Japanese Research Research Articles

Impact of Automated Driving Technology on Japanese Automobile Insurance Market

Purpose: This study attempts to predict the scale of the Japanese automobile insurance market. The forecast is based on the understanding of safety technologies and historic market trends. Research design, data, and methodology: Automobile insurance, together with compulsory automobile liability insurance (CALI), holds more than 50% of the total premium in the Japanese non-life insurance industry. If automated driving prevails, automobile accidents would likely decrease rapidly. Even if fully automated driving does not occur in the near future, some of its elemental technologies, especially collision damage mitigation braking, will significantly reduce the incidence of automobile accidents, and thus the market for automobile insurance. Moreover, as the country’s population decreases, the number of automobiles owned and licenses issued will reduce. We made 20-year predictions of the automobile insurance market in Japan. The calculation is based on demographic data, penetration of safety devices, and their accident prevention effects on bodily injury and property damage. Data are gathered from Japanese governmental statistics, insurance statistics, and research institutes. Results: Our prediction indicates that in the medium-term, the Japanese automobile insurance market will remain stable, and the reduction in the frequency of accidents may proceed slowly and will be mostly offset by the increasing amount of claims per accident. Although we do not have a quantitative estimation for the long term, it may fall drastically after the onset of fully automated driving. Implications: The challenge for insurers in the medium term will be to adapt to the transitional period of declining automobile accidents. In the long term, the weight of lines will shift from automobile insurance to new types of insurance, and insurers will need to implement various structural changes to adapt to this change.

Development of Socio-Critically Open-Ended Problems for Critical Mathematical Literacy: A Japanese Case

The purpose of this study is to propose socio-critically open-ended problems (SCOEPs) as a novel theoretical framework for nurturing students’ critical mathematical literacy while respecting diverse values embedded in transscientific problems. First, we outline the socially open-ended problem─which is of current interest to Japanese researchers of critical mathematics education─and describe its nature and significance. Second, we derive issues from current research on social justice and ethics in mathematics education using a literature interpretive methodology and build a theoretical framework of SCOEPs to develop socially open-ended problems. We present several potential examples of classroom practices based on the SCOEPs framework that were implemented in Japanese schools to explore the impact of these questions on student’s engagement and thinking processes.
 We found evidence that the objectives of nurturing both social judgment skills within an ethical framework, as well as fostering mathematically and socially diverse solutions for authentic problems are integrated in SCOEPs.
 The framework can be described as the coexistence of the process of fostering social decision-making through mathematical thinking and the process of critically considering mathematical thinking to achieve social justice. This proposal has significant implications for the future directions of mathematics education in the 21st century.

New Dental Anomalies in the Greater Japanese Shrew Mole Urotrichus talpoides (Eulipotyphla: Talpidae)

Dental anomalies in the greater Japanese shrew mole Urotrichus talpoides Temminck, 1841 (Eulipotyphla: Talpidae) were examined, based on 1001 specimens. We followed the dental formula of U. talpoides I 2/1, C 1/1, P 4/3, M 3/3 = 36, which is adopted by the most recent Japanese researchers, and found dental anomalies in 17 specimens involving 12 instances of absent tooth, four of extra tooth, and one of connate tooth. Of these, the following dental anomalies are reported in U. talpoides for the first time: extra tooth posterior to the upper canine (C1), extra tooth posterior to the upper second premolar (P2), extra teeth on the inner sides of the upper fourth premolars (P4), and connate tooth on the lower canine (C1). The most frequently observed dental anomaly was the absent tooth on C1 (52.9%), whereas the others were not common (< 11.8%). Our results indicate that dental anomalies in U. talpoides in Urotrichini possess the different pattern from those in species in Scalopini and Talpini. On the other hand, alternative hypothesis of dental formula I 3/2, C 1/1, P 3/2, M 3/3 = 36 explains the observed anomaly pattern in line with the general trend of dental anomalies in Talpini and Scalopini.

Drugging the Undruggable: How Isoquinolines and PKA Initiated the Era of Designed Protein Kinase Inhibitor Therapeutics.

