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Aims Clinical scores that consider physical and social factors to predict long‐term observations in patients after acute heart failure are limited. This study aimed to develop and validate a prediction model for patients with acute heart failure at the time of discharge. Methods and results This study was retrospective analysis of the Kitakawachi Clinical Background and Outcome of Heart Failure Registry database. The registry is a prospective, multicentre cohort of patients with acute heart failure between April 2015 and August 2017. The primary outcome to be predicted was the incidence of all‐cause mortality during the 3 years of follow‐up period. The development cohort derived from April 2015 to July 2016 was used to build the prediction model, and the test cohort from August 2016 to August 2017 was used to evaluate the prediction model. The following potential predictors were selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method: age, sex, body mass index, activities of daily living at discharge, social background, comorbidities, biomarkers, and echocardiographic findings; a risk scoring system was developed using a logistic model to predict the outcome using a simple integer based on each variable's β coefficient. Out of 1253 patients registered, 1117 were included in the analysis and divided into the development (n = 679) and test (n = 438) cohorts. The outcomes were 246 (36.2%) in the development cohort and 143 (32.6%) in the test cohort. Eleven variables including physical and social factors were set into the logistic regression model, and the risk scoring system was created. The patients were divided into three groups: low risk (score 0–5), moderate risk (score 6–11), and high risk (score ≥12). The observed and predicted mortality rates were described by the Kaplan–Meier curve divided by risk group and independently increased (P

A new antibacterial 3-monoacyl-sn-glycerol, nostochopcerol (1), was isolated from a cultured algal mass of edible cyanobacterium Nostochopsis lobatus MAC0804NAN. The structure of 1 was established by the analysis of NMR and MS data while its chirality was established by comparison of optical rotation with synthetically prepared authentics. Compound 1 inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus at MIC 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL, respectively.

High defect tolerance has been considered a primary reason for the long charge carrier lifetime and high photoluminescence quantum yield in bulk lead halide perovskites (LHPs). On the other hand, surface defects play a critical role in determining charge carrier dynamics and optical properties, especially for LHP nanocrystals and quantum dots. Understanding the nature of surface defects and developing strategy for their effective passivation are thus of strong interest. Focusing on a prototypical LHP, CsPbBr3, our work uses first-principles calculations to reveal that interstitial sites and antisites can have lower formation energies when they form at the surface while simultaneously creating deep trap states within the bandgap. Meanwhile, the formation of halide vacancies is energetically less favorable. On the basis of a new surface defect model, we demonstrate the explicit role of molecular ligands in passivating these defects, which eliminate trap states in favor of shallow states and enhance photoluminescence.

Background In Japan, both the prevalence of the elderly and super‐elderly and those of acute heart failure (AHF) have been increasing rapidly. Methods This registry was a prospective multicenter cohort, which enrolled a total of 1253 patients with AHF. In this study, 1117 patients' follow‐up data were available and were categorized into three groups according to age

Background: This study investigated whether combination therapy (CT) with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors and β-blockers improved endpoints in acute heart failure (AHF). Methods and Results: AHF patients were recruited to this prospective multicenter cohort study between April 2015 and August 2017. Patients were divided into 3 categories based on ejection fraction (EF), namely heart failure (HF) with reduced EF (HFrEF), HF with midrange EF (HFmrEF), and HF with preserved EF (HFpEF), and a further into 2 groups according to physical status (those who could walk independently outdoors and those who could not). The composite endpoint included all-cause mortality and hospitalization for HF. Data at the 1-year follow-up were available for 1,018 patients. The incidence of the composite endpoint was significantly lower in the CT than non-CT group for HFrEF patients, but not among HFmrEF and HFpEF patients. For patients who could walk independently outdoors, a significantly lower rate of the composite endpoint was recorded only in the HFrEF group. The differences were maintained even after adjustment for comorbidities and prescriptions, with hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.39 (0.20-0.76) and 0.48 (0.22-0.99), respectively. Conclusions: In this study, CT was associated with the prevention of adverse outcomes in patients with HFrEF. Moreover, CT prevented adverse events only among patients without a physical disorder, not among those with a physical disorder.

