Effects of Zirconium Doping Into a Monoclinic Scheelite BiVO4 Crystal on Its Structural, Photocatalytic, and Photoelectrochemical Properties

Effects of zirconium (Zr) doping into BiVO4 powder on its structural properties and photocatalytic activity for O2 evolution were examined. The formation of BiVO4 powder crystallized in a monoclinic scheelite structure (ms-BiVO4) was achieved when the sample was doped with a relatively small amount of Zr. The photocatalytic activity of Zr-doped ms-BiVO4 powder was much higher than that of non-doped ms-BiVO4. However, further doping caused a reduction of photocatalytic activity for O2 evolution due to the occurrence of structural alterations into tetragonal scheelite and tetragonal zircon structures. Similar effects of Zr doping were also observed for the photoelectrochemical (PEC) system based on BiVO4 thin films doped with various amounts of Zr. Thus, Zr doping was confirmed to be effective for improvements of photocatalytic and PEC functions of BiVO4 for water oxidation

Влияние фосфатных связующих на физико-механические свойства периклазохромитовых огнеупоров

У данній статті наведено та порівняно фізико-механічні властивості периклазо-хромітових матеріалів в залежності від різних типів фосфатних зв’язуючих та введення різних домішок. Визначено, що найбільш раціональним є введення триполіфосфату натрію.In given clause are resulted and the physycal-mechanical properties periclase-cgromite of materials are compared depending on different of types phosphate binding and introduction of the various additives. Is determined, that most rational is the introduction treepolyphosphate sodume

Examination of pelvic floor muscle elasticity in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome using real-time tissue elastography

Introduction and hypothesis The aim was to compare pelvic floor muscle (PFM) elasticity between interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) patients and healthy women using real-time tissue elastography. Methods The subjects were 17 IC/BPS female patients (IC/BPS group; age 34-84 years), 10 healthy middle-aged women (middle-aged group; 50-80 years), and 17 healthy young adult women (young group; 23-37 years). The target sites of elastography were the striated urethral sphincter (SUS) and adipose tissue as the reference site; muscle elasticity was calculated as the strain ratio (SR) of the SUS to the reference site. Evaluations were performed at rest and during PFM contraction. The IC/BPS group completed lower urinary tract symptom and pain questionnaires. SUS SR was compared among the three groups. SUS SR at rest and during PFM contraction was compared among the three groups with the t-test and the Wilcoxon test. Associations between questionnaire results and SUS SR were evaluated by correlation analysis. Results There was no significant difference in age between the IC/BPS and middle-aged groups, but the young group was significantly younger than the other groups (p < 0.001). SUS SR at rest was significantly higher in the IC/BPS group than in the middle-aged (p = 0.014) and young groups (p = 0.002). Furthermore, in the IC/BPS group, there was no significant difference in SUS SR between at rest and during PFM contraction. SUS SR was not significantly correlated with questionnaire results for lower urinary tract symptoms. Conclusions SUS SR at rest was significantly higher in the IC/BPS group than in the young and middle-aged groups

Improvement of the Education for Sustainable Development curriculum in Hiroshima University's attached elementary school for globalization : Focusing on the Miyajima World Heritage Site.

本研究は,本校がこれまで策定してきたESDカリキュラムの充実を図るために,世界遺産学習に焦点づけ,世界遺産「宮島」を事例にした教材開発と授業実践を行い,実証的にESDカリキュラムの有効性を高めることを目的としている。本研究の意義は,カリキュラム構成と授業開発の点から次の二点にまとめることができる。第一は,開発授業の実践を通して,観光地の立地条件を多様な観点から読み解き,多くの児童が持続可能な社会の仕組みについて理解し,今後の宮島観光の持続性について意見を形成できたことから,4年生段階において世界遺産学習をカリキュラム上,位置づけることの妥当性を明らかにしたことである。第二は,本研究では,「持続性」をキーワードに世界遺産は「持続性」を実際に証明した社会事象であると規定し,「持続性」を可能にした社会を読み解く授業構成論理を示し,実証的にその意義を明らかにしたことである。今後,附属小型ESDカリキュラムの改善を図るために他の事例についても実践を深め,実証的検証を図り,小学校段階におけるESDカリキュラムの可能性について研究を深めたいと考えている。This study improves the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) curriculum in Hiroshima University's attached elementary school through the development and use of teaching materials for the Miyajima World Heritage Site. This study produced two significant points. The first was to validate the fourth grade ESD curriculum in Hiroshima University's attached elementary school through the development and use of teaching materials for the Miyajima World Heritage Site. The second was to clarify the logic flow of World Heritage lesson design through empirical analysis from the perspective of "sustainability.

Reliability of manometry for assessing pelvic floor muscle function in healthy men

Objectives To the best of our knowledge, no study has examined the reliability of assessment methods for male pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the reliability of manometry with an anal sensor (Peritron cat 9300A) to assess PFM function in healthy men. Methods Healthy male subjects (n = 21) without urinary leakage underwent testing to assess PFM function, and intra- and interrater reliability tests among examiners were performed. The PFM function included maximal anorectal squeeze pressure, endurance, mean anorectal squeeze pressure, gradient, and area under the curve during PFM voluntary contraction. Results Participants had a median age of 38 years (range 26-51), and a mean BMI of 23.2 +/- 2.0 kg/m(2). Satisfactory intra- and interrater reliability scores were found for resting pressure, anorectal squeeze pressure, and endurance. The intra-rater reliability of resting pressure, anorectal squeeze pressure, and endurance were 0.71, 0.89, and 0.75 for examiner 1 and 0.72, 0.89, and 0.87 for examiner 2. The interrater reliability for resting pressure, anorectal squeeze pressure, and endurance were 0.58, 0.93, and 0.61, respectively. Conclusions This is the first prospective study showing the favorable intra- and interrater reliability of manometry for PFM function in healthy men. Our findings demonstrated that manometry can provide both reliable and reproducible data regarding PFM function in continent men, suggesting Peritron cat 9300A can be used to evaluate the PFM function in men

X-ray crystallographic structure of α-helical peptide stabilized by hydrocarbon stapling at i,i + 1 positions

Hydrocarbon stapling is a useful tool for stabilizing the secondary structure of peptides. Among several methods, hydrocarbon stapling at i,i + 1 positions was not extensively studied, and their secondary structures are not clarified. In this study, we investigate i,i + 1 hydrocarbon stapling between cis-4-allyloxy-L-proline and various olefin-tethered amino acids. Depending on the ring size of the stapled side chains and structure of the olefin-tethered amino acids, E- or Z-selectivities were observed during the ring-closing metathesis reaction (E/Z was up to 8.5:1 for 17–14-membered rings and up to 1:20 for 13-membered rings). We performed X-ray crystallographic analysis of hydrocarbon stapled peptide at i,i + 1 positions. The X-ray crystallographic structure suggested that the i,i + 1 staple stabilizes the peptide secondary structure to the right-handed α-helix. These findings are especially important for short oligopeptides because the employed stapling method uses two minimal amino acid residues adjacent to each other

X-ray crystallographic structure of α-helical peptide stabilized by hydrocarbon stapling at i,i + 1 positions

Hydrocarbon stapling is a useful tool for stabilizing the secondary structure of peptides. Among several methods, hydrocarbon stapling at i,i + 1 positions was not extensively studied, and their secondary structures are not clarified. In this study, we investigate i,i + 1 hydrocarbon stapling between cis-4-allyloxy-l-proline and various olefin-tethered amino acids. Depending on the ring size of the stapled side chains and structure of the olefin-tethered amino acids, E- or Z-selectivities were observed during the ring-closing metathesis reaction (E/Z was up to 8.5:1 for 17–14-membered rings and up to 1:20 for 13-membered rings). We performed X-ray crystallographic analysis of hydrocarbon stapled peptide at i,i + 1 positions. The X-ray crystallographic structure suggested that the i,i + 1 staple stabilizes the peptide secondary structure to the right-handed α-helix. These findings are especially important for short oligopeptides because the employed stapling method uses two minimal amino acid residues adjacent to each other

Mechanisms of D1/D2-like dopaminergic agonist, rotigotine, on lower urinary tract function in rat model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. As activation of dopaminergic receptors is fundamentally involved in the micturition reflex in PD, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of a single dose of rotigotine ([-]2-(N-propyl-N-2-thienylethylamino)-5-hydroxytetralin) on intercontraction interval (ICI) and voiding pressure (VP) in a rat model of PD. We used 27 female rats, PD was induced by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA; 8 mu g in 2 mu L of 0.9% saline containing 0.3% ascorbic acid), and rotigotine was administrated at doses of 0.125, 0.25, or 0.5 mg/kg, either intravenous or subcutaneous injection. In rats with 6-OHDA-induced PD, intravenous injection of 0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg rotigotine led to a significantly lower ICI than after vehicle injection (p < 0.05). Additionally, VP was significantly lower in animals administered rotigotine compared to those injected with vehicle (p < 0.05). Compared to vehicle-injected animals, subcutaneous administration of rotigotine (0.125, 0.25, or 0.5 mg/kg) led to a significantly higher ICI at 2 h after injection (p < 0.05); however, there was no change in ICI after injection with (+)-SCH23390 hydrochloride. Dermal administration of rotigotine in a rat model of PD could suppress an overactive bladder

Measurement of radon concentration in water using a radon-in-air monitor

The World Health Organization recommends that the radon concentration in water should be no more than 100 Bq L−1 as the WHO guideline value. In this study, two types of degassing systems, i.e. RAD H2O and AquaKIT, respectively, connecting to a radon-in-air monitor were applied to measure radon concentrations in water, and this technique was compared to a liquid scintillation counter method as the reference. In order to judge whether RAD7 with those two degassing systems were applicable as a screening method, the criterion was investigated. The two degassing methods were found to be effective as the screening method with the WHO guideline value. Moreover, a system whose screening test value is closer to the guideline value is more effective as a screening device. The screening values of RAD H2O and AquaKIT were 86 and 92 Bq L−1, respectively. We conclude that the AquaKIT can be recommended as the degassing system when performing the degassing metho