Medication Reminder Device for the Elderly Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Reminder devices reportedly improve medication adherence in the elderly patients with mild dementia; however, the efficacy of such devices remains unexplored. Therefore, a 3-month before and after study with convenience sampling was conducted to determine the efficacy of a medication reminder device used by 18 participants (aged 81.2 +/- 6.2 years) with Clinical Dementia Rating scores of 0.5 or 1. At the onset of device use, examiners visited the users' homes to ensure that they and their caregivers understood how to use the device. Caregivers monitored its use during the first week. Values of the self-administration medication rate during 1 week for 13 (72.2%) users showed improvement at 3 months. This result revealed that reminder devices can improve medication adherence in the elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment. Further study is needed to assess the magnitude of this improvement and to enhance its support for users with mild cognitive impairment.ArticleAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE AND OTHER DEMENTIAS. 27(4):238-242 (2012)journal articl

Field-based AT Innovation Methodology and Development of an Information Assistance Robot System for Older People with Cognitive Decline

This chapter describes the methodology for the development of assistive technologies with the user and the use fields at its core, which is called Field-based Assistive Technology Innovation (FATI). Furthermore, as a case study, the development of a communication robot that provides important information in the daily lives of older adults, such as dates and schedules, is presented. In devising the FATI methodology, a comprehensive framework for promoting AT innovation was developed. Then, based on existing user-centred design methods, etc., a methodology focusing on AT concept planning was developed. As a result, a concept planning guideline consisting of seven items was developed, and a concept planning sheet was created to visualise the process. In the case study of the development of an information assistance robot for older adults with memory loss, in which FATI was applied, the needs of older persons with cognitive decline were accurately identified, many stakeholders in the robot's use were identified, and a concept was compiled for the intended use scenario. This methodology may also hold promise for the appropriate integration of rapidly advancing recent technology into the AT space.In diesem Kapitel wird die Methodik für die Entwicklung von Assistiven Technologien (AT), mit Nutzer*innen und den Anwendungsfeldern im Mittelpunkt, beschrieben, die auch als Feldbasierte Assistive Technologie-Innovation (FATI) bezeichnet wird. Als Fallbeispiel wird die Entwicklung eines Kommunikationsroboters, der wichtige Informationen im täglichen Leben älterer Menschen, wie z.B. Termine und Zeitpläne bereitstellt, vorgestellt. Mit der FATI-Methodik wurde ein umfassender Rahmen zur Förderung von AT-Innovationen entwickelt. Anschließend wurde auf der Grundlage bestehender nutzungszentrierter Designmethoden etc. eine Methodik entwickelt, die sich auf die Planung von AT-Konzepten konzentriert. Das Ergebnis ist ein Leitfaden für die Konzeptplanung, bestehend aus sieben Elementen, sowie ein Konzeptplanungsblatt zur Visualisierung des Prozesses. In der Fallstudie zur Entwicklung eines Informationsunterstützungsroboters für ältere Erwachsene mit Gedächtnisverlust, bei der FATI angewandt wurde, wurden die Bedürfnisse älterer Menschen mit kognitiven Einschränkungen genau ermittelt, verschiedene potentielle Nutzer*innengruppen für den Einsatz des Roboters identifiziert und ein Konzept für das geplante Einsatzszenario erstellt. Diese Methodik erscheint vielversprechend für die angemessene Integration von schnell fortschreitender neuer Technologie in den AT-Bereich

Development of Transfer Assist Robot Based on the User Needs

To develop technology based on the need for a Roboticbed® by the elderly and those with disabilities, this study extracts user needs and problems based on feasibility testing. This study makes it clear that those with severe disabilities want the Roboticbed® to support their independence in moving between bed and wheelchair and back. We propose a lifestyle for users and caregivers using the present version of the Roboticbed® based on experiments and extracted problems based on user needs. These results indicate that evaluation based on user needs is useful for specifying a design guide for user needs.首都大学東京学位論文甲第476号 副論文 (要約

使用者中心の福祉機器臨床評価手法 : プロトタイプロボティックベッドの評価

首都大学東京, 2015-03-25, 博士（作業療法学）, 甲第476号首都大学東

Ferromagnetism and giant magnetoresistance in the rare earth fullerides Eu6-xSrxC60

We have studied crystal structure, magnetism and electric transport properties of a europium fulleride Eu6C60 and its Sr-substituted compounds, Eu6-xSrxC60. They have a bcc structure, which is an isostructure of other M6C60 (M represents an alkali atom or an alkaline earth atom). Magnetic measurements revealed that magnetic moment is ascribed to the divalent europium atom with S = 7/2 spin, and a ferromagnetic transition was observed at TC = 10 - 14 K. In Eu6C60, we also confirm the ferromagnetic transition by heat capacity measurement. The striking feature in Eu6-xSrxC60} is very large negative magnetoresistance at low temperature; the resistivity ratio \rho(H = 9 T)/\rho(H = 0 T) reaches almost 10^{-3} at 1 K in Eu6C60. Such large magnetoresistance is the manifestation of a strong pi-f interaction between conduction carriers on C60 and 4f electrons of Eu.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Structure and properties of densified silica glass: characterizing the order within disorder

世界一構造秩序のあるガラスの合成と構造解析に成功 --ガラスの一見無秩序な構造の中に潜む秩序を抽出--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-12-25.The broken symmetry in the atomic-scale ordering of glassy versus crystalline solids leads to a daunting challenge to provide suitable metrics for describing the order within disorder, especially on length scales beyond the nearest neighbor that are characterized by rich structural complexity. Here, we address this challenge for silica, a canonical network-forming glass, by using hot versus cold compression to (i) systematically increase the structural ordering after densification and (ii) prepare two glasses with the same high-density but contrasting structures. The structure was measured by high-energy X-ray and neutron diffraction, and atomistic models were generated that reproduce the experimental results. The vibrational and thermodynamic properties of the glasses were probed by using inelastic neutron scattering and calorimetry, respectively. Traditional measures of amorphous structures show relatively subtle changes upon compacting the glass. The method of persistent homology identifies, however, distinct features in the network topology that change as the initially open structure of the glass is collapsed. The results for the same high-density glasses show that the nature of structural disorder does impact the heat capacity and boson peak in the low-frequency dynamical spectra. Densification is discussed in terms of the loss of locally favored tetrahedral structures comprising oxygen-decorated SiSi4 tetrahedra

Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Characteristics of aerosol number concentrations over the ice-covered Okhotsk Sea

Aerosol number concentrations were observed in conjunction with in-situ meteorological parameters aboard the patrol vessel SOYA in February 2003 over the ice- covered Okhotsk Sea. The concentrations of particles with radii larger than 0.35 μm were close to the background level, while concentrations of particles less than 0.35 μm were close to the remote continental level. During the observation period, relatively higher and lower aerosol number concentrations (HA and LA) were observed, depending on synoptic weather conditions. Backward trajectory analyses revealed that for the HA period, the air mass in the study region traced back to the Sea of Japan; for the LA period, the air mass originated from the northern ice-covered area. This suggests that sea ice influences the aerosol number concentration by suppressing the amount of oceanic sea salt sup- plied to air masses. Using the observational data and an empirical formula, differences in surface solar radiation between the HA and LA periods were also examined