We experimentally investigated the synchronized patterns of three people during sports activities and found that the activity corresponded to spatiotemporal patterns in rings of coupled biological oscillators derived from symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory, which is based on group theory. This theory can provide catalogs of possible generic spatiotemporal patterns irrespective of their internal models. Instead, they are simply based on the geometrical symmetries of the systems. We predicted the synchronization patterns of rings of three coupled oscillators as trajectories on the phase plane. The interactions among three people during a 3 vs. 1 ball possession task were plotted on the phase plane. We then demonstrated that two patterns conformed to two of the three patterns predicted by the theory. One of these patterns was a rotation pattern (R) in which phase differences between adjacent oscillators were almost 2π/3. The other was a partial anti-phase pattern (PA) in which the two oscillators were anti-phase and the third oscillator frequency was dead. These results suggested that symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory could be used to understand synchronization phenomena among three people who communicate via perceptual information, not just physically connected systems such as slime molds, chemical reactions, and animal gaits. In addition, the skill level in human synchronization may play the role of the bifurcation parameter. Synchronization is very interesting as both a natural phenomenon and scientific topic in physical and biological systems. Examples include the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, the oscillation of metronomes, the flash of fireflies, and the calling behavior of Japanese tree frogs. The symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory, which is based on group theory, has been proposed as a useful approach for spatiotemporal pattern formation in coupled oscillator systems. This theory has been applied to various types of quadrupedal gaits in terms of symmetrically coupled oscillators, and to rings and chains of coupled oscillators of plasmodial slime molds. Here we report that the spatiotemporal pattern formation in three-person coupling during dynamic human movement, such as sports activity, conforms to symmetry-breaking theory. Our present study is salient because the spatiotemporal synchronization patterns among three people corresponded to the predicted patterns derived from symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory, as with pattern formation in slime molds, even though the actors were not connected physically but informationally. Moreover, although informational coupling between two people has been shown previously in well controlled experiments, we demonstrate three-person coupling using perceptual information in a real-life setting.

Team coordination is a basic human behavioral trait observed in many real-life communities. To promote teamwork, it is important to cultivate social skills that elicit team coordination. In the present work, we consider which social skills are indispensable for individuals performing a ball possession game in soccer. We develop a simple social force model that describes the synchronized motion of offensive players. Comparing the simulation results with experimental observations, we uncovered that the cooperative social force, a measure of perception skill, has the most important role in reproducing the harmonized collective motion of experienced players in the task. We further developed an experimental tool that facilitates real players' perceptions of interpersonal distance, revealing that the tool improves novice players' motions as if the cooperative social force were imposed.

The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the different meaning of university autonomy historically and comparatively. The paper examines the shift in the definition of the university autonomy in England and Japan. It argues that the definition of university autonomy in England and Japan differed traditionally. In England, university autonomy functioned as the universities' ideology to protect the universities from outside of pressure. In Japan, university autonomy was understood in relation to the Ministerial coordination. The market‐oriented policies in those countries have changed the meaning of university autonomy, bringing about “contractual autonomy” in England and institutional autonomy in Japan.

Extreme and long-term social withdrawal, first described in Japan as Hikikomori, has now become a globally recognized mental health problem. Intervention studies severely lag behind epidemiological and phenomenological research. We present two descriptive case reports of Japanese university students with Hikikomori who participated in an early phase test of a structured intervention involving physical activities that was developed and facilitated by clinicians and physical education specialists—Human Movement Consultation (HMC). The two recipients (19- and 29-years old at the start of treatment) completed approximately 40 consultation sessions delivered over 3 years consisting of a combination of outdoor workouts (i.e., walking, running, and cycling) and interpersonal sports (e.g., table tennis, badminton, and tennis). Changes in social withdrawal behavior were independently rated from clinical health records using a structured scale (the Glasgow Hikikomori Scale; GHS). Behavioral observations and scale data for both cases indicated improvements from pre-treatment levels of social withdrawal. At the end of the intervention, both had returned to normative levels of functioning. Case A returned to university and Case B secured a new job upon the completion of HMC. To help advance our understanding of treatment options, these case descriptions analyze potential change mechanisms in order to understand how HMC can support recovery from extreme social withdrawal. One key observation is that both outdoor workouts and interpersonal sports offer a non-threatening method of enabling Hikikomori to engage in interpersonal interactions. Such connections via structured activities may allow the reinstatement of social skills in a graded manner. In addition, an initial focus on physical experiences may help promote psychological and social connectedness without triggering the social fears and challenges that underlie the Hikikomori state. The findings from these two cases offer a framework to guide further research and the development of exercise-based interventions for this hidden and often neglected group.

A total of 2, 277 non-typhoidal Salmonella strains consisting of 1, 807 domestic strains and 470 imported strains isolated from sporadic cases during 1995-1999 in Tokyo, were examined regarding their serovar-distibution and their drug-resistance. The serological typing results showed that the domestic strains were classified into 17 0-groups and 99 serovars, and the imported strains were classified into 12 O-groups and 58 serovars. Among the serovars identified, Salmonella serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis), S. Thompson, S. Hadar, S. Infantis, S. Typhimurium, and S. Litchfield were predominant in the domestic strains, whereas S. Enteritidis, S. Anatum, S. Hadar, and S. Weltevreden were predominant in the imported strains. The drug-resistance test using 9 drugs (CP, TC, SM, KM, ABPC, ST, NA, FOM, and NFLX) showed that 34.0% of the domestic strains and 33.0% of the imported strains were resistant to any of the drugs examined. The serovars of a high resistant rate during this period were S. Blockley (100%), S. Hadar (96.6%), S. Typhimurium (63.6%), and S. Enteritidis (622%) in the domestic strains and S. Blockley (100%), S. Hadar (97.1%), S. Rissen (88.9%), S. Emek (83.3%), S. Panama (83.3%), and S. Typhimurium (77.8%) in the imported strains. Drug-resistance patterns of the resistant isolates varied to 60 types. Prevalent patterns recognized were SM, TC·ESM, TC, TC·SM·KM·ST, TC·SM·KM, and CP·TC·SM·ABPC in the domestic strains and TC·SM, TC, NA, TC·SM·KM·NA, and TC·SM·NA in the imported strains.