Noise reduction effect in super-high resolution LCDs using independent sub-pixel driving technology

We have developed and reported a super-high resolution liquid crystal display (SHR-LCD) using a new resolution enhancement technology of the independent sub-pixel driving (ISD) that utilizes three sub-pixels in each pixel element. This technology realizes the three-times resolution enhancement of monochrome LCDs, and improves the depiction ability of detailed shape such as micro-calcifications of a mammography and bone structures. Furthermore, the ISD technology brings not only resolution enhancement but also noise reduction effect by the high-resolution data sampling in displaying the clinical images. In this study, we examined the efficacy of the newly developed LCDs from the noise power spectrum measurement (NPS), the perceptual comparison of the phantom images and the clinical images. A 15 mega-pixel (MP)SHR-LCD out of a 5MP LCD and a 6MP SHR-LCD out of a 2MP LCD were used for the measurement and the evaluation. In the NPS measurements, the noise of all the SHR-LCDs was improved obviously. The improvement degree of the NPS varied according to the sub-sampling ratio of the data sampling implemented during the image displaying, and the 6MP LCD showed higher improvement. In the perceptual evaluation of the quality-control phantom images and the low-contrast images of the micro-calcifications of the mammography, all the SHR-LCDs provided higher performance than the conventional LCDs. These results proved that the SHR-LCDs using the ISD technology had the excellent ability to display the high-resolution clinical images

Development of a new resolution enhancement technology for medical liquid crystal displays

金沢大学大学院医学系研究科量子医療技術学A new resolution enhancement technology that used independent sub-pixel driving method was developed for medical monochrome liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Each pixel of monochrome LCDs, which employ color liquid crystal panels with color filters removed, consists of three sub-pixels. In the new LCD system implemented with this technology, sub-pixel intensities were modulated according to detailed image information, and consequently resolution was enhanced three times. In addition, combined with adequate resolution improvement by image data processing, horizontal and vertical resolution properties were balanced. Thus the new technology realized 9 mega-pixels (MP) ultra-high resolution out of 3MP LCD. Physical measurements and perceptual evaluations proved that the achieved 9MP (through our new technology) was appropriate and efficient to depict finer anatomical structures such as micro calcifications in mammography

Camphor pathway redux: functional recombinant expression of 2,5- and 3,6-diketocamphane monooxygenases of Pseudomonas putida ATCC 17453 with their cognate flavin reductase catalyzing Baeyer-Villiger reactions

Whereas the biochemical properties of the monooxygenase components that catalyze the oxidation of 2,5-diketocamphane and 3,6-diketocamphane (2,5-DKCMO and 3,6-DKCMO, respectively) in the initial catabolic steps of (+) and (−) isomeric forms of camphor metabolism in Pseudomonas putida ATCC 17453 are relatively well characterized, the actual identity of the flavin reductase (Fred) component that provides the reduced flavin to the oxygenases is hitherto ill-defined. In this study, a 37-kDa Fred was purified from camphor-induced culture of P. putida ATCC 17453 and this facilitated cloning and characterization of the requisite protein. The active Fred is a homodimer with a subunit molecular mass of 18-kDa that uses NADH as electron donor (Km = 32 μM) and it catalyzes the reduction of FMN (Km = 3.6 μM; kcat = 283 s-1) in preference to FAD (Km = 19 μM; kcat = 128 s-1). Sequence determination of ∼40-kb of the camphor (CAM) degradation plasmid revealed the locations of two isofunctional 2,5-DKCMO genes (camE25-1 for 2,5-DKCMO-1, and camE25-2 for 2,5-DKCMO-2) as well as that of 3,6-DKCMO-encoding gene (camE36). In addition, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, the CAM plasmid was established to be linear and ∼533-kb in length. To enable functional assessment of the two-component monooxygenase system in Baeyer-Villiger oxidations, recombinant plasmids expressing Fred in tandem with the respective 2,5-DKCMO and 3,6-DKCMO encoding genes in Escherichia coli were constructed. Comparative substrate profiling of the isofunctional 2,5-DCKMOs did not yield obvious differences in Baeyer-Villiger biooxidations but they are distinct from 3,6-DKCMO in the stereoselective oxygenations with various mono- and bicyclic ketone substrates

Isolation of marine xylene-utilizing bacteria and characterization of Halioxenophilus aromaticivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. and its xylene degradation gene cluster

Seven xylene-utilizing bacterial strains were isolated from seawater collected off the coast of Japan. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that six isolates were most closely related to the marine bacterial genera Alteromonas, Marinobacter or Aestuariibacter. The sequence of the remaining strain, KU68FT, showed low similarity to the 16S rRNA gene sequences of known bacteria with validly published names, the most similar species being Maricurvus nonylphenolicus strain KU41ET (92.6% identity). On the basis of physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain KU68FT is suggested to represent a novel species of a new genus in the family Cellvibrionaceae of the order Cellvibrionales within the Gammaproteobacteria, for which the name Halioxenophilus aromaticivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Halioxenophilus aromaticivorans is KU68FT (=JCM 19134T = KCTC 32387T). PCR and sequence analysis revealed that strain KU68FT possesses an entire set of genes encoding the enzymes for the upper xylene methyl-monooxygenase pathway, xylCMABN, resembling the gene set of the terrestrial Pseudomonas putida strain mt-2.This work was financially supported in part by the Kansai University Fund for Supporting YoungScholars (2016)

