Objective: In 2023, the damage caused by “special fraud’’ will amount to approximately US$285 million in Japan, with a marked increase in the number of victims among the older population aged 65 and over, who account for about 86.6% of the total. “Special fraud’’ is a crime in which suspects phone victims and pretend to be police officers, victims’ family members, etc. to have victims transfer cash to the suspects’ bank account. In other cases, a suspect visits a victim’s house after such a phone call and directly receives the victim’s cash and/or cash cards. The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors that contribute to fraud victimization among the elderly and to strengthen measures to prevent victimization.

Methods: The subjects of the analysis were 840 residents of Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, aged 65 years or older, who participated in the Arakawa 65 Years and Older Survey or the Arakawa 85 Years and Older Survey. Data on participants’ fraud experiences, level of caregiving, living environment, and various psychological measures, including the Fraud Vulnerability Score (SVS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Resilience Scale (RS), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were collected. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between these factors and fraud victimization, adjusting for age, gender, level of caregiving, and living situation.

Results: Fraud victims (n = 37) and non-victims (n = 803) differed significantly in terms of SVS and SWLS. Fraud victims had higher fraud vulnerability scores and higher life satisfaction. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that higher SVS and SWLS were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing fraud (SVS OR = 0.799, CI: 0.720 – 0.887, p < 0.001; SWLS OR = 0.928, CI: 0.870 – 0.989, p = 0.(022).

Conclusion: Given that fraud victimization is correlated with fraud vulnerability and high life satisfaction, it is critical for older adults and their caregivers to implement strategies aimed at reducing fraud risk. This study highlights the need for targeted interventions that address the unique vulnerabilities of the urban elderly population.

Objectives: Cancer’s impact on physical and mental health varies by sex. This study explores physical and neurocognitive characteristics among elderly cancer survivors and investigates sex- specific differences in cortical thickness related to a history of cancer.

Methods: This study is part of the Arakawa geriatric cohort study for people aged 65 years or older, consisting of 1,098 individuals. Participants provided a self-reported history of cancer and underwent face-to-face diagnostic interviews, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric depression scale 15 (GDS-15), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and three- dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness was measured using FreeSurfer software. We explored the associations between cortical thickness, cancer history, and clinical-demographic data using univariate and multivariable regression analyses. Each analysis was conducted for the entire sample and then stratified by sex.

Results: Of 1,098 participants, 189 (17.2%) reported a history of cancer. These individuals were generally older, with a higher proportion being men. Among men, those with cancer history had lower BMI, a higher prevalence of sleep disorders (PSQI ≥ 6), lower MMSE registration scores, and more MMSE comprehension impairments. Women with a cancer history showed no significant differences in sleep or cognitive functions. After adjusting for age, imaging acquisition site, education, estimated total intracranial volume, and dementia diagnosis, cortical thicknesses of cancer survivors was found to be reduced in the left posterior cingulate in men (B [95%CI)] = 0.31 [0.12–0.78]) and in the left paracentral lobule in women (B [95%CI] = 0.22 [0.02–0.54)]).

Conclusions: Cancer history in elderly adults is associated with sex-specific differences in physical, psychological, and brain structural characteristics. In men, links were observed with underweight, sleep disturbances, and specific cognitive dysfunctions alongside reduced cortical thickness in the left 2024 International Psychogeriatric Association International Congress, IPA posterior cingulate cortex. In women, no neuropsychological changes were noted, although reduction in left paracentral cortical thickness were identified. Future research should employ longitudinal Methods to deepen understanding of cancer’s long-term psychophysical effects, with an emphasis on sex-based differences.

This is a case of a 13-year-old male with frequent premature ventricular contractions with QRS configurations of the left superior axis and left bundle branch block, which originated from the posterior–superior process of the left ventricle. Premature ventricular contractions were successfully eliminated by delivering radiofrequency energy to the inferior wall of the right atrium without causing either junctional rhythm or atrioventricular block. Ventricular arrhythmias originating from this site have been sporadically reported in adults; however, this is the first report in a child.

From 1 January 2022 to 4 September 2022, a total of 53 996 mpox cases were confirmed globally. Cases are predominantly concentrated in Europe and the Americas, while other regions are also continuously observing imported cases. This study aimed to estimate the potential global risk of mpox importation and consider hypothetical scenarios of travel restrictions by varying passenger volumes (PVs) via airline travel network. PV data for the airline network, and the time of first confirmed mpox case for a total of 1680 airports in 176 countries (and territories) were extracted from publicly available data sources. A survival analysis technique in which the hazard function was a function of effective distance was utilised to estimate the importation risk. The arrival time ranged from 9 to 48 days since the first case was identified in the UK on 6 May 2022. The estimated risk of importation showed that regardless of the geographic region, most locations will have an intensified importation risk by 31 December 2022. Travel restrictions scenarios had a minor impact on the global airline importation risk against mpox, highlighting the importance to enhance local capacities for the identification of mpox and to be prepared to carry out contact tracing and isolation.

The structure changes and lithium intercalation properties in the surface region of Li4Ti5O12 were investigated using epitaxial Li4Ti5O12(111) film model electrodes. The discharge–charge measurements, which were conducted with 1 mol/dm3 LiPF6-containing propylene carbonate, revealed that a 23.8 nm-thick film exhibited a small capacity of 115 mA h/g compared to the theoretical value of 175 mA h/g. In situ neutron reflectometry and ex situ x-ray diffractometry and reflectometry indicated that an irreversible phase change had occurred in the 10-nm surface region of Li4Ti5O12 during the initial reaction processes. The level of deterioration of the surface structure was significantly reduced by decreasing the LiPF6 concentration; in addition, side reactions of the cell components with the electrolyte species, and their products, may be associated with the deterioration of the Li4Ti5O12 surface. The surface reactions have a significant impact on the capacity of lithium intercalation in nano-sized Li4Ti5O12.

Spatial association patterns reflect underlying mechanisms of coexistence, community structure of plant species in tropical forests. We hypothesized that if spatial associations between two species shift toward segregation patterns during the course of growth, deterministic mechanisms, such as interspecific competition and habitat differentiation, would prevail, whereas if no directed change in spatial associations between two species is observed and, consequently, the initial association pattern is retained through growth, the two species would experience weak interspecific competition and show no habitat differentiation. To assess the underlying mechanisms operating between confamilial species, we analysed spatial associations among 11 dipterocarp species in terms of three growth stages distinguished on the basis of dbh in the Pasoh 50-ha plot in Peninsular Malaysia. We analysed the spatial associations of all possible combinations among identical stages (165 pairs) and among different stages (330 pairs) for each pair of 11 species, except between identical species. Our previous study revealed that the 11 species could be characterized into two classes: seven fast-growing species exhibited high growth and mortality rates, spatial aggregation on a small scale, and positive habitat associations, while four slow-growing species exhibited low growth and mortality rates, spatial aggregation on a large scale, and no habitat associations except one. Spatial segregation was observed between fast-growing species (32 pairs, 17%) and between species of different classes (35 pairs, 14%), but not between slow-growing species. Throughout the growth stages, positive associations with other species were maintained for slow-growing species versus fast-growing species. In contrast, changes in initial associations toward segregation were observed more in fast-growing species. These results indicated that interspecific competition or habitat differentiation dominated for fast-growing species, while non-directed random processes dominated for slow-growing species.

We have developed new gene expression-regulating polymer that can activate transgene expression in response to target intracellular signals. Here, we tried applying sonoporation system to this gene regulation system to enhance the gene expression efficacy. Sonoporation is the method for effective gene transfection in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the method might enhance the transfection efficiency in our polymer and realize an efficient and safe gene delivery system. Results suggested that the combination of our polymer and sonoporation could improve the gene expression compared to the system using only our polymer that transfers genes into cells via endocytosis. It also kept the ability of the gene regulation responding to cellular signals.

Effects of very high frequency- plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD) using diluted ultrapure silane at higher dilution ratio (R>30) on microstructures and optical characteristics of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) film were studied. Nanocrystalline silicon films were prepared by at RF power ranging from 50 to 300 W. It was found that the transition from amorphous phase to nanocrystalline phase occurred between 100 W and 150 W. The nucleation mechanism toward nc-Si:H near the transition point of amorphous phase was discussed based on transmission electron microscopy with atomic scale. Further, it is suggested from UV-visible spectroscopy that nc-Si:H films with the best optical properties would be obtained near the transition point from the amorphous phase to the crystalline phase.

We demonstrated high temperature glancing deposition (HT-GLAD) of Al on the heated substrate with trench patterns. When Al was deposited under the condition, where the Al vapor is incident at very glancing on the sidewall but on the surface, Al nano-whiskers grew only on the sidewall of the trenches since HT-GLAD condition is achieved only for the sidewall. On the other, Al was deposited at glancing angle both on the surface and the sidewalls, nano-whiskers grow both on the surface and the sidewalls of the trenches. The selective growth of the nano-whisker is successfully achieved by controlling the geometrical deposition conditions. Remarkably, moreover, the nano-whiskers grow not only on the illuminated sidewalls but also on the shadow sidewall. In addition, few nano-whiskers grow on the shadow region of the bottom of the trenches. In order to understand the peculiar growth of Al nano-whiskers, novel transport processes of Al atoms other than the surface diffusion have to be clarified. The reevaporation or reflective scattering on the sidewalls of the trenches is likely to play an important role in the growth of nano-whiskers.

We demonstrate high temperature glancing deposition (HT-GLAD) of metals on the heated substrate. It has been found that Al, Ag, Au, Fe nano-whiskers grow on the substrate of Si, SiO2, and glass substrates. The robustness in the selection of materials suggests that the HT-GLAD is a universal method to grow nano-whiskers of various metals. We also demonstrate the selective growth of the nano-whiskers on the substrate with micro-trench patterns. The metal nano-whiskers are useful for the nano electromechanical devices and vacuum microelectronics.