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We have developed a Flexible Mono-tread Mobile-Track (FMT), which exhibits an inherent capability for flexed posture in three dimensions and can traverse over rough terrain, particularly in post-disaster scenarios. The flexion mechanism of the FMT passively adapts to irregular ground surfaces, reducing overall weight, degrees of freedom for operation, and the operator's workload. Rigorous testing of legacy prototypes confirmed the remarkable mobility, following the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines. The FMT’s performance is notably influenced by the flexibility of the vertebral body structure and the shape of the track belt. For instance, the asymmetric track belt results in anisotropy of forward and backward movement, while the layered body cannot achieve uniform three-dimensional flexion. Additionally, the asymmetric or simple circular head shape poses challenges in ensuring consistent climbability over steps with overhang walls. This paper proposes a solution involving a new vertebral body structure and symmetric track belt for the FMT. The resulting prototype, MRT03-GEJIY, addresses these challenges and improves upon the performance of the legacy FMT prototypes in the following: 1) Establishing a reliable vertebra for achieving wide and uniform curvature, facilitating smooth track belt movement. 2) Implementing a symmetric track segment to enhance the isotropy in forward and backward movement. 3) Introducing a horizontally symmetrical head shape equipped with passive obstacle-crossing capability. Furthermore, we conducted performance evaluations of MRT03-GEJIY, including tests such as step-climbing.

In an aging society, it is important to visualize the conditions of people living with diseases or disabilities, such as frailty and sarcopenia, and determine the environmental and genetic factors underlying such conditions. Atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness are key conditions between these factors and noncommunicable diseases. In 2014, we launched a population-based prospective open-cohort study, the Nagasaki Islands Study (NaIS), which was conducted in Goto City, located in the remote islands of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, mostly involving middle-aged and older residents. We conducted our own health checkups along with the annual standardized checkups organized by the municipality; recruited study participants; and started to follow them for vital status (death), migration, and occurrence of diseases, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, fracture, and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated uveitis. Our checkups were conducted as baseline surveys in different areas of Goto City during the fiscal years 2014–2016, secondary surveys during 2017–2019, and tertiary surveys since 2021, consisting of medical interviews, physical examinations, blood and urine tests, body composition measurements, osteoporosis screening, arterial stiffness measurements, carotid ultrasonography, and dental examination. A total of 4,957 residents participated in either the baseline or secondary surveys and were followed; 3,594 and 3,364 residents (aged 27–96 and 28–98 years) participated in the baseline and secondary surveys, respectively. In conclusion, the NaIS has been undertaken to reveal the influence of aging and risk factors of noncommunicable diseases and disabilities, with an aim to contribute towards better healthcare in the future.

The authors present a patient with carotid dissection in a tortuous arterial segment who successfully underwent carotid artery stenting (CAS) by straightening the tortuosity using an inflated balloon guiding catheter (BGC) and a stent retriever (SR). A 56-year-old man was transferred to our institute with right hemiparesis and a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 9. Magnetic resonance imaging showed left internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion and ischemic change in the parietal lobe. Emergent angiography revealed tapered extracranial ICA occlusion sugg carotid artery dissection (CAD). CAS was attempted for CAD due to a mismatch of the motor area on clinical imaging. However, several attempts to navigate the stent delivery system over a guidewire failed. Therefore, we deployed a Trevo NXT ProVue SR (3 × 32 mm) in the middle cerebral artery, inflated a BGC, and then pulled on both to straighten the tortuous carotid artery, which resulted in successful navigation of the stent delivery system. The patient's symptoms improved after the recanalization. This case demonstrates the utility of a technique for navigation of a stent delivery system through a tortuous carotid artery in which the tortuosity is straightened by pulling on an inflated BGC and the delivery wire of the SR.

Introduction Individuals with mental illness and their families often undergo their recovery process in their communities. This study explored the long-term outcome trajectories of individuals and families who received case management services provided by multidisciplinary outreach teams in a community setting. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether trajectories of subjective quality of life (QoL) related to personal recovery were linked to those clinical and societal outcomes and changes in outreach service frequency.Methods and analysis The protocol of this 10-year multisite cohort study was collaboratively developed with individuals with lived experience of psychiatric disorders who had received services from participating outreach teams, and with family members in Japanese family associations. The participants in the study include patients and their key family members who receive services from 23 participating multidisciplinary outreach teams. The participant recruitment period is set from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2025. If necessary, the recruitment period may be extended and the number of participating teams may be increased. The study will annually evaluate the following outcomes after participants’ initial utilisation of services from each team: QoL related to personal recovery, personal agency, feelings of loneliness, well-being and symptom and functional assessments. The family outcomes encompass QoL, well-being, care burden and family relationships. Several meetings will be held to monitor progress and manage issues during the study. Multivariate analyses with repeated measures will be performed to investigate factors influencing changes in the patients’ QoL scores as the dependent variable.Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by the ethical committee of the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (no. A2023-065). The study findings will be reported in peer-reviewed publications and presented at relevant scientific conferences.Trial registration number UMIN-CTR, No. UMIN000052275.

Urgent carotid artery stenting (CAS) is effective for treatment-resistant cervical internal carotid artery dissection (CICAD). We experienced a 37-year-old woman who presented with sudden onset of cervical pain, blurred vision in the right eye, and numbness in the left upper and lower extremities. Due to neurological deterioration resulting from hemodynamic impairment, urgent CAS was performed under general anesthesia. Brain perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography performed immediately after CAS showed increased blood flow in the right hemisphere despite no evidence of hemorrhage or ischemic lesion on brain computed tomography (CT). Systolic blood pressure was therefore strictly controlled below 110 mm Hg perioperatively. However, the day after CAS, a follow-up CT showed intracerebral hemorrhage in the right temporal lobe. Urgent CAS in patients with progressive deterioration of hemodynamic impairment caused by CICAD may induce intracerebral hemorrhage due to cerebral hyperperfusion. Care should be taken to recognize and manage this phenomenon during the perioperative period.

Left-to-right differences in the histopathologic patterns of transthyretin-derived amyloid (ATTR) deposition in the atria of older adults have not yet been investigated. Hence, this study evaluated heart specimens from 325 serial autopsy subjects. The amount of ATTR deposits in the seven cardiac regions, including both sides of atria and atrial appendages, was evaluated semiquantitatively. Using digital pathology, we quantitatively evaluated the immunohistochemical deposition burden of ATTR in the myocardium. We identified 20 sporadic ATTR cardiac amyloidosis cases (nine males). All patients had ATTR deposition in the left atrial regions of the myocardium. In the semiquantitative analysis, 14 of the 20 cases showed more severe ATTR deposition on the left atrial regions than on the right side, with statistically significant differences in the pathology grading (p < 0.01 for both the atrium and atrial appendage). Quantitative analysis further supported the difference. Moreover, six had ATTR deposition in the epineurium and/or neural fibers of the atria. Cluster analysis revealed that ATTR deposition in the myocardium was significantly more severe in males than in females. The heterogeneous distribution of amyloid deposits between atria revealed in this study may impair the orderly transmission of the cardiac conduction system and induce arrhythmias, which may be further aggravated by additional neuropathy in the advanced phase. This impairment could be more severe among males. These findings emphasize that atrial evaluation is important for individuals with sporadic ATTR cardiac amyloidosis, particularly for early detection.

This study examined the patterns of epidermal growth-factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) deposition in the small intestine and colon to evaluate the association between the histopathological severity of EFEMP1 deposition and constipation and determine the colocalization of amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) and EFEMP1 deposits. In 40 older cases (≥80 years of age), EFEMP1 deposition in the small intestine initiated in the submucosal and subserous vessels, subserous interstitium, and serosa (early stage), progressing to the muscularis propria and peri-Auerbach plexus area (intermediate stage), and finally spreading diffusely to other areas, excluding the mucosa and muscularis mucosa (advanced stage). The colon had a similar pattern of progression. During the middle-to-advanced stages, amyloid formation was observed in some vascular and serous deposits. A subgroup of cases was identified in which EFEMP1 deposition was the only presumed cause of constipation. Additionally, we demonstrated the colocalization of ATTR and EFEMP1 deposition. Apple-green birefringence was detected under polarized light only in approximately one-half of the cases in the small intestine and one-third of the cases in the colon. These findings strongly suggest that EFEMP1 deposits are correlated with pathological conditions of the lower gastrointestinal tract. As the histopathological diagnosis using Congo red-stained specimens is challenging, the combined use of elastic fiber staining and EFEMP1 immunohistochemistry is recommended to identify EFEMP1 deposition.

The structure of electrolyte solutions under pressure at a molecular level is a crucial issue in the fundamental science of understanding the nature of ion solvation and association and application fields, such as geological processes on the Earth, pressure-induced protein denaturation, and supercritical water technology. We report the structure of an aqueous 2 m (=mol kg−1) MgCl2 solution at pressures from 0.1 MPa to 4 GPa and temperatures from 300 to 500 K revealed by X-ray- and neutron-scattering measurements. The scattering data are analyzed by empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) modeling to derive the pair distribution functions, coordination number distributions, angle distributions, and spatial density functions (3D structure) as a function of pressure and temperature. Mg2+ forms rigid solvation shells extended to the third shell; the first solvation shell of six-fold octahedral coordination with about six water molecules at 0 GPa transforms into about five water molecules and one Cl− due to the formation of the contact ion pairs in the GPa pressure range. The Cl− solvation shows a substantial pressure dependence; the coordination number of a water oxygen atom around Cl− increases from 8 at 0.1 MPa/300 K to 10 at 4 GPa/500 K. The solvent water transforms the tetrahedral network structure at 0.1 MPa/300 K to a densely packed structure in the GPa pressure range; the number of water oxygen atoms around a central water molecule gradually increases from 4.6 at 0.1 MPa/298 K to 8.4 at 4 GPa/500 K.

Abstract Background Neuropathological diagnosis of argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) is currently based primarily on the combination of argyrophilic grain (AG) visualized using Gallyas–Braak silver staining, phosphorylated tau-positive pretangles, coiled bodies, and ballooned neuron detection. Although AGD is common in patients with dementia and/or prominent psychiatric symptoms, whether it is a distinct neurological disease entity or a by-product of the aging process remains unclear. Methods In 1449 serial forensic autopsy cases > 40 years old (823 males and 525 females, aged 40–101 years, mean age 70.0 ± 14.1 years), we examined the frequency and comorbid pathology of AGD cases and investigated the clinical appearance by comparing those with non-AGD cases using the propensity score. Results Of the 1449 cases, we detected 342 AGD cases (23.6%; mean age 79.7 years; 177 males and 165 females). The AGD frequency and stage increased with age (P

Lewy body diseases (LBDs) feature α-synuclein (α-syn)-containing Lewy bodies, with misfolded α-syn potentially propagating as seeds. Using a seeding amplification assay, we previously reported distinct α-syn seeding in LBD cases based on the area under seeding curves. This study revealed that LBD cases showing different α-syn seeding kinetics have distinct proteomics profiles, emphasizing disruptions in mitochondria and lipid metabolism in high-seeder cases. Though the mechanisms underlying LBD development are intricate, the factors influencing α-syn seeding activity remain elusive. To address this and complement our previous findings, we conducted targeted transcriptome analyses in the substantia nigra using the nanoString nCounter assay together with histopathological evaluations in high (n = 4) and low (n = 3) nigral α-syn seeders. Neuropathological findings (particularly the substantia nigra) were consistent between these groups and were characterized by neocortical LBD associated with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change. Among the 1811 genes assessed, we identified the top 20 upregulated and downregulated genes and pathways in α-syn high seeders compared with low seeders. Notably, alterations were observed in genes and pathways related to transmembrane transporters, lipid metabolism, and the ubiquitin–proteasome system in the high α-syn seeders. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the molecular behavior of α-syn is the driving force in the neurodegenerative process affecting the substantia nigra through these identified pathways. These insights highlight their potential as therapeutic targets for attenuating LBD progression.

Aqueous Na-ion batteries are attracting attention as candidates for large-scale rechargeable batteries with a high safety level. We proposed a novel electrolyte composed of NaClO4 dissolved in water, along with ethylene glycol, to serve as an innovative solution for aqueous Na-ion batteries. The potential window of NaClO4 aqueous-based electrolyte expanded as the ethylene glycol concentration increased. Specifically, when incorporating ethylene glycol into a 7 m (= mol kg−1) NaClO4 aqueous electrolyte, we observed a favorable cyclability pattern in the context of the NaTi2(PO4)3 anode, akin to that exhibited by a 17 m NaClO4 aqueous electrolyte. Moreover, the irreversible capacity of NaTi2(PO4)3 decreased as the ethylene glycol concentration increased. This effect was evident even at low rates such as 0.2 mA cm−2. Notably, the NaTi2(PO4)3 anode’s capacity, when utilizing a 7 m NaClO4 solution with a higher fraction of ethylene glycol (XE = 0.5), remained stable at 120 mAh g−1 even after the completion of 15 cycles. On the other hand, the Na2MnP2O7 cathode properties 7 m NaClO4 aqueous electrolyte could not be improved by adding a small amount of ethylene glycol.

Abstract Background The Japanese version of the individualized Supported Employment Fidelity scale (JiSEF) was developed by modifying the 25‐item Individual Placement and Support Fidelity Scale (IPS‐25). While a preliminary study partly confirmed the concurrent validity with vocational outcomes, this replication study aimed to examine the stability of the concurrent validity and the inter‐rater reliability of the JiSEF and to test its convergent validity with IPS‐25. Methods Fidelity assessments were conducted in 2016 (n = 17), 2017 (n = 13), and 2018 (n = 18) to examine the employment rate and the fidelity scores at the agency level. We also evaluated the fidelity scores for the IPS‐25 in 2018. We examined the associations between the fidelity scale scores and vocational outcomes for the concurrent validity and between the fidelity scales for convergent validity. The inter‐rater reliability was examined in the 2016 and 2017 assessments. Results High intraclass correlation coefficients (0.93 in 2016 and 0.92 in 2017) were obtained for the inter‐rater reliability. The JiSEF score in each year was associated with the agency employment rate (r = 0.710, P = 0.001 in 2016; r = 0.722, P = 0.005 in 2017; and r = 0.665, P = 0.003 in 2018). A supplementary longitudinal data analysis also confirmed the association between the JiSEF score and the employment outcomes. Additionally, the JiSEF was significantly correlated with the IPS‐25 (r = 0.760, P

Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) regulate cancer progression through the modulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and cancer cell adhesion. While undergoing a series of phenotypic changes, CAFs control cancer–stroma interactions through integrin receptor signaling. Here, we isolated CAFs from patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and examined their gene expression profiles. We identified collagen type XI α1 (COL11A1), integrin α11 (ITGA11), and the ITGA11 major ligand collagen type I α1 (COL1A1) among the 390 genes that were significantly enriched in NSCLC‐associated CAFs. Increased ITGA11 expression in cancer stroma was correlated with a poor clinical outcome in patients with NSCLC. Increased expression of fibronectin and collagen type I induced ITGA11 expression in CAFs. The cellular migration of CAFs toward collagen type I and fibronectin was promoted via ERK1/2 signaling, independently of the fibronectin receptor integrin α5β1. Additionally, ERK1/2 signaling induced ITGA11 and COL11A1 expression in cancer stroma. We, therefore, propose that targeting ITGA11 and COL11A1 expressing CAFs to block cancer–stroma interactions may serve as a novel, promising anti‐tumor strategy.

Abstract Background Several previous observational studies have reported the risk factors associated with readmission in people with mental illness. While patient-reported experiences and outcomes have become increasingly important in healthcare, only a few studies have examined these parameters in terms of their direct association with readmission in an acute psychiatric setting. This project will investigate multiple factors associated with readmission and community living in acute psychiatric patients in Japan. This study will primarily investigate whether patient-reported experiences at discharge, particularly quality of life (QoL), are associated with future readmission and whether readmission after the index hospitalization is associated with changes in patient-reported outcomes during the study period. Here, we describe the rationale and methods of this study. Methods This multicenter prospective cohort study is being conducted in 21 participating Japanese hospitals, with a target sample of approximately 600 participants admitted to the acute psychiatric ward. The study has four planned assessment points: time of index admission (T1), time of discharge (from the index admission) (T2), 6 months after discharge from the index admission (T3), and 12 months after discharge from the index admission (T4). Participants will complete self-reported measures including a QoL scale, a subjective disability scale, and an empowerment- and self-agency-related scale at each assessment point; additionally, service satisfaction, subjective view of need for services, and subjective relationships with family members will be assessed at T2 and T3. We will assess the participants’ hospitalization during the study period and evaluate several potential individual- and service-level factors associated with readmission and patient-reported experiences and outcomes. Multivariate analyses will be conducted to identify potential associations between readmission and patient-reported experiences and outcomes. Discussion The present study may produce evidence on how patient-reported experiences at discharge influence readmission and on the influence of readmission on the course of patient-reported outcomes from admission to community living after discharge. The study may contribute to improving care for both patients’ subjective views of their own health conditions and their community lives in an acute psychiatric setting. Trial registration University Hospital Medical Information Network—Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000034220. Registered on September 20, 2018.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was associated with early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with atherothrombotic brain infarction (ATBI) attributable to intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) or not. Methods: We analyzed data derived from 70 patients (47 men; mean age, 72.4 ± 12.8 years) with symptomatic ICAS who were admitted within 3 days of ATBI onset between April 2013 and December 2018. We defined END as an increase of ≥2 in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores during the first 72 h of hospitalization. Results: Eleven (15.7%) patients had END. Serum ALP levels on admission were significantly higher among patients with, than without END (median [interquartile range], 296 [233–338] vs. 216 [187–262] U/L, p = .0081). Conclusion: Increased serum ALP levels on admission may be able to predict developing END in patients with symptomatic ICAS.

