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Thyroid cancer incidence increases worldwide annually, primarily due to factors such as ionizing radiation (IR), iodine intake, and genetics. Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC) accounts for about 80% of thyroid cancer cases. RET/PTC1 (coiled‐coil domain containing 6 [CCDC6]‐rearranged during transfection) rearrangement is a distinctive feature in over 70% of thyroid cancers who exposed to low doses of IR in Chernobyl and Hiroshima‒Nagasaki atomic bombings. This study aims to elucidate mechanism between RET/PTC1 rearrangement and IR in PTC. N‐thy‐ori‐3‐1 cells were subjected to varying doses of IR (2/1/0.5/0.2/0.1/0.05 Gy) of IR at different days, and result showed low‐dose IR‐induced RET/PTC1 rearrangement in a dose‐dependent manner. RET/PTC1 has been observed to promote PTC both in vivo and in vitro. To delineate the role of different DNA repair pathways, SCR7, RI‐1, and Olaparib were employed to inhibit non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ), homologous recombination (HR), and microhomology‐mediated end joining (MMEJ), respectively. Notably, inhibiting NHEJ enhanced HR repair efficiency and reduced IR‐induced RET/PTC1 rearrangement. Conversely, inhibiting HR increased NHEJ repair efficiency and subsequent RET/PTC1 rearrangement. The MMEJ did not show a markable role in this progress. Additionally, inhibiting DNA‐dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA‐PKcs) decreased the efficiency of NHEJ and thus reduced IR‐induced RET/PTC1 rearrangement. To conclude, the data suggest that NHEJ, rather than HR or MMEJ, is the critical cause of IR‐induced RET/PTC1 rearrangement. Targeting DNA‐PKcs to inhibit the NHEJ has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for addressing IR‐induced RET/PTC1 rearrangement in PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely translated into several Western languages (with the exception of English), Günther Anders (1902–92) has, in the last two decades, attained the status of a classic figure within twentieth-century critical thought, close to Herbert Marcuse and the Frankfurt School without ever becoming one of its members. This article analyses his intellectual trajectory and his body of work, which includes many articles, essays, short stories, and even a novel. It focuses on his Jewish roots, which made him a paradigmatic representative of the 'non-Jewish Jew': a Jew confronted with antisemitism, an internationalist standing before the Jewish tradition. The crucial premises of his original theory, the author emphasises, were Auschwitz and Hiroshima, the extermination of European Jewry, and the atomic bomb. Set out in his most ambitious work, The Outdatedness of Human Beings (Volume 1, 1956; Volume 2, 1980), Anders' thought appears as a kind of dialectical sublation, from a Marxist perspective, of Heidegger's philosophy of technique (where technique has replaced human beings as the subject of history), articulated with a radical criticism of Heidegger's political ontology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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International organizations are now striving to promote AI governance, as AI technologies demonstrate an unprecedented scope and scale of global impact on societies. Through good governance of this common challenge, we may find a way to better global governance in the post-Ukraine crisis world. In the following interview, OECD Director for Science, Technology and Innovation Jerry Sheehan clarifies for us the OECD's pioneering work in this area that may help guide us to be a better world through better governance of AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of the sowing date is one of the most important decisions in soybean production. It is important for farmers to know the expected seed yield when developing a sowing plan. The objective of this study was to quantitatively reveal the decreased seed yield ratio during late sowing in southwestern Japan under irrigated conditions. Total above ground dry matter and distribution were measured from July to August sowing in 2018 and 2019 in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan. The harvest index in the August sowing did not decrease compared to the July sowing under irrigated conditions. The decrease in yield was related to the total aboveground dry matter rather than to the harvest index. The decrease in total aboveground dry matter was related to the total amount of solar radiation intercepted rather than to radiation use efficiency. A significant regression equation was obtained for the relative yield, which was calculated from the maximum seed yield observed from early to mid-July. When seeds were sown after mid-July, our result showed that the seed yield will decrease by 0.60% per day for Sachiyutaka A1 and by 0.64% for Akimaro, even under conditions of 100% seedling establishment and controlled soil water conditions. This regression equation can be used in fields as an indicator of seed yield where irrigation is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: The Public Health Crisis Conceptual Model was developed to identify and address healthcare and human services needs related to a disaster. The purpose of this study was to historically apply this model to the counties and populations most affected by the first nuclear test in 1945, with a focus on community and local priorities, and to further describe this model and validate its usefulness. If the model had been applied in 1945, what might have been different with respect to research, epidemiological studies, and reparations? Methods: A historical, descriptive case study approach was used, with a focus on community and local priorities. Results: While it was deemed necessary to maintain secrecy surrounding the Trinity test during wartime efforts, scientists and the military knew of the potential dangers of radioactive fallout. However, they neglected to inform exposed New Mexicans after the information about the nature of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been made public. Conclusions: Research and epidemiological studies could have been implemented years before they were. Resources were not and have not been distributed equitably to those exposed to fallout from the Trinity test site. Using the Public Health Crisis Conceptual Model will help ensure that community and local priorities are an integral component of future disaster-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the variability in stay point detection accuracy influenced by GPS log intervals and detection algorithms and confirms the impact of stay point detection on stay duration and trip frequency estimations. We compare three major detection algorithms across varied log intervals adjusted through down-sampling using five evaluation indices newly proposed in this study. Using GPS trajectory data with ground truth data collected in Hiroshima, Japan, we found that ST-DBSCAN, a time-distance density clustering method, offers the highest accuracy and maintains its performance up to a 5-minute interval. We also found that widely used conventional methods, including duration and distance-based methods and DBSCAN, would produce considerably biased results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Seto Inland Sea (SIS) is the largest semienclosed coastal sea in Japan and has three connections with the outer seas. When a typhoon approached the SIS in September 2011, spatial variations of sea level elevation were observed across the SIS. Additionally, an unusual sea level rise (abnormal surge) occurred in Hiroshima Bay approximately 8 days after the typhoon passed, with the Itsukushima Shrine in the bay flooded by the surge. To understand themechanismof the abnormal surge in the bay and the relationship between sea level variations and circulation in the SIS, we investigated the 2011 event by applying a high-resolution numerical ocean circulationmodel using SCHISMwith bias correction for sea surface heights (SSHs) at the open boundary. The overall easterly throughflow due to the west-high eastlow SSH pattern in the SIS and temporary SSH disturbances due to typhoons were well reproduced in the model results. Among the three connections, the Bungo Channel mainly determined the overall net flux into the SIS and contributed significantly to sea level variations within the SIS. Additionally, the Kii Channel played more crucial roles in shaping the circulation and local sea level variations. The Kanmon Strait exhibited minor impacts. The abnormal tide in Hiroshima Bay was mainly attributed to seawater flux input from the outer seas, in conjunction with the subtidal internal seiche with the bay. The results will help us to further understand the physical processes of the ocean and establish evidence-based safety plans for reducing natural hazard damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of fish movement ecology contributes to the improvement of fishery resource management actions. We investigated the horizontal movement of the black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegelii around the natural coast of Nishinoumishima Island in Hiroshima Bay, using active acoustic tracking. Six adult fish equipped with depth transmitters were tracked for a total of 54 days in the bay. Five tagged fish were fully tracked for 9–10 consecutive days after release. Tagged fish were found in the intertidal zone and adjacent subtidal zones, which were shallower than 12 m, and within 170 m off the coastline. The mean daily movement distance and 95% kernel utilized density of tagged fish were 191 ± 272 m and 60,207 ± 99,437 m2, respectively. The swimming depth of the tagged fish was 1–4 m above the seafloor. We opine that the littoral area (< 12 m in depth), which includes the intertidal zone and adjacent subtidal zone, is an important habitat for black sea bream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainwater infiltration is one of the main triggering factors in slope failure. Therefore, exploring the unsaturated slope behavior is essential. However, studies generally ignored the impact of soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) hysteresis caused by wet-dry cycles in engineering practice. SWCC measured in the drying process is commonly used to estimate slope behavior in the wet-dry cycle. Three soils of Toyoura sand, Hiroshima decomposed granite soil (Masado soil), and DL clay will be taken as examples to examine the infinite slope stability under the effect of SWCC hysteresis. Firstly, this research examines soils' SWCC and suction stress characteristic curves (SSCC). Then, the factor of safety (FOS) changes are further analyzed when suction stress is considered the confining pressure. The results indicate that FOS for soils with small cohesion and air-entry value is greatly affected by SWCC hysteresis. As the depth between the selected slip surface and slope surface increases, the disparity between FOSs calculated through wetting FOS and drying FOS will decrease sharply. Therefore, for shallow slope stability analysis, only using the SWCC measured during the drying process to evaluate the entire wet-dry cycle might lead to underestimating slope failure potentiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 200 million COVID-19 survivors have lasting symptoms after recovering, but the duration and related risk factors remain uncertain. This study focused on all 6551 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at a medical institution in Hiroshima from March 2020 to July 2022. In November 2022, a questionnaire survey was conducted regarding post-COVID symptoms and their duration. The prevalence and duration of post-COVID symptoms were illustrated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Risk factors for symptoms lasting over 3 months and interfering with daily life were assessed via multivariate logistic regression. A total of 2421 survivors responded: 1391 adults, 1030 children, median age 34 years (IQR 9–55), 51·2% male, 36·7% hospitalized, median time from infection to the survey was 295 days (IQR 201–538). Upon their initial recovery, the prevalence of post-COVID symptoms was 78·4% in adults and 34·6% in children. Three months later, the rates were 47·6% and 10·8%. After over one year, they were 31·0% and 6·8%. Regarding symptoms interfere with daily life, 304 people (12.6%) experienced symptoms lasting for over three months, with independent risk factors including age, being female, diabetes mellitus, infection during the Delta period, and current smoking. There was no significant association between vaccination history and post-COVID symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients aged ≥ 80 years with stage III colorectal cancer remains unclear. In parallel with a multicenter prospective phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of uracil-tegafur and leucovorin as adjuvant chemotherapy (HiSCO-03), we conducted a prospective observational study of these patients to assess survival outcomes, including those ineligible for chemotherapy. Methods: This multi-institutional prospective cohort study included 17 institutions in Hiroshima, Japan. Patients aged ≥ 80 years with stage III colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection were enrolled. The primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival, and the secondary endpoints were 3-year overall and relapse-free survival. Propensity score matching was used to assess the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival outcomes. Results: A total of 214 patients were analyzed between 2013 and 2018, including 99 males and 115 females with a median age of 84 years (range 80–101 years). Recurrence occurred in 58 patients and secondary cancers were observed in 17. The 3-year disease-free, overall, and relapse-free survival rates were 63.3%, 76.9%, and 62.9%, respectively. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 65 patients with a completion rate of 52%. In a study of 80 patients that adjusted for background factors using propensity score matching, patients who completed the planned treatment showed improved disease-free survival (3-year disease-free survival: completed, 80.0%; not received, 65.5%; and discontinued, 56.3%; p = 0.029). Conclusions: Completion of adjuvant chemotherapy may improve the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer aged ≥ 80 years, although the number of patients who would benefit from it is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between child-specific and household material deprivation with depression among elementary and middle school students in Japan. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 10,505 and 10,008 students for fifth-grade elementary school students (G5) and second-grade middle school students (G8), respectively, and their caregivers. The data were collected from August to September 2016 in 4 municipalities of Tokyo and from July to November 2017 in 23 municipalities of Hiroshima prefecture. Caregivers completed questionnaires including household income and material deprivation, and children completed child-specific material deprivation and depression status using the Japanese version of the Birleson depression self-rating scale for children (DSRS-C). To explore the associations, logistic regression was used after conducting multiple imputation for the missing data. Results: 14.2% of G5 students and 23.6% of G8 students had DSRS-C scores of more than or equal to 16, denoting the risk of depression. We found that household equivalent income was not associated with childhood depression in both G5 and G8 students when adjusted for material deprivations. While at least one item of household material deprivation was significantly associated with depression in G8 students (OR = 1.19, CI = 1.00, 1.41), but not in G5 children. Child-specific material deprivation of more than 5 items was significantly associated with depression in both age groups (G5: OR = 1.53, CI = 1.25, 1.88; G8: OR = 1.45, CI = 1.22, 1.73). Conclusion: Future research on child mental health needs to consider children's perspectives, especially material deprivation in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been extensively studied in war and peace literature. Research abounds on the ethical debates surrounding the bombing, the legal and political ramifications of the use of nuclear weapons, the socio-cultural underpinnings of the peace movements, and the somatic and psychological consequences of the bombing. However, Hiroshima's reconstruction has rarely been studied from the scholarly lens of peacebuilding approaches that cover various aspects of post-war reconstruction. The city and prefectural governments of Hiroshima published several reports on Hiroshima's history of reconstruction over the years, and as of 2014, with an aim to support peacebuilding efforts elsewhere and contribute to achieving a peaceful world. Using policy analysis, new empirical data, updated historical accounts, and interdisciplinary lenses, the contributions in this Special Issue respond to this objective by bridging the past war experience and the present peace aspirations from Hiroshima to bring new insights into post-war reconstruction and peacebuilding research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interdisciplinary study demonstrates how an anthropogenic narrative emerged in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and how it became a strategic tool to drive Hiroshima's reconstruction processes, ascribing a new identity to the devastated city as a global advocate for peace. The atomic bomb survivors' nascent anthropogenic discourse emerged as hearsay partially based on scientific news but primarily reflecting the survivors' immediate and visceral observation of life at ground zero. The discourse evolved in synergy with the annual Peace Declarations and other public discourses, mobilising the hibakusha and changing their outlook. The study reveals, through a hybrid method of quantitative and qualitative analyses of over 20,000 testimonies from a-bomb survivors, the power of the anthropogenic discourse from ground zero in turning ad hoc disaster recovery efforts into the sustainable development of the city while fostering community consciousness for societal and global peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

War-torn or post-conflict countries face challenging, complex, and varied tasks related to security, development, and justice to meet the immediate needs of state-building and peacebuilding. Hiroshima, having overcome post-war reconstruction, has remained in the peacebuilding phase by advocating world peace through the value of 'No more Hiroshimas'. Peacebuilding studies and mainstream debates emphasising the local perspective have not, however, touched upon this historical moment, when the Hiroshima Prefectural Government enacted 'Hiroshima for Global Peace', pursuing peacebuilding through a nuclear-free world. In this context, this article analyses how Hiroshima's provincial government policy demonstrates ongoing peacebuilding in pursuit of world peace. Considering local-global relations, it examines how local policy connects the shared values of a nuclear-free world. Second, it shows how local-state relations highlight Japan's peacebuilding policy, which includes security cooperation, by sharing the vision of Hiroshima as a symbol of world peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of war, people need visions that (re)unite them and overcome the psychological wounds they have incurred. The post-war Japanese needed narratives that could help them to rebuild their war-torn self-image. They subscribed to a story of Hiroshima being the first city to be demolished by an atomic bomb. Through this, Hiroshima became a national symbol, and the Japanese regarded themselves as victims of war, which effectively overrode their sense of shame and of responsibility for the war. As this process was aimed internally to serve as the backbone of post-war recovery, it did not turn the Japanese against the United States, and thus Japanese collective victimhood includes the following three anomalies: first, the absence of an enemy; second, a lack of aggressiveness; and third, the irrelevance of recovery. This article, therefore, challenges the existing theory of collective victimhood using the case of post-war Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article revisits the case of Hiroshima's post-war reconstruction using the lens of reflexive peacebuilding. Reflexive peacebuilding is a set of practices that align peacebuilding efforts with the notions of agency, time, and space, as problematised within the critical discourse on the Anthropocene. For this study, a review of relevant policies and initiatives following the bombing reveals how agencies, temporalities, and spatialities in Hiroshima's post-war reconstruction generate interweaving and sometimes contesting peace narratives. Hiroshima's experience in responding to the needs of the survivors, accommodating future generations, and using spaces for peace promotion offer insights into the blurred agency, uncertain times, and porous spaces of Anthropocene imaginaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, people all over the world associate Hiroshima