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Our research activities would be better served if they were communicated in a manner that is openly accessible to the public and all researchers. The research we share is often limited to representative data included in research papers—science would be much more efficient if all reproducible research data were shared alongside detailed methods and protocols, in the paradigm called Open Science. On the other hand, one primary function of research journals is to select manuscripts of good quality, verify the authenticity of the data and its impact, and deliver to the appropriate audience for critical evaluation and verification. In the current paradigm, where publication in a subset of journals is intimately linked to research evaluation, a hypercompetitive "market" has emerged where authors compete to access a limited number of top‐tier journals, leading to high rejection rates. Competition among publishers and scientific journals for market dominance resulted in an increase in both the number of journals and the cost of publishing and accessing scientific papers. Here we summarize the current problems and potential solutions from the development of AI technology discussed in the seminar at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake swarms are most commonly composed of small‐magnitude earthquakes. However, a recent study by Yoshida, Uchida, et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106023) analyzed a swarm beneath the Noto Peninsula in Japan that, after more than two years of moderate‐magnitude seismicity, triggered the moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 Suzu mainshock in May 2023. Based on high‐precision earthquake locations and a slip inversion of the mainshock, these authors found that the Mw 6.2 Suzu earthquake occurred on the updip extension of a fault that was active during the swarm, likely driven by increased fluid pressure. After publication of that paper, a much larger and more destructive Mw 7.5 event occurred nearby on 1 January 2024. These events underscore the potential for swarms to be precursors to large, damaging earthquakes. Forecasting the eventual evolution of swarms is currently very challenging but could be aided in the future by new observations and models. Plain Language Summary: Although earthquake swarms often only contain small earthquakes, occasionally they can trigger large, damaging earthquakes. Yoshida, Uchida, et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106023) examined the triggering of a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Japan, which caused extensive damage, following two years of smaller earthquakes. This sequence, like many swarms, may have been driven by elevated fluid pressure migrating upwards within the crust. After publication of that paper, a much larger and more destructive Mw 7.5 event occurred nearby. Forecasting the eventual evolution of ongoing swarms is currently very challenging but could be aided in the future by new observations and models. Key Points: Earthquake swarms can be precursors to damaging earthquakes, including the 1 January 2024, Mw 7.5 Noto Peninsula, Japan eventFluid pressure changes often drive swarm activity, and their degree of confinement may influence swarm evolutionDirect observations of fluids in fault zones combined with numerical modeling may aid swarm forecasting in the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To clarify whether the Whitney Comorbidity Index (WCI) is useful in Asian adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and whether aspiration pneumonia and pressure ulcers improved the prognostic significance of the WCI. Method: This cohort study evaluated individuals aged at least 18 years with CP in Japan. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to analyse 2‐year mortality rates. The predictive performance of the Charlson Comorbidity Index, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, and WCI were compared as comorbidity assessment criteria. Aspiration pneumonia and pressure ulcers were added to the Cox models, and their impact on hazard ratios was determined. Results: Of the 2232 adults with CP, 72 died during the 2 years. The model with a previously reported weighted WCI with aspiration pneumonia and pressure ulcers produced the best fit. Additionally, the hazard risk of 2‐year mortality for an unweighted WCI score of at least 4 was 2.56; when CP‐specific comorbidities were added, it increased to 8.94. Interpretation: This study showed that the WCI can be used in Asian adults with CP. Furthermore, assessing patient age, aspiration pneumonia, and pressure ulcers in addition to the WCI increased the predictive value for mortality. Our findings indicate that the WCI can promote valid comparisons between international populations. What this paper adds: The Whitney Comorbidity Index (WCI) is useful among adults with cerebral palsy, irrespective of ethnic differences.Assessment of aspiration pneumonia and pressure ulcers increased the WCI predictive value.The WCI helps identify adults with cerebral palsy at risk of adverse outcomes. What this paper adds: The Whitney Comorbidity Index (WCI) is useful among adults with cerebral palsy, irrespective