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High-dielectric constant glasses are prerequisite for developing terahertz (THz) components and systems. Oxyfluorosilicate (OFS) glasses have been developed and their THz properties have been characterized by using THz-time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) measurements. High-dielectric constant (8–13) and low loss (6–9/cm) properties in the THz region have been demonstrated and their dielectric properties have been studied using the single oscillator-based model through a comparison with other multi-component silicate oxide glasses. Unified single oscillator model, which can distinguish the electronic and ionic contributions to the dielectric property, has been applied in this analysis. The physical origin of the dielectric constant enhancement and the importance of interplay between the electronic polarizability and ionicity in high-dielectric constant glasses have been revealed. This study has demonstrated the usefulness of THz-TDS technique for characterizing dielectric properties of multi-component glasses in detail.

Background: In schizophrenia (SZ), social cognition mediates the relationship between neurocognition and social functioning. Although people with major depressive disorder (MDD) also exhibit cognitive impairments, which are often prolonged, little is known about the role of social cognition in MDD. Methods: Using data obtained through an internet survey, 210 patients with SZ or MDD were selected using propensity score matching based on their demographic information and illness duration. Social cognition, neurocognition, and social functioning were evaluated using the Self-Assessment of Social Cognition Impairments, Perceived Deficits Questionnaire, and Social Functioning Scale, respectively. The mediation effects of social cognition on the relationship between neurocognition and social functioning were examined in each disease group. Invariances of the mediation model across the two groups were then analyzed. Results: The SZ and MDD groups had mean ages of 44.49 and 45.35 years, contained 42.0% and 42.8% women, and had mean illness durations of 10.76 and 10.45 years, respectively. In both groups, social cognition had significant mediation effects. Configural, measurement, and structural invariances across the groups were established. Conclusion: The role of social cognition in patients with chronic depression was similar to that in schizophrenia. Social cognition could be a common endophenotype for various psychiatric disorders.

Purpose: There is a global movement to develop and implement community-based integrated mental health systems. The present study aimed to clarify needs and perceptions of early intervention in those systems among individuals with mental illness and healthy people in Japan. Methods: A new questionnaire was developed for this internet survey. Data from 500 outpatients with depression and 500 healthy subjects were sampled according to the demographics of the Japanese population and were analyzed descriptively. Results: Over 90% of healthy subjects and over 70% of patients were unaware of the common age of onset or lifetime prevalence of mental illness. Over 90% of the healthy subjects and about 70% of the patients could not describe any services where they would feel comfortable discussing mental health problems. In both groups, “adolescents and young adults” were ranked first as a target population for mental health and illness policies. The top requirements for the integrated care systems were mainly related to early intervention, such as promotion and awareness of correct knowledge of mental illness, preventive support for mental health problems before the onset of mental illness, and support for people in the early years after illness onset. Conclusion: The dissemination of correct knowledge and awareness-raising actions for society and the implementation of specific services targeting the early stage of mental illness are societal requirements. These services need to be considered as components in the integrated mental health care systems that are currently being established in Japan.

The importance of identification of facial emotion recognition (FER) bias for a child’s face has been reinforced from the perspective of risk screening for future peripartum mental health problems. We attempted to clarify the relationship of FER bias for children’s faces with antenatal depression and bonding failure among pregnant women, taking into consideration their broad social cognitive abilities and experience in child raising. This study had a cross-sectional design, and participants were women in their second trimester of pregnancy. Seventy-two participants were assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Questionnaire (MIBQ), and a series of social cognitive tests. FER bias for a child’s face was assessed by Baby Cue Cards (BCC), and a larger number of disengagement responses suggest greater sensitivity to a child’s disengagement facial expressions. In a regression analysis conducted using EPDS as the dependent variable, a larger number of disengagement responses to the BCC (β = 0.365, p = 0.001) and the primipara status (β = −0.263, p = 0.016) were found to significantly contribute to antenatal depressive symptoms. Also, more disengagement responses to the BCC also significantly contributed to bonding failure as measured by the MIBQ (β = 0.234, p = 0.048). Maternal sensitivity to the child’s disengagement cues was associated with antenatal depressive symptoms and bonding failure more than the other social cognitive variables. The effects of FER bias on postpartum mental health and abusive behavior needs to be clarified by further longitudinal studies.

