Experimental Studies on the Measuring Soil Moisture Tension by the Use of the Pressure Membrane Method and the Centrifuging Method

Soil matric potential is necessary to be measured with undisturbed core samples taken from the field as possible. And also, to measure soil matric potential in laboratory, soil structure should not be distroyed under the experiments as possible, because the soil moisture retension properties are much influenced by the change of soil structure. Then, the study was carried out to make clear the difference of the results obtained from the pressure membrane method and the centrifuging method. Their differences were made clear to be about 1-2% at pF 2.5-3.0 and to be about 2-5% at pF 3.0-4.2

Taloyhtiön pihasaneeraus : Esimerkkikohteena As Oy Kananlaulu

Työn taustana käytettiin lähiöiden suurimman aikakauden, 1960- ja 1970-lukujen kerrostalojen ajankohtaista peruskorjaustarvetta. Peruskorjaustarve koskee niin kiinteistön piha-aluetta kuin kiinteistön muitakin osia. Pihojen suurin korjaustarve perustuu kuluneiden kalusteiden, varusteiden, kasvillisuuden ja muiden osien huonokuntoisuuteen. Lisäksi muuttuneet turvallisuusvaatimukset sekä esteettömyyden haasteet tuovat lisätarvetta pihojen saneerauksille. Työni tavoitteena oli lisätä viihtyisyyttä ja parantaa Asunto Oy Kananlaulun piha-aluetta sen saneerauksella. Saneerauksessa huomioidaan metsälähiön tyypilliset pihasuunnittelun erityispiirteet. Piha-alueen analyysin avulla arvioitiin sen nykytilaa paikan päällä kohteessa. Samalla tutustuttiin myös suunnitelma- ja urakka-asiakirjoihin. Työn pohjana tutkittiin kerrostalorakentamisen ja niiden piha-aluerakentamisen kehitystä Suomessa. Tietopohjaksi haettiin tietoa myös kerrostalopihojen kunnostuksesta ja kunnostusprosessista. Tuloksena oli kirjallinen selostus piharakentamisen vaiheista. Työni toimeksiantajana oli VRJ Pohjois-Suomi Oy. Työn tulokset ovat hyödynnettävissä kerrostalopihojen peruskorjaushankkeissa. Asunto Oy Kananlaulun piha-analyysi ja pihasaneeraus voidaan liittää osaksi Kaukovainion kehittämistä. Työn tulokset antavat myös minulle itselleni mahdollisuuden kehittää omaa osaamistani viherrakentamisen työnjohdossa.As a background for the work was used the topical need of renovation in the block of flats in the suburbs built in the 1960- and 1970´s. The renovation need applies both to the yard and the other parts of the property. The biggest need of renovation is based on the poor condition of the worn out equipment, vegetation and other parts of the yard. Furthermore the changed requirements of safety and accessibility increase the renovation need. The goal on my work was to add the comfort and attractiveness of the yard of Asunto Oy Kananlaulu. During the renovation the typical characteristics of a wooden suburb were taken into account. The present situation of the yard was estimated on site. At the same time I familiarized myself the documents of planning and subcontracting. For the background of the work the development of the building of the block of flats and their yards was investigated. Also the renovation of yards and the process of renovation was studied. The result of the work is a written report of the stages of the yard construction. The principal of the work was VRJ Pohjois-Suomi Oy. The results of the work can be utilized in high-rise yards’ renovation projects. The analyses and renovation of the yard can be linked to the development of Kaukovainio area. The results of the work gave me the possibility to develop my own skills on supervision of work at green construction

Voxel‐based specific regional analysis system for Alzheimer’s disease utility as a screening tool for unrecognized cognitive dysfunction of elderly patients in diabetes outpatient clinics: Multicenter retrospective exploratory study

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: An efficient screening strategy for identification of cognitive dysfunction remains a clinical issue in the management of elderly adults with diabetes. A magnetic resonance imaging voxel-based specific regional analysis system for Alzheimer's disease (VSRAD) has been developed as an automated brain morphometry system that includes the hippocampus. We carried out a multicenter retrospective study to evaluate the utility of VSRAD for screening cognitive dysfunction in diabetes outpatient clinics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled patients with diabetes aged >65 years who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans for the purpose of a medical checkup between November 2018 and May 2019. Patients who were already suspected or diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and/or dementia as well as those with a history of cerebrovascular disease were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients were enrolled. Five patients were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia (clinical cognitive dysfunction). Patients with clinical cognitive dysfunction showed a significantly higher z-score in VSRAD analysis (2.57 ± 0.47 vs 1.15 ± 0.55, P < 0.01). The sensitivities and specificities for diagnosis of clinical cognitive dysfunction were 80 and 48% for the Mini-Mental State Examination, 100 and 89% for the z-score, and 100 and 90% for the combination of the Mini-Mental State Examination score and z-score, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: VSRAD analysis can distinguish patients with clinical cognitive dysfunction in the elderly with diabetes, and also shows reasonable sensitivity and specificity compared with the Mini-Mental State Examination alone. Thus, VSRAD analysis can be useful for early identification of clinical cognitive dysfunction in the elderly with diabetes

