Thesis about artificial bone

   I major in engineering sciences in college. Today, I read a thesis about artificial bone, which I was interested in. It was very difficult for me, but I have finished reading it! So, I wrote a summary of the thesis.

Summery
   Our body is supported by the bones from head to foot. But if once a bone is broken or does not engage smoothly ,because of a traffic accident or illness or aging, it will be difficult for us to live a daily life. So, we need “artificial bone” to make up for the fracture. And we also need “metallic material”, which display a small coefficient of friction and fuse itself with bones directly.
   For example, titanium and titanium alloys are capable metals. They don’t react easily on a water solution because their surfaces are covered by titanium oxide (TiO2). But titanium oxide reacts on sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and form hydration gel of sodium titanate. This hydration gel change into the amorphous layer of sodium titanate, which displays the high strength to the loading, with heated at 600℃ for 1 hour. The amorphous layer of this metal elutes sodium ions and draw oxonium ions in the body, and forms a lot of Ti-OH groups on its surface. These groups are combined to calcium ions and phosphate ions, and they form “apatite”, which is the crystal of hexagonal system. The layer of apatite fuse itself with the surrounding bones, and then work as an artificial bone. 

   The metallic materials,which display the high strength to the loading and fuse themselves into bones automatically like sodium titanate, are called “bioactive metal”. These bioactive metals expected to use as the artificial bones which locate in high loaded place in the body, like human knee, elbow, hip joint, wrist and other joints, or the root of a tooth. They will be a help for a lot of people, who suffer from physical injuries, to live a healthy and cultural life.




I will find a new and high-performance metallic material in the future!!

Reference
化成処理,高温処理/人工骨,人工関節
小久保正,金鉉敏(2000)

The last time, Saint Lucia. This time, Afghanistan.

I am interested in Afghanistan, and studied about Afghan food.
Afghan foods are all appetizing. After studying, I came to want to cook them at once. So, today, I wrote about “korma”, a popular stewed cooking in Afghanistan. I will be grad if you make this dish.
 

Ingredients(for four) 
・cumin 　　　　　　1 tsp
・coriander 　　　　1 tsp
・cinnamon 　　　　0.5 tsp
・turmeric 　　　　　1 tsp
・cardamom 　　　6 grains
・red pepper 　　　　1 
・garam masala 　　1 tsp
・salt and pepper 　a suitable amount
・garlic(paste) 　　　1 tsp
・ginger(paste) 　　1 tsp
・yogurt 　　　　　　4 tsps
・onion 　　　　　　　2
・chick pea 　　　　　1 cup
・potato　　　　　　　 1
・green bean 　　　　1 cup

Recipe
1. Measure cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, red pepper, and mix them. 

2. Fry sliced onions in a pan for 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and ginger to the pan, and fry for 2 minutes.

4. Add measured spices to the pan, and fry for 1 minute to make them give off the good smell.

5. Add cut potatoes, chick peas, and water to the pan. Once the water boils, cover the pan with a lid and stew on low heat for 15 minutes.

6. Add green beans, and stew for 5 minutes with the lid off.

7. Add yogurt and garam masala to the pan.

8. Season with salt and pepper, and stew for 5 minutes.

9. Place on the plate. done!

About korma
    Afghanistan is on the Silk Road, and is a multiracial nation bordered by six countries, Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. So, Afghan food is very various.
    “korma” is one of the cooking which is from foreign countries around Afghanistan. And the word “korma” is derived from Urdo “kormah” which means “Braising”. The cuisine korma dates back to the sixteenth century, originated in Mughal Empire in North India. They ate korma as a palace cuisine, and very few people could eat it. When Babur, who was the originator of Mughal Empire, invaded what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh, korma spread over India and neighboring countries. And how to cook korma was greatly influenced by each countries’ culture, climate, landform, and so on. So, there are numberless recipes of korma around the world. 
    In particularly, in Afghanistan, they use some fruits, chick peas, or yogurt in addition to the ordinary ingredients like onions or spices or meat. Afghanistan is famous for its production of chick peas, and chick peas are often used in Afghan food. Yogurt is also used in Afghan food to make taste mild. When meat is used in korma, chicken and mutton are mostly used because Afghan people are followers of Islam. As there are quite a few vegetarians in Afghanistan, meatless korma is often cooked for them. Korma is eaten with nan bread or palaw (a kind of pilaf) by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
    Even in Afghanistan, there are also differences of the recipe. As Afghanistan is a mountain country, and tribes living in have weak ties to each other, their cultures (including how to cook) developed uniquely. there are various "korma"
    In the countless of recipes of korma, I chose this recipe because one of my English teacher, who certainly reads this blog, is a vegetarian. He must read other students’ blogs, and when he read other articles about cooking, he can’t make the dish on the blog if its main ingredient is meat. It’s a pity he can’t enjoy cooking. So, I chose this meatless recipe so that he can cook this.


    I want to cook korma, but I can’t, because of the number of spices. For a student, many spices cost too much. If you like cooking, try it!


References
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9E

http://jp.ndish.com/world/afghanistan/ 

http://e-food.jp/country/afghan/1/afgan.korma.htm 

http://cookpad.com/recipe/310436 

Trip to the Caribbean ~Saint lucia~

   I’m going to go to Saint Lucia in the West Indies. Saint Lucia is in the wet season from June to November, and sometimes hurricanes come. So, I’ll go to Saint Lucia in March.
   Today, I made the itinerary.

N.B.
・To go to Saint Lucia, we Japanese don’t have to possess visa, if we have an airline ticket to return to our homeland. So, I have to carry just a passport and the ticket.
 
・Reserve an airline seat and the hotels and change money into EC＄in Japan in advance.(1 dollar =2.7EC＄)
 
・Do not expose skin too much to avoid infectious diseases that are carried by mosquitoes.
 
・Do not drink tap water, drink mineral water.
 
・When taking taxis, ask a fare before getting into the car in case there is not a taximeter.(about 10 dollars per kilometer)
 
・Make arrangements for a taxi at hotels.
 
・When leaving Saint Lucia, it is necessary to pay a departure tax, 55.00 EC dollars. 

Schedule
3/6
Boarding the 19:15 flight at Narita Airport. Via Los Angeles International Airport and Miami Airport, arriving Hewanorra International Airport on 3/8

3/7
In the sky.

3/8
At 13:24, arriving Hewanorra International Airport. As I will be tired, I stay in the hotel near the airport.
Hotel: Villa Caribbean Dream (2km from the airport)

 3/9
Going to Maria Islands, the biggest solitary island in Saint Lucia. Seeing the animals and plants of the island with guides. I want to go there by all means because this area is famous for its marine clarity and its seascape.

Before getting dark, going to today’s hotel, tomorrow’s sightseeing spot.

3/10
Hotel: Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa
Taking a rest for my health here. There are restaurant, swimming pool, Water slide, sauna, hot spring, beach, tennis court and so on. And here, I can have a massage, play some sports, enjoy marine sports like sailboat, kayak, surfing. Exactly, “Resort”. I want to go to a resort area like this in my life. Spending a whole day here and feel relaxed.

3/11
In the afternoon, leaving the hotel. Going to Mamiku garden, the biggest garden in Saint Lucia. I want to go there because there are some plants which are endangered species or endemic species in the garden, and I want to see them. As a guide will accompany in the garden, I will get much information about the plants.

 
Before getting dark, going to today's hotel.
Hotel: Lodge Colibri

3/12
Going to Dennery beach. Enjoying sunbathing, snorkeling and other marine sports. And here, only Friday night, the event “Fri Fish” is held. Many fish dish are sold in the fishing village. Maybe, I can eat uncommon fish in Japan.

 

3/13
Going to Gros Islet, an area in north Saint Lucia because I want to ride horse. “Island Riders” gives us wonderful experience that we can go everywhere with horse, even in the sea! It must be very fun. I can enjoy beautiful sea and spots of this country by strange way in here.

Before getting dark, going to today’s hotel.

3/14
Hotel: Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort
Because of my inexperience in horse riding, maybe I am very tired and I can’t go sightseeing this day. So, I should stay in this hotel all day. It has a lot of things refresh and entertain me. I chose this hotel due to the view and great room.
 

3/15
Going to Castries, the capital city of Saint Lucia. Today’s biggest destination of mine is “Derek Walcott Square”. It was named after a Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Derek Walcott who was born in this country. There are his statue, big trees, a fountain, and so on. After visiting the square, I will go shopping if I am not so tired. Today’s hotel is near the square.
Hotel: Poinsettia Villa Apartments

 3/16
Moving into south area of Saint Lucia. I have two destinations today.
First, going to “Diamond Botanical Gardens”, which has many beautiful tropical flowers, mineral baths and Diamond waterfall. Although this country has many small waterfalls, most of them are in the mountains and difficult to go. But this one is easier to go, so I want to go there.

 
Second, I want to go where I can do something good for my skin. The place is called “Sulphur Springs”. It is a mud spring including sulphur, iron, deposits of copper, carbon and so on. People say “This spring makes your skin five years younger!” There are places where we can wash the mud away, but because of its component, my body must smell of sulphur after bathing. And we have to pay attention to its very hot water.

Hotel: Anse Chastanet

3/17
I want to see world heritage, so I go to “Tet Paul Nature Trail”. Although it is a short hiking trail, I can see “Pitons” during my hiking. “Pitons” are two mountains that is a world natural heritage in Saint Lucia. I can enjoy beautiful nature. And I think short trail is good for me because I may be tired from exercise until yesterday.

Before getting dark, going to today's hotel.

3/18 
Hotel: QR Quality Rooms Cedar Palm Villa
This hotel is the nearest to the airport I use. If I am very tired, I stay in this hotel.
 

 

But if I’m not tired, I can go to some colleges near here. There are International American University College of Medicine and Spartan Health Sciences University.
Boarding the 14:19 flight at Hewanorra International Airport. Via Miami Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, arriving Narita Airport on 3/20

3/19
In the sky.

3/20
At 12:35, arriving Narita Airport. Going home.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my plan for my travel of Saint Lucia.
 
This plan costs me a lot.
Airline tickets: 580000 yen (for two)
Hotels, shopping, eating, and others: 380000 yen

I'm looking forward to visiting Saint Lucia!

"If I knew what I know now"

     I have lived my life with much regret. I have a lot of things that I want to change or erase. So, today I write some examples of my regret.

     First, when I was a junior high school student, my table tennis club left good results at a regional tournament, and we went out to play to celebrate our victory. My parents gave me some money to hear that we won the game, so I went out with satisfaction. We had lunch at a restaurant, and went to a game center nearby, and the incident happened. As you know, in a game center, there are “UFO Catchers”. At that time, I had never played “UFO Catcher”, and my friends played it easily, at least it looked easily. So I decided to play it. But it was not easy for a beginner, of course. A premium seemed to fall, but only seemed to fall. The premium didn't fall, and the money my parents gave me was lost in vain. If I had known that UFO Catcher was not an easy game, if anything, it was a difficult game, I would have stopped my play within bounds. Ah, my money doesn't return.

     Second, when I was a high school student, I was a studious pupil. My academic record in the high school became better than that in the junior high school. I studied harder because I was glad that as I studied more, my academic record improved. I spent the first grade and second grade of my high school student life only studying. But unexpectedly, in the third grade, I had exhausted my enthusiasm for the study. At that time, I couldn't study hard as I did previously. But if I stopped studying, my friends didn't stop because it was the time period for entrance exam. So I had nothing to do but studying. As a result, I wasted my school life. I didn't know that my school life was only once. I didn't know that there were important things as well as studying. I didn't know that nothing would change in the college if I studied. If I had known these things at that time, my life would have changed dramatically.

 

     Third, after I graduated the high school, I went to a phone shop because my cell phone was old. I had used it for three years. A shop assistant recommended “Smart Phone”. I planned to buy a feature phone as I used previously, but I wanted smart phone. So I asked the price of smart phone. The answer was “it costs more than six thousand yen a month.” I was surprised to hear that. The price was three times higher than the price of my feature phone. I was worried which one I should buy. At last, I decided to buy a feature phone. Cheapness was justice. But I regret my decision now. In the university, my classmates make contact with each other by using the application “LINE”. And in some lectures of the university, they call the roll on the Internet, but I can’t attend with my feature phone. If I had known that smart phone is indispensable for a university student, I would have bought it.

     I have lived my life with much regret. I have a lot of things that I want to change or erase. But I live my life pleasantly. I will continue to do my best.

Sleepless,Restless,Endless

  I read an article, Good night’s sleep ‘protects heart’  I wrote a summary of this article and reviewed.

Summary
   A research conducted by a team in the Netherlands says enough sleep help us to avoid dying from heart disease or strokes. They did a follow-up survey in more than 14000 people, and found that people who slept enough and followed all four behaviors – taking some exercise, eating healthful diet, drinking moderately, and not smoking are less likely to die from heart disease or strokes than those who didn't do it. The important point of this study is that we should consider sleep as a significant element for our healthy life and must not make light of it.

Review
   I was shocked at this article, because I sleep less than five hours every day, and it says more than seven hours sleep benefits to the heart of a healthy lifestyle. After entering the college, I’m very busy with a lot of assignments. So, more than seven hours sleep is next to impossible. To make matters worse, I don’t exercise very often, and compared to before, my diet became unbalanced because of my living alone. If I drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes, I would die from heart disease and strokes in the worst-case. This article made me think that I must adopt a good lifestyle to avoid a sudden death. First of all, I will finish assignments to go to bed early. (In fact, I’m writing this blog post at midnight past 1:00.)
   By the way, I don’t think that we regard sleep as important, as it is written in the article. It seems that Japanese college students especially make light of sleep. They often boast of their lack of sleep. They say, “Hey!! You know what? I slept only 2 hours last night!! I’m terribly sleepy now!! Hahaha! Hey, do you listening to me? I said I slept only 2 hours!! UREYYYY!! ” Frankly speaking, it’s annoying…. If you can’t understand my feeling, please look at these pictures. “寝てない自慢” Do you understand now?
   I’m wandering from the subject. In conclusion, we should sleep enough. That’s all. So, if you are reading this blog late at night, go to bed. I will do it after finishing my assignments…


Don't misunderstand me. I don't boast of my lack of sleep in this blog post. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-23144438

To-Do list made me feel sadness....

  Today, I made a To-Do list for my first year at the university.

As the number increases, a more far-off future is written. 

1. I must buy some milk tomorrow. I drink milk every day, and I am out of milk now. 
2. I must write a paper on chemical bond and hand in it this week.  And I have some other assignments, but almost all of them are not finished. Oh... I should think about these things, not about my future..... 
3. I want to buy a pan by the end of this month. Now I'm cooking with a frying pan. If I have a pan, I can cook curry, ramen, udon, soba, spaghetti, soup, boiled egg and so on. In summer, I want to eat somen, thin wheat noodle. Somen bring me the real feeling of summer. So I must buy a pan before it is getting hot. 
4. I want to take a part-time job by the summer vacation this year. Now, I don’t work a part-time job and live on the allowance my parents send to me. Due to my entering the university and living alone, my family is having a hard time making ends meet. So, I’m trying all sorts of ways to manage to make ends meet. But I don’t want to be troubled any more about my food expenses, like, “this lunch set is 450yen and that one is 400yen. Former looks good, but the difference of 50yen is very important. Oh, that soba is only 200yen!! Ummm… but it looks too little. I’m hungry now. Ah, what should I eat? ” I want to eat what I like
5.  In the summer vacation, I want to obtain a driver’s license. I don’t need it now, but I think that as I move up to the next-year class, I will have less and less time to obtain it. If it is possible, I don’t want to drive a car. It costs a lot to maintain, and obtaining the license is also costs a lot. Driving a car is dangerous to both driver and passers-by. I can’t take responsibility even if I cause an accident. A bicycle is enough for me to live a daily life. 
6. After the summer vacation, I want to go to all eating houses in the university. In the university, there are thirteen eating houses, and I have been to three of them. I want to compare the taste, volume, price, the number of meals, the size of floor, the number of seats, whether there are seats for one person’s use, and waiting time. The most important thing is price, of course. There is the difference in the way to order, by ticket or by words of mouth or self-service. So, to remember the rules of each place is a little troublesome. 
7. I want to be a regular customer of a restaurant or coffee shop or café, and get to know the owner. And I want to say, “Hey, Mr, Please give me what I always order”.  It’s very cool. I desire to do it. If I can do it, I will feel, “Oh, I became a grown-up…” 
8. Near the university, there is an eel (unagi) restaurant. As you know, eels are very, very, very expensive. The eel restaurant is not a place to go, for a student. But I want to go to the restaurant. I love eels. Taste, smell, appearance, all things of eel is great. It’s perfect…. It’s perfect if its price is a little lower. I want to eat at the restaurant at least once this year. 
9. I want to learn to cook well. If I can cook well, I will be able to do, like “Ah, today, ○○○○ and ×××× is inexpensive. So I should buy some △△△△ and □□□□. Dinner is ～～～～ tonight.” Now, I am always troubled about dinner. What should I cook tonight? I want to have a large repertoire and get a cooking skill to materialize it. 
10. I must remember the names of my classmates. I should do it, but it’s too difficult. Sorry, my classmates... I will try it. 
11. Near the end of the year, I will have some opportunities to eat out with my friends. I will. I think I will… So, I must learn some one-shot jokes which can set the audience laughing with. If I can do it, there is no doubt that I will be a popular person. Maybe… Before learning one-shot jokes, I should make more friends. Oh….. 
12. I want to take over the world. In other word, “World domination”. You will think it impossible, and I think it impossible too. Of course, I can’t do it in my whole life, much less in this year. But we should not forget to dream. Is there a chance that I take over the world?            ……..there is no chance.

