Quick response hydrogen LSPR sensor based on a hetero-core fiber structure with palladium nanoparticles.

A novel fiber optic localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) hydrogen sensor has been developed based on the hetero-core structured with palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) onto a cylindrical cladding surface. In a light-intensity-based experiment with an LED operating at 850 nm, it has been observed that a transmitted loss change of 0.23 dB was induced with response and recovery times of 1.5 and 3.2 s for 4% hydrogen which are the fastest response times among optical fiber hydrogen sensors. The proposed sensor resolved the inevitable trade-off issue between sensitivity and response time which existed in the previously reported SPR sensors, with keeping the response time below 2.0 s even in a high sensitivity region of interest.

A chronological research on parasitic endemic disease, "Katayama-disease" (Schistosomiasis japonica) in Hiroshima Prefecture in the 20th century (the 3rd communication on the historical research on Schistosomiasis japonica in Hiroshima Prefecture).

A chronological research on the parasitic endemic disease, "Katayama Disease" in Hiroshima Prefecture was carried out. The present study was concerned mainly with the documents in the 20th century. It was confirmed that the development of excellent chemotherapeutic agents were not pivotal as a result. The eradication of the vector snails was clearly shown to be responsible for that of the infectious disease.

Detection of cerebral blood flow changes during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation by recording hemoglobin in the brain cortex, just beneath the stimulation coil, with near-infrared spectroscopy.

Many studies measured cerebral blood flow changes in the stimulated primary motor cortex during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) using PET, SPECT, and fMRI; however, most of these procedures are associated with problems related to temporal resolution and magnetic field artifacts that are produced by rTMS. In this study of 12 healthy right-handed volunteers, we measured the hemoglobin (Hb) concentration change in the stimulated primary motor cortex during and after rTMS using rTMS coil and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with high temporal sampling (every 125 ms). The left primary motor cortex that controls the right first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle was stimulated 10 times with an angle figure-of-eight coil at a frequency of 0.5 or 2 Hz, at intensity of 80% or 120% of resting motor threshold (RMT). We used 4 stimulus conditions: (1) 2 Hz-120% RMT, (2) 2 Hz-80% RMT, (3) 0.5 Hz-120% RMT, and (4) 0.5 Hz-80% RMT. We observed small intensity-dependent increments in total- and oxy-Hb concentrations around 5 s at the 120% RMT condition. Greater decrements in total- and oxy-Hb concentrations and increment of deoxy-Hb concentration were observed during and after rTMS at all conditions, both at the supra-threshold and sub-threshold stimulus intensities. Our results emphasize the suitability of NIRS combined with rTMS for detecting changes in cerebral blood flow.