Spacer Thickness Dependence of Photoluminescence and Raman Scattering Spectra in Au/Spacer/CdSe-Nanoparticle Multilayers

AbstractWe report photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering (RS) spectra in Au/spacer/CdSe-nanoparticle multilayers as a function of the distance between the Au film and the CdSe-nanoparticle monolayer. Both the PL and RS intensities were enhanced when the Au-CdSe distance was large and decreased with a decrease in distance. The influence of the localized surface plasmons on the optical properties of the CdSe nanoparticles is discussed. PACS: 78.67.Bf; 78.30.Fs; 78.55.E

A Lemma for a Strong Comparison Principle of Nonlinear Parabolic Equations

In this note, we prove a lemma for a strong comparison principle of nonlinear parabolic equations. We shall prove a function which is a viscosity subsolution minus a viscosity supersolution of the equation becomes a viscosity subsolution of a parabolic equation which may not coincide with the original equation. Thanks to a strong maximum principle of nonlinear parabolic equations we have a strong comparison principle

Long-term maintenance of hemoglobin levels in hemodialysis patients treated with bi-weekly epoetin beta pegol switched from darbepoetin alfa: a single-center, 12-month observational study in Japan

Recent evidence on maintenance administration of epoetin beta pegol, a continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator (CERA), in dialysis patients shows the clinical benefit of bi-weekly administration (Q2W) in improving hematopoiesis and iron use efficiency. We undertook a single-center observational study of 33 Japanese maintenance dialysis patients, whose anemia had been kept stable through weekly administration (Q1W) of darbepoetin (DA), to evaluate the effectiveness of CERA Q2W switched from DA in maintaining hemoglobin (Hb) levels over a 12-month period. The target Hb level was 10.0–12.0 g/dL. Throughout the 12-month period, the mean Hb was stably maintained at 10.5–10.8 g/dL, 69.7–87.9% of the patients achieving the target Hb level. The mean CERA dose was within the range of 62.9–78.8 µg/2 weeks. The average CERA dose adjustment frequency after switching was low at 0.42–0.67 times/3 months. In both subgroups stratified by the DA dose prior to the switch, Hb levels were kept stable during CERA administration; however, in the low-dose group (10–20 µg/week of DA), the CERA and iron doses decreased over time, whereas in the high-dose group (30–60 µg/week of DA) they remained unchanged. CERA Q2W achieved long-term successful anemia management in Japanese maintenance dialysis patients after switching from DA Q1W. CERA dose was adjusted based on an overall consideration of past changes in Hb levels, erythropoiesis-stimulating agent and iron doses. Subgroup analysis showed the CERA dose in the low-dose group decreased continuously, due possibly to a long-term improvement in iron use efficiency

Usefulness of FDG, MET and FLT-PET Studies for the Management of Human Gliomas

The use of positron imaging agents such as FDG, MET, and FLT is expected to lead the way for novel applications toward efficient malignancy grading and treatment of gliomas. In this study, the usefulness of FDG, MET and FLT-PET images was retrospectively reviewed by comparing their histopathological findings. FDG, MET, and FLT-PET were performed in 27 patients with WHO grade IV, 15 patients with WHO grade III, and 12 patients with WHO grade II during 5.5 years. The resulting PET images were compared by measuring SUVs and T/N ratios (tumor to normal tissue ratios). Although there were no significant differences in FDG-PET, there were significant differences in the T/N ratios in the MET-PET between WHO grades II and IV and in the FLT-PET between the WHO grades III and IV. In glioblastoma patients, the SUVs of the areas depicted by MRI in the MET-PET were different from those SUVs in the FLT-PET. Importantly, the areas with high SUVs in both MET-PET and FLT-PET were also high in Ki-67 index and were histologically highly malignant. PET imaging is a noninvasive modality that is useful in determining a tumor area for removal as well as improving preoperative diagnosis for gliomas