Kensuke Takabayashi, Kotaro Iwatsu, Tsutomu Ikeda, Yuko Morikami, Tahei Ichinohe, Takashi Yamamoto, Kotoe Takenaka, Hiroyuki Takenaka, Hiroyuki Muranaka, Ryoko Fujita, Miyuki Okuda, Osamu Nakajima, Hitoshi Koito, Yuka Terasaki, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Shouji Kitaguchi, Ryuji Nohara, Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Heart Failure Patients With Long-Term Care Insurance ― Insights From the Kitakawachi Clinical Background and Outcome of Heart Failure Registry ―, Circulation Journal, 2020, Volume 84, Issue 9, Pages 1528-1535, Released August 25, 2020, [Advance publication] Released July 21, 2020, Online ISSN 1347-4820, Print ISSN 1346-9843, https://doi.org/10.1253/circj.CJ-20-0017, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/circj/84/9/84_CJ-20-0017/_article/-char/en, Background: In Japan, the long-term care insurance (LTCI) system has an important role in helping elderly people, but there have been no clinical studies that have examined the relationship between the LTCI and prognosis for patients with acute heart failure (HF). Methods and Results: This registry was a prospective multicenter cohort, 1,253 patients were enrolled and 965 patients with acute HF aged ≥65 years were comprised the study group. The composite endpoint included all-cause death and hospitalization for HF after discharge. We divided the patients into 4 groups: (i) patients without LTCI, (ii) patients requiring support level 1 or 2, (iii) patients with care level 1 or 2, and (iv) patients with care levels 3-5. The Kaplan-Meier analysis identified a lower rate of the composite endpoint in group (i) than in the other groups. After adjusting for potentially confounding effects using a Cox proportional regression model, the hazard ratio (HR) of the composite endpoint increased significantly in groups (iii) and (iv) (adjusted HR, 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.98 and adjusted HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.23-2.14, respectively) when compared with group (i). However, there was no significant difference between groups (i) and (ii). Conclusions: The level of LTCI was associated with a higher risk of the composite endpoint after discharge in acute HF patients.

The packing structures of organic semiconductors in the solid state play critical roles in determining the performances of their optoelectronic devices, such as organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). It is a formidable challenge to rationally design molecular packing in the solid state owing to the difficulty of controlling intermolecular interactions. Here we report a unique materials design strategy based on the β-methylthionation of acenedithiophenes to generally and selectively control the packing structures of materials to create organic semiconductors rivalling rubrene, a benchmark high-mobility material with a characteristic pitched π-stacking structure in the solid state. Furthermore, the effect of the β-methylthionation on the packing structure was analyzed by Hirshfeld surface analysis together with theoretical calculations based on symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). The results clearly demonstrated that the β-methylthionation of acenedithiophenes can universally alter the intermolecular interactions by disrupting the favorable edge-to-face manner in the parent acenedithiophenes and simultaneously inducing face-to-face and end-to-face interactions in the β-methylthionated acenedithiophenes. This “disrupt and induce” strategy to manipulate intermolecular interactions can open a door to rational packing design based on the molecular structure., The rational design of organic semiconductor crystals is realized by β-methylthionation of acenedithiophenes through manipulating intermolecular interactions in a “disrupt and induce” manner.

We investigate energetically favorable structures of $AB{\mathrm{O}}_{2}\mathrm{N}$ oxynitrides as functions of pressure and strain via swarm-intelligence-based structure prediction methods, density functional theory (DFT) lattice dynamics and first-principles molecular dynamics. We predict several thermodynamically stable polar oxynitride perovskites under high pressures. In addition, we find that ferroelectric polar phases of perovskite-structured oxynitrides can be thermodynamically stable and synthesized at high pressure on appropriate substrates. The dynamical stability of the ferroelectric oxynitrides under epitaxial strain at ambient pressure also implies the possibility to synthesize them using pulsed laser deposition or other atomic layer deposition methods. Our results have broad implications for further exploration of other oxynitride materials as well. We performed first-principles molecular dynamics and find that the polar perovskite of ${\mathrm{YSiO}}_{2}\mathrm{N}$ ($I4cm$) is metastable up to at least 600 K under compressive epitaxial strain before converting to the stable wollastonitelike structures ($I4/mcm$). We predict that ${\mathrm{YGeO}}_{2}\mathrm{N}, {\mathrm{LaSiO}}_{2}\mathrm{N}$, and ${\mathrm{LaGeO}}_{2}\mathrm{N}$ are metastable as ferroelectric perovskites ($P4mm$) at zero pressure even without epitaxial strain.

