Search

To evaluate the outer retinal microstructure and visual function after idiopathic macular hole (MH) surgery using internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling with and without Brilliant Blue G (BBG) staining.Retrospective, consecutive case series.A total of 49 eyes of 47 patients were enrolled: 23 eyes of 23 patients with MH who underwent ILM peeling without dyes (control group) and 26 eyes of 26 patients who underwent BBG staining (BBG group). The lengths of defects of the photoreceptor ellipsoid zone (EZ), external limiting membrane (ELM), and interdigitation zone (IZ) were measured.The rate of MH closure after initial surgery was 95.6% (22/23 eyes) for the control group versus 100% (26/26 eyes) for the BBG group. In the 48 eyes with MH closure, the recovery rate of ELM deficiency and change in IZ deficiency showed no difference between the groups. The changes in EZ deficiency at 1 and 12 months were greater in the BBG group than in the control group. (P = 0.047 and 0.031). Visual acuity was better in the BBG group than in the control group during 12 months postoperatively (P 0.001-0.038).Eyes undergoing BBG-assisted MH surgery achieved faster recovery of the outer retinal structures and greater visual improvement than those of eyes without BBG.

Metamorphopsia is an important visual symptom of macular disease. We determined predictors for metamorphopsia investigating the relationships of macular hole (MH) diameter and retinal layer thicknesses with metamorphopsia after MH surgery. Forty-two eyes of 42 consecutive patients undergoing MH surgery were retrospectively studied. Metamorphopsia was measured with M-CHARTS. Inner nuclear layer (INL) and outer retinal layer (OR) thicknesses were measured 1000 µm away from central fovea at using Spectralis. Preoperative M-CHARTS scores correlated with MH diameters (P = 0.007–0.031) and changes of temporal OR thickness (P = 0.008–0.010). Postoperative M-CHARTS score at 3 months correlated with preoperative nasal and inferior OR thicknesses (P = 0.003 and 0.016) and with changes of superior INL at 3 and 6 months (P = 0.011 and 0.025), and score at 1 month with change of temporal OR at 6 months (P = 0.033). Postoperative improvement of M-CHARTS scores correlated with changes of temporal INL and superior OR (P = 0.026 and 0.002). Multiple regression analysis revealed that MH diameter was a significant predictor for metamorphopsia. Photoreceptor displacement and inner retinal change may generate metamorphopsia in MH undergoing surgery, however MH diameter is the most powerful predictor.

Vital dyes are frequently used to visualize the internal limiting membrane (ILM) of the neuroretina. This study evaluated and compared the microstructure of the inner retina and visual function with and without brilliant blue G (BBG) staining for ILM peeling during idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery. Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series. Fifty-five patients (55 eyes) with ERM underwent ILM peeling without dyes (non-dye group) and 55 patients (55 eyes) underwent ILM peeling with BBG staining (BBG group). The logMAR visual acuity (VA) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness were measured using optical coherence tomography at baseline and 12 months after surgery. LogMAR VA improved significantly in both groups at 12 months and the BBG group tended to be better than the non-dye group but with no significant difference between the groups (unpaired t-test, P = 0.490). The average GCC thickness significantly decreased in both groups; however, there was no difference in the rates of change in GCC thickness between the groups. The ratio of GCC thickness to total retinal thickness (%) was significantly higher in the BBG group in the superior quadrant at 12 months postoperatively (P = 0.010). BBG-assisted ERM surgery resulted in better visual improvement and fewer structural changes in the inner retinal layers. BBG-assisted ILM peeling is safe both functionally and anatomically.

The purposes of this study were to report the surgical success rate of scleral buckling surgery (SB) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in a single academic hospital, analyze the incidence of cystoid macular edema (CME) after SB using optical coherence tomography (OCT), and reveal the factors associated with the development of CME. This was a retrospective observational study of patients with RRD who underwent SB from 2010 to 2020 in a single academic hospital. The anatomical success was initially achieved in 267 of 288 eyes (92.7%), and finally achieved in 288 eyes (100%). After excluding 17 eyes that underwent vitrectomy for reoperations, a total of 271 eyes of 267 patients (173 men; age, 43.5 ± 16.9 years) were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the incidence of postoperative CME. CME occurred in 6 of 271 eyes (2.2%) within 3 months after initial surgery. Pseudophakic and aphakic eyes appeared more likely to develop CME (chi-squared test: p = 0.0078). Five of the six cases with postoperative CME were able to be medically treated. Scleral buckling surgery showed a high success rate even in the era of small-gauge vitreous surgery, and the postoperative frequency of CME after SB was low (2.2%). Previous cataract surgery may be associated with the development of postoperative CME, which is mostly medically manageable.