In 1984, Japanese researchers led by the biochemist Hiroyoshi Hidaka described the first synthetic protein kinase inhibitors based on an isoquinoline sulfonamide structure (Hidaka et al. Biochemistry, 1984 Oct 9; 23(21): 5036-41. doi: 10.1021/bi00316a032). These led to the first protein kinase inhibitor approved for medical use (fasudil), an inhibitor of the AGC subfamily Rho kinase. With potencies strong enough to compete against endogenous ATP, the isoquinoline compounds established the druggability of the ATP binding site. Crystal structures of their protein kinase complexes, including with cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), showed interactions that, on the one hand, could mimic ATP but, on the other hand, could be optimized for high potency binding, kinase selectivity, and diversification away from adenosine. They also showed the flexibility of the glycine-rich loop, and PKA became a major prototype for crystallographic and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of protein kinase mechanism and dynamic activity control. Since fasudil, more than 70 kinase inhibitors have been approved for clinical use, involving efforts that progressively have introduced new paradigms of data-driven drug discovery. Publicly available data alone comprise over 5000 protein kinase crystal structures and hundreds of thousands of binding data. Now, new methods, including artificial intelligence techniques and expansion of protein kinase targeting approaches, together with the expiration of patent protection for optimized inhibitor scaffolds, promise even greater advances in drug discovery. Looking back to the time of the first isoquinoline hinge binders brings the current state-of-the-art into stark contrast. Appropriately for this Perspective article, many of the milestone papers during this time were published in Biochemistry (now ACS Biochemistry).

Automatic Geminate Insertion Algorithm for Japanese Audio Data

Generally, it is quite difficult for Japanese language learners to acquire Japanese special morae, namely, geminate, syllabic nasals and long vowels compared to independent morae. Among these three special morae, geminate is particularly difficult, and it takes much longer to fully acquire both production and perception of it. Especially for learners of Chinese native speakers, previous studies has shown that both production and perception of geminate are difficult in terms of the fact that not only no geminate is found in Chinese language, but also the phonological interaction between Japanese accent and Chinese tones. However, in the field of Japanese speech acquisition, research has not making progress because of a major problem, that is, researchers themselves manually create the acoustic experiment stimuli. Therefore, in this study, as a method to solve this problem, we propose an algorithm that automatically inserts geminate into the audio data used in Japanese speech acquisition research. This algorithm automates the insertion of geminate by performing three processes in order: mora extraction by noise removal, matching of original audio data and extracted mora, and insertion of soundless duration and geminate. The algorithm makes it possible to remove the noise, which is -50 dBFS and continues for 10ms or more, and replace it with soundless duration instead, allowing Japanese native speakers to percept it as geminate. The accuracy was equivalent as a result of comparing the data that was manually modified by a phonology researcher with the data that was generated by the algorithm. The result shows that the algorithm can be a practical solution for the automation of geminate insertion.

Japan: Diagnosis and Management of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis With Severe Ocular Complications.

In 2005, the “Japanese Research Committee on Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reaction” (J-SCAR) presented the official “Diagnostic Criteria” for SJS/TEN, and the specific ocular findings are included in these very important criteria. In SJS/TEN cases involving ocular disorder, conjunctivitis often occurs prior to the onset of the high fever. In a Japanese survey, ocular involvement was observed in 77% of the cases, and the incidence of ocular sequelae increased depending on the score of the acute ocular severity findings. Pseudo-membrane formation and epithelial defects are considered to be high-risk signs of ocular sequelae. At the chronic stage, limbal stem cell deficiency, visual disturbance, and severe dryness of the ocular surface are the primary disease characteristics. In 2002, we started performing Cultivated Oral Mucosal Epithelial Transplantation (COMET) for the treatment of severe ocular disorders, including SJS/TEN. As an additional treatment method, we developed a new type of rigid contact lens (CL) that is 13 to 14.0-mm in diameter, known as the “Limbal Rigid Contact Lens (Limbal CL).” Our Limbal Rigid CL greatly enhances the postoperative outcome of COMET. The detection rate of ocular surface bacteria is high in SJS/TEN cases. Thus, appropriate use of topical antibiotics reduces the risk of ocular surface inflammation. Moreover, rebamipide is an ophthalmic solution for dry eye that was developed in Japan, and it also has the effect of suppressing ocular surface inflammation. From disease onset until the chronic stage, the control of inflammation and stem cell loss is key to successfully treating eyes afflicted with SJS/TEN.

