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Highlights: [•] Fe2VAl was synthesized by single thermite-type combustion synthesis (STCS). [•] The Fe2VAl synthesized by STCS had low thermal conductivity. [•] The maximum value of the power factor was 99.6μWm−1 K−2. [•] The maximum value of the dimensionless figure of merit was 2.19×10−3 at 309K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Heat-resistant nanocomposite films with high refractive indices. [•] In situ polymerization to disperse refractive nanoparticles into polyimide films. [•] A combination of thermal and chemical imidizations to enhance refractive index. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Crystalline nanoparticles of barium titanate (BT) are incorporated into polyimide (PI) to fabricate highly refractive, anti-UV-degradable nanocomposite films with high permittivity and thermal stability. For homogeneous incorporation of BT nanoparticles into the PI matrix, the BT nanoparticles are surface modified by phthalimide with the aid of a silane coupling agent as a scaffold. The PI nanocomposites are prepared by in situ polymerization in which a diphthalic anhydride and a diamine are used to form the PI matrix in the presence of the surface-modified nanoparticles. The refractive index of the transparent nanocomposite films reaches 1.85 at a nanoparticle content of 59 vol% with a high dielectric constant of ε = 37 and thermal stability up to 460 °C. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical practice of sports dentistry by the sixth-year students of The Tokyo Medical and Dental University Faculty of Dentistry was carried out by the students in order to learn about the basic knowledge of mouthguard fabrication methods. Our present research was conducted by a questionnaire on the students' evaluation of the sports dentistry clinical practice. In response to the question related to the level of satisfaction and whether it is beneficial to clinical practice of sports dentistry, 82% of the students answered "satisfied" including "satisfied a little" and 87% "beneficial" including "slightly beneficial". Based on the questionnaire results, the clinical practice of sports dentistry was confirmed to have an educational effect on the students at some level. In addition, the results suggested that mouthguard fabrication may possibly provide motivation for students to learn sports dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Saliva plays an important role in the health of soft and hard tissues in the oral cavity. Studies have shown that a reduction of salivary secretion causes a decrease of oral sugar clearance capacity in humans, thereby resulting in an increase in dental caries. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible inhibitory effects of fluid replacement on exercise-induced declines of salivary secretion in association with the physical effort of bicycle ergometer exercise in healthy volunteer subjects. Material and methods: Eight female and 14 male healthy volunteers (mean age 26.9 years) performed a 40-min bicycle ergometer exercise test with an 80% level of maximum heart rate for the following 3 conditions of fluid replacement ; 1) No fluid replacement, 2) Fluid replacement with a natural mineral water, 3) Fluid replacement with a sports drink. Timing and intake of fluid replacements during the exercise test were placed at the subject's disposal. Paraffin stimulated whole saliva samples were collected before, during, immediately after, 30-mins after and 60-mins after the test to measure the salivary flow, pH, buffering capacity and colony-forming units of Streptococcus mutans. Results: The mean intake of fluid replacements with a natural mineral water and a sports drink were 502.7 ml and 690.7 ml, respectively (paired t-test, p<0.01). While the salivary flow and buffering capacity after exercise for the condition of no fluid replacement decreased by 1.87 ml (31.3%) and 0.15 pH units, respectively, the salivary flow and buffering capacity after exercise for the conditions of fluid replacement with natural mineral water and a sports drink decreased by 1.05 ml (18.0%) and 0.14 pH units, and 0.56 ml (9.3%) and 0.33 pH units, respectively (ANOVA, p<0.05). The number of colony forming units of Streptococcus mutans did not change for any condition of fluid replacement after exercise (X² test, p=0.167-0.200). Conclusion: This study indicates that fluid replacement during exercise is an effective way of suppressing the reduction of saliva flow as well as for preventing dehydration, and suggests that fluid replacement during exercise contributes to maintain a better oral environment for athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the issues related to the scenario of politics in Japan. As mentioned, observers of Japanese law and politics have been concerned about the nationalistic attitude of Japanese politicians. It mentions of the Supreme Court case Kikuya v. Taniuchi regarding the issue concerning Japanese constitutional scheme its relation to separation of church and state.

