Regional brain activity and neural network changes in cognitive-motor dual-task interference: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Previous neuroimaging studies have reported dual-task interference (DTi) and deterioration of task performance in a cognitive-motor dual task (DT) compared to that in a single task (ST). Greater frontoparietal activity is a neural signature of DTi; nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of cortical network in DTi still remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the regional brain activity and neural network changes during DTi induced by highly demanding cognitive-motor DT. Thirty-four right-handed healthy young adults performed the spiral-drawing task. They underwent a paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) simultaneously or independently while their cortical activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Motor performance was determined using the balanced integration score (BIS), a balanced index of drawing speed and precision. The cognitive task of the PASAT was administered with two difficulty levels defined by 1 s (PASAT-1 s) and 2 s (PASAT-2 s) intervals, allowing for the serial addition of numbers. Cognitive performance was determined using the percentage of correct responses. These motor and cognitive performances were significantly reduced during DT, which combined a drawing and a cognitive task at either difficulty level, compared to those in the corresponding ST conditions. The DT conditions were also characterized by significantly increased activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to that in the ST conditions. Multivariate Granger causality (GC) analysis of cortical activity in the selected frontoparietal regions of interest further revealed selective top-down causal connectivity from the right DLPFC to the right inferior parietal cortex during DTs. Furthermore, changes in the frontoparietal GC connectivity strength between the PASAT-2 s DT and ST conditions significantly correlated negatively with changes in the percentage of correct responses. Therefore, DTi can occur even in cognitively proficient young adults, and the right DLPFC and frontoparietal network being crucial neural mechanisms underlying DTi. These findings provide new insights into DTi and its underlying neural mechanisms and have implications for the clinical utility of cognitive-motor DTs applied to clinical populations with cognitive decline, such as those with psychiatric and brain disorders.

Numbers of articles in the three Japanese national newspapers, 1872-2021.

Newspapers have been analyzed in many disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. However, previous research using Japanese newspapers investigated the absolute frequency (number) of articles of interest and did not examine the relative frequency (rate) of articles, restricting a deeper understanding of humans, society, and nature. The absolute frequency and the relative frequency of articles can show different patterns of results, which leads to different conclusions. Thus, investigating only the absolute frequency of articles is insufficient, or sometimes misleading. Therefore, it is necessary to examine not only the absolute frequency of articles but also their relative frequency. For this purpose, I conducted a series of systematic searches and provided the yearly numbers of articles in the three databases of Japanese national newspapers over the 150 years between 1872 and 2021. This paper enables researchers to calculate the relative frequency of articles, contributing to research in many disciplines.

Chinese culture became more individualistic: Evidence from family structure, 1953-2017.

Previous research has indicated that some aspects of Chinese culture became more individualistic. However, prior studies have suggested a decrease in individualism in other aspects of China. Thus, it was unclear whether China became more individualistic. Therefore, the current research investigated whether Chinese culture became more individualistic by examining historical changes in family structure. Specifically, I analyzed temporal shifts in the divorce rate and household size, which have been confirmed as valid representative indicators of individualism. Results showed that the divorce rate increased between 1978 and 2017 and household size decreased between 1953 and 2017, indicating a rise in individualism. Moreover, analyses suggested that the one-child policy was unlikely the sole and major factor in the decrease in household size. Additionally, the aggregated score of divorce rate and household size demonstrated a clear increase in individualism. Therefore, the present research provided further evidence of the rise in individualism in China.

Historical changes in baby names in China.

Based on previous research on names and naming practices, I propose three suggestions to Bao et al. (2021), which investigated historical changes in given names of Han Chinese in China between 1920 and 2005. Their study analyzed a one-shot cross-sectional survey conducted in 2005 and reported that unique names increased from 1920 to 2005. The authors concluded that China became more individualistic over time for the period. However, three questions have remained unanswered in Bao et al. (2021). First, were the samples of older birth cohorts truly representative? Second, did unique names increase only after the 1970s? Third, how are the historical changes in average name length interpreted? Answering these three questions would contribute to a further understanding of the historical changes in given names and their underlying psychological/cultural shifts in China.

Ethnic differences in names in China: A comparison between Chinese Mongolian and Han Chinese cultures in Inner Mongolia.

