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Abstract Background Recently, robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) has gained popularity worldwide. Some studies have compared the long-term results of RAMIE and minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). However, there are no reports on the long-term outcomes of RAMIE in Japan. This study compared the long-term outcomes of RAMIE and MIE. Methods This retrospective study included 86 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent RAMIE or MIE at our hospital from June 2010 to December 2016. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed, incorporating co-variables such as confounders or risk factors derived from the literature and clinical practice. These variables included age, sex, body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking history, American Society of Anesthesiologists stage, comorbidities, tumor location, histology, clinical TNM stage, and preoperative therapy. The primary endpoint was 5-year overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and recurrence rates. Results Before PSM, the RAMIE group had a longer operation time (min) than the MIE group (P = 0.019). RAMIE also exhibited significantly lower blood loss volume (mL) (P

Abstract The M w 6.9 earthquake off Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, of 22 November 2016 was followed by a tsunami that struck the Japanese coast from Hokkaido in northern Japan to Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan. We compared the performance of a seismologically deduced single-fault model, a seismologically deduced finite fault slip model (FFM), an optimized single-fault model based on tsunami data, the FFM with horizontal shift, and the tsunami waveform inversion models of the previous studies considered for this earthquake regarding reproduction of tsunami waves by tsunami computations. It is important to discuss how these models work well because it is sometimes desirable to obtain an earthquake source model to estimate tsunami waves with a simple process obtained with limited data from the viewpoint of tsunami prediction. The seismologically deduced FFM has an advantage in terms of the information of slip regions of fault plane and was superior to the seismologically deduced single-fault model, especially in predicting amplitudes of tsunami waves. This means that when only with seismic data, the FFM could narrow the range of forecast of tsunami amplitude. In the comparison of models optimized with tsunami data, the single-fault model showed the almost equivalent performance of the tsunami waveform inversion models of previous studies regarding the waveform coincidence with observations and the horizontal location at the negative peak of the initial sea surface displacement. In case the main generation region of the tsunami is concentrated in one place, the tsunamis can be expressed by a single-fault model by conducting the detailed grid search. We also confirmed that the centroid location of centroid moment tensor (CMT) solution and the absolute location of the FFM were not necessarily suitable to express tsunamis, while the moment magnitude, the focal mechanism, the centroid depth of CMT solution, and the relative slip distribution of the FFM were effective to represent tsunamis. Since this event occurred at the shallow depth, the speed of tsunami wave is particularly slow. Therefore, it would be advisable to pay attention to the horizontal uncertainty to apply seismologically obtained solution to tsunami forecast, especially when a tsunami occurs in shallow water.

A reactive-plasma deposition (RPD) process damage is evaluated for an indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/SiO2/Si structure in terms of the recombination properties at the interface. To calculate the surface recombination velocity (SRV), the defect density at the SiO2/Si interface (Dit), the effective total charge (Qtot) which is the sum of the charges in the SiO2 and the trapped charge at the SiO2/Si interface, and the workfunction of ITO at the ITO/SiO2 interface (ϕITO), are extracted by capacitance-voltage (C-V) analysis as a function of a postdeposition annealing (PDA) temperature. The Dit and Qtot significantly increase by the RPD process to 1.4×1012 cm-2eV-1 and 1.5×1012/q cm-2, respectively, and decrease by the PDA at 200 °C in N2 ambient to 1.4×1011 cm-2eV-1 and 1.1×1011/q cm-2, respectively. The ϕITO also varies from 4.80 eV to 4.35 eV by the PDA. The correlation is examined between the SRV values calculated based on the extended SRH model using the extracted Dit, Qtot, and ϕITO values [SRV(CV)], and the SRV ones obtained from the minority carrier lifetime measurements [SRV(LT)]. It is found that multiple sets of capture cross-sections were required for SRV(CV) values to coincide with SRV(LT) ones. The effect of variation in the Qtot and ϕITO on the band bending is almost canceled out in the present PDA condition. It is thus considered that the increase in Dit is the main cause to decrease the minority carrier lifetime.

A boy with myelomeningocele who had sigmoidocolocystoplasty and ureteric reimplantation when 2-years old and normal annual cystoscopies, developed hematuria and abdominal pain with liver dysfunction 14 years postoperatively. Computed tomography showed a tumor on the left side of the augmented bladder, a large lymph node, and large multiple probable metastases in the liver. Cystoscopy 3 months earlier had been normal, but when repeated showed a tumor originating from the augmented sigmoid colon. Biopsy showed undifferentiated sarcoma. Despite chemotherapy, he died 3 months later. The diagnosis at autopsy was undifferentiated sarcoma originating from the sigmoid colon. We report the first case of undifferentiated sarcoma developing 14 years after sigmoidocolocystoplasty for meningomyelocele, and also review the 55 cases of post-bladder augmentation malignancy in the literature.

