Optimization of a fast deuterium diagnostic method based on visible energetic 3He spectroscopy for high electron density plasmas.

Fast ions play a crucial role in plasma heating, and their behavior in the plasma must be accurately understood. A diagnostics method based on charge exchange emission from the n = 4 - 3 transition (λ0 = 468.6 nm) of energetic 3He produced by the deuteron-deuteron reaction has been proposed as a for fast deuterons with energies in the order of MeV. The proposed method has the following advantages: No beam emission interferes with the spectra, the direction of the measuring line of sight, and the injection angle of the diagnostic beam can be freely determined. In previous studies, due to competing bremsstrahlung, it was expected that the proposed method will not be practical in the case of high electron density operation. This paper makes the proposed method available for measurement even at high electron densities by optimizing the measurement line of sight direction and the diagnostic beam incidence angle. This allows an electron density five times larger than the range of applications shown in previous studies. This result will contribute to measure of DT alpha in ITER.

Fast deuteron diagnostics using visible light spectra of 3He produced by deuteron-deuteron reaction in deuterium plasmas.

The fast deuteron (non-Maxwellian component) diagnostic method, which is based on the higher resolution optical spectroscopic measurement, has been developed as a powerful tool. Owing to a decrease in the D-H charge-exchange cross section, the diagnostic ability of conventional optical diagnostic methods should be improved for ∼MeV energy deuterons. Because the 3He-H charge-exchange cross section is much larger than that of D-H in the ∼MeV energy range, the visible light (VIS) spectrum of 3He produced by the dueteron-dueteron (DD) reaction may be a useful tool. Although the density of 3He is small because it is produced via the DD reaction, improvement of the emissivity of the VIS spectrum of 3He can be expected by using a high-energy beam. We evaluate the VIS spectrum of 3He for the cases when a fast deuteron tail is formed and not formed in the ITER-like beam injected deuterium plasma. Even when the beam energy is in the MeV energy range, a large change appears in the half width at half maximum of the VIS spectrum. The emissivity of the VIS spectrum of 3He and the emissivity of bremsstrahlung are compared, and the measurable VIS spectrum is obtained. It is shown that the VIS spectrum of 3He is a useful tool for the MeV beam deuteron tail diagnostics.

Effect of neutron and γ -ray on charge-coupled device for vacuum/extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy in deuterium discharges of large helical device.

A charge-coupled device (CCD) is widely used as a detector of vacuum spectrometers in fusion devices. Recently, a deuterium plasma experiment has been initiated in a Large Helical Device (LHD). Totally 3.7 × 1018 neutrons have been yielded with energies of 2.45 MeV (D-D) and 14.1 MeV (D-T) during the deuterium experiment over four months. Meanwhile, γ-rays are radiated from plasma facing components and laboratory structural materials in a wide energy range, i.e., 0.01-12.0 MeV, through the neutron capture. It is well known that these neutrons and γ-rays bring serious problems to the CCD system. Then, several CCDs of vacuum ultraviolet/extreme ultraviolet/X-ray spectrometers installed at different locations on LHD for measurements of spectra and spatial profiles of impurity emission lines are examined to study the effect of neutrons and γ-rays. An additional CCD placed in a special shielding box made of 10 cm thick polyethylene contained 10% boron and 1.5 cm thick lead is also used for the detailed analysis. As a result, it is found that the CCD has no damage in the present neutron yield of LHD, while the background noise integrated for all pixels of CCD largely increases, i.e., 1-3 × 108 counts/s. The data analysis of CCD in the shielding box shows that the background noise caused by the γ-ray is smaller than that caused by the neutron, i.e., 41% from γ-rays and 59% from neutrons. It is also found that the noise can be partly removed by an accumulation of CCD frames or software programming.

Up-down asymmetry measurement of tungsten distribution in large helical device using two extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrometers.

Two space-resolved extreme ultraviolet spectrometers working in wavelength ranges of 10-130 Å and 30-500 Å have been utilized to observe the full vertical profile of tungsten line emissions by simultaneously measuring upper- and lower-half plasmas of LHD, respectively. The radial profile of local emissivity is reconstructed from the measured vertical profile in the overlapped wavelength range of 30-130 Å and the up-down asymmetry is examined against the local emissivity profiles of WXXVIII in the unresolved transition array spectrum. The result shows a nearly symmetric profile, suggesting a good availability in the present diagnostic method for the impurity asymmetry study.

