Search

Additional file 1: Table S1. Device programing according to date of ICD implantation. Table S2. Number of appropriate ATPs/Shocks in patients who experienced ICD therapies. Table S3. Incidence of ICD shocks in patients with normal and abnormal SAECG findings.

We address the problem of predicting when a disease will develop, i.e., medical event time (MET), from a patient's electronic health record (EHR). The MET of non-communicable diseases like diabetes is highly correlated to cumulative health conditions, more specifically, how much time the patient spent with specific health conditions in the past. The common time-series representation is indirect in extracting such information from EHR because it focuses on detailed dependencies between values in successive observations, not cumulative information. We propose a novel data representation for EHR called cumulative stay-time representation (CTR), which directly models such cumulative health conditions. We derive a trainable construction of CTR based on neural networks that has the flexibility to fit the target data and scalability to handle high-dimensional EHR. Numerical experiments using synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that CTR alone achieves a high prediction performance, and it enhances the performance of existing models when combined with them., Comment: To be published in IJCAI-22

Shimada, Daisuke, Suzuki, Atsushi C., Tsujimoto, Megumu, Imura, Satoshi, Kakui, Keiichi (2021): Two New Species of Free-living Marine Nematodes (Nematoda: Axonolaimidae and Tripyloididae) from the Coast of Antarctica. Species Diversity 26 (1): 49-63, DOI: 10.12782/specdiv.26.49, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.12782/specdiv.26.49

Activation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor (AMPA-R) is a promising strategy to treat psychiatric and neurological diseases if issues of bell-shaped response and narrow safety margin against seizure can be overcome. Here, we show that structural interference at Ser743 in AMPA-R is a key to lower the agonistic effect of AMPA-R potentiators containing dihydropyridothiadiazine 2,2-dioxides skeleton. With this structural insight, TAK-137, 9-(4-phenoxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydropyrido[2,1-c][1,2,4]thiadiazine 2,2-dioxide, was discovered as a novel AMPA-R potentiator with a lower agonistic effect than an AMPA-R potentiator LY451646 ((R)-N-(2-(4'-cyanobiphenyl-4-yl)propyl)propane-2-sulfonamide) in rat primary neurons. TAK-137 induced brain-derived neurotrophic factor in neurons in rodents and potently improved cognition in both rats and monkeys. Compared to LY451646, TAK-137 had a wider safety margin against seizure in rats. TAK-137 enhanced neural progenitor proliferation over a broader range of doses in rodents. Thus, TAK-137 is a promising AMPA-R potentiator with potent procognitive effects and lower risks of bell-shaped response and seizure. These data may open the door for the development of AMPA-R potentiators as therapeutic drugs for psychiatric and neurological diseases.

Additional file 2. Primer sequences used in the study.

Hyperbolic ordinal embedding (HOE) represents entities as points in hyperbolic space so that they agree as well as possible with given constraints in the form of entity i is more similar to entity j than to entity k. It has been experimentally shown that HOE can obtain representations of hierarchical data such as a knowledge base and a citation network effectively, owing to hyperbolic space's exponential growth property. However, its theoretical analysis has been limited to ideal noiseless settings, and its generalization error in compensation for hyperbolic space's exponential representation ability has not been guaranteed. The difficulty is that existing generalization error bound derivations for ordinal embedding based on the Gramian matrix do not work in HOE, since hyperbolic space is not inner-product space. In this paper, through our novel characterization of HOE with decomposed Lorentz Gramian matrices, we provide a generalization error bound of HOE for the first time, which is at most exponential with respect to the embedding space's radius. Our comparison between the bounds of HOE and Euclidean ordinal embedding shows that HOE's generalization error is reasonable as a cost for its exponential representation ability.

To test the hypothesis that terrestrial runoff affects the functions of calcareous sediments in coral reefs and hampers the development of corals, we analysed calcareous sediments with different levels of bound phosphate, collected from reef areas of Okinawajima, Japan. We confirmed that phosphate bound to calcareous sediments were readily released into ambient seawater, resulting in much higher concentrations of phosphorous in seawater from heavily polluted areas (4.3–19.0 µM as compared with less than 0.096 µM in natural ambient seawater). Additionally, we examined the effect of phosphate released from calcareous sediments on the development of Acropora digitifera coral juveniles. We found that high phosphate concentrations in seawater clearly inhibit the skeletal formation of coral juveniles. Our results demonstrate that calcareous sediments in reef areas play a crucial role in mediating the impact of terrestrial runoff on corals by storing and releasing phosphate in seawater.

