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Information on circulating levels of insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) in female domesticated animals is limited, as their concentrations are significantly lower than in males. The objectives of the present study were to 1) develop a sandwich time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) with higher detectability to measure blood INSL3 concentrations in female cattle, 2) determine INSL3 concentrations in female cattle among age groups and reproductive conditions, and 3) explore associations between INSL3 levels and ultrasonographic ovarian measurements. Blood was collected repeatedly from Japanese Black beef female calves (n = 12; 0－8 mo), heifers (n = 10; 10－26 mo), and cows (n = 20; 27－200 mo). Blood was taken from the cows (n = 13) at follicular, post-ovulatory, and luteal phases, and from cows with follicular cysts (n = 12). Ultrasonography of ovaries was conducted in the calves (n = 12) and the cows without ovarian diseases (n = 9). The ovarian area, as well as the number and diameters of antral follicles ≥ 2 mm, were determined in each ovary. The proposed method detected a difference in plasma INSL3 between calves (0.01 ng/mL) and heifers (0.18 ng/mL). However, the conventional assay showed similar levels for calves and heifers (1.82 vs 2.07 ng/mL). Plasma INSL3 and testosterone concentrations increased from calves to heifers (P < 0.0001), but only INSL3 rose from heifers to cows (P < 0.0001). INSL3 and testosterone concentrations did not change across the estrus cycle in cows, and the levels of both hormones in follicular cystic cows did not differ from those in the follicular phase. Ovarian area, maximal and average follicular diameters, and total volume of all follicles per animal were higher in cows than calves (P < 0.001). Plasma INSL3 concentrations correlated positively with the total volumes of all follicles in calves (P < 0.05) and cows (P < 0.05), whereas testosterone concentrations did not correlate with ovarian follicular measurements. In conclusion, plasma INSL3 concentrations measured by the proposed sandwich TRFIA showed a clear increase from female calves to cows in beef cattle. These results suggest that circulating levels of INSL3, but not of testosterone, are associated with the total volume of all antral follicles in both ovaries per animal in female cattle. • Sandwich bovine INSL3 immunoassay was developed with higher sensitivity in plasma. • INSL3 concentrations increased from calves to heifers and from heifers to cows. • INSL3 concentrations correlated with total volume of all follicles in each animal. • Blood INSL3 levels can be a biomarker of ovarian follicular total volume in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The baseline sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and pelvic tilt (PT) are independent risk factors of osteoporosis-related fractures in women with osteoporosis. We clarified the SVA and PT to predict the incidence of osteoporosis-related fractures. Purpose: Sagittal alignment with osteoporosis women deteriorates with advancing age and sagittal alignment may indicate osteoporosis-related fractures in the future. However, whether the sagittal alignment predicts future osteoporosis-related fracture in patients with osteoporosis has not been clarified. We aimed to investigate the association between sagittal alignment and future osteoporosis-related fractures. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Of the 313 participants (mean follow-up period, 2.9 years), 236 were included in the analysis. At baseline, we measured bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and the femoral neck, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), thoracic kyphosis, pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic tilt (PT), geriatric locomotive function scale (GLFS), two-step value, and stand-up test. The information on medications and the duration of treatment were reviewed from the medical records. Additionally, participants reported their history of falls at baseline. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association of future osteoporosis-related fracture, and adjusted Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated with all predictors as covariates. All continuous variables were calculated using standardized OR (sOR). Results: Osteoporosis-related fractures occurred in 33 of 313 participants (10.5%). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a history of falls (OR =4.092, 95% CI: 1.029–16.265, p =0.045), SVA (sOR =4.228, 95% CI: 2.118–8.439, p <0.001), and PT (sOR =2.497, 95% CI: 1.087–5.733, p =0.031) were independent risk factors for future osteoporosis-related fractures. Conclusions: This study revealed the SVA and PT to predict osteoporosis-related fractures. Trial registration number and date of registration: UMIN000036516 (April 1, 2019) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate structural characteristics associated with variations in slip behavior on the plate boundary in the Nankai subduction zone, we conducted seismic reflection surveys in the central‐western Nankai Trough. Data were processed by pre‐stack depth migration. The resulting depth map of the top of the subducting Philippine Sea plate shows detailed topographic features of the plate boundary, including subducting seamounts and large‐scale undulations of the plate surface. We report the presence of a structurally anomalous region, potentially with low velocity, in the overriding plate at the boundary between the zone of large coseismic slip during the 1946 Nankai earthquake and the area producing slow earthquakes. This anomaly appears to be related to depth‐dependent variations in plate boundary slip style and plate coupling in the central‐western Nankai Trough. Plain Language Summary: The central‐western Nankai Trough off southwestern Japan is one of the best locations to study variations in slip style on the plate boundary fault in subduction zones because the fault slip distribution during the latest great earthquake, the distribution of slow earthquakes, and interplate coupling are known from previous studies. We conducted seismic surveys along densely distributed survey lines to image detailed subsurface structures in the central‐western Nankai Trough. A three‐dimensional map of the plate boundary fault geometry was created from seismic profiles used in this study. We found a structural anomaly, interpreted as a low‐velocity zone in the overriding plate, at the boundary between the slip zone