with peace. It also, however, has a history as a military city. Noting the importance of this historical background, this study traces Hiroshima's post-Second World War reconstruction process from the perspective of local peacebuilding. Applying a two-pillar framework of local peacebuilding and identity-making to an analysis of written historical records, the study explores how local agency was manifested in the post-war reconstruction of Hiroshima. Key to Hiroshima's peacebuilding process was the 1949 Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, which not only provided the financial means for reconstruction but also helped shape Hiroshima's identity as a peace memorial city. This identity served as a vision for the city's planning process and facilitated its reconstruction, although the local government's original plan was contested by citizens. By demonstrating how city identity formation can be an accelerator of the reconstruction process, our findings can inform contemporary peacebuilding studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global tourism industry attempts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, small-scale, community-based regenerative tourism is bringing a creative transformation to declining neighborhoods and areas struggling to attract visitors. This case study focuses on a tour project that aims at regenerating a degraded suburban landscape in Hiroshima, Japan, and turning it into a location for Creative Tourism in cooperation with the local community. The study connects Regenerative Tourism and Creative Tourism, revealing that creative tourism serves as a catalyst for community revitalization. The research methods involve participant observation, interviews with tour operators and tourists, and secondary data analysis, with thematic analysis revealing insights into sustainable tourism, community engagement, and the company's efforts to preserve and promote local culture and nature. The case study suggests that the growing demand emerging after the pandemic also creates new opportunities for transformation through small-scale regenerative and Creative Tourism that is respectful of local culture and creates revitalization opportunities with residents. The growing demand emerging after the pandemic also creates new opportunities and transformation through small-scale regenerative and Creative Tourism that is respectful of local culture and creates revitalization opportunities with residents. The study argues that the combination of Creative Tourism and a regenerative framework results in a mutually beneficial relationship. Although regenerative creative tourism products are more difficult to design and manage, it is a more responsible approach. This case shows that Regenerative Creative Tourism promotes local well-being and long-term sustainability, emphasizing the necessity of a holistic, creative, and regenerative approach in the changing global tourism landscape, especially for community and environmental regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numbers of naive T cells that react to novel pathogens not yet encountered by an immune system, decrease during aging, mainly due to age-associated involution of the thymus. CD45RA+ naive CD4 T cells consist of heterogeneous populations, including highly CXCR3-expressing cells that appear during the homeostatic proliferation of naive T cells and exhibit enhanced type-1 inflammatory phenotypes. Based on previous evidence of radiation-associated reductions in thymic function and peripheral blood naive CD4 T cells, we hypothesized that the homeostatic proliferation of naive CD4 T cells compensates for deficits in peripheral T-cell populations after radiation injury, which may increase the proportion of CXCR3high cells in naive CD4 T cells and enhance inflammation. The statistical models employed in this study revealed positive associations between the number of CXCR3high naive CD4 T cells and age as well as radiation dose among 580 Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors. In addition, the CXCR3high cells in these survivors increased not only with the levels of homeostatic cytokines, IL6 and IL7, but also with those of inflammatory indicators, CXCL10 and CRP. These results suggest that thymic T-cell production deficiency due to radiation and aging results in enhanced homeostatic proliferation that drives the appearance of CXCR3high naive CD4 T cells poised for an inflammatory response. Molecular mechanisms and clinical relevance of increasing CXCR3high cells in naive CD4 T populations should be further investigated in the context of inflammatory disease development long after radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infilling rate of hollows is one of the primary factors affecting the recurrence interval of shallow landslides. Although many studies have focused on colluvium in hollows under various regional settings, few have directly estimated the infilling rates from radiocarbon dating and airborne LIDAR digital elevation models (DEMs) in shallow landslide scars. In this work, we analysed the radiocarbon dates of charcoal in the colluvium in the granitic mountains of Hiroshima and Hofu, where heavy rainfall has caused multiple shallow landslides in recent years. A total of 27 samples were collected from landslide scars in seven hollows, and the infilling rates were inferred from the calibrated radiocarbon ages and pre‐landslide depth of the samples estimated from the DEMs before the landslide event. Topographic parameters including local slope gradient and size of the source area were also measured using the DEMs. Our findings showed that the calibrated radiocarbon ages of colluvium in hollows ranged from about 350 to 1700 cal BP, and the infilling rates ranged from about 0.2 ± 0.2 to 5.4 ± 0.9 mm/y. In the two hollows with limited human impacts, the infilling rates were relatively low, and there is a trend of increase with increasing source‐area size and topographic curvature. In contrast, infilling rates were very high at two hollows with intensive human impacts where active surface erosion occurred from the 17th to the early 20th century. Three hollows located around the ruins of a medieval castle near the drainage divides of the source area also had relatively high infilling rates. For the hollows with intensive human impacts, the infilling rates were not controlled by topographic attributes such as source‐area size and curvature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper explores the intricate connections between dematerialization, the expanded field, and expanded cinema, drawing insights from cybernetics and trans-aesthetics. Its objective is to investigate the thematic and aesthetic concerns embedded within these concepts and their manifestation in Michelangelo Antonioni's trilogy: Blow-Up (1966), Zabriskie Point (1970), and The Passengers (1975). The study examines Antonioni's inquisition of reality, perception, and play-with images within the expanded field and his politics of dematerialization. The investigation delves into the profligacy and fragmentation of traditional