To examine 1-year outcomes of metamorphopsia and tangential retinal displacement after epiretinal membrane surgery and identify predictors for metamorphopsia score at 1 year and its improvement from baseline.M-CHARTS were used to measure metamorphopsia. Distances between the intersections of two sets of retinal vessels were measured with infrared or autofluorescence images. Predictors for metamorphopsia scores at 1 year after surgery and their differences from baseline were identified with multivariate regression analysis.Ninety-two eyes of 90 consecutive patients were included. The vertical and horizontal distances continued expanding for 1 year ( P0.001). Both vertical and horizontal metamorphopsia scores improved 3 months after surgery ( P = 0.025 and P0.001, respectively), and horizontal scores continued improving for a year. Horizontal metamorphopsia scores correlated with retinal displacement more strongly than vertical scores. Higher metamorphopsia score at baseline is predictive for that at 1 year. Older age and being male are predictive for less improvement of the score at 1 year from baseline.Metamorphopsia correlates with tangential retinal displacement at 1 year after epiretinal membrane surgery. Horizontal metamorphopsia scores keep improving until 1 year postoperatively. Being male and older age are both independent predictors for poor improvement of metamorphopsia after epiretinal membrane surgery.

In drug discovery, rats are widely used for pharmacological and toxicological studies. We previously reported that a mechanism-based oral absorption model, the gastrointestinal unified theoretical framework (GUT framework), can appropriately predict the fraction of a dose absorbed (Fa) in humans and dogs. However, there are large species differences between humans and rats. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the predictability of the GUT framework for rat Fa.The Fa values of 20 model drugs (a total of 39 Fa data) were predicted in a bottom-up manner. Based on the literature survey, the bile acid concentration (CThe Fa values were appropriately predicted for highly soluble drugs (absolute average fold error (AAFE) = 1.65, 18 Fa data) and poorly soluble drugs (AAFE = 1.57, 21 Fa data). When the species difference in CThe Fa values in rats were appropriately predicted by the GUT framework. This result would be of great help for a better understanding of species differences and model-informed preclinical formulation development.

Xentuzumab is an insulin-like growth factor (IGF) ligand-neutralizing antibody. This phase 1 trial assessed xentuzumab in Japanese patients with solid tumors. Patients aged ≥20 y old with solid tumors that were refractory or not amenable to standard therapy were enrolled. Patients received xentuzumab intravenously at a starting dose of 750 mg/wk. Dose escalation used a 3 + 3 design with dose de-escalation. The primary endpoint was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of xentuzumab. Safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and anti-tumor activity were also assessed. Fifteen patients received xentuzumab in the dose escalation part (750 mg/wk [n = 6]; 1000 mg/wk [n = 3]; 1400 mg/wk [n = 6]). There were no dose-limiting toxicities at any dose; the MTD of xentuzumab was not reached. Xentuzumab 1000 mg/wk was recommended as the relevant biological dose. Six further patients received xentuzumab 1000 mg/wk in an expansion cohort. Of 21 patients, 13 (61.9%) experienced a drug-related adverse event, most commonly fatigue (23.8%), neutropenia (19.0%), diarrhea, nausea, white blood cell count decrease, and muscle spasms (14.3% each). No relevant deviations from dose linearity of xentuzumab exposure were observed during dose escalation. Total IGF-1 and IGF-2 levels increased and bioactive IGF levels decreased from baseline to 24 h after the first infusion in cycle 1. Partial response was observed in 2 (9.5%) patients with desmoid-type fibromatosis. Disease control was achieved in 6 (28.6%) patients (median duration 42.4 mo). Xentuzumab monotherapy was well tolerated in Japanese patients and showed evidence of anti-tumor activity. This study was registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02145741).

To determine the relationship between the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) following 25-gauge (25G) and 23-gauge (23G) vitrectomy for idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series. Sixty-two patients undergoing 25G vitrectomy and 56 patients undergoing 23G vitrectomy for ERM participated. SCT was measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography and IOP were measured both at baseline and postoperatively. In both groups, the IOPs on day one and one week after surgery were significantly lower than at baseline (P < 0.001 for both). The rates of changes of IOP were significantly greater in 23G compared to 25G on day one (P = 0.026). In 23G the SCTs on day one and one week after surgery were significantly thicker (P < 0.001) than baseline. The rates of changes in SCT between baseline and day one negatively correlated with those of IOP in 23G (r = −0.559, P < 0.001) but no correlation was observed with 25G (r = −0.129, P = 0.316). Choroidal thickness increases soon after 23G vitrectomy for ERM which is probably due to the transient hypotony, however, early SCT change does not appear in 25G vitrectomy. Twenty-five-gauge vitrectomy may have an advantage in minimizing postoperative choroidal changes.

PURPOSE To investigate the correlations of thickness of three retinal layers with retinal displacement after idiopathic macular hole surgery. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective, consecutive, case series. METHODS 42 eyes of 42 patients undergoing macular hole surgery with internal limiting membrane peeling were studied. Retinal distance was measured with near-infrared images between the optic nerve and the intersection of retinal vessels at four quadrants. Retinal thicknesses of inner retinal layer, inner nuclear layer and outer retinal layer were measured 1000 μm away from the central fovea using Spectralis. RESULTS Retinal distances other than the nasal quadrant decreased postoperatively (p

Vital dyes are frequently used to visualize the internal limiting membrane (ILM) of the neuroretina. This study evaluated and compared the microstructure of the inner retina and visual function with and without brilliant blue G (BBG) staining for ILM peeling during idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery.Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series.Fifty-five patients (55 eyes) with ERM underwent ILM peeling without dyes (non-dye group) and 55 patients (55 eyes) underwent ILM peeling with BBG staining (BBG group). The logMAR visual acuity (VA) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness were measured using optical coherence tomography at baseline and 12 months after surgery.LogMAR VA improved significantly in both groups at 12 months and the BBG group tended to be better than the non-dye group but with no significant difference between the groups (unpaired t-test, P = 0.490). The average GCC thickness significantly decreased in both groups; however, there was no difference in the rates of change in GCC thickness between the groups. The ratio of GCC thickness to total retinal thickness (%) was significantly higher in the BBG group in the superior quadrant at 12 months postoperatively (P = 0.010).BBG-assisted ERM surgery resulted in better visual improvement and fewer structural changes in the inner retinal layers. BBG-assisted ILM peeling is safe both functionally and anatomically.

Mismatch of power supply integrity of power delivery network (PDN) between an automatic test equipment (ATE) and a customer board can lead to test failures such as overkills or underkills during semiconductor test. This paper proposes a technique to control the power supply impedance on an ATE using compensation current injection so that it emulates the impedance on a customer board. Digital filter is used to calculate compensation current waveform in real time in response to the measured power supply voltage fluctuation. Its implementation is based on the PDNs of both the ATE and the customer board. This paper introduces the filter implementation methodology for arbitrary PDN using nested-feedback loop of digital filter, as well as experimental results of prototype circuits. This paper demonstrates that with the proposed current injection the power supply voltage fluctuation waveform on the ATE matches up with that on the customer board, which means that the compensation current injection successfully controls and emulates the impedance. With the proposed technique test failures caused by the impedance difference between the two environments are reduced.

To determine the changes in retinal thickness and whether they correlate with the size of the macular hole (MH) after vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling. Retrospective, interventional case series Consecutive patients with an MH and undergoing pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling were studied. The retinal thicknesses in the inner 4 sectors as defined by the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study were measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) before and at 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the surgery. The basal and minimum diameters of the MHs were measured. The correlations between the retinal thicknesses and the size of the MH were determined. Thirty-three eyes of 32 consecutive patients (18 women; mean age, 64.2 ± 8.8 years) with an MH were studied. Thirteen eyes had a stage-2 MH; 12 eyes, a stage-3 MH; and 8 eyes, a stage-4 MH. The mean retinal thickness in the temporal sector was 362.8 ± 29.9 µm preoperatively, 337.9 ± 20.6 µm at 2 weeks postoperatively, and 307.6 ± 20.2 µm at 12 months postoperatively (P < .001 for both, paired t tests). The respective mean thicknesses in the superior, inferior, and nasal sectors were 373.9 ± 34.9, 367 ± 28.7, and 385.5 ± 35.9 µm preoperatively; 361.6 ± 22.7, 359.4 ± 20.6, and 383.4 ± 29.0 µm at 2 weeks postoperatively (P = .0087, P = .049, P = .635); and 339.4 ± 18.9, 331.6 ± 21.4, and 371.3 ± 23.2 µm at 12 months postoperatively (P < .001, P < .001, P = .033). The changes in the retinal thickness at 2 weeks and 12 months in all 4 sectors were significantly correlated with the basal and minimum diameters of the MH. Retinal thinning was observed soon after the MH surgery mainly in the temporal sector but also in the superior and inferior sectors. The thinning was greater in eyes with a larger MH, indicating that retinal structures dynamically change after internal limiting membrane peeling.

