Preparation of Ba1-xLnxFeO3-δ and BaFe1-xLnxO3-δ (Ln: trivalent ion) with cubic perovskite structure and random distribution of oxide ion vacancy

Oxides with perovskite structure and random arrangement of oxide ion, such as Ba0.5Sr0.5Fe0.2Co0.8O3-δ, attract much interest as oxygen permeation material. For wide spread of oxygen permeation devices, development of new material without Co is highly desired because of high cost of Co. Recently, we reported that arrangement of oxide ion vacancy in monoclinic BaFeO2.5-δ changes from ordered to random by partial La3+ substitution for Ba2+ site, resulting in cubic perovskite structure and improvement of electrical conductivity [1, 2]. Fujishiro reported preparation of BaFe1-xInxO3-δ with cubic perovskite structure and enhancement of electrical conductivity with In substitution [3]. It is expected that material with higher property may be developed by substitution of other trivalent ion, such as lanthanoid or Y, for Ba- or Fe- site in BaFeO2.5-δ. In this work, preparation of various Ba1-xLnxFeO3-δ and BaFe1-xLnxO3-δ (Ln: trivalent ion) was examined and factors determining substitution site and crystal structure were investigated. The samples of Ba1-xLnxFeO3-δ and BaFe1-xLnxO3-δ were prepared with Pechini method. Each solution of Ba2+, Ln3+ and Fe3+ was mixed with nominal cation composition. After addition of citric acid and ethylene glycol, the solution was heated at about 450 ºC, resulting in precursor. The precursor was calcined at 700 ºC for 24 h in air, followed by 1300 ºC for 10 h in air twice. The crystal structure and lattice constants of the specimens were investigated with X-ray diffraction. The chemical state of Fe and oxygen content of the specimens were evaluated with iodometric titration. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Influence of nut shell powder content on the tribological properties of recycled polyolefin composites

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of nut shell powder (NSP) content on the tribological properties of recycled polyolefin (R-PO) composites. NSP was previously grinded the dried nut shell by crusher machine cryogenically in liquid nitrogen. NSP/R-PO composites with NSP content of 5, 10 and 20 vol.% were prepared in this study. These composites were extruded by a twin screw extruder and injection-molded. Their tribological properties were measured by a reciprocating type sliding wear tester at constant normal load and sliding speed under dry condition. It was found that NSP is effective for reducing the wear resistance of R-PO, and the influence of NSP content on the tribological properties of NSP/R-PO composites does not remarkably appear, but they are improved with the addition of low content such as 5 vol.%. This may be attributed to the change of wear mechanism according to the filling of NSP. © 2016 Author(s).MEXT, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technolog

主体的に問題を見いだす単元導入教材の開発 : 小学校理科第3学年「音の性質」の授業デザイン

平成29年に告示された小学校学習指導要領では、小学校理科第3学年の内容に「音の伝わり方と大小」が追加された。本研究では、小学校学習指導要領に示されている小学校理科の改訂の要点及び具体的な改善事項を踏まえ、単元の導入で児童が主体的に問題を見いだすことを目指した教材を作成した。そして作成した教材を実際に用いた授業を構想し、授業実践を通してその効果を検証した。授業では児童一人一人が作成した教材を用いて主体的に学習に取り組む姿が見られた。本実践における児童の姿から作成した教材が主体的に問題を見いだすことに有効であることが示唆された。In the Course of Study for elementary schools announced in 2016, “Propagation of Sound and Its Magnitude” was added to the content of Grade 3 elementary school science. In this study, teaching materials aimed at nurturing independent identification of problems by children through the introduction of units were created based on the key points of revision of elementary school science and the specific improvements indicated in the Course of Study for elementary schools. Further, a class was conceptualized in which the teaching materials created were actually used, and the effects based on the classroom practices were verified. In the class, children were seen engaging independently in learning through the use of the teaching materials created. The image of the children in these practices indicated that the teaching materials created were effective in independent identification of problems

Prolonged Tachycardia with Higher Heart Rate Is Associated with Higher ICU and In-hospital Mortality

Tachycardia is common in intensive care units (ICUs). It is unknown whether tachycardia or prolonged tachycardia affects patient outcomes. We investigated the association between tachycardia and mortality in critically ill patients. This retrospective cohort study’s primary outcome was patient mortality in the ICU and the hospital. We stratified the patients (n=476) by heart rate (HR) as LowHR, MediumHR, and HighHR groups. We also stratified them by their durations of HR >100 (prolonged HR; tachycardia): MildT, ModerateT, and SevereT groups. We determined the six groups’ mortality. The ICU mortality rates of the LowHR, MediumHR, and HighHR groups were 1.0%, 1.5%, and 7.9%, respectively; significantly higher in the HighHR vs. LowHR group. The in-hospital mortality rates of these groups were 1%, 4.5%, and 14.6%, respectively; significantly higher in the HighHR vs. LowHR group. The ICU mortality rates of the MildT, ModerateT, and SevereT groups were 0.9%, 5.6%, and 57.1%, respectively. The mortality of the HRT=0 (i.e., all HR ≤ 100) patients was 0%. The in-hospital mortality rates of the MildT, ModerateT, and SevereT groups were 1.8%, 16.7%, and 85.7%, respectively; that of the HRT=0 patients was 0.5%. Both higher HR and prolonged tachycardia were associated with poor outcomes

Novel quantitative immunohistochemical analysis for evaluating PD-L1 expression with phosphor-integrated dots for predicting the efficacy of patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

IntroductionProgrammed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues is measured as a predictor of the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in many cancer types. PD-L1 expression is evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using 3,3´-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chronogenesis (IHC-DAB); however, quantitative and reproducibility issues remain. We focused on a highly sensitive quantitative immunohistochemical method using phosphor-integrated dots (PIDs), which are fluorescent nanoparticles, and evaluated PD-L1 expression between the PID method and conventional DAB method.MethodsIn total, 155 patients with metastatic or recurrent cancer treated with ICIs were enrolled from four university hospitals. Tumor tissue specimens collected before treatment were subjected to immunohistochemical staining with both the PID and conventional DAB methods to evaluate PD-L1 protein expression.ResultsPD-L1 expression assessed using the PID and DAB methods was positively correlated. We quantified PD-L1 expression using the PID method and calculated PD-L1 PID scores. The PID score was significantly higher in the responder group than in the non-responder group. Survival analysis demonstrated that PD-L1 expression evaluated using the IHC-DAB method was not associated with progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Yet, PFS and OS were strikingly prolonged in the high PD-L1 PID score group.ConclusionQuantification of PD-L1 expression as a PID score was more effective in predicting the treatment efficacy and prognosis of patients with cancer treated with ICIs. The quantitative evaluation of PD-L1 expression using the PID method is a novel strategy for protein detection. It is highly significant that the PID method was able to identify a group of patients with a favorable prognosis who could not be identified by the conventional DAB method

Effects of Energy‐Level Alignment on Operating Voltages of Blue Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Abstract Although organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been studied extensively for various applications, the effect of the electron behavior on the characteristics of OLEDs has rarely been discussed owing to the difficulty in investigating the actual energy levels. Understanding the correlation between energy levels and the characteristics of OLEDs is essential to improve the performances of blue OLEDs, since the materials with relatively large band gaps used in blue OLEDs make it difficult to deliver electrons from the cathode to the emitting layer (EML). Here, it is shown that the operating voltages of blue OLEDs strongly depend on the energy barrier between the cathode and the EML, which is clarified by investigating the energy‐level alignment in blue OLEDs. It is found that a blue OLED fabricated using a superbase as the electron injection layer exhibits a lower operating voltage than conventional blue OLEDs fabricated using Li compounds. Moreover, there is a clear energy barrier between the cathode and the EML in conventional blue OLEDs, whereas there is no energy barrier in blue OLEDs fabricated using a superbase. Minimization of the energy barrier between the cathode and the EML is demonstrated to be essential to obtain blue emission at low operating voltages

Pars plana vitrectomy combined with penetrating keratoplasty and transscleral-sutured intraocular lens implantation in complex eyes: a case series

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and transscleral-sutured intraocular lens (IOL) implantation (IOL-suture) in complex eyes. Methods In this prospective, consecutive interventional case series, patients who underwent PKP combined with PPV and IOL implantation from July 2014 to March 2018 at Yokohama Minami Kyosai Hospital were enrolled. The postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (converted to logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution [logMAR] units), intraocular pressure (IOP, mmHg), endothelial cell density (ECD, cells/mm(2)), graft survival, complications, astigmatism, and spherical equivalent (dioptres [D]) were evaluated. Results This study included 11 eyes of 11 patients (three females and eight males; mean age, 61.8 +/- 13.9 years) with an injury (n = 6) or bullous keratopathy (n = 5). The BCVA significantly improved from 1.50 +/- 0.66 logMAR preoperatively to 0.78 +/- 0.59 logMAR (p < 0.001) postoperatively. The baseline ECD significantly decreased from 2396 +/- 238 cells/mm(2)preoperatively to 1132 +/- 323 cells/mm(2)(p < 0.001) postoperatively. Despite two rejection episodes, graft survival rates were 100%. The mean follow-up period was 38.0 +/- 20.5 months. Two patients required combined glaucoma surgery, and three patients underwent subsequent glaucoma surgery. Postoperative astigmatism and spherical equivalent were 3.9 +/- 3.2 D and 0.29 +/- 2.18 D, respectively. Conclusion The combination of PKP, PPV, and IOL-suture implantation could be a safe and effective approach for eyes requiring anterior segment surgery; however, these eyes are associated with a higher incidence of glaucoma surgery