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This supplementary material contains supplemental materials and methods used in the supplemental result and 7 supplemental figures. The supplemental figures are related as below: Supplementary Figure S1. showed Multi-RTKs activities in MM cells. Supplementary Figure S2. showed the effect of safingol on EGCG-induced ceramide-rich lipid raft clustering. Supplementary Figure S3. showed the effect of safingol on EGCG-induced ceramide accumulation. Supplementary Figure S4. showed EGCG/safingol in combination inhibits the growth of U266 cells cells. Supplementary Figure S5. showed the effect of SphK2 on the EGCG-induced apoptosis in U266 cells. Supplementary Figure S6. showed the effect of Ro 31-8220 on EGCG-induced apoptosis in U266 cells. Supplementary Figure S7. showed the toxicity of EGCG/Safingol combination on tumor growth in vivo.

Activation of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) leads to ceramide accumulation and induces apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. In the present study, we demonstrate that the activation of ASM by targeting cancer-overexpressed 67-kDa laminin receptors (67LR) induces lipid raft disruption and inhibits receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activation in multiple myeloma cells. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), a negative regulator of ceramide accumulation with antiapoptotic effects, was markedly elevated in multiple myeloma cells. The silencing of SphK1 potentiated the apoptotic effects of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), an activator of ASM through 67LR. Furthermore, the SphK1 inhibitor safingol synergistically sensitized EGCG-induced proapoptotic cell death and tumor suppression in multiple myeloma cells by promoting the prevention of RTK phosphorylation and activation of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1). We propose that targeting 67LR/ASM and SphK1 may represent a novel therapeutic strategy against multiple myeloma. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(10); 2303–12. ©2015 AACR.

Organic polymers are generally regarded as thermal insulators because of their random arrangement of polymeric chains that lead to scattering of heat-conducting phonons. We previously found that highly oriented assemblies composed of M13 phage, a filamentous virus, showed high thermal diffusivity, even though phonons are conducted on noncovalent bonds. However, biomolecular M13 phages did not allow utilization of organic solvents, resulting in limited applicability. Here, we utilized chemically modified M13 phage with oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) to improve its solubility and resistance to organic solvents, and to expand the applicability of phage-based thermally conductive assemblies. The high thermal diffusivity of assemblies composed of M13 phages modified with longer EG chains (EG unit: 10) was maintained when the assemblies were prepared using a mixed solvent of water and tetrahydrofuran, whereas that of assemblies composed of unmodified and shorter EG chain (3 and 6)-modified M13 phages was not maintained. When the mixed solvent was used, structural characterization revealed the presence of ordered and hexagonally packed structures that formed ordered assemblies, leading to phonon-conductive assemblies in the case of the longer EG chain-modified M13 phages. Our results will contribute to the construction of novel thermally conductive soft materials composed of biomacromolecular assemblies using organic solvents on substrates with complex surface morphologies and/or hydrophobic surfaces. Utilization of chemical modification of M13 phage with oligo(ethylene glycol) to improve its solubility and resistance to organic solvents successfully expands the applicability of M13 phage-based thermally conductive assemblies. The high thermal diffusivity of the assemblies composed of M13 phage modified with longer ethylene glycol chains was maintained when the assemblies were prepared using a mixed solvent of water and tetrahydrofuran. Our results will contribute to construction of novel thermally conductive soft materials composed of biomacromolecular assemblies using organic solvents on substrates with complex surface morphologies and/or hydrophobic surfaces.

