La dérive est la nourriture de notre vie (1976)

Higashi Yutaka 東由多加, « Hōrō wa oretachi no inochi no kate » 放浪は俺たちの命の糧 in Higashi Yutaka ga nokoshita kotoba 東由多加が遺した言葉 (Mots laissés par Higashi Yutaka), Tōkyō, Jiritsu shobō 而立書房, 2002, p. 46-47. Nous sommes tous en voyage. Même lorsque nous écoutons une chanson de trois minutes, nous sommes capables de voyager. Il arrive qu’un livre ou un film, agissant certainement comme carte pour l’âme, nous fasse vagabonder. Disons-le : aimer, c’est une dérive où justement l’être humain ne peut fuir. M..

Tout le monde, en son passé révolu… (1975)

*J’ai eu trente ans. Deux jours plus tard, je croise mon ami Akita Meidai dans un bar de Shibuya. Son visage brun et son élocution difficile du fait de l’alcool, et puis mon visage pâle et la vacuité de mon éloquence. Tout en buvant avec lui, j’ai fini par revenir au passé. À l’époque des « Flower Children », à laquelle j’ai dit adieu. Akita m’a dit passer cinq jours par semaine dans des baraques d’ouvriers, et un jour à jouer au rugby sur un stade au bord de la rivière Tamagawa. Le jour d’ap..

On Acoustic Dispersion In MF₆-type Molecules

Available data on relaxation times in MF₆-type molecule have been incompatible with analytical approaches. Then, we performed experiments on the acoustic dispersion of SF₆, WF₆ and UF₆ gases by using a double crystal ultrasonic interferometer. It was revealed that the available data on WF₆ are not acceptable, and the relaxation time of UF₆ is less than 0.027 μsec・atm at a temperature below 68°C

Diagnostic accuracy of narrow-band imaging and pit pattern analysis significantly improved for less-experienced endoscopists after an expanded training program

Background: Previous reports assessing diagnostic skill using narrow-band imaging (NBI) and pit pattern analysis for colorectal polyps involved only highly experienced endoscopists. Objective: To evaluate diagnostic skills of less-experienced endoscopists (LEE group) for. differentiation of diminutive colorectal polyps by using NBI and pit pattern analysis with and without magnification after an expanded training program. Design: Prospective study. Patients: This study involved 32 patients with 44 colorectal polyps (27 adenomas and 17 hyperplastic polyps) of 5 mm that were identified and analyzed by using conventional colonoscopy as well as non-magnification and magnification NBI and chromoendoscopy followed by endoscopic removal for histopathological analysis. Intervention: Before a training course, 220 endoscopic images were distributed in randomized order to residents with no prior endoscopy experience (NEE group) and to the LEE group, who had performed colonoscopies for more than 5 years but had never used NBI. The 220 images were also distributed to highly experienced endoscopists (HEE group) who had routinely used NBI for more than 5 years. The images were distributed to the NEE and LEE groups again after a training class. Magnification NBI and chromoendoscopy images were assessed by using the Sano and Kudo classification systems, respectively. Main Outcome Measurements: Diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement for each endoscopic modality in each group. Results: Diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher, and kappa (kappa) values improved in the LEE group for NBI with high magnification after expanded training. Diagnostic accuracy and kappa values when using high-magnification NBI were highest among endoscopic techniques for the LEE group after such training and the HEE group (accuracy 90% vs 93%; kappa = 0.79 vs 0.85, respectively). Limitations: Study involved only polyps of <= 5 mm. Conclusion: Using high-magnification NBI increased the differential diagnostic skill of the LEE group after expanded training so that it was equivalent to that of the HEE group

Plasma-Devised Pt/C Model Electrodes for Understanding the Doubly Beneficial Roles of a Nanoneedle-Carbon Morphology and Strong Pt-Carbon Interface in the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The doubly beneficial contribution of a nanoscale fabricated carbon surface and devised strong Pt-carbon interface to remarkable improvements of Pt/carbon fuel cell electrodes was evidenced to be a crucial clue for rational design of next-generation less-Pt/C electrodes. Real-world carbon surface morphology and metal-carbon interfaces are complex and interrelated and hard to control at a statistical level. Herein, we fabricated plasma-devised nanoneedles-glassy carbon (GC) from well-defined flat GC as model supports, on which Pt nanoparticles were anchored by arc plasma. The arc plasma deposited (APD)-Pt/flat-GC with a strong metal-support interface exhibited enhanced activity for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) compared to chemically supported Pt/flat-GC and commercial Pt/C electrodes. The APD-Pt/nanoneedles-GC further promoted the ORR and showed a remarkable durability without significant deactivation after accelerated durability test cycles. The structural defects and compressive strain of Pt nanoparticles were induced by the plasma-devised metal-support contact, which may benefit the ORR activity of APD-Pt/nanoneedles-GC. The nanoneedles-GC support morphology may also improve oxygen gas transport at the nanoscale through modifying the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the GC surface. These results on the devised Pt/C model electrodes reveal the highly enhanced activity and durability of the APD-Pt/nanoneedles-GC electrode by the doubly beneficial effects of a support nanoscale morphology and strong metal-support interface, which were characterized by the intimate combination of Pt/GC synthesis, electrochemical measurements, in situ XAFS, and HAADF-STEM. Our experimental findings provide necessary clues for the design and synthesis of active and durable fuel cell electrodes, metal-air batteries, and catalytic materials

Development of a new wearable monitoring system for posture changes and activities and its application to rehabilitation

金沢大学理工研究域機械工学系In order to evaluate the efficacy of rehabilitation for persons with hemiplegia, a therapist usually makes judgment by directly observing posture changes, walking speed, activities not only in hospital, but also during daily living. Therefore, quantitative assessment of activities is most desirable. From this viewpoint, we have developed a device for ambulatory monitoring of posture changes, walking speed and activity scenario and evaluated its measurement accuracy by simultaneous recordings of a digital video camera. In order to investigate its applicability to a patient\u27s activity monitoring, we have further developed a new monitoring system which can display static and dynamic motion pictures as well as detailed angle changes of the trunk, thigh and calf. This system makes a therapist to easily understand the patient\u27s motion during training in rehabilitation center and activities during daily living. By evaluation on 6 patients with hemiplegia, the patients\u27 motions were successfully monitored during walking in the rehabilitation center and daily living at their own home. The results clearly demonstrated that the system could detect detailed motion characteristics, indicating that the system appears useful for evaluating quantitatively the efficacy of rehabilitation. © 2009 Springer-Verlag

Dustborne microorganisms in the atmosphere over an Asian dust source region, Dunhuang

金沢大学環日本海域環境研究センターThe dust event injects microorganisms into the atmosphere and could facilitate the dispersal of biological particles affecting leeward ecosystem and human health. In this study, the dustborne microorganisms in the atmosphere over the Taklimakan Desert, Asian dust source, were identified by culture-independent method. Dusts were collect-ed using a balloon at about 800 m above the ground in an Asian dust source region, Dunhuang. After DNAwere directly extracted from the dusts collected filters, 16S and 18S rRNA genes of microorganisms were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. The rDNA sequence data indicated that dust particles include fungi closely related to Rickenella fibula, Ceriporiopsis gilvescens, and bacteria belonging to the genus Brevibacillus, Staphylococcus, Rhodococcus, Delftia, Pseudomonas, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. These results suggest that dust particles in the atmosphere over Dunhuang could carry these many fungi and bacteria and might play a significant role in leeward ecosystem. © 2009 The Author(s)

Phylogenetic analysis of atmospheric halotolerant bacterial communities at high altitude in an Asian dust (KOSA) arrival region, Suzu City

金沢大学理工研究域物質化学系The microbial communities transported by Asian desert dust (KOSA) events have attracted much attention as bioaerosols because the transported microorganisms are thought to influence the downwind ecosystems in Korea and Japan. However, the atmospheric microbial community has not been investigated at high altitude in the KOSA arrival area. In this study, to estimate the viability and diversity of atmospheric halotolerant bacteria, which are expected to resist to various environmental stresses as well as high salinities, bioaerosol samples were collected at 10 and 600. m above the ground within the KOSA arrival area, Suzu City, Japan, during KOSA events. During the sampling period, the particle numbers at 600. m were higher than those at 10. m, suggesting that large particles of aerosol fall from the high altitude of 600. m to the ground surface. The microorganisms in bioaerosol samples grew in media containing up to 15% NaCl concentrations demonstrating the viability of the halotolerant bacteria in bioaerosol samples. The PCR-DGGE analysis using 16S rDNA revealed that the bacterial species in NaCl-amended cultures were similar to the bacteria detected from the genomic DNA directly extracted from the bioaerosol samples. The 16S rDNA sequences of bacterial communities in bioaerosol samples were classified into 4 phylotypes belonging to the Bacillus cereus or Bacillus subtilis group. The bioaerosol samples collected at 600. m included 2 phylotypes belonging to B. subtilis, and one phylotype among all 4 phylotypes was identical between the samples at 10 and 600. m. In the atmosphere at 600. m, the halotolerant bacterial community was expected to remain viable, and the species composition was expected to include a few species of the genus Bacillus. During this investigation period, these atmospheric bacteria may have been vertically transported to the ground surface, where the long-range KOSA particle transport from China is frequently observed. © 2010 Elsevier B.V