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The error has now been corrected and this patient data has been removed in the Supplementary Information file. After publication it transpired that the Supplementary Information file which accompanies the Article, inadvertently contained confidential patient data. [Extracted from the article]

Tritium recovery behavior of Li 4 SiO 4 -Li 2 TiO 3 (LSO-LTO) biphasic materials with various phase ratios after neutron irradiation was evaluated by tritium (T) thermal desorption spectroscopy (T-TDS). It was found that major T desorption temperature was shifted toward the lower temperature side, and the amount of desorbed T was reduced as the phase ratio of LTO was increased due to the reduction of Li density. The activation energies of major peaks were reduced by increasing the LTO ratio. However, the mechanical property was largely degraded if the LTO ratio has exceeded more than 50%. It was concluded that LSO-LTO biphasic materials with the phase ratio of 1:1 has higher T recovery performance at lower temperature and good mechanical property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental and analytical studies on hydrogen-tritium isotope separation by a dual temperature dual pressure catalytic exchange (DTDP-CE) with liquid phase chemical exchange columns were carried out in order to apply it to a part of the water detritiation system for DEMO fuel cycle. A prototype DTDP-CE apparatus was successfully operated and it was confirmed that tritium was separated by the apparatus as significantly distinguishable. A calculation code was developed based on the channeling stage model. The values of separation factors and the effects of some operating parameters were well predicted by the separative analyses with the code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), H3 K27M-mutant including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a disease with dismal prognosis. We focused on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and gadolinium enhanced T1WI (Gd), especially high intensity on DWI at non-enhanced lesion, i.e. DWI-Gd mismatch sign, to establish as an imaging biomarker of DMG patients.Materials and Methods: Our institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Twenty-one patients diagnosed as DMG including DIPG at our institution between 2007 and 2020 were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent local radiotherapy of 54 Gy/30 fractions. We studied the relationship between imaging features including DWI-Gd mismatch sign and prognosis.Results: DWI-Gd mismatch sign was found in 9 out of 21 DMG patients. Among different imaging characteristics, existence of high intensity on DWI (P = 0.0014), gadolinium enhancement (P = 0.00071) were the significant poor prognostic markers in DMG, which were consistent with the previous reports about DIPG. In our results, positive DWI-Gd mismatch sign was statistically strongest poor prognostic imaging biomarker, and patients with positive DWI-Gd mismatch sign had shorter OS compared to those with negative mismatch sign (9.9 months vs 18.6 months, P = 0.00062). DWI/Gd mismatch sign and intratumoral bleeding were more common in DMG at thalamus compared to DMG at pons/DIPG (P = 0.046 and P = 0.0017, respectively).Conclusions: DWI-Gd mismatch sign may be an imaging biomarker for poor prognosis in DMG. (E-1601). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] New Cu/ZnO/H-ZSM5 catalyst is prepared by physical sputtering. [•] Direct DME synthesis from syngas is accomplished efficiently by this new catalyst. [•] Wet impregnation method makes Cu ion difficult to reduce due to zeolite. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: Rubber dams increase the quality and safety of dental treatment. However, the condition of a rubber dam over an open mouth may also obstruct the route for respiration. We tested whether an open mouth with or without a rubber dam would affect upper airway patency and breathing pattern. Materials and methods: Twenty young healthy volunteers were imaged with a magnetic resonance (MR) system under three conditions: mouth closed, mouth open, and rubber dam with mouth open. Respiration was concurrently monitored with plethysmography. MRI slices of the upper airway were obtained at 5-mm thicknesses, and the size of the cross-sectional area of the upper airway was measured by image analysis software. Respiratory cycle duration and tidal volume were also measured with digital signal analysis software. Results: The volume of the upper airway became significantly decreased with the mouth open. Analysis of each cross-sectional area of the upper airway revealed that while the oropharyngeal area was significantly narrower with an open mouth, the retropalatal and hypopharyngeal areas were not affected. Placing a rubber dam had no additional influence on upper airway patency but was seen to significantly shorten mean respiratory duration and decrease tidal volume. Conclusions: Open mouth position plays the largest role in decreased upper airway patency, and open mouth position with a rubber dam may further disrupt breathing pattern. Clinical relevance: Breathing pattern may become deteriorated by airway obstruction during dental treatments requiring a rubber dam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The mm-sized capsule catalyst Co/SiO2-Z with the H-type zeolite (HZSM-5) as the shell, and the Co/SiO2-Z-Sp-Pd capsule catalyst with Pd loaded by sputtering