of ethnic differences.Assessment of aspiration pneumonia and pressure ulcers increased the WCI predictive value.The WCI helps identify adults with cerebral palsy at risk of adverse outcomes. This article's abstract has been translated into Japanese. Follow the links from the abstract to view the translations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate traffic volume prediction plays a crucial role in urban traffic control by relieving congestion through improved regulation of traffic volume. Network‐level traffic volume prediction and detector failure have rarely been considered in the literature. This paper proposes a framework based on long short‐term memory and the multilayer perceptron that can predict network‐level traffic volumes even with detector failure. A profile model learns the profile of the detector's signature (traffic pattern). Detectors with similar profiles are considered to have similar traffic patterns and are grouped into a cluster. Failed detectors can obtain reference information from similar detectors in the same cluster without additional information. A predictive model is developed for each cluster. The proposed method is validated using Japan Road Traffic Information Center data for three cities. The computational results indicate that the proposed method performs well both on typical days and atypical days (the COVID‐19 lockdown period and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics). Further, it considers detector reliability: the increase in mean absolute error is less than 1 veh/5 min when the probability of detector failure increases to 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 16, 2020, the Director‐General of the World Health Organization said: "We have a simple message to all countries—test, test, test." This seems like sound advice, but what if limiting the number of tests has a positive effect on infection control? Although this may rarely be the case, the possibility raises an important ethical question that is closely related to a central tension between deontological and consequentialist approaches to ethics. In this paper, we first argue that early during the COVID‐19 pandemic, Japan offers an interesting case because it experienced few deaths due to COVID while the number of tests was limited, suggesting that there may be cases in which low testing contributes to infection control indeed. After that, we examine deontological constraints on such a "low‐testing" policy, focusing on issues related to a supposed "right to know," which is a central issue in medical ethics in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Hikikomori is a common phenomenon reported in Japan and many other countries. However, the broad trends of the research publications on hikikomori are unclear. Therefore, this study examined the patterns of research on hikikomori using bibliometric analysis. Methods: Relevant publications were searched in Web of Science. Bibliometric analyses were performed with CiteSpace, R and VOSviewer. Results: In total, 297 publications on hikikomori met the eligibility criteria. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry (IF = 10.461) published the most papers (K = 17, or 5.7%) on hikikomori. Takahiro A. Kato from Kyushu University (41; 13.8%; H‐index = 18) was the most influential author, while Takahiro A. Kato (total link strength [TLS]: 235), Alan R. Teo (TLS: 157), and Masaru Tateno (TLS: 153) separately had the strongest research collaboration with other researchers. Of all countries that published on hikikomori, Japan had the highest number of publications (K = 91). The keywords "United States" and "psychiatric diagnosis" received the most attention between 2013 and 2015, whereas "health" and "autism spectrum disorder" received the most attention in 2021 and 2022. Conclusions: Peer‐reviewed research publications on hikikomori are growing rapidly and the research trends in this field are also changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the driving forces of urban shrinkage, focusing on transportation infrastructure using a conceptual framework. Employing a difference‐in‐difference approach, this study explores the impact of the high‐speed railway on local shrinkage by focusing on implementing the bullet train in the Kyushu Shinkansen region of Japan. Our results show that after the introduction of the bullet train line, remote peripheral regions suffered population loss while suburban areas near the metropolitan area experienced population growth. Further analysis verifies that the bullet train had a particularly significant negative impact on local employment and establishments in the service sector in remote regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents tools that help researchers implement the processes of data-led studies of upper-atmospheric phenomena. These tools were developed as a part of the activities of the Inter-university Upper atmosphere Global Observation NETwork (IUGONET) of Japan, which is a project to develop infrastructure for upper-atmospheric research data. This paper focuses on the data service named IUGONET Type-A, which was launched in October 2016 and has since evolved. In addition to being a conventional metadata catalogue, it has many other useful functions: an easy cross-searching system, a quick-look data-plotting procedure, an interactive data visualization system named UDAS web, and strong linkage with analysis software. Users can pick up relevant data from a huge number of data sets using either lists categorized by instruments/projects, observed regions and special campaigns or a world map of observatories. Users can quickly find the time, location and nature of phenomena that occurred by comparing the quick-look plots of various data displayed by the browser. UDAS web allows researchers to interactively create stacked plots of various data types that can facilitate the understanding of the relationships among phenomena observed in different regions. Furthermore, it presents a command list for software dedicated to data analysis that can smoothly lead users to perform detailed analyses. IUGONET Type-A provides a one-stop data service that can assist users in searching, examining and comprehending data for advanced analysis. It is also capable of handling old data, including analogue data and written paper documents. Thus, it will provide useful support for innovative interdisciplinary scientific research on solar-terrestrial phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma‐ray glows are observational evidence of relativistic electron acceleration due to the electric field in thunderclouds. However, it is yet to be understood whether such relativistic electrons contribute to the initiation of lightning discharges. To tackle this question, we started the citizen science "Thundercloud Project," where we map radiation measurements of glows from winter thunderclouds along Japan's sea coast area. We developed and deployed 58 compact gamma‐ray monitors at the end of 2021. On 30 December 2021, five monitors simultaneously detected a glow with its radiation distribution horizontally extending for 2 km. The glow terminated coinciding with a lightning flash at 04:08:34 JST, which was recorded by the two radio‐band lightning mapping systems, FALMA and DALMA. The initial discharges during the preliminary breakdown started above the glow, that is, in vicinity of the electron acceleration site. This result provides one example of possible connections between electron acceleration and lightning initiation. Plain Language Summary: Thunderstorms are natural particle accelerators. The strong electric field inside thunderclouds accelerates relativistic electrons, which emit gamma rays via interaction with the atmosphere. High‐energy photons generated in this process have been observed as radiation enhancements called gamma‐ray glows. Winter thunderclouds along the sea of Japan are an ideal target for monitoring glows because their altitudes are usually sufficiently low for the generated gamma‐ray photons to reach the ground. We started a new citizen science "Thundercloud Project" in this area, where we distributed radiation detectors to citizen supporters to observe glows and to reveal their relationship with the aerological condition and lightning discharges. On 30 December 2021, five of those sensors detected a glow from a single thundercloud. Two of them recorded a sudden termination of the glow coinciding with a lightning flash, which was monitored by our two radio mapping systems of FALMA and DALMA. The initial discharges of the flash started at a location about 1.6 km above the glow region with an unusually fast downward progression. This paper is the first report of our citizen science project. We discuss the possibility that accelerated electrons contribute to the initiation of lightning discharges. Key Points: We started the citizen science "Thundercloud Project," a multi‐point observation campaign of gamma‐ray glows from thunderstormsOn 30 December 2021, five radiation monitors detected a 2‐km‐long size gamma‐ray glow, which suddenly terminated with a lightning flashTwo radio mapping systems of lightning identified the initiation of the discharges, which started at a location above the glow region [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1974 trade act substantially increased the executive branch's authority in trade negotiations through the granting of fast‐track and Section 301 authority. This paper evaluates the effect on U.S. voting behavior resulting from trade with Japan over 1976–1992 time period. To capture U.S. trade exposures to Japan, we develop the Bartik index from Autor et al. (2013) for import competition with Japan and show that local exposure to import competition had statistically significant negative impacts on Republican presidential candidates over the 1976–1984 period. Although the second Reagan administration used Section 301 to open Japan's markets and Japanese firms shifted production to the United States, job‐creation effects of exports and foreign direct investment did not have any influence on voting outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's fine ceramics (advanced ceramics) industry, which reached US$30 billion of production in 2018 (an annual growth rate of 6.3%), accounts for 40% of the global market. The mission of the Japan Fine Ceramics Association (JFCA), which consists of 116 corporate members related to fine ceramics, is to further promote