Crystallographic and Spectroscopic Snapshots Reveal a Dehydrogenase in Action

Aldehydes are ubiquitous intermediates in metabolic pathways and their innate reactivity can often make them quite unstable. There are several aldehydic intermediates in the metabolic pathway for tryptophan degradation that can decay into neuroactive compounds that have been associated with numerous neurological diseases. An enzyme of this pathway, 2-aminomuconate-6-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, is responsible for ‘disarming’ the final aldehydic intermediate. Here we show the crystal structures of a bacterial analogue enzyme in five catalytically relevant forms: resting state, one binary and two ternary complexes, and a covalent, thioacyl intermediate. We also report the crystal structures of a tetrahedral, thiohemiacetal intermediate, a thioacyl intermediate and an NADþ-bound complex from an active site mutant. These covalent intermediates are characterized by single-crystal and solution-state electronic absorption spectroscopy. The crystal structures reveal that the substrate undergoes an E/Z isomerization at the enzyme active site before an sp3-to-sp2 transition during enzyme-mediated oxidation

Randomized phase II study to determine the optimal dose of 3-week cycle nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer

Background Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is commonly observed in patients treated with nanoparticle albumin–bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX). We conducted a multicenter randomized controlled study to evaluate the optimal dose of nab-PTX. Methods We compared three different doses of q3w nab-PTX (Standard: 260 mg/m2 [SD260] vs Medium: 220 mg/m2 [MD220] vs Low: 180 mg/m2 [LD180]) in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Grade 3/4 neuropathy rates in the three doses were estimated using the logistic regression model. The optimal dose was selected in two steps. Initially, if the hazard ratio (HR) for PFS was 1.33, the inferior dose was excluded, and we proceeded with the non-inferior dose. Then, if the estimated incidence rate of grade 3/4 neurotoxicity exceeded 10%, that dose was also excluded. Results One hundred forty-one patients were randomly assigned to SD260 (n = 47), MD220 (n = 46), and LD180 (n = 48) groups, and their median PFS was 6.66, 7.34, and 6.82 months, respectively. The HRs were 0.73 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42–1.28) in MD220 vs SD260, 0.77 (95% CI 0.47–1.28) in LD180 vs SD260, and 0.96 (95% CI 0.56–1.66) in LD180 vs MD220. SD260 was inferior to MD220 and was excluded. The estimated incidence rate of grade 3/4 neurotoxicity was 29.5% in SD260, 14.0% in MD220, and 5.9% in LD180. The final selected dose was LD180. Conclusions Intravenous administration of low-dose nab-PTX at 180 mg/m2 q3w may be the optimal therapy with meaningful efficacy and favorable toxicity in patients with MBC

Prospective cohort study of febrile neutropenia in breast cancer patients administered with neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapies: CSPOR-BC FN study

Background As Asians are more vulnerable to febrile neutropenia (FN) than Caucasians, evaluations of FN incidence and risk factors in Asians are important for the appropriate use of primary pegfilgrastim (PEG-G). Patients and methods Japanese breast cancer patients receiving standard adjuvant chemotherapies were prospectively enrolled in multicenter institutions from August 2015 to July 2017. FN was evaluated from 2 treatment policies: true FN (T-FN): ≥37.5 °C, grade 4 neutropenia, mandatory hospital visit (visiting); surrogate FN (S-FN): ≥37.5 °C, oral antibiotic, no mandatory visit (non-visiting). PEG-G was used at the physicians’ discretion. The primary endpoint was FN incidence during all cycles. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify T-FN risk factors. Results Of 1005 enrolled patients, 980 women treated with FEC, E(A)C, and TC were analyzed. The FN incidence proportions in all patients were 22.5%, 27.5%, and 33.9% for FEC, E(A)C, and TC, respectively. Those of T-FN were 27.7%, 22.4%, and 36.6%; those of S-FN were 17.3%, 32.4%, and 31.5% with more frequent primary PEG-G usage. The relative dose intensity (RDI) of the 3 regimens was ≥0.85 in both groups. In the analysis of risk factors, TC (odds ratio = 2.67), age ≥ 65 years (2.24), and pretreatment absolute neutrophil count (ANC)/1000 μl (0.8) remained significant. Conclusions FN incidences were above 20% in the 3 regimens, with TC showing the highest. RDI was maintained at a high level in both visiting and non-visiting groups. Patient-related risk factors were age and pretreatment ANC

共立女子学園所蔵卒業生寄贈作品について : 共立女子職業学校制作裁縫雛形を中心に

This study focused on saihouhinagata , miniatures of clothes and tools for daily living, among pieces donated by the alumnae of the Kyoritsu Women’s Vocational School. To efficiently acquire sewing technique, female students from the Meiji through the Taisho and Showa periods produced saihouhinagata in order to save time and money. The study aimed to generally investigate, as well as precisely classify and name these previously unexamined works, in order to create basic data to enhance the future sewing education of the school’s female students and the status of the school. A total of 396 saihouhinagata (31 from the Meiji period, 181 from the Taisho period, 90 from the Showa period, and 94 undated) were examined, and classified based on their characteristics. Most were unnamed, and we therefore named all the unnamed pieces based on the records of pieces donated by the alumnae or from other girls’ schools. In addition to the aims above, the study revealed basic information on saihouhinagata , which will serve as valuable data in a variety of studies