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Background: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is one of the potentially serious complications after gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC). Drain amylase level is a predictor of POPF in open and laparoscopic gastrectomy, but no study has focused on minimally invasive surgery (MIS), including robotic gastrectomy (RG). This study assesses the effect of drain amylase levels for POPF in MIS and develop a prediction model in the MIS era. Methods: This single-institutional retrospective study, conducted from January 2011 to December 2021, included 1,353 who underwent standard MIS for GC. We placed a drain in all patients undergoing MIS gastrectomy and measured the drain amylase level on the first postoperative day (D1Amy). The predictive accuracy of D1Amy for POPF was assessed. Additionally, the entire cohort was randomly categorized into the training (1,048 patients) and validation sets (305 patients) to establish the nomogram. Results: Of the 1353 patients, 530 underwent a robotic approach. POPF and intraabdominal infectious complications of Clavien–Dindo classification grade ≥ II were observed in 80 (5.9%) and 145 (10.7%) patients, respectively. Median D1Amy was 812 U/L. The receiver operating characteristic analysis of D1Amy for POPF revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.888. Multivariate analysis revealed age, tumor location, splenectomy, and D1Amy as significant risk factors for POPF. The AUC of the nomogram was 0.8960, validated with AUC of 0.9259. Conclusions: We revealed the utility of D1Amy in predicting POPF in MIS gastrectomy. Furthermore, the nomogram, incorporating D1Amy and other clinical factors, was additionally used as a predictive model for POPF.

Learned Image Compression (LIC) has shown a coding ability competitive to traditional standards. To address the complexity issue of LIC, various hardware accelerators are required. As one category of accelerators, FPGA has been used because of its good reconfigurability and high power efficiency. However, the prior work developed the algorithm of LIC neural network at first, and then proposed an associated FPGA hardware. This separate manner of algorithm and architecture development can easily cause a layout problem such as routing congestion when the hardware utilization is high. To mitigate this problem, this paper gives an algorithm-architecture co- optimization of LIC. We first restrict the input and output channel parallelism with some constraints to ease the routing issue with more DSP usage. After that, we adjust the numbers of channels to increase the DSP efficiency. As a result, compared with one recent work with a fine-grained pipelined architecture, we can reach up to 1.5x faster throughput with almost the same coding performance on the Kodak dataset. Compared with another recent work accelerated by AMD/Xilinx DPU, we can reach faster throughput with better coding performance.

Multiplier circuit covers a more extensive area of embedded system application in digital signal processing, cryptography, and multimedia. Nonstandard implementations and custom optimization are being done to reduce the size of multipliers. The circuit became prone to a buggy, and hence the demand for verification increased. Formal verification methods, such as satisfiability (SAT), symbolic computer algebra (SCA), and binary decision diagrams (BDDs) have made massive progress over the last few decades. However, these methods are insufficient to verify the optimized multipliers. SAT-based equivalence checking is computationally expensive. SCA-based backward rewriting is limited to algebraic-friendly multipliers. The complexity of BDDs is exponential with the input size. Although, by allowing an additional variable method, the size of the BDD is limited to 4th degree polynomial of the number of the inputs, this method is not explored to verify optimized multipliers. This article focus on verifying integer multipliers with diverse architectures. We propose an algorithm for the direct construction of BDDs without traversing circuits and generate BDDs up to 1024 bits. We utilize the additional variable method and constructing BDDs using high-to-low variable ordering. We reduce the complexity of BDD size to a 3rd degree polynomial. We generate BDDs and verify the multipliers with various architectures up to 64 bits. We propose a method to verify optimized multipliers by checking equivalence and verifying up to 32-bits optimized multipliers. We do the error tolerance analysis of our approach by inserting bugs in a circuit at various locations.

Despite being safe for use in secondary Mg batteries, solid electrolytes exhibit lower ionic conductivities than those of traditional liquid electrolytes. Organic ionic plastic crystals—soft crystals with excellent thermal and electrochemical stabilities and ionic conductivities—are promising solid electrolytes. Herein, we investigated the effects of various anion species and Mg salt concentrations on the properties of pyrrolidinium-based organic ionic plastic crystals (N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide [[C2epyr][FSA]] and N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide [[C2epyr][TFSA]]) upon Mg(TFSA)2addition. The Mg-ion transference number (tMg2+) was measured using the Vincent–Bruce method; ionic conductivity via impedance measurements; and phase transition via differential scanning calorimetry. The phase transition behavior, dissociation state of the Mg salt, and electrochemical properties varied with the organic ionic plastic crystal anionic structure. The FSA system became liquid when the Mg salt concentration exceeded 15 mol%. The ionic conductivity of the pyrrolidinium-based organic ionic plastic crystals increased substantially with the Mg salt concentration. In the solid state, [C2epyr][FSA]/Mg(TFSA)2(5 mol%) (FT5) showed the highest ionic conductivity (2.9 × 10−4S cm−1at 25 °C). The tMg2+of FT5 at 60 °C was 0.29. Mg exhibited redox behavior in FT5 but not in [C2epyr][TFSA]/Mg(TFSA)2(5 mol%). The FSA−structure is suitable for Mg electrochemistry and will aid in developing high-performance secondary Mg batteries.Graphical Abstract

