To fabricate master templates of high-density patterned magnetic media, the authors developed a high-resolution and high-throughput rotary stage electron beam mastering system. They accomplished the fabrication of discrete track media groove patterns with 45nm track pitch, and also a dense bit array with both track and bit pitch of 35nm for bit patterned media under the conditions of a bit rate of 1.22MHz∕bit at 50kV acceleration voltage. The high resolution and high throughput are derived from using a continuous stage movement flyback lithography (CSFL) function. CSFL is enabled by differentiated capabilities, such as an electron optical column that achieves a large beam current at a small beam diameter, and a friction-driven slider stage that provides a highly accurate positioning capability and a dynamic focus correction feature and r-theta stage driving. The CSFL capability, working in conjunction with a blankingless beam shift lithography (BLSL), is very effective for fabricating various kinds of servo pattern elements, such as grooves and dots, grooves and right-angled grooves, grooves and half-pitch-shift dot arrays, and various pit length patterns, to construct effective servo patterns.
The only tool to diagnose immunoglobulinn A nephropathy (IgAN) is renal biopsy which requires hospitalization; moreover, renal biopsy has a risk of critical bleeding. Therefore, a non-invasive method for accurate diagnosis of IgAN is desirable and a must-to-have tool for the clinics. For this purpose, we evaluated the diagnostic value of the IgA-uromodulin complex in the urine of patients with IgAN for its feasibility and adequacy.We determined the IgA-uromodulin complex as a candidate for a diagnostic marker of IgAN by immunoprecipitation, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and Western blot analysis. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the IgA-uromodulin complex was developed and applied to urine samples obtained from various kidney disease patients.One hundred and three of 126 urine samples (81.7%) from IgAN patients were positive for the IgA-uromodulin complex, while only 25 out of 94 urine samples (26.6%) in other kidney disease patients were positive. Sensitivity was 81.7%, specificity was 73.4%, and diagnosis efficiency was 78.2%. The complex was negative in eight urine samples obtained from patients with Alport syndrome which is almost impossible to discriminate from IgAN by routine urinalysis.Detection of the urinary IgA-uromodulin complex by ELISA is a useful non-invasive method to diagnose IgAN.
In this paper, a newly developed AUV "r2D4" is introduced and its mission of surveying Kuroshima Knoll is addressed. As the successor of the AUV "R-One Robot", r2D4 was designed by IIS, the University of Tokyo, and constructed by MES, with the primary missions being the investigation of deep sea bottom and AUV intelligence. r2D4 is a highly reliable AUV with its length of 4.4 (m), demonstrating sufficient compactness as well as multifunctional capabilities and large maximum operating depth of 4000 (m). The first sea trial of r2D4 was carried out at Suruga Bay, July 2003. After the exploration off Sado Island in the Sea of Japan, r2D4 was deployed for the investigation of Kuroshima Knoll in December 2003. During Kuroshima mission, high quality acoustic images of seabed using interferometry sonar were obtained through the operation of r2D4, which could only be achieved by accurate and robust attitude control. The method of on-site position error correction was developed and testified during the Kuroshima Knoll mission. In this correction, based on the optimal estimation of SSBL position, regressions of actual vehicle trajectories are carried out to estimate the deviation between reference and actually formed way points. On the basis of the success in Kuroshima Knoll survey mission, r2D4 would be deployed in Mariana back-arc basin, toward the discovery of newly activated hydrothermal vents.