material forms into abstract, conceptual realms, known as dematerialization, which aligns with the expanded field's expansion of artistic expressions and media. Drawing upon cybernetics and maneuvering within queer computational history, the research establishes a theoretical framework for understanding the interconnectedness of these concepts and, furthermore, explores the configuration of autopoiesis and its interplay between systems and environment. The paper attempts to illustrate the impact of universal brain inception, Total AI, and expanded cinema. Moving forward, this study strives to emphasize the structure of the trans-individual, who transcends the consternation of obliteration. So essentially, there's an expansion of consciousness in the realm of expanded reality. The paper is divided into 4 sections that move from one part to another through a comprehensive analysis of Antonioni's Post-World War II films via their obstreperous electronic and abstraction aesthetics, identifying underlying motifs, aesthetic choices, and narrative techniques encrypted in these motion pictures that lie more and more beyond their surface reality. It explores how Antonioni's images embody the dematerialization of history-signs-counterculture-computational networks. Additionally, the murdering of space and expansion rhetoric is methodically disseminated through visual and subtextual symbolism. The research paper takes on a network-driven approach in its investigation, connecting these concepts to unravel their significance in cinema and their metamorphosis since the reverberated effect of the mushroom cloud, its maleficent dematerialization of humanity in Hiroshima. It sheds light on the transformative impact of technology on cinematic expression, the enfolding of temporal structures, the evolution of artistic possibilities, and the blurring of boundaries between art forms. The basal hypothesis of entropy, the second law of thermodynamics predicting energy dissipation and organizational dissolution, serves as a connecting thread. It underscores the transient and ephemeral nature of artistic expressions within the expanded field, expanded cinema, and dematerialization, all moving towards surging entropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of residual radiation from atomic bombs have been considered to be minimal because of its low levels of external radioactivity. However, studies involving atomic bomb survivors exposed to only residual radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have indicated possible adverse health effects. Thus, we investigated the biological effects of radioactive dust of manganese dioxide 56 (56MnO2), a major radioisotope formed in soil by neutron beams from a bomb. Previously, we investigated C57BL mice exposed to 56MnO2 and found pulmonary gene expression changes despite low radiation doses. In this study, we examined the effects in a radiation-sensitive strain of mice, BALB/c, and compared them with those in C57BL mice. The animals were exposed to 56MnO2 particles at two radioactivity levels and examined 3 and 65 days after exposure. The mRNA expression of pulmonary pathophysiology markers, including Aqp1, Aqp5, and Smad7, and radiation-sensitive genes, including Bax, Phlda3, and Faim3, was determined in the lungs. The radiation doses absorbed in the lungs ranged from 110 to 380 mGy; no significant difference was observed between the two strains. No exposure-related pathological changes were observed in the lungs of any group. However, the mRNA expression of Aqp1 was significantly elevated in C57BL mice but not in BALB/c mice 65 days after exposure, whereas no changes were observed in external γ-rays (2 Gy) in either strain. In contrast, Faim3, a radiation-dependently downregulated gene, was reduced by 56MnO2 exposure in BALB/c mice but not in C57BL mice. These data demonstrate that inhalation exposure to 56MnO2 affected the expression of pulmonary genes at doses <380 mGy, which is comparable to 2 Gy of external γ-irradiation, whereas the responses differed between the two mouse strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Given the dramatic decline in Japan's labor force, promoting women's participation in the workforce is essential. Aims: We aimed to take a Hiroshima company as an example and analyze the influencing factors of health literacy (HL) to clarify the issues of the active participation of female employees. Methods and Materials: From February to March 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted by a company in Hiroshima prefecture that contained many male employees. A total of 1,114 valid respondents were received. Employees' demographics, menstrual-related concerns, women's activity promotion support, and HL were investigated in this study. Statistical Analysis Used: The Chi-square test and logistic regression using SPSS statistical software version 25 were used. Results: There were significant differences between high and low HL with age, women's menstrual problems, and women's activity promotion support. The participants who were unaware of women's menstrual-related problems and their company's implementation of women's activity promotion support were more likely to have high HL. In addition, female employees (including female management) and male management have significantly different cognitions about women's activity promotion support. Conclusions: This study found that overall HL among employees in male-dominated companies is low, even among participants who were aware of women's menstruation-related health issues and the company's women's activity promotion support. Increased women's representation in management can bridge policy perception gaps. Male-dominated companies should enhance HL via career programs, health education, and improved communication for active female engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among drug users presents an important public health problem; however, little recognition and few approaches to address this issue in Japan. This study was conducted to investigate the current disease status by assessing anti‐HCV antibody (Ab) seroprevalence among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and people who use drugs (PWUDs) in Hiroshima, Japan. Methods: This study was a psychiatric single‐site chart review in patients with drug abuse problems in the Hiroshima region. The primary outcome was anti‐HCV Ab prevalence among PWIDs who underwent anti‐HCV Ab testing. The secondary outcomes included the prevalence of anti‐HCV Ab among PWUDs who underwent anti‐HCV Ab testing and the proportion of patients who underwent anti‐HCV Ab examination. Results: A total of 222 PWUD patients were enrolled. Among these, 16 patients (7.2%) had records of injection drug use (PWIDs). Eleven (68.8%) of the 16 PWIDs received anti‐HCV Ab tests, and 4 (36.4%, 4/11) were anti‐HCV Ab‐positive. Among 222 PWUDs, 126 (56.8%) patients received anti‐HCV Ab tests, and 57 of these patients (45.2%, 57/126) were anti‐HCV Ab‐positive. Conclusion: The prevalence of anti‐HCV Ab among PWIDs and PWUDs who visited the study site was higher than the general