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Soil-less substrates are unable to catalyse nitrification because the addition of a high concentration of organic substances suppresses nitrification. We used a previously developed multiple parallel mineralization method, which enables the use of organic fertilizers in hydroponics, to support nitrification in soil-less substrates. In this method, microorganisms immobilized on porous substrates produced inorganic nitrate from organic substances, as in a natural soil. Phosphate and potassium ions were also released. Microorganisms produced nitrate from organic substances when immobilized on polyurethane resin, rockwool, vermiculite, oyster shell lime, and rice husk charcoal. The optimal amount of organic substance added daily to 100 mL of substrate held 6 mg of organic N. The optimal incubation temperature ranged from 25 to 42 °C. A high relative humidity (51% or higher) was more suitable than drier conditions (20%). The optimal amount of fish fertilizer added to the substrate was 6 mg organic N. The lower the C/N ratio of the organic substance, the better the result. Vegetable plants grew well on inoculated substrates but not on uninoculated substrates. These results show that soil-less substrates can be used to create artificial soils in which plants can be grown with the addition of organic fertilizer, as in a natural soil.

Organisms often have superior abilities. For example, the moth’s eyes block the reflection of light, preventing even the slightest light from escaping. Morpho butterflies have vivid colors despite their lack of pigmentation. The superhydrophobicity of lotus leaves is another example, which is attributed to their characteristic surface structure. We have recreated an interesting property by mimicking the structure of rose petals. When a drop of water falls on a rose petal, it adheres to the petal like a sphere. The droplets stay in place when the petals are inverted in this state. This phenomenon is called the rose petal effect. The surface of the petals is lined with microscale hemispherical structures, and each surface has additional nanoscale grooves. The effect is due to the hierarchical structure of nano- and microstructures. When water is dropped onto these structures, the surfaces of the nanostructures become air pockets, preventing water from entering the grooves. This results in stronger water repellency compared to that of the same material with a smooth surface. In contrast, when water penetrates the microstructure, the surface area becomes larger than that of a smooth surface, increasing adhesion. This is called the Wenzel mode. Here, we attempted to reproduce this structure on film using a combination of high-throughput techniques; ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) and roll pressing. The manufacturing process comprises two main steps. First, a nanopillar structure called a moth-eye structure is fabricated over the entire surface using UV-NIL. This serves the same purpose as the nanoglobe structure. Next, microscale holes are drilled on the surface using a roll press method. The resulting depressions immobilize water droplets and improve adhesion. Despite the strong water repellency obtained through this method, with a contact angle of more than 140±b°, up to 9 µL of water droplets remained attached to the film even when the film was turned over. Because this method can impart adhesion at any position on the water-repellent surface, it can be applied to microdroplet transport.

In order to effectively recover Li from cathode active materials of lithium-ion batteries, model samples of LiCoO2 mixed with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were calcined at temperatures of 350–700 °C under an Ar or air atmosphere. Complete Li recovery was achieved by calcining the model sample at 400 °C under an Ar atmosphere, followed by water leaching. Additionally, to immobilize PVDF-derived F, an impurity in Li purification, we explored the use of calcium compounds (Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3) and a layered double hydroxide in both dry and wet processing methods. In the wet process, F was fixed by adding Ca(OH)2 to an aqueous LiF solution containing 1000 ppm of F. We confirmed that 98.6% of F was successfully removed from the solution after repeated fixation procedures. Furthermore, the unreacted Ca in the solution was separated and removed as CaCO3 by concentrating the solution.

PurposeTo describe the characteristics and management of full-thickness macular holes (MHs) that develop after pars plana vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD).MethodsRetrospective, interventional, consecutive case series. Patients who developed secondary full-thickness MHs after prior pars plana vitrectomy for RD over a 6-year period were included. The main outcome measures included optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings and the clinical course of full-thickness MHs.ResultsA total of 11 eyes of 11 consecutive patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 58.8 years (range, 47–70 years). The median time between RD repair and MH diagnosis was 36 months (range, 1 month–11 years). The fovea was attached to 10 eyes (91%) at the time of RD repair. OCT demonstrated epiretinal proliferation (EP) at the hole margin in 10 eyes (91%). MH spontaneously closed in 7 eyes (63%) but reopened in 5 eyes. A total of 7 eyes (63%) required a vitrectomy to repair the MHs. All MHs were closed at the last follow-up visit.ConclusionFull-thickness MHs after pars plana vitrectomy for RD have features that are distinct from that of typical idiopathic MH. The presence of EPs is common, and MHs are prone to spontaneous closure and reopening. These findings suggest that EP may be associated with spontaneous hole closure and that long-term follow-up is necessary even if the MHs close spontaneously.

This study evaluates phase transformation kinetics under ultrafast cooling using femtosecond X-ray diffraction for the operand measurements of the dislocation densities in Fe–0.1 mass% C–2.0 mass% Mn martensitic steel. To identify the phase transformation mechanism from austenite (γ) to martensite (α′), we used an X-ray free-electron laser and ultrafast heating and cooling techniques. A maximum cooling rate of 4.0 × 10 3  °C s –1 was achieved using a gas spraying technique, which is applied immediately after ultrafast heating of the sample to 1200 °C at a rate of 1.2 × 10 4  °C s –1 . The cooling rate was sufficient to avoid bainitic transformation, and the transformation during ultrafast cooling was successfully observed. Our results showed that the cooling rate affected the dislocation density of the γ phase at high temperatures, resulting in the formation of a retained γ owing to ultrafast cooling. It was discovered that Fe–0.1 mass% C–2.0 mass% Mn martensitic steels may be in an intermediate phase during the phase transformation from face-centered-cubic γ to body-centered-cubic α′ during ultrafast cooling and that lattice softening occurred in carbon steel immediately above the martensitic-transformation starting temperature. These findings will be beneficial in the study, development, and industrial utilization of functional steels.

Myopia is a known risk factor of pigmentary glaucoma (PG), and the increased prevalence of myopia in Asian countries indicates that more cases of PG will likely develop soon. However, there are no diagnostic criteria for PG for Asians. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of PG in Japanese individuals and establish three diagnostic signs for PG. This was a single-center, retrospective, case series study of glaucoma patients who visited the Kagoshima University Hospital between January 2015 and January 2020. The inclusion criteria were age <50 years at time of diagnosis and presence of pigmentation in the anterior chamber (AC) angle including a Sampaolesi line. Eyes with pigmentation of the AC angle caused by other types of glaucoma such as uveitis, trauma, exfoliation, or childhood glaucoma were excluded. We investigated the classic diagnostic triad of signs of PG; posterior corneal pigmentation, mid peripheral iris transillumination defect, and pigmentation of the trabecular meshwork. We also examined the Sampaolesi line, iris concavity, and midperipheral iris depigmentation in eyes with PG. Ten eyes of 5 Japanese men and 10 eyes of 5 Japanese women were studied. Their age ranged from 13 to 46 years at the time of diagnosis. One eye had posterior corneal pigmentation and 6 eyes had pigmentation of the trabecular meshwork. None had mid peripheral iris transillumination defect. The Sampaolesi line, iris concavity, and midperipheral iris depigmentation were found in all patients except one patient who lacked the mid peripheral depigmentation. Two eyes had the pigment reversal sign, none had lens pigmentation, and 2 eyes had peripheral retinal degeneration. The presence of the Sampaolesi line, iris concavity, and midperipheral iris depigmentation may be appropriate signs for the diagnosis of PG in Asians.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between macular shape and idiopathic macular hole (MH) findings using an objective method. We present retrospective observational case series on patients with MH. The shape of the macular area was quantified using quadratic equations, and the ocular shape (OS) index was calculated. The correlation between the OS index and macular hole findings for each stage was evaluated. Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant correlation between the OS index and horizontal hole diameter (p = 0.044), bottom diameter (p = 0.006), and vertical bottom diameter (p = 0.024) in stage 2. For stage 4, there was a negative and significant correlation between the OS index and age (p = 0.037), and horizontal (p = 0.021) and vertical (p = 0.027) bottom diameter. Multiple regression analysis showed that the horizontal (p = 0.0070) and vertical (p = 0.031) bottom diameter and OS index were independently and positively correlated in stage 2. In stage 4, the OS index was independently and negatively correlated with the horizontal (p = 0.037) and vertical (p = 0.048) bottom diameter. The ocular shape of the macula affects MH findings, and its impact depends on its stage.

