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Computerized assessments and interactive simulation tasks are increasingly popular and afford the collection of process data, i.e., an examinee's sequence of actions (e.g., clickstreams, keystrokes) that arises from interactions with each task. Action sequence data contain rich information on the problem-solving process but are in a nonstandard, variable-length discrete sequence format. Two methods that directly extract features from the raw action sequences, namely multidimensional scaling and sequence-to-sequence autoencoders, produce multidimensional numerical features that summarize original sequence information. This study explores the utility of action sequence features in understanding how problem-solving behavior relates to cognitive proficiencies and demographic characteristics. This is empirically illustrated with the process data from the 2012 PIAAC PSTRE digital assessment. Regularized regression results showed that action sequence features are more predictive of examinees' demographic and cognitive characteristics compared to final outcomes. Partial least squares analysis further aided the identification of behavioral patterns systematically associated with demographic/cognitive characteristics.

Formative assessment has been long emphasised as a powerful means for enhancing science learning. However, there is still a lack of research to investigate the impacts of formative assessment on both students' motivational beliefs and behaviours in science learning. This study examined such impacts using data from six Western and six East Asian countries/economies in PISA 2015. 96,491 15-year-old students were included. The SEM analysis of overall data showed that (i) formative assessment had both direct effects on students' science learning behaviours and indirect impacts mediated by students' motivational beliefs and (ii) the total effect of teacher feedback on science learning behaviours was greater than adaptive instruction. The comparison between Western and East Asian datasets indicated that (i) the impact of teacher feedback on East Asian students' motivational beliefs was greater than that on their Western counterparts; (ii) the impact of adaptive instruction on Western students' motivational beliefs was greater than that on East Asian counterparts; and (iii) the direct impacts of teacher feedback and adaptive instruction on science learning behaviours were similar for both groups of students. Suggestions were made on how to effectively implement formative assessment to enhance science learning in different cultural contexts.

This study examines the role of agency in a young trilingual child's language choice in interaction with her Mandarin-speaking grandparents. The child was born in Japan to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father. English is used as a lingua franca in the family. The study demonstrates how the child asserts her agency to negotiate the decisions and efforts made by the grandparents. The bond of the heritage language and culture, and the value of child trilingualism are strongly desired and explicitly implemented in the grandparents' monolingual or 'bilingual-like' discourse strategies in dealing with the child's mixed codes. Meanwhile, the child's flexible language use is not a passive response to the grandparents' strategies but an exercise of her four significant senses and behaviour, which are: (1) resisting through no response; (2) moving on in a dual-lingual conversation; (3) assisting the grandparents to decode her non-Mandarin speech; and (4) modifying the language choices of herself and others. This study suggests that language choices of trilingual children are complex. It also provides empirical evidence that grandparents provide an important incentive in the planning of family language policy.

Objectives: Patients undergoing a prior failed attempt of chronic total occlusion‐percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO‐PCI) represent a challenging subgroup across all patients undergoing CTO‐PCI. There are limited data on the effects of a prior failed attempt on the outcomes of subsequent CTO‐PCI. We aimed to compare the procedural results and 24‐month outcomes of prior‐failed‐attempt CTO‐PCI with those of initial‐attempt CTO‐PCI. Methods: Patients who underwent attempted CTO‐PCI between January 2017 and December 2019 were prospectively enrolled. We analyzed the procedural results and 24‐month major adverse cardiac events (MACE) between patients who underwent prior‐failed‐attempt and initial‐attempt CTO‐PCI. MACE was defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel‐related myocardial infarction, and ischemia‐driven target vessel revascularization (TVR) during follow‐up. Results: In total, 484 patients who underwent CTO‐PCI (prior‐failed‐attempt, n = 49; initial‐attempt, n = 435) were enrolled during the study period. After propensity score matching (1:3), 147 patients were included in the initial‐attempt group. The proportion of the Japanese‐CTO (J‐CTO) score ≥2 was higher in the patients who underwent prior failed attempt than in those who underwent initial attempt (77.5% vs. 38.8%, p < 0.001). The retrograde approach was more often adopted in the prior‐failed‐attempt group than in the initial‐attempt group (32.7% vs. 3.4%, [P< 0.001). Successful CTO revascularization rates were significantly lower in the prior‐failed attempt‐group than in the initial attempt group (53.1% vs. 83.3%, P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis revealed that J‐CTO score ≥2 [odds ratio (OR), 0.359; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.159–0.812; P = 0.014], intravascular ultrasound procedure (OR, 4.640; 95% CI, 1.380–15.603; P = 0.013), and prior failed attempt (OR, 0.285; 95% CI, 0.125–0.648; P = 0.003) were the independent predictors for successful CTO revascularization. There were no significant differences in major procedural complications (2.0% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.438) and MACE rates (4.1% vs. 8.8%, p = 0.438) between the groups, mainly due to the TVR rate (4.1% vs. 8.2%, P = 0.522). Conclusions: Compared with initial‐attempt CTO‐PCI, prior‐failed‐attempt CTO‐PCI deserves more attention, since it is associated with a lower successful CTO revascularization rate. Prior failed attempt, J‐CTO score ≥2, and IVUS procedure are the determining factors for predicting successful CTO revascularization. There are no significantly different unfavorable outcomes between patients who undergo prior‐failed‐attempt and initial‐attempt CTO‐PCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the advantages of coastal areas in the fields of agriculture, transport, and fishing, increasingly more people are moving to these areas. Sea level information is important for these people to survive after extreme sea level events. With the recent improvements in computing and storage capacities, image analysis as a new measuring method is being rapidly developed and widely applied. In this paper, a multi-camera-based sea level height measuring system was built along Japan's coast and a deep-learning-based stereo matching method has been proposed for this system to complete 3D measurements. In this system, cameras are set with long base distances to ensure the long-distance monitoring system's precision, which causes a huge difference between the fields of view of the left and right cameras. Since most common network structures complete stereo matching by depth-wise cross-correlation between left and right images, they rely too much on the high-quality rectification of two images and fail on our long-distance sea surface images. We established a feature detection and matching network to realize sea wave extraction and sparse stereo matching for the system. Based on our previous result using the traditional method, the initial disparity was computed to reduce the search range of stereo matching. A training set with 785 pairs of sea surface images and 10,172 pairs of well-matched sea wave images was constructed to supervise the network. The experimental results verified that the proposed method can realize sea wave extraction and mask generation. It can also realize sparse matching of sea surface images regardless of poor rectification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aimed to investigate the effect of crew ratios of on-scene advanced life support (ALS)-trained personnel on patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We systematically searched PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from the inception date until September 30, 2022, for eligible studies. Two reviewers independently screened the studies for relevance, extracted data, and quality. We compared the effect of the ratio of on-scene ALS-trained personnel >50 % to those with a ratio ≤50 % among prehospital personnel on the clinical outcomes of OHCA patients. The primary outcome was survival-to-discharge and secondary outcomes were any return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), sustained ROSC (≥2 h), and favourable neurological outcome at discharge (cerebral performance category scores: 1 or 2). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated, and the certainty of evidence was assessed. From 10,864 references, we identified four non-randomised studies, including 16,475 patients. Two studies were performed in Japan and two in Taiwan. There were significant differences in survival-to-discharge (OR: 1.24, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.44, I2: 7 %), any ROSC (OR:1.22, 95 % CI: 1.04–1.43, I2: 74 %) and sustained ROSC (OR: 1.39, 95 % CI: 1.16–1.65, I2: 40 %), but insignificant differences in favourable neurological outcome at discharge. The overall certainty of evidence was rated as very low for all outcomes. Prehospital ALS care with a ratio of on-scene ALS-trained personnel >50 % could improve OHCA patient outcomes than crew ratios ≤50 %. Further studies are required to reach a robust conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubus chingii Hu 1925 is an important medicinal vine shrub in the Rosaceae family, widely distributed in China and Japan. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of R. chingii was sequenced and identified. The chloroplast genome was 155,563 bp in size with a total GC content of 37.06%. Two 25,749-bp inverted repeat (IRA and IRB) regions divided the genome as four sections, with the remainder forming a large single-copy (LSC, 85,322 bp) and a small single-copy (SSC, 18,743 bp) regions. This genome contained a total of 131 genes, of which 86 were protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis showed that R. chingii, along with several other R. longisepalus, R. tsangii, R. hirsutus, R. taiwanicola, R. rubroangustifolius, and R. glandulosopunctatus, formed the monophylic group. Interestingly, the chloroplast genome structure we reported was different from the previously reported structure and provided richer phylogenetic analysis information in the Rubus genus compared to previous studies. The genome information reported in this paper will provide some useful information for further investigation on the evolution of the family Rosaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate detection of violations in the process of high‐altitude operation plays an essential role in improving the safety production level of distribution network work. The basis of detecting violations in work at high altitude is to accurately measure the ground height of relevant workers and tools. Therefore, in this study, a method of on‐site elevation measurement in distribution network based on the combination of atmospheric pressure measurement and climbing motion detection is proposed. Through the atmospheric pressure sensor installed on the operator, the accurate value of the altitude change of the operator in a short time can be obtained. At the same time, the acceleration sensor and SVM classifier are used to identify the climbing action of the operator, and the CDHA algorithm is proposed to accumulate the height changes measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor when the operator climbs, so as to obtain the height value of the operator relative to the ground. At the same time, the problem that the height measurement results of the atmospheric pressure sensor drift significantly after a long time of operation is solved. The experimental results show that the average measurement error of the operator's height above the ground by this method is 0.33 m, which is better than the existing comparison methods, and further verifies the validity of the proposed method in accurately determining the height of operator off the ground. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eight-year-long period from Japan's initiation of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 to its unconditional surrender in 1945 forced Japan to invest its national economy and industrial and scientific technologies in the war. In addition, in the name of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, Japan initiated its assimilation and Kominka (Japanisation) policies (foreign characters omitted) in the colonies Korea and Taiwan. Japan used education as a tool to expand its influence over members of society, and attempted the frequent use of Japanese and Kominka (foreign characters omitted) in daily life to penetrate the awareness of people in the colonies. Japan also started to enforce various assimilation policies. A comparison of the implementation of Kominka policies (foreign characters omitted) in Taiwan and Korea shows that, in terms of school admission rates and frequency of use of Japanese, the proportion of school admission rates for frequent speakers of Japanese to primary education in Taiwan are significantly higher than those in Korea. Moreover, in terms of primary education, national schools were implemented in both Taiwan and Korea according to the "National School Order" promulgated in 1941. Japan made use of the term "education equality" to win people over. In fact, it aimed to strengthen the concept of Kominka (foreign characters omitted), the education of militarism, and to force the Taiwanese and Koreans to become "imperial citizens" loyal to the Emperor. Japan's ultimate objective was to create an environment that met military needs for civilian and military resources.

Shiitake mushrooms are a fungal food that has been recorded in Chinese medicine to nourish the blood and qi. Lentinan (lLNT) is an active substance extracted from shiitake mushrooms with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor functions. Inflammatory diseases and cancers are the leading causes of death worldwide, posing a serious threat to human life and health and posing enormous challenges to global health systems. There is still a lack of effective treatments for inflammatory diseases and cancer. LNT has been approved as an adjunct to chemotherapy in China and Japan. Studies have shown that LNT plays an important role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases as well as oncological diseases. Moreover, clinical experiments have confirmed that LNT combined with chemotherapy drugs has a significant effect in improving the prognosis of patients, enhancing their immune function and reducing the side effects of chemotherapy in lung cancer, colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. However, the relevant mechanism of action of the LNT signaling pathway in inflammatory diseases and cancer. Therefore, this article reviews the mechanism and clinical research of LNT in inflammatory diseases and tumor diseases in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Depression, anxiety and schizophrenia among older persons have become global public health challenges. However, the burden of these disorders in ageing and aged countries has not been analysed. Aims To investigate the burden of depression, anxiety and schizophrenia among older adults in ageing and aged countries. Methods Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, we calculated the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) in the age-standardised incidence rates (ASIR) and age-standardised disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates (ASDR) for depression, anxiety and schizophrenia of older people in ageing countries (China, India, Indonesia) and aged countries (Japan, Italy, Portugal) between 1990 and 2019. Trends in incidence and DALYs were analysed by gender and age. Results In 2019, the highest incidence of depression, anxiety and schizophrenia in the older population in aged countries was in Japan (927 271.3 (752 552.3-1 125 796.5), 51 498.2 (37 625.7-70 487.3) and 126.0 (61.0-223.2), respectively), while the highest incidence in ageing countries was in China (5 797 556.9 (4 599 403.4-7 133 006.5), 330 256.1 (246 448.9-445 987.4) and 1067.7 (556.2-1775.9), respectively). DALYs for these disorders were similar, with the highest in Japan and China. From 1990 to 2019, the ASIR for depressive disorders decreased in aged countries but increased in ageing countries; the ASIR for anxiety disorders and schizophrenia declined in both ageing and aged countries. The ASDR for depressive disorders was consistent with the ASIR but not for anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The ASIR for depressive disorders was higher in older women, while the opposite was observed in anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Notably, the conditions of burden of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia in the 65-70-year-old age group were the most burdensome. Conclusions The incidence and DALYs of these three mental disorders increased while exhibiting differences between ageing and aged countries. Raising awareness about formulating health policies for preventing and treating mental disorders in the older population is necessary to reduce the future burden posed by the ageing challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of heatwave events is vital to provide information on possible hazards caused by extremely high temperature. The Pacific–Japan (PJ) pattern is a significant climate variability that controls the summer climate over East Asia. Previous studies have reported that the meridional propagating wave structure associated with the PJ pattern can modulate summer temperature and heatwave characteristics over northeast Asian countries, such as Korea and Japan. Nevertheless, its impacts on the subtropical regions, including Taiwan, a mountainous subtropical island with an approximate population of 24 million, is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the impacts of the PJ pattern on the summer temperature and heatwave characteristics in Taiwan on the interannual timescale using long‐term station‐based temperature and rainfall dataset. We found an island‐wide increase in temperature during the positive phase of the PJ pattern, which is characterized by an anticyclonic anomalous circulation over Taiwan. Meanwhile, the averaged effective area and frequency of heatwave extremes over Taiwan have increased significantly, indicating an increase of exposure to heatwaves. Our examinations of large‐scale environment suggest that the adiabatic warming due to subsidence anomaly associated with the anticyclone over Taiwan is primary contributor of surface warming, which is balanced by diabatic cooling and meridional advective cooling on a seasonal timescale. Our study consolidated the links between the PJ pattern as a climate driver, hot summers and increased summer heatwave events over Taiwan. By combining with the seasonal prediction systems and early warning systems, such understanding can help sectors that are vulnerable to heat stress to prepare for potential hazards. [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]

The IPCC sixth assessment report forecasts sea level rise (SLR) of up to 2 m along coasts by 2100 relative to 1995–2014 following business as usual (SSP585) scenarios. Geoengineering may reduce this threat. We use five Earth System Models simulations of two different solar geoengineering methods (solar dimming and stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection), that offset radiative forcing differences between SSP585 "no-mitigation" and the modest mitigation SSP245 greenhouse gas scenarios, to analyze the impact on global mean thermosteric and dynamic regional sea levels. By 2080–2099, both forms of geoengineering reduce global mean thermosteric sea level by 36–41% (11.2–12.6 cm) relative to SSP585, bringing the global mean SLR under SSP585 in line with that under SSP245, but do not perfectly restore regional SLR patterns. Some of the largest reductions (∼18 cm) are on densely populated coasts of eastern Northern America and Japan and along vulnerable Arctic coastal permafrost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endoscopic resection (ER) is widely applied to treat early colorectal cancer (CRC). Predicting the invasion depth of early CRC is critical in determining treatment strategies. The use of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) algorithms could theoretically make accurate and objective predictions regarding the suitability of lesions for ER indication based on invasion depth. This study aimed to assess diagnostic test accuracy of CAD algorithms in predicting the invasion depth of early CRC and to compare the performance between the CAD algorithms and endoscopists. Methods: Multiple databases were searched until June 30, 2022 for studies that evaluated the diagnostic performance of CAD algorithms for invasion depth of CRC. Meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy using a bivariate mixed-effects model was performed. Results: Ten studies consisting of 13 arms (13,918 images from 1472 lesions) were included. Due to significant heterogeneity, studies were stratified into Japan/Korea-based or China-based studies. For the former, the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the CAD algorithms were 0.89 (95% CI 0.86–0.91), 62% (95% CI 50–72%), and 96% (95% CI 93–98%), respectively. For the latter, AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.94 (95% CI 0.92–0.96), 88% (95% CI 78–94%), and 88% (95% CI 80–93%), respectively. The performance of the CAD algorithms in Japan/Korea-based studies was not significantly different from that of all endoscopists (0.88 vs. 0.91, P = 0.10) but was inferior to that of expert endoscopists (0.88 vs. 0.92, P = 0.03). The performance of the CAD algorithms in China-based studies was better than that of all endoscopists (0.94 vs. 0.90, P = 0.01). Conclusion: The CAD algorithms showed comparable accuracy for prediction of invasion depth of early CRC compared to all endoscopists, which was still lower than expert endoscopists in diagnostic accuracy; more improvements should be achieved before it can be extensively applied to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the bootstrap rolling window approach to analyze the dynamic causal relationship between the fiscal deficit and the trade deficit in the US from 1901 to 2018. We find the origination and termination of each causality period by considering the structural breaks. The results show that the fiscal deficit had a positive impact on the trade deficit from 1946 to 1956, from 1982 to 1998, in 2000 and from 2002 to 2008, which is in accord with the results of the Mundell–Fleming model, while it had a negative impact from 1937 to 1945. The trade deficit had a positive impact on the fiscal deficit from 1940 to 1942, from 1959 to 1975 and from 1981 to 1994, mainly due to the World War II, oil crisis and trade friction with Japan. It means that the fiscal policy of American federal government can affect the external imbalance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of model resolution on the simulation of tropical cyclone (TC) landfall frequency in East Asia [including the South China Sea (SCS), Taiwan and coastal areas of East China (TWCN) and Japan (JP)] was investigated by comparing Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) type simulations on the basis of 50-km High Resolution Atmospheric Models (HiRAMs) and 25-km HiRAM. The number of TC landfalls in the TWCN region was realistically simulated by the 50-km HiRAM ensemble model. However, fewer (more) TCs were steered westward (northward) toward the SCS (JP) because of an overestimation of the monsoon trough in the western North Pacific (WNP). The overestimation created a low-level cyclonic circulation anomaly in the WNP, which substantially modified steering flow. Consequently, more (less) TC made landfall in JP (SCS). The overestimation of the monsoon trough in model was primarily resulted from compounding factors, including the AMIP type simulation, upscale feedback of TCs to mean flow and the monsoon flow–topography interaction in the Indochina Peninsula Mountains and Philippine. First, the SST was negatively correlated with precipitation in the WNP during the typhoon season for the observation. Conversely, the SST–precipitation relationship was positive in the AMIP run. Second, the upscale feedback of TCs to mean flow (monsoon trough) was overestimated, which in term contributed to the overestimation of monsoon trough. Third, the model underestimated the mountain lifting effect in the Indochina Peninsula and Philippine. Overall, the aforementioned biases were substantially improved by increasing model's horizontal resolution from 50-km to 25-km HiRAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clouds are the primary source of uncertainty in the prediction of climate change. To reduce the uncertainty of cloud simulations and overcome this difficulty in prediction, many climate modeling centers are now developing a new type of climate model, the global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model, which reduces the uncertainty arising from a cumulus parameterization by computing clouds explicitly using a cloud microphysics scheme. Among the global nonhydrostatic atmospheric models used in recent intercomparison studies, NICAM aims to project climate change by improving our understanding of cloud changes due to warming and related physical processes. NICAM is the first global nonhydrostatic model and was developed by our research team. This review summarizes the outcomes of a recent major five-year research program in Japan for studying climate using NICAM, as well as providing an overview of current issues regarding the use of global kilometer-scale simulations in high-resolution climate modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies, with a low 5-year survival