Additional file 1. Supplementary Figures 1-16, Supplementary Table 1, and Supplementary methods.

Additional file 2: Table S2. P-values for each pair of established conventional risk factors, LGE on CMR and IVPG ≥ 30 mmHg. This table shows the P-values obtained from the univariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model, which was performed to assess the association between each pair of risk factors and the main composite outcome of SCD and appropriate ICD interventions.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Univariate analysis for the main composite outcome of SCD and appropriate ICD interventions.

This item is part of: Boarin, P., Haarhoff, E., Manfredini, M., Mohammadzadeh, M., Premier, A., (2021). Rethinking Sustainable Pacific Rim Territories. Proceedings of the 2020 APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Hub PhD Symposium, Future Cities Research Hub, School of Architecture and Planning of the University of Auckland. ISBN: 978-0-473-53616-9ABSTRACTJapan’s aging and declining farming population continues to exacerbate the decline of rural regions. As a response, there have been strong efforts from governments and local organizations to provide avenues of support for new and beginning farmers via a certification process which provides access to funding and subsidized loans. While the Ministry of Fisheries, Forests, and Agriculture (MAFF) promotes SDG Goal 2 under the premise of sustainable agriculture through Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification and grants for environmentally friendly farming, this does not directly extend to supporting new farmers who hold strong interest in farming sustainably. Based on semi-structured interviews with farmers and government officials in Shiga Prefecture, we observe strong trends of new entry farmer collaborations and community building such as hosting unique opportunities for urban consumers to participate in agricultural activities, engaging with their surrounding rural residents to help uplift their region’s rural revitalization efforts, and building organizations and spaces for mutual support. The spaces of connection and relationship building that this current generation of new farmers is bridging between rural and urban areas provides insights on how best to support the future of rural areas and more holistically promote sustainable agriculture. New and beginning farmers especially those who promote sustainable agriculture serve critical roles in reshaping rural communities as they build capacity for solidarity between rural and urban areas.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-jao-10.1177_0391398820988297 for Impact of anatomical position of the inflow cannula on stroke in patients with left ventricular assist devices by Takuma Takada, Tomohiro Nishinaka, Yuki Ichihara, Satoshi Saito, Yasutaka Imamura, Noriko Kikuchi, Hidetoshi Hattori, Atsushi Suzuki, Kyomi Ashihara, Tsuyoshi Shiga, Shinichi Nunoda, Nobuhisa Hagiwara and Hiroshi Niinami in The International Journal of Artificial Organs

Dynamic range is becoming a key performance parameter for CMOS image sensors (CISs), especially for the surveillance and automotive fields. Several well-known multi-exposure methods are widely used to expand dynamic range (DR). However, those methods cause issues such as motion artifacts and light emitting diode (LED) flickering with the composite images. Therefore, the single-exposure method is critical to the quality of high-DR images. The most obvious way to expand single-exposure DR is by employing in-pixel capacitors. One of the most well-known technologies with in-pixel capacitors is the lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC), which is characterized by a unique signal read-out method for in-pixel capacitors [1], [2]. Also, a CIS that uses an organic-photoconductive-film and an in-pixel capacitor is reported in [3]. Spatial sampling with sensitivity ratio is another common method to expand single-exposure DR [4]. However, assuming practical resolution, the LOFIC technology or spatial sampling with sensitivity ratio can achieve less than 100dB single-exposure DR. A method combining spatial sampling with sensitivity ratio and an in-pixel capacitor is also presented in [5] to expand its single-exposure DR. This sub-pixel architecture can achieve over 120dB single-exposure DR. But another challenge arises: at high temperature, the degradation in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the composite boundary become significant. In this work, we present a prototype of 5.4Mpixel stacked back-illuminated CIS using the sub-pixel architecture with high-temperature tolerance.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Comparison of baseline characteristics between IPF and non-IPF. Table S2. Subgroup analysis of endpoints in VM good responders. Table S3. Comparison of baseline characteristics between HFNC good responders and non-responders. Figure S1. Trend graph of SpO2 during endurance exercise tolerance test in each subject. Figure S2. Trend graph of heart rate (HR) during endurance exercise tolerance test in each subject. Figure S3. Trend graph of Borg scale (dyspnea) during endurance exercise tolerance test in each subject. Figure S4. Trend graph of Borg scale (leg fatigue) during endurance exercise tolerance test in each subject.

