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International graduate students reluctantly partook in the distance learning with the closure of national borders with the outbreak of COVID-19. Different instructional modes (in-person, online, and hybrid) and timing of the online learning exposure would play a role in international students' academic achievement considering the expectations and motivations to learn abroad. Based on 267 course-based panel data, for the same courses, online-mode teaching yielded worse Grade Point Averages (GPAs) and less of a sense of class community compared to the in-person mode. Similarly, students who started the program after COVID-19 (i.e., Class of 2022) performed worse than those who changed their mode of study during their study due to COVID-19 (i.e., Class of 2021). The more frequent interactions with schoolmates and professors partially mediated this detrimental effect of international online learning. Online learning, on average, decreases the GPA by 0.2 standard deviations (p<0.05). However, this effect became insignificant in the model with the frequency of interacting with classmates or professors that raise the GPA by 0.686 and 0.216 standard deviations (p,0.05), respectively. As the study sheds light on the predicament of emergent distance learning, the study addresses some cautious notes on designing effective and sustainable international education in the post-pandemic era.

Background: As individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities age, their siblings are more likely to assume caregiving responsibilities. However, little is known about experiences of East Asian siblings with respect to their caregiving and future-planning within their own country, as well as other East Asian countries. Methods: Using a national survey, this study explored experiences of 576 siblings across South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Results: A common factor across the three countries was that siblings were less engaged in advocacy and future-planning activities and felt less competent to play the role of caregiving. Korean siblings reported more negative views about disability, while Japanese siblings reported less engagement in future-planning and Taiwanese siblings reported greater involvement in caregiving. Conclusion: Based on 'universalism without uniformity', it is recommended to develop culturally sensitive sibling-targeted intervention based on each country's context.

This exploratory study sought to compare the parenting variables of parenting stress, perceived social support, and parenting styles among Japanese mothers (n = 42) of children with autism and those (n = 36) without autism, and examine associations between children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors and these variables by using parent questionnaires. Results of independent t-tests revealed increased parenting stress symptoms among mothers of children with autism and lower levels of social support. Parenting styles did not significantly differ between the groups. Regression analyses revealed that parenting stress predicted externalizing behaviors in children with autism. Additionally, an authoritarian parenting style was predictive of externalizing behaviors in children without autism. Parenting stress was also related to authoritarian and permissive parenting in both groups. These findings highlight the need for interventions and mental health services that reduce parenting stress and improve maternal well-being, and therefore, enhance parent-child interactions.

Background: Evaluating the risk of relapse is a pivotal step in the treatment of patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). The 30-item Stimulant Relapse Risk Scale (SRRS) was originally developed in Japan to meet the demand. This study examined the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Chinese version of the SRRS for patients with MUD. Methods: 247 patients with MUD self-rated the Chinese version of the SRRS. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and inter-item correlation analysis were used to assess the internal consistency reliability. Construct validity was determined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and concurrent validity was examined using the visual analogue scale (VAS) for drug craving and the severity of dependence scale (SDS). We followed the participants for 1 year and assessed the predictive validity based on the correlation of the scores of the Chinese version of the SRRS with the relapse rate within 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. Results: CFA revealed satisfactory model fit estimates for the 22-item Chinese version of the SRRS that consisted of four subscales. The four-factored 22-item Chinese version of the SRRS had adequate internal consistency with Cronbach's alphas ranging from 0.76 to 0.92. The 22-item Chinese version of the SRRS scores were significantly correlated with the VAS and SDS scores as well as the relapse rate within 3, 6, and 12 months, indicating good concurrent and predictive validity of this scale. The receiver operating characteristic curve revealed a cutoff score of 40 could discriminate between participants with (SDS score ≥ 4) and without (SDS score < 4) methamphetamine dependence (area under the curve = 0.71, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The 22-item Chinese version of the SRRS that consists of four subscales is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the relapse risk in patients with MUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on impact of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on problem drinking among plant workers over a three-year period. Topics include highlighting the sustained increase in problem alcohol use due to disaster-related stressors; and longitudinal study design, the limitations of lacking predisaster alcohol use data; and the importance of integrating pre- and postdisaster information for understanding behavioral outcomes.

This study examined the effects of introducing a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) in global education at the university lesson. The indexes of GPI were organised using dashboard indexes of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data on the students' impression and evaluation scores of their reports were compared. It was found that students felt a sense of positive familiarity and considered all subtopics important, and GPI could be introduced at the same level of learning difficulty as SDG dashboard indexes. The GPI functioned as a catalyst to understand world issues regardless of students' prior knowledge and experiences.

Studies investigating the use of mobile technologies when other options are available are still relatively rare in the literature, with the majority of studies requiring that learners use a particular technology, either using their own devices or devices provided by the institution. One exception to this was a study by Stockwell (2010) that examined how learners in Japan perceived the use of mobile phones for language learning and how willing they were to engage in the activities. This study, however, was conducted prior to the spread of smart phones and it focused exclusively on learners in Japan. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to replicate this study, but differed in two ways. First, although it was run in essentially the same environment as the original study, in the current study the majority of learners owned smart phones. Second, the same system was used not only in Japan but also with learners studying at a university in Taiwan. Data were collected through server logs, post-treatment surveys and semi-structured interviews. The results are discussed in terms of the ways in which learners engaged in the activities on their mobile phones, and the effect of the mobile platform on the time taken to complete the activities over the course of the semester. These results were correlated with those from the original 2010 study to identify the potential effect of the smart phone.

