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The 3M Cavilon barrier is a no-sting film which acts as a physical barrier to protect the skin from friction and contamination.The 3M Cavilon barrier prevents erasure of surgical skin markings with removal of povidone iodine adhesive draping.

The integrated superconducting spectrometer (ISS) enables ultra-wideband, large field-of-view integral-field-spectrometer designs for mm-submm wave astronomy. DESHIMA 2.0 is a single-pixel ISS spectrometer for the ASTE 10-m telescope, designed to observe the 220-440 GHz band in a single shot, corresponding to a [CII] redshift range of z=3.3-7.6. The first-light experiment of DESHIMA, using a 332-377 GHz configuration has shown excellent consistency between the performance derived from on-sky measurements, lab-measurements and the design. Ongoing upgrades towards the octave-bandwidth full system include the development of a filterbank chip with ~350 channels and higher optical efficiency, a wideband quasioptical design, and observing methods for efficiently removing the atmosphere.

Complete mesocolic excision with central vessel ligation may be important for accurate staging and improving the prognosis of right-sided colon cancer. Although the procedure is often performed laparoscopically, approaching the middle colic artery (MCA) is technically demanding, especially when complete ligation of arteries at their roots is desired. We standardized our laparoscopic approach by establishing the dissection boundary along the superior mesenteric artery to achieve D3 lymphadenectomy in the region of the MCA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, on the basis of perioperative and short-term oncologic outcomes, the feasibility and safety of our technique METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on consecutive patients with cancer located at the ascending colon and transverse colon who had laparoscopic right hemicolectomy requiring ligation of the MCA.There were 41 patients (22 males, median age 71 years [range 49-86] years). The median operation time was 285 min, and blood loss volume was 40 mL. Conversion to open surgery was required in 1 case. Complications that were Clavien-Dindo grade III or above occurred in 3 patients (7.3%). There was no anastomotic leakage. The median number of lymph nodes harvested was 46.Our technique was shown to be a safe, feasible, and useful strategy for performance of right hemicolectomy requiring ligation of the MCA in cases of colon cancer. The technique facilitates maximal lymph node dissection. Having obtained favorable outcomes, we look forward to investigation into long-term outcomes.

Background Takotsubo syndrome is generally considered a benign disease with a reversible condition; however, hemodynamic and electrical instability during the acute phase exposes patients to the risk of serious adverse in-hospital events. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the left ventricular longitudinal and circumferential function in patients with TTS during the acute phase. Methods We divided the 27 patients with TTS (77.4 ± 10.2 years old, 21 females) into two groups; the severe group (SG) of 9 patients (in-hospital death, mechanical assist devices such as IABP or ECMO, oozing rupture) and non-severe group (NSG) of 18 patients. The echocardiographic examination on admission, catheter hemodynamic assessment, and laboratory data, and ST-T change in electrocardiogram were compared between two groups. Results There were no differences in age, laboratory data, electrocardiogram findings between the two groups. The LVEF was lower in SG (35.3 ± 6.1% vs. 45.9 ± 13.5%, p = 0.03). The index of Ballooning, the ratio of the systolic left ventricular diameter of ballooning segments to that of basal segments, was higher in SG (2.07 ± 0.61% vs.1.60 ± 0.32%, p = 0.016). The circumferential fractional shortening (CFS) of ballooning segments was lower in SG (4.6 ± 3.2% vs. 18.2 ± 8.2%, p = 0.00007), CFS of basal segments was not different between the two groups, and the ratio of CFS of ballooning segments to CFS of basal segments (CFS imbalance index) was lower in SG (5.60 ± 3.84 vs. 10.83 ± 3.92, p = 0.00003). The left ventricular longitudinal fractional shortening was lower in SG (0.12 ± 0.09 vs. 0.46 ± 0.19, p = 0.00003). The absolute value of GLS was lower in SG (7.6 ± 4.3% vs. 13.0 ± 3.6%, p = 0.002). In all three cases of in-hospital death, the CFS imbalance index was lower than 0.14. Conclusion In patients with TTS, left ventricular longitudinal and circumferential function could be related to serious adverse in-hospital events.

Background Hypoalbuminemia, a manifestation of protein-energy wasting or malnutrition, is commonly observed in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and is associated with chronic inflammation and increasing cardiovascular (CV) risk. Recently, C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio at discharge is reportedly a well-predictor of mortality in severe sepsis or cancer patients. We investigated prognostic value of the CRP/albumin ratio at just starting haemodialysis (HD) therapy for CV morbidity and mortality in patients with ESRD. Methods A total of 1,548 ESRD patients were enrolled and were divided into quartiles according to CRP/albumin levels at initiation of HD; quartile 1 (Q1): 1.84. They were followed up for 10-year after starting HD therapy. Primary endpoint was CV events defined as hospitalization due to CV events such as cardiac disease, stroke and peripheral artery disease and CV death. We also evaluated the incremental value with C-index when CRP alone, albumin alone and the CRP/albumin ratio were added into a model with established risk factors. Results During follow-up period (median: 59 months), 512 cases experienced CV events (33.1%) including 165 cases of CV deaths (10.7%). Kaplan-Meier analysis shows that CV event-free survival rates for 10 years were 63.5%, 53.8%, 47.5% and 31.9% in Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4, and that CV survival rates were 90.4%, 83.9%, 77.2% and 64.6% in Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4, respectively (p Conclusion The CRP/albumin ratio, which easily available from daily practice, could strongly stratify the risk of future CV morbidity and mortality in ESRD patients who need HD therapy.

Background Although lower extremities bypass surgery has been commonly performed as the standard option to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) even in patients on hemodialysis (HD) as well as general population, poorer prognosis still remains major problems in this specific population. In this 10-year follow-up study, we investigated the impact of HD after surgical revascularization in patients with PAD. Methods A total of 660 patients undergoing successfully bypass surgery were enrolled. Patients with acute limb ischemia were excluded. We compared 392 HD patients with 428 limbs and 268 non-HD (NHD) patients with 296 limbs during 10 years follow-up period. Primary endpoint was defined as major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and stroke. Second endpoint was major adverse limb events (MALE) including any revascularization and major amputation. To minimize the differences of clinical characteristics between the two groups, propensity score adjusting with all baseline variables was performed. Results Prevalence of diabetes (53.3% vs. 35.2%), critical limb ischemia (77.5% vs. 52.1%) and infra-popliteal artery (48.2% vs. 19.6%) were higher in HD group compared to NHD group (p Conclusion The long-term freedom rate from MACE and mortality was markedly lower in HD patients compared to non-HD patients. However, the rate from MALE, especially limb salvage rate was similar between HD and NHD after adjustment for clinical characteristics. These results suggest that detection at the early stage of PAD may potentially improve the poor outcomes in this high risk population.

A new database system for the JT-60SA tokamak has been developed. This system meets the following requirements: to hold all the JT-60SA data and prevent loss of data, to allow researchers to use data without knowing internal database configuration and structure, to manage data revision so that stored data can be traced back to the older revision anytime. Depending on the timing of data transfer for storage or reference, the experiment data are categorized into three types: (i) discharge data, (ii) plant monitoring data, and (iii) unprocessed data. In the first step in constructing a new database system, we have designed the basic structure of the JT-60SA database system to manage all three data types. The dedicated tools for data transfer or retrieval prevent unregistered computers from accessing the experiment data. The RAID6 configuration of a hard disk drive (HDD) and the magnetic tapes improve data reliability. This paper reports details about the functions of the new JT-60SA database system. Furthermore, the elapsed time of data transfer and storage is measured to evaluate the performance of the JT-60SA database system. It takes 20 s to transfer and store 6 GB of data, which is enough to meet the required performance.

The ITER Remote Experimentation Centre (REC) project (one of the three sub-projects of the International Fusion Energy Research Centre (IFERC)) is progressing under the agreement between the Government of Japan and the European Atomic Energy Community for the joint implementation of the Broader Approach (BA) activities in the field of fusion energy research. The objectives of the REC activity are to identify the functions and solve the technical issues for the construction of the REC for ITER at Rokkasho, and to develop the remote experiment system and verify the functions required for remote experimentation by using the Satellite Tokamak (JT-60SA) facilities to facilitate the future exploitation of ITER and JT-60SA. The functions of REC will be tested, and the total system will be demonstrated using JT-60SA and existing facilities in the EU, such as JET and WEST. The hardware of the REC has been prepared in Rokkasho Japan, which has the remote experiment room with a large video wall to show the plasma and operation status, IT equipment and a storage system by the reuse of the Helios supercomputer tape library. A broadband network infrastructure of 10Gbps has been installed connected to SINET5. Using this network system, fast data transfer from ITER to REC was examined in 2016, and the transfer of the data volumes expected for the initial ITER experiments has been demonstrated. A secure remote experimentation system has been developed, using JT-60SA, that has functions for preparing and setting of shot parameters, viewing the status of control data, streaming of the plasma status, data-exchange function of shot events, and monitoring of the facility operation. Remote data analysis techniques, data visualisation software, a documentation management and experiment planning system and numerical simulation codes for the preparation and performance estimation of discharges have also been developed.

High-voltage lateral diffused MOS (LDMOS) FETs have been widely developed and studied for analog application. High-temperature reverse bias (HTRB) instability is one of the largest concerns for this device in achieving high reliability guaranteeing performance stability. This paper focuses on a lower RON approach for 200 V p-channel LDMOS FET with a reduced surface electric field technique, where effectiveness of the drift profile optimization is proposed. Then, HTRB degradation phenomenon relating RON and BVOFF shift was focused on. Through the analysis via device simulation, HTRB shift phenomenon was found to be well simulated with the electron trap feature in the field oxide over the drift region, where the electron was generated by impact ionization under a high-voltage reverse bias stress condition. The technique using a metal field plate for improving impact ionization voltage with maintenance of RON is also proposed for stable p-channel LDMOS FETs that can deliver reliable and high-performance applications.

Semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) is one of the products from Kappaphycus alvarezii, which has the potential to be developed in Indonesia. However, unbleached seaweed will produce SRC with light brown colour due to natural seaweed pigments. Peracetic acid (PAA) is a strong oxidizing agent that has the potential to be used as a bleaching agent in the SRC production. This research aimed to study the effects of the PAA as a bleaching agent on the characteristics of SRC from K. alvarezii. Chopped seaweed was heated in 10% KOH at 80°C for 30 minutes. Bleaching was carried out at room temperature for 90 minutes using PAA at a concentration of 0.5%, 1.5%, and 2.5% (w/w) or using 1.5% (w/w) of sodium hypochlorite. Bleaching using PAA produced SRC whiter than without bleaching and bleaching using sodium hypochlorite. SRC brightness increased with increasing concentrations of PAA and while the yield reduced, as well as the viscosity, gel strength, sulfate content and ash content. The best concentration of PAA was 0.5%. At best, PAA concentration bleaching produced white SRC flour with a lightness value of 80.46±0.01; yield of 23.50%; viscosity 99.33 cP, gel strength 307.63 g/cm2, sulfate 13.29% (w/w), ash 8.33% (w/w) and acid-insoluble ash 1.33% (w/w).

Novel 300-V Field-MOS FETs were developed for high-voltage analog switch circuits. The breakdown voltages of the Field-NMOS/PMOS FETs were 410 V/370 V with the specific on-resistance of 1850/11 000 mΩ·mm2 . The vertical and lateral electric fields were both optimized to maximize the breakdown voltage over a wide range of substrate voltages; the device layout optimization included adjusting the silicon-on-insulator thickness and the use of a deep well and a field plate. A low specific on-resistance was obtained as a result of using an extended-drain layer, in addition to the potential linearity of the current pathway in the drift region. This technology can be applied to 300-V analog switch ICs that need to have a low leakage current and a low switching resistance.

High-performance p-channel lateral double-diffused MOS (LDMOS) transistors designed to operate in a wide voltage range from 35 to 200 V and built using silicon-on-insulator LDMOS platform technology were studied. A novel channel structure was applied, and consequently, a high saturation drain current of 172 μA/μm in the 200-V p-channel LDMOS transistor was achieved, which is comparable to that of an n-channel LDMOS transistor. A low on -resistance of 3470 mΩ·mm2 was obtained while maintaining high on- and off-state breakdown voltages of -240 and -284 V. The 35-200-V LDMOS transistors with low on-resistance were also demonstrated by optimizing the layout, i.e., the reduced surface field structure and field plates.

The source counts of galaxies discovered at sub-millimetre and millimetre wavelengths provide important information on the evolution of infrared-bright galaxies. We combine the data from six blank-field surveys carried out at 1.1 mm with AzTEC, totalling 1.6 square degrees in area with root-mean-square depths ranging from 0.4 to 1.7 mJy, and derive the strongest constraints to date on the 1.1 mm source counts at flux densities S(1100) = 1-12 mJy. Using additional data from the AzTEC Cluster Environment Survey to extend the counts to S(1100) ~ 20 mJy, we see tentative evidence for an enhancement relative to the exponential drop in the counts at S(1100) ~ 13 mJy and a smooth connection to the bright source counts at >20 mJy measured by the South Pole Telescope; this excess may be due to strong lensing effects. We compare these counts to predictions from several semi-analytical and phenomenological models and find that for most the agreement is quite good at flux densities > 4 mJy; however, we find significant discrepancies (>3sigma) between the models and the observed 1.1 mm counts at lower flux densities, and none of them are consistent with the observed turnover in the Euclidean-normalised counts at S(1100) < 2 mJy. Our new results therefore may require modifications to existing evolutionary models for low luminosity galaxies. Alternatively, the discrepancy between the measured counts at the faint end and predictions from phenomenological models could arise from limited knowledge of the spectral energy distributions of faint galaxies in the local Universe.

We designed and fabricated an active gas-gap heat switch (AGGHS), which ON/OFF the heat conduction between the 1st stage (0.05–2 K) and the 2nd stage (1–4 K) of a double-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (DADR). Our design geometrically separates two components which dominates the ON or OFF performance, and achieved heat conductivity of 6 mW/K (ON) or 4 μW/K (OFF) at 2 K. The ON/OFF is controlled by a heater attached to the charcoal box to adsorb/deadsorb 4He gas inside. We introduced the AGGHS to the DADR and successfully cooled the detector stage down to 60 mK, working properly more than a year.

High Glasgow Prognostic scores (GPSs) have been associated with poor outcomes in various tumors, but the values of GPS and modified GPS (mGPS) in patients with advanced esophageal cancer receiving chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has not yet been reported. We have evaluated these with respect to predicting responsiveness to CRT and long-term survival. Between January 2002 and December 2011, tumor responses in 142 esophageal cancer patients (131 men and 11 women) with stage III (A, B and C) and IV receiving CRT were assessed. We assessed the value of the GPS as a predictor of a response to definitive CRT and also as a prognostic indicator in patients with esophageal cancer receiving CRT. We found that independent predictors of CRT responsiveness were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, GPS and cTNM stage. Independent prognostic factors were ECOG performance status and GPS for progression-free survival and ECOG performance status, GPS and cTNM stage IV for disease-specific survival. GPS may be a novel predictor of CRT responsiveness and a prognostic indicator for progression-free and disease-specific survival in patients with advanced esophageal cancer. However, a multicenter study as same regime with large number of patients will be needed to confirm these outcomes.

We present a 0.72 sq. deg. contiguous 1.1mm survey in the central area of the COSMOS field carried out to a 1sigma ~ 1.26 mJy/beam depth with the AzTEC camera mounted on the 10m Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). We have uncovered 189 candidate sources at a signal-to-noise ratio S/N >= 3.5, out of which 129, with S/N >= 4, can be considered to have little chance of being spurious ( 5 mJy regime, and demonstrate that these excesses in number counts are related to the areas where galaxies at redshifts z 5 mJy), a result which does not depend exclusively on the presence of rich clusters within the survey sampled area. The most likely explanation for the observed excess in number counts at 1.1mm is galaxy-galaxy and galaxy-group lensing at moderate amplification levels, that increases in amplitude as one samples larger and larger flux densities. This effect should also be detectable in other high redshift populations.

A misalignment-free multilevel air-gap interconnect with a via-base structure was fabricated by self-aligned gap formation and etch back. Its reliability was investigated by measuring stress-induced voiding, electromigration (EM), and time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB). There was no via degradation after thermal stress (at 200degC for 500 h). The EM lifetime was the same as that of a conventional damascene interconnect, and the TDDB lifetime was about two orders of magnitude longer. Increasing the etch-back thickness of the interlayer dielectric increased the capacitance reduction by about 17%-32%. The frequency of a ring oscillator with an air-gap interconnect was higher by 17% on average than that with a conventional damascene interconnect. The simulation results demonstrate that this air-gap interconnect has the effective dielectric constant required for next-generation interconnects (22-nm node).

The accelerating retreat of Arctic sea ice in recent years highlights the need for improved monitoring efforts to provide information relevant to decision makers and stakeholders. Satellite data and global circulation models often lack details relevant to residents of Arctic communities, whose livelihoods can be profoundly affected by small changes in sea ice. As part of the Siku-Inuit-Hila (Sea Ice–People–Weather) project, we have established sea ice observation programs in three Arctic communities: Barrow, Alaska; Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada; and Qaanaaq, Greenland. By working with the communities to provide equipment and training, we have mitigated some of the difficulties involved in maintaining field programs in remote parts of the Arctic. We also created a framework for a two-way knowledge exchange between scientists and local sea ice experts. Results from the first season allow us to calculate rates of ice growth and ice melt at the upper and lower surfaces of the sea ice. The sea ice nea...

Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and skin fibroblasts of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) were estimated using enzyme immunoassay. The SOD mRNA level in the skin fibroblasts was also determined by the Northern blot analysis. As compared with the age-matched control groups of neurological patients without dementia, the AD group consisting of patients with DAT at ages under 65 years of age as well as the SDAT group of patients with DAT at ages over 65 years of age showed no significant changes in serum or CSF SOD levels. However, the skin fibroblast SOD- and SOD mRNA levels, which were correlate each other, were significantly higher in the AD group (p < 0.05), while lower in the SDAT group (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the determination of the SOD level of skin fibroblast may be useful for diagnosis of DAT and that the abnormality of SOD may play an important role in developing DAT.

On JT-60U, two mass data acquisition systems have been acquiring 91 channels of fast-sampling diagnostic data. They are, however, based on rather outdated bus standards and now difficult to update. Therefore we have developed a new mass data acquisition system that has more flexibility and ability to perform a faster data acquisition based on a modern bus standard. The system consists of PXI-based (PCI extensions for instrumentation) digitizers connected to controller PCs, and a server for collecting and processing data from these PCs and transferring them to the main diagnostic computer. Up to now, we have verified that the system acquires 27 channels of data that amounts to 2.2 GB in total, from 3 controller PCs, at a sampling rate of 1 MS/s in a 45 s discharge.

The design activity of JT-60SA (JT-60 Super Advanced) addresses the remodeling of JT-60 to a superconducting tokamak device under the JA-EU collaborative ITER–BA project. For the JT-60SA control system, the existing system should be reused as much as possible from the viewpoint of cost-effectiveness. Initial considerations of the configuration of the advanced supervisory control system (SVCS) including the following systems are: (1) an ultimate flexibility real-time control system, (2) a precision timing system able to diagnose a plasma event having a time range of ∼1 μs, and (3) a safety shutdown control system. In this report, we present the design study of the JT-60SA SVCS with the focus on the above systems.

Since remote participation in ITER experiments is planned, it is expected to demonstrate that the JT-60SA experiment is controlled from a Japanese remote experiment center located in Rokkasho-mura, Aomori-ken, Japan as a part of the ITER-BA project. Functions required for this experiment are monitoring of the discharge sequence status, handling of the discharge parameter, checking of experiment data, and monitoring of plant data, all of which are included in the existing JT-60 Man–Machine Interfacing System (MMIF). The MMIF is now only available to on-site users at the Naka site due to network safety. The motivation for remote MMIF is prompted by the issue of developing and achieving compatibility with network safety. The Java language has been chosen to implement this task. This paper deals with details of the JT-60 MMIF for the remote experiment that has evolved using the Java language.

The convergence behavior of the Krylov subspace iterative solvers towards the systems with the 3D acoustical BEM is investigated through numerical experiments. The fast multipole BEM, which is an efficient BEM based on the fast multipole method, is used for solving problems with up to about 100,000 DOF. It is verified that the convergence behavior of solvers is much affected by the formulation of the BEM (singular, hypersingular, and Burton-Miller formulation), the complexity of the shape of the problem, and the sound absorption property of the boundaries. In BiCG-like solvers, GPBiCG and BiCGStab2 have more stable convergence than others, and these solvers are useful when solving interior problems in basic singular formulation. When solving exterior problems with greatly complex shape in Burton-Miller formulation, all solvers hardly converge without preconditioning, whereas the convergence behavior is much improved with ILU-type preconditioning. In these cases GMRes is the fastest, whereas CGS is one of the good choices, when taken into account the difficulty of determining the timing of restart for GMRes. As for calculation for rigid thin objects in hypersingular formulation, much more rapid convergence is observed than ordinary interior/exterior problems, especially using BiCG-like solvers.

The effect of phonon confinement and impurity doping in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) synthesized by laser ablation were investigated. The diameter of SiNWs was controlled by the synthesis parameters during laser ablation and the subsequent thermal oxidation. Thermal oxidation increases the thickness of the SiNWs’ surface oxide layer, resulting in a decrease in their crystalline Si core diameter. This effect causes a downshift and asymmetric broadening of the Si optical phonon peak due to phonon confinement. Boron doping was also performed during the growth of SiNWs. Local vibrational modes of boron (B) in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) synthesized by laser ablation were observed at about 618 and 640 cm–1 by Raman scattering measurements. Fano broadening due to coupling between discrete optical phonons and the continuum of interband hole excitations was also observed in the Si optical phonon peak. These results prove that B atoms were doped in the SiNWs.