Through First-Principles real-time Density-Matrix (FPDM) dynamics simulations, we investigate spin relaxation due to electron-phonon and electron-impurity scatterings with spin-orbit coupling in two-dimensional Dirac materials - silicene and germanene, at finite temperatures and under external fields. We discussed the applicability of conventional descriptions of spin relaxation mechanisms by Elliott-Yafet (EY) and D'yakonov-Perel' (DP) compared to our FPDM method, which is determined by a complex interplay of intrinsic spin-orbit coupling, external fields, and electron-phonon coupling strength, beyond crystal symmetry. For example, the electric field dependence of spin relaxation time is close to DP mechanism for silicene at room temperature, but rather similar to EY mechanism for germanene. Due to its stronger spin-orbit coupling strength and buckled structure in sharp contrast to graphene, germanene has a giant spin lifetime anisotropy and spin valley locking effect under nonzero Ez and relatively low temperature. More importantly, germanene has extremely long spin lifetime (~100 ns at 50 K) and ultrahigh carrier mobility, which makes it advantageous for spin-valleytronic applications., 9 pages, 4 figures

Systematic investigation on selenium modification of 3,7-bis(methylthio)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (1) that affords the rubrene-like pitched π-stack in the solid state was carried out to elucid...

We investigated the effect of evodiamine-containing microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta (DT) on the prevention of diet-induced obesity in a thermoneutral C57BL/6J male (30 &deg, C). It attenuates the activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT), which accelerates diet-induced obesity. Nine-week-old mice were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 10 g (Low group) or 25 g (High group) DT powder per kg food for 12 weeks. Compared to control mice without DT supplementation, body weight gain was significantly reduced in the High group with no difference in food intake. Tissue analyses indicated maintenance of multilocular morphology in BAT and reduced fat deposition in liver in DT-supplemented mice. Molecular analysis showed a significant decrease in mammalian target of rapamycin&minus, ribosomal S6 protein kinase signaling pathway in white adipose tissue and upregulation in mRNA expression of brown fat-associated genes including fibroblast growth factor-21 (Fgf21) and uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) in BAT in the High group compared to the control. In the experiments using C3H10T1/2 adipocytes, DT extract upregulated mRNA expression of brown fat-associated genes in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners, accompanied by a significant increase in secreted FGF21 levels. Our data show the ability of DT as a nutraceutical to prevent brown fat attenuation and diet-induced obesity in vivo.

Kensuke Takabayashi, Akihiro Ikuta, Yoshinori Okazaki, Mariko Ogami, Kotaro Iwatsu, Koichi Matsumura, Tsutomu Ikeda, Tahei Ichinohe, Yuko Morikami, Takashi Yamamoto, Ryoko Fujita, Kotoe Takenaka, Hiroyuki Takenaka, Yoshisumi Haruna, Hiroyuki Muranaka, Masaaki Ozaki, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Shouji Kitaguchi, Ryuji Nohara, Clinical Characteristics and Social Frailty of Super-Elderly Patients With Heart Failure ― The Kitakawachi Clinical Background and Outcome of Heart Failure Registry ―, Circulation Journal, 2017, Volume 81, Issue 1, Pages 69-76, Released December 22, 2016, [Advance publication] Released November 30, 2016, Online ISSN 1347-4820, Print ISSN 1346-9843, https://doi.org/10.1253/circj.CJ-16-0914, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/circj/81/1/81_CJ-16-0914/_article/-char/en, Background: Social background is important in preventing admission/readmission of heart failure (HF) patients. However, few clinical studies have been conducted to assess the social background of these patients, especially elderly patients. Methods and Results: The Kitakawachi Clinical Background and Outcome of Heart Failure (KICKOFF) Registry is a prospective multicenter community-based cohort of HF patients, established in April 2015. We compared the clinical characteristics and social background of the super-elderly group (≥85 years old) and the non-super-elderly group (

Understanding and ultimately controlling the large electromechanical effects in relaxor ferroelectrics requires intimate knowledge of how the local-polar order evolves under applied stimuli. Here, the biaxial-strain-induced evolution of and correlations between polar structures and properties in epitaxial films of the prototypical relaxor ferroelectric 0.68PbMg1/3 Nb2/3 O3 -0.32PbTiO3 are investigated. X-ray diffuse-scattering studies reveal an evolution from a butterfly- to disc-shaped pattern and an increase in the correlation-length from ≈8 to ≈25 nm with increasing compressive strain. Molecular-dynamics simulations reveal the origin of the changes in the diffuse-scattering patterns and that strain induces polarization rotation and the merging of the polar order. As the magnitude of the strain is increased, relaxor behavior is gradually suppressed but is not fully quenched. Analysis of the dynamic evolution of dipole alignment in the simulations reveals that, while, for most unit-cell chemistries and configurations, strain drives a tendency toward more ferroelectric-like order, there are certain unit cells that become more disordered under strain, resulting in stronger competition between ordered and disordered regions and enhanced overall susceptibilities. Ultimately, this implies that deterministic creation of specific local chemical configurations could be an effective way to enhance relaxor performance.

Introduction: Kluyvera ascorbata is a gram-negative, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, aerobic fermentative bacterium with flagella. This organism colonizes in the human body and its pathogenicity is extremely low; few clinical cases of K. ascorbata infection have been reported. Presentation of case: We report on a patient who experienced severe sepsis and acute cholangitis due to K. ascorbata bacteremia and was treated with levofloxacin following antibiotic susceptibility testing. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of third-generation cephalosporins resistant K. ascorbata infection in Japan. Discussion: Although this pathogen produces innate CTX-M type β-lactamases and is generally resistant to first- and second-generation penicillins and cephalosporins, multi-drug resistant K. ascorbata infection, including ceftriaxone resistant infection has seldom been reported. Conclusion: The increase of drug-resistant pathogens is of concern; in such cases, rapid microbial identification and appropriate antibiotic selection are crucial for successful treatment. Keywords: Kluyvera ascorbata, Cholangitis, Bacteremia, CTX-M type β-lactamase

Topological antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics is an emerging field of research, which involves the topological electronic states coupled to the AFM order parameter known as the N$\acute{\rm e}$el vector. The control of these states is envisioned through manipulation of the N$\acute{\rm e}$el vector by spin-orbit torques driven by electric currents. Here we propose a different approach favorable for low-power AFM spintronics, where the control of the topological states in a two-dimensional material, such as graphene, is performed via the proximity effect by the voltage induced switching of the N$\acute{\rm e}$el vector in an adjacent magnetoelectric AFM insulator, such as chromia. Mediated by the symmetry protected boundary magnetization and the induced Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling at the interface between graphene and chromia, the emergent topological phases in graphene can be controlled by the N$\acute{\rm e}$el vector. Using density functional theory and tight-binding Hamiltonian approaches, we model a graphene/Cr2O3 (0001) interface and demonstrate non-trivial band gap openings in the graphene Dirac bands asymmetric between the K and K' valleys. This gives rise to an unconventional quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) with a quantized value of $2e^2/h$ and an additional step-like feature at a value close to $e^2/2h$, and the emergence of the spin-polarized valley Hall effect (VHE). Furthermore, depending on the N$\acute{\rm e}$el vector orientation, we predict the appearance and transformation of different topological phases in graphene across the $180^{\circ}$ AFM domain wall, involving the QAHE, the valley-polarized QAHE and the quantum VHE (QVHE), and the emergence of the chiral edge state along the domain wall. These topological properties are controlled by voltage through magnetoelectric switching of the AFM insulator with no need for spin-orbit torques., Comment: The main text and supplementary material are merged. 9 pages and 6 figures in the main text. 5 pages and 5 figures in supplementary material

Although activities of daily living (ADL) are recognized as being pertinent in averting relevant readmission of heart failure (HF) and mortality, little research has been conducted to assess a correlation between a decline in ADL and outcomes in HF patients.The Kitakawachi Clinical Background and Outcome of Heart Failure Registry is a prospective, multicenter, community-based cohort of HF patients. We categorized the patients into four types of ADL: independent outdoor walking, independent indoor walking, indoor walking with assistance, and abasia. We defined a decline in ADL (decline ADL) as downgrade of ADL and others (non-decline ADL) as preservation of ADL before discharge compared with admission.Among 1253 registered patients, 923 were eligible, comprising 98 (10.6%) with decline ADL and 825 (89.4%) with non-decline ADL. Decline ADL exhibited a higher risk of hospitalization for HF and mortality compared with non-decline ADL. A multivariate analysis revealed that decline ADL emerged as an independent risk factor of hospitalization for HF [hazard ratio (HR), 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.96; p=0.046] and mortality (HR, 1.95; 95% CI: 1.23-2.99; p0.01). Although 66.3% of patients with decline ADL were registered for long-term care insurance, few received daycare services (32.7%) or home-visit medical services (8.2%).Decline in ADL is a predictor of hospitalization for HF and mortality in HF patients.

