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This study aimed to evaluate whether equol production status has an impact on the risk of locomotive syndrome in very elderly (≥85 years old) women. In this retrospective observational study, 116 very elderly women were recruited from those who lived in nursing homes for the elderly from June 2018 to November 2019. Equol production status was determined by measuring spot urine levels of equol, and risks of locomotive syndrome were evaluated by vulnerable fracture history and loco-check, a simple questionnaire comprising seven questions that can describe locomotive syndrome. Equol production (≥1 μmol/L in a spot urine sample) was found in 46 women (39.6%). Loss of equol production contributes to some lococheck items, which correlate with weakness of lower limb muscle strength (P < 0.05). In this study population, 57 women (49.1%) had previous vulnerable fractures. However, equol production status was not significantly related to the vulnerable fracture in this study population (P = 0.159). Equol production might contribute to the induction of locomotive syndrome, at least in part. However, equol deficiency as a mechanism of locomotive syndrome induction might not be the primary cause of a previous vulnerable fracture in very elderly women who live in nursing homes.

Background Primary sarcoma of the breast is rare. Surgery has been the only curative treatment available. Recently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy including anthracycline/ifosfamide has been reported effective for patients with high-risk sarcomas in a prospective trial. Case presentation A 52-year-old Japanese woman presented with a mass in her left breast. The 10 cm tumor was fixed to her chest wall on examination. A skin biopsy was performed which showed leiomyosarcoma. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was given and the tumor became mobile. A mastectomy and axillary dissection were performed with surgically negative margins. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the amount of necrosis was profoundly influenced by chemotherapy, and the histological effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was assessed in reference to pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion In contrast to many other cancers, the evaluation of various treatments and of the histological effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for sarcoma has been difficult due to the rarity of these tumors. We report the case of a patient with a breast sarcoma, treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and discuss the appropriate pathological evaluation and therapeutic management.

Background Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is established for treatment of locally advanced disease and is being used increasingly for early-stage breast cancer. And sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for clinically node-negative breast cancer patients after NAC is performed as a daily procedure. The purpose of this study was to identify the group that can omit SLNB in patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer at diagnosis before NAC. Materials and Methods A single institutional retrospective analysis was performed. 126 patients were diagnosed as clinically node-negative before NAC and underwent SLNB between 2005 and 2017. Before NAC, all patients underwent clinical assessment of lymph-node status by palpation and axillary ultrasound. We judged patients to be node-negative when palpation and ultrasound showed no suspicious nodes. If axillar lymph nodes were swelling, fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed. After NAC, clinical assessment of lymph-node status was performed, again. 119 patients received anthracycline-based (anthracycline alone: 11, anthracycline followed by taxane: 108) chemotherapy and 7 patients received taxane alone. Clinical complete response (cCR) was defined if there was no evidence of tumor in the breast and axillary lymph nodes by US and MRI. SLNB procedure was done after NAC in all patients. Lymphatic mapping was performed with radioactive colloid and/or lymphatic blue dye. Results Median follow-up time was 51.2months. cCR rate was 16.7% (21/126). Success rate for the identification and removal of a SLN was 96.8% (122/126). The median number of SLNs removed was 1.9 (1-5). 15 patients (12.3%) represented SLN positive in patients who were diagnosed as clinically node-negative before NAC. They were performed axillar dissection and the SLNs were the only positive nodes in 9 patients. No SLNs metastases were observed in 21 patients who were diagnosed as cCR by ultrasound and MRI. And 15 patients (14.9%) had positive SLN in the 101 patients who were diagnosed as clinical partial response or clinical stable disease (p=0.071). Tumor size, Surgical procedures, hormone receptor status and HER2 status did not influence the positive rate of SLN metastases. No axillar lymph node recurrence was observed within follow-up period. Conclusion Our results show that SLNB is necessary even in breast cancer patients who were diagnosed as initially clinically node-negative before NAC. However, SLNB may be omitted in breast cancer patients who were diagnosed as clinically node-negative by palpation and axillary ultrasound before NAC and as cCR by ultrasound and MRI after NAC. Citation Format: Fujita T, Sakuragi M, Miyazaki C, Shiba S, Tanaka Y, Nishida S. Is sentinel lymph node biopsy necessary in breast cancer patients who were diagnosed as initially clinically node-negative before neoadjuvant chemotherapy? [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-14-22.

It is now widely recognized that climate change affects multiple sectors in virtually every part of the world. Impacts on one sector may influence other sectors, including seemingly remote ones, which we call “interconnections of climate risks.” While a substantial number of climate risks are identified in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report, there have been few attempts to explore the interconnections between them in a comprehensive way. To fill this gap, we developed a methodology for visualizing climate risks and their interconnections based on a literature survey. Our visualizations highlight the need to address climate risk interconnections in impact and vulnerability studies. Our risk maps and flowcharts show how changes in climate impact natural and socioeconomic systems, ultimately affecting human security, health, and well‐being. We tested our visualization approach with potential users and identified likely benefits and issues. Our methodology can be used as a communication tool to inform decision makers, stakeholders, and the general public of the cascading risks that can be triggered by climate change.

Purpose Recently a sentinel lymph node biopsy has been a part of standard surgical procedure instead of an axillary dissection with a mastectomy for breast cancers. It is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis of lymph node metastasis for deciding surgical procedure either a sentinel lymph node biopsy or an axillary dissection. Preoperative ultrasound is one of widely used tools to make a diagnosis of sentinel lymph node. This study presents results regarding preoperative pathological features to improve diagnosis accuracy of sentinel lymph node by preoperative axillary ultrasound. Materials and methods One doctor performed preoperative ultrasound. He used HITACHI HI VISION Ascendus. Axillary lymph node metastasis was suspected when these findings were observed such as partial thickening of lymph node cortex, loss of lymph nodes' hilum, circular swelling shape change and difference compared to a contralateral axillary lymph node. When we suspected axillary lymph node metastasis, we performed fine needle aspiration cytology except other findings such as CT, MRI or physical appearance showed obvious axillary lymph node metastasis. Preoperative core needle biopsies were performed to determine pathologic types and hormone characters. Clinical cases such that ductal carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma and ones with primary systemic treatment (neoadjuvant therapy) were excluded from statistical analysis. Results During a study period between April 2015 and December 2017, altogether 662 patients were participated in this study. 304 cases were analyzed by statistical analysis. 268 cases were diagnosed as negative and 36 case as positive in axillary lymph node metastasis by preoperative ultrasound. In the 268 cases 225 cases were diagnosed as negative by sentinel lymph node biopsy during operations (84.0%) but 43 cases were diagnosed as positive (16.0%). 23% cases included less than 20mm micro metastasis (10/43). To investigate correlation between false negative ratio of axillary lymph node metastasis diagnosed by an ultrasound and preoperative pathological features such as hormone receptor, HER2, Ki-67, nuclear grade and subtypes (Luminal, Her2 and triple negative). The false negative ratio was 17.0% vs 11.1% in hormone receptor (positive vs negative, p = 0.434), 14.5% vs 16.0% in HER2 (positive vs negative, p = 0.887), 15.4% vs 19.1% in Ki-67 (0.05). Conclusion There were no statistical significant difference between the axillary lymph node metastasis diagnosed by an ultrasound and the preoperative pathological features. However cases categorized in Luminal B by preoperative pathology had relatively high false negative ratio of axillary lymph node metastasis diagnosed by an ultrasound. It is necessary to investigate a way to improve diagnosis accuracy of sentinel lymph node by a preoperative axillary ultrasound. Citation Format: Koike R, Fujita T, Sata N, Shiozawa M, Miyazaki C, Sakuragi M, Shiba S, Tanaka Y. The efficacy of preoperative pathological features to improve diagnosis accuracy in lymph node metastasis by axillary ultrasound [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-02-16.

This study uses a neural network technique to produce maps of the partial pressure of oceanic carbon dioxide ( p CO 2 sea ) in the North Pacific on a 0.25° latitude × 0.25° longitude grid from 2002 to 2008. The p CO 2 sea distribution was computed using a self-organizing map (SOM) originally utilized to map the p CO 2 sea in the North Atlantic. Four proxy parameters – sea surface temperature (SST), mixed layer depth, chlorophyll a concentration, and sea surface salinity (SSS) – are used during the training phase to enable the network to resolve the nonlinear relationships between the p CO 2 sea distribution and biogeochemistry of the basin. The observed p CO 2 sea data were obtained from an extensive dataset generated by the volunteer observation ship program operated by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES). The reconstructed p CO 2 sea values agreed well with the p CO 2 sea measurements, with the root-mean-square error ranging from 17.6 μatm (for the NIES dataset used in the SOM) to 20.2 μatm (for independent dataset). We confirmed that the p CO 2 sea estimates could be improved by including SSS as one of the training parameters and by taking into account secular increases of p CO 2 sea that have tracked increases in atmospheric CO 2 . Estimated p CO 2 sea values accurately reproduced p CO 2 sea data at several time series locations in the North Pacific. The distributions of p CO 2 sea revealed by 7 yr averaged monthly p CO 2 sea maps were similar to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory p CO 2 sea climatology, allowing, however, for a more detailed analysis of biogeochemical conditions. The distributions of p CO 2 sea anomalies over the North Pacific during the winter clearly showed regional contrasts between El Nino and La Nina years related to changes of SST and vertical mixing.