We report on the fabrication of a custom faceguard (FG) for a soccer player injured with a complex fracture of the zygomatic bone and orbit. The patient was a 29-year-old male. He came to our clinic two months after open reduction with titanium plates. His chief concern was making a FG to play soccer safely and without anxiety. Treatment: 1 We made a facial moulage with an irreversible hydrocolloid impression material and an impression plaster material. 2 We poured the moulage with Type IV dental stone to make the facial cast. In designing the outline of the FG, it was critical to leave the eyes uncovered to avoid narrowing the field of vision, especially the uninjured side where there was not adequate space between the FG and the injured area. We softened a sheet of 3.2 mm thick thermoplastic material in hot water (about 70-75°C), and applied and molded it over the cast with right finger pressure. After the material had cooled, we trimmed it to the desired outline drawn on the cast. Then, we used adhesive to adhere 1.6 mm (outside) - and 3.2 mm (inside) -thick rubber cushioning materials to both surfaces of the sheet. Finally, we sewed the edges of cushioning liner materials of FG. 3 After the fitting, the FG was secured on the patient using two stretch bands with hook and loop fasteners. 4 For a while after using the FG, he complained about unwanted movement of the FG when doing a header maneuver. Therefore, we modified the shape of the metopic area. At the same time, a questionnaire survey was done, which included the visual analog scale concerning the feeling and field of vision. As a result, he could use the FG comfortably except the field of vision slightly narrower. Summary: To popularize the use of FG in the future, each case should devise it in consideration of the injured area, symptoms, progress of cure, characteristic of the sport, and position, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Licorice, the primary ingredient of the Japanese herbal medicine shakuyaku-kanzo-to, can cause pseudoaldosteronism. Thus, shakuyaku-kanzo-to can cause this condition. Case description: A 79-year-old woman was brought to the emergency room. She had been experiencing general fatigue, numbness in the hands, and weakness in the lower limbs and could not stand up without assistance. She presented with hypokalemia (potassium level, 1.7 mEq/L), increased urinary excretion of potassium (fractional excretion of K, 21.2%), abnormalities on an electrocardiogram (flat T waves in II, III, AVF, and V1-6), rhabdomyolysis (creatine kinase level, 28,376 U/L), myopathy, metabolic alkalosis with respiratory compensation (O2 flow rate, 2 L/min; pH, 7.473; p2, 61.0 mm Hg; p2, 78.0 mm Hg; HCO3, 44.1 mmol/L), hypertension (174/93 mm Hg), hyperglycemia (blood glucose level, 200–300 mg/dL), frequent urination, suppressed plasma renin activity (0.1 ng/mL/hour), decreased aldosterone levels (2.6 ng/dL), and increased urinary cortisol levels (600.6 μg/day; reference range, 26.0–187.0 μg/day). Conclusions: In this case, the observed reduction in the urinary cortisol levels, from 600.6 to 37.8 μg/day, led to a definitive diagnosis of pseudoaldosteronism instead of the apparent mineralocorticoid excess syndrome. Discontinuing shakuyaku-kanzo-to treatment and administering spironolactone and potassium proved effective in improving the patient's condition. Medical practitioners prescribing shakuyaku-kanzo-to should take into account the association between licorice, which is its main ingredient, and pseudoaldosteronism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a proposal for infrared ray emission computed tomography (IRECT). This is a method for visualizing the two-dimensional physical quantum distributions (e.g., temperature, concentration) on an arbitrary transaxial layer of an object by calculating the infrared radiation intensity emitted from the object as the projection data. To verify the usefulness of this method, an experimental system with pyroelectric detector is developed for measuring flame temperature distribution and this system is applied to a Bunsen flame. The experiments yield good images of thermic intensity distribution in the cross section of the flame. In addition, the usefulness of this method in measuring temperature distribution is confirmed by comparing the results with thermocouple probe measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term cultured suspension cells of rice (Oryza sativa L.) are capable of regeneration, but not in long-term culture. For clarification of the mechanism of regeneration, protein phosphorylation in short-term and long-term cultured suspension cells was compared by two dimensional- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A 56 kDa protein having an isoelectric point of 4.5 was phosphorylated in vitro in short-term cultured suspension cells, but was not phosphorylated after regeneration. This protein in longterm cultured suspension cells remained phosphorylated after transfer to the regeneration medium. However, using an antibody raised against this protein from short-term cultured suspension cells, it was always detected in long-term and short-term cultured suspension cells after transfer to the regeneration medium. The partial amino acid sequence of the HPLC-purified protein showed homology to a calcium-binding protein from maize. The phosphorylation of the 56 kDa protein (pp56) appears to be associated with the regeneration of cultured rice cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]