TRIM21 is one of the autoantigens that reacts with an anti-SS-A antibody (Ab) present in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren's syndrome. TRIM21 is thought to play a role in B-cell proliferation and apoptosis, among other activities. Here we examined a pathological role of TRIM21 in SLE. Trim21-deficient MRL/lpr mice were generated by backcrossing Trim21-deficient C57BL/6 mice to MRL/lpr mice. The levels of serum anti-dsDNA Ab and urine protein at 28 weeks of age were significantly higher in Trim21-deficient MRL/lpr mice as compared to wild-type MRL/lpr mice (p = 0.029 and 0.003, respectively). Resting B cells from Trim21-deficient mice showed significantly higher abilities to differentiate into plasmablasts and to produce Ab as compared with control mice. Due to the reduction of TRIM21-mediated ubiquitylation, IRF5 protein expression was increased in Trim21-deficient MRL/lpr mice (p = 0.021), which correlated with increased plasmablast generation and immunoglobulin production. B cells from SLE patients with anti-TRIM21 Ab seropositivity also showed a significantly higher ability to differentiate into plasmablasts as compared with those without anti-TRIM21 Ab or healthy controls. These results suggest that TRIM21 dysfunction contributes to SLE pathogenesis by promoting B-cell differentiation, for which anti-TRIM21 Ab may be partly responsible.

The force required to break a chemical bond is related both to the bond strength and the rate at which force is applied, however recent experiments on gold nanowires have challenged this view. Here, the authors perform breaking experiments on single gold-gold bonds and propose a solution to the apparent paradox.

Torque-unit Manipulator(TUM) is a design concept of (space) manipulator and a Multibody system with nonholonomic constraints. Each joint of TUM is free and a device which is called “torque unit” is attached on each link. The “torque unit” can be made easily of a rotary actuator and a disc. Position-controllability of the links of TUM has been shown with conventional control laws for manipulators. However a problem arises that the discs in torque units usually have residual angular velocities when the links approach desired positions. The reason of the problem is that TUM is a kind of nonholonomic system, hence the angular velocity of each disc at each time depends on the motion history of the links. Controllability of the angular velocities of the discs to desired values has been considered by planning motion trajectories of links. Then, a control scheme for the TUM from zero-velocity initial state to zero-velocity final state has been given. However the trajectories of the links were not smooth enough. Then, a condition is made clear for the trajectories of the links to satisfy for bringing the angular velocity of a disc to zero in this paper. Also trajectories of the links are planned which is smooth enough as an example of application of the condition.

Background To shed light on the mental health of evacuees after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), we evaluate the results of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) of the residents at Kawauchi village in Fukushima, which is located less than 30 km from the FDNPS. Methods We conducted the cross-sectional study within the framework of the FHMS. Exposure values were “anorexia,” “subjective feelings about health,” “feelings about sleep satisfaction,” and “bereavement caused by the disaster,” confounding variables were “age” and “sex,” and outcome variables were “K6 points.” We collected data from the FHMS, and employed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist Stressor-Specific Version (PCL-S) to carry out the research. A total of 13 or greater was the cut-off for identifying serious mental illness using the K6 scale. The study subjects included residents (n = 542) of over 30 years of age from Kawauchi village, and data were used from the period of January 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012. Results A total of 474 residents (87.5%) scored less than 13 points in the K6 and 68 (12.6%) scored 13 points or more. The proportion of elderly residents (over 65 years old) among people with K6 score above the cut-off was higher than that among people with K6 score below the cut-off (44.1 vs 31.0%, p < 0.05). In addition, the proportion of residents with anorexia and mental illness among people with K6 score above the cut-off was higher than among people with K6 score below the cut-off (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). The amount of residents who scored 44 points or more in the PCL-S among people with K6 score above the cut-off was also considerably higher than among people with K6 score below the cut-off (79.4 vs 12.9%, p < 0.001). Interestingly, the proportion of residents who scored more than among people with K6 score above the cut-off and the among people with PCL-S score above the cut-off in Kawauchi was higher than in previous studies in other locations. Conclusions These results suggest that there are severe mental health problems, such as depression and PTSD, among adults as a consequence of the accident at the FDNPS. Our study showed that residents who lived in the evacuation zone before the disaster are at high risk psychological distress. To facilitate local residents’ recovery from Fukushima, there is a need to continue providing them with physical and mental support, as well as communication regarding the health risks of radiation.

A checkweigher is an automatic machine to measure the weight of in-motion products. We propose the mass estimation method for checkweighers only employs an adaptive FIR filter and a notch FIR filter. To minimize calculation load, the adaptive filter is composed of two coefficients to be updated every sampling period. It estimates the mass of object to be weighed and the natural frequency of the vibration of the mechanical structure for weighing in order to check the validity of the estimated mass. However the actual vibration of the mechanical structure for weighing often includes parasitic vibratory components such as the components generated by the collision of the object and weigh belt and caused by the micro-tremors of the floor where a checkweigher is installed. The notch filter is composed of notch zeros which cancel some of components of the tiny vibrations previously known and zeros for shaping which suppress the gain of the high frequency band. The filter significantly attenuates the vibration components of the weight signal filtered by the adaptive filter from the observation of its output signals. If the filtered weight signal is sufficiently smooth and its part available for estimating the mass of a product is fitted to a straight line, the slope of the line is almost equivalent to zero. By setting upper and lower thresholds for this slope and the natural frequency estimated using the adaptive filter mentioned above, the timing and duration for estimating the mass can be determined without any hardware device. In the present paper, with the detail observation of results obtained by applying the mentioned above methods, which are combined into one algorithm for weighing, to an actual weight signal, we demonstrate the availability and know-how for the implementation of the algorithm.

The cold start performance and ignition characteristics of coconut-oil methyl ester (CME) were investigated by using a diesel engine. Diesel fuel and CME were mixed and the blended ratio of CME was changed. The tests were conducted at full load and 3000 min-1. Diesel engine could be run stably with any mixing ratio of CME, however the power was slightly reduced with increasing CME mixing ratio. In cold start condition, when the mixing ratio of CME increased, the combustion chamber wall temperature rose quickly and the ignition timing was advanced. Therefore, CME had superior compression ignition characteristics in the cold start.

The purpose of this study is to elucidate flame propagation behavior under the application of uniform and non-uniform electric fields by using a constant volume vessel. Two electrodes are attached to the ceiling and the bottom of the combustion chamber and electric fields are applied in the direction of the chamber's vertical axis. A Nd:YAG laser is used to apply laser-induced breakdown for igniting the mixture at the center of the combustion chamber. A homogeneous propane-air mixture is supplied at three equivalence ratios of 0.7, 1.0 and 1.5 and ignited under atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Under a uniform electric field, the premixed flame rapidly propagates both upward and downward, forming a cylindrically shaped flame front. The maximum combustion pressure decreases with increasing input voltage because the flame front reaches the chamber wall rapidly and the heat loss to electrodes increases. However, the combustion duration is little affected by the input voltage. In a non-uniform electric field, the flame propagation velocity in the downward direction increases. Combustion is markedly enhanced when the input voltage is larger than 12 kV because a brush corona discharge occurs and intense turbulence is generated at the flame front. For both uniform and non-uniform electric fields, the horizontal flame velocity is almost the same.

In this research, we study on posture control of a two-link torque unit manipulator under the condition of viscous friction. The torque unit is a module which consists of an electric motor and a reaction wheel, and it can be set at any arbitrary position as actuators to control a rotating link system with free joints. In this paper, we propose a control method using a kinetic energy of the reaction wheel. The viscous friction cannot be ignored in the real system. There arises a problem such that angular momentum remains in the reaction wheel of the torque units by the influence of the viscous friction. Then, we clarify the relation between angular momentum of the reaction wheels and rotation angles of the links. First, we try to control the first link to an arbitrary reference position without regard for the angle of the second link. The angle of the first link can be controlled by changing the viscous friction between the first link and the base. Next, we try to control the second link to an arbitrary reference position by using the residual angular momentum of the reaction wheel on the second link. Finally, we propose a control method based on these ideas, and we confirm the feasibility of the proposed method through the numerical simulations.