rate. However, if diagnosed at an early stage, it can be cured by endoscopic treatment and has a good prognosis. While gastrointestinal X-ray and upper endoscopy are used as national GC screening methods in some GC highrisk countries, such as Japan and Korea, their radiation exposure, invasiveness, and high cost suggest that they are not the optimal tools for early detection of GC in many countries. Therefore, a cost-effective, and highly accurate method for GC early detection is urgently needed in clinical settings. DNA methylation plays a key role in cancer progression and metastasis and has been demonstrated as a promising marker for cancer early detection. Aims and methods: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of DNA methylation markers associated with GC, the assays developed for GC early detection, challenges in methylation marker discovery and application, and the future prospects of utilizing methylation markers for early detection of GC. Through our analysis, we found that the currently reported DNA methylation markers related to GC are mainly in the early discovery stage. Most of them have only been evaluated in tissue samples. The majority of non-invasive assays developed based on blood lack standardized sampling protocols, pre-analytical procedures, and multicenter validation, and they exhibit insufficient sensitivity for early-stage GC detection. Meanwhile, the reported GC DNA methylation markers are generally considered pan-cancer markers. Conclusion: Therefore, future endeavors should focus on identifying additional methylation markers specific to GC and establishing non-invasive diagnostic assays that rely on these markers. These assays should undergo multicenter, large-scale prospective validation in diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous epidemiological studies have reported controversial results on the relationship between smoking and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, we sought to assess the association using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods: We used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with smoking quantity (cigarettes per day, CPD) from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of Japanese population as instrumental variables, then we performed two-sample MR analysis to investigate the association between smoking and AD in a Chinese cohort (1,000 AD cases and 500 controls) and a Japanese cohort (3,962 AD cases and 4,074 controls), respectively. Results: Genetically higher smoking quantity showed no statistical causal association with AD risk (the inverse variance weighted (IVW) estimate in the Chinese cohort: odds ratio (OR) = 0.510, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.149-1.744, p = 0.284; IVW estimate in the Japanese cohort: OR = 1.170, 95% confidence interval CI = 0.790-1.734, p = 0.434). Conclusion: This MR study, for the first time in Chinese and Japanese populations, found no significant association between smoking and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When processing ultrasonic non‐destructive testing signals, the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method can eliminate the phenomenon of modal aliasing, and the processing effect is better than the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method. However, in signal reconstruction, the intrinsic mode function (IMF) will be eliminated directly, resulting in the loss of some signals and errors. Therefore, a signal processing method of ultrasonic non‐destructive testing based on EEMD combined with wavelet packet is proposed in this paper. In this method, the signal is preprocessed by wavelet packet, and then decomposed by EEMD. The correlation coefficient method is used in reconstruction. This method not only retains the advantages of EEMD, but also uses the characteristics of wavelet packet decomposition of high frequency and low frequency to ensure the integrity of the signal. Finally, the simulation and actual measurement signals are used for verification. Compared with the EEMD algorithm, the signal‐to‐noise ratio is increased by 31.60% and the root mean square error is reduced by 31.63%, and the cross‐correlation coefficient is increased by 22.09%. This method is more suitable for ultrasonic non‐destructive testing signal processing. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typhoon Krosa (2019) formed in the eastern part of the Philippine Sea and ~ 1400 km east of another typhoon, Lekima, on 6 August and made landfall in the western part of Japan's mainland on 15 August. The operational global model forecasts, which were initialized just after Krosa's formation, showed a very large uncertainty and completely failed to predict the actual track of Krosa. In this study, we investigated the causes of this large uncertainty through 101-member ensemble forecast experiments using a 28-km mesh global nonhydrostatic model. The experiments initialized at 1200 UTC 6 August showed a large uncertainty. An ensemble-based lagged correlation analysis indicated that the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) retreated further east in the members with large track forecast errors than in the members with small errors. For the members with a large track forecast error for Krosa, Krosa and Lekima approached each other by 250 km, and Krosa moved northward faster than the observation in 36 h from the initialization time. For the members with a small track forecast error for Krosa, the two typhoons approached each other by only 50 km, and the northward moving speed was comparable with that of the observation. The typhoon-center relative composite analysis exhibited that at the initialization time, the members with a large Krosa track forecast error had a larger horizontal size of Krosa, and the difference in Krosa's size was kept during the forecast period. This difference in size led to a stronger interaction between the two typhoons and the retreatment of the WNPSH, thus resulting in a fast northward moving speed for the members with a large Krosa track error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to bring various changes in people's lives. Such expected changes in life may affect people's decisions on the ownership of privately-owned AVs (PAVs) and even future travel demand structure. However, such effects remained unclear due to the lack of relevant studies. By targeting young people, this study fills this research gap by implementing a nation-wide expectation and stated preference (SP) survey in Japan, by comparing with older people. In the survey, respondents first reported their expected changes in life caused by AVs and then chose the most preferred vehicle from a choice set with three types of PAVs (conditional, high, and full automation) and a conventional car. The survey was implemented in 2016 and 3,006 valid SP responses were collected from 1,002 respondents (417 are young people). It is found that young people expected more changes in life and are more likely to choose PAVs with high and full automation than older people, which is consistent with the reported willingness-to-pay. By estimating a mixed logit model with panel data, it is revealed that expected changes in life affect the two age groups' choices of PAVs. There are more inconsistent influences of expected changes in life between the two groups than consistent influences, suggesting the presence of age-related structural differences of responses to future expectations. Diverse responses to future expectations are revealed, which policy implications are discussed. The findings support a life-oriented paradigm shift of travel behavior research and cross-sectoral transport policymaking and future sustainable society design. • Young and older people respond to expected changes in life in an opposite way, mostly. • Expected increases in in-vehicle activities could promote the ownership of AVs. • Influences of young people's expected changes in life differ across types of AVs. • Expected relocation to suburbs does not necessarily encourage the ownership of AVs. • Using AV as a moving home/office/hotel does not affect the ownership of advanced AVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastics are accumulating in the world's oceans, while ocean waters are becoming acidified by increased CO2. We compared metagenome of biofilms on tethered plastic bottles in subtidal waters off Japan naturally enriched in CO2, compared to normal ambient CO2 levels. Extending from an earlier amplicon study of bacteria, we used metagenomics to provide direct insights into changes in the full range of functional genes and the entire taxonomic tree of life in the context of the changing plastisphere. We found changes in the taxonomic community composition of all branches of life. This included a large increase in diatom relative abundance across the treatments but a decrease in