460Social inequalities in second-hand smoking among Japanese adults: A repeated cross-sectional study

Background

We aimed to examine the association between educational history and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in Japanese adults.

Methods

We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using data from the 2007-2011 baseline and the 2013-2016 follow-up survey in a Japanese suburban area. Overall, 5,562 male and 5,381 female non-smokers participated in the study, which evaluated the SHS exposure and educational history of the participants through self-reported questionnaires. We performed a multilevel ordered logistic regression analysis with survey year as the first level and the individual as the second level, SHS exposure as the dependent variable, educational history as the explanatory variable, and age, smoking history, marital status as covariates, stratified by gender and working status.

Results

The prevalence of SHS exposure was 45.4% in males and 41.9% in females in the 2007-2011 survey, and 31.6% in males and 28.7% in females in the 2013-2016 survey. Multilevel analysis indicated that less educational history was associated with higher SHS exposure in both genders (among males, the odds ratio compared with ≥13 years was 1.75 for 10-12 years and 1.64 for ≤9 years; among females, it was 1.79 for 10-12 years and 2.43 for ≤9 years). Stratified analysis by working status showed that for females, education-based inequalities in SHS exposure more strongly impacted for workers than non-workers (p for interaction <0.001).

Conclusions

Education-based inequalities in SHS exposure exist in Japan and might be severe among female workers.

Key messages

Measures against SHS in Japan should be promoted to reduce social and gender inequalities.

Association Between Second-hand Smoke Exposure and Depressive Symptoms Among Japanese Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Background

Second-hand smoke exposure has been associated with poor mental health. However, among Japanese adults, little is known about the association between second-hand smoking and depressive symptoms. We examined this association in a cross-sectional study among a Japanese general adult population sample.

Methods

Japanese adults were recruited from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study in the Okazaki area between 2012 and 2017. Second-hand smoke exposure and smoking status were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Based on their frequency of exposure to second-hand smoke, non-smokers and smokers were categorized as “almost never,” “sometimes,” and “almost every day”. Depressive symptoms were defined by a Kessler 6 score ≥5 points. We performed a multivariable Poisson regression analysis to obtain adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for depressive symptoms.

Results

Overall, 5,121 participants (4,547 non-smokers and 574 smokers) were included whose mean age was 63.6 (standard deviation [SD], 10.3) years for non-smokers and 59.33 (SD, 10.2) years for smokers. The association between second-hand smoking and depressive symptoms was significant among non-smokers, but not among smokers. Among non-smokers, PRs compared with “almost never” were 1.25 (95% CI, 1.09–1.42) for “sometimes” and 1.41 (95% CI, 1.09–1.84) for “almost every day” (P for trend <0.001); among smokers, PRs compared with “almost never” were 1.30 (95% CI, 0.82–2.06) for “sometimes” and 1.44 (95% CI, 0.90–2.33) for “almost every day” (P for trend = 0.144).

Conclusions

Second-hand smoking and depressive symptoms were associated among non-smokers. Our findings indicate the importance of tobacco smoke control for mental health.

Formamidine and cesium-based quasi-two-dimensional perovskites as photovoltaic absorbers

Formamidine and Cs-based quasi two-dimensional perovskites were newly synthesized for photovoltaic solar cells.

High-resolution calorimetric study of phase transitions in chiral smectic-C liquid crystalline phases

We carried out an improved characterization of phase transitions among chiral smectic-C subphases observed for various antiferroelectric liquid crystals by precise heat capacity measurements. It was found that the phase transitions are intrinsically first order exhibiting a remarkable heat anomaly which involves little pretransitional thermal fluctuation and a finite thermal hysteresis. On the other hand, we also noticed that the critical point of the smectic-C(α)(*)-smectic-C* transition is induced by the destabilization of the smectic-C(α)(*) phase which couples with the fluctuation associated with the smectic-A-smectic-C(α)(*) phase transition.

Distinctive thermal behavior and nanoscale phase separation in the heterogeneous liquid-crystal B4 matrix of bent-core molecules

By means of high-resolution calorimetry, we studied thermodynamic properties of the liquid-crystal B(4) phase where bent-core molecules form a helical nanofilament structure. Distinctive thermal behavior characterizing the growth process of the B(4) phase was obtained in undergoing the phase transition with many sharp peaks, indicating a highly heterogeneous structure. It has been demonstrated that such unusual behavior is commonly seen for two types of rodlike molecules as well as for various mixture compositions. We speculate that mixture systems involve a nanoscale phase-separated structure due to the remarkable aggregation effect in the bent-core molecules and that the helical nanofilament structure independently grows in the isotropic state of rodlike molecules. We also propose that the asymmetry in viscoelastic property plays a role in yielding unusual behavior.

