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NTT's laboratories are engaged in a wide range of research and development from basic research to applications, and divided into four laboratory groups. As one of those laboratory groups, NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group carries out research and development with three missions in mind: "Conduct research and development on cutting-edge technologies to expand NTT's business domains," "Create new principles and concepts that will revolutionize society," and "Research and develop technologies that are friendly to the global environment and people." We asked Akira Okada, senior vice president of R&D, head of NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group, about the technology strategy of the laboratory group and his mindset as a top manager. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of conventional computers, which have supported the infrastructure of our digital society and developed in accordance with Moore's law, seems to be approaching its limits. To solve many social issues and achieve a safe, secure, and prosperous society, next-generation computers with performance far beyond that of conventional computers, such as quantum computers, are expected. This article outlines the possibilities of next-generation computers that compute using light and optical device technologies introduced in the Feature Articles of this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various social-infrastructure facilities have been constructed in Japan since the period of the country's rapid economic growth. These facilities are currently aging, and the cost related to their maintenance, management, and renovation has become a serious issue. It is therefore necessary to improve the efficiency of the maintenance and management cycle to reduce this enormous cost and extend the service life of facilities. In this article, we use the term life-cycle maintenance to refer to the entire life cycle of the maintenance and management of telecommunication infrastructure, from maintenance planning to inspection, diagnosis, and repair, reinforcement, and renovation. We introduce the direction of research and development of life-cycle maintenance and present case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the near future, ICT (information and communication technology) services are expected to achieve a dramatic evolution through the use of the cloud, IoT (Internet of Things), and AI (artificial intelligence). The communication devices necessary to realize this new era require high performance, high functionality, low cost, and low power consumption. A fusion of various technologies and know-how will be applied in order to meet these requirements. In this article, we explain the concept of an on Si platform, which expands upon silicon (Si) photonics, as one solution. We also show the direction of research and development (R&D) of various elemental technologies and describe the R&D fabrication process to realize the on Si platform concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire has been incorporated into health assessments for older adults in Japan, encompassing three self-administered questions on subjective physical function: subjective gait speed decline, recent fall history, and exercise habits. Nevertheless, its efficacy in predicting new fracture occurrences remains uncertain. Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized Japan's DeSC database, a large commercially available claims database. Participants were older adults aged =75 years and provided complete responses to the Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire at health check-ups. We performed two Cox regression analyses for new fractures based on the responses to the three questions (Model 1) and on age, sex, and responses to the three questions (Model 2). The predictive abilities of the 1-year occurrence of new fractures were compared between the two models. Results: Of 11 683 eligible older adults, 927 (7.93%) experienced new fractures. Model 1 revealed significant associations between new fractures and subjective gait speed decline (hazard ratio [HR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-1.89), recent fall history (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.77-2.33), and absence of exercise habits (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.13-1.47). Model 2 demonstrated superior predictive ability (area under the curve, 0.677; 95% CI, 0.659-0.695) compared with Model 1 (area under the curve, 0.633; 95% CI, 0.614-0.652), with a net reclassification improvement of 0.383 (95% CI, 0.317-0.449). Conclusion: Three subjective physical well-being factors were significantly associated with new fracture development in older adults. These results suggest that the three-question assessment may be a valuable screening tool for identifying new fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA methylation and demethylation regulate the transcription of genes. DNA methylation-associated gene expression of adrenal steroidogenic enzymes may regulate cortisol production in cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA). We aimed to determine the DNA methylation levels of all genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes involved in CPA. Additionally, the aims were to clarify the DNA methylation-associated gene expression and evaluate the difference of CPA genotype from others using DNA methylation data. Twenty-five adrenal CPA and six nonfunctioning adrenocortical adenoma (NFA) samples were analyzed. RNA sequencing and DNA methylation array were performed. The methylation levels at 118 methylation sites of the genes were investigated, and their methylation and mRNA levels were subsequently integrated. Among all the steroidogenic enzyme genes studied, CYP17A1 gene was mainly found to be hypomethylated in CPA compared to that in NFA, and the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure demonstrated that methylation levels at two sites in the CYP17A1 gene body were statistically significant. PRKACA mutant CPAs predominantly exhibited hypomethylation of CYP17A1 gene compared with the GNAS mutant CPAs. Inverse associations between CYP17A1 methylation in three regions of the gene body and its mRNA levels were observed in the NFAs and CPAs. In applying clustering analysis using CYP17A1 methylation and mRNA levels, CPAs with PRKACA mutation were differentiated from NFAs and CPAs with a GNAS mutation. We demonstrated that CPAs exhibited hypomethylation of the CYP17A1 gene body in CPA, especially in the PRKACA mutant CPAs. Methylation of CYP17A1 gene may influence its transcription levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]