the development of this industry. In this paper, we describe the recent trends of fine ceramics industry and the latest JFCA's activities, including the publication of the FC Roadmap 2050 (2021 edition). This roadmap addresses fine ceramics technologies and products that will meet increasingly diverse needs of society, market, and industry in the year 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study how related variety influences firm sales. We apply an instrumental variable method (as well as the most recent plausible instrumental variable method in robustness tests) to analyze more than 600,000 firm observations in all of Japan's 47 prefectures. We find that related variety, as a kind of regional industrial structure, has a U‐shaped relationship with firm sales. This finding enriches the related variety perspective by supplementing micro‐level evidence, revealing that the "related variety–firm sales" relationship is not linear, as most prior studies have suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to have long‐term effects on physical and mental health, not only in the US, but also other countries, including Japan. In this paper, measurement of assessment of ACEs has been discussed, that is, concept (what is ACEs), inquiry (how to ask about ACEs), scoring (how to count the number of ACEs), and prevalence (how many ACEs do we have). In addition, a possible mechanism on how ACEs affect health was summarized from a life‐course perspective, using the critical/sensitive period model, pathway model, and cumulative model with recent evidence on neurological findings. Intergenerational transmission, that is, maternal ACEs affecting the health of the offspring was also reviewed. Finally, future directions on how to prevent and remedy the impact of ACEs on health was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrasonic fatigue testing method was standardized in the Japan Welding Engineering Society. Scope of this standard is limited for metallic materials tested at room temperature. This standard applies not only to axial loading by longitudinal oscillation but also to torsional loading by torsional oscillation. The stipulated specimens are an hourglass‐shaped type, while other types of specimens are also acceptable. Explanation attached to this standard discloses data and theories behind each requirement. In particular, massive data are disclosed for a frequency effect with comparisons of the data between ultrasonic and conventional fatigue testings. The data are disclosed on low‐ and high‐strength steels, austenitic stainless steels, cast irons, titanium alloys, and aluminum alloys. These data suggest that the ultrasonic fatigue testing is well suited to high‐strength materials but not low‐strength materials. In addition to the introduction of the standard, studies using the ultrasonic fatigue testing are exampled in this paper. Highlights: The ultrasonic fatigue testing method was standardized.Explanation attached to this standard discloses massive data for the frequency effect.The testing method has been applied to various studies as in "examples of studies." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major eruption of volcano Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai in Tonga on 15 January 2022 generated atmospheric Lamb waves that propagated over the world. This seemed the first volcanic Lamb wave event that was clearly captured by the state‐of‐the‐art geostationary meteorological satellites. This paper provides visualization of the waves using thermal infrared images from geostationary satellite Himawari‐8. The second time derivatives of 10‐min interval images clearly illustrated the waves propagating at about 310 m s−1. The waves could be tracked for more than a week while they propagated five times round the earth. Automated wavefront identification illustrated nonuniform propagation speed. The signals in the satellite images well matched the surface pressure observations in Japan. Plain Language Summary: The major eruption of volcano Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai in Tonga on 15 January 2022 generated atmospheric pressure pulses that propagated over the world. This seemed the first event that was clearly captured by the state‐of‐the‐art geostationary meteorological satellites, such as Himawari‐8. Taking the time difference of Himawari‐8's 10‐min interval images twice, the waves that propagated at about 310 m s−1 could be tracked for more than a week while they propagated five times round the earth. This was not possible with the previous‐generation geostationary meteorological satellites. Visualized waves also illustrated how the propagation speed changes in space and time. The signals in the satellite images well matched the surface pressure observations in Japan. Key Points: Lamb waves from an eruption were clearly visualized by the second time derivative of satellite infrared images every 10 minThe waves could be tracked for more than a week while they propagated at least five times round the earth at a speed of about 310 m s−1The signals in the satellite images matched the surface pressure changes quantitatively [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The White Paper on Crime 2019 from the Japanese Ministry of Justice reported that the percentage of crimes committed by people with mental disabilities was only 1.0%. In contrast, the findings of a statistical survey of correctional facilities reported that 15.1% of the prisoners were diagnosed with a mental illness. This study aimed at clarifying the relationship between mental illness and crime among suspects in a detention house and explaining this large gap. Methods: Criminal suspects who were newly admitted in the Gifu detention house in Japan were eligible for the study. The status of psychotropic drug use was investigated, and its relationship with age, sex, offense history, and type of crime was analyzed. Newly prescribed medications in detention houses or police stations were excluded. Results: In total, 26.5% of the residents in a detention house used psychotropic drugs. The psychotropic drug use rate was 16.7% (excluding the sleeping pill use rate). The use rates of sleeping pills, anxiolytics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics were 22.6%, 11.1%, 3.0%, and 9.6%, respectively. Psychotropic drug use was high in illicit drug users and low in suspects for immigration violence. Psychotropic drug use was higher among female suspects, suspects in their 40s and 50s, and suspects with a multiple crime history. Anxiolytic (17.0%) and antipsychotic (11.9%) use rates were high among suspects for violence. Conclusion: In total, 26.5% of the subjects used psychotropic drugs. Psychotropic drug use was high in illicit drug users and low in suspects for immigration violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing expectation that research be communicated broadly to share knowledge across industry, professional, governmental, and public spheres. Scholarly publishers can benefit from the sharing of research beyond academia since the potential for societal impact encourages further support from both industry and governmental funders. This paper draws on qualitative in‐depth interview data from Australian‐ and Japanese‐based early career researchers (ECRs) to investigate how higher education institutions support the development of diverse communication skills needed by ECRs to effectively share their research both in academia and beyond. We found that sharing research for academic and other diverse audiences is often perceived as valued but may not always be supported. Output valuing was communicated in performance management, but there were compelling differences between the two nations, with Japanese‐based ECRs reporting a stronger expectation of research outputs for non‐academic audiences than their Australian counterparts. There were also indications that institutional support for both academic and translational outputs may change in response to nations' shifting research priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corneal endothelial diseases are common almost everywhere in the world and have 3 main origins: primary diseases, largely dominated by Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), iatrogenic diseases which mainly complicate lens surgery, whether cataract or clear lens, but also other surgeries. The frequency of these complications is very low but the number of these surgeries being gigantic (probably around 50 million cases/year/worlwide), the number of post‐surgical bullous keratopathy remains important. Post‐keratoplasty endothelial failure (early or late) is the 3rd cause. All these diseases "consume" 50% of corneal grafts in the world and a large part of the population does not have access to any graft. The number of corneal donors is absolutely insufficient to meet the world demand and corneal bioengineering appears to be a realistic solution to complete the offer. Because of its relative simplicity and the demonstrated effectiveness of endothelial keratoplasty, endothelial bioengineering is logically the first to be developed. The Japanese team of 2 Kyoto universities (Prof. S. Kinoshita, N. Koizumi and N. Okumura) is a pioneer in this field and has demonstrated the effectiveness of injection therapy, which consists of cultivating mature endothelial cells from a small number of corneas from young donors, then injecting them into the anterior chamber of patients. The industrialization of the process is underway in 2 different start‐ups, one in the United States, the other in Japan. In addition to injection therapy, the bioengineering of endothelial grafts (Tissue engineered endothelial keratoplasty, TEEK), which consists of cultivating endothelial cells on a "corneo‐compatible" carrier to exactly reproduce a DMEK or a DSAEK, has passed the preclinical stage. This presentation will detail these different processes, their current limitations and the short, medium and long term perspectives. These Advanced Therapy Medicinal products (ATMP) are clearly revolutionizing corneal transplantation. By offering a new treatment for endothelial diseases, they will make it possible to redirect donor corneas to other corneal diseases that have no therapeutic alternative. Finally, this paper will also discuss the prospects of medical and medico‐surgical treatments for FECD, which are at the frontier of endothelial bioengineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]