Automated eye disease classification method from anterior eye image using anatomical structure focused image classification technique

This paper presents an automated classification method of infective and non-infective diseases from anterior eye images. Treatments for cases of infective and non-infective diseases are different. Distinguishing them from anterior eye images is important to decide a treatment plan. Ophthalmologists distinguish them empirically. Quantitative classification of them based on computer assistance is necessary. We propose an automated classification method of anterior eye images into cases of infective or non-infective disease. Anterior eye images have large variations of the eye position and brightness of illumination. This makes the classification difficult. If we focus on the cornea, positions of opacified areas in the corneas are different between cases of the infective and non-infective diseases. Therefore, we solve the anterior eye image classification task by using an object detection approach targeting the cornea. This approach can be said as "anatomical structure focused image classification". We use the YOLOv3 object detection method to detect corneas of infective disease and corneas of non-infective disease. The detection result is used to define a classification result of a image. In our experiments using anterior eye images, 88.3% of images were correctly classified by the proposed method.Comment: Accepted paper as a poster presentation at SPIE Medical Imaging 2020, Houston, TX, US

Quantum Phase Transitions of the Distorted Diamond Spin Chain

The frustrated quantum spin system on the distorted diamond chain lattice suitable for the alumoklyuchevskite is investigated using the numerical diagonalization of finite-size clusters and the level spectroscopy analysis. It is found that this model exhibits three quantum phases; the ferrimagnetic phase, the spin gap one, and the gapless Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid depending on the exchange coupling parameters. The ground state phase diagram is presented.Comment: to be published in JPS Conf. Se

Magnetization Plateau of the Distorted Diamond Spin Chain

The frustrated quantum spin system on the distorted diamond chain lattice is investigated using the numerical diagonalization of finite-size clusters and the level spectroscopy analysis. In the previous work this system was revealed to exhibit the 1/3 magnetization plateau due to two different mechanisms depending on the coupling parameters, and the phase diagram at the 1/3 magnetization was obtained. In the present work it is found that the 1/3 magnetization plateau vanishes for sufficiently large $XY$-like coupling anisotropy. The phase diagram based on the level spectroscopy analysis is also presented.Comment: to be published in JPS Conference Proceeding

Ultrafast melting of charge-density wave fluctuations at room temperature in 1T−TiSe2{1T-TiSe_2} monitored under non-equilibrium conditions

We investigate the ultrafast lattice dynamics in ${1T-TiSe_2}$ using femtosecond reflection pump-probe and pump-pump-probe techniques at room temperature. The time-domain signals and Fourier-transformed spectra show the $A_{1g}$ phonon mode at 5.9 THz. Moreover, we observe an additional mode at $\approx$ 3 THz, corresponding to the charge-density wave (CDW) amplitude mode, which is generally visible below T$_c \approx 200\$K. We argue that the emergence of the CDW amplitude mode at room temperature can be a consequence of fluctuations of order parameters, based on the additional experiment using the pump-pump-probe technique, which exhibited suppression of the AM signal within the ultrafast time scale of $\sim$ 0.5 ps.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, Applied Physics Letters, in pres

Photo-induced Tellurium segregation in MoTe2\mathrm{MoTe_2}

We report on the coherent phonon spectroscopy of polymorphic $\mathrm{MoTe_2}$ single crystals using a femtosecond-pulsed laser to investigate the relationship between structural phase transitions and photo-thermal effects induced by high-density laser excitation. Even when a femtosecond pulsed laser was used, which generally induces fewer heat accumulation effects than the case for a CW laser, tellurium segregation was observed in coherent phonon spectra with increasing excitation density, while no structural phase transition among polymorphs of $\mathrm{MoTe_2}$ was observed. The use of higher photon-energy excitation, however, was found to suppress tellurium segregation.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, accepted for Physica Status Solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letter

Enhanced intracellular retention of a hepatitis B virus strain associated with fulminant hepatitis