Lithium ion batteries have been marked by steady progress over the past few decades owing to their high volumetric and gravimetric energy storage densities. The advent of LIBs resulted in the consistent shift of automotive industry towards hybrid EV's and BEV's. The Nissan Leaf, introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, became the first modern all-electric, zero tailpipe emission five door family hatchback to be produced for the mass market from a major manufacturer. Newer models targeted at different customer segments are under development at Nissan and there has been need for more efficient, cost effective and safer LIBs to cater to the needs of the commute. More recently, efforts at Nissan have been diverted towards solid state batteries owing to their ability of surpassing the traditional liquid electrolyte based battery due to higher energy / power densities as well as safety. As a part of Nissan Ambition 2030, research is heavily focused towards development of ASSBs both in terms of chemistry as well as manufacturing technologies. The presentation showcases the efforts of Nissan towards the path of automotive electrification and progress in material, electrode and cell level technologies based on lithium ion batteries and solid state batteries.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Discomfort associated with the gag reflex during transoral endoscopy can be troublesome. To overcome this problem during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), we recently developed a novel mouthpiece. The aim of the present study was to compare acceptance and tolerability of transoral EGD with conventional and new mouthpieces in unsedated patients and analyze the effects of the new mouthpiece. METHODS This study consisted of two phases of cephalometric and EGD examinations to analyze the effects of the new mouthpiece. Cephalometry was carried out in six subjects to evaluate differences in the size of the pharynx (anteroposterior diameter of the oropharynx and longitudinal diameter of the oral cavity) when subjects held the conventional mouthpiece (MAJ674) or the new mouthpiece in their mouths. EGD was done in 10 subjects using the conventional or new mouthpiece to evaluate the number of times the gag reflex occurred, examinee discomfort, and endoscope operability during EGD using a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS Anteroposterior diameter of the oropharynx and longitudinal diameter of the oral cavity were significantly larger with the new mouthpiece than with the conventional mouthpiece (oropharynx: P = 0.03; oral cavity: P = 0.03). With the new mouthpiece during EGD, subjects had significantly fewer instances of the gag reflex (P = 0.01); VAS score for discomfort was significantly lower (P

This randomized trial aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of the GAGLESS mouthpiece for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with that of the conventional mouthpiece. In all, 90 participants were divided into the GAGLESS mouthpiece and conventional mouthpiece groups. The primary endpoint was the severity of pain using the visual analog scale (VAS), and secondary endpoints were examination time, past history of endoscopy, success of the procedure, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pulse rate before and after EGD, and adverse events. Endoscopy was completed in all cases, and no complications were observed. VAS, when passing the scope through the pharynx, was 2.5 ± 2.4 and 2.0 ± 1.9 cm (p = 0.24) in the conventional and GAGLESS groups, respectively, and that, throughout the examination, was 2.5 ± 2.4 and 1.7 ± 1.5 cm (p = 0.06), respectively. The difference in blood pressure between the GAGLESS and conventional groups was not significant for SBP (p = 0.08) and significant for DBP (p = 0.03). The post-EGD difference in DBP was significantly lower in the GAGLESS group than in the conventional group. The results indicate that GAGLESS mouthpieces had a lower VAS during endoscopy than the conventional mouthpieces, and the changes in blood pressure were smaller with the GAGLESS mouthpiece.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory disorder affecting the large intestine, which may involve mucosal degeneration. Glycoproteins, mucin2 (MUC2) and the LY6/PLAUR domain containing 8 (LYPD8) are present on the mucous layer of the colon and can hinder the invasion of bacteria, thus contributing to the prevention of colitis. The present study investigated the expression levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8), MUC2 and LYPD8 on the mucous membranes of patients with UC. A total of 18 patients with UC (6 females and 12 males) were examined. Biopsies of the lesions as well as matching normal membranes were obtained and the mRNA expression levels of IL-8, MUC2 and LYPD8 were compared. LYPD8 expression was downregulated in the lesions and the relapsing-remitting subtype of lesions was associated with higher levels of MUC2 expression compared with single attack and chronic lesions subtypes. A positive correlation between Matts' histopathological grade and IL-8, as well as a negative correlation between Matts' histopathological grade and LYPD8 were observed. The expression levels of LYPD8 were lower in highly active lesions and these levels decreased according to the intensity of the mucosal inflammation. Conversely, an increase in MUC2 expression levels may reflect the recovery of the outer mucus layer in the remission phase. Therefore, the examination of MUC2 and LYPD8 expression levels may be useful indicators of mucosal healing in patients with UC.

【Background】 The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region has been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is classified into ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), by genome-wide association studies. The aim of this study was to confirm whether HLA-alleles confer susceptibility to UC and to determine whether HLA-allel1es are associated with the clinical phenotypes in Japanese patients with UC. 【Methods】 In this study, HLA typing was performed by PCR-sequence-specific oligonucleotides (PCR-SSO) to confirm the correlation between UC and HLA alleles (for HLA-A, B, DRB1) in 45 Japanese UC patients. In addition, whether the HLA alleles are related to patient and clinical background characteristics was examined. 【Results】 Overall, 62.2%, and 66.7% of the 45 UC patients had HLA-B*52 and HLA-DRB1*15, respectively. These allele frequencies were significantly higher than in previously reported Japanese control persons (P < 0.0001). The frequencies of extraintestinal manifestations [odds ratio (OR) = 0.12, P = 0.039] and a history of colectomy (OR = 0.18, P = 0.046) were lower in HLA-B*52-positive UC patients than in HLA-B*52 negative UC patients. The white blood cell (WBC) count was significantly higher in HLA-DRB1*15-positive patients (9430 ± 4592/μL) than in HLA-DRB1*15-negative patients (6729 ± 2160/μL). Thus, HLA-B*52 and DRB1*15 appear to be associated with disease features and severity in Japanese UC patients. 【Conclusion】 These results indicate that HLA-B*52 and DRB1*15 are not only associated with overall UC susceptibility, but also with the clinical phenotypes in Japanese patients.

We propose a simple method to detect goal scenes from broadcast soccer video by using scoring telop regions. Scoring telop regions show us scores of both teams simultaneously with games. In the first step of our proposed method, we extract the telop regions which include scores of both teams. As next step, we try to recognize the score changes on the telop regions by using inter-frame difference between consecutive two frames. Then finally we can detect goal scenes as the timing of score changings. Experimental results show the ability of our proposed method. Keywords: Soccer video analysis, telop, goal scene detection, inter-frame difference.

We have developed a LCD with the ultra-high pixel density of over 1000ppi utilizing a novel transparent contact technology and a Top-gate IGZO TFT device with high mobility. We propose other applications which can be achieved only by IGZO technology.

We attempted to prepare carbon nanofibers (CNFs) bonded chemically with alumina particles using acid-treated CNFs and aluminum secbutoxide. The structure and morphology of the boehmite deposited on the CNFs, the boundary between the CNFs and the deposited boehmite, and the thermal transformation of the deposited boehmite were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The boehmite deposited not only particulately on the CNFs but also in a film-like manner on parts of the CNFs. In addition, the boehmite could deposit not only on the disordered inner walls of the CNFs but also on the ordered inner walls. By heating at 1200 degrees C, the boehmite on the CNFs was transformed into alpha-alumina and theta-alumina. At this time, some alumina particles, particularly those formed on the ordered inner walls of CNFs, fell out of the CNFs, and only those alumina particles which might chemically bond with CNFs remained on the CNFs. Finally, CNFs dotted with alumina particles with a size of, Article, CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL. 41(10):13171-13178 (2015)

Demands to use washing robots in pig houses are growing up. The robot washes pig beds using a long arm over fences from passages. The passage is narrow so that the robot must detect the fences and run along the fences with high accuracy. A laser range scanner is useful to detect fences because there are many kinds of fences. However, the noises occur to the measured values if there are obstacles behind fences. In this study, the distance between scanned points and a path of robot is calculated and it is utilized with a zoned minimum filter to extract the points representing the fences. Then, the candidate lines are detected from the extracted points by Hough transform to detect multiple fences simultaneously. To run along the fences, the robot calculates the self-posture and distance to the detected fences. This paper describes the above proposed method and reports some experimental results of running along the fences and passing various intersections.

We have developed a 736ppi (WQXGA) LCD which pixel density reach 4k smart-phone for the first time using oxide semiconductor. Utilizing the highly scalable channel etch type InGaZnO-TFT and a novel transparent contact structure, more than 50% of the aperture ratio was achieved using patterning dimensions of a manufacturing backplane.

The adenoma-carcinoma sequence (ACS) and the serrated pathway are two distinct developmental routes leading to the formation of colorectal carcinoma. Recently, the doublecortin and CaM kinase-like-1 protein (DCLK1) has been reported to serve as an intestinal cancer stem cell marker and has been demonstrated to be overexpressed through the ACS; however, there is a lack of reports on the role of DCLK1 in the serrated pathway. To clarify the correlation between DCLK1 protein expression and clinicopathological characteristics of the serrated tumorigenic pathway, the present study used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of DCLK1 in endoscopically resected samples of 62 serrated polyps [20 hyperplastic polyps (HPs), 16 traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs) and 26 sessile serrated adenoma-polyps (SSA/Ps)], as well as 20 non-serrated adenomas, 20 carcinoma in adenomas (CIAs) and 18 early pure colorectal carcinomas without any adenoma component (EPCs). Based on immunostaining score, high DCLK1 expression was detected in 20.0% of HPs (23.1% of microvesicular HPs and 14.3% of goblet cell HPs), 37.5% of TSAs, 7.7% of SSA/Ps, 80.0% of non-serrated adenomas, 75.0% of CIAs and 50.0% of EPCs. Negative or low DCLK1 expression was frequently observed in TSAs (P

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) is the fourth largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies and largest in East Asia and Asia. It is of great importance for those in charge of managing risk to understand how its market index returns are distributed. The goal of this paper is to examine how various types of heavy-tailed distribution perform in risk management of the N225 Index returns. We compared these heavy-tailed distributions through a variety of criteria. Our results indicate the generalized hyperbolic distribution has the best goodness of fit and generates most suitable risk measures.

We have built a prototype of a 13.3-inch 8k4k OLED display. The pixel density is 664 ppi. This display contains about 500,000,000 transistors and scan drivers integrated. We use c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor (CAAC-OS) FETs in the backplane of this display.

A driving method which does not need planarity for high definition and enables low frequency driving was examined. Further, a 513-ppi FFS-mode liquid crystal display (LCD) panel with high aperture ratio was fabricated via a six-mask process, using a technique that combines an oxide semiconductor and an oxide conductor.

Article, Key Engineering Materials. 617: 205-208 (2014)

Dense 0.4–5.0 wt % carbon nanofiber (CNF)/alumina composites were fabricated by plasma activated sintering. The microstructure—particularly the CNFs distribution—of composites containing different amounts of CNFs was observed in detail, and the influence of the additive amounts of CNF on the microstructure and the fracture toughness of the composites were investigated. The ratio of CNFs distributed individually in the composites decreased with an increase in the addition of CNFs, and the other CNFs formed bundles; notably three-quarters of the CNFs formed bundles in the 5.0 wt % CNF/alumina composite. The alumina grain size distribution of the composites became narrower to smaller grain size side and the average alumina grain size of the composites decreased with an increase in the addition of CNFs from 0.4 to 1.6 wt %. However, the average alumina grain size of the composites did not vary greatly with an increase in the addition of CNFs from 1.6 to 5.0 wt %, because the CNF bundles formed in the 2.5 and 5.0 wt % CNF/alumina composites lowered the grain growth retardation effect of the CNFs. The 1.6 wt % CNF/alumina composite exhibited the highest fracture toughness, because three-fifths of the CNFs distributed individually and uniformly in alumina grain boundaries., Article, J. Ceram. Soc. Jpn. 122(1424):292-299(2014)

In this study, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) having different amounts of defect were prepared by acid-treating for 0.5, 1 and 5 h and were combined with alumina. Then, the influence of the amount of defect on the CNFs on microstructure development of the CNFs/alumina composites and relationship between the fracture toughness and the average alumina grain size was investigated. The intensity ratio of D-band to G-band (D/G) in Raman spectra of the CNFs increased from 0.34 for pristine CNFs to 0.95 for the CNFs acid-treated for 5 h with the acid-treatment time, which indicates that the amount of defect on the CNFs increased with the acid-treatment time. The alumina grain growth in the dense composites sintered at 1200-1300 degrees C was not influenced by the amount of defect on the CNFs, however, the composite containing CNFs having the moderate amount of defect (D/G = 0.56) showed the slowest alumina grain growth rate at 1350-1450 degrees C. The fracture toughness of the composites containing the CNFs acid-treated for 0.5 h increased with a decrease in average alumina grain size and reached 5.6 MPa.m(0.5) at the average alumina grain size of 0.84 mu m, which was 60% higher value compared to monolithic alumina (3.5 MPa.m(0.5)). However, fracture toughness of the composites containing CNFs acid-treated for 1 and 5 h increased with a decrease in average alumina grain size, showed the maximum values of 5.0 and 4.5 MPa.m(0.5) at average alumina grain sizes of 1.3 and 1.6 mu m, respectively, and decreased as the average alumina grain size decreased further. The maximum fracture toughness of the composite containing the CNFs acid-treated for 5 h was lower than that of the composite containing the CNFs acid-treated for 1 h. (C)2012 The Ceramic Society of Japan All rights reserved., Article, JOURNAL OF THE CERAMIC SOCIETY OF JAPAN. 120(1408):560-568 (2012)

High-dispersion-treated carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were used to fabricate uniformly-dispersed CNFs-alumina composites with enhanced mechanical properties. The treatment was effective in obtaining dense and uniform composites. The composites containing 0.4-0.8 wt CNFs were densified to a relative density of more than 99% by vacuum sintering and subsequent hot isostatic pressing, and those containing 1.6-2.5 wt % CNFs were densified to full density by plasma activated sintering. The maximum bending strength of the composites (1050 MPa) was approximately the same as the bending strength of monolithic alumina (1079 MPa). The maximum fracture toughness of the composites was 5.9 MPa.m(0.5), which was a 69% increase compared with the fracture toughness of monolithic alumina (3.5 MPa.m(0.5)). Fracture toughness (Kid increased rapidly with a decrease in alumina grain size (G), and we found that the relationship could be expressed by the following equation: K-IC = (k(1)/G(2)) k(2) (where k(1), and k(2) are constants)., Article, Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan. 118(1381):847-854 (2010)

Using GGCX gene-specific real-time PCR, exon 2 deletion splice variant of vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) mRNA was identified in HCC cell lines. Expressions of wild type and exon 2 deletion variant of GGCX were analyzed with relevance to DCP production in HCC cell lines. Hep3B, HepG2, HuH1, HuH7, and PLC/PRF/5 produced DCP, while SK-Hep-1, HLE, HLF, and JHH1 produced no detectable level of DCP. DCP-producing cells expressed exon 2 deletion variant of GGCX mRNA and protein, while DCP-negative cells expressed no detectable level of exon 2 deletion variant of GGCX. These results suggest that exon 2 deletion splice variant of GGCX causes dysfunction of GGCX enzyme activity resulting in DCP production in HCC cell lines.