The temperature dependences of the spin–spin relaxation times (T2) of 1H and 19F nuclei were measured for N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide with a plastic crystal phase. In the plastic crystal phase, 2 types of T2were observed in both 1H and 19F experiments, which were considered to be the appearance of heterogeneous dynamics of diffusive motion. By examining temperature dependences of the T2values and the existence ratios, the following conclusions were reached. (i) The prepared plastic crystal sample was in a polycrystalline state, and each crystallite comprised 2 phases: the core phase (plastic crystal phase) and the surface phase formed to relieve surface stress. (ii) The 1H-T2(19F-T2) values of the 2 phases differed, and ions in the surface phase were more mobile. The 1H-T2(19F-T2) values for the 2 phases increased with temperature rise. In particular, the 1H-T2(19F-T2) values of the surface phase were smoothly connected to the liquid T2values. (iii) The cations and anions exhibited a cooperative diffusive motion. (iv) When the temperature was considerably lower than the melting point, the ratio of the surface phase did not significantly differ from when it first formed. However, it rapidly increased near the melting point and became liquid.Graphical AbstractFree induction decay signal of 1H-NMR for N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide, [C2epyr][FSA], at 390 K. The chart shows that there are 2 types of diffusive motion of the [C2epyr]+cations, namely, a hard component (green curve, ratio 0.844) and a soft component (orange curve, ratio 0.156).

This article reports on the Sixth Robot World Cup Competition and Conference (RoboCup-2002) Fukuoka/Busan, which took place from 19 to 25 June in Fukuoka, Japan. It was the largest RoboCup since 1997 and held the first humanoid league competition in the world. Further, the first ROBOTREX (robot trade and exhibitions) was held with about 50 companies, universities, and institutes represented. A total of 117,000 spectators witnessed this marvelous event. To the best of our knowledge, this was the largest robotic event in history., The Sixth Robot World Cup Competition and Conference (RoboCup-2002) Fukuoka/Busan took place from 19 to 25 June in Fukuoka, Japan. Competitions were held at Fukuoka Dome Baseball Stadium from 19 [...]

Abstract: The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying bipolar (BD) and major depressive disorders (MDD) are multifactorial but likely involve synaptic dysfunction and dysregulation. There are multiple synaptic proteins but three synaptic proteins, namely SNAP-25, PSD-95, and synaptophysin, have been widely studied for their role in synaptic function in human brain postmortem studies in BD and MDD. These studies have yielded contradictory results, possibly due to the small sample size and sourcing material from different cortical regions of the brain. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the role of these three synaptic proteins and other synaptic proteins, messenger RNA (mRNA) and their regional localizations in BD and MDD. A systematic literature search was conducted and the review is reported in accordance with the MOOSE Guidelines. Meta-analysis was performed to compare synaptic marker levels between BD/MDD groups and controls separately. 1811 papers were identified in the literature search and screened against the preset inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 72 studies were screened in the full text, of which 47 were identified as eligible to be included in the systematic review. 24 of these 47 papers were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that SNAP-25 protein levels were significantly lower in BD. On average, PSD-95 mRNA levels were lower in BD, and protein levels of SNAP-25, PSD-95, and syntaxin were lower in MDD. Localization analysis showed decreased levels of PSD-95 protein in the frontal cortex. We found specific alterations in synaptic proteins and RNAs in both BD and MDD. The review was prospectively registered online in PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews, registration no. CRD42020196932.

As new options for cancer treatment become available, it becomes more important to determine which treatments are most appropriate for particular patients. The identification of new prognostic factors seems likely to provide useful information about which patients are most likely to need more aggressive therapy and which patients are likely to enjoy a favorable outcome with minimal treatment. One characteristic of cancer cells that may prove useful as a prognostic factor is the DNA content. The advent of automated laboratory techniques has made it practical to measure DNA in cancer cells on a cell-by-cell basis. One method for accomplishing this if flow cytometry; researchers have now evaluated the use of flow cytometry in establishing prognostic factors for hepatoblastoma, a form of liver cancer. Fifteen hepatoblastoma specimens were examined. The researchers found that nine of the specimens had DNA measurements that were consistent with a diploid chromosome complement. This is the normal number of chromosomes, which in humans is 23 pairs. The remaining six tumors were aneuploid, which indicates an abnormal number of chromosomes, although some of these tumors were a mixture of both diploid and aneuploid cells. The presence of a normal diploid number of chromosomes was associated with a more favorable prognosis. The authors indicate that the five-year survival rate of the patients with diploid tumors was 100 percent, in contrast with the 20 percent five-year survival rate for patients with aneuploid tumors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to detect non-Watson-Crick base pairs of DNA. Thiol-modified DNA as a probe and mercaptohexanol (MCH) were co-immobilized to form a DNA/MCH mixed self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode surface and then hybridized with complementary DNAs. The DNA layers were measured by the EIS method and interpreted by equivalent circuits. Every terminal base mismatch of the DNA duplex brought about an increase in the charge-transfer resistance (Rct), unlike the case with a fully matched DNA duplex. The value of Rctwas highly sensitive to the number of base mismatches for both unpaired and overhang DNA at the terminal. For internal base mismatches, however, no significant increase in Rctwas observed. These experimental results proved that the charge transfer of redox molecules to the electrode surface is largely hindered by an end fraying motion due to base unpairing and dangling overhang. EIS was able to detect these steric properties of DNA strands. Furthermore, an electrode modified with G-quadruplex (G4) DNA demonstrated the influences of bulkiness and loop structure on the accessibility of the redox probe to the electrode.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of estrogen on brain serotonin 2A (5-[HT.sub.2A]) receptors in postmenopausal women and whether there was any correlation of receptor changes with cognition and mood. Method: Ten postmenopausal subjects underwent positron emission tomography measurements of 5-[HT.sub.2A] receptor binding with [[sup.18]F]deuteroaltanserin before and after estrogen replacement therapy. Results: 5-[HT.sub.2A] receptor binding was significantly increased after estrogen replacement therapy in the right prefrontal cortex (right precentral gyrus [Brodmann's area 9], inferior frontal gyrus [Brodmann's area 47], medial frontal gyrus [Brodmann's area 6, 10] and the anterior cingulate cortex [Brodmann's area 32]). In the inferior frontal gyrus [Brodmann's area 44]), receptor up-regulation was correlated with change in plasma estradiol. Verbal fluency and Trail Making Test performance, but not mood, were significantly improved by estrogen without correlation with receptor changes. Conclusions: Estrogen increases 5-[HT.sub.2A] receptor binding in human prefrontal regions.

The Modulated Wideband Converter (MWC) is one of the promising sub-Nyquist sampling architectures for sparse wideband signal sensing applications. Its frequency support detection and the reconstruction ability is well-defined through compressed sensing theory. However, the reconstruction performance of the MWC is strictly limited by the non-ideal components in practical implementations. Previous calibration methods exploit sequential single-tone signals to estimate the actual transfer function of the MWC, which is fairly time-consuming. We propose a new calibration method that estimates the actual sensing matrix coefficients of the MWC only with a single measurement based on a pilot multi-tone signal. The feasibility of the proposed calibration method is demonstrated in terms of normalized mean square error (NMSE) and image rejection ratio (IRR) of the reconstructed original signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work demonstrates a simple and specific colorimetric sensor for a hazardous small molecule, cisplatin, using a G-quadruplex (G4) DNA as a sensing probe and non-crosslinking aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a signal enhancer. AuNPs functionalized with G4 strands dispersed stably in the colloidal system. The colloidal solution colour changed in a short time from red to purple-blue after cisplatin was added to the system. The cisplatin molecule can bind at the N7 guanine base of G4, resulting in the formation of a cisplatin–DNA adduct. The adduct formed does not act as a cross-linker between the particles, but probably causes a reduction in steric repulsion, associated with unfolding of the G4 strand. This induces non-crosslinking aggregation of particles. The plasmon absorption peak shift arising from the aggregation—that is, the degree of colour change—varied with the cisplatin concentration. This sensor showed a good analytical performance with linearity from 15.0 to 30.0 μM and a detection limit of 12.9 μM. Moreover, the response of the colour change to cisplatin was found to be faster than those for other analogues such as carboplatin and oxaliplatin, indicating that this system has a high specificity for cisplatin detection.

The Modulated Wideband Converter (MWC) is one of the promising sub-Nyquist sampling architectures for sparse wideband signal sensing, cognitive radio applications and so on. In order to design an MWC-based RF receiver that meets a target RF specification, noise figure (NF) of the MWC has to be well-defined by its design properties. In this paper, we investigate a comprehensive explanation for NF of MWC by an analytic approach based on a proposed notation of an average noise figure (ANF) of the MWC. Consequently, the analysis is proven with simulation results in order to demonstrate its feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are increasing numbers of studies on the design and evaluation of functional ionic liquids (ILs). Recent progress of functional ILs has been reviewed here. Applications of ILs as solvents for hardly-soluble materials in ordinary solvents are discussed mainly from the viewpoint of energy conversion. We focus on a potential application of ILs as electrolyte solution substituents not only for battery but also other electrochemical devices. Also, the uses of ILs as solvents for biomolecules, especially for dissolution of proteins are summarized. Recent progress with zwitterionic ILs and polymerized ILs are also reviewed as unique morphology ILs. Mixtures of molecular liquids and ILs are quite interesting systems, and thermotropic phase change of these mixtures is described including some applications.Recent progress of functional ILs has been reviewed. Applications of ILs as solvents for hardly-soluble materials as well as electrolyte solution substituents are mentioned. Recent progress of zwitterionic type ILs and polymerized ILs are also reviewed. Mixtures of molecular liquids and ILs are quite interesting systems, and thermotropic phase change of these mixtures is described including some applications.

This paper presents an energy- and area-efficient architecture for approximated discrete cosine transform (DCT). Due to the good compression ability, DCT is widely exploited in signal processing. However, it is computationally intensive especially for large transform sizes. In this paper, we have reduced the computation cost of DCT by truncating a couple of least significant bits (LSB), most significant bits (MSB), and zero columns. First, considering that the contribution of LSBs is weakened because of the final right shift operation, we have eliminated the computation process for some LSBs. For the addition of the remaining LSBs, a parallel carry propagation adder is proposed to reduce the calculation latency. Second, owing to the phenomenon that high-frequency components are quite small in natural scenes, a couple of MSBs are selectively truncated according to their positions. Third, quantization is taken into account for the system-level optimization. The quantized results of all-zero columns are utilized to skip the column transforms afterward. The experimental results show that at most 32% area consumption and 60% power consumption can be reduced compared with the originally accurate DCT, while the compression efficiency loss caused by the DCT approximation is negligible for High Efficiency Video Coding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RoboCup is an international research initiative that encourages research in the fields of robotics and AI, with a particular focus on developing cooperation between autonomous agents in dynamic multiagent environments. […], The Fourth Robotic Soccer World Championships (RoboCup-2000) was held from 27 August to 3 September 2000 at the Melbourne Exhibition Center in Melbourne, Australia. In total, 83 teams, consisting of about 500 people, participated in RoboCup-2000, and about 5000 spectators watched the events. RoboCup-2000 showed dramatic improvement over past years in each of the existing robotic soccer leagues (legged, small size, mid size, and simulation) and introduced RoboCup Jr. competitions and RoboCup Rescue and Humanoid demonstration events. The RoboCup Workshop, held in conjunction with the championships, provided a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences among the different leagues. This article summarizes the advances seen at RoboCup-2000, including reports from the championship teams and overviews of all the RoboCup events.

Sony has provided a robot platform for research and development in physical agents, namely, fully autonomous legged robots. In this article, we describe our work using Sony's legged robots to participate at the RoboCup-98 legged robot demonstration and competition. Robotic soccer represents a challenging environment for research in systems with multiple robots that need to achieve concrete objectives, particularly in the presence of an adversary. Furthermore, RoboCup offers an excellent opportunity for robot entertainment. We introduce the RoboCup context and briefly present Sony's legged robot. We developed a vision-based navigation and a Bayesian localization algorithm. Team strategy is achieved through predefined behaviors and learning by instruction., Problem solving in complex domains necessarily involves multiple agents, dynamic environments, and the need for learning from feedback and previous experience. Robotic soccer is an example of one such complex [...]

As fabricated circuitry becomes larger and denser, the modern industrial automatic test pattern generation techniques, which focus on the detection of single faults, become more likely to overlook multiple (simultaneous) faults. Although there are exponentially more multiple faults than single faults in any given circuit design, only a few additional test patterns are needed to cover all of the multiple faults, if the test generation starts from the complete test set for single faults. In this paper, we first show the case where test patterns for single faults are sufficient to cover all multiple faults, and then explain in which conditions some of the multiple faults may be overlooked. Based on this analysis, we propose a method that can efficiently generate the complete test set for double faults without traversing all the faults. Since most of the double faults can be detected by the single faults’ test set, the proposed method only selects the uncovered double faults by analyzing the propagation paths of single faults, and then generating new test patterns only for those uncovered faults. The experimental results show that based on the single faults’ test set, the proposed method only needs to create a small number of additional test patterns to cover all double faults in most of the given circuits. By repeating the same process, the proposed method can be incrementally applied to deal with all multiple faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has investigated the plastic forming of magnesium alloys plate. It is not easy to perform the cold-worked with the usual plastic forming method although magnesium alloys have the advantages in terms of strength-to-weight ratio. Therefore, explosive forming method which is one of the plastic forming methods with a specific forming mechanism has been applied. At first, numerical simulations have been conducted to clarify the optimal combination conditions, and then we have verified practical effectiveness of this proposed method by using experimental study.

The aim of the article is to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between single and double stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cell injections in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). We included 54 patients treated for varus knee OA with intra-articular SVF cell injection. They were divided into two groups: those who received one injection and those who received two. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, knee range of motion, and knee muscle force were assessed at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after the first injection. The preoperative hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle was evaluated using plain radiographs, and T2 mapping values were assessed. The total WOMAC score improved significantly in the single injection group from 3 to 24 months, but the total WOMAC score in the double injection group improved significantly at 24 months. The T2 mapping values in both the groups improved, with a significant difference at 12 months. The preoperative mean HKA angle and the correlation coefficients between the HKA angle and the total WOMAC score and between the HKA angle and the T2 mapping value of the medial femur were significant. In conclusion, double injections may provide more satisfactory treatment outcomes in patients with severe varus knee alignment. This clinical trial is registered in the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (URL: https://saiseiiryo.mhlw.go.jp/published_plan/index/2) with the registration name “Cell transplantation therapy for osteoarthritis using autologous subcutaneous adipose tissue-derived regenerative (stem) cells (ADRCs),” and the registration number was “PB5160012.”