Background: The number of young Japanese Brazilians, who are return migrants with Japanese ancestral roots, is increasing rapidly in Japan. However, the characteristics of their mental health and the relation between mental health and a complex ethnic identity remains unclear. Methods: This cross-sectional study compared 25 Japanese–Brazilian high school students with 62 Japanese high school students living in the same area. Research using self-report questionnaires on mental health, help-seeking behavior tendencies, and ethnic identity was conducted. The Japanese–Brazilian group was also divided into high and low ethnic identity groups, and their mental health conditions were compared. Results: The Japanese–Brazilian group had significantly poorer mental health conditions and lower ethnic identities than the Japanese group and were less likely to seek help from family members and close relatives. Among the Japanese Brazilians, those with low ethnic identity had significantly poorer mental health than those with high ethnic identity. Conclusions: Young Japanese Brazilians may face conflicts of ethnic identity that can disturb their mental health. To build an inclusive society, the establishment of community services to support mental health and to help return migrants develop their ethnic identity is essential.

A terahertz (THz) dielectric property characterization method based on a unified single oscillator model has been developed and applied to a variety of multi-component silicate oxide glasses. The experimental values of dielectric constant determined by THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) in the sub-THz region have been confirmed to agree well with the values calculated by the single oscillator model which incorporates the local field effects and the material’s ionicity. This has provided a unified formulation that enables systematic determination of the key physical parameters solely from the high-frequency (optical) and low-frequency (sub-THz) dielectric constants and characteristic resonance frequency in the (sub-)THz region. The low-frequency dielectric constant has been demonstrated to be fully determined by a single parameter of the microscopic total susceptibility. Also, the polarization ionicity, which is defined by the ionic fraction in the microscopic total susceptibility, has been found to be a good indicator to represent the ionic nature of the material. Through this analysis, an increasing trend of the effective ionic charge has been found in high-dielectric constant glasses such as oxyfluorosilicate glasses, and the physical mechanism of their dielectric constant enhancement has been discussed. The present method is expected to be applied to design and characterize dielectric properties of a wide range of multi-component glasses and other isotropic, insulating materials.

Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive mental health literacy (MHL) educational programme known as “Sanita” for improving junior high school students’ knowledge of mental illness, attitudes towards people with mental health problems, and help-seeking behaviour. Methods: A randomised controlled trial with a parallel-group design was conducted. A total of 125 students (51 in the intervention group and 74 in the control group) received three 50-min classes and completed self-report questionnaires (Mental Illness and Disorder Understanding Scale, MIDUS; Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale, RIBS-J; and an original questionnaire investigating help-seeking behaviour) before and after the programme and three months later. Results: Regarding MIDUS, the post-test and 3-month follow-up test results showed a significant main effect of time-by-group interactions in a linear mixed model. Regarding RIBS-J, the post-test results showed a significant main effect of time-by-group interactions; however, the 3-month follow-up test showed no significant effect. No significant effects of time-by-group interactions were seen in the post-test and 3-month follow-up test results for help-seeking behaviour in a logistic regression-mixed model. Conclusions: The Sanita MHL educational programme was longitudinally effective at improving junior high school students’ knowledge of mental illness, although improvements in attitudes and help-seeking behaviour were insufficient.

The prevalence of comorbid social anxiety disorder among patients with schizophrenia is currently attracting attention, and symptoms of social anxiety are reportedly associated with various clinical features. However, the contribution of social anxiety to social functioning and quality of life (QOL) over time remains obscure. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of changes in social anxiety symptoms on social functioning and QOL among outpatients with schizophrenia. Of the 207 outpatients who were eligible at baseline, 118 patients agreed with and completed a follow-up investigation at least 1 year (695.8 days on average) after the baseline study. Stepwise multiple regressions examining the change in social functioning using demographic data and changes in clinical variables as explanatory variables demonstrated that the changes in social anxiety and general psychopathology contributed to the change in the Social Functioning Scale, while the changes in clinical severity and negative symptoms contributed to the change in the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. Stepwise multiple regressions for the change in QOL demonstrated that the changes in social anxiety and depression contributed to the change in the World Health Organization QOL scale, Brief version, and the changes in social anxiety and positive symptoms contributed to the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic Drug Treatment, Short Form. The results revealed that the changes in social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with the change in functional outcome among patients with schizophrenia. Treatments targeting social anxiety seem to be key to achieving a full recovery in patients with schizophrenia.

Background: In schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), social cognition mediates the relationship between neurocognition and social functioning. Although people with major depressive disorder (MDD) also exhibit cognitive impairments, which are often prolonged, little is known about the role of social cognition in MDD. Methods: Using data obtained through an internet survey, 210 patients with SSD or MDD were selected using propensity score matching based on their demographics and illness duration. Social cognition, neurocognition, and social functioning were evaluated using the Self-Assessment of Social Cognition Impairments, Perceived Deficits Questionnaire, and Social Functioning Scale, respectively. The mediation effects of social cognition on the relationship between neurocognition and social functioning were examined in each group. Invariances of the mediation model across the two groups were then analyzed. Results: The SSD and MDD groups had mean ages of 44.49 and 45.35 years, contained 42.0% and 42.8% women, and had mean illness durations of 10.76 and 10.45 years, respectively. In both groups, social cognition had significant mediation effects. Configural, measurement, and structural invariances across the groups were established. Conclusion: The role of social cognition in patients with MDD was similar to that in SSD. Social cognition could be a common endophenotype for various psychiatric disorders.

AIMS A global movement, including in Asia, is seeking to establish integrated youth mental health services that provide early intervention in the continuum from mental health to mental illness. Clinical case management (CCM), in which a case manager becomes not only a coordinator of services but also a provider of psychosocial support, can establish a 'one-stop network' that supports youth in densely populated areas with various social resources. In 2019, we opened a community-based centre called 'SODA' in front of a metropolitan railway station, which was designed to be highly accessible, stigma-free and youth-friendly to provide CCM. We aimed to clarify its services and effectiveness of CCM. METHODS Data from 105 youths were investigated in a case-controlled study, dividing them into two groups: those who had received CCM for 6 months, and those whose needs were met in fewer sessions. RESULTS Twenty-one subjects who received CCM for 6 months had difficulties in more domains than the others. The mean of the total service minutes for the subjects who received CCM for 6 months was 491.3 min: psychological support (accounted for 24.8% of the time), support for community living (31.2%), work support (13.8%), family support (10.5%) and support for cooperation with other organizations (19.8%). Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score improved significantly, from 46.6 at baseline to 59.3 at 6 months. CONCLUSION Even in metropolitan areas with numerous medical facilities, young people can face high barriers to access. CCM can be effective as an early intervention for subjects developing mental illness.

Dielectric properties of oxyfluorosilicate (OFS) glasses have been characterized using Terahertz (THz)-time domain spectroscopy in the sub-THz region as well as optical reflection measurement. OFS glass containing 20 mol% of Nb2O5, which is termed ZNbKLSNd glass, has the highest refractive index of 3.70 in the sub-THz region. The THz and optical refractive indices of various silicate oxide glasses, including OFS glasses, have been confirmed to be correlated by a unified relationship utilizing a parameter defined by the ratio of ionic to electronic polarizability. Additionally, the frequency dependence of the THz dielectric constant has been interpreted by a single oscillator model for all silicate oxide glasses including OFS glasses. On the basis of the present unified dielectric model, the very high refractive index of ZNbKLSNd glass has been attributed to the lowering of oscillator resonance wavelength originated from the incorporation of Nb2O5 intermediate network former.

Objective Functional capacity, which indicates one's ability to perform everyday living tasks, contributes to real-world functional performance in patients with schizophrenia. However, functional capacity is sometimes not comparable with functional performance in clinical settings. We hypothesized that specific personality traits are related to this capacity-performance discrepancy of functional outcome. Methods The measures in this study were the UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment Brief (UPSA-B) for functional capacity, the Social Functioning Scale (SFS) for functional performance, and the Temperament and Character Inventory-140 (TCI-140) for personality traits. A total of 94 stable outpatients with schizophrenia were divided into four groups based on combinations of their UPSA-B and SFS cut-off points, as follows: a high capacity and high performance (HH) group, a high capacity but low performance (HL) group, a low capacity but high performance (LH) group, and a low capacity and low performance (LL) group. Results There were no significant differences in demographics among the four groups. The LH group showed a significantly lower harm avoidance level than the LL group. The HL group showed a significantly lower persistence level than the HH group. Conclusion Lower harm avoidance may enhance functional performance, and lower persistence can limit functional performance, regardless of the primary levels of functional capacity in patients with schizophrenia. Novel and individualized psychosocial treatments considering the individual's personality traits seem to be helpful for maximizing their functional performance in the community.

A photoelectrochemical cell utilizing porous carbon derived from Binchotan charcoal as the anode is demonstrated. Visible pulse laser irradiation of the Binchotan charcoal anode induces the ablation of carbon cations into NaNO3 aqueous solution. Electrons remaining in the anode reduce the potential of the anode with respect to a platinum cathode. As the electrodes are short-circuited, photogenerated electrons are transported from the anode to the cathode as a diffusion current. The photoinduced charge density at the anode exhibits superlinear and linear excitation laser power density dependences at low and high laser power densities, respectively. This difference in excitation power dependence is caused by the valences of the carbon cations generated by absorbing two-photon energy. The revealed reaction mechanism for electron generation at the Binchotan charcoal anode in the photoelectrochemical cell suggests that the sacrificial reagent for the anode can be not only Binchotan charcoal but also any materi...

Environment-sensitive luminophoric molecules have played an important role in the fields of smart materials, sensing, and bioimaging. In this study, it was demonstrated that depending on the substituents, 9-aryl-3-aminocarbazoles can display aggregation-induced emission and solvatofluorochromism, and the operating mechanism was clarified. The application of these compounds to lipid droplet imaging and fluorescent probes for cysteamine was demonstrated.

Background:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has recently become the most important issue in the world. Very few reports in Japan have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peripartum mental health. We examined the current status of postpartum mental health in a metropolitan area.Methods:The subjects were women who had completed a maternity health check-up at a core regional hospital in Yokohama during the period from April 1, 2017, to December 31, 2020. We collected the subjects’ scores for the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) at one month postpartum. The subjects were divided into four groups (three Before COVID-19 groups and a During COVID-19 group). MANOVA and post-hoc tests were used to determine mental health changes in the postpartum period among the four groups.Results:The Before and During COVID-19 groups contained 2844 and 1095 mothers, respectively. There were no significant difference in the total scores of the EPDS and MIBS among the four groups. However, the EPDS items related to anxiety factors were significantly higher and the EPDS items related to anhedonia and depression factors (excluding thoughts of self-harm) were significantly lower in the During COVID-19 group.Conclusion:The EPDS scores changed in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, which represent hypervigilance, was significantly higher and anhedonia and depression were significantly lower in the During COVID-19 group. Our results may reflect COVID-19-related health concerns and a lack of social support caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In schizophrenia, social cognitive impairment is considered one of the greatest obstacles to social participation. Although numerous measures have been developed to assess social cognition, only a limited number of them have become available in Japan. We are therefore planning this evaluation study for social cognition measures in Japan (ESCoM) to confirm their psychometric characteristics and to promote research focused on social cognition. Participants in the cross-sectional observational study will be 140 patients with schizophrenia recruited from three Japanese facilities and 70 healthy individuals. In our primary analysis, we will calculate several psychometric indicators with a focus on whether they can independently predict social functioning. In secondary analyses, we will assess the reliability and validity of the Japanese translations of each measure and conduct an exploratory investigation of patient background, psychiatric symptoms, defeatist performance belief, and gut microbiota as determinants of social cognition. The protocol for this study is registered in UMIN-CTR, unique ID UMIN000043777.

Introduction: Ultrapurification of dialysis fluid has enabled highly efficient dialysis treatments. Online hemodiafiltration is one such treatment that uses a purified dialysis fluid as a supplemental fluid. In this method, an endotoxin retentive filter (ETRF) is used in the final step of dialysis fluid purification, with the aim of preventing leakage of endotoxins. Sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid are used as disinfecting agents for the dialysis fluid pipes containing the ETRF; however, the effects of these agents on ETRF membrane pores have not been fully clarified. Methods: Water permeability (flux) and endotoxin permeability were assessed in 3 types of ETRFs made with different membrane materials: polyester polymer alloy (PEPA), polyether sulfone (PES), and polysulfone (PS). High-concentration sodium hypochlorite and 2 types of peracetic acid were used as disinfecting agents, and the changes in flux and the endotoxin sieving coefficient (SC) were measured. Results: After repeated use of high concentrations of sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid, the PEPA and PES ETRFs did not permit passage of endotoxins, regardless of their flux. However, in the PS ETRF, the flux and endotoxin SC increased with the number of cleaning cycles. No differences were observed according to the concentration of peracetic acid disinfecting agents. Conclusion: PEPA and PES ETRFs completely prevent endotoxin leakage and can be disinfected at concentrations higher than the conventionally recommended concentration without affecting pore expansion. Even new PS ETRFs have low levels of endotoxin leakage, which increase after disinfection cycles using sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid.

We report synthesis and excitonic emission properties of high-quality micrometer-thick $\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{g}}_{x}\mathrm{Z}{\mathrm{n}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{O}$ films ($x=0.04$ and 0.10) grown on $a$-sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The band gap ${E}_{g}$ values of the $x=0.04$ and 0.10 samples have been shown to be larger than that of pure ZnO by \ensuremath{\sim}0.1 and \ensuremath{\sim}0.3 eV, respectively. From the investigations of the stimulated emission due to the exciton-exciton (ex-ex) scattering process at 3 K, the exciton binding energies ${E}_{b}$ of the $x=0.04$ and 0.10 samples are determined to be $80\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5$ and $120\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}10\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$, respectively, which are substantially larger than that of pure ZnO (${E}_{b}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}=60\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$). The present observation demonstrates that ${E}_{b}$ of ZnO-based materials can be increased to 100% by controlling the synthetic and alloying conditions. Purely excitonic stimulated emissions are observed in the temperature range from 3 to 300 K without showing any symptoms of electron-hole plasma emission. The mechanism of the optical gain changes from the ex-ex to ex-electron (ex-el) scattering process at 200 and 250 K for the $x=0.04$ and 0.10 samples, respectively, with increasing temperature. We argue that the enhancement of ${E}_{b}$ occurs as a consequence of a complex, combined effect of Mg addition on the effective electron/hole masses and the dielectric constant of the $\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{g}}_{x}\mathrm{Z}{\mathrm{n}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{O}$ films.

In patients with schizophrenia, motivation has been assumed to act as an intervening factor between cognitive function and social functioning. Motivation is thought to comprise three domains defined by their orientations: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation. Although these orientations can confound each other, the effects of motivation domains on social functioning remain obscure. We investigated these relationships after confirming the factor structure of social functioning using the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). A total of 97 stable outpatients with schizophrenia were recruited. In addition to the SFS, the General Causality Orientations Scale (GCOS) was used to measure the motivation domains. First, we examined the factor structure of the SFS using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Next, we conducted structural equation modeling to examine the effects of motivation domains on social functioning. The SFS showed a two-factor structure: interpersonal and intrapersonal functioning. The structural equation model revealed that (1) amotivation was negatively related to both intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning, (2) intrinsic motivation was positively related only to intrapersonal functioning, and (3) extrinsic motivation was positively related only to interpersonal functioning. Each motivation domain was associated with different factors of social functioning. Future interventions aimed at improving social functioning should consider these motivation domains based on their orientations. Cognitive remediation accompanied by considerations for and approaches to each of the domains may maximize recovery in patients with schizophrenia.

It has been well documented that ∼5 eV optical excitation of a 2-fold coordinated Ge atom in Ge-doped silica glass results in a singlet–singlet emission at ∼4.2 eV and a triplet–singlet emission at ∼3.1 eV, which are connected by thermally activated intersystem crossing (ISC). However, the true mechanism of the ISC, whose rate shows an apparent non-Arrhenius temperature dependence, has not been well understood and appreciated. In this work, we perform detailed photoluminescence measurements on highly luminescent Ge-doped silica glass with an internal quantum yield of ∼40% in a wide temperature range from 3 to 500 K. It has been found that there exists at least three triplet excited states of the 2-fold coordinated Ge atom, contributing respectively to three different ISC channels. One is a temperature-independent ISC process, and the others are temperature-dependent processes with activation energies of ∼40 and ∼170 meV. We have also found that nonradiative transitions, which have often been neglected in ...

