Stochastic ranking process with time dependent intensities

We consider the stochastic ranking process with the jump times of the particles determined by Poisson random measures. We prove that the joint empirical distribution of scaled position and intensity measure converges almost surely in the infinite particle limit. We give an explicit formula for the limit distribution and show that the limit distribution function is a unique global classical solution to an initial value problem for a system of a first order non-linear partial differential equations with time dependent coefficients

Ozone decomposition in four types of spouted beds, with or without a draft-tube

ArticleJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF JAPAN. 40(9): 761-764 (2007)journal articl

Temperature Response Comparison of Controlled and Field Environments for Four Tropical Grasses

Tropical grasses are cultivated mostly as annuals in the warm region of SW Japan. They have a long-term sowing time after harvesting temperate Italian ryegrass. We compared the early growth of tropical grasses in a controlled environment vs. field data at 2 sowing times to determine their temperate response

Investigation of electrical transport in anodized single TiO2 nanotubes

Electrical transport in anodized single titania nanotube (TNT) free from any structural effects of titania nanotube array (TNA) was investigated. An anodized TNA was disassembled into single TNTs with two-step anodization technique. Then, single TNT bridges between gold electrodes with a gap of 500 nm were prepared by dielectrophoretic alignment. Quantitative assessment of electron mobility inside single anatase and rutile TNT was carried out by 2-probe current-voltage measurement and analysis based on a metal-semiconductor-metal circuit model with Schottky barriers. Our approach to intrinsic electrical transport of single nanotube is quite effective for understanding the electronic and optical properties of TNA

Airway inflammation in Japanese COPD patients compared with smoking and nonsmoking controls

Purpose: To assess the importance of inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by measuring airway and systemic inflammatory biomarkers in Japanese patients with the disease and relevant control groups. Patients and methods: This was the first study of its type in Japanese COPD patients. It was a non-treatment study in which 100 participants were enrolled into one of three groups: nonsmoking controls, current or ex-smoking controls, and COPD patients. All participants underwent standard lung function assessments and provided sputum and blood samples from which the numbers of inflammatory cells and concentrations of biomarkers were measured, using standard procedures. Results: The overall trends observed in levels of inflammatory cells and biomarkers in sputum and blood in COPD were consistent with previous reports in Western studies. Increasing levels of neutrophils, interleukin 8 (IL-8), surfactant protein D (SP-D), and Krebs von den Lungen 6 (KL-6) in sputum and clara cell 16 (CC-16), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and KL-6 in serum and plasma fibrinogen were seen in the Japanese COPD patients compared with the non-COPD control participants. In sputum, significant correlations were seen between total cell count and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9; P＜0.001), neutrophils and MMP-9 (P＜0.001), macrophages and KL-6 (P＜0.01), total cell count and IL-8 (P＜0.05), neutrophils and IL-8 (P＜0.05), and macrophages and MMP-9 (P＜0.05). Significant correlations were also observed between some inflammatory cells in sputum and biomarkers in serum, with the most significant between serum CC-16 and both total cell count (P＜0.005) and neutrophils (P＜0.005) in sputum. Conclusion: These results provide evidence for the first time that COPD in Japanese patients is a multicomponent disease, involving both airway and systemic inflammation, in addition to airway obstruction. Therefore, intervention with anti-inflammatory therapy may provide additional benefit in disease management of COPD in Japan

A Picture-Book Recommender System for Extensive Reading on an E-Book System

In this paper, we demonstrate a picture-book recommender system to promote extensive reading in English. Extensive reading refers to the independent reading of a large quantity of material for information or pleasure and is known to be effective for acquisition of a second language. The recommender system is implemented on an e-book system that shows digital learning materials (e.g., textbooks and slides) on student’s device. Activities on the e-book system are recorded as learning logs. The recommender system suggests picture books in English based on contents of English textbooks. Specifically, we implement two recommendation strategies: (1) term-based recommendation and (2) grammar-based recommendation. In the future, we use learning logs and loan records of picture books to investigate the influence of picture books on acquisition of English and to enable personalized recommendations for each student

Study on the factors determining home death of patients during home care: A historical cohort study at a home care support clinic.

Aim Associations between markedly low activities of daily living (ADL) at the start of home visit care and patient home death were analyzed using data from a home care support clinic in Japan that has a low rate of home deaths. Methods The study was a historical cohort study. It involved patients who began to receive home visit care from a home visit care support clinic between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2011. Using home death as a dependent variable and presence/absence of markedly low ADL and other parameters (cancer, the patient's desire for home death, etc.) as independent variables, the adjusted hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results Markedly low ADL were associated with home death even after adjustment for factors that influence home death (adjusted hazard ratio 4.40; 95% CI 2.37–8.16). Cancer and the patient's desire for home death were statistically significant factors involved in home death. In a subgroup analysis according to the presence/absence of cancer, the association between markedly low ADL and home death was stronger in the cancer-free group (adjusted hazard ratio 10.78; 95% CI 2.89–40.26) than in the cancer group (adjusted hazard ratio 5.58; 95% CI2.39–13.05). Conclusion Patients' desire for home death could be fulfilled if home care support clinics provide home visit services to not only terminal-stage cancer patients, but also bedridden cancer-free patients. We must establish systems for older adults to remain at home during the terminal period of their lives. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ●●: ●●–●●