This study focuses on Chinese football fans' reactions to the Japanese national team and their fans' behaviour during the World Cup 2022. Despite the historical and contemporary problems that make friendly relations with Japan difficult to achieve, football fans in China largely welcomed the good performance of the Japanese national team. This attitude may be described as 'thin cosmopolitanism' because Chinese fans' major frame of reference was still nationalistic. For them, the impressive performance of the Japanese national team means that Asians and the 'yellow race people' can also play good football. However, the Japanese fans, whose cleaning up of stadia received wide coverage during the World Cup, were criticized by the Chinese fans who interpreted the Japanese fans' action as reinforcing the existing global racial order. The findings of this paper help reveal the limits regarding football's role in contributing to a more cosmopolitan worldview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Prognostic indices can enhance personalized predictions of health burdens. However, a simple, practical, and reproducible tool is lacking for clinical use. This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based prognostic index for predicting all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older individuals. Methods We utilized the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (HALST) cohort, encompassing data from 5 663 participants. Over the 5-year follow-up, 447 deaths were confirmed. A machine learning-based routine blood examination prognostic index (MARBE-PI) was developed using common laboratory tests based on machine learning techniques. Participants were grouped into multiple risk categories by stratum-specific likelihood ratio analysis based on their MARBE-PI scores. The MARBE-PI was subsequently externally validated with an independent population-based cohort from Japan. Results Beyond age, sex, education level, and BMI, 6 laboratory tests (low-density lipoprotein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, lymphocyte count, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and creatinine) emerged as pivotal predictors via stepwise logistic regression (LR) for 5-year mortality. The area under curves of MARBE-PI constructed by LR were 0.799 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.778–0.819) and 0.756 (95% CI: 0.694–0.814) for the internal and external validation data sets, and were 0.801 (95% CI: 0.790–0.811) and 0.809 (95% CI: 0.774–0.845) for the extended 10-year mortality in both data sets, respectively. Risk categories stratified by MARBE-PI showed a consistent dose–response association with mortality. The MARBE-PI also performed comparably with indices constructed with clinical health deficits and/or laboratory results. Conclusions The MARBE-PI is considered the most applicable measure for risk stratification in busy clinical settings. It holds potential to pinpoint older individuals at elevated mortality risk, thereby aiding clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a semi‐passive smart contact lens platform for sensor and actuator applications. It focuses on design improvements made prior to human clinical trials involving basic considerations on comfort and safety, which are verified through animal studies. Observations of tissue temperature variation and post‐trial surgery examinations confirm that the 50 μW on‐lens wireless power delivery reduces the impact on tissue of previously reported SCL. Migration of wirelessly powered radio frequency identification (RFID)‐based passive SCL to semi‐passive systems is enabled with the proposed on‐lens power storage element. Furthermore, a switched capacitor converter extends the active time of the storage element and reduces electromagnetic influence. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [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]

In 2008, OECD released one multi-national report about one important survey of its twenty-two member countries, the title of this report is "Improving School Leadership: Volume 1 Policy and Practice". This report analyzed one specific common trend of its members, which is the "unique gender divide among school principals and teachers". That meaning of this phenomenon is, in the context of school education in some OECD countries, the ratio of female teachers among all teachers is much higher than male teachers. However, the contrast point is, the ratio of female school principals is significant lower than male principals. This phenomenon is especially significant in the East Asia countries. For example, the percentage of female school principals is significantly lower than male principals when we observed the longitudinal trend in Taiwan. In Japan, the ratio of female teachers in primary schools is 62.7% and the ratio of female teachers in junior high schools is 54.8%, but the ratio of female primary school principals in Japan is only 17.9% of the total principals. When we look at the ratio of female principals in junior high schools in Japan, it is even lower; the ratio is only 5%. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the unique gender divide among school principals and teachers in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The research methods include document analysis and descriptive statistical analysis. The statistical data is collected from Ministry of Education in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The supplemental data is collected from OECD dataset. This study compares the gender distribution among school teachers and principals in these three countries. In the last section of this study, we discuss the findings and their relationships with social cultures in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Policy and practice implications are offered to rethink the hindrance of female teachers' promotion. How to enhance female teachers' participation in school leadership is another important issue for future studies.

Shadow education has been studied in areas such as comparative education, educational policy, sociology of education, education and economics, and lifelong education, but mainstream Anglophone curriculum studies have largely ignored this phenomenon. We argue that shadow education should be considered as an emerging (and significant) focus of curriculum studies worldwide and advance five approaches to studying shadow education as an object of transnational curriculum inquiry, including shadow education as historical/political text, auto/biographical text, critical text, ethnic text, and decolonising text. We argue that, because shadow education seems likely to expand, curriculum scholars should seek new understandings that might complicate and complexify both shadow education and mainstream curriculum discourses.

Introduction: In the context of collective efforts taken in Japan to control the spread of COVID-19, the state of emergency and social distancing have caused a negative impact on the mental health of all residents, including foreign communities in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the level of anxiety and its associated factors among non-Japanese residents residing in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A web-based survey in 13 languages was conducted among non-Japanese residents living in Japan during the COVID-19 situation. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory assessed the level of anxiety–State (STAI-S) scores prorated from its six-item version. The multivariable logistic regression using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) method was performed to identify the associated factors of anxiety among participants. Results: From January to March 2021, we collected 392 responses. A total of 357 valid responses were analyzed. 54.6% of participants suffered from clinically significant anxiety (CSA). In multivariable logistic model analysis, the CSA status or the high level of anxiety was associated with three factors, including having troubles/difficulties in learning or working, decreased sleep duration, and decreased overall physical health (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study suggests several possible risk factors of anxiety among non-Japanese residents living in Japan undergoing the COVID-19 pandemic, including the troubles or difficulties in learning or working, the decrease in sleep duration, and the decrease in overall physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Data on patients switched to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) from nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs) other than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate are limited. Aims: To assess the treatment and renal/bone safety outcomes following the switch to TAF. Methods: We prospectively enrolled adult patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who switched from any NUC to TAF at 14 centres in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the U.S. Study outcomes were viral suppression (VR; HBV DNA < 20 IU/mL), biochemical response (BR; alanine aminotransferase normalisation), and changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and T‐scores (L‐spine) by bone absorptiometry by 24 months after switch to TAF. Results: We enrolled 270 eligible patients. Mean age was 58.1; 58.2% were male; 12.2% had cirrhosis and 73.3% previously received entecavir monotherapy. VR rate increased significantly from 95.2% to 98.8% by 24 months after the switch to TAF (p = 0.014). Between the switch and 24 months later, the mean spine T‐score improved significantly from −1.43 ± 1.36 to −1.17 ± 1.38 (p < 0.0001), while there was no significant change in mean eGFR (88.4 ± 16.9–89.5 ± 16.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.13). On multivariable analysis adjusted for age, sex, baseline spine T‐score and prior TDF or adefovir dipivoxil use, male sex was significantly associated with lower risk of worsening spine T‐score (odds ratio: 0.29, p = 0.020), while age was significantly associated with a higher risk of worsening chronic kidney disease stage (OR: 1.07, p = 0.019). Conclusions: At 24 months after the switch to TAF, VR rates and spine bone density improved significantly while renal function remained stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the reasons behind the slowdown in real wages for Japan and Korea based on the aggregate and industry-level data for the respective countries. The findings suggest the following. First, both at the aggregate and industry level, there is a significant slowdown in both countries in the post-1995 period regarding labor productivity, which explains the overall slowdown in real wages. Second, the main reason for the gap between the growths in real wages and labor productivity is found to be the changes in the labor's terms of trade, which is defined as the consumer price index to GDP deflator ratio. Thus, the wage–labor productivity gap is not systematically connected to changes in labor income shares. Finally, the fall in the labor's terms of trade may be potentially related to an emphasis on exports and strong technological upgrading toward higher productivity growth products in both countries' economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between gifted students' academic self-concept (ASC) and academic achievement (AC) in earth science with internationally representative high-school students from the third International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) held in Taiwan in 2009. The results of regression analysis indicated that IESO students' ASC was significantly correlated with their AC (R[superscript 2] = 0.53, p<0.01) with large effect size, even when compared to other Asian countries such as Korea and Japan. It was found that Taiwan's students had the lowest ASC and exhibited poor interaction with other IESO students. The unique pattern of Taiwanese students exhibited through the 3rd IESO leads to the conclusion that: For the top notch gifted students, their social and psychological character such as their popularity and interaction skills, have much strongly effect on their ASC than cultural factors.

Background: Distal symmetric sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) is a common neurologic complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the underlying mechanisms and changes in serum metabolites remain largely undefined. This study aimed to characterize the plasma metabolite profiles of participants with T2DM using targeted metabolomics analysis and identify potential biomarkers for DSPN. Methods: A combined liquid chromatography MS/MS and direct flow injection were used to quantify plasma metabolite obtained from 63 participants with T2DM, 81 with DSPN, and 33 nondiabetic control participants. A total of 130 metabolites, including amino acids, biogenic amines, sphingomyelins (SM), phosphatidylcholines, carnitines, and hexose, were analyzed. Results: A total of 16 plasma metabolites and 3 cholesterol‐related laboratory parameters were found to have variable importance in the projection score >1.0 and false discovery rate <5.0% between control, T2DM, and DSPN. Among these variables, five serum metabolites, including phenylalanine (AUC = 0.653), alanine (AUC = 0.630), lysine (AUC = 0.622) tryptophan (AUC = 0.620), and SM C16:0 (AUC = 0.630), are potential biomarkers (all p <.05) in distinguishing T2DM with DSPN from those without (AUC = 0.720). Conclusions: In this cross‐sectional study, derangement of several metabolites in the plasma was observed in T2DM with and without DSPN, and these metabolites may be potential biomarkers for predicting DSPN. Longitudinal studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) is widely used to determine the location of buried pipes without excavation, and machine learning has been researched to automatically identify the location of buried pipes from the reflected wave images obtained by GPR. In object detection using machine learning, the accuracy of detection is affected by the quantity and quality of training data, so it is important to expand the training data to improve accuracy. This is especially true in the case of buried pipes that are located underground and whose existence cannot be easily confirmed. Therefore, this study developed a method for increasing training data using you only look once v5 (YOLOv5) and StyleGAN2‐ADA to automate the annotation process. Of particular importance is developing a framework for generating images by generative adversarial networks with an emphasis on images that are challenging to detect buried pipes in YOLOv5 and add them to a training dataset to repeat training recursively, which has greatly improved the detection accuracy. Specifically, F‐values of 0.915, 0.916, and 0.924 were achieved by automatically generating training images step by step from only 500, 1000, and 2000 training images, respectively. These values exceed the F‐value of 0.900, which is obtained from training by manually annotating 15,000 images, a much larger number. In addition, we applied the method to a road in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and confirmed that the method can detect the location of buried pipes with high accuracy on a real road. This method can contribute to labor‐saving training data expansion, which is time‐consuming and costly in practice, and as a result, the method contributes to improving detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is actively promoting the application of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in construction to utilize plantation forests efficiently and fulfil its climate commitments. Although CLT has unique structural properties and environmental advantages, understanding the environmental burden of CLT manufacturing remains scarce. This study uses input–output analysis to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from CLT manufacturing. An extended input–output table was created to measure the GHG emissions by investigating the revenue and expenditure data of the largest CLT manufacturers in Japan in 2020, combined with the energy and emission intensity data. The results showed that electricity, activities not elsewhere classified, road freight transportation (except self-transportation), timber, and logs were the main sectors contributing to GHG emissions from CLT manufacturing. In addition, the environmental burdens of the cement and steel sectors were evaluated for comparison with the same increase in the final demand. We found that CLT manufacturing emits significantly fewer GHGs than the cement and steel sectors. These findings highlight the potential of CLT in reducing environmental burden, particularly in construction and civil engineering, emphasizing the importance of renewable energy use and efficient raw material transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vonoprazan is an emerging option for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. We aimed to assess the research trends and hotspots of vonoprazan‐based therapy for H. pylori eradication through bibliometric analysis. Materials and Methods: Vonoprazan‐based studies for eradicating H. pylori published from 2015 to 2023 were extracted from the Web of Science using a combination of the search terms "H. pylori" and "vonoprazan." Each study was weighted according to the number of included patients. Results: A total of 65 studies were included. Japan was the most productive and cooperative country, accounting for 69.2% of publications. Vonoprazan in combination with amoxicillin and clarithromycin (41.8%) was most used for eradicating H. pylori, followed by vonoprazan in combination with amoxicillin (20.4%) and vonoprazan in combination with amoxicillin and metronidazole (19.4%). The eradication rates for first‐line vonoprazan‐based therapies by intention to treat were: dual therapy (82.9%, 95% CI: 77.7%–88.0%), triple (83.3%, 95% CI: 79.7%–86.8%) and quadruple therapy (91.5%, 95% CI: 85.5%–97.4%), and per protocol: dual therapy (86.1%, 95% CI: 81.5%–90.7%), triple (89.3%, 95% CI: 87.9%–90.6%) and quadruple therapy (94.0%, 95% CI: 88.6%–99.4%). Vonoprazan was superior to proton pump inhibitors in triple therapy regarding empirical therapy (RR = 1.18, 95% CI, 1.14–1.22, p < 0.01) and clarithromycin‐resistant group (RR = 1.71, 95% CI, 1.33–2.20, p < 0.01), but there is no significant difference between triple therapy and dual therapy (RR = 1.02, 95% CI, 0.98–1.07, p = 0.33). Conclusions: Vonoprazan has been widely used for H. pylori eradication. Further studies are needed to optimize the best duration and dosage of vonoprazan‐based regimens in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the holistic picture of sustainability curricula in Asian higher education. Design/methodology/approach: Content analysis was conducted based on Asian management education for sustainability in higher education. Online courses arrangement, teaching methods, instructors' educational background and cross-referencing data between triple bottom line and sustainability courses have been investigated. Findings: The paper provides empirical insights about the current state of sustainability education in Asia. The results show that there is an opportunity for interdisciplinary integration, as there are imbalanced sustainability courses offered by business, science and engineering schools. It also suggests that Asian universities should add an international connection and active promotion of sustainability education on their Web sites. Research limitations/implications: Findings are based on web-based sustainability-related courses. Future research could apply method of case study to do a deeper study. Practical implications: The paper provides an overview of Asian management education for sustainability and curricula analysis through our research, and that this will further assist in the development of interdisciplinary integration in Asian management education for sustainability. Originality/value: This paper is the first attempt to gain better understanding of sustainability-related courses offered in leading business/management colleges in Asia.

