Photoinduced Catalytic Organic-Hydride Transfer to CO₂ Mediated with Ruthenium Complexes as NAD⁺/NADH Redox Couple Models

ルテニウム錯体を触媒とする有機ヒドリドを介した二酸化炭素光還元 --新たな人工光合成系の創製に向けて--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-02-07.The catalytic organic-hydride transfer to CO2 was first achieved through the photoinduced two-electron reduction of the [Ru(bpy)2(pbn)]²⁺/[Ru(bpy)2(pbnHH)]²⁺ (bpy=2, 2'-bipyridine, pbn=2-(pyridin-2-yl)benzo[b]-1, 5-naphthyridine, and pbnHH=2-(pyridin-2-yl)-5, 10-dihydrobenzo[b]-1, 5-naphthyridine) redox couple in the presence of 1, 3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2, 3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (BIH). The active species for the catalytic hydride transfer to carbon dioxide giving formate is [Ru(bpy)(bpy⋅−)(pbnHH)]+ formed by one-electron reduction of [Ru(bpy)2(pbnHH)]²⁺ with BI⋅

Study of hadron interactions in a lead-emulsion target

Topological and kinematical characteristics of hadron interactions have been studied using a lead-emulsion target exposed to 2, 4 and 10 GeV/c hadron beams. A total length of 60 m $\pi^-$ tracks was followed using a high speed automated emulsion scanning system. A total of 318 hadron interaction vertices and their secondary charged particle tracks were reconstructed. Measurement results of interaction lengths, charged particle multiplicity, emission angles and momenta of secondary charged particles are compared with a Monte Carlo simulation and appear to be consistent. Nuclear fragments emitted from interaction vertices were also detected by a newly developed emulsion scanning system with wide-angle acceptance. Their emission angle distributions are in good agreement with the simulated distributions. Probabilities of an event being associated with at least one fragment track are found to be greater than 50% for beam momentum $P > 4$ GeV/c and are well reproduced by the simulation. These experimental results validate estimation of the background due to hadron interactions in the sample of $\tau$ decay candidates in the OPERA $\nu_{\mu} \to \nu_{\tau}$ oscillation experiment.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Constraining temperature at depth of the Kakkonda geothermal field, Japan, using Bayesian rock-physics modelling of resistivity: Implications to the deep hydrothermal system

Temperature-at-depth estimation is important for assessing supercritical geothermal resources. Bayesian rock-physics modelling of electrical resistivity is effective for estimating temperatures at depth. In this study, we improved a previously proposed Bayesian framework and demonstrated its effectiveness by estimating subsurface temperatures in the Kakkonda geothermal field, Japan. The proposed framework allows the estimation of either effective porosities or salinities in addition to temperatures; further, we were able to constrain the possible states of the crustal fluid at depth based on the estimates. The estimated 3D temperature structure was consistent with available deep temperature logs. Furthermore, the estimated results suggest the existence of a magmatic-hydrothermal system at depth in the field

Constraining temperature at depth of the Kakkonda geothermal field, Japan, using Bayesian rock-physics modelling of resistivity: Implications to the deep hydrothermal system

Temperature-at-depth estimation is important for assessing supercritical geothermal resources. Bayesian rock-physics modelling of electrical resistivity is effective for estimating temperatures at depth. In this study, we improved a previously proposed Bayesian framework and demonstrated its effectiveness by estimating subsurface temperatures in the Kakkonda geothermal field, Japan. The proposed framework allows the estimation of either effective porosities or salinities in addition to temperatures; further, we were able to constrain the possible states of the crustal fluid at depth based on the estimates. The estimated 3D temperature structure was consistent with available deep temperature logs. Furthermore, the estimated results suggest the existence of a magmatic-hydrothermal system at depth in the field

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Object Identification and Safe Route Recommendation Based on Human Flow for the Visually Impaired

It is difficult for visually impaired people to move indoors and outdoors. In 2018, world health organization (WHO) reported that there were about 253 million people around the world who were moderately visually impaired in distance vision. A navigation system that combines positioning and obstacle detection has been actively researched and developed. However, when these obstacle detection methods are used in high-traffic passages, since many pedestrians cause an occlusion problem that obstructs the shape and color of obstacles, these obstacle detection methods significantly decrease in accuracy. To solve this problem, we developed an application “Follow me!”. The application recommends a safe route by machine learning the gait and walking route of many pedestrians obtained from the monocular camera images of a smartphone. As a result of the experiment, pedestrians walking in the same direction as visually impaired people, oncoming pedestrians, and steps were identified with an average accuracy of 0.92 based on the gait and walking route of pedestrians acquired from monocular camera images. Furthermore, the results of the recommended safe route based on the identification results showed that the visually impaired people were guided to a safe route with 100% accuracy. In addition, visually impaired people avoided obstacles that had to be detoured during construction and signage by walking along the recommended route

Effect of Behavioral Precaution on Braking Operation of Elderly Drivers under Cognitive Workloads

The number of accidents by elderly drivers caused by the erroneous tread of a brake pedal or accelerator pedal has increased. A recent study reported that the number of accidents could be reduced by preparing for braking mistakes due to driving behavior by using a simulator. However, related studies have pointed out that driving behavior in simulators does not always reflect driving behavior in the real world. This paper focuses on the posture of the left foot as a behavioral precaution and provides insights into braking mistakes by comparing behavioral precautions taken on simulators and on public roads. In the experimental results, cognitive and action errors increased with age, but elderly drivers are less likely to have an accident when they are exposed to the risk of collision in situations with a mental workload by making space for the right foot to step on the brake pedal. Elderly drivers with coping skills had their left foot perpendicular to the ground and their body was unstable. This result was different from the driving behavior in the simulator, but it was not possible to identify that this difference was the cause of the collision accidents. Coping skills were predicted with 70% accuracy from the left foot posture of an elderly driver near the intersection. We expanded the system’s range of use and enhanced its usefulness by predicting coping skills derived from natural driving behavior in the real world. The contributions of this study are as follows. We clarify the effect of behavioral precautions on the braking operation of elderly drivers when under a cognitive workload. We provide new insights into the use of behavioral precautions in older drivers’ braking operations in the real world. We predicted coping skills from natural driving behavior near intersections in the real world

Supporting for Visually Handicapped to Walk Around with RFID Technologies

Visually handicapped use their white cane to find obstacles. They follow tactile walking surface indicators to find routes and intersections. They use all sensory organs they can use to acquire the surrounding information. They match the surrounding information with routing information they have, to find their current location and target direction. However, even if tactile walking surface indicators are installed, it is difficult for them to visit unknown places because they have no correct routing information. When they go outside depending on tactile walking surface indicators, they have to follow them. They cannot plan their walking routes for themselves in unknown places. It is impossible for them to walk around various places such as shopping malls and station concourses as sighted persons, which is indispensable to enjoy their daily life. In this work, we propose a method which supports visually handicapped people to visit and walk around in their unknown places. We use RFID technologies to achieve voice navigation with the direction to their destination from their current location and their moving direction. To verify effectiveness of our system, we navigate blindfolded people experimentally. In the experiment, we have confirmed the success rate is 81 %