DEVELOPMENT OF CURLING BRUSH FOR MEASURING FORCE EXERTED DURING SWEEPING

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the forces exerted on the curling brush devised with strain gauges and angular velocity sensors. Force data obtained from the devised brush were compared with data obtained from the force plates. Mean values of the vertical forces during the sweeping were 185 N for the brush and 187 N for the force plates, respectively, and there were no significant differences between them. The horizontal forces were 38 N for the brush and 37 N for the force plate, respectively, and there were no differences between them. There were significant correlations (

MEASUREMENT OF FORCES EXERTED DURING SWEEPING IN CURLING

INTRODUCTION: Sweeping is performed to correct the speed or the trajectory of the stone thrown in the game of curling. Curlers are asked to sweep the ice in front of the sliding stone strongly. Therefore we attempted to develop a simple device for measuring the forces exerted on the brush during the sweeping. The present study compared the forces exerted on the brush with the ground reaction forces during the sweeping

Relaxation kinetics of photoinduced surface relief grating on azopolymer films

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Tatsunosuke Matsui, Shin-ichiro Yamamoto, Masanori Ozaki, Katsumi Yoshino, and Francois Kajzar, Journal of Applied Physics 92, 6959 (2002) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1516264

Outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup Infection Originating in Boxed Lunches in Japan in 2008

There have been only 2 reports of a large-scale foodborne outbreak arising from Salmonella enterica serotype Braenderup infection worldwide. On August 9, 2008, an outbreak originating in boxed lunches occurred in Okayama, Japan. We conducted a cohort study of 786 people who received boxed lunches from a particular catering company and collected 644 questionnaires (response rate:82%). Cases were defined as those presenting with diarrhea (≧4 times in 24h) or fever (≧38℃) between 12 am on August 8 and 12 am on August 14. We identified 176 cases (women/men:39/137);younger children (aged＜10 years) appeared to more frequently suffer severe symptoms. Three food items were significantly associated with higher risk of illness;tamagotoji (soft egg with mixed vegetables and meat) (relative risk (RR):11.74, 95% confidence interval (CI):2.98-46.24), pork cooked in soy sauce (RR:3.17, 95% CI:1.24-8.10), and vinegared food (RR:4.13, 95% CI:1.60-10.63). Among them, only the RR of tamagotoji was higher when we employed a stricter case definition. Salmonella Braenderup was isolated from 5 of 9 sampled cases and 6 food handlers. It is likely that unpasteurized liquid eggs contaminated by Salmonella Braenderup and used in tamagotoji caused this outbreak

Future Planning-A Comparative Study of Japanese and American Boys

本研究のために,67名の日本人男子高校生及び58名の米国人男子高校生から未来自叙伝を蒐集し,それらを先ずダンチガー(1963年)のいう自己合理化(self-rationalization)に関して検討した。そして更に,内容分析を行った。両群を比較して得られた主な結果:1.自己合理化の度合について未来の合理的計画性(SRIスコア)の程度の平均値には有意な差が見られなかった。日本人群の総計点の分散がより大であり,統計的に有意であった。日本人被験者の方がより高い経済的興味を示し,有意差が見られた。2.内容分析に関するもの日本人の未来自叙伝の主な特徴は,大学入試に対する恐れ,サラリーマンになることへの嫌悪感,日本の,現在の政治的・社会的機構が変化するようにとの願望,科学の応用による日本の創造的改善,などであった。また,米国人被験者の未来自叙伝の主な特徴としては,強力な宗教的・家族的結合,全世界の将来の発展と運命に対する関心の強さ,兵役の受容,全般的に楽観的な見方をしていること,などが挙げられる。結果は,この領域における,これまでの研究結果を参考にしながら,特に両文化内の女子被験者の示す,類似したプロトコルについて,論じられ,解釈された。Future autobiographies were collected from 67 Japanese and 58 U.S. American senior high school boys. These essays were checked for self-rationalization according to Danziger (1963). Furthermore, content analyses were undertaken. Major findings when compaing the two groups: 1. As regards degree of self-rationalization: No significant difference in the average degree of rational planning of the future (SRI score), but significantly greater heterogeneity of total scores in the Japanese group, significantly more economic interest shown by the Japanese Ss. 2. As regards content analysis: Among the Japanese future autobiographies the major characteristics were: Fear of college entrance examinations, aversion to becoming a "salaryman", desire to see change in the present political and social system of Japan, creative improvement of Japan by the application of science. Main features of the American future autobiographies were: Stronger religious and family ties, more concern about the future development and fate of the whole world, acceptance of military service, a generally more optimistic outlook. The results were discussed and interpreted in accordance with previous results in this field, especially as regards similar protocols obtained from female Ss in the two cultures

Cloning of cDNA and genomic DNA for human cytochrome P-45011β

AbstractA full-length cDNA clone encoding steroid 11β-hydroxylase (P-45011β) has been isolated from a cDNA library derived from human adrenal tumor. The insert of the clone contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 503 amino acid residues together with a 4 bp 5'-untranslated region and a 576 bp 3'-untranslated region to which a poly(A) tract is attached. The promoter region of the P-45011β gene has also been isolated from a genomic library derived from human pre-B cells. It contains a TATA box, a putative cAMP-responsive element, several repeated sequences and two sequence elements similar to the consensus sequence for binding of AP-1. A transient expression assay in Y-1 adrenal tumor cells demonstrates that the promoter activity is remarkably enhanced by treatment of the cells with cAMP. In addition, analysis using deletion mutants containing various lengths of the 5'-flanking region of the gene suggests that several cis-acting elements participate in transcriptional regulation of human P-45011β gene

Laparoscopic-Assisted Tension-free Vaginal Mesh: An Innovative Approach to Placing Synthetic Mesh Transvaginally for Surgical Correction of Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Polypropylene mesh implants for the correction of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are now available in Japan. We developed an innovative approach for correcting POP by placing polypropylene mesh transvaginally with laparoscopic assistance. From June 2007 through March 2010, sixteen consecutive patients with symptomatic stage 2 or 3 pelvic organ prolapse underwent the laparoscopic-assisted tension-free vaginal mesh procedure at Okayama University Hospital. All patients were evaluated before and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Female sexual function was also evaluated with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The procedure was performed successfully without significant complications. Fifteen of 16 patients were considered anatomically cured (93.8%) at 12 months postoperatively. One patient with a recurrent stage 3 vaginal vault prolapse required sacral colpopexy six months postoperatively. Total FSFI scores improved significantly from 10.3±1.3 at baseline to 18.0±1.2 at 12 months after surgery. The laparoscopic-assisted trans-vaginal mesh is a safe, effective, and simple procedure for POP repairs. The procedure not only restores anatomic relationships but also improves sexual function