I propose two suggestions on Stojcic et al.'s (2020) Study 3, which examined ethnic differences in individualism between Chinese Mongolian and Han Chinese cultures in China. The authors analyzed the names of all residents in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China and found that the percentages of common names among Chinese Mongolians were smaller than those among Han Chinese. The authors concluded that Chinese Mongolians are more independent than Han Chinese. However, two questions remain unanswered. First, although the authors analyzed the names of people in all age groups together and did not analyze the names by birth year, how was the effect of time controlled? Second, although the authors treated name indices, which have been used as group-level indicators in previous research, as individual-level indicators, how did the authors confirm whether name indices can be used as individual-level indicators? Addressing these two questions would contribute to a better understanding of ethnic differences in individualism in China.

Common writings of baby names in Japan, 1989-2003: Explanation of survey data.

Previous research on Japanese names has analyzed the surveys on baby names conducted by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company. The company displayed the yearly top 10 common writings of baby names between 1989 and 2003. However, it was unclear how the surveys for those 15 years were conducted. The data are necessary to evaluate the usableness of the surveys and conduct empirical research. Therefore, I asked the company for further data about the surveys. The methods of the surveys were consistent not only between 1989 and 2003, but also consistent with those between 2004 and 2018. The analyses on the annual sample sizes by gender showed that the surveys between 1989 and 2003 are comparable to the surveys between 2004 and 2018. The company is unable to access the raw data of these surveys, which makes it impossible to provide results other than the top 10 most common writings.

Social Security Number Holders in the United States, 1909-2019.

Currently, a social security number (SSN) is held by almost every legal resident of the United States and works as an important numbering system. However, this was not the case in the early years of the Social Security program and historical changes in SSN holder rates had not been examined sufficiently. It is important to understand the changes in health policies and situations. Thus, the present article examined historical changes in the rates of SSN holders in the United States between 1909 and 2019. Analyses demonstrated that the rates clearly increased. Specifically, in Phase 1 (1909-1919), the rates were low in the early period, but they increased markedly. In Phase 2 (1919-1952), the rates continued to increase gradually. In Phase 3 (1952-2019), the rates were almost 100% and reached saturation. This basic information leads to a better understanding of the health policies and situations, contributing to medical and social science research.

Baby names in Japan, 2004-2018: common writings and their readings.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct empirical research on Japanese names, actual name data including both writings and readings are necessary. However, there was no database available that met these conditions. Therefore, in the present article, I provided raw data of approximately 8000 names of Japanese babies born between 2004 and 2018. DATA DESCRIPTION: The data include common writings of baby names and their readings generated from annual surveys on baby names conducted by a Japanese private company. The data have advantages: (1) they include both writings and readings of baby names, (2) they were collected under the same conditions over 15 years, (3) their sample sizes are relatively large, and (4) they are open to the public. In contrast, the data have limitations: their samples are neither highly representative nor very large. Overall, this article will be useful for empirical research on Japanese names and people in general (especially for medical and educational service workers).

Unique Names in China: Insights From Research in Japan-Commentary: Increasing Need for Uniqueness in Contemporary China: Empirical Evidence.

By comparing naming practices between China and Japan, I propose three suggestions on Cai et al.'s (2018) Study 2, which examined historical changes in baby names in China. Their study found that the average daily frequencies of Chinese characters used in baby names decreased between 1950 and 2009. The authors concluded that unique names increased for this period and suggested a rise in the need for uniqueness and individualism in China. However, there are three questions that have remained unanswered. First, did the Chinese characters that were used in names indeed become more unique over time? Second, did the number of Chinese characters in names increase over time? Third, did the reading (pronunciation) of names become more unique over time? Answering these three questions would further increase the validity and impacts of the article and contribute to a better understanding of cultural changes in China.

Regional Differences in Individualism in Japan: Scoring Based on Family Structure.

The present article reported regional (prefecture-level) differences in individualism in Japan based on family structure in 2005, 2010 and 2015. Previous research calculated 2005 prefecture-level scores of individualism-collectivism in Japan by analyzing five validated indicators of individualism-collectivism (divorce rate, percentage of people living alone, percentage of elderly people aged over 65 living alone, percentage of nuclear family households, and percentage of three-generation households). However, only the scores for 2005 had been presented. The scores and their regional differences may have changed over time. Therefore, the current article calculated individualism scores for 2010 and 2015 following previous research. Analyses showed that the scores were stable over time, indicating that regional differences in individualism were maintained for this period. This report is useful for understanding regional differences in psychological phenomena and validating new indicators at the regional level.

The Developmental Trajectory of Self-Esteem Across the Life Span in Japan: Age Differences in Scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale From Adolescence to Old Age.

We examined age differences in global self-esteem in Japan from adolescents aged 16 to the elderly aged 88. Previous research has shown that levels of self-liking (one component of self-esteem) are high for elementary school students, low among middle and high school students, but then continues to become higher among adults by the 60s. However, it did not measure both aspects of self-esteem (self-competence and self-liking) or examine the elderly over the age of 70. To fully understand the developmental trajectory of self-esteem in Japan, we analyzed six independent cross-sectional surveys. These surveys administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, which measured both self-competence and self-liking, on a large and diverse sample (N = 6,113) that included the elderly in the 70s and 80s. Results indicated that, consistent with previous research, for both self-competence and self-liking, the average level of self-esteem was low in adolescence, but continued to become higher from adulthood to old age. However, a drop of self-esteem was not found over the age of 50, which was inconsistent with prior research in European American cultures. Our research demonstrated that the developmental trajectory of self-esteem may differ across cultures.

A decline in self-esteem in adults over 50 is not found in Japan: age differences in self-esteem from young adulthood to old age.

OBJECTIVE: The current research examined age differences in self-esteem in Japan from young adults aged 20 to the elderly aged 69 with a focus on self-esteem trajectories from middle age to old age. Previous research in European American cultures has indicated that self-esteem rises from young adulthood into middle age, and sharply declines starting in one's 50s or 60s. However, it was unclear whether this sharp drop would be found in Japan. Therefore, the present research investigated whether the same age differences were present in Japan by analyzing data from a large and diverse sample. RESULTS: Results showed that self-esteem increases from young adulthood into middle age, consistent with previous research. However, the sharp decline after the age of 50 was not found, which is different from the pattern in European American cultures. This may be related to a finding that people in East Asian cultures show more humble attitudes toward themselves.

Temporal Changes in Individualism and Their Ramification in Japan: Rising Individualism and Conflicts with Persisting Collectivism.

Many studies have shown that American culture has become more individualistic over time. However, it was unclear whether other cultures, especially East Asian cultures, have also shifted toward greater individualism. Therefore, this article reviewed studies investigating temporal changes in individualism in Japan and their ramifications on psychology and behavior. Japan has experienced rapid and dramatic economic growth and urbanization and has adopted more social systems based on individualistic concepts in various contexts (e.g., workplace, school). Recent studies have suggested that, along with these socioeconomic changes, Japanese culture has become more individualistic over time. Specifically, the divorce rate increased and household size decreased. Moreover, people give more unique names to their children and dogs, and individualistic words such as "individual" and "uniqueness" appear more frequently in newspapers. Furthermore, social values became more individualistic. Yet, it has also been shown that some collectivistic values still remain. As a result, people have difficulty in adapting to this coexistence, which injures interpersonal relationships and well-being. This paper discussed how Japanese culture changed over time and how such changes affected Japanese psychology and behavior.

Are common names becoming less common? The rise in uniqueness and individualism in Japan.

We examined whether Japanese culture has become more individualistic by investigating how the practice of naming babies has changed over time. Cultural psychology has revealed substantial cultural variation in human psychology and behavior, emphasizing the mutual construction of socio-cultural environment and mind. However, much of the past research did not account for the fact that culture is changing. Indeed, archival data on behavior (e.g., divorce rates) suggest a rise in individualism in the U.S. and Japan. In addition to archival data, cultural products (which express an individual's psyche and behavior outside the head; e.g., advertising) can also reveal cultural change. However, little research has investigated the changes in individualism in East Asia using cultural products. To reveal the dynamic aspects of culture, it is important to present temporal data across cultures. In this study, we examined baby names as a cultural product. If Japanese culture has become more individualistic, parents would be expected to give their children unique names. Using two databases, we calculated the rate of popular baby names between 2004 and 2013. Both databases released the rankings of popular names and their rates within the sample. As Japanese names are generally comprised of both written Chinese characters and their pronunciations, we analyzed these two separately. We found that the rate of popular Chinese characters increased, whereas the rate of popular pronunciations decreased. However, only the rate of popular pronunciations was associated with a previously validated collectivism index. Moreover, we examined the pronunciation variation of common combinations of Chinese characters and the written form variation of common pronunciations. We found that the variation of written forms decreased, whereas the variation of pronunciations increased over time. Taken together, these results showed that parents are giving their children unique names by pairing common Chinese characters with uncommon pronunciations, which indicates an increase in individualism in Japan.

Does individualism bring happiness? Negative effects of individualism on interpersonal relationships and happiness.

We examined the negative effects of individualism in an East Asian culture. Although individualistic systems decrease interpersonal relationships through competition, individualistic values have prevailed in European American cultures. One reason is because individuals could overcome negativity by actively constructing interpersonal relationships. In contrast, people in East Asian cultures do not have such strategies to overcome the negative impact of individualistic systems, leading to decreased well-being. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between individualistic values, number of close friends, and subjective well-being (SWB). Study 1 indicated that individualistic values were negatively related with the number of close friends and SWB for Japanese college students but not for American college students. Moreover, Study 2 showed that even in an individualistic workplace in Japan, individualistic values were negatively related with the number of close friends and SWB. We discuss how cultural change toward increasing individualism might affect interpersonal relationships and well-being.

Segmental alveolar distraction for the correction of unilateral open-bite caused by multiple ankylosed teeth: a case report.

Ankylosed teeth fail to erupt to meet their counterparts in the opposite jaw. In cases where ankylosis occurs in multiple teeth, the occlusion shows an open bite. This article describes a case of unilateral open bite caused by multiple ankylosed teeth, where treatment involved segmental alveolar bone distraction. A 25-year-old female patient presented with a left-sided unilateral open bite. On the left-hand side, only the lower incisors were not ankylosed. On the right, the maxillary first molar was ankylosed. All these ankylosed teeth were positioned below the occlusal plane. Her mother and brother also had multiple ankylosed teeth, and a familial cause was considered. Orthodontic tooth movement was considered impossible and segmental osteotomy on the left maxillary alveolar bone and downward bone distraction were performed as an alternative. A distractor consisting of orthodontic bands, wires and screws was devised and worn in the left mandibular dentition. Multi-bracket orthodontic appliances were also used for distraction. The amount of vertical movement was 7 mm at the premolar region. Five months after distraction, the multibracket appliance was removed, and fixed and removable retainers were placed. Eight months after distraction, prosthodontic restorations on the occlusal surfaces of the ankylosed teeth were made to obtain the final occlusion. The unilateral open bite was successfully treated and a good occlusion was obtained. The occlusion has shown good long-term stability for more than 3 years.

Assessment of dental arch relationships in Japanese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the dental arch relationships of Japanese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) from the orthodontic clinic of the University of Tokyo Hospital (UTH) compared with patients treated by the Oslo Cleft Team, Norway. DESIGN: Retrospective study and comparison with previous reports. MATERIALS: Dental models of 24 patients with UCLP in UTH taken before orthodontic treatment and before alveolar bone grafting were included. Surgeons in many hospitals performed primary surgeries. These models were matched for age and gender with 24 models from a consecutive series of patients treated by the Oslo Cleft Team as part of the Eurocran Good Practice Archive. A total of 48 models were evaluated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Dental arch relationship was rated with the Goslon Yardstick. The strength of agreement of rating was assessed with weighted kappa statistics. RESULTS: Intra- and interexaminer agreements evaluated by weighted kappa statistics were high, indicating good reproducibility. Almost 60% of the patients in UTH were classified into poor or very poor categories, and the mean Goslon score was 3.50. These results show a contrast to those in Oslo and were the poorest in comparison with previous reports. CONCLUSION: Dental arch relationships in patients with UCLP in UTH were poor. This seemed to be attributable to surgical procedures, but a factor of racial difference in the craniofacial morphology was also considered. Further intercenter research is required to clarify this point.