Development of a highly stable nickel-foam-based boron monosulfide-graphene electrocatalyst with a high current density for the oxygen evolution reaction

This work was supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) through the Adaptable and Seamless Technology Transfer Program through Target- driven R&D (A-STEP) [grant number JPMJTR22T4]; the MEXT Element Strategy Initiative to Form Core Research Center [grant number JPMXP0112101001]; JSPS KAKENHI [grant numbers JP18K18989, JP19H02551, JP19H05790, JP19H05046:A01, JP21H05012, JP22K18964, and JP21H00015:B01 Hydrogenomics]; MHI Innovation Accelerator LLC; and TIAKakehashi collaborative research program (2022).journal articl

Boron monosulfide as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction

journal articl

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Photonic Crystal Based Structures for Optical Communication Applications

ABSTRACT Photonic crystal based structures have been considered for optical communication applications. A class of novel symmetric structures consisting of cavities and waveguides have been proposed to serve as optical add-drop multiplexers. Light transfer processes in these structures are analyzed briefly. The problem of deviating from the perfect accidental degeneracy is addressed for practical designs, and the backscattering intensities are shown low for the slight deviations. Anomalous light refraction at a surface of a photonic crystal has also been studied. The limitations of prior theoretical methods for the transmission problem are discussed. An outline of a new analytic theory that overcomes these limitations is presented. Photonic crystals are fabricated on polymer multi-layer films and integrated with conventional channel waveguides

How to improve the outcomes of elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients through allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

In recent years, with the gradual advancement of haploidentical transplantation technology, the availability of donors has increased significantly, along with the widespread use of reduced-intensity conditioning and the improvement of nursing techniques, giving more elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients the chance to receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We have summarized the classic and recently proposed pre-transplant assessment methods and assessed the various sources of donors, conditioning regimens, and post-transplant complication management based on the outcomes of large-scale clinical studies for elderly AML patients

Non-invasive Amide Proton Transfer Imaging and ZOOM Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Thyroid Micronodules

Background: Pre-operative non-invasive differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules is difficult for doctors. This study aims to determine whether amide proton transfer (APT) imaging and zonally oblique multi-slice (ZOOM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can provide increased accuracy in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Methods: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and included 60 thyroid nodules in 50 patients. All of the nodules were classified as malignant (n = 21) or benign (n = 39) based on pathology. It was meaningful to analyze the APT and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the two groups by independent t-test to identify the benign and malignant thyroid nodules. The relationship between APT and ZOOM DWI was explored through Pearson correlation analysis. The diagnostic efficacy of APT and ZOOM DWI in determining if thyroid nodules were benign or malignant was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.Results: The mean APTw value of the benign nodules was 2.99 ± 0.79, while that of the malignant nodules was 2.14 ± 0.73. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the APTw values of the two groups (P < 0.05). The mean ADC value of the benign nodules was 1.84 ± 0.41, and was significantly different from that of the malignant nodules, which was 1.21 ± 0.19 (P < 0.05). Scatter point and Pearson test showed a moderate positive correlation between the APT and ADC values (P < 0.05). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) value of ZOOM DWI (AUC = 0.937) was greater than that of APT (AUC = 0.783) (P = 0.028).Conclusion: APT and ZOOM DWI imaging improved the accuracy of distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. ZOOM DWI is superior to APTw imaging (Z = 2.198, P < 0.05)

Cell-Type Specific Distribution of T-Type Calcium Currents in Lamina II Neurons of the Rat Spinal Cord

Spinal lamina II (substantia gelatinosa, SG) neurons integrate nociceptive information from the primary afferents and are classified according to electrophysiological (tonic firing, delayed firing, single spike, initial burst, phasic firing, gap firing and reluctant firing) or morphological (islet, central, vertical, radial and unclassified) criteria. T-type calcium (Cav3) channels play an essential role in the central mechanism of pathological pain, but the electrophysiological properties and the cell-type specific distribution of T-type channels in SG neurons have not been fully elucidated. To investigate the electrophysiological and morphological features of T-type channel-expressing or -lacking neurons, voltage- and current-clamp recordings were performed on either transverse or parasagittal spinal cord slices. Recording made in transverse spinal cord slices showed that an inward current (IT) was observed in 44.5% of the SG neurons that was fully blocked by Ni2+ and TTA-A2. The amplitude of IT depended on the magnitude and the duration of hyperpolarization pre-pulse. The voltage for eliciting and maximizing IT were −70 mV and −35 mV, respectively. In addition, we found that most of the IT-expressing neurons are tonic firing neurons and exhibit more negative action potential (AP) threshold and smaller difference of AP threshold and resting membrane potential (RMP) than those neurons lacking IT. Consistently, a specific T-type calcium channel blocker TTA-P2 increased the AP threshold and enlarged the difference between AP threshold and membrane potential (Ihold = 0). Meanwhile, the morphological analysis indicated that most of the IT-expressing neurons are islet neurons. In conclusion, we identify a cell-type specific distribution and the function of T-type channels in SG neurons. These findings might provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the contribution of T-type channels in sensory transmission

The Impacts of Grandparental Caregiving on Early Childhood Obesity in China

The prevalence of early childhood obesity is increasing rapidly in China. Grandparents have been blamed by public media for facilitating the trend through overfeeding and spoiling their grandchildren. However, researches are scarce on the role of grandparental caregiving in obesity among preschoolers. This empirical study aimed to assess the impacts of grandparental caregiving on obesity among children aged 0-5 years taking into consideration other contextual factors such as family socioeconomic status and neighborhood environment.Drawn data of 686 children aged 0-5 years old and their families from the China Health and Nutrition Survey in the year 2011, this study compared obesity-related knowledge and practices of grandparents with parents, and contrasted the prevalence of obesity and obesogenic behaviors among children in three types of family living arrangements which reflect a gradient amount/level of grandparents’ involvement in caregiving: nuclear families, three-generation families and skipped-generation families. The results showed that grandparental caregiving is not associated with increased risk of obesity among preschoolers. Compared with parents, grandparents were less aware of national nutrition guideline (18.5% vs 30.0%, p<0.01), had lower nutrition knowledge score (8.4 vs 8.9, p<0.01), and watched television longer per day (120 vs 105 mins, p<0.01). However, there was no difference in dietary intake among children in three types of living arrangement. The length of daily television watching was the shortest for children in three-generation families (54.4 ? 62.1mins), and the longest for children in skipped-generation family (71.8 ?76.2 minutes). Children in three-generation families, taken care of by both parents and grandparents showed significantly lower weight-for-height Z-scores than those in nuclear families, taken care of only by parent(s) (p<0.01). After controlling for other factors (child’s age and gender, household income, education level of caregivers, enrollment in childcare, neighborhood urbanization index, and type of neighborhood) , children in three-generation families still exhibited the significant lower mean weight-for-height Z-scores than those in nuclear families and in skipped-generation families. One individual characteristic factor (child’s age) and one contextual factor (type of neighborhood) were also significantly associated with child’s weight-for-height Z-score. This study concluded that grandparental caregiving does not increase the risk of obesity for preschoolers. Instead, children in the care of grandparents in three-generation families are at lower risk than those cared for only by parent(s) or only by grandparent(s). Further researches are needed to explore the mechanism or the interactions in three-generation families which form a healthier environment for preschoolers so as to inform family-oriented program planning and policy design regarding early childhood obesity prevention