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The characteristic changes in the swallowing mechanism with aging are collectively termed presbyphagia. Although several studies have investigated presbyphagia in older adults, few have assessed oldest-old adults. We aimed to characterize the latent changes of swallowing function in oldest-old adults and to consider risk ages for presbyphagia.We analyzed the records of 85 individuals (44 males and 41 females, aged 25-101 years) who underwent videofluoroscopic swallowing studies. The included participants had penetration and aspiration scores of ≤ 2 and no history of aspiration, pneumonia, or diseases that affect swallowing. They were divided into four age groups: 25-64 years (non-older), 65-74 years (young-old), 75-84 years (middle-old), and ≥ 85 years (oldest-old). We analyzed and compared the pharyngeal delay time (PDT), duration of tongue base and posterior pharyngeal wall contact, duration and dimension of upper esophageal sphincter opening (UES-O), and maximal hyoid bone displacement between the age groups.Among the older groups, the oldest-old showed significantly longer PDT than younger-old adults, and the UES-O tended to be wider in the former. However, no other remarkable differences were found between the oldest-old and other old groups. Statistical comparisons between the 75 and ≥ 75-year age groups revealed significant age-related changes in the PDT and duration and dimension of UES-O.On videofluoroscopic evaluation, physiological changes with aging affected few parameters of swallowing in our cohort. These findings indicate that in non-aspirating oldest-old adults, any deterioration may be adjusted for by compensatory changes to maintain swallowing function.

This paper presents an accurate inductor-less broadband active balun. The gain and phase deviations of the balun are corrected by the magnitude and phase concurrent correction technique (MPCCT). Besides, the gain-bandwidth product is improved by 1.39 times using an active peaking technique embedded in the MPCCT. The relationship between the common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR), conversion gain, and stability is revealed by detailed analyses and an additional capacitor improves the CMRR and conversion gain at high frequencies. The proposed balun was assessed by post-layout simulation. The gain and phase deviations were smaller than 0.04 dB and 0.5° from DC to 8.9 GHz, respectively. The proposed balun achieved a core area of 0.0058 mm2, which is smaller than the previous works to the best of the authors' knowledge.

Purpose Numerous surgical techniques and fixation methods have been described in medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction such as choice of graft, graft fixation method of patella/femur and initial tension. We describe short term clinical results of MPFL reconstruction by using soft suture anchor and adjustable cortical fixation system. Methods Twenty-four patients who underwent isolated MPFL reconstruction by using soft suture anchor and adjustable cortical fixation system were included in this study. All patients were followed up for at least 2 years, and pre-operative and 2 years post-operative Kujala score, IKDC score and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were used to assess clinical outcome. Radiographic evaluation included the Q angle, congruence angle and patellar tilt angle. Pre- and post-operative changes were evaluated by Mann–Whitney U test. Results There were no complications including re-dislocation, patella fracture, infection, and joint contracture. The apprehension test was positive in 4.2% post-operatively. A statistically significant improvement in clinical scores and radiographic evaluation were evident after surgery. Conclusions Isolated MPFL Reconstruction using soft suture anchor and adjustable cortical fixation system led good restoration of patellar stability and significant improvement of knee function in short-term results. This surgical technique can reduce complications such as patella fractures, and can be done safely. Clinical relevance This technique may be a treatment option with little associated complications in the treatment for patellar instability. Level of Evidence Case series, Level IV.

This paper presents an area-efficient differential distributed amplifier using differential coupled inductors. The artificial transmission lines of the proposed distributed amplifier are modeled as differential transmission lines, and thus, it can be easily designed compared with other area reduction techniques. The dimensions of the coupled inductors have been optimized using a gradient descent algorithm with a scalable model of the coupled inductors. The proposed amplifier was designed using 1P5M 180 nm standard CMOS technology. Post-layout simulation results demonstrated a gain of 6.9 dB and a bandwidth of 20.2 GHz with 4.9 ps Nyquist group delay variation. A core area of the proposed amplifier was 0.28 mm2, which was the smallest value compared with previous works using similar processes.

Biodegradable injectable polymer (IP) systems exhibiting temperature-responsive sol-to-gel transitions between room temperature and body temperature have the potential for use in biomedical applications. However, gelation of such IP systems is a reversible process through physical cross-linking, and the hydrogels thus formed are likely to revert to the sol state under highly wet conditions after injection. In this study, a biodegradable IP system exhibiting temperature-responsive irreversible sol-to-gel transition by covalent bond formation was developed by simple mixing of polymers. A triblock copolymer of poly(caprolactone-co-glycolic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol) (tri-PCG) and tri-PCG with attached succinimide ester groups at both termini (tri-PCG-SA-OSu) were prepared and mixed together with a water-soluble polyamine (typically poly-l-lysine). The obtained IP formulation was in the sol state after mixing, but exhibited a rapid sol-to-gel transition within 30 s upon increasing the temperature to 37 °...

The purpose of this study was to perform medial meniscus (MM) centralization for medial meniscus extrusion (MME) associated with medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) and to examine the short-term results. The hypothesis is that arthroscopic centralization as an augmentation of MMPRT repair improves clinical outcomes and the extrusion distance of MM in short-term results. Twenty-six patients (mean age 62.1 ± 6.0 years) who underwent arthroscopic centralization as an augmentation of MMPRT repair were included. Clinical evaluation was performed before and 2 years after surgery using Lysholm score and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS). Image evaluation used MRI and plain X-ray images. The extrusion distance and MME ratio were compared on MRI images before and 2 years after surgery. The degree of osteoarthritis (OA) was evaluated using Kellgren–Lawrence classification. The degree of OA and hip–knee–ankle (HKA) angle were compared by plane X-ray images before and 2 years after surgery. In clinical results, both Lysholm score and KOOS improved significantly after surgery. In image evaluation, the extrusion distance decreased significantly from 4.8 ± 0.7 mm before surgery to 2.7 ± 0.3 mm 2 years after surgery (p

Loss compensation gain cells using series-shunt peaking technique and stacked-FETs were incorporated into a modulator driver based on distributed topology to improve the bandwidth. The driver was developed in 180 nm CMOS technology. It can integrate with digital circuits on a chip. Hence the cost of optical transmitters will be considerably reduced. The driver was evaluated with electromagnetic analysis and circuit simulation, which reached an operating data rate of 40 Gbps and a peak to peak output swing of 1.8 V. It is the highest data rate compared with other works in similar CMOS technology.

Metal fluorides are gathering significant interest for use in many applications, such as optical glasses, chemical sensors, and solid electrolytes using fluoride ion batteries, due to their high transparency over a wide wavelength range (ultraviolet to infrared) and fast fluoride ion conductivity. Here, we present a topotactic route for synthesizing thin films of fluorite-type Ba0.5Bi0.5F2.5 (BBF), a promising fluoride ion conductor, from perovskite-type BaBiO3 (BBO) precursor films by fluorination using poly(vinylidene fluoride). The fluorination reaction fully converted BBO to BBF without stopping at the oxyfluoride stage. The BBF films obtained at relatively low reaction temperatures (150–200 °C) showed Ba/Bi cation ordering in the [001] direction, indicating that the cation framework of perovskite BBO was maintained during the fluorination reaction. Meanwhile, increasing the fluorination temperature led to mixtures of cations, resulting in random distribution of Ba and Bi. This demonstrates that the d...

