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Superconducting (SC) tokamak JT-60SA plays an essential role in fusion research and development by supporting and complementing the ITER project, providing directions to the DEMO design activity and fostering next generation scientists and engineers. Since the short circuit incident at the terminal joints of equilibrium field coil #1 during the integrated commissioning (IC) in March 2021, both EU and JA implementing agencies (IAs) have examined how to ensure safe operation of JT-60SA by mitigating the risk of possible discharge occurrence inside the cryostat. Based on the experience of the global Paschen tests, the IAs have established a strategy of risk mitigation measures, which is a combination of (i) reinforcement of insulation, (ii) avoiding unnecessary voltage application to the coil systems and (iii) immediate de-energization of the coils when deteriorated vacuum conditions are detected. Thanks to the considerable efforts of the Integrated Project Team members, the IC restarted in May 2023. After confirmation of the SC state of the coil systems (TF, EF and CS), the coil energization test and the plasma operation phase 1 (OP-1) started. The first plasma was successfully achieved on 23 October 2023 with a limited value of voltage and current applied to the coils. The plasma configuration control was also confirmed with low plasma current and low auxiliary heating power conditions. Based on the IO–F4E–QST collaboration, activities of JT-60SA have been shared with the IO and provided an important lesson for ITER assembly and commissioning, and will provide an outstanding contribution to fusion research at large. After OP-1, maintenance & enhancement phase 1 (M/E-1) starts from January 2024, in which in-vessel components are installed, and heating and diagnostic systems are extensively upgraded to allow a high power heating experiment planned in OP-2. In order to make the best use of JT-60SA, a newly organized JT-60SA experiment team will refine the research plan for the future high heating power operation phase.

Electrolysis integrates renewable energy into chemical manufacturing and is key to sustainable chemistry. Controlling the waveform beyond direct current (DC) addresses the long-standing obstacle of chemoselectivity, yet it also expands the parameter set to optimize, creating a demand for theoretical predictions. Here, we report the first analytical theory for predicting chemoselectivity in an alternating current (AC) electrosynthesis. The mechanism is a selective reversal of the unwanted redox reaction during periods of opposite polarity, reflected in the final reaction outcome as a time-averaged effect. In the ideal scenario of all redox reactions being reversible, square AC waveform biases the outcome toward more overoxidation/over-reduction, whereas sine AC waveform exhibits the opposite effect. However, in a more realistic scenario of some redox reactions being quasi-reversible, sine AC may behave mostly like square AC. These predictions are in numerical agreement with model experiments employing acetophenone and align qualitatively with the literature precedent. Collectively, this study provides theoretical proof for a growing trend that promotes changing waveforms to overcome limitations challenging to address by varying canonical electrochemical parameters.

Electrophilic halogenation is a widely used tool employed by medicinal chemists to either pre-functionalize molecules for further diversity or incorporate a halogen atom into drugs or drug-like compounds to solve metabolic problems or modulate off-target effects. Current methods to increase the power of halogenation rely on either the invention of new reagents or activating commercially available reagents with various additives such as Lewis or Brønsted acids, Lewis bases and hydrogen-bonding activators. There is a high demand for new reagents that can halogenate otherwise unreactive compounds under mild conditions. Here we report the invention of a class of halogenating reagents based on anomeric amides, taking advantage of the energy stored in the pyramidalized nitrogen of N-X anomeric amides as a driving force. These robust halogenating methods are compatible with a variety of functional groups and heterocycles, as exemplified on over 50 compounds (including 13 gram-scale examples and 1 flow chemistry scale-up)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to develop an application that computes dose values resembling diagnostic reference level (DRL) conditions when disparity prevents direct dose comparisons between the national diagnostic reference levels in Japan 2020 (Japan DRLs_2020) and facility-specific computed tomography (CT) protocols., Methods: We developed an application using the R programming language and RStudio software that computes dose values and median values based on Japan DRLs_2020 imaging conditions following extraction of necessary information for dose calculations from the Radiation Dose Structured Report (RDSR) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) tags. To ensure a user-friendly experience, we used the Shiny package to develop a graphical user interface that enables the application to operate seamlessly in web browsers., Results: The developed application successfully facilitated the calculation of dose and median values that aligned with the Japan DRLs_2020 for protocols whose imaging range and acquisition timing differed from those of the Japan DRLs_2020., Conclusion: By calculating dose values that align with DRL conditions, our application contributes to the implementation and optimization of dose management in CT for facilities that use diverse imaging protocols.