　　I will do my best!!

"Acronym introduction"

Hi, my name is Masanari Sakato. I'll introduce myself by using my name as acronym.
I'll be very happy if you remember me.

S　Saitama

    I’m from Saitama in Japan. It is often said that Saitama is the most boring prefecture in Japan, but the natural environment has been preserved there, and it is easy to go to Tokyo from there. So, Saitama is a good place to live in.

A   Active

     I’m active only in my house. When I am out, I’m very quiet. However, when I’m home, I often sing, dance, or get some exercise, of course by myself. My families sometimes say, “Calm down!” But they say “What’s up?” when I am quiet. What should I do?

K   Kindle

     Kindle is a tablet to read electronic books. I like reading. So, I’m interested in Kindle. I have never read electronic books. I wonder whether they are good. But I think reading electronic books tire the eyes.

A   Astronaut

     I wanted to be an astronaut in my childhood. I wanted to make friends with creatures from outer space like “ET”. I gave up my dream because my eyesight weakened. I wish aliens came to see me.

T   Tomato

     Tomatoes are special product of my city. To my surprise, tomatoes are ingredients of sweets or cakes in my city. Imagine that you are eating a cake containing cherry tomatoes. I like tomatoes, but I can’t accept that tomatoes are used to make something sweet. If used, I want them to be mashed at least.

O   Othello

     “Othello” is Japanese English. It is a kind of board game. Not the main character in the play by Shakespeare. I like this game. I always enjoy this game with computer by myself. I have been losing lately.

M   Motto

      My motto is a saying “Time is money”. It means that you must not waste your time because time is very precious. If time is money, I want to buy time. I accept paying 50 dollars for an hour. I wish one day became 30 hours. 
A   Author

     I like reading, but I don’t think that I’d like to see the authors of my favorite books. I like the stories created by them, not themselves. The reason why I came to think as such is my experience. When I was a junior high school student, I saw an author of a book I liked on television by chance, and I felt that the way he spoke was affected and he was disagreeable. After that, I couldn’t read his book as before. Whenever I read the book, I recalled its author and felt irritated. The story was amusing, but I became reluctant to read it. Not all authors are unpleasant. Luck was against me.

S   Sleeping

     I like sleeping. No, I love sleeping. The other day, I tried not setting an alarm clock. I went to bed at 24:00, the next day, I got up at 13:30. I surprised myself.

A   Antiquated

     “Antiquated” means old-fashioned and not suitable for modern needs or condition. I don’t have smart phone, iPod, video game, portable game and so on. I have a cell phone and PC. I do with them. It’s enough for me.
N   Nickname
     Few people gave me a nickname. One of the few nicknames, for example, “kakato”. In English, “heel”.  I have never gotten a friendly nickname. I think “kakato” is unfriendly. Please give me a nice nickname. 
A   Animal

     I like animals. Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, any animals. But they don’t like me. If I approach them, dogs bark, cats ruffle their fur, everybody is offensive and hostile. Why? Why are they so unfriendly? I can accept that they run away, so at least don’t be aggressive.

R   Reading

     My hobby is reading. I read anything, but I especially like romance novels. Now, I’m reading “Aesop’s Fables”. I found this book at a library and remembered that I had read a picture book of this story in my childhood, and I borrowed this book. Now I got different impression from what I had gotten in the past. After finishing reading this, I’m going to read “Salome” written by Wilde.

I   Introduction

    My weak point is introducing myself. This self-introduction took me three hours. Five “A” troubled me. I still have what I want to write, but let me conclude my introduction with this. Thank you for everything.