We organized a community-based pole-walking program to promote local health and examined its effects on participants’ physical and cognitive functions. Pole walking is known to improve posture and balance during gait; however, evidence regarding its long-term impact on overall health remains limited. In this study, we assessed changes in walking performance and cognitive function throughout the program. Physical function was evaluated using an AI-based skeletal motion analysis system, while cognitive performance was measured with a tablet-based Trail Making Test (TMT). Our findings suggest that continued participation in pole walking may contribute to maintaining or improving both physical and cognitive functions. These results indicate the potential value of pole walking as a community-based intervention for health promotion and active aging.

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This study investigated the relationship between fine motor skills, fingertip pressure, and variability in tympanic temperature across multiple motor tasks. Eleven healthy adults performed three finger dexterity tasks—chopstick operation task, mirror tracing task, and a Fitts’ law-based pointing task—across three sets. Behavioral performance, fingertip pressure, and tympanic temperature were simultaneously recorded. In the chopstick operation and mirror drawing tasks, significant improvements in performance were observed, indicating motor learning effects. In the pointing task, a significant decrease in thumb pressure contribution was observed, suggesting a modification in motor strategy. Additionally, the standard deviation of tympanic temperature was associated with motor control measures derived from task performance. A strong negative correlation was observed between changes in temperature variability and changes in the slope parameter across task sets, indicating that a reduction in temperature variability over repeated sets was associated with an increased sensitivity of movement time to task difficulty, whereas increased variability was associated with reduced sensitivity. These findings suggest that variability in deep body temperature reflects underlying neural stability and contributes to fine motor control. Tympanic temperature variability may serve as a novel indicator of motor control stability in finger dexterity tasks.

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Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in molecular and cellular biology is approaching its tenth year since the so-called “phase separation boom” that emerged around 2015. In the field of bioinformatics (BI) focusing on LLPS-related proteins, particularly within data science–oriented research, the publication of four LLPS-related databases in the 2020 Nucleic Acids Research Database Issue marked an important milestone. These resources provided a foundational framework for the systematic organization and analysis of proteins involved in LLPS, and this period can be regarded as the point at which data science–driven research in this field began to emerge in earnest. In this review, we provide an overview of studies on LLPS-related proteins from 2020 to the present (2026), with a primary focus on the development and utilization of databases. By highlighting differences in database design concepts and data curation strategies, we discuss the trends and evolution of data science research in this field.

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DARUMA (Disorder order clAssifier by Rapid and User-friendly MAchine) is a program predicting intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) jointly developed by the Fukuchi and Anbo laboratories at Maebashi Institute of Technology. IDRs are protein segments that do not adopt a single stable structure, and DARUMA rapidly predicts IDRs from an amino acid sequence. DARUMA was designed to be easily used by non-specialists, and is freely available both as a web-based interface and as a standalone version. Further information is provided at https://antepontem.org/daruma/. In this paper, we describe the background of DARUMA’s development, its prediction methodology, and a user guide.

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Biogenic high-basic polyamines ionically bind to acidic molecules to express their various biological functions in eukaryotic algal and protozoan cells. From 1982 to 2023, we have comprehensively analyzed polyamines in the acid extracts from cells of 448 species of original algae belonging to glaucophytes, red algae, and green algae of Archaeplastida, other various algae and protozoa. They have evolved after endosymbiosis of a photosynthetic cyanobacterium into a primitive eukaryotic cell belonging to protozoa such as amoebae, flagellates and ciliates, and after by secondary and tertiary endosymbiosis of red alga or green alga into a primitive protozoan distributing into six groups Rhizaria, Alveolata, Stramenopila, Haptista, Cryptista, and Excavata. Their polyamine distributions were reported in our 20 original articles. Validated strains of photosynthetic unicellular(micro-)algae and multicellular(macro)-algae, and non-photosynthetic unicellular protozoa were supplied from microbial culture collections and axenically cultured. Some of them were also collected from rivers, lakes and seacoasts in Japan, and then substantially purified. Thirty-five kinds of linear, branched, acetylated and methylated polyamines in the acid extracts were quantitatively analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPGC-MS) and the concentrations were expressed as μmol/g wet weight of cells. Two to ten polyamine components were distributed in an alga as well as a protozoan. Distributions of the diamines, diaminopropane, putrescine and cadaverine, the triamines, spermidine, norspermidine and homospermidine, the linear tetra-amines, spermine, norspermine and thermospermine, the linear penta-amines, caldopentamine, thermopentamine and homocaldopentamine, the linear hexa-amines, caldohexamine, thermohexaminr and homocaldohexamine, and agmatine as a guanidinoamine were varied chemotaxonomically within algae. Their polyamine distribution patterns were not correlated with their photosynthetic activity in chloroplast-containing algae, chloroplast-damaged algae, chloroplast-devoid algae. Algal polyamine distribution profiles were correlated with their evolutionary phylogenetic positions such as organizations (unicellular/colony-forming/multicellular), cell structure (thallus/branch), structure of nuclei (eukaryon/dinokaryon). Growth environments such as saline concentration (marine/brackish water/freshwater) and temperature (psychrophile/thermophile) were also effective to their polyamine profiles. A primitive polyamine profile, putrescine and spermidine, was ubiquitously observed in chloroplast-absent protozoa within the total nine eukaryotic groups including the two algae-absent groups Opisthokonta and Amoebozoa in the domain Eukaryota.

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Three to ten of 35 kinds of biogenic polyamines were distributed in multicellular animals (kingdom Animalia or Metazoa) consisting of 34 phyla. Cellular polyamines acid- extracted from whole animal and/or their organs were quantitatively analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPGC-MS) and were calculated as μmol/g wet weight of animal samples. To consider the phylogenetic and taxonomic significance of cellular polyamine distributions in the evolution of invertebrates and vertebrates, we have comparatively analyzed polyamines of approximately 121 species of invertebrates and 23 species of vertebrates during 1978-2007 in Gunma University and 2008-2023 in Maebashi Institute of Technology and reported their polyamine distribution profiles in our 21 original articles. Distribution profiles of 23 linear polyamines; diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, norspermidine, homospermidine, aminopropylcadaverine, spermine, norspermine, thermospermine, aminopropylhomospermidine, homospermine, canavalmine, aminopentylnorspermidine, bis(aminopropyl)cadaverine, caldopentamine, homocaldopentamine, thermopentamine, aminopropylcanavalmine, caldohexamine, thermohexamine, and two acetylpolyamines were identified in the 11 major animal phyla; Porifera, Ctenophora, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, Mollusca, Annelida, Nematoda, Arthropoda, Echinodermata and Chordata (subphyla Cephalochordata, Tunicata and Vertebrata).

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In Hiroshima Prefecture, the prefectural government and the municipalities within the prefecture jointly established the “DXShip Hiroshima” initiative to promote digital transformation among local governments. The purpose of its establishment and the initiatives currently being implemented are explained based on the background of its founding and specific implementation cases. In addition, interviews with municipal employees serving as shared DXShip personnel are used to examine the practices carried out by these assigned staff members.

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This study explores how the design of communication through manned and unmanned vegetable stands can strengthen relationships between farmers and urban residents, thereby contributing to rural revitalization. Between 2021 and 2024, field experiments were conducted in Okayama, Okinawa, and Gunma Prefectures, where manned and unmanned vegetable stands were set up and evaluated through behavioral observation, surveys, and interviews. The unmanned stands were redesigned to function as communication media, allowing consumers to exchange messages with farmers via story panels, message-linked payment boxes. Findings show that these message-based interactions increase consumers’ interest in farmers, enhance their willingness to visit rural areas, and deepen their sense of connection. Factors promoting these effects include prior experiences with roadside stations, interest in local agricultural information, and expectations for shared activities. The strengthened connection to farmers further encourages visits to villages and roadside stations, producing a ripple effect on regional engagement. Moreover, high school and university students who participated in creating and managing the unmanned stands exhibited educational benefits, such as improved awareness, motivation, and understanding of agriculture, design, and communication.

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This study examines the utilization of railway station plazas and roadside stations for regional design as hubs that serve multiple regional functions including tourism and disaster prevention. First, questionnaire surveys indicated that both visitors and residents placed emphasis on transportation functions. For visitors, expectations were found to influence overall satisfaction. Residents recognized the landscape around transportation facilities as symbolic. Next, analysis of workshop minutes among stakeholders suggested that the opinion-exchange format can facilitate operational improvements and more flexible planning beyond existing guidelines. Stakeholder collaboration may also contribute to data collection. Finally, GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis and review of planning documents suggested that facilities outside urban planning areas can be incorporated into location optimization plans. Document reviews and survey identified gaps in incorporation of facilities into disaster prevention and DMO (Destination Management/Marketing Organization) plans in the tourism sector, highlighting the need for improved cross-sector collaboration. In conclusion, this study highlights three perspectives for utilization of transportation hubs in regional design. A) The findings suggest that basic functions remain important when promoting multi-functional utilization. B) Incorporating mechanisms for stakeholder dialogue into operational and planning processes is vital. C) Promoting a shared understanding of methods for incorporating transportation hubs into planning frameworks beyond the transportation sector is necessary.

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This study proposes a real-time motion classification system for powered prosthetic hand control using forearm surface tactile signals measured by PVDF film sensors. Unlike conventional myoelectric control based on surface electromyography, the proposed approach captures mechanical muscle activity reflected as subtle skin-surface deformations. An offline signal processing and classification framework was first established, including motion onset detection and comparison of BPNN, k-NN, and SVM classifiers. Based on these results, a real-time implementation with a reject option was developed and embedded in a compact hardware system. Experimental results demonstrated high classification accuracy, rapid response, and improved robustness against misclassification, indicating the feasibility of this approach as a novel alternative to conventional myoelectric prosthetic control.

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