of great earthquakes and the zone of slow earthquakes. This anomaly might be related to the variation of the plate boundary fault slip styles. Key Points: The topography of the subducting plate is mapped with densely spaced seismic profiles in the central‐western Nankai TroughAn arcuate structural anomaly in the overriding plate ∼100 km long with potentially low velocity coincides with the Tosabae TroughThe arcuate anomaly is located at the boundary between regions of strong and weak plate coupling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suitability of 'design' height amplification factors (HAF) for the purpose of seismic assessment of existing non-structural unreinforced masonry (URM) components with known strength was evaluated through a numerical study. Four building typologies were included that represented pre-1940 URM construction in Australia and New Zealand. Through pushover and incremental dynamic analyses, the effects of diaphragm flexibility and nonlinear building response on floor accelerations were studied. It was found that Australia/New Zealand code procedures include significant inelastic building behaviour that reduces HAF. An interpretation was made on the applicability of the assumptions in the context of assessing non-structural URM components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is a novel drug for the treatment of patients with advanced bladder cancer.1-4 Although EV may induce various cutaneous eruptions,1-4 miliaria-like eruptions as EV-induced cutaneous adverse events (cAEs) are rare. Enfortumab vedotin-induced cutaneous adverse events manifesting as miliaria-like eruptions with the presence of keratinocyte apoptosis in clinically intact skin Therefore, localized immune cell inflammation may have resulted in miliaria-like eruption, and the development of miliaria crystalline-like and miliaria rubra-like eruptions may have been associated with mild and moderate immune cell infiltration, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

Click here for the corresponding questions to this CME article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) exploits two-dimensional signal processing using the neighboring read-back waveforms. We allocate dual readers for the intended tracks and evaluate the effects of head skew angle on the bit error rate performance in partial response class-I maximum likelihood system with a two-dimensional finite impulse response filter using two read-back waveforms under TDMR R/W channel specifications of 4 Tbit/in.2. The results show that the effect of positive skew angle is larger than that of negative skew angle, and the center of skew angle should be shifted to minus direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3-D magnetic recording using microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) and a spin-torque oscillator (STO) for reading has been proposed as a candidate for prospective recording technologies. In 3-D magnetic recording using STO as a reading, the temporal magnetization dynamics of the STO has the fluctuations for frequency and amplitude which depend on the recorded pattern. In our previous work, we have constructed the STO signal model considering both amplitude and frequency fluctuations to develop a combined signal processing using the amplitude and frequency fluctuation detections. We have applied the STO signal model to the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding and iterative decoding system with the individual detectors for amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM). Furthermore, we have reported that the dual STO reading system with only AM detection provides the improvement of the bit error rate (BER) performance. In this study, we propose the dual STO reading system with AM–FM combined detection in the hope that the finite impulse response (FIR) filter output distribution will be easier to detect with the decoder. We evaluate the BER performances of the proposed system for carrier-to-noise ratio (CNRS) of the system noise under an areal recording density of 1 Tbits/in2 specification with bit-pattern medium stricture by computer simulation. The results show that the FIR filter output distribution for our proposed dual STO reading system at an FM detector output has become sharper, and the proposed system achieves the “No errors” with CNRS less by about 3.5 dB than the single STO reading system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 3-D magnetic recording using microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) and a spin-torque oscillator (STO) as a reading sensor has been proposed as a candidate for the prospective recording technologies. In the STO reading system, the temporal magnetization dynamics of the STO vary not only in amplitude but also in frequency, depending on the recorded pattern. Therefore, we have constructed the STO signal model which considers both amplitude and frequency fluctuations to develop a combined signal processing using the detection of amplitude and frequency fluctuations. Furthermore, we have applied the STO signal model to the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding and iterative decoding system with the detectors for amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) and have proposed the AM–FM combined detection. Then, we have evaluated the bit error rate (BER) performances by computer simulation. The results show that the system with AM–FM combined detection improves the performance of the LDPC coding and iterative decoding system, which achieves “no errors” at the carrier-to-noise ratio for system noise (CNR $_{S}) = 15.9$ dB, whereas the AM and FM detections require CNR $_{S} = 21.2$ and 17.2 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously focused on a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) computed as the decoding reliability by $a$ posteriori probability (APP) decoder on the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding and iterative decoding system for the shingled magnetic recording (SMR). Then, we clarified that the LLR modulator applying a neural network realizes an effective iterative decoding. In this article, we propose a new neural network LLR modulator considering magnetic transition information obtained from LLRs to reduce the influence of intersymbol interferences (ISIs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) frequently cause cutaneous adverse effects such as papulopustular eruptions. However, the mechanism of the reactions remains unclear. To assess the pathological mechanism of cutaneous adverse reactions caused by EGFRIs, we investigated whether EGFRIs have an influence on the innate immune response of the skin. Levels of human β‐defensins (hBDs), which serve as the first line of defence against infection by pathogenic microorganisms, in the stratum corneum samples of patients treated with EGFR. monoclonal antibodies were measured before and after starting therapy. There were no obvious trends in hBD production in patients without eruptions, whereas a significant decrease in hBD1 and hBD3 production and a nonsignficant decrease in hBD2 production were observed in patients who developed papulopustular eruptions. Our results suggest that a reduction in hBD contributes to the increased incidence of papulopustular eruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgery is the gold standard for basal cell carcinomas (BCC). Current recommended surgical margins for BCCs are determined from studies in Caucasian populations. However, the appropriate surgical margins for BCCs in non‐white races are unclear. Objectives: To investigate the accuracy of preoperative determination of clinical tumour borders and appropriate surgical margins in Japanese patients with BCC. Methods: The maximum calculated differences in distance between the preoperatively determined surgical margins and the actual histologic tumour side margins were considered as 'accuracy gaps' of clinical tumour borders. Estimated side margin positivity rates (ESMPRs) with narrower (2 and 3 mm) surgical margins were calculated on the basis of the accuracy gaps. Results: Overall, 1000 surgically excised BCCs from 980 Japanese patients were included. The most frequent histologic subtype was nodular BCC (67%). The median accuracy gap was 0.3 mm [interquartile range (IQR): −0.5 to +1 mm]. The ESMPRs with 2‐ and 3‐mm surgical margins were 3.8% and 1.4%, respectively. Only the ESMPRs between the well‐defined (n = 921) and poorly defined clinical tumour border groups (n = 79) showed statistical difference [2‐mm margin: 3.1% vs. 11.7%, OR: 3.89, 95% confidential interval (CI): 1.41–10.71, P <0.01; 3‐mm margin: 0.97% vs. 6.3%, OR: 6.58, 95% CI: 1.67–25.99, P <0.01]. No significant differences in ESMPRs were noted in other subgroups including risk classifications. Conclusions: The determined clinical tumour border accuracy gaps in this Japanese cohort were negligible. Dermatologic surgeons may use narrower surgical margins with acceptable margin positivity rates. The clarity of clinical tumour borders could be an appropriate guide for selection of different surgical margins in the Japanese cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acral melanoma (AM) is an epidemiologically and molecularly distinct entity that is underrepresented in clinical trials on immunotherapy in melanoma. We aimed to analyze the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD-1) antibodies in advanced AM. We retrospectively evaluated unresectable stage III or stage IV AM patients treated with an anti-PD-1 antibody in any line at 21 Japanese institutions between 2014 and 2018. The clinicobiologic characteristics, objective response rate (ORR, RECIST), survival estimated using Kaplan–Meier analysis, and toxicity (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 4.0.) were analyzed to estimate the efficacy of the anti-PD-1 antibodies. In total, 193 patients (nail apparatus, 70; palm and sole, 123) were included in the study. Anti-PD-1 antibody was used as first-line therapy in 143 patients (74.1%). Baseline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was within the normal concentration in 102 patients (52.8%). The ORR of all patients was 16.6% (complete response, 3.1%; partial response, 13.5%), and the median overall survival (OS) was 18.1 months. Normal LDH concentrations showed a significantly stronger association with better OS than abnormal concentrations (median OS 24.9 versus 10.7 months; P < 0.001). Although baseline characteristics were similar between the nail apparatus and the palm and sole groups, ORR was significantly lower in the nail apparatus group [6/70 patients (8.6%) versus 26/123 patients (21.1%); P = 0.026]. Moreover, the median OS in this group was significantly poorer (12.8 versus 22.3 months; P = 0.03). Anti-PD-1 antibodies have limited efficacy in AM patients. Notably, patients with nail apparatus melanoma had poorer response and survival, making nail apparatus melanoma a strong candidate for further research on the efficacy of novel combination therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors. • Acral melanoma is a distinct entity that is underrepresented in clinical trials on immunotherapy in melanoma. • We retrospectively examined advanced-stage acral melanoma patients treated with an anti-PD-1 antibody. • Anti-PD-1 antibodies have limited efficacy in Japanese acral melanoma patients. • Patients with nail apparatus melanoma had poorer response and survival than patients with palm and sole melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical distortion of the core part of tokamak plasma, which is called a helical core or a long-lived mode, is investigated by means of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium calculations. It is found that the magnitude of the helical distortion strongly depends on the shape of the plasma boundary for weakly reversed shear plasmas. The triangularity of the boundary enhances the amplitude of helical distortion. In addition, reversed D-shape plasmas also exhibit a helical core. It is also found that the triangularity lowers the critical β for the onset of a helical core; furthermore, the critical β vanishes when the triangularity exceeds a certain value. On the other hand, the influence of the ellipticity on the amplitude of helical distortion strongly depends on β. The ellipticity enhances the amplitude at high β, while it reduces the amplitude at low β. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the non-equilibrium hydrogen absorption reaction paths of the AB 5 -type LaNi 2 Co 3 alloy using time-resolved in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Diffraction data were collected every second for reactions under two hydrogen loading pressures. Hydrogen absorption with a hydrogen loading of 1 MPa rapidly transformed α phase to a transient phase (estimated to be LaNi 2 Co 3 H 3.1–3.6 , named γ∗); this has not previously been observed under equilibrium processes. The γ∗ phase continuously transformed into the γ phase (LaNi 2 Co 3 H 4.5–5.0), and the β phase (LaNi 2 Co 3 H ~3.6) was not formed. When 0.18 MPa of hydrogen was loaded, initially, the γ∗ phase appeared, followed by the formation of the β phase, finally transforming into the γ phase. These results indicate that a higher loading pressure promotes the formation of the γ∗ phase and assists its continuous transformation into the γ phase by enhancing the dissolution of hydrogen into the α and γ∗ phases. Image 1 • Hydrogen absorption processes were observed every second in real time. • Reaction paths via a new transient phase were found. • Fast and slow reactions followed different reaction paths. • The lattice expansion was discussed in relation to the hydrogen distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A formulation is presented for simplified evaluation of the roof acceleration response for the purpose of assessing non-structural components in unreinforced masonry buildings with flexible diaphragms excluding torsional effects. The method is based on modal calculations that are further studied through nonlinear time-history analysis (NLTHA) of four case study buildings. The NLTHA results for a relatively small level of ground shaking was used to validate the overall ability of the simplified modal method to predict the diaphragm flexibility effects. The NLTHA results were also used to discuss the effects of the building inelastic response in the conservatism of the simplified modal technique. It was found that, in lieu of a comprehensive modal analysis, it is possible to calculate roof accelerations in symmetric low-rise buildings with flexible diaphragms using a simplified two-mode modal method. Based on this study, a predictive method is proposed for conservative estimation of peak roof accelerations in these buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The cervical and thoracic cross‐sectional spinal cord area (CS‐SCA) in multiple sclerosis (MS) correlates with disability, whilst such a correlation remains to be established in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Our aim was to clarify differences between MS and NMOSD in spinal cord segments where CS‐SCA is associated with disability. Methods: The CS‐SCA at C2/C3, C3/C4, T8/T9 and T9/T10 vertebral disc levels was measured in 140 MS patients (111 with relapsing–remitting MS and 29 with progressive MS) and 42 NMOSD patients with anti‐aquaporin‐4 immunoglobulin G. Disability was evaluated by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores. Multivariate associations between CS‐SCA and disability were assessed by stepwise forward multiple linear regression. Results: Thoracic CS‐SCA was significantly smaller in NMOSD patients than in MS patients even after adjusting for age, sex and disease duration (P = 0.002 at T8/T9), whilst there was no difference in cervical CS‐SCA between the two diseases. Cervical and thoracic CS‐SCA had a negative correlation with EDSS scores in MS patients (P < 0.0001 at C3/C4 and P = 0.0002 at T8/T9) whereas only thoracic CS‐SCA correlated with EDSS scores in NMOSD patients (P = 0.0006 at T8/T9). By multiple regression analyses, predictive factors for disability in MS were smaller cervical CS‐SCA, progressive course, older age and a higher number of relapses, whilst those in NMOSD were smaller thoracic CS‐SCA and older age. Conclusions: Thoracic CS‐SCA is a useful predictive marker for disability in patients with NMOSD whilst cervical CS‐SCA is associated with disability in patients with MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous work focused on a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) computed as the decoding reliability by a posteriori probability (APP) decoder in a two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) system using shingled magnetic recording (SMR). In this article, we propose a neural network LLR modulator to reduce the influence of pattern dependent medium noise and to perform efficiently iterative decoding using a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code. In this study, we clarify that the performance improvement of iterative decoding can be obtained by considering LLRs of the adjacent track bits affecting the decoding bit as the input of the neural network. Furthermore, we clarify that the application of a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) selects LLRs by using the adjacent track LLRs affecting the decoding bit and realizes more effective iterative decoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is a rare intraepithelial adenocarcinoma affecting the genitals and axillary regions. As metastasis of these tumours is itself rare, solid disease management strategies have not been established. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment 21‐1 (CYFRA 21‐1) levels have been identified as candidate biomarkers for tumour progression in EMPD. Objectives: To determine the accuracy of and the correlation between these markers in patients with EMPD. Methods: Serum CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 levels were examined in 30 patients with EMPD treated at Keio University Hospital, and compared against clinical information. Both assays were performed at the time of diagnosis, during the postoperative observation period, and following systemic treatment in those with confirmed metastasis. Serum levels were then correlated with tumour progression status and treatment responses. Results: Normal levels for both assays were observed in all 11 patients with primary localized disease (100%). In patients with metastatic disease the CEA positivity rate was 79% (15 of 19 patients), with a rate of 63% (12 of 19 patients) for CYFRA 21‐1. Changes in CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 levels were statistically independent; however, using a combined view, elevated levels of either marker improved the positivity rate to 95% (18 of 19 patients). Use of both markers also correlated well with treatment responses. Conclusions: The combination of CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 is useful for predicting metastasis and treatment response in patients with EMPD, especially in those who only have elevation of a single marker. What's already known about this topic? Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokine 19 fragment 21‐1 (CYFRA 21‐1) have been shown to be elevated in patients with extramammary Paget disease (EMPD).Elevation of serum CEA levels is associated with tumour progression of EMPD.A single small study reported that serum CYFRA 21‐1 levels are elevated in patients with EMPD with lymph node metastasis. What does this study add? Serum CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 were present in 79% and 63% of 19 cases of metastatic EMPD, respectively.Elevations of CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 were statistically independent.CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 combination assays were positive in 95% of cases of metastatic EMPD. What is the translational message? Combination assays with CEA and CYFRA 21‐1 are useful for monitoring treatment response in patients with metastatic EMPD, particularly in those with elevation of either marker. Linked Comment: Ellis. Br J Dermatol 2019; 181:439–440. Plain language summary available online [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High density of crystal defects is formed in Si layers during their growth on the nanostructured surface composed of dense arrays of Ge islands grown on oxidized Si substrates. Although these defect-rich Si layers exhibit intense photoluminescence only at low temperatures, the forward-biased diodes with the Si layers located in the region of the p-i-n+ junction can emit light at room temperature. The difference suggests that the influence of thermal emission of carriers from defect states on the light emission intensity is essentially reduced when the spatial distribution of carrier density is governed by the bias voltage and band bending. The results show that Si layers emitting light in the 1.4–1.7 μm range at room temperature can be prepared by means of growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon layers grown on oxidized Si surfaces at temperatures between 400 and 500 °C exhibit intense photoluminescence (PL) in the D1 region after annealing at high temperatures (up to 1100 °C). This PL is associated with structural defects that are formed due to the mechanisms of Si growth and thermal relaxation. The growth proceeds through the nucleation of epitaxial and nonepitaxial Si islands. Their coalescence occurs with the formation of a number of interfacial defects, which propagate into the Si layer as it grows. Annealing modifies the structure of the defect and makes them efficient for optical emissions. These Si structures are able to produce PL in the D1 region from thin Si layers at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A niobium membrane was immersed in hydrogen plasma and could be electrically biased to vary the energy of bombarding ions in the range of 1-200 eV. The fluxes of plasma driven absorption and permeation were almost entirely governed by incident suprathermal neutrals (mostly, thermal atoms), whose energy does not depend on membrane bias, but the ions of controllable energy do affect the neutral-induced permeation through modifying the membrane surface. At the zero bias a high temperature-independent plasma driven permeation (superpermeation) was observed alongside of an enhanced absorption. Bombardment by ions of an energy higher than 50 eV resulted in a sharp decrease of the plasma driven permeation/retention and in an acceleration of boundary processes of absorption/reemission of thermal molecules. At ion energies below 50 eV, the effect of ion bombardment on the plasma driven permeation and the kinetic coefficients of boundary processes were nonmonotonic in ion energy, having a maximum at ∼10 eV. Both an in situ doping with O of the bulk of Nb and a membrane temperature increase reduced the effects of ion bombardment to their complete disappearance. Responsible for that was the replenishment by means of surface segregation of an oxygen monolayer sputtered by ion bombardment. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the shingled magnetic recording (SMR) as the recording system for further high-density hard disk drives. Previously, we applied a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) modulator to the low-density parity check coding and iterative decoding system in SMR to improve the decoding performance. In this paper, we propose a new LLR modulator using neural network. Furthermore, we clarify that the proposed LLR modulator using neural network realizes effective iterative decoding in a read/write channel with pattern-dependent medium noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3-D magnetic recording using the microwave-assisted magnetic recording and a spin-torque oscillator as a reading sensor has been proposed as a candidate of the prospective recording technologies. In our previous research, we have constructed the read/write channel of the envelope model to evaluate a variety of signal processing for the 3-D magnetic recording. In this paper, we apply the low-density parity-check coding and iterative decoding system including turbo equalization to the 3-D magnetic recording channel model with dot position fluctuation and evaluate the bit error rate performance by the computer simulation. The results clarify that the tolerance of dot position fluctuation which “no errors” is able to be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the methodologies for developing high-performance thermoelectric materials using nanostructured interfaces by reviewing our three studies and giving the new aspect of nanostructuring results. (1) Connected Si nanocrystals exhibited ultrasmall thermal conductivity. The drastic thermal conductivity reduction was brought by phonon confinement and phonon scattering. Here, we present discussion about the new aspect for phonon transport: not only nanocrystal size but also shape can contribute to thermal conductivity reduction. (2) Si films including Ge nanocrystals demonstrated that phonon and carrier conductions were independently controlled in the films, where carriers were easily transported through the interfaces between Si and Ge, while phonons could be effectively scattered at the interfaces. (3) Embedded-ZnO nanowire structure demonstrated the simultaneous realization of power factor increase and thermal conductivity reduction. The S 2 σ increase was caused by the interface-dominated carrier transport. The nanowire interfaces also worked as phonon scatterers, resulting in the thermal conductivity reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of CD103 negative memory T cells in making regulatory T-cell enriched environments in skin tumors. Topics discussed include obtaining T cells from basal cell carcinoma (BCC), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the adjacent skin and the distant normal skin for flow cytometry; immunofluorescence studies that demonstrated a higher proportion of CD103 cells in the CD4+ cells in skin tumors; and the proportion of Treg that was increased in both BCC and SCC.