A 12-month-old boy presented with left scrotal swelling. The mass was irregular, soft, fleshy, and nontender. It adhered to the scrotal skin and gradually enlarged. Operative findings revealed a mass fixed to the scrotal fundus and diagnosed as angiomyolipoma. This is apparently the first report of scrotal angiomyolipoma in infancy.

A 28-year-old right-handed woman with seizures underwent a two-stage surgical excision of a glioma that was located in the posterior basal region of her left temporal brain. After each surgery, she developed transient pure dyslexia with complete recovery in several months. Around the surgeries, the two major lexico-semantic network pathways, i.e., the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) could be visualized by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography. Interestingly, routes of IFOF and ILF shifted after the 1st-stage surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this case suggests, for the first time, that pure dyslexia could be reversed even when the cortical functional region is perturbed, through possible structural change and preservation of the association fiber networks.

We report our experience of shunt infections (SIs) following intestinal cystoplasty (CP) in patients with neurogenic bladder (NB) and hydrocephalus. METHODS: We reviewed 34 patients with NB who underwent intestinal CP between 1984 and 2005. All had ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts converted to ventriculopleural (VL) shunts prior to intestinal CP to prevent SIs. SI secondary to intestinal CP was defined as infection within 30 days of intestinal CP. RESULTS: No SIs were reported. Mean age at shunt conversion was 9.5 years (range, 2–25 years), mean length of follow-up after conversion was 12.8 years (range, 2–18 years), and mean period between conversion and CP was 12 days (range, 0–30 days). Pleural effusion (PE) occurred post-conversion in 13/34 subjects (41%). Ten were treated with diuretics for a mean of 12 days, two were treated conservatively, and one required revision to a ventriculoatrial shunt. Delayed PE occurred in two patients at 7 and 18 months, secondary to respiratory infections. In the literature, there are six reports of SIs after intestinal CP in 216 NB patients. Overall, seven of 216 patients (3.2%) had SI. CONCLUSION: VP shunts should be converted to VL shunts prior to intestinal CP because this appears to prevent SIs.

Schwannomas of the orbit are very rare benign neoplasms. Intraorbital cystic schwannomas originating from the frontal nerve are even rarer, with only 1 case reported to date. This is most likely due to the fact that, in most cases, the origin of the orbital schwannoma cannot be identified intraoperatively. The nerve origin is usually speculated from histological examination of the specimen and the postoperative neurological deficits of the patient. Here, we present the case of a 65-year-old woman with a one-month history of exophthalmos, whose orbital cystic lesion was completely removed by microsurgical transcranial operation. Intraoperatively, the continuity between the tumor and frontal nerve was seen macroscopically, leading us to confirm the frontal nerve as an origin of the tumor, which was consistent with the postoperative neurological findings. The diagnosis of the tumor was established as schwannoma from the histological examination. As a differential diagnosis of the orbital cystic lesions, the possibility of schwannomas should be kept in mind.

There are two types of keywords used as metadata: controlled terms and free terms. Free terms have the advantage that metadata creators can freely select keywords, but there also exists a disadvantage that the information retrieval recall ratio might be reduced. The recall ratio can be improved by using controlled terms. But creating and maintaining controlled vocabularies has an enormous cost. In addition, many existing controlled vocabularies are published in formats less suitable for programming. We introduce a JavaScript library called “covo.js” that enables us to make use of controlled vocabularies as metadata for the organization of web pages.

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease that may affect the central nervous system; it is caused by dendritic cell proliferation, and typically occurs in children. LCH frequently appears in the pituitary stalk and rarely results in multiple enhanced lesions in the brain parenchyma. Case Description: We present a case of a 40-year-old woman who deveolped panhypopituitarism and central diabetes insipidus in the postpartum period requiring hormone replacement therapy. At first, magnetic resonance imaging only revealed thickening of the pituitary stalk; while 6 months later, a single enhanced mass lesion was detected in the hypothalamus. Another 5 months later, the lesion had enlarged with appearance of multiple, enhanced satellite lesions in the basal ganglia and white matter. The patient underwent successful craniotomy to obtain a biopsy sample; LCH of the hypothalamus was definitively diagnosis by histopathological examination. Steroids were administrated and resulted in significant reduction of all lesions. Conclusions: Definitive histopathological diagnosis and subsequent appropriate therapy, such as steroid administration, are required when LCH lesions in the hypothalamus become progressively enlarged and new lesions appear in the brain parenchyma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the quickest means of tsunami evacuation is transfer to higher ground soon after strong and long ground shaking. Ground shaking itself is a good initiator of the evacuation from disastrous tsunami. Longer period seismic waves are considered to be more correlated with the earthquake magnitude. We investigated the possible application of this to tsunami hazard alarm using single-site ground motion observation. Information from the mass media is sometimes unavailable due to power failure soon after a large earthquake. Even when an official alarm is available, multiple information sources of tsunami alert would help people become aware of the coming risk of a tsunami. Thus, a device that indicates risk of a tsunami without requiring other data would be helpful to those who should evacuate. Since the sensitivity of a low-cost MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) accelerometer is sufficient for this purpose, tsunami alarm equipment for home use may be easily realized. Amplitude of long-period (20 s cutoff) displacement was proposed as the threshold for the alarm based on empirical relationships among magnitude, tsunami height, hypocentral distance, and peak ground displacement of seismic waves. Application of this method to recent major earthquakes indicated that such equipment could effectively alert people to the possibility of tsunami. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the quickest means of tsunami evacuation is transfer to higher ground soon after strong and long ground-shaking. Strong ground motion means that the source area of the event is close to the current location, and long ground-shaking or large displacement means that the magnitude is large. We investigated the possibility to apply this to tsunami hazard alarm using single-site ground motion observation. Information from the mass media may not be available sometimes due to power failure. Thus, a device that indicates risk of a tsunami without referring to data elsewhere would be helpful to those should evacuate. Since the sensitivity of a low-cost MEMS accelerometer is sufficient for this purpose, tsunami alarms equipment for home use may be easily realized. Several observation values (e.g., strong-motion duration, peak ground displacement) were investigated as candidates. It was found that a suitable value for a single-site tsunami alarm is long-period peak displacement or the product of strong-motion duration and peak displacement. It was possible to detect an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 7.8 with a 0.8 threat score. Application of this method to recent major earthquakes indicated that such equipment could effectively alert people to the possibility of tsunami. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the rural daily life and local governance system in rural Afghanistan, in their efforts for peace building after 2001. Topics include history of turmoil in Afghanistan since 1970, 911 attacks and U.S. intervention; issues of land tenure system in rural districts, case study of Kalakan and Mir Backa Kot districts and indigenous governing community structure Shura-e Qariya.

