The effect of light on lake herring (Coregonus artedi) reactive volume

USGS Publications Warehouse

Link, Jason; Edsall, Thomas A.

1996-01-01

The lake herring (Coregonus artedi) is an important coldwater planktivore in the Laurentian Great Lakes and in smaller inland lakes in portions of Canada and the northern United States. Lake herring cruise the pelagia and feed selectively in both gulping and particulate modes. They are visual predators in environments with adequate illumination. Visual predation by fish consists of a series of discrete steps. We studied the first step in the predation sequence, reaction to prey, at light intensities of 2–1500 Lx in a simulated pelagic environment at 10–13°C. We measured lake herring reactive distances, the distance at which a prey item will be detected and attacked, to liveLimnocalanus macrurus, a natural prey of lake herring in Lake Superior. We used the reactive distances and associated angles of bearing and elevation, which described the location of the prey relative to the lake herring, to calculate reactive volume. This reactive volume can be envisioned as an irregular sphere surrounding the fish, within which prey are detected and attacked. All of the attacks on prey occurred in the anterior portions of the sagittal and lateral planes of the lake herring, as would be expected for a pelagic, cruising fish. The reactive volume surrounding the lake herring was generally spherical, but was more irregular than the simple spheres, hemispheres, cylinders, cones or other geometries assumed in previous studies. The reactive distances and the reactive volume changed with light intensity and were significantly smaller at 2–10 Lx than at 40–1500 Lx. At 40–1500 Lx, the reactive volume was expanded over that observed at 2–10 Lx laterally and caudally. Collectively our results indicate that lake herring can visually forage most effectively in environments with light levels >10 Lx.

75 FR 20550 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-20

.... 0907301205-91207-01] RIN 0648-AY14 Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Specifications AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... specifications for the Atlantic herring (herring) fishery. These proposed specifications and management measures...

76 FR 68657 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Temporary Removal of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-07

...; Temporary Removal of Herring Trip Limit in Atlantic Herring Management Area 3 AGENCY: National Marine... limit for the Atlantic herring fishery in Management Area 3 because recent catch data indicate that 95...-kg), consistent with their Atlantic herring permit category, effective 0001 hr, November 7, 2011...

Distribution of juvenile Pacific herring relative to environmental and geospatial factors in Prince William Sound, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewandoski, Sean; Bishop, Mary Anne

2018-01-01

Documenting distribution patterns of juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) can clarify habitat preferences and provide insight into ecological factors influencing early life survival. However, few analyses relating juvenile Pacific herring density to habitat characteristics have been conducted. We sampled age-0 Pacific herring in nine bays and fjords distributed throughout Alaska's Prince William Sound during November over a 3-year period (2013-2015) and investigated associations between catch rate and habitat covariates using generalized linear mixed models. Our results indicated that the night-time distribution of age-0 Pacific herring in the pelagic environment was influenced by proximity to eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds, salinity, and water depth. Age-0 Pacific herring catch rate was negatively associated with tow depth, with herring favoring shallower water across the range of depths sampled (7.2-35.4 m). In addition, Pacific herring distribution was positively associated with fresher water within the sampled salinity gradient (24.1-32.3 psu) and proximity to eelgrass beds. Seasonal changes in juvenile Pacific herring distribution were investigated by sampling one bay over a seven month period (October-April). Age-0 Pacific herring tended to remain in the inner bay region throughout the seven months, while age-1 Pacific herring had shifted from the inner to the outer bay by spring (March-April). Additionally, catch rate of age-0 Pacific herring in areas where ice breakup had just occurred was higher than in open water, suggesting that age-0 herring preferentially select ice-covered habitats when available. Based on our results we recommend that habitat preferences of age-0 Pacific herring should be considered in the development of Pacific herring year-class strength indices from catch data.

Competition between larval lake herring (Coregonus artedi) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) for zooplankton

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, Bruce M.; Todd, Thomas N.

1998-01-01

Diet and growth of larval lake herring (Coregonus artedi) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) were compared in mesocosm experiments in a small mesotrophic lake in southeastern Michigan. Fish were sampled from single-species and mixed assemblages in 2-m3 cages for 8 weeks during April and May. Both species initially ate mostly cyclopoid copepodites and small cladocerans (Bosmia spp.). Schoener's index of diet overlap showed considerable overlap (70-90%). Lake whitefish ate Daphnia spp. and adult copepods about 2 weeks earlier than did lake herring, perhaps related to their larger mean mouth gape. Lake whitefish were consistently larger than lake herring until the eighth week, especially in the sympatric treatments. Lake whitefish appeared to have a negative effect on the growth of lake herring, as lake herring in mixed-species treatments were smaller and weighed less than lake herring reared in single-species treatments. The diet similarities of lake whitefish and lake herring larvae could make them competitors for food in the Great Lakes. The greater initial size of lake whitefish could allow them to eat larger prey earlier and thereby limit availability of these prey to lake herring at a crucial period of development.

75 FR 48874 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-12

.... 0907301205-0289-02] RIN 0648-AY14 Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Specifications AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... fishing years for the Atlantic herring (herring) fishery. The intent of this final rule is to conserve and...

Spatial and temporal variation in winter condition of juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oceanographic exchange with the Gulf of Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorman, Kristen B.; Kline, Thomas C.; Roberts, Megan E.; Sewall, Fletcher F.; Heintz, Ron A.; Pegau, W. Scott

2018-01-01

Spatial variability in early and late winter measures of whole body energy density of juvenile (age-0) Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) of Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska was examined over nine years of study. Pacific herring in this region remain considered as an injured resource over the 25 years following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, however factors responsible for the lack of recovery by herring in PWS are a source of ongoing debate. Given the species' key ecological role in energy transfer to higher predators, and its economic role in a historical commercial fishery within the region, significant research effort has focused on understanding environmental factors that shape nutritional processes and the quality of these young forage fish. During November (early winter), factors such as juvenile herring body size, hydrological region of PWS, year, and the interaction between carbon (δ13C‧) or nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope signature and hydrological region were all important predictors of juvenile herring energy density. In particular, analyses indicated that in the northern and western regions of PWS, juvenile herring with more depleted δ13C‧ values (which reflect a Gulf of Alaska carbon source) were more energy dense. Results suggest that intrusion of water derived from the Gulf of Alaska enhances the condition of age-0 herring possibly through alterations in zooplankton community structure and abundance, particularly in the northern and western regions of PWS in the fall, which is consistent with regional circulation. During March (late winter), factors such as juvenile herring body size, year, and the interaction between δ13C‧ or δ15N isotope signature and year were all important predictors of juvenile herring energy density. Results differed for early and late winter regarding the interaction between stable isotope signatures and region or year, suggesting important seasonal aspects of circulation contribute to variation in PWS juvenile

Decline of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) in Lake Superior: an analysis of the Wisconsin herring fishery, 1936-78

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selgeby, James H.

1982-01-01

Annual harvests of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) in American waters of Lake Superior declined from an average of 2 million kg in 1936–62 to less than 25 000 kg in 1978. Analysis of commercial fishing records revealed that the sequential overexploitation of discrete unit stocks caused the collapse of the herring population in Wisconsin waters. In each of six major spawning areas, catch exceeded the productive capacity of the stock and the stock failed. Because stocks in the six areas were exploited sequentially, mostly in groups of two or three simultaneously, the demise of the stocks was not readily apparent until the last two failed in the early 1960s. After the collapse of the last major spawning stock, the fishery dwindled but may have continued to overexploit the remaining small stocks. The residual populations were apparently able only to replace themselves. Some form of density-independent mortality was apparently operating to prevent their recovery during the 1960s and 1970s.Key words: lake herring, overfishing, Lake Superior

Geographical distribution of radiotherapy resources in Japan: investigating the inequitable distribution of human resources by using the Gini coefficient.

PubMed

Tanikawa, Takumi; Ohba, Hisateru; Ogasawara, Katsuhiko; Okuda, Yasuo; Ando, Yutaka

2012-01-01

This is a pilot study that aims to elucidate regional disparities in the distribution of medical resources in Japan. For this purpose, we employed the Gini coefficient (GC) in order to analyze the distribution of radiotherapy resources, which are allocated to each prefecture in Japan depending on the size of its population or physical area. Our study used data obtained from the 2005 and 2007 national surveys on the structure of radiation oncology in Japan, conducted by the Japanese Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JASTRO). Our analysis showed that the regional disparities regarding the radiation oncologists and radiotherapy technologists were small, and concluded that such resources were almost equitably distributed. However, medical physicists are inequitably distributed. Thus, policymakers should create and implement measures to train and retain medical physicists in areas with limited radiotherapy resources. Further, almost 26% of the secondary medical service areas lacked radiotherapy institutions. We attribute this observation to the existence of tertiary medical service areas, and almost all of prefectures face a shortage of such resources. Therefore, patients' accessibility to these resources in such areas should be improved.

Evaluation of methods to estimate lake herring spawner abundance in Lake Superior

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yule, D.L.; Stockwell, J.D.; Cholwek, G.A.; Evrard, L.M.; Schram, S.; Seider, M.; Symbal, M.

2006-01-01

Historically, commercial fishers harvested Lake Superior lake herring Coregonus artedi for their flesh, but recently operators have targeted lake herring for roe. Because no surveys have estimated spawning female abundance, direct estimates of fishing mortality are lacking. The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using acoustic techniques in combination with midwater trawling to estimate spawning female lake herring densities in a Lake Superior statistical grid (i.e., a 10′ latitude × 10′ longitude area over which annual commercial harvest statistics are compiled). Midwater trawling showed that mature female lake herring were largely pelagic during the night in late November, accounting for 94.5% of all fish caught exceeding 250 mm total length. When calculating acoustic estimates of mature female lake herring, we excluded backscattering from smaller pelagic fishes like immature lake herring and rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax by applying an empirically derived threshold of −35.6 dB. We estimated the average density of mature females in statistical grid 1409 at 13.3 fish/ha and the total number of spawning females at 227,600 (95% confidence interval = 172,500–282,700). Using information on mature female densities, size structure, and fecundity, we estimate that females deposited 3.027 billion (109) eggs in grid 1409 (95% confidence interval = 2.356–3.778 billion). The relative estimation error of the mature female density estimate derived using a geostatistical model—based approach was low (12.3%), suggesting that the employed method was robust. Fishing mortality rates of all mature females and their eggs were estimated at 2.3% and 3.8%, respectively. The techniques described for enumerating spawning female lake herring could be used to develop a more accurate stock–recruitment model for Lake Superior lake herring.

Feasibility of Surgically Implanting Acoustic Tags into Pacific Herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul K.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Seitz, A.C.; Norcross, Brenda L.; Payne, J.C.; Kagley, A.N.; Meloy, B

2010-01-01

Internally implanted acoustic tags represent a potentially valuable approach to assessing the seasonal migration and distribution patterns of Pacific herring Clupea palasii. We examined the feasibility of implanting two sizes of dummy acoustic tags (9 mm in diameter × 21 mm long, 1.6 g; and 7 mm in diameter × 18 mm long, 0.7 g) in Pacific herring that had been held in captivity for nearly a year and that ranged from 165 to 215 mm in fork length (FL) and from 41.6 to 142.6 g. Relatively low mortality (4%) and tag shedding (4%), as well as growth similar to that observed in control fish after 135 d, indicate that, with proper handling, Pacific herring are amenable to surgical implantation of acoustic tags.

Archaeological data provide alternative hypotheses on Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) distribution, abundance, and variability

PubMed Central

McKechnie, Iain; Lepofsky, Dana; Moss, Madonna L.; Butler, Virginia L.; Orchard, Trevor J.; Coupland, Gary; Foster, Fredrick; Caldwell, Megan; Lertzman, Ken

2014-01-01

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), a foundation of coastal social-ecological systems, is in decline throughout much of its range. We assembled data on fish bones from 171 archaeological sites from Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington to provide proxy measures of past herring distribution and abundance. The dataset represents 435,777 fish bones, dating throughout the Holocene, but primarily to the last 2,500 y. Herring is the single-most ubiquitous fish taxon (99% ubiquity) and among the two most abundant taxa in 80% of individual assemblages. Herring bones are archaeologically abundant in all regions, but are superabundant in the northern Salish Sea and southwestern Vancouver Island areas. Analyses of temporal variability in 50 well-sampled sites reveals that herring exhibits consistently high abundance (>20% of fish bones) and consistently low variance (<10%) within the majority of sites (88% and 96%, respectively). We pose three alternative hypotheses to account for the disjunction between modern and archaeological herring populations. We reject the first hypothesis that the archaeological data overestimate past abundance and underestimate past variability. We are unable to distinguish between the second two hypotheses, which both assert that the archaeological data reflect a higher mean abundance of herring in the past, but differ in whether variability was similar to or less than that observed recently. In either case, sufficient herring was consistently available to meet the needs of harvesters, even if variability is damped in the archaeological record. These results provide baseline information prior to herring depletion and can inform modern management. PMID:24550468

What Maintains the Central North Pacific Genetic Discontinuity in Pacific Herring?

PubMed Central

Liu, Ming; Lin, Longshan; Gao, Tianxiang; Yanagimoto, Takashi; Sakurai, Yasunori; Grant, W. Stewart

2012-01-01

Pacific herring show an abrupt genetic discontinuity in the central North Pacific that represents secondary contact between refuge populations previously isolated during Pleistocene glaciations. Paradoxically, high levels of gene flow produce genetic homogeneity among ocean-type populations within each group. Here, we surveyed variability in mtDNA control-region sequences (463 bp) and nine microsatellite loci in Pacific herring from sites across the North Pacific to further explore the nature of the genetic discontinuity around the Alaska Peninsula. Consistent with previous studies, little divergence (ΦST  = 0.011) was detected between ocean-type populations of Pacific herring in the North West Pacific, except for a population in the Yellow Sea (ΦST  = 0.065). A moderate reduction in genetic diversity for both mtDNA and microsatellites in the Yellow Sea likely reflects founder effects during the last colonization of this sea. Reciprocal monophyly between divergent mtDNA lineages (ΦST  = 0.391) across the Alaska Peninsula defines the discontinuity across the North Pacific. However, microsatellites did not show a strong break, as eastern Bering Sea (EBS) herring were more closely related to NE Pacific than to NW Pacific herring. This discordance between mtDNA and microsatellites may be due to microsatellite allelic convergence or to sex-biased dispersal across the secondary contact zone. The sharp discontinuity between Pacific herring populations may be maintained by high-density blocking, competitive exclusion or hybrid inferiority. PMID:23300525

Combining genetic and demographic information to prioritize conservation efforts for anadromous alewife and blueback herring

PubMed Central

Palkovacs, Eric P; Hasselman, Daniel J; Argo, Emily E; Gephard, Stephen R; Limburg, Karin E; Post, David M; Schultz, Thomas F; Willis, Theodore V

2014-01-01

A major challenge in conservation biology is the need to broadly prioritize conservation efforts when demographic data are limited. One method to address this challenge is to use population genetic data to define groups of populations linked by migration and then use demographic information from monitored populations to draw inferences about the status of unmonitored populations within those groups. We applied this method to anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), species for which long-term demographic data are limited. Recent decades have seen dramatic declines in these species, which are an important ecological component of coastal ecosystems and once represented an important fishery resource. Results show that most populations comprise genetically distinguishable units, which are nested geographically within genetically distinct clusters or stocks. We identified three distinct stocks in alewife and four stocks in blueback herring. Analysis of available time series data for spawning adult abundance and body size indicate declines across the US ranges of both species, with the most severe declines having occurred for populations belonging to the Southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Stocks. While all alewife and blueback herring populations deserve conservation attention, those belonging to these genetic stocks warrant the highest conservation prioritization. PMID:24567743

Infectious bursal disease virus antibodies in eider ducks and Herring Gulls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hollmen, T.; Franson, J. Christian; Docherty, Douglas E.; Kilpi, Mikael; Hario, Martti; Creekmore, Lynn H.; Petersen, Margaret R.

2000-01-01

We measured antibodies to infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in blood of nesting Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) females and immature Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) in the Baltic Sea, and in blood of Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) females nesting in a remote area of western Alaska. Positive (??? 1:16) IBDV titers occurred in 75% of the eiders and 45% of the Herring Gull chicks. In eiders, the prevalence of positive titers differed among locations. We found no evidence that IBDV exposure impaired the immune function of Herring Gull chicks, based on their response to inoculation of sheep red blood cells. We suggest that eider ducks and Herring Gulls have been exposed to IBDV, even in locations where contact with poultry is unlikely. The presence of this virus in wild bird populations is of concern because it causes mortality of up to 30% in susceptible poultry.

76 FR 34947 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Regulatory Amendment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... information is necessary to monitor herring catch against the stock- wide herring annual catch limit (ACL) and... that Amendment 4 would continue to address ACL and AM requirements and specification issues, but that... (Amendment 5). The harvest of herring is managed by a stock-wide ACL that is divided between three management...

76 FR 54385 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Regulatory Amendment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... herring catch against the stock- wide herring annual catch limit (ACL) and herring management area sub... by a stock-wide ACL that is divided among three management areas, one of which has two sub-areas... 95 percent of a management area sub-ACL, NMFS implements a 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) possession limit for...

Regional variation in the intensity of humpback whale predation on Pacific herring in the Gulf of Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, J. R.; Heintz, R. A.; Straley, J. M.; Vollenweider, J. J.

2018-01-01

We modeled the biomass of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) consumed by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to determine if whales are preventing the recovery of some herring populations in the Gulf of Alaska. We estimated consumption, by whales, of two depressed (Lynn Canal, Prince William Sound) and one robust (Sitka Sound) herring populations during fall/winter of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. Consumption estimates relied on observations of whale abundance, prey selection, and herring energy content along with published data on whale size and metabolic rate. Herring biomass removed by whales was compared with independent estimates of herring abundance to assess the impact of predation on each population. Whales removed a greater proportion of the total biomass of herring available in Lynn Canal and Prince William Sound than in Sitka Sound. Biomass removals were greatest in Prince William Sound where we observed the largest number of whales foraging on herring. The biomass of herring consumed in Prince William Sound approximated the biomass lost to natural mortality over winter as projected by age-structured stock assessments. Though whales also focused their foraging on herring during the fall in Lynn Canal, whales were less abundant resulting in lower estimated consumption rates. Whales were more abundant in Sitka Sound than in Lynn Canal but foraged predominately on euphausiids. Herring abundance was greater in Sitka Sound, further reducing the overall impact on the herring population. These data indicate that the focused predation in Prince William Sound can exert top-down controlling pressure, but whale populations are not a ubiquitous constraint on forage fish productivity in the Gulf of Alaska at this time.

High Potential for Using DNA from Ancient Herring Bones to Inform Modern Fisheries Management and Conservation

PubMed Central

Speller, Camilla F.; Hauser, Lorenz; Lepofsky, Dana; Moore, Jason; Rodrigues, Antonia T.; Moss, Madonna L.; McKechnie, Iain; Yang, Dongya Y.

2012-01-01

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) are an abundant and important component of the coastal ecosystems for the west coast of North America. Current Canadian federal herring management assumes five regional herring populations in British Columbia with a high degree of exchange between units, and few distinct local populations within them. Indigenous traditional knowledge and historic sources, however, suggest that locally adapted, distinct regional herring populations may have been more prevalent in the past. Within the last century, the combined effects of commercial fishing and other anthropogenic factors have resulted in severe declines of herring populations, with contemporary populations potentially reflecting only the remnants of a previously more abundant and genetically diverse metapopulation. Through the analysis of 85 archaeological herring bones, this study attempted to reconstruct the genetic diversity and population structure of ancient herring populations using three different marker systems (mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microsatellites and SNPs). A high success rate (91%) of DNA recovery was obtained from the extremely small herring bone samples (often <10 mg). The ancient herring mtDNA revealed high haplotype diversity comparable to modern populations, although population discrimination was not possible due to the limited power of the mtDNA marker. Ancient microsatellite diversity was also similar to modern samples, but the data quality was compromised by large allele drop-out and stuttering. In contrast, SNPs were found to have low error rates with no evidence for deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and simulations indicated high power to detect genetic differentiation if loci under selection are used. This study demonstrates that SNPs may be the most effective and feasible approach to survey genetic population structure in ancient remains, and further efforts should be made to screen for high differentiation markers.This study provides the much

Suggestions, Resources and Activities for Teaching about Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Paul F.

This teacher resource packet contains a total of 28 modules for teaching about Japan at the elementary and secondary level. Activities on the Japanese family appropriate for grade 1 focus on similarities and differences, family size, family needs, and family roles. Grade 2 lessons look at the school, neighborhood, roles of children in the…

77 FR 62257 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Herring River Restoration Project, Cape Cod National...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... Environmental Impact Statement for the Herring River Restoration Project, Cape Cod National Seashore... Herring River Restoration Project in Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts. The DEIS provides a... a press release to area media. ADDRESSES: The DEIS for the Herring River Restoration Project will be...

Properties of protein powders from arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) and herring (Clupea harengus) byproducts.

PubMed

Sathivel, Subramaniam; Bechtel, Peter J; Babbitt, Jerry; Prinyawiwatkul, Witoon; Negulescu, Ioan I; Reppond, Kermit D

2004-08-11

Functional, nutritional, and thermal properties of freeze-dried protein powders (FPP) from whole herring (WHP), herring body (HBP), herring head (HHP), herring gonad (HGP), and arrowtooth flounder fillets (AFP) were evaluated. The FPP samples have desirable nutritional and functional properties and contained 63-81.4% protein. All FPP samples had desirable essential amino acid profiles and mineral contents. The emulsifying and fat adsorption capacities of all FPP samples were higher than those of soy protein concentrate. The emulsifying stability of WHP was lower than that of egg albumin but greater than that of soy protein concentrate. Thermal stability of the FPP samples is in the following order: HGP > HBP > WHP > HHP > AFP.

Biotic and abiotic factors related to lake herring recruitment in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior, 1984-1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoff, Michael H.

2004-01-01

Lake Superior lake herring (Coregonus artedi) recruitment to 13-14 months of age in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior varied by a factor of 5,233 during 1984-1998. Management agencies have sought models that accurately predict recruitment, but no satisfactory model had previously been developed. Lake herring recruitment was modeled to determine which factors most explained recruitment variability. The Ricker stock-recruitment model derived from only the paired stock and recruit data explained 35% of the variability in the recruitment data. The functional relationship that explained the greatest amount of recruitment variation (93%) included lake herring stock size, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) population size, slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) biomass, the interaction of mean daily wind speed in April (month of hatch) and lake herring stock size, and mean air temperature in April (when lake herring are 12-months old). Model results were interpreted to mean that lake herring recruitment was affected negatively by: slimy sculpin predation on lake herring ova; predation on age-0 lake herring by lake trout; and adult cannibalism on lake herring larvae, which was reduced by increased wind speed. April temperature was the variable that explained the least amount of variability in recruitment, but lake herring recruitment was positively affected by a warm April, which shortened winter and apparently reduced first-winter mortality. Stock size caused compensatory, density-dependent mortality on lake herring recruits. Management efforts appear best targeted at stock size protection, and empirical data implies that stock size in the Wisconsin waters of the lake should be maintained at 2.1-15.0 adults/ha in spring, bottom-trawl surveys.

Retraction of a longevity record for a 36-year-old herring gull

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jonkel, G.M.; Pettingill, O.S.

1974-01-01

The longevity record for a 36-year-old Herring Gull, Larus argentatus (Pettingill 1967, Auk 84: 123), is erroneous. Herring Gull with band number A-676871, the basis of the record, was found dead on 20 June 1966 on the shore of Little Traverse Bay near Petoskey, Michigan, and reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory. The laboratory then mistakenly advised Pettingill that this gull was banded by him on 29 June 1930 on coastal Maine. He actually banded Herring Gull number A-676871 as a young bird on one of the Beaver Islands in Lake Michigan on 8 July 1948. The gull was thus 18 instead of 36 years old.

A comparison of diets of blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) in a large southeastern U.S. Reservoir

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winkelman, D.L.; Van Den Avyle, M.J.

2002-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine dietary overlap between blueback herring and threadfin shad in J. Strom Thrumond Reservoir, South Carolina/Georgia. We also evaluated prey selectivity for each speices and diet differences between two size categories of blueback herring. Diet and zooplankton samples were collected every other month from April 1992 to February 1994. We examined stomachs containing prey from 170 large blueback herring (>140mm), 96 small blueback herring (<140mm), and 109 threadfin shad, and we also examined 45 zooplankton samples. Large blueback herring diets differed significantly from threadfin shad diets on 11 of 12 sampling dates, and small blueback herring diets differed from threadfin shad diets on all sampling dates. In general, blueback herring consumed proportionally more copepods and fewer Bosmina sp. and rotifers than threadfin shad. Large and small blueback herring diets were significantly different on five of eight sampling dates, primarily due to the tendency of small blueback herring to eat proportionally more Bosmina sp. than large blueback herring. Both blueback herring and threadfin shad fed selectively during some periods of the year. Diet differences between the species may contribute to their coexistence; however, both blueback herring and threadfin shad showed a strong preference for Bosmina sp., increasing the chance that they may negatively influence one another.

Food of blueback herring and threadfin shad in Jocassee Reservoir, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, Bruce M.; Foltz, Jeffrey W.

1991-01-01

Threadfin shad Dorosoma petenense and blueback herring Alosa aestivalis were introduced into Jocassee Reservoir, South Carolina, in the early 1970s as prey for large piscivores. To assess the potential for trophic competition between these clupeids, we examined their diets and the extent of diet overlap in May, August, and December 1982 and February 1983. The diet of blueback herring consisted mainly of large species of cladocerans and copepods supplemented in August with Chaoborus punctipennis and young fish. Mean length of the organisms eaten by blueback herring was 1.4 mm. Threadfin shad fed on smaller species of cladocerans and copepods, as well as on rotifers and copepod nauplii. The mean length of the organisms eaten by threadfin shad was 0.4 mm, which differed significantly from the mean length of the zooplankton population in Jocassee Reservoir (0.6 mm). Phytoplankton contributed 24 and 32% of the stomach contents of threadfin shad in August and December. Bosmina longirostris was important in the diet of both species, although blueback herring showed negative selection for it. Diet overlap between the two clupeids was low on all four dates. Although we found no evidence of trophic competition between the two species in Jocassee Reservoir, we do not recommend stocking them together, because both species are voracious planktivores and blueback herring are piscivorous.

Bayesian stock assessment of Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

PubMed

Muradian, Melissa L; Branch, Trevor A; Moffitt, Steven D; Hulson, Peter-John F

2017-01-01

The Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) population in Prince William Sound, Alaska crashed in 1993 and has yet to recover, affecting food web dynamics in the Sound and impacting Alaskan communities. To help researchers design and implement the most effective monitoring, management, and recovery programs, a Bayesian assessment of Prince William Sound herring was developed by reformulating the current model used by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Bayesian model estimated pre-fishery spawning biomass of herring age-3 and older in 2013 to be a median of 19,410 mt (95% credibility interval 12,150-31,740 mt), with a 54% probability that biomass in 2013 was below the management limit used to regulate fisheries in Prince William Sound. The main advantages of the Bayesian model are that it can more objectively weight different datasets and provide estimates of uncertainty for model parameters and outputs, unlike the weighted sum-of-squares used in the original model. In addition, the revised model could be used to manage herring stocks with a decision rule that considers both stock status and the uncertainty in stock status.

Bayesian stock assessment of Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska

PubMed Central

Moffitt, Steven D.; Hulson, Peter-John F.

2017-01-01

The Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) population in Prince William Sound, Alaska crashed in 1993 and has yet to recover, affecting food web dynamics in the Sound and impacting Alaskan communities. To help researchers design and implement the most effective monitoring, management, and recovery programs, a Bayesian assessment of Prince William Sound herring was developed by reformulating the current model used by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Bayesian model estimated pre-fishery spawning biomass of herring age-3 and older in 2013 to be a median of 19,410 mt (95% credibility interval 12,150–31,740 mt), with a 54% probability that biomass in 2013 was below the management limit used to regulate fisheries in Prince William Sound. The main advantages of the Bayesian model are that it can more objectively weight different datasets and provide estimates of uncertainty for model parameters and outputs, unlike the weighted sum-of-squares used in the original model. In addition, the revised model could be used to manage herring stocks with a decision rule that considers both stock status and the uncertainty in stock status. PMID:28222151

Exxon Valdez oil spill restoration project final report: Prince William Sound Herring disease program (HDP), restoration project 070819

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul; Elliott, Diane G.; Emmenegger, Eveline J.; Hansen, John D.; Kurath, Gael; Winton, James R.; Kocan, Richard; LaPatra, Scott

2011-01-01

Surveys of pathogens in Pacific herring from 2007 – 2010 indicated that Ichthyophonus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, and erythrocytic necrosis virus are endemic in Prince William Sound and throughout the NE Pacific. Laboratory studies with VHSV indicated that multiple herring stocks are equally susceptible to the resulting disease, Pacific herring shed copious levels of VHSV (as high at 5x108 plaque-forming units/day) shortly after exposure, chronic and persistent infections can occur in Pacific herring, susceptibility of Pacific herring to VHS extends to the larval life stages but not the embryonic stages, and the prior exposure history of Pacific herring to VHSV can be determined post hoc. Laboratory studies involving Ichthyophonus indicated that schizonts can be inactivated with chlorine and iodine solutions, the parasite can survive for extended periods in saltwater but not freshwater, a low potential exists for cross contamination between in vitro explant cultures, infectious schizonts are released from the skin surface of infected herring, schizonts are not uniformly distributed throughout the skeletal muscle of infected Pacific herring, multiple types of Ichthyophonus exist with different genotypes and phenotypic traits, and temperature is an important factor influencing the infectivity of Ichthyophonus. Additional field and laboratory studies indicated that Ichthyophonus negatively influences the swimming performance of infected hosts and the negative impacts effects are exacerbated by increasing temperatures, American shad are an important reservoir of Ichthyophonus in the NE Pacific, Pacific herring are not susceptible to infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN), and Pacific herring will accept surgically implanted acoustic tags with negligible impacts on survival.

Role of egg predation by haddock in the decline of an Atlantic herring population

PubMed Central

Richardson, David E.; Hare, Jonathan A.; Fogarty, Michael J.; Link, Jason S.

2011-01-01

Theoretical studies suggest that the abrupt and substantial changes in the productivity of some fisheries species may be explained by predation-driven alternate stable states in their population levels. With this hypothesis, an increase in fishing or a natural perturbation can drive a population from an upper to a lower stable-equilibrium population level. After fishing is reduced or the perturbation ended, this low population level can persist due to the regulatory effect of the predator. Although established in theoretical studies, there is limited empirical support for predation-driven alternate stable states in exploited marine fish populations. We present evidence that egg predation by haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) can cause alternate stable population levels in Georges Bank Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). Egg predation by haddock explains a substantial decoupling of herring spawning stock biomass (an index of egg production) from observed larval herring abundance (an index of egg hatching). Estimated egg survival rates ranged from <2–70% from 1971 to 2005. A population model incorporating egg predation and herring fishing explains the major population trends of Georges Bank herring over four decades and predicts that, when the haddock population is high, seemingly conservative levels of fishing can still precipitate a severe decline in the herring population. These findings illustrate how efforts to rebuild fisheries can be undermined by not incorporating ecological interactions into fisheries models and management plans. PMID:21825166

Use of herring bait to farm lobsters in the Gulf of Maine.

PubMed

Grabowski, Jonathan H; Clesceri, Erika J; Baukus, Adam J; Gaudette, Julien; Weber, Matthew; Yund, Philip O

2010-04-15

Ecologists, fisheries scientists, and coastal managers have all called for an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, yet many species such as the American lobster (Homarus americanus) are still largely managed individually. One hypothesis that has yet to be tested suggests that human augmentation of lobster diets via the use of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) as bait may contribute to recent increases in lobster landings. Currently 70% of Atlantic herring landings in the Gulf of Maine are used as bait to catch lobsters in traps throughout coastal New England. We examined the effects of this herring bait on the diet composition and growth rate of lobsters at heavily baited vs. seasonally closed (i.e., bait free) sites in coastal Maine. Our results suggest that human use of herring bait may be subsidizing juvenile lobster diets, thereby enhancing lobster growth and the overall economic value and yield of one of the most valuable fisheries in the U.S. Our study illustrates that shifting to an ecosystem approach to fisheries management should require consideration of cross-fishery interactions.

Use of Herring Bait to Farm Lobsters in the Gulf of Maine

PubMed Central

Grabowski, Jonathan H.; Clesceri, Erika J.; Baukus, Adam J.; Gaudette, Julien; Weber, Matthew; Yund, Philip O.

2010-01-01

Background Ecologists, fisheries scientists, and coastal managers have all called for an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, yet many species such as the American lobster (Homarus americanus) are still largely managed individually. One hypothesis that has yet to be tested suggests that human augmentation of lobster diets via the use of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) as bait may contribute to recent increases in lobster landings. Currently 70% of Atlantic herring landings in the Gulf of Maine are used as bait to catch lobsters in traps throughout coastal New England. Methodology/Principal Findings We examined the effects of this herring bait on the diet composition and growth rate of lobsters at heavily baited vs. seasonally closed (i.e., bait free) sites in coastal Maine. Our results suggest that human use of herring bait may be subsidizing juvenile lobster diets, thereby enhancing lobster growth and the overall economic value and yield of one of the most valuable fisheries in the U.S. Conclusions/Significance Our study illustrates that shifting to an ecosystem approach to fisheries management should require consideration of cross-fishery interactions. PMID:20419167

Lake whitefish and lake herring population structure and niche in ten south-central Ontario lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carl, Leon M.; McGuiness, Fiona

2006-01-01

This study compares simple fish communities of ten oligotrophic lakes in south-central Ontario. Species densities and population size structure vary significantly among these lake communities depending on fish species present beyond the littoral zone. Lake whitefish are fewer and larger in the presence of lake herring than in their absence. Diet analysis indicates that lake whitefish shift from feeding on both plankton and benthic prey when lake herring are absent to a primarily benthic feeding niche in the presence of lake herring. When benthic round whitefish are present, lake whitefish size and density decline and they move lower in the lake compared to round whitefish. Burbot are also fewer and larger in lakes with lake herring than in lakes without herring. Burbot, in turn, appear to influence the population structure of benthic coregonine species. Lower densities of benthic lake whitefish and round whitefish are found in lakes containing large benthic burbot than in lakes with either small burbot or where burbot are absent. Predation on the pelagic larvae of burbot and lake whitefish by planktivorous lake herring alters the size and age structure of these populations. As life history theory predicts, those species with poor larval survival appear to adopt a bet-hedging life history strategy of long-lived individuals as a reproductive reserve.

The high diversity of arsenolipids in herring fillet (Clupea harengus).

PubMed

Lischka, S; Arroyo-Abad, U; Mattusch, J; Kühn, A; Piechotta, Ch

2013-06-15

Arsenolipids represent a relevant step in the biosynthesis of organoarsenicals from inorganic arsenic compounds. Their fate after human consumption is still uncertain. By means of a HPLC-ICP-MS/ESI-Q-TOF-MS method, 16 lipid soluble arsenic compounds, including seven formerly unknown organoarsenicals, have been identified in commercial herring fillet. The structural assignment was done by exact mass and high resolution MS/MS data. This is the first identification of arsenolipids in herring (Clupea harengus). They contribute with (3.6±0.2) mg kg(-1) arsenic to 62.3% of the total arsenic content of (5.7±0.3) mg of arsenic per kg dry mass. Current studies indicate that a metabolization by humans to cancerous dimethylarsinic acid is very likely. The presented results are highly relevant as herring is a very popular food fish species in Europe. Moreover, the screening of different fish species revealed that arsenolipids are more widespread than previously assumed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

75 FR 72734 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Temporary Removal of 2,000...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-26

...; Temporary Removal of 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) Herring Trip Limit in Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A AGENCY... for the Atlantic herring fishery in Management Area 1A (Area 1A) because catch data indicate that 95..., Fishery Management Specialist, 978-675-2179. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic...

75 FR 69903 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Temporary Removal of 2,000...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-16

...; Temporary Removal of 2,000-lb (907.2 kg) Herring Trip Limit in Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A AGENCY... for the Atlantic herring fishery in Management Area 1A (Area 1A). The trip limit removal is because... CONTACT: Lindsey Feldman, Fishery Management Specialist, 978-675-2179. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION...

Chronic and persistent viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus infections in Pacific herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Gregg, J.L.; Grady, C.A.; Taylor, L.; Winton, J.R.

2010-01-01

Chronic viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) infections were established in a laboratory stock of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii held in a large-volume tank supplied with pathogenfree seawater at temperatures ranging from 6.8 to 11.6??C. The infections were characterized by viral persistence for extended periods and near-background levels of host mortality. Infectious virus was recovered from mortalities occurring up to 167 d post-exposure and was detected in normal-appearing herring for as long as 224 d following initial challenge. Geometric mean viral titers were generally as high as or higher in brain tissues than in pools of kidney and spleen tissues, with overall prevalence of infection being higher in the brain. Upon re-exposure to VHSV in a standard laboratory challenge, negligible mortality occurred among groups of herring that were either chronically infected or fully recovered, indicating that survival from chronic manifestations conferred protection against future disease. However, some survivors of chronic VHS infections were capable of replicating virus upon re-exposure. Demonstration of a chronic manifestation of VHSV infection among Pacific herring maintained at ambient seawater temperatures provides insights into the mechanisms by which the virus is maintained among populations of endemic hosts. ?? 2010 Inter-Research.

Chronic and persistent viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus infections in Pacific herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul K.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Winton, James R.; Grady, Cortney A.; Taylor, L.

2010-01-01

Chronic viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) infections were established in a laboratory stock of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii held in a large-volume tank supplied with pathogen-free seawater at temperatures ranging from 6.8 to 11.6°C. The infections were characterized by viral persistence for extended periods and near-background levels of host mortality. Infectious virus was recovered from mortalities occurring up to 167 d post-exposure and was detected in normal-appearing herring for as long as 224 d following initial challenge. Geometric mean viral titers were generally as high as or higher in brain tissues than in pools of kidney and spleen tissues, with overall prevalence of infection being higher in the brain. Upon re-exposure to VHSV in a standard laboratory challenge, negligible mortality occurred among groups of herring that were either chronically infected or fully recovered, indicating that survival from chronic manifestations conferred protection against future disease. However, some survivors of chronic VHS infections were capable of replicating virus upon re-exposure. Demonstration of a chronic manifestation of VHSV infection among Pacific herring maintained at ambient seawater temperatures provides insights into the mechanisms by which the virus is maintained among populations of endemic hosts.

50 CFR Figure 4 to Part 679 - BSAI Herring Savings Areas in the BSAI

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

.... Coordinates Name Description and effective date Summer Herring Savings Area 1 That part of the Bering Sea... through 1200 hours, A.l.t. July 1 of a fishing year. Summer Herring Savings Area 2 That part of the Bering...

78 FR 46897 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Framework Adjustment 2 and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-02

...NMFS proposes regulations to implement Framework Adjustment 2 to the Atlantic herring Fishery Management Plan and the 2013-2015 fishery specifications for the Atlantic herring fishery. Framework 2 would allow the New England Fishery Management Council to split annual catch limits seasonally for the four Atlantic herring management areas, and the carryover of unharvested catch, up to 10 percent for each area's annual catch limit. The specifications would set catch specifications for the herring fishery for the 2013-2015 fishing years and would establish seasonal splits for management areas 1A and 1B as recommended to NMFS by the New England Fishery Management Council.

Life history of lake herring of Green Bay, Lake Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Stanford H.

1956-01-01

Although the lake herring has been an important contributor to the commercial fish production of Green Bay, little has been known about it. This study is based on field observations and data from about 6,500 lake herring collected over the period 1948 to 1952. Relatively nonselective commercial pound nets were a primary source of material for the study of age and growth. Commercial and experimental gill nets were used to obtain data on gear selectivity and vertical distribution. Scales were employed to investigate age and growth. Age group IV normally dominated commercial catches during the first half of the calendar year and age group III the last half. At these ages the fish averaged about 10.5 inches in length. The season's growth started in May, was most rapid in July, and terminated near the end of October. The sexes grew at the same rate. Selectivity of fishing gear was found to influence the estimation of growth. Geographical and annual differences in growth are shown. Factors that might contribute to discrepancies in calculated growth are evaluated. Possible real and apparent causes of growth compensation are given. The relation between length and weight is shown to vary with sex, season, year, and method of capture. Females were relatively more plentiful in commercial catches in February than in May through December. The percentage of females decreased with increase in age in pound-net catches but increased with age in gill-net samples. Within a year class the percentage of females decreased with increase in age. Most Green Bay lake herring mature during their second or third year of life. They are pelagic spawners with most intensive spawning over shallow areas. Spawning takes place between mid-November and mid-December, and eggs hatch in April and May. Lake herring ovaries contained from 3,500 to 11,200 eggs (averaged 6,375). Progress of spawning by age, sex, and length is given. Lake herring were distributed at all depths in Green Bay in early May, were

Empirically based models of oceanographic and biological influences on Pacific Herring recruitment in Prince William Sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sewall, Fletcher; Norcross, Brenda; Mueter, Franz; Heintz, Ron

2018-01-01

Abundances of small pelagic fish can change dramatically over time and are difficult to forecast, partially due to variable numbers of fish that annually mature and recruit to the spawning population. Recruitment strength of age-3 Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in Prince William Sound, Alaska, is estimated in an age-structured model framework as a function of spawning stock biomass via a Ricker stock-recruitment model, and forecasted using the 10-year median recruitment estimates. However, stock size has little influence on subsequent numbers of recruits. This study evaluated the usefulness of herring recruitment models that incorporate oceanographic and biological variables. Results indicated herring recruitment estimates were significantly improved by modifying the standard Ricker model to include an index of young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) abundance. The positive relationship between herring recruits-per-spawner and YOY pollock abundance has persisted through three decades, including the herring stock crash of the early 1990s. Including sea surface temperature, primary productivity, and additional predator or competitor abundances singly or in combination did not improve model performance. We suggest that synchrony of juvenile herring and pollock survival may be caused by increased abundance of their zooplankton prey, or high juvenile pollock abundance may promote prey switching and satiation of predators. Regardless of the mechanism, the relationship has practical application to herring recruitment forecasting, and serves as an example of incorporating ecosystem components into a stock assessment model.

Influence of ionizing radiation on the fatty acid composition of herring fillets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Sieghard; Paul, Gertrud; Ehlermann, Dieter

The effect of γ-irradiation (absorbed dose: 50 kGy, dose-rate: 2.9 {kGy}/{h}) on the distribution of fatty acid components in herring fillets has been examined using high-resolution gas chromatographic methods. Radiolytic treatment at 0°C and exclusion of atmospheric oxygen caused no significant decrease in the relative amounts of the constituent saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid components. Specifically, eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6), which are of particularly physiological interest were not affected by γ-rays, even after additional storage of the irradiated material at 0°C for 4 weeks. Irradiation of oil extracted from herring fillets or of herring oil/water emulsions under aerobic conditions, however, destroyed eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid significantly. The loss of radio-resistance—as compared to the radiation-induced processes in the fillets—is explained by the absence of proteins, which effectively protect the lipid components from radiolytic decomposition. It is concluded that the commercial radiation processing of herring at the recommended dose levels (1-2 kGy) should not reduce the content of unsaturated fatty acid components.

Passive immunization of Pacific herring against viral hemorrhagic septicemia.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Gregg, J.L.; Grady, C.A.; LaPatra, S.E.; Winton, J.R.

2011-01-01

The plasma of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii that survived laboratory-induced viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) epizootics contained humoral substances that, when injected into naive animals, conferred passive immunity against the disease. Among groups exposed to viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), injection of donor plasma from VHS survivors resulted in significantly greater survival (50%) and significantly lower tissue titers (1.5 x 10(5) plaque-forming units [PFU]/g) than the injection of plasma from VHSV-naive donors (6% survival; 3.7 x 10(6) PFU/g). Additionally, the magnitude of the protective immune response increased during the postexposure period; plasma that was collected from survivors at 123 d postexposure (931 degree-days) provided greater protection than plasma collected from survivors at 60 d postexposure (409 degree-days). These results provide proof of concept that the VHSV exposure history of Pacific herring populations can be determined post hoc; furthermore, the results can be used as the foundation for developing additional high-throughput diagnostic techniques that may be effective at quantifying herd immunity and forecasting the potential for future VHS epizootics in populations of wild Pacific herring.

Species Profiles. Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Pacific Northwest). Pacific Herring

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

concluded that the or processing capacity usually limited catches growth rate of juvenile Pacific herring was (Hourston 1980). From about a decade after...and Brett 1988; Hay et al. 1988). processing capacity, most State or Provincial governments now manage these nearshore Herring for human consumption...item (Hart 1973). As the small larvae (mean notochord length, NL, = herring mature, copepods may be superseded by 10.3 mm). Assimilation efficiency

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to IgM of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Purcell, Maureen K.; Bromage, Erin S.; Silva, Jessica; Hansen, John D.; Badil, Samantha M.; Woodson, James C.; Hershberger, Paul K.

2012-01-01

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) have a central role in the North Pacific ecosystem as a forage fish species and are natural reservoirs of several important finfish pathogens, including Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV). Here, we report the identification of the gene encoding the immunoglobulin mu (IgM) heavy chain, as well as the development and characterization of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that specifically react with Pacific herring IgM. Pacific herring immunoglobulin was purified and consisted of heavy and light chains of approximately 80 and 25 kDa. Three hybridoma clones were initially identified by ELISA as reactive with purified immunoglobulin but only one clone was able to detect an 80 kDa protein in Pacific and Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) whole plasma by denaturing western blot. However, all three MAbs were able to precipitate an 80 kDa protein from Pacific herring and LCMS sequencing of peptide fragments derived from this protein matched the predicted amino acid sequence of the cloned, heavy chain gene. In addition, two of the MAbs stained cells within the putative lymphocyte gates for the spleen, anterior kidney and posterior kidney but were not reactive for myeloid/granulocyte gates, which is consistent with these MAbs reacting with surface IgM+ B-cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report of IgM-related gene sequences and anti-IgM monoclonal antibodies from any member of the family Clupeidae. The antibodies produced in this study are critical for achieving our long-term goal of conducting serological surveillance to assess pathogen exposure in natural populations of Pacific herring.

Seasonal presence and potential influence of humpback whales on wintering Pacific herring populations in the Gulf of Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straley, Janice M.; Moran, John R.; Boswell, Kevin M.; Vollenweider, Johanna J.; Heintz, Ron A.; Quinn, Terrance J., II; Witteveen, Briana H.; Rice, Stanley D.

2018-01-01

This study addressed the lack of recovery of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in relation to humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) predation. As humpback whales rebound from commercial whaling, their ability to influence their prey through top-down forcing increases. We compared the potential influence of foraging humpback whales on three herring populations in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: Prince William Sound, Lynn Canal, and Sitka Sound (133-147°W; 57-61°N) from 2007 to 2009. Information on whale distribution, abundance, diet and the availability of herring as potential prey were used to correlate populations of overwintering herring and humpback whales. In Prince William Sound, the presence of whales coincided with the peak of herring abundance, allowing whales to maximize the consumption of overwintering herring prior to their southern migration. In Lynn Canal and Sitka Sound peak attendance of whales occurred earlier, in the fall, before the herring had completely moved into the areas, hence, there was less opportunity for predation to influence herring populations. North Pacific humpback whales in the Gulf of Alaska may be experiencing nutritional stress from reaching or exceeding carrying capacity, or oceanic conditions may have changed sufficiently to alter the prey base. Intraspecific competition for food may make it harder for humpback whales to meet their annual energetic needs. To meet their energetic demands whales may need to lengthen their time feeding in the northern latitudes or by skipping the annual migration altogether. If humpback whales extended their time feeding in Alaskan waters during the winter months, the result would likely be an increase in herring predation.

75 FR 63791 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Amendment 4

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-18

... reporting, interactions with river herring, access by midwater trawl vessels to groundfish closed areas, and interactions with the Atlantic mackerel fishery. In June 2009, the Council determined there was not sufficient... monitoring and reporting, interactions with river herring and Atlantic mackerel, access to groundfish closed...

Susceptibility of Pacific herring to viral hemorrhagic septicemia is influenced by diet

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beaulaurier, Joshua; Bickford, N.; Gregg, J.L.; Grady, C.A.; Gannam, A.L.; Winton, J.R.; Hershberger, P.K.

2012-01-01

Groups of specific-pathogen-free Pacific herring Clupea pallasii were highly susceptible to infection by viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV); however, the level of mortality was influenced by diet during the 40–71 d before, during, and after the first exposure to the virus. Cumulative mortality was highest among the herring maintained on an experimental soy-based pellet, intermediate among those maintained on a commercially available fish-meal-based pellet, and lowest among those maintained on a second commercially available fish-meal-based pellet containing ß-glucans. Additionally, the herring maintained on the experimental soy-based feed demonstrated less growth than those on the commercially available feeds. The results indicate the importance of standardizing diet during empirical determinations of disease susceptibility and provide insights into the risk factors affecting VHS susceptibility in wild populations.

Latitudinal Gradient in Otolith Shape among Local Populations of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus L.) in Norway

PubMed Central

Libungan, Lísa Anne; Slotte, Aril; Husebø, Åse; Godiksen, Jane A.; Pálsson, Snæbjörn

2015-01-01

Otolith shape analysis of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in Norwegian waters shows significant differentiation among fjords and a latitudinal gradient along the coast where neighbouring populations are more similar to each other than to those sampled at larger distances. The otolith shape was obtained using quantitative shape analysis, the outlines were transformed with Wavelet and analysed with multivariate methods. The observed morphological differences are likely to reflect environmental differences but indicate low dispersal among the local herring populations. Otolith shape variation suggests also limited exchange between the local populations and their oceanic counterparts, which could be due to differences in spawning behaviour. Herring from the most northerly location (69°N) in Balsfjord, which is genetically more similar to Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), differed in otolith shape from all the other populations. Our results suggest that the semi-enclosed systems, where the local populations live and breed, are efficient barriers for dispersal. Otolith shape can thus serve as a marker to identify the origin of herring along the coast of Norway. PMID:26101885

Historical δ15N records of Saccharina specimens from oligotrophic waters of Japan Sea (Hokkaido)

PubMed Central

Kuribayashi, Takanori; Abe, Tsuyoshi; Montani, Shigeru

2017-01-01

Historically Saccharina spp. beds occurred along the west coast of Hokkaido, an oligotrophic area, and were commercially exploited. Currently extensive commercial Saccharina spp. beds do not form due to nutrient limitations. Here, we postulate that nutrients assimilated by paleo-Saccharina spp. beds may have been derived from spawning herrings (Clupea pallasii) acting as organisms that formed a vector from their feeding grounds (Okhotsk Sea and Pacific Ocean) to their spawning area (west coast of Hokkaido, Japan Sea). To test this hypothesis we examined stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) of 100– to 135–year-old Saccharina specimens preserved at the Herbarium (Hokkaido University Museum). δ15N values of the paleo-Saccharina specimens collected from this region were in the range of 10‰, which is significantly higher than the current 3–7‰ in freshly sampled Saccharina spp. This high δ15N indicates that spawning herring (Clupea pallasii) had potentially been a significant source of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) absorbed by Saccharina, acting as an organism forming a vector for transporting nutrients from eutrophic to oligotrophic coastal ecosystems. Our findings support the hypothesis of so-called “herring-derived nutrients.” PMID:28704453

Seasonal variation in the levels of organohalogen compounds in herring (Clupea harengus) from the Norwegian Sea.

PubMed

Frantzen, Sylvia; Måge, Amund; Iversen, Svein Arnholt; Julshamn, Kåre

2011-09-01

The Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring is an ecologically important fish stock in the Norwegian Sea, and with a catch volume exceeding one million tons a year it is also economically important and a valuable food source. In order to provide a baseline of the levels of contaminants in this fish stock, the levels of organohalogen compounds were determined in 800 individual herring sampled at 29 positions in the Norwegian Sea and off the coast of Norway. Due to seasonal migration, the herring were sampled where they were located during the different seasons. Concentrations of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, non-dioxin-like PCBs (PCB(7)) and PBDEs were determined in fillet samples of individual herring, and found to be relatively low, with means (min-max) of 0.77 (0.24-3.5) ng TEQ kg(-1) wet weight (ww), 5.0 (1.4-24) μg kg(-1) ww and 0.47 (0.091-3.1) μg kg(-1) ww, respectively. The concentrations varied throughout the year due to the feeding- and spawning cycle: Starved, pre-spawning herring caught off the Norwegian coast in January-February had the highest levels and those caught in the Norwegian Sea in April-June, after further starvation and spawning, had the lowest levels. These results show that the concentrations of organohalogen compounds in NSS herring are relatively low and closely tied to their physiological condition, and that in the future regular monitoring of NSS herring should be made in the spawning areas off the Norwegian coast in late winter. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Viral tropism and pathology associated with viral hemorrhagic septicemia in larval and juvenile Pacific herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lovy, Jan; Lewis, N.L.; Hershberger, P.K.; Bennett, W.; Meyers, T.R.; Garver, K.A.

2012-01-01

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) genotype IVa causes mass mortality in wild Pacific herring, a species of economic value, in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Young of the year herring are particularly susceptible and can be carriers of the virus. To understand its pathogenesis, tissue and cellular tropisms of VHSV in larval and juvenile Pacific herring were investigated with immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, and viral tissue titer. In larval herring, early viral tropism for epithelial tissues (6d post-exposure) was indicated by foci of epidermal thickening that contained heavy concentrations of virus. This was followed by a cellular tropism for fibroblasts within the fin bases and the dermis, but expanded to cells of the kidney, liver, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract and meninges in the brain. Among wild juvenile herring that underwent a VHS epizootic in the laboratory, the disease was characterized by acute and chronic phases of death. Fish that died during the acute phase had systemic infections in tissues including the submucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, spleen, kidney, liver, and meninges. The disease then transitioned into a chronic phase that was characterized by the appearance of neurological signs including erratic and corkscrew swimming and darkening of the dorsal skin. During the chronic phase viral persistence occurred in nervous tissues including meninges and brain parenchymal cells and in one case in peripheral nerves, while virus was mostly cleared from the other tissues. The results demonstrate the varying VHSV tropisms dependent on the timing of infection and the importance of neural tissues for the persistence and perpetuation of chronic infections in Pacific herring.

78 FR 61838 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Removal of 2,000-lb (907.2...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-04

...NMFS announces a temporary removal of the 2,000-lb (907.2 kg) trip limit for the Atlantic herring fishery in Management Area 2 (Area 2) because catch data indicate that 95 percent of the total sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) threshold in Area 2 has not been fully attained. Vessels issued a Federal permit to harvest Atlantic herring may resume fishing for and landing herring in amounts greater than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg), consistent with their respective Atlantic herring permit categories, effective 0001 hrs, October 1, 2013.

Incorporating covariates into fisheries stock assessment models with application to Pacific herring.

PubMed

Deriso, Richard B; Maunder, Mark N; Pearson, Walter H

2008-07-01

We present a framework for evaluating the cause of fishery declines by integrating covariates into a fisheries stock assessment model. This allows the evaluation of fisheries' effects vs. natural and other human impacts. The analyses presented are based on integrating ecological science and statistics and form the basis for environmental decision-making advice. Hypothesis tests are described to rank hypotheses and determine the size of a multiple covariate model. We extend recent developments in integrated analysis and use novel methods to produce effect size estimates that are relevant to policy makers and include estimates of uncertainty. Results can be directly applied to evaluate trade-offs among alternative management decisions. The methods and results are also broadly applicable outside fisheries stock assessment. We show that multiple factors influence populations and that analysis of factors in isolation can be misleading. We illustrate the framework by applying it to Pacific herring of Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA). The Pacific herring stock that spawns in Prince William Sound is a stock that has collapsed, but there are several competing or alternative hypotheses to account for the initial collapse and subsequent lack of recovery. Factors failing the initial screening tests for statistical significance included indicators of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, coho salmon predation, sea lion predation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Northern Oscillation Index, and effects of containment in the herring egg-on-kelp pound fishery. The overall results indicate that the most statistically significant factors related to the lack of recovery of the herring stock involve competition or predation by juvenile hatchery pink salmon on herring juveniles. Secondary factors identified in the analysis were poor nutrition in the winter, ocean (Gulf of Alaska) temperature in the winter, the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, and the pathogen Ichthyophonus hoferi. The

Climate influence on Baltic cod, sprat, and herring stock-recruitment relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margonski, Piotr; Hansson, Sture; Tomczak, Maciej T.; Grzebielec, Ryszard

2010-10-01

A wide range of possible recruitment drivers were tested for key exploited fish species in the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (RAC) area: Eastern Baltic Cod, Central Baltic Herring, Gulf of Riga Herring, and sprat. For each of the stocks, two hypotheses were tested: (i) recruitment is significantly related to spawning stock biomass, climatic forcing, and feeding conditions and (ii) by acknowledging these drivers, management decisions can be improved. Climate impact expressed by climatic indices or changes in water temperature was included in all the final models. Recruitment of the herring stock appeared to be influenced by different factors: the spawning stock biomass, winter Baltic Sea Index prior to spawning, and potentially the November-December sea surface temperature during the winter after spawning were important to Gulf of Riga Herring, while the final models for Central Baltic Herring included spawning stock biomass and August sea surface temperature. Recruitment of sprat appeared to be influenced by July-August temperature, but was independent of the spawning biomass when SSB > 200,000 tons. Recruitment of Eastern Baltic Cod was significantly related to spawning stock biomass, the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index, and the reproductive volume in the Gotland Basin in May. All the models including extrinsic factors significantly improved prediction ability as compared to traditional models, which account for impacts of the spawning stock biomass alone. Based on the final models the minimum spawning stock biomass to derive the associated minimum recruitment under average environmental conditions was calculated for each stock. Using uncertainty analyses, the spawning stock biomass required to produce associated minimum recruitment was presented with different probabilities considering the influence of the extrinsic drivers. This tool allows for recruitment to be predicted with a required probability, that is, higher than the average 50% estimated

Precision and relative effectiveness of a purse seine for sampling age-0 river herring in lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Devine, Matthew T.; Roy, Allison; Whiteley, Andrew R.; Gahagan, Benjamin I.; Armstrong, Michael P.; Jordaan, Adrian

2018-01-01

Stock assessments for anadromous river herring, collectively Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and Blueback Herring A. aestivalis, lack adequate demographic information, particularly with respect to early life stages. Although sampling adult river herring is increasingly common throughout their range, currently no standardized, field‐based, analytical methods exist for estimating juvenile abundance in freshwater lakes. The objective of this research was to evaluate the relative effectiveness and sampling precision of a purse seine for estimating densities of age‐0 river herring in freshwater lakes. We used a purse seine to sample age‐0 river herring in June–September 2015 and June–July 2016 in 16 coastal freshwater lakes in the northeastern USA. Sampling effort varied from two seine hauls to more than 50 seine hauls per lake. Catch rates were highest in June and July, and sampling precision was maximized in July. Sampling at night (versus day) in open water (versus littoral areas) was most effective for capturing newly hatched larvae and juveniles up to ca. 100 mm TL. Bootstrap simulation results indicated that sampling precision of CPUE estimates increased with sampling effort, and there was a clear threshold beyond which increased effort resulted in negligible increases in precision. The effort required to produce precise CPUE estimates, as determined by the CV, was dependent on lake size; river herring densities could be estimated with up to 10 purse‐seine hauls (one‐two nights) in a small lake (<50 ha) and 15–20 hauls (two‐three nights) in a large lake (>50 ha). Fish collection techniques using a purse seine as described in this paper are likely to be effective for estimating recruit abundance of river herring in freshwater lakes across their range.

The parasite Ichthyophonus sp. in Pacific herring from the coastal NE Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul K.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Hart, Lucas M.; Moffitt, Steve; Brenner, Richard L.; Stick, K.; Coonradt, Eric; Otis, E. O.; Vollenweider, Johanna J.; Garver, Kyle A.; Lovy, Jan; Meyers, T.R.

2016-01-01

The protistan parasite Ichthyophonus occurred in populations of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Valenciennes throughout coastal areas of the NE Pacific, ranging from Puget Sound, WA north to the Gulf of Alaska, AK. Infection prevalence in local Pacific herring stocks varied seasonally and annually, and a general pattern of increasing prevalence with host size and/or age persisted throughout the NE Pacific. An exception to this zoographic pattern occurred among a group of juvenile, age 1+ year Pacific herring from Cordova Harbor, AK in June 2010, which demonstrated an unusually high infection prevalence of 35%. Reasons for this anomaly were hypothesized to involve anthropogenic influences that resulted in locally elevated infection pressures. Interannual declines in infection prevalence from some populations (e.g. Lower Cook Inlet, AK; from 20–32% in 2007 to 0–3% during 2009–13) or from the largest size cohorts of other populations (e.g. Sitka Sound, AK; from 62.5% in 2007 to 19.6% in 2013) were likely a reflection of selective mortality among the infected cohorts. All available information for Ichthyophonus in the NE Pacific, including broad geographic range, low host specificity and presence in archived Pacific herring tissue samples dating to the 1980s, indicate a long-standing host–pathogen relationship.

Episootiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus in Pacific herring from the spawn-on-kelp fishery in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Kocan, R.M.; Elder, N.E.; Meyers, T.R.; Winton, J.R.

1999-01-01

Both the prevalence and tissue titer of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) increased in Pacific herring Clupea pallasi following their introduction into net pens (pounds) used in the closed pound spawn-on-kelp (SOK) fishery in Prince William Sound, Alaska. VHSV was also found in water samples from inside and outside the SOK pounds after herring had been confined for several days; however, water samples taken near wild free-ranging, spawning herring either failed to test positive or tested weakly positive for virus. Little or no virus was found in tissue samples from free-ranging, spawning herring captured from the vicinity of the pounds, nor did the prevalence of VHSV increase following spawning as it did in impounded herring. The data indicated that increased prevalences of VHSV were correlated with confinement of herring for the closed pound SOK fishery and that infection was spread within the pounds through waterborne exposure to virus particles originating from impounded fish. In addition, pounds containing predominantly young fish had higher prevalences of VHSV, suggesting that older fish may be partially immune, perhaps as a result of previous infection with the virus. Operation of SOK pounds during spawning seasons in which young herring predominate may amplify the disease and possibly exacerbate the population fluctuations observed in wild herring stocks.

Predation on larval Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in inshore waters of the Baltic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotterba, Paul; Moll, Dorothee; von Nordheim, Lena; Peck, Myron A.; Oesterwind, Daniel; Polte, Patrick

2017-11-01

In fishery science, early life-stage survival and development are regarded as major factors driving the population dynamics of marine fishes. During the last century, the main research focus has been on the spatio-temporal match of larval fish and appropriate food (bottom-up processes). However, these field studies are often criticised for their limited capability to disentangle their results from mortality caused by predation since these top-down mechanisms are rarely studied. We examined the predation on herring (Clupea harengus) larvae in a Baltic inshore lagoon by investigating the spatio-temporal overlap of larval herring and their potential predators such as the dominant threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in distinct habitats (sublittoral and littoral areas) using a set of different gears and sampling techniques. Despite significant spatial and temporal predator-prey overlap, stomach analyses suggested that very few larvae were consumed by sticklebacks, even if projected to the entire study area and season. Other well-known predators of clupeid larvae such as gelatinous plankton occur later in the year after young herring have migrated out of the system. The observed predation on herring larvae was much less than expected and appears being a minor factor in determining herring reproduction success in our study area, particularly if compared to other causes of mortality such as egg predation. Providing a relatively good shelter from predation might be a key element making transitional waters valuable nursery grounds for the offspring of migrating marine fish species.

77 FR 10978 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustment to 2012 Annual...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-24

... to prevent overfishing. DATES: Effective February 24, 2012, through December 31, 2012. ADDRESSES...). Although herring is not overfished and is not experiencing overfishing, the herring annual acceptable... level that prevents overfishing. The sub-ACLs overages in 2010 did not result in overfishing, therefore...

Experimental Evidence of Threat-Sensitive Collective Avoidance Responses in a Large Wild-Caught Herring School

PubMed Central

Rieucau, Guillaume; Boswell, Kevin M.; De Robertis, Alex; Macaulay, Gavin J.; Handegard, Nils Olav

2014-01-01

Aggregation is commonly thought to improve animals' security. Within aquatic ecosystems, group-living prey can learn about immediate threats using cues perceived directly from predators, or from collective behaviours, for example, by reacting to the escape behaviours of companions. Combining cues from different modalities may improve the accuracy of prey antipredatory decisions. In this study, we explored the sensory modalities that mediate collective antipredatory responses of herring (Clupea harengus) when in a large school (approximately 60 000 individuals). By conducting a simulated predator encounter experiment in a semi-controlled environment (a sea cage), we tested the hypothesis that the collective responses of herring are threat-sensitive. We investigated whether cues from potential threats obtained visually or from the perception of water displacement, used independently or in an additive way, affected the strength of the collective avoidance reactions. We modified the sensory nature of the simulated threat by exposing the herring to 4 predator models differing in shape and transparency. The collective vertical avoidance response was observed and quantified using active acoustics. The combination of sensory cues elicited the strongest avoidance reactions, suggesting that collective antipredator responses in herring are mediated by the sensory modalities involved during threat detection in an additive fashion. Thus, this study provides evidence for magnitude-graded threat responses in a large school of wild-caught herring which is consistent with the “threat-sensitive hypothesis”. PMID:24489778

Epizootiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus in Pacific herring from the spawn-on-kelp fishery in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Kocan, R.M.; Elder, N.E.; Meyers, T.R.; Winton, J.R.

1999-01-01

Both the prevalence and tissue titer of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) increased in Pacific herring Clupea pallasi following their introduction into net pens (pounds) used in the closed pound spawn-on-kelp (SOK) fishery in Prince William Sound, Alaska. VHSV was also found in water samples from inside and outside the SOK pounds after herring had been confined for several days; however, water samples taken near wild free-ranging, spawning herring either failed to test positive or tested weakly positive for virus. Little or no virus was found in tissue samples from free-ranging, spawning herring captured from the vicinity of the pounds, nor did the prevalence of VHSV increase following spawning as it did in impounded herring. The data indicated that increased prevalences of VHSV were correlated with confinement of herring for the closed pound SOK fishery and that infection was spread within the pounds through waterborne exposure to virus particles originating from impounded fish. In addition, pounds containing predominantly young fish had higher prevalences of VHSV, suggesting that older fish may be partially immune, perhaps as a result of previous infection with the virus. Operation of SOK pounds during spawning seasons in which young herring predominate may amplify the disease and possibly exacerbate the population fluctuations observed in wild herring stocks.

Association of Ocean Energy Exploitation of Resources Promotion Sea of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoyama, C.; Aoyama, S.

2014-12-01

Nine prefectures of 1 local government prefecture of the Sea of Japan side established "Association of Ocean Energy Exploitation of Resources Promotion Sea of Japan" (the following, Association of Sea of Japan) in September, 2012. They support methane hydrate exploitation of resources of the government and aim at the local activation and job creation. Niigata and Hyogo that were members of the association of Sea of Japan carried out a prefecture original methane hydrate investigation. They appeal to the government for development promotion of the government by showing the result. On the other hand, Wakayama located on the Pacific side wants to appeal to the government for the reexamination of the development sea area by showing that outer layer type methane hydrate exists to the sea area that is nearer the landside than the sea area that the government develops. The Independent Institute carried out collaborative investigation each with Niigata, Hyogo and Wakayama in 2013. I show the results of research. In the joint investigation with Niigata, plural plumes　were observed in Mogami trough east slope (from depth of the water 200m 600m) . In the joint investigation with Hyogo, I carried out observation of a methane plume and the structure and the seafloor topography under the sea bottom in Oki east sea area. Furthermore, I performed a piston core ring and gathered five samples and confirmed plural traces of the methane hydrate. In the joint investigation with Wakayama, plural plumes were observed in Shionomisaki canyon (from depth of the water 1,700m 2,200m). There is hardly the report of the plume on the Pacific side so far. Therefore I want to continue observing it in future.

Fidelity and persistence of Ring-billed (Larus delawarensis) and Herring (Larus argentatus) gulls to wintering sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Daniel E.; Koenen, Kiana K. G.; Whitney, Jillian J.; MacKenzie, Kenneth G.; DeStefano, Stephen

2016-01-01

While the breeding ecology of gulls (Laridae) has been well studied, their movements and spatial organization during the non-breeding season is poorly understood. The seasonal movements, winter-site fidelity, and site persistence of Ring-billed (Larus delawarensis) and Herring (L. argentatus) gulls to wintering areas were studied from 2008–2012. Satellite transmitters were deployed on Ring-billed Gulls (n = 21) and Herring Gulls (n = 14). Ten Ring-billed and six Herring gulls were tracked over multiple winters and > 300 wing-tagged Ring-billed Gulls were followed to determine winter-site fidelity and persistence. Home range overlap for individuals between years ranged between 0–1.0 (95% minimum convex polygon) and 0.31–0.79 (kernel utilization distributions). Ringbilled and Herring gulls remained at local wintering sites during the non-breeding season from 20–167 days and 74–161 days, respectively. The probability of a tagged Ring-billed Gull returning to the same site in subsequent winters was high; conversely, there was a low probability of a Ring-billed Gull returning to a different site. Ring-billed and Herring gulls exhibited high winter-site fidelity, but exhibited variable site persistence during the winter season, leading to a high probability of encountering the same individuals in subsequent winters.

78 FR 61828 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Framework Adjustment 2 and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-04

... Framework Adjustment 2 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (Framework 2) and the 2013-2015... New England Fishery Management Council (Council) to split annual catch limits seasonally for the four Atlantic herring management areas, and the carryover of unharvested catch, up to 10 percent for each area's...

Roost site selection by ring-billed and herring gulls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Daniel E.; DeStefano, Stephen; MacKenzie, Kenneth G.; Koenen, Kiana K. G.; Whitney, Jillian J.

2016-01-01

Gulls (Larus spp.) commonly roost in large numbers on inland and coastal waters, yet there is little information on how or where gulls choose sites for roosting. Roost site selection can lead to water quality degradation or aviation hazards when roosts are formed on water supply reservoirs or are close to airports. Harassment programs are frequently initiated to move or relocate roosting gulls but often have mixed results because gulls are reluctant to leave or keep returning. As such, knowledge of gull roost site selection and roosting ecology has applied and ecological importance. We used satellite telemetry and an information-theoretic approach to model seasonal roost selection of ring-billed (L. delawarensis) and herring gulls (L. argentatus) in Massachusetts, USA. Our results indicated that ring-billed gulls preferred freshwater roosts and will use a variety of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Herring gulls regularly roosted on fresh water but used salt water roosts more often than ring-billed gulls and also roosted on a variety of land habitats. Roost modeling showed that herring and ring-billed gulls selected inland fresh water roosts based on size of the water body and proximity to their last daytime location; they selected the largest roost closest to where they ended the day. Management strategies to reduce or eliminate roosting gulls could identify and try to eliminate other habitat variables (e.g., close-by foraging sites) that are attracting gulls before attempting to relocate or redistribute (e.g., through hazing programs) roosting birds.

Geographic variation in Pacific herring growth in response to regime shifts in the North Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Shin-ichi; Rose, Kenneth A.; Megrey, Bernard A.; Schweigert, Jake; Hay, Douglas; Werner, Francisco E.; Aita, Maki Noguchi

2015-11-01

Pacific herring populations at eight North Pacific Rim locations were simulated to compare basin-wide geographic variations in age-specific growth due to environmental influences on marine productivity and population-specific responses to regime shifts. Temperature and zooplankton abundance from a three-dimensional lower-trophic ecosystem model (NEMURO: North Pacific Ecosystem Model for Understanding Regional Oceanography) simulation from 1948 to 2002 were used as inputs to a herring bioenergetics growth model. Herring populations from California, the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI), Prince William Sound (PWS), Togiak Alaska, the western Bering Sea (WBS), the Sea of Okhotsk (SO), Sakhalin, and Peter the Great Bay (PGB) were examined. The half-saturation coefficients of herring feeding were calibrated to climatological conditions at each of the eight locations to reproduce averaged size-at-age data. The depth of averaging used for water temperature and zooplankton, and the maximum consumption rate parameter, were made specific to each location. Using the calibrated half-saturation coefficients, the 1948-2002 period was then simulated using daily values of water temperature and zooplankton densities interpolated from monthly model output. To detect regime shifts in simulated temperatures, zooplankton and herring growth rates, we applied sequential t-test analyses on the 54 years of hindcast simulation values. The detected shifts of herring age-5 growth showed closest match (69%) to the regime shift years (1957/58, 1970/71, 1976/77, 1988/89, 1998/99). We explored relationships among locations using cluster and principal component analyses. The first principal component of water temperature showed good correspondence to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and all zooplankton groups showed a pan-Pacific decrease after the 1976/77 regime shift. However, the first principal component of herring growth rate showed decreased growth at the SO, PWS, WCVI and California

Behavioral responses of herring (Clupea harengus) to 1-2 and 6-7 kHz sonar signals and killer whale feeding sounds.

PubMed

Doksaeter, Lise; Rune Godo, Olav; Olav Handegard, Nils; Kvadsheim, Petter H; Lam, Frans-Peter A; Donovan, Carl; Miller, Patrick J O

2009-01-01

Military antisubmarine sonars produce intense sounds within the hearing range of most clupeid fish. The behavioral reactions of overwintering herring (Clupea harengus) to sonar signals of two different frequency ranges (1-2 and 6-7 kHz), and to playback of killer whale feeding sounds, were tested in controlled exposure experiments in Vestfjorden, Norway, November 2006. The behavior of free ranging herring was monitored by two upward-looking echosounders. A vessel towing an operational naval sonar source approached and passed over one of them in a block design setup. No significant escape reactions, either vertically or horizontally, were detected in response to sonar transmissions. Killer whale feeding sounds induced vertical and horizontal movements of herring. The results indicate that neither transmission of 1-2 kHz nor 6-7 kHz have significant negative influence on herring on the received sound pressure level tested (127-197 and 139-209 dB(rms) re 1 microPa, respectively). Military sonars of such frequencies and source levels may thus be operated in areas of overwintering herring without substantially affecting herring behavior or herring fishery. The avoidance during playback of killer whale sounds demonstrates the nature of an avoidance reaction and the ability of the experimental design to reveal it.

[Study of protein metabolism of herring gulls (Larus argentatus Pontop.) infected by trematode Himasthla larina (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae)].

PubMed

Kuklina, M M; Kuklin, V V

2007-01-01

The values and dynamics of some indices of protein metabolism were studied in herring gulls Larus argentatus infected with trematode Himasthla larina in natural populations and in experiment. These indices were compared in infected and uninfected birds. Trematode infection considerably affected host protein metabolism irrespective of the age; however, the changes were more pronounced in nestlings. Increased concentration of gamma-globulins, modified albumin, and circulating immune complexes was observed in plasma of infected herring gulls. The experiments demonstrated the most significant changes in protein metabolism of herring gulls 8-11 days after infection with trematode H. larina.

Association of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus with epizootic hemorrhages of the skin in Pacific herring Clupea harengus pallasi from Prince William Sound and Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyers, T.R.; Short, S.; Lipson, K.; Batts, W.N.; Winton, J.R.; Wilcock, J.; Brown, E.

1994-01-01

Only one-third of the Pacific hernng Clupea harengus pallasi expected to spawn in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, USA, in sprlng 1993 were observed. Of these herring, 15 to 43 '% had external ulcers or subdermal hemorrhages of the skln and fins. A rhabdovirus identified as the North American strain of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) was isolated from affected herring and 1 Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus with skin lesions from PWS, and from herring with similar lesions collected near Kodiak Island. No other pathogens were detected in the herring examined. Although VHSV may have been responsible for the skin lesions, there was no confirmed mass herring mortality observed in PWS; hence the actual cause of the reduced herring numbers is still unknown. The same strain of VHSV was subsequently isolated from captive juvenile herring collected from Auke Bay, Alaska, near Juneau, from herring in British Columbia, Canada, and from Puget Sound, Washington, USA. These findings suggest the virus is an opportunistic pathogen that is widely indigenous to Pacific herring populations in the Pacific Northwest and that herring are a significant marine reservoir for North American VHSV.

Relationship of lake herring (Coregonus artedi) gill raker characteristics to retention probabilities of zooplankton prey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Link, Jason; Hoff, Michael H.

1998-01-01

We measured morphometric and meristic parameters of gill rakers from the first gill arch of 36 adult lake herring (Coregonus artedi) from Lake Superior that ranged in length from 283–504 mm. These data, coupled with the mean of the smallest two body dimensions (length, width, or breadth) of various zooplankton prey, allowed us to calculate retention probabilities for zooplankton taxa that are common in Lake Superior. The mean of the smallest two body dimensions was positively correlated with body length for cladocerans and copepods. The large cladoceran, Daphnia g. mendotae, is estimated to be retained at a greater probability (74%) than smaller cladocerans (18%-38%). The same is true for the large copepod, Limnocalanus macrurus (60%), when compared to smaller copepods (6–38%). Copepods have a lower probability of being retained than cladocerans of similar length. Lake herring gill rakers and total filtering area are also positively correlated with fish total length. These data provide further evidence that lake herring are primarily planktivores in Lake Superior, and our data show that lake herring can retain a broad range of prey sizes.

78 FR 70009 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustments to 2014 Sub...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-22

... decreased and one sub-ACL is being increased. This would result in an increase to the overall catch... in 2000. The Herring FMP divides the stock-wide herring ACL among three management areas, one of... management area has its own sub-ACL to allow greater control of the fishing mortality on each stock component...

Tombs, tunnels, and terraces a cultural resources survey of a former ammunition supply point in Okinawa, Japan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verhaaren, B. T.; Levenson, J. B.; Komine, G.

2000-02-09

U.S. forces serving at military bases on foreign soil are obligated to act as good stewards of the cultural and natural resources under their control. However, cultural resources management presents special challenges at U.S. bases in other countries where cultural properties laws differ in emphasis and detail from those in the United States and issues of land ownership and occupancy are not always clear. Where status of forces agreements (SOFAs) exist, environmental governing standards bridge the gap between U.S. and host nation cultural priorities. In Japan, the Department of Defense Japan Environmental Governing Standards (JEGS) fill this function. Under Criteriamore » 12-4.2 and 12-4.3 of the JEGS, U.S. Forces Japan commit themselves to inventory and protect cultural properties found on the lands they control or use. Cultural properties include archaeological sites, tombs, historic buildings, and shrines. Natural monuments, such as landscape features or plant and animal species, may also be designated as cultural properties. As part of this commitment, in February 1999 a cultural resources inventory was conducted in Area 1, part of Kadena Air Base (AB), Okinawa, Japan. Area 1, the former U.S. army Ammunition Supply Point 1, is currently used primarily for training exercises and recreational paint ball.« less

Structure of the New England herring gull population

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kadlec, J.A.; Drury, W.H.

1968-01-01

Measurements of the rates of population increase, reproduction, and mortality together with an observed age ratio, were used to analyze the population of the Herring Gull in New England. Data from sporadic censuses prior to this study, aerial censuses by the authors, and National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count indicated that the New England breeding population has been doubling every 12 to 15 years since the early 1900's. This increase has involved founding new colonies and expanding the breeding range There is evidence that 15 to 30% of the adults do not breed in any given year. Sixty-one productivity measurements on 43 islands from 1963 through 1966, involving almost 13,000 nests, showed that from 0.8 to 1.4 young/breeding pair/year is the usual range of rate of production. The age distribution in the population was determined by classifying Herring Gulls by plumage category on an aerial census of the coast from Tampico, Mexico, to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. Of the 622,000 gulls observed, 68% were adults, 17% were second- and third-year birds, and 15% were first-year birds. Mortality rates derived from band recovery data were too high to be consistent with the observed rate of population growth, productivity, and age structure. Loss of bands increasing to the rate of about 20%/year 5 years after banding eliminates most of the discrepancy. The age structure and rate of population increase indicate a mortality rate of 4 to 9% for gulls 2 years old or older, compared with the 25 to 30% indicated by band recoveries. The population structure we have developed fits everything we have observed about Herring Gull population dynamics, except mortality based on band recoveries.

Incidence of Ichthyophonus hoferi in Puget Sound fishes and its increase with age of Pacific herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Stick, K.; Bui, B.; Carroll, C.; Fall, B.; Mork, C.; Perry, J.A.; Sweeney, E.; Wittouck, J.; Winton, J.; Kocan, R.