population, which was 2.2% among hospitalized patients between May 2018 and November 2019. Considering the World Health Organization's (WHO) elimination goal and recent advances in HCV treatment, patients with drug abuse experience should be encouraged to take HCV tests and consult hepatologists for further investigations and treatment if they are positive for anti‐HCV Ab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports have documented antimicrobial usage in aquaculture, and the aquatic ecosystem can be considered a genetic storage site for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study assessed the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Gram-negative bacteria recovered from retail seafood in Hiroshima, Japan. A total of 412 bacteria were isolated and screened for the presence of β-lactamases, acquired carbapenemases, and mobile colistin-resistance (mcr) genes. Forty-five (10.9%) isolates were dominated by Morganella (28%), Proteus (22%), Aeromonas (14%), Citrobacter (8%), and Escherichia (8%) and carried AMR genes. The identified AMR genes included those encoded in integrons (19), aac(6՛)-Ib (11), blaTEM-1 (7), blaCTX-M-like (12), blaCTX-M-65 (2), blaSHV-12 (1), blaSHV-27 (1), blaOXA-10 (1), blaOXA-2 (1), and mcr (2). The most common clinical resistances were against ampicillin, colistin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin. Multidrug resistance (MDR) occurred in 27 (60%) AMR isolates, and multiple antibiotic resistance indices ranged from 0.2 to 0.8. A conjugation experiment showed that 10 of the 11 selected MDR strains harbored conjugable plasmids, although PCR-based replicon typing described seven strains as untypable. IncF replicon was identified in MDR extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli of the pathogenic B2 phylogroup. Our findings suggest that retail seafood harbors MDR bacteria of human interest that require strict resistance surveillance in the seafood production continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Nuclear Minds: Cold War Psychological Science and the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" by Ran Zwigenberg explores the concept of trauma in the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The book focuses on the efforts of Japanese and American psychiatrists, psychologists, and social scientists to understand the psychological impact of the bombings. It highlights the silencing of survivors' experiences and the de-emphasis of Japan's cultural particularities in favor of prioritizing preparedness for potential nuclear catastrophes. The book draws primarily on the records of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey and the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, providing a unique perspective on the development of the concept of trauma. [Extracted from the article]

Background: This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on colorectal cancer care and mortality using a large cancer registry in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The study aimed to estimate the all‐cause mortality rates within 1 year of diagnosis among colorectal cancer patients diagnosed during the pandemic period (2020 and 2021) compared to those diagnosed during the pre‐pandemic period (2018 and 2019). Methods: The day of diagnosis was set as Day 0 and Cox regression models were utilized to estimate crude hazard ratios (HRs) and adjusted HRs, accounting for age, sex, cancer stage, and treatment status. Two sensitivity analyses of overall survival were performed with different cutoffs of the pre‐pandemic/pandemic periods and year‐to‐year comparisons. Subgroup analyses were performed using likelihood ratio tests. Results: A total of 15,085 colorectal cancer patients were included, with 6499 eligible for follow‐up. A median age of included patients was 72 years old, of which 59% were male. The distribution of cancer stages showed little variation between the pre‐pandemic and pandemic periods. With a median follow‐up of 177 days, the number of events was 316/3111 (173 events per 1000 person‐years [E/1000PY], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 154–192 E/1000PY) in the pre‐pandemic period, and 326/2746 (245 E/1000PY, 95% CI: 220–274 E/1000PY) in the pandemic period (crude HR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.22–1.66; adjusted HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07–1.46). The two sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses consistently supported these findings. Conclusions: The study revealed an increased colorectal cancer mortality during the pandemic period, suggesting a continuous impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the known and unknown risk factors for colorectal cancer for several years. Further studies are necessary to mitigate the adverse effects on patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in immune responses; however, their excessive production and accumulation increases the risk of inflammation‐related diseases. Although irradiation is known to accelerate immunological aging, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. To determine the possible involvement of ROS in this mechanism, we examined 10,023 samples obtained from 3752 atomic‐bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who participated in repeated biennial examinations from 2008 to 2016, for the effects of aging and radiation exposure on intracellular ROS (H2O2 and O2•−) levels, percentages of T‐cell subsets, and the effects of radiation exposure on the relationship between cell percentages and intracellular ROS levels in T‐cell subsets. The cell percentages and intracellular ROS levels in T‐cell subsets were measured using flow cytometry, with both fluorescently labeled antibodies and the fluorescent reagents, carboxy‐DCFDA and hydroethidine. The percentages of naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells decreased with increasing age and radiation dose, while the intracellular O2•− levels in central and effector memory CD8+ T cells increased. Additionally, when divided into three groups based on the percentages of naïve CD4+ T cells, intracellular O2•− levels of central and effector memory CD8+ T cells were significantly elevated with the lowest radiation dose group in the naïve CD4+ T cells. Thus, the radiation exposure‐induced decrease in the naïve CD4+ T cell pool size may reflect decreased immune function, resulting in increased intracellular ROS levels in central and effector memory CD8+ T cells, and increased intracellular oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a carcinogen. This has been established beyond doubt from many years of studies such as those conducted among the survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and later from the Chernobyl accident. Despite immense progress in the field of carcinogenesis, complete understanding of the underlying mechanisms behind IR-induced cancer remains elusive. In particular, the long gestation period between exposure to IR and the onset of cancer, frequently unpredictable, and sometimes lasting for many years, remains