The Effects of Friendship Relationships of the Aged upon Their Subjective Well-being: The Case of Participants in a College for the Elderly in a Small City in Japan (Part Ⅱ)

　本稿の目的は，高齢者が取り結んでいる友人関係のどのような側面が主観的幸福感に影響 を及ぼすかを明らかにすることである。地方小都市である香川県さぬき市で老人大学の受講 生を対象にサーベイ調査を2012 年に実施した。この調査データの分析によって，次の２点 を明らかにした。(1)サポートの授受を伴う友人関係ではなく，交遊する友人関係が高齢者の 主観的幸福感に影響を及ぼしていた。そして，交遊する友人関係を多く取り結んでいる高齢 者ほど，高い主観的幸福感をもっていた。(2)交遊する友人関係のなかでは，年賀状の交換を する友人関係，お茶を飲んだり食事をしたりする友人関係が高齢者の主観的幸福感に影響を 及ぼしていた。そして，年賀状の交換をする友人関係，お茶を飲んだり食事をしたりする友 人関係を多く取り結んでいる高齢者ほど，高い主観的幸福感をもっていた

Some Research Trends concerning Friendship Relationships of Elderly People in Japan

近年，日本において高齢者の友人関係について熱心に研究が進められるようになった。本稿では，日本における友人関係に関する研究を紹介しながら，高齢者の友人関係についての研究動向をまとめた

The Impact Of Budget Deficits On Macro-Economic Variables In The Nigerian Economy (1981 – 2012)

This study examined the impact of budget deficits on macro-economic variables in the Nigerian economy for theperiod 1981-2012. This study sought to find out if there is a long-run relationship between budget deficits and other macro-economic variables in Nigeria. The study used the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) methods for finding out the presence of unit root in all variables and found that they are stationary at first differencing; they are 1(1). We also used Johansen Cointegration test to check for the cointegration of the variables and found that the variables in the study are all cointegrated of order one showing the presence of long-run relationship between budget deficits and our selected macro-economic variables ( GDP, interest rate, nominal exchange rate and inflation rate). The Granger Causality results reveal that there is a uni-directional Granger-causality between Budget deficits and GDP with GDP granger causing budget deficit. However, the test for causality showed that there exists no causality between deficits and interest rate, budget deficits and inflation and budget deficit and nominal exchange rate. We thereby concluded that budget deficits exert significant impact on the macro-economic performance of the Nigerian economy. The study recommend that since budget deficits could crowd-in investment through its reducing effects in interest rate, but emphasis should be placed on capital goods expenditure to make it have positive effect on GDP and thereby contribute to economic growth and development

A doubly 2,6-pyridylene-bridged porphyrin-perylene-porphyrin triad.

A doubly 2, 6-pyridylene-bridged porphyrin-perylene-porphyrin triad was synthesized via Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reaction, which captures a tetrakis(3-pyridyl)porphyrin guest in a 2 : 1 manner to form a supramolecular complex that undergoes photo-induced electron transfer

GREEMA: Proposal and Experimental Verification of Growing Robot by Eating Environmental MAterial for Landslide Disaster

In areas that are inaccessible to humans, such as the lunar surface and landslide sites, there is a need for multiple autonomous mobile robot systems that can replace human workers. In particular, at landslide sites such as river channel blockages, robots are required to remove water and sediment from the site as soon as possible. Conventionally, several construction machines have been deployed to the site for civil engineering work. However, because of the large size and weight of conventional construction equipment, it is difficult to move multiple units of construction equipment to the site, resulting in significant transportation costs and time. To solve such problems, this study proposes a novel growing robot by eating environmental material called GREEMA, which is lightweight and compact during transportation, but can function by eating on environmental materials once it arrives at the site. GREEMA actively takes in environmental materials such as water and sediment, uses them as its structure, and removes them by moving itself. In this paper, we developed and experimentally verified two types of GREEMAs. First, we developed a fin-type swimming robot that passively takes water into its body using a water-absorbing polymer and forms a body to express its swimming function. Second, we constructed an arm-type robot that eats soil to increase the rigidity of its body. We discuss the results of these two experiments from the viewpoint of Explicit-Implicit control and describe the design theory of GREEMA

Synthesis, properties and reactivity of an ortho-phenylene-cyclopentene-bridged tetrapyrrole

Increasing the number of meso-methine carbons of porphyrin has led to a creation of a series of vinylogous expanded porphyrins, while the introduction of an ortho-phenylene-unit as a pyrrole-connecting two-carbon bridge usually leads to prevention of effective macrocyclic conjugation. Cyclopentene can serve as a conjugative bridge to increase the macrocyclic conjugation owing to its cis-geometry. In this work, ortho-phenylene-cyclopentene-bridged tetrapyrrole 5 was prepared on the basis of a coupling strategy. The tetrapyrrole 5 exhibited slightly more conjugative features as compared to ortho-phenylene-bridged tetrapyrrole 4. Oxidation of 5 with [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene (PIFA) at low temperature afforded a partly fused tetrapyrrolic compound 9 having a spiro-connected pyrrolo[2, 1-a]isoindole moiety