AbstractA plasmid carrying 1.3-fold HBV genome was constructed from a HBV strain that caused five consecutive cases of fulminant hepatitis (pBFH2), and HepG2 cells were transfected with pBFH2 or its variants. The pBFH2 construct with A1762T/G1764A, G1862T, and G1896A showed the largest amount of core particle-associated intracellular HBV DNA, but no significant increase of extracellular HBV DNA in comparison with the wild construct, suggesting that these mutations might work together for retention of the replicative intermediates in the cells. The retention might relate to the localization of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) in the nucleus of HepG2, which was observed by confocal fluorescence microscopy. HBcAg immunohistochemical examination of liver tissue samples obtained from the consecutive fulminant hepatitis patients showed stronger staining in the nucleus than acute hepatitis patients. In conclusion, the fulminant HBV strain caused retention of the core particles and the core particle-associated HBV DNA in the cells

Development of static magnetic refrigeration system using multiple high-temperature superconducting coils

It is expected to build a sustainable social system that uses “hydrogen” as a fuel to generate electricity without emitting CO2. To realize this, technology for storing a large amount of hydrogen is indispensable, and storage as liquid hydrogen is ideal. However, the efficiency of the cooling device in the temperature range around 20 K required for long-term storage with liquid hydrogen is low, and the equipment is huge and expensive, so it has not been established as a widely used technology. Magnetic refrigeration is expected to be a highly efficient refrigerator in the temperature range of around 20 K because it can realize an ideal refrigeration cycle. However, in magnetic refrigeration, it is necessary to give a magnetic field change to the magneto caloric material (MCM). Further, in order to perform cooling with a large capacity and extremely low temperature by magnetic refrigeration, the magnetic field strength of a permanent magnet is insufficient, and it is indispensable to use a superconducting coil capable of generating a strong magnetic field with low power consumption. This study aims to develop a static magnetic refrigeration system using multiple high-temperature superconducting coils. By utilizing the energy storage characteristics of the superconducting coil, we are considering a magnetic refrigeration system that can repeatedly generate magnetic field changes to save energy without the need for large amounts of energy to be taken in and out of the outside. We report on the technical feasibility of a static magnetic refrigeration system using HTS coils. The power consumption including the AC loss of two superconducting coils, which is the basic configuration of the static magnetic refrigeration system, is calculated, and the efficiency is estimated as a ratio to the assumed refrigeration capacity of the MCM

Plasma L-Cystine/L-Glutamate Imbalance Increases Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha from CD14+ Circulating Monocytes in Patients with Advanced Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The innate immune cells can not normally respond to the pathogen in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Previous studies reported that antigen-presenting cells take up L-Cystine (L-Cys) and secrete substantial amounts of L-Glutamate (L-Glu) via the transport system Xc- (4F2hc+xCT), and that this exchange influences the immune responses. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the plasma L-Cys/L-Glu imbalance observed in patients with advanced cirrhosis on the function of circulating monocytes. METHODS: We used a serum-free culture medium consistent with the average concentrations of plasma amino acids from patients with advanced cirrhosis (ACM), and examined the function of CD14+ monocytes or THP-1 under ACM that contained 0-300 nmol/mL L-Cys with LPS. In patients with advanced cirrhosis, we actually determined the TNF-alpha and xCT mRNA of monocytes, and evaluated the correlation between the plasma L-Cys/L-Glu ratio and TNF-alpha. RESULTS: The addition of L-Cys significantly increased the production of TNF alpha from monocytes under ACM. Monocytes with LPS and THP-1 expressed xCT and a high level of extracellular L-Cys enhanced L-Cys/L-Glu antiport, and the intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio was decreased. The L-Cys transport was inhibited by excess L-Glu. In patients with advanced cirrhosis (n = 19), the TNF-alpha and xCT mRNA of monocytes were increased according to the Child-Pugh grade. The TNF-alpha mRNA of monocytes was significantly higher in the high L-Cys/L-Glu ratio group than in the low ratio group, and the plasma TNF-alpha was significantly correlated with the L-Cys/L-Glu ratio. CONCLUSIONS: A plasma L-Cys/L-Glu imbalance, which appears in patients with advanced cirrhosis, increased the TNF-alpha from circulating monocytes via increasing the intracellular oxidative stress. These results may reflect the immune abnormality that appears in patients with decompensated cirrhosis