We investigated hydrated antifreeze protein type III (AFP III) powder with a hydration level h (= mass of water/mass of protein) of 0.4 in the temperature range between 180 K and 298 K using X-ray diffraction and inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS). The X-ray diffraction data showed smooth, largely monotonic changes between 180 K and 298 K without freezing water. Meanwhile, the collective dynamics observed by IXS showed a strong change in the sound velocity at 180 K, after being largely temperature independent at higher temperatures (298-220 K). We interpret this change in terms of the dynamic transition previously discussed using other probes including THz IR absorption spectroscopy and incoherent elastic and quasi-elastic neutron scattering. This finding suggests that the dynamic transition of hydrated proteins is observable on the subpicosecond time scale as well as nano- and pico-second scales, both in collective dynamics from IXS and single particle dynamics from neutron scattering. Moreover, it is most likely that the dynamic transition of hydrated AFP III is not directly correlated with its hydration structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that oral microbiota forms distinct biofilms in different regions of the mouth that protect host tissues. It mentions that when homeostasis between host and microbiota is lost, oral microbiota can affect distant tissues and influence, for example, colorectal cancer cell proliferation and autoimmunity that leads to rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: We evaluated the mental health status of children residing in Kawauchi village (Kawauchi), Fukushima Prefecture, after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, based on the children's experience of the nuclear disaster. Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study within the framework of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS); FHMS data on age, sex, exercise habits, sleeping times, experience of the nuclear disaster, and the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)" scores for 156 children from Kawauchi in 2012 were collected. Groups with and without experience of the nuclear disaster -- "nuclear disaster (+)" and "nuclear disaster (-)" -- were also compared. Results: Our effective response was 93 (59.6%); the mean SDQ score was 11.4±6.8 among elementary school-aged participants and 12.4±6.8 among junior high school-aged ones. We statistically compared the Total Difficulties Scores (TDS) and sub-item scores of the SDQ between "elementary school" and "junior high school" or "nuclear disaster" (+) and (-). There was no significant difference between these items. Conclusions: We found indications of poor mental health among elementary and junior high school-aged children in the disaster area immediately following the accident, but no differences based on their experience of the nuclear disaster. These results indicate the possibility of triggering stress, separate to that from experiences related to the nuclear disaster, in children who lived in affected rural areas and were evacuated just after the nuclear disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We experienced a patient with multiple myeloma whose urine contained a considerable amount of Bence Jones protein (BJP), which demonstrated poor thermal reactivity in heat coagulation test. The mechanism for this phenomenon was assessed. Methods: Immunoelectrophoretic analyses reveal that a band corresponding to BJP in the urine had 2,600 Dalton by reduction after glycosidase treatment, but not after sialidase treatment. In addition, the glycosidase-treated urine tested positive in heat coagulation test. Conclusions: Glycosylation of the immunoglobulin light chain, which has rarely been seen, is the cause of the unexpected behavior of this patent's BJP in heat coagulation tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have developed a centipede-like multi-legged robot named i-CentiPot. This robot was developed to demonstrate our concept presented in the CREST project. In the project, we show that the existence of implicit control is important. i-CentiPot plays the part of the anchor example for our project.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we consider a posture control problem of a planar two-link torque unit manipulator under a viscous friction condition. The torque unit is a module that consists of an electric motor and a reaction wheel. The friction caused by the presence of a viscous environment cannot be ignored in the real system. In this report, we first clarify the relation between the angle of links and the angular momentum of the reaction wheels under the viscous friction condition. Next, we try to control the first link at an arbitrary reference position without taking into consideration the angle of the second link. The angle of the first link can be controlled by changing the viscous friction condition between the first link and the base. Moreover, we attempt to control the second link at an arbitrary reference position by using the residual angular momentum of the reaction wheel at the second link. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method by conducting a verification experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydridic-to-protonic interactions in unconventional dihydrogen bonding influence the structure, reactivity, and selectivity in solution and in the solid state. In this study, the structure, stability, and Raman spectra of BH4- hydrated clusters, [BH4(H2O)n]- (n = 1–8, 10, 12, 14, 16) are systematically investigated using density functional theory (DFT) at the wB97XD/6-311++g(3df,3pd) basis set level. The successive microhydration process is described to illustrate in detail the changes in dihydrogen bonding with increasing hydration cluster size. The results of DFT calculations indicate that seven or eight water molecules hydrate BH4– with a total of 12 dihydrogen bonds in the tetrahedral edge or tetrahedral corner forms, and a maximum of six water molecules in the tetrahedral-edge form. Raman spectra of [BH4(H2O)n]- show a blue shift in the B-H stretching band due to hydration. Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations verify strong BH4- water interactions. The hydration number of BH4- is 6.7, with a hydration B–O(W) distance of 3.40 Å, and each hydrogen in BH4- bonds with 2.66 hydrogen atoms from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermediate scattering functions of concentrated solutions of LiPF6 in propylene carbonate (PC) were measured at various temperatures, two different wavenumbers, and three different concentrations using neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the relaxation time was larger than that of the steady-state shear viscosity in all cases. The shear relaxation spectra were also determined at different temperatures. The normalized spectra reduced to a master curve when the frequency was multiplied by the steady-state shear viscosity, indicating that the temperature dependence of the steady-state shear viscosity can be explained by that of the relaxation time of the shear stress. It is thus suggested that the dynamics of the shear stress is decoupled from the structural dynamics on the molecular scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prepeak structure of a 3 mol/kg solution of LiClO4 in propylene carbonate (PC) was studied by both neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution (NDIS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The NDIS data showed that the intensity of the prepeak decreases experimentally with an increase in the scattering length of the lithium atom from 7Li to 6Li in PC-d6. On the other hand, although the prepeak was observed in solutions of both PC-d6 and PC-h6, it disappears when the 1:1 mixture of PC-d6 and PC-h6 was used as the solvent. The prepeak structure and its variation with the isotope substitution were reproduced well by MD simulation, and they were explained in terms of the contrast of the scattering length densities of the ionic and nonpolar domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we developed highly sodium-ion conductive Na2B10H10-Na2B12H12 pseudobinary complex hydride via mechanically ball-milling admixtures of the pure Na2B10H10 and Na2B12H12 components. Both of these components show a monoclinic phase