2002-01-01

A recent decrease in the mean age of adult Pacific herring Clupea pallasi in Puget Sound was associated with a high prevalence of Ichthyophonus hoferi, a protistan parasite that can be highly pathogenic to Pacific herring. In Puget Sound, high intensities of I. hoferiinfection may be maintained in older cohorts of Pacific herring because the prevalence ofI. hoferi increased with age from 12% among juveniles to 58% among the oldest, age-6 and older cohorts. Low intensities of I. hoferi infection in the region may be maintained in alternative fish hosts, such as surf smelt Hypomesus pretiosus, Puget Sound rockfishSebastes emphaeus, Pacific tomcod Microgadus proximus, and speckled sanddabCithanichthys stigmaeus.

Discrimination among spawning aggregations of lake herring from Lake Superior using whole-body morphometric characters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoff, Michael H.

2004-01-01

The lake herring (Coregonus artedi) was one of the most commercially and ecologically valuable Lake Superior fishes, but declined in the second half of the 20th century as the result of overharvest of putatively discrete stocks. No tools were previously available that described lake herring stock structure and accurately classified lake herring to their spawning stocks. The accuracy of discriminating among spawning aggregations was evaluated using whole-body morphometrics based on a truss network. Lake herring were collected from 11 spawning aggregations in Lake Superior and two inland Wisconsin lakes to evaluate morphometrics as a stock discrimination tool. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 53% of all fish from all spawning aggregations, and fish from all but one aggregation were classified at greater rates than were possible by chance. Discriminant analysis also correctly classified 66% of fish to nearest neighbor groups, which were groups that accounted for the possibility of mixing among the aggregations. Stepwise discriminant analysis showed that posterior body length and depth measurements were among the best discriminators of spawning aggregations. These findings support other evidence that discrete stocks of lake herring exist in Lake Superior, and fishery managers should consider all but one of the spawning aggregations as discrete stocks. Abundance, annual harvest, total annual mortality rate, and exploitation data should be collected from each stock, and surplus production of each stock should be estimated. Prudent management of stock surplus production and exploitation rates will aid in restoration of stocks and will prevent a repeat of the stock collapses that occurred in the middle of the 20th century, when the species was nearly extirpated from the lake.

Oceanographic connectivity and environmental correlates of genetic structuring in Atlantic herring in the Baltic Sea

PubMed Central

Teacher, Amber GF; André, Carl; Jonsson, Per R; Merilä, Juha

2013-01-01

Marine fish often show little genetic structuring in neutral marker genes, and Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the Baltic Sea are no exception; historically, very low levels of population differentiation (FST ≍ 0.002) have been found, despite a high degree of interpopulation environmental heterogeneity in salinity and temperature. Recent exome sequencing and SNP studies have however shown that many loci are under selection in this system. Here, we combined population genetic analyses of a large number of transcriptome-derived microsatellite markers with oceanographic modelling to investigate genetic differentiation and connectivity in Atlantic herring at a relatively fine scale within the Baltic Sea. We found evidence for weak but robust and significant genetic structuring (FST = 0.008) explainable by oceanographic connectivity. Genetic differentiation was also associated with site differences in temperature and salinity, with the result driven by the locus Her14 which appears to be under directional selection (FST = 0.08). The results show that Baltic herring are genetically structured within the Baltic Sea, and highlight the role of oceanography and environmental factors in explaining this structuring. The results also have implications for the management of herring fisheries, the most economically important fishery in the Baltic Sea, suggesting that the current fisheries management units may be in need of revision. PMID:23745145

Individual-level social capital and self-rated health in Japan: an application of the Resource Generator.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Tomoko; Kawachi, Ichiro; Iwase, Toshihide; Suzuki, Etsuji; Takao, Soshi

2013-05-01

Despite accumulating evidence of associations between social capital and health in public health research, a criticism of the field has been that researchers have exclusively focused on concepts of social cohesion to the exclusion of individual-level approaches. In the present study, we evaluated the association between social capital measured by the Resource Generator (an individual-level assessment of access to social capital) and self-rated health among Japanese population in a cross-sectional study. A postal survey of 4000 randomly selected residents in Okayama City (western Japan) was conducted in February 2009. We divided the overall scores from the Resource Generator Japan scale into quartiles. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for self-rated health were calculated separately by sex. Individuals with the highest quartile of scores had significantly lower odds of poor health compared to the lowest group after covariate adjustment among both men and women (men; OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.24-0.86, women; OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.25-0.79, respectively) and there were also significant dose-response relationships. In the sub-domains of Resource Generator Japan scale, a differential pattern was observed by sex. Women showed a clear dose-response relationship with health across all four sub-scales (domestic resources, expert advice, personal skills, and problem solving resources). In contrast, only the domain of expert advice exhibited a strong association with men's health. Among both men and women individual-level social capital measured by the Resource Generator was related to reduced odds of poor health even after taking into account individual confounders. Although we cannot exclude reverse causation due to the cross-sectional design, our study adds to the accumulating evidence of the potential utility of the Resource Generator for evaluating the relationship between individual-level access to social capital and health. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd

Food web changes under ocean acidification promote herring larvae survival.

PubMed

Sswat, Michael; Stiasny, Martina H; Taucher, Jan; Algueró-Muñiz, Maria; Bach, Lennart T; Jutfelt, Fredrik; Riebesell, Ulf; Clemmesen, Catriona

2018-05-01

Ocean acidification-the decrease in seawater pH due to rising CO 2 concentrations-has been shown to lower survival in early life stages of fish and, as a consequence, the recruitment of populations including commercially important species. To date, ocean-acidification studies with fish larvae have focused on the direct physiological impacts of elevated CO 2 , but largely ignored the potential effects of ocean acidification on food web interactions. In an in situ mesocosm study on Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae as top predators in a pelagic food web, we account for indirect CO 2 effects on larval survival mediated by changes in food availability. The community was exposed to projected end-of-the-century CO 2 conditions (~760 µatm pCO 2 ) over a period of 113 days. In contrast with laboratory studies that reported a decrease in fish survival, the survival of the herring larvae in situ was significantly enhanced by 19 ± 2%. Analysis of the plankton community dynamics suggested that the herring larvae benefitted from a CO 2 -stimulated increase in primary production. Such indirect effects may counteract the possible direct negative effects of ocean acidification on the survival of fish early life stages. These findings emphasize the need to assess the food web effects of ocean acidification on fish larvae before we can predict even the sign of change in fish recruitment in a high-CO 2 ocean.

Broad-scale climate influences on spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus, L.) recruitment in the Western Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Gröger, Joachim P; Hinrichsen, Hans-Harald; Polte, Patrick

2014-01-01

Climate forcing in complex ecosystems can have profound implications for ecosystem sustainability and may thus challenge a precautionary ecosystem management. Climatic influences documented to affect various ecological functions on a global scale, may themselves be observed on quantitative or qualitative scales including regime shifts in complex marine ecosystems. This study investigates the potential climatic impact on the reproduction success of spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) in the Western Baltic Sea (WBSS herring). To test for climate effects on reproduction success, the regionally determined and scientifically well-documented spawning grounds of WBSS herring represent an ideal model system. Climate effects on herring reproduction were investigated using two global indices of atmospheric variability and sea surface temperature, represented by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO), respectively, and the Baltic Sea Index (BSI) which is a regional-scale atmospheric index for the Baltic Sea. Moreover, we combined a traditional approach with modern time series analysis based on a recruitment model connecting parental population components with reproduction success. Generalized transfer functions (ARIMAX models) allowed evaluating the dynamic nature of exogenous climate processes interacting with the endogenous recruitment process. Using different model selection criteria our results reveal that in contrast to NAO and AMO, the BSI shows a significant positive but delayed signal on the annual dynamics of herring recruitment. The westward influence of the Siberian high is considered strongly suppressing the influence of the NAO in this area leading to a higher explanatory power of the BSI reflecting the atmospheric pressure regime on a North-South transect between Oslo, Norway and Szczecin, Poland. We suggest incorporating climate-induced effects into stock and risk assessments and management strategies as part

Broad-Scale Climate Influences on Spring-Spawning Herring (Clupea harengus, L.) Recruitment in the Western Baltic Sea

PubMed Central

Gröger, Joachim P.; Hinrichsen, Hans-Harald; Polte, Patrick

2014-01-01

Climate forcing in complex ecosystems can have profound implications for ecosystem sustainability and may thus challenge a precautionary ecosystem management. Climatic influences documented to affect various ecological functions on a global scale, may themselves be observed on quantitative or qualitative scales including regime shifts in complex marine ecosystems. This study investigates the potential climatic impact on the reproduction success of spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) in the Western Baltic Sea (WBSS herring). To test for climate effects on reproduction success, the regionally determined and scientifically well-documented spawning grounds of WBSS herring represent an ideal model system. Climate effects on herring reproduction were investigated using two global indices of atmospheric variability and sea surface temperature, represented by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO), respectively, and the Baltic Sea Index (BSI) which is a regional-scale atmospheric index for the Baltic Sea. Moreover, we combined a traditional approach with modern time series analysis based on a recruitment model connecting parental population components with reproduction success. Generalized transfer functions (ARIMAX models) allowed evaluating the dynamic nature of exogenous climate processes interacting with the endogenous recruitment process. Using different model selection criteria our results reveal that in contrast to NAO and AMO, the BSI shows a significant positive but delayed signal on the annual dynamics of herring recruitment. The westward influence of the Siberian high is considered strongly suppressing the influence of the NAO in this area leading to a higher explanatory power of the BSI reflecting the atmospheric pressure regime on a North-South transect between Oslo, Norway and Szczecin, Poland. We suggest incorporating climate-induced effects into stock and risk assessments and management strategies as part

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska.

PubMed

Ward, Eric J; Adkison, Milo; Couture, Jessica; Dressel, Sherri C; Litzow, Michael A; Moffitt, Steve; Hoem Neher, Tammy; Trochta, John; Brenner, Rich

2017-01-01

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and was one of the worst environmental disasters on record in the United States. Despite long-term data collection over the nearly three decades since the spill, tremendous uncertainty remains as to how significantly the spill affected fishery resources. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and some wild Pacific salmon populations (Oncorhynchus spp.) in Prince William Sound declined in the early 1990s, and have not returned to the population sizes observed in the 1980s. Discerning if, or how much of, this decline resulted from the oil spill has been difficult because a number of other physical and ecological drivers are confounded temporally with the spill; some of these drivers include environmental variability or changing climate regimes, increased production of hatchery salmon in the region, and increases in populations of potential predators. Using data pre- and post-spill, we applied time-series methods to evaluate support for whether and how herring and salmon productivity has been affected by each of five drivers: (1) density dependence, (2) the EVOS event, (3) changing environmental conditions, (4) interspecific competition on juvenile fish, and (5) predation and competition from adult fish or, in the case of herring, humpback whales. Our results showed support for intraspecific density-dependent effects in herring, sockeye, and Chinook salmon, with little overall support for an oil spill effect. Of the salmon species, the largest driver was the negative impact of adult pink salmon returns on sockeye salmon productivity. Herring productivity was most strongly affected by changing environmental conditions; specifically, freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska was linked to a series of recruitment failures-before, during, and after EVOS. These results highlight the need to better understand long terms impacts of pink salmon on food webs, as well as the interactions between

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska

PubMed Central

Adkison, Milo; Couture, Jessica; Dressel, Sherri C.; Litzow, Michael A.; Moffitt, Steve; Hoem Neher, Tammy; Trochta, John

2017-01-01

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and was one of the worst environmental disasters on record in the United States. Despite long-term data collection over the nearly three decades since the spill, tremendous uncertainty remains as to how significantly the spill affected fishery resources. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and some wild Pacific salmon populations (Oncorhynchus spp.) in Prince William Sound declined in the early 1990s, and have not returned to the population sizes observed in the 1980s. Discerning if, or how much of, this decline resulted from the oil spill has been difficult because a number of other physical and ecological drivers are confounded temporally with the spill; some of these drivers include environmental variability or changing climate regimes, increased production of hatchery salmon in the region, and increases in populations of potential predators. Using data pre- and post-spill, we applied time-series methods to evaluate support for whether and how herring and salmon productivity has been affected by each of five drivers: (1) density dependence, (2) the EVOS event, (3) changing environmental conditions, (4) interspecific competition on juvenile fish, and (5) predation and competition from adult fish or, in the case of herring, humpback whales. Our results showed support for intraspecific density-dependent effects in herring, sockeye, and Chinook salmon, with little overall support for an oil spill effect. Of the salmon species, the largest driver was the negative impact of adult pink salmon returns on sockeye salmon productivity. Herring productivity was most strongly affected by changing environmental conditions; specifically, freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska was linked to a series of recruitment failures—before, during, and after EVOS. These results highlight the need to better understand long terms impacts of pink salmon on food webs, as well as the interactions between

Epidemiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) among juvenile Pacific herring and Pacific sandlances in Puget Sound, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocan, R.M.; Hershberger, P.K.; Elder, N.E.; Winton, J.R.

2001-01-01

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) and the associated virus (VHSV) were identified in newly metamorphosed Pacific herring Clupea pallasi and Pacific sand lances Ammodytes hexapterus captured from Puget Sound, Washington, between 1995 and 1998. During that 4-year period, virus was detected in less than 1% of free-ranging, age-0 Pacific herring; however, when groups of these fish were confined in the laboratory, they experienced severe mortality, occasionally exceeding 50%, with the prevalence of VHSV reaching 100% by 14 d postcapture. At 7–21 d postcapture, VHSV titers peaked in excess of 108 plaque-forming units/g of tissue; by 30 d postcapture, however, the virus could no longer be isolated. Fish surviving beyond 30 d eliminated the virus from their tissues, but some remained lethargic and continued to show signs of hemorrhage around the mouth, skin, and fins until about 6 weeks postcapture. No cutaneous ulcers were observed during either the acute or the recovery phases of infection. Eighteen-month-old Pacific herring captured from the same area were also negative for VHSV but developed active infections after confinement for 7 d. Unlike younger fish, only 8.4% of these older fish died of VHS, and 7.7% of survivors were positive for VHSV at 7–10 d postcapture, which suggests that a higher proportion of the older fish had developed resistance to VHSV from prior exposure to it. Three months after fatalities ceased in the laboratory-held fish, the surviving fish were challenged with 5 3 103 plaque-forming units/mL of VHSV for 1 h. No mortality was observed during the next 30 d, and virus was recoverable at very low titers in fewer than 5% of the challenged fish, indicating the development of an active immunity to VHSV. Laboratory cohabitation of infected wild Pacific herring with laboratory-reared, specific-pathogen-free Pacific herring resulted in transmission of VHSV to the nonimmune fish, with the resulting course of disease resembling that seen in wild

Temporal patterns of migration and spawning of river herring in coastal Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosset, Julianne; Roy, Allison; Gahagan, Benjamin I.; Whiteley, Andrew R.; Armstrong, Michael P.; Sheppard, John J.; Jordaan, Adrian

2017-01-01

Migrations of springtime Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and Blueback Herring A. aestivalis, collectively referred to as river herring, are monitored in many rivers along the Atlantic coast to estimate population sizes. While these estimates give an indication of annual differences in the number of returning adults, links to the subsequent timing and duration of spawning and freshwater juvenile productivity remain equivocal. In this study, we captured juvenile river herring at night in 20 coastal Massachusetts lakes using a purse seine and extracted otoliths to derive daily fish ages and back-calculate spawn dates. Estimates of spawning dates were compared with fishway counts of migrating adults to assess differences in migration timing and the timing and duration of spawning. We observed a distinct delay between the beginning of the adult migration run and the start of spawning, ranging from 7 to 28 d across the 20 lakes. Spawning continued 13–48 d after adults stopped migrating into freshwater, further demonstrating a pronounced delay in spawning following migration. Across the study sites the duration of spawning (43–76 d) was longer but not related to the duration of migration (29–66 d). The extended spawning period is consistent with recent studies suggesting that Alewives are indeterminate spawners. The long duration in freshwater provides the opportunity for top-down (i.e., predation on zooplankton) and bottom-up (i.e., food for avian, fish, and other predators) effects, with implications for freshwater food webs and nutrient cycling. General patterns of spawn timing and duration can be incorporated into population models and used to estimate temporal changes in productivity associated with variable timing and density of spawning river herring in lakes.

The Science & Technology Resources of Japan: A Comparison with the United States. An SRS Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. Div. of Science Resources Studies.

This report provides comparisons of U.S. and Japanese science resources and some initial evidence that Japan is expanding the human and financial resources for science while improving the environment for basic research. The data cover science and technology trends in research and development from 1975 to 1994, as well as more recent changes in…

Behavior of captive herring exposed to naval sonar transmissions (1.0-1.6 kHz) throughout a yearly cycle.

PubMed

Doksæter, Lise; Handegard, Nils Olav; Godø, Olav Rune; Kvadsheim, Petter H; Nordlund, Nina

2012-02-01

Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, is a hearing specialist, and several studies have demonstrated strong responses to man-made noise, for example, from an approaching vessel. To avoid negative impacts from naval sonar operations, a set of studies of reaction patters of herring to low-frequency (1.0-1.5 kHz) naval sonar signals has been undertaken. This paper presents herring reactions to sonar signals and other stimuli when kept in captivity under detailed acoustic and video monitoring. Throughout the experiment, spanning three seasons of a year, the fish did not react significantly to sonar signals from a passing frigate, at received root-mean-square sound-pressure level (SPL) up to 168 dB re 1 μPa. In contrast, the fish did exhibit a significant diving reaction when exposed to other sounds, with a much lower SPL, e.g., from a two-stroke engine. This shows that the experimental setup is sensitive to herring reactions when occurring. The lack of herring reaction to sonar signals is consistent with earlier in situ behavioral studies. The complexity of the behavioral reactions in captivity underline the need for better understanding of the causal relationship between stimuli and reaction patterns of fish. © 2012 Acoustical Society of America

Persistence of external signs in Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Valenciennes with ichthyophoniasis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, Lucas M.; Conway, Carla M.; Elliott, Diane G.; Hershberger, Paul K.

2016-01-01

The progression of external signs of Ichthyophonus infection in Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Valenciennes was highly variable and asynchronous after intraperitoneal injection with pure parasite preparations; however, external signs generally persisted through the end of the study (429 days post-exposure). Observed signs included papules, erosions and ulcers. The prevalence of external signs plateaued 35 days post-exposure and persisted in 73–79% of exposed individuals through the end of the first experiment (147 days post-exposure). Among a second group of infected herring, external signs completely resolved in only 10% of the fish after 429 days. The onset of mortality preceded the appearance of external signs. Histological examination of infected skin and skeletal muscle tissues indicated an apparent affinity of the parasite for host red muscle. Host responses consisted primarily of granulomatous inflammation, fibrosis and necrosis in the skeletal muscle and other tissues. The persistence and asynchrony of external signs and host response indicated that they were neither a precursor to host mortality nor did they provide reliable metrics for hindcasting on the date of exposure. However, the long-term persistence of clinical signs in Pacific herring may be useful in ascertaining the population-level impacts of ichthyophoniasis in regularly observed populations.

Overwinter survival of juvenile lake herring in relation to body size, physiological condition, energy stores, and food ration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pangle, Kevin L.; Sutton, Trent M.; Kinnunen, Ronald E.; Hoff, Michael H.

2004-01-01

Populations of lake herring Coregonus artedi in Lake Superior have exhibited high recruitment variability over the past three decades. To improve our understanding of the mechanisms which influence year-class strength, we conducted a 225-d laboratory experiment to evaluate the effects of body size, physiological condition, energy stores, and food ration on the winter survival of age-0 lake herring. Small (total length (TL) range = 60–85 mm) and large (TL range = 86–110 mm) fish were maintained under thermal and photoperiod regimes that mimicked those in Lake Superior from October through May. Fish in each size-class were maintained at two feeding treatments: brine shrimp Artemiaspp. ad libitum and no food. The mortality of large lake herring (fed, 3.8%; starved, 20.1%) was significantly less than that of small fish (fed, 11.7%; starved, 32.0%). Body condition and crude lipid content declined for all fish over the experiment; however, these variables were significantly greater for large fed (0.68% and 9.8%) and small fed (0.65% and 7.3%) fish than large starved (0.49% and 5.7%) and small starved (0.45% and 4.8%) individuals. Final crude protein and gross energy contents were also significantly greater in large fed lake herring (17.6% and 1,966 cal/g), followed by small fed (17.1% and 1,497 cal/g), large starved (15.4% and 1,125 cal/g), and small starved (13.2% and 799 cal/g) fish. Lake herring that died during the experiment had significantly lower body condition and energy stores relative to those of the surviving fish. These results suggest that the depletion of energy stores contributes to greater winter mortality of small lake herring with limited energy uptake and may partially explain the variability in recruitment observed in Lake Superior.

Infecting Pacific Herring with Ichthyophonus sp. in the laboratory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul; Hart, Lucas; Mackenzie, Ashley; Yanney, M.L.; Conway, Carla M.; Elliott, Diane G.

2015-01-01

The protistan parasite Ichthyophonus sp. occurs in coastal populations of Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii throughout the northeast Pacific region, but the route(s) by which these planktivorous fish become infected is unknown. Several methods for establishing Ichthyophonus infections in laboratory challenges were examined. Infections were most effectively established after intraperitoneal (IP) injections with suspended parasite isolates from culture or after repeated feedings with infected fish tissues. Among groups that were offered the infected tissues, infection prevalence was greater after multiple feedings (65%) than after a single feeding (5%). Additionally, among groups that were exposed to parasite suspensions prepared from culture isolates, infection prevalence was greater after exposure by IP injection (74%) than after exposure via gastric intubation (12%); the flushing of parasite suspensions over the gills did not lead to infections in any of the experimental fish. Although the consumption of infected fish tissues is unlikely to be the primary route of Ichthyophonus sp. transmission in wild populations of Pacific Herring, this route may contribute to abnormally high infection prevalence in areas where juveniles have access to infected offal.

Post mortem findings and their relation to AA amyloidosis in free-ranging Herring gulls (Larus argentatus)

PubMed Central

Bröjer, Caroline; Neimanis, Aleksija; Mörner, Torsten; Murphy, Charles L.; Otman, Faruk; Westermark, Per

2018-01-01

Since the late 1990s, high mortality and declining populations have been reported among sea birds including Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the Baltic Sea area in Northern Europe. Repeated BoNT type C/D botulism outbreaks have occurred, but it remains unclear whether this is the sole and primary cause of mortality. Thiamine deficiency has also been suggested as a causal or contributing factor. With this study, we aimed to investigate gross and microscopic pathology in Herring gulls from affected breeding sites in Sweden in search of contributing diseases. Herring gulls from Iceland served as controls. Necropsies and histopathology were performed on 75 birds, of which 12 showed signs of disease at the time of necropsy. Parasites of various classes and tissues were commonly observed independent of host age, e.g. oesophageal capillariosis and nematode infection in the proventriculus and gizzard with severe inflammation, air sac larid pentastomes and bursal trematodiasis in pre-fledglings. Gross and microscopic findings are described. Notably, amyloidosis was diagnosed in 93 and 33% of the adult birds from Sweden and Iceland, respectively (p<0.001), with more pronounced deposits in Swedish birds (p<0.001). Gastrointestinal deposits were observed in the walls of arteries or arterioles, and occasionally in villi near the mucosal surface. Amyloid was identified within the intestinal lumen in one severely affected gull suggesting the possibility of oral seeding and the existence of a primed state as previously described in some mammals and chickens. This could speculatively explain the high occurrence and previously reported rapid onset of amyloidosis upon inflammation or captivity in Herring gulls. Amyloid-induced malabsorbtion is also a possibility. The Herring gull SAA/AA protein sequence was shown to be highly conserved but differed at the N-terminus from other avian species. PMID:29494674

Methods for conducting bioassays using embryos and larvae of Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi.

PubMed

Dinnel, Paul A; Middaugh, Douglas P; Schwarck, Nathan T; Farren, Heather M; Haley, Richard K; Hoover, Richard A; Elphick, James; Tobiason, Karen; Marshall, Randall R

2011-02-01

The rapid decrease of several stocks of Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi, in Puget Sound, Washington, has led to concerns about the effects of industrial and nonpoint source contamination on the embryo and larval stages of this and related forage fish species. To address these concerns, the state of Washington and several industries have funded efforts to develop embryo and larval bioassay protocols that can be used by commercial laboratories for routine effluent testing. This article presents the results of research to develop herring embryo and larval bioassay protocols. Factors evaluated during protocol development included temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), light intensity, photoperiod, larval feeding regimes, use of brine and artificial sea salts, gonad sources, collection methods, and egg quality.

Larval and juvenile Pacific herring Clupea pallasii are not susceptible to infectious hematopoietic necrosis under laboratory conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, L.M.; Traxler, G.S.; Garver, K.A.; Richard, J.; Gregg, J.L.; Grady, C.A.; Kurath, G.; Hershberger, P.K.

2011-01-01

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) leads to periodic epidemics among certain wild and farmed fish species of the Northeast (NE) Pacific. The source of the IHN virus (IHNV) that initiates these outbreaks remains unknown; however, a leading hypothesis involves viral persistence in marine host species such as Pacific herring Clupea pallasii. Under laboratory conditions we exposed specific pathogen-free (SPF) larval and juvenile Pacific herring to 103 to 104 plaque-forming units (pfu) of IHNV ml–1 by waterborne immersion. Cumulative mortalities among exposed groups were not significantly different from those of negative control groups. After waterborne exposure, IHNV was transiently recovered from the tissues of larvae but absent in tissues of juveniles. Additionally, no evidence of viral shedding was detected in the tank water containing exposed juveniles. After intraperitoneal (IP) injection of IHNV in juvenile herring with 103 pfu, IHNV was recovered from the tissues of sub-sampled individuals for only the first 5 d post-exposure. The lack of susceptibility to overt disease and transient levels of IHNV in the tissues of exposed fish indicate that Pacific herring do not likely serve a major epizootiological role in perpetuation of IHNV among free-ranging sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in the NE Pacific.

Controlled field and laboratory studies on VHS and Ichtyophonus in Pacific herring: Section II in Investigations of disease factors affecting declines of Pacific herring populations in Prince William Sound

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocan, Richard M.; Hershberger, Paul K.; Winton, James R.

1999-01-01

No evidence for increased susceptibility, mortality or loss of disease resistance was observed in wild or laboratory-reared herring exposed to oil or synthetic corticosteroids, either prior to or following exposure to VHSV.

Quantitative determination of creatine kinase release from herring (Clupea harengus) spermatozoa induced by tributyltin.

