Tokyo International University

ABSTRACT Rising ambient temperatures increase health risks for outdoor workers; however, exertional heat exhaustion (EHE) among golf course workers remains underexplored. This study aimed to identify organizational, environmental, and personal factors associated with EHE-related symptoms. We conducted a retrospective case–control study of outdoor workers at 491 golf clubs in the Kanto region of Japan during the summer of 2025. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent risk and protective factors among 388 respondents, of whom 63.7% reported symptoms. Significant risk factors included high work intensity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 4.40; p = 0.006), high humidity (AOR: 2.94; p = 0.012), and insufficient airflow (AOR: 2.03; p = 0.004). Protective factors included employer-provided heat education (AOR: 0.56; p = 0.025), sleep duration ≥6 h (AOR: 0.49; p = 0.001), and awareness of heat countermeasures (AOR: 0.42; p = 0.019). Scheduled breaks (AOR: 0.33; p = 0.008) and cooled break areas (AOR: 0.23; p < 0.001) were strongly associated with reduced risk, whereas shaded areas showed no significant association. Sunlight-shielding clothing (AOR: 0.52; p = 0.001) and cooling vests (AOR: 0.55; p = 0.018) were also protective. Effective risk reduction requires an integrated approach that combines workload moderation with functional apparel. This study provides the first quantitative evidence that organizational measures such as scheduled breaks and cooled break areas serve as effective protective factors in this occupational setting. Because key determinants often lie beyond individual control, proactive employer engagement and structural support are essential for ensuring worker safety.

We previously reported a manipulation technique for frozen shoulder using ultrasound-guided cervical nerve root block. Although the results were excellent, we considered that the range of external rotation could be improved. In the present study, we aimed to confirm the effectiveness of our modified manipulation technique for further improving the range of external rotation at the shoulder joint. We retrospectively searched our electronic medical records to identify patients who underwent manipulation for frozen shoulder at our institution between January 2024 and June 2024. A total of 173 shoulders of 169 patients (mean age 53.8 ± 6.9years) were included. Three changes were made to our previous method: a change in the method for intra-articular injection of the glenohumeral joint, addition of C7 to the nerve block, and changes in the manual manipulation technique. Range of motion (ROM) at the shoulder was measured before manipulation and at 1week, 1month, 2months, and 3months after the procedure. The results were compared with those in our previous report. Mean range of external rotation (95% confidence interval) was 11.5° (9.5-13.5, p = 0.51) before manipulation, 56.2° (52.9-59.5, p < 0.001) at 1week, and 58.0° (53.9-62.7; p < 0.001) at 3months. The results for range of external rotation were significantly better than in the previous report. There was no significant difference in ROM in terms of flexion and abduction between the two studies. Range of external rotation at the shoulder joint was significantly improved by use of the revised manipulation technique.

What happens when states experience a rapid increase in resource wealth? This book examines the significant diamond find in eastern Zimbabwe in 2006, possibly the largest in over 100 years, and its influence on the institutional trajectory of the country. Nathan Munier examines how this rapid increase in resource production shaped the policies available to political actors, providing a fresh understanding of the perpetuation of ZANU-PF rule and the variation in the trajectory of institutions in Zimbabwe compared to other Southern African states. This study places Zimbabwe amongst the overall population of resource-wealthy countries such as such as Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, especially those that experience a significant increase in production. In doing so, Munier contributes to the understanding of resource politics, political economy, and comparative African politics.

Since its first observation in the 1970s, neutrino-induced neutral-current single positive pion production (NC1π^{+}) has remained an elusive and poorly understood interaction channel. This process is a significant background in neutrino oscillation experiments and studying it further is critical for the physics program of next-generation accelerator-based neutrino oscillation experiments. In this Letter, we present the first double-differential cross-section measurement of NC1π^{+} interactions using data from the ND280 detector of the T2K experiment collected in ν-beam mode. The measured flux-averaged integrated cross section is σ=(6.07±1.22)×10^{-41} cm^{2}/nucleon. We compare the results on a hydrocarbon target to the predictions of several neutrino interaction generators and final-state-interaction models. While model predictions agree with the differential results, the data show a weak preference for a cross-section normalization approximately 30% higher than predicted by most models studied in this Letter.

We present very high-energy optical photometry and spectroscopic observations of SN 2024bch in the nearby galaxy NGC 3206 (∼20 Mpc). We used gamma-ray observations performed with the first Large-Sized Telescope (LST-1) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) and optical observations with the Liverpool Telescope (LT) combined with data from public repositories to evaluate the general properties of the event and the progenitor star. No significant emission above the LST-1 energy threshold for this observation (∼100 GeV) was detected in the direction of SN 2024bch, and we computed an integral upper limit on the photon flux of F γ (&gt; 100 GeV)≤3.61 × 10 −12 cm −2 s −1 based on six nonconsecutive nights of observations with the LST-1, between 16 and 38 days after the explosion. Employing a general model for the gamma-ray flux emission, we found an upper limit on the mass-loss-rate to wind-velocity ratio of Ṁ / u w ≤ 10 −4 M ⊙ / yr s/km, although gamma-gamma absorption could potentially have skewed this estimation, effectively weakening our constraint. From spectro-photometric observations we found progenitor parameters of M pr = 11 – 20 M ⊙ and R pr = 531 ± 125 R ⊙ . Finally, using archival images from the Hubble Space Telescope, we constrained the luminosity of the progenitor star to log (L pr / L ⊙ ) ≤ 4.82 and its effective temperature to T pr ≤ 4000 K. Our results suggest that SN 2024bch is a type IIn-L supernova that originated from a progenitor star consistent with a red supergiant. We show how the correct estimation of the mass-loss history of a supernova will play a major role in future multiwavelength observations.

Identifying and ranking influential nodes is central to tasks such as targeted immunization, misinformation containment, and resilient design. Structural entropy (SE) offers a principled, community-aware scoring rule, yet the one-shot (static) use of SE may become suboptimal after each intervention, as the residual topology and its modular structure change. We introduce iterative structural entropy (ISE), a simple yet powerful modification that recomputes SE on the residual graph before every removal, thus turning node targeting into a sequential, feedback-driven policy. We evaluate SE and ISE on seven benchmark networks using (i) cumulative structural entropy (CSE), (ii) cumulative sum of largest connected component sizes (LCCs), and (iii) dynamic panels that track average shortest-path length and diameter within the residual LCC together with a near-threshold percolation proxy (expected outbreak size). Across datasets, ISE consistently fragments earlier and more decisively than SE; on the Netscience network, ISE reduces the cumulative LCC size by 43% (RLCCs =0.567). In parallel, ISE achieves perfect discriminability (monotonicity M=1.0) among positively scored nodes on all benchmarks, while SE and degree-based baselines display method-dependent ties. These results support ISE as a practical, adaptive alternative to static SE when sequential decisions matter, delivering sharper rankings and faster structural degradation under identical measurement protocols.

BackgroundThe association between freezing of gait and motor function in Parkinson's disease is variable, and the results suggest the existence of subtypes.ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify the subtypes of freezing of gait and motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease.MethodsSixty‐one patients were included. This study assessed motor function using the freezing of gait questionnaire, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III. For statistical analyses, we conducted a cluster analysis using the freezing of gait and motor function. Analysis of covariance with age and L‐dopa dosing as a covariate was performed for each cluster (P < 0.05).ResultsCluster 1 (N = 15) had the lowest freezing of gait scores compared to the other clusters, and its motor function scores were lower than those of cluster 3 (N = 9) (P < 0.05). Cluster 2 (N = 37) had moderate freezing of gait scores (vs. cluster 1, P < 0.05), and motor function showed lower scores than cluster 3 (P < 0.05); however, the score was not significantly different from that of cluster 1 (P > 0.05). Cluster 3 had moderate freezing of gait scores (vs. cluster 1, P < 0.05; vs. 2, P > 0.05) and higher motor function scores than the other clusters (P < 0.05); however, the freezing of gait score was not significantly different from that of cluster 2 (P > 0.05).ConclusionsThis study revealed new subtypes that presents with freezing of gait but high motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease.