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Background: Both malnutrition and at‐risk of malnutrition are prevalent among older patients receiving home medical care. Discontinuation of home medical care usually occurs when an older patient is admitted to a hospital or nursing home or dies. This study aimed to assess prospective associations between nutritional status and discontinuation of home medical care in older patients. Methods: Three hundred and thirty‐three Japanese older patients receiving home‐visit nursing care services were included in this study. Their nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment®‐Short Form, and patients were classified into three groups (well‐nourished, at‐risk of malnutrition and malnourished). Outcomes were confirmed at the 1‐year follow‐up survey. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for discontinuation of home medical care based on nutritional status were calculated using a Cox proportional hazard model. Covariates included age, sex, living status, economic status, activities of daily living, comorbidities and dysphagia status. Results: In total, 297 patients (median age: 84 years) were analysed. At baseline, 48.5% of the patients were at‐risk of malnutrition and 18.9% were malnourished. During the observation period of 1 year, 27.6% patients discontinued their home medical care. In the adjusted model, the HR for discontinuation of home medical care among those at‐risk of malnutrition was 2.44 (95% CI: 1.34–4.45) times than that of the well‐nourished group, although the malnourished group was not significantly associated with discontinuation of home medical care (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 0.77–3.72; referent: well‐nourished). Conclusions: At‐risk of malnutrition was associated with discontinuation of home medical care among older patients. Key points: Older patients receiving home medical care are already at risk for discontinuation of home medical care when they are at‐risk of malnutrition.The at‐risk of malnutrition is a stage of great opportunity for preventing malnutrition, as its early recognition and appropriate nutritional management may lead to the prevention of malnutrition, eventually contributing to an increase in the length of home medical care.Future studies are warranted to investigate whether nutritional interventions for those at‐risk of malnutrition contribute to prolonging the length of home medical care by improving nutritional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: For wide application of the synchronization properties of nonlinear oscillators in control and signal processing engineering field, a common design method for nonlinear oscillator models is required. The output response of a nonlinear oscillator excited by a periodic signal implicitly includes information on both the instantaneous phase and the amplitude of the input signal. The design of a nonlinear oscillator model that can synchronize with an arbitrary cyclic phenomenon can be enabled by explicitly expressing the dynamics of both phase and amplitude with the phase reduction method and organizing them by the number of events in one period. Assuming the cyclic phenomenon to be a single periodic signal, the properties of the generalized nonlinear oscillator model depend on the phase resolution of the signal, which is associated with the phase‐shift of fractional calculus. Thus, this study verifies the validity of fractional calculus through the input‐output characteristic of the generalized nonlinear oscillator model. Numerical simulation using a fractional differentiator with backward‐difference demonstrated that increasing the phase resolution of a single periodic signal improves the estimation accuracy of the phase and amplitude of the signal by employing a generalized nonlinear oscillator model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To widely utilize the synchronization properties of nonlinear oscillators in the control and signal processing engineering field, a common design method for a nonlinear oscillator model would be helpful. The output response of a nonlinear oscillator excited by a periodic signal implicitly includes the information of both the instantaneous phase and the amplitude of the input signal. Explicitly expressing the dynamics of both phase and amplitude with the phase reduction method, and organizing them by the number of events in one period, could enable the design of a nonlinear oscillator model in the same manner that can synchronize with an arbitrary cyclic phenomenon in a broad sense. Assuming the cyclic phenomenon is a single periodic signal, the property of the generalized nonlinear oscillator model has the role as a common‐dimensional observer to attain the pseudo‐property of both iso‐damping and flat‐gain. Thus, this article determines the essential role of the nonlinear oscillator inserted in the closed‐loop system through investigating the input–output characteristic of the generalized nonlinear oscillator model. As a result of the numerical simulation using a simple vibration excitation and suppression system, it was found that using the generalized nonlinear oscillator model enables us to easily build the closed‐loop system including the pseudo‐property of both iso‐damping and flat‐gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure refinement and XANES study of two gold–silver–tellurides [Au1+xAgxTe2, krennerite (x = 0.11–0.13) and sylvanite (x = 0.29–0.31)] are presented and the structures are compared with the prototype structure of calaverite (x = 0.08–0.10). Whereas the latter is well known for being incommensurately modulated at ambient conditions, neither krennerite nor sylvanite present any modulation. This is attributed to the presence of relatively strong Te—Te bonds (bond distances < 2.9 Å) in the two minerals, which are absent in calaverite (bond distances > 3.2 Å). In both tellurides, trivalent gold occurs in slightly distorted square planar coordination, whereas monovalent gold, partly substituted by monovalent silver, presents a 2+2+2 coordination, corresponding to distorted rhombic bipyramids. The differentiation between bonding and non‐bonding contacts is obtained by computation of the Effective Coordination Number (ECoN). The CHARge DIstribution (CHARDI) analysis is satisfactory for both tellurides but suggests that the Te—Te bond in the [Te3]2− anion is not entirely homopolar. Both tellurides can therefore be described as Madelung‐type compounds, despite the presence of Te–Te in both structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petzite, Ag3AuTe2, crystallizes in the space group I4132, which is a Sohncke type of space group where chiral crystal structures can occur. The structure refinement of petzite reported long ago [Frueh (1959). Am. Mineral.44, 693–701] did not provide any information about the absolute structure. A new single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction refinement has now been performed on a sample from Lake View Mine, Golden Mile, Kalgoorlie, Australia, which has resulted in a reliable absolute structure [a Flack parameter of 0.05 (3)], although this corresponds to the opposite enantiomorph reported previously. The minimum Te–Te distance is 3.767 (3) Å, slightly shorter than the van der Waals bonding distance, which suggests a weak interaction between the two chalcogens. XANES spectra near the Au and Te LIII edges suggest that the chemical‐bonding character of Au in petzite is more metallic than in other gold minerals. A single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and XANES investigation of the mineral petzite is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petzite, Ag3AuTe2, crystallizes in the space group I4132, which is a Sohncke type of space group where chiral crystal structures can occur. The structure refinement of petzite reported long ago [Frueh (1959). Am. Mineral.44, 693–701] did not provide any information about the absolute structure. A new single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction refinement has now been performed on a sample from Lake View Mine, Golden Mile, Kalgoorlie, Australia, which has resulted in a reliable absolute structure [a Flack parameter of 0.05 (3)], although this corresponds to the opposite enantiomorph reported previously. The minimum Te–Te distance is 3.767 (3) Å, slightly shorter than the van der Waals bonding distance, which suggests a weak interaction between the two chalcogens. XANES spectra near the Au and Te LIII edges suggest that the chemical‐bonding character of Au in petzite is more metallic than in other gold minerals. A single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and XANES investigation of the mineral petzite is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small GTPase Arf6 is a member of the Arf (ADP-ribosylation factor) family. Although the function of Arf6 has been heavily studied at the cellular level, its physiological function at the whole animal level is largely unknown. In this study, we examined both the tissue distribution and developmental timing of Arf6 expression in wild type mice to obtain valuable information to speculate on the physiological function of Arf6. Western blot analysis using anti-Arf6 antibody revealed that Arf6 was ubiquitously expressed with its developmental timing differing in a tissue-specific manner. These results were supported by Arf6 mRNA in situ hybridization experiments, which showed that Arf6 was highly expressed in the polarized epithelial cells and embryonic mesenchymal cells of most tissues in a temporally dependent manner. Taken in toto, our results suggest that the expression of Arf6 in mouse tissues is precisely regulated in a development- and tissue-dependent manner. Developmental Dynamics 239:3416-3435, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synaptic vesicles (SVs) are retrieved by clathrin-mediated endocytosis at the nerve terminals. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] drives this event by recruiting the components of the endocytic machinery. However, the molecular mechanisms that result in local generation of PI(4,5)P2 remain unclear. We demonstrate here that AP-2 complex directly interacts with phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase γ661 (PIP5Kγ661), the major PI(4,5)P2-producing enzyme in the brain. The β2 subunit of AP-2 was found to bind to the C-terminal tail of PIP5Kγ661 and cause PIP5Kγ661 activation. The interaction is regulated by PIP5Kγ661 dephosphorylation, which is triggered by depolarization in mouse hippocampal neurons. Finally, overexpression of the PIP5Kγ661 C-terminal region in hippocampal neurons suppresses depolarization-dependent SV endocytosis. These findings provide evidence for the molecular mechanism through which PIP5Kγ661 locally generates PI(4,5)P2 in hippocampal neurons and suggest a model in which the interaction trigger SV endocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-efficiency at the product level is defined as product value per unit of environmental impact. In this paper, we present a method for quantifying the eco-efficiency using quality function deployment (QFD) and life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA). These well-known tools are widely used in the manufacturing industry. QFD, which is one of the methods used in product development based on consumer preferences, is introduced to calculate the product value. An index of the product value is calculated as the weighted average of improvement rates of quality characteristics. The importance of customer requirements, derived from the QFD matrix, is applied. Environmental impacts throughout a product life cycle are calculated based on an LCIA method widely used in Japan. By applying the LCIA method of endpoint type, the endpoint damage caused by various life-cycle inventories is calculated. Willingness to pay is applied to integrate it into a single index. Eco-design support tools, namely, the life-cycle planning (LCP) tool and the life-cycle assessment (LCA) tool, have already been developed. Using these tools, data required for calculation of the eco-efficiency of products can be collected. The product value is calculated based on QFD data stored in the LCP tool and the environmental impact is calculated using the LCA tool. Case studies of eco-efficiency are adopted and the adequacy of this method is clarified. Several advantages of this method are characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a letter to the editor which discusses oxidative stress and multi-organ failure in hospitalized elderly people.

The Ti and Zr K‐edge X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of ATiO3 (A = Sr, Ba, and Pb) and PbZrO3 perovskite‐type compounds have been measured in the temperature range 20–900 K. Quantitative comparison is performed in a wide temperature range to clarify how the intensities of the pre‐edge peaks and shoulders change with temperature. In the ferro‐ and antiferroelectric tetragonal phases, the intensities of some of the peaks and shoulders decrease with increasing temperature and the peak‐top energies shift to the higher energy side. The shift can be explained by the position and decrease (increase for SrTiO3) of the D2 peak in the difference spectra. The peak‐top position of the pre‐edge peak in XANES does not always represent the true energy for independent transition to an orbital because several orbitals with similar energies overlap. The tetragonal SrTiO3 phase shows the same behavior as ferroelectric P4mm tetragonal BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 perovskite. The temperature dependence of the shoulder is also an important index. The presence of a phase with local polar tetragonal strain is important in materials and the Earth's constituent solid solutions. The existence of ferro‐ and antiferroelectricity can be determined by temperature‐dependent XANES measurements. In the ferro‐ and antiferroelectric phases, the intensities of some of the pre‐edge peaks and shoulders in X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) decrease with temperature and peak‐top energies shift to the higher energy side. The shift can be explained by the position and decrease of D2 peak in the difference spectra. Peak‐top position does not always represent the true energy for independent transition to an orbital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastatic progression remains a major burden for cancer patients and is associated with eventual resistance to prevailing therapies such as chemotherapy. Here, we reveal how chemotherapy induces an extracellular matrix (ECM), wound healing, and stem cell network in cancer cells via the c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, leading to reduced therapeutic efficacy. We find that elevated JNK activity in cancer cells is linked to poor clinical outcome in breast cancer patients and is critical for tumor initiation and metastasis in xenograft mouse models of breast cancer. We show that JNK signaling enhances expression of the ECM and stem cell niche components osteopontin, also called secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), and tenascin C (TNC), that promote lung metastasis. We demonstrate that both SPP1 and TNC are direct targets of the c‐Jun transcription factor. Exposure to multiple chemotherapies further exploits this JNK‐mediated axis to confer treatment resistance. Importantly, JNK inhibition or disruption of SPP1 or TNC expression sensitizes experimental mammary tumors and metastases to chemotherapy, thus providing insights to consider for future treatment strategies against metastatic breast cancer. Synopsis: JNK activity in breast cancer cells induces expression of the ECM and stem cell niche components osteopontin (SPP1) and tenascin C (TNC) to promote metastatic progression. This molecular axis is further induced upon exposure to chemotherapy and limits therapeutic efficacy. JNK activity in breast cancer cells is required for metastatic progression in vivo.JNK signaling drives a molecular network enriched in genes associated with wound healing and developmental processes, as well as mammary stem cell (MaSC) and ECM functions.Upon growth of metastatic nodules, the proportion of cancer cells with active JNK is reduced, but increases again in response to chemotherapy.Breast cancer cells can exploit chemotherapy‐induced JNK signaling to upregulate SPP1 and TNC and undermine the treatment. JNK activity in breast cancer cells induces expression of the ECM and stem cell niche components osteopontin (SPP1) and tenascin C (TNC) to promote metastatic progression. This molecular axis is further induced upon exposure to chemotherapy and limits therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ti and Zr K‐edge X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of ATiO3 (A = Sr, Ba, and Pb) and PbZrO3 perovskite‐type compounds have been measured in the temperature range 20–900 K. Quantitative comparison is performed in a wide temperature range to clarify how the intensities of the pre‐edge peaks and shoulders change with temperature. In the ferro‐ and antiferroelectric tetragonal phases, the intensities of some of the peaks and shoulders decrease with increasing temperature and the peak‐top energies shift to the higher energy side. The shift can be explained by the position and decrease (increase for SrTiO3) of the D2 peak in the difference spectra. The peak‐top position of the pre‐edge peak in XANES does not always represent the true energy for independent transition to an orbital because several orbitals with similar energies overlap. The tetragonal SrTiO3 phase shows the same behavior as ferroelectric P4mm tetragonal BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 perovskite. The temperature dependence of the shoulder is also an important index. The presence of a phase with local polar tetragonal strain is important in materials and the Earth's constituent solid solutions. The existence of ferro‐ and antiferroelectricity can be determined by temperature‐dependent XANES measurements. In the ferro‐ and antiferroelectric phases, the intensities of some of the pre‐edge peaks and shoulders in X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) decrease with temperature and peak‐top energies shift to the higher energy side. The shift can be explained by the position and decrease of D2 peak in the difference spectra. Peak‐top position does not always represent the true energy for independent transition to an orbital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]