Background: Cimetidine, a histamine-2 (H2) receptor antagonist, has been demonstrated to have anticancer effects on colorectal cancer, melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. In the current study, we clarified that cimetidine inhibits both epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced cell proliferation and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Method: HCC cell lines (Hep3B, HLF, SK-Hep-1, JHH-2, PLC/PRF/5 and HLE) were used and cell proliferation was assessed by [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay. Cell migration was measured by in vitro cell migration assay. Biological effects of cimetidine were assessed with human EGF receptor (EGFR)-expressing mouse fibroblast cells (NR6-WT). The autophosphorylation of EGFR and the activation of other downstream effectors were analyzed by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. The concentration of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) was measured by competitive enzyme immunoassay. Results: Cimetidine inhibited both EGF-induced cell proliferation and migration in Hep3B, HLF, SK-Hep-1 and JHH-2, while cimetidine did not affect EGF-induced cell proliferation and migration in PLC/PRF/5 and HLE. Cimetidine was revealed to disrupt the EGF-induced autophosphorylation of EGFR and its downstream effectors, mitogen activated protein kinases and phospholipase C-γ. To define the molecular basis of this negative regulation, we identified that cimetidine significantly decreased intracellular cAMP levels and that decrement of cAMP inhibited autophosphorylation of EGFR. The cell permeable cAMP analog, CPT-cAMPS reversed the cimetidine-induced inhibition of EGF-induced cell proliferation and cell migration by restoring autophosphorylation of EGFR. Conclusion: Cimetidine inhibited EGF-induced cell proliferation and migration in HCC cell lines by decreasing the concentration of intracellular cAMP levels. Cimetidine may be a candidate chemopreventive agent for HCC.

Des-gamma-carboxyl prothrombin (DCP) is a well recognized tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma. Previously, we have demonstrated that DCP stimulates cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines through Met-Janus kinase 1 signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling pathway. In the present study, we demonstrated that DCP induces both cell proliferation and migration in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. DCP was found to bind with the kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), alternatively referred to as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. Furthermore, DCP induced autophosphorylation of KDR and its downstream effector phospholipase C-gamma and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). To support these results, we showed that DCP-induced cell proliferation and cell migration were inhibited by KDR short interfering RNA, KDR kinase inhibitor, or MAPK inhibitor. In conclusion, these results indicate that DCP is a novel type of vascular endothelial growth factor that possesses potent mitogenic and migrative activities.

Activation of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) leads to ceramide accumulation and induces apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. In the present study, we demonstrate that the activation of ASM by targeting cancer-overexpressed 67-kDa laminin receptors (67LR) induces lipid raft disruption and inhibits receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activation in multiple myeloma cells. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), a negative regulator of ceramide accumulation with antiapoptotic effects, was markedly elevated in multiple myeloma cells. The silencing of SphK1 potentiated the apoptotic effects of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), an activator of ASM through 67LR. Furthermore, the SphK1 inhibitor safingol synergistically sensitized EGCG-induced proapoptotic cell death and tumor suppression in multiple myeloma cells by promoting the prevention of RTK phosphorylation and activation of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1). We propose that targeting 67LR/ASM and SphK1 may represent a novel therapeutic strategy against multiple myeloma. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(10); 2303–12. ©2015 AACR.

BACKGROUND: The Rh system is the most polymorphic of the blood group systems and is of major importance in transfusion medicine. The partial D phenotypes lack one or more of the D epitopes. These variants appear to have arisen through hybrid RhD-CE-D or by spontaneous point mutations in RhD. The serologic findings and the molecular characterization of a novel partial D phenotype, termed DTI, are presented here. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: RBCs from the DTI proband and RBCs from individuals with other partial D phenotypes were tested with MoAbs against 16 D epi- topes, according to the recommendations of the 4th ISBT Workshop on MoAbs (Rh Section 1A). A full-length cDNA encoding DTI and introns 4 and 5 of RhD were isolated and analyzed by DNA sequencing. A family study of the DTI allele was carried out using PCR-RFLP and long-range PCR methods. RESULTS: Analysis of RBCs from the proband revealed that the DTI phenotype lacks epitopes D1, D2.1 (partial), D2.2, D5, D6 (partial), and D8. The DTI polypeptide exhibits seven amino acid substitutions in the D polypeptide: F223V, A226P, E233Q, V238M, V245L, G263R, and K267M. The genomic organization of DTI showed that the replacement of RhD with RhCE was located in intron 4, and the replacement of RhCE with RhD was located in intron 5. Family studies revealed that the DTI allele was inherited maternally, whereas the RhD− allele was inherited paternally in the proband. CONCLUSION: The serologic data provide the first molecular characterization of DTI, a previously unknown partial D phenotype. This phenotype affected the D polypeptide within the fourth external loop, resulting in a new RhD-CE (entire exon 5)-D hybrid gene. It is worth noting that P226, encoded by exon 5, is derived from E of RhCE in the DTI polypeptide. Family studies demonstrated that DTI was associated with a cDTIE haplotype.

