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The oscillation cycle and intensity in each part of the pelagic longline were investigated in Sagami Bay, Japan, to evaluate the effect on bait loss. The results of three longline operations were analyzed. The longline consisted of 25 ordinary and 15 midwater float baskets, with six branch lines per basket. Acceleration loggers were attached to the upper end (main float) and lower end of the float line, and the hook of the first and third branch lines. A depth logger was attached to the upper and lower ends of the branch line (hook). A video logger was attached, facing downward at a position 0.6 m above the hook. The periodicity of the oscillation was clarified by autocorrelation analysis, and the sum of the absolute values of the dynamic acceleration of the three axes (ODBA) was compared. From the video footage and autocorrelation analyses, the oscillation cycle of the hooks was approximately 3 s, which is the same as that of the main float. The ODBA of the first hook was 1.9–2.3 m/s2, which was significantly larger than the main float (1.1–1.4 m/s2) and the third hook (0.2–1.8 m/s2, p < 0.001). Therefore, the oscillation of the hook was derived from the vertical movement of the main float due to the wave, and it decreased as the distance from the main float increased. The third hook in the midwater float basket had an unclear cycle, and the ODBA was significantly smaller than that of the ordinary baskets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been actively applied in the agricultural sector. Several UAVs equipped with multispectral cameras have become available on the consumer market. Multispectral data are informative and practical for evaluating the greenness and growth status of vegetation as well as agricultural crops. The precise monitoring of rice paddy, especially in the Asian region, is crucial for optimizing profitability, sustainability, and protection of agro-ecological services. This paper reports and discusses our findings from experiments conducted to test four different commercially available multispectral cameras (Micesense RedEdge-M, Sentera Single NDVI, Mapir Survey3, and Bizworks Yubaflex), which can be mounted on a UAV in monitoring rice paddy. The survey has conducted in the typical paddy field area located in the alluvial plain in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. Six different vegetation indices (NDVI, BNDVI, GNDVI, VARI, NDRE and MCARI) captured by UAVs were also compared and evaluated monitoring contribution at three different rice cropping phases. The results showed that the spatial distribution of NDVI collected by each camera is almost similar in paddy fields, but the absolute values of NDVI differed significantly from each other. Among them, the Sentera camera showed the most reasonable NDVI values of each growing phase, indicating 0.49 in the early reproductive phase, 0.62 in the late reproductive stage, and 0.38 in the ripening phase. On the other hand, compared to the most commonly used NDVI, VARI which can be calculated from only visible RGB bands, can be used as an easy and effective index for rice paddy monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines whether the long-run validity of PPP holds in some major advanced and developing economies. The study employed the smooth time-varying cointegration (TVC) and time-varying detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) methodology, and we are not aware of any study that has applied TVC and DFA to investigate the long-run validity and determinants of the PPP. Using both the US and Japan as base countries, the empirical results from the univariate unit root tests show that PPP does not hold and thus invalidates PPP. The study finds strong evidence for both the VAR model and the TVC. Our results show that PPP can be used for determining equilibrium exchange rates for these 15 countries, under both methods. The results of DFA and the Hurst exponents for real exchange rates (RERs) in absolute values showed that the Hurst exponent is greater than 0.5 in any country, thus persistent and not mean-reverting but in a rolling window form RERs provide mixed results about the validity of PPP in these countries. These results might be different from earlier works due to different techniques applied and also the long period of data used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter thunderstorms in Japan are well known for the frequent production of energetic positive cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning flashes. By contrast, strong negative CG flashes or negative return strokes in winter thunderstorms are largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that negative return strokes with peak currents larger than 150 kA (absolute value) in winter thunderstorms in Japan mostly produce electric field change waveforms that are different from those of normal return strokes. Due to their unusual waveforms, these strongest negative strokes have not been recognized as return strokes by the lightning research community. We further demonstrate that these strong negative return strokes are preceded by a fast downward negative leader with a short duration and strong peak current. We suggest that the fast and powerful downward negative leader may be associated with downward terrestrial gamma‐ray flashes. We also present evidence that these strong negative strokes are likely "superbolts" observed from space. Plain Language Summary: The negative return stroke is the most well studied lightning discharge process. In this study, we demonstrate that negative return strokes with peak currents larger than 150 kA in winter thunderstorms in Japan mostly produce unique electric field change waveforms that are generally different from those of normal return strokes. Due to their unusual waveforms, these strongest negative strokes have not been recognized as return strokes by the lightning research community and may not be correctly identified by nationwide lightning location systems. Key Points: Negative return strokes with peak currents larger than 150 kA in winter in Japan produce unusual electric field change waveformsThese strongest negative return strokes are preceded by a fast downward negative leader with short duration and large peak currentThe preceding downward negative leader may be associated with downward terrestrial gamma‐ray flashes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a rare myocardial disease with an impaired diastolic function and poor prognosis. Almost all RCM patients are reported to have abnormal P-waves due to atrial overloading. This study aimed to reveal the characteristics of the P-waves in RCM patients and to suggest the diagnostic index of RCM in children with a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). We retrospectively investigated 17 ECGs of children with idiopathic RCM during the initial visit at 15 institutes in Japan between 1979 and 2013. The RCM group was divided into four groups based on the age (elementary school [ES] and junior high school [JHS] students) and inception of the diagnosis (abnormal ECG on school-heart-screening [e-RCM] and some cardiovascular symptoms [s-RCM]), the ES/e-RCM (n = 5), ES/s-RCM (n = 4), JHS/e-RCM (n = 4), and JHS/s-RCM (n = 4) groups. As an aged-match control group, school-heart-screening ECGs of 1st-grade ES students (16,770 students) and 1st-grade JHS students (18,126 students) from Kagoshima in 2016 were adopted. For a comparison between the groups, we used the effect size "Hedge's g" by calculating the mean and standard deviation of the two groups. An effect size of 0.8 (or above) had an overlap of 53% (or less). The effect sizes of the sum of the absolute values of the forward and backward amplitudes in lead V1 (P1 + P2 V1) was the largest, and the ES/e-RCM, ES/s-RCM, JHS/e-RCM, and JHS/s-RCM were 15.8, 22.1, 9.4, and 10.3, respectively. A P1 + P2 V1 > 200 μV was able to rule in all RCM patients, thus, we proposed 200 µV as the cutoff value for screening purposes. In conclusion, the P1 + P2 V1 in the school-heart-screening may be useful for detecting asymptomatic or early-stage RCM in school-age children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated geomorphology of the Japan Trench located east of Japan, Pacific Ocean. A high-resolution GEBCO Gridded Bathymetric Dataset was used for modeling, mapping and visualization. The study aimed to compare and analyse variations in the geomorphic structures of the two parts of the trench and to visualize variations in the geological, geophysical and bathymetric settings. Technically, the cartographic work was performed using scripting based on the Generic Mapping Toolset (GMT). Modelled cross-sectioning orthogonal profiles transecting the trench in a perpendicular direction were automatically digitized and graphed in the two segments. The results of the bathymetric analysis shown that the southern part is shallower: with deeper values in absolute (139 samples between -7000 to -8000 m) and statistical records (the most frequent values are within -5500 to -5800 m) comparing to the northern segment (-5300 to -5500 m). The geomorphological analysis shows a more complicated relief in the northern part of the trench, which has a higher seismic activity. The southern part has a gentler slope on the Honshu island side. The geoid modeling along the trench ranges in 0-20 mGal. The highest values are recorded by the Honshu Island (>40 mGal). The rest of the area has rather moderate undulations (20-40 mGal). The free-air marine gravity of the Sea of Japan is <40 mGal. The results include 2D and 3D graphical models, thematic cartographic maps, spatial and statistical analysis of the Japan Trench geomorphology. Tested GMT functionality can be applied to future regional bathymetric modeling of the ocean trenches. All presented maps and graphs are made using GMT scripting toolset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Characterization factors for biodiversity impact assessment derived from ecological zoning and land use classification