Hierarchically structured biphenylene-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica

Novel composites of highly ordered and stable biphenyl-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials confined within the pores of anodic alumina membranes (AAM) were successfully synthesized by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). 4,40-Bis(triethoxysilyl)biphenyl (BTEBP) was used as a precursor in combination with the ionic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or triblock-copolymer F127 as structure-directing agents. The resulting mesophases were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). With ionic CTAB as a structure directing agent, samples with a mixture of the 2D-hexagonal columnar and a lamellar mesophase were obtained within the AAM channels. When using the nonionic surfactant F127, mesophases with a 2D-hexagonal circular structure were formed in the AAM channels. Additionally, a cubic Im3m phase could also be obtained with the same nonionic surfactant after the addition of lithium chloride to the precursor solution. The stability of both the circular and cubic biphenylene-bridged PMO against calcination temperatures of up to 250 °C was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. Nitrogen sorption in the porous composite membrane shows typical type IV isotherms and narrow pore size distributions. All the biphenyl PMO/AAM composites show fluorescence due to the existence of biphenyl chromophores in the stable organosilica framework

Effect of Lighting Using Yellow LEDs Designed for Moth Control on Flowering Response of Chrysanthemum

In order to develop a single light source which can be used both for moth control and flower inhibition in chrysanthemum, effects of blue (463nm), green (519nm), yellow green (576nm), yellow (597nm) and red light (646nm) LEDs on the flowering and the cut flower characteristics of chrysanthemum were investigated. As irradiance increased, the days to flower budding increased except under blue light. Yellow green and yellow LED had flower inhibiting effect equivalent to red LED. There was no difference in the crown bud number and the occurrence of abnormal flower irrespective of the light quality and irradiance. Next the, effects of night break and continuous lighting treatment by yellow LED on the flowering and cut flower characteristics of the chrysanthemum were investigated. There were significant differences in the cut flower characteristics except for the blade number on the neck in these treatments ; there was no practical problem with night break or continuous lighting. The minimum irradiance strength enough for flower inhibition in the continuous lighting treatment was about 80 mW m−2 that was half in night break treatment. Therefore, it is considered that yellow LED can be used as single light source for both moth control and flower inhibition in chrysanthemum.キクの防蛾と開花抑制に両用できる単一の光源を開発するために，青（ピーク波長：463nm），緑（519nm），黄緑（576nm），黄（597nm）および赤色（646nm）LED光が開花および切り花形質に及ぼす影響を調査した．青色光を除いて，放射照度が大きいほど発蕾までの日数が大きくなった．黄緑および黄色光は，赤色光とほぼ同等の開花抑制作用を有していた．いずれの光質および放射照度に関わらず，やなぎ葉数や花弁の展開異常の発生に差は見られなかった．次に，黄色LED光による暗期中断と終夜照明による影響を調査した．暗期中断と終夜照明では，やなぎ葉数を除く切り花形質に有意な差が見られたが，実用上の問題はなかった．開花抑制に必要となる放射照度の下限値は，終夜照明では約80mW m-2であり，暗期中断のほぼ半分であった．以上のことから，黄色LED光は，単一の光源としてキクの防蛾と開花抑制に両用することが可能であった

Did “Kayoinoba” Prevent the Decline of Mental and Physical Functions and Frailty for the Home-Based Elderly during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The purpose of this study is to grasp the management situation of “Kayoinoba” under the conditions of self-quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also to clarify the efficacy of “Kayoinoba” using the Kihon Checklist (KCL) for the assessment of mental and physical functions in the elderly. The respondents were 136 elderly people aged 65 years and over who lived in A City, a standard rural area in Japan. The age, gender, living style, affluence for living, and the frequency of participation in “Kayoinoba” were examined by using the KCL as a self-completed questionnaire. Finally, 101 respondents were included in the final analysis. There was no difference in the participation status before and after the spread of COVID-19. The frailty ratio tended to decrease from 23.8% to 19.8% between the two periods, but there was no difference in the frailty ratio. It is suggested that the participants in “Kayoinoba” may have suppressed the deterioration of mental and physical conditions, excluding physical activity. This would prevent the frailty of the elderly, even during self-quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19

Development and Evaluation of the 1/30U Small-Sized 3 Axis Attitude Control Module, and its Application for the JEM Internal Ball Camera Robot

In this paper, we propose the 1/30U small-sized 3-axis attitude control module. The idea of using an electrical circuit board as a structural component reduces the mass of the mechanical structure and the electrical wiring as well. Adapting the System-On-Chip (SoC) reduced the circuit area while maintaining the complexity of the electric circuit. We managed to develop an attitude control module measuring 31 mm in size and 88 g in weight. This module contains 3-axis reaction wheels, six MEMS-IMU sensors (18-axis acceleration and 18-axis gyro), and an attitude control computer. The module only requires a power supply and external serial communication. The module can also be connected to other navigation sensor. And by adding the extension circuit, this module can drive and control 12 actuators, such as micro thrusters. An on-orbit evaluation was conducted with the JEM Internal Ball Camera Robot as the control system for robot position and attitude. The robot is an autonomous maneuverable ball-shaped camera that is operated by ground operators. Twelve micro fans and the proposed module are integrated inside the robot to realize 6-axes maneuvering, and a navigation camera provides the robot’s relative position and attitude to a target marker. This paper discusses an evaluation of attitude control accuracy to reveal the module’s on-orbit performance

Sensitive immunohistochemistry for autopsied brain

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a valuable method for identifying discrete neurochemical molecules by the interaction of target antigens with validated antibodies tagged with a visible label (e.g., peroxidase). We have developed an immunostaining method that is highly sensitive in detection of neurochemical antigens. Our IHC method, which we call the PBTA method, involves a hybrid protocol that implements aspects of both the polymer and avidin-biotin-complex (ABC) methods in combination with biotin-tyramide amplification. When using [Met]-enkephalin as a target antigen, the sensitivity of the PBTA method for IHC was more than 100-fold higher compared with the polymer and ABC methods. In addition, its sensitivity for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was about 1,000-fold higher compared with the ABC method. We examined the utility of our IHC method for both chromogenic and fluorescence detection systems used to visualize neurochemical peptides and proteins in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from autopsied human brains. The results convincingly demonstrate that under optimal conditions, our IHC method is highly sensitive without increasing non-specific background activities. Our IHC method could be a powerful tool for detection and visualization of neurochemical antigens that are present even in trace amounts in autopsied human brains

DBS for Tardive Syndrome

Tardive syndrome (TDS) is a potentially permanent and irreversible hyperkinetic movement disorder caused by exposure to dopamine receptor blocking agents. Guidelines published by the American Academy of Neurology recommend pharmacological first-line treatment for TDS with clonazepam (level B), ginkgo biloba (level B), amantadine (level C), and tetrabenazine (level C). Recently, a class II study provided level C evidence for use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) in patients with TDS. Although the precise pathogenesis of TDS remains to be elucidated, the beneficial effects of GPi-DBS in patients with TDS suggest that the disease may be a basal ganglia disorder. In addition to recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology of TDS, this article introduces the current use of DBS in the treatment of medically intractable TDS