#tanigawa range

[jcmarchi]

Making Genetic Prediction Models More Inclusive - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/making-genetic-prediction-models-more-inclusive-technology-org/

Making Genetic Prediction Models More Inclusive - Technology Org

MIT computer scientists developed a way to calculate polygenic scores that makes genetic prediction models more accurate for people across diverse ancestries.

While any two human genomes are about 99.9 percent identical, genetic variation in the remaining 0.1 percent plays an important role in shaping human diversity, including a person’s risk for developing certain diseases.

To make polygenic risk scores more inclusive, MIT researchers have created a new model that takes into account genetic information from people of a wider variety of genetic backgrounds. Image credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT

Measuring the cumulative effect of these small genetic differences can provide an estimate of an individual’s genetic risk for a particular disease or their likelihood of having a particular trait.

However, the majority of models used to generate these “polygenic scores” are based on studies done in people of European descent, and do not accurately gauge the risk for people of non-European ancestry or people whose genomes contain a mixture of chromosome regions inherited from previously isolated populations, also known as admixed ancestry.

In an effort to make these genetic scores more inclusive, MIT researchers have created a new model that takes into account genetic information from people from a wider diversity of genetic ancestries across the world. Using this model, they showed that they could increase the accuracy of genetics-based predictions for various traits, especially for people from populations traditionally underrepresented in genetic studies.

“For people of African ancestry, our model proved to be about 60 percent more accurate on average,” says Manolis Kellis, a professor of computer science in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

“For people of admixed genetic backgrounds more broadly, who have been excluded from most previous models, the accuracy of our model increased by an average of about 18 percent.”

DNA double helix – artistic visualization. Image credit: Victoria_Watercolor via Pixabay, free license

The researchers hope their more inclusive modeling approach could help improve health outcomes for a wider range of people and promote health equity by spreading the benefits of genomic sequencing more widely across the globe.

“What we have done is created a method that allows you to be much more accurate for admixed and ancestry-diverse individuals, and ensure the results and the benefits of human genetics research are equally shared by everyone,” says MIT postdoc Yosuke Tanigawa, the lead and co-corresponding author of the paper, which appears today in open-access form in the American Journal of Human Genetics. The researchers have made all of their data publicly available for the broader scientific community to use.

More inclusive models

The work builds on the Human Genome Project, which mapped all of the genes found in the human genome, and on subsequent large-scale, cohort-based studies of how genetic variants in the human genome are linked to disease risk and other differences between individuals.

These studies showed that the effect of any individual genetic variant on its own is typically very small. Together, these small effects add up and influence the risk of developing heart disease or diabetes, having a stroke, or being diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

“We have hundreds of thousands of genetic variants that are associated with complex traits, each of which is individually playing a weak effect, but together they are beginning to be predictive for disease predispositions,” Kellis says.

However, most of these genome-wide association studies included few people of non-European descent, so polygenic risk models based on them translate poorly to non-European populations.

People from different geographic areas can have different patterns of genetic variation, shaped by stochastic drift, population history, and environmental factors — for example, in people of African descent, genetic variants that protect against malaria are more common than in other populations.

Working in a genetics lab – illustrative photo. Image credit: Louis Reed via Unsplash, free license

Those variants also affect other traits involving the immune system, such as counts of neutrophils, a type of immune cell. That variation would not be well-captured in a model based on genetic analysis of people of European ancestry alone.

“If you are an individual of African descent, of Latin American descent, of Asian descent, then you are currently being left out by the system,” Kellis says. “This inequity in the utilization of genetic information for predicting risk of patients can cause unnecessary burden, unnecessary deaths, and unnecessary lack of prevention, and that’s where our work comes in.”

Some researchers have begun trying to address these disparities by creating distinct models for people of European descent, of African descent, or of Asian descent.

These emerging approaches assign individuals to distinct genetic ancestry groups, aggregate the data to create an association summary, and make genetic prediction models. However, these approaches still don’t represent people of admixed genetic backgrounds well.

“Our approach builds on the previous work without requiring researchers to assign individuals or local genomic segments of individuals to predefined distinct genetic ancestry groups,” Tanigawa says. “Instead, we develop a single model for everybody by directly working on individuals across the continuum of their genetic ancestries.”

In creating their new model, the MIT team used computational and statistical techniques that enabled them to study each individual’s unique genetic profile instead of grouping individuals by population.

This methodological advancement allowed the researchers to include people of admixed ancestry, who made up nearly 10 percent of the UK Biobank dataset used for this study and currently account for about one in seven newborns in the United States.

“Because we work at the individual level, there is no need for computing summary-level data for different populations,” Kellis says. “Thus, we did not need to exclude individuals of admixed ancestry, increasing our power by including more individuals and representing contributions from all populations in our combined model.”

Better predictions

To create their new model, the researchers used genetic data from more than 280,000 people, which was collected by UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing de-identified genetic, lifestyle, and health information from half a million U.K. participants.

Using another set of about 81,000 held-out individuals from the UK Biobank, the researchers evaluated their model across 60 traits, which included traits related to body size and shape, such as height and body mass index, as well as blood traits such as white blood cell count and red blood cell count, which also have a genetic basis.

The researchers found that, compared to models trained only on European-ancestry individuals, their model’s predictions are more accurate for all genetic ancestry groups. The most notable gain was for people of African ancestry, who showed 61 percent average improvements, even though they only made up about 1.5 percent of samples in UK Biobank.

The researchers also saw improvements of 11 percent for people of South Asian descent and 5 percent for white British people. Predictions for people of admixed ancestry improved by about 18 percent.

“When you bring all the individuals together in the training set, everybody contributes to the training of the polygenic score modeling on equal footing,” Tanigawa says. “Combined with increasingly more inclusive data collection efforts, our method can help leverage these efforts to improve predictive accuracy for all.”

The MIT team hopes its approach can eventually be incorporated into tests of an individual’s risk of a variety of diseases. Such tests could be combined with conventional risk factors and used to help doctors diagnose disease or to help people manage their risk for certain diseases before they develop.

“Our work highlights the power of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the context of genomics research,” Tanigawa says.

The researchers now hope to add even more data to their model, including data from the United States, and to apply it to additional traits that they didn’t analyze in this study.

“This is just the start,” Kellis says. “We can’t wait to see more people join our effort to propel inclusive human genetics research.”

The National Institutes of Health funded the research.

Written by Anne Trafton

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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[msp-j]

谷川連峰北部　　榛名山・掃部ヶ岳登路より

Northern part of Tanigawa Range along the Gunma-Niigata border, central Japan.

[redsamuraiii]

DSC09619.jpg by Nori

[politesper-moved]

Bellow the cut is my really lengthy MLA formatted essay on Itsuki’s memory concerns. This was written for a class, so that’s why it’s written the way it is. I’m too lazy go go through and edit it much so you’re getting it in it’s raw glory:

The Haruhi Suzumiya franchise is full of many mysteries; as a series that only just a few months ago left a nine-year hiatus in which there was little to no content released that contributed to the greater story at hand, there are a lot of unanswered questions in the novels that we likely won’t be getting any answers to anytime soon. One of those being the character of Itsuki Koizumi. As of the date this essay has been written, Itsuki is the only main character in the novels that has not had an entire book dedicated to his character and struggles. Haruhi Suzumiya, the titular character, has The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya; Yuki Nagato has The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mikuru Asahina has The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Kyon is the main narrator of the entire series, which means every single novel has focused on him. However, out of the eleven books released thus far, Itsuki Koizumi has only been relevant as a means to give exposition to our main character or in side-stories that give us little insight into his real nature/character. However, there may be a reason as to why he is the most mysterious of the bunch, aside from that being his defining character trope when introduced. That reason has to do with his memory. 

Throughout most novels, Itsuki has given us an excellent insight into his thought process. As a character whose primary purpose is to provide the audience with much-needed explanations for what’s going on, you would think that was all he is: a way to give information. However, Tanigawa is known for subverting tropes in his work, and Itsuki Koizumi is no exception. While Itsuki is brilliant, he makes one thing incredibly clear throughout his words: he is not sure if what he is saying is true. Every time he gives Kyon information, it is done in a way that is deemed theoretical. Itsuki is constantly speculating on what’s going on in the series, and we are led to believe that he is an unreliable narrator, much like Kyon himself. Itsuki refers to himself as a skeptic to the Agency’s theory that Haruhi is “God” and brings up plenty of counter-arguments to that theory. He says that he is in the minority of believing that, however, and thus bounces ideas off of Kyon to get a better understanding of what’s going on around him. This brings up our first issue with his character. As, in The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyouko Tachibana- who is a member of the organization that rivals the one Itsuki is from- says this: “...didn’t you know? Koizumi created the Agency from the ground up. He’s been the leader from the very beginning” (Tanigawa 2011).

