Epitaxial growth of strained Si1−yCy films by the hot-wire cell method and its application to metal oxide semiconductor devices

We succeeded in obtaining strained Si_1−yC_y films at a substrate temperature of 200 °C by the hot-wire cell method. The substitutional carbon concentration in films annealed at 700 °C was 0.9%, while it was limited to 0.13% for a sample grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at a substrate temperature of 700 °C. We investigated the thermal stability of strained Si_1−yC_y films for device application. Annealing at over 900 °C caused the formation of 3C-SiC and relaxation of the strain occurred. From this result, we found that the process temperature should be lower than 800 °C. A low-temperature MOSFET process, in which all process temperatures after deposition of Si_1−yC_y were lower than 800 °C, was developed and a strained Si_1−yC_y MOSFET was fabricated.     

Classical but effective techniques for estimating cardiovasculardynamics

This article first describes the effectiveness and the limitations of classical approaches based on linear models for the cardiovascular system. The authors then introduce their own work on less-invasive and real-time estimation of cardiac output flow and pump function in the clinical setting. It is shown that system identification techniques using linear models can yield unexpectedly accurate results useful for patient care     

Double adenomas with different pathological and hormonal features in the left adrenal gland of a patient with Cushing''s syndrome

A simple method is presented for projecting the conformation of extended secondary structure elements of peptides and proteins that extend over four C alpha atoms onto a simple two-dimensional surface. A new set of two degrees of freedom is defined, a pseudodihedral involving four sequential C alpha atoms, as well as the triple scalar product for the vectors describing the orientation of the three intervening peptide groups. The method provides a reduction in dimensionality, from the usual combination of multiple phi,psi pairs to a single pair, yielding valuable information concerning the structure and dynamics of these important elements. The new two-dimensional surface is explored by reference to 63 selected protein crystal structures together with a comparison of model built peptides representing the common secondary structural elements. Dynamical aspects on this new surface are examined using a molecular dynamics trajectory of Basic Pancreatic Trypsin Inhibitor.     

Analysis of cases allowed to cease erythromycin therapy for diffuse panbronchiolitis--comparative study between patients with cessation of the therapy and patients continuing the therapy

We investigated the effect of erythromycin (EM) in patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) who were divided into 2 groups, the short term group with 8 patients who were treated for at least 2 years and the long term group with 7 patients who were treated for more than 3 years. Each mean value of %VC, FEV1.0, FEV1.0% and PaO2 two years after administration to these patients was improved than before administration of EM, with the exception of PaO2 in the long term group. There was no change in %VC, FEV1.0, FEV1.0% or PaO2 in each group between one year after the therapy and thereafter, with the exception of the fact that FEV1.0% in the short term group, except patients restarting EM therapy, 2 years after the therapy was significantly higher than in the long term group. One patient was readministered EM because of recurrence of DPB after cessation of EM therapy, whose %VC, FEV1.0 and PaO2, but not FEV1.0%, one year after the therapy were increased in those before the therapy. The Neutrophil proportion in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in this patient was still high after the therapy (94.5%), while that in the patients with cessation of the therapy was improved to the level of less than 8%. Neutrophil proportion in BAL fluids in the patients with continuation of the therapy revealed a high or low level after the therapy. These results suggest that the patients, whose %VC, FEB1.0% and PaO2 were improved and whose proportion of neutrophils in BAL fluid reduced to a normal level compared with those before EM therapy, can be allowed to cease therapy after 2 years or more of EM therapy.     

Measurement of histidinohydroxylysinonorleucine and hydroxyproline in skin collagen by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography after 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate labeling

The management of intra-abdominal desmoid tumors in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is very difficult. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anti-estrogenic agents, and steroids are most commonly used, because surgical removal of these tumors may result in severe morbidity, with local recurrence being common. We report a patient with FAP and intra-abdominal desmoid tumors that regressed markedly after prednisolone therapy. The patient, a 38-year-old woman, had undergone total colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis with a diagnosis of FAP with colon cancer. Approximately 17 months after the surgery, she noticed an elastic firm lump in the abdominal wall. She also experienced lower abdominal distension. Computed tomography (CT) of the lower abdomen showed an invasive heterogenous low-density mass occupying the intra-abdominal space. She was treated with sulindac, NSAID, at 300 mg/day, the diagnosis being intra-abdominal desmoid tumors. She exhibited an intestinal obstruction about 9 months after the initiation of sulindac therapy. We changed the treatment and began prednisolone (initial dose, 40 mg/day). This treatment was continued for two years; subsequently, the lesions regressed markedly. She is currently well, more than 3 years after the withdrawal of prednisolone.     

Defects of immune cells in the senescence-accelerated mouse: a model for learning and memory deficits in the aged

AM1 and PM3 complete geometry optimizations were performed on 19 arotinoids congeneric with (E)-4-[2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2- naphthalenyl)-1-propenyl] benzoic acid (TTNPB), a very potent agent in carcinoprevention and carcinotherapy. Sixteen TTNPB conformations with close energy were obtained and characterized; four representative conformations were then studied for 14 derivative compounds, for which we found a substantial non-planarity of the two aromatic moieties. Large rotational flexibility of the arotinoid ring fragments was predicted by both methods. Very low barriers (0.4-3.9 kcal/mol) were found for the tetralenyl ring rotation. The two methods also agreed in predicting benzoic acid moiety rotation in a wide range of torsion angle values except those close to 0 or 180 degrees for which the PM3 rotational barriers were found to be considerably lower than the AM1 ones. This high conformational flexibility of arotinoid molecules may facilitate their favorable orientation in the process of fitting to the receptor sites.     

Effects of GaAs-spacer strain on vertical ordering of stacked InAs quantum dots in a GaAs matrix

Vertical ordering in stacked layers of InAs/GaAs quantum dots is currently the focus of scientific research because of its potential for optoelectronics applications. Transmission electron microscopy was applied to study InAs/GaAs stacked layers grown by molecular-beam-epitaxy with various thicknesses of GaAs spacer. Thickness dependencies of quantum dot size and their ordering were observed experimentally and, then, compared with the results of strain calculations based on the finite element method. The vertical ordering did occur when the thickness of the GaAs spacer was comparable with the dot height. The ordering was found to be associated with relatively large InAs dots on the first layer. Quantum dots tend to become larger in size and more regular in plane with increasing numbers of stacks. Our results suggest that the vertical ordering is not only affected by strain from the InAs dots on the lower layer, but by total strain configuration in the multi-stacked structure.     

Comparison of MTBF in the parallel string configuration and the quad configuration systems

In this study, four redundant systems having the parallel string configuration and the quad configuration consisting of 2n identical units are considered and the reliability of each system and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) are evaluated. Next, as the special case of the systems in this study, the case of four units corresponds to the Keene's system and MTBF of each system agreed with his results. Further, as the results evaluated MTBF relating to each system consisting of 6, 8 and 10 units, the large and small relations of the MTBF between systems are made clear.     

Stereotactic irradiation without whole-brain irradiation for single brain metastasis

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of stereotactic irradiation (STI) alone without whole-brain irradiation (WBI) for a single metastatic brain tumor was analyzed retrospectively. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forty-four patients with this condition were treated using radiosurgery (RS) alone or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSR) without WBI. RESULTS: The initial response rate was 92% and the overall local control rate was 84% (37 of 44 patients). A total of 39% (18 of 44) of patients experienced intracranial relapse outside the initial target area. Forty-eight percent (21 of 44) of patients required salvage treatment for intracranial relapse. All 7 patients who received WBI as salvage treatment required no further salvage treatment, but 5 of the 14 patients who received salvage STI without WBI required three to four treatments for brain metastasis. Late radiation damage was not seen with initial treatment but was observed with retreatment. The overall median survival time was 261 days, with a standard error of 64 days. Actuarial survival at 12 and 24 months was 34% and 9%, respectively. The actuarial survival rate was significantly affected by the existence of active extracranial disease (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: The high response rate and short treatment period of STI alone are advantageous in the treatment of single brain metastasis in patients with active extracranial disease with WBI reserved for relapse. Because of the low complication rate, STI alone may be also useful in patients with good prognosis, without extracranial disease.