Sabine, C. L. et al., As a response to public demand for a well-documented, quality controlled, publically available, global surface ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) data set, the international marine carbon science community developed the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT). The first SOCAT product is a collection of 6.3 million quality controlled surface CO2 data from the global oceans and coastal seas, spanning four decades (1968–2007). The SOCAT gridded data presented here is the second data product to come from the SOCAT project. Recognizing that some groups may have trouble working with millions of measurements, the SOCAT gridded product was generated to provide a robust, regularly spaced CO2 fugacity (fCO2) product with minimal spatial and temporal interpolation, which should be easier to work with for many applications. Gridded SOCAT is rich with information that has not been fully explored yet (e.g., regional differences in the seasonal cycles), but also contains biases and limitations that the user needs to recognize and address (e.g., local influences on values in some coastal regions)., SOCAT is promoted by IOCCP, the Sur- face Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study, and the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research program. Douglas Wallace (Dalhousie University, Canada and former SOLAS chair) has strongly encouraged SOCAT. Support has been received from the University of Bergen (Norway), the Bjerknes Centre for Cli- mate Research (Norway), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States), the University of Washington (United States), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (United States), the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), PANGAEA – Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental data (Germany), the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Ger- many), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the CarboOcean (Norway, GOCE 511176-1) and CarboChange (Norway, FP7 264879) projects of the European Union, the US National Science Foundation (United States, OCE-1068958), the international Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR, United States, OCE-0938349), and the UK Ocean Acidification Research Programme (NE / H017046 / 1; funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural A ff airs). Support for SOCAT meetings has been received from IOCCP, IMBER, the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action 735 (United Kingdom), Geomar (Germany), the National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan), and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia).

Successful kidney transplantation (KT) can theoretically reconstitute body composition of a patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the practical changes have not been well documented. We evaluated changes in body composition among candidates before and 1 year after KT.We enrolled 37 male and 18 female kidney recipients eligible for comparison of their body mass index (BMI), body composition, and lipid metabolism before and 1 year after KT. Twenty-one patients had been induced with a calcineurin inhibitor, mycophenolate mofetil, steroid, and basiliximab, and 34 others underwent steroid withdrawal on postoperative day 3. The body composition was analyzed using bioelectrical impedance. We also analyzed changes in BMI and lipid profiles.There was no significant change in BMI (21.4 ± 3.1 vs 21.7 ± 3.5 kg/m(2)). Regarding body composition, the water level decreased significantly (61.2 ± 4.9% vs 58.3 ± 5.3%; P.05). In contrast, fat significantly increased (16.4 ± 6.7% vs 20.3 ± 7.1%; P.05). More interestingly, successful KT significantly decreased the muscle and bone mass at 1 year after KT (37.3 ± 5.1% vs 34.8 ± 4.7%; 16.3 ± 2.1% vs 15.2 ± 2.1%; respectively; P.05). Serum lipid profiles of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride worsened after KT. Comparing the 2 protocols, there was no difference in any item.Care must be taken even after successful KT to avoid dyslipidemia, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Well programmed dietary and/or exercise protocols to prevent muscle atrophy and fat gain should be considered even after successful KT.

Summary What is known and Objective: Calcium channel blockers (CCBs), which have been widely used for the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris, decrease lower oesophageal sphincter pressure and, as a result, can exacerbate gastrointestinal disease. In a previous study, increased risk of exacerbation of gastrointestinal disease among elderly patients following treatment with CCBs was identified. The prevalence of gastrointestinal diseases has increased in elderly patients, and it is possible that treatment with CCBs may have undesirably influenced this increase. The change in risk of gastrointestinal disease can be estimated by analysing changes in the prescription of antisecretory drugs as an outcome of exacerbation of gastrointestinal disease caused by CCBs. Methods: It was hypothesized that patients who were prescribed CCBs would also change their use of antisecretory drugs. From September 2005 to August 2009, a dynamic retrospective cohort study was performed at five community pharmacies in Nagasaki, Japan, to assess alteration of antisecretory drug therapy following treatment with CCBs. Correlations with alterations of antisecretory drug therapy were determined by the Cox proportional hazards model. Results and Discussion: The proposed study included 260 patients who were prescribed CCBs and 155 controls. During the study period, 53 patients were prescribed CCBs and 13 controls altered their antisecretory drug therapy; the hazard ratio was 2·22 (95% CI 1·25–4·26). What is new and Conclusion: Calcium channel blocker treatment of patients with gastrointestinal disease was associated with alteration in frequency of prescription and an increase in dosage of antisecretory drugs. For clinical management of hypertension, alternative antihypertensive drugs may be considered for patients with gastrointestinal diseases. Further studies are required to determine the influence of CCB therapy on gastroesophageal diseases, suggested by the increase in use of antisecretory drugs.

One approach to 3D technology is chip stacking using through-silicon vias (TSVs). Interconnects in a 3D assembly are potentially much shorter than in a 2D configuration, allowing for faster system speed and lower power consumption. However, it is extremely important to use cost-effective process technologies in practical use. Therefore, in our study, we propose a basic concept for interconnecting stacked chips with TSVs using a cost-effective process technology. The principal feature is to use a ldquomechanical-caulkingrdquo technique, which has been used widely in the mechanical-engineering field, enabling 3D interconnections between stacked chips. This makes it possible to interconnect them by only applying compressive force at room temperature. This paper presents the results obtained by using mechanical-caulking connections at room temperature accomplished by manufacturing a prototype of a chip-stacked package with TSV interconnections. A 3D-SiP composed of an existing MCU, an interposer, and an SDRAM chip with TSV interconnections was also manufactured. However, a customized design, assuming TSV interconnections in the existing MCU, needs to be introduced for practical use to achieve SiO2 etching with shorter turn around time (TATs) and high TSV yields of more than 99%.