have been proposed within life cycle assessment (LCA). However, their applicability to LCA of agricultural production systems has not yet been elucidated. This study clarifies correlations between regional-scale biodiversity indicators (characterization factors) and field-scale biodiversity indicators and estimates the degree of macro-micro inconsistencies in biodiversity indicators. Methods: Correlation coefficients were calculated between two types of variables. One is biodiversity (potential species loss) at the ecoregion level provided in UNEP/SETAC (2017) and Chaudhary and Brooks (2018), and the other is biodiversity (species richness) at the field level surveyed during a research project on biodiversity in Japan. The data on two taxa (amphibians and plants) in paddy fields were used for the analyses. Two types of correlation coefficients (the Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient) were calculated. Uncertainties of the correlation coefficients were estimated by statistical resampling because the number of surveyed years and regions were limited. Results and discussion: Although in most cases the signs of the coefficients were consistent with theoretical expectations that the correlation between potential species loss and species richness must be negative, the absolute values were low for all cases (especially for the case of amphibians and for the case of using the UNEP/SETAC characterization factors). It was difficult to estimate field-scale biodiversity from ecoregion-scale biodiversity. The introduction of land use intensity into the calculation of biodiversity at the ecoregion-scale increased the correlation coefficients for plants. Uncertainties due to limitations in the number of surveyed locations were larger than those arising from limitations in the number of surveyed years. These results highlighted the existence of macro-micro inconsistencies and the necessity of developing constructive approaches for biodiversity assessment in agriculture. Conclusions: It is concluded that employing characterization factors based on ecoregions and land use categories was not useful when assessing the biodiversity impacts of rice production systems at the field-scale because of the existence of macro-micro inconsistencies. Use of field monitoring methods, in addition to approaches to construct biodiversity indicators based on management practices, will be necessary for establishing sustainable agricultural production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA) for solid pancreatic lesions has high diagnostic yield. However, few prospective multicenter studies have been performed. We performed a prospective cohort study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EUS‐FNA for diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions. Methods: This prospective cohort study involved five hospitals in Japan. The primary outcome was sensitivity of EUS‐FNA for diagnosing malignant lesions. We also evaluated parameters of diagnostic sufficiency and the safety of EUS‐FNA. Results: In total, 246 patients were enrolled. The absolute values of the parameters evaluated showed no significant differences; however, the percentage changes in the white blood cell counts and C‐reactive protein levels after examination were significantly higher, and the percentage change in hemoglobin concentrations was significantly lower. The minor and major complication rates at the time of puncture, 24 h, 7 days and 28 days were 4.1%, 2.8%, 1.6%, and 0.0%, respectively. The true complication rate was 1.2%. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 97.2%, 88.0%, 96.2%, 100%, and 81.4%, respectively. Conclusions: EUS‐FNA for solid pancreatic lesions has high diagnostic yield and is safe, consistent with previously studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere play an integral role in many Earth system dynamics, including its influence on global temperature. The past can provide insights into these dynamics, but unfortunately reconstructing long-term trends of atmospheric carbon dioxide (expressed in partial pressure; pCO2) remains a challenge in paleoclimatology. One promising approach for reconstructing past pCO2 utilizes the isotopic fractionation associated with CO2 fixation during photosynthesis into organic matter (εp). Previous studies have focused primarily on testing estimates of εp derived from the δ13C of species-specific alkenone compounds in laboratory cultures and mesocosm experiments. Here, we analyze εp derived from the δ13C of more general algal biomarkers, i.e., compounds derived from a multitude of species from sites near a CO2 seep off the coast of Shikine Island (Japan), a natural environment with CO2 concentrations ranging from ambient (ca. 310 µ atm) to elevated (ca. 770 µ atm) pCO2. We observed strong, consistent δ13C shifts in several algal biomarkers from a variety of sample matrices over the steep CO2 gradient. Of the three general algal biomarkers explored here, namely loliolide, phytol, and cholesterol, εp positively correlates