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Background: The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), which is used to assess executive function, has been translated into several languages and shown to be valid and reliable. However, the validity and reliability of the Japanese version in patients with stroke are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the FAB in patients with stroke. Methods: The Japanese version of the FAB for dementia was modified and evaluated in 52 patients with stroke. FAB measurements were obtained twice over a 10-day period. Convergent validity was assessed using the Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT) part B. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha (Cα). Test-retest evaluations were performed using intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC (2.1)] measurements, and limits of agreement (LOA) were calculated using the total FAB score. Results: The mean total FAB score was 13.4 ± 2.8 points, the ICC (2.1) was 0.856, and Cα was 0.92. The total FAB score was correlated with SCWT scores for parts I through IV (r = 0.70 to 0.77) and the TMT score for part B (ρ = −0.53). The LOA were −1.7 to 2.9 points. Conclusions: The Japanese version of the FAB had higher validity and reliability in patients with stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion pairs of RuO2 and glass were prepared as model specimens for composite thick-film resistors and chemical and electrical microanalyses were carried out at the interface to clarify the piezoresistive mechanism of the resistors. The diffusion of ruthenium into glass was examined with SIMS and the chemical structure was analyzed with EELS. In situ measurement of resistance change was conducted as a function of applied load with a microprobe on the RuO2–glass interfaces locally by conductive AFM. The glass with higher piezoresistive sensitivity was found to have larger amount of diffused ruthenium, which has trivalent and tetravalent states in the glass. The originally insulative glass showed electrical conductivity by the diffusion of ruthenium. Furthermore, load-dependent conductivity change was observed near the interface. The analysis suggests that the conduction mechanism is variable range hopping and that the strain-derived electronic state changes must be the origin of the piezoresistive effect of the thick film resistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The piezoresistive mechanisms of composite thick films based on RuO2 particles and both calcium-borosilicate and bismuth-borosilicate glass matrices were investigated by chemical and electrical microanalyses. The resistor based on bismuth-borosilicate glass showed higher sensitivity than that based on calcium-borosilicate glass. It was confirmed that the diffusion of ruthenium into glass affects the binding state of RuO2 at the interface of the glass. Furthermore, an intermediate resistive layer is detected around the RuO2 particle. These results suggest that the piezoresistive effect is related to a change in the electrical conductivity of the interfacial reaction layer caused by the diffusion of ruthenium into glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the large parenchymal nodules in pulmonary sarcoidosis and to describe a new CT sign termed the "sarcoid galaxy.", Conclusion: The CT appearance of pulmonary sarcoidosis suggests that the large nodules arise from a coalescence of small nodules. The large nodules are surrounded by many tiny satellite nodules. These findings were considered to simulate the appearance of a galaxy. This observation was supported by radiologic-pathologic correlation. The sarcoid galaxy sign may be a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis.