The aim of this study was to clarify those morphological features and hemodynamic stress factors which influence the electrocardiographic findings in atrioventricular septal defect. In 64 patients with the incomplete form of atrioventricular septal defect (separate valvar orifices) with usual atrial arrangement, the length from the left ventricular apex to the aortic valve (outlet dimension), to the so-called cleft (scoop dimension), and to the lowest point of the left atrioventricular valve (inlet dimension) were measured by biplanar cineangiography. The size of the ostium primum defect, the ventricular pressure ratio, and the pulmonary/systemic flow ratio were also evaluated. The results showed that the lower the scoop/outlet ratio (r=0.60, p<0.001), or the higher the ventricular pressure ratio (r= −0.55, p<0.001), the more deviated to the left and superior was the mean frontal QRS axis. These factors also had significant correlation with the QRS patterns in the Frank vectorcardiogram. We conclude that the scoop/outlet ratio, supposedly reflecting the degree of scooping of the interventricular septum, is one of the most significant factors which influence the electrocardiographic findings in atrioventricular septal defect.

We described previously that the degree of deficiency of the ventricular septum (scooping) affects electrocardiographic findings in atrioventricular septal defect with separate right and left atrioventricular orifices. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinicomorphological relationships of the degree of scooping, the precise morphology of the atrioventricular valve, and electrocardiographic findings in hearts having a common atrioventricular orifice. In 63 patients with usual atrial arrangement, the outlet, scoop and inlet dimensions of the ventricular septum were measured by biplanar cineangiography and were compared with the body surface area. The scoop/outlet ratio and inlet/outlet ratio were also compared with the body surface area, atrioventricular valvar morphology, electrocardiographic findings, and severity of regurgitation of the atrioventricular valve. The results showed that the three individual dimensions of the septum correlated significantly with the body surface area, even though the scoop/outlet ratio and inlet/outlet ratio did not. A correlation was found between the scoop/outlet ratio and the degree of left axis deviation on the electrocardiogram (r=0.74, p<0.001). In 16 patients with division of the inferior bridging leaflet, there was a lower scoop/outlet ratio than in the remaining 37 with an undivided bridging leaflet (p<0.01). Of 24 patients with counterclockwise rotation in the horizontal loop of the vectorcardiogram, 22 had an undivided inferior bridging leaflet (p<0.01). The morphology of the superior bridging leaflet, in contrast, was not associated with the scoop/outlet ratio, and neither was the severity of valvar regurgitation. We conclude that the degree of scooping of the ventricular septum is related not only to electrocardiographic findings, but also to the morphology of the inferior bridging leaflet in atrioventricular septal defect with common atrioventricular orifice.

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) and SiO2 films have been synthesized at a low substrate temperature using inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) methods with internal low-inductance antenna (LIA) units. The synthesis of these materials was performed in the separate vacuum containers where LIA units were installed so that the induced electric field from an antenna could be used effectively. Radio frequency (13.56 MHz) power was supplied through the matching circuit units. H2 and SiH4 gases were used for nc-Si synthesis, and O2 and SiH4 gases were used for SiO2 deposition. The gas flow ratios were 15 for H2/SiH4 and 4.0 for O2/SiH4. A substrate temperature, gas pressure, RF power and process time were varied in order to investigate optimum conditions for nc-Si synthesis. Silicon oxide films were deposited under conditions of 300°C, 0.2 Pa and 24 mW/cm3. A sample was prepared by SiO2 deposition and subsequent nc-Si synthesis after removing the natural oxide on silicon substrate by buffered 1%-HF (BHF) solution. In some cases, plasma treatments were inserted before or after nc-Si synthesis. The diameter and number density of nc-Si were determined by a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Plan-view TEM images of nc-Si showed that spatially isolated nc-Si was synthesized and that the diameter and the standard deviation of nc-Si could be controlled not only with a substrate temperature, gas pressure, RF power and process time but also with pre/post plasma treatments. The resultant trend suggests that radical precursors and reactive nucleation sites on the SiO2 surface have an important role in the synthesis of nc-Si. The diameter of almost all nc-Si under the present conditions was less than 10 nm. In particular, under conditions of the substrate temperature of 200°C and 4.0 Pa with oxygen plasma pretreatment and hydrogen plasma posttreatment, the mean diameter and number density of nc-Si were 2.7 ± 0.5 nm and 6.5 × 1011 cm−2, respectively. This result is suitable for quantum effect device applications. In addition, electronic properties of a single SiO2 film were examined with the fabricated metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. Breakdown voltage was 7.5 MV/cm at 1.0 × 10−6 A/cm2 and leakage current was 1.0 × 10−9 A/cm2 at 2.0 MV/cm for a SiO2 film with a thickness of 12 nm. This result clearly supports the present SiO2 film is capable of the thin dielectric layer of nc-Si devices.

The influences of temperature on the fruit body induction of Flammulina velutipes were investigated. The fruit body could be induced after reducing of the ambient temperature under complete darkness, but could not be induced after light irradiation without temperature reduction. Fruit bodies formed under complete darkness elongated without pileus formation (pinhead fruit body). Protein expression patterns were investigated by two-dimensional electrophoresis, and 22 protein spots were found to be newly expressed in the mycelia and fruit bodies after reducing of the ambient temperature, but few protein spots were newly expressed in the mycelia after light irradiation without temperature reduction. Four of the spots had identical N-terminal sequences to polypeptides, Pf1, Pf3, Pfd3, and Pf6 which are previously sequenced as polypeptides expressed specifically during fruit body formation of F. velutipes.

High quality cubic GaN films were successfully grown on an AlN/GaN ordered alloy by RF-MBE. AlN/GaN ordered alloy is here employed instead of a AlGaN nucleation layer formed by nitridation of an AlGaAs buffer layer. Dominant cubic GaN epilayer (1.0 μm) growth was confirmed by insitu RHEED observations, AFM, TEM, PL and X-ray diffraction measurements.

An investigation of the growth mechanism for RF-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy of cubic GaN films using a nitrided AlGaAs buffer layer was carried out by in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). It was found that hexagonal GaN nuclei grow on (1, 1, 1) facets during nitridation of the AlGaAs buffer layer, but a highly pure, cubic-phase GaN epilayer was grown on the nitrided AlGaAs buffer layer.

The influence of hydrogen in a precursor on excimer laser crystallization behavior was investigated. The crystal orientation and lattice constant of polycrystalline silicon films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction measurement. An intensity ratio of 111 to 220 was used as an index of the (111) preferred orientation. A randomly oriented film with an index of 2 at lower energy density changed to the highly (111) oriented phase with an index of more than 15 at higher energy density. It was observed in the PE-CVD films that increasing the hydrogen in the precursor films decreased the orientation index. The lattice constant of the laser-annealed PE-CVD silicon was found to be larger than that of the PVD silicon and to decrease with an increase in laser energy density. The network structure of as-deposited PVD film with less hydrogen content was denser than that of as-deposited PE-CVD. The network structure of the precursor strongly affected the crystal growth, and the structure of the ELC poly-Si was still affected by the precursors, even though the hydrogen content decreased after laser annealing.

The Raman scattering from LO phonon–plasmon coupled (LOPC) mode in heavily carbon doped p–type InxGa1–xAs grown by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE) was studied experimentally. Only one LOPC mode appears between the GaAs–like and InAs–like LO modes was observed. The peak position of the LOPC mode is near the GaAs–like TO mode frequency, and is not sensitive to the hole concentration. The intensity of the mode increases with increasing the carrier concentration while the two LO modes decrease and become unvisible under the higher doping level. The hole concentration dependence of the linewidth and intensity of the LOPC mode is very similar to that in p–type GaAs. It was shown that the plasmon damping effect plays a dominant role in the p–type doping case.

Recent experimental and theoretical research on intense pulsed particle beams involving the ETIGO Project at the Technological University of Nagaoka is reviewed. Experimentally, we review the following: (1) studies on local divergence angle in parameter space, (2) development of self-magnetically insulated “Plasma-Focus Diode,” (3) beam focusing by z-discharged plasma channel, (3) measurement of ablation process of beam-target interaction, (4) time-resolvable measurement of energy and species, (5) inductive postacceleration of highly neutralized ion beam, (6) construction of new pulse-power machine, and pulse-compression experiment by plasma erosion opening switch. A brief summary is also given on the development of 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell computer simulation code.

Triisobutylaluminum (TIBA) was used as an aluminum source for metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE). The optical absorption coefficient for TIBA was found to be larger than both tri ethyl aluminum and triethylgallium. TIBA was introduced into a laser-induced MOMBE system and selective deposition of Al and AlAs was carried out. Al metal was deposited on the area where the ArF excimer laser was irradiated and no deposition was observed without the excimer laser irradiation at a substrate temperature of 350 C. Furthermore, a laser large enhancement of the growth rate of AlAs was observed at 350 C.