Kansai University

Nanotextures exhibit physical antibacterial and bactericidal properties; hence, they have great potential to prevent infection related to bacteria through contact. The surface characteristics of a nanostructure determine its antibacterial and bactericidal activities. In this study, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to prepare nano-level, hard, thin SiO₂ layers on resin nanostructures and their effects were demonstrated through antibacterial and bactericidal tests. The SiO₂-layer-coated resin nanostructure exhibited a water contact angle of 7.2°, dramatically lower than that of the uncoated specimen (130.2°), as well as a three-fold higher local elastic modulus. Further, 10-nm-thin SiO₂-layer-coated nanopillars showed antibacterial and bactericidal effects against E. coli. These results demonstrate that SiO₂ thin layer coating has great potential for improving the antibacterial and bactericidal properties of polymeric nanopillar arrays.

Currently, secondary batteries utilizing divalent cations are gaining attention as high-energy-d. devices.However, the optimization of electrolytes and materials used in these next-generation batteries has been largely unexplored.Thus, this study focused on calcium-ion batteries (CIBs), which use divalent cations, and investigated the impact of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) formed by various electrolytes for CIBs on their charge-discharge behavior.Four types of solvents propylene carbonate (PC), di-Me carbonate (DMC), di-Me sulfoxide (DMSO), and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), were used, and Ca(ClO₄)₂was used as the electrolyte.CIBs using PC and DMC as solvents did not exhibit reversible redox reactions.However, the use of DMSO and DMF enabled reversible redox reactions and increased the charge-discharge capacity.Electrolytes demonstrating reversible charge-discharge contained an SEI with calcium, whereas those that hindered charge-discharge had an SEI with minimal calcium content.

The present study investigated the effect of menstruation/menopause symptoms on the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms related the COVID-19 pandemic and loneliness in Japanese female workers.

A web survey of 530 female workers (303 pre-menopausal and 217 post-menopausal women) was conducted in February 2023, in Japan. The Japanese version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised was used to evaluate PTSD symptoms. Symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were investigated in 263 pre-menopausal women (mean age = 37.0 years, SD = 8.9) and 203 post-menopausal women (mean age = 57.1 years, SD = 9 0.6) were asked about menopausal symptoms.

The Japanese version of the three-item loneliness scale.

The pre-menopausal women scored higher in loneliness than the post-menopausal women. However, after adjusting for age, this significant difference was attenuated. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that PMS symptoms were positively associated with loneliness in the pre-menopausal women. In comparison, both PTSD symptoms and menopause symptoms were positively associated with loneliness in post-menopausal women. There was no interaction between PMS/menopausal symptoms and PTSD symptoms in loneliness scores. The indirect effect of PMS symptoms, particularly the psychological symptoms, was associated with PTSD symptoms and loneliness in pre-menopausal women. In addition, there was a significant indirect effect of menopausal symptoms in the post-menopausal women.

When female workers were subjected to COVID-19 pandemic-related psychological stress, their menstrual and menopausal symptoms would lead to intensified loneliness, especially in pre-menopausal women.