A sustainable society requires high-energy storage devices characterized by lightness, compactness, a long life and superior safety, surpassing current battery and supercapacitor technologies. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which typically exhibit great toughness, have emerged as promising candidates for innovative energy storage solutions. Here we produced SWCNT ropes wrapped in thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers, and demonstrated experimentally that a twisted rope composed of these SWCNTs possesses the remarkable ability to reversibly store nanomechanical energy. Notably, the gravimetric energy density of these twisted ropes reaches up to 2.1 MJ kg -1 , exceeding the energy storage capacity of mechanical steel springs by over four orders of magnitude and surpassing advanced lithium-ion batteries by a factor of three. In contrast to chemical and electrochemical energy carriers, the nanomechanical energy stored in a twisted SWCNT rope is safe even in hostile environments. This energy does not deplete over time and is accessible at temperatures ranging from -60 to +100 °C., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aim: There is limited evidence regarding predictors of changes in suicidal ideation (SI) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The objective of this study was to describe changes in SI over a 6-month period and identify their predictors from naturalistic observations of MDD patients., Methods: In the cross-sectional analysis, we examined 257 patients with MDD at the first-visit assessment. Among the patients, 119 who completed the 6-month assessment (completers) were included in the longitudinal analysis. For the evaluation of depressive symptoms, including SI, the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Japanese version was administered at both the first-visit and follow-up assessments. At baseline, we also administered the Japanese version of the Ten Item Personality Inventory to assess personality traits and the PRIME Screen-Revised to assess psychotic symptoms., Results: In the cross-sectional analysis of first-visit patients, 36.2% (93/257) exhibited SI. Among completers, 14.3% (17/119) had prolonged SI. Among the completers with SI at the first-visit assessment, 38.6% (17/44) had SI at the follow-up assessment (prolonged SI). In linear regression models including all completers, prolonged SI was positively associated with endorsement of suspiciousness/persecutory ideas and negatively associated with higher age., Conclusion: More than one-third of completers who had SI at the first-visit assessment experienced prolonged SI (SI at follow-up). Our findings can help clinicians predict the course of MDD by identifying associated demographic and clinical characteristics., (© 2024 The Authors. Neuropsychopharmacology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology.)

Background: Vortioxetine, known for its efficacy in treating depression through its effects on various neurotransmitters, has not been previously reported to induce syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)., Case Presentation: This case report describes a 74-year-old man with major depressive disorder who developed SIADH 1 week after starting treatment with vortioxetine. SIADH is characterized by symptoms such as headache, nausea, disorientation, and seizures, stemming from hyponatremia (123 mEq/L), without dehydration or edema. Vortioxetine was discontinued, and an alternative drug, mianserin, was initiated. The patient was restricted from drinking water due to hyponatremia. The serum Na concentration improved over time to within the normal range by the second week after admission., Conclusion: This is the first case report of vortioxetine-induced SIADH., (© 2024 The Authors. Neuropsychopharmacology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology.)

C-C linked glutarimide-containing structures with direct utility in the preparation of cereblon-based degraders (PROTACs, CELMoDs) can be assessed in a single step from inexpensive, commercial α-bromoglutarimide through a unique Brønsted-acid assisted Ni-electrocatalytic approach. The reaction tolerates a broad array of functional groups that are historically problematic and can be applied to the simplified synthesis of dozens of known compounds that have only been procured through laborious, wasteful, multi-step sequences. The reaction is scalable in both batch and flow and features a trivial procedure wherein the most time-consuming aspect of reaction setup is weighing out the starting materials., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The synthesis of quaternary carbons often requires numerous steps and complex conditions or harsh reagents that act on heavily engineered substrates. This is largely a consequence of conventional polar-bond retrosynthetic disconnections that in turn require multiple functional group interconversions, redox manipulations, and protecting group chemistry. Here, we report a simple catalyst and reductant combination that converts two types of feedstock chemicals, carboxylic acids and olefins, into tetrasubstituted carbons through quaternization of radical intermediates. An iron porphyrin catalyst activates each substrate by electron transfer or hydrogen atom transfer, and then combines the fragments using a bimolecular homolytic substitution (S H 2) reaction. This cross-coupling reduces the synthetic burden to procure numerous quaternary carbon---containing products from simple chemical feedstocks.

Chiral aminoalcohols are omnipresent in bioactive compounds. Conventional strategies to access this motif involve multiple-step reactions to install the requisite functionalities stereoselectively using conventional polar bond analysis. This study reveals that a simple chiral oxazolidine-based carboxylic acid can be readily transformed to substituted chiral aminoalcohols with high stereochemical control by Ni-electrocatalytic decarboxylative arylation. This general, robust, and scalable coupling can be used to synthesize a variety of medicinally important compounds, avoiding protecting and functional group manipulations, thereby dramatically simplifying their preparation.

Background: Constipation is a common adverse effect of antipsychotics, but little investigation has been conducted. We aimed to address the factors associated with the initiation of laxative use in the same patients with schizophrenia over a 20-year period., Methods: We enrolled patients with schizophrenia attending each hospital (n = 14) from April 1, 2021, and retrospectively examined all prescriptions as of April 1, 2016, 2011, 2006, and 2001, every 5 years starting in 2021, for this population. 716 participants with complete data were included in the analysis. The Cochran Q test followed by Bonferroni correction and the Cochran-Armitage trend test were used to determine the differences and trends of the frequency of each laxative. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors on the initiation of laxative use over a 20-year period., Results: Of the patients, 25.1% were treated with laxatives in 2001, and 34.1% were treated in 2021. The numbers of patients treated with any laxatives significantly differed over the 20-year period, with a significant increasing trend. In all laxatives, the numbers of patients treated with magnesium oxide, lubiprostone and elobixibat differed with a significant increasing trend. Female sex, age, the total DZP equivalent dose, and the doses of levomepromazine maleate, olanzapine, quetiapine, zotepine, lithium, and carbamazepine in 2021 were significant factors associated with the initiation of laxative use over the 20-year period., Conclusions: Careful monitoring is needed for patients treated with levomepromazine maleate, olanzapine, quetiapine and zotepine. Optimizing prescriptions according to treatment guidelines could reduce antipsychotic-induced constipation., (© 2023 The Authors. Neuropsychopharmacology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology.)