PubMed

Grzyb, Katarzyna; Rychłowski, Michał; Biegniewska, Anna; Skorkowski, Edward F

2003-02-01

Creatine kinase (CK, ATP creatine phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.3.2) is an enzyme participating in ATP regeneration, which is the primary source of energy in living organisms. We demonstrated that CK from herring spermatozoa has high activity ( approximately 452 micromol/min/g of fresh semen) and has a different electrophoretic mobility from isoenzymes present in skeletal muscle. In our study, we investigated toxic effect of tributyltin (TBT) on herring spermatozoa using a specific sperm viability kit to observe live and dead sperm cells with a confocal microscope. Treatment of herring spermatozoa with TBT caused a time-dependent decrease of viability: 35% nonviable cells with 5 microM TBT and more than 90% nonviable cells with 10 microM TBT after 6 h exposure. We also monitored CK release from damaged spermatozoa into surrounding medium containing different concentrations of TBT. The higher concentration of TBT was used the more CK release from spermatozoa was observed. We suggest that CK could be a good biomarker of sperm cell membranes degradation in the case when lactate dehydrogenase release from permeabilized cells is not possible for rapid determination of the effect of TBT.

Psychological resources as mediators of the association between social class and health: comparative findings from Japan and the USA.

PubMed

Kan, Chiemi; Kawakami, Norito; Karasawa, Mayumi; Love, Gayle Dienberg; Coe, Christopher L; Miyamoto, Yuri; Ryff, Carol D; Kitayama, Shinobu; Curhan, Katherine B; Markus, Hazel Rose

2014-02-01

Recently, researchers have proposed that psychological resources might be key concept in explaining the association between social class and health. However, empirical examinations of the extent to which psychological resources to social class in health are still few. This study investigated mediating effects of selected psychological resources (sense of control, self-esteem, optimism, and neuroticism) on the association of social class [education and subjective social status (SSS)] with current health status (self-rated health and the number of chronic conditions). This sample consisted of 1,805 Americans (818 males and 987 females) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey, 2004-2006 and 1,027 Japanese (505 males and 522 females) from the Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) survey in Tokyo, Japan, 2008-2010. Information on social class, psychological resources, and health status was obtained using telephone interviews or written questionnaires. A mediation analysis was conducted separately for males and females in Japan and the USA. Neuroticism significantly mediated the association of education and SSS with self-rated health and chronic conditions among males and females in both countries, with one exception (not for chronic conditions among Japanese females). Sense of control significantly mediated the association of education and SSS with self-rated health among males and females in both countries. As hypothesized, self-esteem significantly mediated almost all of the associations of education and SSS with self-rated health and chronic conditions among men and women in the USA, but very few such associations in Japan. Optimism significantly mediated most associations of social class and health status in both countries, but only among females. Overall, the findings underscore important culture- and gender specificity in the ways in which psychosocial resources mediate the links between social class and health.

Molecular identification of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) from the blood of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Emmenegger, Eveline J.; Glenn, Jolene A.; Winton, James R.; Batts, William N.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Hershberger, Paul K.

2014-01-01

Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a condition affecting the red blood cells of more than 20 species of marine and anadromous fishes in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Among populations of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) on the west coast of North America the disease causes anemia and elevated mortality in periodic epizootics. Presently, VEN is diagnosed by observation of typical cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in stained blood smears from infected fish. The causative agent, erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV), is unculturable and a presumed iridovirus by electron microscopy. In vivo amplification of the virus in pathogen-free laboratory stocks of Pacific herring with subsequent virus concentration, purification, DNA extraction, and high-throughput sequencing were used to obtain genomic ENV sequences. Fragments with the highest sequence identity to the family Iridoviridae were used to design four sets of ENV-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers. Testing of blood and tissue samples from experimentally and wild infected Pacific herring as well as DNA extracted from other amphibian and piscine iridoviruses verified the assays were specific to ENV with a limit of detection of 0.0003 ng. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses of a 1448 bp fragment of the putative DNA polymerase gene supported inclusion of ENV in a proposed sixth genus of the family Iridoviridae that contains other erythrocytic viruses from ectothermic hosts. This study provides the first molecular evidence of ENV's inclusion within the Iridoviridae family and offers conventional PCR assays as a means of rapidly surveying the ENV-status of wild and propagated Pacific herring stocks.

Feeding Ecology of Northeast Atlantic Mackerel, Norwegian Spring-Spawning Herring and Blue Whiting in the Norwegian Sea.

PubMed

Bachiller, Eneko; Skaret, Georg; Nøttestad, Leif; Slotte, Aril

2016-01-01

The Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring (Clupea harengus), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) and Northeast Atlantic (NEA) mackerel (Scomber scombrus) are extremely abundant pelagic planktivores that feed in the Norwegian Sea (NS) during spring and summer. This study investigated the feeding ecology and diet composition of these commercially important fish stocks on the basis of biological data, including an extensive set of stomach samples in combination with hydrographical data, zooplankton samples and acoustic abundance data from 12 stock monitoring surveys carried out in 2005-2010. Mackerel were absent during the spring, but had generally high feeding overlap with herring in the summer, with a diet mainly based on calanoid copepods, especially Calanus finmarchicus, as well as a similar diet width. Stomach fullness in herring diminished from spring to summer and feeding incidence was lower than that of mackerel in summer. However, stomach fullness did not differ between the two species, indicating that herring maintain an equally efficient pattern of feeding as mackerel in summer, but on a diet that is less dominated by copepods and is more reliant on larger prey. Blue whiting tended to have a low dietary overlap with mackerel and herring, with larger prey such as euphausiids and amphipods dominating, and stomach fullness and feeding incidence increasing with length. For all the species, feeding incidence increased with decreasing temperature, and for mackerel so did stomach fullness, indicating that feeding activity is highest in areas associated with colder water masses. Significant annual effects on diet composition and feeding-related variables suggested that the three species are able to adapt to different food and environmental conditions. These annual effects are likely to have an important impact on the predation pressure on different plankton groups and the carrying capacity of individual systems, and emphasise the importance of regular

Seven Red Herrings: The Opposition to Closure of Aging Urban Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Russ

2003-01-01

Considers how the closure and consolidation of schools are seen by cash-strapped boards of education as means to save money. Addresses the same "seven red herrings" or arguments that are repeated loudly and angrily to officials as they go through the process of public consultation. (SG)

Effects of body size, condition, and lipid content on the survival of juvenile lake herring during rapid cooling events

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pangle, K.L.; Sutton, T.M.; Kinnunen, R.E.; Hoff, M.H.

2005-01-01

Juvenile lake herring Coregonus artedi were exposed to rapid cooling events during two laboratory experiments to determine the effects of body size, physiological condition, and lipid content on survival. The first experiment was conducted at the onset of winter, exposing small (50 to 85 mm) and large (85 to 129 mm) fish to a decline in water temperature from 12 to 2??C at a rate of 1??C/hr. During this experiment, both large and small individuals exposed to a rapid cooling event experienced no mortality or abnormal behaviors. Separate fish were then maintained under thermal and photoperiod regimes that mimicked those in Lake Superior from October through May. Fish in each size class were maintained at two feeding treatments: Artemia ad libitum and no food. At the completion of the winter period, these lake herring were subjected to the same rapid cooling event conducted in the first experiment. During the experiment, lake herring exhibited no mortality or abnormal behaviors despite treatment-dependent differences in condition and lipid content. Our results indicate that mortality due to rapid cooling events does not appear to contribute to the recruitment variability observed for juvenile lake herring in Lake Superior.

Academic Libraries in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullen, Rowena; Nagata, Haruki

2008-01-01

Academic libraries in Japan are well resourced by international standards, and support Japan's internationally recognized research capability well, but there are also ways in which they reflect Japan's strong bureaucratic culture. Recent changes to the status of national university libraries have seen a new interest in customer service, and…

To Globalise or Not to Globalise? "Inward-Looking Youth" as Scapegoats for Japan's Failure to Secure and Cultivate "Global Human Resources"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Chris

2015-01-01

In Japan in recent years, there has been much discussion of the need for global human resources alongside criticism of Japanese youth as having an "inward-looking" ("uchimuki") orientation. Drawing out the contradictions apparent in a youth apparently reluctant to leave Japan and companies, universities and government seemingly…

Induction of anti-viral genes during acute infection with Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) genogroup IVa in Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansen, John D.; Woodson, James C.; Hershberger, Paul K.; Grady, Courtney; Gregg, Jacob L.; Purcell, Maureen K.

2012-01-01

Infection with the aquatic rhabdovirus Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) genogroup IVa results in high mortality in Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and is hypothesized to be a potential limiting factor for herring recovery. To investigate anti-viral immunity in the Pacific herring, four immune response genes were identified: the myxovirus resistance (Clpa-Mx), a major histocompatibility complex IB (named Clpa-UAA.001), the inducible immunoproteosome subunit 9 (Clpa-PSMB9) and the neutrophil chemotactic factor (Clpa-LECT2). Reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assays were developed based on these gene sequences to investigate the host immune response to acute VHSV infection following both injection and immersion challenge. Virus levels were measured by both plaque assay and RT-qPCR and peaked at day 6 during the 10-day exposure period for both groups of fish. The interferon stimulated genes (Clpa-Mx, −UAA.001, and −PSMB9) were significantly up-regulated in response to VHSV infection at both 6 and 10 days post-infection in both spleen and fin. Results from this study indicate that Pacific herring mount a robust, early antiviral response in both fin and spleen tissues. The immunological tools developed in this study will be useful for future studies to investigate antiviral immunity in Pacific herring.

Comparing temporal trends of organochlorines in guillemot eggs and Baltic herring: advantages and disadvantage for selecting sentinel species for environmental monitoring.

PubMed

Miller, Aroha; Nyberg, Elisabeth; Danielsson, Sara; Faxneld, Suzanne; Haglund, Peter; Bignert, Anders

2014-09-01

Within Europe, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is aimed at addressing the chemical status and quality of the marine environment. One of the main goals is to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in the marine environment. Environmental monitoring of biota e.g., Baltic herring and guillemot eggs, is conducted annually in Sweden to follow temporal changes in environmental contaminants. To determine the suitability of guillemot eggs as a sentinel species for investigating GES, we compared temporal trends of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in these two species from single sampling sites within Sweden. Lipid content from guillemot eggs was consistently high and stable (yearly mean for >40 years, ∼12%) compared to that of herring (yearly mean for >20 years, ∼3%). A significant decreasing trend of ΣPCDD/F in TEQ WHO1998 was observed in guillemot eggs, but no trend was seen in herring. CB118 significantly decreased in both species, but in the last 10 years this decrease was not significant in herring. A number of advantages, such as high lipid content in the egg and a low coefficient of variation make guillemot suitable as a sentinel species. The advantages and disadvantages of using either guillemot eggs or Baltic herring are compared. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An outbreak of type C botulism in herring gulls (Larus argentatus) in southeastern Sweden.

PubMed

Neimanis, A; Gavier-Widén, D; Leighton, F; Bollinger, T; Rocke, T; Mörner, T

2007-07-01

From 2000 to 2004, over 10,000 seabirds, primarily Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), died from an undetermined cause in the Blekinge archipelago in southeastern Sweden. In June 2004, 24 affected Herring Gulls were examined clinically, killed humanely, and 23 were examined by necropsy. Seven and 10 unaffected Herring Gulls collected from a local landfill site and from Iceland, respectively, served as controls. All affected birds showed similar neurologic signs, ranging from mild incoordination and weakness to severe flaccid paralysis of legs and wings, but generally were alert and responsive. All affected gulls were in normal nutritional condition, but were dehydrated and had empty stomachs. No gross or microscopic lesions, and no bacterial or viral pathogens were identified. Type C botulinum toxin was detected in the sera of 11 of 16 (69%) affected gulls by mouse inoculation. Type C botulism was the proximate cause of disease in 2004. Sera from 31% of birds tested from outbreaks in 2000 to 2003 also had detectable type C botulinum toxin by mouse inoculation. No large-scale botulism outbreak has been documented previously in this area. The source of toxin, initiating conditions, and thus, the ultimate cause of this outbreak are not known. This epidemic might signal environmental change in the Baltic Sea.

An outbreak of type C botulism in Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) in Southeastern Sweden

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neimanis, A.; Gavier-Widen, D.; Leighton, F.; Bollinger, T.; Rocke, Tonie E.; Morner, T.

2007-01-01

From 2000 to 2004, over 10,000 seabirds, primarily Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), died from an undetermined cause in the Blekinge archipelago in southeastern Sweden. In June 2004, 24 affected Herring Gulls were examined clinically, killed humanely, and 23 were examined by necropsy. Seven and 10 unaffected Herring Gulls collected from a local landfill site and from Iceland, respectively, served as controls. All affected birds showed similar neurologic signs, ranging from mild incoordination and weakness to severe flaccid paralysis of legs and wings, but generally were alert and responsive. All affected gulls were in normal nutritional condition, but were dehydrated and had empty stomachs. No gross or microscopic lesions, and no bacterial or viral pathogens were identified. Type C botulinum toxin was detected in the sera of 11 of 16 (69%) affected gulls by mouse inoculation. Type C botulism was the proximate cause of disease in 2004. Sera from 31% of birds tested from outbreaks in 2000 to 2003 also had detectable type C botulinum toxin by mouse inoculation. No large-scale botulism outbreak has been documented previously in this area. The source of toxin, initiating conditions, and thus, the ultimate cause of this outbreak are not known. This epidemic might signal environmental change in the Baltic Sea.

Behavioral and physiological responses to prey match-mismatch in larval herring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Illing, Björn; Moyano, Marta; Berg, Julia; Hufnagl, Marc; Peck, Myron A.

2018-02-01

The year-class success of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) spawning in the autumn/winter in the North Sea (NSAS stock) and in the spring in the western Baltic Sea (WBSS) appears driven by prey match-mismatch dynamics affecting the survival of larvae during the first weeks of life. To better understand and model the consequences of prey match-mismatch from an individual-based perspective, we measured aspects of the physiology and behavior of NSAS and WBSS herring larvae foraging in markedly different prey concentrations. When matched with prey (ad libitum concentrations of the copepod Acartia tonsa) larval growth, swimming activity, nutritional condition and metabolic rates were relatively high. When prey was absent (mismatch), swimming and feeding behavior rapidly declined within 2 and 4 days, for WBSS and NSAS larvae, respectively, concomitant with reductions in nutritional (RNA-DNA ratio) and somatic (weight-at-length) condition. After several days without prey, respiration measurements made on WBSS larvae suggested metabolic down-regulation (8-34%). An individual-based model depicting the time course of these Behavioral and physiological responses suggested that 25-mm larvae experiencing a mismatch would survive 25-33% (10, 7 °C) longer than 12-mm larvae. Warmer temperatures exacerbate starvation-induced decrements in performance. Without Behavioral and metabolic adjustments, survival of 25-mm larvae would be reduced from 8 to 6 days at 7 °C. Our findings highlight how adaptive Behavioral and physiological responses are tightly linked to prey match-mismatch dynamics in larval herring and how these responses can be included in models to better explore how bottom-up processes regulate larval fish growth and survival.

Prevalence of viral erythrocytic necrosis in Pacific herring and epizootics in Skagit Bay, Puget Sound, Washington.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Elder, N.E.; Grady, C.A.; Gregg, J.L.; Pacheco, C.A.; Greene, C.; Rice, C.; Meyers, T.R.

2009-01-01

Epizootics of viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) occurred among juvenile Pacific herring Clupea pallasii in Skagit Bay, Puget Sound, Washington, during 2005-2007 and were characterized by high prevalences and intensities of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies within circulating erythrocytes. The prevalence of VEN peaked at 67% during the first epizootic in October 2005 and waned to 0% by August 2006. A second VEN epizootic occurred throughout the summer of 2007; this was characterized by disease initiation and perpetuation in the age-1, 2006 year-class, followed by involvement of the age-0, 2007 year-class shortly after the latter's metamorphosis to the juvenile stage. The disease was detected in other populations of juvenile Pacific herring throughout Puget Sound and Prince William Sound, Alaska, where the prevalences and intensities typically did not correspond to those observed in Skagit Bay. The persistence and recurrence of VEN epizootics indicate that the disease is probably common among juvenile Pacific herring throughout the eastern North Pacific Ocean, and although population-level impacts probably occur they are typically covert and not easily detected.

The reproductive success of lake herring in habitats near shipping channels and ice-breaking operations in the St. Marys River, Michigan, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blouin, Marc A.; Kostich, M.M.; Todd, T.N.; Savino, J.F.

1998-01-01

A study of the reproductive success of lake herring (Coregonus artedi) in the St. Marys River was conducted in the winters and springs of 1994, 1995, and 1996. The St. Marys River connects Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes making it an important route for ship traffic. Recent pressure by commercial carriers to extend the shipping season by breaking ice earlier in spring, has raised concerns over the possible adverse effects on lake herring reproduction in the river caused by increased turbidity associated with vessel passage. Lake herring spawn in fall and their eggs overwinter under ice cover on the bottom of the St. Marys River. Hatching occurs in the spring after ice-out when water temperatures rise. Specialized incubators were used to hold fertilized lake herring eggs at four experimental sites, chosen to represent the range of various bottom substrate types of the St. Marys River from boulder rock reefs to soft sediments. In winter, incubators were placed under the ice on the bottom of the river at three sites each year. After ice-out, sites were relocated, and the incubators were retrieved and opened to determine the number of live and dead lake herring eggs and larvae. Survival was consistent from year to year at each site with the lowest survival percentage found at the site with the softest sediments, directly adjacent to the St. Marys River channel and downstream of the mouth of the Charlotte River. River bottom type and geographic location were the most important factors in determining egg survival. Sampling for indigenous larval lake herring was done throughout the spring hatching season in the areas adjacent to the incubator sites using nets and a diver-operated suction sampler. Result indicate that a small population (3) of larval lake herring was present throughout the sampling areas during the springs of 1994, 1995, and 1996 in the St. Marys River.

Organochlorine-associated immunosuppression in prefledgling Caspian terns and herring gulls from the Great Lakes: an ecoepidemiological study.

PubMed Central

Grasman, K A; Fox, G A; Scanlon, P F; Ludwig, J P

1996-01-01

The objectives of study were to determine whether contaminant-associated immunosuppression occurs in prefledgling herring gulls and Caspian terns from the Great Lakes and to evaluate immunological biomarkers for monitoring health effects in wild birds. During 1992 to 1994, immunological responses and related variables were measured in prefledgling chicks at colonies distributed across a broad gradient of organochlorine contamination (primarily polychlorinated biphenyls), which was measured in eggs. The phytohemagglutinin skin test was used to assess T-lymphocyte function. In both species, there was a strong exposure-response relationship between organochlorines and suppressed T-cell-mediated immunity. Suppression was most severe (30-45%) in colonies in Lake Ontario (1992) and Saginaw Bay (1992-1994) for both species and in western Lake Erie (1992) for herring gulls. Both species exhibited biologically significant differences among sites in anti-sheep red blood cells antibody titers, but consistent exposure-response relationships with organochlorines were not observed. In Caspian terns and, to a lesser degree, in herring gulls, there was an exposure-response relationship between organochlorines and reduced plasma retinol (vitamin A). In 1992, altered White blood cell numbers were associated with elevated organochlorine concentrations in Caspian terns but not herring gulls. The immunological and hematological biomarkers used in this study revealed contaminant-associated health effects in wild birds. An epidemiological analysis strongly supported the hypothesis that suppression of T-cell-mediated immunity was associated with high perinatal exposure to persistent organochlorine contaminants. PMID:8880006

Disease surveillance of Atlantic herring: molecular characterization of hepatic coccidiosis and a morphological report of a novel intestinal coccidian

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friend, Sarah E; Lovey, J; Hershberger, Paul

2016-01-01

Surveillance for pathogens of Atlantic herring, including viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV),Ichthyophonus hoferi, and hepatic and intestinal coccidians, was conducted from 2012 to 2016 in the NW Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey, USA. Neither VHSV nor I. hoferi was detected in any sample. Goussia clupearum was found in the livers of 40 to 78% of adult herring in varying parasite loads; however, associated pathological changes were negligible. Phylogenetic analysis based on small subunit 18S rRNA gene sequences placed G. clupearum most closely with other extraintestinal liver coccidia from the genus Calyptospora, though the G. clupearum isolates had a unique nucleotide insertion between 604 and 729 bp that did not occur in any other coccidian species. G. clupearum oocysts from Atlantic and Pacific herring were morphologically similar, though differences occurred in oocyst dimensions. Comparison of G. clupearum genetic sequences from Atlantic and Pacific herring revealed 4 nucleotide substitutions and 2 gaps in a 1749 bp region, indicating some divergence in the geographically separate populations. Pacific G. clupearum oocysts were not directly infective, suggesting that a heteroxenous life cycle is likely. Intestinal coccidiosis was described for the first time from juvenile and adult Atlantic herring. A novel intestinal coccidian species was detected based on morphological characteristics of exogenously sporulated oocysts. A unique feature in these oocysts was the presence of 3 long (15.1 ± 5.1 µm, mean ±SD) spiny projections on both ends of the oocyst. The novel morphology of this coccidian led us to tentatively name this parasite G. echinata n. sp.

What is left? Macrophyte meadows and Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) spawning sites in the Greifswalder Bodden, Baltic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanstinger, Philipp; Beher, Jutta; Grenzdörffer, Görres; Hammer, Cornelius; Huebert, Klaus B.; Stepputis, Daniel; Peck, Myron A.

2018-02-01

Coastal zones are productive areas of marine ecosystems which are also hotspots of anthropogenic activities causing habitat degradation. In the southwest Baltic Sea, eutrophication is thought to have caused the massive reduction in submerged macrophytes observed in recent decades. Here, we surveyed the submarine vegetation and examined locations of spawning of herring (Clupea harengus) in the Greifswalder Bodden, one of the most important reproductive habitats of the Western Baltic Spring Spawner herring stock (WBSS). This stock deposits eggs onto submerged vegetation and changes in macrophyte coverage are expected to influence the availability of reproductive habitat. Aerial, underwater video tows and SCUBA surveys conducted in spring 2009 revealed that only ∼7% of the lagoon was vegetated. Herring eggs were observed on 12 of 32 SCUBA transects, at depths between 0.2 and 5 m and were attached to a variety of spermatophyte and algae species but not to stones or mussels. A classification tree model indicated that spawning sites were strongly associated with the vegetation cover within a 100- and 500-m radius, implying that herring schools preferentially spawn on dense and large underwater meadows. Only ∼5% of the lagoon now falls into this vegetation category. Despite 20 years of efforts to reduce eutrophication, no increase in macroalgae and spermatophyte vegetation towards the historical level of 90% coverage in the area is apparent.

Potential Population Consequences of Active Sonar Disturbance in Atlantic Herring: Estimating the Maximum Risk.

PubMed

Sivle, Lise Doksæter; Kvadsheim, Petter Helgevold; Ainslie, Michael

2016-01-01

Effects of noise on fish populations may be predicted by the population consequence of acoustic disturbance (PCAD) model. We have predicted the potential risk of population disturbance when the highest sound exposure level (SEL) at which adult herring do not respond to naval sonar (SEL(0)) is exceeded. When the population density is low (feeding), the risk is low even at high sonar source levels and long-duration exercises (>24 h). With densely packed populations (overwintering), a sonar exercise might expose the entire population to levels >SEL(0) within a 24-h exercise period. However, the disturbance will be short and the response threshold used here is highly conservative. It is therefore unlikely that naval sonar will significantly impact the herring population.

Temporal trends in dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in Baltic herring (Clupea harengus).

PubMed

Miller, Aroha; Hedman, Jenny E; Nyberg, Elisabeth; Haglund, Peter; Cousins, Ian T; Wiberg, Karin; Bignert, Anders

2013-08-15

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (dl-PCBs) concentrations in Baltic herring (Clupea harengus) have been relatively stable since the mid to late 1990s. It is unclear why concentrations in Baltic herring are not following the observed decreases in other environmental matrices. Here, changes in long-term temporal trends in Baltic herring were examined. A number of biological variables were examined alongside the temporal trends to investigate whether fish biology e.g., growth (length, weight, age), lipid content, reproductive phase or fishing date may provide an explanation for the temporal trends observed. Significant (p<0.05) decreasing trends were observed for PCDD/F toxic equivalents (TEQPCDD/F) at three of the four sites (lipid weight (lw) and wet weight (ww), Swedish west coast lw only); however, other TEQ values e.g., TEQPCDD, TEQPCDF, TEQdl-PCB, TEQPCDD/F+dl-PCB were inconsistent, decreasing at some sites but not others. In the most recent 10 years of data, fewer significant decreases were seen overall. Over the examined time period, significant decreases (Bothnian Bay, p<0.01, southern Baltic Proper, p<0.02) and increases (Swedish west coast, p<0.02) in lipid content, growth dilution or lack thereof, and significant changes in age were observed. However herring were not randomly selected which biases this result. Continual efforts to decrease PCDD/F and dl-PCB emissions and to locate/reduce hotspots are necessary, while bearing in mind that herring biology may be impeding faster decreases of these chemicals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of warm and cold climate conditions on capelin (Mallotus villosus) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in the eastern Bering Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, Alexander G.; Strasburger, Wesley W.; Farley, Edward V.; Murphy, James M.; Coyle, Kenneth O.

2016-12-01

Climate warming has impacted the southern extent of sea ice in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) ecosystem, leading to many changes in ocean conditions and food webs there. We explore how these changes have affected two key forage fish species, capelin (Mallotus villosus) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), examining the effects of climate change on this commercially important ecosystem in the EBS. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) data from surface trawls, size, and diet of capelin and Pacific herring were collected during a series of warm and cold years by fisheries oceanographic surveys conducted from mid-August to early October 2003 through 2011. Overall, mean CPUE for both species was higher in the northeastern Bering Sea [NEBS; capelin=1.2 kg/km2 (warm) and 40.0 kg/km2 (cold); herring=141.1 kg/km2 (warm) and 132.4 kg/km2 (cold)] relative to the southeastern Bering Sea [SEBS; capelin=0.2 kg/km2 (warm) and 5.8 kg/km2 (cold); herring=15.8 kg/km2 (warm) and 24.5 kg/km2 (cold)], irrespective of temperature conditions. Capelin mean CPUE was significantly lower during warm years than during cold years [p<0.001; 0.6 kg/km2 (warm), 19.0 kg/km2 (cold)]. Pacific herring mean CPUE was less variable between warm and cold years [p<0.001; 63.8 kg/km2 (warm), 66.2 kg/km2 (cold)], but was still significantly less during warm years than cold. Capelin and herring lengths remained relatively constant between climate periods. Capelin lengths were similar among oceanographic domains [104 mm (South Inner domain), 112 mm (South Middle domain), 107 mm (North Inner domain), and 104 mm (North Middle domain)], while herring were larger in domains further offshore [123 mm (South Inner domain), 232 mm (South Middle domain), 260 mm (South Outer domain), 129 mm (North Inner domain), and 198 mm (North Middle domain)]. Diets for both species were significantly different between climate periods. Large crustacean prey comprised a higher proportion of the diets in most regions during cold years. Age-0

Potential strategies for recovery of lake whitefish and lake herring stocks in eastern Lake Erie

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oldenburg, K.; Stapanian, M.A.; Ryan, P.A.; Holm, E.

