Magnetic properties of epitaxial Fe3_3O4_4 films with various crystal orientations and TMR effect in room temperature

Fe$_3$O$_4$ is a ferrimagnetic spinel ferrite that exhibits electric conductivity at room temperature (RT). Although the material has been predicted to be a half metal according to ab-initio calculations, magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with Fe$_3$O$_4$ electrodes have demonstrated a small tunnel magnetoresistance effect. Not even the sign of the TMR ratio has been experimentally established. Here, we report on the magnetic properties of epitaxial Fe$_3$O$_4$ films with various crystal orientations. The films exhibited apparent crystal orientation dependence on hysteresis curves. In particular, Fe$_3$O$_4$(110) films exhibited in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. With respect to the squareness of hysteresis, Fe$_3$O$_4$ (111) demonstrated the largest squareness. Furthermore, we fabricated MTJs with Fe$_3$O$_4$(110) electrodes, and obtained an TMR effect of -12\% at RT. The negative TMR ratio corresponded to the negative spin polarization of Fe$_3$O$_4$ predicted from band calculations

Demonstration of intrahepatic accumulated microbubble on ultrasound represents the grade of hepatic fibrosis

OBJECTIVES: To examine the feasibility of perflubutane-based ultrasound for grading hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: This prospective study included 202 subjects; main study (controls:33, F0–1:35, F2:26, F3:23, cirrhosis:29) and subsequent study (controls:16, F0–1:7, F2:20, F3:7, cirrhosis:6). Diagnostic abilities for assessing fibrosis grade were compared between contrast findings and FIB4 (age × AST/[platelet count × ALT(0.5)]). RESULTS: High-power emission produced an intrahepatic band-like structure, and the three-layer appearance was less frequent and monolayer appearance was more frequent in cirrhosis than controls/chronic hepatitis (P < 0.0001). Intensity difference at 15-min phase showed most significant correlation with fibrosis grade (ρ = 0.79, P < 0.0001), and the best areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves are 0.88 for marked fibrosis, 0.95 for advanced fibrosis and 0.97 for cirrhosis, which were significantly higher than those of FIB4, 0.85 for marked fibrosis, 0.89 for advanced fibrosis and 0.90 for cirrhosis. Sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of the intensity difference were 88%, 72% and 81% for marked fibrosis, 85%, 91% and 89% for advanced fibrosis and 97%, 90% and 91% for cirrhosis, respectively. The subsequent study validated the main study results; significant correlation between the intensity difference and the fibrosis grade (ρ = 0.73–0.77, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Perflubutane-based ultrasound accurately predicts the grade of hepatic fibrosis. KEY POINTS: • The behaviour of intrahepatic microbubbles depends on the severity of hepatic fibrosis. • Layer enhancement pattern simply represents the degree of chronic liver disease. • Parenchymal intensity change due to high-power emission predicts the hepatic fibrosis grade

Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound for COVID-19: Findings and Prognostic Implications From 105 Consecutive Patients

Background: The prognostic value of point-of-care lung ultrasound has not been evaluated in a large cohort of patients with COVID-19 admitted to general medicine ward in the United States. The aim of this study was to describe lung ultrasound findings and their prognostic value in patients with COVID-19 admitted to internal medicine ward. Method: This prospective observational study consecutively enrolled 105 hospitalized participants with COVID-19 at 2 tertiary care centers. Ultrasound was performed in 12 lung zones within 24 hours of admission. Findings were assessed relative to 4 outcomes: intensive care unit (ICU) need, need for intensive respiratory support, length of stay, and death. Results: We detected abnormalities in 92% (97/105) of participants. The common findings were confluent B-lines (92%), non-homogenous pleural lines (78%), and consolidations (54%). Large confluent B-lines, consolidations, bilateral involvement, and any abnormality in ≥ 6 areas were associated with a longer hospitalization and need for intensive respiratory support. Large confluent B-lines and bilateral involvement were also associated with ICU stay. A total lung ultrasound score \u3c5 had a negative predictive value of 100% for the need of intensive respiratory support. A higher total lung ultrasound score was associated with ICU need (median total 18 in the ICU group vs. 11 non-ICU, p = 0.004), a hospitalization ≥ 9d (15 vs 10, p = 0.016) and need for intensive respiratory support (18 vs. 8.5, P \u3c 0.001). Conclusions: Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had lung ultrasound abnormalities on admission and a higher lung ultrasound score was associated with worse clinical outcomes except death. A low total lung ultrasound score (\u3c5) had a negative predictive value of 100% for the need of intensive respiratory support. Point-of-care ultrasound can aid in the risk stratification for patients with COVID-19 admitted to general wards

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE TOWARDS HIV/AIDS IN A RURAL KENYAN COMMUNITY

The aim of this research was to explore people’s knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practice towards HIV/AIDS and sexual activity in rural Kenya, where HIV is widespread. The study community was located in south-eastern Kenya, 50 km north of Mombassa, and had an estimated population of 1500. Subjects aged between 16 and 49 were recruited using a stratified cluster-sampling method and they completed self-administered questionnaires.Almost all respondents knew the word ‘HIV’. Around 50% knew of a person living with HIV. About 80% gave ‘death’ or ‘fear’ as words representing their image of AIDS. With regard to sexual activity, the distribution of answers to the question ‘how many partners have you ever had in your life’ was bimodal in males but had only one peak in females, indicating that some men have a large number of sexual partners in their lifetime. First sexual intercourse was at around 12?13 years for both sexes, but female teenagers were more sexually experienced than their male counterparts

The Relationship between H. pylori

Background and Objective. H. pylori infection causes a chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa. However, this local inflammation may result in extra-digestive conditions. Our aim is to investigate the relationship between H. pylori infection and osteoporosis in Japan. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted among outpatients at the Juntendo University Hospital between 2008 and 2014. Participants for patient profile, H. pylori infection status, comorbidity, internal medical therapies, lumbar dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and bone turnover marker were collected and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for reflux esophagitis, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and endoscopic gastric mucosal atrophy (EGA) was performed. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was performed in accordance with the Japanese criteria. We investigated risk factors of osteoporosis. Results. Of the eligible 200 study subjects, 41 cases were of osteoporosis. Bivariate analysis showed that age, being female, BMI, alcohol, smoking, H. pylori, bone-specific ALP, PUD, and EGA were related to osteoporosis. Multivariate analysis showed that age (OR 1.13; 95%CI 1.07–1.20), being female (OR 4.77; 95%CI 1.78–12.77), BMI (OR 0.79; 95%CI 0.68–0.92), H. pylori (OR 5.33; 95%CI 1.73–16.42), and PUD (OR 4.98; 95%CI 1.51–16.45) were related to osteoporosis. Conclusions. H. pylori infection may be a risk factor of osteoporosis in Japan

Feathertop試論 : ホーソーンの全体像というコンテクストの中で

Nathaniel Hawthorne\u27s "Feathertop" is subtitled "A Moralized Legend" and has generally been interpreted as such. It is, however, remarkable that the tale was the only one written after the publication of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Why did he narrate such an apparently allegorical legend at the apex of his career? Hawthorne had always been afraid of the isolation from society since his boyhood as was guessed from his juvenile essay published in the hand-written journal, The Spectator. To him "imagination" that enabled him to write romances seemed at once enchanting and yet dangerous because it might lead him astray from the beaten path of the world. Hence he wrote the tale in order to help himself out of the solitude he bitterly felt when he was deeply immersed in the creation of "psychological romances," such as "Young Goodman Brown," and two major romances, which he was not sure to be welcomed by the public. In actual fact "Feathertop" is not an allegory but a parody of his own major works

作中人物の名前をめぐって : ポーの場合

Poe sometimes chooses for his characters sets of names that suggest they are closely related and yet often antagonistic to each other, such as Dupin and Minister D- ("The Purloined Letter"), Fortunato and Montresor ("The Cask of Amontillado"), two William Wilsons, and Bedloe and Oldeb ("A Tale of the Ragged Mountains"), though the last set mentioned is exceptionally unantagonistic. The choice betrays Poe\u27s uneasiness about his own identity. He is always haunted by the dissociation of his own personality because he is, just like August Dupin in his stories, conscious of the coexistence in his own self of "creative Poe" who creates esoteric worlds of poetry and mystery, and "resolvent Poe" who destructs the former worlds by means of his own ratiocination. It is suggestive that he uses a very rare word "Bi-part soul" twice, no example of which can be found in The Oxford English Dictionary. My argument is, I believe, supported by the fact that Poe is at once attracted to and repelled by mirrors. Though he allows only one mirror in his ideal room ("The Philosophy of Furniture"), the use of the word "mirror(s)" in his stories count as many as twenty-seven

Diagnostic criteria for acute-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (2012): Report of the Committee of Japan Diabetes Society on the Research of Fulminant and Acute-onset Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 1 diabetes is a disease characterized by destruction of pancreatic β-cells, which leads to absolute deficiency of insulin secretion. Depending on the manner of onset and progression, it is classified as fulminant, acute-onset or slowly progressive type 1 diabetes. Here, we propose the diagnostic criteria for acute-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus. Among the patients who develop ketosis or diabetic ketoacidosis within 3 months after the onset of hyperglycemic symptoms and require insulin treatment continuously after the diagnosis of diabetes, those with anti-islet autoantibodies are diagnosed with \u27acute-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (autoimmune)\u27. In contrast, those whose endogenous insulin secretion is exhausted (fasting serum C-peptide immunoreactivity <0.6 ng/mL) without verifiable anti-islet autoantibodies are diagnosed simply with \u27acute-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus\u27. Patients should be reevaluated after certain periods in case their statuses of anti-islet autoantibodies and/or endogenous insulin secretory capacity are unknown