Development of beam emission spectroscopy for turbulence transport study in Heliotron J.

This paper describes the development study of the beam emission spectroscopy (BES) for the turbulent transport study in Heliotron J. Modification of the sightlines (10 × 4 for edge and 10 × 2 for edge) enables us to obtain 2-dimensional BES imaging. The cooling effect on the reduction in the electrical noise of avalanche photodiode (APD) assembly has been investigated using a refrigerant cooling system. When the temperature of the APD element has set to be -20 °C, the electrical noise can be reduced more than 50%. The measurement error of the phase difference in the case of low signal level has been tested by two light-emitting diode lamps. The APD cooling has an effect to improve the measurement error at the low signal level of APD.

Significance of histologic pattern of carcinoma and sarcoma components on survival outcomes of uterine carcinosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: To examine the effect of the histology of carcinoma and sarcoma components on survival outcome of uterine carcinosarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to examine uterine carcinosarcoma cases that underwent primary surgical staging. Archived slides were examined and histologic patterns were grouped based on carcinoma (low-grade versus high-grade) and sarcoma (homologous versus heterologous) components, correlating to clinico-pathological demographics and outcomes. RESULTS: Among 1192 cases identified, 906 cases were evaluated for histologic patterns (carcinoma/sarcoma) with high-grade/homologous (40.8%) being the most common type followed by high-grade/heterologous (30.9%), low-grade/homologous (18.0%), and low-grade/heterologous (10.3%). On multivariate analysis, high-grade/heterologous (5-year rate, 34.0%, P = 0.024) and high-grade/homologous (45.8%, P = 0.017) but not low-grade/heterologous (50.6%, P = 0.089) were independently associated with decreased progression-free survival (PFS) compared with low-grade/homologous (60.3%). In addition, older age, residual disease at surgery, large tumor, sarcoma dominance, deep myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, and advanced-stage disease were independently associated with decreased PFS (all, P < 0.01). Both postoperative chemotherapy (5-year rates, 48.6% versus 39.0%, P < 0.001) and radiotherapy (50.1% versus 44.1%, P = 0.007) were significantly associated with improved PFS in univariate analysis. However, on multivariate analysis, only postoperative chemotherapy remained an independent predictor for improved PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27-0.43, P < 0.001]. On univariate analysis, significant treatment benefits for PFS were seen with ifosfamide for low-grade carcinoma (82.0% versus 49.8%, P = 0.001), platinum for high-grade carcinoma (46.9% versus 32.4%, P = 0.034) and homologous sarcoma (53.1% versus 38.2%, P = 0.017), and anthracycline for heterologous sarcoma (66.2% versus 39.3%, P = 0.005). Conversely, platinum, taxane, and anthracycline for low-grade carcinoma, and anthracycline for homologous sarcoma had no effect on PFS compared with non-chemotherapy group (all, P > 0.05). On multivariate analysis, ifosfamide for low-grade/homologous (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.63, P = 0.005), platinum for high-grade/homologous (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.22-0.60, P < 0.001), and anthracycline for high-grade/heterologous (HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.62, P = 0.001) remained independent predictors for improved PFS. Analyses of 1096 metastatic sites showed that carcinoma components tended to spread lymphatically, while sarcoma components tended to spread loco-regionally (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Characterization of histologic pattern provides valuable information in the management of uterine carcinosarcoma.

Molecular Epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Genotyping Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and SNaPshot Technology.

Molecular typing of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important tool for identifying grouped cases and investigating outbreaks. In the present study, we developed a new genotyping method based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from the whole-genome sequencing of eight M. pneumoniae strains, using the SNaPshot minisequencing assay. Eight SNPs, localized in housekeeping genes, predicted lipoproteins, and adhesin P1 genes were selected for genotyping. These SNPs were evaluated on 140 M. pneumoniae clinical isolates previously genotyped by multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA-5) and adhesin P1 typing. This method was also adapted for direct use with clinical samples and evaluated on 51 clinical specimens. The analysis of the clinical isolates using the SNP typing method showed nine distinct SNP types with a Hunter and Gaston diversity index (HGDI) of 0.836, which is higher than the HGDI of 0.583 retrieved for the MLVA-4 typing method, where the nonstable Mpn1 marker was removed. A strong correlation with the P1 adhesin gene typing results was observed. The congruence was poor between MLVA-5 and SNP typing, indicating distinct genotyping schemes. Combining the results increased the discriminatory power. This new typing method based on SNPs and the SNaPshot technology is a method for rapid M. pneumoniae typing directly from clinical specimens, which does not require any sequencing step. This method is based on stable markers and provides information distinct from but complementary to MLVA typing. The combined use of SNPs and MLVA typing provides powerful discrimination of strains.

