Abstract. [Purpose] There is a relationship between physical and cognitive functions; therefore, impairment of physical function would mean cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the association between change in physical and cognitive functions. [Subjects and Methods] Participants were 169 healthy community-dwelling older adults who attend the survey after three years from baseline (mean age, 72.4 ± 4.8 years). Grip strength, one-leg standing balance, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and go, 5-m habitual walk, and a peg-moving task were used to evaluate physical performance. Five cognitive function tests were used to assess attention, memory, visuospatial function, verbal fluency, and reasoning. Cognitive function was defined as the cumulative score of these tests.[Results] At baseline, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and go, and hand dexterity were independently associated with cognitive function. In longitudinal analyses, changes in habitual walking speed and hand dexterity were significantly associated with change in cognitive function.[Conclusion] Deterioration of specific physical function, such as hand dexterity and walking ability, may be associated with progression of cognitive decline. Decreasing extent of daily functions, such as hand dexterity and walking ability, can be useful indices to grasp changes in cognitive function.

This study protocol introduces the Kasama Study, a mid-sized longitudinal study of health, fitness, and physical activity in older people. The study is a challenging research project that discusses the future of the system for preventive nursing care and for supporting successful aging in Japan. In May 2008, we began the Kasama Study with an exercise program of preventive nursing care for community-dwelling older adults. As of March 2016, we have conducted six study projects: 1) the Kasama health checkup for longevity, 2) an all-round exercise class, 3) the volunteer and the circle, 4) an exercise class for men only, 5) an exercise class for improving cognitive and physical function, and 6) the Kasama Iki-iki checklist survey. We describe each project in detail in the present study protocol. Keywords : Kasama Study, community-dwelling older adults, community-based intervention, community-based health promotion What is the Kasama Study?Launched at Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, in May 2008, the Kasama Study is a mid-sized longitudinal study of health, fitness, and physical activity in older people. The study aims to create a comprehensive, community-based system for preventive nursing care and supporting successful aging (Fig. 1). In addition to research, it has been acknowledged that local communities require social contribution activities conducted by universities, including providing instructions for a variety of exercise trainings for successful aging. Therefore, the Kasama Study can be characterized as a field of practice in which not only research, but also education and social contribution activities are simultaneously conducted.Before beginning the Kasama Study, the authors illustrated Fig. 2 to explain the hypotheses that the study should demonstrate. Certainly, the study's ultimate goal is to extend healthy life expectancy, which is clearly influenced not only by medical variables, but also by physical, psychological, and cognitive functions. For example, higher levels of walking ability and lower extremity muscle function are undoubtedly associated with a longer healthy life expectancy. To provide a hypothetical example, we ask how an individual can acquire higher-level physical functions. The answer may be by maintaining a high level of physical activity by frequently going outdoors, at least for the last few years. We can also ask how that individual is able to maintain a higher level of physical activity. actions and relationships. The above description, however, has focused only on personal factors, but investigating the relationship of health and fitness with environmental factors, such as the geographical environment and social capital, is also necessary.The Kasama Study is a challenging research project that tests the above hypotheses comprehensively by having young researchers, many under 30 years of age, conduct various types of surveys based on their individual research themes that are in accordance with the Kasama Study's goals. In this review, therefore, we describe the de...

a b s t r a c tWe present a solution-processed planar fluorene bilayer by an ultrasonic atomized deposition method in combination with a needle electrode as an ionization part for an atomized droplet. An important advantage of our method is that the atomized droplet is efficiently charged using a needle electrode, which speeds up the deposition rate of the polymer thin film. The deposition rate increases 2 to 3 times compared to a that obtained with a conventional technique without using the ionization method, and real-time monitoring of landed droplets indicates that the number of droplets increased as the voltage applied to the needle electrode was increased, owing to the highly charged atomized droplets. Furthermore, the TFB/F8BT bilayer was achieved by optimizing the substrate temperature, and the polymer organic light-emitting diode exhibits a luminance value exceeding 12,000 cd/m 2 by insertion of the TFB as an electron blocking layer. The maximum current efficiency of the fluorene bilayer device was 6.64 cd/A, which was a 3.2-fold increase compared to that obtained with the reference device without the TFB electron blocking layer.

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This study aimed to identify factors associated with engaging in sports and exercise volunteering among older adults. We used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), a nationwide mail survey of 20,877 older adults from 60 municipalities. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation between engaging in sports and exercise volunteering and 39 variables classified into five factors: (1) demographic and biological, (2) behavioral, (3) psychological, cognitive, and emotional, (4) social and cultural, and (5) environmental factors. Among the analyzed samples, 1580 (7.6%) participants volunteered a few times/year or more often. Factors that showed positive association with the volunteering were older age, a current drinking habit, excellent self-rated health, high proportion of sports group participants in a living area, low municipal population density, and rich social and cultural features (i.e., social cohesion, support, network, and participation). Meanwhile, those that had a negative association were women, low level of education, deteriorated instrumental activities of daily living, having a past or current smoking habit, poor self-rated health, and depressive symptoms. We clarified the characteristics of the population that is more likely to participate in sports and exercise volunteering as well as those of the population that is less likely to participate and requires support.