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Background: To identify factors necessary for the proper inclusion of foreigners in Japanese healthcare, we conducted a survey to determine whether foreign residents, even those with high socioeconomic status, referred to as “Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals”, experience difficulties when visiting medical institutions in Japan, using satisfaction level as an indicator. Method: A five-point Likert-scale, anonymous, online questionnaire was administered to faculty and doctoral students enrolled at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). The respondents’ demographics and their opinions on what they found difficult or important during medical examinations, their impression of Japanese medical personnel, their requirements for language support and interpretation, and their opinions about local healthcare delivery systems were collected. The questionnaires were distributed and collected using Microsoft Forms. Results: Responses were obtained from 90 respondents (response rate: 20.7%). The percentage of respondents who were dissatisfied (bottom two of five Likert scales) with medical care in Japan was 23.4%. In univariate logistic regression analysis, 11 of 35 questions were significantly correlated with dissatisfaction with medical care (p < 0.1). Duration of stay, presence of family members living with the patient, satisfaction with life, and perceived usefulness of language support were negatively correlated with dissatisfaction with medical care, while communication problems with medical personnel, need for medical personnel to respect patients’ culture, religion, and privacy, and difficulty in getting to medical facilities were positively correlated with dissatisfaction with medical care. No significant correlations were found with age, gender, or Japanese language level. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of family members living with the subject (AOR = 0.092, p = 0.010), the desire for multilingual documentation (AOR = 0.177, p = 0.046), the physician’s concern for the patient’s culture and religion (AOR = 8.347, p = 0.029), and difficulty in communication with healthcare providers (AOR = 6.54, p = 0.036) were significantly correlated with overall dissatisfaction with medical care. Discussion: On average, the targeted Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals did not have strong levels of dissatisfaction with Japanese healthcare, but when they did have dissatisfaction, it was related to language barriers, lack of cultural and religious considerations, and difficulty in communication with healthcare providers. We believe that the results indicate the focus points of support necessary for the inclusion of foreigners. We also believe that the finding that family cohabitation is associated with satisfaction with medical care is a useful insight into effective reciprocal support on the part of patients.

The aim of this study is to provide basic information that contributes to vaccine inoculation policy after COVID-19. We used the secondary data of the influenza vaccine inoculation behavior survey for community-dwelling adults conducted in 2011, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but after the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) pdm 09 pandemic. All factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, family environment, physical and social environment, and area of residence were adjusted, and factors related to vaccine inoculation behavior were analyzed. Those living with pregnant women had a significantly higher odds ratio of inoculation; this was self-evident in that those people considered infection to their family. Regarding the social environment, those aged 20-64 years with a significantly higher adjusted odds ratio of inoculation were those with "at least five people with which they interacted in the neighborhood". This result can be interpreted in two ways relating to altruism in Japan. Finally, we indicated the importance of learning from the past, including the case of 2009.

Sport can have a wide range of physical, psychological and social benefits for children. However, high-profile cases and empirical research demonstrate that it can also be a context within which children can be maltreated and have their rights violated. Threats to children in sport across Asia are considered, both in terms of children being directly impacted through participation or indirectly as a result of mega sport events. The ways in which these threats can be mitigated through the International Safeguards for Children in Sport are discussed along with the pillars which should support effective implementation. Examples of related research in the context of sport in Asia are summarised and future directions for work in this field are proposed.

Background As atrial fibrillation (AF) increases with the aging of the population, it is urgently required to clarify modifiable factors to prevent AF. However, evidence regarding the independent influence of abdominal-obesity and habitual behaviors on incident AF is limited among Japanese. Methods and Results Those aged 40–79 years undergoing periodic health checkups during 2008–2014 were followed-up in 2015 (n = 96,841) and the independent risk of incident AF was estimated using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models after adjustment for potential covariates. Participants were classified into four groups according to the baseline body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) (normal-BMI or overweight: Conclusions Abdominal-obesity could be a crucial risk factor in prediction of AF in Japanese, and an aggregation of four behavioral factors increased the risk of AF almost three times. To prevent incident AF, practicing healthy habitual behaviors is recommended.