at room temperature, but ball-milled mixtures partially stabilized highly ion-conductive, disordered cubic phases, whose fraction and favored structural symmetry (body-centered cubic or face-centered cubic) depended on the conditions of mechanical ball-milling and molar ratio of the component compounds. Firstprinciples molecular-dynamics simulations demonstrated that the total energy of the closo-borane mixtures and pure materials is quite close, helping to explain the observed stabilization of the mixed compounds. The ionic conductivity of the closo-borane mixtures appeared to be correlated with the fraction of the body-centered-cubic phase, exhibiting a maximum at a molar ratio of Na2B10H10:Na2B12H12=1:3. A conductivity as high as log(σ/S cm-1)=-3.5 was observed for the above ratio at 303 K, being approximately 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than that of either pure material. A bulk-type all-solid-state sodium-ion battery with a closo-borane-mixture electrolyte, sodium-metal negative-electrode, and TiS2 positive-electrode demonstrated a high specific capacity, close to the theoretical value of NaTiS2 formation and a stable discharge/charge cycling for at least eleven cycles, with a high discharge capacity retention ratio above 91% from the second cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since radiation accidents, particularly nuclear disasters, are rarer than other types of disasters, a comprehensive radiation disaster medical curriculum for them is currently unavailable. The Fukushima compound disaster has urged the establishment of a new medical curriculum in preparation for any future complex disaster. The medical education will aim to aid decision making on various health risks for workers, vulnerable people, and residents addressing each phase in the disaster. Herein, we introduce 3 novel educational programs that have been initiated to provide students, professionals, and leaders with the knowledge of and skills to elude the social consequences of complex nuclear disasters. The first program concentrates on radiation disaster medicine for medical students at the Fukushima Medical University, together with a science, technology, and society module comprising various topics, such as public risk communication, psychosocial consequences of radiation anxiety, and decision making for radiation disaster. The second program is a Phoenix Leader PhD degree at the Hiroshima University, which aims to develop future leaders who can address the associated scientific, environmental, and social issues. The third program is a joint Graduate School of Master's degree in the Division of Disaster and Radiation Medical Sciences at the Nagasaki University and Fukushima Medical University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a shelled track using bent track shoes for flexible mono-tread mobile track (FMT). FMT is flexible mono-tread tracked vehicle, which could run on various rough terrains. We expect to apply the FMT to missions on rough terrain, such as search and rescue activities and environmental investigations including planetary exploration. However, the edge of the track shoes deflected when they touched to a prominence of obstacles and interfered to the body. The side surface of the FMT was not covered with the track shoes, and thus the weak parts made from ABS plastic were broken. Moreover, there is no practical camera system for teleoperation of FMT. Generally, a bird's-eye view is practical for teleoperation of a small ground vehicle. However, a camera (sometime with a long arm) and a laser sensor for the bird's-eye view implemented on the robot's deck is not suitable to take advantage of FMT, i.e., almost all the surface is covered by the track belt. In the study, we introduce a shelled track belt using a rigid and bent track shoe to cover the body, develop a new FMT prototype, RT05-COBRA, propose a dual-camera system that covered wide-range view in a horizontal plane, and evaluate its mobility using standard fields based on International Standard Test (NIST) regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In Japan, public health nurses (PHNs) play important roles in managing the health of local residents, especially after a disaster. In this study, we assessed radiation anxiety and the stress processing capacity of PHNs in the Fukushima Prefecture in Japan, after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey among the PHNs (n=430) in July of 2015 via postal mail. The questions included demographic factors (sex, age and employment position), knowledge about radiation, degree of anxiety about radiation at the time of the FDNPS accident (and at present), by asking them to answer questions about radiation and the Sense of Coherence-13 (SOC-13). We classified the low and high levels of anxiety by asking them to answer questions about radiation, and compared the anxiety-negative (-) group with the anxiety-positive (+) group. Results: Of the PHNs, 269 (62.6%) were classified in the anxiety (-) group and 161 (37.4%) were in the anxiety (+) group. When the multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted, the PHNs at the time of the accident (OR: 2.37, p=0.007), current general anxieties about radiation (OR: 3.56, p<0.001), current possession of materials to obtain knowledge about radiation (OR: 2.11, p=0.006) and knowledge of the childhood thyroid cancer increase after the Chernobyl accident (OR: 1.69, p=0.035) were significantly associated with anxiety after the FDNPS accident. The mean SOC-13 was 43.0±7.7, with no significant difference between the anxiety (-) group and anxiety (+) group (p=0.47). Conclusions: Our study suggested that anxiety about radiation was associated with materials and knowledge about radiation in the PHNs in the Fukushima Prefecture 4 years after the FDNPS accident. It is important for PHNs to obtain knowledge and teaching materials about radiation, and radiation education programmes for PHNs must be established in areas that have nuclear facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by an extensive desmoplastic stromal response. Fibroblast activation protein-ct (FAP) is best known for its presence in stromal cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Our aim was to assess whether FAP expression was associated with the prognosis of patients with PDAC and to investigate how FAP expressing CAFs contribute to the progression of PDAC. Methods: FAP expression was immunohistochemically assessed in 48 PDAC specimens. We also generated a fibroblastic cell line stably expressing FAP, and examined the effect of FAP-expressing fibroblasts on invasiveness and the cell cycle in MiaPaCa-2 cells (a pancreatic cancer cell line). Results: Stromal FAP expression was detected in 98 % (47/48) of the specimens of PDAC, with the intensity being weak in 16, moderate in 19, and strong in 12 specimens, but was not detected in the 3 control noncancerous pancreatic specimens. Patients with moderate or strong FAP expression had significantly lower cumulative survival rates than those with negative or weak FAP expression (mean survival time; 352 vs. 497 days, P= 0.006). Multivariate analysis identified moderate to strong expression of FAP as one of the factors associated with the prognosis in patients with PDAC. The intensity of stromal FAP expression was also positively correlated to the histological differentiation of PDAC (P < 0.05). FAP-expressing fibroblasts promoted the invasiveness of MiaPaCa-2 cells more intensively than fibroblasts not expressing FAP. Coculture with FAP-expressing fibroblasts significantly activated cell cycle shift in MiaPaCa-2 cells compared to coculture with fibroblasts not expressing FAP. Furthermore, coculture with FAP expressing fibroblasts inactivated retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, an inhibitor of cell cycle progression, in MiaPaCa-2 cells by promoting phosphorylation of Rb. Conclusions: The present in vitro results and the association of FAP expression with clinical outcomes provide us with a better understanding of the effect of FAP-expressing CAFs on the progression of PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by an extensive desmoplastic stromal response. Fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP) is best known for its presence in stromal cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Our aim was to assess