Industrial Research Institute of Shizuoka Prefecture

本研究では，豚ロース部分肉の保存過程における多周波数インピーダンス法の有効性を検証し，インピーダンス値比と保存日数，mK値（修正K値；mK＝（HxR+Hx）/（IMP+HxR+Hx）と定義されるATP分解度指標）およびうま味成分（グルタミン酸含量）との関連性を明らかにした。豚肉は適切な環境での保存により品質が向上するが，多くの小売店では保存による美味しさの変化を考慮せず，商品回転を重視した販売が行われている現状がある。本研究では，豚ロース部分肉に多周波数インピーダンス測定法を適用し，高低2種類の周波数（100 kHzおよび2 kHz）を用いたインピーダンス値比と各種指標の関係を調査した。インピーダンス値比（2 kHz/100 kHz）はmK値との間に強い負の相関（r＝－0.87）が，うま味成分であるグルタミン酸含量との間にも強い負の相関（r＝－0.82）が認められた。加えて，インピーダンス値比と保存日数との間にも強い負の相関（r＝－0.89）が示された。これらの結果から，保存過程では保存日数の経過に伴いインピーダンス値比が低下するとともに，mK値とグルタミン酸含量が上昇するという一貫したパターンが得られた。特に，インピーダンス値比とグルタミン酸含量の高い相関は，本手法が単なる保存期間の推定だけでなく，保存に伴ううま味成分の増加という品質面の評価にも有効であることを示している。多周波数インピーダンス法は，豚肉の保存状態を総合的かつ非破壊的に評価できる技術として，従来の経験や勘に依存していた主観的な評価方法や，時間と費用のかかる化学分析に代わり，小売店や流通現場において客観的かつ数値的な品質評価を可能にするツールとなり得ることが示された。

IntroductionThe 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) is widely used to assess psychological well-being, but its psychometric properties in younger populations, particularly in non-Western settings, remain underexplored. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the WHO-5 (WHO-5-J) and a culturally adapted four-item version (WHO-4-J), which excludes a culturally sensitive item (“I have felt cheerful and in good spirits”) and uses a simplified four-point Likert scale to minimize cognitive burden among Japanese school-aged children.MethodsData were collected from a large community-based sample of 6,983 students aged 10–15 years (Grades 4–9) in Hirosaki City, Japan. We evaluated the factorial validity and internal consistency of the WHO-5-J and WHO-4-J using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Measurement invariance across age and gender groups was examined with multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted to determine optimal cutoff scores for detecting psychological distress.ResultsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the factorial validity and internal consistency of both the WHO-5-J (α = 0.84–0.88; ω = 0.86–0.91) and WHO-4-J (α = 0.82–0.88), confirming their unidimensional structures. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated full scalar measurement invariance across age and gender groups. Receiver operating characteristic analyses identified optimal cutoff scores with area under the curve values ranging from 0.80 to 0.85, indicating good diagnostic accuracy for psychological distress.DiscussionOverall, the WHO-4-J demonstrated psychometric properties comparable to those of the WHO-5-J, supporting its practical utility as a culturally appropriate tool for assessing psychological well-being and screening for depression in Japanese youth. These findings underscore the importance of cultural adaptation and developmentally appropriate scaling for accurately assessing psychological well-being in diverse, non-Western child populations.

Matcha, a traditional Japanese green tea, has health-promoting effects. However, little is known about its bioactive components, except for polyphenols, caffeine, and amino acids. Here, we revealed the presence of diverse miRNAs, a type of functional RNAs, as new components of Matcha, using next-generation sequencing. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR analysis of 10 different Matcha showed that miRNA levels varied depending on the cultivar and harvest season. As extraction methods of miRNAs, we found that soaking at 95°C significantly enhanced total RNA and miRNA yields. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between total RNA and miRNA yields extracted from 27 plant-based dried powders. Notably, Matcha exhibited the highest levels of four representative miRNAs: lja-miR166-3p, csn-miR396d-5p, gma-miR396e, and csn-miRn409. The miRNA yields in Matcha were correlated with the major Matcha components. These results highlight Matcha as a source of miRNAs and candidate bioactive components. These findings provide new insights into the functionality of Matcha.

This study investigated the combined influence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits, and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on suicide-related behaviors in a large, representative sample of Japanese adolescents and young adults. Additionally, it explored the role of PCEs in mitigating the risks associated with neurodivergent traits. Data were collected from 5,000 individuals aged 16-25 years using validated scales to measure ASD traits, ADHD traits, PCEs, and suicide-related behaviors, including suicidal ideation and attempts. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted in multiple steps to assess the influence of these variables. Interaction effects between PCEs and neurodivergent traits were examined to determine potential moderating effects. ASD traits and ADHD traits were positively associated with suicidal ideation, with the highest risks observed among individuals with elevated levels of both traits. The inclusion of PCEs demonstrated a significant negative association with suicidal ideation, indicating that individuals with more PCEs reported lower levels of suicidal ideation. PCEs also reduced the strength of the associations of ASD traits (from β = 0.180 to β = 0.092) and ADHD traits (from β = 0.216 to β = 0.185) with suicidal ideation. Interaction analyses showed that the protective effect of PCEs on suicidal ideation was particularly pronounced among individuals with high levels of ADHD traits. Simple slope analyses demonstrated that higher levels of PCEs were significantly associated with reduced suicidal ideation for those with both low (β = -0.339, z = -18.61, p < 0.001) and high levels of ADHD traits (β = -0.475, z = -21.84, p < 0.001), with a stronger effect for the latter group. These findings highlight the cumulative and potentially compounding effects of ASD and ADHD traits on suicide risk while underscoring the critical protective role of PCEs. PCEs can mitigate emotional dysregulation and impulsivity, particularly in individuals with high levels of ADHD traits, thus reducing suicide-related behaviors. This study underscores the importance of fostering PCEs as part of targeted interventions to promote resilience and mental health in vulnerable populations.

Marine red alga Laurencia composita was collected from seven sampling locations in Japan, and all samples were identified based on morphological studies as well as rbcL sequencing analysis. This is the first report of the isolation of (-)-8-bromo-9-hydroxy-(E)-γ-bisabolene (1) as a natural product, and bisabolene-type and β-chamigrene-type sesquiterpenes found in L. composita collected in Japan. In previous Japanese reports of L. composita, highly oxidized α-chamigrene-type sesquiterpenes were isolated as their major secondary metabolites. Therefore, these populations are the fissure chemical race in L. composita. All isolated compounds were tested for their insect-repellent activity against the adult maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais.

Traditional assessments of children’s health and behavioral issues primarily rely on subjective evaluation by adult raters, which imposes major costs in time and human resource to the school system. This pilot study investigates the utilization of millimeter-wave radar coupled with machine learning for the objective and semi-automatic detection and classification of children’s activity levels, defined as restlessness, within a real classroom environment. Two objectives are pursued: confirming the feasibility of restlessness detection using millimeter-wave radar and applying standard machine learning method for restlessness classification. The experiment involves a nine-day observational study, using two radar systems to monitor the activities of 14 children in a primary school. Radar data analysis involves the extraction of distinctive features for restlessness detection and classification. Results indicate the successful detection of restlessness using millimeter-wave radar, demonstrating its potential to capture nuanced body movements in a privacy-protected manner. Machine learning models trained on radar data achieve a classification accuracy of 100%, outperforming other methods in terms of non-invasiveness, lack of body restraint, multi-target applications, and privacy protection. The study’s contributions extend to children, parents, and educational practitioners, emphasizing non-invasiveness, privacy protection, and evidence-based support. Despite limitations such as a short monitoring duration and a small sample size, this pilot study lays the foundation for future research in non-invasive restlessness detection using non-contact monitoring technologies. The integration of millimeter-wave radar and machine learning offers a promising avenue for efficient and ethical trait assessments in real-world educational environments, contributing to the advancement of child psychology and education. This work supports efforts for non-contact monitoring of children’s activity holding promise such as non-invasive, privacy protection, multi-targets, objective evaluation, and computer-aided screening.

