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[...]the experiment required a great deal of effort, such as making complex slits and adjustment of the optical system. Using J-PARC [22], SNS [23], etc., many (hkl) diffraction peaks can be measured by measuring spallation neutrons with time-of-flight (TOF). [...]the TOF is suitable for studying the deformation characteristics of crystalline materials. Quantum Beam Sci. 2023, 7, 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs7040032 Machiya, S.; Osamura, K.; Hishinuma, Y.; Taniguchi, H.; Harjo, S.; Kawasaki, T. Measurement of Mechanical Behavior of 11B-Enriched MgB2 Wire Using a Pulsed Neutron Source. Quantum Beam Sci. 2024, 8, 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs8010001 Xu, P.; Zhang, S.; Harjo, S.; Vogel, S.C.; Tomoda, Y. Principal Preferred Orientation Evaluation of Steel Materials Using Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction.

More than a year has passed since COVID‐19 has been classified as a Class 5 infectious disease in Japan. However, in elderly inpatient facilities, where residents are at high risk of developing severe symptoms, there remains a strong need to prevent mass infections. This study aimed to obtain information on the prevention of the spread of COVID‐19. First, I clarify the occurrence of COVID‐19 cases in elderly inpatient facilities and then consider the spread of positive cases from a spatial perspective. This study aimed to obtain information to prevent the spread of COVID‐19. I first clarify the occurrence of COVID‐19 cases in elderly inpatient facilities and then consider the spread of positive cases from a spatial perspective.

Vascular endothelial cells form a monolayer in the vascular lumen and act as a selective barrier to control the permeability between blood and tissues. To maintain homeostasis, the endothelial barrier function must be strictly integrated. During acute inflammation, vascular permeability temporarily increases, allowing intravascular fluid, cells, and other components to permeate tissues. Moreover, it has been suggested that the dysregulation of endothelial cell permeability may cause several diseases, including edema, cancer, and atherosclerosis. Here, we reviewed the molecular mechanisms by which endothelial cells regulate the barrier function and physiological permeability.

The outbreak of COVID‐19 became a major problem at various facilities, and aged‐care facilities were no exception. In the event of a person detected positive for the disease, outpatient facilities were suspended, but inpatient facilities could not be suspended, and it became necessary to deal with the residents and positive people. This study aimed to obtain knowledge that would lead to the prevention of the spread of COVID‐19. The effects of differences in facility types were first examined on the occurrence of COVID‐19 cases and then on the response after testing positive in nursing homes for the elderly. The outbreak of COVID‐19 became a major problem at various facilities, and aged‐care facilities (ACFs) were no exception. In the event of a person detected positive for the disease, outpatient facilities were suspended, but inpatient facilities could not be suspended, and it became necessary to deal with the residents and positive people. This study aimed to obtain knowledge that would lead to the prevention of the spread of COVID‐19. The effects of differences in facility types were first examined on theoccurrence of COVID‐19 cases, and then on the response after testing positive in nursing homes for the elderly.

The LifeChair is a smart cushion that provides vibrotactile feedback by actively sensing and classifying sitting postures to encourage upright posture and reduce slouching. The key component of the LifeChair is our novel conductive fabric pressure sensing array. Fabric sensors have been explored in the past, but a full sensing solution for embedded real world use has not been proposed. We have designed our system with commercial use in mind, and as a result, it has a high focus on manufacturability, cost-effectiveness and adaptiveness. We demonstrate the performance of our fabric sensing system by installing it into the LifeChair and comparing its posture detection accuracy with our previous study that implemented a conventional flexible printed PCB-sensing system. In this study, it is shown that the LifeChair can detect all 11 postures across 20 participants with an improved average accuracy of 98.1%, and it demonstrates significantly lower variance when interfacing with different users. We also conduct a performance study with 10 participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the LifeChair device in improving upright posture and reducing slouching. Our performance study demonstrates that the LifeChair is effective in encouraging users to sit upright with an increase of 68.1% in time spent seated upright when vibrotactile feedback is activated.

