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\"Tropical climate has received increased attention over the last 40 years mainly because of the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), and their associated impacts on a local, regional, and global scale. While the MJO is the most prominent disturbance that operates on the subseasonal time scale (less than 90 days but longer than 10 days), the ENSO is a powerful interplay between the tropical ocean and atmosphere on interannual time scales with a preferred recurrence interval of 2-7 years. Studies show that MJO and ENSO can have a profound effect on global weather systems, such as shifting tropical cyclone (TC) formation location, altering frequency of occurrence, storm tracks, landfall locations, intensity, and lifespan in various ocean basins. There are at least two types of El Niño: the Eastern Pacific and Central Pacific types, which modulate regional TC activity in a different manner. In addition to ENSO, other climate modes that also influence TC activity on the interannual time scale include the North Atlantic Oscillation, Pacific Meridional Mode, and Atlantic Meridional Mode. On a longer time scale, TC activity is modulated by the decadal to interdecadal oscillations in the Atlantic and Pacific. Aside from TCs, the aforementioned climate modes also alter precipitation and temperatures variations, resulting in drought, flooding, extreme cold or warm conditions, and public health issues in many parts of the world. TC attributes are projected to change over the next 50-100 years under an anthropogenic warming scenario, although uncertainty remains\"-- Provided by publisher.

Epidemiology of bat Betacoronavirus, subgenus Sarbecovirus is largely unknown, especially outside China. We detected a sarbecovirus phylogenetically related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from Rhinolophus cornutus bats in Japan. The sarbecovirus' spike protein specifically recognizes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 of R. cornutus, but not humans, as an entry receptor.

Influenza D virus (IDV) can potentially cause respiratory diseases in livestock. We isolated a new IDV strain from diseased cattle in Japan; this strain is phylogenetically and antigenically distinguished from the previously described IDVs.

Akatsuki has been in operation since Venus orbit insertion-revenge 1 (VOI-R1) in December 2015 and has been making observations of Venus’ cloud-top temperature with Longwave Infrared Camera (LIR) since the start of nominal observations in April 2016. LIR was originally designed to maintain its performance for at least 4 years after the VOI originally planned in December 2010. Although the operation time of LIR has exceeded its designed lifetime as of August 2022, it is still functioning normally. The mechanical shutter plate has been kept at a normal temperature and used as a hot reference in determining the brightness temperature of objects when in the closed position. Since the observed temperature of the background deep space is merely a value representing the output for no radiation input, it should be the same in any observation. This was around 180 K just after the launch of Akatsuki in May 2010; however, it has gradually increased to approximately 200 K by February 2022. Average Venus disk temperatures also show a slight increasing trend. The increases of the background and Venus’ disk temperatures are most likely due to degradation of the sensitivity of the bolometer array used in LIR as an image sensor. These temperatures have apparently been increasing since LIR was activated in October 2016. While LIR is activated, the bolometer temperature is kept at 40 °C and a moderate baking effect may have accelerated degassing in the bolometer package, and the resulting increase of thermal conductivity or decrease of transmittance of the window contaminated by evaporated components may have degraded the sensitivity of the bolometer. A sensitivity degradation of 5% from October 2016 to February 2022 is estimated from the increasing trend of the background temperature. A correction has been made to the LIR data to keep the background temperature constant. The corrected data show no increasing trend in either the background or Venus’ disk temperature. The corrected data are open to the public as a more reliable dataset for investigating the long-term variability of thermal condition at cloud-top altitudes.

Although Venus is a terrestrial planet similar to Earth, its atmospheric circulation is much different and poorly characterized 1 . Winds at the cloud top have been measured predominantly on the dayside. Prominent poleward drifts have been observed with dayside cloud tracking and interpreted to be caused by thermal tides and a Hadley circulation 2 – 4 ; however, the lack of nightside measurements over broad latitudes has prevented the unambiguous characterization of these components. Here we obtain cloud-tracked winds at all local times using thermal infrared images taken by the Venus orbiter Akatsuki, which is sensitive to an altitude of about 65 kilometres 5 . Prominent equatorward flows are found on the nightside, resulting in null meridional velocities when these are zonally averaged. The velocity structure of the thermal tides was determined without the influence of the Hadley circulation. The semidiurnal tide was found to have an amplitude large enough to contribute to the maintenance of the atmospheric superrotation. The weakness of the mean meridional flow at the cloud top implies that the poleward branch of the Hadley circulation exists above the cloud top and that the equatorward branch exists in the clouds. Our results should shed light on atmospheric superrotation in other celestial bodies. Cloud-top thermal images obtained by the Akatsuki orbiter show that Venus has almost null mean meridional circulation at the cloud top, because poleward circulation on the dayside is offset by equatorward circulation on the nightside.

Smoking cessation plans under Japan's national health insurance system are hindered by low completion and success rates. A small-group intervention combining nicotine replacement therapy with digital peer support demonstrated improved smoking cessation success outcomes. However, the extent to which the type of tobacco products used affects the program's efficacy remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in smoking cessation success rates among cigarette-only smokers, heated tobacco product (HTP)-only users, and individuals who use both (dual smokers), following a group-based intervention combining nicotine replacement therapy and a digital peer-supported app. A prospective study involved smokers from Japanese workplaces who owned smartphones. Participants received free nicotine replacement therapy (either patches or gum) and access to a digital peer support app. This app facilitated anonymous group chats (up to 5 participants) to encourage interactions and smoking cessation efforts by sharing activity reports, including photos and comments. Participants were classified into 3 groups: cigarette-only smokers, HTP-only users, and dual smokers. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to compare cessation success rates, with cigarette-only smokers being the reference group (odds ratios [ORs] and 95% CIs). A total of 435 participants were included in the final analysis, comprising 163 cigarette-only smokers (37.5%), 218 HTP-only users (50.1%), and 54 dual smokers (12.4%). The participants had a mean age of 46.6 (SD 10.1) years, with a predominant male representation (416/435, 95.6%) and a significant proportion (296/435, 68.1%) having more than 20 years of smoking history. The smoking cessation success rate was significantly higher among HTP-only users than among cigarette-only smokers (63.3% vs 52.8%; adjusted OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.57-2.16). Conversely, dual smokers exhibited a nonsignificantly lower success rate than cigarette-only smokers (48.1% vs 52.8%; adjusted OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.79-1.16). A group-based smoking cessation program using a digital peer support app yielded higher success rates among HTP-only users than among cigarette-only smokers. However, no significant differences were found in dual smokers. These findings highlight the importance of considering tobacco product type in workplace cessation programs.

The planet Venus is covered by thick clouds of sulfuric acid that move westwards because the entire upper atmosphere rotates much faster than the planet itself. At the cloud tops, about 65 km in altitude, small-scale features are predominantly carried by the background wind at speeds of approximately 100 m s −1 . In contrast, planetary-scale atmospheric features have been observed to move slightly faster or slower than the background wind, a phenomenon that has been interpreted to reflect the propagation of planetary-scale waves. Here we report the detection of an interhemispheric bow-shaped structure stretching 10,000 km across at the cloud-top level of Venus in middle infrared and ultraviolet images from the Japanese orbiter Akatsuki. Over several days of observation, the bow-shaped structure remained relatively fixed in position above the highland on the slowly rotating surface, despite the background atmospheric super rotation. We suggest that the bow-shaped structure is the result of an atmospheric gravity wave generated in the lower atmosphere by mountain topography that then propagated upwards. Numerical simulations provide preliminary support for this interpretation, but the formation and propagation of a mountain gravity wave remain difficult to reconcile with assumed near-surface conditions on Venus. We suggest that winds in the deep atmosphere may be spatially or temporally more variable than previously thought. The upper atmosphere of Venus rotates much faster than the planet itself. An anomalous stationary structure observed by the Akatsuki mission at the cloud tops of Venus could be an atmospheric gravity wave induced by mountain topography below.

Prior research has implied that promoting sustaining physical activity through nudges is challenging and boosting health literacy is important for the long-term establishment of behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of commitment-based health application on step count and health literacy. A control experiment was conducted involving employees from companies located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Participants were divided into three groups: the commitment app group (utilizing a commitment-based application \"Minchalle,\" where teams of around five members were randomly assigned to declare a target step count and report daily step count with pictures), the self-commitment group (individuals declaring a target step count and endeavoring on their own), and the control group (no intervention). Changes in step count and health literacy were examined over one month. A total of 109 employees from 7 companies participated. The changes in step count were an increase of 893 steps for the commitment app group, 243 steps for the self-commitment group, and 178 steps for the control group, with a significant increase in the commitment app group compared to the control group. Regarding health literacy measures, there was significant progress in four items out of five for the commitment app group compared to the control group, and significant progress in one item for the self-commitment group compared to the control group. Communication within the app teams, such as commitment, sharing photos of their goal achievements and provide encouraging comments to others, functioned as social nudges, suggesting the potential for an immediate increase in step count and long-term behavioral reinforcement through improved health literacy.

The planetary missions including the Venus Climate Orbiter ‘Akatsuki’ provide new information on various atmospheric phenomena. Nevertheless, it is difficult to elucidate their three-dimensional structures globally and continuously only from observations because satellite observations are considerably limited in time and space. We constructed the first ‘objective analysis’ of Venus’ atmosphere by assimilating cloud-top horizontal winds on the dayside from the equator to mid-latitudes, which is frequently obtained from Akatsuki's Ultraviolet Imager (UVI). The three-dimensional structures of thermal tides, found recently to play a crucial role in maintaining the super rotation, are greatly improved by the data assimilation. This result is confirmed by comparison with Akatsuki's temperature observations. The momentum transport caused by the thermal tides and other disturbances are also modified by the wind assimilation and agrees well with those estimated from the UVI observations. The assimilated dataset is reliable and will be open to the public along with the Akatsuki observations for further investigation of Venus’ atmospheric phenomena.

Cattle are major reservoirs of the provisionally named influenza D virus, which is potentially involved in the bovine respiratory disease complex. Here, we conducted a serological survey for the influenza D virus in Japan, using archived bovine serum samples collected during 2010-2016 from several herds of apparently healthy cattle in various regions of the country. We found sero-positive cattle across all years and in all the prefectural regions tested, with a total positivity rate of 30.5%, although the positivity rates varied among regions (13.5-50.0%). There was no significant difference in positivity rates for Holstein and Japanese Black cattle. Positivity rates tended to increase with cattle age. The herds were clearly divided into two groups: those with a high positive rate and those with a low (or no) positive rate, indicating that horizontal transmission of the virus occurs readily within a herd. These data demonstrate that bovine influenza D viruses have been in circulation for at least 5 years countrywide, emphasizing its ubiquitous distribution in the cattle population of Japan.