Dry swing training with a light bat increases bat speed

Baseball training usually includes dry swing training to improve batting ability. However, no consensus has been reached on the relationship between bat weight and the increase in post-dry swing training bat speed. We hypothesized that dry swing training with a light bat would increase post dry swing training bat speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of dry swing training with a light bat on post dry swing training bat speed by comparing a light bat group with a heavy bat group. A total of 34 healthy male students from a university baseball team were randomly divided into a light bat group (n = 17) and a heavy bat group (n = 17). Subjects performed 100 dry swings per day, twice a week for eight weeks. The light bat group performed dry swing training with a 10.6 oz bat and the heavy bat group with a 38.8 oz bat. Bat speed and muscle power were measured before and after the intervention. There was no interaction between the intervention and post dry swing training bat speed, knee extension strength, shoulder horizontal flexion, or hand grip strength. There was a main effect of the intervention on post dry swing training bat speed and shoulder horizontal flexion. Bat speed increased in both groups, but without significant group differences in intervention effects. Since light bat loads in this study were very low, dry swing training with a light bat may be more effective and less strenuous

Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer in Early Stage — The Clinical Ob­servation of Operated Cases

1. An attempt has been made to find the diagnostic criteria for early gastric cancer. It is most important to detect the evidences or suspected features of the malignant growth in incipient stage in order to attain the radical cure by surgical operation. 2. Twelve patients with early gastric cancer (groups A and B) were selected out of 476 patients who had undergone gastrectomy during the past three years in the Okayama Saiseikai General Hospital. The other 6 patients in the &#34;precancerous group&#34; (group C) were also studied, who had abnormal epithelial proliferation in the resected stomach membrane during the same period. 3. The processes of discovery of early cancer have been described. Fairly precise diagnosis can be made in the mucosal carcinoma, but it is not in the ulcer-carcinoma. It was generally difficult to estimate the degree of the malignancy and the extension of the growth preoperatively. 4. The details of the diagnostic aids are as follows. i. Negative occult blood of stool does not always mean the definite diagnostic aid. ii. The malignant gastric change may occur even in non-anacidity. Further investigations should be followed up on gastric ulcer patients if malignant alteration is under the consideration. iii. Minor roentgenological findings, such as the absence or irregularity of mucosal folds, rigid and/or overlapped contour, localized absence or decrease of the peristaltic waves and absence or bow-shaped deformity of the angulus, are of important significance. Such changes should be minutely sought for by X-ray film examination. iv. On gastroscopy and gastrocamera photography, such changes as erosion or irregular granular thickening of the membrane with abnormal reddening and edematous appearance, irregularity of ulcer edge, uneven swelling on ulcer margin with reddening and unsharpness of the edge of adherent coat on ulcer floor, must be noted in the early gastric cancer. v. It is not safe to leave a patient having stomach ulceration under a mere conservative management because it is often quite difficult to dissolve the question of malignancy of the lesion with all sorts of examinations. vi. So far as clinical examinations have indicated malignancy, histological examination must be carried out immediately at the time of operation, even when malignant lesion is absent in inspection and palpation on the exposure of the stomach. vii. On the gross observation of the resected stomach, a particular attention must be paid to erosion, depression or atrophy, irregular granular thickening and abnormal reddening on the restricted areas of the mucosal surface.</p

Genome Features and Secondary Metabolites Biosynthetic Potential of the Class Ktedonobacteria

The prevalence of antibiotic resistance and the decrease in novel antibiotic discovery in recent years necessitates the identification of potentially novel microbial resources to produce natural products. Ktedonobacteria, a class of deeply branched bacterial lineage in the ancient phylum Chloroflexi, are ubiquitous in terrestrial environments and characterized by their large genome size and complex life cycle. These characteristics indicate Ktedonobacteria as a potential active producer of bioactive compounds. In this study, we observed the existence of a putative “megaplasmid,” multiple copies of ribosomal RNA operons, and high ratio of hypothetical proteins with unknown functions in the class Ktedonobacteria. Furthermore, a total of 104 antiSMASH-predicted putative biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for secondary metabolites with high novelty and diversity were identified in nine Ktedonobacteria genomes. Our investigation of domain composition and organization of the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase BGCs further supports the concept that class Ktedonobacteria may produce compounds structurally different from known natural products. Furthermore, screening of bioactive compounds from representative Ktedonobacteria strains resulted in the identification of broad antimicrobial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative tested bacterial strains. Based on these findings, we propose the ancient, ubiquitous, and spore-forming Ktedonobacteria as a versatile and promising microbial resource for natural product discovery