Ritsumeikan University

Low-temperature fabrication of TiO2 electron transport layers by solid-state electrochemical oxidation for selenium photovoltaics

In this study, titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) prepared via a solid-state electrochemical oxidation process was characterized and applied in photovoltaic devices employing a selenium light-absorbing layer with a bandgap of 1.9 eV, making it promising for indoor photovoltaic (IPV) applica...

A review of open-vocabulary semantic mapping and navigation with foundation models for mobile robots

Autonomous mobile robots that coexist with humans must construct not only geometric maps but also semantic maps that can be accessed through natural language. Conventional semantic mapping has mainly focused on assigning labels from predefined closed vocabularies to metric maps,...

Expelling Xieqi , feeling “immune power”: qigong responses to COVID-19 in China and Japan

This article examines qigong practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on how instructors in China and Japan devised new techniques and moved instruction into mediated formats. It argues that these responses did not merely adapt qigong to pandemic restrictions, but reconfig...

Semantic Schema and Group Differences in Everyday Conceptions of Happiness and Unhappiness: An Investigation with a Word-association Network

What does happiness mean to ordinary people? Answering this requires examining not only the components people associate with happiness, but also how these components are organized and structurally connected into a semantic schema. The same questions apply to its conceptual counte...

Uncontrolled manifold analysis of center-of-mass control during gait before and after total hip arthroplasty in patients with hip osteoarthritis: a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an effective treatment for hip osteoarthritis (HOA), and postoperative gait analysis is important for evaluating recovery and designing rehabilitation strategies. However, conventional gait assessment has focused primarily on th...

Domestic value added in Bangladesh’s textile exports: a destination-specific decomposition, 2007–2023

Bangladesh’s textile and clothing sector is central to the country’s export-led industrialisation, yet the strong growth in export earnings has not been matched by clear evidence of domestic value creation. Although Bangladesh has become one of the world’s leading apparel exporte...

Waste reduction and recycling promotion stagnation: The determinants of municipal solid waste generation and recycling rates in Japan

Abstract Most developed countries have introduced unit-based pricing for waste disposal and/or separate collection systems for recyclables to reduce waste generation and promote recycling. Nevertheless, the average amount of municipal solid waste per capita has increased, and the...

Leucine-Enriched Essential Amino Acids in Clinical Practice: A Narrative Review

Muscle wasting driven by aging, chronic disease, or intensive exercise undermines mobility, metabolic health, and survival—yet the people who lose the most muscle are often those least able to eat more protein. Leucine-enriched essential amino acid (LEAA) mixtures combine a leuci...

Beyond Translation Initiation: Translational Elongation, Decoding Fidelity, and Ribosome Surveillance During Branched-Chain Amino Acid Deprivation, with a Focus on Mammalian Systems

In mammalian systems, translational responses to amino acid limitation are commonly framed as mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibition and activation of the general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2)–eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) arm of the integrate...

Exploring Neuromuscular and Biomechanical Factors Associated with Improvements in Running Economy Following Plyometric Training in Male Master Endurance Runners

Purpose: While running economy can be improved following plyometric training, the factors associated with running economy improvements remain unclear, particularly in master endurance runners. This study aimed to identify neuromuscular and biomechanical factors associated with ru...

Halting marine plastic inputs by 2050 is necessary but not sufficient to avoid microplastic accumulation

Marine plastic pollution threatens ecosystems, economies, and human health, yet economic literature overlooks the transport of plastic debris across marine ecosystem compartments and its natural breakdown. Here we show, using a system dynamics model, the global physical and econo...

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. crypti , a novel forma specialis causing Fusarium wilt of mitsuba, Cryptotaenia japonica

Fusarium oxysporum isolates causing Fusarium wilt in mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk.; also referred to as Japanese honeywort, Japanese honewort, or Japanese parsley) have traditionally been classified as f. sp. apii. However, some reports have indicated that the host-pathog...

The impact of achieving the national vegetable intake target on cardiovascular disease and healthcare expenditures in Japanese adults: a simulation study, 2021–2031

A diet low in vegetables is a notable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In Japan, the average daily vegetable intake remains below the Health Japan 21 (Third term) target of 350 g. In this study, we used a simulation model to predict the impact of achieving this natio...

Bokete as a meme platform: creative labor and humor in Japan’s online media

Abstract Online media provides an interconnected digital world, where boundaries are limited only by users’ creative drive, and in many cases, their sense of humor. In reality, digital space is delineated by economically driven platforms. In Japan, characterized by a dynamic medi...

Color control in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) solar cells for BIPV via the lift-off method and light interference transparent conductive oxide layers fabrication

For Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), the ability to produce a variety of colors is essential for architectural harmony. However, Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGSe) solar cells naturally have a rough growth surface that scatters light, significantly reducing the saturation and purity...

A bibliometric-systematic review of CGM’s application in lifestyle and behavioral research among healthy individuals: proposing a novel typology

Abstract Background Blood glucose management has progressed from diabetes treatment to tracking trends in healthy populations since the introduction of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in 1999. Previously, this population was difficult to study using traditional self-monitorin...

Exploring corporate and product-level associations in the motorcycle industry

Purpose This study aims to clarify the relationship between brand-attribute associations and brand loyalty in the context of Japanese motorcycle manufacturers and their products. By distinguishing manufacturer- and product-related associations, it investigates how different level...

Iris colour modulates gaze-mediated attentional orienting in Japanese children

Abstract Human gaze perception is supported by the distinctive morphology of the human eye, yet it remains unclear whether natural variation in iris colour modulates gaze-mediated attentional orienting. We examined this question in two gaze-cueing experiments with Japanese childr...

Implementation and evaluation of geography education using QGIS for Japanese high school students

Abstract. In recent years, demand for geography education using GIS has been growing among junior and senior high school teachers. QGIS has attracted attention because it is freely available and enables advanced spatial visualization and analysis. However, the implementation of Q...

Optimizing entanglement manipulation via algebraic–geometric decompositions and semi-definite programming hierarchies

In the study of distributed quantum information processing, it is a fundamental problem to optimize local operations in the implementation of non-local quantum operations assisted by limited entanglement. We develop an algebraic–geometric framework that systematically simplifies...