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Different disasters throughout history have prompted Japan to develop diverse approaches to recovery, revitalization, and local resilience. The current global COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. In this paper, we argue the need to study the impacts of COVID-19 on outside major cities such as Tokyo as such areas were already experiencing socioeconomic decline. Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture is a city that has also been undergoing extensive post-disaster reconstruction after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), notably through various bottom-up approaches, often initiated by volunteers and migrants bringing new, creative ideas to community revitalization. These efforts continue to shape the social life of its residents during COVID-19, making Ishinomaki an important case study in both disaster reconstruction and rural revitalization. This paper examines examples in which creativity played a key role in revitalization, recovery, and community resilience in Ishinomaki over the last decade to shed light on current creative revitalization initiatives at the grassroots level, initiated and carried out by citizens. Drawing on an ethnographic approach conducted remotely in the form of semi-structured interviews, the paper presents the personal narratives of a diverse range of residents and social networks committed to rebuilding the soft infrastructure that is often overlooked compared to hard infrastructure. The paper proposes suggestions for the future based on lessons learned from the past decade, and hopes to illuminate how Japan’s rural areas are adapting to a new normal in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper is based on research that centres on the city of Tokyo, a mature city that is experiencing various transformations, in order to show how social capital and innovation can help build up resilient communities. It presents two major topics: 1) the potential of localities and their social capital and social innovation to actively react to change, and 2) the role of localities for inclusive urban governance. By focusing on five small neighbourhoods in the south of Taito-ward in central-east Tokyo, the paper addresses the following questions: a) what kinds of social networks and interaction exist at the local level, b) how are residents contributing to neighbourhood revitalization and community identity, and c) what are specific examples of social innovative practices, emerging in periods of crisis, in the case-study area as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic? By adopting a mixed methods approach drawing especially on in-depth interviews conducted with a range of independent business owners, the study reveals the dynamics between long-term residents and newcomers as they negotiate shared identities that continue to shape the present and future of some of Tokyo’s oldest neighbourhoods. The research findings highlight the need for good urban governance to draw on an improved understanding of the potential of localities, place-based social capital building, and new social practices that are emerging in local third sectors, such as volunteer-run industry-based organizations, which are vital in maintaining informal networks as an alternative to more traditional neighbourhood groups to bond, bridge, and link diverse community members.

In order to examine the influence of heat transfer in microscopical air layer between skin and clothing on heat transfer in clothing during wearing, the heat dissipation and the heat transfer characteristics of a sealed and an unsealed air layer with various widths (<1.0mm) which installed in a prototype heat transfer measurement apparatus were investigated. The heat dissipation behavior by on the thickness of the air layer was clearly different between the sealed and the unsealed air layer. This difference is due to the difference in the heat transmission path of each air layer. Since the sealed air layer has a minute air flow in it, the heat transfer in the sealed air layer is suggested to be due to the horizontal heat transfer influenced by the air flow. On the other hand, the heat transfer in the unsealed air layer is found to be conducted simultaneously by both the horizontal heat transfer similar to that of the sealed air layer and the vertical heat transfer through the space around the heat transfer measuring unit. The ratio of the latter to the amount of heat transfer increases as the air layer thickness increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that the maintenance of the health of the mouth and teeth plays an important role in improving the quality of life. However usage rate of auxliary cleaning tools such as essential dental floss, interdental brush, and part for toothbrush should be estimated low from the viewpoint of maintenance of the mouth and teeth related health. Then, the authors investigated the consumers5 awareness of mouth and teeth and actual use of auxiliary cleaning tools in order to promote products5 development and construction of information to encourage the use of ancillary equipment. As a result, 5 factors, i. e., "unhealthy teeth", "oral care focus", "mouth discomfort","worry about the public eye" and "awareness teeth weak " were extracted by factor analysis of awareness and attitude items. The relationship was observed between the usage of auxiliary cleaning tool and other some variables- "oral care focus" factor, subjective health feeling, life satisfaction, and so on. It was suggested that the desirable strategy is to tran sm it information such as the effect of the usage of auxiliary cleaning tool on life satisfaction and health awareness, and importance of regular checkups by the dentist. Additionally, there were observed not a few cases that people with weak teeth did not use auxiliary cleaning even if they were conscious of the bad condition of the teeth. It can be concluded that steadily delivering information to the people of low consciousness is one of the most important subjects in the consumer education relevant to oral health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose] This study examined the measurement error of malleolar torsion based on the reliability of the measurement method which is an index of tibial torsion. [Methods] We used the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis to determine the reliability, and examined the measurement error after the confirmation of the systematic error using the standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detection change (MDC). [Results] A systematic error was not found for qualified professionals in the intra-rater and the inter-rater reliabilities. The MDC of the measurement error was less than 3 degrees. [Conclusion] The reliability of the measurement confirms the usefulness of the measurement error as a parameter that differs according to measurement experience and skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose] To clarify the influence of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over hand motor areas on the neural activity of leg motor areas in the contralateral hemisphere. [Subjects and Methods] Sixteen healthy adults were studied. Low-frequency rTMS or sham stimulation were applied to the hand motor areas in the left hemisphere. Before and after the application, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of the muscles of the left upper limb (first dorsal interosseous muscle) and lower limb (tibialis anterior muscle) were measured. [Results] Low-frequency rTMS significantly increased the MEPs of not only the left upper limb muscle, but also the left lower limb muscle; however, sham stimulation did not result in any significant change in MEPs of these muscles. A significant reduction was shown before and after the sham stimulus. [Conclusions] Low-frequency rTMS over the hand motor areas influences leg motor areas as well as hand motor areas in the contralateral hemisphere. There seems to be a neural connection between the hand motor areas and leg motor areas in the contralateral hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] This study was conducted to investigate the effect of low-intensity resistance exercise training on bone metabolism in postmenopausal women. [Methods] Twelve subjects participated in this study ; they were divided into the postmenopausal women group (n = 6) and young women group (n = 6). Moreover, the postmenopausal women group performed low-intensity resistance exercise training (40%1RM ; repetition maximum) for 12-weeks. Bone metabolism markers (bone formation marker ; BAP and bone resorption marker ; ICTP), bone metabolism related hormones, and 1RM before and after the training, were measured. [Results] The basal level of serum BAP in the postmenopausal women group was higher than that of the young women group. Muscular strength was significantly increased after the training. However, bone metabolism markers and bone metabolism related hormones were not changed during the training. [Conclusion] In the postmenopausal women group before the training, bone metabolism and bone metabolism related hormones were changed compared with the young women group, and aging induced adaptation decrease in bone formation. Low-intensity resistance training induced an increase in muscular strength, but bone metabolism was unchanged. Although low intensity resistance training in postmenopausal woman does not affect bone metabolism, it improves the muscle function and is considered possibly effective in the prevention of a fall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of measurement of the malleolar torsion angle, which indicates the tibial torsion, by a goniometer. [Methods] We examined the correlation between the malleolar torsion angle obtained by a goniometer and the value obtained by a three dimensional motion analysis system. [Results] The malleolar torsion angle measured by the goniometer and the value obtained by the three-dimensional motion analysis system showed high correlations of 0.74 and 0.89 for ICC (2,1) and for ICC (3,1), respectively. [Conclusion] We confirmed high correlations between measurements obtained by a goniometer and a three dimensional motion analysis system. The present result suggests that measurement methods using a goniometer have a certain amount of validity in measurement of the malleolar torsion angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]