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This study analyzes the change in the sense of food safety over time, from 2 years before to 8 years after the Fukushima accident in 2011, and its association with social connectedness using cohort data, taking into account regional differences in Fukushima Prefecture. Repeated cross-sectional data from Fukushima Prefectural Government from 2009 to 2018 were used. We randomly selected 1300 people every fiscal year (FY). The survey gathered data on age, gender, occupation, residential region, and the explanatory variables 'sense of social connectedness' and 'recovery-related information source' (information source). The prefecture was divided into three regions for the survey—Hamadori region, where the nuclear power plant is located, Nakadori region, where the air dose rate after the earthquake was high, and in Aizu, far from the nuclear power station but has suffered from harmful rumors. Focusing on FY 2014, when the sense of safety first showed recovery, we performed a binominal logistic regression analysis with 'sense of safety' as the outcome and 'sense of social connectedness' and 'information source' as the explanatory variables. The sense of safety significantly decreased in all regions in 2011 relative to earlier years. The sense of food safety decreased markedly in Hamadori and Nakadori but started to improve 3 years after the earthquake and reached the pre-earthquake level in 2018. The effect sizes were larger in the Hamadori region and in Nakadori than in Aizu. In FY 2014, multivariate analysis found that a sense of food safety was significantly positively associated with a sense of social connectedness, whereas the use of information from newspapers and TV and word of mouth was negatively associated. Although the recovery of a sense of food safety may take some time, a focus on social connectedness during recovery and scrutiny of information sources may facilitate recovery. Health communication has an important role when the provider sends information intelligibly and the recipient can distinguish good news from bad and link it to self-determination. It is necessary to improve literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify predictors of radiographic progression of hip osteoarthritis (OA) over 12 months among functional hip impairments and spinal alignment and mobility.Design: Fifty female patients with secondary hip OA, excluding those with end-stage hip OA, participated in this prospective cohort study. Joint space width (JSW) of the hip was measured at baseline and 12 months later. With radiographic progression of hip OA over 12 months (>0.5 mm in JSW) as dependent variable, logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors for hip OA progression among functional impairments of the hip and spine with and without adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), and minimum JSW at baseline. The independent variables were hip pain, Harris hip score (HHS), hip morphological parameters, hip passive range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength, and alignment and mobility of the thoracolumbar spine at baseline.Results: Twenty-one (42.0%) patients demonstrated radiographic progression of hip OA. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that larger anterior inclination of the spine in standing position (adjusted OR [95% CI], 1.37 [1.04-1.80]; P = 0.028) and less thoracolumbar spine mobility (adjusted OR [95% CI], 0.96 [0.92-0.99]; P = 0.037) at baseline were statistically significantly associated with radiographic progression of hip OA, even after adjustment for age, BMI, and minimum JSW.Conclusions: The findings suggest that spinal alignment and mobility should be considered when assessing risk and designing preventive intervention for radiographic progression of secondary hip OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypervelocity impact experiments have been performed on polycarbonate to observe the impact-induced damage process progressing inside polymer material. Impact experiments have been conducted by impacting a sphere made of several kinds of materials using a two-stage light-gas gun. The damage evolution and stress wave propagation associated with hypervelocity impact have been observed via shadowgraphy using an ultra-high-speed camera. Recoded images clearly demonstrate how damages form during the hypervelocity impact event. The obtained time evolution of penetration show that the behavior of stress wave propagation associated with impact vary according to the penetrating motion, and the impact velocity dependence of penetration length and shape change depending on the deformation and fracture behavior of impactor during penetrating process. From these results, it is indicated that not only the mechanical characteristics of impactor material but also the change of penetrating motion associated with the deformation and fragmentation of impactor are key factors for impact-damage formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether higher daily cumulative hip moment at baseline is associated with subsequent radiographic progression of hip osteoarthritis (OA) over 12 months.Design: Fifty patients with secondary hip OA, excluding patients with end-stage hip OA, participated in this prospective cohort study. Joint space width (JSW) of the hip was measured at baseline and 12 months later. With radiographic progression of hip OA (>0.5 mm/year in JSW) as dependent variable (yes/no), univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between load-related parameters during gait (i.e., peak hip moment, hip moment impulse, and daily cumulative hip moment [product of hip moment impulse and mean steps/day]) and hip OA progression with and without adjustment for age, body weight, and minimum JSW.Results: Of the 50 patients (47.4 ± 10.7 years old), 21 (42.0%) were classified into the progression group. The higher daily cumulative hip moment in the frontal plane at baseline was statistically significantly associated with radiographic progression of hip OA (adjusted odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)], 1.34 [1.06-1.70]; P = 0.013). The higher daily cumulative hip moment in the sagittal plane was also approaching significance in its association with hip OA progression (adjusted OR, 1.80 [0.99-3.26]; P = 0.052).Conclusions: In the female patients with secondary hip OA, higher daily cumulative hip moment, particularly in the frontal plane, was a predictor of radiographic progression of hip OA over 12 months. Reduction in daily cumulative hip moment by modification in gait and physical activity may potentially slow hip OA progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We propose a new type segmented antineutrino detector made of plastic scintillators for the nuclear safeguard application. A small prototype was built and tested to measure background events. A satisfactory unmanned field operation of the detector system was demonstrated. Besides, a detailed Monte Carlo simulation code was developed to estimate the antineutrino detection efficiency of the detector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recent evidence has demonstrated that thrombin plays an important role in the development of brain edema by the blood-brain barrier disruption in intracerebral hemorrhage. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of proteolytic enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix, are implicated in blood-brain barrier disruption. In this study, we examined whether thrombin injection into the brain parenchyma induces the MMP-9 expression in rats. Anesthetized adult rats received an injection of 10 U of thrombin into the basal ganglia. At 12, 24, and 72 hours after the thrombin injection, brain water content and the expression of MMP-9 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein were determined. The effect of a specific thrombin inhibitor (hirudin) on MMP-9 expression and brain edema formation and general administration of synthetic MMPs inhibitor (GM6001) on brain edema formation were also examined for linking the injury and up-regulation of MMP-9. The brain water contents in the basal ganglia and overlying cortex were rapidly increased at 12 hours, maximized at 24 hours, and slightly decreased at 72 hours. The gelatinase activity of MMP-9 determined with gelatin zymography was detected in the basal ganglia and cortex at 12 hours, maximally expressed at 24 hours, and remained strong 72 hours after thrombin injection. The expression of MMP-9 mRNA in the cortex determined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was clearly seen at 12 and 24 hours, and became weak 72 hours after thrombin injection. Co-injection of thrombin and hirudin almost completely inhibited the brain edema formation and expressions of MMP-9 mRNA and protein. Administration of broad-spectrum metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001 significantly reduced the brain edema formation in this model. These results indicate that intraparenchymal thrombin induces brain edema formation through MMP-9 expression in rats. Inhibition of MMPs activity may provide an approach to potentially reduce ongoing edema after intracerebral hemorrhage. Copyright © 2006 by the National Stroke Association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The background of the development of the two kinds of reusable high-performance engine is described. One of these two is the regeneratively cooled 1200 N thrust engine composed of two kinds of ZrO2/Ni functionally graded materials (FGMs) chambers. This engine is a promising candidate for the future Japanese orbiting maneuvering system (OMS) engine of the H-II orbiting plane (HOPE). The other one is the reaction control system (RCS) engine which may also be used compatibly with HOPE. Developed RCS chambers are made of carbon-fiber-reinforced carbon matrix (C/C) composites coated with SiC FGMs.In the first stage of the development of the ZrO2/Ni FGMs chamber, durability tests using a ZrO2 (24.5 vol%)/Ni (75.5 vol%) FGMs chamber were performed to inspect the damage of the thermal coating layer and to evaluate the engine performance after a total of 260 firing tests. In the second stage, a combustion chamber having a compositional profile of perfect ZrO2/Ni FGMs was used in the high-altitude performance tests (HAPT).Firing tests for the C/C–SiC FGMs chamber developed in the first stage were performed at sea level. In this test series, microcracks and penetration of the combustion gases were observed especially at the surface of the nozzle throat section after 382 cycle tests. In the next stage of developing C/C–SiC FGMs chamber (expansion area ratio of 30:1), it was shown that coating with FGMs seemed to effectively prevent the delamination of the SiC coating after 693 cycles under the conditions of Pc=1.0 MPa, MR=1.65 and with an injector film cooling rate of 17%, over a total firing time of 2000 s. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of the article was to explore the application and interpretation of indigenous stories introduced in 2015–2017 in relation to the identity and leadership (well-being elements) of players and coaches of a men's provincial rugby team in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ). The study utilised a Kaupapa Māori case study approach and indigenous forms of storytelling (pūrākau, whakataukī) to encourage participants to share their narratives and experiences of how the inclusion of Māori knowledge in a team context influenced their sense of identity and leadership and thus well-being on and off the field. Semi-structured, one-on-one, interviews alongside focus group discussions generated the data (narratives) collected. Data were thematically analysed, utilising aspects of an indigenous model of Health Promotion known as Te Pae Māhutonga. Specifically, the cultural identity affirmation (Mauri Ora) and leadership (Ngā Manukura) elements were illustrated as these were applicable to high performance sport contexts. Analysis revealed that the team narrative, values and expectations were enhanced by embracing Māori stories (pūrākau) and symbols. In particular, this enhanced the cultural identity, sense of belonging, leadership and well-being of a number of team members on and off-field. Neither the players nor coaches disclosed any negative impacts to their well-being from incorporating indigenous storytelling (pūrākau, whakataukī) into their team building practices and culture. Sport-related research and practices that are informed by indigenous knowledge and values can benefit the well-being of indigenous people (in this case Māori), collectives (rugby team) and individuals (researchers, players and coaches). Further research exploring how indigenous knowledge is integrated into sport-related contexts is needed to understand whether the well-being of a wider range of teams and individuals (women, non-indigenous) may benefit from the inclusion of indigenous knowledge, values and practices. • New and novel research (building upon the existing scholarship). • Kaupapa Māori methods (indigenous research methods; pūrākau). • Introduces new innovations into ethno-cultural inclusion in sport (Rugby). • Provides recent, specific, examples of the impact this has upon holistic well-being. • Discusses the impact that these practices could have for settings outside rugby/sport. • Responsive to calls from the field for empirical and theoretical research to include the often silenced voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-layer cold storage method (TLM) allows sufficient oxygen delivery to pancreata during preservation and resuscitates the viability of ischemically damaged pancreata. This study determined the effect of additional preservation of ischemically damaged human pancreata by the TLM before islet isolation. Human pancreata were procured from cadaveric organ donors and preserved by the TLM for 3.2 ± 0.5 hours (mean ± SEM) at 4 °C after 11.1 ± 0.9 hours of cold storage in University of Wisconsin solution (UW) (TLM group), or by cold UW alone for 11.0 ± 0.3 hours (UW group). Islet isolations of all pancreata were performed using the Edmonton protocol. Islet recovery and in vitro function of isolated islets were significantly increased in the TLM group compared with the UW group. In the metabolic assessment of human pancreata, ATP levels were significantly increased after the TLM preservation. This study showed that additional short-term preservation by the TLM resuscitates the viability of ischemically damaged human pancreata before islet isolation, leading to improvements in islet recovery and in vitro function of isolated islets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]