method, as well as the Co/SiO2-Z-IW-Pd capsule catalyst, loading the Pd by incipient wetness impregnation, were prepared and used for isoparaffin direct synthesis by Fischer–Tropsch synthesis reaction from syngas with H2/CO ratio of 2/1 at 1.0MPa and 533K. The analysis results of XRD, SEM, EDS and NH3-TPD showed that a compact HZSM-5 shell was formed on the Co/SiO2 pellet, and the metallic Pd was well sputtered on the surface of the HZSM-5 shell for the Co/SiO2-Z-Sp-Pd catalyst. The isoparaffin and olefin selectivity increased in the FTS reactions on the HZSM-5 capsule catalyst than on the Co/SiO2 catalyst. The selectivity of isoparaffins increased, and the selectivity of olefins decreased when using the Co/SiO2-Z-Sp-Pd catalyst, compared with the Co/SiO2-Z catalyst or the Co/SiO2-Z-IW-Pd catalyst, because metallic Pd introduced by sputtering on the zeolite shell could hydrogenate olefins efficiently. It was suitable to use the sputtering method for the preparation of the zeolite capsule catalyst loaded with metallic Pd, as conventional impregnation method could not reduce Pd cation due to the strong interaction from zeolite surface. The CO conversion, CH4 and CO2 selectivity on the catalyst of Co/SiO2-Z-Sp-Pd increased with temperature increasing from 513K to 553K. At elevated temperature, the isoparaffin selectivity also increased while the olefin selectivity was suppressed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In mammalian cells, nine conserved isoforms of the Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) are known to be important for pH regulation of the cytoplasm and organellar lumens. NHE1-5 are localized to the plasma membrane, whereas NHE6-9 are localized to distinct organelles. NHE6 is localized predominantly in endosomal compartments but is also found in the plasma membrane. To investigate the role of NHE6 in endocytosis, we established NHE6-knockdown HeLa cells and analyzed the effect of this knockdown on endocytotic events. The expression level of NHE6 in knockdown cells was decreased to -∼ 15% of the level seen in control cells. Uptake of transferrin was also decreased. No effect was found on the endocytosis of epidermal growth factor or on the cholera toxin B subunit. Moreover, in the NHE6-knockdown cells, transferrin uptake was found to be affected in the early stages of endocytosis. Microscopic analysis revealed that, at 2 mm after the onset of endocytosis, colocalization of NHE6, clathrin, and transferrin was observed, which suggests that NHE6 was localized to endocytotic, clathrin-coated vesicles. In addition, in knockdown cells, transferrin-positive endosomes were acidified, but no effect was found on cytoplasmic pH. In cells overexpressing wild-type NHE6, increased transferrin uptake was observed, but no such increase was seen in cells overexpressing mutant NHE6 deficient in ion transport. The luminal pH in transferrin-positive endosomes was alkalized in cells overex- pressing wild-type NHE6 but normal in cells overexpressing mutant NHE6. These observations suggest that NHE6 regulates clathrin-dependent endocytosis of transferrin via pH regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphosphonates (BPs) have been widely, efficiently, and safely used for the treatment of osteoporosis, malignant hypercalcemia, bone metastasis of solid cancers, and multiple myeloma bone diseases. Accumulating recent reports describe that surgical dental treatments in patients with cancer or osteoporosis who have been receiving intravenous or oral BPs are associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw (bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, BRONJ). The accurate incidence, clinical backgrounds, and pathogenesis of BRONJ have been unclear and appropriate approaches for prevention and treatment have not been established to date. To address the current situation of BRONJ in Japan, the "Allied Task Force Committee of Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw," consisting of physicians specializing in bone biology, orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, obstetrics/gynecology, and medical oncology and dentists specializing in oral surgery, periodontology, dental radiology, and oral pathology, was organized. The committee attempted to propose a standard position paper for the treatment of BRONJ. The committee expects that this proposal will provide objective and correct scientific information on BRONJ and will serve as a reference for conducting dental procedures for patients receiving BPs and in designing prevention and treatment of BRONJ. However, because this position paper is not based on direct clinical evidence, it should be used as a reference, and a decision on treatment in each case should be made after an extensive discussion among physicians, dentists/oral surgeons, and the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Several studies have shown that periodontitis is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. There is an association between inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who had periodontitis. Methods and results: We evaluated forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to acetylcholine (ACh), an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, and to sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an endothelium-independent vasodilator, in 101 CAD patients with periodontitis (37 men and 11 women, 63±12 yr) and without periodontitis (36 men and 17 women, 62±13 yr). FBF was measured by using strain-gauge plethysmography. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were significantly higher in the periodontitis group than in the non-periodontitis group. FBF response to ACh was significantly smaller in the periodontitis group than in the non-periodontitis group. SNP-stimulated vasodilation was similar in the two groups. Periodontal therapy reduced serum concentrations of C-reactive protein from 2.7±1.9 to 1.8±0.9mg/L (P <0.05) and interleukin-6 from 2.6±3.4 to 1.6±2.6ng/L (P <0.05) and augmented ACh-induced vasodilation from 14.7±5.2 to 20.1±6.1mL/(min100mL) tissue (P <0.05) in patients with periodontitis. The SNP-stimulated vasodilation was similar before and after treatment. After administration of NG-monomethyl-l-arginine, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, FBF response to ACh was similar before and after treatment. Conclusion: These findings suggest that periodontitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction in patients with CAD through a decrease in nitric oxide bioavailability. Systemic inflammation may be, at least in part, a cause and predictor of progression of endothelial dysfunction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The CO oxidation on non-alloyed Pt and Ru electrocatalysts prepared by the polygonal barrel-sputtering method was investigated. Samples were prepared by sputtering Pt and Ru separately at room temperature. From the X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement of the sample prepared on a SiO2 glass plate, it was found that the sputtered metals are non-alloyed. Subsequently, the non-alloyed Pt and Ru electrocatalysts were prepared by the polygonal barrel-sputtering method using carbon powder as a support. The XRD patterns of these samples showed a single and very broad peak supporting the hypothesis of the non-alloyed Pt and Ru. No separate Ru reflections were visible, which could be attributed to Ru particle sizes smaller than 4nm, as obtained by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). CO oxidation on the non-alloyed Pt and Ru electrocatalysts were evaluated by CO stripping voltammetry. This measurement revealed that the lower peak potential of CO oxidation varies, depending on the Pt content and the sputtering order. In addition, it was assumed that the CO oxidation reaction site for non-alloyed Pt and Ru electrocatalyst has a limited area including direct contact sites between the Pt and Ru particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the change of D-dimer and the possibility of deep vein thrombosis screening by D-dimer during pregnancy. Methods: One thousand, one hundred and thirty-one pregnant women were enrolled in the study from April 2006 to March 2007. D-dimer was measured by latex immunoassay at 6 to 14 and 30 to 36 weeks of gestation, respectively, and the veins of the lower extremities were examined by ultrasound at 30 to 36 weeks of gestation. Results: The mean and standard error of D-dimer was 1.1 ± 1.0 µg/mL in the first trimester and 2.2 ± 1.1 µg/mL in the third trimester, and both values were significantly higher than adult values. In addition, D-dimer significantly increased during pregnancy. D-dimer was not significantly different between singleton and twin pregnancies in the first trimester, but in the third trimester, the values of twin pregnancies were higher than singleton pregnancies (2.2 ± 1.6 vs 3.7 ± 2.5 µg/mL). The mean value of D-dimer of ultrasonographically positive women was 2.6 ± 2.0 µg/mL, which was significantly higher than the value for negative woman during the third trimester (2.2 ± 1.6 µg/mL). The positive predictive value was 7.4% and negative predictive value was 95.5% for ultrasonographically positive women when D-dimer was set at 3.2 µg/mL. Conclusion: We clearly found a change of D-dimer during pregnancy. When D-dimer was higher than 3.2 µg/mL, the percentage of ultrasonographically positive women was high. We propose that women with D-dimer higher than 3.2 µg/mL are closely monitored for prevention of pulmonary thromboembolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have developed a solenoid model coil used for superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) for power system control, aimed at drastically reducing the costs of the SMES system. The single solenoid model coil of 2.9 MJ is designed with the rated current of 9.6 kA, a maximum magnetic field of 5.5 T and coil charge rates equivalent to those of the practical 100 MW/54 MJ class SMES. The coil is characterized by the use of an aluminum stabilized NbTi CIC (Cable-in-conduit) conductor. The experimental SMES consists mainly of a 2.9 MJ coil, the cooling system for the CIC conductor and the 1 MW class AC/DC converter. The SMES is connected to 6 kV distribution lines at a substation. In the field test, the SMES's 17 ms responses for the step input of active and reactive power were ascertained. Furthermore, its function of compensating for load fluctuation in the 6 kV distribution line was confirmed. The test results show the realization of a practical SMES system for power line control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents letters to the editor related to medicine as of November 14, 2001. Cytokines and type 2 diabetes mellitus; Outcomes of adjuvant radiation therapy for breast cancer in women with ataxia-telangiectasia mutations; Relationship between estrogen-receptor genotype and tooth loss in postmenopausal women; Others.