PageRank is a well-known centrality measure for the web used in search engines, representing the importance of each web page. In this paper, we follow the line of recent research on the development of distributed algorithms for computation of PageRank, where each page computes its own PageRank value by interacting with pages connected over hyperlinks. Our approach is novel in that it is based on a reinterpretation of PageRank, which leads us to a set of algorithms with exponential convergence rates. We first employ gossip-type randomization for the page selections in the update iterations. Then, the algorithms are generalized to deterministic ones, allowing simultaneous updates by multiple pages. Finally, based on these algorithms, we propose a clustering-based scheme, in which groups of pages make updates by locally interacting among themselves many times to expedite the convergence. In comparison with other existing techniques, significant advantages can be exhibited in their convergence performance, as demonstrated via numerical examples using real web data, and also in the limited amount of communication required among pages., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures

Shimada, Daisuke, Suzuki, Atsushi C., Tsujimoto, Megumu, Imura, Satoshi, Kakui, Keiichi (2017): Oncholaimus langhovdensis sp. nov. (Nematoda: Enoplea: Oncholaimida), a New Species of Free-living Marine Nematode from Langhovde, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Species Diversity 22: 151-159, DOI: 10.12782/sd.22_151

Extracellular factors belonging to the TGF-β family play pivotal roles in the formation and patterning of germ layers during early Xenopus embryogenesis. Here, we show that the vg1 and nodal3 genes of Xenopus laevis are present in gene clusters on chromosomes XLA1L and XLA3L, respectively, and that both gene clusters have been completely lost from the syntenic S chromosome regions. The presence of gene clusters and chromosome-specific gene loss were confirmed by cDNA FISH analyses. Sequence and expression analyses revealed that paralogous genes in the vg1 and nodal3 clusters on the L chromosomes were also altered compared to their Xenopus tropicalis orthologs. X. laevis vg1 and nodal3 paralogs have potentially become pseudogenes or sub-functionalized genes and are expressed at different levels. As X. tropicalis has a single vg1 gene on chromosome XTR1, the ancestral vg1 gene in X. laevis appears to have been expanded on XLA1L. Of note, two reported vg1 genes, vg1(S20) and vg1(P20), reside in the cluster on XLA1L. The nodal3 gene cluster is also present on X. tropicalis chromosome XTR3, but phylogenetic analysis indicates that nodal3 genes in X. laevis and X. tropicalis were independently expanded and/or evolved in concert within each cluster by gene conversion. These findings provide insights into the function and molecular evolution of TGF-β family genes in response to allotetraploidization.

In this study, we report the characterization of carbonaceous films deposited on metal substrates by liquid-phase electrodeposition in methanol. The characterization of carbonaceous films by electrodeposition was examined by means of Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), atom probe (AP) and high resolution-elastic recoil detection analysis (HR-ERDA). From these results, it was found that the films deposited on the metal substrates were composed of the sp2 and sp3 carbon contents, of which the ratio was about 7:3. Furthermore, the films by electrodeposition contained much hydrogen. The hydrogen contents in the surface were about 60 at.% and those in the subsurface were a few 10 at.%.

We propose a self-alignment process of an optical device with an optical multimode fiber (MMF) and a novel optical subassembly using a pre-self-aligned device. In order to form the pre-self-aligned device, the optical device such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is aligned with the MMF using the surface tension of a transparent liquid adhesive. The optical subassembly we have developed is provided with a simple structure consisting of the pre-self-aligned VCSEL and an interposer board to be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). Details of the low-cost self-alignment technology and the optical subassembly are reported. Alignment accuracy of average 13 ?m is achieved and coupling efficiency of the self-aligned VCSEL to the MMF is determined to be maximum 35%. 1-Gb/s optical signal transmission using the optical subassembly is also demonstrated. This self-alignment technology and the fabricated optical subassembly are effective in achieving low-cost optical modules for optical interconnect systems from commodities to high-end applications.

We have developed a vertically pluggable and compact 12-channel optical module for intercabinet and intracabinet optical interconnections. Error-free and over 10 Gb/s operation of the optical module with an electrical and optical connector have been demonstrated. The module is designed to be 10 mm in width, 10 mm in length, and 6 mm in thickness so that it can be placed around the central processing units. This compact optical module can be mounted on the inner board area. Further, this module is vertically pluggable in the z-direction, i.e., in a direction that is perpendicular to the board. Because of the vertical pluggability, the optical modules can be repaired much more easily. The optical connector used in the low-height module has 12 fine-drawn graded-index multimode fibers (MMFs). These fibers have a high relative refractive index difference (Delta) and are bent with a 2 mm radius of curvature. The electrical connector consists of an anisotropic conductive film that is sandwiched between an alumina substrate and a printed circuit board with a clamp spring. We have used the alumina substrate to mount the optical device and the driver integrated circuit, because of its high thermal conductivity. In order to reduce cost, we have not used either a microlens or a metal-coated mirror in the optical module. Furthermore, passive alignment between the MMFs and the optical device has been achieved using guide pins assembled in the alumina substrate.