Summary Background and objective: Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) have been widely used for the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris. It is presumed that CCBs decrease the lower esophageal sphincter pressure and as a result, the risk of gastrointestinal disease may be increased. Since the prevalence of gastrointestinal diseases has increased in elderly patients, it is possible that treatment with CCBs may have contributed to this increase. Therefore, we considered that the risk of exacerbating gastrointestinal disease among elderly patients by CCBs can be estimated by using the prescription ratio of antisecretory drugs as an outcome. Method: We hypothesized that patients who are prescribed CCBs would increase the use of antisecretory drugs involving H2-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). From January 2001 to December 2005, a dynamic retrospective cohort study was performed at three community pharmacies in Nagasaki city, Japan, to assess the use of antisecretory drugs following treatment with CCBs among elderly patients. The correlation of initiation of antisecretory drugs treatment to maintenance therapy with PPIs was determined by the Cox proportional hazards model. Resuts: The proposed study includes 303 patients prescribed CCBs and 258 controls. During the study period, 138 patients prescribed CCBs and 66 controls were initiated by giving antisecretory drugs; the hazard ratio was 1·40 (95% confidence interval 1·21–1·63). Eighty two patients taking CCBs and 32 controls were initiated by the maintenance therapy with PPIs; the hazard ratio was 1·48 (95% confidence interval 1·21–1·83). Conclusion: Patients who simultaneously initiated the use of antisecretory drugs with CCBs could not be found. Therefore, antisecretory drugs have not been used to prevent the gastrointestinal diseases caused by CCBs. The results obtained in this study suggest that the risk of gastrointestinal disease could be increased by long-term treatment with CCBs for elderly patients.

Depression and fatigue are frequent side effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment, and there is compelling evidence that the inflammatory response system (including interleukin-6, IL-6) and the serotonergic system is important in the pathophysiology of such symptoms. Functional polymorphisms in the promoter region of the IL-6 gene (rs1800795) and serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) have been identified as regulating these systems. The present study aimed to determine if these polymorphisms were associated with the development of depression and fatigue during IFN-alpha and ribavirin treatment. Ninety-eight Caucasian patients receiving pegylated IFN-alpha and ribavirin treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus at King's College Hospital, London, and Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, participated in this prospective cohort study. Symptoms of depression and fatigue were measured before treatment and at weeks 4, 8, 12 and 24 during treatment. The 'low IL-6' synthesizing genotype (CC) was associated with significantly fewer symptoms of depression (effect size = 0.7 at week 24; F = 9.4, d.f. = 436, P = 0.002). The 'high transcription' serotonin transporter (5-HTT) genotype (LL) was also associated with significantly fewer symptoms of depression, but with a much smaller effect (effect size = 0.2 at week 24; F = 4.5, d.f. = 436, P = 0.03). Neither polymorphisms were associated with symptoms of fatigue (IL-6: F = 1.2, d.f. = 430, P = 0.2; 5-HTT: F = 0.5, d.f. = 430, P = 0.5). The smaller effects of the 5-HTT polymorphism on depression may be explained by an interaction between the genes (F = 5.0, d.f. = 434, P = 0.02): the 'protective' effect of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was evident only in the presence of the 'low IL-6' genotype (F = 5.4, d.f. = 64, P = 0.02), not in the presence of the 'high IL-6' genotype (F = 2.2, d.f. = 369, P = 0.1). The association between the IL-6 polymorphism and reduced risk of depressive symptoms confirms the role of the inflammatory response system in the pathophysiology of IFN-alpha-induced depression; in contrast, the effect of the 5-HTT gene was small and perhaps dependent on the status of the inflammatory response.

Application of amorphous oxide thin film transistor (TFT) to electronic paper is demonstrated. We have fabricated a 4-in. bottom gate amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O (a-IGZO) TFT array and combined it with an electrophoretic frontplane. The resolution of the display is 200 ppi and the number of the pixel is 640 × 480 (QVGA). As far as we know, this is the largest pixel count display which has been driven by oxide based TFTs. Moreover, we propose a low-cost fabrication process for oxide based TFT. A printing process was employed to form the source and drain electrodes. The source and electrodes were printed by a standard screen-printing method. A fine pattern for the source and drain electrodes with a channel length of 40 μm was successfully printed onto the a-IGZO semiconductor layer. Our a-IGZO TFT with printed source and drain electrodes shows high on/off ratio of more than seven orders of magnitude and field effect mobility of 2.8 cm2/V s.