PurposeTo determine the correlation of the degree of aniseikonia with the retinal displacements and metamorphopsia in patients that have undergone successful epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery.MethodsSubjects were 28 eyes with an ERM in 28 patients. The New Aniseikonia Test (NAT) and M-CHARTS were used to quantify the degree of preoperative and postoperative aniseikonia and metamorphopsia. We also evaluated the distance between the intersections of 2 sets of retinal vessels situated vertically or horizontally by using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images in 28 patients.ResultsThe vertical score of M-CHARTS (MV) was not significantly improved, but the horizontal score of M-CHARTS (MH) was significantly improved at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively. The preoperative NAT score was significantly correlated with the preoperative MH. The NAT score at 3 months was significantly correlated with the MH at 3 months and the MV at 3 months. The preoperative NAT score was significantly correlated with the ratio of the vertical retinal displacement at 1 month and at 3 months after surgery. However, the NAT scores did not improve significantly at any postoperative times.ConclusionsThe degree of aniseikonia was significantly correlated with the degree of metamorphopsia and the tangential displacement of the retina after ERM surgery. Aniseikonia is difficult to improve and metamorphopsia may be a more sensitive parameter to detect the functional recovery after successful ERM surgery.

Regular diagnosis of the structural health of infrastructure, such as bridges, is indispensable to ensure safety and reliable operation of the society. Non-destructive tests based on X-ray imaging are powerful tools to inspect the inside of a concrete structure in detail. Establishing a diagnostic method of bridges based on X-ray visualization is required to examine the internal conditions and helps in the rationalization of maintenances. We demonstrated our 950 keV X-band electron linac based X-ray source for on-site actual bridge inspection and visualized the inner structure of a bottom floor slab. For the more precise inspection of the conditions of wires and rods, we applied three-dimensional image reconstruction methods for bridge mock-up samples. Partial angle computed tomography and tomosynthesis gave cross section images of the samples with 1 mm resolution. We are planning to investigate another part of the bridge, with the 950 keV X-ray system in the near future.

Neutrons have the power to penetrate metals or heavy elements such as calcium, silicon, and iron. Neutrons also have high sensitivity, so they can be used to detect elements such as boron and chlorine. An accelerator-driven, compact neutron system has been developed in RIKEN for practical use on job sites.In this paper, a pixel imaging detector for fast neutrons with energy levels above 1 MeV is developed and used to produce images of an iron rod and air pockets through 30 cm of concrete. Also, the salt concentrations of 4 cm- and 5 cm-thick mortar blocks are measured, and a correlation diagram is obtained for up to 1 kg/m3.

To determine whether the degree of metamorphopsia significantly correlated with the distance of the tangenital retinal displacement after epiretinal membrane surgery. The M-CHARTS were used to measure the vertical metamorphopsia score and the horizontal score. The distances between the intersections of two sets of retinal vessels situated vertically or horizontally were measured in the near-infrared Spectralis images. Fifty eyes of 50 patients (22 men; age, 69.5 ± 7.8 years) were retrospectively studied. The vertical and horizontal metamorphopsia scores significantly improved at 1 month after the surgery, and the vertical and horizontal retinal distances increased. The baseline horizontal and vertical metamorphopsia scores significantly correlated with the ratio of the pre- and postoperative vertical and horizontal retinal displacements, respectively (P = 0.038 and P = 0.015 at 1 week; P = 0.036 and P = 0.036 at 1 month). The postoperative horizontal metamorphopsia score at 1 month and the vertical metamorphopsia score at 3 months significantly correlated with the vertical displacement at 1 month (P = 0.034) and the horizontal displacement at 3 months (P = 0.001), respectively. The degree of metamorphopsia significantly correlated with the tangential retinal displacement. Dislocated Muller cells may stimulate the photoreceptors located away from original positions, which consequently results in the sensation of metamorphopsia in patients with an epiretinal membrane.

