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We created a Traditional Japanese Diet Score (TJDS), and to clarify the relationship between TJDS and obesity, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and healthy life expectancy (HALE). Ecological study Food (g/day/capita) and energy (kcal/day/capita) supply was determined using the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistics Division database. The sum of characteristic traditional Japanese foods (beneficial food components in the Japanese diet: rice, fish, soybeans, vegetables, eggs, and seaweeds; food components rarely used in the Japanese diet: wheat, milk, and red meat) was divided as tertiles (beneficial food components: −1, 0, 1; rarely used food components: 1, 0, −1). Obesity rate was determined using the World Health Organization database. Incidence of IHD, HALE and smoking rate were determined using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 database. Gross domestic product per capita, percentage of population > 65 years old, and health expenditure were determined using the World Bank database. Education years were obtained from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics. Associations between TJDS and obesity, IHD and HALE were examined in 132 countries with a population of 1 million or greater using a general linear model controlled for co-variables. Results: TJDS was distributed from −6 to 7. TJDS was inversely correlated to obesity (β±SE; −0.70±0.19, p

Summary Background & aims The associations between dietary magnesium intake and stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) incidences are inconsistent and not established in Asian. We aimed to determine the association between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of stroke and CHD in a Japanese population. Subjects/Methods We studied 85,293 Japanese subjects by questionnaire at baseline (age 45–74 years, without cardiovascular disease or cancer in 1995 and 1998 for Cohorts I and II, respectively). The participants were followed until the end of 2009 and 2010 in Cohorts I and II, respectively. Dietary magnesium intake was estimated from a self-administered 138-item food-frequency questionnaire. Results After 1,305,738 person-years of follow-up, 4110 strokes and 1283 cases of CHD were documented. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs, 95% confidence intervals, 95%CIs) of CHD for the fourth and fifth quintiles of dietary magnesium intake were 0.70 (0.50–0.99) and 0.66 (0.44–0.97) in men (P for trend = 0.036), respectively, and third quintile of dietary magnesium intake was 0.61 (0.39–0.96) in women (P for trend = 0.241), compared with the lowest quintile in men and women. We observed no decreased risks of incident stroke in men or women with higher dietary magnesium intakes. Conclusions Higher dietary magnesium intake was associated with a reduced risk of CHD in Japanese men.

A finding between dietary pattern and cancer may provide visions beyond the assessment of individual foods or nutrients. We examined the influence of dietary pattern with colorectal cancer (CRC) among a Japanese population.A total of 93,062 subjects (43,591 men, 49,471 women) who participated in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study were followed from 1995-1998 to the end of 2012, during which 2482 cases of CRC (1514 men, 968 women) were newly identified. Dietary data was obtained from a validated food-frequency questionnaire between 1995 and 1998.Three dietary pattern was derived from principal components factor: prudent, westernized, and traditional pattern. After controlled for potential confounders, the prudent pattern showed a decreased association of CRC risk in men (HR for highest quintile vs lowest: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.72-1.00; P trend0.05), slightly more strongly with distal colon cancer (P trend0.05); but an increased risk of rectal cancer in women (P trend0.05). The westernized pattern showed a significant positive linear trend for colon (P trend0.05) and distal cancer (P trend0.05) in women. There was no apparent association of traditional Japanese dietary pattern on the overall or any specific sites risk of CRC.A prudent dietary pattern showed an inverse association with CRC risk in men, and a westernized pattern was related with a higher risk of colon and distal cancer in women.

Background Mid-ventricular obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (MVO-HCM) has different blood flow dynamics from other phenotypes, but there are few detailed data on blood flow dynamics in the left ventricle. Methods 4D-Flow MRI were performed at 1.5 T or 3 T with 9 MVO-HCM patients and 22 control patients (LVEF>50%, no wall motion abnormality). Myocardial infarction, severe valvular disease, HCM cases other than MVO were excluded. We calculated the cardiac function parameters and observed blood flow dynamics in the left ventricle using 4D-Flow MRI. Results LV mass was significantly higher in MVO-HCM group than in Control group (Control group; 73.3g vs MVO-HCM group; 109.5g, P=0.019). LVEF was higher in MVO-HCM group (Control group; 61.6% vs MVO-HCM group; 70.6%, P=0.026), but Stroke volume did not differ between the two groups (Control group; 68.8ml vs MVO-HCM group; 64.4ml, P=0.43).One or two vortices were observed in the left ventricle after opening the mitral valve. Two vortices were observed in 16 cases (72.7%) in the control group and 9 cases (100%) in the MVO-HCM group. Two vortices were formed on the anterior side and the posterior side. Blood flow pattern in which the vortex on the posterior side was formed to be the same size or larger than the vortex on the anterior side was observed only in the MVO-HCM group (Control group; 0% vs MVO-HCM group; 66.7%, P Streamline of MVO-HCM & Control Conclusion Characteristic blood flow patterns in the left ventricle of the MVO-HCM were revealed by using 4D-MRI. We thought that blood flow collides with the left ventricle wall due to the marked hypertrophy in the mid-ventricle, and normal vortex ring can not be formed in the MVO-HCM cases.

Background:Potential efficacy and favorable safety profiles of tocilizumab (TCZ) have been demonstrated in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) [1, 2]. However, clinical outcomes after dose-reduction or discontinuation of TCZ due to an improvement of skin thickness remain unclear.Objectives:To investigate the clinical outcomes after dose-reduction or discontinuation of TCZ in patients with dcSSc in a real-world setting.Methods:This is a single-center, retrospective, observational study using a database of consecutive SSc patients who visited our center between April 2014 and October 2020. For this study, we selected eligible patients from the database based on the following criteria: patients who (i) fulfilled the ACR/EULAR classification criteria, (ii) were classified as having dcSSc, (iii) had been treated with TCZ for at least 6 months, and (iv) were follow-up >6 months after TCZ introduction. Clinical information including demographic and clinical characteristics at TCZ introduction; dosing, administration route, and adherence of TCZ; and serial clinical parameters (modified Rondan total skin thickness score [mRSS], and percent predicted forced vital capacity [%FVC]), safety profiles, and outcomes after TCZ introduction regardless of TCZ continuation were extracted from the database.Results:Of 404 patients enrolled in the database, 13 dcSSc patients were eligible for this study. Baseline characteristics included a mean age of 51 ± 9 years, 85% female, disease duration of 27 ± 24 months, and mRSS of 19.5 ± 10.6. Seven patients (54%) had HRCT-confirmed ILD at baseline, and 9 (69%) were positive for anti-topoisomerase I antibody. Two (14%) and 11 (85%) were on mycophenolate mofetil and low-dose prednisolone (7.2 ± 6.0 mg/day), respectively. Seven patients (54%) each had active skin disease and elevated inflammatory markers defined in the phase III clinical trial [2], while only 4 (31%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. TCZ was initially administered intravenously (8 mg/kg every 4 weeks) in 8 patients and subcutaneously in 5 (162 mg every 2 weeks in 4 and every week in one). At one year, mRSS was improved from 20.9 ± 11.4 to 10.7 ± 8.9 in 11 patients (p = 0.007), and %FVC was stable in 7 patients with ILD (76.8 ± 15.0 to 78.6 ± 16.1). During the observation period of 60.4 ± 26.7 months, 4 patients were treated with a stable dose of TCZ, while TCZ dose was reduced and/or discontinued in 9. Four of them discontinued TCZ due to adverse events (n = 2; acute lung injury and phlegmon) or prominent improvement of skin thickening (n = 2). Of 9 patients with dose reduction/discontinuation of TCZ, 4 patients who discontinued TCZ (n = 3) or received dose reduction of TCZ (n = 1) experienced a recurrence of progressive skin thickening together with inflammatory complications, including edematous induration of the skin, progression of ILD, polyarthritis, and/or pericarditis with increased inflammatory markers. The interval between dose-reduction/discontinuation of TCZ and clinical worsening ranged from 2 to 11 months. These manifestations were promptly improved by dose-escalation or resumption of TCZ in all patients except one who experienced progressive ILD and died of respiratory failure 27 months later.Conclusion:In dcSSc patients who experienced improvement of skin thickness during treatment with TCZ, dose-reduction or discontinuation of TCZ may result in a recurrence of the disease. Randomized comparative studies are necessary to examine optimal timing for dose-reduction or discontinuation of TCZ in dcSSc patients after improvement of skin thickness.References:[1]Khanna, D., et al., Safety and efficacy of subcutaneous tocilizumab in systemic sclerosis: results from the open-label period of a phase II randomised controlled trial (faSScinate). Ann Rheum Dis, 2018. 77(2):212-220.[2]Khanna, D., et al., Tocilizumab in systemic sclerosis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Respir Med, 2020; 8(10): 963-974.Disclosure of Interests:Yohei Isomura: None declared, Yoshioki Yamasaki Speakers bureau: Boehringer-Ingelheim, Nippon Shinyaku, Bristol Myers, Yuichiro Shirai Speakers bureau: Janssen, Grant/research support from: Janssen, Masataka Kuwana Speakers bureau: Abbie, Astellas, Asahi Kasei Parma, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chugai, Eisai, Janssen, MBL, Mochida, Nippon Shinyaku, Ono Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Tanabe-Mitsubishi, Consultant of: Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chugai, Corbus, MBL, Mochida, Grant/research support from: Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chugai, Eisai, MBL, Ono Pharmaceuticals, Tanabe-Mitsubishi

Large avulsed skin flaps of the lower extremity caused by degloving injuries eventually develop skin necrosis in most cases. The current treatment option involves excision of the degloved skin and reapplication as a full- or split-thickness skin graft. We considered that reattachment of avulsed skin flaps without excision would be theoretically beneficial, since some circulation may remain around the connected pedicle and thus facilitate graft take. Furthermore, securing the skin to the original anatomic position is much easier using retained landmarks. We treated a total of 12 patients (13 cases) with degloving injuries of the lower extremity. In all cases, the avulsed skin flap was defatted and sewn back to the original position, then negative-pressure wound therapy was applied over those grafts as a bolster for approximately 7 days. Most of the avulsed skin flap took excellently, particularly close to the connected pedicle. Nine cases did not need any additional surgical procedures. Four cases required secondary skin graft for a small area of open wound due to partial necrosis of the defatted skin, as well as the raw surface left by the primary skin defect in the initial operation. Primary reattachment of the avulsed skin flaps without excision is convenient and efficient to cover the open wound over the exposed fascia and periosteum in degloving injuries. This would potentially offer a better alternative to definitive wound closure.

We have been developing a conduction cooled 3T HTS(REBCO)-MRI system. The prototype system of 100 mm DSV (diameter spherical volume) was designed and made.The MRI image of a mouse fetus (25 mm long) was obtained successfully with 2.9 T under a power supply driven operation. However, the HTS(ReBCO)-MRI magnet still had a considerable magnetic field fluctuation for clear MRI imaging due to a long-lasting attenuation of screening current induced on the superconducting tapes. To solve this problem, we introduced a power supply system consists of a exciter power supply and a small trimming current supply, which compensates the magnetic field deviation due to the screening current, in parallel. We measured and evaluated the magnetic field stability of a commercial 3T-LTS-MRI magnet under both the power supply driven operation with proposed system and the persistent current operation. The availability of the power supply system was discussed using an experimental HTS-MRI system.

Aims Coping strategies may be significantly associated with health outcomes. This is the first study to investigate the association between baseline coping strategies and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality in a general population cohort. Methods and results The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study asked questions on coping in its third follow-up survey (2000–04). Analyses on CVD incidence and mortality included 57 017 subjects aged 50–79 without a history of CVD and who provided complete answers on approach- and avoidance-oriented coping behaviours and strategies. Cox regression models, adjusted for confounders, were used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) according to coping style. Mean follow-up time was 7.9 years for incidence and 8.0 years for mortality. The premorbid use of an approach-oriented coping strategy was inversely associated with incidence of stroke (HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73–1.00) and CVD mortality (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55–0.99). Stroke subtype analyses revealed an inverse association between the approach-oriented coping strategy and incidence of ischaemic stroke (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64–0.98) and a positive association between the combined coping strategy and incidence of intra-parenchymal haemorrhage (HR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.01–4.10). Utilizing an avoidance coping strategy was associated with increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) only in hypertensive individuals (HR = 3.46; 95% CI, 1.07–11.18). The coping behaviours fantasizing and positive reappraisal were associated with increased risk of CVD incidence (HR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03–1.50) and reduced risk of IHD mortality (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40–0.99), respectively. Conclusion An approach-oriented coping strategy, i.e. proactively dealing with sources of stress, may be associated with significantly reduced stroke incidence and CVD mortality in a Japanese population-based cohort.

This paper proposed a battery charging system for intermittent generation from a synchronous generator with a novel Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control method. Analyzing the generation with boost chopper by the state space averaging method, the internal voltage of the generator, the output voltage and the resistance of the output of the boost chopper can be estimated by with only single current sensor. Even though the intermittent generation, the proposed the battery charging system is able to charge the battery constantly because of a bi-directional DC/DC converter and an Electric Double-Layer Capacitor (EDLC). The basic principle of the proposed MPPT control method and the proposed charging system are discussed, and then confirmed by digital computer simulation using PLECS. The simulation results reveal that the proposed MPPT controller controls the maximum power point and the proposed charging system is able to charge the battery constantly.

Background and aims Higher intake of fish or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it is unclear whether increased blood levels of n-3 PUFAs are associated with reduced risk of CHD in the Japanese population. Methods The relationship between circulating levels of n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid) and risk of CHD was examined in a nested case-control study among participants in the Japan Public Health Center (JPHC)-based Study Cohort. Plasma n-3 PUFA phospholipid levels were measured at baseline by gas chromatography in 209 cases with CHD and 418 controls matched for sex, age, date of blood draw, time elapsed since last meal before blood collection, and study location. The CHD cases (n = 209) comprised 168 cases of myocardial infarction and 41 of sudden cardiac death, otherwise classified as 157 non-fatal and 52 fatal coronary events, respectively. Mean duration of follow-up was 13.5 years. Results Multivariate conditional logistic analysis showed no significant association between n-3 PUFAs and risk of total CHD. The odds ratio (OR) for the highest versus lowest quartiles of plasma n-3 PUFAs was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.41–1.51, p for trend = 0.51). Subtype analysis of CHD revealed that the multivariate ORs for the highest versus lowest quartiles for n-3 PUFAs were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.43–1.89, p for trend = 0.90) for myocardial infarction, 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.88, p for trend = 0.04) for sudden cardiac death, 0.89 (95% CI: 0.42–1.89, p for trend = 0.97) for nonfatal coronary events, and 0.12 (95% CI: 0.02–0.75, p for trend = 0.03) for fatal coronary events. Conclusions Plasma n-3 PUFA levels were not associated with risk of total CHD but were inversely associated with risks of sudden cardiac death and fatal coronary events among middle-aged Japanese individuals.

Seafood/fish intake has been regarded as a protective factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), while smoking is a strong risk factor. To examine whether associations between smoking and risk of CHD are modified by seafood/fish intake, we studied 72,012 Japanese men and women aged 45-74 years who completed 2 food frequency questionnaires, 5 years apart, during the period 1995-2009. After 878,163 person-years of follow-up, 584 incident cases of CHD (101 fatal and 483 nonfatal), including 516 myocardial infarctions, were documented. There was a clear dose-response association between smoking and CHD risk among subjects with a low seafood/fish intake (

Software designers make decisions covering a wide variety of aspects of the software to be designed through nested, intertwined processes. Some of these dependencies among design decisions might not be obvious, especially for people who didn't start with the project at the beginning of the design process. Extending or altering an existing design decision without fully understanding its dependencies might result in a deterioration of the quality of the software design. Design practice streams (DPS) tools help designers browse the segments of video data relevant to a particular topic by specifying a region on a whiteboard or by choosing a few terms used in a meeting transcript to further investigate the point of interest effectively.

In this study, we investigated the effect of multiple oral dosing of ketoconazole (KTZ) on pharmacokinetics of quinidine (QN), a CYP3A substrate with low hepatic clearance, after i.v. and oral administration in beagle dogs. Four dogs were given p.o. KTZ for 20 days (200 mg, b.i.d.). QN was administered either i.v. (1 mg/kg) or p.o. (100 mg) 10 and 20 days before the KTZ treatment and 10 and 20 days after start of KTZ treatment. Multiple oral dosing of KTZ decreased significantly alpha and beta, whereas increased t(1/2beta), V(1), and k(a). The KTZ treatment also decreased significantly both total body clearance (Cl(tot)) and oral clearance (Cl(oral)). No significant change in bioavailability was observed in the presence of KTZ. Co-administration of KTZ increased C(max) of QN to about 1.5-fold. Mean resident time after i.v. administration (MRT(i.v.)), and after oral administration (MRT(p.o.)) of QN were prolonged to about twofold, whereas mean absorption time (MAT) was decreased to 50%. Volume of distribution at steady state (V(d(ss))) of QN was unchanged in the presence of KTZ. These alterations may be because of a decrease in metabolism of QN by inhibition of KTZ on hepatic CYP3A activity. In conclusion, multiple oral dosing of KTZ affected largely pharmacokinetics of QN after i.v. and oral administration in beagle dogs. Therefore, KTZ at a clinical dosing regimen may markedly change the pharmacokinetics of drugs primarily metabolized by CYP3A with low hepatic clearance in dogs. In clinical use, much attention should be paid to concomitant administration of KTZ with the drug when given either p.o. or i.v.

Proposes a novel concept of an intelligent navigator that can give a driver timely advice on safe and efficient driving. From both the current traffic conditions obtained from visual data and the driver's goals and preferences in driving, it autonomously generates advice and gives it to the driver. Not only can operational-level advice be generated, such as emergency braking due to an abrupt deceleration of the vehicle in front, but also tactical-level advice, such as lane changing due to a congested situation ahead. Two main components of the intelligent navigator - the advice generation system and the road scene recognition system - are explained. A three-level reasoning architecture is proposed for generating advice in dynamic and uncertain traffic environments. Online experiments using the prototype system show the potential feasibility of the proposed concept.

Structural ceramics are brittle and sensitive to flaws. As a result, the structural integrity of a ceramic component may be seriously affected. To overcome this problem, there are three ways: (a) inspect carefully and repair the unacceptable flaws, (b) toughen the ceramics by fiber reinforcing, (c) heal the flaws and recover strength. At the moment, there is no technique to heal embedded flaws. Therefore, a new technique to guarantee the reliability of ceramics components is demanded and so we proposed new technique: (crack-healing+proof test). For this technique, the mechanical behaviour of the crack-healed zone is very important for the structural integrity. Bending strength and fatigue strength test results of the crack-healed zone at high temperature are described. Using a process zone size failure criterion, an equation for the temperature-dependence of proof stress (σPT) is derived. The accuracy of the equation has been verified for monotonic loading tests up to 1300°C.

We examined the association between green tea consumption and mortality due to all causes, cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, injuries, and other causes of death in a large-scale population-based cohort study in Japan.We studied 90,914 Japanese (aged between 40 and 69 years) recruited between 1990 and 1994. After 18.7 years of follow-up, 12,874 deaths were reported. The association between green tea consumption and risk of all causes and major causes of mortality was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model with adjustment for potential confounders.Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality among men who consumed green tea compared with those who drank less than 1 cup/day were 0.96 (0.89-1.03) for 1-2 cups/day, 0.88 (0.82-0.95) for 3-4 cups/day, and 0.87 (0.81-0.94) for more than 5 cups/day (P for trend.001). Corresponding hazard ratios for women were 0.90 (0.81-1.00), 0.87 (0.79-0.96), and 0.83 (0.75-0.91; P for trend.001). Green tea was inversely associated with mortality from heart disease in both men and women and mortality from cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease in men. No association was found between green tea and total cancer mortality.This prospective study suggests that the consumption of green tea may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and the three leading causes of death in Japan.

We propose a method for constructing superstructure on the Web using XML and external annotations to Web documents. We have three approaches for annotating documents: linguistic, commentary, and multimedia. The result is annotated documents that computers can understand and process more easily, allowing content to reach a wider audience with minimal overhead.

Background: Microorganisms grow rapidly in propofol. Extrinsic contamination of propofol is thought to be a source of postoperative sepsis and wound infection. We studied growth of a strain of Escherichia coli in thiopental, propofol, lidocaine, and mixtures of propofol and lidocaine. Methods: The pathogen was exposed to 2.5% thiopental; 1.0% propofol; 1.0%, 2.0% and 4.0% preservative-free lidocaine; and propofol solutions containing 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, or 4.0% lidocaine for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 h at room temperature, respectively. The inocula from these suspensions were cultured for 48 h at 37°C after the antimicrobial activity of the local anesthetics in the inocula was inactivated by a 1 : 1000 dilution with distilled water. Results: No organisms grew after exposure to 2.5% thiopental. The exposure of E. coli to propofol increased the colony count to approximately 90 times the control count. The colony counts of E. coli after exposure to 1.0%, 2.0% and 4.0% lidocaine and 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 4.0% lidocaine in 1.0% propofol were lower than the counts after exposure to 1.0% propofol (P=0.0048, 0.0027, 0.0003, 0.0503, 0.0188, 0.0080, 0.0044, and 0.0001, respectively). The growth rate of the microorganism was significantly higher in cultures exposed to 1.0% propofol than that in cultures exposed to lidocaine alone or lidocaine-propofol mixtures (P

Simultaneous bi-directional transceiver logic (SBTL) doubles data bandwidth because data are transmitted simultaneously in each direction over one wire. The technique has enhanced the cost performance of a commercial high-end UNIX server because the number of LSI signal pins, board signal nets, and connectors have decreased by half. And the SBTL speed can improve to more than 1 Gb/s per pin by using advanced process and circuit technology. The previous high frequency interface uses source-synchronous transmission. But a transmission that is not synchronized with a system clock requires long latency time of several cycles for clock synchronization and data recognition at the receiver LSI. A large interface circuit for the clock synchronization is a disadvantage. Therefore, the SBTL technique synchronized with a system clock has been developed in this work to minimize the latency time even at a high frequency of 1.1 Gb/s per pin. Also, a high-speed signal pin count per LSI is important. Low-noise technique of an output buffer circuit and a package has been developed to get a 100 B high-speed data bus per LSI. The maximum data bandwidth is 110 GB/s per LSI.

No endoscopic follow-up studies are available on the development of diffuse antral vascular ectasia (DAVE). We present here a ten-year follow-up study from discrete initial lesions to the full picture of DAVE. In a 72-year-old female patient with liver cirrhosis, the earliest findings of DAVE were several red spots, with or without a white halo, in the distal antrum. During follow-up, the spots increased in number, coalesced, and extended to the proximal antrum. Three years after the initial findings, latent hemorrhage occurred at a time when confluent lesions were formed. One year later, diffuse distribution of the antral lesions was observed, which led to the diagnosis of DAVE and developed to the full picture within three more years. Two years later, the patient presented with hematemesis, which confirmed the diagnosis of DAVE clinically. Treatment consisted of monopolar electrocoagulation, leading to a stable hemoglobin value for one year. This case study provides some substantial clues to the early detection and treatment of DAVE.

A positron beam apparatus designed for defect-profile studies has been constructed. The system uses a 30 mCi 22Na source with a W foil+mesh transmission moderator. Most parts of the source chamber, beam line and target chamber are made of aluminum in order to avoid possible distortion of the positron beam by residual magnetization of stainless steel. Positron energy can be varied from 20 eV to 35 keV. An increasing magnetic field is adopted, aiming to reduce the beam diameter at all energies. The fast positron background is eliminated by a magnetic deflection system, where the positron beam is first deflected about 37° upwards and then downwards by the same angle to return the drifted beam to the axis.

A system integrated LSI chip (SLSI) that contains eleven 4-Mb DRAMs, six 64-kb SRAMs, and an 18 K-gate array, for a graphics application system is described. To implement the SLSI on a silicon chip, three key techniques have been developed: (1) system redundancy for defect relief; (2) chip configuration and fabrication with blade masking to achieve a hybrid 38.16*50.4-mm/sup 2/ chip; and (3) large-capability and high-reliability 324-pin 54*86-mm/sup 2/ plastic pin grid array package. Using a system redundancy technique, a 60% yield for the SLSI is achieved with a 40% yield for the DRAM itself. That is twice the 30% yield of the conventional repair scheme. Access times are 65 ns for the DRAM and 14 ns for the SRAM with a 3.9-W chip power dissipation. >

Phosphoinositide metabolism participates in the control of cell calcium homeostasis. Because a notable neutral lipid (1,2-diacylglycerol) is generated from phosphoinositide hydrolysis and is assumed to be a secondary messenger, we determined 1,2-diacylglycerol content and its fatty acid profiles in the thoracic aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and compared it with those of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. After the aorta was exposed to 10(-5) M norepinephrine as a stimulant, 1,2-diacylglycerol content in SHR was significantly higher by 33% than in WKY rats at 4 weeks of age, whereas there was no difference in 1,2-diacylglycerol content between the two strains at 20 weeks of age. Before norepinephrine stimulation, there was no significant difference in 1,2-diacylglycerol level between the two strains at 4 weeks of age. Analysis on a gas chromatograph showed that 1,2-diacylglycerol was composed of similar molecular species of fatty acids in aortas obtained from SHR and WKY rats. On the other hand, the cholesterol content of aortas was higher in SHR than in WKY rats at 20 weeks of age, whereas the difference at 4 weeks was not significant. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and triglyceride showed no significant difference between the two strains. It is concluded that norepinephrine-induced 1,2-diacylglycerol production increases in the thoracic aorta of SHR before the development of hypertension.

This paper presents a SIFT based map building and self localization method for mobile robots. First a mapping robot with trinocular vision builds the 3-D keypoint map of unknown environment with a high accuracy and then the working robot with a monocular vision localize the own position by matching the SIFT keypoints to the map. Experimental results of mapping and localization for a real indoor scene is shown.

This paper desbcribes an improvement of a conventional AGV in the following two points: finding a path in complex junctions, and recognition of obstacles on the path. A TV camera is employed to look ahead of the vehicle to find lines in the input image. Centers of the lines are detected by combining dynamic thesholding and differentiation. Center points are detected at several vertical positions, and the arrangement of the lines in the image is classified into several categories: a branch, a crossing, and so on. The second problem is solved by a sort of motion stereo. The motion is obtained from the image of the white lie near the potential obstacle. The height of the obstacle is computed and the decision is made if it is really an obstacle. Some experimental results are shown to verify the proposed methods. The relation to other research themes for realizing AGV for more general environments are discussed.

We propose a method for model- based scene segmentation which separates object instances from the background in the scene. An object model is composed of parameterized geo- metric primitives constrained to each other accord- ing to its shape and size variations, and the rela- tionships to other object classes. As sensory data, we use a pair of color stereo images which provides color and disparity information. Using these infor- mation and the constraints in model descriptions, we approach to the problems of scene segmenta- tion and object recognition. First, we construct a height map, which shows a top view of the input scene, transforming the disparity information into 3-D space based on the height and tilt of the camera system. Using the size constraints of the object model, we separate candidate areas for object instances from the back- ground. Next, parts of the model are extracted from the scene descriptions inside each candidate area, and free parameters in the object model are determined so that the instance can be best fitted to the model. Finally, uncertainty measure for pla- nar patches is defined and applied to the extracted parts. We show the preliminary results using car models.

We introduce utilizations of T- junctions for stereo matching and detecition of T-junctions. By identifying T-junctions we can improve matchings near occluding con4ours. T- junction is also useful for a horizontal line to de- termtine whether or not the disparity can be inter- polated because the interpolation is allowed only if none of the terminals of the horizontal line relate with T-junctions. Edges are extracted as zero-crossings of a Lapla- cian Gaussian filtered image. We analyze the re- sponse of a Laplacian of a Gaussian filtered image at ideal T-junctions and obtain a method to de- tected T-junctions from a monocular image:.

Dupuytren's contracture typically affects the fingers, usually in males, and occasionally accompanies Peyronie's disease. We report a rare case of a female patient with Dupuytren's contracture affecting the toes of both feet.

Pulsed therapy with intravenous cyclophosphamide was successful in a patient with bullous pemphigoid whose disease had proved resistant to other treatments.

The three-dimensional (3D) chip stacking technology developed in ASET is a leading technology for realization of a high-density and high-performance system-in-package (SIP). As for the advanced interconnection technology, a 20-/spl mu/m-pitch low impedance vertical interconnection through Cu through via (TV) within thin chips plays the following roles: wide signal bus and very short electrical path for high-frequency signal transmission, strong power supplies and stable ground lines. The vertical interconnection was fabricated by inter chip connection (ICC) process, which includes Cu bump bonding (CBB) utilizing Cu-Sn diffusion for connecting Cu TVs without the formation of bumps on the chip back surface and encapsulation micro thin gap between chips. We elucidate the Cu-Sn diffusion phenomena and Cu oxide influence which were important CBB issues to realize the minute interconnection of Cu TVs. The temperature cycling test (TCT) was performed on chip on chip (COC) and 3D chip stacking structures fabricated by ICC process, and over 1,000 cycles reliability was confirmed. The consistent fabrication of vertical interconnection was realized. Then, we conducted the two important electrical evaluations. One is the DC resistance of the vertical interconnection, which measured only 15.4 m/spl Omega/ per layer. Another was the signal transmission delay, and only 0.9 ps was confirmed. Therefore, the vertical interconnection with Cu TV and ICC demonstrates the excellent capability of high performance interconnections on 3D chip stacking package. In addition, the micro scale strip line was evaluated to realize advanced SIP. The eye diagram on 3 Gbps indicated sufficient transmission. We will be able to realize high performance advanced SIP utilizing the vertical interconnection and high-speed horizontal line.

In a cellular system with multi-hop networking, when a mobile node enters an area where mobile nodes cannot hear the base station, this node is connected to the base station by relaying capability of other mobile nodes. As a result, a cell is extended by multi-hop networking. This paper theoretically analyzes the extent of such cell extension, and discusses relation between cell extension and some mobility patterns.

We developed the CCD camera unit for a bipedal robot, which consists of a CCD camera and two mirrors. The CCD camera unit has the function of two human eyes. We conducted the distance measurement using the CCD camera unit, and its effectiveness was confirmed.

Proposes a method to autonomously select stable visual landmarks from observed features by stereo vision and a given 2D obstacle map. The robot selects as stable landmarks vertical line segments which are distinct and on a vertical plane, because they are expected to be observed reliably from various viewpoints. Due to the vision and motion error of the robot, the observed feature positions include uncertainty. This uncertainty can be reduced by matching the detected vertical plane which includes the features to a known plane in the map. The position of a selected feature is modeled by a probabilistic distribution on the known plane. The selection and modeling process is performed online to adapt to an actual lighting and background condition which varies depending on viewpoints. When the robot moves, it uses several, less uncertain landmarks to estimate its motion. Experimental results in real scenes show the validity of the proposed method.

A ceramic pin grid array (PGA) with improved 40- mu m-line thin-film aluminum metallization is described. Fine pitch bonding on 120- mu m centers has been successfully implemented. The 400-pin array package is no larger than the previous 240-pin packages. Worst-case capacitances of 1.94 pF, and inductances of 8.5 nH, have been achieved with further reductions possible. The thermal resistance of the package is 6.5 degrees C/W using an aluminum cap with aluminum fins and solder glass sealing. >

The extraction of an accurate stomach contour from radiograms for mass screening is described. The extraction is not easy because the shape and the brightness of stomach change considerably depending on the individual and the input conditions. The proposed method first obtains an approximate region, and then tracks obvious local maxima of the differentiated data in a small search area near the region to get an accurate stomach contour. If the local maximum is not found, the search area is made larger. In case it is not found even in a larger area, the stomach contour is determined by using a reference direction derived from the approximate region. The abnormalities detected from the resultant stomach contour have been satisfactory. >

Summary form only given. Dielectric isolation technology using Silicon on Insulator (SOI) substrates has attracted much attention in smart power ICs because of inherently superior isolation. In integrating power devices with control electronics on the same chip as smart power ICs, it is desirable to minimize the area of power device region while maximizing the performances (i.e., high breakdown voltage and low on-resistance), since the area of power device region mainly determines the total chip size and hence the cost. Recent publications have shown that lateral SOI power devices can achieve high breakdown voltage by optimizing the two dimensional (2-D) device parameters in accordance with the RESURF principle. However, in practice, it is also necessary to optimize the three dimensional (3-D) device parameters in order to support a given breakdown voltage within the smallest area. In this paper, we report the effect of 3-D parameters such as the curvatures of the drain and source regions, on the breakdown voltages of lateral DMOSFET (LDMOS) in SOI substrates based on experimental results and numerical simulations using cylindrical coordinates with the device simulator MEDICI.

This paper proposes a novel control architecture for autonomous vehicle driving in a dynamic and uncertain traffic environment. The architecture is composed of three levels: (1) the operational level deals with a reactive control of a vehicle in a short time cycle; (2) the tactical level decides proper maneuvers based on prediction of future states using probabilistic traffic models; (3) the meta-tactical level, which is the feature of the architecture, timely activates an appropriate tactical-level planning procedure according to both the history of maneuvers and the current traffic condition. A utility-based maneuver evaluation method is also described. The proposed architecture was tested on a highway driving simulator in various traffic scenarios; simulation results show the feasibility of the architecture.