Introduction of New Features in Writer Verification Based on Finger-writing of a Simple Symbol

In this study, a method of verifying an individual from their style of drawing simple symbols that everyone is familiar with and never forgets was studied. Individuals were asked to draw symbols using their fingertips on a digital device screen. Various features, such as the finger pressure, the touch area, and the touch direction, which were directly detected by a tablet device, were measured. In addition, the finger volume, force, and amount of work that were derived from the directly detected features were calculated. Subsequently, the verification performance of these features was evaluated

Elastic properties of the Non-Fermi liquid metal CeRu4Sb12Ce Ru_4 Sb_{12} and the Dense Kondo semiconductor CeOs4Sb12Ce Os_4 Sb_{12}

We have investigated the elastic properties of the Ce-based filled skutterudite antimonides CeRu$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ and CeOs$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ by means of ultrasonic measurements. CeRu$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ shows a slight increase around 130 K in the temperature dependence of the elastic constants $C$$_{11}$, ($C$$_{11}$-$C$$_{12}$)/2 and $C$$_{44}$. No apparent softening toward low temperature due to a quadrupolar response of the 4$f$-electronic ground state of the Ce ion was observed at low temperatures. In contrast CeOs$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ shows a pronounced elastic softening toward low temperature in the longitudinal $C$$_{11}$ as a function of temperature ($T$) below about 15 K, while a slight elastic softening was observed in the transverse $C$$_{44}$ below about 1.5 K. Furthermore, CeOs$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ shows a steep decrease around a phase transition temperature of 0.9 K in both $C$$_{11}$ and$C$$_{44}$. The elastic softening observed in $C$$_{11}$ below about 15 K cannot be explained reasonably only by the crystalline electric field effect. It is most likely to be responsible for the coupling between the elastic strain and the quasiparticle band with a small energy gap in the vicinity of Fermi level. The elastic properties and the 4$f$ ground state of Ce ions in CeRu$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ and CeOs$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ are discussed from the viewpoint of the crystalline electric field effect and the band structure in the vicinity of Fermi level.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, regular pape

Computer navigation-assisted spinal fusion with segmental pedicle screw instrumentation for scoliosis with rett syndrome:a case report

Scoliosis is a common clinical manifestation of Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that almost exclusively affects females. The spinal curve in patients with Rett syndrome is typically a long C curve of a neuromuscular type. As the onset of the scoliosis is very early and shows rapid progression, early surgical intervention has been recommended to prevent a life-threatening collapsing spine syndrome. However, there are high perioperative risks in Rett syndrome patients who undergo spinal surgery, such as neurological compromise and respiratory dysfunction due to rigid spinal curve. We herein report the surgical result of treating severe rapid progressive thoracic scoliosis in a 16-year-old girl with Rett syndrome. Posterior segmental pedicle screw fixation was performed from T1 to L3 using a computer-assisted technique. Post-operative radiography demonstrated a good correction of the curve in both the sagittal and coronal alignment. There were no postoperative complications such as neurological compromise. The patient had maintained satisfactory spinal balance as of the 3-year follow-up examination.</p

Assessment of the Concordance Rate between Intraoperative Pathological Diagnosis and the Final Pathological Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Tumors

The intraoperative pathological diagnosis (IPD) plays an important role in determining the optimal surgical treatment for spinal cord tumors. The final pathological diagnosis (FPD) is sometimes different from the IPD. Here, we sought to identify the accuracy of the IPD of spinal cord tumors compared to the FPD. We retrospec-tively analyzed the cases of 108 patients with spinal cord tumors treated surgically in our institute; the IPD, FPD, mismatched cases, and concordance rate between the IPD and FPD were investigated. Five cases involved a mismatch between the IPD and FPD. The overall concordance rate was 95.4%, with 90.9% for extra-dural lesions, 98.5% for intradural extramedullary lesions, 84.2% for intramedullary lesions, and 100% for dumbbell-type tumors. The concordance rate of intramedullary lesions tended to be lower than that of other lesions (p = 0.096). A lower concordance rate was revealed for intramedullary lesions compared to the other lesions. Despite the IPD clearly remaining a valuable tool during operative procedures, surgeons should recog-nize the limitations of IPDs and make comprehensive decisions about surgical treatments

Spectral Decomposition of Path Space in Solvable Lattice Model

We give the {\it spectral decomposition} of the path space of the U_q(\hatsl) vertex model with respect to the local energy functions. The result suggests the hidden Yangian module structure on the \hatsl level $l$ integrable modules, which is consistent with the earlier work [1] in the level one case. Also we prove the fermionic character formula of the \hatsl level $l$ integrable representations in consequence.Comment: 27 pages, Plain Tex, epsf.tex, 7 figures; minor revision. identical with the version to be published in Commun.Math.Phy

Continuing mind for primary care medicine as total family care mailing list (TFC-ML) group

There were historically two great doctors for primary care (PC) medicine in Japan. They are Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara and Dr. Yoshikazu Tasaka. Tasaka was always active in medical treatment, organizational management, postgraduate education, and information dissemination using the Internet, and started Total Family Care Mailing List (TFC-ML) in 1998. TFC-ML included medical information with his comments every day for long. Even after his death in 2007, TFC-ML activity has been continued by many voluntary PC physicians. His TFC mind has been transmitted to future PC physicians. His inspiration may often come to TFC members for better total family care