A mm-wave 5-bit digital attenuator with low RMS (root mean square) amplitude error and low phase variation is presented in 65 nm CMOS. The attenuator combines the PI/T-type topology with embedded switches and PI-type topology with the SPDT (single-pole-double-throw) switches to alleviate the insertion loss issue of the conventional PI/T-type topology with embedded switches in mm-wave frequency band, and achieves high attenuation range while maintaining compact chip size. The amplitude/phase calibration technique is proposed to reduce the RMS amplitude error/phase variation and improve the circuit robustness. The presented attenuator has been integrated in a Ka-band phased-array transmit front-end module and achieves 15.5 dB attenuation coverage with the step of 0.5 dB. The RMS amplitude error and RMS phase variation are 0.13–0.48 dB and 1.24–2.08° across 25–35 GHz, respectively. Especially, the proposed attenuator could achieve the RMS amplitude error of 0.13–0.25 dB if the operation frequency is limited to 26.9–31.4 GHz. The core chip size is 434 µm × 360 µm.

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We have developed a strong inhibitor (S252W mutant soluble ectodomain of fibroblast growth factor recptor-2 IIIc, msFGFR2) that binds FGFs strongly and blocks the activation of FGFRs. In vitro, msFGFR2 could inhibit the promoting effect of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 on the proliferation of primary lung fibroblasts. In vivo, msFGFR2 alleviated lung fibrosis through inhibiting the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and collagen deposit. In Western blotting of the right lung tissues and immunohistochemical assay, we found the level of p-FGFRs, p-mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and p-Smad3 in the mice of bleomycin (BLM) group treated with msFGFR2 was down dramatically compared with the mice of BLM group, which suggested the activations of FGF and TGF-β signals were blocked meanwhile. In summary, msFGFR2 attenuated BLM-induced fibrosis and is an attractive therapeutic candidate for human pulmonary fibrosis.

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Aim: It is challenging to identify causal (or target) genes at individual loci detected using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In order to follow up GWAS loci, we investigated functional genes at homologous loci identified using human lipid GWAS that responded to a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFD) intervention in an animal model.
Methods: The HFD intervention was carried out for four weeks in male rats of the spontaneously hypertensive rat strain. The liver and adipose tissues were subsequently excised for analyses of changes in the gene expression as compared to that observed in rats fed normal rat chow (n=8 per group). From 98 lipid-associated loci reported in previous GWAS, 280 genes with rat orthologs were initially selected as targets for the two-staged analysis involving screening with DNA microarray and validation with quantitative PCR (qPCR). Consequently, genes showing a differential expression due to HFD were examined for changes in the expression induced by atorvastatin, which was independently administered to the rats.
Results: Using the HFD intervention in the rats, seven known (Abca1, Abcg5, Abcg8, Lpl, Nr1h3, Pcsk9 and Pltp) and three novel (Madd, Stac3 and Timd4) genes were identified as potential significant targets, with an additional list of 23 suggestive genes. Among these 33 genes, Stac3, Fads1 and six known genes exhibited nominally significant expression changes following treatment with atorvastatin. Six (of 33) genes overlapped with those previously detected in the expression QTL studies.
Conclusions: Our experimental in vivo approach increases the ability to identify target gene(s), when combined with other functional studies, thus improving understanding of the mechanisms by which GWAS variants act.

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Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) commonly infects yuzu (Citrus junos) in most parts of the citrus-growing areas in Japan. This study examined the occurrence of CTV in the northernmost commercial citrusproducing areas of Japan. Colonies of the brown citrus aphid (Toxoptera citricidus) were detected within the areas investigated. However, 23 of the 41 trees that were examined by RT-PCR and both or either subject to stem-pitting observation and immunostrip testing were free of CTV. Several CTVfree trees were apparently more than 60 years old. A field trial revealed that all eight uninoculated seedlings tested negative for CTV at 52 months after transplanting. These results suggest that CTVfree yuzu production is possible in the Rikuzen-Takata and Ofunato areas of Japan.

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We report a case of inverted ductal papilloma (IDP) and mucous cyst on the lower lip. A 39-year-old man was referred to our department in August 2017 for a persistent mass on the lower lip after biting it by mistake in June. The mass was temporarily reduced at the hospital, but it began to re-swell in March 2019. We noted a hemisphere-shaped soft-elastic mass with a diameter of 10 mm in the middle of the lower lip mucosa. The mass showed a low signal on T1-enhanced contrast magnetic resonance imaging, and a mildly high signal on T2-enhanced imaging. Ultrasound revealed that the mass was internally anechoic. A clinical diagnosis of soft-tissue cyst was made, and removal of the mass was performed. The cysts were filled with a milky fluid and were adherent to the surrounding tissue. Histopathologically the ductal epithelium had proliferated, inverting into the papillary. We observed granulation tissue surrounded by a mucous cyst. A histopathological diagnosis of IDP and mucous cyst was made. No recurrence was noted one year after surgical removal of the mass.

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Glyceryl ether phospholipids were found to exist in various strictly anaerobic bacteria and propionibacteria. The strains included Selenomonas ruminantium, Veillonella gazogenes, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, Propionibacterium shermanii, Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum, Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium perfrigens, and Clostridium kaneboi. Selenomonas ruminantium contained the largest amount of glyceryl ether phospholipids among the tested bacteria. The molar percentage composition of glyceryl ethers in total phospholipids from Selenomonas ruminantium was approximately 3. Glyceryl ether phospholipid was not detected in aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria even when they were cultured under strictly anaerobic conditions.