Background The present study aimed to characterize factors associated with patients issued DNR orders during hospitalization who are discharged alive without any instruction orders by physicians regarding end-of-life treatment, with a focus on the timing of DNR order issuance. Methods In total, 2997 DNR cases from all 61,037 patients aged ≥20 years admitted to a representative general hospital in Tokyo were extracted and divided into two groups by patient hospital release status (discharged alive/deceased). Study items included age, sex, disease type (non-cancer/cancer), hospital department (internal medicine/others), timing of DNR order issuance, implementation (or not) of life-sustaining treatment (LST) or the presence of any restrictions on LST and hospital length of stay. We conducted multiple logistic regression analysis, setting hospital release status as the dependent variable and each above study item as explanatory variables. Results DNR orders were issued at a rate of 4.9%. The analysis revealed that patients with a DNR who were ultimately discharged alive were statistically more likely to be those for whom DNR orders are issued early after admission (adjusted odds ratio: AOR, 13.7), non-cancer patients (AOR, 3.4), internal medicine department patients (AOR, 1.63), females (AOR, 1.34), and elderly (aged ≥85 years; AOR, 1.02); these patients were also less likely to be receiving LST (AOR, 0.36). Conclusions By focusing on those with DNR orders who were ultimately discharged alive, we discovered that these patients were likely to have DNR orders issued early after admission, and that they were more likely to be elderly, female, non-cancer patients, or those in internal medicine departments. Further examination of these data may help to elucidate why these particular DNR-related characteristics (including socio-economic and cultural factors) are evident in patients who end up being discharged alive.

To identify dietary practice patterns for Japanese adults and investigate the links between health behaviours and these patterns.A random sample, stratified according to area, sex, and age, of 4570 adults aged 20-80 years completed a survey conducted in 2011 in a city, in Yamagata Prefecture, Northeast Japan.Cluster analysis of 16 dietary practice items revealed four patterns labelled as: low fat, sugar, or salt; emphasis on nutrition; regular breakfast and staples; and meals not snacks. Findings from multiple linear regression analyses showed that those not engaged in habitual physical exercise had lower scores on low fat, sugar, or salt (beta coefficient -0.22: 95% confidence intervals -0.30, -0.14); emphasis on nutrition (-0.17: -0.25, -0.09); meals not snacks; (-0.38: -0.46, -0.3) that other participants. Current smokers had lower scores than never smokers on low fat, sugar, or salt (-0.23: -0.32, -0.14); emphasis on nutrition (-0.28: -0.37, -0.19); regular breakfast and staples (-0.42: -0.51, -0.33) patterns. Compared with nondrinkers, those who had reduced their consumption of alcohol had higher scores on low fat, sugar, or salt (0.19: 0.09, 0.29) and emphasis on nutrition (0.17: 0.07, 0.27). These relationships were adjusted for other dietary practice patterns, sociodemographic factors, body mass index, and the presence of major illness or pain.Findings support an integrated and targeted approach as part of public health policy by considering links between dietary practices and other health behaviours, such as habitual exercise and smoking behaviour that may facilitate changes in dietary practices.

Background Practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors is a means to prevent metabolic syndrome (MetS), but the effect of changes of various behaviors over a short period is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the influence of changes in 12 behaviors on the development of MetS during 1 year. Methods and results Of 10,442 workers who received a periodic health checkup in a health center in Tokyo in 2008, 3,137 workers aged 30-69, without MetS, who received another health checkup in 2009 were analyzed. Smoking, amounts and frequency of alcohol drinking, sleeping, exercise, walking duration and speed, late-night dinners, bedtime snacking, breakfast, eating speed, and weight control were classified into 4 groups according to change from 2008 to 2009. To examine the influence of behavioral changes on developing MetS, multiple logistic analysis was conducted after adjustment for sex, baseline age and MetS components. Changes from healthy to unhealthy behaviors in exercise, walking duration and speed, daily drinking, and weight control were significant in developing MetS compared with maintaining healthy behaviors. Those risks were higher than keeping unhealthy behaviors. Unhealthy to healthy behavior in smoking increased the risk while healthy to unhealthy behavior in eating speed decreased the risk of developing MetS. Conclusions To prevent developing MetS during 1 year, healthy behaviors regarding physical activity, drinking, and weight management should be maintained.

