Purpose: Movement velocity of the limbs or trunk plays an important determinant of gait speed in older adults. Movement velocity-focused training of the lower limbs or trunk has recently been shown to be an effective intervention to improve gait ability. Because movement velocities of various body regions are significantly correlated, movement velocity training of the upper limbs may also be effective for improving gait speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether movement velocity training of the upper limbs in a seated position is effective for improving gait ability. Patients and methods: This study was a nonrandomized controlled trial. The participants were older adults residing in geriatric health service facilities. They were assigned to the movement velocity training of the upper limbs group (n=26) or control group (n=15). The participants in the training group performed exercises (three times per week for 10 weeks) to move the upper limbs as quickly as possible. The outcomes were gait speed, movement velocity, and quadriceps strength. These measurements were performed preintervention and 4, 8, and 10 weeks after intervention. Results: A significant time–group interaction was found for maximum gait speed and movement velocity of the upper limbs. Bonferroni post-hoc test showed significant improvement in gait speed between preintervention and 10 weeks after intervention in the training group. The movement velocity of the upper limbs was significantly improved between preintervention and 4, 8, and 10 weeks after intervention. Conclusion: Movement velocity training of the upper limbs showed significant and clinically relevant improvements in maximum gait speed at 10 weeks after intervention. This training is a potentially useful intervention and can be safely performed.

Targeted microbubbles (TMBs) that specifically accumulate on target sites via biochemical bonds have been studied for using ultrasound diagnoses and therapies (e.g., ultrasound molecular imaging) in the research field. To understand the specific interactions between TMBs and their target molecules, a biosensor system with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was constructed. In this system, TMBs become absorbed on their target molecule, which was fixed to the QCM surface via a self-assembled monolayer. Our previous studies showed that the system allowed the evaluation of the interaction between biotinylated MBs and the target molecule, streptavidin, by monitoring changes in the resonant frequency of QCM [Muramoto et al., Ultrasound Med. Biol., 40(5), 1027–1033 (2014)]. This paper investigates how the amount of streptavidin relates to the amount of absorbed biotinylated MBs. The amount of streptavidin on the QCM surface was evaluated by measuring the difference in its resonant frequency before and after the fixation of streptavidin. After which, the amount of absorbed MBs was also evaluated by measuring the frequency shift during the interaction between MBs and the target molecule. Our results showed a weak correlation between the amounts of bound MB and the density of streptavidin (correlation coefficient, r = 0.44), suggesting that the area density of target molecule can be evaluated by estimating the number density of TMBs.

Lunar and asteroidal regolith contains noble gases derived from solar wind implantation. ese particles preserve ancient solar wind, which can be revealed an energy distribution of the solar wind at the period of implantation. e energy distribution of ancient solar wind can be evaluated by depth pro ling of noble gases into an extraterrestrial sample. Because typical solar wind ions are implanted at less than 50 nm from the sample surface, the particle surface for analysis must be kept in its original shape. In this study, particle samples were embedded in indium metal to adjust angle and position of the sample surfaces. We measured depth pro les for 16 O ＋ , 56 Fe 2＋ , 48 Ti 2＋ and 24 Mg ＋ of ilmenite particles and a polished ilmenite. We obtained depth pro les of constant ion intensities from the ilmenite particles as well as the polished ilmenite. Reproducibilities for ion intensities normalized to 16 O ＋ were up to 33％ for particle samples and 19％ for polished one.

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