Edge detection is one of the most basic and important processes in visual signal processing. In order to carry out edge detection from an image corrupted by additive noise, it was necessary to eliminate the noise beforehand by a filter process as a preprocessing. However, since the filter process causes degradation of the original signal itself, the corrupted edge cannot be extracted if the edge detection is carried out after the filter process. The authors have proposed a method for direct edge detection by means of fuzzy inference from the image superposed only with impulsive noise. In this paper, this result is extended to propose a new edge detection method realized by fuzzy inference that carries out both the noise reduction and edge detection at the same time from images contaminated with a mixture of the impulse noise and Gaussian noise. The proposed method consists of two sets of fuzzy inference, one for estimating the number of impulsive noises and another intending to combine the Gaussian noise and edge detection. Finally, by combining these inference results, the edge signal from the mixed noise image is given. It is shown that, by varying the setting of the fuzzy sets for each inference, the degrees of edge detection and noise elimination can be varied easily in a related manner. In addition, the setting of fuzzy sets to satisfy both requirements is carried out by using a typical test image. Further, the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown through various image processing examples. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 83(8): 39-50, 2000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Differentiating between germinoma and non-germinomatous germ cell tumor (NGGCT) is important because sensitivity to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is quite different between these two subgroups. In this study, we evaluated whether the arterial spin labeling (ASL) based perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) could provide additional information for the differential diagnosis between germinoma and NGGCT.Method: Between 2011 and 2018, 20 patients with central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumor (GCT) who underwent preoperative MR imaging including ASL-PWI were enrolled in this study. Relative tumor blood flow (rTBF) was evaluated on ASL-PWI by manually placing regions of interest at gadolinium enhanced part of the tumors and normal subcortical white matter. Presence of intratumoral T1 hyperintense foci and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were also evaluated. The final diagnosis was made by the combination of tumor markers and the histological diagnosis.Results: Among 20 patients of CNS-GCT, 11 were diagnosed as germinoma and 9 were diagnosed as NGGCT. In the germinoma subgroup, the rTBF ranged from 0.90 to 1.71 (mean 1.21, median 1.09), while it ranged from 1.14 to 5.75 (mean 3.91, median 3.31) in NGGCT subgroup. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that calculating rTBF is useful for differentiating between germinoma and NGGCT (area under the curve (AUC) 0.929, P = 0.0012) compared to intratumoral T1 hyperintense foci (AUC 0.788, P = 0.0304) and ADC (AUC 0.919, P = 0.0016).Conclusions: High rTBF obtained by ASL-PWI implied the presence of NGGCT component. This information might help in deciding the chemotherapy/radiotherapy intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparation of highly efficient Fe-based catalysts is a reliable and achievable goal for catalyzing CO 2 hydrogenation. Herein, ethylene diamine as a benign modifier well regulates the surface properties of carbon support, achieving a good dispersion of active small-size iron carbide sites. With the further incorporation of alkaline K promoter, heavy hydrocarbon selectivity (C 5+) is increased from 14.8% to 39.8%. Combining several catalyst characterization (XRD, CO 2 -TPD, H 2 -TPR, TEM, and XPS) and reaction data, discloses that good dispersion, enhanced reduction/carburization behavior, and small-size carbides formation are essential for improving CO 2 performance. Simultaneous doping of nitrogen atoms and alkali metal provides a promising means for CO 2 fixation and rational design of functionalized metal-supported carbon catalysts. Unlabelled Image • Ethylene diamine as a nitrogen source was applied to regulate carbon support. • Nitrogen incorporation contributes to good dispersion of active phase. • Nitrogen incorporation also leads to the formation of small-size carbides. • Modified by N-atom and K boosts the selectivity of higher olefin-rich hydrocarbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the association between alveolar bone loss (ABL) detected on panoramic radiographs and carotid artery calcification (CAC) detected on computed tomography (CT). Methods: The study subjects included 295 patients (mean age ± SD: 