Perceived neighborhood environment (NE) is considered a determinant of daily physical activity (PA). However, evidence concerning differences among types of PA, gender, and age is limited. The study purpose was to clarify the association between NE and walking time (WT) or habitual exercise (HE) across gender, age, and employment status in a community–dwelling population of Japan. A questionnaire mail survey with a stratified random 7,515 sampling was conducted in a northeast city in January 2007. Multiple logistic analysis was conducted to examine the associations between seven NE indices and WT or HE across gender, age, and employment status: 20–39 (young-employed), 40–59 (middle-employed), and 60–79 (old-employed or old-unemployed) after adjustment for age and means of transportation. A total of 3,806 residents (52.4 % females) completed the survey. Traffic and crime safety in old-unemployed males and proximity to service facilities and traffic and crime safety in middle-employed females were significantly associated with a low risk of insufficient WT. Proximity to service facilities in old-employed males, number of service facilities, places for walking, and good view in middle-employed females, and density of dwelling and proximity to service facilities in old-unemployed females were significantly associated with a low risk of non-HE. The association between NE and WT or HE differed across type of PA, gender, age, and employment status, and was observed mainly in middle- and old-aged females. The middle- and old-aged female residents’ PA possibly were more influenced by their NE, and NE would contribute to promote active living.

Objectives The purpose of this study is (1) to identify obesity-related lifestyle behaviour patterns of diet, physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours in preschool children, (2) to examine the association between identified behaviour clusters and overweight/obesity and (3) to investigate differences in children's family environments according to clusters. Design setting and participants A cross-sectional study on 2114 preschool children aged 3–6 years who attended childcare facilities (24 nursery schools and 10 kindergartens) in Tsuruoka city, Japan in April 2003 was conducted. Main outcome measures Children's principal caregivers completed a questionnaire on children's lifestyle behaviours (dinner timing, outside playtime, screen time and night-time sleep duration), family environment (family members, maternal employment, mealtime regularity and parents' habitual exercise and screen time) and measurements of weight and height. Cluster analysis was performed using children's 4 lifestyle behaviours based on those non-missing values (n=1545). The χ2 tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) estimated cluster differences in overweight/obesity and family environments. Results 6 clusters were identified. Children's overweight/obesity varied across clusters (p=0.007). The cluster with the most screen time, shorter night-time sleep duration, average dinner timing and outside playtime had the highest overweight/obesity prevalence (15.1%), while the cluster with the least screen time, the longest sleep duration, the earliest dinner timing and average outside playtime had the lowest prevalence (4.0%). Family environments regarding mealtime regularity and both parents' screen time also significantly varied across clusters. The cluster having the highest overweight/obesity prevalence had the highest proportion of irregular mealtimes and the most screen time for both parents. Conclusions This study suggests that public health approaches to prevent children's overweight/obesity should focus on decreasing screen time and increasing night-time sleep duration. To shape those behaviours, regular mealtimes and decreasing parents' screen time within family environments need to be targeted among family members.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to determine the sensitive cutoff values of waist circumference (WC) in relation to the body mass index (BMI) for detecting the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (CCRF) in Japanese men and women.Methods: The study population included 2,476 male and female residents who participated in a ward health examination in Tokyo, Japan. The CCRF were defined according to the Japanese Committee of the Criteria for Metabolic Syndrome. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis was conducted within each BMI category.Results: The percentage of study participants in the normal BMI category was around 70% for both men and women. The sensitive cutoff values for the largest WC with at least 80% sensitivity were 81 cm for normal and 89 cm for overweight men. The corresponding values for women were 79 cm and 86 cm, respectively. The WC with maximized sensitivity plus specificity was 80 cm for normal and 89 cm for overweight men, and the sensitivity was 88.7% and 83.0%, respectively. The corresponding values for women were 78 and 94 cm, respectively, and the sensitivity was 91.5% and 57.6%, respectively.Conclusions: For the early detection and management of clusters of cardiovascular risk factors, we concluded that a BMI-specific WC cutoff value of 80 cm for normal weight in both men and women and 89 cm for overweight men and 86 cm for overweight women should be discriminate cutoff values.

