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Recent studies of metformin, the first-line drug for type 2 diabetes, have reported the involvement of gut microbiota in the mechanism underlying its antihyperglycemic effect. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of diarrhea and bloating, which are adverse effects of metformin, are unclear, and these effects decrease the quality of life of metformin-receiving patients with diabetes. In this study, we focused on the effects of metformin on gut microbiota. Namely, we examined the effects of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 (BBG9-1), which has the ability to improve dysbiosis, on the changes in gut microbiota and occurrence of soft feces (increased fecal water content) during the administration of metformin. The results showed that coadministration of BBG9-1 and metformin suppressed metformin-mediated changes in the gut microbiota and, thus, soft feces. Meanwhile, BBG9-1 did not influence the antihyperglycemic effect of metformin. Based on these results, we believe that BBG9-1, which could improve gut microbiota, suppresses metformin-induced soft feces without influencing the drug's antihyperglycemic effect.

Introduction: The disadvantage of conventional armrests is the difficulty to adjust their height and position during surgery. Objectives: We investigated whether a freely movable armrest (FMA) that follows the surgeon’s arm is useful for reducing surgeon fatigue and arm tremors and for improving surgical accuracy. Methods: In the basic study, a corneal suture was placed in porcine eyes with FMA (FMA group) or without FMA (non-FMA group). The suture was intended to pass through two points. Tremor was quantified using motion-tracking software when the needle was held. Subjective symptoms of arm-related fatigue were scored using a questionnaire. Suturing accuracy was compared between the groups. In the clinical study, the same surgeon performed corneal transplantation, cataract surgery, and glaucoma surgery with or without FMA. Fatigue scores from the questionnaire were then compared. Results: In the basic study, hand tremor at rest was significantly improved with FMA (p < 0.0001). The subjective arm fatigue score was significantly reduced (p = 0.0465), while the subjective tremor score was also significantly improved (p = 0.0453). There were no differences in the accuracy of corneal suturing with or without FMA. In the clinical study, the total and arm-related fatigue scores during corneal transplantation and glaucoma surgery tended to improve. Conclusions: FMA is a useful tool for fixing the surgeon’s arm in any position and may improve the quality of ophthalmic surgery by reducing hand tremor and fatigue.

Purpose To evaluate the age-related change in color visual acuity (CVA) in normal eyes. Methods In total, 162 normal eyes (162 subjects, women: 52, men: 110, age range: 15–68 years) with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≥20/13 were enrolled. Fifteen colors from the New Color Test (chroma 6) were applied to Landolt “C” rings, white point D65 was applied as background, and a luminance of 30 cd/m2 was set for both the rings and the background. These rings were used to measure the chromatic spatial discrimination acuity as the CVA value, while changing the stimulus size. Correlations of the CVA value of each color and age were evaluated. Mean CVA values of all 15 colors (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were compared between age groups in 10-year increments. Results Nine CVA values (red, yellow-red, red-yellow, green, blue-green, green-blue, purple, red-purple, and purple-red) were negatively correlated with age (all pp Conclusions The CVA values related to the medium/long-wavelength-sensitive cones were more susceptible to aging than those related to the short-wavelength-sensitive cones. This differed from previous reports, and may be related to the difference in the range of foveal cone function evaluated with each examination.

ObjectiveThe relationship between Helicobacter pylori and the intestinal microbiota has not yet been clearly demonstrated in children and adolescents. The present study aimed at evaluating how H. pylori infection could affect the intestinal microbiota in adolescents using genetic analysis.DesignCross-sectional study.Setting and participantsWe included subjects from a longitudinal project involving H. pylori screening and treatment of junior high school third-grade students (aged 14 or 15 years) in Saga Prefecture. The study included a control group (n=79) and an H. pylori group (n=80) tested negative and positive for the anti-H. pylori antibody in the urine and H. pylori antigen in stool specimens, respectively.InterventionsThe intestinal microbiota was evaluated in stool specimens using 16S rRNA gene/DNA/amplicon sequencing with next-generation sequencing.Primary and secondary outcome measuresWe assessed alpha and beta diversity, just as well as relative abundances within the bacterial composition at the genus level in both groups.ResultsAs shown by the alpha diversity of the 16S rRNA gene/DNA/amplicon sequence data, the control group exhibited lower microbial species richness with lower alpha diversity compared with the H. pylori group (pPrevotella genus was higher in the H. pylori group (pH. pylori group (pConclusionH. pylori infection significantly affected the intestinal microbiota in Japanese adolescents. In addition, the prevalence of the Prevotella genus is concomitantly increased along with the BMI in H. pylori-infected students.Trial registration numberUMIN000028721.

Constipation, a functional disorder of the digestive system, is common in children and adults and may compromise patient quality of life. Because many patients are not satisfied with the efficacy of existing therapies, in this study, we investigated the efficacy of the probiotic Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 (BBG9-1) in constipation induced by a low-fiber diet. After inducing constipation in rats by feeding a low-fiber diet, rats were fed a low-fiber diet mixed with BBG9-1 in 14 days to determine the efficacy of BBG9-1 for alleviating constipation. BBG9-1 significantly alleviated the dysbiosis induced by a low-fiber diet and improved the fecal counts, fecal weights, and fecal water contents. Moreover, it also improved organic acid concentrations in the cecal contents. These results suggested that in low-fiber diet-induced constipation, BBG9-1 could alleviate dysbiosis and constipation and may improve the intestinal environment, supporting its potential application in the treatment of constipation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Gut microbiota composition is associated with the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the association between gut microbiota composition and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in non-obese patients remains unclear. We compared clinical parameters and gut microbiota profiles of healthy controls and non-obese and obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. METHODS We examined the clinical parameters and gut microbiota profiles by 16S rRNA sequences and short-chain fatty acid levels in fecal samples from 51 non-obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (body mass index

Objective The therapeutic effect of pemafibrate on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) remains unknown. This retrospective, single-arm study investigated the efficacy and safety of pemafibrate in MAFLD patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Methods A total of 10 patients who received pemafibrate (oral, 0.1 mg, twice a day) at Gunma Saiseikai Maebashi Hospital between September 2018 and September 2019 were included. All patients underwent a liver biopsy, and the disease grade and stage were pathologically assessed based on the FLIP algorithm. Results The median age was 66.0 (53.8-74.8) years old, and 5 patients (50.0%) were men. All patients were diagnosed with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The fasting and non-fasting triglyceride (TG) levels were 175 (149-247) mg/dL and 228 (169-335) mg/dL, respectively. The AST and ALT values at 6 months were significantly lower than at baseline [AST: 28.0 (22.0-33.8) U/L vs. 43.5 (24.0-55.0) U/L, p=0.008, ALT: 23.0 (14.8-26.5) U/L vs. 51.5 (23.0-65.3) U/L, p=0.005, respectively], especially in NASH patients with significant activity and advanced fibrosis (p=0.040 and 0.014, respectively). Fasting TG levels were significantly lower and HDL-C levels significantly higher at 6 months than at baseline (p=0.005 and 0.032, respectively). At six months, FIB-4, the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index, and the macrophage galactose-specific lectin-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer level were significantly improved compared with baseline (p=0.041, 0.005 and 0.005, respectively). Treatment-related adverse events were not observed. Conclusion Pemafibrate treatment may be safe and effective for MAFLD patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

A treatment option for constipation that improves the quality of life is needed since available laxatives do not effectively improve the quality of life in patients with constipation. A significant association between gut dysbiosis and constipation is recognized, suggesting that probiotics may be an important option for management of constipation. The underlying mechanism by which probiotics improve constipation remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the probioticBifidobacterium bifidumG9-1 (BBG9-1) on loperamide-induced delayed colonic transit constipation and to elucidate its mechanism of action. First, the effect of BBG9-1 was evaluated in a rat model of constipation induced by subcutaneous administration of loperamide. BBG9-1 improved constipation parameters (number of feces, fecal water content, and fecal hardness) in constipated rats. Next, the relationship of organic acids and neurotransmitters to gut microbiota was investigated. BBG9-1 improved dysbiosis and prevented a decrease in butyric acid concentration in the gut, increased serum serotonin, and suppressed an increase in dopamine and a decrease in acetylcholine in serum. Further, an increase in the expression level of tryptophan hydroxylase 1, a 5-HT-synthetizing enzyme, was observed. These results suggest that BBG9-1 improves dysbiosis, which results in an increase in organic acids and improvement of neurotransmission. These actions may increase intestinal mobility, finally leading to alleviating constipation. The probiotic BBG9-1 may, therefore, be a potential option for the treatment of constipation.

Owing to the rapid progress of information and communication technology (ICT), a new manufacturing environment that utilizes the ICT infrastructure effectively is expected, and various activities are performed proactively worldwide. This activity is positioned as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industrie 4.0) by the information network and is attracting worldwide attention. Even in the shipbuilding industry, the realization of Industrie 4.0 by IoT (Internet of Things) is important. The cyber–physical system (CPS) is the core concept to realize Industrie 4.0; further, it is important to realize the cyber ​system (virtual world) that constitutes this CPS and the “factory visualization system” technology.

Metformin is reported to affect human gut microbiota, however, the nature of this association in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unknown. We enrolled 31 patients with T2DM who took metformin for the first time in this study. We compared them before and after four weeks of taking metformin. Fecal samples were collected and 16S rDNA sequences were performed to identify the gut microbiota. Blood samples and Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire results, denoting gastro-intestinal symptoms, were also collected. In the whole-group analysis, no significant differences were found at the phylum level. In a subgroup of 21 patients that excluding those using medications affecting gut microbiota, there was a significant decrease of the phylum Firmicutes (p = 0.042) and of the ratio of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes abundances (p = 0.04) after taking metformin. Changes in abdominal pain (r = &minus, 0.56, p = 0.008) and regurgitation (r = &minus, 0.53, p = 0.01) were associated with Parabacteroides. Despite there being no direct association with abdominal symptoms, our study revealed that the composition of gut microbiota in Japanese individuals with T2DM partially changed after starting metformin.

Purpose To evaluate the in vivo durability of the surface and optical properties of the implantable Collamer lens (ICL). Design Retrospective case series. Methods We included patients who developed cataracts after having undergone ICL implantation from March 2003 to May 2014 and underwent ICL explantation followed by cataract surgery from March 2017 to December 2019 at the Nagoya Eye Clinic. ICL explants were submitted to Chukyo Medical Co, Ltd (Nagoya City, Japan) for laboratory analysis using ultraviolet-visible light spectroscopy, light microscopy (LM), and scanning electron microscopy. Patients' demographic and clinical data were collected and reviewed. Results Thirteen eyes from 10 patients were studied. The average age at ICL explantation was 50.5 ± 8.5 years (range, 34.5-66.3 years). The average length of ICL stay in the eye (from implantation to explantation) was 10.5 ± 2.7 years (range, 4.4-13.7 years). No opacification or coloring of the ICL explants was observed by LM. The ICL explants showed almost the same light transmittance as that of unused ICLs. Scanning electron microscopy revealed no irregularities at the surface of the center and periphery of the optic and haptic footplate. The positioning holes did not show any deposition. Conclusion The ICLs remained in-eye for >10 years without any deterioration in the surface and optical properties of the ICL, despite their contact with the ciliary body and iris tissues and the continuous interaction with the aqueous humor components. The present study shows long-term in vivo stability of the ICL.

