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Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Private grant(s) and/or Sponsorship. Main funding source(s): Boston Scientific Japan Background Transcatheter left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) provides an alternative to oral anticoagulation for thromboembolic risk reduction in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). A meta-analysis of previous two randomized trials reported improved rates of hemorrhagic stroke, cardiovascular/unexplained death, and nonprocedural bleeding compared to warfarin (1). Recently, the next-generation LAAC device, the Watchman FLX system, became available, and showed a low incidence of adverse events and a high incidence of anatomic closure (2). This transcatheter stroke prevention has already been approved in Asian countries. However, there is little data of LAAC in Asian population. Purpose This study sought to assess efficacy and safety of LAAC for patients with nonvalvular AF in Asia. Methods The TERMINATOR (Transcatheter Modification of Left Atrial Appendage by Obliteration with Device) registry is a multicenter nonrandomized study in Japan. This enrolled patients who underwent LAAC in 23 Japanese institutions. The LAAC was indicated for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in whom oral anticoagulation is required, but who have a risk of bleeding (history of BARC type 3 bleeding or HAS-BLED score ≥3 points). Baseline patient and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results A total of 729 patients were enrolled between September 2019 and November 2021. The mean age was 74.9±8.8 years and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 4.7±1.5. The Watchman generation 2.5 and FLX system were used in 469 (64.3%) and 260 patients (35.7%), respectively. Procedural success was achieved in 722 patients (99.0%). In-hospital adverse events were as follows; 6 tamponades (0.8%), 3 pericardial effusion (0.4%), 2 device embolization (0.3%), no stroke (0%), and no death (0%). During follow-up, device-related thrombus and all-cause death were reported in 16 (2.2%) and 23 patients (3.2%), respectively. Conclusions LAAC with the Watchman system provides compatible efficacy and safety outcomes in Asian population.

In recent years, heavy rain which frequently occurred in various places in Japan have been caused severe damage. It is important to identify the damaged area for disaster recovery and reconstruction. In this study, we focus on the optical satellite images that are easy to process and interpret, and extract the damaged area by combining a land cover classification method using machine learning and an additive color mixture method. As the results, it is possible to visually express the land cover changes before and after the disasters in a specific category and to extract the damaged area from the optical satellite image.

We assess the magnetic field configuration in modern fusion devices by comparing experiments with the same heating power, between a stellarator and a heliotron. The key role of turbulence is evident in the optimized stellarator, while neoclassical processes largely determine the transport in the heliotron device. Gyrokinetic simulations elucidate the underlying mechanisms promoting stronger ion scale turbulence in the stellarator. Similar plasma performances in these experiments suggests that neoclassical and turbulent transport should both be optimized in next step reactor designs.

This article deals with the assessment of severe accident event sequence and mitigation strategy elaboration performed in the frame of ASTRID SFR Gen IV reactor project (Le Coz et al., 2013), including the Japanese/French collaboration involving JAEA, MFBR, Framatome and CEA. In the first part of the paper, the mitigation strategy and the approach defined for the design of mitigation features, which are transverse tubes called DCS-M-TT are presented. By considering 21 DCS-M-TTs into the core as defined at the end of the conceptual design, which enable to extract the core materials and to significantly reduce the core reactivity within the order of 10 s in some typical accidental conditions, the accidental power excursions in ASTRID should not lead to a significant mechanical energy release, thus ensuring the integrity of the main vessel. Nevertheless, some loading assumptions independent from event evolutions have been defined in order to design the main vessel and the core catcher in order to cover extreme accident consequences and to get rid of event sequence dependency when designing the reactor. Then, SIMMER-IV (3D) the main calculation results of ULOF simulations whose goal was to verify the DCS-M-TT efficiency and to support a PIRT are highlighted in the paper. They confirmed that fuel discharge through discharge tubes has a large mitigating impact on power excursions. The last part of this paper deals with an approach dedicated to the description of severe accident event sequences through generic event trees (GETs), which logically summarize the representative courses of accident progression showing relationship between critical causal events and major outcomes of the accidents. A set of trees has been elaborated for the description of each event sequence able to cause severe accidents (ULOF: unprotected loss of flow, UTOP: unprotected transient overpower and USAF: unprotected sub-assembly fault). The event-tree bifurcation points towards one branch or another of the possible event evolution could be examined alternatively with a help of phenomenological event chart (PECs). Afterwards, in association with the GET analysis, a PIRT (Phenomenon identification ranking table) on ULOF has been developed conjointly by Japanese and French sides in order to prioritize RD the primary phase, the short-term relocation phase, the expansion phase and the long-term relocation and cooling phase.

Antiplatelet response to clopidogrel shows wide variation, and poor response is correlated with adverse clinical outcomes. CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles play an important role in this response, but account for only a small proportion of variability in response to clopidogrel. An aim of the International Clopidogrel Pharmacogenomics Consortium (ICPC) is to identify other genetic determinants of clopidogrel pharmacodynamics and clinical response. A genomewide association study (GWAS) was performed using DNA from 2,750 European ancestry individuals, using adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet reactivity and major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events as outcome parameters. GWAS for platelet reactivity revealed a strong signal for CYP2C19*2 (P value = 1.67e−33). After correction for CYP2C19*2 no other single-nucleotide polymorphism reached genomewide significance. GWAS for a combined clinical end point of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (5.0% event rate), or a combined end point of cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction (4.7% event rate) showed no significant results, although in coronary artery disease, percutaneous coronary intervention, and acute coronary syndrome subgroups, mutations in SCOS5P1, CDC42BPA, and CTRAC1 showed genomewide significance (lowest P values: 1.07e−09, 4.53e−08, and 2.60e−10, respectively). CYP2C19*2 is the strongest genetic determinant of on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity. We identified three novel associations in clinical outcome subgroups, suggestive for each of these outcomes. © 2020 The Authors. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

In the absence of randomized controlled data and even propensity-matched data, indications for, and outcomes of, laparoscopic repeat liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain uncertain. This study aimed to clarify the current indications for laparoscopic repeat liver resection for HCC, and to evaluate outcomes.Forty-two liver surgery centres around the world registered patients who underwent repeat liver resection for HCC. Patient characteristics, preoperative liver function, tumour characteristics, surgical method, and short- and long-term outcomes were recorded.Analyses showed that the laparoscopic procedure was generally used in patients with relatively poor performance status and liver function, but favourable tumour characteristics. Intraoperative blood loss (mean(s.d.) 254(551) versus 748(1128) ml; P 0·001), duration of operation (248(156) versus 285(167) min; P 0·001), morbidity (12·7 versus 18·1 per cent; P = 0·006) and duration of postoperative hospital stay (10·1(14·3) versus 11·8(11·8) days; P = 0·013) were significantly reduced for laparoscopic compared with open procedures, whereas survival time was comparable (median 10·04 versus 8·94 years; P = 0·297). Propensity score matching showed that laparoscopic repeat liver resection for HCC resulted in less intraoperative blood loss (268(730) versus 497(784) ml; P = 0·001) and a longer operation time (272(187) versus 232(129); P = 0·007) than the open approach, and similar survival time (12·55 versus 8·94 years; P = 0·086).Laparoscopic repeat liver resection is feasible in selected patients with recurrent HCC.Dado que no existen ensayos clínicos controlados ni estudios de datos emparejados por puntaje de propensión, todavía hay dudas sobre las indicaciones y los resultados de la resección iterativa laparocópica de un carcinoma hepatocelular (hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC). Este estudio tuvo como objetivo esclarecer las indicaciones actuales y los resultados de la resección hepática laparoscópica iterativa del HCC. MÉTODOS: Se incluyeron los pacientes de 42 centros de cirugía hepática a nivel mundial en los que se había realizado una resección hepática iterativa por HCC. Se analizaron las características del paciente, la función hepática preoperatoria, las características del tumor, el abordaje quirúrgico y los resultados a corto y largo plazo.El análisis demostró que la vía laparoscópica generalmente se utilizaba en pacientes con carácteristicas tumorales favorables, pero con estado funcional y función hepatica relativamente peores. La pérdida de sangre intraoperatoria (254,3 ± 551,2 versus 748,0 ± 1127,7 mL, P 0,001), la duración de la intervención (247,6 ± 155,8 versus 285,1 ± 167,0 minutos, P 0,001), la morbilidad (12,7 versus 18,1%, P = 0,005) y la estancia hospitalaria postoperatoria (10,07 ± 14,29 versus 11,80 ± 11,79 días, P = 0,010) fueron significativamente menores para los pacientes tratados por via laparoscópica en comparacion con la vía abierta, mientra que el tiempo de supervivencia fue comparable (mediana 10,04 versus 8,94 años, P = 0,297). El estudio de emparejamiento por puntaje de propensión mostró que la resección hepática iterativa por vía laparoscópica de un HCC (frente a la vía abierta) conllevaba una menor pérdida sanguínea intraoperatoria (268,0 ± 730,2 versus 496,5 ± 784,2 mL, P = 0,01), una mayor duración de la intervención (272,1 ± 187,2 versus 231,8 ± 129,1 minutos , P = 0,07) y un tiempo de supervivencia similar (mediana 12,55 versus 8,94 años, P = 0,0855). CONCLUSIÓN: La resección hepática iterativa por vía laparoscópica es factible en pacientes seleccionados con HCC recidivado.

International audience; Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) are investigated as future Generation IV reactor concepts. In SFR, the core configuration is not the most reactive during the nominal reactor operation, its geometry change or coolant voiding can induce a reactivity insertion. Within these considerations, mitigation devices should be implemented into the core in order to limit the thermal energy released into the fuel during a severe accident and thereby the possibility to induce mechanical loadings of the reactor structure when vaporized materials expand. Complementary safety devices called Transfer Tubes (TT) are studied in a French concept as an effective mitigation measure of severe accidents to reach a final reactor safe state, even in case of a failure of all shutdown systems including the passive shutdown safety rods. More precisely the TT, with their upper part located in and above the core, cross the core support structure and are linked to the core catcher zone situated in the main vessel bottom. Their purpose is to extract fissile materials from the core zone and secondly to favour the transfer of the molten fuel from the core region to the core catcher in case of severe core damage. The fuel discharge out of the core zone is necessary in order to lower the core reactivity, the relocation into the core catcher is necessary to enable the stabilization, the sub-criticality and the fuel cooling. An extensive work on severe accident calculations and phenomena identification related to fuel discharge through TT was performed. These studies represent the outcome of the work performed in 2014-2019, performed with collaboration of Japanese JAEA and MFBR and Framatome in the framework of the SFR project carried out by CEA. Calculations of fuel discharge were carried out with the mechanistic calculation code SIMMER and the main results are presented in this paper. Firstly, the whole unprotected loss of flow (ULOF) accident sequence was calculated with the SIMMER code. From these calculations, the power and flow evolution were set as boundary conditions for a more detailed model with six fuel assemblies around TT. This model was used to focus on key phenomena and to check impact of design parameter as local bottom restriction inside TT on fuel discharge way.

Structural and electrical properties of a Ge(111) layer directly grown on a Si(111) substrate are studied. Via optimized two-step growth manner, we form a high-quality relaxed Ge layer, where strain-relieving dislocations are confined close to a Ge/Si interface. Consequently, a density of holes, which unintentionally come from crystal defects, is highly suppressed below 4 × 10 16 cm − 3 , which leads to significantly high hole Hall mobility exceeding 1500 cm 2 /Vs at room temperature. By layer transfer of the grown Ge layer, we also fabricate a Ge(111)-on-Insulator, which is a promising template for high-performance Ge-based electronic and photonic devices.

The subject of the paper is to investigate the magnetic properties around the 6.5 mass%Si on the high-purity Fe-Si alloy and the crystal structure change by further increasing the amount of Si. Magnetic domain behavior of the sample is observed using Kerr effect microscope and Lorentz electron microscope. Additionally, an electron diffraction pattern was observed using TEM. The permeability and coercivity show the best values for high-purity Fe -6.5 mass%Si alloy. However, as a result the high-purity Fe -7 mass%Si alloy has the largest amount of B2 and D03 structures as the Si amount was increased. It is argued that these structures may affect the large difference in magnetic properties of high-purity Fe -6.5 mass%Si alloy and high-purity Fe -7 mass%Si alloy.

Selective ion implantation method, which can induce uniaxial strain into Si/Ge heterostructures, is applied to both SiGe/Si(111) and SiGe/Si(100). The effect of ion implantation on the strain relaxation enhancements is confirmed for the SiGe(111). With optimal implantation conditions, the local strain control is realized, and anisotropic strain states are obtained. However, the anisotropy of the strain states in SiGe(111) is much smaller than SiGe(100) due to the dislocation structure. Since the one direction dislocations are unlikely to be generated in SiGe(111), the obtained uniaxial strain is considered to be induced by elastic effect. In contrast, one direction arrays of dislocations are clearly observed for SiGe(100), which indicates that the uniaxial strain induced in SiGe(100) is caused by plastic relaxation. It can be, therefore, concluded that the SiGe(100) is more suitable for obtaining the uniaxial strain than SiGe(111) and that high mobility uniaxially strained channel devices are expected to be realized based on this technique.

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) has contributed to the achievement of high performance plasma production, high electron temperature plasmas and sustainment of steady-state plasmas in the Large Helical Device (LHD). Our immediate targets of upgrading the ECRH system are 5 MW several seconds and 1 MW longer than one hour power injection into LHD. The improvement will greatly extend the plasma parameter regime. For that purpose, we have been promoting the development and installation of 77 GHz/1-1.5 MW/several seconds and 0.3 MW/CW gyrotrons in collaboration with University of Tsukuba. The transmission lines are re-examined and improved for high and CW power transmission. In the recent experimental campaign, two 77 GHz gyrotrons were operated. One more gyrotron, which was designed for 1.5 MW/2 s output, was constructed and is tested. We have been promoting to improve total ECRH efficiency for efficient gyrotron-power use and efficient plasma heating, e.g. a new waveguide alignment method and mode-content analysis and the feedback control of the injection polarization. In the last experimental campaign, the 77 GHz gyrotrons were used in combination with the existing 84 GHz range and 168 GHz gyrotrons. Multi-frequency ECRH system is more flexible in plasma heating experiments and diagnostics. A lot of experiments have been performed in relation to high electron temperature plasmas by realization of the core electron-root confinement (CERC), electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD), Electron Bernstein Wave heating, and steady-state plasma sustainment. Some of the experimental results are briefly described. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.

To sustain plasmas with higher parameters and with longer pulse duration in LHD, ECH system has been upgraded by introducing newly developed 77 GHz gyrotrons. The designed output power and operation duration time are over 1 MW for several seconds and 0.3 MW for continuous operation, respectively. Owing to the upgrade of gyrotrons and improved power supply operation procedure, total injection power of EC-waves to LHD increased up to 3.7 MW at the last LHD experimental campaign in 2010. Application of the high-power 77 GHz EC-waves of 3.4 MW as focused beams to the center of plasma with low line-average electron density of ∼0.2×10 19m -3 causes highly steep electron temperature profile and the central electron temperature reached up to 20 keV, which highly exceeds the former record of 15 keV. At higher density region of 1×10 19m -3, central electron temperature reached 8.6 keV. Additional electron Bernstein wave heatings, O-X-B and slow X-B heatings, using a 77 GHz ECH system caused clear increase in plasma stored energy even for the high-density plasmas over plasma cutoff (>7. 35×10 19m -3) sustained with NBI. For the O-X-B scenario, the 77 GHz EC-wave was obliquely injected from low-field side in O-mode polarization, aiming at the point where high mode-conversion efficiency was expected. For realizing slow X-B scenario, new inner-vessel mirrors were installed in LHD just close to a helical coil, that is, at the high-field side (HFS) region. Using the inner-vessel mirror, X-mode waves were injected from HFS, showing evident increase in plasma stored energy. Oblique injection of long-pulse 0.77 MW/8 s 77 GHz wave with various N ∥ clearly demonstrated ECCD in LHD. The EC-driven current changes its direction with the sign of N ∥, and the highest EC-driven current reached up to 42 kA. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

Starting in the 1950s, research and development (R&D) for sodium-cooled fast reactors is now about to enter the demonstration phase for the design, construction, and operation of power plants. International collaborations such as the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) among involved countries are underway. Sodium has suitable properties as a coolant material for the fast reactor. However, design measures must be provided for its chemical reactivity. Oxide and metal mainly are used for fuel materials, and nitride is also available. The cooling system is in low pressure and high temperature and includes primary and secondary sodium cooling systems as well as water-steam systems. There are loop and pool types: the former has components of the primary system connected with piping and the latter has ones contained in the reactor vessel. GIF has been developing safety design criteria for the global standardization taking into account the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station accident. Worldwide R&D is underway to realize the closed fuel cycle as a sustainable energy supply system.

Aquatic habitats and biotic assemblages in subalpine headwaters are sensitive to climate and human impacts. Understanding biotic responses to such perturbations and the contribution of high-elevation headwaters to riverine biodiversity requires the assessment of assemblage composition among habitat types. We compared aquatic insect assemblages among headwater stream segment types in relict glaciated subalpine basins in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. Aquatic insects were collected during summer and autumn in three headwater basins. In each basin, three different stream segment types were sampled: colluvial groundwater sources, alluvial lake inlets, and cascade-bedrock lake outlets. Ward's hierarchical cluster analysis revealed high β diversity in aquatic insect assemblages, and non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated that spatial and temporal patterns in assemblage composition differed among headwater stream segment types. Aquatic insect assemblages showed more fidelity to stream segment types than to individual basins, and the principal environmental variables associated with assemblage structure were temperature and substrate. Indicator species analyses identified specific aquatic insects associated with each stream segment type. Several rare and potentially endemic aquatic insect taxa were present, including the recently described species, Lednia borealis (Baumann and Kondratieff). Our results indicate that aquatic insect assemblages in relict glaciated subalpine headwaters were strongly differentiated among stream segment types. These results illustrate the contribution of headwaters to riverine biodiversity and emphasise the importance of these habitats for monitoring biotic responses to climate change. Monitoring biotic assemblages in high-elevation headwaters is needed to prevent the potential loss of unique and sensitive biota.

The electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system on the Large Helical Device (LHD) has been in stable operation for ∼11 yr in numerous plasma experiments. During this time, many upgrades to the system have been made, such as reinforcement of the gyrotron tubes, modification of the power supply depending on gyrotron type, and increase in the number of transmission lines and antennas. These efforts allow the stable injection of millimeter-wave power in excess of 2 MW. In parallel, various transmission components were evaluated, and antenna performance was confirmed at a high power level. The coupling efficiency of the millimeter wave from the gyrotron to the transmission line and the transmission efficiency through the waveguide were further improved in recent years. The feedback control of the wave polarization has also been tried to maximize the efficiency of wave absorption. The gyrotron oscillation frequency was reconsidered in order to extend the flexibility of the magnetic configuration in plasma experiments. The development of 77-GHz gyrotrons with the output of 1 MW per few seconds in a single tube is currently taking place in collaboration with the University of Tsukuba. Two such gyrotron tubes already have been installed and were used for plasma experiments recently. An ECRH system with a capability of the steady operation is required, because the LHD can continuously generate confinement magnetic fields using superconducting magnets. Not only the gyrotron but also the transmission system and components must withstand continuous power operation. Further acceleration of both the power reinforcement and a steady-state capability will allow the sustainment of high-performance plasmas.

A comparison of characteristics between a nonlocal transport phenomenon and an electron internal transport barrier (ITB) in the Large Helical Device is performed with a transient transport analysis and from the viewpoint of a dynamic behavior of transport state. The electron ITB is characterized by a jump of electron temperature gradient. In contrast, the transient transport analysis indicates the nonlocal transport phenomenon is characterized by a jump of electron heat flux. And seen from the viewpoint of the dynamic behavior of transport state, the physical mechanism of the appearance of the nonlocal transport phenomenon is found to be qualitatively different from that of the formation of the electron ITB (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Production and heating of over-dense plasmas by 2.45 GHz microwave system under very low field condition was performed and demonstrated on CHS. In this experiment, microwave systems were arranged to aim at taking place mode conversion of launched electron cyclotron wave effectively into electron Bernstein wave (EBW). The power deposition profiles in produced over-dense plasmas were measured directly by using power modulation technique at various magnetic configurations. The power deposition took place dominantly in overdense region. To clarify wave trajectories, power absorption mechanism and mode conversion, a numerical analysis by a ray-tracing method was performed. Calculated ray-trajectories accessed to the region where the experimentally obtained deposition profile has a peak (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In bolt-nut connection, the anti-loosening performance and high fatigue strength are always required with low cost to ensure the connected structure's safety. In the previous study, a suitable pitch difference between the bolt-nut was obtained as α = 33 μm for M16 JIS bolt-nut through loosening experiment and FEM simulation for tightening process. However, other bolt-nut diameters have not been considered yet. In this paper, therefore, suitable pitch difference is considered for various diameters to realize anti-loosening performance. Since bolt-nut thread geometries are different depending on the diameter, they are expressed as approximate formula. Then, loosening force and anti-loosening force are considered by varying the diameter. Finally, suitable pitch difference α suit min < α < α suit max was determined from mechanical condition., 2018 International Conference on Material Strength and Applied Mechanics (MSAM 2018), 10–13 April 2018, Kitakyushu City, Japan

For the purpose of a nationwide surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens in patients in Japan, the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy conducted their second year survey, during the period from January to August, 2007. A total of 1178 strains were collected from clinical specimens obtained from adult patients with well-diagnosed respiratory tract infections. Susceptibility testing was evaluable for 1108 strains (226 Staphylococcus aureus, 257 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 6 Streptococcus pyogenes, 206 Haemophilus influenzae, 120 Moraxella catarrhalis, 122 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 171 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). A total of 44 antibacterial agents, including 26 beta-lactams (four penicillins, three penicillins in combination with beta-lactamase inhibitors, four oral cephems, eight parenteral cephems, one monobactam, five carbapenems, and one penem), three aminoglycosides, four macrolides (including ketolide), one lincosamide, one tetracycline, two glycopeptides, six fluoroquinolones, and one oxazolidinone were used for the study. Analysis was conducted at the central reference laboratory according to the method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The incidence of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was high, at 59.7%, and the incidences of penicillin-intermediateresistant and -resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PISP and PRSP) were 30.4% and 5.1%, respectively. Among Haemophilus influenzae strains, 19.9% of them were found to be beta-lactamase-non-producing ampicillin (ABPC)-intermediately-resistant (BLNAI), 29.1% to be beta-lactamasenon-producing ABPC-resistant (BLNAR), and 6.7% to be beta-lactamase-producing ABPC-resistant (BLPAR) strains. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was not isolated. Two isolates (1.2%) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to be metallo-beta-lactamase-producing strains, including one (0.6%) suspected multidrug-resistant strain showing resistance to imipenem, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin. These data will be a useful reference for future periodic surveillance studies and for investigations to control resistant infections as well. Continued surveillance is required to prevent the further spread of these antimicrobial resistances.

Edge cooling experiments with a tracer-encapsulated solid pellet in the large helical device (LHD) show a significant rise in core electron temperature (the maximum rise is around 1 keV) as well as in many tokamaks. This experimental result indicates the possible presence of the nonlocality of electron heat transport in plasmas where turbulence as a cause of anomalous transport dominates. The nonlocal electron temperature rise in the LHD takes place in almost the same parametric domain (e.g. in a low density) as in the tokamaks. Meanwhile, the experimental results of LHD show some new aspects of nonlocal electron temperature rise, for example the delay in the nonlocal rise of core electron temperature relative to the pellet penetration time increases with the increase both in the collisionality in the core plasma and the electron temperature gradient scale length in the outer region of the plasma.

An ultradiscrete analogue of the Miura transformation is constructed through the bilinear form of the discrete KdV and modified KdV equations. This transformation maps solutions of the ‘box and ball system with a carrier’ to those of the ‘box and ball system’. Explicit examples of solutions are also discussed.

Electron heat transport in the low-collisonality electron cyclotron heating plasma is investigated to clarify the effect of neoclassical transport optimization on the thermal plasma transport in the Large Helical Device (LHD). Five configurations are realized by shifting the magnetic axis position in major radius: 3.45, 3.53, 3.6, 3.75, and 3.9 m. A clear effective helical ripple (which is a quantitative measure of the neoclassical transport optimization) dependency on the enhancement factor of the global energy confinement relative to ISS95 is observed. Local heat transport analyses show a higher electron temperature and a lower heat transport in the neoclassical transport optimized configuration at half the minor radius. The comparisons of the experimental total heat fluxes with that of the neoclassical transport by DCOM/ NNW suggest that the neoclassical transport plays a significant role in the heat transport and that the neoclassical transport optimization is effective in improving the plasma confinement in the low-collisionality LHD plasma.

症例は21歳, 男性. ビルの3階より転落し, 踵より着地後にしりもちをついて転倒した. 仙骨レントゲンでは第2および第3仙骨が骨折し, 第3仙骨以下は前方に転位していた. また右仙骨孔に沿って縦骨折がみられた. 入院時には肛門周囲の皮膚感覚低下, 便の貯留感覚低下, 便・ガス失禁があった. 受傷後6, 14日目の直腸肛門内圧検査では, 随意収縮圧は認めなかった. 受傷後32日目にS2-4の全周性神経除圧術を施行, 受傷後49日目には随意収縮圧は4.9mmHgと若干の改善がみられた. 受傷後83日目には随意収縮圧は28.6mmHgと上昇, 固形便の失禁はなくなった. 受傷後200日目には随意収縮圧は53.8mmHgと改善し, ガス失禁もみられなくなった. 直腸肛門内圧測定で症状の改善に先行して肛門管随意収縮圧の改善をとらえることができ, 以後, 症状の改善を客観的に評価することができた.

The hysteresis loss of silicon iron alloy is highly connected to the crystal defects caused by impurities, stress and so on, which contribute to a pinning effect of magnetic domain wall displacement and rotation, thus results in an increase of iron loss[1]. Therefore, highly pure silicon iron alloy is always desired among industries and researchers. In order to obtain high purity iron silicon alloy in the experiment, highly pure raw iron and silicon with a purity of 99.99 wt% were utilized, and a method called CCLM (Cold Crucible Levitation Melting), which is popular for high purity metallurgy of various materials, was introduced to melt raw materials. In CCLM furnace, during melting by electromagnetism induction heating, the melted alloy can avoid contacting the crucible because it is levitated by magnetic force simultaneously that can effectively reduce impurities of the alloy than other metallurgy.

The polarizer is one of the critical components in a high-power millimeter-wave transmission line. It requires full and highly efficient coverage of any polarization states, high-power tolerance, and low-loss feature. Polarizers with rounded shape at the edge of the periodic groove surface are designed and fabricated by the machining process for a mega-watt long-pulse millimeter-wave transmission line of the electron cyclotron resonance heating system in the large helical device. The groove shape of λ/8- and λ/4-type polarizers for an 82.7 GHz transmission line is optimally designed in an integral method developed in the vector theories of diffraction gratings so that the efficiency to realize any polarization state can be maximized. The dependence of the polarization states on the combination of the two polarizer rotation angles (Φλ/8, Φλ/4) is examined experimentally in a low-power test with the newly developed polarization monitor. The results show that the measured polarization characteristics are in good agreement with the calculated ones.

In the last Large Helical Device (LHD) experimental campaign, a 154GHz gyrotron which had been conditioned to generate 1 MW/2 s, 0.5 MW/CW was installed for LHD experiments. Four high power gyrotrons (three-77 GHz/1~1.5 MW and one-154 GHz/1 MW) and a CW gyrotron (84 GHz/0.2 MW) are ready. Our experiment requires high energy and various injection patterns for Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH). Higher individual injection power and various injection patterns, we developed a power enhancement method by stepped anode acceleration voltage control and operated the gyrotron in the hard excitation region. These operations were realized by a remote controlled waveform generator. However the oscillation map of high power or long pulse operation in the hard excitation region were limited because in order to achieve the hard excitation region by the anode voltage control one must pass through the high anode current phase within a time short enough that the anode or the anode power supply is not overloaded. This limitation becomes more critical when the gyrotron beam current is increased in order to increase the output power. In the long pulse operation it was impossible to reach the hard excitation region in a low beam current (

The flare catalogue of the Yohkoh mission is compiled and linked to this article as an electronic supplement. For showing flare characteristics over wide energy range concisely, we provide the images of Hard X-ray Telescope (HXT) and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), and the spectra of Hard X-ray Spectrometer (HXS) and Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) with the Wide Band Spectrometer (WBS) time profiles. The energy versus pulse height (PH) data channels in HXS and GRS are re-calibrated by using the data of the whole mission period. Secular gain changes are recognized in HXS, and the characteristics of power-law flare spectra simultaneously observed by HXT and HXS confirms the trend. The GRS gains are different for the flare observations during the previous maximum and for the current maximum. The total of 33 γ -ray events are observed, and for 12 of them γ-ray flare spectra are obtained.

Steady state divertor operation with high performance plasmas (ne ~ 0.7 × 1019 cm−3, Ti ~ 2 keV) was demonstrated for half an hour in the Large Helical Device (LHD), the superconducting helical device (R = 3.6–3.9 m, a = 0.6 m, B = 3 T, l/m = 2/10). The high performance plasmas have been sustained with an averaged heating power of 680 kW and achieved an injected energy of 1.3 GJ. This required both advanced technological integration of heating systems and divertor heat flux control. In particular, optimization of divertor heat flux distribution along the divertor leg trace on divertor plates and real-time magnetic axis sweeping (R = 3.67–3.7 m) have allowed LHD to access a steady state regime with a margin of safety for the actively cooled divertor plates. The distribution of divertor heat load along the traces was investigated with calorimetric measurements and it was found that there was a localized heat load connected with the loss of high-energy ions produced by ion cyclotron radio frequency near-fields. Orbit analysis shows that the behaviour of high-energy ions is qualitatively in good agreement with the experimental result. Long-pulse discharges were terminated by radiation collapse due to penetration of metallic flakes into the plasma.

A remote steering antenna was recently developed for electron cyclotron heating and current drive (ECH/ECCD) experiments on the TRIAM-1M tokamak. This is the first application of the remote steering antenna concept for ECH/ECCD experiments, which have conditions relevant to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Fundamental ECH and ECCD experiments were conducted in the ITER frequency from the low field using this antenna system. In addition to the angles near 0°, the launcher was a symmetric direction antenna with an extended steering-angle capability of ±(8°–19°). The output beam from the antenna was a well-defined Gaussian with a proper steering angle. The Gaussian content and the steering-angle accuracy were 0.85 and −0.5°, respectively. The high power tests measured the antenna transmission efficiency at 0.90–0.94. The efficiencies obtained in the low and high power tests were consistent with the calculations using higher-order modes. In order to excite the pure O/X-modes in the oblique injection, two polarizers were used to control the elliptical polarization of the incident beam for the ECCD experiments. The fundamental O/X-mode ECH/ECCD was applied to lower hyrid current drive plasmas at the optimized incident polarization. In the X-mode experiment, at medium density (~1 × 1019 m−3), clear differences in the plasma current and the hard x-ray intensity were observed between the co- and counter-steering injections due to the ECCD effect on the coupling of forward fast electrons.