Summary Recently, food intake pattern analysis associated with body weight has been conducted instead of traditional dietary analysis focusing on a single nutrient or food group, but there have been few studies examining the association between change in food intake patterns and body weight loss. In this study, short- and long-term relationships between changes in food intake patterns and body weight loss were examined. Subjects were 506 overweight/obese men and women who participated in a 12-week health promotion program and a follow-up check 9 months later. Diet was assessed with a FFQ and food intake patterns named “Plant foods and seafood” and “Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol” were derived by cluster analysis using the intake of 17 food groups at the baseline. During the program, body weight loss of the subjects changed pattern from “Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol” to “Plant foods and seafood” (SP group) was significantly larger than that of the subjects who showed an opposite pattern change (PS group) or the subjects who maintained “Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol” pattern after adjusting for age, sex, body weight at the baseline, changes in energy intake and exercise habit. Body weight loss of the SP group was also significantly greater than that of the PS group during the follow-up period. Changes in food intake patterns were related to body weight loss and changing the pattern from “Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol” to “Plant foods and seafood” was most effective for short- and long-term body weight loss.

Previous studies on the association between physical activity (PA) and neighborhood environments (NE) focused on either objectively measuring the NE or the residents’ perception of NE. Here, we investigate which actual or perceived NE is associated with residents’ PA in Japan. Two regions with an objectively assessed high and low residential density, land use mix-diversity, and street connectivity, respectively, were identified in one city. The subjects were selected using a stratified random sampling method by sex and age in each region. The NE of the subjects was objectively measured using the Geographic Information System (GIS), and the subjects' perception of the NE was assessed using a questionnaire. The daily total number of walking steps was measured with an accelerometer, and walking and cycling time were assessed by a questionnaire. For the female subjects, the mean cycling time, subjectively assessed as a means of transport, was significantly longer in the group with a high GIS score for the number of land use types, while the score for total number of walking steps was significantly higher among those who were aware of places to walk to, and cycling time for transport was longer for those who perceived an accessibility to post offices, banks/credit unions, gymnasiums/fitness facilities, and amusement facilities in their neighborhood. For the male subjects, the score for walking time for leisure was longer for those who perceived aesthetics and an accessibility to parks, and the score for total walking steps was significantly higher for those who perceived an accessibility to bookstores or rental video stores in their neighborhood. The results to this study demonstrate that daily PA was high among female subjects living in a NE with land use mix-diversity, and who had an awareness of places to walk to and the accessibility to facilities for daily necessities in their neighborhood. For male subjects, daily PA was high among those who perceived the aesthetics of and accessibility to facilities for pleasure in their neighborhood. Further research is needed to determine the association between PA and NE on the basis of sex differences.

Mycotoxin inhibits the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with disrupted stress response genes, but no that of wild type yeast even at high concentrations. The S. cerevisiae genome database (SGD) project has recently generated many gene disruptants, including those with disrupted stress responseassociated genes. The present study examined the relationship between mycotoxicity and the disruption of functional yeast genes, especially those involved with stress responses. Growth tests showed a major impact in strains other than those with disrupted stress response genes as well as mycotoxin susceptibility of several strains by sodium dodecyl sulfate.

酵母発酵食品中のGABAは，発酵の過程で酵母によって消費される．本研究では，酵母によるGABA消費の低減を目的に，実用パン酵母より，GABA資化性の欠損した変異株を取得した．変異の原因遺伝子は，窒素源代謝の促進に関与する転写活性化因子をコードするDAL81遺伝子であることが判明した．発酵過程における変異株のGABA消費量は有意に減少していたが，発酵力は野生型株と同等であった．従って，本変異株を利用することにより，GABAが富化されたパン生地の発酵が可能となるものと期待される．

A hemangiopericytoma is a rare perivascular mesenchymal tumor originating from Zimmerman's pericytes and shows variable malignant potential. Here we report two additional cases of hemangiopericytoma in the head and neck region. One was located in the sinonasal cavity, and the other was in the parapharynx. Endonasal surgery was performed for the sinonasal tumor. Preoperative embolization followed by endoscopic sinus surgery achieved complete excision of the tumor with reduction of intraoperative hemorrhage. There has not been any recurrence for over 65 months to date. The parapharyngeal tumor was excised by retraction of the submandibular gland (cervical approach). There has not been any recurrence for over 96 months to date. Immunohistochemical analysis was helpful for definitive diagnosis of the two tumors. Here in we discuss the diagnosis and treatment of hemangiopericytoma.

The purpose of this study was to determine effective cut-off values of waist circumference (WC) to detect the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (CCRF) in a Japanese population. The subjects were 2,476 men and women who participated in a health examination in Tokyo. The CCRF was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the Japanese Committee of the Criteria for Metabolic Syndrome (JCCMS). The effective (accurate and sensitive) values were tested using the receiver operating characteristics analysis. The accurate (maximised sensitivity plus specificity) values were 81 cm and 80 cm using the IDF and JCCMS criteria for men, and 82 cm for both criteria for women. From the ROC curve, 85 cm was identified as an effective value for men. Thus, the effective cut-off value of WC for the Japanese should be approximately 85 cm for men and approximately 82 cm for women.

The purpose of this study is to delineate the association between residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environments and walking time in objectively different regions in Japan. Two regions were selected as high and low walkable regions on the basis of differences in their residential density, mixed land use and street connectivity. The subjects in this study were participants in a health promotion program focused on walking sponsored by local governments. A questionnaire was sent to the participants asking about how their perception of the neighborhood’s environment related to walking, and the time spent walking per week. There were 237 residents from the high walkable region and 195 from the low walkable region who completed the study survey. The high walkable region had a larger residential density, a high mixed land use and a higher street connectivity than the low walkable region. Walking time, and the scores of the perception of the neighborhood’s environment for the high walkable region residents were significantly higher than those for the low walkable region residents. Thus, residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environment generally reflected the actual physical environmental characteristics. Residents in the high walkable region whose scores for accessibility and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. Residents in the low walkable region whose scores for accessibility, safety, convenience and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. The study results suggested that the neighborhood’s environment may influence daily walking time. The perceptions of the neighborhood’s environmental factors that correlate with walking times differ between the different regional physical environments. Therefore, to promote physical activity, the consideration of environmental factors unique to residents’ neighborhood’s environments is needed.

Objective Various eating behaviors have been linked with body weight management. However, combined effects of major eating behaviors are not fully understood. This study aimed to clarify the association of the combination of eating quickly (EQ), late evening meals (LEM), and skipping breakfast (SB) with being overweight. Method A cross-sectional study with standardized questions for EQ, LEM, and SB was conducted. Stratified random sampling of 5% of residents aged 20 to 80 years was surveyed in a city in northeast Japan in 2011, and 4249 (84.9%) residents were analyzed. Association of combinations of eating behaviors on being overweight (BMI (kg/m2 ≥ 25.0)) was estimated by using logistic analysis, and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidential interval were calculated after adjustment for potential covariates. Results LEM, SB, or a combination of LEM and SB was not significantly associated with being overweight. However, the combination of EQ or only EQ was significantly associated with being overweight. As the number of eating behavior practices increased, there was a linear increase in OR for being overweight. The OR of all three combined eating behaviors was higher than that of any combined two behaviors or of each behavior. Discussion This study result supports the evidence that EQ increases the risk of being overweight whether by itself or in combinations with LEM and/or SB. However, only LEM or only SB did not increase the risk of being overweight.

Fabrication of diamond nanopatterns in room-temperature (RT) nanoimprint lithography (NIL) with chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond molds using polysiloxane as RT-imprint resist material was investigated. The diamond molds of a convex lattice with 1 μm line-width and 5 μm pitch, and a cylinder dot with 200 nm diameter and 1 μm pitch which has a height of 1 μm using RT-NIL process were fabricated with Bi4Ti3O12 octylate (oxide) mask in electron beam lithography technology. The maximum radio frequency (RF) oxygen plasma-etching selectivity (diamond/polysiloxane) of 19 was obtained under the conditions of RF power of 100 W, oxygen gas flow rate of 10 sccm and background gas pressure of 30 Pa. It was found that the optimum imprinting pressure and its depth obtained after the press duration of 10 min were 0.8 MPa and about 0.5 μm, respectively. The resulting diamond nanopatterns of a concave lattice with 1 μm line-width and 5 μm pitch, and a concave cylinder dot with 200 nm diameter and 1 μm pitch which have a height of 1 μm after RF oxygen plasma-etching (100W, 10 sccm, 30 Pa, 40 min) were fabricated with diamond mold RT-NIL using polysiloxane.

Interfacial tensions between liquid iron and slag were examined for CaO–SiO2 binary and CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 ternary slag systems. The influences of FeO, MgO, B2O3, TiO2, BaO and ZrO2 in slag on the interfacial tension were also investigated by varying these oxides from 1–30 wt% in the CaO–SiO2 binary or CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 ternary slag systems.The interfacial tensions were determined by the sessile drop technique under argon atmosphere at 1 853 K. An X-Ray radiographic technique was employed to image the profile of molten iron drop in a slag bath and the interfacial tensions between slag and iron were obtained from the drop shape analysis.In examining the effect of slag composition on the interfacial tension, the oxygen in liquid iron and its impact on the interfacial tension was taken into consideration. The interfacial tension was found slightly increased with increasing CaO/SiO2 ratio in CaO–SiO2 slag, and with increasing MgO content in the slag. A decrease of interfacial tension was found with increasing FeO in slag. Only minor changes in the interfacial tension were observed with varying the slag composition in the CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 ternary slag system and the influences of B2O3, TiO2, BaO, and ZrO2 in slag on the interfacial tension were found insignificant.

The effects of autoclave and oven treatments on the gelatinization of rice flour and on the rheological characteristics of its pastes were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rapid viscoanalysis (RVA), and rotational viscometry. Flours from autoclave-treated rice (ATR) and oven-treated rice (OTR) were prepared, respectively, by heating at 120°C for 60 min and 160°C for 60 min followed by drying (ATR sample), and grinding at 2.2–12.9% moisture content. The rice flour dispersions were adjusted between pH 6.3 and 2.8 using 0.2M citrate buffer. The retort processing of rice flour in water pastes were done at 120°C for 20 min either once or twice. The gelatinization peak temperature (PT and To) and the peak temperature corresponding to the amylose-lipid complexes (Tp3) of ATR increased at pH 6.3 and 2.8 compared with OTR and UTR flour. This indicates that the internal structures of the starch granules in ATR became more stable to heat and acid, even though the damaged starch content of...