If this fact is true, why would Itsuki be at odds with the Agency’s views of Haruhi? A lot of information that Itsuki gives Kyon about the Agency is contradictory. While one can infer that he’s just been lying this entire time, we also know that Itsuki is too smart to have holes in his story like that. Not only has he been proven to be a great improviser, but a convincing one. This can be showcased any time that Haruhi has a run-in with a supernatural force. To keep her from finding out that such things exist in the world, he has come up with explanations on the spot for unnatural happenings. While to Kyon and us the audience, they seem ridiculous, that’s also because we know what’s going on. To Haruhi herself, a character who has been proven to be incredibly perceptive, they are convincing. To think that Itsuki would be contradictory in his statements about the Agency, which even has Kyon put suspicions on him, is something I find suspicious in a different way. 

In The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Itsuki introduces himself as a subordinate of the Agency. And, up until The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, that statement seems to check out. While we always get the feeling that Itsuki knows more than he lets on, his rank in the Agency is never in question until the second to last novel (as of writing this). At the end of the Surprise novel, Kyon decides to question Itsuki about his place in the Agency. He says that he assumed Mori, another member of the Agency, was his boss. He explains to Itsuki that Mori refers to him very casually, but he wonders what she refers to him as when not around. In the English translation of the novel, some of the nuisances are left out. Kyon refers to honorifics here, suffixes added to the end of names that help signify a relationship between you and the person you’re talking to. Mori refers to Itsuki by his last name, without any honorific, when Kyon is around; that signifies that she is either above him or on equal footing with him. Kyon is wondering if Mori refers to Itsuki more formally in a closed setting, trying to tip-off to Itsuki that he has suspicions that he may have been lying to him about being a subordinate in the Agency. Then, Itsuki says something that completely disregards everything he has explained about his position in the past: “...we don’t have the kind of hierarchy that exists in a corporation. There are no superiors- everyone is the same. There’s no hierarchy among comrades” (Tanigawa 2011). 

Another interesting thing to note here is that this is the same book that Itsuki says he will have to rethink his past theories and finally proclaims that he himself believes Haruhi is a God. While it’s subtle, this is undoubtedly a large shift in his character, and one might assume that Itsuki changing up his story so late in the game would be out of character for him- they would be right. However, it is not without proper build-up. In fact, throughout many novels before this, Itsuki hinted that his memories are in danger. 

Itsuki’s character revolves around mystery, so you have to look at everything he says with a critical lens, especially if it seems out of place in a conversation. All of this memory-related paranoia from him started after The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, specifically the story Snowy Mountain Syndrome. Yuki Nagato falls ill while they’re trapped inside a time-warping mansion in the middle of a blizzard. Under these circumstances, Itsuki makes a fundamental promise to Kyon: “If a situation should ever arise where Nagato is in a great deal of trouble [...] I will betray the ‘Agency’ one time and ally myself with you” (Tanigawa 2004). Not too much later in that scene, Itsuki ensures Kyon that he is still loyal to the Agency; however, the Brigade is starting to become more of a priority. A few books later, in The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya, he makes his stance more clear “If asked which side I belong to, the SOS Brigade comes to mind, first and foremost. My feelings tend toward it, rather than the Agency [...] If the Agency gave me an order that ran counter to the interests of the SOS Brigade, I might find myself upon the horns of a dilemma” (Tanigawa 2005). These are not statements that make sense under the idea that Itsuki created the Agency, but Kyouko also has no reason to lie at that moment. Not to mention, Itsuki’s behavior after making these statements runs counter to the idea that he is lying about his loyalties to gain Kyon’s trust. I will get into that soon. Something to consider here is the idea that Itsuki himself is unaware that he is the Agency’s creator. While that sounds convoluted, it begins to make more sense as you consider Itsuki’s behavior in the books following The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya.

