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Vision badge is an eye lens dosimeter to measure H p(3). This study aimed to evaluate the basic characteristics of the Vision badge and its performance as an eye lens dosimeter for endoscopists by phantom study. Energy dependence was evaluated by changing the tube voltage to 50 kV (effective energy of 27.9 keV), 80 kV (32.2 keV), and 120 kV (38.7 keV). Dose linearity was evaluated by changing the number of irradiation to 1, 5, and 40 times, which corresponded to 0.53, 5.32, and 21.4 mGy. Batch uniformity was evaluated by calculating the coefficient of variation of H p(3) obtained from 10 Vision badges. Angular dependence was evaluated at 0° (perpendicular to the incident direction of x-rays), 30°, 60°, 75°, and 90°. The Vision badge and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter were attached to the inside of the radioprotective glasses, worn on the endoscopist phantom, and the H p(3) obtained from both dosimeters were compared. The H p(3) obtained from the Vision badge with 38.7 keV was 3.8% higher than that with 27.9 keV. The Vision badge showed excellent linearity (R 2 = 1.00) with the air kerma up to 21.4 mGy. The coefficient of variation of the H p(3) for 10 Vision badges was 3.47%. The relative dose of the Vision badge decreased as the angle increased up to 75°, but increased at 90°. The H p(3) obtained by the OSL dosimeter and the Vision badge were decreased as the endoscopist phantom was turned away from the patient phantom. The H p(3) that was obtained by the Vision badge was 35.5%–55.0% less than that obtained by the nanoDot. In conclusion, the Vision badge showed specific angular dependence due to its shape, but satisfactory basic properties were exhibited for all characteristics. In phantom study, the Vision badge showed generally similar trends with the OSL dosimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of the hot X-ray emitting interstellar medium in the Milky Way are important for studying the stellar feedback and for understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. We present measurements of the soft X-ray background emission for 130 Suzaku observations at 75° < l < 285° and | b | > 15°. With the standard soft X-ray background model consisting of the local hot bubble and of the Milky Way halo, residual structures remain at 0.7–1 keV in the spectra of some regions. Adding a collisional-ionization-equilibrium component with a temperature of ∼0.8 keV, much higher than the virial temperature of the Milky Way, significantly reduces the derived C-statistic for 56 out of 130 observations. The emission measure of the 0.8 keV component varies by more than an order of magnitude: assuming the solar abundance, the median value is |$3 \times 10^{-4}\, \rm {cm^{-6}\ pc}$| and the 16th–84th percentile range is |$(1\!-\!8) \times 10^{-4}\, \rm {cm^{-6}\ pc}$|⁠. Regions toward the Orion–Eridanus superbubble, having a large cavity extending from the Ori OB1 association, have the highest emission measures of the 0.8 keV component. While the scatter is large, the emission measures tend to be higher toward lower galactic latitudes. We discuss possible biases caused by the solar wind charge exchange, stars, and background groups. The 0.8 keV component is probably heated by supernovae in the Milky Way disk, possibly related to Galactic fountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present measurements of the soft X-ray background emission for 130 Suzaku observations at 75° < l < 285° and | b | > 15° obtained from 2005 to 2015, covering nearly one solar cycle. In addition to the standard soft X-ray background model consisting of the local hot bubble and the Milky Way Halo (MWH), we include a hot collisional-ionization-equilibrium component with a temperature of ∼0.8 keV to reproduce spectra of a significant fraction of the lines of sight. Then, the scatter in the relation between the emission measure vs. temperature of the MWH component is reduced. Here, we exclude time ranges with high count rates to minimize the effect of the solar wind charge exchange (SWCX). However, the spectra of almost the same lines of sight are inconsistent. The heliospheric SWCX emissions likely contaminate and give a bias in measurements of temperature and the emission measure of the MWH. Excluding the data around the solar maximum and using the data taken before the end of 2009, at | b | > 35° and 105° < l < 255°, the temperature (0.22 keV) and emission measure (2 × 10−3 cm−6 pc) of the MWH are fairly uniform. The increase of the emission measure toward the lower Galactic latitude at | b | < 35° indicates the presence of a disk-like morphology component. A composite model which consists of disk-like and spherical-morphology components also reproduces the observed emission measure distribution of MWH. In this case, the hydrostatic mass at a few tens of kiloparsec from the Galactic center agrees with the gravitational mass of the Milky Way. The plasma with the virial temperature likely fills the Milky Way halo in nearly hydrostatic equilibrium. Assuming a gas metallicity of 0.3 solar, the upper limit of the gas mass of the spherical component out to 250 kpc, or the virial radius, is ∼ a few × 1010  M ⊙. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present results from over 500 ks Chandra and XMM–Newton observations of the cool core of the Centaurus cluster. We investigate the spatial distributions of the O, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni abundances in the intracluster medium with CCD detectors, and those of N, O, Ne, Mg, Fe, and Ni with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS). The abundances of most of the elements show a sharp drop within the central 18 arcsec, although different detectors and atomic codes give significantly different values. The abundance ratios of the above elements, including Ne/Fe with RGS, show relatively flat radial distributions. In the innermost regions with the dominant Fe–L lines, the measurements of the absolute abundances are challenging. For example, AtomDB and SPEXACT give Fe = 0.5 and 1.4 solar, respectively, for the spectra from the innermost region. These results suggest some systematic uncertainties in the atomic data and response matrices at least partly cause the abundance drop rather than the metal depletion into the cold dust. Except for super-solar N/Fe and Ni/Fe, sub-solar Ne/Fe, and Mg/Fe, the abundance pattern agrees with the solar composition. The entire pattern is challenging to reproduce with the latest supernova nucleosynthesis models. Observed super-solar N/O and comparable Mg abundance to stellar metallicity profiles imply that the mass-loss winds dominate the intracluster medium in the brightest cluster galaxy. The solar Cr/Fe and Mn/Fe ratios indicate a significant contribution of near- and sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosions of Type Ia supernovae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular surface structures of the 4,4'7,7'-tetrachlorothionindigo crystal are examined using atomic for microscopy. Results show that the molecular arrangements on the (001) plane appeared to be constrained by the intermolecular interactions with underlying molecules. On the other hand, molecular arrangements on the (110) plane were determined by the cooperative motions of the stacking molecules.

Aim: This study aimed to clarify the feasibility of a mobile cardiotocogram (CTG) device for self‐monitoring fetal heart rate (FHR) in low‐risk singleton pregnant women. Methods: This study was conducted at six university hospitals and seven maternity clinics in Japan. Using a mobile cardiotocogram device (iCTG, Melody International Ltd., Kagawa, Japan), participants of more than 34 gestational weeks measured the FHR by themselves at least once a week until hospitalization for delivery. We evaluated the acquisition rate of evaluable FHR recordings and the frequency of abnormal FHR patterns according to the CTG classification system of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG). The participants also underwent a questionnaire survey after delivery to evaluate their satisfaction level of self‐monitoring FHR using the mobile CTG device. Results: A total of 1278 FHR recordings from 101 women were analyzed. Among them, 1276 (99.8%) were readable for more than 10 min continuously, and the median percentage of the total readable period in each recording was 98.9% (range, 51.4–100). According to the JSOG classification system, 1245 (97.6%), 9 (0.7%), 18 (1.4%), and four (0.3%) FHR patterns were classified as levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The questionnaire survey revealed high participant satisfaction with FHR self‐monitoring using the iCTG. Conclusion: The mobile CTG device is a feasible tool for self‐monitoring FHR, with a high participant satisfaction level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to characterize the crystal structures and photocarrier generation of thioindigo derivatives. Phenyl-1-thioglycollic acid was cyclized in chlorosulfonic acid and thionyl chloride before the resulting material was dimerized to thioindigo. Dual-layered structures were then determined for the characterization of photocarrier generation properties. Results indicated an overlapping of the indigoid part between the nearest stacking neighbors.

Abstract Background Amnioreduction remains a treatment option for pregnancies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) not meeting criteria for laser surgery or those in which it is not feasible. Amnioreduction is a relatively simple treatment which does not require sophisticated technical equipment. Previous reports of conservative management have indicated that major neurodevelopmental impairment occurs in 14.3-26% of survivors. The purpose of this study was to investigate long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in conservatively treated TTTS. Methods During the nine-year study period from January 1996 to December 2004, all pregnancies with TTTS who were admitted to our center were investigated. TTTS was diagnosed by using standard prenatal ultrasound criteria, and staged according to the criteria of Quintero et al. We reviewed gestational age at diagnosis, gestational age at delivery, the stage of TTTS at diagnosis, and diagnosis to delivery interval. Neonatal cranial ultrasound findings were reviewed and the neurodevelopmental outcomes were evaluated. Results Twenty-one pregnancies with TTTS were included. Thirteen pregnancies (62%) were treated with serial amnioreduction. The mean gestational age at delivery was 28 weeks (22 - 34 weeks). The perinatal mortality rate was 42.9%. Twenty survivors were followed up until at least 3 years of age. The mean age at follow-up was 6.3 years (3 - 12 years). Six children (30%) had neurodevelopmental impairment. Four children (20%) had major neurodevelopmental impairment and two children (10%) had minor neurodevelopmental impairment. Children with neurodevelopmental impairment were delivered before 29 weeks of gestation. Conclusions Our study showed a high rate of perinatal mortality and a high rate of major neurodevelopmental impairment in conservatively treated TTTS. The long-term outcomes for the survivors with TTTS were good when survivors were delivered after 29 weeks of gestation.