The dissolution rates of silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics into CaOAl2O3SiO2 slags were investigated by using a rotating specimen method in the temperature range of 1773–1873 K. Dissolution rates in the present study increased as the revolution speed and temperature increased and decreased as the SiO2 content of the slags increased. The nitrogen content of the slags increased after the Si3N4 ceramics had been immersed into them. The slags contained two types of nitrogen ions—N3− and CN-—because a graphite crucible was used for the experiment. N3− ions were confirmed in all the slags that were used in the present work; the CN- content was much lower than that of the N3− ions, except in the slag without SiO2. Based on those results, Ficks law of diffusion was used to analyze the dissolution rates. The dissolution mechanism of the Si3N4 ceramics into CaO–Al2O3SiO2 slags has been discussed in this paper.

To clarify the effects of glass composition and heat-treatment conditions on phase separation and crystallization, time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams for the system (65 {minus} x)SiO{sub 2}{center_dot}25B{sub 2}O{sub 3}{center_dot}(10 {minus} y)Na{sub 2}O{center_dot}yCaO{center_dot}xZrO{sub 2}, which is used for fabricating alkali-durable porous glasses, were determined. The microstructures and properties, such as resistance to alkaline attack as a function of ZrO{sub 2} content, of the porous glasses fabricated on the basis of the developed TTT diagrams were examined. CaO and ZrO{sub 2} additions were shown to affect the locations of the noses in the TTT curves for phase separation and crystallization. The substituting of CaO for Na{sub 2}O was effective for retaining ZrO{sub 2} in the skeleton of the porous glasses. The alkali resistance of ZrO{sub 2}containing porous glasses was 8--10 times superior to that of the porous glass without ZrO{sub 2}. The results demonstrate that TTT diagrams can be used as guides for heat-treatment scheduling in processing or predicting of glass-forming ability and the onset of phase separation and crystallization in glass-forming systems.

In order to clarify the feature of attention disorders in schizophrenia, two tasks (X and AX) of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were given to 36 schizophrenic patients and 25 healthy controls. The schizophrenic patients performed considerably less well than normal controls. Performances were expressed in indices such as omission and commission errors, reaction time and discriminability. Among errors, omission in both the X and AX tasks was found to be an index that varied in reaction time, indicating difficulty in sustaining attention. Omission was found to act as a state-dependent index of schizophrenia in relation to inattentiveness in clinical settings and emotional disturbance in interpersonal situations. Commission, in contrast, differed between the two tasks, acting as an index of disinhibition of reaction in the X task, and of disturbance of the capacity and allocation of attention in the AX task. Commission was also thought to be an index related to thought disorder during episodes of acute schizophrenia, that is, it reflects an essential pathology in schizophrenia.

The fabrication of diamond nanopatterns by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) oxygen plasma with a composite metal octylate mask was investigated using electron beam lithography technology. A high etching selectivity of 14 was obtained with Bi4Ti3O12 octylate film as a mask under the plasma-etching conditions of microwave power of 300 W and oxygen gas flow rate of 3 sccm. The metal naphthenates and metal octylates exhibited negative exposure characteristics. The sensitivity of metal naphthenates (1.2×10−3 C cm−2) was ten times lower than that of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resist, while that of octylates (8.0×10−5 C cm−2) was in good agreement with that of PMMA resist (6.0×10−5 C cm−2). The resulting minimum chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond line-width of 100 nm with a height of approximately 1 μm was fabricated with a Bi4Ti3O12 octylate mask.