This research focuses on two self-localization methods for observation of the sea floor and sampling. One is a method of estimate the self-localization using Kalman filter from the acceleration data calculated from equation of motion and the velocity data considering the effect of underwater vehicle's oscillation. The other is visual odometry using a stereo camera. The AUV was deployed in a sea area 40m depth to evaluate the performance of self-localization estimated by two methods. Self-localization estimation using Kalman filter was less accurate than visual odometry, but it was confirmed that the variance of the estimated velocity was smaller than before estimation. In the visual odometry using stereo camera, it was confirmed that the estimation error depends on the travel direction of AUV and the moving direction of a stereo camera., 2019 IEEE 14th International Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS 2019), 18- 20, December, 2019, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Quantitative data on the correlation between the state and the environment of agricultural crops is expected to make agricultural factories economically sustainable. In this work, growth rate of agricultural crops from images is quantified using by optical flow technique. Additionally, we developed system for management of measurement devices and analyzing obtained data.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prediction accuracy of effective lens position (ELP) after cataract surgery using a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA). Methods Ninety-six eyes of 96 consecutive patients (aged 73.9 ± 8.6 years) who underwent cataract surgery were retrospectively studied; the eyes were randomly distributed to a prediction group (55 eyes) and a verification group (41 eyes). The procedure was repeated randomly 30 times to create 30 data sets for both groups. In the prediction group, based on the parameters of preoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT), biometry, and anterior segment (AS)-OCT, the prediction equation of ELP was created using MOEA and stepwise multiple regression analysis (SMR). Subsequently, the prediction accuracy of ELPs was evaluated and compared with conventional formulas, including SRK/T and the Haigis formula. Results The rate of mean absolute prediction error of 0.3 mm or higher was significantly lower in MOEA (mean 4.9% ± 3.2%, maximum 9.8%) than SMR (mean 7.3% ± 4.8%, maximum 24.4%) (P = 0.0323). The median of the correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.771) between the MOEA predicted and measured ELP was higher than the SRK/T (R2 = 0.412) and Haigis (R2 = 0.438) formulas. Conclusions The study demonstrated that ELP prediction by MOEA was more accurate and was a method of less fluctuation than that of SMR and conventional formulas. Translational Relevance MOEA is a promising method for solving clinical problems such as prediction of ocular biometry values by simultaneously optimizing several conditions for subjects affected by various complex factors.

PurposeTo investigate the clinical significance of color visual acuity (CVA) in preperimetric glaucoma (PPG) and open-angle glaucoma (OAG).MethodsA total of 123 eyes of 73 subjects (22 normal eyes, 14 PPG eyes, and 87 OAG eyes; mean age: 44.9 ± 10.1 years, age range: 21-64 years) were enrolled. CVA was tested for red, green-yellow, blue-green and blue-purple with a newly developed test.ResultsThere was no statistical difference in clinical background factors, including age, sex, intraocular pressure, or spherical equivalent between the three groups. Red VA and blue-green VA were significantly worse in the OAG eyes than in the normal eyes (P = 0.008 and P = 0.015, respectively), although green-yellow VA and blue-purple VA were not significantly worse. Furthermore, red VA and blue-green VA were significantly correlated with MD in a group of eyes with either PPG or OAG (r = -0.23, P = 0.023; r = -0.25, P = 0.012, respectively), but green-yellow VA and blue-purple VA were not.ConclusionRed VA and blue-green VA were detectably worse in eyes with OAG, in close association with the degree of functional loss. This suggests that measuring CVA with the new color test described here may be a promising supplement to existing methods of detecting glaucoma and evaluating its severity.

An experimental platform for serial femtosecond crystallography using an X-ray free-electron laser and its applications at SACLA are described., An experimental system for serial femtosecond crystallography using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) has been developed. It basically consists of a sample chamber, fluid injectors and a two-dimensional detector. The chamber and the injectors are operated under helium atmosphere at 1 atm. The ambient pressure operation facilitates applications to fluid samples. Three kinds of injectors are employed to feed randomly oriented crystals in aqueous solution or highly viscous fluid. Experiments on lysozyme crystals were performed by using the 10 keV XFEL of the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free-electron LAser (SACLA). The structure of model protein lysozyme from 1 µm crystals at a resolution of 2.4 Å was obtained.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) dissects the sphincter of Oddi by cutting and/or causing the coagulation of the tissue using an electrosurgical current. Complications of EST include acute pancreatitis, hemorrhage, duodenal perforation, and sepsis.1–5 These complications occur in 5% to 10% of the population.1–5 Factors involved in the occurrence of complications of EST have been considered to be the Oddi dysfunction,6 types of electrosurgical current,7,8 specialist training, disinfection, drainage, and collaboration with surgical colleagues.4 The characteristics of the electrosurgical current may affect the frequency and extent of the complications of EST because the nature of the thermal tissue injury depends on the characteristics of the electrosurgical current used to perform EST.9,10 A pure cutting current achieves better cutting ability, whereas a low-voltage coagulating current that is not used solely gains better hemostasis in EST.1 A mixed current comprising mixed patterns of both pure cutting and coagulating currents is currently available for EST in 2 modes, which are the blended cut and the Endocut (E)-mode.1,11,12 The blended cut (C)-mode is comprised of cutting and coagulating currents delivered together in one waveform.13 The E-mode (ERBE, Marietta, GA) gains both the effects of cutting and coagulating because the cutting and coagulating currents are mixed together and applied in turn in short bursts with an intermittent pause.13 When compared with the conventional blended C-mode, the E-mode can give a well-defined and constant degree of coagulation of the incision margins for hemostasis by its automatic voltage regulation and controlled cutting speed, which prevents perforation of the superior part of the papilla of Vater based on an uncontrolled cutting speed, by its automatically fractionated cut.14 Thus, the E-mode may reduce complications of EST theoretically compared with the conventional blended C-mode. An EST with blended currents increases the rate of pancreatitis after EST compared with EST with a pure cutting current.7,8 There is, however, a contradictory report that EST with a pure cutting current has a similar pancreatitis rate, a higher rate of immediate hemorrhage, and poorer control of the incision than that with a blended current.15 A recent meta-analysis shows that the pure cutting current has a similar pancreatitis rate and more episodes of bleeding, primarily mild bleeding, than the mixed current.16 As for the comparison of mixed current modes, the results were controversial in the development of acute pancreatitis and clinically significant bleeding in multiple clinical trials comparing the E-mode with the blended C-mode.14,17–19 However, the problems in the previous studies, including small sample size and retrospective analysis, make it difficult to conclude the advantage of efficacy and safety of the E-mode. Our study aim was to evaluate whether the E-mode surpasses the conventional blended C-mode in safety and efficacy.

Purpose: To evaluate the color visual acuity (CVA) of young healthy subjects using colored Landolt rings and the effect of background luminance level on the CVA.Materials and methods: We measured the CVA of 20 young healthy subjects (age: 23.8 ± 3.8 years) with different colors using a computer and a liquid crystal display, with 15 Landolt ring colors (30 cd/m2) with a background luminance of 30 cd/m2, and then 100 cd/m2. We then used different background luminance levels (15–50 cd/m2) using four Landolt ring colors (red, green–yellow, green, and blue–green) to evaluate the effect of the background luminance level on CVA.Results: The CVA significantly differed among the colors with a background luminance of 30 cd/m2 (p

Purpose To compare the self-sealing features and dimensional stability between the femtosecond laser (FL) and manual knife corneal incision. Methods For the clinical study, 29 consecutive eyes from 29 patients and 28 eyes from 28 patients who underwent cataract surgery with FL corneal incision and manual knife incision, respectively, were enrolled. Immediately after cataract surgery, the self-sealing features of the corneal incisions were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were obtained. For the experimental study, clear corneal incisions with a knife or FL with different energy settings (3, 6 and 9 μJ) were created in fresh porcine eyes, followed by a stress test. The incision width was measured before and after the stress test. Results In the clinical study, the knife group had a higher self-sealing score (0.60 ± 0.49 points) than the FL group (0.17 ± 0.38 points). In the experimental study, the deformation rate in the knife incision (5.04 ± 1.93) was significantly lower than that in the FL with any energy. The deformation rate in the 9 μJ (12.98 ± 2.76) was significantly higher than in the 3 μJ (8.54 ± 2.38) and 6 μJ (8.82 ± 2.85) FL energies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the corneal stromal surface of the knife incision was smoother than that of the FL. Higher energy FL showed more irregular surfaces. Conclusion Higher FL energy tended to widen a clear corneal incision when mechanical stress was applied. The histological differences at the inner tunnel surface may cause differences in wound stability of the corneal incision.

Bifidobacterium, a major component of the intestinal microbiota, has been clinically used for the treatment of diarrhoea and constipation. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), widely used for cancer chemotherapy, is known to frequently induce intestinal mucositis accompanied by severe diarrhoea. The present study examined the effect of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 (BBG9-1) on 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis in mice. Intestinal mucositis was induced by repeated administration of 5-FU for 6 days. BBG9-1 was administered orally once daily for 9 days, beginning 3 days before the onset of 5-FU treatment. Repeated administration of 5-FU caused severe intestinal mucositis, characterised by shortening of villi and destruction of crypts, accompanied by increases in intestinal myeloperoxidase activity and inflammatory cytokine expression, body weight loss, and diarrhoea on day 6. Daily administration of BBG9-1 significantly reduced the severity of intestinal mucositis and inflammatory responses and tended to attenuate clinical symptoms. In contrast, BBG9-1 failed to prevent apoptosis induction on day 1 after the first 5-FU administration. The structure of the intestinal microbiota, as analysed by weighted UniFrac distance, was largely altered by 5-FU treatment, but this change was mitigated by daily administration of BBG9-1. Moreover, 5-FU treatment decreased the abundance of Firmicutes and increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes, but these responses were also significantly inhibited by daily administration of BBG9-1. These results suggest that BBG9-1 has an ameliorative effect against 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis through the attenuation of inflammatory responses via improve dysbiosis. BBG9-1 could be useful for the prevention of intestinal mucositis during cancer chemotherapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Human rotavirus (RV) infection is a leading cause of dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Since therapeutic approaches to RV gastroenteritis are limited to alleviation of dehydration with oral rehydration solutions, more direct approaches to palliate symptoms of RV gastroenteritis are required. Treatments with probiotics have been increasingly recognized as alternative safe and low cost treatments for moderate infectious diarrhea. In this study, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 (BBG9-1), which has been used as an intestinal drug for several decades, was shown to have a remarkable protective effect against RV gastroenteritis in a suckling mice model. As well as prophylactic oral administration of BBG9-1 from 2 days before RV infection, therapeutic oral administration of BBG9-1 from 1 day after RV infection significantly alleviated RV-induced diarrhea. Therapeutic administration of BBG9-1 reduced various types of damage in the small intestine, such as epithelial vacuolization and villous shortening, and significantly diminished the infectious RV titer in mixtures of cecal contents and feces. It was also shown that therapeutic administration of BBG9-1 significantly increased the number of acidic mucin-positive goblet cells and the gene expression of mucosal protective factors including MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, TGFβ1 and TFF3 in the small intestine. This led to alleviation of low gut permeability shown as decreased gene expression levels of occludin, claudin-1 and villin-1 after RV infection. Furthermore, in the small intestine, therapeutic administration of BBG9-1 significantly palliated the decreased gene expression of SGLT-1, which plays an important role in water absorption. In the large intestine, administered BBG9-1 was shown to replicate to assimilate undigested nutrients, resulting in normalization of the abnormally high osmotic pressure. These results suggested that water malabsorption caused by RV infection was alleviated in mice administered BBG9-1. Thus, the present study showed that oral administration of BBG9-1 palliated diarrhea partly through protection against RV-induced lesions by inducing mucosal protective factors. Oral administration of BBG9-1 is thought to be an efficient method for management of an RV epidemic for both prophylactic and therapeutic purposes.

The current study reports comparing the postoperative mechanical properties of the anterior capsule between femtosecond laser capsulotomy (FLC) and continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) of variable size and shape in porcine eyes. All CCCs were created using capsule forceps. Irregular or eccentric CCCs were also created to simulate real cataract surgery. For FLC, capsulotomies 5.3 mm in diameter were created using the LenSx® (Alcon) platform. Fresh porcine eyes were used in all experiments. The edges of the capsule openings were pulled at a constant speed using two L-shaped jigs. Stretch force and distance were recorded over time, and the maximum values in this regard were defined as those that were recorded when the capsule broke. There was no difference in maximum stretch force between CCC and FLC. There were no differences in circularity between FLC and same-sized CCC. However, same-sized CCC did show significantly higher maximum stretch forces than FLC. Teardrop-shaped CCC showed lower maximum stretch forces than same-sized CCC and FLC. Heart-shaped CCC showed lower maximum stretch forces than same-sized CCC. Conclusively, while capsule edge strength after CCC varied depending on size or irregularities, FLC had the advantage of stable maximum stretch forces.

We are presently working on a new project ‘pionic atom factory project’ at RIBF. The project aims at precision spectroscopy of the energy spectrum of the pionic atom for a wide range of elements, using missing-mass spectroscopy of the (d,3Hed,3He) reaction near the π-π- emission threshold. For this project, we developed a new ion optics for BigRIPS using the dispersion-matching method. In this optics the BigRIPS beam line is used as a high resolving-power forward angle spectrometer to momentum-analyze 3He. We are aiming for a spectral resolution of

The paper describes a novel transflective LCD with in-plane switching and an ECB (electrically controlled birefringence) reflective area (TIE). The TIE has excellent transmissive and reflective characteristics and is suitable for mobile devices.

We propose a novel fast-switching LCD panel for color field sequential projection. This panel employs a layer of OCB (optical compensated bend) mode liquid crystal that is maintained at an elevated temperature by a built-in ITO (indium tin oxide) heater and a thermal sensor. We call this method heated-OCB. The heated-OCB realizes a response time of less than 0.4 msec, and provides color field sequential projection with 2 or 3 times driving and small color break-up.

In recent years, based on the report provided by the Department of Statistic, there are about 2.5 million people who are over 60 years old in Malaysia. The number of people in this elderly group is estimated to increase in the next few years. Thus, technologists have focused on the elderly group by providing various support systems to assist them in their daily activities. An area of concern for this group is on the human vision aspect where it is shown in medical reports that elderly people suffer from certain degrees of color perception loss. In this paper, a comparative analysis is performed between two fundamental researches that measure the color perception loss of the elderly people. The first fundamental research is done by Okajima et. al. which employed two-factor model that relates the effect of aging to the optical density of human lens in their computation of color perception loss for elderly. Meanwhile, apart from using the two-factor model, Tanaka et. al. took into consideration the retinal illuminance model that relates the pupil size with aging. They introduced a computational model that utilizes the rate of retinal illuminance in relation to aging and the effective components of the yellowing filter. The results observed from both researches show that elderly people suffer a certain degrees of losses in their color perception.

In Japan, prestressed/reinforced concrete bridges often suffer deterioration from steel corrosion in the chloride-laden air of marine environments with high concentrations of airborne chloride particles. Only a few decades after erection, several prestressed concrete bridges have already been replaced due to significant corrosion in the main girders. To develop a reasonable design policy for building more durable concrete bridges that require less maintenance, the performance of conventional concrete cover as corrosion protection in coastal environments needs to be properly evaluated. In this paper, the authors address the effectiveness of conventional concrete cover with a water-cement ratio of 0.36 and 0.43 in airborne-chloride environments and propose a realistic evaluation method based on Japanese surveys of airborne chloride distribution and deterioration in existing concrete highway bridges. The proposed evaluation method uses the chloride diffusion coefficient for uncracked concrete exposed to the choride atmosphere and the boundary chloride level based on its relationship to airborne chloride levels. The results of this research provide the basis for a cogent policy for corrosion protection in coastal areas for concrete bridges with 100-year design lives.

実構造物におけるエポキシ樹脂塗装鉄筋(ECR)の防食性能を把握するため，発錆限界塩化物イオン量の視点から，北米の各州で実施された実態調査の結果を収集，再分析した．凍結防止剤散布による床版中のECRの腐食は，コンクリートのひび割れ，ECRの塗膜剥離の有無にかかわらず，ECR周囲の塩化物イオン量にある程度依存すること，ECRの発錆限界塩化物イオン量は普通鉄筋よりも大きいことがわかった．また，フロリダ沿岸部で早期劣化が見られた橋脚群におけるECRの腐食事例でも，かぶりコンクリートの低い塩分浸透抵抗性などの理由によりECRの周囲に多量の塩化物イオンが存在していた．ECR周囲のコンクリート中の塩化物イオン量をECRの発錆限界値以下に抑制することによって，沿岸部橋脚にもECRを効果的に適用できることがわかった．

Recently, the research on efficient extraction of previously unknown, frequently appearing patterns in a time-series data has received much attention. These patterns are called `motifs'. Motifs are useful for various time-series data mining tasks. In this paper, we propose a motif discovery algorithm to extract a motif that represents a characteristic pattern of the given data based on Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle. In addition, the algorithm can extract motifs from multi-dimensional time-series data by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). In experimental evaluation, we show the efficiency of the motif discovery algorithm, and the usefulness of extracted motifs to various data mining tasks.

Ion trapping films TOP-COAT TA606B20 are installed beneath the polyimide alignment films, which are coated over the ITO electrode films, in a polymer-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal display exhibiting V-shaped switching. The ion trapping films are shown to play the following two roles: one is to remove zigzag-defects owing to their planarizing function and the other is to remove mobile ions. The latter effect gives rise to the reduction of the operational voltage and an increase of the voltage holding ratio owing to the removal of the depolarization field.

A 73-year-old woman with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) had an elevated serum CA19-9 level, but not KL-6. Her condition worsened and she subsequently died and this was associated with a rise in the serum KL-6 level. At autopsy, the lung showed a honeycomb appearance macroscopically and, microscopically, hyaline membrane formation was seen. Immunohistochemical staining revealed partial colocalization of KL-6 and CA19-9 to dilated bronchiolar cells. These features suggest that the mechanisms that cause the synthesis and release of CA19-9 and KL-6 from damaged lung tissue in IPF are likely to differ from those in diffuse alveolar damage. In addition, serum KL-6 levels may reflect the severity of disease more sensitively than CA19-9 levels.

原発巣にのみ肝動脈塞栓術 (TAE) を加え, その後の輸血によりJkb抗体による遅発型溶血反応を発症した, 62歳男性の副腎転移を伴う肝硬変合併進行肝細胞癌を経験した.TAE2日後濃厚赤血球を2単位ずつ2日間輸血し, その1週後に急速な発熱と黄疸増強に伴い貧血が増強し, 総ビリルビンで13mg/dl, Hb5.7g/dlまで増悪した.プレドニソロンにより黄疸, 貧血ともに改善した.ハプトグロブリン低値, 間接ビリルビン優位のビリルビン上昇などは肝不全でもみられるため, 肝不全準備状態の患者では輸血後の黄疸増強において遅発型溶血反応を念頭に置くべきと考えられた.また本患者における副腎転移に対しては, 肝予備能低下と原発巣の進行度を考慮して, 無治療で7ヶ月経過しているが発育は緩除であったことから, 根治療法不能の肝硬変合併肝細胞癌に対する治療方針決定には肝予備能を第一の予後規定因子と考え, 癌死以前に肝不全死を招来せしめぬように配慮すべきと考えられた.

The intestinal microbiota compositions of 92 men living in Japan were identified following consumption of identical meals for 3 days. Fecal samples were analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism with 4 primer-restriction enzyme systems, and the 120 obtained operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were analyzed by Data mining software focusing on the following 5 characteristics, namely, age, body mass index, present smoking habit, cessation period of previous smokers and drinking habit, according to the answers of the subjects. After performing Data mining analyses with each characteristic, the details of the constructed Decision trees precisely identified the subjects or discriminated them into various suitable groups. Through the pathways to reach the groups, practical roles of the related OTUs and their quantities were clearly recognized. Compared with the other identification methods for OTUs such as bicluster analyses, correlation coefficients and principal component analyses, the clear difference of this Data mining technique was that it set aside most OTUs and emphasized only some closely related ones. For example for a selected characteristic, such as smoking habit, only 7 OTUs out of 120 were able to identify all smokers, and the remaining 113 OTUs were thought of as data noise for smoking. Data mining analyses were affirmed as an effective method of subject discrimination for various physiological constitutions. The species of bacteria that were closely related to heavy smokers, i.e., HaeIII-291, were also discussed.