Distinct contributions of muscle mass and strength stratified by nutritional status to physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Physical activity is one of the most important prognostic factors for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Physical activity correlates significantly with skeletal muscle mass and strength. Pulmonary rehabilitation has been conducted to improve physical activity, but its effectiveness has been inconsistent.

In situ observation of a hydrogel-glass interface during sliding friction.

Direct observation of hydrogel contact with a solid surface in water is indispensable for understanding the friction, lubrication, and adhesion of hydrogels under water. However, this is a difficult task since the refractive index of hydrogels is very close to that of water. In this paper, we present a novel method to in situ observe the macroscopic contact of hydrogels with a solid surface based on the principle of critical refraction.

Response of spinach and komatsuna to biogas effluent made from source-separated kitchen garbage.

Recycling of kitchen garbage is an urgent task for reducing public spending and environmental burdens by incineration and/or landfill. There is an interesting regional effort in Ogawa, Saitama prefecture, Japan, in which source-separated kitchen garbage is anaerobically fermented with a biogas plant and the resultant effluent is used as a quick-release organic fertilizer by surrounding farmers. However, scientific assessments of fertilizer values and risks in the use of the effluent were lacking.