We present the first astrometry catalog from the Japanese VLBI (very long baseline interferometer) project VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). We have compiled all the astrometry results from VERA, providing accurate trigonometric-annual-parallax and proper-motion measurements. In total, 99 maser sources are listed in the VERA catalog. Among them, 21 maser sources are newly reported, while the rest of the 78 sources are referred to in previously published results or those in preparation for forthcoming papers. The accuracy in the VERA astrometry is revisited and compared with that from the other VLBI astrometry projects such as BeSSeL (The Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy) Survey and GOBELINS (the Gould’s Belt Distances Survey) with the VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array). We have confirmed that most of the astrometry results are consistent with each other, and the largest error sources are due to source structure of the maser features and their rapid variation, along with the systematic calibration errors and different analysis methods. Combined with the BeSSeL results, we estimate the up-to-date fundamental Galactic parameters of $R_{0}=7.92\pm 0.16_{\rm {stat.}}\pm 0.3_{\rm {sys.}}\:$kpc and $\Omega _{\odot }=30.17\pm 0.27_{\rm {stat.}}\pm 0.3_{\rm {sys.}}\:$km$\:$s$^{-1}\:$kpc$^{-1}$, where $R_{0}$ and $\Omega _{\odot }$ are the distance from the Sun to the Galactic center and the Sun’s angular velocity of the Galactic circular rotation, respectively.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by endothelial cells and macrophages play important roles in atherogenesis because they promote the formation of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL). Extracellular-superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is mainly produced by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), is secreted into the extracellular space, and protects cells from the damaging effects of the superoxide anion. Thus, the expression of EC-SOD in VSMCs is crucial for protecting cells against atherogenesis; however, oxLDL-induced changes in the expression of EC-SOD in VSMCs have not yet been examined. We herein showed that oxLDL decreased EC-SOD mRNA and protein levels by binding to lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1). Moreover, we demonstrated the significant role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK) signaling in oxLDL-elicited reductions in the expression of EC-SOD and proliferation of VSMCs. The results obtained with the FCS treatment indicate that oxLDL-elicited reductions in the expression of EC-SOD are related to the proliferation of VSMCs. We herein showed for the first time that luteolin, a natural product, restored oxLDL-induced decreases in the expression of EC-SOD and proliferation of VSMCs. Collectively, the results of the present study suggest that oxLDL accelerates the development of atherosclerosis by suppressing the expression of EC-SOD and also that luteolin has potential as a treatment for atherosclerosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 2496-2505, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tendencies in rhythmic gymnastics were investigated, to obtain basic information about the of performance gymnastics. Participants were gymnasts (N = 27: 22 experienced gymnasts and 5 junior gymnasts) that participated in individual exercises at the 66th Japan rhythmic gymnastics competition. We examined four exercises, hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbons. For each exercise, we recorded the time and the number of "Body Difficulties" and the time taken to execute one Difficulty. Moreover, we recorded the time for each movement. Then, we used these values to examine the reliability and validity of the chronological index of a composition. The correlation between each index and the Difficulty score was calculated for each apparatus. Based on the scoring rules for "Difficulty", the duration of Body Difficulty was defined from preparation to the end of each Difficulty. We conducted a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the apparatus and movements as independent variables, which indicated a significant interaction effect in the number of Difficulties that were executed. Moreover, there was a significant main effect of apparatus and movement. Furthermore, performance time showed significant interaction effects (all p < 0.01). However, no significant interaction was observed for the time for executing each Difficulty.

The present study examined the relationship between children's activities at a nursery school and the amount of physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic and obtained primary data to promote future childcare activities. Healthy preschool children aged 3 -5 (N = 21) participated in the survey. Children wore an activity tracker (Polar, A360) on the wrist of the non-dominant hand for three hours in the morning on five days, just after the state of emergency was lifted. The measurements included "activity time", "moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time", and "average heart rate (HR)". The activity time was defined as physical activity time with an intensity of over 60% HRmax (maximum heart rate). MVPA time was defined as time doing physical activity with an intensity higher than 70% HRmax. From the results of this study, in childcare under COVID-19 pandemic, the activity time of each day was 37.8 ± 25.0 min to 87.0 ± 34.7 min, and the MVPA time was 4.7 ± 6.3 min to 33.7 ± 26.1 min, and the average heart rate was 111.3 ± 7.3 bpm at the lowest and 126.8 ± 9.9 bpm at the highest. In particular, the time of MVPA, which is expected to improve physical strength, was approximately 15min on a five-day average, which was significantly shorter than previous studies. Children's health and development of athletic ability are hindered by insufficient opportunities for physical activities and exercise because of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Securing exercise time and increasing exercise intensity should be considered in childcare to increase children's physical activity in childcare.

The purpose of this study was to clarify trends of rhythmic gymnastics performance and to obtain fundamental data for the composition of routines. The study surveyed women's individual games and four events at the 2013 All-Japan Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships (27 gymnasts), the 2013 World Championships (10 gymnasts), the 2014 World Championships (12 gymnasts), the Olympic Games in 2016 (10 gymnasts) and found the number of body difficulty performed, performance time, and duration of single difficulty on each routine. Further, the study examined BD performance time by group. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted by using championships as between-subjects factors and gymnastic apparatus as within-subject factors. In terms of difficulty performance time and duration of single difficulty, there were significant interactions between the 2013 Japan Championships and the 2013 World Championships. While no significant interaction was found among the 2013·2014·2016 world championships, there were significant main effects in gymnastic events (All p < .05).