The purpose of the study was to examine the acute effect of static stretching exercise on the resting stiffness of gastrocnemius muscle belly. Ten healthy young adults performed standing wall ...stretching in dorsiflexion for 1 min at a time and repeated five times. Before and after stretching, the shear modulus was measured in medial and lateral heads of the resting gastrocnemius muscle with ultrasound shear‐wave elastography. After the stretching, dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joint increased (P < 0.01) by 3.9° and returned in 20 min. Immediately after stretching, shear modulus decreased (P < 0.01) by 14%, compared with before stretching across muscle heads. The decrease in shear modulus returned in 20 min after stretching. In the comparison group of 10 additional subjects, the standing intervention without stretching had no influence on these measures. There was a negative correlation between dorsiflexion ROM and shear modulus in either head before and after stretching. The results demonstrate the transient decreases in the stiffness of the resting gastrocnemius muscle belly and indicate that joint flexibility is greater in individuals with lower resting stiffness of the muscle belly.
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BFBNIB, FSPLJ, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Systematic review of observational studies has revealed that fish consumption and levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid are ...associated with a reduced risk of depression. A reverse J-shaped effect of n-3 PUFAs was suggested. However, there is limited evidence from populations with high fish consumption and no studies have used a standard psychiatrist-based diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Therefore, this population-based, prospective study investigated the association of dietary fish, n-3 PUFA, and n-6 PUFA consumption with risk of psychiatrist-diagnosed MDD in Japan. A total of 12 219 subjects were enrolled from the Saku area in 1990. Of these, we extracted 1181 participants aged 63-82 years who completed food frequency questionnaires in both 1995 and 2000 and also underwent a mental health examination in 2014-2015. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for MDD according to fish intake and PUFA quartiles were calculated. Current MDD was diagnosed in 95 patients. We found a reduced risk of MDD in the third quartile for fish intake (111.1 g per day, OR=0.44, 95% CI=0.23-0.84), second quartile for EPA (307.7 mg per day, OR=0.54, 95% CI=0.30-0.99) and third quartile for docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) (123.1 mg per day, OR=0.42, 95% CI=0.22-0.85). ORs adjusted for cancer, stroke, myocardial infarction and diabetes remained significant for fish and DPA intake. Our results suggest that moderate fish intake could be recommended for the prevention of MDD in aged Japanese individuals.
Well-aligned arrays of CdS–ZnO composite nanorods were grown on indium tin oxide substrates. ZnO nanorods, deposited by a low temperature aqueous chemical growth technique, were dip coated with CdS. ...The CdS–ZnO nanorods were polycrystalline as confirmed from the low angle X-rays diffraction study. Photon to current conversion efficiency of CdS–ZnO composite nanorod was observed to be higher than that of CdS. In the micro-Raman spectrum, we observed longitudinal optical modes of CdS and ZnO showing their co-existence. The appealing application of CdS–ZnO nanorod as a visible photocatalyst was demonstrated and the possible mechanism was discussed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This study reports the solution-based assembly of hexagonal + 1 shaped Au
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clusters surrounded by six ligands into a local periodic structure (LPS) of periodicity 1.47 nm, which was confirmed by ...experimental and theoretical Raman scattering analyses as well as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and small angle X-ray scattering measurements. The enhancement of the net electric dipole moment to 21.17 Debye is due to the rearrangement of the charge distribution in the electronic states of the LPS. This results in exciton-exciton coupling through dipole interactions, which was evidenced by the splitting of the excitonic states in the circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The strong negativity of the CD index at the longer wavelength confirms the negative chirality of the LPS-Au
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The solution-based assembly of h-Au
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clusters into a local periodic structure (LPS) of periodicity 1.47 nm with negative chirality as confirmed by experimental and theoretical analyses exhibits excitonic couplet state.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory. By using three types of telescopes CTA can cover a wide energy range (20 ...GeV–300 TeV) with an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than the current telescopes. The Large-Sized Telescope (LST) is designed to detect 20 GeV–1 TeV gamma rays thanks to the large light collection area, sensitive photosensors, a fast trigger system, and readout electronics. The camera readout system must have a high signal-to-noise ratio and a linear signal sampling with a large dynamic range in order to efficiently detect dim and low-energy atmospheric showers. To meet this requirement we use the Domino Ring Sampler version 4 (DRS4), which also enables ultra-fast sampling with low power consumption. Some of the intrinsic characteristics of DRS4 chips require software corrections. These procedures lower the effect of non-Gaussian noise contribution and improve the timing resolution of the system. In this contribution we discuss the calibration algorithms and the resulting performance.