Aluminum oxynitride, which can be regarded a nitrogen-stabilized cubic γ-Al2O3, has attracted attention in terms of its good mechanical, chemical and optical stability. Because of its optical inertness, however, photoluminescence (PL) emission from nominally pure aluminum oxynitride has not been carefully investigated and evaluated. In this work, we prepared visibly luminescent aluminum oxynitride by nitridation of γ-Al2O3 under N2 atmosphere without adding AlN using a high-frequency induction heating unit. The resulting aluminum oxynitride exhibits a broad PL emission in the blue/green spectral region under excitation with light of ~260 nm. In the luminescent aluminum oxynitride sample, the excitation and emission events will occur at different sites; the electron transfer from the excitation site to the emission site is preceded by the radiative recombination process. It has also been found that the PL peak wavelength shows an anomalous blue shift by ~50 nm with increasing temperature from 78 to 500 K. The observed temperature dependent PL characteristics are governed by thermalization among multiple emitting levels. Aluminum vacancies and oxygen vacancies, both of which are introduced into the crystalline lattice during nitridation without the presence of AlN, are very likely candidates for the excitation and emission centers, respectively. Hence, the present direct nitridation method provides a simple and effective way to add an additional optical functionality to otherwise optically inactive aluminum oxynitride. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Preoperative ultrasound vascular mapping was performed to determine the surgical method for two cases where standard arteriovenous fistula was not possible. In case 1, the previous arteriovenous fistula of the left arm was occluded, and arteriovenous graft of the right arm was thrombosed after frequent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Contrast medium was contraindicated because of allergy. Using preoperative ultrasound vascular mapping, we were able to establish the appropriate surgical method. In case 2, hemodialysis was started by catheter insertion, and then access creation was planned. This case was treated with steroids due to a bullous pemphigoid disease and there was a high risk of infection, which precluded the use of synthetic grafts. There was also the possibility of delay in healing due to malnutrition. Therefore, appropriate surgical method was tailored by using preoperative ultrasound vascular mapping. Ultrasound vascular mapping was useful for determining the surgical creation of an appropriate access for facilitating hemodialysis cannulation.

Structure and properties of Li-doped MgO have been extensively studied during the past decades in view of the effect of aliovalent doping on the catalytic, optical absorption and magnetic properties. However, the photoluminescence (PL) properties of Li-doped MgO have not been systematically investigated previously. In this work, we prepared micrometer-sized Li-doped MgO crystals using solid-phase redox reaction between B2O3 and metals of Mg and Li under argon atmosphere. The resulting Li-doped MgO microcrystals exhibit blue (2.8 eV or 440 nm) and orange PL (2.1 eV or 580 nm) emissions under excitation with photons of energies of ∼5 and ∼3 eV, respectively. The blue PL is attributed to the bulk oxygen vacancies, or F-type centers, whose emission energy levels are modified by the Li ions incorporated into the MgO structure. On the other hand, the orange PL presumably results from the oxygen vacancies at the near surface regions where a substantial bandgap narrowing down to visible range of ∼3 eV occurs. It ...

Aim Although competence and performance in relation to social functioning usually go hand in hand, it is not uncommon to observe a discrepancy between the two in patients with schizophrenia. The present study was aimed at examining the characteristics of patient groups showing such discrepancy. Methods A total of 205 outpatients with schizophrenia aged ≤40 years old were enrolled. The symptomatology and social functioning were widely assessed. The patients were divided into four groups by the cut-off scores for competence and performance in relation to social functioning calculated using a comprehensive dataset. Results The subjects were divided according to their level of competence and performance as follows: high competence and high performance (CP) group, 108 (52.7%) patients; high competence, but low performance (Cp) group, 40 (19.5%) patients; low competence, but high performance (cP) group, 13 (6.3%) patients; low competence and low performance (cp) group, 44 (21.5%) patients. One-way analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons revealed significantly worse negative symptoms, general psychopathology scores, global functioning, and quality of life in the Cp group than in the CP group, and significantly better social anxiety symptoms, global functioning, and quality of life in the cP group than in the cp group. Conclusion In patients who are capable, but do not perform well, negative symptoms may be involved in the discrepancy. Patients who are able to maintain themselves well despite low social competence appear to have milder social anxiety symptoms as compared to patients who are neither competent nor perform well.