Visual information shapes spatial perception and body representation in human augmentation. However, the perceptual consequences of viewpoint-height changes produced by sensor–display geometry are not well understood. To address this gap, we developed an interface that maps a waist-mounted stereo fisheye camera to an eye-level viewpoint on a head-mounted display in real time. Geometric and timing calibration kept latency low enough to preserve a sense of agency and enable stable untethered walking. In a within-subject study comparing head- and waist-level viewpoints, participants approached adjustable gaps, rated passability confidence (1–7), and attempted passage when confident. We also recorded walking speed and assessed post-task body representation using a questionnaire. High gaps were judged passable and low gaps were not, irrespective of viewpoint. At the middle gap, confidence decreased with a head-level viewpoint and increased with a waist-level viewpoint, and walking speed decreased when a waist-level viewpoint was combined with a chest-height gap, consistent with added caution near the decision boundary. Body image reports most often indicated a lowered head position relative to the torso, consistent with visually driven rescaling rather than morphological change. These findings show that a waist-mounted interface for mobile viewpoint-height transformation can reliably shift spatial perception.

Small‐scale daycare services for 0‐ to 2‐year‐old children, which were established in 2015, are expected to eliminate the waiting list for young children. However, securing the acceptance of 3‐year‐old graduates has become a major issue, and it is necessary to establish affiliated facilities for small‐scale daycare services. The purpose of this study is to clarify the actual circumstances of facilities affiliated with small‐scale daycare services and the effects of age composition on the capacity of authorized day nurseries. The document analyses and visit surveys were conducted on 17 nurseries. Small‐scale daycare services for zero‐ to two‐year‐old children, which were established in 2015, are expected to eliminate the waiting list for young children. However, securing the acceptance of three‐year‐old graduates has become a major issue, and it is necessary to establish affiliated facilities for small‐scale daycare services. In this study, the document analyses and visit surveys were conducted, with the aim of clarifying the actual circumstances of facilities affiliated with small‐scale daycare services and the effects of age composition on the capacity of authorized day nurseries.

A range of devices and technologies are available to mediate social connections between geographically distant people. Some of these methods exploit awareness information to enhance the connectedness of distant users. However, the effect of user traits on the experience of interpersonal communication through awareness systems remains unclear. In this study, we explored the relationship between user empathy and the experience of interpersonal communication mediated by a paired robot able to convey user awareness information. We conducted an experiment to facilitate communication among distant family members using the paired robot over the course of 1 week. Participants’ empathy level and their experience of the communication were assessed using questionnaires. The findings indicated that individuals with higher empathy can better interpret their partner’s situation and feelings from the awareness information.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. In addition to hepatitis viral infections, several cohort studies have shown that diabetes mellitus is a risk factor of HCC, making the incidence alarming high. However, it has not been demonstrated directly how diabetes develops to HCC, because of its difficulty to follow changes of liver histology in diabetic populations. Here, we report that non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is pivotal to link diabetes with HCC by establishing a novel, reproducible NASH–HCC model in mice. Neonatal male mice exposed to low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) developed liver steatosis with diabetes 1 week after feeding high-fat diet (HFD). Continuous HFD decreased hepatic fat deposit whilst increased lobular inflammation with foam cell-like macrophages, showing NASH pathology. In parallel with decreased phagocytosis of macrophages, fibroblasts accumulated to form “chicken-wired” fibrosis. All mice developed multiple HCC later. Female mice treated with STZ–HFD and male mice treated with STZ alone showed diabetes but never developed HCC by the absence of NASH-based fibrosis. Thus, the present study provides the evidence in novel mouse model that NASH-based fibrosis is an essential histological process for diabetic populations to accelerate the development of HCC.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder with a variety of symptoms that can affect muscle coordination and movement. Crouch gait is one such symptom that is defined as excessive knee flexion accompanied by a crouched posture. This paper introduces a passive exoskeleton to support the knee joint during stance of individuals with cerebral palsy that are affected by crouch gait. The exoskeleton utilizes a hydraulic disc brake mechanism that is actuated only by the body weight and gait of the wearer to provide a braking torque at the knee joint. This passive, gait-based control method aims to offer a compact, lightweight, and simple alternative to existing exoskeletons. Preliminary experiments were conducted to verify the mechanics, safety, and braking capabilities of the device with healthy participants. A pilot study with an individual with cerebral palsy was then conducted. The individual with cerebral palsy showed a reduction in hip joint angle when using the device (18.8∘ and 21.7∘ for left and right sides, respectively). The muscle co-activation index was also reduced from 0.48 to 0.24 on the right side and from 0.17 to 0.017 on the left side. However, changes such as activation timing and device training need to be improved to better support the user.