IMPORTANCE: Neuroinflammation may play a role in epilepsy. Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), a biomarker of neuroinflammation, is overexpressed on activated microglia and reactive astrocytes. A preliminary positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging study using carbon 11 ([11C])–labeled PBR28 in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) found increased TSPO ipsilateral to seizure foci. Full quantitation of TSPO in vivo is needed to detect widespread inflammation in the epileptic brain. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patients with TLE have widespread TSPO overexpression using [11C]PBR28 PET imaging, and to replicate relative ipsilateral TSPO increases in patients with TLE using [11C]PBR28 and another TSPO radioligand, [11C]DPA-713. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In a cohort study from March 2009 through September 2013 at the Clinical Epilepsy Section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, participants underwent brain PET and a subset had concurrent arterial sampling. Twenty-three patients with TLE and 11 age-matched controls were scanned with [11C]PBR28, and 8 patients and 7 controls were scanned with [11C]DPA-713. Patients with TLE had unilateral temporal seizure foci based on ictal electroencephalography and structural magnetic resonance imaging. Participants with homozygous low-affinity TSPO binding were excluded. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The [11C]PBR28 distribution volume (VT) corrected for free fraction (fP) was measured in patients with TLE and controls using FreeSurfer software and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for anatomical localization of bilateral temporal and extratemporal regions. Side-to-side asymmetry in patients with TLE was calculated as the ratio of ipsilateral to contralateral [11C]PBR28 and [11C]DPA-713 standardized uptake values from temporal regions. RESULTS: The [11C]PBR28 VT to fp ratio was higher in patients with TLE than in controls for all ipsilateral temporal regions (27%-42%; P < .05) and in contralateral hippocampus, amygdala, and temporal pole (approximately 30%-32%; P < .05). Individually, 12 patients, 10 with mesial temporal sclerosis, had asymmetrically increased hippocampal [11C]PBR28 uptake exceeding the 95% confidence interval of the controls. Binding of [11C]PBR28 was increased significantly in thalamus. Relative [11C]PBR28 and [11C]DPA-713 uptakes were higher ipsilateral than contralateral to seizure foci in patients with TLE ([11C]PBR28: 2%-6%; [11C]DPA-713: 4%-9%). Asymmetry of [11C]DPA-713 was greater than that of [11C]PBR28 (F = 29.4; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Binding of TSPO is increased both ipsilateral and contralateral to seizure foci in patients with TLE, suggesting ongoing inflammation. Anti-inflammatory therapy may play a role in treating drug-resistant epilepsy.

Poly(l-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)/hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HAp) composites were fabricated by the in situpolymerization of l-lactide and glycolide in porous HAp disks, using lipase MM, derived from Mucor miehei, as a catalyst. Various PLGA/HAp composites were obtained by changing the feed ratio of l-lactide and glycolide. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and porosity measurements showed that the porous HAp was completely filled with PLGA after polymerization at 100 °C for 9 days. Lactyl unit fractions (FL) of obtained PLGA calculated from the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance were consistent with the feed fraction of l-lactide (fL). The PGA/HAp, PLGA20/HAp, PLGA50/HAp, PLGA80/HAp and PLLA/HAp composites showed maximum bending strengths of 91.1 MPa, 78.8 MPa, 73.4 MPa, 54.3 MPa and 67.0 MPa, respectively. These values were 4.7–2.8 times greater than that of the untreated porous HAp disks and were suitable for artificial bone materials. The cell adhesion and proliferation properties of these materials with osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells suggest that these PLGA/HAp composites have suitably bioactive surfaces. The PLGA/HAp composites showed higher alkaline phosphatase activity after cultivation of rat bone marrow stromal cells.

Increasing the number of business operators using anonymously processed information is a critical privacy topic in Japan. To promote the use of the information, an “anonymization dictionary” is proposed and implemented. The dictionary is the system that shares use-cases regarding the manner by which business operators produce and provide anonymously processed information. To develop this system, two technical difficulties are resolved: the lack of (i) a method to acquire the use-cases and (ii) a data structure to store the use-cases. In terms of (i), disclosed statements that specify the production and provisioning processes for anonymously processed information is focused. To recognize the statements described in the business operators’ webpages as the use-cases, a web crawler that acquires the statements is developed. The crawler acquires 331 use-cases (statements) in a short duration. In terms of (ii), to define a concrete data structure to store anonymously processed information use-cases, the structure of the use-cases acquired is analyzed. The use-cases are stored into the structure and then in the DB of the dictionary application. This enables a search function to be provided for identifying the necessary use-cases and organizing use-cases in a readable form to the business operators.