Novel photo-lithography is newly proposed named built-in lens mask lithography. The method emulates optical propagation plane in exposure system using binary transmittance and phase mask instead of projection lens. The performance of the built-in lens mask lithography is studied by numerical simulation and experimental study using conventional proximity exposure system. The result shows resolution enhancement in deep focus plane.

This chapter gives a brief overview and description of production technology for electronic control unit (ECU) production using an engine ECU as a representative example of an ECU and also summarizes quality assurance approaches and methods during ECU production. Supplier chain management, which is an essential part of production activities, is also outlined in view of significant supply issues that have surfaced in recent years. Keywords: production technology; ECU ; electronic control units; quality assurance; SCM ; supply chain management; soldering; surface mounting technology

Cost effective micro lithography tool is demanded for fine micro devices. However, resolution of a conventional proximity exposure system is not sufficient below several micron feature size for deep focus depth. On the other hand, a reduction projection system is sufficient to resolve it but the cost of the tool is too much high compared to proximity exposure systems. To enhance the resolution of photolithography, there has been proposed a number of novel methods beside shorting of wave length. Some of them are utilized in current advanced lithography systems, for example, the immersion lithography1 enhances effective NA and the phase shift mask2 improves optical transmittance function. However, those advanced technology is mainly focused on improvement for advanced projection exposure systems for ultra-fine lithography. On the other hand, coherence holography pattering is recently proposed and expected for 3-dimentional pattering3-5. Also, Talbot lithography6-8 is studied for periodical micro and nano pattering. Those novels pattering are based on wave propagation due to optical diffraction without using expensive optical lens systems. In this paper we newly propose novel optical lithography using built-in lens mask to enhance resolution and focus depth in conventional proximity exposure system for micro lithographic application without lens systems. The performance is confirmed by simulation and experimental works.

We established a method to determine the butyrylcholinesterase genotype associated with a BCHE deficiency directly using multiple PCR from stored serum, which was stored at -70 degrees C for more than 30 years. PCR products from sera of six propositi were used for DNA sequence analysis. All of these BChE variants were characterized by a single nucleotide substitution. Four of them were homozygotes and demonstrated a C-->T single nucleotide point mutation at codon 100 from CCA (Pro) to TCA (Ser). The fifth case was a heterozygote of this mutation. The remaining one was a compound heterozygote showing a T-->C transition mutation at codon 203 from TCA (Ser) to CCA (Pro) and a G-->C transversion mutation at codon 365 from GGA (Gly) to CGA (Arg). Furthermore we developed a method to determine the ABO genotype from the same serum. These results indicated that serum is useful as a starting material for amplification of genomic DNA when fresh blood samples are not available.

Complete deficiency of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) subunit H was identified in a 41-year-old woman with paralysis of her left lower limb. The propositus had extremely low LDH activity and five of her family members had levels of LDH activity that ranged from lower than normal to normal level. A transversion mutation at codon 171 (CGC--CCC), resulting in an Arg--Pro substitution was identified in her DNA sequence. A new NruI restriction site was introduced into the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product by PCR-primer introduced restriction analysis (PCR-PIRA) using a specific mismatched primer. Digestion with NruI revealed that the propositus and her mother were, respectively, homozygous and heterozygous for this mutation.

A new optimization method, which will globally optimize even a multimodal function, is proposed. Non-linear programming is an excellent way to optimize a convex function, but this is not the case for a multimodal function. A numerical differentiation scheme with variable increment sizes was applied to a BFGS method, which is a popular non linear programming method, in order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiency. A multimodal test function was designed to examine global convergence. In the optimization process, the increments, which were targe in the beginning, were reduced as the process approached the global minimum. It was found that the process works well even for a multimodal function when the initial size of an increment size is properly selected.