BACKGROUND: To achieve recovery among people with schizophrenia, not only psychopathological symptoms but also real-world functioning have to be improved, however their rates of employment and living by themselves are still quite low. Numerous studies have shown that reduced functional capacity (lower ability to perform general living behavior such as finances and communication) contributes to insufficient real-world functioning. Functional capacity, however, does not directly translate into real-world functioning. In clinical settings, some people with schizophrenia have higher real-world functioning than that predicted by their reduced functional capacity. Recently, the personality traits are remarked as endophenotypes of human beings which affect behavior in real-world settings. In the previous studies of people with schizophrenia, personality traits have proven to influence their cognition and social functioning. We hypothesized that the people with schizophrenia who have specific personality traits show high real-world functioning in spite of their reduced functional capacity. METHODS: Measures used in this study were TCI-R (Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised) for personality traits, UPSA-B (UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment-Brief) for functional capacity, SFS (Social Functioning Scale) for real-world functioning, and PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) for psychopathological symptoms. A total of 89 stable outpatients with schizophrenia (40 males and 49 females, mean age 40.6) were recruited and 41 patients showed lower functional capacity than the median score. Furthermore 41 patients were divided into two groups by the median score of real-world functioning of the total. Of those 41 patients, 22 landed above and 19 landed below or equal to the median score. Then the groups’ characters were compared using t-test and chi-square test. RESULTS: The group of individuals with high real-world functioning but low functional capacity showed significantly lower Harm Avoidance (HA) level and lower PANSS total score than the other group of individuals with low real-world functioning and functional capacity. Plus, the above-mentioned group has more females than the other group significantly (mean HA score: 59.7 vs 76.4, mean PANSS total score: 79.6 vs 93.0, males: female ratio: 6:16 vs 9:10). DISCUSSION: The findings for the associations between real-world functioning and psychopathological symptoms as well as between real-world functioning and gender differences were consistent with the previous studies. HA reflects the tendency to inhibit responses to aversive stimuli leading to avoidance of punishment or non-reward. Given the previous work, avoidant behavior can be associated with stress vulnerability and personal adjustment. The present result suggested that unworried and extroverted behavior based on low HA contributed to improve or maintain high real-world functioning. Furthermore, the influence of HA on real-world functioning is independent of their reduced functional capacity that is a strong predictor for insufficient real-world functioning. Although we should investigate the causality in a future longitudinal study, in the current study we can conclude that psychosocial treatments considering personality traits may be able to enhance real-world functioning, which has thus far been recognized as difficult to improve, meaningfully contributing to functional recovery.

We explore the electrical and magnetic properties of a fractal assembly of Josephson junctions with transparent interfaces. For this purpose, we employ an $\mathrm{Mg}/\mathrm{MgO}/\mathrm{Mg}{\mathrm{B}}_{2}$ nanocomposite with \ensuremath{\sim}16 vol. % of $\mathrm{Mg}{\mathrm{B}}_{2}$ nanograins, which are distributed in a fractal manner in the normal matrix. Irrespective of the low volume fraction of $\mathrm{Mg}{\mathrm{B}}_{2}$ nanograins, the nanocomposite behaves as a bulk-like superconductor, i.e., zero resistivity, perfect diamagnetism, and strong vortex pinning. Thus, a global Josephson phase coherence is achieved in the nanocomposite. The lower (${H}_{\mathrm{c}1\mathrm{J}}$) and higher (${H}_{\mathrm{c}2\mathrm{J}}$) critical fields of the Josephson network are exceptionally high (${H}_{\mathrm{c}1\mathrm{J}}=96\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Oe}$ and ${H}_{\mathrm{c}2\mathrm{J}}=83.5\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{kOe}$) as compared to those reported previously for granular superconductors. This will give an example of robust macroscopic superconducting coherence derived from long-range proximity coupling among fractally distributed superconducting nanograins through quantum interference of Andreev quasiparticles. Transverse-field muon spin rotation measurements reveal that the mean internal field in the superconducting mixed state increases with decreasing temperature below which the Josephson phase coherence sets in, opposite to the diamagnetic response observed in magnetization measurements. This unusual behavior implies a highly disordered and fluctuating nature of the Josephson vortices in the present superconducting nanocomposite.