Line spectrum and ion temperature measurements from tungsten ions at low ionization stages in large helical device based on vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy in wavelength range of 500-2200 Å.

Vacuum ultraviolet spectra of emissions released from tungsten ions at lower ionization stages were measured in the Large Helical Device (LHD) in the wavelength range of 500-2200 Å using a 3 m normal incidence spectrometer. Tungsten ions were distributed in the LHD plasma by injecting a pellet consisting of a small piece of tungsten metal and polyethylene tube. Many lines having different wavelengths from intrinsic impurity ions were observed just after the tungsten pellet injection. Doppler broadening of a tungsten candidate line was successfully measured and the ion temperature was obtained.

Coaxial pellets for metallic impurity injection on the large helical device.

Two coaxial pellets with tungsten inserted into graphite carbon and polyethylene (PE) tubes are compared for tungsten spectroscopic study in the Large Helical Device. The tungsten pellet with carbon tube causes plasma collapse, while that with PE tube smoothly ablates without collapse. The deposition profile of the pellets is analyzed with a help of pellet ablation spectroscopy. It is found that the tungsten pellet with carbon tube can significantly penetrate into the core plasma and leads to the plasma collapse. A tungsten spectrum with radial profile is successfully observed when the tungsten pellet with PE tube is used.

Density fluctuation measurements using beam emission spectroscopy on Heliotron J.

This paper describes the measurement of the density fluctuation using beam emission spectroscopy in Heliotron J, having the non-symmetrical helical-magnetic-axis configuration. In order to optimize the sightlines, the numerical calculations are carried out to estimate the spatial resolution and the observation location. When a tangential neutral beam is used as diagnostic one, suitable sightlines from the newly installed diagnostic port are selected whose spatial resolution Δρ is less than ± 0.07 over the entire plasma region. Modification of the interference filter and the detection systems enables us to measure the radial profile of the density fluctuation. Each of the three coherent modes due to the fast-ion-driven magnetohydrodynamic instabilities has different radial structure of the density fluctuation.

Porcine androgenetic embryos develop to fetal stage in recipient mothers.

In livestock, parthenogenic embryos are simple to produce, but androgenetic embryos have been successfully produced only in sheep and cows. In the present study, matured porcine oocytes were enucleated by micromanipulation and then fertilized with sperm in vitro, thereby producing porcine androgenetic embryos. Porcine androgenetic embryos, which had only sperm genomes, were assessed for cleavage and for blastocyst formation 2 and 6 d after IVF, respectively. There was no difference in cleavage rate between androgenetic embryos and biparental IVF embryos (mean ± SD androgenetic: 65.5 ± 5.4%; biparental IVF: 63.2 ± 3.6%), but there was a difference in the rate of blastocyst formation (androgenetic: 4.5 ± 0.7%; biparental IVF: 30.2 ± 2.6%, P < 0.05). The average number of cells in Day 6 androgenetic blastocysts (34.3 ± 18.2) was lower (P < 0.05) than that in biparental IVF blastocysts (44.1 ± 19.5), but did not differ from that in parthenogenetic embryos (35.7 ± 16.7). The androgenetic embryos were transferred into recipient mothers to examine the competence of post-implantation development. Androgenetic fetuses were present on Days 21 and 25, but not on Days 28, 31, or 35. Of the six androgenetic fetuses recovered on Day 21, five had normal, translucent bodies, and two of these five had beating hearts. The four fetuses recovered on Day 25 were all non-viable. In conclusion, porcine androgenetic embryos initiated embryogenesis and had reached a viable fetal stage 21 days after IVF.

Degradation characteristics of polylactide in thermophilic anaerobic digestion with hyperthermophilic solubilization condition.