diatom diversity. Network complexity among families decreased with acidification, showing overall simplification of biofilm integration. With acidification, there was decreased prevalence of genes associated with cell–cell interactions and antibiotic resistance, decreased detoxification genes, and increased stress tolerance genes. There were few nutrient cycling gene changes, suggesting that the role of plastisphere biofilms in nutrient processes within an acidified ocean may not change greatly. Our results suggest that as ocean CO2 increases, the plastisphere will undergo broad-ranging changes in both functional and taxonomic composition, especially the ecologically important diatom group, with possible wider implications for ocean ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aimed to validate the performance of modified Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (m-JAAM) and simplified Japanese Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (s-JSTH) criteria in diagnosing coagulation disorders in sepsis and examine their prognostic value compared with sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) and International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) criteria. Methods This retrospective study included subjects diagnosed with sepsis (August 2020 to February 2021, n = 296). The m-JAAM, s-JSTH, SIC, and ISTH criteria were evaluated and compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and areas under the curve (AUCs). Results There was no significant difference in AUC for predicting in-hospital 28-day mortality by m-JAAM, s-JSTH, SCI, and ISTH criteria (0.745, 0.763, 0.760, and 0.730, respectively). The proportion of patients fulfilling the m-JAAM and SIC criteria was higher than that of the s-JSTH and ISTH criteria (43.2%, 56.1% vs. 25.0%, 22.6%, P  < .05). Conclusion The m-JAAM criteria might be more suitable for early-stage disseminated intravascular coagulation of sepsis than s-JSTH criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely employed in hydrate exploitation, the single well method is utilized to broaden the scope of hydrate decomposition. Optimizing the well structure and production strategy is necessary to enhance gas recovery efficiency. Complex wells represented by the multilateral wells have great application potential in hydrate mining. This study focused on the impact of multilateral well production methods on productivity, taking the Nankai Trough in Japan as the study area. The spatial distribution of physical parameters such as porosity, permeability, and hydrate saturation in the Nankai Trough has significant heterogeneity. For model accuracy, the Sklearn machine learning and Kriging interpolation methods were used to construct a three-dimensional heterogeneous geological model to describe the structure and physical property parameters in the study area of the hydrate reservoir. The numerical simulation model was solved using the TOUGH + Hydrate program and fitted with the measured data of the trial production project to verify its reliability. Finally, we set the multilateral wells for hydrate high saturation area to predict the gas and water production of hydrate reservoir with different exploitation schemes. The main conclusions are as follows: ① The Sklearn machine learning and Kriging interpolation methods can be used to construct a three-dimensional heterogeneous geological model for limited site data, and the fitting effect of the heterogeneous numerical simulation model is better than that of the homogeneous numerical simulation model. ② The multilateral well method can effectively increase the gas production rate from the hydrate reservoir compared with the traditional single well method by approximately 8000 m3/day on average (approximately 51.8%). ③ In the high saturation area, the number of branches of the multilateral well were set to 2, 3, and 4, and the gas production rate was increased by approximately 51.8%, 52.5%, and 53.5%. Considering economic consumption, the number of branching wells should be set at 2–3 in the same layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typhoon Faxai hit Japan in 2019 and severely damaged the Tokyo metropolitan area. To mitigate such damages, a good track forecast is necessary even before the typhoon formation. To investigate the predictability of the genesis and movement of a precursor vortex and its relationship with the synoptic‐scale flow, 100‐member ensemble simulations of Typhoon Faxai were performed using a 14‐km mesh global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model, which started from 16 different initial days (i.e., 1,600 members in total). The results show that the model could predict an enhanced risk of a Faxai‐like vortex heading toward Japan 2 weeks before landfall, which was up to 70%. The reason for the enhancement was a rapid increase in the members reproducing a precursor vortex from 15 to 12 days before landfall in Japan. In addition, the upper‐tropospheric vortex played an essential role in the track simulation of Faxai. Plain Language Summary: Tropical cyclones severely damage coastal regions yearly. Typhoon Faxai hit Japan in 2019 and severely damaged buildings, power grids, and cell phone networks in the Tokyo metropolitan area. To mitigate such damages, better track forecast is necessary even from the timing before typhoon formation. A large ensemble member (1,600‐member in total) and high‐resolution (14‐km) simulation was performed to investigate the genesis and movement of the precursor vortex of Faxai in 2019 and its relationship with the synoptic‐scale environmental flow using a global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model on the Supercomputer Fugaku. The results show the model could predict an enhanced risk of a Faxai‐like vortex heading toward Japan 2 weeks before landfall. A reason for the enhancement was a rapid increase in the members reproducing a precursor vortex from 15 to 12 days before landfall in Japan. In addition, the upper‐tropospheric vortex played an essential role in the movement of the Faxai‐like vortex. Key Points: A 1,600‐member ensemble simulation in total for Typhoon Faxai (2019) was performed using a 14‐km mesh nonhydrostatic atmospheric modelThe model successfully predicts the risk of Faxai's landfall in Japan 2 weeks in advanceReproducibilities of the precursor vortex and upper‐tropospheric vortex yield good prediction of the formation and track of Faxai [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benefiting from rich agricultural land, easy transport and fishing, etc., more and more people are moving to live in coastal areas, with more than 200 million people now living in coastal areas that are vulnerable to extreme sea level events. Sea level information is useful for coastal societies. Image measurement is rapidly developing as a new type of measurement tool. A multicamera-based sea level monitoring system along Japan's coast near the Pacific is proposed in this paper, and a long-distance sea wave matching method for this system is described. The whole system employs multiple binocular vision systems to take sea surface images and obtain the sea level height based on the disparity between the field of views of the left and right cameras, forming a local measurement and overall analysis monitoring system. Sea level monitoring requires a high processing accuracy and speed to realize a timely response to extreme events. Thus, the paper extracts sea waves and integrates a sea wave's appearance features as feature points and descriptors and pioneers the idea of searching deterministic features for fast image processing. The average stereo matching precision of the proposed method is up to 89.9% with a running time smaller than 40 ms for most pairs of images. Experiments on various real sea surface image pairs are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to develop a typology of strategies that students use to cope with the anxiety they experience in English language classrooms. The influence of anxiety level on strategy use was also assessed. Findings suggested 70 basic tactics for coping with language anxiety that cohered into five strategy categories: Preparation (e.g. studying hard, trying to obtain good summaries of lecture notes), Relaxation (e.g. taking a deep breath, trying to calm down), Positive Thinking (e.g. imagining oneself giving a great performance, trying to enjoy the tension), Peer Seeking (e.g. looking for others who are having difficulty controlling their anxiety, asking other students if they understand the class), and Resignation (e.g. giving up, sleeping in class). Cognitive, affective, and behavioral strategy types were evident. No significant relationship was found between language anxiety and frequencies of strategy use, suggesting the need for future research on how effectively the observed strategies may be implemented.