Therapy-resistant cancer cells are a major problem in cancer research. Recent studies suggest that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key mechanism in therapy resistance. Yet, the expressions of EMT markers, EMT core regulators, and a stem cell marker of BMI1 during chemotherapy have been poorly analyzed in clinical breast cancer specimens. In the present study, we investigated the roles of RhoC under chemotherapy to follow up on earlier findings demonstrating the involvement of RhoC in prostate cancer resistance to endocrine therapy. Immunohistochemically, E-cadherin expression was significantly lower in human breast cancer specimens analyzed after chemotherapy than specimens biopsied before chemotherapy. Significant upregulation of fibronectin, a mesenchymal EMT marker, was found in post-chemotherapy analysis. A study of the EMT core regulators of SNAIL1, SNAIL2, TWIST1, and a well-known stem cell marker of BMI1 revealed no post-chemotherapy upregulation of these molecules. In contrast, RhoC expression was significantly upregulated in post-chemotherapy breast cancer specimens. MCF-7 cells stably transfected with the constitutive active (CA) RhoC plasmid manifested a reduced level of E-cadherin at the peripheries and disorganization of actin fibers, with no accompanying upregulation of SNAIL1, SNAIL2, TWIST1, or BMI1 in Western blots. Exposure of etoposide on MCF-7 cells showed RhoC upregulation together with reduced membranous expression of E-cadherin and disorganization of actin fibers. In MTT assay, however, the CA-RhoC-expressing MCF-7 cells failed to show chemotherapy resistance under etoposide treatment. Taken in sum, RhoC may contribute to an EMT-like process in human breast cancer during chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is a serious adverse side-effect of anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens, in patients with breast cancer. A combination of three drugs, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT3) receptor antagonist, aprepitant and dexamethasone, is recommended for antiemetic therapy. Palonosetron (PALO), a novel 5-HT3 receptor antagonist has been identified to be effective against delayed nausea and vomiting. In this study, the results of PALO for patients who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy were compared with that of granisetron (GRA) using a crossover study design. This study evaluated the efficacy of antiemetics in the first cycle of chemotherapy, as well as the second and third cycles. A total of 21 patients and 19 patients were assigned to PALO and GRA treatment groups during the first cycle of chemotherapy, respectively. The patients switched to the other antiemetic drug for the second chemotherapy cycle (PALO followed by GRA or GRA followed by PALO). The patients could select PALO or GRA antiemetics for the third cycle, according to their preference. A total of 21 patients selected PALO and 18 patients selected GRA in the third cycle, and one patient was withdrawn from the study as their third cycle questionnaire was not obtained. No significant differences between PALO and GRA were identified in first and second cycles. However, during the third cycle, a significant difference was observed in acute-phase complete control of emetic events between the PALO and GRA groups, which was defined as no emetic episode, no additional antiemetic treatment and no more than mild nausea, between PALO and GRA. These results demonstrated that changing antiemetics may affect the efficacy of antiemetics. This study indicates that alteration of antiemetic regimens, including drug combination and order, may improve the efficacy of antiemetic treatment.

One of the most-serious diseases of sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] is russet crack disease caused by sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV). We constructed an expression vector carrying the coat protein (CP) and hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) genes driven by cauliflower mosaic virus 35 S promoters. Accordingly, we introduced the expression vector into sweet potato variety Chikei 682-11 by the electroporation method. Among 449 calli obtained after antibiotic selection, 19 plants from seven independent calli grew to form adventitious shoots. Three transgenic lines were obtained from independent calli, based on analysis of the CP and hpt genes. The transcription and translation of the CP gene were shown in these transgenic lines by Northern- and Western-blot analyses. To assay the virus resistance of the transgenic lines, each line was vegetatively propagated and then grafted with morning glory (Ipomoea nil) that had been infected with SPFMV-S. A PAS-ELISA assay with polyclonal antiserum of the CP demonstrated that virus accumulation 3 months after grafting with the infected morning glory was suppressed in the transgenic lines as compared with non-transgenic ones. These transgenic lines were shown to be highly resistant not only to primary but also to secondary infection by SPFMV-S. Thus we concluded that the three transgenic lines with the CP gene of SPFMV-S can be used for coat protein-mediated resistance to the virus.

The rym3 (formerly designated ym3) gene conferring resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) is effective against all strains of the virus but up to now has not been mapped to any chromosome. We performed a linkage analysis, using DNA extracted from individually harvested mature leaves of 153 F(2) plants derived from a cross between BaYMV-resistant cv 'Ishuku Shirazu' carrying rym3 and susceptible cv 'Ko A'. Additionally, the F(3) lines derived from F(2) plants were grown in the BaYMV-infested field and examined for their reaction to BaYMV. Our results indicated that rym3 is located on the short arm of chromosome 5H and flanked by RFLP markers MWG28and ABG705A at distances of 7.2 and 11.7 cM, respectively. The chromosomal configuration estimated by DNA markers around rym3 and the utilization of these molecular markers for pyramiding with the BaYMV resistance genes in barley breeding programs are discussed.

We examined about the electromagnetic field immunity test system applying the array antenna technology. This system is able to get the high uniformity of electric field and the high power electric field near the antenna, in a wideband, by the beam forming technology. This system applied the array antenna technology which is constructed by 128-element array antenna with low price and low power amplifiers. To develop this system, we calculated the relationship among the electric field uniformity, the electric field strength, the curvature radius of the array antenna, and the distance from the antenna to uniform field area (UFA). Then, we designed and constructed this system. In this paper, we explain these considerations and characteristics of this system.