In JT-60U, a mainframe computer called inter-shot processor (MSP-ISP) had been supervising the data acquisition of diagnostic subsystems, managing the storage of obtained data, and establishing communication with the JT-60U's discharge control system. But due to the increased demand for advanced diagnostics, such as improving spatial and temporal resolutions or extending the data acquisition period, the old ISP had been becoming insufficient in power and less cost effective. To resolve this problem, we have gradually migrated ISP to a new UNIX server (UNIX-ISP), and thereby carried out the decentralization of the old ISP's functionalities. Also we are developing a new mass data acquisition system (MDAS) that has simple architecture but has greater performance and flexibility. Simultaneously, to handle the increased volume of data, we are renewing the data storage system. The renewed data processing system (DPS) is now in operation. The performance of the new ISP and the newly developed MDAS is presented.

Retinal neovascularization (NV) is associated with various disorders, such as retinal vein occlusion, diabetic retinopathy, and retinopathy of prematurity, and often causes severe loss of vision. To determine the mechanism of retinal NV and develop new therapy, we developed a mouse model using a photodynamic method. C57BL/6 mice were injected with rose bengal via the tail vein, and then selected venous points were photocoagulated. All eyes demonstrated venous occlusion on day 1, and capillary nonperfusion areas were observed until day 3. Twenty of 33 eyes (60.6%) developed retinal NV on day 14, confirmed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-perfused retinal flat-mounts and immunochemical and histopathological analyses. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed an increase in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor at the retina on day 7. Because of the simplicity, low cost, and feasibility of genetic manipulations, our model is believed to represent an advance in investigating molecular mechanisms and establishing therapy for retinal NV. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2007;51:251–257 @ Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2007

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) aims to resect large neoplastic lesions en bloc, allowing for more precise histopathological analysis. The present retrospective study aimed to analyze the technical and clinical outcomes after ESD of colorectal tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ESD was performed for the treatment of 71 colorectal neoplasms in 70 patients (38 men, 32 women; mean age 63.4 years). Lesion size, procedure time, complications, and immediate and follow-up outcomes were evaluated. The results for these 71 lesions were compared with those for a group of 32 lesions treated by conventional piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) performed during the same period. RESULTS: For the ESD-treated group of lesions, the average lesion size was 32.7 mm (range 13 - 80 mm), and the mean operating time was 61.1 minutes (range 7 - 164 minutes). One perforation occurred in the ESD group (1.4 %) and this was treated conservatively with clipping. The majority of these lesions (n = 50) were laterally spreading tumors. Histological examination showed low-grade adenoma in 12 cases; high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia in 47 cases; and submucosally invasive cancer in 11 cases, of which four were sm1, and seven were sm2 or sm3 (these seven patients underwent surgery). The en bloc resection rate was 98.6 %. For the 64 tumors that were treated by radical endoscopic resection, no tumor recurrence was found after a mean follow-up period of 12.2 months (range 3 - 34 months) and a mean of 2.1 follow-up endoscopies (range 1 - 4). This contrasted with the 6.3 % recurrence rate in the 32 piecemeal EMR cases (mean tumor size 28.7 mm, range 20 - 60 mm). CONCLUSION: In our hands, ESD is a safe and effective resection technique for large colorectal neoplasms. As experience with the technique increases, it might gradually replace piecemeal EMR in the majority of cases.

A novel sacrificial chemical vapor deposition film etch-back process for Cu air-gap interconnects was developed. The etched-back Cu surfaces were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrical characteristics and the stress induced voiding reliability were evaluated. The CF 4 etch-back process was found not to degrade interconnect reliability. A four-level dual damascene Cu interconnect structure was successfully fabricated, and its effective dielectric constant was 2.8, 32% lower than that of a conventionally fabricated one. In situ N 2 or Ar plasma treatments after etch-back were investigated to reduce the Cu degradation.

This paper presents a new SOI BCD technology at the 0.18μm node to fulfill the requirements for smart power IC technology targeted for automotive application. Built on a 1.8V and 5.0V CMOS core, there are 40V and 60V rated N/Pch MOS, with 25mΩ.mm2 RonA/57V BVdss having been achieved for the 40V NMOS with excellent process stability. Depletion NMOS, LV&HV diodes, 5V zener diode, high gain BJT, excellent matching well resistor, capacitors, top thick Copper Metallization option, embedded memory (OTP, CEEPROM, etc.) are also offered on this comprehensive technology platform.