Okinawa International University

Recent gesture studies investigating how speakers linearize events in which one entity acts on another have claimed that the preferred order is [subject/agent]-[object/patient]-[verb/action] (SOV/APV) irrespective of language background (Schouwstra et al., 2022; Goldin-Meadow et al., 2008). However, these studies have only tested speakers of languages in which the subject/agent preferentially precedes the object/patient. We provide a stronger test of this cognitive-universal hypothesis using elicited pantomime (plus a spoken-language comparison task) with speakers of Truku Seediq, which favors the typologically rare VOS/VPA word order, and English-speaking controls. While the English speakers' pantomimes largely employed the expected SOV/APV and SVO/AVP orders, the Truku Seediq speakers produced almost no APV sequences. The results strengthen the evidence for processing effects that promote SVO/AVP order under certain conditions, and further support the claim that the habitual use of a language may cumulatively influence speakers' cognitive activities as they are interpreting the world. The divergent preferences for the two typologically different languages suggest that language experience can change conceptual accessibility, especially in terms of action saliency, in speakers' cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Taimo is a paddy cultivar of Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) that is traditionally consumed in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Its origin remains unknown, although it has been identified as belonging to a haplotype commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. However, previously developed genetic markers were insufficient to resolve the genetic relationships among cultivars that share the same haplotype. To address this limitation, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of cv. Taimo. The comparison of the obtained sequence with the currently published complete and partial chloroplast genomes revealed that cv. Taimo is most closely related to the paddy cultivar Lipu from southern mainland China. These findings suggest that the ancestors of cv. Taimo were introduced to the Ryukyus from China.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants that have been used for various purposes. Although PFAS can pollute the environment in a variety of areas related to the use, storage, and disposal of their products, there are insufficient data on the extent of PFAS pollution outside industrialized countries with their manufacturing facilities. Most of the analyses depend on high-cost liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In this study, we established a method to analyze ionic PFAS using gas chromatography-electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry with in-port arylation by diaryl iodonium. Extraction of PFAS from water samples was performed using solid phase extraction with reverse phase sorbent. Fourteen PFAS compounds could be detected from spiked water samples, and the detection limit ranged from 3.1 to 8.1ng L-1. Using this method, we analyzed groundwater samples from Okinawa Island, Japan, and detected PFAS up to a total concentration of 1900ng L-1. This method uses relatively inexpensive analytical equipment; hence, it can possibly enable surveys on PFAS contaminations in a wide range of regions and opportunities.

Forthcoming advances in geroscience will influence the health span of current and future generations and generate both challenges and opportunities for those approaching or reaching retirement ages. The resulting changes in the life course will influence those reaching stages in life that are commonly associated with retirement. How people plan for that later phase of life is critical-especially given that current approaches to planning are either nonexistent or outdated. In this review, we show how advances in applied genetics can yield valuable information for individuals that are facing the challenges and opportunities that will accompany anticipated advances in geroscience and their unique influence on the life span and health span of current and future generations.

FOXO3 is a prominent longevity gene. To date, no-one has examined whether longevity-associated FOXO3 genetic variants protect against mortality in all individuals, or only in those with aging-related diseases. We therefore tested longevity-associated FOXO3 single nucleotide polymorphisms in a haplotype block for association with mortality in 3,584 elderly American men of Japanese ancestry, 2,512 with and 1,072 without a cardiometabolic disease (CMD). At baseline (1991–1993), 1,010 CMD subjects had diabetes, 1,919 had hypertension, and 738 had coronary heart disease (CHD). Follow-up until Dec 31, 2019 found that in CMD-affected individuals, longevity-associated alleles of FOXO3 were associated with significantly longer lifespan: haplotype hazard ratio 0.81 (95% CI 0.72-0.91; diabetes 0.77, hypertension 0.82, CHD 0.83). Overall, men with a CMD had higher mortality than men without a CMD (P=6x10-7). However, those men with a CMD who had the FOXO3 longevity genotype had similar survival as men without a CMD. In men without a CMD there was no association of longevity-associated alleles of FOXO3 with lifespan. Our study provides novel insights into the basis for the long-established role of FOXO3 as a longevity gene. We suggest that the FOXO3 longevity genotype increases lifespan only in at-risk individuals by protection against cardiometabolic stress.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the mental health issues among teachers globally and to investigate the significant factors that specifically impact the mental health of school teachers in Okinawa, Japan.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional study examined depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem and resiliency among 174 teachers from seven schools in Okinawa, Japan. The study questionnaire consisted of four parts, including demographic data, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-42), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale (CD-RISC). Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of mental health variables.FindingsOf the 174 teachers, 111 were females (64%) and 60 were males (35%). Average age of participants was 41.65 (SD = 10.07). Average number of years being a teacher was 15.50 (SD = 9.88). There was a significant gender difference in the level of self-esteem. Significant differences in anxiety were found among varying grade levels taught. Regression analyses indicated that resiliency and self-esteem significantly predicted depression, anxiety and stress among school teachers in Okinawa.Originality/valueThis is the first study among school teachers in Okinawa that examined the impact of resiliency and self-esteem on their mental health. To reduce psychological distress common within the teaching profession, social and environmental support should be provided within the school to better foster the successful promotion of teacher resiliency and self-esteem.

Okinawa and remaining islands of the Ryukyu Kingdom were militarily annexed into the emerging Japanese state in 1869, 260 years after their initial invasion and subjugation by forces from the Kagoshima Domain of the Edo Shogunate.In the centuries prior to this, the islands had emerged as an expanding trading kingdom, establishing tributary relations with Chinese, as well as Japanese centres of power.After the island's devastation in the last land battle of WWII, Okinawa was ruled for 27 years as a de facto US military colony, before its 1972 "reversion" to Japanese political control.Yet, almost 75% of US bases in Japan remain on the island, in the midst of its 1.4m population, occupying almost a quarter of its territory.Ongoing political discontent, coupled with geographical, cultural and even spiritual distance would seem to provide fertile ground for a mass separatist movement.Nevertheless, since the reversion, mass protests have tended to coalesce around specific issues such as the representation of Okinawa in history textbooks, as well as ongoing disaffection and intermittent rage resulting from the US military presence.This paper suggests some historical, ideological and pragmatic explanations for the relative lack of a grassroots nationalist movement, and seeks to situate these in the context of Okinawa's collective memories and contemporary realities.

In this paper, inter-regional and multi-regional input–output tables for municipalities in Aichi and Okinawa prefectures are estimated using a non-survey method. Regional multiplier effects, spillover effects, and feedback effects, among other related aspects, are measured using an inter-regional input–output model. A hypothetical extraction method is applied to a multi-regional input–output model and a method for assessing the importance of municipal industries is proposed. Using these metrics, we conduct a comparative analysis of the local economies of Aichi and Okinawa prefectures and the characteristics of their industrial structures. This paper offers a visual portrayal of interdependency characteristics among municipalities.