Effect of external stress on nucleation of ellipsoidal ω precipitates in a Ti–20 wt% Mo alloy

The effects of an external stress on the formation of ellipsoidal ω phase precipitates have been examined for a Ti–20 wt% Mo alloy aged at 300 °C. Application of a tensile stress accelerates the nucleation of ω precipitates but a compressive stress does not significantly affect it. Estimates of the average misfit strains along the loading and the transverse directions, based on the misfit strains of ω precipitates, from measurements of the length change and the lattice parameter reveal preferential formation of specific ω variants among crystallographically equivalent four ones, which depends on the sense of the applied stress. This is supported by the result of the dependence of the number density of an ω variant on its misfit strain along the loading direction. This result, together with the dependence of the formation of ω precipitates on the sense of the applied stress, can be well understood through the interaction energy due to the presence of misfit strains between the applied stress and ω precipitate

Influence of applied tensile stress on formation and growth of ellipsoidal ω precipitates in a Ti-20wt%Mo alloy

The effects of tensile stress on the nucleation and growth of ellipsoidal ω phase precipitates have been investigated for a Ti-20wt%Mo alloy aged at 300 °C. Application of a tensile stress promotes not only the nucleation but also the growth of ω precipitates. Estimates of the average misfit strains along the loading and the transverse directions from measurements of the length change reveal the preferential formation of specific ω variants among crystallographicallyequivalent four ones. The average size of the precipitates in the alloy aged under no stress follows initially a parabolic growth law, whereas when aged under a tensile stress of 400 and 450MPa the precipitate size increases linearly with aging time, this fact indicating that while the growth of ω precipitates is governed by diffusion of Mo from the ω/β interface to the β matrix under no stress, precipitate growth is instead interface-controlled under tensile stress

LIPUS effect on lateral tooth movement

Introduction: Because mechanical stimulation of the periodontal ligament (PDL) by low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been shown to increase the speed of bone remodeling, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of LIPUS stimulation on the rate of tooth movement and bone remodeling during lateral tooth movement. Methods: Twelve-week-old Wistar rats were divided into two groups. The LIPUS group received experimental tooth movement with LIPUS stimulation, and the tooth movement (TM) group had experimental tooth movement without LIPUS. For the LIPUS and TM groups, the upper right first molars were moved labially with fixed appliances. LIPUS exposure was placed in the region corresponding to the right maxillary first molar. Three days after tooth movement, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) was examined. Fourteen days after tooth movement, the intermolar width, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone volume fraction (BV/TV) were examined by micro computed tomography (micro-CT), and newly formed bone was measured histomorphometrically. Results: The number of TRAP-positive cells at the compressed region was obviously greater in the LIPUS group. The intermolar width was significantly greater in the LIPUS group than in the TM group. The alveolar bone around the maxillary first molar showed no differences in BMC or BV/TV between the LIPUS and TM groups. The LIPUS group exhibited a significantly greater amount of newly formed alveolar bone than the TM group. Conclusions: The present study provides evidence of the beneficial effects of LIPUS on the lateral tooth movement

Paradoxical nature of narrative in analytical psychotherapy

This study explored the changes, obstacles for changes and the sharing of narratives in psychotherapeutic case studies. Study 1 developed an index for analyzing the process of narratives in psychotherapy, based on 101 cases. In Study 2, 203 cases were evaluated using the index generated from Study 1. As a result, three paradoxical natures of narrative became evident. Narrative in psychotherapy is thought to include (1) recognizing the beginning of a narrative, which can also signify the completion of the narrative, (2) negative movements that hinder the development of the narrative while at the same time move it forward and (3) an individual’s narrative that is uniquely one’s own, but easily influences and is influenced by the narratives of others

Renal impairment with sublethal tubular cell injury in a chronic liver disease mouse model

The pathogenesis of renal impairment in chronic liver diseases (CLDs) has been primarily studied in the advanced stages of hepatic injury. Meanwhile, the pathology of renal impairment in the early phase of CLDs is poorly understood, and animal models to elucidate its mechanisms are needed. Thus, we investigated whether an existing mouse model of CLD induced by 3, 5-diethoxycarbonyl-1, 4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) shows renal impairment in the early phase. Renal injury markers, renal histology (including immunohistochemistry for tubular injury markers and transmission electron microscopy), autophagy, and oxidative stress were studied longitudinally in DDC- and standard diet-fed BALB/c mice. Slight but significant renal dysfunction was evident in DDC-fed mice from the early phase. Meanwhile, histological examinations of the kidneys with routine light microscopy did not show definitive morphological findings, and electron microscopic analyses were required to detect limited injuries such as loss of brush border microvilli and mitochondrial deformities. Limited injuries have been recently designated as sublethal tubular cell injury. As humans with renal impairment, either with or without CLD, often show almost normal tubules, sublethal injury has been of particular interest. In this study, the injuries were associated with mitochondrial aberrations and oxidative stress, a possible mechanism for sublethal injury. Intriguingly, two defense mechanisms were associated with this injury that prevent it from progressing to apparent cell death: autophagy and single-cell extrusion with regeneration. Furthermore, the renal impairment of this model progressed to chronic kidney disease with interstitial fibrosis after long-term DDC feeding. These findings indicated that DDC induces renal impairment with sublethal tubular cell injury from the early phase, leading to chronic kidney disease. Importantly, this CLD mouse model could be useful for studying the pathophysiological mechanisms of sublethal tubular cell injury