2007-01-01

Lake Erie sustained large populations of ciscoes (Salmonidae: Coregoninae) 120 years ago. By the end of the 19th century, abundance of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) had declined drastically. By 1925, the lake herring (a cisco) population (Coregonus artedii) had collapsed, although a limited lake herring fishery persisted in the eastern basin until the 1950s. In the latter part of the 20th century, the composition of the fish community changed as oligotrophication proceeded. Since 1984, a limited recovery of lake whitefish has occurred, however no recovery was evident for lake herring. Current ecological conditions in Lake Erie probably will not inhibit recovery of the coregonine species. Recovery of walleye (Sander vitreus) and efforts to rehabilitate the native lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Erie will probably assist recovery because these piscivores reduce populations of alewife (Alosa psuedoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), which inhibit reproductive success of coregonines. Although there are considerable spawning substrates available to coregonine species in eastern Lake Erie, eggs and fry would probably be displaced by storm surge from most shoals. Site selection for stocking or seeding of eggs should consider the reproductive life cycle of the stocked fish and suitable protection from storm events. Two potential sites in the eastern basin have been identified. Recommended management procedures, including commercial fisheries, are suggested to assist in recovery. Stocking in the eastern basin of Lake Erie is recommended for both species, as conditions are adequate and the native spawning population in the eastern basin is low. For lake herring, consideration should be given to match ecophenotypes as much as possible. Egg seeding is recommended. Egg seeding of lake whitefish should be considered initially, with fingerling or yearling stocking suggested if unsuccessful. Spawning stocks of whitefish in the western basin of Lake

Viability and infectivity of Ichthyophonus sp. in post-mortem Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocan, Richard M.; Hart, Lucas M.; Lewandowski, Naomi; Hershberger, Paul

2014-01-01

Ichthyophonus-infected Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, were allowed to decompose in ambient seawater then serially sampled for 29 days to evaluate parasite viability and infectivity for Pacific staghorn sculpin, Leptocottus armatus. Ichthyophonus sp. was viable in decomposing herring tissues for at least 29 days post-mortem and could be transmitted via ingestion to sculpin for up to 5 days. The parasite underwent morphologic changes during the first 48 hr following death of the host that were similar to those previously reported, but as host tissue decomposition progressed, several previously un-described forms of the parasite were observed. The significance of long-term survival and continued morphologic transformation in the post-mortem host is unknown, but it could represent a saprozoic phase of the parasite life cycle that has survival value for Ichthyophonus sp.

Susceptibility of three stocks of pacific herring to viral hemorrhagic septicemia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Gregg, J.L.; Grady, C.A.; Collins, R.M.

2010-01-01

Laboratory challenges using specific-pathogen-free Pacific herring Clupea pallasii from three distinct populations indicated that stock origin had no effect on susceptibility to viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). All of the populations were highly susceptible to the disease upon initial exposure, with significantly greater cumulative mortalities occurring in the exposed treatment groups (56.3-64.3%) than in the unexposed control groups (0.8-9.0%). Interstock differences in cumulative mortality were not significant. The virus loads in the tissues of fish experiencing mortality were 10-10,000 times higher during the acute phase of the epizootics (day 13 postexposure) than during the recovery phase (days 30-42). Survivors of the epizootics were refractory to subsequent VHS, with reexposure of VHS survivors resulting in significantly less cumulative mortality (1.2-4.0%) than among positive controls (38.1-64.4%); interstock differences in susceptibility did not occur after reexposure. These results indicate that data from experiments designed to understand the ecology of VHS virus in a given stock of Pacific herring are broadly applicable to stocks throughout the northeastern Pacific.

Feeding strategy of Downs herring larvae (Clupea harengus L.) in the English Channel and North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denis, Jeremy; Vallet, Carole; Courcot, Lucie; Lefebvre, Valérie; Caboche, Josselin; Antajan, Elvire; Marchal, Paul; Loots, Christophe

2016-09-01

This study aims to characterize the larval feeding strategy of the Downs sub-population of North Sea herring (Clupea harengus L.). Diet composition, vacuity rate and prey selectivity of larvae from 8 to 15 mm collected during the International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) - MIK sampling from 2008 to 2013 were assessed by direct observation of their gut contents using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The high contribution of protists and small zooplanktonic prey observed in the gut contents proved the relevance of SEM to study the diet of first feeding larvae. The relatively low vacuity rate of 45% suggests that food may not be a limiting factor for Downs herring larvae in winter. These larvae appeared to be omnivorous and there was a clear shift in term of prey composition at a size of 13 mm. Smaller larvae (8-12 mm) fed on a higher diversity of small prey, mainly small copepods (Oncaea spp. and Euterpina acutifrons), invertebrate eggs, diatoms (Psammodicthyon panduriforme and Coscinodiscus spp.) and dinoflagellates (Dinophysis acuminate and Prorocentrum micans) whereas bigger larvae (13-15 mm) fed on a lower diversity of larger prey, mainly copepods (Temora longicornis and Paracalanus parvus) and dinoflagellates (Gonyaulax spp.). Downs herring larvae had clear prey preferences as some dinoflagellates (Pyrophacus spp., Gonyaulax spp., P. micans and Porocentrum lima), invertebrate eggs, copepods (Oncaea spp. and nauplii) and diatoms (Thalassiosira curviseriata) were positively selected and other diatoms (Nitzschia spp., Thalassiosira tenera, Thalassiosira spp. and Chaetoceros spp.) and copepods (Pseudocalanus elongatus, T. longicornis and Unidentified calanoid) were negatively selected. We argue that this shift in term of prey preferences occurring at a size of 13 mm constitutes the critical period for Downs herring larvae.

Mercury levels in herring gulls and fish: 42 years of spatio-temporal trends in the Great Lakes.

PubMed

Blukacz-Richards, E Agnes; Visha, Ariola; Graham, Matthew L; McGoldrick, Daryl L; de Solla, Shane R; Moore, David J; Arhonditsis, George B

2017-04-01

Total mercury levels in aquatic birds and fish communities have been monitored across the Canadian Great Lakes by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for the past 42 years (1974-2015). These data (22 sites) were used to examine spatio-temporal variability of mercury levels in herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), walleye (Sander vitreus), and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Trends were quantified with dynamic linear models, which provided time-variant rates of change of mercury concentrations. Lipid content (in both fish and eggs) and length in fish were used as covariates in all models. For the first three decades, mercury levels in gull eggs and fish declined at all stations. In the 2000s, trends for herring gull eggs reversed at two sites in Lake Erie and two sites in Lake Ontario. Similar trend reversals in the 2000s were observed for lake trout in Lake Superior and at a single station in Lake Ontario. Mercury levels in lake trout continued to slowly decline at all of the remaining stations, except for Lake Huron, where the levels remained stable. A post-hoc Bayesian regression analysis suggests strong trophic interactions between herring gulls and rainbow smelt in Lake Superior and Lake Ontario, but also pinpoints the likelihood of a trophic decoupling in Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Continued monitoring of mercury levels in herring gulls and fish is required to consolidate these trophic shifts and further evaluate their broader implications. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regional Mapping and Resource Assessment of Shallow Gas Hydrates of Japan Sea - METI Launched 3 Years Project in 2013.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, R.

2014-12-01

Agency of Natural Resources and Energy of METI launched a 3 years shallow gas hydrate exploration project in 2013 to make a precise resource assessment of shallow gas hydrates in the eastern margin of Japan Sea and around Hokkaido. Shallow gas hydrates of Japan Sea occur in fine-grained muddy sediments of shallow subsurface of mounds and gas chimneys in the form of massive nodular to platy accumulation. Gas hydrate bearing mounds are often associated with active methane seeps, bacterial mats and carbonate concretions and pavements. Gases of gas hydrates are derived either from deep thermogenic, shallow microbial or from the mixed gases, contrasting with totally microbial deep-seated stratigraphically controlled hydrates. Shallow gas hydrates in Japan Sea have not been considered as energy resource due to its limited distribution in narrow Joetsu basin. However recently academic research surveys have demonstrated regional distribution of gas chimney and hydrate mound in a number of sedimentary basins along the eastern margin of Japan Sea. Regional mapping of gas chimney and hydrate mound by means of MBES and SBP surveys have confirmed that more than 200 gas chimneys exist in 100 km x 100 km area. ROV dives have identified dense accumulation of hydrates on the wall of half collapsed hydrate mound down to 30 mbsf. Sequential LWD and shallow coring campaign in the Summer of 2014, R/V Hakurei, which is equipped with Fugro Seacore R140 drilling rig, drilled through hydrate mounds and gas chimneys down to the BGHS (base of gas hydrate stability) level and successfully recovered massive gas hydrates bearing sediments from several horizons.

Optimization of a Plaque Neutralization Test (PNT) to identify the exposure history of Pacific Herring to viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, Lucas; Mackenzie, Ashley; Purcell, Maureen; Thompson, Rachel L.; Hershberger, Paul

2017-01-01

Methods for a plaque neutralization test (PNT) were optimized for the detection and quantification of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) neutralizing activity in the plasma of Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii. The PNT was complement dependent, as neutralizing activity was attenuated by heat inactivation; further, neutralizing activity was mostly restored by the addition of exogenous complement from specific-pathogen-free Pacific Herring. Optimal methods included the overnight incubation of VHSV aliquots in serial dilutions (starting at 1:16) of whole test plasma containing endogenous complement. The resulting viral titers were then enumerated using a viral plaque assay in 96-well microplates. Serum neutralizing activity was virus-specific as plasma from viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) survivors demonstrated only negligible reactivity to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, a closely related rhabdovirus. Among Pacific Herring that survived VHSV exposure, neutralizing activity was detected in the plasma as early as 37 d postexposure and peaked at approximately 64 d postexposure. The onset of neutralizing activity was slightly delayed in fish reared at 7.4°C relative to those in warmer temperatures (9.9°C and 13.1°C); however, neutralizing activity persisted for at least 345 d postexposure in all temperature treatments. It is anticipated that this novel ability to assess VHSV neutralizing activity in Pacific Herring will enable retrospective comparisons between prior VHS infections and year-class recruitment failures. Additionally, the optimized PNT could be employed as a forecasting tool capable of identifying the potential for future VHS epizootics in wild Pacific Herring populations.

Viral replication in excised fin tissues (VREFT) corresponds with prior exposure of Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii (Valenciennes), to viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grady, C.A.; Gregg, J.L.; Wade, R.M.; Winton, J.R.; Hershberger, P.K.

2011-01-01

Procedures for a viral replication in excised fin tissue (VREFT) assay were adapted to Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, and optimized both to reduce processing time and to provide the greatest resolution between na??ve herring and those previously exposed to viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV), Genogroup IVa. The optimized procedures included removal of the left pectoral fin from a euthanized fish, inoculation of the fin with >105 plaque-forming units (PFU) mL-1 VHSV for 1 h, rinsing the fin in fresh medium six times to remove unadsorbed virions, incubation of the fin in fresh medium for 4 days and enumeration of the viral titre in a sample of the incubation medium by plaque assay. The optimized VREFT assay was effective at identifying the prior exposure history of laboratory-reared Pacific herring to VHSV. The geometric mean VREFT value was significantly greater (P < 0.01) among na??ve herring (1.2 ?? 103 PFU mL-1) than among groups that survived exposure to VHSV (1.0-2.9 ?? 102 PFU mL-1); additionally, the proportion of cultures with no detectable virus was significantly greater (P = 0.0002) among fish that survived exposure to VHSV (39-47%) than among na??ve fish (3.3%). The optimized VREFT assay demonstrates promise for identifying VHSV exposure history and forecasting disease potential in populations of wild Pacific herring. ?? 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Japan's silver human resource centers and participant well-being.

PubMed

Weiss, Robert S; Bass, Scott A; Heimovitz, Harley K; Oka, Masato

2005-03-01

Japan's Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC) program provides part-time, paid employment to retirement-aged men and women. We studied 393 new program participants and examined whether part-time work influenced their well-being or "ikigai." The participants were divided into those who had worked in SHRC-provided jobs in the preceding year, and those who had not. Gender-stratified regression models were fitted to determine whether SHRC employment was associated with increased well-being. For men, actively working at a SHRC job was associated with greater well-being, compared to inactive members. And men with SHRC jobs and previous volunteering experience had the greatest increase in well-being. Women SHRC job holders did not experience increased well-being at the year's end. The study concludes that there is justification for exploring the usefulness of a similar program for American retirees who desire post-retirement part-time work.

Potent Phototoxicity of Marine Bunker Oil to Translucent Herring Embryos after Prolonged Weathering

PubMed Central

Incardona, John P.; Vines, Carol A.; Linbo, Tiffany L.; Myers, Mark S.; Sloan, Catherine A.; Anulacion, Bernadita F.; Boyd, Daryle; Collier, Tracy K.; Morgan, Steven; Cherr, Gary N.; Scholz, Nathaniel L.

2012-01-01

Pacific herring embryos (Clupea pallasi) spawned three months following the Cosco Busan bunker oil spill in San Francisco Bay showed high rates of late embryonic mortality in the intertidal zone at oiled sites. Dead embryos developed to the hatching stage (e.g. fully pigmented eyes) before suffering extensive tissue deterioration. In contrast, embryos incubated subtidally at oiled sites showed evidence of sublethal oil exposure (petroleum-induced cardiac toxicity) with very low rates of mortality. These field findings suggested an enhancement of oil toxicity through an interaction between oil and another environmental stressor in the intertidal zone, such as higher levels of sunlight-derived ultraviolet (UV) radiation. We tested this hypothesis by exposing herring embryos to both trace levels of weathered Cosco Busan bunker oil and sunlight, with and without protection from UV radiation. Cosco Busan oil and UV co-exposure were both necessary and sufficient to induce an acutely lethal necrotic syndrome in hatching stage embryos that closely mimicked the condition of dead embryos sampled from oiled sites. Tissue levels of known phototoxic polycyclic aromatic compounds were too low to explain the observed degree of phototoxicity, indicating the presence of other unidentified or unmeasured phototoxic compounds derived from bunker oil. These findings provide a parsimonious explanation for the unexpectedly high losses of intertidal herring spawn following the Cosco Busan spill. The chemical composition and associated toxicity of bunker oils should be more thoroughly evaluated to better understand and anticipate the ecological impacts of vessel-derived spills associated with an expanding global transportation network. PMID:22312421

LAKE HERRING (COREGONUS ARTEDI) AND RAINBOW SMELT (OSMERUS MORDAX) DIETS IN LAKE SUPERIOR

EPA Science Inventory

This manuscript reports on the diets of lake herring and rainbow smelt, currently the two dominant forage fish species (fish that are food for game fishes) in western Lake Superior. Despite the pelagic nature of both these species, they have substantially different diets and henc...

Energy Demand and Resources of Japan. Volume I

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-08-01

political motives. Economically Japan would prefer to develop alternative sources of petroleum which are politically stable and geologically viable...situation in the next decade. History records, therefore, Jhat Japan did not suddenly burst upon the scene as an advanced technology, highly competitive...cov- ering cooperative offshore exploration and eventual pro- duction in southern Kalimantan and northern Sumatra. Japex-Indonesian Limited, for

Japan.

PubMed

1989-02-01

Japan consists of 3900 islands and lies off the east coast of Asia. Even though Japan is one of the most densely populated nations in the world, its growth rate has stabilized at .5%. 94% of all children go to senior high school and almost 90% finish. Responsibility for the sick, aged, and infirmed is changing from the family and private sector to government. Japan was founded in 600 BC and its 1st capital was in Nara (710-1867). The Portuguese, the 1st Westerners to make contact with Japan in 1542, opened trade which lasted until the mid 17th century. US Navy Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to reopen in 1854. Following wars with China and Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s respectively, Japan took part in World Wars I and II. In between these wars Japan invaded Manchuria and China. The US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered in September, 1945 ending World War II (WWII). Following, WWII, the Allied Powers guided Japan's establishment as a nonthreatening nation and a democratic parliamentary government (a constitutional monarchy) with a limited defense force. Japan remains one of the most politically stable of all postwar democracies. The Liberal Democratic Party's Noboru Takeshita became prime minister in 1987. Japan has limited natural resources and only 19% of the land is arable. Japanese ingenuity and skill combine to produce one of the highest per hectare crop yields in the world. Japan is a major economic power, and its and the US economies are becoming more interdependent. Its exports, making up only 13% of the gross national product, mainly go to Canada and the US. Many in the US are concerned, however, with the trade deficit with Japan and are seeking ways to make trade more equitable. Japan wishes to maintain good relations with its Asian neighbors and other nations. The US and Japan enjoy a strong, productive relationship.

Life history of the lake herring (Leucichthys artedi Le Sueur) of Lake Huron as revealed by its scales, with a critique of the scale method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Oosten, John

1928-01-01

This study shows that the structural characters of the scales of the coregonid fishes of Lake Huron are so clearly recognizable as to permit their use by the scale method. It shows, further, that the fundamental assumptions underlying the scale method are warranted in so far as they apply to the lake herring (Leucichthys artedi Le Sueur). The scale method is therefore valid when applied in a study fo the life history of the lake herring. The life history of the lake herring that occur in Lake Huron is described in detail in this paper for the first time.

Influence of temperature on viral hemorrhagic septicemia (Genogroup IVa) in Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii Valenciennes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Purcell, M.K.; Hart, L.M.; Gregg, J.L.; Thompson, R.L.; Garver, K.A.; Winton, J.R.

2013-01-01

An inverse relationship between water temperature and susceptibility of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, genogroup IVa (VHS) was indicated by controlled exposure studies where cumulative mortalities, viral shedding rates, and viral persistence in survivors were greatest at the coolest exposure temperatures. Among groups of specific pathogen-free (SPF) Pacific herring maintained at 8, 11, and 15 °C, cumulative mortalities after waterborne exposure to viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) were 78%, 40%, and 13%, respectively. The prevalence of survivors with VHSV-positive tissues 25 d post-exposure was 64%, 16%, and 0% (at 8, 11 and 15 °C, respectively) with viral prevalence typically higher in brain tissues than in kidney/spleen tissue pools at each temperature. Similarly, geometric mean viral titers in brain tissues and kidney/spleen tissue pools decreased at higher temperatures, and kidney/spleen titers were generally 10-fold lower than those in brain tissues at each temperature. This inverse relationship between temperature and VHS severity was likely mediated by an enhanced immune response at the warmer temperatures, where a robust type I interferon response was indicated by rapid and significant upregulation of the herring Mx gene. The effect of relatively small temperature differences on the susceptibility of a natural host to VHS provides insights into conditions that preface periodic VHSV epizootics in wild populations throughout the NE Pacific.

A Historical Perspective on Local Environmental Movements in Japan: Lessons for the Transdisciplinary Approach on Water Resource Governance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, T.

2014-12-01

Typical studies on natural resources from a social science perspective tend to choose one type of resource—water, for example— and ask what factors contribute to the sustainable use or wasteful exploitation of that resource. However, climate change and economic development, which are causing increased pressure on local resources and presenting communities with increased levels of tradeoffs and potential conflicts, force us to consider the trade-offs between options for using a particular resource. Therefore, the transdisciplinary approach that accurately captures the advantages and disadvantages of various possible resource uses is particularly important in the complex social-ecological systems, where concerns about inequality with respect to resource use and access have become unavoidable. Needless to say, resource management and policy require sound scientific understanding of the complex interconnections between nature and society, however, in contrast to typical international discussions, I discuss Japan not as an "advanced" case where various dilemmas have been successfully addressed by the government through the optimal use of technology, but rather as a nation seeing an emerging trend that is based on a awareness of the connections between local resources and the environment. Furthermore, from a historical viewpoint, the nexus of local resources is not a brand-new idea in the experience of environmental governance in Japan. There exist the local environment movements, which emphasized the interconnection of local resources and succeeded in urging the governmental action and policymaking. For this reason, local movements and local knowledge for the resource governance warrant attention. This study focuses on the historical cases relevant to water resource management including groundwater, and considers the contexts and conditions to holistically address local resource problems, paying particular attention to interactions between science and society. I

A baseline study of metals in herring (Clupea harengus) from the Norwegian Sea, with focus on mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead.

PubMed

Frantzen, Sylvia; Maage, Amund; Duinker, Arne; Julshamn, Kaare; Iversen, Svein A

2015-05-01

The Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring is an ecologically and economically important fish population in the Norwegian Sea. It was the first of several Norwegian fish stocks subject to a baseline study designed to give a comprehensive account of the levels of contaminants in a fish species from most of its area of distribution and during different seasons. During 2006 and 2007, 800 individual herring were sampled in their feeding areas in the Norwegian Sea in spring and autumn and at their spawning grounds off the coast of Norway during late winter. Metals including Hg, Cd, As and Pb were determined in muscle samples of individual herring, and mean concentrations±sd (mg kg(-1) ww) were: Hg: 0.04±0.03, Cd: 0.010±0.006, As: 2.2±0.6 and Pb: <0.01-0.10. Apart from one sample, no individual herring exceeded the EU's maximum level for any of these elements, as has been seen also in previous monitoring. Hg and Cd concentration increased with increasing fish age and As concentration varied seasonally, possibly due to uptake during feeding (summer), elimination during starvation (winter) and up-concentration during spawning (spring). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigations on the Interactions of 5-Fluorouracil with Herring Sperm DNA: Steady State/Time Resolved and Molecular Modeling Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinnathambi, Shanmugavel; Karthikeyan, Subramani; Velmurugan, Devadasan; Hanagata, Nobutaka; Aruna, Prakasarao; Ganesan, Singaravelu

2015-04-01

In the present study, the interaction of 5-Fluorouracil with herring sperm DNA is reported using spectroscopic and molecular modeling techniques. This binding study of 5-FU with hs-DNA is of paramount importance in understanding chemico-biological interactions for drug design, pharmacy and biochemistry without altering the original structure. The challenge of the study was to find the exact binding mode of the drug 5-Fluorouracil with hs-DNA. From the absorption studies, a hyperchromic effect was observed for the herring sperm DNA in the presence of 5-Fluorouracil and a binding constant of 6.153 × 103 M-1 for 5-Fluorouracil reveals the existence of weak interaction between the 5-Fluorouracil and herring sperm DNA. Ethidium bromide loaded herring sperm DNA showed a quenching in the fluorescence intensity after the addition of 5-Fluorouracil. The binding constants for 5-Fluorouracil stranded DNA and competitive bindings of 5-FU interacting with DNA-EB systems were examined by fluorescence spectra. The Stern-Volmer plots and fluorescence lifetime results confirm the static quenching nature of the drug-DNA complex. The binding constant Kb was 2.5 × 104 L mol-1 and the number of binding sites are 1.17. The 5-FU on DNA system was calculated using double logarithmic plot. From the Forster nonradiative energy transfer study it has been found that the distance of 5-FU from DNA was 4.24 nm. In addition to the spectroscopic results, the molecular modeling studies also revealed the major groove binding as well as the partial intercalation mode of binding between the 5-Fluorouracil and herring sperm DNA. The binding energy and major groove binding as -6.04 kcal mol-1 and -6.31 kcal mol-1 were calculated from the modeling studies. All the testimonies manifested that binding modes between 5-Fluorouracil and DNA were evidenced to be groove binding and in partial intercalative mode.

Resource utilization in surgery after the revision of surgical fee schedule in Japan.

PubMed

Nakata, Yoshinori; Yoshimura, Tatsuya; Watanabe, Yuichi; Otake, Hiroshi; Oiso, Giichiro; Sawa, Tomohiro

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the current surgical reimbursement system in Japan reflects resource utilization after the revision of fee schedule in 2014. The authors collected data from all the surgical procedures performed at Teikyo University Hospital from April 1 through September 30, 2014. The authors defined the decision-making unit as a surgeon with the highest academic rank in the surgery. Inputs were defined as the number of medical doctors who assisted surgery, and the time of operation from skin incision to closure. An output was defined as the surgical fee. The authors calculated surgeons' efficiency scores using data envelopment analysis. The efficiency scores of each surgical specialty were significantly different (p=0.000). This result demonstrates that the Japanese surgical reimbursement scales still fail to reflect resource utilization despite the revision of surgical fee schedule.

Japan.

PubMed

1987-02-01

Japan is composed of 4 main islands and more than 3900 smaller islands and has 317.7 persons/square kilometer. This makes it one of the most densely populated nations in the world. Religion is an important force in the life of the Japanese and most consider themselves Buddhists. Schooling is free through junior high but 90% of Japanese students complete high school. In fact, Japan enjoys one of the highest literacy rates in the world. There are over 178 newspapers and 3500 magazines published in Japan and the number of new book titles issued each year is greater than that in the US. Since WW1, Japan expanded its influence in Asia and its holdings in the Pacific. However, as a direct result of WW2, Japan lost all of its overseas possessions and was able to retain only its own islands. Since 1952, Japan has been ruled by conservative governments which cooperate closely with the West. Great economic growth has come since the post-treaty period. Japan as a constitutional monarchy operates within the framework of a constitution which became effective in May 1947. Executive power is vested in a cabinet which includes the prime minister and the ministers of state. Japan is one of the most politically stable of the postwar democracies and the Liberal Democratic Party is representative of Japanese moderate conservatism. The economy of Japan is strong and growing. With few resources, there is only 19% of Japanese land suitable for cultivation. Its exports earn only about 19% of the country's gross national product. More than 59 million workers comprise Japan's labor force, 40% of whom are women. Japan and the US are strongly linked trading partners and after Canada, Japan is the largest trading partner of the US. Foreign policy since 1952 has fostered close cooperation with the West and Japan is vitally interested in good relations with its neighbors. Relations with the Soviet Union are not close although Japan is attempting to improve the situation. US policy is based on

What`s normal?: Body condition in Great Lakes herring gulls

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hebert, C.E.; Shutt, J.L.

1994-12-31

The Canadian Wildlife Service`s herring gull (Larus argentatus) surveillance program has demonstrated the usefulness of this species as a monitor of spatial and temporal trends in contaminant levels. However, the effects of environmental contaminants on gulls are difficult to distinguish from the effects of other anthropogenic stressors such as the introduction of exotic species, overfishing and habitat loss. To understand the relative importance of these factors in regulating the success of individual gulls and, hence, gull populations, the authors must first have a better understanding of what constitutes a ``normal`` bird. Improving the ability to differentiate between normal and abnormalmore » birds is crucial in any health assessment of Great Lakes gulls. Body condition has been shown to be an important measure of a bird`s ability to provide energy for egg production, migration etc. Numerous approaches have been used to assess condition, most of which required that the bird be sacrificed. In this study, the authors describe a nonlethal technique to quantify body condition in herring gulls. Multivariate statistics are used to quantify body size, relate body size to total mass and from that, determine relative body condition. Initially, body condition is assessed in gulls from a reference colony where reproductive success is normal and anthropogenic influences are limited. This reference population is then used as a baseline against which other gull populations are compared.« less

Kinetics of viral shedding provide insights into the epidemiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Pacific herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul K.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Winton, James R.; Grady, Courtney; Collins, Rachael

2010-01-01

Losses from infectious diseases are an important component of natural mortality among marine fish species, but factors controlling the ecology of these diseases and their potential responses to anthropogenic changes are poorly understood. We used viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) and a laboratory stock of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii to investigate the kinetics of viral shedding and its effect on disease transmission and host mortality. Outbreaks of acute disease, accompanied by mortality and viral shedding, were initiated after waterborne exposure of herring to concentrations of VHSV as low as 101 plaque-forming units (pfu) ml–1. Shed virus in flow-through tanks was first detected 4 to 5 d post-exposure, peaked after 6 to 10 d, and was no longer detected after 16 d. Shedding rates, calculated from density, flow and waterborne virus titer reached 1.8 to 5.0 × 108 pfu fish–1 d–1. Onset of viral shedding was dose-dependent and preceded initial mortality by 2 d. At 21 d, cumulative mortality in treatment groups ranged from 81 to 100% and was dependent not on challenge dose, but on the kinetics and level of viral shedding by infected fish in the tank. Possible consequences of the viral shedding and disease kinetics are discussed in the context of epizootic initiation and perpetuation among populations of wild Pacific herring.

Kinetics of viral shedding provide insights into the epidemiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Pacific herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.; Gregg, J.; Grady, C.; Collins, R.; Winton, J.

2010-01-01

Losses from infectious diseases are an important component of natural mortality among marine fish species, but factors controlling the ecology of these diseases and their potential responses to anthropogenic changes are poorly understood. We used viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) and a laboratory stock of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii to investigate the kinetics of viral shedding and its effect on disease transmission and host mortality. Outbreaks of acute disease, accompanied by mortality and viral shedding, were initiated after waterborne exposure of herring to concentrations of VHSV as low as 10 1 plaque-forming units (pfu) ml-1. Shed virus in flow-through tanks was first detected 4 to 5 d post-exposure, peaked after 6 to 10 d, and was no longer detected after 16 d. Shedding rates, calculated from density, flow and waterborne virus titer reached 1.8 to 5.0 ?? ?10 8 pfu fish-1 d-1. Onset of viral shedding was dose-dependent and preceded initial mortality by 2 d. At 21 d, cumulative mortality in treatment groups ranged from 81 to 100% and was dependent not on challenge dose, but on the kinetics and level of viral shedding by infected fish in the tank. Possible consequences of the viral shedding and disease kinetics are discussed in the context of epizootic initiation and perpetuation among populations of wild Pacific herring. ?? Inter-Research 2010.

Free Resources for Teaching About Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wojtan, Linda S.

This publication describes free print and audiovisual materials for teaching about Japan in elementary and secondary schools. The booklet was written to enable teachers to take advantage of the many free materials that are currently available. The first section cites sources of free materials in the United States. Names and addresses of groups…

Effects of lead and exercise on endurance and learning in young herring gulls.

PubMed

Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael

2004-02-01

In this paper, we report the use of young herring gulls, Larus argentatus, to examine the effect of lead and exercise on endurance, performance, and learning on a treadmill. Eighty 1-day-old herring gull chicks were randomly assigned to either a control group or a lead treatment group that received a single dose of lead acetate solution (100mg/kg) at day 2. Controls were injected with an equal volume of isotonic saline at the same age. Half of the lead treatment group and half of the control group were randomly assigned to an exercise regime of walking on a treadmill twice each day. The other group remained in their cages. We test the null hypotheses that neither lead nor exercise affected performance of herring gull chicks when subsequently tested on the treadmill at 7, 11, and 17 days post-injection. Performance measures included latency to orient forward initially, to move continuously, forward on the treadmill, and to avoiding being bumped against the back of the test chamber. Also measured were the number of calls per 15 s, and the time to tire out. Latency to face forward and avoiding being bumped against the back of the test chamber were measures of learning, and time to tire out was a measure of endurance. We found significant differences as a function of lead, exercise, and their interaction, and rejected the null hypotheses. For all measures of behavior and endurance, lead had the greatest contribution to accounting for variability. In general, lead-treated birds showed better performance improvement from the daily exercise than did controlled non-lead birds, with respect to endurance and learning. We suggest that in nature, exercise can improve performance of lead-exposed birds by partially mitigating the effects of lead, thereby increasing survival of lead-impaired chicks.

50 CFR Figure 4 to Part 679 - BSAI Herring Savings Areas in the BSAI

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false BSAI Herring Savings Areas in the BSAI 4 Figure 4 to Part 679 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) FISHERIES OF THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF...

Effects of environmental temperature on the dynamics of ichthyophoniasis in Juvenile Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gregg, J.L.; Vollenweider, Johanna J.; Grady, C.A.; Heintz, R.A.; Hershberger, P.K.

2011-01-01

The effects of temperature and infection by Ichthyophonus were examined in juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) maintained under simulated overwinter fasting conditions. In addition to defining parameters for a herring bioenergetics model (discussed in Vollenweider et al. this issue), these experiments provided new insights into factors influencing the infectivity and virulence of the parasite Ichthyophonus. In groups of fish with established disease, temperature variation had little effect on disease outcome. Ichthyophonus mortality outpaced that resulting from starvation alone. In newly infected fish, temperature variation significantly changed the mortality patterns related to disease. Both elevated and lowered temperatures suppressed disease-related mortality relative to ambient treatments. When parasite exposure dose decreased, an inverse relationship between infection prevalence and temperature was detected. These findings suggest interplay between temperature optima for parasite growth and host immune function and have implications for our understanding of how Ichthyophonus infections are established in wild fish populations.

Principles underlying the epizootiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Pacific herring and other fishes throughout the North Pacific Ocean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul K.; Garver, Kyle A.; Winton, James R.

2016-01-01

Although viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) typically occurs at low prevalence and intensity in natural populations of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and other marine fishes in the Northeast Pacific Ocean, epizootics of the resulting disease (VHS) periodically occur, often in association with observed fish kills. Here we identify a list of principles, based on a combination of field studies, controlled laboratory experiments, and previously unpublished observations, that govern the epizootiology of VHS in Pacific herring. A thorough understanding of these principles provides the basis for identifying risk factors that predispose certain marine fish populations to VHS epizootics, including the lack of population resistance, presence of chronic viral carriers in a population, copious viral shedding by infected individuals, cool water temperatures, limited water circulation patterns, and gregarious host behavioral patterns. Further, these principles are used to define the epizootiological stages of the disease in Pacific herring, including the susceptible (where susceptible individuals predominate a school or subpopulation), enzootic (where infection prevalence and intensity are often below the limits of reasonable laboratory detection), disease amplification (where infection prevalence and intensity increase rapidly), outbreak (often accompanied by host mortalities with high virus loads and active shedding), recovery (in which the mortality rate and virus load decline owing to an active host immune response), and refractory stages (characterized by little or no susceptibility and where viral clearance occurs in most VHS survivors). In addition to providing a foundation for quantitatively assessing the potential risks of future VHS epizootics in Pacific herring, these principles provide insights into the epizootiology of VHS in other fish communities where susceptible species exist.

Influence of temperature on the efficacy of homologous and heterologous DNA vaccines against viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Pacific Herring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, Lucas; Lorenzen, Niels; Einer-Jensen, Katja; Purcell, Maureen; Hershberger, Paul

2017-01-01

Homologous and heterologous (genogroup Ia) DNA vaccines against viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (genogroup IVa) conferred partial protection in Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii. Early protection at 2 weeks postvaccination (PV) was low and occurred only at an elevated temperature (12.6°C, 189 degree days), where the relative percent survival following viral exposure was similar for the two vaccines (IVa and Ia) and higher than that of negative controls at the same temperature. Late protection at 10 weeks PV was induced by both vaccines but was higher with the homologous vaccine at both 9.0°C and 12.6°C. Virus neutralization titers were detected among 55% of all vaccinated fish at 10 weeks PV. The results suggest that the immune response profile triggered by DNA vaccination of herring was similar to that reported for Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss by Lorenzen and LaPatra in 2005, who found interferon responses in the early days PV and the transition to adaptive response later. However, the protective effect was far less prominent in herring, possibly reflecting different physiologies or adaptations of the two fish species.

Abnormalities in larvae from the once-largest Pacific herring population in Washington State result primarily from factors independent of spawning location

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.K.; Elder, N.E.; Wittouck, J.; Stick, K.; Kocan, R.M.

2005-01-01

Among larvae from populations of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii in Washington State those from Cherry Point have consistently demonstrated abnormalities indicative of distress, including low weights and lengths at hatch, increased prevalences of skeletal abnormalities, and shorter survival times in food deprivation studies. The biomass of adult, prespawn Pacific herring at Cherry Point declined from 13,606 metric tons in 1973 to a record low 733 metric tons in 2000. However, correlation of larval abnormalities with adult recruitment was weak, indicating that the larval abnormalities did not directly cause the decline. Larval abnormalities originated primarily from factors independent of conditions at the spawning location because they were not reproduced by incubation of foreign zygotes along the Cherry Point shoreline but were reproduced after the development of indigenous zygotes in controlled laboratory conditions. Although the precise cause of the abnormalities was not determined, recent zoographic trends in elevated natural mortality among adult Pacific herring and resulting reduced age structures may be involved. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

Comparative biology and population mixing among local, coastal and offshore Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic

PubMed Central

Slotte, Aril; Johannessen, Arne; Kvamme, Cecilie; Clausen, Lotte Worsøe; Nash, Richard D. M.

2017-01-01

The population structure of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) from 13 local, coastal and offshore areas of the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic (northeast Atlantic) was studied using biological and environmental data from 1970–2015. The objective was to identify distinct populations by comparing variability in the temporal and spatial phenotypic characteristics and evaluate the potential for mixing of populations in time and space. The populations varied in biological characteristics such as mean vertebral counts (VS), growth and maturity ogives. Generalized additive models indicated temporally stable VS in the North Sea and western Baltic, whereas intra-annual temporal variation of VS occurred in other areas. High variability of VS within a population was not affected by environmental factors such as temperature and salinity. Consequently, seasonal VS variability can be explained by the presence or absence of herring populations as they migrate between areas. The three main populations identified in this paper correspond to the three managed stocks in this area: Norwegian spring spawners (NSS), western Baltic spring spawners (WBSS) and North Sea autumn spawners (NSAS). In addition, several local populations were identified in fjords or lakes along the coast, but our analyses could not detect direct mixing of local populations with the three main populations. Our results highlight the importance of recognizing herring dynamics and understanding the mixing of populations as a challenge for management of herring. PMID:29084258

Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj): maintaining a structural data archive and resource description framework format

PubMed Central

Kinjo, Akira R.; Suzuki, Hirofumi; Yamashita, Reiko; Ikegawa, Yasuyo; Kudou, Takahiro; Igarashi, Reiko; Kengaku, Yumiko; Cho, Hasumi; Standley, Daron M.; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Nakamura, Haruki

2012-01-01

The Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj, http://pdbj.org) is a member of the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and accepts and processes the deposited data of experimentally determined macromolecular structures. While maintaining the archive in collaboration with other wwPDB partners, PDBj also provides a wide range of services and tools for analyzing structures and functions of proteins, which are summarized in this article. To enhance the interoperability of the PDB data, we have recently developed PDB/RDF, PDB data in the Resource Description Framework (RDF) format, along with its ontology in the Web Ontology Language (OWL) based on the PDB mmCIF Exchange Dictionary. Being in the standard format for the Semantic Web, the PDB/RDF data provide a means to integrate the PDB with other biological information resources. PMID:21976737

Loss of vitamin B(12) in fish (round herring) meats during various cooking treatments.

PubMed

Nishioka, Michiko; Kanosue, Fuki; Yabuta, Yukinori; Watanabe, Fumio

2011-01-01

The loss of vitamin B(12) in round herring meats during various cooking treatments was evaluated. Although amounts of vitamin B(12) were three times greater in the viscera (37.5 ± 10.6 µg/100 g fresh weight) than in the meats, about 73% of total vitamin B(12) found in the whole fish body (except for head and bones) were recovered in the meats (5.1 ± 1.0 µg of vitamin B(12)). The vitamin B(12) contents of the round herring's meats were significantly decreased up to ~62% during cooking by grilling, boiling, frying, steaming, and microwaving. There was, however, no loss of vitamin B(12) during vacuum-packed pouch cooking. Model experiment using hydroxocobalamin suggest that loss of vitamin B(12) is dependent on the degree of temperature and time used in conventional cooking, and is further affected by the concomitant ingredients of food. Retention of vitamin B(12) was not dependent on vacuum or temperature (or both) used in the vacuum-packed pouch cooking.

Contaminant levels in Herring (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) eggs from colonies in the New York harbor complex between 2012 and 2013.

PubMed

Burger, Joanna; Elbin, Susan

2015-03-01

Birds living in coastal areas are exposed to severe storms and tidal flooding during the nesting season, but also to contaminants that move up the food chain from the water column and sediment to their prey items. We examine metals in Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) eggs collected from the New York/New Jersey harbor estuary in 2012 and in 2013 to determine if there were significant yearly differences in metal levels. We test the null hypothesis that there were no significant yearly differences in metal levels. We investigate whether there were consistent differences in metals from 2012 to 2013 that might suggest a storm-related effect because Superstorm Sandy landed in New Jersey in October 2012 with high winds and extensive flooding, and view this research as exploratory. Except for arsenic, there were significant inter-year variations in the mean levels for all colonies combined for Herring Gull, and for lead, mercury and selenium for Great Black-backed Gulls. All metal levels in 2013 were less than in 2012, except for lead. These differences were present for individual colonies as well. Metal levels varied significantly among islands for Herring Gulls in both years (except for cadmium in 2013). No one colony had the highest levels of all metals for Herring Gulls. A long term data set on mercury levels in Herring Gulls indicated that the differences between 2012 and 2013 were greater than usual. Several different factors could account for these differences, and these are discussed.

75 FR 73979 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Discard Provision for Herring Midwater Trawl Vessels...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-30

.... The publication of this action is part of a Court-approved joint motion to stay pending litigation...), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: Through this action, NMFS removes a regulatory exemption for midwater trawl herring vessels, which was originally...

Predictions of realised fecundity and spawning time in Norwegian spring-spawning herring ( Clupea harengus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Óskarsson, G. J.; Kjesbu, O. S.; Slotte, A.

2002-08-01

Maturing Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring, Clupea harengus, were collected for reproductive analyses along the Norwegian coast prior to the spawning seasons of 1997-2000. Over this time period there was a marked change in weight (W) at length (TL) with 1998 showing extremely low values and 2000 high values in a historical perspective. Potential fecundity, amounting to about 20 000-100 000 developing (vitellogenic) oocytes per fish and positively related to fish size, increased significantly with fish condition. Relative somatic potential fecundity (RF P, number of oocytes per g ovary-free body weight) in NSS herring was found to vary by 35-55% between years. Unexpectedly, females in 2000 showed low RF P-values, possibly due to negative feedback from previous reproductive investments at low condition. A clear threshold value for Fulton's condition factor, K (K=100×W/TL 3), of 0.65-0.70 existed below which there was considerable atresia (resorption of vitellogenic oocytes). Thus, these components of the spawning stock, amounting to 1-46% in the period 1980-1999, obviously contributed relatively little to the total egg production. This was confirmed by low ovary weights and examples of delayed oocyte development in these individuals. An up-to-date atresia model is presented. The established oocyte growth curve, and to a lesser degree the assumed atretic oocytic turnover rate, was critical for the estimation of realised fecundity (number of eggs spawned). Modelled realised fecundity was significantly below observed potential fecundity. Females that had migrated the shortest distance from the over-wintering area, Vestfjorden, northern Norway, were in the poorest condition, had the least developed oocytes and the lowest potential and realised fecundities. In agreement with previously published studies on temporal and spatial changes in gonad weights, those females reaching the main spawning grounds in the south-western part of the coast (Møre) were the most

Analysis of genetic diversity of rapeseed genetic resources in Japan and core collection construction

PubMed Central

Chen, Ruikun; Hara, Takashi; Ohsawa, Ryo; Yoshioka, Yosuke

2017-01-01

Diversity analysis of rapeseed accessions preserved in the Japanese Genebank can provide valuable information for breeding programs. In this study, 582 accessions were genotyped with 30 SSR markers covering all 19 rapeseed chromosomes. These markers amplified 311 alleles (10.37 alleles per marker; range, 3–39). The genetic diversity of Japanese accessions was lower than that of overseas accessions. Analysis of molecular variance indicated significant genetic differentiation between Japanese and overseas accessions. Small but significant differences were found among geographical groups in Japan, and genetic differentiation tended to increase with geographical distance. STRUCTURE analysis indicated the presence of two main genetic clusters in the NARO rapeseed collection. With the membership probabilities threshold, 227 accessions mostly originating from overseas were assigned to one subgroup, and 276 accessions mostly originating from Japan were assigned to the other subgroup. The remaining 79 accessions are assigned to admixed group. The core collection constructed comprises 96 accessions of diverse origin. It represents the whole collection well and thus it may be useful for rapeseed genetic research and breeding programs. The core collection improves the efficiency of management, evaluation, and utilization of genetic resources. PMID:28744177

Tutorial videos of bioinformatics resources: online distribution trial in Japan named TogoTV.

PubMed

Kawano, Shin; Ono, Hiromasa; Takagi, Toshihisa; Bono, Hidemasa

2012-03-01

In recent years, biological web resources such as databases and tools have become more complex because of the enormous amounts of data generated in the field of life sciences. Traditional methods of distributing tutorials include publishing textbooks and posting web documents, but these static contents cannot adequately describe recent dynamic web services. Due to improvements in computer technology, it is now possible to create dynamic content such as video with minimal effort and low cost on most modern computers. The ease of creating and distributing video tutorials instead of static content improves accessibility for researchers, annotators and curators. This article focuses on online video repositories for educational and tutorial videos provided by resource developers and users. It also describes a project in Japan named TogoTV (http://togotv.dbcls.jp/en/) and discusses the production and distribution of high-quality tutorial videos, which would be useful to viewer, with examples. This article intends to stimulate and encourage researchers who develop and use databases and tools to distribute how-to videos as a tool to enhance product usability.

Tutorial videos of bioinformatics resources: online distribution trial in Japan named TogoTV

PubMed Central

Kawano, Shin; Ono, Hiromasa; Takagi, Toshihisa

2012-01-01

In recent years, biological web resources such as databases and tools have become more complex because of the enormous amounts of data generated in the field of life sciences. Traditional methods of distributing tutorials include publishing textbooks and posting web documents, but these static contents cannot adequately describe recent dynamic web services. Due to improvements in computer technology, it is now possible to create dynamic content such as video with minimal effort and low cost on most modern computers. The ease of creating and distributing video tutorials instead of static content improves accessibility for researchers, annotators and curators. This article focuses on online video repositories for educational and tutorial videos provided by resource developers and users. It also describes a project in Japan named TogoTV (http://togotv.dbcls.jp/en/) and discusses the production and distribution of high-quality tutorial videos, which would be useful to viewer, with examples. This article intends to stimulate and encourage researchers who develop and use databases and tools to distribute how-to videos as a tool to enhance product usability. PMID:21803786

Effects of temperature on embryonic development of lake herring (Coregonus artedii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colby, Peter J.; Brooke, L.T.

1973-01-01

Embryonic development of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) was observed in the laboratory at 13 constant temperatures from 0.0 to 12.1 C and in Pickerel Lake (Washtenaw County, Michigan) at natural temperature regimes. Rate of development during incubation was based on progression of the embryos through 20 identifiable stages. An equation was derived to predict development stage at constant temperatures, on the general assumption that development stage (DS) is a function of time (days, D) and temperature (T). The equation should also be useful in interpreting estimates from future regressions that include other environmental variables that affect egg development. A second regression model, derived primarily for fluctuating temperatures, related development rate for stage j (DRj), expressed as the reciprocal of time, to temperature (x). The generalized equation for a development stage is: DRj = abx cx2 dx3. In general, time required for embryos to reach each stage of development in Pickerel Lake agreed closely with the time predicted from this equation, derived from our laboratory observations. Hatching time was predicted within 1 day in 1969 and within 2 days in 1970. We used the equations derived with the second model to predict the effect of the superimposition of temperature increases of 1 and 2 C on the measured temperatures in Pickerel Lake. Conceivably, hatching dates could be affected sufficiently to jeopardize the first feeding of lake herring through loss of harmony between hatching date and seasonal food availability.

Groundwater contamination in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tase, Norio

1992-07-01

Problems on groundwater contamination in Japan are briefly summarized in this paper. Although normal physical conditions in Japan restrict the possibilities of groundwater contamination, human activities are threatening groundwater resources. A survey by the Environment Agency of Japan showed nationwide spreading of organic substances, such as trichloroethylene as well as nitrogen compounds. Synthetic detergents have also been detected even in rural areas and in deep confined aquifers, although their concentrations are not as high. Public awareness of agrichemical or pesticides abuse, especially from golf courses, is apparent. Other problems such as nitrate-nitrogen, leachate from landfills, and the leaking of underground storage tanks are also discussed.

Could a Mathematics Student Have Prevented the Collapse of the Atlanto-Scandian Herring?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigurdsson, Thorir

2006-01-01

Herring in the ocean between Iceland and Norway was one of the largest fish stocks in the world until the fishery crashed in the late 1960s. The catch in 1971 was only 20 thousand metric tons in contrast with the record of 2 million tons in 1966 and the spawning stock declined from 10 million tons to 10 thousand tons in 20 years. After 25 years of…

Inability to demonstrate fish-to-fish transmission of Ichthyophonus from laboratory infected Pacific herring Clupea pallasii to naïve conspecifics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gregg, J.L.; Grady, C.A.; Friedman, C.S.; Hershberger, P.K.

2012-01-01

The parasite Ichthyophonus is enzootic in many marine fish populations of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Forage fishes are a likely source of infection for higher trophic level predators; however, the processes that maintain Ichthyophonus in forage fish populations (primarily clupeids) are not well understood. Lack of an identified intermediate host has led to the convenient hypothesis that the parasite can be maintained within populations of schooling fishes by waterborne fish-to-fish transmission. To test this hypothesis we established Ichthyophonus infections in Age-1 and young-of-the-year (YOY) Pacific herring Clupea pallasii (Valenciennes) via intraperitoneal (IP) injection and cohabitated these donors with naïve conspecifics (sentinels) in the laboratory. IP injections established infection in 75 to 84% of donor herring, and this exposure led to clinical disease and mortality in the YOY cohort. However, after cohabitation for 113 d no infections were detected in naïve sentinels. These data do not preclude the possibility of fish-to-fish transmission, but they do suggest that other transmission processes are necessary to maintain Ichthyophonus in wild Pacific herring populations.

Comparative Analysis of Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition of Commercially Important Fish and Shellfish from Sri Lanka and Japan.

PubMed

Devadason, Chandravathany; Jayasinghe, Chamila; Sivakanesan, Ramiah; Senarath, Samanthika; Beppu, Fumiaki; Gotoh, Naohiro

2016-01-01

Sri Lanka is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, allowing plenty of fishes to be caught. Moreover, these fishes represent one of the undocumented fish resources in the world and their detailed lipid profiles have not been previously examined. In this study, the lipid content and fatty acid composition of 50 commercially important fishes from the Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka) and the Pacific Ocean (Japan) were compared. The total lipid content and fatty acid composition, including eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, DHA), differed significantly among species. Fish from the Pacific Ocean had higher proportions of fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. Herrings and mackerels from both oceanic areas demonstrated high levels of EPA and DHA, and n-3/n-6 ratio. Brackish and freshwater fishes from both groups showed low levels of PUFAs. Fish from the Indian Ocean were high in n-6 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acid levels were high in omnivorous fish from the Pacific Ocean, and saturated fatty acid levels were high in fish from the Indian Ocean. The results of this study will be of value in determining the dietary usefulness of fish caught in Sri Lanka.

76 FR 61061 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Sub-ACL (Annual Catch...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-03

...-ACL (Annual Catch Limit) Harvested for Management Area 3 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service...-ACL (annual catch limit) for Area 3 becomes available, except when transiting as described in this notice. This action is based on the determination that 95 percent of the herring sub-ACL allocated to...

76 FR 79610 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustment to 2012 Annual...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-22

... accuracy against the scanned image of the paper VTRs submitted by the owner/ operator of the vessel. VTR... review of the scanned images of the original VTR were used to assign landings to herring management area... further consideration after public comment. The National Environmental Policy Act analysis to support this...

76 FR 65971 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustment to the Atlantic...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-25

...; Adjustment to the Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A Sub- Annual Catch Limit AGENCY: National Marine...: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment. SUMMARY: NMFS adjusts the 2011 Fishing Year sub-annual catch limit for... transfer and sub-ACLs for each management area. The 2011 Domestic Annual Harvest is 91,200 metric tons (mt...

Dissolved saxitoxin causes transient inhibition of sensorimotor function in larval Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) Kathi A. Lefebvre , N

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lefebvre, Kathi A.; Elder, Nancy E.; Hershberger, Paul K.; Trainer, Vera L.; Stehr, Carla M.; Scholz, Nathaniel L.

2005-01-01

Herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) spawning sites in Puget Sound, Washington overlap spatially and temporally with blooms of Alexandrium catenella, a toxic dinoflagellate species responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning. Consequently, newly hatched herring larvae may be regularly exposed to the suite of dissolved paralytic shellfish toxins that are released into the water column from toxic cells during blooms. To date, virtually nothing is known about the impacts of these neurotoxins on early developmental stages of marine fish. In the present study, herring larvae at three ages, 0 days post hatch (dph), 4 dph, and 11 dph, were exposed to dissolved saxitoxin (STX) in 24-h and multi-day exposures. All larvae were examined for sensorimotor function (i.e. spontaneous swimming behavior and touch response). Significant reductions in spontaneous and touch-activated swimming behavior occurred within 1 h of exposure. EC50s at 1 h of exposure were 1,500, 840, and 700 μg STX equiv. l−1 for larvae introduced to STX at 0, 4, and 11 dph, respectively. This progressive age-specific increase in STX-induced paralysis suggests that older larvae were more sensitive to the toxin than younger larvae. Interestingly, herring larvae at all ages exhibited a significant degree of neurobehavioral recovery within 4–24 h of continuous exposure relative to the 1-h time point. This recovery of normal motor behaviors was not observed in previous studies with freshwater zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae under the same continuous exposure conditions, suggesting that an adaptive detoxification or toxin sequestration mechanism may have evolved in some species of marine fish larvae. Our data reveal that (1) dissolved STX is bioavailable to marine finfish larvae, (2) the toxin is a paralytic agent with potencies that differ between developmental stages, and (3) STX-induced sensorimotor inhibition occurs rapidly but is transient in marine larvae. Collectively, these results suggest that

76 FR 61059 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Sub-ACL (Annual Catch...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-03

...-ACL (Annual Catch Limit) Harvested for Management Area 1B AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service...-ACL for Area 1B becomes available, except when transiting as described in this notice. This action is based on the determination that 95 percent of the Atlantic herring sub-ACL allocated to Area 1B for 2011...

77 FR 65498 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustment to the Atlantic...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-29

... 1A sub-ACL. Classification This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from review under...; Adjustment to the Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A Sub- Annual Catch Limit AGENCY: National Marine...: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment. SUMMARY: NMFS adjusts the 2012 fishing year sub-annual catch limit for...

