コンパクト デジタル カメラ ニヨル テンタイ キョウザイ サクセイ ノ カノウセイ ト ジュギョウ エノ ドウニュウ ノ ココロミ

情報機器類の性能向上により,パソコンを含めた情報機器類の教材製作機材としての重要度がますます高くなってきている。その中でもデジタルカメラは,高性能で安価なものが市販され,学校への普及も急速に進んでいる。本論文ではデジタルカメラの中でも特に,安価なコンパクトデジタルカメラを使って,星座の撮影の可能性について検討した。その結果,コンパクトデジタルカメラでも,十分星座写真が写せることが明らかになった。手軽な星座撮影は,新たな教材開発につながるであろう。The performance of information-processing equipment has been greatly improved, thus they become very vital tool for teaching materials. Especially, as for the digital camera, an efficient yet cheap one is marketed. As a result, it was clarified that it is possible to use a compact digital camera to take constellation photograph. the spread of the digital camera to the school is also rapidly advanced. In this paper, we examined the possibility of taking a picture of the constellation in the compact digital camera. As a result, it was clarified to be able to take the constellation photograph with the compact digital camera. It is likely to lead to the development of new teaching material if the constellation photograph can be easily taken.国立情報学研究所『研究紀要公開支援事業』により電子化

Prognostic value of an echocardiographic index reflecting right ventricular operating stiffness in patients with heart failure

Purpose We recently reported a noninvasive method for the assessment of right ventricular (RV) operating stiffness that is obtained by dividing the atrial-systolic descent of the pulmonary artery-RV pressure gradient (PRPGD(AC)) derived from the pulmonary regurgitant velocity by the tricuspid annular plane movement during atrial contraction (TAPM(AC)). Here, we investigated whether this parameter of RV operating stiffness, PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC), is useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF). Methods We retrospectively included 127 hospitalized patients with HF who underwent an echocardiographic examination immediately pre-discharge. The PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC) was measured in addition to standard echocardiographic parameters. Patients were followed until 2 years post-discharge. The endpoint was the composite of cardiac death, readmission for acute decompensation, and increased diuretic dose due to worsening HF. Results 58 patients (46%) experienced the endpoint during follow-up. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses demonstrated that the PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC) was associated with the endpoint. In a Kaplan-Meier analysis, the event rate of the greater PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC) group was significantly higher than that of the lesser PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC) group. In a sequential Cox analysis for predicting the endpoint's occurrence, the addition of PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC) to the model including age, sex, NYHA functional classification, brain natriuretic peptide level, and several echocardiographic parameters including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion significantly improved the predictive power for prognosis. Conclusion A completely noninvasive index of RV operating stiffness, PRPGD(AC)/TAPM(AC), was useful for predicting prognoses in patients with HF, and it showed an incremental prognostic value over RV systolic function

Novel echocardiographic method to assess left ventricular chamber stiffness and elevated end-diastolic pressure based on time-velocity integral measurements of pulmonary venous and transmitral flows

Aims The detection of increased left ventricular (LV) chamber stiffness may play an important role in assessing cardiac patients with potential but not overt heart failure. A non-invasive method to estimate it is not established. We investigated whether the echocardiographic backward/forward flow volume ratio from the left atrium (LA) during atrial contraction reflects the LV chamber stiffness. Methods and results We studied 62 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization and measured their left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and pressure increase during atrial contraction (Delta Pa) from the LV pressure waveform. Using the echocardiographic biplane method of disks, we measured the LV volume change during atrial contraction indexed to the body surface area (Delta Va), and Delta Pa/Delta Va was calculated as a standard for the LV operating chamber stiffness. Using pulsed Doppler echocardiography, we measured the time-velocity integral (TVI) of the backward pulmonary venous (PV) flow during atrial contraction (I-PVA) and the ratio of I-PVA to the PV flow TVI throughout a cardiac cycle (F-PVA). We also measured the TVI of the atrial systolic forward transmitral flow (I-A) and the ratio of the I-A to the transmitral TVI during a cardiac cycle (F-A) and calculated I-PVA/I-A and F-PVA/F-A. IPVA/IA and F-PVA/F-A were well correlated with Delta Pa/Delta Va (r = 0.79 and r = 0.81) and LVEDP (r = 0.73 and r = 0.77). The areas under the ROC curve to discriminate LVEDP > 18mmHg were 0.90 for I-PVA/I-A and 0.93 for F-PVA/F-A. Conclusion The F-PVA/F-A, the backward/forward flow volume ratio from the LA during atrial contraction, is useful for noninvasive assessments of LV chamber stiffness and elevated LVEDP

Difference in left atrial myocardial dynamics during reservoir phase between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypertensive heart determined using three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

We aimed to investigate left atrial (LA) myocardial dynamics during reservoir phase using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) focusing on its longitudinal-circumferential relationship in patients with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and clarifying the difference in LA myocardial reservoir dynamics between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hypertension with LV hypertrophy (HT-LVH). We studied 4 age-matched groups consisting of 27 patients with HCM, 16 with HT-LVH, 22 hypertensive patients without LV hypertrophy (HT), and 18 normal controls. Using 3DSTE, we measured LA global longitudinal strain (LA-LSR), global circumferential strain (LA-CSR), and global area strain (LA-AS(R)) during the reservoir phase, as well as LV global longitudinal strain (LV-LS), global circumferential strain (LV-CS), and global area strain (LV-AS). LA-LSR was significantly lower in the HCM and HT-LVH groups than in the controls, but there was no significant difference between the HCM and HT-LVH groups. LA-CSR and LA-AS(R) were significantly lower in the HCM group than in the other three groups, among which no significant difference was detected. In all subjects, LA-LSR was significantly correlated with LV-LS but not with LV-CS. LA-CSR was correlated with neither LV-LS nor LV-CS. In conclusion, both longitudinal and circumferential LA myocardial expansion during reservoir phase were reduced in HCM, while only the longitudinal one was reduced in HT-LVH. Reduction of LA circumferential expansion may reflect a more serious and intrinsic impairment of LA myocardial distensibility in HCM. Measuring LA-CSR and LA-AS(R) using 3DSTE would contribute to a more accurate understanding of LA reservoir function abnormality in HCM

Utility of needle biopsy in centrally located lung cancer for genome analysis: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background It is essential to collect a sufficient amount of tumor tissue for successful next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. In this study, we investigated the clinical risk factors for avoiding re-biopsy for NGS analysis (re-genome biopsy) in cases where a sufficient amount of tumor tissue could not be collected by bronchoscopy. Methods We investigated the association between clinical factors and the risk of re-genome biopsy in patients who underwent transbronchial biopsy (TBB) or endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and required re-genome biopsy in cases enrolled in LC-SCRUM Asia, a prospective nationwide genome screening project in Japan. We also examined whether the frequency of re-genome biopsy decreased between the first and second halves of the enrolment period. Results Of the 572 eligible patients, 236 underwent TBB, and 134 underwent EBUS-TBNA. Twenty-four TBBs required re-genome biopsy, and multivariate analysis showed that the risk of re-genome biopsy was significantly increased in lesions where the tumor lesion was centrally located. In these cases, EBUS-TBNA should be utilized even if the lesion is a pulmonary lesion. However, it should be noted that even with EBUS-TBNA, lung field lesions are at a higher risk of re-canalization than mediastinal lymph node lesions. It was also found that even when tumor cells were detected in rapid on-site evaluation, a sufficient amount of tumor tissue was not always collected. Conclusions For centrally located pulmonary mass lesions, EBUS-TBNA, rather than TBB, can be used to obtain tumor tissues that can be analyzed by NGS