Objective: Characterize safety of the Janus kinase-1 preferential inhibitor filgotinib (FIL) in Japanese patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Data from three Phase 3 trials (NCT02889796, NCT02873936, and NCT02886728) and a long-term extension (NCT03025308) through September 2019 were integrated; patients received ≥1 dose of FIL 200 (FIL200) or 100 mg (FIL100) daily, or placebo (PBO). We calculated exposure-adjusted incidence rates (EAIRs) per 100 patient-years FIL exposure (100PYE) for treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and adverse events of special interest. Results: Among 3691 total patients and 6080.7 PYE, 229 Japanese patients received FIL for 311.4 PYE (median 1.5, maximum 2.5 years). During the 12-week PBO-controlled period, serious TEAEs and TEAEs leading to study drug disruption were comparable between FIL and PBO. Serious infection rates were 1.9%, 0%, and 2% for FIL200, FIL100, and PBO during the PBO-controlled period; long-term FIL200 and FIL100 EAIRs were 3.8 and 2.1/100PYE. No herpes zoster (HZ) or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) occurred during the PBO-controlled period; long-term FIL200 and FIL100 EAIRs were 3.0 and 2.1/100PYE (HZ) and 0.6 and 0/100PYE (MACE). Conclusion: Long-term FIL treatment (median 1.5, maximum 2.5 years exposure) was well tolerated at 100- and 200-mg doses in Japanese patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Covid pandemic underscores global supply chain risks, there is a debate on whether to bring US manufacturing back from overseas. This paper provides insights into the heated debate on the global supply chain by examining the competitive manufacturing environments of China, Japan, and South Korea. More specifically, we conduct a cross‐national survey and empirically investigate the manufacturing strategies employed by manufacturing managers in the top Asian players: China, Japan, and South Korea. We examine four dimensions of the manufacturing strategies: quality, inventory, flexibility, and top management involvement. Our findings indicate that Japanese manufacturers are more committed to the cumulative approach to quality management and see enhanced flexibility as a strategic priority. While Chinese managers are also committed to achieving quality, they are more delivery‐driven and thus are more likely to occasionally accept slightly off‐quality components from suppliers to "save" an order. However, in all three countries, managers with a high focus on quality also focus on just‐in‐time management and in turn, on flexibility. There is significantly less agreement among Chinese managers, compared to their Japanese and Korean counterparts, that the top management should be involved in operational planning, goal setting, and the provision of rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Postoperative adjuvant therapy with uracil and tegafur (UFT) is often used for stage II colon cancer in Japan, but a limited number of studies have investigated the effects of UFT in these patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study in patients with resected stage II colon cancer comparing the outcomes after postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with UFT with an observation-only group. The data were collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2015. The outcomes of the study were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results: No differences in the DFS and OS were detected between the UFT (1137 patients) and observation (2779 patients) cohorts (DFS: adjusted HR 0.702; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.489–1.024; p = 0.074) (OS: adjusted HR 0.894; 95% CI 0.542–1.186; p = 0.477). In the subgroup analyses of the different substages, UFT prolonged DFS in patients with stage IIA colon cancer (adjusted HR 0.652; 95% CI 0.352–0.951; p = 0.001) compared with DFS in the observation cohort, but no differences in the OS were detected (adjusted HR 0.734; 95% CI 0.475–1.093; p = 0.503). Conclusions: Our results show that DFS improved significantly in patients with stage IIA colon cancer receiving UFT as a postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy compared with DFS in the observation group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKIs)-associated Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) among lung cancer patients have been reported in case reports and adverse events reporting system databases in the United States and Japan, but clinical data remained insufficient. This study aims to evaluate CDI in lung cancer patients receiving EGFR-TKIs. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using multi-institutional electronic medical records database. We included patients aged older than 20 years diagnosed with lung cancer and treated with EGFR-TKIs (gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib). We defined EGFR-TKI initiation date as the index date and occurrence of diarrhea with CDI or without CDI as the event date. We followed patients from the index date until the event date, ICU admission, death, or 12/31/2019. Results: We included 2242 diarrhea patients, 51 were EGFR-TKI with CDI cohort, and 2191 were diarrhea without CDI cohort. Patients who were concurrently taking antibiotics (hazard ratio [HR], 3.30; 95% CI, 1.67– 6.5) and systemic steroids (HR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.65– 9.06) had an increased risk of CDI. First-generation EGFR-TKIs tended to be associated with an increased risk of CDI compared with afatinib (HR, 1.81, 95% CI, 0.94– 3.47). EGFR-TKI with CDI had a higher ICU admission rate (HR, 3.42, 95% CI, 1.98– 5.91) and mortality rate (HR, 2.34, 95% CI, 1.67– 3.28) than diarrhea without CDI. Conclusion: Patients with CDI had higher ICU admission rates and mortality rates than those without CDI. Concurrent use of antibiotics and systemic steroids were risk factors for CDI among patients with lung cancer receiving EGFR-TKIs. Afatinib was not associated with a higher risk of CDI than first-generation EGFR-TKIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: Our understanding of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is limited by the inattention to why a firm arranges itself to give rise to EO, what sets its strategic intent, and what affects its contribution to performance. These omissions have led to calls for a causally adjacent theory of EO. Grounded in knowledge‐based theory, we investigated (a) how knowledge production gives rise to EO, (b) how the relationship between EO and profitability is mediated by knowledge use, and (c) how this relationship between EO and knowledge use is moderated by stakeholder engagement. Using multirespondent, multisource data from small‐size and mid‐size enterprises in two economically distinct East Asian countries, Taiwan and Japan, empirical evidence supports our theory. Our findings are consistent across both studies. We contribute a knowledge‐based theory of EO. Managerial Summary: Why do some firms organize to be entrepreneurial while others do not, and why do some entrepreneurially oriented firms profit more financially than others? We find that those firms that organize processes to accumulate, aggregate, activate, store, manage, and distribute knowledge become more entrepreneurial oriented as the means to create wealth from this "knowledge production." In other words, knowledge production can affect perceptions of opportunities and resources, leading to choices about organizational arrangements to best use knowledge. However, we find that the firm also needs to be adept at knowledge use to profit financially from its entrepreneurial endeavors, and leading firms utilize stakeholder engagement to strengthen the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior and knowledge use on the route to greater profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the