日本の保健師が期待する発達障害児とその家族を支援する民生委員の役割と能力

Background: Public Health Nurses (PHNs) collaborate with community volunteer welfare commissioners to support children with developmental disorders and their families lead a life without isolation. Objective: This study aims to clarify the roles and competencies that PHNs expect of welfare commissioners in supporting children with developmental disorders and their families. Methods: An online survey was administered through Survey Monkey© to 220 PHNs working in Japanese municipalities using an independently developed questionnaire regarding the roles and competencies of welfare commissioners supporting children with developmental disorders and their families expected by PHNs. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to simplify the data structure and enhance understanding. The reliability of the scale was confirmed using Cronbach’s α. Differences due to PHN attributes (e.g., experience collaborating with welfare commissioners) were analyzed using Welch’s t-test. This study was conducted between April and September 2021. Results:The highest scoring items were, for the role, “a welfare commissioner’s role is to pass on accurate information to their successor,” and for competencies, “a necessary competency for a welfare commissioner is to protect the information about children with developmental disorders, and their families learned during one’s work.” The EFA results revealed a two-factor structure for role items: Factor 1, “Supporting children with developmental disorders and their families and preventing abuse,” and Factor 2, “Connecting to social resources.” Competency items were also found to have a two-factor structure: Factor 1, “Understanding the position of children with developmental disorders and their families and connecting with local residents,” and Factor 2, “Understanding developmental disorders and supporting them based on assessment.” A comparison of the attributes of PHNs showed no significant differences. Conclusion: PHNs feel welfare commissioners should pass on the information and protect confidentiality when supporting children with developmental disorders and their families. Furthermore, PHNs expect welfare commissioners to connect children with developmental disorders and their families to the community, prevent abuse, and provide support based on assessment. PHNs had the same expectations regarding the roles and competencies of welfare commissioners regardless of their own attributes

Usefulness of NIRS for medication adherence

The symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Physicians often prescribe methylphenidate (MPH) for children with ADHD for long periods of time. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for evaluating drug effects and improvements in medication adherence in children with ADHD. Subjects were 10 male children diagnosed with ADHD : average age, 9.3 years, and 10 boys with typical development : average age 9.5 years. Children with intellectual disability, autism, and obvious depressive symptoms were excluded. The present study revealed that in the ADHD group, oxy-Hb concentrations in the left and right lateral prefrontal cortex significantly increased during the execution of the Stroop color-word test in both channels when taking MPH. This method was considered to be useful for assessing drug effects on ADHD because NIRS is an objective indicator for evaluating ADHD executive dysfunction and visualizes the activation of frontal lobe function by MPH. A pediatric neurologist explained the results of NIRS while presenting images to the ADHD group, and medication adherence and the drug-taking ratio both markedly improved. Therefore, this therapeutic explanation is an effective strategy for improving medication compliance and adherence among patients

Tensile-stress-induced growth of ellipsoidal ω-precipitates in a Ti–20wt%Mo alloy

The effects of applied tensile stress on the growth of ellipsoidal ω phase precipitates have been investigated for a Ti–20wt%Mo alloy aged at 300 °C. The application of tensile stress accelerates the growth of ω-precipitates when the misfit strain εΜ of the precipitates along the loading direction is greater than 0; however, it does not significantly affect the growth of precipitates in cases where εΜ 0 under a tensile stress of 400–550 MPa. The growth velocity of precipitates in the case where εΜ > 0 is proportional to the tensile stress. This result, together with the misfit strain dependence of the growth of precipitates, is discussed on the basis of the interaction energy between the stress acting on an ω-precipitate and its misfit strain. The activation energies for the diffusion-controlled and interface-controlled growth are estimated to be approximately 190 and 130 kJ/mol, respectively. The value of 190 kJ/mol is consistent with the activation energy for volume diffusion of Mo in β-Ti. © 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New YorkEmbargo Period 12 months after publicatio

How Property Rents and Expenses Depreciate: A Case of Tokyo Office Properties

This is the first comprehensive study on the age profile of new rents, average rents, operating expenses, net operating income, capital expenditure, and net cash flow for office properties in Tokyo. The Intrinsic Estimator method is employed to decompose the observed depreciation into two components: physical deterioration and functional obsolescence. There are four main findings. First, the rate of rental depreciation in Japan is low and explains less than half of the rate of depreciation of property prices, although it is higher in earlier years. Second, average rents exhibit nominal rigidity. Third, approximately half of the observed depreciation in new rents is due to physical deterioration as opposed to functional obsolescence, which is driven by changes in tenant preferences and advances in building technology. Last, operating expenses are independent of age, whereas capital expenditure increases in the first 20 years. Our study contributes to the literature by estimating depreciation rates for commercial real estate rents, costs, and cash flows, with new insights into the detailed age profile and sources of economic depreciation. Keywords: commercial real estate, offices, Japan, depreciation, age-period-cohort decomposition, hedonic model. JEL Codes: R33, L16, E3