To test whether hyperthermophilic treatment promotes polylactide (PLA) dissolution and methane conversion under anaerobic digestion conditions, a single thermophilic control reactor (55 °C) and a two-phase system consisting of a hyperthermophilic reactor (80 °C) and a thermophilic reactor (55 °C) were continuously fed with a mixture of PLA and artificial kitchen garbage. In Runs 1 and 2, the PLA dissolution ratios in the two-phase system were 79.2 ± 6.5% and 85.2 ± 7.0%, respectively, higher than those of the control. Batch experimental results indicated that hyperthermophilic treatment could promote PLA dissolution to a greater degree as compared with single thermophilic treatment and that ammonia addition also had a promotional effect on PLA dissolution. In the two-phase system, after hyperthermophilic treatment, dissolved PLA was converted to methane gas under the subsequent thermophilic condition.

Risk factors for recurrence of artificial gastric ulcers after endoscopic submucosal dissection.

It has been reported previously that artificial gastric ulcers caused by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) would heal within 8 weeks, irrespective of their size and location. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe long-term outcomes of gastric ESD ulcers. Check-up of ulcers was performed by periodic endoscopy. The rate of ESD ulcer recurrence and clinicopathological factors that may relate to recurrence were assessed. During the median observation period of 33 months, a benign ulcer recurrence occurred in 10 lesions in 10 patients (2.1%). Univariate analysis showed that Helicobacter pylori infection and presence of pathological ulcer findings within the ESD specimen were significantly related to the risk of ESD ulcer recurrence. Although the frequency is low, there is a possibility of ESD ulcer recurrence in patients with H. pylori infection and in patients who undergo ESD for a lesion with ulceration.

3.0T MR Imaging of the Cranial Arterial Wall for the Strategy of Stroke Prevention.

3.0T refined MRI reveals the anatomical structures clearly. Operative findings correspond well with MRI findings. The authors have used this equipment for prevention of stroke. Especially evaluation of the arterial wall is important for this purpose. Showing illustrative cases including operative ones, the authors discuss the MRI findings and strategy of treatment. The examinations of the Carotid artery (CA) and vertebro-basilar artery (VBA) were performed with 3.0T MRI (Philips Achiva 3.0T, Holland). Specialized sequences for each arterial wall were planned after TOF-MRA screening. The sequences include T1, T2 VISTA (3D Fatsaturation Volume ISotropic Turbospinecho Acquisition), mPROSET (Multiple Principle Selective Excitation Technique), B-FFE(Balanced Fast Field Echo) and T1 and T2 Black Blood. Intentionally directed pictures were acquired with reconstruction. Components of the plaque were estimated with the combination of the intensity of each picture. Distributions of carotid plaques were well demarcated and its components were diagnosed. Prognosis of each plaque was estimated and the surgical and/or non-surgical treatment plan was secured. Preoperative MRI plaque findings and the specimens from carotid endarterectomy (CEA) correlated well. The stability of the plaque could be evaluated, which afforded the decision of timing and method of operation. Lacerated walls of VBA dissection were well illustrated and strategies were planned. Intra-aneurysmal thrombus was revealed and its development was imaged. The wall of the unruptured aneurysm could be evaluated but not always. 3.0T MRI provides more anatomical and pathological information than conventional MRI. Prognosis of each lesion could be estimated. Routine examination of the cranial arterial wall contributes to the prevention of stroke.

Poloidal beam emission spectroscopy system for the measurement of density fluctuations in Large Helical Device.

A system of beam emission spectroscopy (BES) for density fluctuation measurements having the sightlines passing through the plasma in the poloidal direction was developed in the Large Helical Device (LHD). Even though the angle between the beam and the sightline is slightly larger than a right angle, Doppler-shifted beam emission can be distinguished from background emission because of the high energy (120-170 keV) of the neutral beam for heating with negative ion sources. Spatial resolution is about 0.1-0.2 in the normalized radius. Compared with the prototype BES system with toroidal sightlines, the BES system with poloidal sightlines showed improved spatial resolution.

Grating spectrometer system for beam emission spectroscopy diagnostics using high-energy negative-ion-based neutral beam injection on LHD.

A beam emission spectroscopy (BES) system was developed for density gradient and fluctuation diagnostics in the Large Helical Device (LHD). In order to cover the large Doppler shift of the Hα beam emission because of the high-energy negative-ion-based neutral beam atom (acceleration voltage V(acc)=90-170 kV) and the large motional Stark splitting due to the large v×B field (magnetic field B=3.0 T), a grating spectrometer was used instead of a conventional interference filter system. The reciprocal linear dispersion is about 2 nm/mm, which is sufficient to cover the motional Stark effect spectra using an optical fiber with a diameter of 1 mm.