whether FAP expression was associated with the prognosis of patients with PDAC and to investigate how FAP expressing CAFs contribute to the progression of PDAC. Methods: FAP expression was immunohistochemically assessed in 48 PDAC specimens. We also generated a fibroblastic cell line stably expressing FAP, and examined the effect of FAP-expressing fibroblasts on invasiveness and the cell cycle in MiaPaCa-2 cells (a pancreatic cancer cell line). Results: Stromal FAP expression was detected in 98 % (47/48) of the specimens of PDAC, with the intensity being weak in 16, moderate in 19, and strong in 12 specimens, but was not detected in the 3 control noncancerous pancreatic specimens. Patients with moderate or strong FAP expression had significantly lower cumulative survival rates than those with negative or weak FAP expression (mean survival time; 352 vs. 497 days, P= 0.006). Multivariate analysis identified moderate to strong expression of FAP as one of the factors associated with the prognosis in patients with PDAC. The intensity of stromal FAP expression was also positively correlated to the histological differentiation of PDAC (P < 0.05). FAP-expressing fibroblasts promoted the invasiveness of MiaPaCa-2 cells more intensively than fibroblasts not expressing FAP. Coculture with FAP-expressing fibroblasts significantly activated cell cycle shift in MiaPaCa-2 cells compared to coculture with fibroblasts not expressing FAP. Furthermore, coculture with FAP expressing fibroblasts inactivated retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, an inhibitor of cell cycle progression, in MiaPaCa-2 cells by promoting phosphorylation of Rb. Conclusions: The present in vitro results and the association of FAP expression with clinical outcomes provide us with a better understanding of the effect of FAP-expressing CAFs on the progression of PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) has been widely used for unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. However, many patients develop local recurrence after CRT. In this study, we hypothesized that the immunotherapy by peptide vaccine may be effective for the eradication of minimal residual cancer cells after CRT. This study was conducted as a phase I clinical trial of multiple-peptide vaccine therapy combined with CRT on patients with unresectable ESCC. Patients and methods HLA-A*2402 positive 11 unresectable chemo-naïve ESCC patients were treated by HLA-A* 2402-restricted multi-peptide vaccine combined with CRT. The peptide vaccine included the 5 peptides as follows; TTK protein kinase (TTK), up-regulated lung cancer 10 (URLC10), insulin-like growth factor-II mRNA binding protein 3 (KOC1), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and 2 (VEGFR2). CRT consisted of radiotherapy (60 Gy) with concurrent cisplatin (40 mg/m2) and 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2). Peptide vaccines mixed with incomplete Freund's adjuvant were injected subcutaneously once a week on at least 8 occasions combined with CRT. Results Vaccination with CRT therapy was well-tolerated, and no severe adverse effects were observed. In the case of grade 3 toxicities, leucopenia, neutropenia, anemia and thrombocutopenia occurred in 54.5%, 27.3%, 27.3% and 9.1% of patients, respectively. Grade 1 local skin reactions in the injection sites of vaccination were observed in 81.8% of patients. The expressions of HLA class I, URLC10, TTK, KOC1, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 antigens were observed in the tumor tissues of all patients. All patients showed peptidespecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes responses in at least one of the 5 kinds of peptide antigens during the vaccination. Six cases of complete response (CR) and 5 cases of progressive disease (PD) were observed after the 8th vaccination. The 4 CR patients who continued the peptide vaccination experienced long consistent CR for 2.0, 2.9 4.5 and 4.6 years. Conclusions A combination therapy of multi-peptide vaccine with CRT can successfully be performed with satisfactory levels of safety, and application of this combination therapy may be an effective treatment for patients with unresectable ESCC. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.gov, number NCT 00632333. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Corneal ulceration leading to perforation is associated with infectious and non-infectious destructive conditions in the cornea. The fibrinolytic (plasminogen/plasmin) system is considered to contribute to tissue remodeling in the wound healing process and it is believed to play an important role in proteolysis and fibrosis. To determine the localization of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), u-PA receptor (u-PAR) and α2-antiplasmin (α2AP) in the tissue of a corneal perforation, we investigated immune histochemical expressions ofu-PA, u-PAR, α2AP, CD68, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in a patient with corneal perforation that developed from an ulcer of no clear cause. Case presentation: The patient was a 77-year-old woman who presented with a perforated corneal ulcer in her right eye. The cause of her corneal ulcer was unknown. Double immune histochemistry was performed for the combinations of u-PA with u-PAR, CD68 or α-SMA and α2AP with CD68 or α-SMA to detect the localization of u-PA and α2AP. u-PA and u-PAR co-localization was seen in the corneal ulceration area. u-PA was mainly observed inCD68-positive cells and in some α-SMA positive cells. On the other hand, α2AP was not expressed in CD68-positivecells, but was expressed in α-SMA positive cell. Conclusion: We identified expression of the u-PA/u-PAR complex and ?2AP in a patient with a corneal ulcer. These two molecules are believed to play a crucial role in inflammatory cell recruitment, ECM synthesis and degradation during corneal wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper based on a presentation at the 30th International Conference on Solution Chemistry (ICSC 30), 16-20 July 2007, Perth, Australia. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 1195-1347.The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 (CI2) have been measured as a function of alcohol mole fraction in aqueous mixtures of methanol, ethanol, trifluoroethanol (TFE), and hexafluoro-iso-propanol (HFIP). Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) of CI2 was also measured as a function of ethanol mole fraction in ethanol-water mixtures. The CD spectra have shown that the secondary structure of CI2 changes from β-strand to α-helical structure at alcohol mole fractions characteristic of the individual alcohols in an order of HFIP > TFE > ethanol > methanol in effectiveness, where the structure transition of solvent clusters takes place from the typical tetrahedral-like water to the chain-like alcohol clusters in alcohol-water mixtures previously reported. The radius of gyration of CI2, obtained from the analysis of the SANS data, increased with an increase in ethanol mole fraction up to around 0.2 and then gradually decreased. The SAXS data have shown that the shape of CI2 changes from a sphere to a rod-like one at a 0.1 ethanol mole fraction. A possible role of solvent clusters played in alcohol-induced α-helix formation of CI2 is discussed from a viewpoint of the solvent clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the combination of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and partial splenic embolization (PSE) compared with EVL alone in cirrhosis patients with thrombocytopenia. In a prospective study, 84 cirrhosis patients with esophageal varices and thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 50,000/mm3) underwent EVL plus PSE (N = 42) or EVL alone (N = 42). Primary end points assessed during the follow-up period included the recurrence of varices, progression to variceal bleeding, and death. Comparison between combined treatment and variceal ligation alone by multivariate analysis showed a hazard ratio of 0.44 for the recurrence of varices (P = 0.02), 0.19 for progression to variceal bleeding (P = 0.01), and 0.31 for death (P = 0.04). These results suggest that the combination of EVL plus PSE can prevent the recurrence of varices, progression to variceal bleeding, and death in cirrhosis patients with esophageal varices and thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]