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Summary: The use of zirconium carbide (ZrC) as a substitute for silicon carbide (SiC) has been proposed to improve the performance of coated particles for high‐temperature gas‐cooled reactor (HTGR) fuel. Irradiation test on ZrC has proved that it has excellent characteristics for HTGR fuel compared with SiC, such as fission product retention capabilities and better resistance on fission product corrosion. Neutronic analysis on 30 MWt HTGR using ZrC and SiC has been performed in many previous studies. The research presented in this paper was conducted as a further continuation of the aforementioned studies. The present study was directed to analyze tristructural isotropic (TRISO)‐coated particles with ZrC as a substitute for the SiC layer on an HTGR with different power rates. Here, we used high‐temperature test reactor design, an experimental scale prismatic HTGR built and operated in Japan. The power was varied at the range of 50‐100 MWt, while the reactor geometry was modified by applying an additional fuel layer in the axial and radial directions. Neutronic analysis of the reactor was investigated by calculating the k‐eff, k‐inf, power peaking factor, burn‐up level, neutron spectrum, and Doppler effect using ZrC and SiC layers for TRISO‐coated fuel particles. The result shows the coated fuel particle using the ZrC layer has the same performance as SiC with an insignificant difference in the values on neutronic aspects calculation. Neutronic calculations are performed using the SRAC code with the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library 4.0 nuclear data library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coordinated Research Project of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA CRP-F41032) was launched with a goal to publish two compilations of an updated photonuclear data library and a reference database of photon strength functions. The PHOENIX (PHOto-Excitation and Neutron emIssion cross [X] sections) Collaboration has been established for the IAEA-CRP in the γ-ray beam line GACKO (GAmma Collaboration hutch of KOnan university) of the NewSUBARU synchrotron radiation facility in Japan. The collaboration provides (; xn) cross-section data to resolve the long-standing discrepancy between the Livermore and Saclay data on partial photoneutron cross sections. For the IAEA-CRP, a flat-efficiency neutron detector (FED) for (γxn) cross-section measurements was developed. The detector consists of ³He counters arranged in three concentric rings embedded in a polyethylene moderator. Due to the fact that the efficiency of the detector is constant for the neutron energies up to several MeV, it is possible to determine the partial photoneutron reactions cross sections using direct neutron-multiplicity sorting technique. The paper gives details of the experimental setup and data analysis, and preliminary results of total neutron-production cross sections in monochromatic approximation for 165Ho nucleus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface atmospheric electric field (AEF) measurements were conducted using a Kelvin water dropper equalizer by the Japan Meteorological Agency's geomagnetic observatory at Kakioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, from 1929 to February 28, 2021. To obtain AEF data successive to the water dropper measurement, we independently installed the field mills at Kakioka. In this present study, we estimated the calibration coefficients based on comparisons between the water dropper and the field mills through parallel observations over 3 days. The results revealed that the new observations could be regarded as continuous data. Our new data from the field mills in this study have begun the process of being distributed in GLObal Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements (GloCAEM) as both archived and real‐time data in 1 min and 1 s samplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fieldwork is about 'being there' in the field to gather data. But what happens when researchers cannot visit the field? This article explores how Japan scholars have been dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on their research. It examines how restrictions on travel affect access to materials and engagement with fieldwork subjects, highlighting how the pandemic has created both obstructions and opportunities. The term 'fieldwork' usually involves ethnographic methods of data collection such as participant observation and interviews, but a wider interpretation encompasses visiting archives, libraries and museums. This article takes an inclusive definition of fieldwork to discover the impact of not 'being there' for scholars of Japan. Findings show that the inability to 'be there' has led more scholars to seek out material from online data repositories, archives and library collections. However, while the demand for online resources is increasing, materials are not always easily accessible to Japan scholars. The impact of travel restrictions on librarians has in turn affected the aggregation of materials, which has occasioned scholars to seek alternative methods of sourcing materials. Finally, through a case study, this article examines the methods scholars are adopting in digital ethnographic data collection to adjust to not 'being there'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on public opinion surveys in Japan. Organizations carrying out social surveys; Efforts of establish a national data library which would preserve survey data in computer-readable form.

This review article describes the current status of data archiving and computational infrastructure in the field of genomic medicine, focusing primarily on the situation in Japan. I begin by introducing the status of supercomputer operations in Japan, where a high-performance computing infrastructure (HPCI) is operated to meet the diverse computational needs of science in general. Since this HPCI consists of supercomputers of various architectures located across the nation connected via a high-speed network, including supercomputers specialized in genome science, the status of its response to the explosive increase in genomic data, including the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) data archive, is explored. Separately, since it is clear that the use of commercial cloud computing environments needs to be promoted, both in light of the rapid increase in computing demands and to support international data sharing and international data analysis projects, I explain how the Japanese government has established a series of guidelines for the use of cloud computing based on its cybersecurity strategy and has begun to build a government cloud for government agencies. I will also carefully consider several other issues of user concern. Finally, I will show how Japan's major cloud computing infrastructure is currently evolving toward a multicloud and hybrid cloud configuration. Genomics: Cloud environments for data analysis in Japan An overview of the computational infrastructure available for genomic research in Japan highlights the importance of establishing hybrid cloud computing platforms. The enormous growth of genomic data necessitates a corresponding increase in computational infrastructure for analyses. A review by Osamu Ogasawara of Japan's National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan, highlights the strengths and challenges in the country's computational infrastructure. Several powerful supercomputers are linked to universities by a high-speed network for transferring large data sets. Commercial cloud services also provide on-demand availability, easy international collaboration, and reproducible workflows. However, the cloud market is dominated by three vendors, and there are concerns about privacy and data security. Ogasawara advocates a hybrid cloud approach allowing for on-premise analyses and movement between vendors, and notes that the government is developing a multi-cloud environment for domestic institutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review introduces the National Hospital Organization (NHO) database in Japan. The NHO has maintained two databases through a system of data collection from 140 hospitals in the NHO. National Hospital Organization Clinical Data Archives (NCDA) is collecting clinical information in real time from the electronic medical records since January 2016, and Medical Information Analysis (MIA) databank is collecting daily insurance claims data since April 2010. The NHO database covers more than 8 million patients in 140 hospitals throughout Japan. The database consists of the information of patient profiles, hospital admission and discharge, diagnosis with ICD-10 codes, text data from medical chart, daily health insurance claims such as medical procedures, medications or surgeries, vital signs and laboratory data, and so on. The NHO database includes a wide variety of diseases and settings, including acute, chronic and intractable diseases, emergency medical services, disaster medicine, response to emerging infectious disease outbreaks, medical care according to health policies such as psychiatry, tuberculosis, or muscular dystrophy, and health systems in sparsely populated non-urban areas. Among several common diseases, the database has representativeness in terms of age distribution compared with the Patient Survey 2017 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Interested researchers can contact ([email protected]) the NHO database division to obtain more information about the NHO database for utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: An investigation on the nuclear transmutations of elemental long‐lived fission products (LLFPs) in a fast reactor is being conducted in Japan, focusing on the Se‐79, Zr‐93, Tc‐99, Pd‐107, I‐129, and Cs‐135, to reduce the environmental burden. With their high neutron flux and adequate excessive neutrons, fast reactors are considered strong candidates for transmuting those LLFPs into stable isotopes or shorter effective half‐lives under the partition and transmutation (P/T) strategy. In this investigation, the LLFP subassembly is assumed to be loaded into the radial blanket region of a Japanese MONJU class sodium‐cooled fast reactor (710 MWth). This work focuses on two LLFPs, namely, I‐129 and Tc‐99. The LLFPs are mixed with YD2 or YH2 moderator material to enhance the LLFP transmutation rate. The results include the optimal position of the LLFP assembly in the radial blanket and the optimal moderator volume fraction to optimize the transmutation performance indices, that is, the transmutation rate (TR, %/year), the support factor (SF is defined as the ratio of transmuted to produced LLFP), and the effective half‐life (T‐half) of the LLFPs. A countermeasure is also devised to resolve the expected higher power peak at the fuel assembly adjacent to the LLFP assembly. The neutronics and burnup analyses are conducted using the continuous‐energy Monte Carlo SERPENT2 code with the JENDL‐4.0 nuclear data library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Japanese government has initiated lifelong learning policies to promote lifelong learning to a super-aging society. It is said that lifelong learning contributes to a richer and more fulfilling life. It is within this context that public libraries have been identified as ideal facilities for promoting lifelong learning. To support lifelong learning successfully, libraries must accurately grasp citizens' needs, all while working within limited budgets. To understand citizens' learning needs, this study uses public library circulation data. This study is significant because such data use is often unavailable in Japan. This data was used to clarify citizens' learning interests. Circulation data was compared from two libraries in Japan: Koto District Library in Tokyo and Tahara City Library in Aichi Prefecture. The data was used to identify general learning needs while also accounting for regional differences. The methodology and results of this research are significant for the development of lifelong learning policy and programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]