In recent high-speed data transmissions, a multilevel signaling such as a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) is adopted instead of binary signaling to enable higher data rate. For testing PAM receivers, stressed testing which utilizes test signal with jitter and noise is very important. This paper introduces a jitter injection module for 4-level PAM (PAM4) signals. It can generate a 52-Gbps PAM4 signal from two 26-Gbps non-return-to-zero (NRZ) signals and inject jitter with frequency up to 1 GHz and amplitude up to 100 ps into the PAM4 signal. Experimental results demonstrate injecting of sinusoidal jitter, random jitter and bounded uncorrelated jitter into PAM4 signals. Combining this jitter injection module with an existing ATE provides low cost jitter tolerance testing of high-speed PAM4 signal interfaces.

This paper proposes a power integrity control technique for dynamically controlling power supply voltage fluctuations for a device under test (DUT), and demonstrates its effectiveness for eliminating the overkills/underkills due to the difference of power supply impedance between an automatic test equipment (ATE) and a practical operating environment of the DUT. The proposed method injects compensation currents into the power supply nodes on the ATE system in a feed-forward manner such that the ATE power supply waveform matches with the one on the customer's operating environment of the DUT. A method for calculating the compensation current is also described. Experimental results show that the proposed method can emulate the power supply voltage waveform under a customer's operating condition and eliminate 95 % of overkills/underkills in the maximum operating frequency testing with 105 real silicon devices. Limitations and applications of the proposed method are also discussed.

AIM: To determine the relationship between the subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) following idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery. METHODS: Retrospective observational case series of patients who had undergone 23-gauge vitrectomy for an ERM. The measurements of CT and IOP were done at the baseline and 1d, 1wk, 1, 3, 6, and 12mo after the surgery. RESULTS: Forty-four eyes of 43 patients with a mean age of 69.8±9.5y were studied. The CT was 200.8±86.3 µm at the baseline, 210.1±83.5 µm at 1d, 213.2±85.4 µm at 1wk, 203.1±84.0 µm at 1mo, 197.5±85.5 µm at 3mo, 197.7±84.0 µm at 6mo, and 191.2±86.8 µm at 12mo after surgery. The CT on day 1 and week 1 after the surgery was significantly thicker than that at the baseline CT (P=0.0023 and P

high-speed data transmissions with smallamplitude signals, since jitter and noise in the transmitted signal may cause bit errors at receiver side, stressed eye testing which tests receivers with a degraded signal becomes very important. This paper introduces a stressed eye testing module for 30-Gbps nonreturn to zero (NRZ) signals. It can inject random jitter (RJ), sinusoidal jitter (SJ) and sinusoidal interference (SI) into the input signal for a receiver under test. A calibration method of RJ, SJ and SI values for the specified stressed bathtub curve is also proposed. This module can provide existing automatic test equipment with the stressed eye testing functions which can be applied to production testing.

Purpose To determine the clinical significance of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) undulations in the acute stage of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. Methods Retinal pigment epithelium undulations were detected and classified into 3 grades: Grade 1, slight; Grade 2, moderate; and Grade 3, severe undulations, in the enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomographic images. The relationship between the clinical characteristics and the presence of RPE undulations was investigated. Results Among the 61 eyes of 31 patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, 40 eyes had some degree of RPE undulations (Grade 1 = 12, Grade 2 = 15, and Grade 3 = 13). The patients with RPE undulations in both eyes were significantly older at the onset (P = 0.0002). The eyes with RPE undulations were more likely to develop posterior recurrences (P = 0.032) and have worse vision at 12 months (P = 0.043). Multiple regression analysis revealed that RPE undulations were an independent predictor of posterior recurrences (P = 0.009) and poor visual outcomes (P = 0.035). Conclusion Retinal pigment epithelium undulations detected by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomographic are relatively frequent occurrences at the acute stage of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada, and their presence is a predictor of posterior recurrences and poor visual outcomes after high-dose steroid therapy.