poorly understood. The centrality of DNA damage and misrepair in carcinogenesis research has not entirely benefited IR-induced cancer research and the past decade has seen a shift in understanding radiation-driven cellular mechanisms beyond simplistic models of targeted DNA damage. This paper presents a viewpoint on the gaps in our knowledge of IR-induced cancer with a focus on the nontargeted bystander effect, the mechanisms underlying which may be key to radiotherapeutic advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The 11th International Fission Yeast Meeting took place at Astel Plaza in Hiroshima, Japan, from May 28th to June 2nd, 2023. This highly anticipated gathering, originally scheduled for May 2021, had been postponed for 2 years due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Researchers from 21 countries, including 211 overseas and 157 domestic participants (overall gender ratio is roughly 60% male vs. 40% female), eagerly awaited the opportunity to meet in person, as virtual interactions had been the only means of communication during this challenging period. The meeting featured four kick‐off special lectures, 101 regular talks, and 152 poster presentations. Additionally, a discussion session on upfront frontier research in fission yeast provided an interactive platform for both speakers and attendees. Throughout the event, participants shared cutting‐edge knowledge, celebrated significant research findings, and relished the invaluable experience of an in‐person meeting. The vibrant and friendly atmosphere, characteristic of this esteemed international conference, fostered collaboration and reinforced the significance of studying this exceptional model organism. Undoubtedly, the outcomes of this meeting will greatly contribute to our understanding of complex biological systems, not only in fission yeast but also in general eukaryotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front cover: A full moon rises over the torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima (Hiroshima Prefecture), with countless reflections on the waves. Upon closer inspection, the numerous moon figures seen on the waves are actually cells of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In addition to cells undergoing vegetative growth, cells in the process of sexual reproduction (conjugation, first and second meiosis) and asci containing spores are visible in the foreground. The Meeting Report of the 11th International Fission Yeast Meeting in Hiroshima (POMBE2023 Hiroshima) appears in this month's issue of this journal (Toda et al., Genes Cells 28: 642‐645, DOI: 10.1111/gtc.13055). Designed by TRAIS Co., Ltd. (Kobe, Japan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Be it the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the escalations of the Cold War, or the triple disaster at Fukushima, the problem of representing disaster remains an exigent yet precarious one. Published amid rising global tensions, Abe Kōbō's The Ark Sakura (Abe, 1984) questions the limits of representation within this perplexing discursive landscape. In this article, I will examine the text's engagement with the concepts of governmentality, time, and representation, with special consideration towards an overarching structural critique of the role of information – more specifically, the flow and distribution of information – within Cold War nuclear discourse. Just as the tunnels of the quarry in the novel amplify and distort every sound and utterance into confusing, often duplicitous signals, the discourses surrounding nuclear disaster have always had to traverse complex topologies of frequently conflicting signs and signifiers, including but not limited to corporate, geopolitical, and ideological interests. To that end, I propose a reading of the novel alongside a reconceptualization of nuclear discourse as belonging to a larger genealogy of technological narratives, media compositing, and networked power, and in so doing, attempt to situate it within ongoing modalities of how techno-ecological disaster is imagined and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is widely known as a universal symbol of peace, but there have not been studies of how people actually experience and interpret it. This article presents a detailed case study of a visit to the memorial by using an innovative methodology based on the use of subjective cameras (subcams). Results show that despite the monolithic idea of peace that the memorial officially represents, it is experienced and interpreted in terms of a constant tension which exposes conflicts in post-war Japan memory politics. The dichotomies of war/peace, death/life, past/future, and old /new emerge as part of the participant's encounter with different situations during his visit. This is particularly clear where he perceives border zones and points of intersection. The article concludes by interpreting these dichotomies through the notion of themata, as elementary dichotomies that underlie a social debate around a specific topic. Specifically, two themata are proposed: one revolving around the temporal problematisation of the past and the future in the memory politics of the A-Bomb, and the other revolving around the spatial dichotomy between the old and the new underlying Hiroshima's urban renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the nuclear bomb attack against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the world has advanced in nuclear technology. Today, a nuclear bomb could target a large-scale attack, at a longer range, and with much greater destructive force. People are increasingly concerned about the potential destructive humanitarian outcomes. We discuss actual conditions detonation of an atomic bomb would create, radiation injuries, and diseases. We also address concerns about functionality of medical care systems and other systems that support medical systems (i.e., transport, energy, supply chain, etc. systems) following a massive nuclear attack and whether citizens able to survive this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On September 1, 2023, 100 years after the Great Kanto Earthquake, the Hiroshima City Torrential Rain Disaster Museum will open in the Yagi district of Asaminami Ward, the area most severely affected by the landslide that struck Hiroshima City on August 20, 2014. Given the unpredictable nature of risk events, sustainability in risk communication, one of the countermeasures, is important. This article discusses sustainable risk communication methods, focusing on two methods of learning from past disasters: "facilities" and "storytelling by survivors." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bulletin originally published "Hiroshima Memories" in its May/June 1995 issue. The author was a child in Hiroshima when the city was destroyed in 1945 by an atom bomb. She came to the United States in 1952, after finishing high school. The article is republished here as part of a special issue commemorating the 75th year of the Bulletin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenneth Bainbridge recounts his role during the first nuclear bomb test in July 1945. This is the second and final installment of his account of the test. It also concludes a series of reminiscences of 12 nuclear pioneers begun in the Bulletin in April 1974. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal history of how former US Defense Secretary William J. Perry's thinking on nuclear weapons has evolved from Hiroshima to the present time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archival record makes clear that killing large numbers of civilians was the primary purpose of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; destruction of military targets and war industry was a secondary goal and one that "legitimized" the intentional destruction of a city in the minds of some participants. The atomic bomb was detonated over the center of Hiroshima. More than 70,000 men, women, and children were killed immediately; the munitions factories on the periphery of the city were left largely unscathed. Such a nuclear attack would be illegal today. It would violate three major requirements of the law of armed conflict codified in Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions: the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. There could be great pressure to use nuclear weapons in future scenarios in which many American soldiers' lives are at risk and there is no guarantee that a future US president would follow the law of armed conflict. That is why the United States needs senior military officers who fully understand the law and demand compliance and presidents who care about law and justice in war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18th International Conference on Chiroptical Spectroscopy (CD2022) was held at New York University in New York City, USA, in July 2022. The conference, which occurs every two years, was started in 1985 by Nina Berova and Günther Snatzke. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was moved to an even-numbered year. Keynote speaker Ron Naaman delivered his presentation via Zoom, and Jessica Wade prerecorded her talk. The conference featured plenary lectures on various topics related to chiroptical measurements, and the concluding presentation discussed the distinction between left and right in terms of political orientation and ideology. The special issue of the journal Chirality captures a range of scientific topics discussed at the conference. The next CD meeting will take place in Hiroshima, Japan, in September 2023. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, we use GIS and other analytical platforms to analyze the landslide distribution pattern in the July 2018 heavy rain disasters in the southern part of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan in conjunction with chronological XRAIN (eXtended Radar Information Network) radar-acquired localized rainfall data in order to better understand the relationship between rainfall characteristics and landslide probability. An analysis of event rainfall from the July 2018 disasters determines that landslide-inducing rainfall started from 8:30 AM on 5 July and continued until 7:30 AM on 7 July, accumulating to up to 368 mm in total precipitation, and that there were two intensity peaks, one around 7:30 PM on 6 July, and another one around 4:30 AM on 7 July. These two events are associated with particularly high landslide activity, which indicates that landslide activation is related to peak-intensity rainfall combined with accumulated continuous precipitation. The XRAIN data were also used together with landslide reports to calculate the intensity–duration (i.e., I-D) rainfall threshold for the area. The mean annual precipitation in the whole study area ranged between 2025 mm and 3030 mm, with an average value of about 2300 mm. The spatial distribution of rainfall throughout the sampled years indicates that rainfall is remarkably localized, with higher values concentrated on elevated areas. However, it was also observed that the maximum precipitation volumes are not so closely related to landslide occurrence, and the highest landslide activity was found in intermediate precipitation class zones instead. Correlating the localization patterns of event precipitation and mean annual precipitation using Pearson's correlation coefficient, we found an r value of 0.55, which is considered a moderate correlation between the two datasets (i.e., event precipitation and mean annual precipitation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post-Hiroshima era, atomic cities—designed to survive a nuclear attack—remain in the science fiction realm. Yet Hungarian émigré Paul Laszlo, a successful architect in Southern California suburbia, had a utopian vision for a futuristic, paradoxically luxurious atomic city he called "Atomville," never built but nonetheless seriously proposed. Laszlo was one of the very few architects known to venture into atomic survival on this scale. This article focuses on why the architectural profession for the most part ignored the issues raised by the atomic bomb, and on Laszlo's role as an outlier. It also deals with the genesis of Atomville and its place among the many unrealized ideas put forward in the 1940s and 1950s for urban survival, including underground buildings, urban dispersal, linear cities, and cluster cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification system is used in this study to analyze the impacts of urban morphology on a surface urban heat island (SUHI). Our study involved a comparative analysis of SUHI effects in two Japanese cities, Sapporo and Hiroshima, between 2000 to 2022. We used geographical-information-system (GIS) mapping techniques to measure temporal LST changes using Landsat 7 and 8 images during the summer's hottest month (August) and classified the study area into LCZ classes using The World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) method with Google Earth Pro. The urban thermal field variance index (UTFVI) is used to examine each LCZ's thermal comfort level, and the SUHI heat spots (HS) in each LCZ classes are identified. The research findings indicate that the mean LST in Sapporo only experienced a 0.5 °C increase over the time, while the mean LST increased by 1.8 °C in Hiroshima City between 2000 and 2022. In 2000, open low-rise (LCZ 6) areas in Sapporo were the hottest, but by 2022, heavy industry (LCZ 10) became the hottest. In Hiroshima, compact mid-rise (LCZ 2) areas were the hottest in 2000, but by 2022, heavy-industry areas took the lead. The study found that LCZ 10, LCZ 8, LCZ E, and LCZ 3 areas in both Dfa and Cfa climate classifications had unfavorable UTFVI conditions. This was attributed to factors such as a high concentration of heat-absorbing materials, impervious surfaces, and limited green spaces. The majority of the SUHI HS and areas with the highest surface temperatures were situated near industrial zones and large low-rise urban forms in both cities. The study offers valuable insights into the potential long-term effects of various urban forms on the SUHI phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]