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A new image measurement method for obtaining time-mean velocity field is proposed. The so-called time-averaged contrast is a statistical parameter of image data. Its characteristics are examined in detail with a simple mathematical model for particle images. It is found that the variance of image data gives the time-averaged contrast in time. Numerical simulation shows the possibility of practical measurement.

The title compound N-(6-(diphenylamino)pyridin-2-yl)-N-phenylacetamide (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in the space group P21/n with unit cell parameters a = 9.571(7), b = 9.333(6), c = 22.431(16) Å, β = 100.669(10)°, V = 1969(2) Å3, and Z = 4. The structures of amine and amide units are planar. Dihedral angles of a pyridine ring with the amine and amide planes are 20.19(11) and 37.21(8)°, respectively, indicating that an electron-rich diphenylamino group makes better conjugation with an electron-deficient pyridine ring. The oxygen atom of the amide group forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond with a hydrogen atom of the pyridine ring.

Isoscalar monopole and dipole transitions are investigated in the medium and heavier systems, such as $$^{44}\hbox {Ti}$$ and even $$^{104-110}\hbox {Te}$$ nuclei by employing the macroscopic $$\alpha $$ cluster model of $$\alpha + {}^{40}\hbox {Ca}$$ and $$\alpha + {}^{100-106}\hbox {Sn}$$ , respectively. Theoretical calculations predict that the strengths of the monopole and dipole transitions are strongly enhanced in the excitation energy below 10 MeV. These low-lying enhancements are induced by the excitation in the relative motion of the $$\alpha $$ cluster and the residual nucleus, and the magnitudes of the transition matrix element are comparable to the single nucleon excitation, which requires much higher excitation energy than the energy for the $$\alpha $$ excitation. The electric dipole strength is also calcluated for $$^{135}\hbox {Cs}$$ with the cluster model of $$\alpha + {}^{131}\hbox {I}$$ , which is a kind of nuclear waste. The application of the monopole and dipole transitions involving the $$\alpha $$ emission to the nuclear transmutation of the nuclear wastes is also discussed.

Nanoparticle systems are important in both applied and fundamental studies. In 1962, the theory of nanoparticles by R. Kubo predicted that the discrete energy levels in nanoparticles were realized and that their physical quantities behave differently from that of bulk at low temperatures where the thermal fluctuations fall down the energy spacing of the discrete energy levels. In addition, the behavior of physical quantities depends on the parity of the number of the electrons in a nanoparticle. This phenomenon is termed the quantum size effect (QSE). Although various studies on nanoparticles have been conducted to date, QSEs are not well separated from surface effects, which originate from the difference between surface and interior regions of nanoparticles. We succeeded in the separation of QSEs and surface effects, and found novel magnetic fluctuations related to QSEs in Pt nanoparticles. The magnetic fluctuations at low temperatures are not caused by surface effects or magnetic order, and their energy scale seems to be independent of electronic correlation. Further studies on such magnetic fluctuations are in progress.

We investigate the energy distribution of the isoscalar monopole and dipole transitions in the heavy systems, such as 44Ti and Te isotopes. The macroscopic α cluster models with α+40Ca and α+Sn are applied to 44Ti and Sn isotopes, respectively. The present calculation shows that the monopole and dipole strengths are strongly enhanced by the excitation in the the α cluster degrees of freedom. The discrete and sharp strength is generated by the α cluster excitation at the excitation energy much lower than the energy for the single nucleon excitation inside of the uniform mean field potential.

Issue Lifestyle modifications are essential for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and type 2 diabetes. Healthcare providers in Japan are required to use information and communications technologies (ICT), such as health-related mobile applications (mHealth apps), in health guidance. Description of the Problem To understand the results of and issues in health guidance, two searches were conducted to identify the domains of health guidance provided using ICT. We searched the PubMed and Japan Medical Abstracts Society databases to identify articles published from 2000-2018. The first search identified frameworks of health guidance provided using ICT. The second search identified primary studies about using mHealth apps published between 2000 and 2018. The sample comprised 22 unique programs from 38 primary studies. The following research questions were explored: 1) What is the purpose of using the mHealth app? 2) Is there a significant difference in the effect of using the mHealth app instead of face-to-face communication? Results The mHealth app was used to enhance convenience and to improve or modify lifestyle. The latter included self-monitoring, typing health information, providing knowledge, sharing information, providing encouragement and praise, and correction of action plans. Some positive effects were observed, including compensating for insufficient information, enhancing self-management, and improving degrees of satisfaction of users. Only two programs did not report a significant difference in the effect of using the mHealth app as compared to face-to-face communication. Lessons This review showed that the frequency of typing information about diet and exercise appeared to be related to the prevention of primary lifestyle-related diseases and the improvement of self-management behaviour. Key messages Use of the mHealth app for providing health guidance might enhance continuous support for self-monitoring and self-management behaviour. Use the mHealth app for providing encouragement and praise might promote a smooth conversation, which in turn would facilitate appropriate self-management behaviour.