air‐gap flux density (AGFD) and the thickness of the permanent magnet (PM) in the direction of magnetization, this paper proposes a modified analytical model for the sine pole‐shaping surface‐mounted permanent magnet motor (SPMM) under parallel magnetization. The construction of the model also involves the Carter coefficient formula, the principle of magnetic‐circuit equivalence, and the distributed magnetic‐circuit method, which are used to deal with such influential factors as stator slotting, interpolar magnetic leakage, edge effect, and magnetic‐circuit saturation. Then, a finite‐element model is established to verify the analytical model through simulation. The results show that the fundamental amplitude of AGFD of the modified sine pole‐shaping motor is respectively 6.4 and 0.15% higher than that of the simplified sine pole‐shaping motor and the eccentric pole‐shaping motor, and that the total harmonic distortion of AGFD the former is respectively 67.2 and 11.1% lower than that of the latter, thereby causing an increase in average torque of the sine pole‐shaping motor and a decrease in its radial electromagnetic harmonics and torque ripple. Experiments show that both the modified analytical and finite‐element model are accurate. And, the proposed analytical model which does not need ergodic scanning as the eccentric pole‐shaping method can further optimize the electromagnetic performance of the motor. It can not only improve the motor design but also provide reference for the optimal design of high‐quality PM motors. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan there is a significant mismatch between the skills new‐generation employees possess and the skills employers expect, with Japanese employers reporting a lower average satisfaction with graduate skills than that reported globally. By drawing on the concepts of 'future work self' and 'proactive career behaviour', this paper compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between Japanese and international students who will enter the workforce soon and explores why such a big gap in skills exists. As the results show, due to their unique social and cultural background and the influence of their contextual environments, fewer Japanese students develop the knowledge and skills important to their futures in comparison with international students, making them largely reliant on the concept of an organisational career rather than a proactively self‐managed one. Better graduate outcomes require more tailor‐made career counselling services to support students. Students should also familiarise themselves with employers' expectations regarding desired skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the energy consumption of elderly and non-elderly households, recognizing the ever-increasing importance of the aging population for energy policy. Decisions of the domestic (in-home) and transport (out-of-home) sectors at the household level are jointly incorporated by building a multivariate Hierarchical Archimedean Copula model with intra-sector and inter-sector dependencies. Data from a life-oriented behavioral survey in Japan are used, which includes 532 elderly households and 340 non-elderly households. A variety of life-related factors, together with built environment factors, are introduced into the above model. Modeling analysis results show that inter- and intra-sector dependencies are heterogeneous across households in terms of these factors. It is found that almost equal numbers of influential factors are sensitive and insensitive to age-based sample segmentation. Various similarities and dissimilarities across energy types between elderly and non-elderly households are revealed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel anaerobic, thermophilic bacterium of the class Atribacteria , strain M15T, was isolated from a high-temperature gas reservoir, Japan. Cells of strain M15T were gram-negative, short oval-shaped, and lacked flagella. Growth occurred at 45–75 °C (optimum 70–75 °C) and pH 6.5–8.5 (optimum pH 7.5–8.0) and was fast under optimal conditions (doubling time 11.4 h). Yeast extract was required for growth. Fermentative growth with glucose, arabinose, xylose, and cellobiose was observed. The major fermentative end products of glucose were acetate and hydrogen. The major cellular fatty acids were C 16:0 , iso -C 15:0 , and C 18:0. The genomic G + C content was 46.0 mol%. Fluorescence and electron microscopy observations revealed the intracellular localization of genomic DNA surrounded by a membrane in the cells of strain M15T as reported in a sole validly described species of the class Atribacteria in the phylum Atribacterota , Atribacter laminatus strain RT761T, suggesting that the unique morphological traits are widely shared in this class. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain M15T belongs to a distinct family-level lineage in the class Atribacteria and shows low similarities to Atribacter laminatus strain RT761T (16S rRNA gene sequence identity of 90.1 %, average nucleotide identity [ANI] of 66.1 %, average amino acid identity [AAI] of 55.8 %). Phenotypic traits of strain M15T (thermophilic, fast-growing, relatively high G + C content, etc.) were clearly distinct from A. laminatus. Based on these phenotypic and genomic properties, we propose a novel genus and species, Atrimonas thermophila gen. nov., sp. nov. for strain M15T (=JCM39389T, =KCTC25731T) representing a novel family Atrimonadaceae fam., nov. in the class Atribacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the influenza virus, affecting people globally and causing significant social and economic losses. Due to the inevitable limitations of vaccines and approved drugs, there is an urgent need to discover new anti-influenza drugs with different mechanisms. The viral ribonucleoprotein complex (vRNP) plays an essential role in the life cycle of influenza viruses, representing an attractive target for drug design. In recent years, the functional area of constituent proteins in vRNP are widely used as targets for drug discovery, especially the PA endonuclease active site, the RNA-binding site of PB1, the cap-binding site of PB2 and the nuclear export signal of NP protein. Encouragingly, the PA inhibitor baloxavir has been marketed in Japan and the United States, and several drug candidates have also entered clinical trials, such as favipiravir. This article reviews the compositions and functions of the influenza virus vRNP and the research progress on vRNP inhibitors, and discusses the representative drug discovery and optimization strategies pursued. This review summarizes compositions and functions of the influenza virus vRNP and the research progress targeting them, and discusses the representative inhibitors discovery strategies and optimization approaches pursued. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CheckMate 9LA, a phase 3, randomized, open-label study in first-line advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), showed significantly improved overall survival (OS) with nivolumab plus ipilimumab combined with 2 cycles of chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone (4 cycles). We present results for the Asian subpopulation enrolled in Japan and China. Methods: Patients aged ≥ 18 years with treatment-naive, histologically confirmed stage IV or recurrent NSCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–1 and no sensitizing EGFR/ALK mutations were randomized 1:1 to nivolumab [360 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W)] plus ipilimumab (1 mg/kg Q6W) combined with chemotherapy (Q3W for 2 cycles), or chemotherapy alone (Q3W for 4 cycles). Primary endpoint was OS; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR). Results: Twenty-eight patients received nivolumab plus ipilimumab combined with chemotherapy and 30 received chemotherapy. At a minimum follow-up of 12.7 months, median OS was not reached with nivolumab plus ipilimumab combined with chemotherapy versus 13.3 months with chemotherapy [hazard ratio (HR) 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14–0.80]. Median PFS was 8.4 versus 5.4 months (HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.24–0.92) and ORR was 57% versus 23%, respectively. Grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events were observed in 57% versus 60% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: Consistent with results in the all randomized population, nivolumab plus ipilimumab combined with chemotherapy improved efficacy in the Asian subpopulation versus chemotherapy alone and had a manageable safety profile, supporting its use as first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC in Asian patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to investigate the current status of read-across approaches in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and China in terms of applications and regulatory acceptance. In the Republic of Korea, over the last 6 years, approximately 8% of safety data records used for chemical registrations were based upon read-across, and a guideline published on the use of read-across results in 2017. In Japan, read-across is generally accepted for screening hazard classification of toxicological endpoints according to the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL). In China, read-across data, along with data from other animal alternatives are accepted as a data source for chemical registrations, but could be only considered when testing is not technically feasible. At present, read-across is not widely used for chemical registrations and regulatory acceptance of read-across may differ among countries in Asia. With consideration of the advantages and limitations of read-across, it is expected that read-across may soon gradually be employed in Asian countries. Thus, regulatory agencies need to prepare for this progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low phosphorus (P) availability in acid soils is one of the main limiting factors in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) production. Reconstruction of the root system architecture (RSA) is a vital mechanism for crop low P adaption, while the RSA of sugarcane has not been studied in detail because of its complex root system. In this study, reconstruction of the RSA and its relationship with P acquisition were investigated in a P-efficient sugarcane genotype ROC22 (R22) and two P-inefficient genotypes Yunzhe 03-103 (YZ) and Japan 2 (JP). An efficient dynamic observation room was developed to monitor the spatiotemporal alternation of sugarcane root length density (RLD) and root distribution in soil with heterogeneous P locations. The sugarcane RSA was reconstructed under P deficiency, and R22 had an earlier response than YZ and JP and presented an obvious feature of root shallowness. Compared with the normal P condition, the shallow RLD was increased by 112% in R22 under P deficiency while decreased by 26% in YZ and not modified in JP. Meanwhile, R22 exhibited a shallower root distribution than YZ and JP under P deficiency, supported by 51 and 24% greater shallow RLD, and 96 and 67% greater shallow root weight, respectively. The ratio of shallow RLD to total RLD in R22 was 91% greater than YZ, and the ratio of shallow root weight to total root weight in R22 was greater than that of YZ and JP by 94 and 30%, respectively. As a result, R22 had a higher shoot P accumulation than YZ and JP, which thereby increased the relative leaf sheath inorganic P concentration (RLPC) by 47 and 56%, relative shoot biomass (RSB) by 36 and 33%, and relative cane weight (RCW) by 31 and 36%, compared with YZ and JP under P deficiency, respectively. We verified the reliability and efficiency of a dynamic observation room and demonstrated that a shallower root distribution contributed to improving topsoil foraging, P acquisition, and low P adaption under P deficiency in sugarcane. Therefore, a shallower root distribution merits consideration as an evaluation trait for breeding P efficient sugarcane genotypes and genetic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan and Taiwan conducted similar electoral reforms in 1994 and 2005. Following the transition from the single nontransferable vote (SNTV) to the mixed-member majoritarian (MMM), at the district level, both countries' numbers of female representatives have increased, contrary to expectations. What, then, explains the increase in Japan's and Taiwan's women's representation at the district level? We argue that electoral systems can only partly explain the variation in female representation and that the critical factor explaining women's representation is not the women's electability, but the earlier stage of nomination. This article examines continuity and change in the candidate selection methods of major parties in Japan and Taiwan and identifies factors that may affect the likelihood of women becoming candidates. Although major parties have adopted different nomination strategies following the reforms, the increase in female representatives has been associated with the centralized process, and whether a woman is an incumbent or not is key to her nomination. Moreover, path dependence matters, and given that Taiwan had more female incumbent representatives than Japan under the SNTV, this might explain the differences in the starting point for female representation between Taiwan and Japan when both switched to the MMM and there was a persistent gap between the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical technology is undergoing rapid transformations, and the classifications of medical devices have also expanded greatly; therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate reimbursement policies and pricing mechanisms in a timely manner. This paper aims to introduce the reimbursement coverage and pricing rules for medical devices in Taiwan. In addition, this paper identifies and evaluates available health technology assessments (HTA) and literature on published websites concerning medical device decision-making processes and pricing systems in South Korea and Japan, which are near Taiwan and have similar reimbursement coverage processes. Reimbursement policy and pricing mechanisms are constantly being revised in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Recently, all three countries attempted to establish new reimbursement coverage decision-making and pricing rules, adopting a differentiated approach based on the level of evidence required for the appropriated reimbursement in terms of a feasible evaluation mechanism for providing patients with more effective medical devices. This article is expected to contribute to providing references to new reimbursement coverage decision-making and pricing rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of trusts in Japan’s private international law is severely underdeveloped. The lack of a dedicated set of choice of law rules relating to trusts causes much confusion and uncertainty, not only as to how the Japanese courts would characterise a trust dispute and the inconsistent connecting factors which would apply but also in relation to the scope of the applicable choice of law rules (whichever they may be) and the special difficulties raised by a breach of trust claim. All these difficulties derogate from a proper recognition of the trust as a distinctive legal device and fail properly to protect the autonomy and legitimate expectations of the parties. This article suggests that these difficulties are easily surmountable by adopting the Hague Trusts Convention, where a consistent set of choice of law rules emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]