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As process technologies advance, timing-error correction techniques have become important as well. A suspicious timing-error prediction (STEP) technique has been proposed recently, which predicts timing errors by monitoring the middle points, or check points of several speed-paths in a circuit. However, if we insert STEP circuits (STEPCs) in the middle points of all the paths from primary inputs to primary outputs, we need many STEPCs and thus require too much area overhead. How to determine these check points is very important. In this paper, we propose an effective STEPC insertion algorithm minimizing area overhead. Our proposed algorithm moves the STEPC insertion positions to minimize inserted STEPC counts. We apply a max-flow and min-cut approach to determine the optimal positions of inserted STEPCs and reduce the required number of STEPCs to 1/10-1/80 and their area to 1/5-1/8 compared with a naive algorithm. Furthermore, our algorithm realizes 1.12X-1.5X overclocking compared with just inserting STEPCs into several speed-paths.

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In view of the importance of the "uzu" or semi-brachytic habit of growth for the breeding, the cultivation as well as for the genetics of the Japanese barley, the linkage relation and the geographical distribution of the gene for this character were investigated, the summarized results of which were presented in this report. 1. It was shown that the gene pair for normal versus uzu was in herited independently of gene pairs as follows: Vv, Alal located in linkage group I, Bb in group II, Ll. Nn, Lklk in group III, Blbl in group IV, Rr, Ss, Fsfs in group V, and also Fcfc, Ycyc in group VII (the data was omitted) 2. Linkage relations between Uzuz and two gene pairs for chlorophyll denciencies, Acac and Anan, both of which had been known to be located in group VI, were shown in Table 1 and 2, and the gene arrangement on the VI chromosome in barley inferred was given in Fig.1. 3. Cultivated area of the uzu barley in Japan had been enlarged by 5.1 percent during 13 years from 1932 to 1945; it occupies 80 percent of the whole barley acreage in Japan at Present. 4. Geographical distribution of the normal and the uzu barley in Korea in 1940 were investigated, which was shown in Table 3. In spite of the fact that the uzu barley covered as large as about one third of the whole barley acreage in Korea at present, it was obviously known that this form of barley was not indigenous to this country, but had been introduced from Japan since its annexation to Japan. 5. The uzu form of barley is seldom found in the other regions except Japan and Korea. Based on the informations thus obtained, it was reasonably suspected that the uzu or semi-brachytic form of barley had originated by means of gene mutation from a certain normal variety in Japan, host probably in the southern part of it.

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The Visitor Center (VC) is a facility that provides information to natural park users. The purpose of this study is to classify the location environment and obtain basic knowledge for VC awareness improvement and functional improvement. The target is 200 VC facilities in national parks. Data collection and generation were carried out, and finally spatial coupling using GIS was carried out. In classification,1) Inside or outside the park;2) Less than 500m or more in the park world; 3) What is the land type, Classified from three viewpoints. The results show that it was classified it into six types. I. Entrance location type in the park:27%; II. Core location type 11%; III. Use base location type 37%; and IV. Edge location type 9% V. Out-of-park entrance type 8%; VI. Non-adjacent 9%. From this result, it was revealed that the VC facility was located in line with the park plan. The entrance type occupies 34% and is near the entrance of the park. The base type is 37% and the second special area locations in the whole are 54%. In this study, the classification of national park VC was arranged, and the present state of the location characteristics was clarified.

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Image Marking ProcedureとVideo Distorted Techniqueを用いて摂食障害患者(115例)の身体イメージを評価し, 健常女性(66例)と比較した.Image Marking Procedureによると, 摂食障害患者はヒップと大腿部の自己像を過大評価したが, 健常女性と有意差がなかった.Video Distorted Techniqueによる体重率補正理想像認知指数が, 摂食障害患者は健常女性に比し小さかった.以上の成績から, 以下の点が示唆された.(1)身体イメージの認知は現在の体型の影響を受ける.(2)Image Marking Procedureは身体イメージの感情成分を身体の部位別に評価できる.(3)Video Distorted Techniqueは, 摂食障害患者の潜在意識にあるやせ願望の評価に有用である.

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  Mulberries were obtained from five cultivars, i. e., three cultivars for fruit (Ficus, Kataneo, Raraberi) and two cultivars for sericulture (Ichinose, Tagowase).
  The anthocyanins, protein, liquid, sugar and minerals in these mulberries were then analyzed.
  In addition, mulberries of the five cultivars were processed into jam to determine and compare the residual quantities of the total anthocyanins and the main anthocyanins.
1) The moisture content of the five mulberry cultivars did not significantly differ. However, the carbohydrate contents of the mulberries cultivars for sericulture were higher than those of the cultivars fruit.
2) The main anthocyanins were determined to be cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside in all from five cultivars. The cyanidin 3-rutinoside content ranged from 68-78%.
3) The fruit and jam of the three cultivars for fruit contained larger quantities of the total anthocyanins than those of the cultivars for sericulture.
4) The mulberry jam made from the cultivars for fruit retained higher ratios of the total anthocyanins and the main anthocyanins than the mulberry jam made from the cultivars for sericulture. The anthocyanins in the jam made from the cultivars for fruit were more stable than those in the jam made from the cultivars for sericulture.

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ヘッドホンを用いて立体的な音像空間を再現する音声信号を、バイノーラル信号という。バイノーラル信号は頭部伝達関数に音源信号を畳み込むことによって作成することができる。この頭部伝達関数を測定するには、多方向から音声信号を出力する必要があるため、計測に長時間を有するという欠点がある。本研究では、頭部伝達関数の推定を部分空間法により、MIMOシステムとして推定し、測定時間の短縮を図ることを目的とする。

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