64.6 ± 11.8 years) who visited the Matsumoto Dental University Hospital. The rate of ABL and the number of present teeth were measured on panoramic radiographs. Univariate analyses with t-tests and chi-squared tests were performed to evaluate the differences in age, gender, history of diseases, number of present teeth, and the ABL between subjects, with and without CAC. Moreover, multivariate logistic regression analysis, with forward selection and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, was performed. Results: The number of subjects without and with CAC was 174 and 121, respectively. Univariate analyses revealed that CAC was significantly associated with age, hypertension, osteoporosis, number of present teeth, and ABL. Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates revealed that the presence of CAC was significantly associated with ABL (OR = 1.233, 95% CI = 1.167–1.303). In the ROC analysis for predicting the presence of CAC, the the area under the ROC curve was the highest at 0.932 (95% CI = 0.904–0.960) for ABL, which was significant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the measurement of ABL on panoramic radiographs may be an effective approach to identifying patients with an increased risk of CAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The pediatric posterior fossa (PF) brain tumors with higher frequencies are embryonal tumors (ET), ependymal tumors (EPN) and pilocytic astrocytomas (PA), however, it is often difficult to make a differential diagnosis among them with conventional MRI. The ADC calculated from DWI could be beneficial for diagnostic work up.Method: We acquired DWI at b = 1000 and 4000(s/mm2). The relationship between ADC and the three types of brain tumors was evaluated with Mann-Whitney U test. We also performed simple linear regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between ADC and cellularity, and implemented receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) to test the diagnostic performance among tumors.Results: The highest ADC (b1000/b4000 × 10-3 mm2/s) was observed in PA (1.02-1.91/0.73-1.28), followed by PF-EPN (0.83-1.28/0.60-0.79) and the lowest was ET (0.41-0.75/0.29-0.47). There was significant difference among the groups in both ADC value (b-1000/b-4000: ET vs. PF-EPN p < 0.0001/0.0001, ET vs. PA p < 0.0001/0.0001, PF-EPN vs. PA p < 0.0001/0.0001). ROC analysis revealed that ADC in both b-values showed complete separation between ET and PF-EPN. And it also revealed that ADC at b-4000 could differentiate PF-EPN and PA (96.0%) better than ADC at b-1000 (90.1%). The stronger negative correlation was observed between the ADC and cellularity at b-4000 than at b-1000 (R2  = 0.7415 vs.0.7070) CONCLUSIONS: ADC of ET was significantly lower than the other two groups, and ADC of PA was significantly higher than the other two groups in both b-1000 and b-4000. Our results showed that ADC at b-4000 was more useful than ADC at b-1000 especially for differentiation between PF-EPN and PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: T2-FLAIR mismatch sign was reported as specific imaging marker in non-enhancing diffuse astrocytoma, IDH-mutant & 1p/19q non-codeleted. However, most of the previous studies for T2-FLAIR mismatch sign were confirmed only among lower grade glioma. The aim of this study is to assess the T2-FLAIR mismatch sign in dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET) and unveil the exception rules of the sign.Method: Eleven patients with histopathologically confirmed DNET were included in this study. The MR images were evaluated by 2 independent reviewers to assess (i) the presence or absence of T2-FLAIR mismatch sign and (ii) the presence or absence of gadolinium enhancement. CT was also performed to evaluate calcification and localized thinning of the skull bone. Inter-reviewer agreement with Cohen's kappa (κ) was calculated.Results: The T2-FLAIR mismatch sign was present in 8 cases (72.7 %) and absent in 3 cases (27.3 %). None of them showed contrast enhancement on initial MR images. The inter-reviewer agreement for T2-FLAIR mismatch and CT characteristics was excellent (κ = 1.00). All of the DNET without T2-FLAIR mismatch presented with calcification on CT. All of the DNET adjacent to skull vault (5 cases) presented with localized bone thinning overlying the tumor.Conclusions: The T2-FLAIR mismatch sign was observed in more than half of the DNET and the sign is not specific for diffuse astrocytoma, IDH-mutant & 1p19q non-codeleted. The localized skull bone thinning overlying the tumor might help for diagnosis of DNET in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An erratum to the article "Antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: Position Paper 2017 of the Japanese Allied Committee on Osteonecrosis of the Jaw" that was published in the January 25, 2017 issue is presented.