We conducted$^{195}$Pt-nuclear magnetic resonance measurements on various-diameter Pt nanoparticles coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone in order to detect the quantum size effect and the discrete energy levels in the electron density of states, both of which were predicted by Kubo more than 50 years ago. We succeeded in separating the signals arising from the surface and interior regions and found that the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rates in both regions show the metallic behavior at high temperatures. Surprisingly, the magnetic fluctuations in both regions exhibited anomalous behavior below the same temperature $T^*$, which points to a clear size dependence and is well scaled with $\delta_\mathrm{Kubo}$. These results suggest that a size-tunable metal-insulator transition occurs in the Pt nanoparticles as a result of the Kubo effect., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, including supplemental materials, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B as a Rapid Communication

$^{195}$Pt-NMR measurements of Pt nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 4.0 nm were performed in a high magnetic field of approximately $\mu_0 H = 23.3$ T to investigate the low-temperature electronic state of the nanoparticles. The characteristic temperature $T^*$, below which the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ deviates from the relaxation rate of the bulk, shows a magnetic-field dependence. This dependence supports the theoretical prediction of the appearance of discrete energy levels., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, To appear in short notes of J. Phys. Soc. Jpn

The corrosion resistance of Ti–0.4Ni–0.015Pd–0.025Ru–0.14Cr (AKOT Ti) and commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) has been studied in different concentrations of 6, 9 and 11.5 M HNO 3 , and boiling 15.65 M HNO 3 . In both CP Ti and AKOT Ti alloy, the open circuit potential and corrosion potential are shifted to more noble potential with increasing concentrations. However, passive current density decreases with increasing concentration. Lower corrosion rate was observed in AKOT Ti (∼0.075 mm/y) compared to CP Ti (∼0.22 mm/y) in boiling 15.65 M HNO 3 after 240 h. The mechanisms by which dissolved titanium ions affect the corrosion are also discussed.

In this study, we analyzed hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in urine of both PCB transport workers and PCB researchers. A method to monitor OH-PCB in urine was developed. Urine was solid-phase extracted with 0.1% ammonia/ methanol (v/v) and glucuronic acid/sulfate conjugates and then decomposed using β-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase. After alkaline digestion/derivatization, the concentration of OH-PCBs was determined by HRGC/HRMS-SIM. In the first sampling campaign, the worker's OH-PCB levels increased several fold after the PCB waste transportation work, indicating exposure to PCBs. The concentration of OH-PCBs in PCB transport workers' urine (0.55~11 μg/g creatinine (Cre)) was higher than in PCB researchers' urine (

To analyze the effect of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 118 on fish bone metabolism, we examined osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities, as well as plasma calcium levels, in the scales of PCB (118)-injected goldfish. In addition, effect of PCB (118) on osteoclasts and osteoblasts was investigated in vitro. Immature goldfish, in which the endogenous effects of sex steroids are negligible, were used. PCB (118) was solubilized in dimethyl sulfoxide at a concentration of 10 ppm. At 1 and 2 days after PCB (118) injection (100 ng/g body weight), both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities, and plasma calcium levels were measured. In an in vitro study, then, both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities as well as each marker mRNA expression were examined. At 2 days, scale osteoclastic activity in PCB (118)-injected goldfish increased significantly, while osteoblastic activity did not change significantly. Corresponding to osteoclastic activity, plasma calcium levels increased significantly at 2 days after PCB (118) administration. Osteoclastic activation also occurred in the marker enzyme activities and mRNA expressions in vitro. Thus, we conclude that PCB (118) disrupts bone metabolism in goldfish both in vivo and in vitro experiments. © 2012 The Author(s).

The title compound N-phenyl-N-(pyridin-4-yl)acetamide (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in the space group P21/n with unit cell parameters a = 9.097(7) A, b = 11.824(11) A, c = 10.128(10) A, β = 106.64(2)°, V = 1043.8(16) A3 and Z = 4. The structure of the amide unit is almost planar. The dihedral angles of the amide plane with the benzene and pyridine rings are 58.40(5)° and 61.51(5)° respectively, indicating that neither phenyl nor pyridyl group is conjugated with the amide unit.

It is important to note that creep is only one aspect of the time-dependent behavior of rocks. In Fig. 1, three cases are illustrated with respect to the complete stress–strain curve: creep, i.e., increasing strain when the stress is held constant; stress relaxation, i.e., decreasing stress when the strain is held constant; and a combination of both, when the rock unloads along a chosen unloading path. This ISRM suggested method deals only with the case of creep, which is particularly relevant for cases where the applied load or stress is kept constant. Creep tests have also been carried out on soft rocks such as tuff, shale, lignite, and sandstone, medium-hard rocks such as marble, limestone, and rock salt, and hard rocks such as granite and andesite (i.e., Akagi 1976; Akai et al. 1979, 1984; Ito and Akagi 2001; Berest et al. 2005; Doktan 1983; Passaris 1979; Serata et al. 1968; Wawersik 1983; Okubo et al. 1991, 1993; Masuda et al. 1987, 1988; Ishizuka et al. 1993; Lockner and Byerlee 1977; Boukharov et al. 1995; Fabre and Pellet 2006; Aydan et al. 1995; Chan 1997; Cristescu and Hunsche 1998; Hunsche 1992; Hunsche and Hampel 1999; Ito et al. 1999; Mottahed and Szeki 1982; Perzyna 1966; Slizowski and Lankof 2003; Yang et al. 1999). These experiments were mostly carried out under compressive loading conditions. There are few studies on rocks using creep tests under a tensile loading regime (Ito and Sasajima 1980, 1987; Ito et al. 2008; Aydan et al. 2011). In particular, shallow underground openings may be subjected to a sustained tensile stress regime, which requires the creep behavior of rocks under such conditions. Please send any written comments on this ISRM suggested method to Prof. Resat Ulusay, President of the ISRM Commission on Testing Methods, Hacettepe University, Department of Geological Engineering, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey.

Dislocations were introduced into Si by scratching between 77 and 873 K. The nature and configurations of dislocations were determined by the weak-beam method. Dislocations introduced below 703 K were perfect dislocations of the shuffle set, while those introduced above 823 K were dissociated dislocations of the glide set. At 77 K, the shuffle set of dislocations was very straight; between RT and 363 K, the shuffle set of dislocations blunted, but mostly parallel to crystallographic orientations. Above 383 K, the shuffle set of dislocations was heavily zigzagged. The mechanism responsible for the zigzagging of the shuffle set of dislocations was discussed.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are still of serious concern as a potential health hazard due to their persistency and bioacumulation. Of 209 possible PCB congeners, with varying number and position of chlorine atom(s), 19 are chiral. These are mostly highly chlorinated and tend to remain longer against the biological decompositions, suffering biological deracemization in the environment. In this work, we have unequivocally determined the absolute configurations of important chiral PCBs 183 and 171, as well as 132, through the combined theoretical and experimental investigations of the chiroptical properties (circular dichroism and optical rotation), which will be valuable in elucidating the mechanism of biological enantiomer enrichment of PCBs in the environment.

This journal suppl. entitled: Abstracts of the 26th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, Rome, Italy, 27-30 June 2010

We examined the role of cumulus cells regarding in vitro maturation of canine oocytes, and investigated estrogen and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor gene expression and action on nuclear maturation. Canine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were collected from anestrous and diestrous bitches; only COC with vitelline diameter >100 microm were used. In Experiment 1, expression of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha, ERbeta and EGF-receptor (EGF-R) were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), using mRNA from the oocyte or cumulus cell. Transcripts for the ERbeta and EGF-R were detected in oocytes and cumulus cells, but no message was detected for ERalpha. In Experiment 2, intact COC and the denuded oocytes were cultured in TCM199 medium supplemented with various concentrations of estradiol-17beta (E(2); 0-10 microg/mL) or EGF (0-100 ng/mL) for 72 h; nuclear maturation was then evaluated. In oocytes cultured within intact COC, the rate of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) was higher in the 1 microg/mL E(2) supplemented group (P

Silica-based highly nonlinear fibers (HNLFs) have been utilized as platforms for various applications, including fiber lasers, optical amplifiers, and optical signal processings. For the practical applications, nonlinearity enhancement without degrading the attenuation and tailoring the chromatic dispersions remain the key issues. Herein, we initially discuss the design of chromatic dispersions of HNLFs for desired applications. Then the fabrication results, including HNLFs with a longitudinally uniform zero-dispersion wavelength or with optimized higher order dispersion, are presented. Furthermore, using evolved HNLFs, we demonstrate a unique four-wave-mixing-based wavelength conversion. In addition, suppression of the stimulated Brillouin scattering, a critical issue for high-power applications, is discussed. We fabricate Al2O3-doped HNLF that has lower Brillouin gain by 6.1 dB as compared with that of conventional GeO 2-doped HNLF.

An 8-year-old boy with the features of Langer-Giedion syndrome except for short stature is described. Chromosome analysis using high resolution G-banding techniques revealed an interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 8:46,XY,del(8)(q24.13-q24.22).

Using the Vectorial Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect (V-MOKE) and numerical simulations, we have investigated the magnetization reversal process in arrays of 15-nm-thick Permalloy nanometer-scale dots, having elliptical shape and eccentricity, varying from 1 to 2.5. V-MOKE hysteresis loops revealed that the magnetization reversal is incoherent for elements with eccentricity of 1 and 1.5, while it becomes an almost perfect coherent magnetization rotation for elements with eccentricity equal to 2 and 2.5. In the latter case, the V-MOKE loops agree well with those predicted by the Stoner-Wohlfarth model for particles with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. We were able to reproduce the V-MOKE results with micromagnetic simulations, gaining a deeper insight into the magnetic configurations that develop during the reversal process. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Jinnosuke-dani landslide is a giant landslide 2,000 m long and 500 m wide in the Haku-san Mountain area, Japan. It was also the first landslide to be designated as a “Landslide Prevention Area” according to the “Japan Landslide Prevention Law.” This landslide consists of alternating layers of sandstone and shale in the Tedori Formation, which was deposited from the Jurassic period to the Early Cretaceous. Based on deformation monitoring results for more than 7 years, the landslide is divided into upper and lower blocks. The upper block has moved at a speed of 80 to 170 mm/year, while the lower block has moved more slowly (3 to 15 mm/year). Monitoring data show that the variation of the groundwater level has a great influence on the landslide movement. The deteriorating effect of the weathering of the alternating layers of sandstone and shale on the landslide deformation has been confirmed by borehole exploration and monitoring.

We have grown zincblende-structured ZnTeO alloy semiconductors on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using RF-excited O. O concentrations measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy were found to increase with the increase of O 2 flow rate supplied during the growth, while the change of lattice constant measured by X-ray diffraction does not follow Vegard's law. It is considered that the O atoms are incorporated not only into group-VI sites but also as interstitials. Formation of other compounds such as ZnTeO 3 , Zn 2 Te 3 O 8 , and TeO 2 was not detected. Optical reflectance spectroscopy revealed the increase of the band-gap energy with O concentration that can be interpreted as the repulsive interaction between the energy states originated in the localized states of O and the conduction-band edge of host ZnTe.

The photoluminescence properties of ZnTeO and ZnSeO with dilute O concentrations are studied. The exciton bound to isolated O and its phonon replicas are observed in ZnTeO. The peak energies are hardly affected by O concentration, indicating the isoelectronic feature of O. On the other hand, the free exciton peak is shifted to lower energy in ZnSeO by increasing O concentration, even when the O concentration is as low as 0.015%. No isoelectronic emissions are observed. We find the increase of binding energy of free exciton due to the increase of the effective mass of the conduction band edge. This can be interpreted as the modification of the band structure by the repulsive interaction between the O localized level and the conduction band of ZnSe with the scheme of band anticrossing model. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Misfit dislocation was investigated by observing crosshatch over surfaces of In x Ga 1-x As-In 0.52 Al 0.48 As strained multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and In x Ga 1-x As bulk-like thin epifilms grown on InP substrates. It was found that no crosshatch was observed on surfaces of non-doped In x Ga 1-x As-In 0.52 Al 0.48 As strained MQW over an In composition range of 0.32

The authors studied the effect of hydrogen irradiation on the optical properties of ZnTe, ZnTe1−ySy (y=0.015) and ZnSe1−xOx (x=0.0023, 0.0057 and 0.009) epilayers. Photoluminescence measurements show the full passivation of O-related recombination bands in ZnTe and ZnTe0.985S0.015 samples unintentionally doped with oxygen. However, hydrogen irradiation does not affect the bandgap reduction following O incorporation in ZnSe1−xOx alloys. This lack of interaction between O and H in ZnSe1−xOx points toward a scarce localised character in the ZnSe1−xOx band edges, as supported by the study of the temperature dependence of the ZnSe1−xOx bandgap.

