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Background and Study Aims: Magnification endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (NBIME) and NBIME with acetic acid enhancement (A-NBIME) visualize the capillary and microstructure patterns of the gastric mucosal surface, respectively. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement for white-light endoscopy (WLE), NBIME, and A-NBIME in the different histologic types of gastric mucosal neoplasm.Patients and Methods: Consecutive gastric neoplasms (n = 220; 49 adenomas, 144 differentiated adenocarcinomas, and 27 undifferentiated adenocarcinomas) were photographed with WLE, NBIME, and A-NBIME. Macroscopic patterns using WLE, capillary patterns using NBIME, and microstructure patterns using A-NBIME were respectively classified into type M1/M2/M3, type C1/C2/C3/C4, and type S1/S2/S3, as the indicators of adenoma, differentiated adenocarcinoma, and undifferentiated adenocarcinoma (Type C4, unevaluable because of capillary invisibility), according to the previously reported classifications. Endoscopic images were independently reviewed by three experts and three non-experts. Diagnostic accuracy and interobserver diagnostic agreement were compared among the modalities.Results: Kappa values (95 % confidence interval [CI]) for WLE, NBIME, and A-NBIME diagnosis were 0.36 (0.33 - 0.39), 0.58 (0.54 - 0.61), and 0.62 (0.55 - 0.68) for experts and 0.31 (0.29 - 0.33), 0.36 (0.34 - 0.38), and 0.52 (0.48 - 0.56) for non-experts, showing good reproducibility of A-NBIME diagnosis regardless of proficiency. All experts and non-experts diagnosed the histologic types statistically more accurately with A-NBIME than with WLE and NBIME (P < 0.05). Overall the "experts-agreed" diagnostic accuracy (95 %CI) was 75.5 % (70.0 - 81.0) for WLE vs. 74.1 % (67.6 - 80.6) for NBIME vs. 90.5 % (86.7 - 94.1) for A-NBIME (P < 0.05). WLE and NBIME were insufficient to predict the diagnosis of adenomas and undifferentiated adenocarcinomas.Conclusion: A-NBIME showed statistically significantly higher diagnostic accuracy for gastric mucosal neoplasms, with good reproducibility, compared with WLE and NBIME, which provided similar lower accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Encapsulation of C60, its hydroxides (C60(OH) n , n =10, 36, 44), and its hydride (C60H36) into inner space of carbon nanohorns (CNHs) from solutions or dispersions in various solvents by the nano-condensation method was attempted. The effect of the functional groups on the encapsulation was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. C60, C60(OH)10, and C60H36 can be efficiently encapsulated inside CNHs using toluene, THF, and DMSO as solvents, whereas C60(OH)36 and C60(OH)44 are hardly encapsulated from any solution. Because the molecular size of C60(OH)10 is similar to that of C60(OH)36 and C60(OH)44, the difference in encapsulation is not caused by molecular size. The efficient encapsulation of C60H36 in CNHs suggests that molecules can be encapsulated in carbon nanomaterials even when the π–π interaction with the sp 2-hybridized carbon walls is weak. These results suggest the polarity of the functional group of the C60 derivatives as the main factor in determining whether they can be encapsulated in CNHs. C60(OH)36 and C60(OH)44 contain many hydroxyl groups, thus these molecules self-aggregate and do not pass the holes of CNHs, resulting in poor encapsulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The dependence on accelerating voltage of crystal structural changes in water ice thin film under electron beam irradiation was investigated by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) at 95K and accelerating voltages of 25, 50, 75, 100, or 125kV. Ice thin film was prepared by depositing residual moisture in the TEM column onto both sides of a carbon membrane at 95K. The major phase of the deposited film at 95K was identified as ice I c by transmission electron diffractometry. We found that the mass loss rate of the ice thin film decreased sharply as the accelerating voltage was increased. From this result, we conclude the mass loss mechanism was the ionization of water by inelastic scattering of incident electrons. Moreover, the phase transition from ice I c to ice I h was observed at accelerating voltages of 75kV or greater. At 50kV or lower, however, the phase transition was hardly observed by TEM. Because the phase transition can also be attributed to inelastic scattering of incident electrons, the results suggest that whether mass loss or a phase transition occurs depends primarily on the accelerating voltage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To date, the phase transition of ordinary proton-disordered ice to proton-ordered ice has been assumed to require an extremely long time (>104 year). However we have observed, by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, the phase transition from a sphalerite proton-disordered phase (ice I c ) to an orthorhombic proton-ordered phase (ice XI) in a thin film of pure water ice under electron beam irradiation on the time-scale of a laboratory experiment. Considering these experimental results, we argue that the phase transition to ice XI readily occurs under high-energy beam irradiation, and could occur in outer space, contrary to the prevailing notion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been synthesized by supported-catalyst chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) using one-dimensional (1D) channels of mesoporous silica (SBA-15; mean channel diameter, 6.0nm) functionalized with carboxyl groups where Co and Fe complexes are encapsulated. The synthesized SWCNTs have much larger diameters than the SWCNTs synthesized by conventional CCVD. Transmission electron microscope observations reveal that large-diameter SWCNTs (<4.2nm) are grown in 1D channels of SBA-15. Large metal particles formed in the channels should play an important role in the growth of the SWCNTs with larger diameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Diameter-controlled single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been synthesized using Co, Fe/Co and Rh/Pd alloy nanoparticles trapped within the one-dimensional channels of a mesoporous materials (Folded Sheets Mesoporous material: FSM-16) by catalyst-supported chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) using ethanol as carbon source at 973–1173K. The SWCNTs synthesized are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The yield, diameter distribution and quality of the SWCNTs strongly depend on the reaction temperature during CCVD. The product synthesized at 1173K contains only SWCNTs, in marked contrast to those synthesized at lower temperatures. As the reaction temperature decreases, the relative abundance of multi-wall carbon nanotubes against SWCNTs significantly increases, whereas the mean diameter of SWCNTs increases as reaction temperature increases. The results show that a careful control of the reaction temperature is crucial to fabricate diameter-controlled SWCNTs from the channels of FSM-16. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Crystalline ErCl3 nanowires have been fabricated in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with high yield (∼90%), and the structural and magnetic properties of the resulting ErCl3 nanowires encapsulated in SWCNTs (ErCl3@SWCNTs) characterized. Encapsulation under high temperature and vacuum using high quality SWCNTs results in a high filling-ratio of ErCl3 nanowires in the SWCNTs. The high filling-ratio of ErCl3 nanowires and the use of highly pure SWCNTs with only a small amount of residual Fe catalyst nanoparticles enabled us to observe the magnetic properties of ErCl3@SWCNTs. Structure determination based on simulated annealing calculations and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) image simulations revealed that the structure of the ErCl3 nanowires is unusual with respect to the coordination environment of the Eu3+ ions. This work opens up new possibilities to fabricate various metal complex nanowires with high yield and may also be of more general importance in understanding and exploring magnetic properties in low-dimensional magnetic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with a diameter range of 0.8–1.5nm have been synthesized by using size-controlled Rh/Pd nanoparticles by catalyst-supported chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) at 1073K. Nanoparticles of Rh/Pd with a diameter of ∼3nm have been prepared within a regular hexagonal arrayed one-dimensional channel of mesoporous silica, FSM-16. The SWNTs obtained by the CCVD using these catalysts have smaller diameter distribution compared to that of the catalyst nanoparticles, indicating that the diameter distribution of synthesized SWNTs has little relevance to the diameter of Rh/Pd catalyst nanoparticles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A 55-year-old woman was hospitalized with a palpable and painful mass in her upper abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a 10 × 7-cm tumor extending into the abdominal cavity from the left hepatic lobe and multiple metastatic lesions in the right hepatic lobe. A left hepatic lobectomy was performed for debulking and palliative resection. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen diagnosed the large hepatic tumor in the left hepatic lobe as a malignant melanoma. Physical and radiological examinations were performed on dermatological, ophthalmic, gynecological, and central nervous system areas, and endoscopic examinations were performed on the upper digestive tract and colon. No other lesions were disclosed as possible primary tumors for the disease. This result suggested that the tumor might arise from the left hepatic lobe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a noninvasive pneumatics-based system by which to measure heartbeat, respiration, snoring, and body movements of a subject in bed. A thin, air-sealed cushion is placed under the bed mattress of the subject and the small movements attributable to human automatic vital functions are measured as changes in pressure using a pressure sensor having an almost flat frequency response from 0.1 to 5 kHz and a sensitivity of 56 mV/Pa. Using the newly developed system, heartbeat, respiration, apnea, snoring and body movements are clearly measured. In addition, the optimal signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio by which to evaluate the reliability of the heart rate measurement is presented. Heart rates were measured for four different body postures, 13 different subjects, four different bed mattresses, and three different sensor positions. For these measurements, the SIN ratios ranged from 15.9 to 23.5 dB, and so were determined to be reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]