In vitro skin permeation studies have been commonly conducted to predict in vivo permeability for the development of transdermal therapeutic systems (TTSs). We clarified the impact of humidity on in vitro human skin permeation of two TTSs having different breathability and then elucidated the predictability of in vivo permeability based on in vitro experimental data. Nicotinell(®) TTS(®) 20 and Frandol(®) tape 40mg were used as model TTSs in this study. The in vitro human skin permeation experiments were conducted under humidity levels similar to those used in clinical trials (approximately 50%) as well as under higher humidity levels (approximately 95%). The skin permeability values of drugs at 95% humidity were higher than those at 50% humidity. The time profiles of the human plasma concentrations after TTS application fitted well with the clinical data when predicted based on the in vitro permeation parameters at 50% humidity. On the other hand, those profiles predicted based on the parameters at 95% humidity were overestimated. The impact of humidity was higher for the more breathable TTS; Frandol(®) tape 40mg. These results show that in vitro human skin permeation experiments should be investigated under realistic clinical humidity levels especially for breathable TTSs.

SUMMARY The purpose of this paper is to analyze the correlation relationship between the salt contamination environment and the actual damage to electric power distribution equipment caused by two typhoons, 2012 typhoon No. 4 (T1204) and 2011 typhoon No. 15 (T1115). T1204 caused salt contamination damage to voltage–current transformers (VCTs), while the T1115 caused no damage to VCTs installed in a same target area. In this paper, the salt contamination environment during the two typhoons, which includes the maximum wind speed, the accumulated rainfall, and the Na flux, is evaluated by a weather reproduction simulation to discuss the causal relationship between the salt contamination environment and the VCT damage. A damage evaluation model is proposed to evaluate the salt-induced damage risk potential of the VCT for reasonable restoration activity.

1. We investigated the metabolism and disposition of luseogliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, in rats and dogs, as well as in vitro metabolism in rats, dogs and humans. In addition, we studied its localization in the rat kidney. 2. [14C]Luseogliflozin was rapidly and well absorbed (>86% of the dose) after oral administration to rats and dogs. The drug-derived radioactivity was mainly excreted via the feces in both species. 3. The predominant radioactivity component in the excreta was associated with the metabolites, with only a minor fraction of unchanged luseogliflozin. The major metabolites were two glucuronides (M8 and M16) in the rats, and the O-deethylated form (M2) and other oxidative metabolites (M3 and M17) in the dogs. 4. The in vitro metabolism in dog and human hepatocytes was significantly slower than that in the rat hepatocytes. The biotransformation in animal hepatocytes was similar to that observed in vivo. Incubation with human hepatocytes resulted in the formation of metabolites, including M2, M3, M8 and M17, via multiple metabolic pathways. 5. [14C]Luseogliflozin was well-distributed to its target organ, the kidney, and was found to be localized in the renal cortex, which shows SGLT2 expression. This characteristic distribution was inhibited by preinjection of phlorizin, an SGLT inhibitor, suggesting that the renal radioactivity was associated with SGLT2.

We propose a normally-off vertical GaN-based transistor on a bulk GaN substrate with low specific on-state resistance of 1.0 mΩ·cm2 and high off-state breakdown voltage of 1.7 kV. P-GaN/AlGaN/GaN triple layers are epitaxially regrown over V-shaped grooves formed over the drift layer. The channel utilizes so-called semi-polar face with reduced sheet carrier concentration at the AlGaN/GaN interface, which enables high threshold voltage of 2.5 V and stable switching operations. The employed p-type gate does not give any concern of the gate instability. Note that formation of carbon doped insulating GaN layer formed on p-GaN well layer underneath the channel suppresses the punch-through current at off-state between the source and drain, which enables good off-state characteristics. The fabricated high-current vertical transistor achieves successful fast switching at 400V/15A. We also propose a novel vertical GaN-based junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diode with trenched p-GaN region on a bulk GaN substrate. A specific differential on-resistance of the GaN JBS diode is 0.9 mΩ·cm2 while keeping high breakdown voltage of 1.6 kV. These results indicate that the demonstrated vertical GaN devices are very promising for future high power switching applications.