Application of beam emission spectroscopy to NBI plasmas of Heliotron J.

This paper describes the application of the beam emission spectroscopy (BES) to Heliotron J, having the nonsymmetrical helical-magnetic-axis configuration. The spectral and spatial profile of the beam emission has been estimated by the numerical calculation taking the collisional excitation processes between plasmas (electrons/ions) and beam atoms. Two sets of the sightlines with good spatial resolution are presented. One is the optimized viewing chords which have 20 sightlines and observe the whole plasma region with the spatial resolution Δρ less than ±0.055 using the newly designed viewing port. The other is 15 sightlines from the present viewing port of Heliotron J for the preliminary measurement to discuss the feasibility of the density fluctuation measurement by BES. The beam emission has been measured by a monochromator with a CCD camera. A good consistency has been obtained between the spectral profiles of the beam emission measured by the monochromator and the beam emission spectrum deduced by the model calculation. An avalanche photodiode with an interference filter system was also used to evaluate the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the beam emission in the present experimental setup. The modification of the optical system is being planned to improve the S/N ratio, which will enable us to estimate the density fluctuation in Heliotron J.

Quantitative inter-segmental and inter-laminar comparison of corticospinal projections from the forelimb area of the primary motor cortex of macaque monkeys.

Corticospinal projections from the forelimb area of the primary motor cortex to the C2-Th2 spinal cord segments were quantitatively analyzed using the high resolution anterograde tracer, biotinylated dextran amine (BDA), in rhesus monkeys (n=5). The majority of descending axons were located in the contralateral dorsolateral funiculus (DLF) (85-98%), but a minor portion was observed in the ipsilateral DLF (1-12%) and ventromedial funiculus (VMF) (1-7%). In the gray matter, axon collaterals and terminal buttons were found mainly in the contralateral laminae VI-VII and IX and ipsilateral lamina VIII. The majority of projections to the contralateral gray matter originated from the contralateral DLF, but a minority originated from the ipsilateral DLF. Axons from the ipsilateral DLF were not found to project collaterals on the ipsilateral side, but directly entered the contralateral side after crossing the midline. On the other hand, projections to the ipsilateral lamina VIII were from the ipsilateral VMF, and commissural axons were from the contralateral DLF. Terminal buttons in the motoneuron pool in the contralateral lamina IX were found mainly at the C7-Th1 spinal cord segments, whereas the projections to the contralateral laminae VI-VII, ipsilateral lamina VIII, and commissural axons were also found in more rostral segments, abundantly at the C4-C8 segments, 1-3 segments rostral to the motoneuronal projections. These results suggest that cortical control of contralateral forelimb motoneurons accompanies regulation of interneuronal systems in the contralateral laminae VI-VII and the ipsilateral lamina VIII located a few segments rostral to the motoneurons.

Molecular characterization of the intercalated cell masses of the amygdala: implications for the relationship with the striatum.

The intercalated cell masses of the amygdala consist of cell clusters located between the basolateral complex of the amygdala and its surrounding structures including the central nucleus of the amygdala and the external capsule. Although recent studies have revealed that the intercalated cell masses may play an important role in emotional learning and memory, there are only a few reports on its molecular characterization. We examined the expression patterns of transcription factors in the intercalated cell masses in late embryonic stage and postnatal rats, and non-human primates. Dlx5, Foxp2, Pbx3 and Meis2 were expressed in all subdivisions of the intercalated cell masses, while Ebf1, Nkx2.1 and Foxp1 were not. In contrast, Pax6 was only expressed in a small population of the main intercalated islands, but not in the medial or lateral cell clusters. In addition, few Pax6-positive neurons co-expressed Foxp2. Thus the intercalated cell masses do not contain a homogeneous population of neurons, in terms of their molecular constituents. Given that Foxp2, Pbx3 and Meis2 are preferentially expressed in distinct cell populations in the developing striatum, and that the intercalated cell masses of the amygdala appear to be a ventrocaudal expansion of the striatum, the intercalated neurons may share a common origin with some types of neurons located in the dorsal striatum.