Abstract  We report a case of advanced bile duct carcinoma arising in a 15-year-old female with pancreaticobiliary maljunction and congenital biliary cystic disease. Pancreaticoduodenectomy and partial resection of the liver was performed. Surgical and histopathological findings indicated advanced tubular adenocarcinoma, classified as final stage IVb according to the General rules for surgical and pathological studies on cancer of the biliary tract proposed by the Japanese Society of Biliary Surgery, 5th edition, and stage IV according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/International Union Against Cancer (UICC), 6th edition. She underwent chemotherapy with gemcitabine HCl after discharge. She died of cachexia 14 months after the surgery. Although it is well known that biliary malignancies arise frequently in patients with pancreaticobiliary maljunction, it is uncommon for advanced bile duct carcinoma to occur in a 15-year-old female. We should pay attention to the possibility of biliary malignancy in patients with pancreaticobiliary maljunction and congenital biliary cystic disease, even when the patients are juveniles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Sine-wave modulated rf plasma has been used to control particle generation and growth in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide thin films using TEOS/O2. The density and the size of particles generated in the plasma are greatly reduced when the plasma is modulated with sine-wave modulation at low modulation frequency (<1000 Hz). In addition, particle contamination on the films is significantly reduced also for nanoparticles, and the film growth rates at the range of modulation frequencies where particle generation are greatly reduced do not decrease appreciably. Compared to its counterpart pulse-wave modulation plasma, the sine-wave modulation plasma has demonstrated a better performance in terms of reduction of particle generation and film contamination, and of film growth rate. Thus, the sine-wave modulation plasma has shown as a promising method to be applied in the production of thin film with a high deposition rate and a low particle contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction  Huge subperiosteal hematomas extending beyond the cranial sutures are rare and clinically, their distinction from subgaleal hematomas may be difficult. Case report  We report a subperiosteal hematoma that involved the entire scalp including the orbit and recurred within 6 months. Discussion  We discuss our neuroradiologic and histopathologic findings and our management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lateral transport of minority carriers in the surface inversion layer of a crystalline silicon (cSi) surface for a p-aSi:H/i-aSi:H/cSi heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell was experimentally analyzed to study defects/traps at the aSi:H/cSi interface and/or on the cSi surface. To extract the lateral surface inversion layer current, a field-effect transistor type test element group device was designed and fabricated on a cSi wafer where SHJ cells were co-integrated. By analyzing the lateral surface inversion layer current, the effective surface minority carrier mobility was calculated. The extracted mobility was one order of magnitude smaller than that of a reference MoOx/i-aSi:H/cSi structure but it increased by low-temperature post-deposition annealing with respect to the reference. This method is highly sensitive to the quality of the aSi:H/cSi interface and/or the cSi surface. The density of trap sites was estimated to be of the order of 1011 cm−2 at the aSi:H/cSi interface and/or on the cSi surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The workfunction of molybdenum oxide (MoOx) at the MoOx/SiO2 interface, which is referred to as the interface workfunction, and the process-induced damage at the SiO2/Si interface in an indium tin oxide (ITO)/MoOx/SiO2/Si structure are extracted by capacitance–voltage (C–V) analysis. The estimated interface workfunction is compared with that of the bulk determined by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The interface workfunction of 5.59 eV for the as-grown ITO condition is 0.41 eV smaller than the bulk workfunction for the as-grown MoOx film. The reactive-plasma deposition (RPD) process induces damage at the SiO2/Si interface, with an estimated interface defect density (Dit) of 3.9 × 1011 cm−2 eV−1. The effects of postdeposition annealing in a forming gas on these parameters are also studied. The interface workfunction decreases with increasing temperature to 5.24 eV at 400 °C, while that of the bulk is 5.9 eV, suggesting a difference in the interface and bulk properties. The damage is almost removed at 250 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simulation of interdigitated back-contact silicon heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) solar cells was performed using a quantum transport model to consider the quantum effect at the crystalline/amorphous (c/a) heterojunction interface. It was found that the impact of the quantum effect on the open-circuit voltage is comparable to that of the interface defect density at the c/a interface, indicating the importance of implementation of the quantum model. The optimal back-contact design was also discussed from the viewpoint of mass production, in which the design rule is relaxed. The degradation of the conversion efficiency by widening the gap between the p- and n-aSi:H layers can be compensated by improving passivation quality at the c/a interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a girl with biliary atresia (BA) who also suffered with anorectal agenesis without fistula and complicated urogenital malformation. The outcome of patients with these severe anomalies is poor, but she has survived without liver and/or renal transplantation for more than 3 years. A careful treatment plan for each anomaly in addition to prevention of cholangitis and urinary tract infection is indispensable for managing these complicated anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The arcuate fasciculus has been recognized as an important pathway for language processing. Brain tumors located in proximity to the fasciculus frequently cause preoperative language impairment, and in some cases, no language recovery occurs after tumor resection. No predictive value has been presented for possible postoperative language recovery after tumor resection. The aim of this study is to analyze the preoperative state of the arcuate fasciculus in the patients with brain tumor from the perspective of its usefulness as a predictive factor for postoperative recovery of language functions. Methods: For 12 right-handed patients with brain tumors in the left hemisphere, preoperative arcuate fasciculi were analyzed with fractional anisotropy (FA) of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography. Language functions were evaluated pre- and postoperatively by using the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). The preoperative value of the FA of the arcuate fasciculus on the lesion side was examined in relation with the language recovery. Results: There was a positive relationship between preoperative increasing values of the FA of the left arcuate fasciculus and improvement of the postoperative total WAB score (p = 0.0056), and the scores of the naming (p = 0.018), reading (p = 0.029), and writing subcategories (p = 0.012) Conclusion: The preoperative increasing value of the FA of the arcuate fasciculus in the dominant hemisphere could be a predictor for postoperative language recovery following tumor resection. Meticulous procedure should be performed especially in the cases with higher FA of the arcuate fasciculus harboring high possibility of language recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE There are no reports on reintubation incidence and its causes and consequences during the postoperative period following elective intracranial surgery. The objective here was to evaluate the incidence of reintubation and its causes and complications in this situation. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective cohort study, using data obtained at a tertiary university hospital between 2003 and 2006. METHODS 169 patients who underwent elective intracranial surgery were studied. Preoperative assessment was performed and the patients were followed up until hospital discharge or death. The rate of reintubation with its causes and complications was ascertained. RESULTS The incidence of reintubation was 12.4%, and the principal cause was lowered level of consciousness (71.5%). There was greater incidence of reintubation among females (P = 0.028), and greater occurrence of altered level of consciousness at the time of extubation (P < 0.0001). Reintubated patients presented longer duration of mechanical ventilation (P < 0.0001), longer stays in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the hospital (P < 0.0001), greater incidence of pulmonary complications (P < 0.0001), greater need for reoperation and tracheostomy, and higher mortality (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION The incidence of reintubation in these patients was 12.4%. The main cause was lowering of the level of consciousness. Female gender and altered level of consciousness at the time of extubation correlated with higher incidence of reintubation. Reintubation was associated with pulmonary complications, longer durations of mechanical ventilation, hospitalization and stay in the ICU, greater incidence of tracheostomy and mortality.