The metal jet that is flowed out by the oblique collision between a metal flier plate and a metal block becomes a high velocity. We have been developing the device that makes a material extremely high pressure by using the metal jet. The flier plate of the previous device had been accelerated by using a high explosive. There were several problems in the collection and analysis of the material that had been made the high pressure. Therefore we thought up the new device of which the flier plate was accelerated by a powder gun. The collision process was examined by a numerical simulation because the collision process of the flier plate of this device differs from that of the previous device. LS-DYNA was used for a numerical simulation and the difference of the collision process was clarified.

t is well known as an important merit of the explosive forming process that the delicate figure of the die surface is precisely transferred onto the specimen of a thin metal plate, because the plate is strongly pressed against the die by the very high pressure of underwater shock wave. However, we cannot find any examples of work pieces making the best use of the merit in literatures until now. We tried to form explosively a thin copper plate into shapes of a palm and a back of human hand, as a work piece making the best use of the merit. The palm has many small delicate lines such as fingerprints and the back has interesting figures such as loose skin at the joints of fingers and the borders of fingernails. The object of the present investigation is to make work pieces just like to a real hand. In this investigation, the following process is adopted in order to perform successfully explosive forming ; real hand plaster concave model convex model of Duplicone (material for dental impression) die of Ren Cast (a kind of epoxy resin) explosive forming. Annealed copper plates of 0.3 mm thick were used in the experiments. Since the extension limit of the plate is not so large, the plate is apt to be broken. If the plate is broken, the die is modified not to break the plate. Though the die made of epoxy resin is too hard to be modified, the plaster model can be easily modified with a cutter knife or a chisel. The modified die is obtained through model of Duplicone made by using the modified plaster model. After a few times of repeating modification, the breakage of plate was scarcely produced. On the work piece of palm, a lot of small lines including finger prints clearly appeared and the work piece of the back showed the shape just like to real human hand.

When a few branched holes are made in order to cross a main hole at right angle, burrs are produced on the sidewall of the main hole at end of each branched hole. The principle of the process is as follows. After the specimen of which all holes are closed by using sealing tape is submerged, explosive set at the position a little apart from the entrance of the main hole is detonated. As soon as the generated underwater shock wave is arrived at the entrance of the main hole, the sealing tape is broken and the water stream with very high velocity flows into the main hole. The deburring is performed by the action of the water stream with very high velocity. The deburring is sufficiently succeeded in most case. When the main hole is closed, however, the deburring could not be succeeded at the branched hole very near closed position. In order to improve the insufficiency of the process, we designed new equipment in order that underwater shock wave may be concentrated at the entrance of main hole and the water stream with very high velocity, which is caused by the shock wave, may flow along sidewall on which burr is generated. In the present report, we propose the new method and give full account of the experimental results for deburring obtained by using the equipment.

Image-derived input function (IDIF) from carotid arteries is an elegant alternative to full arterial blood sampling for brain PET studies. However, a recent study using blood-free IDIFs found that this method is particularly vulnerable to patient motion. The present study used both simulated and clinical 11C(R)-rolipram data to assess the robustness of a blood-based IDIF method (a method that is ultimately normalized with blood samples) with regard to motion artifacts.

Detonating code, which is a flexible code with an explosive core, is normally used to transmit the ignition of explosives with high detonation velocity 6 km/s. Therefore it is difficult to use detonating code for the explosive welding of common metals toward the detonating direction since the welding velocity exceeds the sound velocity of metals. Hence, an explosive welding method using underwater shock wave generated by the detonation of detonating code was tried. In the present investigation, the details of the experimental setup and results are reported. And the welding conditions are discussed through numerical simulation. From these results it is observed that the above technique is suitable to weld thin metal plates with relatively less explosives.

Hot dynamic densification method was developed by combining self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) with explosively shock powder compaction technique. This method is extremely short time processing. The main purpose in this study is to perform from synthesis to densification of TiB2-TiN system high temperature ceramic composites and TiB2-TiNi-Cu system functionally graded materials (FGMs) in one step. In TiN-TiB2 ceramic composites, they showed up to 95% of relative density. It was appeared by TEM observations that both the two phases joined tightly each other. The FGMs also were produced by the same technique. They indicated no interlayer exfoliation and no macro cracks after thermal shock tests from 973 K to room temperature. It was shown that thermoelastic property of intermetallic TiNi phase as intermediate layer between ceramics and metal layers operated effectively.

The various techniques of phase transformation of the material have been proposed by many researchers. We have developed several devices to generate the ultrahigh pressure by using high explosive. One of them uses metal jets. It is expected that the ultrahigh pressure occurs by the head-on collision between metal jets, because the velocity of the metal jet is very high. By mixing a powdered material with metal jets, the pressure of the material becomes high. The purpose of this study is to transform the phase of the powdered material by using this high pressure. The powders of the graphite and hBN were applied. The synthesis to the diamond and cBN was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). In this paper, the mechanism of the generation of the ultrahigh pressure is explained and the results of the observation of the powder by using scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) are reported.

Fluorene-thiophene copolymers having chiral and azobenzene substituents, PAzB4-T, were synthesized by the Pd-catalyzed Suzuki coupling method. We studied the aligning organization of the main chain of PAzB4-T with the activation of the attached functional groups by thermal annealing and photo-annealing processes. Circular dichroism (CD) measurements revealed that the thermally annealed PAzB4-T spin-coated films exhibited bisignate Cotton effects over the absorption regions of the polymer main chains and the azobenzene side chains due to the formation of chiral assemblies. After the photo-annealing process, which means linearly polarized light irradiation accompanied by thermal annealing, the PAzB4-T spin-coated films showed linear dichroism over the absorption region of the main chains, due to the alignment of azobenzene side chains against the electric field of the linearly polarized light. These results suggested that rigid conjugated polymers were successfully aligned by the alignment of functional groups with the external stimuli.