Slow-roll Inflation with the Gauss-Bonnet and Chern-Simons Corrections

We study slow-roll inflation with the Gauss-Bonnet and Chern-Simons corrections. We obtain general formulas for the observables: spectral indices, tensor-to-scalar ratio and circular polarization of gravitational waves. The Gauss-Bonnet term violates the consistency relation r = -8n_T. Particularly, blue spectrum n_T > 0 and scale invariant spectrum |8n_T|/r << 1 of tensor modes are possible. These cases require the Gauss-Bonnet coupling function of \xi _{,\phi } \sim 10^8/M_{Pl}. We use examples to show new-inflation-type potential with 10M_{Pl} symmetry breaking scale and potential with flat region in \phi \gtrsim 10M_{Pl} lead to observationally consistent blue and scale invariant spectra, respectively. Hence, these interesting cases can actually be realized. The Chern-Simons term produce circularly polarized tensor modes. We show an observation of these signals supports existence of the Chern-Simons coupling function of \omega _{,\phi } \sim 10^8/M_{Pl}. Thus, with future observations, we can fix or constrain the value of these coupling functions, at the CMB scale.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure

Fractal Structure in Two-Dimensional Quantum Regge Calculus

We study the fractal structure of the surface in two-dimensional quantum Regge calculus by performing Monte Carlo simulation with up to 200,000 triangles. The result can be compared with the universal scaling function obtained analytically in the continuum limit of dynamical triangulation, which provides us with a definite criterion whether Regge calculus serves as a proper regularization of quantum gravity. When the scale-invariant measure is taken as the measure of the link-length integration, we observe the correct scaling behavior in the data for the type of loop attached to a baby universe. The data seem to converge to the universal scaling function as the number of triangles is increased. The data for the type of loop attached to the mother universe, on the other hand, shows no scaling behavior up to the present size.Comment: 13 pages + 8 figures, LaTeX, UT-683, KEK-TH-401 (double-spacing command removed. sorry.

Incidence of Serious Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients Taking Non-steroidal Anti-infl ammatory Drugs in Japan

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a major adverse event of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and co-administration of proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists has been established as a means of preventing such an eff ect. However, the incidence of bleeding associated with NSAID-induced ulcers under conditions where such strong anti-acid agents are used for prevention has yet to be clarified. We aimed to determine the annual incidence of serious upper gastrointestinal ulcer bleeding among Japanese patients in whom NSAIDs were used in our hospital. Before commencing the study, we recommended to all the physicians in our hospital the best method for caring for NSAID users, focusing on the concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors or H2 receptor antagonists. We conducted a cohort study involving 17,270 patients for whom NSAIDs had been newly prescribed. Bleeding from gastric ulcers was observed in 8 of the 17,270 patients using NSAIDs (0.05%). The pooled incidence rate for bleeding was calculated as 2.65 (95% confidence interval, 2.56-2.74) and 1.29 (1.27-1.31) per 1,000 patient years for low-dose aspirin and non-aspirin NSAID users, respectively. None of the bleeding ulcer patients required blood transfusion or were in serious condition. In conclusion, gastric ulcer bleeding occurred in low-dose aspirin or non-aspirin NSAID users, but its incidence was low and outcomes were not serious when adequate preventive measures were taken.</p

Effect of Patient Clinical Variables in Osteoporosis Classification Using Hip X-rays in Deep Learning Analysis

Background and Objectives: A few deep learning studies have reported that combining image features with patient variables enhanced identification accuracy compared with image-only models. However, previous studies have not statistically reported the additional effect of patient variables on the image-only models. This study aimed to statistically evaluate the osteoporosis identification ability of deep learning by combining hip radiographs with patient variables. Materials andMethods: We collected a dataset containing 1699 images from patients who underwent skeletal-bone-mineral density measurements and hip radiography at a general hospital from 2014 to 2021. Osteoporosis was assessed from hip radiographs using convolutional neural network (CNN) models (ResNet18, 34, 50, 101, and 152). We also investigated ensemble models with patient clinical variables added to each CNN. Accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, F1 score, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated as performance metrics. Furthermore, we statistically compared the accuracy of the image-only model with that of an ensemble model that included images plus patient factors, including effect size for each performance metric. Results: All metrics were improved in the ResNet34 ensemble model compared with the image-only model. The AUC score in the ensemble model was significantly improved compared with the image-only model (difference 0.004; 95% CI 0.002-0.0007; p = 0.0004, effect size: 0.871). Conclusions: This study revealed the additional effect of patient variables in identification of osteoporosis using deep CNNs with hip radiographs. Our results provided evidence that the patient variables had additive synergistic effects on the image in osteoporosis identification