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To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of patients who experienced cardiac arrest in nursing homes compared with those in private residences and determine prognostic factors for survival. This was a retrospective study that analyzed data from an Utstein-style registry of the Tokyo Fire Department. We identified patients aged ≥65 years who experienced cardiac arrest in a nursing home or private residence from the population-based registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Tokyo, Japan, from 2014 to 2018. Patients were grouped into the nursing home or the private residence groups according to their cardiac arrest location. We compared the characteristics and outcomes between the 2 groups and determined prognostic factors for survival in the nursing home group. The primary outcome was 1-month survival after cardiac arrest. In total, 37,550 patient records (nursing home group = 6271; private residence group = 31,279) were analyzed. Patients in the nursing home group were significantly older and more often had witnessed arrest, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and shock delivery using an automated external defibrillator. The 1-month survival rate was significantly higher in the nursing home group (2.6% vs 1.8%, P <.001). In the best scenario (daytime emergency call, witnessed cardiac arrest, bystander CPR provided), the 1-month survival rate after cardiac arrest in the nursing home group was 8.0% (95% confidence interval 6.4–9.9%), while none survived if they had neither witness nor bystander CPR. Survival outcome was significantly better in the nursing home group than in the private residence group and was well stratified by 3 prognostic factors: emergency call timing, witnessed status, and bystander CPR provision. Our results suggest that a decision to withhold vigorous treatment solely based on nursing home residential status is not justified, while termination of resuscitation may be determined by considering significant prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of public-access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at Tokyo railroad stations.Methods: We analysed data from a population-based registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Tokyo, Japan (2014-2018). We identified patients aged ≥18 years who experienced bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation of presumed cardiac origin at railroad stations. The primary outcome was survival at 1 month after cardiac arrest with favourable neurological outcomes (cerebral performance category 1-2).Results: Among 280 eligible patients who had bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest and received defibrillation at railroad stations, 245 patients (87.5%) received defibrillation using public-access AEDs and 35 patients (12.5%) received defibrillation administered by emergency medical services (EMS). Favourable neurological outcomes at 1 month after cardiac arrest were significantly more common in the group that received defibrillation using public-access AEDs (50.2% vs. 8.6%; adjusted odds ratio: 11.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.43-88.4) than in the group that received defibrillation by EMS. Over a 5-year period, favourable neurological outcomes at 1 month after cardiac arrest of 101.9 cases (95% confidence interval: 74.5-129.4) were calculated to be solely attributable to public-access AED use. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio to gain one favourable neurological outcome obtained from public-access AEDs at railroad stations was lower than that obtained from nationwide deployment (48.5 vs. 2133.4 AED units).Conclusion: Deploying public-access AEDs at Tokyo railroad stations presented significant benefits and cost-effectiveness. Thus, it may be prudent to prioritise metropolitan railroad stations in public-access defibrillation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel display system that presents information with different levels of visibility to multiple users for enhancing collaborative multi-touch on digital tables by controlling visibility with a revolving polarizer. We first describe the system and its multiple variations and then present several example applications showing the technique’s benefits: the concealment and classification of information for specific users. We then describe an example of an entertainment application and a tangible-polarizer on display. In addition, we conduct experiments to learn the variations of visibilities depending on the conditions for investigating application feasibilities. Finally, we discuss the future extensions of the configuration, its potential, and its limitations. The following are the main contributions of this paper: (1) the discussion and clarification of the importance for multi-visibility with multi-touch, (2) the proposal of our multi-visibility system and its usage, (3) the verification of multi-visibility control through experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new method for isotope ratio measurement with thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), “continuous heating method”, was developed in order to determine an accurate isotope ratio of uranium ranging from sub-picograms to several dozen picograms. In this method, signals were measured during evaporation of an entire sample in the same way as in the “total evaporation method”; however, part of the higher detected signals was used for calculation of the isotope ratio. The continuous heating method can measure the ratios with high reproducibility regardless of the sample amount and the skill of operators because procedures of measurement and data calculation were standardized, enabling accurate correction of the mass discrimination effect. By using the optimized procedures, the relative standard deviation (2σ) of 235U/238U ratio in CRM U350 particle (35% 235U enrichment) with a diameter of about 1μm was less than 2%. When 235U/238U ratios in IRMM 184 (natural uranium) solution samples of uranium of 0.4, 4 and 44pg measured by the continuous heating method were compared with those measured by the conventional method and the total evaporation method, which were well-known methods of TIMS, there was no difference in the case of measurement of a larger amount of samples. However, the continuous heating method showed the most accurate result for the smallest amount of samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Crosslinking junctions of vulcanized natural rubber were analyzed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy equipped with a field-gradient high speed magic angle spinning probe. Resolution of 1H and 13C NMR spectra and correlations between 1H and 13C of the vulcanized natural rubber were investigated by one- and two-dimensional measurements, including inverse correlation measurements. The number of substitution of the carbon atom at the crosslinking junctions was determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The formation of distinct supramolecular assemblies, including a metastable species, is revealed for a lipophilic guanosine (G) derivative in solution and in the solid state. Structurally different G-quartet-based assemblies are formed in chloroform depending on the nature of the cation, anion and the salt concentration, as characterized by circular dichroism and time course diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy data. Intriguingly, even the presence of potassium ions that stabilize G-quartets in chloroform was insufficient to exclusively retain such assemblies in the solid state, leading to the formation of mixed quartet and ribbon-like assemblies as revealed by fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Distinct N−H⋅⋅⋅N and N−H⋅⋅⋅O intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions drive quartet and ribbon-like self-assembly resulting in markedly different 2D 1H solid-state NMR spectra, thus facilitating a direct identification of mixed assemblies. A dissolution NMR experiment confirmed that the quartet and ribbon interconversion is reversible-further demonstrating the changes that occur in the self-assembly process of a lipophilic nucleoside upon a solid-state to solution-state transition and vice versa. A systematic study for complexation with different cations (K+, Sr2+) and anions (picrate, ethanoate and iodide) emphasizes that the existence of a stable solution or solid-state structure may not reflect the stability of the same supramolecular entity in another phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The dependence of the precision of uranium isotope ratio on particle diameter in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was investigated. Each uranium particle in certified reference materials with different isotopic composition (235U/238U=0.01–1.00) was observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transferred by a manipulator on a glassy-carbon planchet for subsequent isotope ratio analysis with SIMS. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of uranium isotope ratios varied with particle diameter, the amount of less abundant uranium isotope and the number of measurement cycles. For the particle with the diameter less than 1.0μm, the RSD significantly increased with increasing the number of measurement cycles, which is due to the difficulty of obtaining constant signals for a long duration. In contrast, no significant increase in the RSD was observed in the analysis of the particle with the diameter larger than 2.0μm. As the results, it is estimated that the 235U amount of 4.5fg is sufficient to obtain the 235U/238U ratio with the RSD within 5.0%. For the analysis of minor isotopes, the 234U amount of 0.42fg and the 236U amount of 1.1fg are sufficient to obtain the 234U/238U and 236U/238U ratios with the RSD within 20%, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The capability of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of uranium isotope ratios in individual particles was determined. For this purpose, we developed an experimental procedure including single particle transfer with a manipulator, chemical dissolution and isotope ratio analysis, and applied to the analysis of individual uranium particles in certified reference materials (NBL CRM U050 and U350). As the result, the 235U/238U isotope ratio for the particle with the diameter between 0.5 and 3.9 μm was successfully determined with the deviation from the certified ratio within 1.8%. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the 235U/238U isotope ratio was within 4.2%. Although the analysis of 234U/238U and 236U/238U isotope ratios gave the results with inferior precision, the R.S.D. within 20% was possible for the measurement of the particle with the diameter more than 2.1 μm. The developed procedure was successfully applied to the analysis of a simulated environmental sample prepared from a mixture of indoor dust (NIST SRM 2583) and uranium particles (NBL CRM U050, U350 and U950a). From the results, the proposed procedure was found to be an alternative analytical tool for nuclear safeguards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The technique of single particle transfer was applied to quantitative analysis with total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry. The technique was evaluated by performing quantitative analysis of individual Cu particles with diameters between 3.9 and 13.2μm. The direct quantitative analysis of the Cu particle transferred onto a Si carrier gave a discrepancy between measured and calculated Cu amounts due to the absorption effects of incident and fluorescent X-rays within the particle. By the correction for the absorption effects, the Cu amounts in individual particles could be determined with the deviation within 10.5%. When the Cu particles were dissolved with HNO3 solution prior to the TXRF analysis, the deviation was improved to be within 3.8%. In this case, no correction for the absorption effects was needed for quantification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

From a viewpoint of physical and chemical form estimation, ultra-trace analytical techniques of nuclear materials in environmental samples for safeguards have been investigated at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. This article deals with (1) an outline of the developed techniques for bulk and particle analyses of uranium and plutonium in the safeguards environmental samples; (2) current R&D on techniques relating to estimation of the physical and chemical form, such as SEM images and EDX spectra for fine particles of nuclear materials and fission track observation applicable to fissile materials; and (3) possible analytical methodologies, as future works, applicable to ultra-trace amounts of nuclear materials in environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a type of power amplifier module with a predistortion function that can be applied to N-code division multiple access handset terminals of cellular phones. Discussion of distortion compensation technology; Analysis of various parameters to be considered in designing; Basis of the predistortion technology.

NMR analysis reveals that quartet assemblies formed by a guanosine building block in solution can transform into a mixture of quartet (Q) and ribbon (R) ‐ like assemblies after solvent evaporation. Our results demonstrate that the existence of a stable supramolecular structure in solution or in the solid state may not reflect its stability and integrity in another phase. More information can be found in the Full Paper by S. P. Brown et al. on page 2315 ff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Steven P. Brown at the University of Warwick and collaborators in Italy and the US. The image depicts the transformation (studied by NMR spectroscopy) between small molecule building blocks into unique assemblies during solid-solution interconversions. Read the full text of the article at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]