Calorimetric study of the effect of bent-shaped dopant molecules on the critical behavior at the nematic-smectic-Ad phase transition

We report results of calorimetric studies for the binary mixture of rodlike host n-alkyloxy-cyanobiphenyl (nOCB, n=8,9) and bent-shaped guest 1,3-phenylene-bis[4-(3-methylbenzoyloxy)]-4'-n-dodecylbiphenyl-4'-carboxylate (BC12). The effect of bent-shaped dopant molecules on the critical behavior associated with the nematic-smectic-A(d) phase transition has been studied in detail. The transition temperature for the nematic-smectic-A(d) phase sharply decreases as the increase of the mole fraction of the dopant concentration (denoted X for the BC12/9OCB mixture and Y for the BC12/8OCB mixture). The dependence of the critical exponent α on X and Y is well explained in terms of the McMillan ratio. A nearly tricritical exponent has been obtained for the X=0.01 mixture. X=0.02-0.03 mixtures, pure 8OCB, and Y=0.01-0.03 mixtures exhibit nonuniversal behaviors with effective exponents lying between the 3D-XY and tricritical exponents. The heat capacity anomaly for Y=0.05 has been well described with the 3D-XY exponent. The critical amplitude ratio A(-)/A(+) is close to 1 and insensitive to the dopant concentration. No Fisher renormalization of the critical exponent has been observed even for nearly tricritical compositions, which indicates the smallness of the concentration plays a decisive role rather than the steepness of the N-SmA(d) phase boundary.

Critical behavior at transitions from uniaxial to biaxial phases in a smectic liquid-crystal mixture

We report results of calorimetric and optical investigations of binary mixtures of rodlike and bent-shaped molecules. We find that the observed critical heat anomaly associated with the smectic-A2 to biaxial smectic-A2b transition is well described with a Fisher-renormalized form of the usual scaling expression. The effect of renormalization is large in this system in part because of the moderately steep slope of the phase boundary (dT(c)/ dX∼100 K, where X is the mole fraction of the bent-core molecules) and in part because of the proximity to the tricritical point. The magnitude of heat anomaly at the smectic-A2-smectic-A2b transition showed a drastic decrease as X becomes smaller. Moreover, the nematic-smectic-A2 transitions investigated turned out to be always first order and the transition enthalpy showed only weak dependence on the concentration X. The results imply that the energy fluctuations around the smectic-A2-smectic-A2b transition are very sensitive to the underlying ordering of the smectic-A2 background.

Nearly perfect triplet-triplet energy transfer from Wannier excitons to naphthalene in organic-inorganic hybrid quantum-well materials

We report the observation of extremely efficient energy transfer (greater than 99%) in an organic-inorganic hybrid quantum-well structure consisting of perovskite-type lead bromide well layers and naphthalene-linked ammonium barrier layers. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements confirm that the transfer is triplet-triplet Dexter-type energy transfer from Wannier excitons in the inorganic well to the triplet state of naphthalene molecules in the organic barrier. Using measurements in the 10-300 K temperature range, we also investigated the temperature dependence of the energy transfer.

Smectic-C*alpha phase with two coexistent helical pitch values and a first-order smectic-C*alpha to smectic-C* transition

Previous results from Kundu using dielectric relaxation have suggested a reentrant antiferroelectric-ferroelectric-antiferroelectric transition in the compound LN36. Our comprehensive studies of this compound using differential optical reflectivity, nonadiabatic scanning calorimetry, null transmission ellipsometry, and resonant x-ray diffraction show that in fact LN36 exhibits the usual phase sequence for chiral smectic liquid crystals: SmA*-SmC*alpha-SmC*-SmC*FI1-SmC*A . Moreover, the SmC*alpha-SmC* transition is a first-order transition, characterized by a discontinuous change in the helical pitch. At temperatures just above the SmC*alpha-SmC* transition, two different values for the helical pitch are simultaneously observed for the first time.

Quasi-two-dimensional Ising critical behavior of de Vries liquid crystals observed in the heat capacity and dielectric response

Heat capacity and dielectric measurements have been made on a liquid crystal compound exhibiting de Vries type of smectic-A{*} (Sm-A{*}) phase. Heat capacity shows a significant anomaly which is almost symmetric for above and below the Sm-A{*}-Sm-C{*} transition temperature. The transition was found to be very weakly first order. The critical exponent gamma determined from the dielectric data lies 1.8+/-0.2. The present heat capacity data as well as former data for another compound of de Vries type have been analyzed in detail. It was found that the heat capacity data for both compounds are fitted well with a logarithmic divergence except in the immediate vicinity of the transition. These results agree with an expectation that de Vries Sm-A{*}-Sm-C-{*} transition can exhibit quasi-two-dimensional Ising critical behavior.

Appearance of a liquid crystalline nematic-isotropic critical point in a mixture system of rod- and bent-shaped molecules

Heat capacity measurements have been made on a liquid-crystal mixture system formed from bent-shaped molecule 1,3-phenylene bis[4-(4-8-alkoxyphenyliminomethyl)benzoates] (P-8-O-PIMB) and rod-shaped molecule n-pentyl-cyanobiphenyl (5CB). The obtained results can be understood assuming that the addition of P-8-O-PIMB molecules to the 5CB system affects as a field conjugate to the nematic order parameter. The B(X)-B(4) transition can be viewed as the nematic-isotropic transition of 5CB, which is embedded in a framework of the B(4) structure of P-8-O-PIMB molecules. The present mixture system offers a rare example of the nematic-isotropic critical point, whose critical behavior has not been studied yet in detail.

Smectic-Calpha*-smectic-C* phase transition and critical point in binary mixtures

We have investigated the smectic-Calpha*-smectic-C* (SmCalpha*-SmC*) transition in a series of binary mixtures with resonant x-ray diffraction, differential optical reflectivity, and heat capacity measurements. Results show that the phases are separated by a first-order transition that ends at a critical point. We report the observation of such a critical point. We have proposed the appropriate order parameter and obtained values of two critical exponents associated with this transition. The values of the critical exponents suggest that long-range interactions are present in the SmCalpha*-SmC* critical region.

Calorimetric investigations of liquid-crystal compounds exhibiting almost no layer-shrinkage behavior through the smectic-A-smectic- C* transition

Heat-capacity measurements have been made on liquid-crystal compounds exhibiting almost no layer-shrinkage (NLS) behavior through the Sm-A-Sm- C(*) phase transition. The transition was found to be second order for two of the substances studied. It was found that the heat-capacity anomaly accompanying a second-order Sm-A-Sm- C(*) transition with NLS behavior is quite similar to that observed for typical antiferroelectric liquid crystals of the 4-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl)phenyl 4'-octyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate (MHPOBC) group, showing three-dimensional (3D) XY behavior in the vicinity of the transition. On the other hand, for one compound which shows a weakly first-order transition, the anomaly is almost symmetric above and below T(c) , with a significant fluctuation effect in the Sm-A phase. For this compound, the critical behavior of the heat-capacity anomaly is almost tricritical in the immediate vicinity of T(c) , while away from T(c) the behavior can be explained with the 3D XY model. This suggests that the underlying transition with the 3D XY critical behavior is driven to almost being tricritical but remaining weakly first order. No indication of low-dimensional character in the critical behavior was found in both cases.

Experimental investigations of one liquid-crystal compound exhibiting the no-layer-shrinkage effect near the Sm-A-Sm- C(*) transition

Three experimental probes have been employed to investigate the nature of the smectic- A -smectic- C ( Sm-A-Sm- C(*) ) phase transition of one liquid-crystal compound showing almost no layer-shrinkage effect through the transition. Results from both x-ray diffraction and optical studies indicate that the compound exhibits a crossover behavior of different molecular packing arrangements within the bulk Sm-A phase window. The calorimetry results show a significant critical anomaly near the Sm-A-Sm- C(*) transition, although it was found to be weakly first order.

Effect of optical purity on the critical heat capacity at the smectic-A-(chiral)-smectic-C transition in an antiferroelectric liquid crystal

High resolution ac calorimetric measurements have been carried out near the smectic-A-chiral-smectic-C phase transition in the antiferroelectric liquid crystal 4-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl)phenyl 4(')-octyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate (MHPOBC). Data on samples with different optical purities have been analyzed in detail using a renormalization-group expression with corrections-to-scaling terms. The chiral-smectic-C(alpha)-chiral-smectic-C phase transition is first order, while the smectic-A-chiral-smectic-C(alpha) phase transition is second order. A direct smectic-A-chiral-smectic-C phase transition, which occurs in near-racemic mixtures, was found to be quasitricritical and weakly first order. This implies that the smectic-A-smectic-C transition in the racemate locates at a special point where four critical lines intersect.

Slow relaxation process in the main transition of phosphatidylcholines studied with heat capacity spectroscopy. I. Multilamellar vesicles

Extremely slow relaxation processes have been examined near the main transition of multilamellar vesicle samples of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with a heat capacity spectroscopic technique. The dynamic heat capacity showed a significant frequency dependence in the studied frequency region of 0.5 mHz to 50 mHz. The relaxation observed here has been analyzed with the Cole-Cole equation. The mean relaxation times were 120 s in DMPC, and 260 s in DPPC. The relaxation showed a polydispersive character. The parameter beta was around 0.5 in both DMPC and DPPC.

[Effect of additives on the amination of 2-oxoglutaric acid by gamma-radiation]

The effect of added substances was studied on the yield of glutamic acid produced by gamma-ray irradiation of 2-oxoglutaric acid and ammonia in aqueous solution. The contents of amino acids in the irradiated solutions were determined with amino acids analyzer. Sodium nitrate, allyl alcohol or sodium formate was used as an added substance. The yield of glutamic acid significantly decreased by the addition of nitrate, and it was little affected by the addition of allyl alcohol. In the presence of formate the yield increased from G = 0.4 (2-oxoglutaric acid 0.05M and ammonium hydroxide 2M) to G = 1.1. As a result, it was found that hydrated electron contributes on the formation of glutamic acid, but hydroxyl radical does not. The yield showed a maximum at ca. 0.1 M ammonium hydroxide concentration. These facts indicate that NH2 radical does not contribute to the formation of glutamic acid. As a reaction mechanism, it can be explained that 2-oxoglutaric acid which had been reduced by hydrated electron reacts with ammonia.