The economic complexity index is an effective dimensionality reduction tool that is applied to forecast and predict future economic growth, income, and environmental quality. Renewable energy plays an important role in mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions. This study explores the nexus between economic complexity, renewable energy, FDI, trade, and environmental quality in Japan for the period 1970Q1-2019Q4. We use carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as dependent variable while economic complexity index (ECI), foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, renewable energy (RNE), and trade as explanatory variables. This study applies a quantile autoaggressive approach for analysis; the result of this study suggests a long-run implication of the ECI, FDI, GDP, RNE, and trade for the CO2 emissions. While only RNE and trade show mixed results in the short run, the rest of the variables do not have short-run implications. This implies that emissions mostly result in the industrial production activities only in the long run and in some quantiles only in the short run. The Japanese government may adopt different measures to reduce the CO2 emissions in the country, such as carbon tax and tax exemption on renewable energy investment. Furthermore, the government may adopt the renewal energy in production, which could achieve sustainable development goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure that was constructed during the high economic growth period of Japan is starting to deteriorate; thus, there is a need for the maintenance and management of these structures. The basis of maintenance and management is the inspection process, which involves finding and recording damage. However, in headrace tunnels, the water supply is interrupted during inspection; thus, it is desirable to comprehensively photograph and record the tunnel wall and detect damage using the captured images to significantly reduce the water supply interruption time. Given this background, the aim of this study is to establish an investigation and assessment system for deformation points in the inner walls of headrace tunnels and to perform efficient maintenance and management of the tunnels. First, we develop a mobile headrace photography device that photographs the walls of the headrace tunnel with a charge-coupled device line camera. Next, we develop a method using YOLOv7 for detecting chalk marks at the damage locations made during cleaning of the tunnel walls that were photographed by the imaging system, and these results are used as a basis to develop a system that automatically accumulates and plots damage locations and distributions. For chalking detection using continuous wall surface images, a high accuracy of 99.02% is achieved. Furthermore, the system can evaluate the total number and distribution of deteriorated areas, which can be used to identify the causes of change over time and the occurrence of deterioration phenomena. The developed system can significantly reduce the duration and cost of inspections and surveys, and the results can be used to select priority repair areas and to predict deterioration through data accumulation, contributing to appropriate management of headrace tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the ways in which a multimodal text--a YouTube video on globalization and business--was mediated in two English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms, and how these mediations shaped the instructor's and her students' meaning-making in specific ways. I first explore the complex multimodal discourses involved with this particular video and present my own reading of it. In addressing the instructor's and students' engagements with this video, I adopt a mediated discourse analysis approach to examine their classroom discourses that interact with the social circulation of a globalization discourse featured in this multimodal text. A conversation with the participating instructor, who articulates several issues including concerns about the possible politicization of her classroom if certain approaches to texts are used, is also presented and used to examine her subsequent approach with her students in the second class. I discuss the ways in which social actors take up discourses differently, and conclude by exploring the possible classroom practices that can address an increasingly multimodal curriculum. (Contains 1 figure.)

A dynamic AIDS model was employed to estimate the expenditure, own-price, and cross elasticity of five major import source countries for shrimp, salmon, albacore and tuna, crab, and cuttlefish in Japan. Our findings show that COVID-19 has had no significant impact on Japan's fishery imports in the short term. The expenditure elasticities of fishery imports in Japan are greater than 1 or close to 1, implying that consumers in Japan have a relatively high dependence on fishery imports. Specifically, the expenditure elasticities of shrimp and cuttlefish imports from Vietnam, albacore and tuna imports from Australia, and crab imports from Russia are close to 1, while their own-price elasticities are the least sensitive compared with other import source countries, suggesting a greater export potential in the Japanese market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 467 mothers of firstborn 20-month-old children from 7 countries (103 Argentine, 61 Belgian, 39 Israeli, 78 Italian, 57 Japanese, 69 Korean, and 60 US American) completed the "Jackson Personality Inventory" (JPI), measures of parenting cognitions (self-perceptions and knowledge), and a social desirability scale. Our first analysis showed that the Five-Factor structure of personality (Openness, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) could be extracted from the JPI scales when cross-cultural data from mothers in the 7 countries were analyzed; it was also replicable and generalizable in mothers from so-called individualist and collectivist cultures. Our second analysis showed that the five personality factors relate differently to diverse parenting cognitions in those individualist versus collectivist cultures. Maternal personality has significance in studies of normative parenting, child development, and family process across cultural contexts. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

• Overall, social isolation was not clearly related to ADL disability in older people. • Subgroup analysis showed that in Asian regions, social isolation was related to ADL disability. • Not participating in social clubs or religious groups consistently showed an association with ADL disability. We assessed the relationship between social isolation and functional disability in older people. Comparison of longitudinal cohort studies. Harmonised longitudinal datasets from the United States, England, European countries, Japan, Korea, China and Hong Kong. Social isolation was operationalised as a composite score with five domains, such as marital status, living alone, and social contact with others. Functional disability was defined as whether the cohort participant had any difficulty in activities of daily living (ADL). In each dataset, we used robust Poisson regression models to obtain the relative risks (RRs) and the corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI). We combined the RRs to synthesize a pooled estimate using meta-analysis with random-effects models. Overall, the social isolation composite score was not associated with ADL disability (pooled RR = 1.05, 95 % CI [0.97–1.14], n = 40,119). Subgroup analysis suggested social isolation composite score was associated with ADL disability in Asian regions (pooled RR = 1.09, 95 % CI [1.02, 1.16], but not in Western regions (pooled RR = 1.01, 95 % CI [0.96, 1.07]). The relationships between different domains of social isolation and ADL disability were heterogeneous, except that no participation in any social clubs or religious groups was consistently associated with ADL disability (pooled RR = 1.12, 95 % CI [1.04, 1.21]). Targeting social isolation may prevent decline in functional abilities in older adults, providing an avenue to active and healthy ageing. Nonetheless, interventions tackling social isolation should tailor to the unique cultural and social underpinnings. A limitation of the study is that reverse causality could not be ruled out definitively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan has been actively promoting the various uses of timber to efficiently utilize its plantation forests and contribute to its climate commitments. Cross-laminated timber (CLT), owing to its unique structural characteristics and environmental advantages, has received widespread attention in Japan. Being a high-value-added timber, CLT's value chain involves various industries, including forestry, timber processing, transportation, construction, and civil engineering. However, the economic impact associated with the increasing production and use of CLT is ambiguous. Targeting CLT manufacturers in Japan, this study evaluated the economic ripple effects of CLT through an input–output analysis, which is a method that is used to evaluate the independent association between different economic sectors and industries. An extended input–output table was established according to the survey of revenue and expenditure data of the largest CLT manufacturers in Japan in 2020. The result was compared with the glued-laminated timber (GLT) scenario at the same final demand value. The results showed that activities not elsewhere classified, timber, logs, road freight transport (except self-transport), and wholesale trade were the top five sectors that had the largest economic impact on CLT manufacturing. Our research has implications for policies and programs to promote the revival of forestry and sustainable development of the timber industry in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuous increase in follicular lymphoma has been observed in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea over the last few decades. This study aimed to evaluate the difference in incidence trends of follicular lymphoma in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea between 2001 and 2019. The data for the Taiwanese populations was obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database, and those for the Japanese and Korean population were retrieved from the Japan National Cancer Registry and some additional reports, both of which included population-based cancer registry data, from Japan and Korea. Follicular lymphoma accounted for 4231 cases from 2002–2019 in Taiwan, 3744 cases from 2001–2008 and 49,731 cases from 2014–2019 in Japan; and 1365 cases from 2001–2012 and 1244 cases from 2011–2016 in South Korea. The annual percentage change for each time period was 3.49% (95% confidence interval: 2.75–4.24%) in Taiwan, 12.66% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.59–15.81%) and 4.95% (95% CI: 2.14–7.84%) in Japan, and 5.72% (95% CI: 2.79–8.73%) and 7.93% (95% CI: −1.63–18.42%) in South Korea. Our study confirms that the increasing trends of follicular lymphoma incidence in Taiwan and Japan have been remarkable in recent years, especially the rapid increase in Japan between 2014 and 2019; however, there was no significant in-crease from 2011 to 2015 in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding large-scale patterns of biodiversity and their drivers remains significant in biogeography. Cherries species (Prunus subgenus Cerasus, Rosaceae) are economically and ecologically important in ecosystems and human agricultural activities. However, the mechanisms underlying the patterns of the species richness–environment relationship in Cerasus remain poorly understood. We collected and filtered worldwide specimen data to map the species richness of Cerasus at the global scale. The map of Cerasus species richness was created using 21,043 reliable recorded specimens. The center of Cerasus diversity was determined using spatial cluster analysis. Stepwise regression analysis was carried out using five groups of 21 environmental variables and an integrated model was included to assess the impact of the overall environment. We calibrated each of the four integrated models and used them to predict the global Cerasus species richness and that of the other continents. Our results revealed that Cerasus species have two centers of diversity (the southwest of China and Honshu Island in Japan) with differing environmental variables influencing the distribution patterns of these two centers. In the southwest of China, hygrothermal conditions are the main driving factor while in Japan, habitat heterogeneity is the main driving factor. The relationship between the abundance of Cerasus and the various groups of factors generally supports both the productivity and the habitat heterogeneity hypotheses. However, these hypotheses do not fully explain the Cerasus species richness pattern, indicating that other factors such as historical environment, topography, and human activities likely played a role in pattern formation. The high level of habitat heterogeneity and better hygrothermal conditions may have played an important role in the establishment of its globally consistent richness–climate relationship. Our results can provide valuable information for the classification and conservation of Cerasus natural resources as well as contribute to furthering our understanding of biogeography at a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities age, their siblings are more likely to assume caregiving responsibilities. However, little is known about experiences of East Asian siblings with respect to their caregiving and future‐planning within their own country, as well as other East Asian countries. Methods: Using a national survey, this study explored experiences of 576 siblings across South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Results: A common factor across the three countries was that siblings were less engaged in advocacy and future‐planning activities and felt less competent to play the role of caregiving. Korean siblings reported more negative views about disability, while Japanese siblings reported less engagement in future‐planning and Taiwanese siblings reported greater involvement in caregiving. Conclusion: Based on 'universalism without uniformity', it is recommended to develop culturally sensitive sibling‐targeted intervention based on each country's context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder and is diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) as the gold standard. However, PSG is a time‐consuming and costly test, and patients have to endure long waits before receiving a PSG test in a hospital. In view of this, portable and wearable screening tools for OSA prediction have been developed recently as a low‐cost and easy‐to‐use method. In this paper, an OSA detection model, based on regression approach, using unsegmented electrocardiography (ECG) signals is developed to directly estimate the apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) value, which is the first report in the literature. In this manner, this work can provide more details of OSA assessment to users and doctors. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a deep neural network (DNN)‐based model to recognize fishing vessels. In Taiwan, the vast majority of small fishing vessels are not equipped with an automatic identification system (AIS). As a consequence, the staff in a fishing port administration become heavily loaded when monitoring and managing the fishing vessels accessing a port. The workload is expected to be eased using this work. For the first time in the literature, a captured fishing vessel image was converted to a 128‐dimensional embedding for recognition purposes. The presented model gave a false positive rate (FPR) as low as 1.13% and an accuracy up to 99.47% at threshold = 0.772379. Finally, all the performance metrics, namely, the true positive rate (TPR), the FPR, precision and accuracy, are actually functions of the threshold which can be specified by users to meet specific requirements. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary histories of ornamental plants have been receiving only limited attention. We examined the origin and divergence processes of an East Asian endemic ornamental plant, Conandron ramondioides. C. ramondioides is an understory herb occurring in primary forests, which has been grouped into two varieties. We reconstructed the evolutionary and population demography history of C. ramondioides to infer its divergence process. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences were obtained from 21 Conandron populations on both sides of the East China Sea (ECS) to explore its genetic diversity, structure, and population differentiation. Interestingly, the reconstructed phylogeny indicated that the populations should be classified into three clades corresponding to geographical regions: the Japan (Honshu+Shikoku) clade, the Taiwan–Iriomote clade, and the Southeast China clade. Lineage divergence between the Japan clade and the Taiwan–Iriomote and Southeast China clades occured 1.14 MYA (95% HPD: 0.82–3.86), followed by divergence between the Taiwan–Iriomote and Southeast China clades approximately 0.75 MYA (95% HPD: 0.45–1.3). Furthermore, corolla traits (floral lobe length to tube length ratios) correlated with geographical distributions. Moreover, restricted gene flow was detected among clades. Lastly, the lack of potential dispersal routes across an exposed ECS seafloor during the last glacial maximum suggests that migration among the Conandron clades was unlikely. In summary, the extant Conandron exhibits a disjunct distribution pattern as a result of vicariance rather than long-distance dispersal. We propose that allopatric divergence has occurred in C. ramondioides since the Pleistocene. Our findings highlight the critical influence of species' biological characteristics on shaping lineage diversification of East Asian relic herb species during climate oscillations since the Quaternary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional slot concentrated winding (FSCW) is a kind of winding structure with few‐slots/coils multi‐poles. FSCW has the potential value of high torque density due to its short end‐winding and high slot fill ratio and is widely used in low‐speed direct‐drive application situations. However, compared with integral slot winding (ISW), the back EMF coefficient of FSCW is smaller, which leads to smaller output torque under the same condition. To improve the back EMF coefficient of FSCW, equidirectional toroidal winding (ETW) is proposed and applied to the dual rotor slotless axial flux permanent magnet motor (AFPM), in which the unit structure is three slots/coils two poles, and the ideal back EMF coefficient is the same as that of ISW. In this paper, firstly, the structure of ETW is introduced and its operating principle is analyzed. Then, compared with the AFPM with ISW, the open circuit and load characteristics of the AFPM with ETW under two conditions of the same wire gauge and the same coil width are analyzed respectively. The back EMF coefficient and output torque of ETW‐AFPM are similar to that of ISW‐AFPM under the same coil width. The back EMF coefficient and output torque of ETW‐AFPM are a little lower than that of ISW‐AFPM under the same wire gauge. Finally, the experimental results also validate the feasibility of AFPM with ETW and the correctness of the analysis results. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The recent IN.PACT AV Access study found drug‐coated balloon therapy to be associated with reduced reinterventions compared to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty using standard balloons in the management of arteriovenous fistula stenosis. The economic implications of drug‐coated balloon use in Asia, including Japan and Korea, remain unknown. Methods: A decision‐analytic model was developed to calculate strategy‐specific costs for Korea and Japan through 5‐year follow‐up. The analysis assumed maintained therapy benefit beyond current trial follow‐up of 1 year in the base case, with several alternative scenarios explored in sensitivity analysis. Costs were derived from claims and reimbursement data, and projections were evaluated at 3 and 5 years post‐index procedure. Results: Model‐projected access circuit reintervention events for drug‐coated versus standard balloons were 1.70 versus 2.76 (−1.06) and 2.53 versus 4.10 (−1.57) at 3 and 5 years in the base case. Corresponding 3‐ and 5‐year costs were ₩6 211 103 versus ₩7 605 553 (−₩1 394 451) and ₩7 766 051 versus ₩10 124 954 (−₩2 358 904) in Korea, and ¥1 469 824 versus ¥1 504 161 (−¥34 337) and ¥1 956 931 versus ¥2 106 632 (−¥149 701) in Japan. In scenario analyses, drug‐coated balloons remained cost saving at 3‐ and 5‐year follow‐up in Korea, but required up to 5 years to reach cost‐savings in Japan. Drug‐coated balloon use in reinterventions increased projected savings, as did younger treatment age. Conclusion: Treatment of arteriovenous fistulas with the IN.PACT AV drug‐coated balloon, based on preliminary data, may lead to meaningful reductions in reintervention costs that would render it cost‐saving at timeframes of around 1 year in Korea and between 3 and 5 years in Japan. Summary at a Glance: This study investigated the health‐economic value proposition of the IN.PACT AV drug‐coated balloon compared to standard balloon treatment of arteriovenous fistula stenosis in the Japanese and Korean healthcare systems. It found drug‐coated balloon treatment to be associated with meaningful reductions in reinterventions that can be expected to lead to overall cost savings in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) was developed in Japan in the 1960s. It is used to control early childhood caries, arrest root caries, prevent fissure caries and secondary caries, desensitise hypersensitive teeth, remineralise hypomineralised teeth, prevent dental erosion, detect carious tissue during excavation and manage infected root canals. SDF is commonly available as a 38% solution containing 255,000 ppm silver and 44,800 ppm fluoride ions. Silver is an antimicrobial and inhibits cariogenic biofilm. Fluoride promotes remineralisation and inhibits the demineralisation of teeth. SDF also inactivates proteolytic peptidases and inhibits dentine collagen degradation. It arrests caries without affecting dental pulp or causing dental fluorosis. Indirect pulp capping with SDF causes no or mild inflammatory pulpal response. However, direct application of SDF to dental pulp causes pulp necrosis. Furthermore, SDF stains carious lesions black. Patients must be well informed before SDF treatment. SDF therapy is simple, painless, non-invasive, inexpensive, and requires a simple armamentarium and minimal support. Both clinicians and patients generally accept it well. In 2021, the World Health Organization included SDF as an essential medicine that is effective and safe for patients. Moreover, it can be used for caries control during the COVID-19 pandemic because it is non-aerosol-generating and has a low risk of cross-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Devastating Japan in October 2019, Supertyphoon (STY) Hagibis was an important typhoon in the history of the Pacific. A striking feature of Hagibis was its explosive rapid intensification (RI). In 24 h, Hagibis intensified by 100 knots (kt; 1 kt ≈ 0.51 m s−1), making it one of the fastest-intensifying typhoons ever observed. After RI, Hagibis's intensification stalled. Using the current typhoon intensity record holder, i.e., STY Haiyan (2013), as a benchmark, this work explores the intensity evolution differences of these two high-impact STYs. We found that the extremely high prestorm sea surface temperature reaching 30.5°C, deep/warm prestorm ocean heat content reaching 160 kJ cm−2, fast forward storm motion of ∼8 m s−1, small during-storm ocean cooling effect of ∼0.5°C, significant thunderstorm activity at its center, and rapid eyewall contraction were all important contributors to Hagibis's impressive intensification. There was 36% more air–sea flux for Hagibis's RI than for Haiyan's. After its spectacular RI, Hagibis's intensification stopped, despite favorable environments. Haiyan, by contrast, continued to intensify, reaching its record-breaking intensity of 170 kt. A key finding here is the multiple pathways that storm size affected the intensity evolution for both typhoons. After RI, Hagibis experienced a major size expansion, becoming the largest typhoon on record in the Pacific. This size enlargement, combined with a reduction in storm translational speed, induced stronger ocean cooling that reduced ocean flux and hindered intensification. The large storm size also contributed to slower eyewall replacement cycles (ERCs), which prolonged the negative impact of the ERC on intensification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study explored the effects of genioplasty (Gep) and anterior subapical osteotomy of the maxilla and mandible (ASOMx+ASOMd) on the pharyngeal airway dimensions of patients with bimaxillary protrusion (BiP). Method. Thirty-two patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 received ASOMx+ASOMd, and group 2 received ASOMx+ASOMd+Gep. The cephalograms of the patients were collected before surgery and 2 months after surgery. Changes in the landmarks, related cephalometric angles (gonial, SN-GoGn, Y -axis, and SN-C2C4 angles), and 2 pharyngeal airway dimensions (uvulo-pharyngeal airway [UOP] and tongue–pharyngeal airway [TOP]) were analyzed. Results. Before surgery, the parameters (incisor superius, incisor inferius, menton, most superior and anterior point of the hyoid bone, tip of the uvula, inferoanterior point on the second cervical vertebra, and inferoanterior point on the fourth cervical vertebra) and measured angles (SNA, SNB, ANB, gonial, SN-GoGn, Y -axis, and C4C2-SN) of both groups showed no significant differences. Following ASOMx, the patients in groups 1 and 2 exhibited a setback by 7.0 and 6.6 mm, respectively. After ASOMd, groups 1 and 2 exhibited 4.9 and 5.3 mm setbacks, respectively. No significant difference in the amount of setback was observed between groups 1 and 2. The postoperative horizontal and vertical positions of Me in group 2 were significantly forward by 6.1 mm and upward by 1.5 mm, respectively. Regarding pharyngeal airway dimensions, TOP was decreased in group 1 (1.7 mm) and group 2 (1.3 mm). In the postoperative Pearson correlation coefficient test, the horizontal and vertical positions of Me showed no significant correlation with TOP in both groups. Therefore, Gep did not prevent the reduction of TOP in group 2. Conclusion. After bimaxillary anterior subapical osteotomy, the TOP of patients with BiP was decreased, and this situation was unavoidable, regardless of whether Gep was performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanism of copper-induced cell death, which is called cuproptosis, has recently been clarified. However, the integrated role of cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with immune characteristics are still completely unknown. Methods: In this study, the expression, genetic, and transcriptional regulation states of 16 cuproptosis-related genes in HCC were systematically investigated. An unsupervised clustering method was used to identify distinct expression patterns in 370 HCC patients from the TCGA-HCC cohort. Differences in functional characteristics among different expression clusters were clarified by gene set variation analysis (GSVA). The abundances of immune cells in each HCC sample were calculated by the CIBERSORT algorithm. Next, a cuproptosis-related risk score was established based on the significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among different expression clusters. Results: A specific cluster of HCC patients with poor prognosis, an inhibitory immune microenvironment, and high expression levels of immune checkpoint molecules was identified based on the expression of the 16 cuproptosis-related genes. This cluster of patients could be well-identified by a cuproptosis-related risk score system. The prognostic value of this risk score was validated in the training and two validation cohorts (TCGA-HCC, China-HCC, and Japan-HCC cohorts). Moreover, the overall expression status of the cuproptosis-related genes and the genes used to establish the cuproptosis-related risk score in specific cell types of the tumor microenvironment were preliminarily clarified by single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing data. Conclusion: These results indicated that cuproptosis-related genes play an important role in HCC, and targeting these genes may ameliorate the inhibitory immune microenvironment to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), common in older people, is an important reason for muscle loss in Japanese and Taiwanese populations. However, little is known about the association between lifestyle behaviours and muscle quality. We aimed to compare the lifestyle behaviours of Japanese and Taiwanese older adults with T2DM and to the identify lifestyle factors associated with muscle quality. Methods: This cross‐sectional study was conducted among community‐dwelling individuals with T2DM aged ≥65 years in Taiwan and Japan. Totally, 114 Japanese and 226 Taiwanese participants were enrolled in the study. Outcomes were measured by blood biochemical examinations, body composition analyses and structured self‐reported questionnaires to assess lifestyle behaviours and muscle quality. Linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between lifestyle factors and muscle quality using SPSS version 27.0 with a statistical significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Japanese subjects were more likely to be smokers and alcohol consumers, and they were less likely to have well‐balanced diets and engage in more physical activity as compared to Taiwanese subjects. The muscle quality in the Japanese subjects was significantly poorer than that in the Taiwanese subjects. Physical activity, dietary habits and smoking were associated with muscle quality, after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index. Conclusions: Physical activity of insufficient intensity, unhealthy dietary habits and smoking could be risk factors for poor muscle quality. These findings can contribute to the development of effective strategies to improve muscle quality in community‐dwelling older Asian people with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of self-report questionnaires were developed to quantify one's risk-taking (RT) tendency. Exploring people's perceived risk level associated with negative risk behaviors is essential to develop a better understanding and intervention policies for RT. In the present study, we proposed a 2 × 10-item scale, namely, the general risk-taking questionnaire (GRTQ), to evaluate RT tendency and risk attitude among the general population by measuring people's engagement in and perceptions toward 10 commonly known risky behaviors. A total of 2984 adults residing in 10 prefectures in Japan (age range = 20–59, 53.12% female) provided valid responses to an online survey. Apart from the factor analysis procedures, multivariate negative binomial regression models have been applied to investigate the relationship between RT engagement and perception. We obtained two identical factors, namely, personal risk and relational risk, for both scales of the GRTQ. Increased levels of RT engagement were found in younger, male, nonmarried, nonparent and urban respondents. Despite an overall negative correlation between RT engagement and perception, our model revealed a weaker linkage in the younger population for relational risk behaviors. Overall, we showed evidence that the GRTQ is an easy-to-administer, valid and reliable measure of RT for future clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palm kernel shell (PKS) utilization for power generation has greatly increased in Japan since the introduction of the feed‐in tariff (FIT) in 2012. However, the FIT fails to consider the entire palm industry while evaluating the environmental impacts of using PKS. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the life‐cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of power generation using PKS. We targeted two PKS‐firing power plants as these are the first two instances of the use of PKS in power plants in Japan. A system boundary was established to cover palm plantation management in Indonesia and Malaysia, as both power plants import PKS from these countries. The GHG emissions were derived from land‐use change, palm plantation, oil extraction, PKS transportation, and power plants. Six scenarios were examined for the emissions based on the type of land‐use change and the existence of biogas capture in oil extraction. CO2 emissions from PKS combustion were also calculated by assuming that carbon neutrality was lost because of cultivation abandonment. The GHG emissions in one scenario, where the plantations were replanted and continuously managed and no biogas capture implemented in oil extraction, exhibited an average of 0.134 kg‐CO2eq/kWh reduction in a plant in Kyushu District, and 0.043 kg‐CO2eq/kWh reduction in a plant in Shikoku District for liquid natural gas‐fired steam power generation, respectively. More than 65% of life‐cycle GHG emissions originate from biogas generated during oil extraction; thus, biogas capture is an effective strategy to reduce current emissions. In contrast, in the case of accompanying land‐use change or collapse of carbon neutrality, the emissions considerably exceeded those of fossil fuels. These findings indicated that the FIT fails to consider the risk of increased emissions or further substantial emission reductions. Therefore, the feasibility of FIT application to PKS needs to be re‐established by evaluating the entire PKS life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The larval stage of Japanese eel travels a substantial distance over a long duration through the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and the Kuroshio, and the spawning behavior of mature eels leads to monthly arrival waves in eastern Taiwan between November and February. The total length (TL) of the glass eel relates to its larval duration and age; therefore, the TL can indicate the larval duration. The monthly mean TLs of eels along eastern Taiwan from 2010 to 2021 were used to estimate the batch age, and the recruitment patterns and relative abundances were compared. The TLs of glass eels followed a normal distribution, and the estimated ages were highly correlated with their mean TLs. Early recruit TLs were significantly greater than those of late recruits. The mean tracer drift time was longer in early recruitment months (November–December) than in later dates (February–March). The recruitment lag between Taiwan and Japan was approximately 1–1.5 months, with relative more abundance in Taiwan for the early recruits and in Japan for the late recruits. Speculated cohorts followed the main streams of the NEC and Kuroshio, and the monthly velocity changes of these currents could affect the mean TLs as well as the distribution patterns of Japanese glass eels in Taiwan and Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widely applied hedonic regression approach for the relationship between property prices and housing attributes is subject to assumptions and specifications of models as well as the availability and content of second-hand official data. In a cross-disciplinary spirit, this study employs machine learning techniques to examine hedonic apartment prices in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area of Japan based on online sales data extracted by web-parsing technology. With 14,579 apartment observations, two machine learning regressions—decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF)—are compared to conventional ordinary least squares regression (OLS) for hedonic modelling. Empirical results demonstrated that RF regressions led to the highest accuracy in model prediction performance, followed by DT and OLS. The comparison with results across models revealed that the housing features that have consistent influences on apartment prices tend to be those associated with living quality (including management funds, repair fund fees, floor size, located floor, total floor of the building, and location in Tokyo). Other commonly appreciated features, such as southward orientation or corner-lot location, did not demonstrate importance, possibly due to changes in residents' preferences. In this big-data era, the adaptation of real-time data and machine learning approaches should add value to the variable selection process and model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the global need for reliable models of disease spread. We propose an AI-augmented forecast modeling framework that provides daily predictions of the expected number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths, cases, and hospitalizations during the following 4 weeks. We present an international, prospective evaluation of our models' performance across all states and counties in the USA and prefectures in Japan. Nationally, incident mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for predicting COVID-19 associated deaths during prospective deployment remained consistently <8% (US) and <29% (Japan), while cumulative MAPE remained <2% (US) and <10% (Japan). We show that our models perform well even during periods of considerable change in population behavior, and are robust to demographic differences across different geographic locations. We further demonstrate that our framework provides meaningful explanatory insights with the models accurately adapting to local and national policy interventions. Our framework enables counterfactual simulations, which indicate continuing Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions alongside vaccinations is essential for faster recovery from the pandemic, delaying the application of interventions has a detrimental effect, and allow exploration of the consequences of different vaccination strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic remains a global emergency. In the face of substantial challenges ahead, the approach presented here has the potential to inform critical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination of 18 fishes caught in the South China Sea detected two Unicapsula spp. in the myofibers of the trunk muscles of carangid fishes: Unicapsula aequilobata n. sp. in the Japanese scad, Decapterus maruadsi, and Unicapsula seriolae in the yellowstripe scad, Selaroides leptolepis. They formed thin filamentous pseudocysts of 0.9–2.0 (mean 1.4) mm by 0.03–0.06 (0.04) mm (n = 5) and 0.9–3.4 (2.1) mm by 0.02–0.05 (0.04) mm (n = 12), respectively. Myxospores of U. aequilobata n. sp. are composed of three equal shell valves and measured 6.7–8.5 (7.3) μm in length and 7.1–8.8 (7.6) μm in width, and contained a prominent polar capsule (PC) 3.2–3.8 (3.6) μm in diameter (n = 18) and two rudimentary PCs. A nucleotide sequence (5127 bp) of the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) array was obtained for the genetic characterization of this new species. Based on morphological and phylogenetic criteria, we erect U. aequilobata n. sp. as the sixteenth species in the genus Unicapsula. Nucleotide sequences of the 18S and 28S rDNA obtained from U. seriolae from the yellowstripe scad were almost identical (99.6–100% or 99.0–99.6%, respectively) to those from fish found in the seawaters around Australia and Japan. Consequently, this is a new host and geographical distribution records for U. seriolae. In addition, we illustrated the predicted secondary structure of the available 5.8S rDNA sequences of multivalvulid species, including those obtained from U. aequilobata n. sp., to assess the significance of interspecific nucleotide variations in this short rDNA unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]