKS) has become one of the most used Kampo formulae for pain treatment with an increasing body of baseline research available. We outline the known and possible mechanisms by which YKS exerts its pharmacologic benefits as an example of Kampo formulae’s potency and holistic healing properties.

To investigate the influence of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) on color discrimination, it is necessary to create two metameric light stimuli (metameric ipRGC stimuli) with the same amount of cone and rod stimulation, but different amounts of ipRGC stimulation. However, since the spectral sensitivity functions of cones and rods overlap with those of ipRGCs in a wavelength band, it has been difficult to independently control the amount of stimulation of ipRGCs only. In this study, we first propose a method for calculating metameric ipRGC stimulation based on the orthogonal basis functions of human photoreceptor cells. Then, we clarify the controllable range of metameric ipRGC stimulation within a color gamut. Finally, to investigate the color discrimination by metameric ipRGC stimuli, we conduct subjective evaluation experiments on 24 chromaticity coordinates using a multispectral projector. The results reveal a correlation between differences in the amount of ipRGC stimulation and differences in color appearance, indicating that ipRGCs may influence color discrimination.

Orthodontic wires are made of alloys containing different metals, including nickel. It is important to evaluate their biocompatibility prior to use, owing to their long-term use in patients. This in vitro study compared the cytotoxicity and chemical composition of six latest orthodontic wires: Fantasia®, Tanzo®, FLI®, NT3®, DuoForce®, and Gummetal®. The before-use group consisted of wires that were not used in the mouth, and the after-use group consisted of wires that were used in the mouth for two months. The wires were placed in contact with human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) for 72 h, and cytotoxicity was determined using the resazurin test. The chemical composition and surface characterisation were evaluated by spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The groups were compared using ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis test. Only the FLI® wires produced a 36% reduction in HGF viability (p

This paper proposes an objective glossiness index for objects in halftone color images. In the proposed index, we consider the characteristics of the human visual system (HVS) and associate the image’s structure distortion and statistical information. According to the difference in the number of strategies adopted by the HVS in judging the difference between images, it is divided into single and multi-strategy modeling. In this study, we advocate multiple strategies to determine glossy or non-glossy quality. We assumed that HVS used different visual mechanisms to evaluate glossy and non-glossy objects. For non-glossy images, the image structure dominated, so the HVS tried to use structural information to judge distortion (a strategy based on structural distortion detection). For glossy images, the glossy appearance dominated; thus, the HVS tried to search for the glossiness difference (an appearance-based strategy). Herein, we present an index for glossiness assessment that attempts to explicitly model the structural dissimilarity and appearance distortion. We used the contrast sensitivity function to account for the mechanism of halftone images when viewed by the human eye. We estimated the structure distortion for the first strategy by using local luminance and contrast masking; meanwhile, local statistics changing in the spatial frequency components for skewness and standard deviation were used to estimate the appearance distortion for the second strategy. Experimental results showed that these two mixed-distortion measurement strategies performed well in consistency with the subjective ratings of glossiness in halftone color images.

A minimally invasive thoracic intervention, such as local anaesthetic thoracoscopy, can be used to collect the samples in malignant pleural lesions. But cancerous pleurisy without pleural effusion, called dry pleural dissemination, is considered difficult to perform thoracoscopy from concerns about pleural injury. We present a diagnosed case of dry pleural dissemination safely sampled using cryobiopsy using flex‐rigid thoracoscope under local anaesthesia.

Boiogito (BO), a Japanese traditional herbal medicine, has been proven to be clinically effective against knee osteoarthritis (KOA)-associated pain. However, the therapeutic mechanism of BO remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the analgesic mechanism of BO using a rat KOA model. KOA was induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM). Rats were allocated into the following four groups: control, sham, DMM, and DMM + BO groups. Rotarod test was performed to evaluate the pain-related locomotive dysfunction. Expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (pERK1/2) in the spinal dorsal horn was examined using immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting on days 1 and 28 after DMM surgery. A mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, U0126, was intrathecally injected and rotarod test and Western blotting were performed. The rotarod test revealed hampered locomotive function in the DMM group, which was significantly improved upon BO administration. The number of pERK1/2-positive cells was increased in the DMM group, whereas it was significantly decreased in the DMM + BO group. U0126 significantly inhibited ERK1/2 phosphorylation and increased walking time in the rotarod test, suggesting that the DMM-related pain was associated with ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the spinal dorsal horn. In conclusion, BO administration improved the pain-related locomotive dysfunction by suppressing ERK1/2 phosphorylation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the cost differences between magnetic resonance-guided focussed ultrasound (MRgFUS) and unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of medication-refractory essential tremor (ET) in Japan using a cost-minimisation model.MethodsA cost-minimisation model estimated total costs for MRgFUS and unilateral DBS by summing the pre-procedure, procedure, and post-procedure costs over a 12-month time horizon, using data from published sources and expert clinical opinion. The model base case considered medical costs from fee-for-service tariffs. Scenario analyses investigated the use of Diagnosis Procedure Combination tariffs, a diagnosis-related group-based fixed-payment system, and the addition of healthcare professional labour costs healthcare professionals using tariffs from the Japanese Health Insurance Federation for Surgery. One-way sensitivity analyses altered costs associated with tremor recurrence after MRgFUS, the extraction rate following unilateral DBS, the length of hospitalisation for unilateral DBS and the procedure duration for MRgFUS. The impact of uncertainty in model parameters on the model results was further explored using probabilistic sensitivity analysis.ResultsCompared to unilateral DBS, MRgFUS was cost saving in the base case and Diagnosis Procedure Combination cost scenario, with total savings of JPY400,380 and JPY414,691, respectively. The majority of savings were accrued at the procedural stage. Including labour costs further increased the cost differences between MRgFUS and unilateral DBS. Cost savings were maintained in each sensitivity analysis and the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, demonstrating that the model results are highly robust.ConclusionsIn the Japanese healthcare setting, MRgFUS could be a cost saving option versus unilateral DBS for treating medication-refractory ET. The model results may even be conservative, as the cost of multiple follow-ups for unilateral DBS and treatment costs for adverse events associated with each procedure were not included. This model is also consistent with the results of other economic analyses of MRgFUS versus DBS in various settings worldwide.

In this study, we investigated the physical factors required to accurately reproduce the Milky Way in star fields in a planetarium using three evaluation indices: faithfulness, preference, and depth feeling. Psychometric experiments were conducted by manipulating three different physical factors (transmittance, representation size and star density) of the stars projected on a dome screen as experimental stimuli. The three evaluation indices were rated by observers for 12 different reproductions of the Milky Way. By analyzing the experimental results, we developed a common model to estimate the scores for each evaluation index by changing the coefficients of the three physical factors. Our proposed model has good accuracy, and each evaluation index can be represented by transmittance, representation size and star density. The weighting values indicate that density reproduction was the pivotal factor for the majority of observers. In contrast, the observers were not affected by the size of the stars in the projected Milky Way.