with pCO2 , in agreement with εp theory and previous culture studies. pCO2 reconstructed from the εp of general algal biomarkers show the same trends throughout, as well as the correct control values, but with lower absolute reconstructed values than the measured values at the elevated pCO2 sites. Our results show that naturally occurring CO2 seeps may provide useful testing grounds for pCO2 proxies and that general algal biomarkers show promise for reconstructing past pCO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a multipoint laser Doppler velocimeter (MLDV) that can measure blood flow velocity non‐invasively. The device can acquire blood flow velocity in absolute value and image the blood flow distribution. Absolute values of blood flow velocity indicated a follow‐up on the affected area. Therefore, we have performed a follow‐up for melanoma and breast cancer. However, this device does not have the ability to determine whether a measurement site is cancerous or not. Thus, in this study, we built a deep learning system with blood flow distribution images as input and tested whether it can discriminate melanoma or not. The results showed that this technique was particularly effective in the early stages of the disease when no abnormalities were found on the skin surface. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Detailed investigation of amplitude and frequency of cross-well tomography data. • Propose source and receiver coupling correction using data from first Fresnel zone. • Excludes possible effects from guided waves inside low-velocity layers. • Extracts high-attenuation zone around presumed open fracture zone. Seismic attenuation is an important property in the geothermal field because it is related to fluid content and reservoir fractures. However, seismic attenuation analysis is easily affected by various factors that must be carefully treated. We investigated cross-well tomography data acquired in the Yutsubo geothermal field and revealed factors affecting the frequency response of data for attenuation tomography. The amplitude of the first arrival waveforms suggests the presence of effects from source coupling, and properties of the surrounding medium affect the radiation pattern and absolute amplitude values. Also, the amplitude and centroid frequencies of the first arrival waveforms show highly variable values along traces, and analysis using an autocorrelation function suggests that there are also effects due to receiver coupling. In this study, we developed a method to correct a coupling effect by assuming that wavefields inside the first Fresnel zone have the same amplitude and frequency character. Our approach uses neighboring traces inside the first Fresnel zone to estimate correction functions. By applying correction functions, the final attenuation tomography results showed a decrease in standard deviation, which indicates that applying a coupling correction increased the inversion stability. In addition, we investigated the interference of guided waves inside a low-velocity layer using finite-difference modeling. A comparison of synthetic and real data suggests the possibility of the phenomena in our data, which is not widely recognized in the geothermal field. We adopted an approach that excluded data having the potential of interference from those waves. Our attenuation tomography results extracted a high-attenuation zone where open fractures are thought to be distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new model for estimation of daily probability for the Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) encounter was proposed. The model performance was tested for the period of 2004–2018 (August–November) using the data from the Russian vessel monitoring system. The following physical oceanographic variables were used for encounter probability prediction: the absolute values and gradients (∇) of speed (V) of passive particles, imitating water parcels, and Lagrangian indicators. The positive effects on the encounter probability of saury were found for V, ∇V, and for the gradient of the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (∇Λ), while the effect of particle path length was negative. That means that saury preferred places close to the boundaries of the oceanographic features, where Lagrangian fronts are situated, but not inside the features themselves, because Λ is small in regular flows and large at Lagrangiam fronts. The model did not include information about years and volume of saury catches, but its monthly mean of catch probability in September had the highest correlation with Russian annual catches outside the national waters between Russia and Japan (r = 0.76, p = 0.001) and total annual catches there (r = 0.73, p = 0.002). Timeseries analysis of principle components (PC) from daily predictions of saury catch probabilities has also shown that the third PC correlated highly with the annual biomass of saury (r ≥ 0.8, p < 0.05). The model seems to be useful to manage Russian fishery and may help to explain the reasons for the saury biomass decline. The latter is very important to take into account for development of the stock assessment models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative paleointensity (RPI) stacks provide a relative, global paleointensity variation, which reflects variations in the geocentric axial dipole moment. Previous calibrations of an RPI stack rely on adjusting a mean RPI to a mean of virtual axial dipole moments (VADMs), which are selected from absolute paleointensity (API) databases. To achieve more quantitative calibration of an RPI stack into absolute values, we propose a novel approach that compares (1) tephra-derived APIs and (2) the same tephras' horizons, in the oxygen isotope stratigraphy, tied RPIs (hereafter termed the "TA-TOR" approach). For the TA-TOR approach, APIs were newly determined for welded tuffs of 15 pyroclastic flow deposits in Japan. Eight of the 15 new APIs and 2 previously reported APIs have tephra horizons in the oxygen isotope stratigraphy. Based on the 10 data of the TA-TOR approach, combined with 4 data of the transitional field, VADMs calculated from the APIs (VADM API) were compared with isochronous RPIs from two RPI stacks, PISO-1500 and Sint-2000. The 14 data points in RPI vs. VADM API diagrams show a linear relationship with correlation coefficients of 0.83–0.89. Using the observed linear relationships, the two RPI stacks were reliably calibrated to VADM values (VADM RPI) for the period since 1.1 Ma. Compared with the VADMs calibrated by the previous studies, the present calibration provides a 12–13% smaller median/mean and a larger dispersion as represented by a 15–53% larger standard deviation for the two RPI stacks. The similarities between the cumulative distributions of VADM RPI from the two stacks and those of VADMs selected from the API database indicate the reliability of the present calibration. These results show that the present calibration, which relies on the TA-TOR approach, accurately converts a RPI stack into VADM RPI values and will contribute to studies on time variations in the geocentric axial dipole moment, sedimentary RPI, and cosmogenic radionuclides. Variations in VADM RPI for the past 1.1 Myr, obtained from PISO-1500 and Sint-2000 via the present calibration, can be used as standard geocentric axial dipole variations for this period. • We present a new approach to calibrating relative paleointensity (RPI) stacks. • Our approach compares absolute paleointensities (APIs) and RPIs at tephra horizons. • A linear relation was observed between RPIs and APIs for two RPI stacks. • The linear relation was used to calibrate the two RPI stacks into absolute values. • The analyses on the calibrated values indicate the validity of the calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rehabilitation for unilateral spatial neglect (USN) using prism adaptation (PA) is one of the most widely used methods, and the effectiveness of PA is well-evidenced. Although the effect of PA generalized various neglect symptoms, the effectiveness for some aspects of neglect is not fully proven. The Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) was developed to identify problems with the activities of daily living (ADL) caused by USN. The CBS is composed of 10 observation assessments and a self-assessment questionnaire. To assess the self-awareness of USN, the anosognosia score is calculated as the difference between the observational scores and the self-assessment scores. To investigate how PA affects ADL and self-awareness in subacute USN patients during rehabilitation, we analyzed each item of the CBS and self-awareness from a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) that we previously conducted (Mizuno et al., 2011). Methods: A double-masked randomized, controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of a 2-week PA therapy on USN in 8 hospitals in Japan. We compared each item of the CBS, anosognosia score, and absolute value of the anosognosia score between the prism group and the control group. Results: Two of ten items (gaze orientation and exploration of personal belongings) were significantly improved in the prism group compared with those in the control group. The absolute value of the anosognosia score was significantly improved by PA. Conclusions: Improvement of oculomotor exploration by PA may generalize the behavioral level in a daily living environment. This study suggested that PA could accelerate the self-awareness of neglect during subacute rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrasonic stations are sparse at many volcanoes, especially those on remote islands and those with less frequent eruptions. When only a single infrasound station is available, the seismic–infrasonic cross-correlation method has been used to extract infrasound from wind noise. However, it does not work with intense seismicity and sometimes mistakes ground-to-atmosphere signals as infrasound. This paper proposes a complementary method to identify the seismic component and the infrasonic component using a single microphone and a seismometer. We applied the method to estimate the surface activity on Ioto Island. We focused on volcanic tremors during the phreatic eruption on April 11, 2013, and during an unconfirmed event on September 12, 2018. We used the spectral amplitude ratios of the vertical ground motion to the pressure oscillation and compared those for the tremors with those for known signals generated by volcano-tectonic earthquakes and airplanes flying over the station. We were able to identify the infrasound component in the part of the seismic tremor with the 2013 eruption. On the other hand, the tremor with the unconfirmed 2018 event was accompanied by no apparent infrasound. We interpreted the results that the infrasound with the 2013 event was excited by the vent opening or the ejection of ballistic rocks, and the 2018 event was not an explosive eruption either on the ground or in the shallow water. If there was any gas (and ash) emission, it might have occurred gently undersea. As the method uses the relative values of on-site records instead of the absolute values, it is available even if the instrument sensitivity and the station site effects are poorly calibrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In US-Japan trade, Japan ran both economic export surplus and export CO 2 emission surplus with the US. Positive net monetary exports for Japan were actually a kind of economic losses of the US, while positive net export CO 2 emissions, or net CO 2 emissions embodied in US-Japan trade, were regarded as pollution transfer from U.S. to Japan. However, due to lack of unified measurement units and standards between the two research fields, it is difficult to directly assess whether positive effects of U.S. via carbon transfer outweigh negative effects caused by economic losses. The study transforms absolute values of net monetary exports and net export CO 2 emissions from 2000 to 2011 in US-Japan trade into two ratios: the ratio of net monetary exports to GDP of U.S. and the ratio of net embodied CO 2 emissions to total CO 2 emissions of the US. By comparison, the result shows that on average, net monetary exports between U.S. and Japan accounted for 0.45% of American GDP, while ratio of net export emissions to aggregate consumption-based CO 2 emissions of U.S. kept about 0.20% during the research period concerned, which indicated that negative effects of economic losses in U.S. outweighed positive effects via carbon transfer in US-Japan trade. Furthermore, a structural analysis of CO 2 emissions embodied in US-Japan trade during the 11 years is given. The most significant driver was emission coefficients, defined as CO 2 emissions per unit of energy consumption. The driving force of emission coefficients led to dramatic reduction in CO 2 flows from Japan to the US and thus caused decrease of net export emissions, which also explained the major reason for the low ratio of export emissions to total CO 2 emissions of the US. Finally, according to sectoral distributions of CO 2 flows between Japan and the US, emission sources of two countries presented different characteristics. • Aimed to uncover economic and environmental loss and gains in US-Japan trade. • Economic losses of U.S. outweighed its environmental benefits via carbon transfer with Japan. • Emission coefficients contribute most to CO 2 emissions embodied in US-Japan trade. • Manufacturing in Japan exports more than half of whole embodied CO 2 emissions to the US. • Sectoral distributions of export CO 2 emissions in U.S. are more balanced than that of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Properties of the baryon-baryon interactions in the strangeness S = -2 sector of chiral effective field theory at the next-to-leading order (NLO) level are explored by calculating Ξ single-particle potentials in symmetric nuclear matter. The results are transformed to the Ξ potential in finite nuclei by a local-density approximation with convolution by a Gaussian form factor to simulate finite-range effects. The Ξ potential is repulsive in a central region, and attractive in a surface area when the Ξ energy is low. The attractive pocket can lower the Ξ- s and p atomic states. The obtained binding energies in 12C and 14N are found to be conformable with those found in emulsion experiments at Japan's National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (KEK). K+ spectra of (K-, K+) Ξ production inclusive processes on 9Be and 12C are also evaluated, using a semiclassical distorted wave method. The absolute values of the cross section are properly reproduced for 9Be, but the peak locates at a lower energy position than that of the experimental data. The calculated spectrum of 12C should be compared with the forthcoming result from the new experiments recently carried out at KEK with better resolution than before. The comparison would be valuable to improve the understanding of the ΞN interaction, the parametrization of which has still large uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]