A Portrait of the Author of Vathek

Article信州大学教育システム研究開発センター紀要 4: 123-139(1998)departmental bulletin pape

The Fonthill Legend : William Beckford's Landscape Architecture

Article信州大学教育システム研究開発センター紀要 6: 97-113(2000)departmental bulletin pape

Correlation between contrast sensitivity and higher-order aberration based on pupil diameter after cataract surgery

Takefumi Yamaguchi1,2, Kazuno Negishi1, Kazuhiko Ohnuma3, Kazuo Tsubota11Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Ichikawa General Hospital, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba; 3Department of Medical System Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanBackground: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between contrast sensitivity and calculated higher-order aberrations based on individual natural pupil diameter after cataract surgery.Methods: This prospective study included 120 eyes from 92 patients who were randomized to receive one of four lenses, including three aspheric lenses (Acrysof SN60WF, Tecnis ZA9000, and Hoya Py60AD) and one spherical lens (Acrysof SN60AT). Contrast sensitivity, higher-order aberrations of the whole eye, and pupil diameter under photopic and mesopic conditions were measured 1 month postoperatively. Higher-order aberrations were decomposed into Zernike coefficients, calculated according to individual pupil diameter. The correlation between higher-order aberrations and contrast sensitivity was evaluated.Results: There were no significant differences in contrast sensitivity function between the four types of lenses under photopic conditions. However, the contrast sensitivity function and area under log contrast sensitivity function in the aspheric lenses were significantly better than in the spherical lens under mesopic conditions. Under mesopic conditions, spherical aberration in eyes with aspheric lenses was significantly lower than in eyes with spherical lenses (P < 0.05). Under photopic conditions, coma aberration had a significant negative correlation with contrast sensitivity at 12 cycles/degree. Under mesopic conditions, spherical aberration had a significant negative correlation with contrast sensitivity at 3, 6, and 12 cycles/degree with glare, and with contrast sensitivity at 6 and 18 cycles/degree without glare.Conclusion: In terms of influence on visual function, coma aberration may be more significant under photopic conditions and spherical aberration under mesopic conditions.Keywords: mesopic conditions, spherical aberration, wavefront, photopic and mesopic condition

A study of performance in basketball games : focusing on games with a change in number of player

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of differences in number of players on performance in basketball games. Twenty male junior high school students participated in the present study. They played two types of games: Game A (court size : 24.6m×13.1m, 5 players per team, game time : 3 minutes), and Game B (court size: 24.6m×13.1m, 3 players per team, game time : 3 minutes). The distance covered and heart rate and RPE during the game were measured. Questionnaires were conducted after all of the games. The main results were as follows: 　　 1) The distance covered was significantly greater in game B than in game A. 　　 2) There was no significant difference in heart rate between the two games. 　　 3) RPE was significantly greater in game B than in game A. 　　 4) In the questionnaires about the two games, a significant difference was found only in one question “positioning" on the aspect of techniques. This value was significantly greater in game B than in game A.　　 These results suggest that amount of activity during the game and value of “positioning" in the questionnaires are increased with reduction in number of players

Physical properties and wear behavior of CAD/CAM resin composite blocks containing S-PRG filler for restoring primary molar teeth

Objectives: This study aimed to develop computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) resin composite blocks (RCBs) containing surface pre-reacted glass-ionomer (S-PRG) filler for primary molar teeth and evaluate their physical properties and wear resistance. Methods: Experimental CAD/CAM RCBs containing S-PRG filler for primary molar teeth (EB), a commercial CAD/CAM RCB (HC), two resin composites for primary teeth (BKP and BKZ) and one for permanent teeth (BⅡ) were used. Hardness tests, three-point bending tests, fracture toughness tests, and water absorption tests were conducted. Wear tests were conducted for these materials and stainless steel crowns (SSCs). Results: The Vickers hardness of EB was lower than that of HC (p 0.05). After 1 week of water immersion, EB and HC showed greater flexural strength than the other materials (p < 0.05). EB showed greater fracture toughness than the other materials (p < 0.05). The water absorption of EB was lower than that of HC, BKZ, and BKP (p < 0.05), and greater than that of BⅡ (p < 0.05). Antagonist wear was significantly smaller in EB than in HC and BⅡ (p < 0.05), and significantly greater than in BKZ (p < 0.05). Antagonist wear could not be measured in SSC because of excessive wear that was out of range of the surface roughness tester. Significance: The CAD/CAM RCBs containing S-PRG filler for primary molar teeth developed in this study demonstrated adequate physical properties and wear performance, suggesting that they are suitable for restoration of primary molar teeth and could function in place of SSCs.Nakase Y., Yamaguchi S., Okawa R., et al. Physical properties and wear behavior of CAD/CAM resin composite blocks containing S-PRG filler for restoring primary molar teeth. Dental Materials 38, 158 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2021.11.001

Interactions between IL-32 and tumor necrosis factor alpha contribute to the exacerbation of immune-inflammatory diseases

IL-32 is a newly described cytokine in the human found to be an in vitro inducer of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). We examined the in vivo relationship between IL-32 and TNFα, and the pathologic role of IL-32 in the TNFα-related diseases – arthritis and colitis. We demonstrated by quantitative PCR assay that IL-32 mRNA was expressed in the lymphoid tissues, and in stimulated peripheral T cells, monocytes, and B cells. Activated T cells were important for IL-32 mRNA expression in monocytes and B cells. Interestingly, TNFα reciprocally induced IL-32 mRNA expression in T cells, monocyte-derived dendritic cells, and synovial fibroblasts. Moreover, IL-32 mRNA expression was prominent in the synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis patients, especially in synovial-infiltrated lymphocytes by in situ hybridization. To examine the in vivo relationship of IL-32 and TNFα, we prepared an overexpression model mouse of human IL-32β (BM-hIL-32) by bone marrow transplantation. Splenocytes of BM-hIL-32 mice showed increased expression and secretion of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 especially in response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation. Moreover, serum TNFα concentration showed a clear increase in BM-hIL-32 mice. Cell-sorting analysis of splenocytes showed that the expression of TNFα was increased in resting F4/80(+ )macrophages, and the expression of TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6 was increased in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated F4/80(+ )macrophages and CD11c(+ )dendritic cells. In fact, BM-hIL-32 mice showed exacerbation of collagen-antibody-induced arthritis and trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid-induced colitis. In addition, the transfer of hIL-32β-producing CD4(+ )T cells significantly exacerbated collagen-induced arthritis, and a TNFα blockade cancelled the exacerbating effects of hIL-32β. We therefore conclude that IL-32 is closely associated with TNFα, and contributes to the exacerbation of TNFα-related inflammatory arthritis and colitis

Contribution of electric-field-induced metal-free porphyrin dication to photocurrent in mixed solid of metal-free porphyrin and o-chloranil/Al Schottky-barrier cell

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科先端機能物質Although a Al/H2tpp (5, 10, 15, 20-tetraphenylporphyrin) Schottky-barrier cell did not show a clear rectification property because of the large electric resistance of the H2tpp solid, the rectification property was remarkably improved when o-chloranil was added into the H2tpp solid. The short-circuit dark-current was observed for the Al/dye cells with the mixed solid in contrast to that with the pure H2tpp solid, and it increased with increasing molar ratio (R) of o-chloranil to H2tpp. Furthermore, a much larger photocurrent was observed for the mixed-solid cells than for the pure H2tpp cell, but in the former cells in contrast to the latter cell, the open-circuit photovoltage was approximately the same as the open-circuit dark-voltage. These results indicate that the photocurrent of the mixed-solid cells was from the photocorrosion of the Al electrode. The short-circuit photocurrent action spectra obtained by irradiating from the Al side followed the absorption spectra of the dye solid films on the Al substrate below the R value of about 1, but above R = 1.5, a clear difference was observed in the spectra. This difference arises because a small amount of metal-free porphyrin dications, which is hardly detected by UV-visible spectra, was produced in the immediate neighborhood of the Al electrode when spin-coated with a larger R value because of dark-corrosion of aluminum by both assistance of the hydrogen bonds (between H2tpp and o-chloranil) and the electric field (in a Schottky barrier built during the spin coating). Thus the metal-free porphyrin dications efficiently underwent a photoinduced charge-separation by the potential gradient in the Schottky barrier