Elliptical (track-shaped) permalloy (Ni19Fe81) dots, in which magnetic circular vortex and antivortex structures are stabilized, were prepared and the magnetic properties of perpendicular magnetization spots (turned-up magnetizations) at the cores of both types of vortices were studied. Using magnetic force microscopy, the direction of the turned-up magnetization was detected and the switching field was measured. It was found that the value of the switching field of the turned-up magnetization at the antivortex core is smaller by about 1000 Oe than that at the circular vortex core. It was confirmed that the switching of the turned-up magnetization in the antivortex is not influenced by the directions of the turned-up magnetizations in the neighboring circular vortices. Vanishing and regenerating processes of turned-up magnetizations were observed by increasing and decreasing the magnetic field applied to the in-plane direction.

The requirements for imaging magnetic vortices properly by magnetic force microscopy are discussed. Special attention is devoted to the influence of the tip on the sample magnetic configuration. It is shown that one can obtain a quantitative understanding of the experiments using micromagnetic simulations within a general framework for reversible tip-induced perturbations. Finally, preliminary results obtained with specially prepared 'nanowire tips' are presented.

We have grown quaternary alloy semiconductor ZnSSeO by molecular beam epitaxy. Large band gap bowing due to large electronegativity of O is expected in this alloy. The growth of ZnSSeO was proceeded by supplying RF-excited oxygen during the growth of ZnSSe. The lattice constant of ZnSSeO decreased with increasing O 2 flow rate. X-ray diffraction peak was separated when O 2 flow rate was high. However, controllable range of lattice constant without phase separation was expanded compared with ZnSeO ternary alloy. It was shown that S composition parasitically increased with O composition. We have explained the enhancement of S incorporation in terms of reduction of strain energy. The band gap energy decreased with increasing O 2 flow rate regardless of phase separation. The amount of band gap bowing was slightly less than that found in ZnSeO.

II–VI-O type alloy semiconductor ZnSeO (O composition up to 6.4%) is grown by molecular beam epitaxy. O composition increases with O2 flow rate. Several XRD peaks are observed when O composition is 2–4%, indicating phase separation. Growth at low temperature results in higher O composition. Photoluminescence intensity of ZnSeO lattice matched to GaAs is much stronger than that of ZnSe and peak shifts to lower energies with increasing O composition. Photoreflectance spectroscopy is performed to investigate the band gap energy. The band gap energy investigated by photoreflectance decreases with increasing O composition due to large band gap bowing even when phase separation occurs. The bowing parameter is estimated as 8.4 eV.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism serves as a strong element-specific magnetic contrast mechanism in full-field transmission soft x-ray microscopy to image micromagnetic domain structures. A lateral resolution down to 25 nm is provided by Fresnel zone plates used as optical elements. Recording the images in varying external magnetic fields and the sensitivity to the direction of the magnetization allows for detailed studies of static magnetization reversal processes in magnetic thin films and nanopatterned elements. Results on highly magnetostrictive Terfenol-D layers are reported. The experimental findings of the switching processes in soft magnetic permalloy rectangular structures are consistent with micromagnetic simulations. The pulsed time structure of polarized synchrotron radiation allows for a stroboscopic imaging of spin dynamics on a sub-nanosecond timescale.

In a circular dot of permalloy with an appropriate size, a vortex structure with perpendicular (turned-up) magnetization at the core is realized. The existence of the perpendicular magnetization spot has been confirmed and the direction of the magnetization, up or down, has been determined by magnetic force microscopy (MFM) for permalloy dots with the diameter of 0.1–1 μm. The switching field of turned-up magnetization is determined by applying external fields perpendicularly and in tilted directions to the plane. By comparing the MFM results and the magnetization curves measured by a SQUID magnetometer, the switching process of turned-up magnetization is argued.

The distribution of switching fields ( H sw ) in a NiFe wire was investigated as a function of temperature between 5 and 300 K. The sample structure under investigation is Ta/NiFe/Cu/NiFe wire (150 nm width) connecting to a square pad (large area) at an end. Magnetization reversal phenomena are very sensitively detected using the giant magnetoresistance effect. With repeating magnetoresistance measurements, we obtained a histogram of H sw with three narrow peaks at each temperature. The origin of three peaks can be attributed to the existence of three different kinds of magnetic domain structures at the pad area, which was confirmed by magnetic force microscopy observation.

The authors report 2 male patients with dyskeratosis congenita (DC) in a Japanese kindred. Sequencing of the complementary DNA of the dyskerin gene (DKC1) revealed a T-to-C transition at nucleotide 1285 in exon 12 that resulted in a novel missense mutation L398P. Despite harboring the same mutation in the DKC1 gene, one patient had significantly milder hematological symptoms than the other, indicating that there may be other factors that determine the severity of DC.

We measured and compared levels of plasma free 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl (ethylene)glycol (pMHPG), a major metabolite of noradrenaline, and natural killer (NK) cell activity in 26 patients prior to their undergoing an operation for cardiovascular diseases; 11 of whom expressed delirium and 15 who did not. In conclusion, we found that pMHPG levels before an operation were higher in patients with postoperative delirium than in the patients without, while NK cell activity showed no difference between the two groups. It is possible that hyperactivity of noradrenargic neurons is connected with the development of postoperative delirium. Furthermore, we considered that measurement of pMHPG level before operation might be a useful tool to predict the occurrence of postoperative delirium.

The switching fields of magnetic wires with trilayer structure consisting of NiFe/Cu/Co were investigated using giant magnetic resistance effect. The switching fields of both magnetic layers were observed to be inversely proportional to wire width (150–520 nm). We found that the magnetization of the NiFe layer switches under much lower applied field than in the case of single layer structure by the assistance of the stray field from the magnetic charge of Co at the edge of the wire. Attaching a pad at one end of the wire causes drastic decrease of the switching field. We investigated pad shape dependence of the switching field of the Co layer. For the sample with a square pad we measured the temperature dependence of the switching field between 5 and 300 K. The dependence at low temperatures between 5 and 50 K can be described by the model on thermally assisted magnetization reversal over a simple potential barrier.

To assess upper urinary tract function and determine an ideal continent reservoir capacity, we investigated the relationship between intrareservoir pressure and functional parameters using radioisotope renography. Forty-three patients for whom ileal reservoir construction was performed by Kock pouch (n = 33) or Hautmann’s ileal neobladder (n = 14) approaches between November 1984 and September 1996 were studied. After the reservoir contents were catheterized, 99mTc-MAG 3 renoscintigraphy was carried out and time activity curves in the kidney (renogram) and reservoir (reservoirgram) were recorded, while saline solution was poured into the reservoir for monitoring of intrareservoir pressure. Three basic abnormal curves were noted in the excretory phase on renograms: a normal downward curve followed by an upward curve, a continuous upward curve associated with or without a sharp decline after the catheterization of the reservoir contents, and episodes of spike waves. Based on these curves, renograms were classified into five types: normal, high pressure, retention, obstruction, and reflux. Abnormal types were noted with 51 of 65 renal units (78.5%) in the Kock pouch group and 15 of 25 renal units (60.0%) in the neobladder group. This examination method may be useful for evaluating urodynamics in the upper urinary tract of patients with a continent ileal reservoir and provide data on adequate voiding volumes for the individual patient.

Silica-based optical fibers are now being used in various applications which utilize nonlinear effects in fiber. In addition to enhancing nonlinearity of optical fibers, tailoring chromatic dispersion is one of the important design issues in such applications. Highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fibers have been developed, and a very compact wavelength converter module has been demonstrated by using the fiber. Dispersion-flattened and dispersion-decreasing fibers have also been proved to be highly effective for supercontinuum generation.

Dispersion shifted fiber with a high nonlinearity coefficient (20.4 W-1 km-1) and low attenuation (0.51 dB/km) was successfully fabricated. 500 m of the fabricated fiber efficiently generated four-wave mixing, and nearly constant wavelength conversion efficiency over 20 nm was demonstrated.

Arterial connection between the left and right kidneys is extremely rare. Only eight cases of such anomalous conditions have been reported in the world literature and all were confirmed by invasive angiography or dissection. We report a patient with this vascular anomaly clearly demonstrated by 16-slice multidetector computed tomography.