Feasibility, Safety, Enjoyment, and System Usability of Web-Based Aerobic Dance Exercise Program in Older Adults: Single-Arm Pilot Study.

Background: During the COVID-19 epidemic, opportunities for social interaction and physical activity among older people are decreasing, which may have a negative impact on their health. As a solution, a web-based group exercise program provided through a videoconferencing platform would be useful. As a web-based exercise program that older adults can easily, safely, and enjoyably perform at home, we developed a short-duration, light-intensity aerobic dance exercise program.

Twist Angle-Dependent Molecular Intercalation and Sheet Resistance in Bilayer Graphene.

Bilayer graphene (BLG) has a two-dimensional (2D) interlayer nanospace that can be used to intercalate molecules and ions, resulting in a significant change of its electronic and magnetic properties. Intercalation of BLG with different materials, such as FeCl, MoCl, Li ions, and Ca ions, has been demonstrated. However, little is known about how the twist angle of the BLG host affects intercalation.

The effect of the low stromal ratio induced by neoadjuvant chemotherapy on recurrence patterns in borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The optimal regimens of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and its biological and physiological modification of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (BR PDAC) remain unknown. A deeper understanding of the complex stromal biology of the TME will identify new avenues to establish treatment strategies for PDAC patients. Herein, we sought to clarify whether stromal remodeling by NAC affects recurrence patterns and prognosis in BR PDAC patients.

Isothermal Growth and Stacking Evolution in Highly Uniform Bernal-Stacked Bilayer Graphene.

Controlling the stacking order in bilayer graphene (BLG) allows realizing interesting physical properties. In particular, the possibility of tuning the band gap in Bernal-stacked (AB) BLG (AB-BLG) has a great technological importance for electronic and optoelectronic applications. Most of the current methods to produce AB-BLG suffer from inhomogeneous layer thickness and/or coexistence with twisted BLG.

[Laparoscopic Partial Colectomy for Transverse Colon Cancer after Open Laparotomy for Gastric Cancer Resection].

We report a case of transverse colon cancer resected by laparoscopic partial colectomy, followed by open gastrectomy. A man in his 70s was diagnosed with transverse colon cancer. He had a history of open gastrectomy for gastric lymphoma; thus, postoperative adhesions were expected in the upper abdomen.

[Laparoscopic Gastro-Jejunostomy Using the Overlap Method after Subtotal Gastrectomy for Upper Gastric Cancer].

Background: Due to an aging society, patients with gastric cancer are also getting older. Although total gastrectomy should be avoided for elderly patients, laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy(LSTG)is a technically demanding procedure. Here, we present a safe procedure of gastro-jejunostomy using the overlap method.

[Results of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with S-1 plus CDDP for Gastric Cancer-The Number of Therapeutic Coursers and Therapeutic Effects].

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)with S-1 plus CDDP(SP)followed by gastrectomy has been used for the treatment of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. We examined the number of treatment courses, histologic effects, ypStage, and prognosis to estimate the utility and define the best treatment course of SP NAC. The patients were divided into 1 course(A: 54 cases), 2 courses(B: 50 cases), and incomplete first course(C: 12 cases).

Outcomes of surgical resection for gastric cancer liver metastases: a retrospective analysis.

Background: The indications for the surgical treatment of gastric cancer liver metastases (GCLMs) remain controversial. In addition, the outcome of surgery for the treatment of liver metastases of alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer (AFP-GC) has not yet been reported. We assessed the clinicopathologic features, including AFP-GC, and the surgical results of these patients.

Surgical treatment strategy for esophagogastric junction cancers based on the tumor diameter.

Background: The number of patients with esophagogastric junction (EGJ) cancers has tended to increase. However, no clear consensus on the optimum treatment policy has yet been reached.

Methods: This study included patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of Sievert type II in whom resection was performed in our hospital.

Synthesis of sub-millimeter single-crystal grains of aligned hexagonal boron nitride on an epitaxial Ni film.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), an insulating two-dimensional (2D) layered material, has attracted increasing interest due to its electrical screening effect, high-temperature-resistant gas barrier properties, and other unique applications. However, the presence of grain boundaries (GBs) in h-BN is a hindrance to obtain these properties. Here, we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of monolayer h-BN by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on Ni(111) thin films deposited on c-plane sapphire.

A novel graphene barrier against moisture by multiple stacking large-grain graphene.

The moisture barrier properties of stacked graphene layers on Cu surfaces were investigated with the goal of improving the moisture barrier efficiency of single-layer graphene (SLG) for Cu metallization. SLG with large grain size were stacked on Cu surfaces coated with CVD-SLG to cover the grain-boundaries and defective areas of the underneath SLG film, which was confirmed to be oxidized by Raman spectroscopy measurements. To evaluate the humidity resistance of the graphene-coated Cu surfaces, temperature humidity storage (THS) testing was conducted under accelerated oxidation conditions (85 °C and 85% relative humidity) for 100 h.

Surface-Mediated Aligned Growth of Monolayer MoS and In-Plane Heterostructures with Graphene on Sapphire.

Aligned growth of transition metal dichalcogenides and related two-dimensional (2D) materials is essential for the synthesis of high-quality 2D films due to effective stitching of merging grains. Here, we demonstrate the controlled growth of highly aligned molybdenum disulfide (MoS) on c-plane sapphire with two distinct orientations, which are highly controlled by tuning sulfur concentration. We found that the size of the aligned MoS grains is smaller and their photoluminescence is weaker as compared with those of the randomly oriented grains, signifying enhanced MoS-substrate interaction in the aligned grains.

Controlled Growth of Large-Area Uniform Multilayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride as an Effective 2D Substrate.

Multilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is an ideal insulator for two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, because h-BN screens out influences from surroundings, allowing one to observe intrinsic physical properties of the 2D materials. However, the synthesis of large and uniform multilayer h-BN is still very challenging because it is difficult to control the segregation process of B and N atoms from metal catalysts during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. Here, we demonstrate CVD growth of multilayer h-BN with high uniformity by using the Ni-Fe alloy film and borazine (BHN) as catalyst and precursor, respectively.

High-speed and on-chip graphene blackbody emitters for optical communications by remote heat transfer.

High-speed light emitters integrated on silicon chips can enable novel architectures for silicon-based optoelectronics, such as on-chip optical interconnects, and silicon photonics. However, conventional light sources based on compound semiconductors face major challenges for their integration with a silicon-based platform because of their difficulty of direct growth on a silicon substrate. Here we report ultra-high-speed (100-ps response time), highly integrated graphene-based on-silicon-chip blackbody emitters in the near-infrared region including telecommunication wavelength.

Highly Conductive and Transparent Large-Area Bilayer Graphene Realized by MoCl Intercalation.

Bilayer graphene (BLG) comprises a 2D nanospace sandwiched by two parallel graphene sheets that can be used to intercalate molecules or ions for attaining novel functionalities. However, intercalation is mostly demonstrated with small, exfoliated graphene flakes. This study demonstrates intercalation of molybdenum chloride (MoCl ) into a large-area, uniform BLG sheet, which is grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

Direct observation of electrically induced Pauli paramagnetism in single-layer graphene using ESR spectroscopy.

Graphene has been actively investigated as an electronic material owing to many excellent physical properties, such as high charge mobility and quantum Hall effect, due to the characteristics of a linear band structure and an ideal two-dimensional electron system. However, the correlations between the transport characteristics and the spin states of charge carriers or atomic vacancies in graphene have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we show the spin states of single-layer graphene to clarify the correlations using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy as a function of accumulated charge density using transistor structures.

Evaluation of the site specificity of acute disuse muscle atrophy developed during a relatively short period in critically ill patients according to the activities of daily living level: A prospective observational study.

Introduction: In critically ill patients, excessive bed rest and immobilisation have been shown to cause disuse muscle atrophy, which contributes to prolonged hospitalisation and decreased activity of daily living (ADL) levels. However, the degree and site specificity of acute disuse muscle atrophy in critically ill patients during a relatively short intensive care unit (ICU) stay have not been fully elucidated.

Methods: Critically ill patients, who required bed rest on ICU admission, were eligible for this study.

Structure and transport properties of the interface between CVD-grown graphene domains.

During the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene, graphene domains grown on a Cu surface merge together and form a uniform graphene sheet. For high-performance electronics and other applications, it is important to understand the interfacial structure of the merged domains, as well as their influence on the physical properties of graphene. We synthesized large hexagonal graphene domains with controlled orientations on a heteroepitaxial Cu film and studied the structure and properties of the interfaces between the domains mainly merged with the same angle.

Large-scale synthesis of NbS2 nanosheets with controlled orientation on graphene by ambient pressure CVD.

We report ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of single-crystalline NbS2 nanosheets with controlled orientation. On Si and SiO2 substrates, NbS2 nanosheets grow almost perpendicular to the substrate surface. However, when we apply transferred CVD graphene on SiO2 as a substrate, NbS2 sheets grow laterally lying on the graphene.

Deployment design of wireless sensor network for simple multi-point surveillance of a moving target.

In this paper, we focus on the problem of tracking a moving target in a wireless sensor network (WSN), in which the capability of each sensor is relatively limited, to construct large-scale WSNs at a reasonable cost. We first propose two simple multi-point surveillance schemes for a moving target in a WSN and demonstrate that one of the schemes can achieve high tracking probability with low power consumption. In addition, we examine the relationship between tracking probability and sensor density through simulations, and then derive an approximate expression representing the relationship.

Identification of new inhibitors for alternative NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-II).

In bacterial membranes and plant, fungus and protist mitochondria, NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-II) serves as an alternative NADH : quinone reductase, a non-proton-pumping single-subunit enzyme bound to the membrane surface. Because NDH-II is absent in mammalian mitochondria, it is a promising target for new antibiotics. However, inhibitors for NDH-II are rare and unspecific.

Mitochondrial dehydrogenases in the aerobic respiratory chain of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii yoelii.

In the intraerythrocytic stages of malaria parasites, mitochondria lack obvious cristae and are assumed to derive energy through glycolysis. For understanding of parasite energy metabolism in mammalian hosts, we isolated rodent malaria mitochondria from Plasmodium yoelii yoelii grown in mice. As potential targets for antiplasmodial agents, we characterized two respiratory dehydrogenases, succinate:ubiquinone reductase (complex II) and alternative NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-II), which is absent in mammalian mitochondria.