The mechanism of the commonly observed green photoluminescence (PL) emission in ZnO is still controversial and is being actively discussed. Herein, through comprehensive time-resolved and excitation-energy-dependent PL measurements on variously annealed ZnO samples, we show that the PL decay profile, which is well fitted to a triple-exponential function, depends not only on temperature but also on excitation energy. Under excitation with photons near the band-gap energy, the decay profile is governed by three decay components with decay times of ∼2, ∼10, and ∼50 μs. The contribution from the slower ∼10 and ∼50 μs decay components becomes dominant when the photoexcitation energy is ∼100 meV below the band-gap energy of bulk ZnO. It has also been revealed the highest green PL intensity is achieved under excitation of photons with energies ∼100 meV below the band-gap energy of bulk ZnO as well. These PL features are interpreted in terms of the formation of sub-band-gap states, band edge perturbation, and the...

Exciton luminescence in semiconductors has in general a larger oscillator strength than that of band-to-band transitions and is hence desirable to utilize it as practical phosphors. However, binding energies of excitons are usually not large enough to be stable at room temperature except for the case of ZnO. We show that magnesium nitride (Mg3N2) exhibits excitonic photoluminescence (PL) in the violet-blue (∼2.9 eV) region at room temperature. The violet-blue PL spectra are characterized at least by two PL components peaking at ∼2.85 and ∼2.82 eV, which are assigned to the free exciton transition and its first longitudinal-optic phonon replica, respectively. In addition, Mg3N2 exhibits yellow-orange (∼2 eV) PL emission bands, which most likely result from a lattice defect in the form of a nitrogen vacancy. The excitonic PL features at room temperature indicate that Mg3N2 is a direct band gap semiconductor with a relatively larger exciton binding energy and is hence a promising material that can be used fo...

Photoionization spectra of the F2 center in α-Al2O3 have been determined in the temperature region from 77 to 400 K by using reversible photoinduced interconversion phenomena of the F- and F2-type centers. It has been shown that photoionization of the F2 center is most effectively initiated by resonant photoexcitation of the F2 center or by excitation with a ∼4.1 eV photon. The efficiency of photoionization increases with increasing temperature, demonstrating that a thermal process is involved for the electron to be promoted from the F2-center excited states to the conduction band under the resonant (or near-resonant) excitation condition. Under excitation in the energy region higher than 4.8 eV, however, the photoionization efficiency of the F2 center is hardly dependent on temperature, indicating that the direct photoionization of the F2 center is possible in this excitation energy region. It has also been demonstrated that the temperature has a substantial effect on lowering the photoionization onset e...

Micrometer-sized MgO crystals are prepared by solid phase reaction between Mg and B2O3. The MgO microcrystals exhibit efficient photoluminescence (PL) emissions derived from oxygen vacancies, showing broadband laser emission at room temperature. Also, room temperature ferromagnetism is observed in the lasing MgO microcrystals. Ferromagnetic coupling between the surface magnesium vacancies via the surface low-coordinated oxygen atoms is suggested to explain the observed magnetic behavior.

Photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of two structurally and compositionally different oxide nanoparticles, i.e., crystalline γ-alumina and amorphous silica nanoparticles, are investigated. Time-...

Reduction of silica (SiO2) in the bulk form is quite challenging because the bulk silica in both the amorphous and crystalline states is a highly stoichiometric material. In this work, a solution-based synthesis route is developed to produce off-stoichiometric amorphous silica (SiOx with x < 2) by using sonochemical reduction of silica-based materials in the presence of sodium. The resulting amorphous SiOx materials are found to crystallize after annealing at temperatures higher than ∼800 °C under Ar or vacuum environment, resulting in off-stoichiometric silica crystals. The main crystal phase is cristobalite, and a small amount of tridymite was also included. The thus obtained silica crystals exhibit a broad photoluminescence (PL) emission peaking at ∼500 nm, characterized by the PL decay constant on the time scale of microseconds. The spin forbidden emission of oxygen vacancies in a silica crystal lattice is likely to be responsible for the observed broad visible PL emission. The present sonochemical re...