Abstract Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is a curative procedure for myeloid malignant neoplasms, but relapse after HCT remains critical. A conditioning regimen involving granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-combined high-dose cytarabine, cyclophosphamide, and total body irradiation (G-CSF–combined high-dose cytarabine/cyclophosphamide/total-body irradiation [HDCA/CY/TBI]) was reported to improve outcomes after cord blood transplant (CBT) for myeloid malignant neoplasms, but this regimen was not previously evaluated among patients undergoing bone marrow transplant (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 28 patients who underwent allogeneic HCT including BMT from a related (1 patient) or unrelated donor (9 patients), PBSCT from a related donor (7 patients), or single-unit CBT from an unrelated donor (11 patients) after a G-CSF–combined HDCA/CY/TBI regimen. Results All patients achieved neutrophil and platelet engraftment, which were significantly more rapid in the BMT/PBSCT group than in the CBT group. Eighteen patients were alive at a median follow-up of 54.3 months. The 3-year relapse and nonrelapse mortality rates were 28.6% and 7.1%, respectively, which were similar between the BMT/PBSCT and CBT groups. Overall survival and disease-free survival at 5 years after HCT were 62.6% and 64.3%, respectively, which were also similar between the BMT/PBSCT and CBT groups. Only disease status at HCT had a significant impact on overall survival and disease-free survival (86.7% with standard risk vs 38.5% with high risk and 86.7% with standard risk vs 38.5% with high risk, respectively). Conclusion A G-CSF–combined HDCA/CY/TBI regimen is a promising conditioning in patients with myeloid malignant neoplasms who undergo not only CBT but also BMT or PBSCT. Highlights • We assessed G-CSF-combined HDCA/CY/TBI conditioning in myeloid malignancies. • The conditioning regimen is promising in myeloid malignancies. • It provides favorable survival with low NRM after allogeneic HCT. • This conditioning regimen provides favorable outcomes regardless of donor sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Elevated panel-reactive antibody (PRA) levels serve as a significant risk factor for allograft survival and episodes of rejection after heart transplantation (HTX). Patients with high PRA levels tend to show expressions of donor-specific human leukocyte antigen antibodies (DSA), which can cause catastrophic hyperacute rejection after HTX. Therefore, such highly sensitized patients are required to undergo strategic perioperative desensitization therapy. We describe a successful HTX after desensitization in a patient with extremely high PRA levels and pretransplant DSA positivity. Highlights • Highly sensitized patient underwent heart transplantation with desensitization. • Plasma exchange is a reliable desensitization treatment modality. • Plasma exchange should be performed in a timely fashion perioperatively. • Eliminating donor-specific antibody might be crucial to avoid humoral rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, shingled magnetic recording (SMR) has attracted attention as a new recording system of the hard disk drives. Although SMR can realize narrow track by overwriting data track like tile roofing, it has remarkable performance deterioration due to the influence of inter-track interference. Therefore, the performance improvement of the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding and iterative decoding system using the sum-product decoding is required. In this paper, we propose the LDPC encoding and iterative decoding system with the log-likelihood ratio modulator and show the error floor is eliminated and improvement of signal-to-noise ratio to achieve the error free is obtained in the SMR under an areal recording density of 4 Tbits/in2 specification for the channel bit sequence coded by run-length limited and LDPC encoders by computer simulation. Therefore, the channel bit is composed bit about five magnetic grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3-D magnetic recording using microwave-assisted magnetic recording has been proposed as one of the prospective recording technologies which uses a spin-torque oscillator (STO) as a reading sensor as well as a write-assisting device. In the reading process using an STO, the reproducing waveform is given as temporal dynamics of magnetization. We simulate the envelope of the waveform from recorded dots with the staggered magnetization configuration, which are calculated by using a micromagnetic simulation. We propose an envelope demodulation using two temporal magnetization dynamics from dual STO, and evaluate the bit error rate (BER) performance for partial response maximum likelihood system by the computer simulation. The result shows that our proposed system provides the signal-to-noise ratio improvement of 2.7 dB at the BER of 10−4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background To increase the number of cadaveric kidney transplants in Japan, it is necessary to proactively use organs from all donors. Since the revision of the Organ Transplant Law, the number of organ donors after cardiac death (DCD) has decreased but the number of organ donors after brain death (DBD) has increased; however, the number of donor organs and awareness of cadaveric transplantation have increased. Methods At our institution, 28 patients underwent cadaveric kidney transplantation from January 2001 to December 2016. These patients were classified into 2 groups according to DBD or DCD. Furthermore, 10 patients received transplants from expanded criteria donors (ECD) and 18 received them from standard criteria donors (SCD). Results Kidney graft survival and engraftment were observed for all patients. There were no significant differences in renal function at 6 months for DBD and DCD transplant recipients. Renal function at 1, 3, and 5 years and serum creatinine levels were better for the ECD group. Renal function at 5 years after transplantation was significantly better for the SCD group than for the ECD group; however, there was no difference in delayed graft function between the SCD and ECD groups. Comparisons of the 3 groups showed good renal function for transplants from DBDs, but there was no significant difference in survival rates. Conclusions Results were good for all patients. There were no significant differences in outcomes of our patients who received transplants from ECD or SCD. Highlights • Similar outcomes were found between kidney transplantations using organs from donors after cardiac death and donors after brain death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: From growing interests in the environment issues, promotion of photovoltaic power generation (PV) is accelerated in the world. Meanwhile, rapid chargers (RCs) for popularized electric vehicles are being installed in urban areas. These two trends in distribution system might cause severer voltage fluctuation problems. On the other hand, a RC can provide the reactive power support, which is capable of voltage regulation. Based on this viewpoint, this paper proposes a new framework of voltage regulation, in which the reactive power compensation by RCs is actively utilized. The proposed voltage regulation method combines two different control functions with consideration for over‐compensation avoidance. This paper ascertains the validity of proposed voltage regulation method through numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which investigated the surface diffusion processes in molecular beam epitaxial growth of GaAs and AlAs. Sample preparation and scanning electron microscopy study of cross-sectional structures; Growth mechanisms of (001)-(011)B GaAs facet structures and surface diffusion; Determination of surface diffusion lengths of GaAs and AlAs.

Acral lentiginous melanoma and mucosal melanoma expressed less programmed-death 1 ligand than cutaneous melanoma: a retrospective study of 73 Japanese melanoma patients GLO:3NZ/01nov19:jdv15742-fig-0001.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): (a, b) The proportion of BRAF mutations (a) and PD-L1-positive tumours (b) in cutaneous melanoma (CM), acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) and mucosal melanoma (MCM). Although the efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibodies in subungual ALM treatment has yet to be shown, our study suggests that subungual ALM might respond more poorly to anti-PD-1 antibodies than non-subungual ALM. [Extracted from the article]

In this article, we propose the detection method of the recorded data pattern by the envelope of the temporal magnetization dynamics of resonantly interacting spin-torque oscillator on the microwave assisted magnetic recording for three-dimensional magnetic recording. We simulate the envelope of the waveform from recorded dots with the staggered magnetization configuration, which are calculated by using a micromagnetic simulation. We study the data detection methods for the envelope and propose a soft-output Viterbi algorithm (SOVA) for partial response (PR) system as a signal processing system for three dimensional magnetic recording. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY This paper deals with a transfer method for a thin plate by levitating with multiphase air flow. Noncontact transfer methods are required for glass plates and semiconductor wafers in order to keep them clean. In the proposed method, a thin plate was slightly levitated with a small inclination by blowing and sucking air from orifice restrictors, and airflow was blown against the lower side of the plate so that the driving force was generated. The plate was continuously carried by shifting the air flow pattern in accordance with the plate position. Forty-eight air flow slots were arranged with intervals of 15 mm. The velocity of a plate with dimensions of 90 mm × 100 mm × 2 mm and a weight of 139 g was almost linearly increased at an acceleration of 15 mm/s2 and reached 50 mm/s after driving for 3 s. The levitated height was 0.13 and 0.28 mm at the lower and higher sides at air pressures of the positive and negative restrictors of +7.0 and less than −3.0 kPa, respectively. In the case of an initial velocity of 60 mm/s, the plate was turned in reverse after moving for 100 mm. The plate can move reciprocally by reversing the air flow pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses an increased frequency of a rare bleeding disorder, which is a combined deficiency of two blood coagulation factors, in regions where consanguineous marriage is practiced. According to the author, this rare bleeding disorder, which is a combination of parahaemophilia and haemophilia A is usually caused by mutations of lectin mannose binding 1 (LMAN1) and multiple coagulation factor deficiency 2 (MCFD2).

The shingled magnetic recording (SMR) system is influenced by not only jitter-like medium noise from adjacent bits in the down-track direction but also intertrack interference (ITI) from the adjacent tracks. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the recording pattern and the decoding reliability by classifying the log-likelihood ratio at the a posteriori probability decoder output according to the recording patterns under an SMR R–W channel specification of 4 Tb/in2 by computer simulation. The result shows that the decoding reliability for the recording pattern “010” heavily affected by transition jitter is the lowest and little improved even if the influence of ITI is mitigated by a 2-D finite-impulse response filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR), which combines shingled magnetic recording (SMR) with 2-D signal processing attracts attention from the hard disk drive industry. SMR is a magnetic recording system in order to increase the track density by writing tracks without the guard band. Therefore, the influences of writing and reading intertrack interferences (ITIs) deteriorate the quality of reproducing waveforms. Additionally, degradation of track due to overwriting and crosstalk from the adjacent tracks due to the width of reader sensitivity. The equalization using 2-D finite impulse response filter for the waveforms from three adjacent tracks is proposed as a method to reduce the influence of reading ITIs. In this paper, we evaluate the bit aspect ratio (BAR) in TDMR read/write channel under a specification of 4 Tb/in2 using bit error rate of the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding and iterative decoding system obtained by computer simulation. The results show that the suitable BAR in array head reading is 2.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:Although organised haematoma often induces bone thinning and destruction similar to malignant diseases, the aetiology of organised haematoma and the optimal treatment remain unclear. This paper presents the clinical features of individuals with organised haematoma, and describes cases in which a novel modified approach was successfully applied for resection of organised haematoma in the maxillary sinus.Method:Pre-operative examination data were evaluated retrospectively. Modified transnasal endoscopic medial maxillectomy was employed.Results:Fourteen patients with organised haematoma were treated. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed heterogeneous enhancement in all patients. Eight patients underwent modified transnasal endoscopic medial maxillectomy, without complications such as facial numbness, tooth numbness, facial tingling, lacrimation and eye discharge. Dissection of the apertura piriformis and anterior maxillary wall was not necessary for any of these eight patients. No recurrence was observed.Conclusion:Pre-operative examinations can be helpful in determining the likelihood of organised haematoma. Modified transnasal endoscopic medial maxillectomy appears to be a safe and effective method for organised haematoma resection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To achieve high-thrust-density operation, we propose electrostatic–magnetic hybrid ion acceleration in which the empirical thrust density limit of the electrostatic acceleration is surpassed without violent plasma oscillation by combing the collisional momentum transfer mechanism, which is the ion acceleration mechanism of the electromagnetic acceleration. To achieve hybrid ion acceleration, we experimentally obtained two design criteria: one near anode propellant injection and another at the on-axis hollow cathode location. The thrust characteristics of three thrusters composed of a slowly diverging magnetic field between an on-axis hollow cathode and a coaxially set ring anode were examined. By injecting xenon propellant along the anode inner surface, the electron impact ionization process was enhanced, and generated ions are electrostatically accelerated through the radial-inward potential gradient perpendicular to the axial magnetic lines of force. The hybrid ion acceleration characteristics were obtained only if these two criteria were satisfied and the obtained thrust was consistent with the thrust formula derived for steady-state, quasi-neutral plasma flows. In addition to the criteria, strengthening the magnetic field and enhancing the propellant mass flux were effective for improving thrust density without deteriorating thrust efficiency. Among the experimental conditions in this study, the maximum thrust density was 70 N/m2 with an anode specific impulse of 1200 s, which cannot be achieved in a purely electrostatic thruster with thrust density 6.3 times than that of a typical Hall thruster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) by shingled magnetic recording (SMR) draws attention as a next generation technology to increase the recording density in hard disk drive (HDD). It is shown that the two-dimensional finite impulse response (2D-FIR) filter provides gain the reproducing waveforms from an array head with 3 readers in the TDMR under a specification of 4 Tbit/inch.2 We evaluate the effect of the intertrack interference (ITI) reduction by 2D-FIR using the correlation between the real FIR filter output and the partial response class-I (PR1) signal corresponding to recording sequence by the computer simulation. The results show that the 2D-FIR filter is effective to mitigate ITI and improves the signal-to-noise ratio at the discriminate point by about 0.6 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is an instrument that can measure the temperature and wind velocity of the thermosphere through observations of airglow emission at a wavelength of 630.0 nm. The Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory/Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, has recently developed four new ground-based FPIs. One of those FPIs, possessing a large-aperture etalon (diameter: 116 mm), was installed in Tromsø (FP01), Norway, in 2009. The other three small FPIs, using 70-mm-diameter etalons, were installed in Thailand (FP02), Indonesia (FP03) and Australia (FP04) in 2010-2011. They use highly sensitive cooled-CCD cameras with 1024 × 1024 pixels to obtain interference fringes. However, appropriate temperature has not been obtained from the interference fringes using these new small-aperture FPIs. In the present study we improved the analysis procedure of temperature determination using these FPIs. Each of FPIs measures north, south, east and west directions repeatedly by rotating two mirrors mounted on top of the FPI. We estimated center pixel of laser fringe and airglow fringes for each direction and found significant differences in the center pixel locations (a few pixels) among the measurement directions. These differences are considered to be caused by movement of the scanning mirror on the top of the optics, resulting in mechanical distortion of the optics body. By calculating the fringe center separately for each direction, we could correct these center pixel variations and determine the temperature with random errors of 10-40 K. This new method was employed to the all measurements from four FPIs after 2009 and provided temperatures with reasonably small errors. However, we found that temperatures below 400 K were obtained associated with weak airglow intensities and concluded using a model calculation that they are due to contamination of OH line emissions in the upper mesosphere. By defining an appropriate threshold of the fringe peak count, we successfully eliminated these unrealistic temperature values, and the corrected temperature values became comparable to those provided by the MSIS-90E and GAIA models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image-guided surgery (IGS) is performed using a real-time surgery navigation system with three-dimensional (3D) position tracking of surgical tools. IGS is fast becoming an important technology for high-precision laparoscopic surgeries, in which the field of view is limited. In particular, recent developments in intraoperative imaging using radioactive biomarkers may enable advanced IGS for supporting malignant tumor removal surgery. In this light, we develop a novel intraoperative probe with a Compton camera and a position tracking system for performing real-time radiation-guided surgery. A prototype probe consisting of Ce : Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 (GAGG) crystals and silicon photomultipliers was fabricated, and its reconstruction algorithm was optimized to enable real-time position tracking. The results demonstrated the visualization capability of the radiation source with ARM = ∼ 22.1 ° and the effectiveness of the proposed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bone mineral density (BMD) sometimes cannot be improved by long-term bisphosphonate (BP) therapy in osteoporosis (OP). This study showed that lumbar as well as hip BMD significantly increased after denosumab treatment in patients not responsive to BPs. Thus, denosumab may be a strong OP treatment option for BP-unresponsive patients. Introduction: BMD sometimes cannot be improved by long-term BP therapy. Methods: We administered denosumab to osteoporotic patients with a poor response to BPs who had been taking them for 2 years or longer. Ninety-eight women with BP-poor responsive OP were enrolled in this study. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 71.2 (6.9) years and mean (SD) duration of BP treatment was 59.9 (34.3) months. We distinguished BP responders from non-responders based on changes in BMD values at denosumab commencement (baseline) from 2 years beforehand. Results: There were no significant differences in age, duration of BP use, bone turnover markers, or BMD at baseline between the groups. Prior to denosumab, BMD had increased significantly in responders and decreased significantly in non-responders. Bone turnover markers had decreased significantly at 4 months of denosumab treatment ( P < 0.001) and lumbar and hip BMD were significantly increased at 1 year of therapy in both groups ( P < 0.001). Simple correlation coefficients were −0.337 for lumbar and −0.339 for hip BMD changes (both P = 0.001) before and after denosumab treatment. Both at the lumbar spine and hips, decreased BMD before denosumab therapy was significantly associated with an increase in BMD at 1 year of treatment (spine, t value = −3.502, P = 0.001, R = 0.113; hip, t value = −3.526, P = 0.001, R = 0.115). Conclusions: These results suggest that denosumab may be a strong OP treatment option for BP-unresponsive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]