Arrays of standing nanorods of ZnO were successfully grown on indium tin oxide coated quartz substrates by an inexpensive aqueous chemical growth technique. The electrical properties of individual ...nanorod were investigated with the conducting tip of an atomic force microscope. The effect of ultraviolet irradiation on the conductivity of single nanorods was investigated. We observed a persistency of the photoconductivity, most probably ascribable to the oxygen vacancies in ZnO nanorods.
Positron emission tomography (PET) has been utilized for determining the dosage of antipsychotic drugs. To evaluate the dosage of antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, ...serotonin transporter occupancy (5-HTT) is also a useful index.
We investigated the degree of 5-HTT occupancy with different doses of the antidepressant duloxetine and the time-course of 5-HTT occupancy using PET.
PET scans with 11CDASB were performed before and after a single administration of duloxetine (5-60 mg), and three consecutive scans were performed after a single dose or repeated doses of 60 mg of duloxetine.
5-HTT occupancies by duloxetine were increased by 35.3 to 86.5% with dose and plasma concentration increments. The ED50 value of 5-HTT occupancy was 7.9 mg for dose and 3.7 ng/ml for plasma concentration. In the time-course of 5-HTT occupancy, mean occupancies were 81.8% at 6 h, 71.9% at 25 h, and 44.9% at 53 h after a single administration, and 84.3% at 6 h, 71.9% at 49 h, and 47.1% at 78 h after repeated administrations.
Based on 5-HTT occupancy, 40 mg and more of duloxetine was needed to attain 80% occupancy, and 60 mg of duloxetine could maintain a high level of 5-HTT occupancy with a once-a-day administration schedule.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FSPLJ, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, VSZLJ, ZAGLJ
Nanocrystals of ZnO, doped with aluminum and lithium, were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation from an aqueous solution mixture of Zn(NO)
3, AlCl
3 and LiCl. With an aim to produce strong white ...luminescence, the intensity of the visible luminescence was tailored as a function of dopant concentration. We observed a significant enhancement of the yellowish-white photoluminescence from ZnO nanocrystals due to co-doping with aluminum and lithium. The luminescence intensity increases and the peak position shifts to lower wavelength with increase in the dopant concentration. Although the exact mechanism of the enhancement of the luminescence could not be established, still a possible shallow donor-to-deep acceptor recombination was proposed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Detection of low-intensity light relies on the conversion of photons to photoelectrons, which are then multiplied and detected as an electrical signal. To measure the actual intensity of the light, ...one must know the factor by which the photoelectrons have been multiplied. To obtain this amplification factor, we have developed a procedure for estimating precisely the signal caused by a single photoelectron. The method utilizes the fact that the photoelectrons conform to a Poisson distribution. The average signal produced by a single photoelectron can then be estimated from the number of noise events, without requiring analysis of the distribution of the signal produced by a single photoelectron. The signal produced by one or more photoelectrons can be estimated experimentally without any assumptions. This technique, and an example of the analysis of a signal from a photomultiplier tube, are described in this study.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Crystalline ZnO nanorods have been grown on various substrates by a low cost aqueous chemical growth technique. The effect of substrates on the properties of ZnO nanorods has been investigated ...systematically. The nanorods deposited on silicon are observed to be structurally and optically different from that grown on GaN. Due to a higher rate of nucleation on the silicon substrate, the surface density of nucleation centres is very high. As a result, we get randomly oriented nanorods on the silicon substrate. Arrays of standing, single crystalline nanorods could be deposited on n-GaN/Al2O3 and p-GaN/Al2O3 substrates due to a good lattice match between GaN and ZnO. In order to grow standing nanorods on ITO, we had to deposit a layer of nanoseeds of ZnO on the ITO/quartz substrate by electro-deposition in the presence of a surfactant.
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