A paradigm relating ultrahigh piezoelectricity and multiscale inhomogeneous structure in relaxor ferroelectrics emerges from state-of-the-art neutron and X-ray diffuse scattering measurements.

We have investigated the effect of transition-metal dopants on the local structure of the prototypical $0.75\mathrm{Pb}({\mathrm{Mg}}_{1/3}{\mathrm{Nb}}_{2/3}){\mathrm{O}}_{3}\text{\ensuremath{-}}0.25{\mathrm{PbTiO}}_{3}$ relaxor ferroelectric. We find that these dopants give rise to very different local structure and other physical properties. For example, when Mg is partially substituted by Cu or Zn, the displacement of Cu or Zn is much larger than that of Mg and is even comparable to that of Nb. The polarization of these systems is also increased, especially for the Cu-doped solution, due to the large polarizability of Cu and Zn. As a result, the predicted maximum dielectric constant temperatures ${T}_{\mathrm{m}}$ are increased. On the other hand, the replacement of a Ti atom with a Mo or Tc atom dramatically decreases the displacements of the cations and the polarization, and thus, the ${T}_{\mathrm{m}}$ values are also substantially decreased. The higher ${T}_{\mathrm{m}}$ cannot be explained by the conventional argument based on the ionic radii of the cations. Furthermore, we find that Cu, Mo, or Tc doping increases the cation displacement disorder. The effect of the dopants on the temperature dispersion $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{T}_{\mathrm{m}}$, which is the change in ${T}_{\mathrm{m}}$ for different frequencies, is also discussed. Our findings lay the foundation for further investigations of unexplored dopants.

Organometal halide perovskites have been intensely studied in the past 5 years, inspired by their certified high photovoltaic power conversion efficiency. Some of these materials are room-temperature ferroelectrics. The presence of switchable ferroelectric domains in methylammonium lead triiodide, CH3NH3PbI3, has recently been observed via piezoresponse force microscopy. Here, we focus on the structural and electronic properties of ferroelectric domain walls in CH3NH3PbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I). We find that organometal halide perovskites can form both charged and uncharged domain walls due to the flexible orientational order of the organic molecules. The electronic band gaps for domain structures possessing 180 and 90° walls are estimated with density functional theory. It is found that the presence of charged domain walls will significantly reduce the band gap by 20-40%, while the presence of uncharged domain walls has no substantial impact on the band gap. We demonstrate that charged domain walls can serve as segregated channels for the motions of charge carriers. These results highlight the importance of ferroelectric domain walls in hybrid perovskites for photovoltaic applications and suggest a possible avenue for device optimization through domain patterning.

A UV-absorbing compound was purified and identified as a novel glycosylated mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA), 13-O-β-galactosyl-porphyra-334 (β-Gal-P334) from the edible cyanobacterium Nostoc sphaericum, known as "ge xian mi" in China and "cushuro" in Peru. Occurrence of the hexosylated derivative of shinorine (hexosyl-shinorine) was also supported by LC-MS/MS analysis. β-Gal-P334 accounted for about 86.5% of total MAA in N. sphaericum, followed by hexosyl-shinorine (13.2%) and porphyra-334 (0.2%). β-Gal-P334 had an absorption maximum at 334nm and molecular absorption coefficient was 46,700 at 334nm. Protection activity of β-Gal-P334 from UVB and UVA+8-methoxypsoralen induced cell damage on human keratinocytes (HaCaT) was assayed in comparison with other MAA (porphyra-334, shinorine, palythine and mycosporine-glycine). The UVB protection activity was highest in mycosporine-glycine, followed by palythine, β-Gal-P334, porphyra-334 and shinorine in order. β-Gal-P334 had highest protection activity from UVA+8-methoxypsoralen induced cell damage followed by porphyra-334, shinorine, mycosporine-glycine and palythine. We also found an antioxidant (radical-scavenging) activity of β-Gal-P334 by colorimetric and ESR methods. From these findings, β-Gal-P334 was suggested to play important roles in stress tolerant mechanisms such as UV and oxidative stress in N. sphaericum as a major MAA. We also consider that the newly identified MAA, β-Gal-P334 has a potential for use as an ingredient of cosmetics and toiletries.