The quadrant method was described by Bernard et al. and it has been widely used for postoperative evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The purpose of this research is to further develop the quadrant method measuring four points, which we named four-point quadrant method, and to compare with the quadrant method. Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) analyses were performed in 25 patients who underwent double-bundle ACL reconstruction using the outside-in technique. The four points in this study’s quadrant method were defined as point1—highest, point2—deepest, point3—lowest, and point4—shallowest, in femoral tunnel position. Value of depth and height in each point was measured. Antero-medial (AM) tunnel is (depth1, height2) and postero-lateral (PL) tunnel is (depth3, height4) in this four-point quadrant method. The 3D-CT images were evaluated independently by 2 orthopaedic surgeons. A second measurement was performed by both observers after a 4-week interval. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was calculated by means of intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Also, the accuracy of the method was evaluated against the quadrant method. Intra-observer reliability was almost perfect for both AM and PL tunnel (ICC > 0.81). Inter-observer reliability of AM tunnel was substantial (ICC > 0.61) and that of PL tunnel was almost perfect (ICC > 0.81). The AM tunnel position was 0.13% deep, 0.58% high and PL tunnel position was 0.01% shallow, 0.13% low compared to quadrant method. The four-point quadrant method was found to have high intra- and inter-observer reliability and accuracy. This method can evaluate the tunnel position regardless of the shape and morphology of the bone tunnel aperture for use of comparison and can provide measurement that can be compared with various reconstruction methods. The four-point quadrant method of this study is considered to have clinical relevance in that it is a detailed and accurate tool for evaluating femoral tunnel position after ACL reconstruction. Case series, Level IV.

Amphiphilic triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and aliphatic polyesters such as poly(ɛ-caprolactone-co-glycolide) (PCGA) are typical examples of thermogelling polymers. In the gelation mechanism of these polymers, polymer chain transfer between the micelles, and subsequent aggregation of the micelles are important steps. We previously reported IP systems exhibiting temperature-responsive irreversible sol-gel transition that formed covalently cross-linked hydrogels. The IP formulation prepared by the ‘freeze–dry with PEG/dispersion’ method (D-sample) retained its sol state at r.t. longer than a formulation prepared by the usual dissolution method (S-sample). We hypothesized that polymer chain transfer between micelles was suppressed in the D-samples, because the micelle cores were in a solid-like state. In this study, we investigated polymer chain transfer by the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method to reveal its role in the sol-to-gel transition. We synthesized a triblock copolymer of PCGA and PEG (tri-PCG) with attached naphthalene or dansyl groups at termini, tri-PCG-nap and tri-PCG-dan, as FRET donors and acceptors, respectively. The FRET behavior of the mixture of tri-PCG-nap/tri-PCG micelles and tri-PCG-dan/tri-PCG micelles was investigated. It was revealed that polymer chain transfer between micelles was strongly accelerated at the gelation temperature, and polymer chain transfer in D-samples was suppressed compared to S-samples. On the gelation of thermogelling polymer solutions, polymer chain transfer between the micelles and subsequent aggregation of the micelles are important steps. In this study, we investigated polymer chain transfer by the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method to reveal its role in the sol-to-gel transition. We synthesized amphiphilic triblock copolymer attaching naphthalene or dansyl groups at termini, tri-PCG-nap and tri-PCG-dan. The FRET behavior of the mixture of tri-PCG-nap/tri-PCG micelles and tri-PCG-dan/tri-PCG micelles was investigated.

The ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) is the premier forum for innovations in human-computer interfaces. The Symposium brings together people from diverse areas including tangible and ubiquitous computing, virtual and augmented reality, graphical and Web user interfaces, new input and output devices, and many other aspects of interactive systems. The intimate size and intensive program make UIST an ideal opportunity to exchange research results and ideas. We've selected four demos that we feel best exemplify the spirit of creativity and technology at UIST. Chris Harrison and Yuta Sugiura, UIST 2016 Demo Committee Chairs

The purpose of the present study was described as the arthroscopically assisted procedure that uses a synthetic conoid ligament reconstruction using Zip Tight (Zimmer biomet, Warsaw, USA) and fracture-site fixation with K-wire. Our hypothesis was that this technique provided a satisfactory functional outcome with minimum complication. 45 patients underwent operation to treat fractures of the distal clavicle between January 2014 and May 2017. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) there is an episode of trauma and it is the first fracture (2) distal clavicle fracture of Neer type IIb with dislocation in image findings. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) Neer type I, IIa and III of distal clavicle fracture (2) existing injury of rotator cuff, biceps tendon and labral during the arthroscopic procedure. Based on these criteria, 23 patients were included in this study. Clinical outcome assessments were performed using 1-year postoperative Quick DASH score, Constant–Murley score, ASES score. Radiological outcome consisted of antero-posterior and axillary radiographs. Mean clinical outcomes were as follows: Quick DASH score was 3.8 ± 2.8, ASES score was 92.3 ± 3.2 and Constant–Murley score was 94.1 ± 3.0. It was a highly satisfactory result in all of the score at 1-year follow-up. All patients had achieved radiographic union at a minimum 1-year follow-up. There were no cases of nonunion or osteolysis. This study demonstrated that the arthroscopy-assisted treatment using Zip Tight and K-wire provided a satisfactory functional outcome with minimum complication with Neer type IIb fractures of the distal clavicle. IV, Case series, Treatment study.

We investigated the electronic structure of a layered perovskite oxyfluoride $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}{\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ thin film by hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as well as density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations. The core-level HAXPES spectra suggested that $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}{\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ is a Mott insulator. The DFT calculations described the total and site-projected density of states and the band dispersion for the optimized crystal structure of $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}{\mathrm{F}}_{2}$, predicting that $\mathrm{R}{\mathrm{u}}^{4+}$ takes a high-spin configuration of ${(xy)}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}}{(yz,zx)}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\uparrow}}{(3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2})}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}}$ and that $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}{\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ has an indirect band gap of 0.7 eV with minima at the $M,A$ and $X,R$ points. HAXPES spectra near the Fermi level and the angular-dependent O $1s$ XAS spectra of the $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}{\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ thin film, corresponding to the valence band and conduction band density of states, respectively, were drastically different compared to those of the $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ film, suggesting that the changes in the electronic states were mainly driven by the substitution of an oxygen atom coordinated to Ru by fluorine and subsequent modification of the crystal field.

Many devices and systems that directly control a user's hands have been proposed in previous studies. As a method for controlling a user's wrist, Hanger Reflex and Electrical Muscle Stimulation is often used. We propose a method combined Electrical muscle stimulation and Hanger Reflex. We use Hanger Reflex to elicit the supination and pronation, and EMS to cause the flexion and extension. We believe that the proposed method of this study contributes to the exploration of new devices and applications on the fields of haptics, virtual and augmented reality, mobile and wearable interfaces.

We propose an immersive telepresence system for puppetry that transmits a human performer's body and facial movements into a puppet with audiovisual feedback to the performer. The cameras carried in place of puppet's eyes stream live video to the HMD worn by the performer, so that performers can see the images from the puppet's eyes with their own eyes and have a visual understanding of the puppet's ambience. In conventional methods to manipulate a puppet (a hand-puppet, a string-puppet, and a rod-puppet), there is a need to practice manipulating puppets, and there is difficulty carrying out interactions with the audience. Moreover, puppeteers must be positioned exactly where the puppet is. The proposed system addresses these issues by enabling a human performer to manipulate the puppet remotely using his or her body and facial movements. We conducted several user studies with both beginners and professional puppeteers. The results show that, unlike the conventional method, the proposed system facilitates the manipulation of puppets especially for beginners. Moreover, this system allows performers to enjoy puppetry and fascinate audiences.

We propose a method to learn and archive dance movements by fabricating tangible three-dimensional (3D) human forms. We analyze the pattern of the tempo and rhythm of a music piece and fabricate the shape of a 3D body based on the motions of the dance performer by using a 3D printer. For the implementation, we employ a depth camera to capture 3D information of a dance movement. Appropriate movements are extracted from the file at every constant tempo by analyzing the tempo of the music piece played while the dance is performed. The 3D printer enables tangible modeling of the dance movements.

Here, we report biodegradable temperature-triggered covalent gelation systems exhibiting a longer and controllable duration time of the gel state by a “mixing strategy” utilizing a thiol–ene reaction. We synthesized a tri-block copolymer of poly(caprolactone-co-glycolic acid) and PEG (tri-PCG) as a temperature-responsive injectable polymer (IP) and attached acryloyl groups on both termini (tri-PCG-Acryl). A tri-PCG micelle solution containing hydrophobic hexa-functional polythiol (Solution-A) and a tri-PCG-Acryl micelle solution (Solution-B) were mixed together. After mixing, the solution was still in the sol state at r.t., but exhibited an irreversible sol-to-gel transition in response to temperature. The duration time of the gel state while soaking in PBS could be altered from 1 day to 93 days by changing the mixing ratio of Solution-A/B. The physical strengths of the hydrogels were also controllable by changing the mixing ratio. The IP system showed good biocompatibility and a long duration time of the gel state after subcutaneous implantation.

On clinical application of biodegradable injectable polymer (IP) systems, quick extemporaneous preparation of IP formulations and longer duration time gel state after injection into the body are the important targets to be developed. Previously, we had reported temperature-responsive covalent gelation systems via bio-orthogonal thiol-ene reaction by ‘mixing strategy’ of amphiphilic biodegradable tri-block copolymer (tri-PCG) attaching acryloyl groups on both termini (tri-PCG-Acryl) with reactive polythiol. In other previous works, we found ‘freeze-dry with PEG/dispersion’ method as quick extemporaneous preparation method of biodegradable IP formulations. In this study, we applied this quick preparative method to the temperature-triggered covalent gelation system. The instant formulation (D-sample) could be prepared by ‘freeze-dry with PEG/dispersion’ just mixing of tri-PCG-Acryl micelle dispersion and tri-PCG/DPMP micelle dispersion with PEG, that can be prepared in 30 s from the dried samples. The obtained D-sample showed irreversible gelation and long duration time of gel state, which was basically the same as the formulations prepared by the usual heating dissolution method (S-sample). Interestingly, the D-sample could maintain its sol state for a longer time (24 h) after preparing the formulation at r.t. compared with the S-sample, which became a gel in 3 h after preparing. The IP system showed good biocompatibility and long duration time of the gel state after subcutaneous implantation. These characteristics of D-samples, quick extemporaneous preparation and high stability in the sol state before injection, would be very convenient in a clinical setting.

We present a video showcase of our aerosol-based fog display. Our system employs aerosol distribution from off-the-shelf sprays as a fog screen that can resist the wind and has high portability. We present some application examples; wearable applications, multi-viewpoint display, a display embedded in the environment, and aerial imaging with a drone or radio-controlled model car. This study will contribute to the exploration of new application areas for fog displays, and expand expressions of entertainments and interactivity.

We present a new method to render aerial images using aerosol-based fog screens. Conventional fog screens are easily affected by air flow, and their fog generators occupy large areas. In this study, we propose to add new tradeoffs between the display time and the payloads. We employ aerosol distribution from off-the-shelf sprays as a fog screen that can resist wind and has high portability. Results showed that the minimum weight of the entire system is approximately 600 g including all components, the screen raise time is approximately 0.5 s, the disappearance time is approximately 0.4 s, and the maximum wind speed at which we can project images is approximately 10 m/s. We conducted user studies on wearable applications, aerial imaging with a drone or radio-controlled model car, multi-viewpoint display, and a display embedded in the environment. This study will contribute to the exploration of new application areas for fog displays, and will augment expressions of entertainment and interactivity.

This paper discusses the conditions regarding the alternative water injection which prevents core damage under long-term station blackout of a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). A BWR-5 model plant was analyzed by RELAP5/SCDAP mod3.5 by changing six parameters regarding the accident scenario and alternative water injection. It was found that preventing core damage was almost equivalent to preventing cladding rupture. When the temperature of fuel rod reaches the region where cladding creep rupture occurs, oxidation and heatup of Zircaloy begin to accelerate each other as a result of increased surface area by that cladding rupture. By summarizing the results of sensitivity analyses, the discriminants for calculating an index of core condition and their threshold values for preventing core damage were proposed. Such information prepared for each BWR plant would be useful in the actual emergent condition where the measurements of core parameters are unavailable.

Aqueous solutions of biodegradable polymers exhibiting sol-to-gel transitions in response to external stimuli such as temperature and pH are expected to be used as injectable polymers (IPs) for biomedical applications. In this study, we prepared novel biodegradable temperature-responsive IP systems providing variable gel-forming pH regions. We synthesized PCGA-b-PEG-b-PCGA (tri-PCG) and attached carboxylic acid or primary amine groups on both termini, tri-PCG-COOH and tri-PCG-NH2, and investigated the temperature-responsive sol-to-gel transition behavior of the mixtures of these two copolymers at various pHs. We found that the gel-forming pH region of the mixed system could be easily controlled by simply changing the mixing ratios of these polymers.

We present a new method to render aerial images by aerosol-based fog screens. Conventional fog screens are easily affected by the air flow and their generator occupy large areas. In this study, we propose to add new tradeoffs between limited display time and payloads. We employ aerosol distribution from off-the-shelf spray as a fog screen that can resist the wind, and has high portability. We present some application example; wearable application, multi-viewpoint display, display embedded in the environment, and aerial imaging with drone or radio-controlled model car. This study will contribute to the exploration of new application areas for fog displays and expand expressions of entertainments and interactivity.

We propose a system for transmitting a human performer's body and facial movements to a puppet with audiovisual feedback to the performer. The system consists of a head-mounted display (HMD) that shows the performer the video recording of the puppet's view, a microphone for voice capture, and photoreflectors for detecting the mouth movements of the human performer. In conventional puppetry, there is also the need for practice in the manipulation of the puppets to achieve good performance. The proposed telepresence system addresses these issues by enabling the human performer to manipulate the puppet through their own body and facial movements. The proposed system is expected to contribute to the development of new applications of puppetry and expand the interactivity of puppetry and the scope of entertainment.

We present a novel method for fast-moving aerial imaging using aerosol-based fog screens. Conventional systems of aerial imaging cannot move fast because they need large and heavy setup. In this study, we propose to add new tradeoffs between limited display time and payloads. This system employ aerosol distribution from off-the-shelf spray as a fog screen that can resist the wind, and have high portability. As application examples, we present wearable application and aerial imaging on objects with high speed movements such as a drone, a radio-controlled model car, and performers. We believe that our study contribute to the exploration of new application areas for fog displays and expand expressions of entertainments and interactivity.

We propose a system for animatronics storytelling that enables performers to manipulate puppets by wearing a mask-type device on their faces.

We investigated the release behavior of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) from a biodegradable injectable polymer (IP) hydrogel. This hydrogel shows temperature-responsive irreversible gelation due to the covalent bond formation through a thiol-ene reaction. In vitro sustained release of GLP-1 from an irreversible IP formulation (F(P1/D+PA40)) was observed compared with a reversible (physical gelation) IP formulation (F(P1)). Moreover, pharmaceutically active levels of GLP-1 were maintained in blood after subcutaneous injection of the irreversible IP formulation into rats. This system should be useful for the minimally invasive sustained drug release of peptide drugs and other water-soluble bioactive reagents.

We investigated the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-mediated topotactic fluorination of two perovskite ruthenate thin films with different crystallographic structures, non-layered perovskite SrRuO3 and layered perovskite Sr2RuO4. While the former ruthenate did not react with PVDF, the latter was fluorinated to form Sr2RuO3F2 with a structure that exhibited a largely expanded c-axis. These results indicate that fluorine ions are preferentially inserted into the SrO rocksalt blocks in perovskite ruthenates, and that the oxygen atoms in the precursor oxide were partially removed upon fluorination. Finally, we noted that the Sr2RuO3F2 film was insulating, with a resistivity of 4.1 × 10 Ω cm at 300 K. It should be noted that this resistivity is five orders of magnitude higher than that of the metallic Sr2RuO4 film (6.7 × 10−4 Ω cm).