One thing to remember about Itsuki is that he is smart. While he claims himself not to be a genius, in The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, it is confirmed that even people from the future consider him a dangerous individual because of his above-average ability to infer things. The Mikuru Asahina from the future even states that “A single careless word from me could become ten words’ worth of information for you” (Tanigawa 2011). Needless to say, he’s very perceptive. So, when Itsuki begins making claims that are alluding to the fact that his memories may be tampered with in the future, it isn’t something that we should brush off as the readers.

The book that features his worries quite prominently is the first big story after Snowy Mountain Syndrome: The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya. I’ll be going through the two most essential hints Itsuki gives us towards the idea his memory may be getting tampered with, starting with Itsuki’s indications that there are other kinds of espers. 

Up until this point of the series, we assume for the most part that all espers are like Itsuki, as in, their powers are limited. Itsuki is only able to use his powers under specific conditions. Said conditions begin when he enters the closed spaces made by Haruhi to fight off Celestials, a subconscious representation of her negative emotions and desire to recreate the world. Itsuki has claimed in the past that the Agency must destroy the Celestials and stop Haruhi from subconsciously destroying the world with her powers and that it is their purpose for existing. And then, Itsuki drops this: “I am an esper- though my abilities and range are a bit limited. But can you be sure that I am the only one? I don’t mean anti-Celestials like me. How can we say for certain there aren’t more straightforward superhumans with, for example, the power to see the future, perhaps even attached to the Agency” (Tanigawa 2005). When Kyon asks whether or not people like that exist, Itsuki claims that he’s unsure since he is “an underling” and is kept in the dark about these things. However, Itsuki never brings up a theory of his when he doesn’t have reason to believe it. While usually, Itsuki backs up his points, here he refrains from giving too much information. It’s not out of character for him to do something like this, though. It’s often that Itsuki only gives Kyon enough information to come to conclusions independently, rather than try to force his own opinions and beliefs on the main character. The idea that there are espers with capabilities we are unaware of is something to keep in mind when considering the biggest hint that Itsuki gives us: his blatant paranoia about his memories being erased.

Later on, in The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya, Itsuki reminds Kyon that he has become incredibly grateful towards the Brigade and the opportunities it has allowed him to have. In addition to that, he asks Kyon if he remembers what he said to him during the incident they had on that snowy mountain. Of course, Kyon states that he remembers- claiming that if Itsuki ever went back on that promise, he would join forces with Haruhi and “come up with a punishment the likes of which he’d never seen” (Tanigawa 2005). Then, Itsuki states something peculiar: “That’s a relief. If I ever suffer from amnesia, things will be alright- you’ll remember for me” (Tanigawa 2005). In the book right after this one, The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya, Itsuki makes a similar comment on the topic of remembering his promise about protecting Nagato: “‘I remember it, of course. And even if I did forget, I’m quite certain that you’d remind me. Wouldn’t you?’ He smiled pleasantly and gestured. ‘When the time comes’” (Tanigawa 2006). His concern regarding memories starts extending to Kyon in the next book, The Dissociation of Haruhi Suzumiya, in which Itsuki’s mental/emotional state seems to be taking a turn for the worse. Kyon comments on how any normal person would be fatigued dealing with Haruhi on a daily basis, and Itsuki responds with the following- I will quote the passage in its entirety, as it’s something that isn’t easily paraphrased:

“I am not speaking in conventional terms. You do remember my true nature and responsibility, don’t you? The real reason why I am here?”

At first it was to observe Haruhi, and then it became being her flunky, I said.

“Excuse me, but surely you haven’t forgotten that I am an esper, nor have you forgotten when, where, how, and with whom my powers are utilized.”

I remembered all right, having gotten enough of an earful about it. His confession had come after Nagato’s and Asahina’s- in other words, it was the most recent information about a brigade member to come to light.

“That’s good. That will make this easier to explain.” Koizumi gave an affectedly relieved sigh, then lowered his voice. “To be honest, I haven’t been sleeping well recently. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night or early morning, day after day, and not because I want to. It’s taken quite a toll on my health.”

Throughout the rest of their conversation at the beginning of this book, Itsuki is constantly asking Kyon if his memory is faulty or if he had somehow forgotten recent events that lead up to their current situation. At the end of that lengthy conversation, we get another critical exchange that would be more beneficial not to paraphrase as well:

“So, you’ve finally managed to arrive at that point. I was starting to wonder if it had been erased from your memory.”

What good would it do anyone if I’d lost that memory? I asked.

“I can’t guess at the possible profit or loss, but if I could erase it, I would very much like to.”

That didn’t make any sense. I’d never heard anything about Koizumi being able to control memories, and anyway, if he could, then he ought to be doing something about Haruhi’s head.

“You are quite right.”

He didn’t have to sound so wistful about it, I said.

One thing that both of these exchanges make clear is that memory, and memory loss by extension is something significant to Itsuki. And throughout the series, he has become more and more adamant about making Kyon aware of that fact. What can be gathered from the information he is feeding us that there is someone, somewhere- most likely allied with the Agency- who has the power to alter people’s memories. Itsuki seems to be aware of said individuals and appears to fear the idea of having his memories altered by them. The fact that he is also asking Kyon if his memories are still intact is likely because Kyon seems to be the only person that Itsuki has mentioned his promise and loyalties to. If his memories are altered, it likely means they’re coming for Itsuki next. If Itsuki’s memories are altered, he seems to be hoping that Kyon will remind him of his true feelings and goals. 

As of right now, we have no idea who this individual is or if they even exist, but we can infer without a doubt that there is something going on involving Itsuki, his loyalties to the Agency, and his memories. The fact that his statements on the Agency contradict himself, the way he drops hints that go from subtle to incredibly obvious, the way his attitude subtly changes from being overly polite and accommodating to becoming more serious and practically demanding Kyon confirm that his memories of Itsuki are still intact for several books. Tanigawa is not an author who gives the readers things at face value. A genre that repeatedly appears in the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels is mystery. In the newest release at this date, The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya, the characters read through a set of stories sent to them by their friend Tsuruya. Their goal is to figure out the secrets in hiding meanings behind them by reading deeply into the text, phrasing of words, and placement of dialogue. As the series is writing from a first-person perspective, it’s only natural to infer this as a hint to the readers to read deeper into the texts presented to them. And, the more you look, the more you can find. Regardless of whether or not this new book is meant to be a hint to prepare us for future novels or not, one thing is sure: something big is going to happen involving Itsuki Koizumi at some point in the series. With all this build-up and foreshadowing, it is almost guaranteed that something will happen or has happened to change his memories about his promise and/or his loyalties. We’ll just have to wait until the next installment to see.

[konradnews]

Vending machine of "Suzume no Dokkimari" appeared at JR Ochanomizu Station.

Vending machine of “Suzume no Dokkimari” appeared at JR Ochanomizu Station.

JR East Cross Station Water Business Company has been collaborating with the latest movie “Suzume no Dotokomari” for its mineral water “From AQUA: Natural Water of the Tanigawa Mountain Range” since November 11. The “Suzume no Domekimari” design stickers will be displayed on the side of acure vending machines installed in JR East Ekinka (100 vending machines mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan…

[chikakoiida]

昨日はチッカ小屋からすぐの大源太山へ。雲はせめぎ合ってましたが大源太山→七ツ小屋山→シシゴヤの頭の周回ルートで行ってきました。 谷川連峰の一端にある大源太山〜七ツ小屋山の稜線歩きは、主脈の谷川連峰を望みながら大パノラマの中を歩くことができるおすすめルートです。 谷川連峰ゆえ、雲に巻かれることもしばしば。そして大源太山〜七ツ小屋山間の草刈りが間に合っておらず、、胸の高さまでの藪漕ぎ区間も多数あります。ガスに巻かれると道がわからなくなるのでGPS必須、晴れていても足元のぬかるみが全然見えず、沼に足を取られまくりますのでご注意を〜。早出出発でぜひ。荒天時は無理せず引き返しを。 This is the Tanigawa mountain range. From Mt.Daigenta1598m to Mt.Nanatsugoya1674.7m to Shishigoyanokashira1472.6m. It's a very beautiful ridgeline. #大源太山 #七ツ小屋山 #谷川連峰 #登山ガイド #ガイドツアー https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch4iPC_Pxqo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[recentanimenews]

Haruhi Suzumiya Collaborates with Famous Japanese Host ROLAND for His New Book

    Nagaru Tanigawa's popular light novel series Haruhi Suzumiya will release three collaboration goods to promote the publication of "You or Other Than You? ROLAND's Words to You," a new book by ROLAND, a famous Japanese host. He has been known as a fan of the series.

  ROLAND was born in Tokyo on July 27, 1992. After graduating from high school and dropping out of college, he became a host in Kabukicho at the age of 18, and after a year of apprenticeship, he broke the sales record in the town. He started his own host club "THE CLUB" when he was 26. As a successful businessman, he now also owns hair removal salons, beauty salons, and apparel brands, working in a wide range of media such as TV and magazines.

  Following "Me or Other Than Me? Roland's Way of Life," which became a bestseller in Japan in 2019, his second book "You or Other Than You? ROLAND's Words to You" was released from KADOKAWA on July 8, 2021. ROLAND says, "I am honored to be a part of such a wonderful project. I have always cherished the phrase, 'If you keep talking about your dream, it will come true.' This dream-like collaboration with my favorite Haruhi proved to me once again that these words were right. I hope you can feel that through this collaboration, and most of all, I hope you enjoy these items!"

  Pre-orders for these three collaboration goods are now accepted on KADOKAWA STORE.

    "Replica Acryl Art" w/o ROLAND's handwritten signature (A3-size: 24,200 yen/220 USD):

    "Acryl Block" w/o ROLAND's handwritten signature (10cm x 10cm: 5,500 yen/50 USD):

    "Thermo Stainless Bottle" w/o ROLAND's printed signature (500 ml: 2,970 yen/27 USD):

    "You or Other Than You? ROLAND's Words to You" cover:

    ／ 夢のコラボが実現✨ ＼ 本日発売のROLANDさんの著書『君か、君以外か。君へ贈るローランドの言葉』の出版���記念して #涼宮ハルヒ とコラボが決定‼ 谷川流先生＆いとうのいぢ先生からも推薦コメントが到着???????? かつてないゴージャス✨なコラボ、ぜひお見逃しなく‼https://t.co/tgL2qQwyVc pic.twitter.com/SGi74kDtje

— 涼宮ハルヒの公式 (@haruhi_official) July 8, 2021

    Source: KADOKAWA press release

  © Nagaru Tanigawa, Noizi Ito /KADOKAWA

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu

[mustafinesse]

2017 Melbourne World Cup  Day 3 “Finals Day 1” Recap

Today was another great day at the 2017 Gymnastics World Cup in Melbourne. My day began by watching the Japanese men train on the podium. They all looked super strong and even Kenzo’s floor timers made me gawk. I then was able to watch the general warmup and event warmup which I devoted to watching Sanne Wevers train beam. Her beam training is spectacular to watch. She does countless spins and holds on relevé and is rock solid on every single one. For the competition I sat directly in front of bars and vault so I could get the best view of those two apparatus. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to Peggy Liddick and the rest of the Gymnastics Australia VIPs and got to hear some great insight into the competition from them.

The competition began similarly to Wednesday with Womens Vault and Mens Floor. Mens floor featured Dual World Champion and Olympic Champion Kenzo Shirai who was the clear favourite going into finals. Shirai had a pretty solid routine but had some low landings and lunges forward that kept his E score well into the 7s. Luckily for him his massive D score was able to let him hang on for the Gold Medal with a Score of 14.700 (7.2).

In second place with a score of 14.466 (5.9) was China’s Mu Jile. He showcased some spectacular tumbling with brilliant form to win the silver medal. He opened with a stuck double front and finished with a massive stuck triple twist that made the crowd go wild. Aesthetically he looked like the winner however he lacked the D to overcome Kenzo tonight. Ferhat Arican of Turkey was in third place with a score of 14.033 (5.7) which tied him with Japan’s Wataru Tanigawa, however due to tie break rules Arican was awarded the bronze medal. Arican had a really clean routine that was leagues better than his performance in qualification. He performed beautiful clean tumbling combined with lots of artistic flair which the crowd loved. Hilariously the gymnasts that medaled received a massive jar of Vegemite on the podium which had ‘first’, ‘second’ and ‘third’ written on them depending on the medal awarded. I hope the gymnasts realise how long it really takes to eat a jar of Vegemite that big (at least a year).

Women’s Vault was on during the Mens floor and showcased some amazing and powerful vaulting. This was especially evident in the top three gymnasts who were clearly the best vaulters in the field tonight. China’s Wang Yan capitalised on her bigger D scores to take the gold medal with two strong vaults scoring 14.250. Her first vault which was a double twisting tsukuhara landed a bit low but had good form throughout. Her second vault, a basically stuck handspring rudi, was much stronger and allowed her to claim the title here in Melbourne. 

Emily Little of Australia was close behind in second place with a score of 14.199. Emily’s double twisting yurchenko was by far the best vault of the competition and had a lot of amplitude. Her simple yet well performed tsukahara 1/1 could only clinch her the silver medal tonight. In third place was Australia’s Naomi Lee with a 13.383 who showed two huge vaults that have massive potential to be upgraded. Both her full twisting yurchenko and her laid out tsukahara look ready to upgraded and we will surely see them both soon. Naomi was swamped by adoring fans at the barrier to the competition floor after she had received her medal and Vegemite jar.

The next final was the pommel horse final which featured 2012 Olympic Champion Krisztian Berki. Berki did not disappoint coming away with the win for a beautiful clean routine that scored a 14.933. He had great flexibility and internal amplitude that made him a class above the rest of the field in terms of execution and presentation. 

Zou Jingyuan of China was in second with a 14.433 and fellow countryman Weng Hao was in third place with a 14.333. Overall the men really stepped up on pommel horse with far fewer falls than what we saw in qualifying.

Up next on the program was the rings final which had a tie for gold between China’s Zou Jingyuan and Wu Guanhua. Both men had beautiful routines with stuck dismounts. This resulted in their matching E and D scores, allowing them to both take gold with a score of 14.866. Ibrahim Colak of Turkey was in third place with a 14.366 and showed off his long lines and clean form throughout the exercise. The rings competition was super exciting as the entire field performed really well and made massive improvements upon their qualifying routines.

Uneven Bars was the final event of the night and featured China’s Luo Huan and Liu Tingting who ended up taking silver and gold medals respectively. Liu Tingting of china had a pretty strong routine with a score of 14.300 but had a couple of missed handstand that kept her E score below the 8.5 range. She definitely had the best rhythm and line tonight which allowed her to take the gold medal. 

Luo Huan of China also had a great routine but had to improvise after going over on a pirouette. She managed a great save to come up with the silver medal with a score of 13.866. 

Australias Rianna Mizzen came through for the bronze with a solid routine but had some struggles on her opening weiler kips and was a bit tight throughout the exercise. She scored a 13.433 to round out the podium.

Overall tonight was an amazing night of gymnastics that had a great and appreciative crowd. All of the Australian gymnasts got massive cheers and showed how the popularity of gymnastics in Australia is surely growing. Ambassador Aly Raisman also made appearances tonight and talked about her time hear in Australia. She seemed a lot more bubbly tonight and a lot less jet lagged. I’m super excited for the rest of the finals and the sold out crowd tomorrow night in Hisense Arena.

[tnempo]

List of climbed mountains and areas I’ve been to

1. Koasamayama

2. Onumaike (Shigakougen area)

3. Togakushi village 

4. Kurofuyama

5. Shiraito no taki 

6. Mizugakiyama

7. Tateshina (Not top) 

8. Kirigamine kogen (maybe around 5 peaks in that area)

9. Myoko 

10. Tanigawa (not top) 

11. Mt. Iizuna 

12. Mt. Nyuu (Yatsugadake range) 

13. Nyoho 

14. Arayama (Akagi area + lovely bridge and frozen lake) 

15. Utsukushigahara

16. Yunomaru

17. Mitake (Bouldering area)

18. Okutama area (Reccee and hike)

19. Reccee area (South of Karuizawa) 

20. Izu (Around 4 peaks) 

21. School’s climbing crag

22. Korengesan

23. Shiroumadake

24. Shakushidake

25. Hakuba Yarigatake 

26. Sengataki