Relaxor ferroelectrics have been a focus of intense attention due to their fascinating physical properties. Their diffuse phase transitions have been explained by the polar nanoregion model. Nevertheless, fundamental characterization of structure and dynamics in relaxors is still a long-standing challenge. Better scientific understanding of the microscopic origins of relaxor behavior is also required to improve efficiencies of relaxor based devices. Our molecular dynamics studies in 0.75PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.25PbTiO3 showed good agreement with experimental data and revealed conflicts with the current polar nanoregion model. Here, we review our work and propose an alternate model for structure and dynamics in the relaxor phase.

Vitamin B12 contents in the edible cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme, also known as hair vegetable, were assayed using a microbiological method. We detected high vitamin B12 contents in samples of naturally grown cells (109.2 ± 18.5 μg/100g dry weight) and cultured cells (120.2 ± 53.6 μg/100g dry weight). However, commercially available hair vegetable samples, which comprised fake substitutes and Nostoc, had variable contents (4.8 - 101.6 μg/100g dry weight) because concomitant fake items contain very low vitamin B12 contents. To evaluate whether natural and cultured N. flagelliforme samples contained vitamin B12 or pseudovitamin B12, corrinoid compounds were purified and identified as pseudovitamin B12 (approximately 72%) and vitamin B12 (approximately 28%) using silica gel 60 TLC bioautography and LC/MS. The results suggested that N. flagelliforme contains substantial amounts of pseudovitamin B12, which is inactive in humans.

In this study, we examined the effect of a hot-water extract of coccolithophore Pleurochrysis carterae on melanogenesis in B16F1 and B16F10 melanoma cells. P. carterae extract inhibited the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-enhanced melanin synthesis in B16F1 melanoma cells. P. carterae also inhibited unstimulated melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. Western blotting showed that the P. carterae extract inhibited tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) in a dose-dependent manner. The reporter assay also revealed a decline in the tyrosinase promoter activity in the presence of P. carterae extract. Furthermore, quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that P. carterae extract downregulated the mRNA levels of tyrosinase and MITF. Finally, our study demonstrated that the hot-water extract of P. carterae inhibits melanin synthesis via the down-regulation of MITF mRNA level. Our findings indicate that P. carterae extract could be a possible cosmetic ingredient.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released large amounts of radioactive substances into the environment and contaminated the soil of Tohoku and Kanto districts in Japan. Removal of radioactive material from the environment is an urgent problem, and soil purification using plants is being considered. In this study, we investigated the ability of 12 seed plant species and a cyanobacterium to accumulate radioactive material. The plants did not accumulate radioactive material at high levels, but high accumulation was observed in the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune. In Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, N. commune accumulated 415,000 Bq/kg dry weight (134)Cs and 607,000 Bq kg(-1) dry weight (137)Cs. The concentration of cesium in N. commune tended to be high in areas where soil radioactivity was high. A cultivation experiment confirmed that N. commune absorbed radioactive cesium from polluted soil. These data demonstrated that radiological absorption using N. commune might be suitable for decontaminating polluted soil.

Despite more than 50 years of investigation, it is still unclear how the underlying structure of relaxor ferroelectrics gives rise to their defining properties, such as ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficients, high permittivity over a broad temperature range, diffuse phase transitions, strong frequency dependence in dielectric response, and phonon anomalies. The model of polar nanoregions inside a non-polar matrix has been widely used to describe the structure of relaxor ferroelectrics. However, the lack of precise knowledge about the shapes, growth and dipole patterns of polar nanoregions has led to the characterization of relaxors as "hopeless messes", and no predictive model for relaxor behaviour is currently available. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations of the prototypical Pb(Mg1/3,Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 relaxor material to examine its structure and the spatial and temporal polarization correlations. Our simulations show that the unusual properties of relaxors stem from the presence of a multi-domain state with extremely small domain sizes (2-10 nanometres), and no non-polar matrix, owing to the local dynamics. We find that polar structures in the multi-domain state in relaxors are analogous to those of the slush state of water. The multi-domain structure of relaxors that is revealed by our molecular dynamics simulations is consistent with recent experimental diffuse scattering results and indicates that relaxors have a high density of low-angle domain walls. This insight explains the recently discovered classes of relaxors that cannot be described by the polar nanoregion model, and provides guidance for the design and synthesis of new relaxor materials.