GNSS Observations of GIA‐Induced Crustal Deformation in Lützow‐Holm Bay, East Antarctica

AbstractThe Japanese Antarctic Research Expeditions have conducted long‐term Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observations at a series of bedrock outcrops along the coast of Lützow‐Holm Bay, East Antarctica, to elucidate the solid Earth response to ice mass changes. These GNSS observations capture both the viscoelastic response of the solid Earth to Antarctic Ice Sheet changes since the Last Glacial Maximum, termed glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), and elastic deformation associated with recent surface mass changes due to snowfall variations. Here, we extract the GIA signals from the Lützow‐Holm Bay GNSS data by applying an elastic deformation correction based on the mass fluctuations observed in the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and the satellite altimetry. Our results indicate that the region is currently experiencing approximately 1 mm/yr of subsidence, which is large enough to influence GIA model estimations. The resultant GIA‐induced deformation response in Lützow‐Holm Bay is 1–6 mm/yr of uplift.

P20 Characteristics and Eating Lifestyle of People Who Increased Family Meals During the State of Emergency Caused by COVID-19 in Japan

<h3>Background</h3> In April 2020, the Japanese government announced the first state of emergency for a month to prevent COVID-19. The measures taken during this period affect dietary patterns. Since people were requested to stay at home, the frequency of people eating with their family increased during this stage. <h3>Objective</h3> To examine the characteristics and changes in the eating lifestyle of people who increased family meals during the state of emergency. <h3>Study Design, Settings, Participants</h3> A cross-sectional study involving 6,000 individuals aged 20–65 years was conducted via an internet survey developed by a Japanese research company. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> We compared the characteristics and changes of the eating lifestyle of participants before and during the state of emergency. Chi-squared tests were used to compare 3 groups: people who increased, not changed, and decreased family meals during the state of emergency. <h3>Results</h3> A total of 1,293 (21.6%) participants ate more with their families during the state of emergency. Compared to people who decreased or not the changed frequency of family meals, people who increased the frequency of family meals had a higher level of education, were female, were living with someone, and/or had a higher household income in 2019 (all <i>P</i> < 0.001). They also ate a more nutritionally balanced diet, vegetables, and fruits, and felt that they changed to a healthier eating lifestyle during the state of emergency (all <i>P</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, they were more likely to cook more and spend more at dinner and were less likely to eat out with their friends (all <i>P</i> < 0.001). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Although the state of emergency was difficult for the entire population, people who ate more with their families during this period had healthier eating habits.

Learning from the Earthquake Nation: Japanese Science Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century

Earthquake sciences, such as seismology and earthquake engineering, were important for Japanese science diplomacy throughout the twentieth century and remain relevant for Japan’s science diplomacy initiatives today. This article traces how the earthquake sciences were constructed as a ‘Japanese science’, giving Japan authority in science diplomacy, what science diplomacy practices scientists engaged in, and the images of Japan they helped to convey internationally. In the late nineteenth century, Japan played a crucial role in establishing seismology as a scientific discipline, which supported claims of Japanese research experience with their highly seismically active environment. Thus, Japanese earthquake specialists were enabled to act on equal terms with their Western counterparts in international networks, and even became regarded as ‘teachers’ of earthquake-proof construction. This image that was built and expanded upon by generations of scientists and maintained regardless of the shifting political climate. Consequently, prewar science diplomacy served to justify ‘civilised’ Japanese colonial rule in East Asia, while postwar earthquake science underlined Japan’s new identity as a peaceful ‘developed’ country and became a crucial part of Japan’s developmental aid programs. Science diplomacy also helped open diplomatic channels for Japan during difficult international conditions and created sustainable networks between seismic countries.

Autoimmune Coagulation Factor X Deficiency as a Rare Acquired Hemorrhagic Disorder: A Literature Review.

