Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Mental health problems among children and adolescents have been increasing worldwide, highlighting the need for preventive interventions in schools. This study examined the effectiveness of a school-based universal prevention program on self-efficacy and mental health problems in Japanese children using a quasi-experimental design with intervention and control groups. A total of 1,281 third- and fourth-grade students participated, with 264 assigned to the intervention group and 1,017 to the control group. The intervention group received the Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2), a 12-session program based on cognitive-behavioral and positive psychological interventions. A significant universal-level effect was found for positive attitude (a self-efficacy subscale), which improved over time in the intervention group but not in the control group. At the indicated level, a Time × Group interaction was observed for depressive symptoms among children with elevated baseline depression; however, the group effect at Time 4 did not reach statistical significance after covariate adjustment. Effect sizes at Time 4 were small for positive attitude at the universal level (g = 0.19) and small-to-moderate for depressive symptoms at the indicated level (g = 0.36). These findings suggest that Up2-D2 may promote positive attitude at the universal level, while potential indicated-level benefits for depressive symptoms may warrant further confirmation. Evaluating outcomes in both general and at-risk subgroups may help clarify for whom and on which outcomes universal school-based prevention programs are most beneficial.

Endurance training elicits profound cardiovascular adaptations, including lower heart rate (HR), greater stroke volume (SV), and enhanced aortic Windkessel function. This study aimed to investigate cerebral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow dynamics in endurance athletes and their relations with cardiovascular parameters. Fifteen young male endurance athletes were compared with 19 age-matched sedentary male controls. In the resting supine condition, CINE phase-contrast MRI acquired the extra- and intracranial cerebral blood and CSF flow waveforms, as well as HR, SV, and ascending aortic cross-sectional area waveform. Cerebral blood and CSF flow volume (mL/beat) and rate (mL/min) were quantified for the full cardiac cycle and separately for systolic and diastolic phases. Aortic cross-sectional area change was temporally integrated to quantify aortic expansion and recoil. Athletes exhibited higher aortic recoil (5.7 cm2·s [4.1, 7.3] vs. 4.1 cm2·s [2.6, 5.6]) and SV (97 ± 18 mL vs. 82 ± 11 mL) and lower HR (53 ± 6 bpm vs. 67 ± 12 bpm) than controls. Total cerebral arterial blood and CSF flow volumes and rates across the full cardiac cycle were similar between groups; however, athletes showed significantly greater diastolic arterial flow volume and lower systolic arterial flow rate. The association between lower HR and greater diastolic arterial flow volume was mediated by higher aortic recoil across all participants. These results suggest that enhanced aortic recoil in endurance athletes sustains diastolic cerebral arterial flow volume across a prolonged cardiac cycle, enabling more efficient brain perfusion with fewer cardiac cycles than sedentary controls.

High-skilled esports players have unique cortical activity and gaze control, both of which are closely linked to their performance. To enhance key aspects of esports performance—shot time and accuracy—the current study implemented two training methods: a cortical activity-based method (Experiment 1) and a gaze control-based method (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, a three-channel electroencephalogram headset was used to provide participants with real-time feedback on central lobe activity associated with sustained attention. Twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to the training group (10 participants) and sham group (11 participants). The training group received auditory feedback based on the power of theta and alpha power, while the sham group received auditory feedback not related to central lobe activity. In Experiment 2, an eye-tracker was used to measure the gaze movement and provide feedback. The feedback was provided to help participants maintain their gaze on-center. Twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to the training group (11 participants) and the sham group (10 participants). The training group received warning sounds when their gaze deviated from the off-center, promoting centralized gaze control, whereas the sham group received no such feedback. Participants‘ age and gaming experience were controlled to minimize confounding factors. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in shot time for the training group in both Experiment 1 (Mdn = -30.3ms) and Experiment 2 (Mdn = -47.2ms), with no significant changes in the sham group (all p > .05). Therefore, biofeedback training methods can reduce shot time, one of the critical performance indicators in esports. • We implement attention training and peripheral vision methods for enhancing the reaction speed and accuracy of esports players. • Attention training significantly reduced shot times (Mdn: -30.3ms) in esports players by improving their attention, and the result was supported by a reduction in central alpha power. • Peripheral vision training significantly reduced shot times (Mdn: -47.2ms) in esports players by enhancing peripheral vision skills, and this finding was supported by a narrower gaze distribution. • This reduction in shot time was achieved without a significant reduction in accuracy.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction into value-added fuels has garnered considerable attention as a strategy to mitigate global warming and fossil fuel depletion. However, under practical aerobic conditions, photocatalytic activity often declines dramatically due to undesirable O2-photoreduction. Here, we show that deep eutectic solvents (DESs) can provide a protective reaction field against O2 while maintaining robust CO2 reduction performance using a Ru(II)-complex/Ag/polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) ternary hybrid photocatalyst. The turnover number of formic acid reached 1300 with 96% selectivity, and the apparent quantum yield was 2.7% in ethaline, composed of choline chloride and ethylene glycol, under pure CO2 conditions. Notably, ethaline retained 84% of its formic acid productivity under aerobic conditions with high selectivity, whereas the same catalyst showed only 63%, 42%, 28%, and 4% productivity in DMSO, DMA, MeOH, and MeCN, respectively. The protective nature of ethaline against O2 was also found in another hybrid photocatalyst consisting of a binuclear Ru(II) complex and Ag/PCN. This superior protective reaction field against O2 stems primarily from the low oxygen solubility and the low oxygen diffusion coefficient of ethaline. At the same time, its high CO2 solubility, biodegradability, and nonvolatility make it a promising solvent for CO2 reduction in O2-containing environments─an important step toward practical photocatalytic applications.

Avian pecking behavior in birds, analogous to reach-to-grasp in primates, is accompanied by unstable vision due to the co-location of the eyes and bills on the head. Fixation in birds, a brief pause during pecking, enables them to stabilize their visual input to plan their further movements. Several bird species have two high-acuity retinal regions, the area dorsalis and the fovea centralis, which receive input from frontal and lateral visual fields, respectively. However, the contributions of these regions to natural pecking during fixation, especially temporal dynamics and head posture involved in accommodation, remain poorly understood. We assessed the effects of visual-field-specific occlusion on the fixation behavior of pigeons, provided with three types of eye caps: frontal occlusion, lateral occlusion, and a no-occlusion control. Using video tracking methods, we analyzed the visual distance toward the target, fixation duration, head depression angle, and the covariation between visual distance and duration. Frontal occlusion markedly prolonged fixation duration and increased the head depression angle, whereas visual distance remained unaffected across conditions. Furthermore, the covariation between visual distance and fixation duration under control condition was abolished under frontal occlusion. These results suggest that the role of frontal vision involves the area dorsalis in temporal and postural compensation for accommodation during fixation of pecking.

Slower oxidative fibers are more resistant to eccentric contraction (ECC)‐induced muscle damage than fast‐twitch glycolytic fibers, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the roles of the exercise‐inducible PGC‐1α isoform PGC‐1α‐b and utrophin in protecting against ECC‐induced damage. ECCs were induced by supramaximal electrical stimulation of the left triceps surae in C57BL/6N wild‐type (WT), PGC‐1α‐b transgenic (Tg), utrophin knockout (Utrn KO), and PGC‐1α‐b Tg/Utrn KO mice. Although the proportion of fast‐type myosin heavy chain (MyHC) IIb in the gastrocnemius muscle was modestly lower in PGC‐1α‐b Tg and PGC‐1α‐b Tg/Utrn KO mice than in WT and Utrn KO mice, MyHC IIb remained the predominant isoform. At 3 days post injury (dpi), WT and Utrn KO mice exhibited reduced maximum isometric torque (MIT), Evans blue dye (EBD) staining in MyHC IIb‐positive fibers, and calpain‐1 activation. In contrast, PGC‐1α‐b Tg and PGC‐1α‐b Tg/Utrn KO mice showed substantial MIT recovery at 1 dpi and minimal EBD uptake and calpain‐1 activation at 3 dpi. PGC‐1α‐b Tg muscles also preserved excitation‐contraction coupling proteins and displayed increased mitochondrial markers and integrin α7B expression. Together, our findings suggest that PGC‐1α‐b confers resistance to ECC‐induced muscle damage through a Utrn‐independent mechanism.

AimsHypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signalling influences cardiomyocyte differentiation, maturation, and metabolic adaptation under pathological conditions. HIF-Prolyl hydroxylase domain (HIF-PH) inhibitors, which target this pathway, have been introduced for the treatment of renal anaemia. Their precise effect or safety on cardiac function remains unclear because their pharmacokinetics and distribution are not well-understood. This study aimed to examine HIF signalling activation in adult cardiomyocytes (CMs).Methods and resultsWe used tamoxifen (TAM)-inducible, CM-specific von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) knockout (VHL-MCM) mice to activate CM HIF signalling. Then we subjected the mice to normal ageing or high-fat diet (HFD) and L-NAME feeding, a murine model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In normal ageing group, there was no difference in the echocardiographic parameters or tissue fibrosis between VHL-MCM and control mice. VHL-MCM mice exhibited significantly increased capillary density and higher expression levels of HIF-target genes (P = 0.0248, two-way ANOVA). Under HFD + L-NAME treatment, VHL-MCM mice showed transient but significantly preserved global longitudinal strain (GLS) at 12 weeks post-TAM injection compared to controls (P = 0.0284, two-way ANOVA). Sirius red staining indicated a trend towards reduced whole-heart and interstitial fibrosis with significant increase in capillary density in VHL-MCM mice.ConclusionSustained HIF signalling activation in adult CM does not impair the cardiac structure and function in normal ageing process and shows transient yet beneficial effect in murine HFpEF model.

BackgroundThe Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan has published a meal-based dietary guideline (Healthy Meal); however, its relationship with health outcomes remains unclear. This observational study examined the association between adherence to Healthy Meal and all-cause and cause-specific mortalities.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC Study) with a mean follow-up of 19.0 years, including 40,222 men and 47,350 women aged 45–75 years with no history of cancer, stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic liver disease, or kidney disease. Adherence to Healthy Meal was scored using dietary intake from a validated food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause and cause-specific mortalities across score quartiles.ResultsA higher Healthy Meal adherence score was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. The multivariable-adjusted HRs for the highest versus the lowest adherence group were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.82–0.91, P < 0.001 for trend) in men and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87–0.98, P = 0.005 for trend) in women. Significant associations with a lower risk of cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease mortalities were observed in both sexes. In contrast, significant associations were observed for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease mortalities in men only.ConclusionHigher adherence to the Japanese meal-based dietary guideline was associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cerebrovascular disease, and respiratory disease mortalities in Japanese men and women, and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease mortalities in men only.

As the global climate crisis progresses and “unprecedented” weather events become the norm, the continuous improvement of our capacity to detect early signs of potential flooding through active river monitoring is becoming increasingly crucial. While on-site water level observation gauges remain the most reliable and accurate method for doing so, they are also expensive to install and maintain at a large scale. To enable such wide area river monitoring, we developed a Visual IoT based river level monitoring system designed to work on resource-constrained devices such as single-board computers. It uses a combination of lightweight image processing techniques with simple machine learning models to estimate and monitor water levels over a wide area by regularly observing multiple points along the river using a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera. This paper focuses on evaluating the performance of the current system on a single river view observed for at least 1-minute every hour over the course of 5-months from a camera located 0.9 km away from the site. During clear weather, the system was able to estimate the current water level to within 10 cm of the observed value for 92% of the dataset, and within 5 cm of the observed value for 72% of the dataset. It was considerably less effective during inclement weather, however, due to a variety of factors such as the instability of video data under these conditions, and the relative lack of data points available for training the estimator model. As this is an in-progress work, we also describe future short-term goals and potential solutions for improving the system at the end of this paper.