Differential photoelectron holography (DPH) is a new technique to overcome the forward-scattering problem of photoelectron holography (PH). DPH has the advantage to obtain three-dimensional atomic structure around each type of photoelectron emitter of solid surfaces and/or interfaces. However, DPH had been applied by using the synchrotron radiation (SR), not the laboratory-scale X-ray source. Therefore, we used a new rotating anode (dual target) in high-power X-ray source, along with two new artificial multilayer toroidal mirrors to obtain two X-rays at once, and realized DPH in a laboratory-scale experiment by applying DPH to the structure determination of TiO2 (110) surface. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

It took several hours to obtain one X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPED) pattern because XPED measurement requires repeated acquisition of XPS as a function of emission angle. The measurement time using our previous XPED system was too long to clarify the dynamics of epitaxial growth and catalytic reaction. In the present study, in order to minimize the measurement time, we improved the software used to control the XPED system. Then, by using the improved system, we obtained information on the structural changes during the heating process of an ion-bombarded silicon surface. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We have studied the atomic structure of the surface and interface of VO2/TiO2(110) model catalyst by X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPED). In this study, vanadium was deposited on the TiO2(110) surface in the oxygen atmosphere. We characterized the VO2 ultra-thin film grown on the TiO2(110) surface by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and XPED. As a result, VO2 ultra-thin film grown epitaxially on TiO2(110) was determined by using the multiple scattering cluster model with spherical wave (MSC-SW). Finally, we carried out the quantitative analysis by using the reliability factor R (R-factor) method and clarified the surface and interface structures of VO2/TiO2(110). [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2008.272]

The demand for low-noise (for capturing a clear image in low-light conditions), high-speed (for slow-motion applications and reducing rolling shutter distortion) and high-resolution (for formats beyond 4K) CMOS image sensors is still increasing. In addition, the emerging camcorder market typified by handsfree devices requires the simultaneous capture of still and moving images. To improve noise performance, a method of pseudo-multiple sampling has been proposed [1]. However, the noise reduction effect is insufficient due to the non-uniformity of the CDS period. For high frame rates, multichannel and high-data-rate interfaces have been reported [2-4]. For simultaneous capture of still and moving images, a seamless mode change has been shown [5], but it is necessary to convert a still image (full pixel data) to a moving image (2×2 binning data) by an external DSP.

In our previous report, we indicated that not only BSA but also BGG played an important role in the allergenicity of beef. In this study, the effect of heat or high-pressure treatments to beef extract on the SDS-PAGE patterns was examined. The antigenicity of each treated samples was also investigated by Western blots assay with the sera of BGG-positive beef allergic patients. The BGG band and its antigenicity slightly disappeared but not generally in 100℃ group, indicating 100℃ treatment is not sufficient to totally eliminate the antigenicity of beef allergens. CoM㎩red with BGG band, BSA band significantly disappeared in SDS-PAGE with 100℃ treatment, indicating BSA is more heat-sensitive than BGG. When the beef extract was heated at 120℃, not only BSA but also BGG bands was largely disappeared in both SDS-PAGE and Western blots. High pressure (HP) treatment even at 600 M㎩ did not affect SDS-PAGE and Western blots pattern of BSA. On the contrary, BGG treated with HP showed visible changes in SDS-PAGE. 600 M㎩ treatment significantly reduced the antigencity. Interestingly, these behaviors of BGG were not found in the same experiments with pure BGG treated with HP. From these results, it was speculated that some kinds of proteolytic enzymes in beef extracts were involved in the BGG molecular degradation by HP treatment. The aging experiments of beef extracts treated with HP supported this hypothesis. Further studies are needed to clarify the function and working mechanism of enzymes associated with BGG degradation in beef extracts by HP treatment.

We have studied the shrinking phase transition of cylindrical poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels with submillimeter diameter. The macroscopic conformation change and the phase transition velocity were obtained during the heating process by two different methods. One is a continuous heating process with a constant temperature drift rate, and the other is an isothermal process after a steplike temperature increase beyond the transition point. In the former measurement, the phase transition can be controlled by the nucleation mechanism in the smaller temperature drift rates; at the transition point, after the fine pattern appears and disappears on the surface, for instance, the gel gradually and uniformly shrinks while keeping a smooth surface. On the other hand, at the larger temperature drift rates, the phase transition comes into the unstable region before being completed; after the fine pattern disappears, a coarse pattern appears on the surface, and the entire gel becomes opaque. The gel gradually becomes transparent with time from the surface layer to the core portion. These two processes, characterized by two types of surface pattern as well as the growth of a collapsed surface skin layer, can be clearly observed in the latter measurements, which depend on the degree of super-heating (how far the final temperature is from the transition point). The results are discussed qualitatively on the basis of the classical phase separation model of nucleation and spinodal decomposition, as well as the phase diagram of the present gel system. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)70125-X].

X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPED) is a useful tool to analyze the surface structure. In order to reconstruct a three-dimensional atomic structure, some methods based on photoelectron holography were studied. In our group, differential photoelectron holography (DPH) was proposed to reduce artifacts. DPH can be carried out by the subtraction of XPED patterns excited by different X-ray energies. It was reported that DPH is a very effective technique with large-scale synchrotron radiation. In this study, we developed a stripe-type X-ray target that can generate two different X-rays alternately at the laboratory level. Subsequently, DPH was applied to obtain the atomic image of the Cu(100) surface by the stripe-type target. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

International audience; Previous studies have demonstrated the potential for the Li content of coral aragonite to record information about environmental conditions, but no detailed study of tropical corals exists. Here we present the Li and Mg to Ca ratios at a bimonthly to monthly resolution over 25 years in two modern Porites corals, the genus most often used for paleoclimate reconstructions in the tropical Indo-Pacific. A strong relationship exists between coral Li/Ca and locally measured SST, indicating that coral Li/Ca can be used to reconstruct tropical SST variations. However, Li/Ca ratios of the skeleton deposited during 1979-1980 do not track local SST well and are anomalously high in places. The Mg/Ca ratios of this interval are also anomalously high, and we suggest Li/Ca can be used to reconstruct tropical SST only when Mg/Ca data are used to carefully screen for relatively rare biological effects. Mg/Li or Li/Mg ratios provide little advantage over Li/Ca ratios, except that the slope of the Li/Mg temperature relationship is more similar between the two corals. The Mg/Li temperature relationship for the coral that experienced a large temperature range is similar to that found for cold water corals and aragonitic benthic foraminifera in previous studies. The comparison with data from other biogenic aragonites suggests the relationship between Li/Mg and water temperature can be described by a single exponential relationship. Despite this hint at an overarching control, it is clear that biological processes strongly influence coral Li/Ca, and more calibration work is required before widely applying the proxy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate enamel remineralization and the acquisition of acid resistance by using sugar-free chewing gum containing fluoride extracted from green tea., Australian Dental Journal, 56(4), pp.394-400; 2011

In this article we present a new format for storing sparse matrices. The format is designed to perform well mainly on the GPU devices. We present its implementation in CUDA. The performance has been tested on 1,600 different types of matrices and we compare our format with the Hybrid format. We give detailed comparison of both formats and show their strong and weak parts., Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures, 7 tables

We demonstrate 10-Gb/s/ch operations of high-density, low-cost 12-channel optical modules for optical interconnections. These optical modules that we developed are designed to be pluggable into cards with an electrical connector. These pluggable modules will enable cards to be manufactured much more easily since they allow the manufacturing processes of optical modules and cards to be separated. An electrical connector with a clamp spring is used to connect a ceramic substrate with a printed circuit board (PCB). An anisotropic conductive film (ACF) is used to transmit electrical signals between the ceramic substrate and the PCB. To achieve optical coupling, optical fibers are butt-coupled with optical devices mounted in a cavity on the ceramic substrate. Alignment between the twelve optical fibers and the 12-channel optical device is achieved using guide pins fabricated in the ceramic substrate and guide holes fabricated in the optical connector.

We demonstrated 10-Gbps/ch operation of high-density and low-cost 12-channel optical modules. High-Δ bent fiber connector is butt-coupled with OE-substrate. Fabricated module is as small as 10 mm x 10 mm footprint with thickness of 6 mm.

We analyzed the coupling efficiency between VCSEL and a optical component with high-delta fibers experimentally. The high-delta fiber was able to relax restrictions in alignment between fibers and VCSEL because of the increase of NA.

We demonstrated 10-Gbps operation of low-cost and high-density optical parallel link module for multi-terabit routers. Four-channel high-? optical fibers are directly coupled with optical devices without micro-lenses. Easy assembly was realized by executing visual alignment.

We improved the present X-ray photoelectron diffraction apparatus for Differential Photoelectron Holography (DPH) in a laboratory scale experiment. The new rotating anode (Dual target) of which surface is covered with stripes of Mg and Al and two new artificial multi-layer toroidal mirrors realized the high-intensity and dual energy X-ray source.

High optical coupling efficiency of more than 80% between an optical fibre and a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) has been achieved without use of a lens. A 45deg-ended fine-drawn optical fibre can be positioned closer to a VCSEL than a conventional multimode fibre. 12.5 Gbit/s/ch optical signal transmissions using a low-height optical coupling structure have been demonstrated with optical output power as high as +2.0 dBm without use of a lens.

The shrinking phase separation of polymer gels was investigated using the neutral poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels prepared in a cylindrical shape with submillimeter diameter. The macroscopic conformation change was obtained on the isothermal processes after a step-like temperature increase beyond the transition point. The gel was quenched (super-heated) from three different initial temperatures to several final temperatures. It was observed that there exist three characteristic regions of transition velocity, which depend on the final temperature. The phase transition could be controlled by the nucleation mechanism in the shallow quenches (smaller super-heating; Stage I), which is characterized by a fine pattern: the gel remains transparent during the transition. On the other hand, in the deep quenches (larger super-heating; Stage III), the phase transition reaches the unstable region, which is characterized by a coarse pattern: the gel becomes transparent with time, from the surface layer to the core opaque portion. The transition velocity in Stage I or III does not depend on the initial temperature. The kinetics of the quenching into the intermediate temperature range (Stage II), however, is strongly affected by the initial temperature. The results were qualitatively discussed in terms of the macroscopic conformation changes resulting from the microscopic phase separation: nucleation and its growth (coarsening), spinodal decomposition and the transition-induced strain of networks.

A series of clinical and pathological studies were performed on 74 cartilaginous bone tumors including osteochondromas, multiple cartilaginous exostoses, chondromas, chondromatoses, benign chondroblastomas and chondrosarcomas. Resection was adequate for the osteochondromas, and no recurrence was observed. Out of 14 multiple cartilaginous exostoses, three, all in flat bones showed malignant change. The predominant sites of chondroma were the finger and toe bones, and curettage and bone graft was adequate treatment. Neither recurrence nor malignant change was observed. Two cases of chondromatosis, one of Ollier's disease and one of Maffucci's syndrome, were included in our series. Leg length discrepancy and pathologic fracture were common problems in chondromatosis. Moreover, malignant change was suspected in a hemangioma of the Maffucci's syndrome patient. Benign chondroblastoma was treated by curettage and bone graft, with no recurrence. In our series, 4 primary and 3 secondary chondrosarcomas were observed. Metastasis was seen in only one case. Because of the discrepancy between the biological behavior and histological findings of cartilaginous bone tumors, the malignancy of tumors should be evaluated by clinical signs and symptoms as well as by histological findings.

The purpose of the paper is to reveal the influence of higher-order mode of VCSEL emission on the coupling efficiency between VCSEL and waveguide. Firstly, we measured and simulated the coupling efficiency between VCSEL and 50SI-MMF and pointed out the influence of higher-order of VCSEL emission. Then, we measured the VCSEL power intensity and analysed the dependency of higher order transverse-mode of VCSEL emission numerically. We revealed that the fundamental transverse-mode shared only 10-20% of actual VCSEL power emission

The clock frequency in digital electronic systems has exceeded the GHz range. Tera-bps signal processing has been expected in applications of high-end servers and routers. This work is motivated by the continually increasing bandwidth needs of board-to-board interconnects, which are demanding optical solutions that maximize bandwidth per unit area and minimize power consumption and cost. A high-speed signal transmission ability of over Gbps is required for a signal transmission line of even a printed wiring board (PWB). We investigated the 10-Gbps electrical signal transmission with bonding wire for optical interconnect modules. The characteristic impedance of the bonding wire was evaluated by time domain reflectometry (TDR) method. The eye diagram was measured at 10-Gbps. The optical transmitter and receiver modules were made on the evaluation board for an optical backplane. New modules named VGPAS (V-groove passive alignment structure) were designed to ease alignment. The optical transmitter and receiver modules were evaluated. We demonstrated the 10-Gbps optical signal transmission between two boards through the optical backplane we developed and indicated the applicability for the optical backplane