Coagulation factor X (F10) amplifies the clotting reaction in the middle of the coagulation cascade, and thus F10 deficiency leads to a bleeding tendency. Isolated acquired F10 deficiency is widely recognized in patients with immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis or plasma cell dyscrasias. However, its occurrence as an autoimmune disorder is extremely rare. The Japanese Collaborative Research Group has been conducting a nationwide survey on autoimmune coagulation factor deficiencies (AiCFDs) starting in the last decade; we recently identified three patients with autoimmune F10 deficiency (AiF10D). Furthermore, an extensive literature search was performed, confirming 26 AiF10D and 28 possible cases. Our study revealed that AiF10D patients were younger than patients with other AiCFDs; AiF10D patients included children and were predominantly male. AiF10D was confirmed as a severe type of bleeding diathesis, although its mortality rate was not high. As AiF10D patients showed only low F10 inhibitor titers, they were considered to have nonneutralizing anti-F10 autoantibodies rather than their neutralizing counterparts. Accordingly, immunological anti-F10 antibody detection is highly recommended. Hemostatic and immunosuppressive therapies may help arrest bleeding and eliminate anti-F10 antibodies, leading to a high recovery rate. However, further investigation is necessary to understand the basic characteristics and proper management of AiF10D owing to the limited number of patients.

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with acute uncomplicated cystitis in 2018: Conducted by the Japanese Research Group for Urinary Tract Infections (JRGU)

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to monitor the development of drug-resistant bacteria isolated from acute uncomplicated cystitis (AUC) and to evaluate methodology of the survey conducted by collecting only clinical data. MethodsWe enrolled female patients at least 16 years of age diagnosed with AUC in 2018. Patient information including age, menopausal status, and results of bacteriological examination were collected and analyzed regardless of bacterial identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing or extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) detection method. ResultsA total of 847 eligible cases were collected. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the most frequently isolated bacterial species at about 70%, with proportions of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli (QREC) and ESBL-producing E. coli isolates at 15.6% and 9.5% of all E. coli isolates, respectively. The proportion of Staphylococcus saprophyticus (S. saprophyticus) was significantly higher in premenopausal women. Regarding the drug susceptibility of E. coli, isolates from Eastern Japan had significantly higher susceptibility to cefazolin, cefotiam and cefpodoxime and lower susceptibility to levofloxacin in postmenopausal women. ESBL-producing E. coli isolates had a high susceptibility to tazobactam-piperacillin, cefmetazole, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and fosfomycin. In S. saprophyticus, the susceptibility to β-lactams including carbapenems was 40–60%. ConclusionsThe proportions of QREC and ESBL-producing E. coli were increasing trends and lower susceptibility to LVFX in postmenopausal women was observed. Such surveillance, consisting of the collecting only clinical data, could be conducted easily and inexpensively. It is expected to be continuously performed as an alternative survey to conventional one collecting bacterial strains.

Access to contraceptive services among Myanmar women living in Japan: A qualitative study

ObjectivesDespite relatively poor health outcomes of migrants in Japan, little is known about their access to reproductive healthcare. We conducted qualitative research to explore perceived barriers to access, with a specific focus on contraceptive services, and their consequences among Myanmar migrants in Japan. Study designFrom January to April 2020, we conducted 17 in-depth interviews with Myanmar migrant women and 4 key informant interviews with Myanmar interpreters working in health services in Tokyo, Saitama, and Chiba prefectures. We transcribed interviews and coded them in ATLAS.ti primarily using a deductive approach based on the 5 components of Levesque et al.'s conceptual framework of healthcare access. We also used inductive coding to allow for other themes outside of the framework to emerge. ResultsAmong the 17 women, almost half stated that they were using periodic abstinence based on the presumed fertility window or the withdrawal method. Furthermore, slightly over half of the women had a history of unintended pregnancy. Language barriers, limited health information sources, cultural and health beliefs and financial factors played important roles in access to contraceptives among Myanmar migrant women. Women described how these barriers resulted in feeling lack of control over family planning and unintended pregnancies. ConclusionsFindings suggested that Myanmar migrants in Japan are faced with limited contraceptive access. Language barriers, limited information sources, health beliefs, and cultural and financial factors affected access. ImplicationsResults suggest that to increase public awareness and contraceptive access of Myanmar women in Japan nonprofit support programs would benefit from the help of existing social networks of Myanmar migrants, interpreters, and Japanese doctors and researchers in reproductive health.

The empirical correlation between shear wave velocity and penetration resistance for the eolian sand deposits in the city of Olmos-Peru

Shear wave velocities (Vs) and the number of blows of SPT (N) are parameters that are generally recorded in a geotechnical exploration campaign, in the literature there are several publications on the empirical correlations between N y Vs in different types of soil, the first studies being attributed to Japanese researchers in the 60s and 70s. North Peruvian pipeline was built on a recent quaternary eolian deposit, so a research area in Olmos near to the structure was used for tests. In the geotechnical research campaign were carried out in an arrangement multi-channel and standard penetration test in order to obtain Vs and N respectively. The correlations in this publication are for eolian sand deposits that can potentially be used in other regions with similar characteristics. The correlations presented are; N₆₀ - Vs considering and incorporating into the model the influence of the effective overload.

A Historical Study of Political System Reform in the Tang and Song Dynasties

Abstract The theory of Tang and Song reform proposed by Naitō Torajirō, commonly known as Naitō Konan at the beginning of the twentieth century, not only is a perspective on the differences between the Tang and Song institutions but, to a large extent, also formed the research model on the history of the Song-dynasty system in Japanese research on the history of political institutions. Since the 1990s, the topic of Tang and Song reform was introduced to China, but it did not bring any new ideas to the study of Chinese history, nor did it promote reflection on previous research ideas or methods. The historical transformation in the Tang and Song dynasties is, indeed, worthy of attention from historians, but it needs to be done by combining the discussion of Tang and Song reform with the study of political institutional history, avoiding the various existing paradigms in theories on Tang and Song reforms. We must expand the research horizon, placing importance on the restoration of historical reality and referring to the perspectives of “change” and “continuity” rationally, thus allowing for a true breakthrough in Tang and Song historical studies.

Identification of limpets at rock coast in Lianyungang using DNA barcoding

Limpets living at the coast are of great value in both academic and applied fields. However, few studies on the status of these species at the coast of Lianyungang are available. To investigate the richness of limpets in the area, this study identified limpets mainly by using <italic>CO<italic>Ⅰ</italic></italic> (cytochrome c oxidase Ⅰ) barcoding and referring to pictures from the database of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) after sample collection in four seasons. Results showed that four species of limpets were identified in this study (<italic>Siphonaria japonica</italic>, <italic>Lottia goshimai</italic>, <italic>Nipponacmea radula</italic>, <italic>Patelloida conulus</italic>). Of them, <italic>Siphonaria japonica</italic> (sample ID X-W-20) was the most common limpet with high proportion in a certain sampling season (51.4% in spring, 49.2% in summer, 49.2% in autumn, 64.3% in winter), indicating the potential usage of <italic>S</italic>. <italic>japonica</italic> to be served as the suitable biomarker in researching coastal environmental changes. Totally, three species can be accurately identified based on <italic>CO<italic>Ⅰ</italic></italic> barcoding: <italic>S</italic>. <italic>japonica</italic>, <italic>L</italic>. <italic>goshimai</italic> and <italic>N</italic>. <italic>radula</italic> (compared with sequences in NCBI database, the identity was≥99%). On the other hand, in the phylogenetic analysis, samples X-W-7 and X-W-18 were mixing in an ambiguous clade, which included <italic>P</italic>. <italic>conulus</italic> and <italic>N</italic>. <italic>schrenckii</italic>. The identification of X-W-7 and X-W-18 required other tools such as 16S rRNA barcoding (results from our unpublished data showed that the first three sequences were from <italic>P</italic>. <italic>conulus</italic> by blasting, and the identity was≥96%). Species of <italic>S</italic>. <italic>japonica</italic> and <italic>L</italic>. <italic>goshimai</italic> (firstly named by Japanese researchers in 2017) were firstly reported in Lianyungang. This study has improved the diversity of limpets for this region. According to this study, we expect that there should be more than four limpet species on this rocky intertidal shore, and this will be further verified in the future.

Acute Neuro-Behçet's Disease

Neuro-Behçet's disease accounts for 10-20% cases of Behçet's disease, and patients manifest neurological symptoms due to parenchymal inflammation in the central nervous system. Neuro-Behçet's disease is classified into two types (acute and chronic progressive) based on clinical symptoms and therapeutic responsiveness. This review aimed to summarize the acute type of neuro-Behçet's disease according to the guidelines of the Japanese Behçet's Disease Research Committee.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of a Brazilian of Short Version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale.

Background: A short version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) comprising only re-experiencing symptom items has been recently validated on Japanese adults. This short-version-PDS had good psychometric properties among Japanese adults with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to translate and culturally validate the short-version-PDS for the Brazilian sociolinguistic context.Methods: A translation of the short-version-PDS was performed based on established guidelines. We enrolled 53 patients with PTSD as a potential comorbidity. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the short-version-PDS included forward and back-translation by a Japanese Brazilian researcher and a certified translator; synthesis was achieved by consensus, backward translation, pilot test, and finalization. Content validity coefficient (CVC) was used to assess quality of adaptation. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Spearman correlations were between the new short-version-PDS and the Brazilian version of the posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the best cut-off values for the short-version-PDS.Results: The short-version-PDS was well accepted by all subjects, none of the questions were experienced as inappropriate, and all questions of the 3 items were judged important. Item 1 presented CVCt = 0.92; item 2 had a CVCt = 0.87 and item 3 had a CVCt = 0.95. The internal consistency of the final version as measured by Cronbach's alpha was 0.78. The short-version-PDS scale correlated positively with the DSM-5 scale with a Spearman rho of 0.64 (95%CI [0.4-0.8], p < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve value was 0.97 (95%CI [0.9-1.0], p < 0.001). The cut-off score for a maximum Youden Index of 0.8 to distinguish moderate from severe from slight PTSD was > 31.0 with sensitivity and specificity are 86.4 and 93.5%, respectively.Conclusions: This Brazilian Portuguese version of the short-version-PDS had good psychometric properties among Brazilian adults with and without PTSD. Transferability and generalizability of the cut-off scores should be further analyzed.

Japanese doctoral students’ stress: Main findings from a national survey in 2017

This study is mainly concerned with an analysis of what stress Japanese doctoral students face and how universities they belong to could provide better support for them, and help them to overcome their stress. The study employs the data from a national survey of doctoral students at Japanese research universities in 2017. In addition to a general description of their overall stress, four variables of gender, discipline, age and sector of universities are used to explore their perceptions of stress. The study argues that a vast majority of Japanese doctoral students suffered from stress in various aspects. Although some findings based on the case study of Japan are not consistent with previous research such as gender differences in stress, some match with existing research in terms of disciplinary differences and age differences in stress.

On the Current State of Japanese Literature Research and Japanese Studies

On the Current State of Japanese Literature Research and Japanese Studies

Particle Accumulation Structures in a 5 cSt Silicone Oil Liquid Bridge: New Data for the Preparation of the JEREMI Experiment

Systems of solid particles in suspension driven by a time-periodic flow tend to create structures in the carrier fluid that are reminiscent of highly regular geometrical items. Within such a line of inquiry, the present study provides numerical results in support of the space experiments JEREMI (Japanese and European Research Experiment on Marangoni flow Instabilities) planned for execution onboard the International Space Station. The problem is tackled by solving the unsteady non-linear governing equations for the same conditions that will be established in space (microgravity, 5 cSt silicone oil and different aspect ratios of the liquid bridge). The results reveal that for a fixed supporting disk radius, the dynamics are deeply influenced by the height of the liquid column. In addition to its expected link with the critical threshold for the onset of instability (which makes Marangoni flow time-periodic), this geometrical parameter can have a significant impact on the emerging waveform and therefore the topology of particle structures. While for shallow liquid bridges, pulsating flows are the preferred mode of convection, for tall floating columns the dominant outcome is represented by rotating fluid-dynamic disturbance. In the former situation, particles self-organize in circular sectors bounded internally by regions of particle depletion, whereas in the latter case, particles are forced to accumulate in a spiral-like structure. The properties of some of these particle attractors have rarely been observed in earlier studies concerned with fluids characterized by smaller values of the Prandtl number.