Background Extension of healthy longevity is an important health program in long-lived countries like Japan. The Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese 2025 established tentative dietary goals for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases; however, the adequate macronutrient energy ratios in a diet to support longevity remain unclear, particularly for the protein content. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between protein or amino acid intakes and healthy aging in the Japanese population. Methods Global Burden of Disease Study data and de-identified individual records in the National Health and Nutrition Survey Japan from 2001 to 2019 for subjects aged ≥ 20 years were used. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationships between all-cause disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as an index for healthy aging and protein or amino acid intakes, with adjustment for lifestyle factors and sociodemographic index as confounding factors. Results The mean DALYs (per 100,000 people) were 10287.91 for women and 12566.85 for men. Women exhibited no significant correlations between protein or amino acid intakes and DALYs. In men, significant negative correlations were observed for plant protein (partial regression coefficient [Coeff.] − 6063.267; p  = 0.010), cysteine (Coeff. −127.575; p  = 0.044), phenylalanine (Coeff. −38.506; p  = 0.048), glutamic acid (Coeff. −12.184; p  = 0.006), and proline (Coeff. −31.499; p  = 0.010) intakes with DALYs after adjustment for sociodemographic index, drinking habit, smoking habit, and exercise habit. Conclusions Higher intakes of plant protein, cysteine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, and proline were correlated with lower DALYs in men only. Adequate plant protein and specific amino acid intakes may be related to the extension of healthy life expectancy.

With advancements in medical technology, the structure of disease is shifting from acute illnesses to chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Consequently, there is an escalating need for evaluations that discourse on the potential effects on healthy life years, as well as disease onset. We aimed to evaluate the associations with AD disability-adjusted life year (AD-DALY) rates and protein intake by sex and age group. For the analysis, we used representative values for males and females in their 60s and aged over 70, extracted from the public dataset of the Global Burden of Disease Study and the National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan, covering the years 1990 to 2019. In order to evaluate the association between AD-DALY rates and protein intake, we analyzed correlations and stratified multiple regression models. Additionally, we simulated alterations in AD-DALY rates associated with changes in protein intake by utilizing stratified multiple regression models. AD-DALY rates and protein intake indicated significant negative correlations across all sex and age groups. In stratified multiple regression models, significant associations were found between higher protein intake and lower AD-DALY rates in females. In the simulation, when protein intake was increased to 1.5 g/kg/day, AD-DALY rates decreased by 5–9 percent compared with 2019. However, the association between intake of animal and plant protein and AD-DALY rates were found to vary based on sex and age group. The present study suggests the possibility to improve AD-DALY rates by increasing population average protein intake levels in a recommended range.

To aim of this study is to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) that aids in the thought process by providing retinal clinicians with clinically meaningful or abnormal findings rather than just a final diagnosis, i.e., a \"wayfinding AI.\" Spectral domain optical coherence tomography B-scan images were classified into 189 normal and 111 diseased eyes. These were automatically segmented using a deep-learning based boundary-layer detection model. During segmentation, the AI model calculates the probability of the boundary surface of the layer for each A-scan. If this probability distribution is not biased toward a single point, layer detection is defined as ambiguous. This ambiguity was calculated using entropy, and a value referred to as the ambiguity index was calculated for each OCT image. The ability of the ambiguity index to classify normal and diseased images and the presence or absence of abnormalities in each layer of the retina were evaluated based on the area under the curve (AUC). A heatmap, i.e., an ambiguity-map, of each layer, that changes the color according to the ambiguity index value, was also created. The ambiguity index of the overall retina of the normal and disease-affected images (mean ± SD) were 1.76 ± 0.10 and 2.06 ± 0.22, respectively, with a significant difference (p < 0.05). The AUC used to distinguish normal and disease-affected images using the ambiguity index was 0.93, and was 0.588 for the internal limiting membrane boundary, 0.902 for the nerve fiber layer/ganglion cell layer boundary, 0.920 for the inner plexiform layer/inner nuclear layer boundary, 0.882 for the outer plexiform layer/outer nuclear layer boundary, 0.926 for the ellipsoid zone line, and 0.866 for the retinal pigment epithelium/Bruch's membrane boundary. Three representative cases reveal the usefulness of an ambiguity map. The present AI algorithm can pinpoint abnormal retinal lesions in OCT images, and its localization is known at a glance when using an ambiguity map. This will help diagnose the processes of clinicians as a wayfinding tool.