Soft corals produce a diverse range of natural products with pharmaceutical potential, such as antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects. The Alcyoniidae family, particularly the genera Sarcophyton and Sinularia, is rich in bioactive terpenoids. However, despite extensive research, their anti-biofouling properties against the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis remain underexplored. This study investigates these compounds as potential eco-friendly antifouling agents. A new cembrane-type diterpenoid, 11,12-epoxycembrene A (1), and 15 known compounds were isolated from three soft corals distributed in Okinawa, Japan. The chemical structures of these secondary metabolites were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis. Moreover, an anti-biofouling assay of potential anti-biofouling agents against M. galloprovincialis was performed and their toxicities were assessed by means of the brine shrimp mortality test. In conclusion, this study identifies new and known bioactive compounds from soft corals, introduces an improved anti-biofouling assay, and highlights the potential of dimethylamine-containing diterpenes as environmentally friendly antifouling agents.

Laser shock peening (LSP) is a powerful technique for improving the fatigue performance of metallic components by customizing compressive residual stresses in the desired near-surface regions. In this study, the residual stress distribution characteristics of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy induced by LSP were identified by the X-ray diffraction method, and their dependent factors (i.e., LSP coverage, LSP energy, and scanning path) were evaluated quantitatively by numerical simulations, exploring the formation mechanism of LSP residual stresses and the key role factor of the distribution characteristics. The results show that LSP is capable of creating anisotropic compressive residual stresses on the specimen surface without visible deformation. Compressive residual stresses are positively correlated with LSP coverage. The greater the coverage, the higher the residual stress, but the longer the scanning time required. Raising LSP energy contributes to compressive residual stresses, but excessive energy may lead to a reduction in the surface compressive residual stress. More importantly, the anisotropy of residual stresses was thoroughly explored, identifying the scanning path as the key to causing the anisotropy. The present work provides scientific guidance for efficiently tailoring LSP-induced compressive residual stresses to improve component fatigue life.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of vision loss. The aggressive form of AMD is associated with ocular neovascularization and subretinal fibrosis, representing a responsive outcome against neovascularization mediated by epithelial-mesenchymal transition of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. A failure of the current treatment (anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy) has also been attributed to the progression of subretinal fibrosis. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) increase gene expressions to promote fibrosis and neovascularization. HIFs act as a central pathway in the pathogenesis of AMD. HIF inhibitors may suppress ocular neovascularization. Nonetheless, further investigation is required to unravel the aspects of subretinal fibrosis. In this study, we used RPE-specific HIFs or von Hippel-Lindau (VHL, a regulator of HIFs) conditional knockout (cKO) mice, along with pharmacological HIF inhibitors, to demonstrate the suppression of subretinal fibrosis. Fibrosis was suppressed by treatments of HIF inhibitors, and similar suppressive effects were detected in RPE-specific Hif1a/Hif2a- and Hif1a-cKO mice. Promotive effects were observed in RPE-specific Vhl-cKO mice, where fibrosis-mediated pathologic processes were evident. Marine products' extracts and their component taurine suppressed fibrosis as HIF inhibitors. Our study shows critical roles of HIFs in the progression of fibrosis, linking them to the potential development of therapeutics for AMD.

ベトナムクアンニン省(QN)の石炭は高品質で世界的に知られている。QN石炭灰は,ゼオライト合成に利用できるAl2O3およびSiO2を含有している。本研究では,QN石炭灰に含まれる無機化合物を用いて,合成条件を変化させてZSM-5ゼオライトを調製した。実際の石炭灰には含まれるが,ゼオライトの調製には必要ではない成分がゼオライトの調製および特性に及ぼす影響を調べた。テトラプロピルアンモニウムヒドロキシド(TPAOH)を用いて150 ℃,48時間の条件でZSM-5を合成したところ,XRDパターンと窒素吸脱着測定の結果から,ZSM-5結晶はSiO2/Al2O3比が52よりも高い時に観察され,78で最大となることが確認できた。QN石炭灰成分を含まないZSM-5合成においても,実際のQN石炭灰成分を含む場合でも同様の結果が観察され,ZSM-5の調製に対する成分の影響はかなり小さいことが示された。これらのゼオライトをキュリー · ポイント · パイロライザー法による低密度ポリエチレン(LDPE)の接触分解に用いたところ,モデル石炭灰成分を用いて調製したZSM-5は,QN石炭灰成分を含まないZSM-5と同等,またはわずかに高い転化率を示した。これに対し,実際のQN石炭灰成分を含む場合は転化率がやや低く,無機塩の種類がLDPEの接触分解における反応性に影響を与える可能性が示唆された。