To examine correlations of inner nuclear layer (INL) thickness with metamorphopsia and tangential retinal displacement in epiretinal membrane (ERM).Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series.Setting: Institutional study.Fifty eyes of 50 patients undergoing epiretinal membrane surgery.M-CHARTS were used to measure metamorphopsia. Inner nuclear layer (INL) thickness and outer retinal layer (ORL) thickness in the macula and distances between the intersections of 2 sets of retinal vessels situated vertically or horizontally were measured in Spectralis optical coherence tomography and infrared images.Correlations of INL and ORL thicknesses with M-CHARTS scores and distances of retinal displacement.Preoperative INL thickness significantly correlated with preoperative and postoperative metamorphopsia scores at 3 months (Spearman correlation coefficient: P = .036 and P = .003, respectively). The baseline INL thickness and its change at 3 months significantly correlated with the postoperative vertical retinal displacements at 3 months (P.001 for both). Preoperative and postoperative ORL thicknesses were not correlated with preoperative and postoperative metamorphopsia scores at any periods.INL thickness is a useful biomarker to evaluate metamorphopsia and appears to be determined by tangential retinal displacement in ERM. Structural changes of the inner retinal layer, which cause Müller cells to be distorted, play a more important role for generation of metamorphopsia than outer retina. Our results provide evidence for the theory that Müller cell functions as an optic fiber in humans.

Purpose. To compare optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) for the diagnosis of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods. Twenty-eight eyes of 28 patients with NTG and 25 eyes of 25 normal subjects matched for age, refractive errors, systemic blood pressure, and central corneal thickness were evaluated. OCT-A was used to measure whole image vessel density, inside disc vessel density, and peripapillary vessel density; using LSFG, mean blur rate (MBR) inside the whole optic nerve head (ONH) area (MBRA), and MBR of the vessel area (MBRV) and tissue area (MBRT) inside the ONH, were determined. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and areas under the ROC (AUROC) were used to assess the diagnostic ability of each variable. Results. The AUROC for OCT-A whole image vessel density (0.950) was significantly greater than that for OCT-A peripapillary vessel density (0.830) and for all LSFG parameters (MBRA = 0.793, MBRV = 0.601, and MBRT = 0.61) (P<0.001). The AUROC for OCT-A inside disc vessel density (0.931) was significantly greater than that for all LSFG parameters (P<0.005). Conclusions. OCT-A vessel density had a higher glaucoma diagnostic ability compared to all LSFG parameters in patients with NTG.

This paper proposes a fast-Fourier-transform-based jitter separation and model-based bit-error-rate (BER) curve estimation technique for analyzing asymmetric total jitter distributions. The proposed method assumes asymmetric deterministic jitter models which have distributions denoted by even and odd functions. It separates deterministic jitter and random jitter by identifying the model parameters from the measured total jitter histogram, and estimates BER-curves based on the models. Experimental results show that the proposed method can analyze jitter and BER-curves more accurately than existing methods. The advantages and limitations of the proposed method are also discussed.

Mismatch of power supply integrity between an ATE and a customer board in semiconductor test can lead to test failures such as overkills and underkills. A technique is required to control the power supply impedance of an ATE by feedback control using compensation current injection so that it emulates the impedance of a customer board, eliminating test failures coming from the impedance difference between the two environment. This paper discusses an extension theorem for a multiple power domain with mutual interference, such as a SIMO. Simulation results showed very good agreement between our emulated ATE and the customer board power supply noise waveforms.

Reliability tests on 600V-rated GaN-based normally-off hybrid-drain-embedded Gate Injection Transistor (HD-GIT) are performed. High-temperature reverse-bias test on HD-GIT reveals that the lifetime is dependent on the leakage current before the reliability test. Acceleration factors for the temperature and reverse bias voltage are extracted. Based on the obtained results, devices are designed so that their lifetimes under Vbs=480V (80% de-rated) at 80°C are longer than 1000 years, which are long enough for most conventional power converter applications. Dynamic high-temperature operation life test is also performed, under which their DC characteristics are within their normal range up to 3600h. In addition, HD-GITs are within their normal range under the similar reliability tests as applied for Si-based power transistors. The physical mechanisms for the reliability of HD-GIT are discussed. We conclude that the OFF-state reliability is explained by the so-called percolation degradation model, and that the hole injection from the p-type GaN embedded in the drain plays an important role to suppress the degradation under hard-switching operation test.

This communication reports a significant breakthrough on the novel catalytic amide allylation to the acyclic α-ketoester systems, achieving satisfactorily high yields and extremely high levels of the asymmetric induction to allow for highly enantioselective synthesis of ester functionalised α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones.