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Background Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that affects multiple organs. Among these, the presence of cardiac involvement is recognised as a determinant of worse clinical outcomes. Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) is a potentially useful biomarker in the diagnosis and evaluation of disease severity in patients with sarcoidosis. However, it remains to be seen whether sIL-2R is associated with the severity and activity of disease in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Purpose The aims of this study were to investigate whether sIL-2R was associated with clinical outcomes and to clarify the relationship between sIL-2R levels and disease activity evaluated by 18F-fluorideoxyglucose in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in patients with CS. Methods We examined 101 consecutive patients with CS who were admitted to our University HospitalbetweenMay 2003 and February 2020. Patients who had no data of serum sIL-2R levels before initiation of immunosuppressive therapy (n=18) were excluded. Ultimately, 83 patients were examined in this study. The primary outcome was a composite of advanced atrioventricular block (AVB), ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF), heart failure hospitalisation, and all-cause death. Inflammatory activity in the myocardium and lymph nodes were assessed by18F-FDG PET/CT. We used a published program to analyse the cardiac metabolic activity (CMA), and total lymph node glycolysis (TLyG), which are quantitative measures of FDG volume-intensity. Results During a median follow-up period of 2.96 (interquartile range 2.24–4.27) years, the primary outcome occurred in 24 patients (29%), including 1 advanced AVB, 13 VT/VF, 5 hospitalisations for heart failure, and 5 all-cause deaths. Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that the primary outcome occurred more frequently in patients with higher sIL-2R levels (>538 U/mL, the median) than in those with lower sIL-2R levels (Figure). A multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that a higher sIL-2R level was independently associated with an increased subsequent risk of adverse events (hazard ratio 3.71, 95% confidence interval 1.63–8.44, p=0.002), even after adjustments for age, plasma B-type natriuretic peptide, estimated glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular ejection fraction, and late gadolinium enhancement, which are known to be strong determinants of worse clinical outcomes in patients with CS (Table). Furthermore, sIL-2R levels were significantly correlated with TLyG, the inflammatory activity in lymph nodes (r=0.346, p=0.003) but not with CMA, the inflammatory activity in myocardium (r=0.131, p=0.27). Conclusions Increased sIL-2R is associated with worse long-term clinical outcomes accompanied by increased systemic inflammatory activity in CS patients. These findings suggest the importance of assessing sIL-2R as a surrogate marker for further risk stratification in these patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

To reach fusion conditions and control the plasma configuration in ITER, the next step in tokamak fusion research, two neutral beam injectors (NBIs) will supply 16.5 MW each, by neutralizing accelerated negative hydrogen or deuterium ions. The requirements of ITER NBIs (40A/1 MeV D- ions for ≤1 h, 46A/870 keV H- ions for ≤1000 s) have never been simultaneously attained. So in the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF, Consorzio RFX, Italy) the operation of the full-scale ITER NBI prototype (MITICA) will be tested and optimised up to full performances, focussing on accelerator (including voltage holding), beam optics, neutralisation, residual ion removal. The NBTF includes also the full-scale prototype of the ITER NBI source with 100 keV particle energy (SPIDER), for early investigation of: negative ion production and extraction, source uniformity, negative ion current density and beam optics. This paper will describe the main results of the first two years of SPIDER operation, devoted to characterizing plasma and beam parameters, including investigation of RF-plasma coupling efficiency and magnetic filter field effectiveness in reducing co-extracted electrons. SPIDER is progressing towards the first caesium injection, which aims at increasing the negative ion density. A major shutdown, planned for 2021, to solve the issues identified during the operation and to carry out programmed modifications, will be outlined. The installation of each MITICA power supply and auxiliary system is completed; in-vessel mechanical components are under procurement by Fusion for Energy (F4E). Integration, commissioning and test of the power supplies, procured by F4E and QST, as the Japanese Domestic Agency (JADA), will be presented. In particular, 1.0MV insulating tests were carried out step-by-step and successfully completed. In 2020 integrated tests of the power supplies on the accelerator dummy load started, including the assessment of their resilience to accelerator grid breakdowns using a short-circuit device located in vacuum. The aggressive programme, to validate the NBI design at NBTF and to meet ITER schedule (requiring NBIs in operation in 2032), will be outlined. Unfortunately, in 2020 the coronavirus disease infection affected the NBTF activities. A solution to proceed with integrated power tests despite the coronavirus is presented.

'Kyoho', a leading grape (Vitis labruscana L. × V. vinifera L.) cultivar in Japan, is a black-skinned eating cultivar. The frequency of berries with poor skin coloring, which are called “redly ripening” and have low commercial value, has increased in recent years. We analyzed the influence of past climate shifts in main production areas on the skin coloring of 'Kyoho' grape by using a model for estimating skin coloring from air temperature, to clarify whether recent warming is the cause of the increase in frequency of poor skin coloring. The full-flowering dates of six regions were estimated to have advanced by 3.8-6.1 days owing to the rise of air temperature in April and May. Skin color ratings were estimated to have decreased by 1.1-2.3 (indicating lighter color) and to be lower in warmer regions than in cooler regions. The temperature during the coloring period in cold regions increased owing to both the rise in summer temperatures and the earlier start of the coloring period. According to our model, as temperatures rose from 1971 to 2010, the coloring of 'Kyoho' grape berries in cold regions, where berries with excellent color are now produced, decreased more than in warmer regions.

We have studied the influence of humidity on the production yield of Mg2Si thermoelectric (TE)-legs synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and also the influence of sintered density and MgO impurity on the oxidation resistance of the Mg2Si sintered compacts. We observed a strong correlation between the humidity in air atmosphere and the yield rate of Mg2Si TE-legs. The Mg2Si TE-legs sintered from the raw material powder that was exposed to an atmosphere with humidity >60% contained relatively high density of voids and cracks due to the reaction of adsorbed moisture and Mg2Si during SPS. We found that the Mg2Si sintered density strongly affected the oxidation resistance, whereas a small amount of MgO concentration in the initial sintered compacts had no significant effect on the oxidation resistance. Sb-doped Mg2Si with a high sintered density showed an excellent oxidation resistance in air atmosphere when subjected to an oxidation-resistance test at 600°C for 800 h, which is presumed to be due to the formation of a dense MgO layer on the surface.

Background Central sensitization, including dysfunction of descending inhibitory pain pathways, may contribute to multisite pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Duloxetine is a centrally acting analgesic that effectively reduces pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Here we assessed the efficacy of duloxetine (60 mg/day) in Japanese patients (N = 353) with pain due to knee osteoarthritis based on the number of painful body sites, determined using the Michigan Body Map. Methods Post hoc analysis of a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial ( ClinicalTrials.gov ; NCT02248480). Results At Week 14, the change from baseline in Brief Pain Inventory-Severity average pain score (“pain reduction”) was significantly greater with duloxetine compared with placebo in patients with 3, 4, or ≥5 painful sites, but not in patients with 1 or 2 painful sites. In patients with ≥3 painful sites (57% of patients), pain reduction was significantly greater with duloxetine (n = 100) compared with placebo (n = 101) throughout the study (least squares mean change from baseline to Week 14: −2.68 vs −1.68). Greater pain reduction with duloxetine (n = 77) than placebo (n = 75) also occurred in patients with ≤2 painful sites, although the between-group difference was significant only at Week 4. Conclusions These results are consistent with duloxetine enhancing the activity of descending inhibitory pain pathways that are dysfunctional in patients with central sensitization and multisite pain. In addition, these results suggest that duloxetine may be an effective choice of analgesic for patients with knee osteoarthritis and multisite pain.

Objective:Epidemiological studies have demonstrated differences in cardiovascular risk factors between ethnic groups, and hypertension has been recognized as the most important risk in the Japanese population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of major risk factors including hypertens

Plasma source of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) driven by high voltage burst pulse has been developed. A 200 ps wide burst of 157 kHz power supply was used to produce plasma with repetition rate of 1 Hz. The electrical and plasma parameters are obtained based on mutual induction circuit model by analyzing waveforms of the coil current and the voltage. The plasma density was also obtained using a double probe measurement. The results showed that electrical power into plasma was obtained as 13.1 kW. The plasma density was obtained to be 1019 m−3 order by the equivalent circuit, which is good agreement with that obtained with probe measurement.

The direct oxidation of a dipeptide azlactone (1) by DDG affords an optically active unsaturated dipeptide azlactone (2). It was shown that the double bond had the Z-configuration and that no racemization of the proline moiety occurred during the oxidation. The dehydrotripeptide, Z-Pro-delta-Phe-Phe OH (9b) was prepared by direct coupling of azlactone (2) with phenylalanine tetramethyl-guanidinium salt and was shown to be stable to chymotrypsin. The tetrapeptide, Z-Pro-delta-Phe-His-Leu OH (11), was prepared directly from the azlactone (2) and by saponification of the tetrapeptide ester (10) prepared by mixed anhydride coupling of Z-Pro-deltaPhe OH (7) with the dipeptide ester. The dehydropeptide (11) inhibits angiotensin I converting enzyme (IC50, 1X10-4 M).

In southern California the Dulzura kangaroo rat (Dipodomys simulans) occurs in shrub-dominated habitats adjacent to forb- or grass-dominated habitats, which support the endangered Stephens's kangaroo rat (D. stephensi). We monitored a number of populations of both species from 1996 through 2000, spanning the 1997- 1998 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. Although populations of D. stephensi were not significantly impacted by this climatic event, D. simulans declined from 10-24 individuals/ha to about 7-12 individuals/ha over a 6- to 8-month period; numbers subsequently continued to decline to 1-2 individuals/ha and failed to recover in the approximately 2.5 years of post-ENSO monitoring. We noticed no signs of sickness or illness among these animals, although adult body masses of D. simulans (but not D. stephensi) declined through the ENSO event, suggesting that food resources for the former species may have been compromised. Alternatively, populations of D. simulans may have been unusually high before the ENSO event, such that the onset of rains merely hastened a predictable winter die-off. Finally, other rodents could have robbed seeds from the food caches of Dulzura kangaroo rats, influencing the ability of the latter to survive the ENSO event. Although this explanation remains speculative, cache pilferage has been demonstrated among other heteromyids, and a recent theoretical study suggests this may be an important mechanism of species coexistence. Further investigations of cache pilferage could enhance our understanding of the ecology and evolution of these diverse small mammal assemblages.

Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi) is considered to be threatened by the state of California (California Department of Fish and Game 1972, 2000) and endangered by the federal government (Kramer 1988). The proximate factor leading to this status was urban expansion in western Riverside County, California. The more distal factor is that this species has an anomalously small geographic range (ca. 28,000 ha) for its body size (Bleich 1977). Currently, this species is managed on a small number of protected reserves in western Riverside County, and there is much interest in understanding how habitat manipulation might influence population parameters. Dipodomys stephensi occurs in sparsely vegetated annual grasslands and adjacent shrubby habitats (Bleich 1977, O'Farrell 1990, Price et al. 1991), although it appears to generally favor forb-dominated grassland habitat; at least 2 studies (Price et al. 1991, D. A. Kelt and E. S. Konno unpublished data) reported that this species was never observed in adjacent coastal sage-scrub habitat. Reduction of shrub cover has been documented

After partial gastrectomy, the mucosa of the residual stomach usually undergoes severe changes, and these lesions are known to be pre-cancerous. Recently, Helicobacter pylori has been highlighted as an agent that induces such mucosal alterations. In the present study, we evaluated whether eradication of H. pylori reduced the risk of carcinogenesis. The subjects were 12 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy with Billroth I anastomosis for early gastric cancer and were positive for H. pylori. We performed endoscopy and biopsy both before and after H. pylori eradication therapy to assess changes in the gastric mucosa. After eradication therapy, no mucosal edema or erythema was detected. On histological examination, mononuclear cell infiltration had decreased and there was complete absence of neutrophil infiltration. The Ki-67 labeling index and the tissue IL-8 level had also decreased significantly, compared with before eradication. Before H. pylori eradication, the mucosa of the residual stomach may be at high risk of carcinogenesis due to induction of mucosal damage and active gastritis by H. pylori. Such changes were almost completely normalized by eradication therapy, so the eradication of H. pylori may reduce the risk of H. pylori-associated carcinogenesis in patients who have undergone gastrectomy for early gastric cancer.

A highly dependable 3-D stacked multicore processor module composed of 4-layer stacked 3-D multicore processor chip and 2-layer stacked 3-D cache memory chip is implemented using reconfigured multichip-on-wafer 3-D integration and backside TSV technologies for the first time. Tier boundary scan, self-repair circuits, and BIST circuits in the 4-layer stacked 3-D multicore processor chip and the basic read/write functions of memory circuits in the 2-layer stacked 3-D cache memory chip are successfully evaluated. High-density TSVs and micro-joining characteristics in the 3-D stacked chip were evaluated by a non-destructive method using high resolution X-ray CT scanning tool.

Recently, the demand of the building spaces to respond to increase of single aged households and the diversification of life style is increasing. Smart house is one of them, but it is difficult for them to be changed and renovated. Therefore, we suggest Biofied builing. In biofied building, we use a mobile robot to get concious and unconcious information about residents and try to make it more secure and comfort builing spaces by realizing the intraction between residents and builing spaces. Walking parameters are one of the most important unconscious information about residents. They are an indicator of autonomy of elderly, and changes of stride length and walking speed may be pridictive of a future fall and a cognitive impairment. By observing their walking and informing residents their walking state, they can forestall such dangers and it helps them to live more securely and autonomously. Many methods to estimate walking parameters have been studied. The famous ones are to use accelerometers and a motion capture camera. Walking parameters estimated by them are high precise but the sensors are attached to a human body in these method and it can make human’s walk different from the original walk. Furthermore, some elderly feel it to invade them. In this work, Kinect which can get information about human untouchably was used on the mobile robot. A stride time, stride length, and walking speed were estimated from the back view of human by following him or her. Evaluation was done for 10m, 5m, 4m, and 3m in whole walking. As a result, the proposal system can estimate walking parameters of the walk more than 3m.

Transitional vertebrae (TV) may be one of the risk factors for lumbar disc herniation. It is not clear, however, whether the presence of TV can affect the development of nerve-root symptoms. Our aim was to clarify this relationship. A total of 501 patients with lumbar degenerative disease and nerve-root symptoms was studied in respect of their level and the presence of TV. As a control group, 508 patients without low back pain or nerve-root symptoms were studied to establish the incidence of TV. In patients with disc herniation, the incidence was statistically higher and the mean age lower in patients with TV than in those without. In most patients, the symptomatic disc level was just above the TV. Similarly, in those with stenosis of the spinal canal without spondylolisthesis, the symptomatic disc level was most commonly just above the TV.

An isotope dilution method using [U-13C]glucose and a glucose clamp approach were applied to determine the effects of supplemental chromium (Cr) and heat exposure on blood glucose metabolism and tissue responsiveness and sensitivity to insulin in sheep. The sheep consumed diets with either 0 or 1 mg of Cr/kg (Control and +Cr diet, respectively) from high-Cr-yeast, and were exposed from a thermoneutral environment (20 °C) to a hot environment (30 °C) for 5 days. Blood glucose turnover rate did not differ between the diets, and was lower (P < 0·05) during heat exposure than in the thermoneutral environment. The maximal glucose infusion rate (tissue responsiveness to insulin) tended to be lower (P = 0·06) for the +Cr diet than for the Control diet, but did not change with heat exposure. The plasma insulin concentration at half maximal glucose infusion rate (tissue sensitivity to insulin) did not differ between the diets, and was greater (P < 0·05) during heat exposure than in the thermoneutral environment. No significant diet × environment interactions were observed. There was no significant evidence that Cr supplementation moderated heat stress in sheep from the measures of blood glucose metabolism and insulin action.

This letter reports the generation of 6.1 W of red laser radiation by frequency-doubling a Nd:YAG laser operating at a wavelength of 1.319 /spl mu/m with a KTP crystal. The conversion efficiency and the stability of the red output power were both improved through the suppression by means of a thin etalon of two-wavelength operation in the 1.3-/spl mu/m region.

Reanalysis of a recently published data set on the responses of 2 species of kangaroo rats to the 1997-1998 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event revealed an error during data manipulation, and underscored the perils associated with electronic data storage, manipulation, and analyses. Renewed analyses revealed that Dipodomys simulans was not catastrophically impacted by the ENSO event. Both species were negatively impacted by 2 separate rainy periods, and both species appeared to recover rapidly. The rate of demographic recovery may be a function of habitat preferences. Dipodomys stephensi occurs in valley bottoms and recovered numerically only after cessation of rains, whereas D. simulans, which occurs on better-drained habitat in adjacent hill slopes, appeared to initiate demographic recovery half way through the rainy period associated with the 1998 ENSO. In contrast, however, D. simulans was not observed to recover for about 5 months after the rainy period in 2000.

In recent times, the wireless power transfer (WPT) technology is attracting attention because of the expanding use of portable devices. In particular, extensive studies on the WPT technology using magnetic resonance are being conducted because this technology offers various advantages such as the achievement of a transmission efficiency of 90% or more from a distance of 1 m, as compared with traditional electromagnetic induction systems. However, studies on thin coils, as well as those on the improvement of the coupling coefficient, have hitherto been inadequate. Consequently, we have formed a spiral pattern on a printed circuit board and devised spiral patterns to improve the coupling coefficient, which was calculated by carrying out an electromagnetic field analysis. As a result, we found that the coupling coefficient improved by adjusting the inner radius and pitch of the spiral coil and by designing the geometry of the spiral coil.

We have developed a 3D-stacked image sensor chip composed of CMOS image sensor (CIS) layer, correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) layer, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) array layer using the chip-based 3D heterogeneous integration technology. Three kinds of chips, CIS chip, CDS chip, and ADC chip, which were fabricated by different technologies, are processed and stacked vertically to form a prototype 3D-stacked image sensor. Through-Si vias (TSVs) and metal micro-bumps are formed in chip-level before stacking. The fundamental characteristics are evaluated in the fabricated prototype 3D-stacked image sensor.

We demonstrate the chip-based 3D heterogeneous integration technology for realizing highly parallel 3D-stacked image sensor. Three kinds of chips, CMOS image sensor chip, analog circuit chip, and ADC array chip, which were fabricated by different technologies, are processed and stacked vertically to form a prototype 3D-stacked image sensor. Through-Si vias (TSVs) and metal micro-bumps are formed in chip-level before stacking. The fundamental characteristics are evaluated in the fabricated prototype 3D-stacked image sensor.

Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellular matrix protein and immune modulator with a wide range of functions. OPN is recognized as a key cytokine in Th1 immune responses, yet its potential involvement in allergic/asthmatic responses has been investigated only recently. Current data from molecular and cellular studies and studies of OPN-deficient mice provide evidence that OPN plays multiple roles in the regulation of allergic responses, including regulation of IgE response, inflammatory cell migration, and the development of airway fibrosis and angiogenesis. These results suggest that OPN is a pleiotropic cytokine that functions both systemically and locally in tissue mucosa. Notably, OPN is able to exert its effects through different functional domains, and the secreted and intracellular forms of OPN may have distinct functions. Future research to elucidate all aspects of OPN function is needed to ultimately establish its role in the regulation of immune responses and various disease processes, including those critically involved in the development of allergies and asthma.

An extremely high-reliability 300 MW frequency converter has been developed. To achieve high reliability, the frequency converter adopts several dual (redundant) methods. The fault-system-lock function and the online recovery function greatly enhance the system reliability, allowing the Shin-Shinano FC to continue to operate almost without any stoppages due to faults. Highvolume, non-volatile CPLDs are utilized in the controller, and a simple controller configuration is also achieved, which makes maintenance easy.

Summary A case of Arnold-Chiari malformation associated with severe cerebellar hypoplasia in a Japanese Shorthorn calf is reported. Histological examination revealed severe and extensive lesions in the cerebellar vermis. Hypoplasia of the cerebellum in Arnold-Chiari malformation appeared to indicate the abnormal embryonic development of the neural tissue, but the exact cause is not known.

Summary Kidneys of 64 Afghan pikas ( Ochotona rufescens rufescens ) were examined histologically. Seven of 21 males and two of 21 females over 6 months of age had a cuboidal epithelium lining of the parietal layer of Bowman's capsule.