Polythiophene derivatives containing a phosphonate ester group, poly [3-(3-diethyl-phosphonate) propoxythiophene] (PEPPT), were synthesized by Rieke and oxidative polymerization methods. These PEPPTs were soluble in polar organic solvents such as methanol, DMF, and chloroform. The head-to-tail ratio of PEPPT (Rieke) was estimated to be 98 % by 1H NMR spectroscopy, while that of PEPPT (Oxidative) was estimated to be 53 %. The maximum absorption peak of PEPPT (Rieke) was observed at 596 nm, which was 46 nm longer than that of PEPPT (Oxidative) in CHCl3 solutions. This result suggests that the planarity of PEPPT (Rieke) is higher than that of PEPPT (Oxidative) due to the high regioregularity of the side chains. The estimated band gap of PEPPT was 1.60 eV for Rieke-synthesized derivatives. The XRD peak of PEPPT(Rieke) was observed at 5.14º (17.2 Å) and that of PEPPT (Oxidative) was not clearly observed, suggesting that PEPPT(Rieke) has self-organized properties to form a layered structure.

Layered perovskite (RNH3)2PbI4 (R = organic cation), which contained the fullerene derivatives, [ethyl-3-tert-butoxycarbonylaminopropyl (1,2-methanofullerene C60)]-61,61-di carboxylate iodide (EAF-I) and di [3-tert-butoxycarbonylaminopropyl (1,2-methanofullerene C60)]- 61,61-dicarboxylate diiodide (DAF-I2) in the organic layers were fabricated and compared with previously reported perovkite compound containing N-methyl-2-(4-aminophenyl)-fulleropyrrolidine iodide (AmPF-I). Because the solvent solubilities of EAF-I and DAF-I2 to N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) were higher than AmPF-I, the film processability of EAF-I and DAF-I2 was improved compared with AmPF-I. The X-ray diffraction patterns proved the construction of the perovskite structure in (EAF)2PbI4 and (AmPF)2PbI4 cast films. EAF was well-organized and closer-packing than AmPF in the perovskite structure. For the diamine-type fullerene, DAF-I2, it is difficult to form layered structure by spin-coated or cast methods. New sharp X-ray diffraction peaks were observed for DAF-I2 films dipped in PbI2 solution. The intercalations and formation of perovskite structure of (DAF)PbI4 were studied.

Oligothiophene derivatives, 4,4’-bis-(2-aminoethylthienyl)-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene dihydrohalide (AET-EDOT·HX: X = I, Br), were synthesized by Grignard coupling reactions. The hybrid films of oligothiophene and lead halide were fabricated by casting and spin-coating methods. The effect of halogen species on the optical properties of the perovskites was investigated. The X-ray diffraction profiles of (AET-EDOT)PbX4 cast films indicated that the layered structures were formed by the self-organization. After hybridization of AET-EDOT·HX with PbX2, new absorption peaks due to the confined excitons were observed at 400 nm for (AET-EDOT)PbBr4 film, and at 395 nm for (AET-EDOT)PbI4 film. These results indicated that the diamino-type oligothiophenes were successfully incorporated into the organic-inorganic layered perovskites. AFM images of (AET-EDOT)PbX4 cast films showed polycrystalline grains, indicating that the polycrystalline structures covered on the substrate surface.

The purpose of our research is to generate the ultrahigh pressure by using high explosive and to transform a phase of a material. The extremely high impulsive pressure generator that has been developed by us uses the head-on collision between metal jets. Because the velocity of the metal jet is very high, the ultrahigh pressure will generate. If a powdered material is mixed to metal jets, it is expected that the material is transformed to a high pressure phase by this ultrahigh pressure. A graphite powder was used to synthesize a diamond. The existence of the diamond was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). In this paper, the mechanism of the generation of the ultrahigh pressure is explained and the results of the observation of the powder by using scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) are reported.

A burr is most commonly created after machining operations, such as drilling. Drilling burrs, for example, are common when drilling almost any material. When burrs are broken during the operation of a machine including the parts with the created burrs, the broken piece is in fear of disturbing normal operation or damaging the parts of the machine, so that the sufficient deburring is requested because it can affect equipment performance, reliability, and durability. Several deburring method have been developed up to date. In the present report, we proposed a deburring method by means of applying underwater shock wave. The method is as follows: after all entrance of holes is closed with seal tape, the equipment is submerged, so that all passages for running fluid are filled with air. The explosive is set under water near the entrance of the main hole. As soon as the explosive is detonated, the underwater shock wave generated at the detonation point arrives at the entrance of the hole and breaks through the tape. The water flows into the hole with a high speed. The burr is broken by water hummer action of high speed. In the present investigation, the experiments of deburring are performed under some setting conditions of explosive. It is found by experimental results, that the burr is sufficiently removed with the newly proposed method. When the shock pressure is sufficiently high at the entrance of hole, the burr is broken surface is smooth as polished one. When the shock pressure is not sufficiently high, the broken surface of the burr is notched.

Detonating code is a flexible code with an explosive core. It is used to transmit the ignition of explosives with high detonation velocity in the range of 5.5 to 7 km/s. However, it is difficult to use detonating code for the explosive welding of common metals since the horizontal point velocity usually exceeds the sound velocity. Hence, in the present work, a new method using underwater shock wave generated by the detonation of detonating code was tried. The details of the experimental parameters and the results are presented. From the results it is observed that the above technique is suitable to weld thin metal plates with relatively less explosives.

carbonyl11CBenzyl acetate 11C1 has been proposed as a potential agent for imaging glial metabolism of acetate to glutamate and glutamine with positron emission tomography. 11C1 was synthesized from 11Ccarbon monoxide, iodomethane and benzyl alcohol via palladiummediated chemistry. The radiosynthesis was automated with a modified Synthia platform controlled with inhouse developed Labview software. Under production conditions, 11C1 was obtained in 10 n6 decaycorrected radiochemical yield from 11Ccarbon monoxide in >96 radiochemical purity and with an average specific radioactivity of 2415 mCiµmol. The total radiosynthesis time was about 45 min. Peak uptake of radioactivity in monkey brain SUV3.1 was relatively high and may be amenable to measuring uptake and metabolism of acetate in glial cells of the brain. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bonding interface in aluminum (Al) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) clad fabricated by explosive welding has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nanocrystalline region was clearly observed at the interface between Al and Si3N4. Electron diffraction pattern and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) measurements across the interface revealed that this nanocrystalline region consist of the only aluminum.

[n]Cyclo-para-phenylene congeners of n= 12, 16, 20 with n/2 nitrogen atoms were synthesized via Pt-mediated one-pot macrocyclization reactions. The reaction allowed diversification of participating arylene numbers to afford a series of nanohoop molecules. Spectroscopic analyses in solution showed arylene rotations, and crystallographic analyses in crystals revealed an interesting packing motif. The nanohoop molecules were interwoven by the alkyl substituents in a thread-in-bead manner to form nanoporous packing structures in the crystal.

Program slicing is a software-analysis technique that generates System Dependence Graphs (SDGs) by which dependencies among program statements can be identified through their traversal. We have developed a program slicing tool for SpecC, a C-based system level design language for hardware/software co-designs, on top of a program slicer for C/C++. This program slicing tool can generate SDGs from any combined descriptions in C, C++, and SpecC, and can be used to analyze design descriptions for hardware/software co-designs uniformly and smoothly in all the combined descriptions. In this paper, after reviewing our program slicer that generates SDGs, we present verification and synthesis techniques for hardware/software co-designs through various analyses on SDGs and generations of SAT/ILP problems from them. For analysis and verification of the combined descriptions, we examine SDGs statically by traversing them with SAT/ILP solvers as verification engines. With this method, many static checks can be efficiently realized even if the target design descriptions are fairly large. We first present techniques for checking synchronization among concurrent processes described in SpecC through symbolic analysis on SDGs. The techniques could verify the synchronization of MPEG4 descriptions with about 48,000 lines within 10 seconds. The techniques can be applied to automatic conversions between sequential and parallel computations. One such application to automatic program serialization is presented. By using the technique for automatic program serialization, we could serialize Vocoder descriptions with about 10,000 lines in around 1 minute. As for synthesis from the combined descriptions, we present an optimal code generation method based on SAT formulation. It can generate codes for reconfigurable processors with minimum code lengths. The sizes of problems as SAT formulation range from 10,000 to 100,000 variables and 100,000 to 500,000 clauses for the largest configurations. With appropriate uses of the state-of-the-art SAT solvers and related tools, we show that fairly practical sizes of verification and synthesis problems can be solved by analyzing SDGs generated from the combined descriptions.

In the research center for advances in impact engineering established in Sojo university, advanced materials have been synthesized by using shock wave and their microstructure has been investigated. An extremely high shock pressure and a dynamic hot compaction technique were developed, and the synthesis of the advanced materials and composites was succeeded. Transmission electron microscopy observations revealed unique microstructures of such materials obtained by our original advanced technique.

A new method has been developed to generate an extremely high impulsive pressure by using a metal jet that is discharged when a metal collides with another metal. The high pressure is used to synthesize a new material. When a metal plate was accelerated by the detonation of an explosive, it collides with the concentric circle of the conic surface of a conical concave metal block metal jets are discharged from all parts on the concentric circle. The metal jets fly toward the center while converging and collide with each other at the central axis. Because those collide at high-speed pressure becomes extremely high. The flight direction of the converged metal jet changes downward. The metal jet collides with the bottom of the block. A large hole is formed inside the bottom. The formation process of the hole was examined by the observation of the section of the block. A specimen powder that was rubbed to the conic surface is discharged with the metal jet and become the high pressure. The specimen powder is synthesized to a different material. The synthesized material is held inside the formed hole. The existence of cBN was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction of the synthesized material, in the case that BN was used as the specimen powder. Similarly, the existence of diamond was confirmed in the case of graphite powder.