19 páginas, 6 tablas, 4 figuras.-- B. Pfeil ... et al.-- Proyecto Carbochange.-- Distribuido bajo licencia Creative Commons, A well-documented, publicly available, global data set of surface ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) parameters has been called for by international groups for nearly two decades. The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) project was initiated by the international marine carbon science community in 2007 with the aim of providing a comprehensive, publicly available, regularly updated, global data set of marine surface CO2, which had been subject to quality control (QC). Many additional CO2 data, not yet made public via the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), were retrieved from data originators, public websites and other data centres. All data were put in a uniform format following a strict protocol. Quality control was carried out according to clearly defined criteria. Regional specialists performed the quality control, using state-of-the-art web-based tools, specially developed for accomplishing this global team effort. SOCAT version 1.5 was made public in September 2011 and holds 6.3 million quality controlled surface CO2 data points from the global oceans and coastal seas, spanning four decades (1968–2007). Three types of data products are available: individual cruise files, a merged complete data set and gridded products. With the rapid expansion of marine CO2 data collection and the importance of quantifying net global oceanic CO2 uptake and its changes, sustained data synthesis and data access are priorities., Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Uni Research (Norway), US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Washington, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US), University of East Anglia (UEA, UK), PANGAEA

High density 3D LSI technology using W/Cu hybrid through silicon vias (TSVs) has been proposed. Major reliability issues attributed to W/Cu hybrid TSVs in high density 3D LSIs such as (i) thermo-mechanical stress exerted by W TSVs used for signal lines and Cu TSVs used for power/ground lines in active Si, (ii) external gettering (EG) role played by sub-surface defects in thinned Si substrate, and (iii) effect of local stress induced by μ-bumps on device characteristics are discussed. By annealing at the temperature of ≥300°C, both Cu (via size ≤10µm) and W (via size ≤1µm) square TSVs induce only compressive stress at small TSV spacing which will seriously affect the mobility in active Si area, and thus device characteristics. Large compressive stress not only leads to extrusion and peeling of TSV metal, but also die cracking, and it will adversely impact on the reliability of 3D-LSIs. Then it was proposed to increase the TSV pitch to larger than twice of TSV size to avoid these adverse effects in high density 3D-LSI. Sub-surface defects at dry polished (DP) surface well act as potential EG sites for Cu contamination. Influences of mechanical stress induced by μ-bumps on device characteristics were also evaluated and ultra-small size In-Au μ-bump technology has been developed to minimize the influences of μ-bumps on device characteristics.

VCCI Technical Sub-committee has investigated the dispersion of radiated emission measurement results. It was confirmed that one of the main cause of the dispersion of radiated emission measurement results was the difference of the power line-to-ground impedance of the power supply for the equipment under test (EUT). For the improvement of the dispersion, VCCI Council manufactured the experimental VHF LISN (Very High Frequency Line Impedance Stabilization Network). And we performed a round-robin test on the effectiveness of the VHF LISN.

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs), which have been widely used for the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris, decrease lower oesophageal sphincter pressure and, as a result, can exacerbate gastrointestinal disease. In a previous study, increased risk of exacerbation of gastrointestinal disease among elderly patients following treatment with CCBs was identified. The prevalence of gastrointestinal diseases has increased in elderly patients, and it is possible that treatment with CCBs may have undesirably influenced this increase. The change in risk of gastrointestinal disease can be estimated by analysing changes in the prescription of antisecretory drugs as an outcome of exacerbation of gastrointestinal disease caused by CCBs.It was hypothesized that patients who were prescribed CCBs would also change their use of antisecretory drugs. From September 2005 to August 2009, a dynamic retrospective cohort study was performed at five community pharmacies in Nagasaki, Japan, to assess alteration of antisecretory drug therapy following treatment with CCBs. Correlations with alterations of antisecretory drug therapy were determined by the Cox proportional hazards model.The proposed study included 260 patients who were prescribed CCBs and 155 controls. During the study period, 53 patients were prescribed CCBs and 13 controls altered their antisecretory drug therapy; the hazard ratio was 2·22 (95% CI 1·25-4·26).Calcium channel blocker treatment of patients with gastrointestinal disease was associated with alteration in frequency of prescription and an increase in dosage of antisecretory drugs. For clinical management of hypertension, alternative antihypertensive drugs may be considered for patients with gastrointestinal diseases. Further studies are required to determine the influence of CCB therapy on gastroesophageal diseases, suggested by the increase in use of antisecretory drugs.

Mechanical strain/stress and crystal defects are produced in extremely thin wafers (thickness ∼10 µm) of 3D-LSIs not only during wafer thinning, but also after wafer bonding using fine-pitch, high-density microbumps and curing. Furthermore, the metal of through-Si via (TSV) and microbump not only becomes the cause of contamination, but also induces strain/stress (due to the difference in the co-efficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between Si and metal) in thinned Si substrate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the crystal quality of Si is highly deteriorated in the ultra-poly ground (UPG) surface after wafer thinning and stress relief. Micro-Raman spectroscopy (µRS) data revealed that a local tensile strain amount to 1.8 GPa was induced by 4×4 µm2 square sized Si microbumps in 10 µm-thick LSI wafers after bonding and curing. We have noticed that this locally induced strain/stress caused more than 10% change in the ON current of p-MOS transistor. CuSn microbumps have also induced strain/stress at Si wafer surface, and it penetrates deeper for larger bump size and wider for smaller bump pitch.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1 beta), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) were measured in serum from children with measles using an immunoradiometric assay. The IFN-gamma level was increased in 52 out of 54 patients in the acute phase of measles (less than 7 days of illness), and then declined to an undetectable level in the convalescent phase. Neither IL-1 nor TNF could be detected during the course of the illness. The mean serum IFN-gamma level was at its peak on day 4 and could be detected over a 7-day period after the onset of fever, coinciding with the febrile period (6.9 +/- 1.5 days). In the acute phase, the phytohaemagglutinin responses, absolute number of platelets, total lymphocyte counts, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ cell counts and the CD4/8 ratio were depressed, while stab cell number and lactate dehydrogenase levels were higher than those in the convalescent phase. Using Spearman rank sum test, the IFN-gamma level was correlated negatively with the peripheral lymphocyte (P less than 0.01), CD3+ (P less than 0.05), CD4+ (P less than 0.05) cell counts and the CD4/8 ratio (P less than 0.05) and correlated positively with the stab cell count (P less than 0.01) but not with any other parameter. When the acute phase findings were compared between 28 complicated and 40 uncomplicated patients, the former were younger (P less than 0.01) and had higher maximum body temperature during the illness (P less than 0.05) than the latter, there was no difference in their IFN-gamma levels. These results show that endogenous IFN-gamma appears in the circulation during the acute febrile phase of measles, but does not contribute directly to any complication of the disease.

We studied the correlation between interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and clinical/laboratory findings in children with aseptic meningitis. In 19/27 patients (70%), the CSF IFN level was high at initial diagnosis, and reduced to a low or undetectable level during the convalescent phase (5-14 days later) of the disease. There were no differences in IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha levels between the acute and convalescent phase of the patients. The serum IFN-gamma levels in the patients, which were simultaneously examined were undetectable in the acute phase. When we compared the clinical/laboratory findings between the 29 patients with detectable CSF IFN-gamma level and the 21 patients with an undetectable CSF IFN-gamma level in the acute phase, the former demonstrated higher body temperature (P less than 0.01), and higher cell number and protein level in the CSF (P less than 0.05) than the latter. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the duration of meningeal signs, the titre of C-reactive protein, and the peripheral leucocyte count between the two groups. By the Spearman's rank sum test, the CSF IFN-gamma levels correlated more definitively with the severity of febrile episode (maximal body temperature, duration of fever and body temperature at the first lumbar tap), and the cell number and protein level in the CSF. These results suggest that IFN-gamma produced in the inflamed intrathecal space may be associated with the pathogenesis of aseptic meningitis, especially the production of fever.

VCCI* Technical Sub-committee has investigated the dispersion of radiated emission measurement results . It was confirmed that one of the main cause of the dispersion of radiated emission measurement results was the difference of the power line-to-ground impedance of the power supply for the equipment under test (EUT). For the improvement of the dispersion, VCCI manufactured the experimental VHF-LISN (very high frequency-line impedance stabilization network). And we confirmed the validity of this VHF-LISN.

The limits and the measurement methods for the radiated emissions above 1 GHz have been published as CISPR22 Ed. 5 Amendment 1 and CISPR16-2-3 Ed. 1 Amendment 1, respectively, VCCI Technical Sub-committee has examined the measurement methods for the radiated emissions above 1 GHz. This paper describes the matter of the signal to noise ratio (S/N) for the radiated emission measurement system above 1 GHz, the setting for the video band width (VBW) of a spectrum analyzer and the influence that the rotational speed of a turntable and the sweep time of a spectrum analyzer exert on radiated emission measurement above 1 GHz, based on the measurement results.

When the digital and the analog circuits are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), the gapped digital and analog power planes are often used as the isolation method. In this case, three layers (digital power plane, ground plane, analog power plane) are needed for a perfect isolation between a digital power plane and an analog power plane. However, if it is possible to allocate only two layers for these three planes, the gapped planes in the same layer are used as the power planes. The gapped planes cause an increase of a radiation because the electromagnetic noise on one power plane couples to another power plane. In order to suppress a radiation, it is necessary to isolate both power planes. For this reason, the isolation method was estimated experimentally. And we estimated radiation from PCB with various gapped planes.

To verify the operation of three-dimensional SiP with through-hole electrode interconnections, we manufactured a prototype of a 3D-SiP sample composed of a MCU, an interposer, and a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) chip using a proposed mechanical caulking operation. A new electrode design of LSI for through-hole electrode interconnection is important for establishing a stable mass-production process. By using this technology, the package thickness can be 1.0 mm or less even in ten-chip layers, compared with two-chip layers using wire bonding, which are approximately 1.25-mm thick.

The wire bonding technique has been used for conventional 3D-stacked packages. However, it requires an additional bonding area on the substrate and long wires for connecting a chip to a substrate. In this study, a method is described for interconnecting stacked chips using through-hole electrodes. Electrical interconnection between the chips is achieved by simply applying a compressive force at room temperature to a conventional chip with multiple gold stud bumps. The basic concept of the proposed method was validated using test samples with quasi-through-hole electrodes. Application of chip-to-chip interconnection to a conventional 3D-stacked system-in-package (SiP) with an microprocessing unit (MPU) chip and an synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) chip reduced the package thickness to less than 0.5 mm from 1.25 mm and the number of layer in the package substrate to two (thickness less than 0.2 mm) from six (0.45 mm). The wiring distance between stacked chips is minimized by using an interposer chip. We formed through-hole electrodes in a 30-mum-thick silicon wafer and determined that the measured leakage with plasma CVD of SiO2 met our target specification for the electrical insulation between through-hole electrodes. Use of this method should facilitate the production of ultra-slim, high-performance SiP

Effect of a shielding plane used for suppressing emission from a PCB is experimentally studied in this paper. The shielding plane is connected to some points of a ground plane contained in the PCB. In many cases of products, cables extend out of the shielding area and signal traces exist outside of this area. These cables and signal traces cancel the effect of shielding the devices inside of the shielding area. Moreover, in these cases, an extended shielding plane increases radiation level from the PCB.

The authors are developing the technology for designing shields of electronic equipment. As a factor which deteriorates shield characteristics, we pay attention to signal lines and power lines passing through a shield material. In this paper, we describe the effects of these lines on shield characteristics.

Radiation from a PCB with coupling between a low frequency signal and a digital signal trace is studied in this paper. EMI increasing by coupling between these traces on a digital PCB is shown experimentally and theoretically. These traces are routed on the same and different signal planes in the multilayer PCB. Radiated EMI is evaluated with calculation of crosstalk. It is shown that evaluation of EMI level by crosstalk is useful to decide a PCB's structure for EMI reduction of a high-density assembled PCB. Effective EMI reduction is obtained by separating the low frequency signal trace from the high-speed digital signal by a ground plane.

The authors are developing the technology that can simulate normal-mode emission radiated from printed circuit boards. We describe the driver and the receiver IC models which are needed to simulate radiated emission. We have derived the driver and the receiver IC models. The validity of these models was confirmed by comparing measured data with the results of the simulation.

The patient was 48-year-old woman. The patient was referred to our hospital due to detection of an abnormal shadow on a chest X-ray image during a health checkup. The results of a CT scan morphologically suggested a benign tumor, but a diagnosis could not be made even after bronchoscopic cytology. FDG-PET revealed accumulation at the tumor site suggestive of malignancy, and an operation was performed. Prompt pathological examination showed that the tumor was adenocarcinoma, and right lower lobectomy and lymphnode dissection were performed. FDG-PET is thought to be useful for diagnosis in cases of lung tumor in which a preoperative diagnosis can not be established.

We examined the anticonvulsant properties of dipotassium clorazepate (DC) against hippocampal kindled seizures in rats. Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to kindling 1 week after the implantation of electrodes. After five stage 5 seizures were induced, the generalized convulsion triggering threshold (GST) was determined. Dipotassium clorazepate was administered intraperitoneally in rats that showed two stable stage 5 seizures induced at the GST current intensity. Dipotassium clorazepate at doses of 1 mg/kg or more produced an anticonvulsant effect, but did not readily suppress limbic seizures. Dipotassium clorazepate did not completely suppress after-discharges (AD) even at the highest dose, which was 5 mg/kg. Moreover, raised stimulus intensity failed to affect its efficacy as an anticonvulsant. The results of the present study suggest that DC has a modest anticonvulsant potency. It is reasonable to assume that its anticonvulsant efficacy is primarily due to attenuation of AD propagation rather than the raising of the seizure triggering threshold at the kindling focus.

A multicenter study was undertaken in Japan to evaluate the correlation between the percentage of renal uptake of 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (99mTc-MAG3) estimated by the count-based gamma camera method and the blood clearance of 99mTc-MAG3. Twenty four centers were enrolled and 172 cases were finally analyzed in this study. The renal clearance of 99mTc-MAG3 (TER) was obtained by using a single blood sample taken at 44 min after injection. Comparison of TER and renal uptake provided a coefficient of correlation of 0.874; suggesting that sufficiently accurate quantification of renal function could be obtained from the renal uptake estimate by the gamma camera method. This study also showed that the comparison of renal function might be feasible among patients under the same protocols, although precise and careful consideration is required in each center.

To develop an efficient gene isolation method for rice we introduced the maize Ac/Ds system into rice. Extensive analysis of their behavior in rice for several generations indicated that Ac and Ds in the presence of Ac transposase gene actively transpose in rice. A wide spectrum of mutations affecting growth, morphogenesis, flowering time and disease resistance have been obtained in the population carrying Ac/Ds and some of them were genetically analyzed. Main efforts are currently being made to isolate genes responsible these mutations. In addition, a number of Ac/Ds were mapped on chromosomes and mapped elements will be used in the future for directed tagging of genes with known chromosomal positions.