Hydrothermally synthesized poorly-crystalline binary oxides with ZrW2O8 composition : preparation, structural analysis, and catalytic activity for the alkylation of anisole with benzyl alcohol

Hydrothermally synthesized poorly-crystalline metastable Zr–W binary hydroxide (W/Zr = 2), after calcination, was confirmed to be a strong solid acid catalyst to promote the alkylation of anisole with benzyl alcohol. The preparation conditions, structure of the as-prepared catalysts and the calcined hydroxides were investigated using XRD, nitrogen adsorption isotherms, TG-DTA, and XANES/EXAFS techniques. The crystalline phase was controlled by the hydrochloric acid concentration used for preparing a mother gel, and 5–9 M HCl was suitable for preparing the active phase. The tungsten species exists as a six-valent WO6 distorted octahedron connected with the ZrO7 unit via corner-sharing linkages. The incompleteness of the network structure is suggested to be responsible for the solid acidity

Dance Generation by Sound Symbolic Words

This study introduces a novel approach to generate dance motions using onomatopoeia as input, with the aim of enhancing creativity and diversity in dance generation. Unlike text and music, onomatopoeia conveys rhythm and meaning through abstract word expressions without constraints on expression and without need for specialized knowledge. We adapt the AI Choreographer framework and employ the Sakamoto system, a feature extraction method for onomatopoeia focusing on phonemes and syllables. Additionally, we present a new dataset of 40 onomatopoeia-dance motion pairs collected through a user survey. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method enables more intuitive dance generation and can create dance motions using sound-symbolic words from a variety of languages, including those without onomatopoeia. This highlights the potential for diverse dance creation across different languages and cultures, accessible to a wider audience. Qualitative samples from our model can be found at: https://sites.google.com/view/onomatopoeia-dance/home/

Transforming growth factor-β1 stimulates collagen matrix remodeling through increased adhesive and contractive potential by human renal fibroblasts

AbstractRenal tubulointerstitial fibrosis is the common final pathway leading to end-stage renal failure. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is characterized by fibroblast proliferation and excessive matrix accumulation. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) has been implicated in the development of renal fibrosis accompanied by α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in renal fibroblasts. To investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in tubulointerstitial fibrosis, we examined the effect of TGF-β1 on collagen type I (collagen) gel contraction, an in vitro model of scar collagen remodeling. TGF-β1 enhanced collagen gel contraction by human renal fibroblasts in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Function-blocking anti-α1 or anti-α2 integrin subunit antibodies significantly suppressed TGF-β1-stimulated collagen gel contraction. Scanning electron microscopy showed that TGF-β1 enhanced the formation of the collagen fibrils by cell attachment to collagen via α1β1 and α2β1 integrins. Flow cytometry and cell adhesion analyses revealed that the stimulation of renal fibroblasts with TGF-β1 enhanced cell adhesion to collagen via the increased expression of α1 and α2 integrin subunits within collagen gels. Fibroblast migration to collagen was not up-regulated by TGF-β1. Furthermore, TGF-β1 increased the expression of a putative contractile protein, α-SMA, by human renal fibroblasts in collagen gels. These results suggest that TGF-β1 stimulates fibroblast–collagen matrix remodeling by increasing both integrin-mediated cell attachment to collagen and α-SMA expression, thereby contributing to pathological tubulointerstitial collagen matrix reorganization in renal fibrosis

Indigo plant improves serum lipid profiles

We investigated the effects of Polygonum tinctorium Lour (PTL), a plant commonly known as indigo, on biological parameters in an animal model of high-fat diet-induced obesity. Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet and treated with PTL showed lower serum levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol levels and a higher serum levels of HDL cholesterol than those in Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet without PTL treatment. The weight of mesenteric fat in PTL-treated rats was decreased compared to that in control rats not treated with PTL. In addition, energy metabolic rate in the dark period, but not in the light period, in PTL-treated rats was higher than that in control rats. Although a significant difference was not observed, body weight in PTL-treated rats tended to be decreased compared to that in control rats. The results show that PTL improves serum lipid profiles in Wistar rats with high-fat diet-induced obesity

基礎看護学実習で認知した臨床看護

１年次の看護学生におこなった基礎看護学実習において，今後の実習のあり方を検討するために，学生が臨床の看護をどのように認知したかについて，学生のレポートを分析した．学生の臨床の看護に関する認知は，ナイチンゲールやヘンダーソンがいう看護のメタパラダイムに焦点化して看護をとらえていることが明らかとなった．看護学概説の統合として位置づけられるこの実習から，学生は理論を通して看護の実践場面をみることができており，知識を統合する実習として有効であると判断できた．First-year nursing students practiced nursing in a clinical setting during their first clinical training experience. After the training experience, the students submitted a report on how they found clinical nursing. The author analyzed their reports to investigate how the students perceived nursing in a clinical setting, with the goal of improving methods of clinical training. The analysis revealed that the students tended to view nursing from a point of view similar to the meta-paradigm proposed by two theoreticians of nursing, Nightingale and Henderson. The students achieved the target of clinical training, i.e., the opportunity to make a link between clinical practice and the knowledge about nursing they had learned in the classroom. The current clinical training experience was thus judged to be valid

看護学生の看護の認識

看護学生は入学初期から学習する看護学や，日常生活の中で多様な体験や経験を積むことにより，看護に対する見方・考え方を変えながら，自らの看護観を形成していく．今回，看護学生が入学時と，１年間看護学やその関連科目，教養科目などを学習した１年終了時における看護の見方・考え方について学生の記述内容を分析した．その結果，看護学生は入学後１年間の学習や経験などが加味され，看護に関する認識を新たにしたり深めたりしていた．この認識の変化には，専門科目である看護学概論や看護理論の影響が大きいと考えられた．なぜならば看護学生は，１年間に学習した看護学概論や看護理論の科目の中で捉えた看護の考え方をベースに看護の認識を深めていた．Nursing students develop their own view of nursing through learning of nursing and accumulating diverse experiences during daily living after entering nursing school. The present study was undertaken to analyze the result of the descriptive survey designed to investigate changes in the students awareness of nursing during the first year of the nursing school (i.e., after one year of learning nursing, nursing-related subjects and subjects for general education). This survey revealed that the nursing students accumulated knowledge and experience and deepened thir awareness of nursing during the one year period. These changes in their awareness seem to be particularly related to education of nursing-specific subjects (introduction and theories of nursing). The students deepened their awareness of nursing on the basis of the views they learned from these nursing-specific subjects

A highly efficient sublimation purification system using baffles with orifices

Here we report a highly efficient sublimation purification system using baffles with orifices in the sublimation tube. It is clearly demonstrated that the purity of materials is increased largely by introducing some pieces of baffles with orifices in the high-temperature region (sublimation region), which was confirmed by comparing the melting point (T-m) and the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purity with those of purified one by a conventional system. The driving voltages of electroluminescence (EL) devices were also compared and showed the same tendency with the T-m and HPLC purity data. Not only the purity but also the effective yield of purified materials was also increased by introducing baffles in low-temperature region. Some expected mechanisms of improving the purification efficiency by introducing baffles were also discussed.ArticleOrganic Electronics. 11(5):794-800 (2010)journal articl

The distinct vibrational signature of grain-boundary water in nano-crystalline ice films

We have characterized the vibrational response of grain-boundary water in crystalline ice films consisting of nanometer-sized crystalline domains. The crystalline ice is grown isothermally on Ru(0 0 0 1), and the crystalline domain size is controlled by varying the crystallization temperature. A distinct vibrational feature in the OD stretching region is observed, which we attribute to grain-boundary water. The relative contribution of the grain-boundary vibrational response to the overall spectrum increases with decreasing crystal domain size. Its central frequency is located around 2500 cm−1, between that of amorphous solid water and crystalline ice

海外渡航者の医療に関する講義

今日，海外旅行や海外赴任者・移住者は年々増加の傾向を示している．これらの人々に対し，看護はどのような役割を担い，看護を提供することができるのかについて検討していく必要がある． 今後，海外にでかける，海外で生活する人々に対する医療や看護について教授する一助として，A大学の看護学生に行った海外渡航者の医療に関する講義から，学生が何を学んだかとして記述したレポートを分析した．その結果，学生はこの科目を履修することにより海外渡航者として必要な知識を学習し，そこにおける看護の重要性について学んでいた．今後，学生が海外渡航者の医療や看護に対して，さらに認識や知識を深めるとともに，看護の視野を拡大できるように授業内容を検討することが必要である．The number of Japanese people who take tours overseas, are stationed in overseas offices, or who emigrate to other countries has recently been increasing, year by year. This study was intended to shed light on what roles nurses can play and what kinds of nursing services they can provide to these people. The author recently analyzed reports submitted by A University nursing students after they had received classroom lessons about medical care for overseas travelers. The goal of the analysis was to obtain hints about how to teach students about medical and nursing care for people who are going to take tours overseas or live in other countries. The analysis revealed that attending these lessons had enabled the students to expand their knowledge of overseas travel and to learn the importance to these people of nursing care. The results suggest that it is necessary to select lecture topics carefully with a view to facilitating expansion of the students' mental horizons concerning nursing, so that what the students learn will be of great help when they work in the internationalized community that is now emerging across the world

Structural Transformation of Tungsten-Zirconium Hydroxide Crystals Upon Calcination Characterized by XRD, XAFS and Acid Catalyzed Reaction

W：Zr 比が2：1 の二元系水酸化物を水熱合成法にて調製し，水熱処理の保持時間および焼成温度の異なる物質の構造をX 線回折，X 線吸収分光法で検討し，酸触媒特性を評価した．453 K での水熱処理では12 時間までは高表面積かつ結晶性の低い化学種（I 相）が生じ，24 時間以降で結晶性の高い水和物（ZWOH 結晶）が得られた．ZWOH 結晶は573−773K で結晶性の低いZrW2O8 多形（II 相），823−873K で立方晶ZrW2O8 へ変化することをX 線分析，UV-Vis 分光法および熱重量分析で確認した．I 相はアニソールのベンジルアルコールによるアルキル化を促進する固体強酸触媒として機能し，873K 焼成体が最高活性を示した．ZWOH 結晶およびZrW2O8 はアルキル化活性を示さなかった．立方晶系ZrW2O8 の結晶性の低いI 相が混在しても通常のXRD 解析では検出困難であるが，表面積測定および活性試験を併用すると混在の推定が可能であった．Tungsten zirconium hydroxides (ZWOH) with the molar ratio of W/Zr =2 were synthesized by a hydrothermal process at 453 K for 6-72 h. Structure of the hydroxides with different crystallinity and the transformation upon calcination were characterized by XRD, XAFS, UV-vis spectroscopic techniques. The ill-crystallized ZWOH with large surface area (>100m2 ·g−1; phase-I) was formed via hydrothermal treatment till 12 h, and well crystallized ZrW2O7(OH)2(H2O)2 (< 2 m2 ·g−1; c-ZWOH) was formed after 24 h. W L-edge XAFS, optical bandgap and thermal gravity analyses gave direct evidence to support the previous suggestion about dehydration process of c-ZWOH to ZrW2O8, where ZrW2O8 polymorphism with low crystallinity (phase-II) and cubic ZrW2O8 crystal formed after calcination in the range of 573−773 and 823−873 K, respectively. The ZWOH phase-I was found to promote alkylation of benzylalcohol with anisole, and the activity exhibited the maximum after calcination at 873 K. The c-ZWOH and ZrW2O8 polymorphisms were catalytically inert for the reaction. Existence of active phase-I as a minor species in ZrW2O8 little influence on XRD pattern, but surface area measurements and the catalytic performance might help to evaluate fraction of phase-I in the Zr-W-O system. The ZWOH phase-I was candidate for a model catalyst of tungstated zirconia strong solid acid to investigate the acidity generation mechanism