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The relation among the mean slope angle of a watershed, the stream water quality, and the chemical composition of the plagioclase component of granite was examined for 17 watersheds located in the southern part of the Northern Japan Alps in central Japan. The 17 watersheds were mainly composed of the granite. The ionic composition of the stream water can be classified into two patterns: the Ca–HCO3-type and the Ca·Na–HCO3-type. In all the watersheds, Na+ and Ca2+ occur in the groundwater that flows into the stream mainly due to the kaolinization of plagioclase. As compared to the watersheds with Ca–HCO3-type stream water, the Na+/Ca2+ ratio for stream water in watersheds with Ca·Na–HCO3-type stream water was closer to that for plagioclase in granite. This implies that the groundwater flowing in the Ca·Na–HCO3-type watersheds is deeper than that in the Ca–HCO3-type watersheds. The mean slope angle of Ca·Na–HCO3-type watersheds was less acute as compared to that of Ca–HCO3-type watersheds. The mean slope angle of the watersheds is negatively correlated with the Na+/Ca2+ ratio for stream water ( r = −0.78, P ≤ 0.001). It is suggested that the groundwater quality at greater depths, which is comparable with the Na/Ca ratio of plagioclase, contributes more to the stream water quality in the gently sloping watersheds than in the steep watersheds. This study clarified that there is a close relation between the mean slope angle of watersheds and the depth of groundwater discharged to the stream. Moreover, it is believed that the relationship between the mean slope angle of watersheds and the Na+/Ca2+ ratio for stream water is an effective and simple index for understanding the relative depth of groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are caused by mutations in genes expressed at the neuromuscular junction. Most CMS patients have been reported in Western and Middle Eastern countries, and only four patients with COLQ mutations have been reported in Japan. We here report six mutations in acetylcholine receptor (AChR) subunit genes in five Japanese patients. Five mutations are novel, and one mutation is shared with a European American patient but with a different haplotype. Among the observed mutations, p.Thr284Pro (p.Thr264Pro according to the legacy annotation) in the epsilon subunit causes a slow-channel CMS. Five other mutations in the delta and epsilon subunits are splice site, frameshift, null, or missense mutations causing endplate AChR deficiency. We also found a heteroallelic p.Met465Thr in the beta subunit in another patient. p.Met465Thr, however, was likely to be polymorphism, because single channel recordings showed mild shortening of channel openings without affecting cell surface expression of AChR, and the minor allelic frequency of p.Met465Thr was 5.1% in the Japanese population. Lack of shared mutant alleles between the Japanese and the other patients suggests that most mutations described here are ethnically unique or de novo in each family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the independent influence of face-to-face contact (FFC) and non-face-to-face contact (NFFC) on the subsequent decline in self-rated health and mental health status by age. A total of 12,000 participants were randomly selected among residents in the study area, and 1751 of them responded to both the 2016 and 2018 mail surveys. The participants were subsequently classified into three age groups (25-49: Young adults; 50-64: Mid-aged adults; and 65-84: Older adults). Social contact was assessed by computing the frequencies of FFC and NFFC. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed the risk of social contact on the decline in self-rated health and World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index. Both FFC and NFFC were significantly associated with maintaining mental health; however, the impacts of FFC on mental health were more significant than that of NFFC among older adults and young adults. Compared with the no contact group, FFC was significantly associated with maintaining self-rated health in mid-aged adults. The influence of FFC and NFFC on health differed by age group.

Objectives　Many local governments and elementary and junior high schools in Japan have conducted a "greeting campaign". This has been done in order to activate communication among local residents, and to instill public spirit and sociability in students' minds. However, few studies have explored the significance of greeting campaigns. The present study investigates greeting in neighborhoods and its relationship with students' spontaneous greeting behavior. The study also seeks to understand the quantity of greeting in daily life and its association with a student's community attachment and helping behavior.Methods　A self-completion questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,346 students studying in the fourth and higher grades at elementary schools, and 1,357 students in the first and second grade at junior high schools. There were 2,692 valid respondents. We performed the following analyses using the data of elementary school students and junior high school students separately. A partial correlation analysis was conducted wherein gender and grade were introduced as control variables. This analysis tested the correlation between the frequency of being greeted by surrounding people and the frequency of greeting by students, of their own accord. A path analysis that tested the relationship between students' greeting behavior, their attachment to residential areas, and helping behavior was also conducted.Results　The results of the partial correlation analysis revealed that there was a positive correlation between the frequency of being greeted by surrounding people and the frequency of greeting by students, of their own accord, regardless of gender and grade. Moreover, the results of the path analysis revealed that the frequency of being greeted was positively associated with community attachment and that the frequency of students' spontaneous greeting behavior was positively associated not only with community attachment but also with helping behavior. The goodness of model fit was high for both the data of elementary school students as well as the data of junior high school students.Conclusion　We found that exchanging greetings with surrounding people in daily life enhanced students' attachment to the community. In particular, we showed that students' spontaneous greeting behavior led to their helping behavior, which supports the significance of recommending greeting at home, school, or in the local community. Since there was a correlation between the frequency of being greeted and the frequency of greeting willingly, we consider that actions of surrounding adults become important to help students acquire spontaneous greeting behavior.