Effects of adding SiO 2 or Al 2 O 3 on the wetting and penetration characteristics of calcium ferrite melts, CaO.Fe 2 O 3 (CF) and CaO.2Fe 2 O 3 (CF 2 ), to sintered hematite substrate have been examined. And the wetting and penetration characteristics were discussed from the viewpoints of the relation to the viscosity and surface tension of calcium ferrite melts. The effects of the addition of calcium ferrite slag with SiO 2 or Al 2 O 3 on the strength of sintered hematite pellets were also examined. The slag tablets of CF 2 -based slag neither melt completely nor spread uniformly on the hematite substrate at the experimental temperature at 1 300°C in this study. The wettability of CF-based slag melts on sintered hematite substrate was improved by the addition of SiO 2 or Al 2 O 3 , and the spreading rate was increased with increasing the value of η/γ (viscosity/surface tension of slag melts). The penetration of CF-based slag melts into sintered hematite substrate was depressed by the addition of SiO 2 or Al 2 O 3 , and the penetration depth was increased with increasing the value of η/γ surface tension/ viscosity of slag melts). The sintered hematite pellet with CF-5 mass%Al 2 O 3 slag sintered at 1 200°C had the highest compressive strength in this study. Because the liquidus temperature of CF slag is decreased to about 1 200 °C by adding 5 mass% Al 2 O 3 , and the sufficient amount of liquid phase, which has the appropriate wetting and penetrating characteristics controlled by the surface tension and the viscosity, as a binder was formed.

The kinetic behavior of Cr 2 O 3 reduction by iron melts containing carbon, aluminum and silicon were investigated at various conditions in order to understand effective slag treatment for recovery of chromium from stainless slag. It was found that the recovery rate of chromium was fairly slow, but it was considerably accelerated by the addition of some fluxes, such as Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 to the slag, which promoted the formation of liquid slag at the early stage of the reaction, and the recovery ratio of chromium was also improved. In addition, SiO 2 addition was more effective for increasing the chromium recovery than Al 2 O 3 addition due to the effect of CaO/SiO 2 ratio of slag on the reduction rate of Cr 2 O 3 in slag. The experimental results were well simulated by the previous kinetic reaction model based on two-film theory. The modeling study showed that the transfer rate of chromium from slag to metal was controlled by the mass transport in the slag phase.

The effect of MgO, TiO2, or Fe2O3 on the viscosity of 40CaO-40SiO2-20Al2O3 (mass pct) slags has been measured by the rotating crucible viscometer. Viscosity of these quaternary slags decreased with an increase in the content of additive oxide. At the same content of additive oxide, the viscosity decreases from MgO, TiO2 to Fe2O3. In addition, the effect of SiO2 or Al2O3 on the viscosity of 26.1CaO-73.9Fe2O3 (mass pct) (CF) and 14.9CaO-85.1Fe2O3 (mass pct) (CF2) slags has been measured. Viscosity of calcium ferrite slags increased with increasing SiO2 or Al2O3 content. Al2O3 was found to be more effective for increasing the viscosity at the same content of the additive oxide.

The effects of MgO, TiO 2 or Fe 2 O 3 on the viscosity of 40CaO-40SiO 2 -20Al 2 O 3 /mass% slags have been measured by a rotating crucible viscometer. The viscosity of these quaternary slags decreased with increasing the content of additive oxide. At the same content of additive oxide, the viscosity decreases from MgO, TiO 2 to Fe 2 O 3 . In addition, the effects of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 or MgO on the viscosity of 26.1CaO-73.9Fe 2 O 3 / mass% (CF) and 14.9CaO-85.1Fe 2 O 3 / mass% (CF 2 ) slags have been measured. Viscosity of calcium ferrite slags increased with increasing SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 or MgO content. Al 2 O 3 was found to be more effective for increasing the viscosity at the same content of additive oxide.

The viscosity and solubility of nitrogen in Y2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 melts have been systematically examined. The effects of nitrogen content on viscosity for Y-Al-Si-O-N melts and on Vickers hardness of oxynitride glasses also have been examined. Although the viscosity of Y2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 melts was decreased, the solubility of nitrogen into the melts was increased with increased Y2O3 content. These results indicated that the yttrium ion behaved as a network modifier. Therefore, the structural units for viscous flow became small, and the amount of nonbridging oxygen increased in the melts when the Y2O3 content increased. The viscosity of Y-Al-Si-O-N melts and Vickers hardness of oxynitride glasses remarkably increased with increased nitrogen content. These results suggested that the substitution of nitrogen for oxygen in the melts may have led to a high average coordination of nonmetal atoms and that the increased cross-linking produced a more rigid glass network.