Impact of Oxygen Pressure on Ferroelectric Stability of La-doped Hafnia Grown by PLD

Thin films of HfO2 doped with 4% La were fabricated on LSMO/STO (100) substrates using pulsed laser deposition. The stability of the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase in the hafnia films was investigated with respect to varying oxygen pressure during deposition. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were carried out to analyze the structure and composition of the films and correlated with their ferroelectric properties. Surprisingly, the ferroelectricity of the hafnia films showed a dependence on oxygen pressure during deposition of LSMO bottom electrode as well. The reason for this dependence is discussed in terms of the active role of non-lattice oxygen in the ferroelectric switching of hafnia

SHG microscopic observations of polar state in Li-doped KTaO3 under electric field

Incipient ferroelectric KTaO3 with off-center Li impurity of the critical concentration of 2.8 mol% was investigated in order to clarify the dipole glass state under electric field. Using optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscope, we observed a marked history dependence of SHG intensity through zero-field cooling (ZFC), zero-field heating (ZFH), field heating after ZFC (FH/ZFC) and FH after field cooling (FH/FC). These show different paths with respect to temperature: In the ZFC/ZFH process, weak SHG was observed at low temperature, while in the FH/ZFC process, relatively high SHG appears in a limited temperature range below TF depending on the field strength, and in the FC and FH/FC processes, the SHG exhibits ferroelectric-like temperature dependence: it appears at the freezing temperature of 50K, increases with decreasing temperature and has a tendency of saturation. These experimental results strongly suggest that dipole glass state or polar nano-clusters which gradually freezes with decreasing temperature is transformed into semi-macroscopic polar state under the electric field. However at sufficiently low temperature, the freezing is so strong that the electric field cannot enlarge the polar clusters. These experimental results show that the polar nano-cluster model similar to relaxors would be more relevant in KTaO3 doped with the critical concentration of Li. Further experiments on the anisotropy of SHG determine that the average symmetry of the field-induced polar phase is tetragonal 4mm or 4, which is also confirmed by the X-ray diffraction measurement.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Effect Of Epa Ethyl Ester On Fatty Acid Profile In Hemodialysis Patients With Low Epa/Aa Ratio

BackgroundLarge amounts of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are known to lower the risk of cardiovascular events (CVE). Serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) / arachidonic acid (AA) ratio may potentially be a predictor of CVE which is the most common cause of death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Therefore, we estimated the effect of EPA ethyl ester on fatty acid profile in HD patients.Subjects & MethodsFatty acid profile and high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) were measured in 131 patients receiving maintenance HD. Among these, 64 patients (F:M=25:39) with both low EPA/AA ratio (≦0.4) and negative CRP were enrolled in this randomized study (Group A, EPA administrated group, n=30; Group B, EPA non-administrated group, n=34). The mean age of the patients was 66.5 ± 11.9 years old and the duration of HD was 8.4 ± 7.9 years. The serum levels of EPA, AA, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and dihomogammalinolenic acid (DHL-A) were measured by gas chromatography (SRL, Tokyo, Japan).ResultsThe mean levels of EPA/AA ratio, DHA/AA ratio, DHL-A, non HDL-C and GNRI (Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index) were 0.28±0.13, 0.62±0.15, 22.7±8.4 μg/ml, 112.2±31.0 mg/dl and 93.6±5.5, respectively. After one month of treatment with EPA in group A, EPA/AA ratio was significantly increased (0.30±0.15 vs. 0.95±0.45, p<0.0001) and DHL-A significantly decreased (22.7±7.4 vs. 15.7±6.8, p= 0.0003), but DHA/AA ratio, serum non HDL-C and phosphate levels did not change. EPA/AA ratio was significantly higher and DHL-A lower in group A compared with group B after one month of the start of study.ConclusionsMedication of EPA for one month increases EPA/AA ratio, and decreases DHL-A level without the change of serum phosphate level in HD patients with low EPA/AA ratio

Cherokee Nation Trip Report: Assessment of Mold and Moisture Conditions

Jeff Gordon from the Building Research Council (BRC) at the University of lllinois Urbana-Champaign, and Robert Nemeth of Magna Systems, conducted a site visit at the Cherokee Nation on January 14-16,2003. The purpose of the site visit was to provide technical assistance to the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority in assessing mold and moisture conditions in housing units. This is a summary report of activities and issues addressed while on site. A detailed analysis of the findings and recommendations is found in the attached reports.U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Native American Program

Lesson Program for Spatial Composition of “House” with Different Structural Methods by Third Graders of Primary School

本年度は，３年生児童によるワークショップを実施し，「結ぶ」，「組む」という異なる二つの製作手法を用いた，「安全な家」の模型づくりの授業を構成した。製作模型では，児童によって多少の個人差はあるが，床や屋根の構造のつくり方と制作のプロセスの変化に一定の類型があることが明らかになった。また、製作前後で行ったアンケートの分析では、「結ぶ」手法から「組む」手法へと変わった際に、空間に対して求めるものが変化することが分かった。模型製作手法という外的要因が児童の安全に対する意識に影響を与えたことを明らかにしたことが最大の成果である。児童の生活環境との相関，床面の構成の分析などが，今後の空間構成に関する研究の上での課題として残された。In this year, we had the workshop by third grade students and make the lesson program for the making of a model as “secure house” with structural methods of “tying” and “wooden jointing”. In the making of models, though there are some individual differences, we found the definite types to make models: the floor or the roof structure, and the making process itself. In analysis of questionnaire before and after the workshop, what children desired for living space changed, when the method was changed from “tying” to “wooden jointing”. It is the important result that children’s conscious for secure was affected by external factor; the model making method. Theme relation of children’s living environment and analysis of structure of floor require further study

A Examination about Course-specific Ability on the Subjects in the Course of Arts and Crafts and Arts.: Through the Visualization of Idea Processes.

図画工作科・美術科固有の能力を形成する「発想」がどのようにして生まれ，促され，構想へと高まっていくのか，実際の授業場面でそのプロセスを可視化することは容易ではない。そしてこれが，美術教育に関する専門性や経験の十分でない多くの指導者にとって，この教科の指導を困難なものとする一因にもなっている。そこで，小・中学校の様々な発達段階の児童・生徒を対象とする具体的な授業実践を通して，絵画及び立体表現における発想プロセスの可視化を図るとともに，これを手がかりに「発想や構想の能力」を高める上で効果的な授業構想や手立ての在り方について探ることを目的に本研究に取り組んだ。学習過程を横軸，発想喚起要素（題材の特性にかかわる要素と技能的要素）を縦軸としたマトリクス表に基づく題材分析，発想を促すことに焦点化した手立ての吟味，ポートフォリオを活用した経過観察，そして個別に実施した自己評価アンケートの分析を通して，発達段階による発想の広がり方の違いや，発想に影響を与える様々な要素（鑑賞，材料，用具，協働的な学び等）についてある程度の知見を得ることができた。We practiced lessons on elementary school children and junior high school students, and tried this visualization of ideas process on painting and stereoscopic expression. We did this research so that we could explore effective lesson plans and methods to raise "ability to create ideas and concepts." We got some findings about the differences in how the ideas spread in the developmental stage and various factors that influence ideas (appreciation, materials, tools, collaborative learning etc.). This analysis based on the matrix table with the horizontal axis of the learning process and the vertical axis of the elements that inspire ideas (elements related to the characteristics of the material and skill elements), and the examination of the methods focused on encouraging the ideas, and the follow-up observation using portfolios, and the analysis of self-evaluation questionnaires conducted individually

rre37

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and pyruvate metabolism of cyanobacteria are unique and important from the perspectives of biology and biotechnology research. Rre37, a response regulator induced by nitrogen depletion, activates gene expression related to sugar catabolism. Our previous microarray analysis has suggested that Rre37 controls the transcription of genes involved in sugar catabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and the TCA cycle. In this study, quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the transcript levels of 12 TCA cycle genes and 13 pyruvate metabolism genes. The transcripts of 6 genes (acnB, icd, ppc, pyk1, me, and pta) increased after 4 h of nitrogen depletion in the wild-type GT strain but the induction was abolished by rre37 overexpression. The repression of gene expression of fumC, ddh, and ackA caused by nitrogen depletion was abolished by rre37 overexpression. The expression of me was differently affected by rre37 overexpression, compared to the other 24 genes. These results indicate that Rre37 differently controls the genes of the TCA cycle and pyruvate metabolism, implying the key reaction of the primary in this unicellular cyanobacterium

Clinical Application of the Ratio of Serum Bone Isoform to Total Alkaline Phosphatase in General Practice

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an enzyme that is expressed in a variety of tissues. Among the isoforms of ALP, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) is used as a marker for evaluating bone metabolism. We investigated the clinical usefulness of the ratio of serum BAP to total ALP for the diagnosis of various disorders in general practice. We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 107 Japanese patients whose serum BAP levels were exam-ined, focusing on clinical characteristics. We observed that the BAP/ALP ratios of the patients with fever and those with inflammatory diseases were significantly lower than the ratios of other patient groups. The BAP/ALP ratios of the patients with osteoporosis and those with metabolic bone diseases were higher than those of the patients with other conditions. The BAP/ALP ratio was found to be negatively correlated with age, a cor-relation that has not been found in other ethnicities. The serum BAP/ALP ratio was inversely correlated with serum CRP levels but was positively correlated with serum albumin levels and hemoglobin concentrations. Collectively, our results suggest that the BAP/ALP ratio could be a useful predictor for important geriatric con-ditions seen in general practice

Second harmonic generation and X-ray diffraction studies of pretransitional region in relaxor K(1-x) LixTaO3

Optical second-harmonic-generation(SHG) observations and precise X-ray diffraction experiments have been performed on quantum paraelectrics KTaO3 (KTO) and relaxor K(1-x)LixTaO3 with x=3% (KLT-3) and 7% (KLT-7). It is found in KLT-3 and KLT-7 that a pretransitional region exists between two characteristic temperatures Td and Tp (<Td). The average symmetry of the region is tetragonal with a weak lattice-deformation but non-polar in average. The temperature interval between Td and Tp is consistent with the interval on which neutron diffuse scatterings have been previously reported. These facts strongly suggest that polar micro-regions (PMRs) nucleate around Td and grow toward Tp. Below Tp, a larger deformation and a field-induced SH intensity start to develop, while no significant SHG appear in zero-field cooling process. The temperature dependence of the SH intensity below Tp coincides well with that of the tetragonality determined from the lattice deformation. The Landau-Devonshire phenomenological approach suggests that the ferroelectric phase transition at Tp is of first order and that it approaches the second order transition with the decrease of Li concentration. A marked increase of neutron diffraction intensities below Tp indicates that PMRs are transformed to ferroelectric micro-domains at Tp, and the micro-domains change to macroscopic ones under the electric field below Tp.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figure

Validity of the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire for Japanese Patients with Cancer Undergoing Outpatient Chemotherapy

Purpose : To investigate the utility of the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) in the nutritional evaluation of patients with cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy. Methods :We included 229 patients with cancer who were undergoing outpatient chemotherapy between October 2015 and April 2016. The SNAQ and the revised SNAQ (addition of age and body mass index) were implemented, and their relationships with Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT), an indicator of bionutritional assessment, were examined. Results : The cutoff value of the SNAQ score corresponding to moderate-to-severe undernourishment in CONUT values was 0.5, with a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 65.9%, and the corresponding values for the revised SNAQ score were 2.5, 91.7%, and 62.9%, respectively. This cutoff value and the corresponding positive prediction value for the revised SNAQ were superior to those of SNAQ. Binary logistic regression analysis with the revised SNAQ and sex as independent variables and the CONUT value as the dependent variable revealed that the higher the SNAQ score, the more likely it was that CONUT moderate-to-severe undernourishment would be identified (odds ratio, 1.48 ; , 1.34-1.96) . Conclusion : Nutritional evaluation with the revised SNAQ can predict moderateto- severe undernourishment according to CONUT in patients with cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy