Modeling population-wide testing of SARS-CoV-2 for containing COVID-19 pandemic in Okinawa, Japan.

To break the chains of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, population-wide testing has been practiced in various countries. However, scant research has addressed this topic in Japan. In this modeling exercise, we extracted the number of daily reported cases of COVID-19 in Okinawa from October 1 to November 30, 2020, and explored possible scenarios for decreasing COVID-19 incidence by combining population-wide screening and/or social distancing policy.

Prediction of COVID-19 cases during Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic Games set to begin in late July 2021 without spectators from abroad, but vaccine rollout has been slow in Japan compared with other developed countries. In this study, COVID-19 epidemic curve in Tokyo is developed based on weekly reported data from January 23, 2020, until April 16, 2021. The maximum daily number of infected cases in Tokyo in August 2021 would be 7,991 if the current pace of vaccinations would be used (1/1,000 per day).

Shell-breaking predation on gastropods by (Coleoptera, Carabidae) with strikingly asymmetric mandibles.

The adults and larvae of some groups in the coleopteran family Carabidae are known to prey on snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Most species of the carabid tribe Licinini are believed to feed on live snails. However, the snail-eating behavior of only a few species has been studied.

Diurnal variations in the thickness of the inner bark of tree trunks in relation to xylem water potential and phloem turgor.

The inner bark plays important roles in tree stems, including radial exchange of water with the xylem and translocation of carbohydrates. Both processes affect the water content and the thickness of the inner bark on a diurnal basis. For the first time, we simultaneously measured the diurnal variations in the inner bark thickness of hinoki cypress () by using point dendrometers and those of local xylem potential by using stem psychrometers located next to the dendrometers to determine how these variations were related to each other, to phloem turgor and carbohydrate transport.

Evaluation of sampling effort required to assess pollen species richness on pollinators using rarefaction.

Premise: Understanding the flower visitation history of individual pollinators is key in the study of pollination networks, but direct tracking is labor intensive and, more important, does not capture information about the previous interactions of an individual. Therefore, a protocol to detect most of the pollen species on the body surfaces of an individual pollinator could elucidate its flower visitation history.

Methods And Results: Under a microscope, we observed 6.

Future trends in synthetic biology in Asia.

Synthetic biology research and technology translation has garnered increasing interest from the governments and private investors in Asia, where the technology has great potential in driving a sustainable bio-based economy. This Perspective reviews the latest developments in the key enabling technologies of synthetic biology and its application in bio-manufacturing, medicine, food and agriculture in Asia. Asia-centric strengths in synthetic biology to grow the bio-based economy, such as advances in genome editing and the presence of biofoundries combined with the availability of natural resources and vast markets, are also highlighted.

Complex interactions between environmental DNA (eDNA) state and water chemistries on eDNA persistence suggested by meta-analyses.

Understanding the processes of environmental DNA (eDNA) persistence and degradation is essential to determine the spatiotemporal scale of eDNA signals and accurately estimate species distribution. The effects of environmental factors on eDNA persistence have previously been examined; however, the influence of the physiochemical and molecular states of eDNA on its persistence is not completely understood. Here, we performed meta-analyses including 26 previously published papers on the estimation of first-order eDNA decay rate constants, and assessed the effects of filter pore size, DNA fragment size, target gene, and environmental conditions on eDNA decay rates.

Reproductive and genetic roles of the maternal progenitor in the origin of common wheat ( L.).

Common wheat ( L., AABBDD genome) is thought to have emerged through natural hybridization between L. (AABB genome) and Coss.

Integrative taxonomy and analysis of species richness patterns of nocturnal Darwin wasps of the genus Stephens (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae) in Japan.

The predominantly tropical ophionine genus Stephens, 1835 is one of the largest genera of Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), with more than 700 extant species worldwide that are usually crepuscular or nocturnal and are parasitoids of Lepidoptera larvae. In the present study, the Japanese species of are revised using an integrative approach (combined morphology and DNA barcoding). On the basis of 3,110 specimens, 47 species are recognised in Japan, eight of which are new species ( Shimizu, , Shimizu, , Shimizu, , Shimizu, , Shimizu, , Shimizu, , Shimizu, , and Shimizu, ), seven are new records from Japan ( Tang, 1990, (Enderlein, 1921), Chiu, 1954, , Tang, 1990, Cushman, 1937, (Smith, 1858), and Chiu, 1954, ), 32 had already been recorded in Japan; three ( Townes, Townes & Gupta, 1961, (Morley, 1912), and (Gravenhorst, 1829)) have been erroneously recorded from Japan based on misidentifications, and four names that were previously on the Japanese list are deleted through synonymy.

Environmental DNA revealed the fish community of Hokkaido Island, Japan, after invasion by rainbow trout.

In freshwater ecosystems, invasive salmonid fishes can have a significant impact on native fish species. Detecting the invasion and its negative effects is critical for the conservation of native fish communities. We examined the species composition and seasonal changes in the freshwater fish community, including salmonids, on the Kamikawa Plain, Hokkaido Island, Japan, using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding.

A novel seed dispersal mode of could provide some clues to the early evolution of the seed dispersal system in Orchidaceae.

Despite being one of the most diverse families, scant attention has been paid to the seed dispersal system in Orchidaceae, owing to the widely accepted notion that wind dispersal is the dominant strategy. However, the indehiscent fruits, with seeds immersed in fleshy tissue, evoke the possibility of endozoochory in Apostasioideae, the earliest diverging lineage of orchids. In the present study, I investigated the seed dispersal system of by direct observation, time-lapse photography, and investigation of the viability of seeds passing through the digestive tract of orthopterans.

Demand and supply of invasive and noninvasive ventilators at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Okinawa.

While Okinawa has been facing outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare collapse should be prevented by sufficient supply of ventilators for caring the rapidly growing number of critically ill patients with COVID-19. We estimated the number of invasive and noninvasive ventilators that would be required in Okinawa at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak based on recent data of COVID-19 cases in Okinawa and data on the proportion of patients with COVID-19 in the ICU requiring ventilation. Based on our results using the current supply of all ventilators, demand for ventilators could be prepared for patients with COVID-19 who would require it and demand for noninvasive ventilators could also be prepared for those with COVID-19 who would require it.

Effects of sampling seasons and locations on fish environmental DNA metabarcoding in dam reservoirs.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has seen rapid development in the last decade, as a novel biodiversity monitoring method. Previous studies have evaluated optimal strategies, at several experimental steps of eDNA metabarcoding, for the simultaneous detection of fish species. However, optimal sampling strategies, especially the season and the location of water sampling, have not been evaluated thoroughly.

A new millipede-parasitizing horsehair worm, sp. nov., at medium altitudes in Taiwan (Nematomorpha, Gordiida).

, a newly described horsehair worm that parasitizes the millipede, is one of the three described horsehair worm species in Taiwan. It is morphologically similar to Schmidt-Rhaesa, 2010 because of the progressively broadening distribution of bristles concentrated on the male tail lobes, but it is distinguishable from because of the stout bristles on the mid-body. In addition, a vertical white stripe on the anterior ventral side and areoles on the inside wall of the cloacal opening are rarely mentioned in other species.

Discovery of the fish host of the 'planktonic' caligid Shen & Li, 1959 (Crustacea: Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida).

The siphonostomatoid copepod Shen & Li, 1959 has been widely reported from plankton samples obtained from neritic and oceanic waters off coasts of the Indo-West Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Until now, its fish host has remained unknown. This copepod belongs to an intriguing group of congeners that, despite being part of a chiefly parasitic group, are consistently found as zooplankters.

Functional diversity and trade-offs in divergent antipredator morphologies in herbivorous insects.

Predator-prey interactions may be responsible for enormous morphological diversity in prey species. We performed predation experiments with morphological manipulations (ablation) to investigate the defensive function of dorsal spines and explanate margins in Cassidinae leaf beetles against three types of predators: assassin bugs (stinger), crab spiders (biter), and tree frogs (swallower). There was mixed support for the importance of primary defense mechanisms (i.

Is age-related increase of chromosome segregation errors in mammalian oocytes caused by cohesin deterioration?

Background: Mammalian oocytes initiate meiosis in fetal ovary and are arrested at dictyate stage in prophase I for a long period. It is known that incidence of chromosome segregation errors in oocytes increases with advancing age, but the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon has not been clarified.

Methods: Cohesin, a multi-subunit protein complex, mediates sister chromatid cohesion in both mitosis and meiosis.

Interaction between growing oocytes and granulosa cells in vitro.

Background: Oocyte growth is accompanied by follicular development in mammalian ovaries. Since the discovery of two oocyte-derived factors, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), knowledge of the bidirectional communication between oocytes and granulosa cells for ovarian function and fertility has been accumulated. In addition, the growth culture system of oocytes has been improved, further promoting the studies on the communication between oocytes and granulosa cells in vitro.

Changing frequency of fluctuating light reveals the molecular mechanism for P700 oxidation in plant leaves.

Natural sunlight exceeds the demand of photosynthesis such that it can cause plants to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which subsequently cause photo-oxidative damage. Because photosystem I (PSI) is a major source of ROS, plants actively maintain the reaction center chlorophyll of PSI(P700) oxidized under excessive light conditions to alleviate the ROS production. P700 oxidation is universally recognized in photosynthetic organisms as a physiological response to excessive light.

Latitudinal variation and coevolutionary diversification of sexually dimorphic traits in the false blister beetle .

Sexual traits are subject to evolutionary forces that maximize reproductive benefits and minimize survival costs, both of which can depend on environmental conditions. Latitude explains substantial variation in environmental conditions. However, little is known about the relationship between sexual trait variation and latitude, although body size often correlates with latitude.

Pulmonary Endarterectomy and Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension - Similar Effects on Health-Related Quality of Life.

While hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can be improved by invasive therapy such as pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) and balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), there has been little data on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in such patients. This single-center and observational study compared the impact of invasive therapy on HRQOL. We utilized the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Health Survey (SF-36) to measure HRQOL and compared HRQOL changes after PEA and BPA.

Current status of minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: Is it truly less invasive?

Esophagectomy with extended lymphadenectomy remains the mainstay of treatment for localized esophageal cancer. However, it is one of the most invasive procedures with high morbidity. To reduce invasiveness, minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), which includes thoracoscopic, laparoscopic, mediastinoscopic, and robotic surgery, is becoming popular worldwide.

Development of a Questionnaire for the Reflective Practice of Nursing Involving Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: Assessment of validity and reliability.

Aim: To develop the Questionnaire for Reflective Practice of Nursing Involving Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (Q-RPN-IMV), a Japanese self-evaluation instrument for ward nurses' IMV practices.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Participants were 305 ward nurses from five hospitals in Japan with nursing involving invasive mechanical ventilation.

Effect of water temperature and fish biomass on environmental DNA shedding, degradation, and size distribution.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has successfully detected organisms in various aquatic environments. However, there is little basic information on eDNA, including the eDNA shedding and degradation processes. This study focused on water temperature and fish biomass and showed that eDNA shedding, degradation, and size distribution varied depending on water temperature and fish biomass.