Arsenic-Containing Phosphatidylcholines: A New Group of Arsenolipids Discovered in Herring Caviar.

PubMed

Viczek, Sandra A; Jensen, Kenneth B; Francesconi, Kevin A

2016-04-18

A new group of arsenolipids based on cell-membrane phosphatidylcholines has been discovered in herring caviar (fish roe). A combination of HPLC with elemental and molecular mass spectrometry was used to identify five arsenic-containing phosphatidylcholines; the same technique applied to salmon caviar identified an arsenic-containing phosphatidylethanolamine. The arsenic group in these membrane lipids might impart particular properties to the molecules not displayed by their non-arsenic analogues. Additionally, the new compounds have human health implications according to recent results showing high cytotoxicity for some arsenolipids.

Bridging the energy gap: Anadromous blueback herring feeding in the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Simonin, P.W.; Limburg, K.E.; Machut, L.S.

2007-01-01

Adult blueback herring Alosa aestivalis (N = 116) were collected during the 1999, 2000, and 2002-2004 spawning runs from sites on the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, and gut contents were analyzed. Thirty-four fish (33% of those examined) were found to contain food material. Food items were present in 41% of Mohawk River samples and 11% of Hudson River samples; all Hudson River fish containing food were captured in small tributaries above the head of tide. Hudson River fish predominantly consumed zooplankton, while Mohawk River fish consumed benthic aquatic insects in large quantities, including Baetidae, Ephemeridae, and Chironomidae. Using stable isotope analysis and a mixing model, we found that fish collected later in the season had significantly decreased marine-derived C. Condition indices of later-season fish were equal to or greater than those of fish collected earlier in the season. Blueback herring in this system may face increased energy requirements as they migrate farther upstream during spawning runs, and feeding may provide energy subsidies needed to maintain fitness over their expanded migratory range. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

Discrimination among spawning concentrations of Lake Superior lake herring based on trace element profiles in sagittae

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bronte, Charles R.; Hesselberg, Robert J.; Shoesmith, John A.; Hoff, Michael H.

1996-01-01

Little is known about the stock structure of lake herring Coregonus artedi in Lake Superior, and recent increases in harvestable stock sizes has led to expanded exploitation in some areas. Research on marine teleosts has demonstrated that chemical differences in sagittal otoliths can be used for identification of fish stocks. We used plasma emission spectrophotometry to measure the concentrations of 10 trace elements in the sagittal otoliths from lake herring captured at eight spawning sites in Lake Superior and from Little Star Lake, an inland lake outside the Lake Superior basin. Discriminant function analysis indicated that elemental concentrations provided site-specific information but that considerable overlap existed among some locations, especially those in western Lake Superior. Correct classification rates varied from 12.0% to 86.1% and were generally higher for spawning locations from embayments in eastern Lake Superior and for the outgroup population from Little Star Lake. The results presented here demonstrate the potential usefulness of this technique for strictly freshwater species, especially those that live in highly oligotrophic waters such as Lake Superior.

Interactions of vitamin K3 with herring-sperm DNA using spectroscopy and electrochemistry.

PubMed

Huang, Jianhang; Wang, Xingming; Fei, Dan; Ding, Lisheng

2010-10-01

By means of ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and fluorescence spectra, the binding ratio between vitamin K(3) and herring-sperm DNA in a physiological pH environment (pH = 7.40) was determined as n(K3):n(DNA) = 2:1, and the binding constants of vitamin K(3) binding to DNA at different temperatures were determined as K(θ)(298K) = 1.28 × 10(5) L·mol(-1) and K(θ)(310K) = 7.19 × 10(4) L·mol(-1), which were confirmed using the double reciprocal method are Δ(r)H(m)(θ) = -3.57 × 10(4) J·mol(-1), Δ(r)G(m)(θ) = -2.92 × 10(4) J·mol(-1), and Δ(r)S(m)(θ) = 217.67 J·mol(-1)K(-1). The driving power of this process was enthalpy. An intercalation binding of the vitamin K(3) with DNA was supported by a competitive experiment using acridine orange (AO) as a spectral probe. By combination analysis of the Scatchard method and cyclic voltammetry, we suggested that the interaction mode between vitamin K(3) and herring-sperm DNA would be a mixed mode. The quinonoid, duality fused-ring of vitamin K(3) can intercalate into the base pairs of DNA, and there is an electrostatic binding along with intercalation binding.

Arsenic‐Containing Phosphatidylcholines: A New Group of Arsenolipids Discovered in Herring Caviar

PubMed Central

Viczek, Sandra A.; Francesconi, Kevin A.

2016-01-01

Abstract A new group of arsenolipids based on cell‐membrane phosphatidylcholines has been discovered in herring caviar (fish roe). A combination of HPLC with elemental and molecular mass spectrometry was used to identify five arsenic‐containing phosphatidylcholines; the same technique applied to salmon caviar identified an arsenic‐containing phosphatidylethanolamine. The arsenic group in these membrane lipids might impart particular properties to the molecules not displayed by their non‐arsenic analogues. Additionally, the new compounds have human health implications according to recent results showing high cytotoxicity for some arsenolipids. PMID:26996517

Arsenic‐Containing Phosphatidylcholines: A New Group of Arsenolipids Discovered in Herring Caviar

PubMed Central

Viczek, Sandra A.; Francesconi, Kevin A.

2016-01-01

Abstract A new group of arsenolipids based on cell‐membrane phosphatidylcholines has been discovered in herring caviar (fish roe). A combination of HPLC with elemental and molecular mass spectrometry was used to identify five arsenic‐containing phosphatidylcholines; the same technique applied to salmon caviar identified an arsenic‐containing phosphatidylethanolamine. The arsenic group in these membrane lipids might impart particular properties to the molecules not displayed by their non‐arsenic analogues. Additionally, the new compounds have human health implications according to recent results showing high cytotoxicity for some arsenolipids. PMID:27478276

77 FR 10977 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Sub-Annual Catch Limit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-24

...-Annual Catch Limit (ACL) Harvested for Management Area 1B AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS... Management Area 1B per calendar day until January 1, 2013, when the 2013 sub-ACL for Area 1B becomes... that the revised Atlantic herring sub-ACL limit allocated to Area 1B for 2012 has been exceeded as of...

Effects of introducing foxes and raccoons on herring gull colonies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kadlec, J.A.

1971-01-01

Red foxes (Vulpes fulva) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) released at colonies of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) on islands off the Massachusetts coast effectively eliminated the production of young gulls. Annual predator introductions for 2-4 years caused major reductions in colony size and occasionally total abandonment of the island as a colony site. Observations of the experimental islands for 2 years after cessation of predator introductions showed slow repopulation of the islands and lower breeding success than on control islands. The size of the regional population was reduced largely because of the movements of gulls off the experimental islands. The introduced predators are, in most cases, difficult to maintain on the islands; this restricts their utility in population management.

Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj): updated user interfaces, resource description framework, analysis tools for large structures

PubMed Central

Kinjo, Akira R.; Bekker, Gert-Jan; Suzuki, Hirofumi; Tsuchiya, Yuko; Kawabata, Takeshi; Ikegawa, Yasuyo; Nakamura, Haruki

2017-01-01

The Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj, http://pdbj.org), a member of the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB), accepts and processes the deposited data of experimentally determined macromolecular structures. While maintaining the archive in collaboration with other wwPDB partners, PDBj also provides a wide range of services and tools for analyzing structures and functions of proteins. We herein outline the updated web user interfaces together with RESTful web services and the backend relational database that support the former. To enhance the interoperability of the PDB data, we have previously developed PDB/RDF, PDB data in the Resource Description Framework (RDF) format, which is now a wwPDB standard called wwPDB/RDF. We have enhanced the connectivity of the wwPDB/RDF data by incorporating various external data resources. Services for searching, comparing and analyzing the ever-increasing large structures determined by hybrid methods are also described. PMID:27789697

Characterization of AhR agonists reveals antagonistic activity in European herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs.

PubMed

Muusse, Martine; Christensen, Guttorm; Gomes, Tânia; Kočan, Anton; Langford, Katherine; Tollefsen, Knut Erik; Vaňková, Lenka; Thomas, Kevin V

2015-05-01

European herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs from two Norwegian islands, Musvær in the south east and Reiaren in Northern Norway, were screened for dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like and selected non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and subjected to non-target analysis to try to identify the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, responsible for elevated levels measured using the dioxin responsive chemically activated luciferase expression (DR-CALUX) assay. Eggs from Musvær contained chemically calculated toxic equivalent (WHO TEQ) levels of between 109 and 483 pg TEQ/g lw, and between 82 and 337 pg TEQ/g lw was determined in eggs from Reiaren. In particular PCB126 contributed highly to the total TEQ (69-82%). In 19 of the 23 samples the calculated WHO TEQ was higher than the TEQCALUX. Using CALUX specific relative effect potencies (REPs), the levels were lower at between 77 and 292 pg/g lw in eggs from Musvær and between 55 and 223 pg/g lw in eggs from Reiaren, which was higher than the TEQCALUX in 16 of the 23 samples. However, the means of the REP values and the TEQCALUX were not significantly different. This suggests the presence of compounds that can elicit antagonist effects, with a low binding affinity to the AhR. Non-target analysis identified the presence of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (quantified at 9.6-185 pg/g lw) but neither this compound nor high concentrations of PCB126 and non-dioxin-like PCBs could explain the differences between the calculated TEQ or REP values and the TEQCALUX. Even though, for most AhR agonists, the sensitivity of herring gulls is not known, the reported levels can be considered to represent a risk for biological effects in the developing embryo, compared to LC50 values in chicken embryos. For human consumers of herring gull eggs, these eggs contain TEQ levels up to four times higher than the maximum tolerable weekly intake. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The DNA Data Bank of Japan launches a new resource, the DDBJ Omics Archive of functional genomics experiments.

PubMed

Kodama, Yuichi; Mashima, Jun; Kaminuma, Eli; Gojobori, Takashi; Ogasawara, Osamu; Takagi, Toshihisa; Okubo, Kousaku; Nakamura, Yasukazu

2012-01-01

The DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ; http://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp) maintains and provides archival, retrieval and analytical resources for biological information. The central DDBJ resource consists of public, open-access nucleotide sequence databases including raw sequence reads, assembly information and functional annotation. Database content is exchanged with EBI and NCBI within the framework of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC). In 2011, DDBJ launched two new resources: the 'DDBJ Omics Archive' (DOR; http://trace.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/dor) and BioProject (http://trace.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/bioproject). DOR is an archival database of functional genomics data generated by microarray and highly parallel new generation sequencers. Data are exchanged between the ArrayExpress at EBI and DOR in the common MAGE-TAB format. BioProject provides an organizational framework to access metadata about research projects and the data from the projects that are deposited into different databases. In this article, we describe major changes and improvements introduced to the DDBJ services, and the launch of two new resources: DOR and BioProject.

A 20-Year High-Resolution Wave Resource Assessment of Japan with Wave-Current Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, A.; Waseda, T.; Kiyomatsu, K.

2016-02-01

Energy harvested from surface ocean waves and tidal currents has the potential to be a significant source of green energy, particularly for countries with extensive coastlines such as Japan. As part of a larger marine renewable energy project*, The University of Tokyo (in cooperation with JAMSTEC) has conducted a state-of-the-art wave resource assessment (with uncertainty estimates) to assist with wave generator site identification and construction in Japan. This assessment will be publicly available and is based on a large-scale NOAA WAVEWATCH III (version 4.18) simulation using NCEP and JAMSTEC forcings. It includes several key components to improve model skill: a 20-year simulation to reduce aleatory uncertainty, a four-nested-layer approach to resolve a 1 km shoreline, and finite-depth and current effects included in all wave power density calculations. This latter component is particularly important for regions near strong currents such as the Kuroshio. Here, we will analyze the different wave power density equations, discuss the model setup, and present results from the 20-year assessment (with a focus on the role of wave-current interactions). Time permitting, a comparison will also be made with simulations using JMA MSM 5 km winds. *New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO): "Research on the Framework and Infrastructure of Marine Renewable Energy; an Energy Potential Assessment"

The North American strain of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus is highly pathogenic for laboratory-reared Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocan, R.; Bradley, M.; Elder, N.; Meyers, T.; Batts, W.; Winton, J.

1997-01-01

Specific-pathogen-free Pacific herring Clupea pallasi were reared in the laboratory from eggs and then challenged at 5, 9, and 13 months of age by waterborne exposure to low (101.5–2.5 plaque-forming units [PFU] per milliliter), medium (103.5–4.5 PFU/mL), or high (105.5–6.5 PFU/mL) levels of a North American isolate of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV). The fish were extremely susceptible to the virus, showing clinical disease, mortality approaching 100%, and only a limited increase in resistance with age. Mortality began 4–6 d after exposure and peaked at approximately day 7 in fish exposed to high levels of virus. Whereas the mean time to death showed a significant dose response (P < 0.001), the percent mortality and virus titers in dead fish were generally high in all groups regardless of initial challenge dose. External signs of disease were usually limited to 1–2-mm hemorrhagic areas on the lower jaw and isthmus and around the eye, but 2 of 130 infected fish exhibited extensive cutaneous hemorrhaging. Histopathologic examination of tissues from moribund fish sampled at 2–8 d after exposure revealed multifocal coagulative necrosis of hepatocytes, diffuse necrosis of interstitial hematopoietic tissues in the kidney, diffuse necrosis of the spleen, epidermis, and subcutis, and occasional necrosis of pancreatic acinar cells. Virus titers in tissues of experimentally infected herring were first detected 48 h after exposure and peaked 6-8 d after exposure at 107.7 PFU/g. Fish began shedding virus at 48 h after exposure with titers in the flow-through aquaria reaching 102.5 PFU/mL at 4–5 d after exposure, just before peak mortality. When the water flow was turned off for 3 h, titers in the water rose to 103.5 PFU/mL, and the amount of virus shed by infected fish (on average, greater than 106.5 PFU/h per fish) appeared sufficient to sustain a natural epizootic among schooling herring. Taken together, these data suggest that VHSV could be a

Teaching Unit: Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Dina

The cultural diversity of Japan can provide a rewarding learning experience for children of all grade levels. This teaching unit includes resources and ideas for the study of Japanese society, art, folklore, and poetry. Included among the instructional objectives are: (1) children will compare U.S. lifestyles with Japanese lifestyles by reading…

Relationships between environmental organochlorine contaminant residues, plasma corticosterone concentrations, and intermediary metabolic enzyme activities in Great Lakes herring gull embryos.

PubMed Central

Lorenzen, A; Moon, T W; Kennedy, S W; Glen, G A

1999-01-01

Experiments were conducted to survey and detect differences in plasma corticosterone concentrations and intermediary metabolic enzyme activities in herring gull (Larus argentatus) embryos environmentally exposed to organochlorine contaminants in ovo. Unincubated fertile herring gull eggs were collected from an Atlantic coast control site and various Great Lakes sites in 1997 and artificially incubated in the laboratory. Liver and/or kidney tissues from approximately half of the late-stage embryos were analyzed for the activities of various intermediary metabolic enzymes known to be regulated, at least in part, by corticosteroids. Basal plasma corticosterone concentrations were determined for the remaining embryos. Yolk sacs were collected from each embryo and a subset was analyzed for organochlorine contaminants. Regression analysis of individual yolk sac organochlorine residue concentrations, or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TEQs), with individual basal plasma corticosterone concentrations indicated statistically significant inverse relationships for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs), total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), non-ortho PCBs, and TEQs. Similarly, inverse relationships were observed for the activities of two intermediary metabolic enzymes (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and malic enzyme) when regressed against PCDDs/PCDFs. Overall, these data suggest that current levels of organochlorine contamination may be affecting the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and associated intermediary metabolic pathways in environmentally exposed herring gull embryos in the Great Lakes. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 PMID:10064546

Acoustic characteristics of underwater tail slaps used by Norwegian and Icelandic killer whales (Orcinus orca) to debilitate herring (Clupea harengus).

PubMed

Simon, Malene; Wahlberg, Magnus; Ugarte, Fernando; Miller, Lee A

2005-06-01

Norwegian killer whales debilitate prey by slapping their tails into herring schools. These underwater tail slaps produce a thud-like sound. It is unclear whether this sound is caused by cavitation and/or physical contact between herring and whale tail. Also the forces causing debilitation of the fish are not understood. Here we present an acoustic analysis of underwater tail slaps using a multi-channel wide (150 kHz) band recording system. Underwater tail slaps produced by Norwegian killer whales generated sounds consisting of multiple pulses with source levels of 186+/-5.4 dB (pp) re.1 microPa at 1 m (+/-1 s.d., N = 4). The -3 dB and 97% energy bandwidths were 36.8+/-22.5 kHz and 130.5+/-17.5 kHz (+/-1 s.d., N = 13), respectively, with a centre frequency of 46.1+/-22.3 kHz. The similarities between the acoustic properties of underwater tail slaps recorded from killer whales in Norway, and thud-like sounds recorded from killer whales in Iceland suggest that Norwegian and Icelandic killer whales use similar hunting techniques. The acoustic characteristics of sounds produced by underwater tail slaps were similar to the ones from other cavitation sound sources described in the literature, both in term of temporal and frequency features as well as in source level. We suggest that multiple factors generated by the tail slaps like particle fluctuations, turbulence, pressure changes and physical impact cause debilitation of herring.

Characteristics of the Norwegian Coastal Current during Years with High Recruitment of Norwegian Spring Spawning Herring (Clupea harengus L.)

PubMed Central

Skagseth, Øystein; Slotte, Aril; Stenevik, Erling Kåre; Nash, Richard D. M.

2015-01-01

Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NSSH) Clupea harengus L. spawn on coastal banks along the west coast of Norway. The larvae are generally transported northward in the Norwegian Coastal Current (NCC) with many individuals utilizing nursery grounds in the Barents Sea. The recruitment to this stock is highly variable with a few years having exceptionally good recruitment. The principal causes of recruitment variability of this herring population have been elusive. Here we undertake an event analysis using data between 1948 and 2010 to gain insight into the physical conditions in the NCC that coincide with years of high recruitment. In contrast to a typical year when northerly upwelling winds are prominent during spring, the years with high recruitment coincide with predominantly southwesterly winds and weak upwelling in spring and summer, which lead to an enhanced northward coastal current during the larval drift period. Also in most peak recruitment years, low-salinity anomalies are observed to propagate northward during the spring and summer. It is suggested that consistent southwesterly (downwelling) winds and propagating low-salinity anomalies, both leading to an enhanced northward transport of larvae, are important factors for elevated recruitment. At the same time, these conditions stabilize the coastal waters, possibly leading to enhanced production and improved feeding potential along the drift route to Barents Sea. Further studies on the drivers of early life history mortality can now be undertaken with a better understanding of the physical conditions that prevail during years when elevated recruitment occurs in this herring stock. PMID:26636759

Unexpectedly high mortality in Pacific herring embryos exposed to the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay.

PubMed

Incardona, John P; Vines, Carol A; Anulacion, Bernadita F; Baldwin, David H; Day, Heather L; French, Barbara L; Labenia, Jana S; Linbo, Tiffany L; Myers, Mark S; Olson, O Paul; Sloan, Catherine A; Sol, Sean; Griffin, Frederick J; Menard, Karl; Morgan, Steven G; West, James E; Collier, Tracy K; Ylitalo, Gina M; Cherr, Gary N; Scholz, Nathaniel L

2012-01-10

In November 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan released 54,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil into San Francisco Bay. The accident oiled shoreline near spawning habitats for the largest population of Pacific herring on the west coast of the continental United States. We assessed the health and viability of herring embryos from oiled and unoiled locations that were either deposited by natural spawning or incubated in subtidal cages. Three months after the spill, caged embryos at oiled sites showed sublethal cardiac toxicity, as expected from exposure to oil-derived polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). By contrast, embryos from the adjacent and shallower intertidal zone showed unexpectedly high rates of tissue necrosis and lethality unrelated to cardiotoxicity. No toxicity was observed in embryos from unoiled sites. Patterns of PACs at oiled sites were consistent with oil exposure against a background of urban sources, although tissue concentrations were lower than expected to cause lethality. Embryos sampled 2 y later from oiled sites showed modest sublethal cardiotoxicity but no elevated necrosis or mortality. Bunker oil contains the chemically uncharacterized remains of crude oil refinement, and one or more of these unidentified chemicals likely interacted with natural sunlight in the intertidal zone to kill herring embryos. This reveals an important discrepancy between the resolving power of current forensic analytical chemistry and biological responses of keystone ecological species in oiled habitats. Nevertheless, we successfully delineated the biological impacts of an oil spill in an urbanized coastal estuary with an overlapping backdrop of atmospheric, vessel, and land-based sources of PAC pollution.

Arsenic-Containing Phosphatidylcholines: A New Group of Arsenolipids Discovered in Herring Caviar.

PubMed

Viczek, Sandra A; Jensen, Kenneth B; Francesconi, Kevin A

2016-04-18

A new group of arsenolipids based on cell-membrane phosphatidylcholines has been discovered in herring caviar (fish roe). A combination of HPLC with elemental and molecular mass spectrometry was used to identify five arsenic-containing phosphatidylcholines; the same technique applied to salmon caviar identified an arsenic-containing phosphatidylethanolamine. The arsenic group in these membrane lipids might impart particular properties to the molecules not displayed by their non-arsenic analogues. Additionally, the new compounds have human health implications according to recent results showing high cytotoxicity for some arsenolipids. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Resource selection and space use by sea ducks during the non-breeding season: Implications for habitat conservation planning in urbanized estuaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

De La Cruz, Susan E. W.; Eadie, John M.; Miles, A. Keith; Yee, Julie; Spragens, Kyle A.; Palm, Eric C.; Takekawa, John Y.

2014-01-01

Wide-ranging marine birds rely on multiple habitats for wintering, breeding, and migrating, and their conservation may be dependent on protecting networks of key areas. Urbanized estuaries are critical wintering and stopover areas for many declining sea ducks in North America; however, conservation measures within estuaries are difficult to establish given lack of knowledge about habitat use by these species and the variety of competing human interests. We applied hierarchical modeling to evaluate resource selection of sea ducks (surf scoters, Melanitta perspicillata) wintering in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, a large and highly urbanized estuary. We also examined their distribution, home range, and movements with respect to key habitat features and regions within the estuary. Herring roe was the strongest predictor of bird locations; however, eelgrass, water depth and salinity were also highly-ranked, with sea ducks using deeper areas of higher salinity associated with herring roe and eelgrass presence during mid-winter. Sea ducks were also strongly associated with ferry routes, suggesting these areas may contain resources that are too important to avoid and emphasizing the need to better understand water traffic effects. Movements and home range size differed between males and females in early winter but became more similar in late winter. Birds traveled farther and used several sub-bays in early winter compared to mid-winter when herring roe availability peaked in the Central Bay. Our findings identified key environmental variables, highlighted core use areas, and documented critical periods for consideration when developing conservation plans for sea ducks in urbanized estuaries.

An overview of work, retirement, and pensions in Japan.

PubMed

Bass, S A

1996-01-01

Work to retirement in Japan is a sequential transition for the most part, and Japan permits mandatory retirement by firms at age 60. But many older people work beyond the age of 60, many more than in other industrialized countries. A number of hypotheses are examined, having to do with pensions, health, opportunity, interest in working, cultural attitudes (including the concept of ikigai), and public policy initiatives (such as employment policy and the Silver Human Resource Centers). Japan's cultural attitudes and existing policies appear to have set Japan on a unique course in considering the aging of its population. To what extent should other nations emulate Japan?

Red herring in acid rain research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Havas, M.; Hutchinson, T.C.; Likens, G.E.

1984-06-01

Five common misconceptions, red herrings, regarding the effects of acid deposition on aquatic ecosystems are described in an attempt to clarify some of the confusion they have created. These misconceptions are the following: Bog lakes have been acidic for thousands of years; thus the acidification of lakes is not a recent phenomenon. The early methods for measuring pH are in error; therfore, no statements can be made regarding historical trends. Acidification of lakes and streams results from changed land use practices (forestry, agriculture, animal husbandry) and not acid deposition. The decrease in fish populations is caused by overfishing, disease, andmore » water pollution, not acidification. Because lakes that receive identical rainfall can have considerable different pHs, regional lake acidification cannot be due to acid precipitation. It is easy to suggest a whole series of alternative, and often unlikely, explanations of the causes and consequences of acid deposition. These keep scientists busy for years assembling and examining data only to conclude that the explanation is not valid. These tactics cause, and perhaps are designed to cause, continuous delay in remedial action. They fail to take into account the large body of information that deals with the sources of the acid deposition and the seriousness of its effects.« less

Measuring the inequalities in radiotherapy health resources in Japan: comparison of the Hokkaido-Tohoku and Tokyo districts.

PubMed

Ohba, Hisateru; Narumi, Masakazu; Hosokawa, Yoichiro; Aoki, Masahiko

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to measure and compare the geographical inequalities in radiotherapy health resources between the Hokkaido-Tohoku and Tokyo districts of Japan. The numbers of radiotherapy facilities, radiologists, and radiological technologists were used to represent radiotherapy health resources. The target areas were 11 prefectures in the Hokkaido-Tohoku and Tokyo districts. The Gini coefficient (GC) was used to measure inequalities in health resources in relation to the population and area of each secondary medical care zone. Correlation analysis was performed to clarify the relation between the GC and the all-cancer mortality rate per 100,000 people. The mean population and area GCs of Yamagata Prefecture were the smallest, whereas the mean population GC of Tokyo and the mean area GC of Hokkaido were the largest. The mean GCs of radiotherapy facilities and radiological technologists were higher in the Tokyo district than in the Hokkaido-Tohoku district. No significant correlation was found between GC and cancer mortality. Geographical inequalities in radiotherapy health resources tended to be larger in the Tokyo district than in the Hokkaido-Tohoku district. It is expected that the radiotherapy system will be substantially improved by the Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs.

High-level manpower movement and Japan's foreign aid.

PubMed

Furuya, K

1992-01-01

"Japan's technical assistance programs to Asian countries are summarized. Movements of high-level manpower accompanying direct foreign investments by private enterprise are also reviewed. Proposals for increased human resources development include education and training of foreigners in Japan as well as the training of Japanese aid experts and the development of networks for information exchange." excerpt

77 FR 60649 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in the Herring Savings Areas of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-04

.... 111207737-2141-02] RIN 0648-XC277 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in the Herring Savings Areas of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area AGENCY: National Marine... INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the BSAI according to the Fishery Management Plan for...

The imminent healthcare and emergency care crisis in Japan.

PubMed

Suzuki, Tetsuji; Nishida, Masamichi; Suzuki, Yuriko; Kobayashi, Kunio

2008-05-01

Japan has a universal healthcare system, and this paper describes the reality of the healthcare services provided, as well as current issues with the system. Academic, government, and press reports on Japanese healthcare systems and healthcare guidelines were reviewed. The universal healthcare system of Japan is considered internationally to be both low-cost and effective because the Japanese population enjoys good health status with a long life expectancy, while healthcare spending in Japan is below the average given by the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD). However, in many regions of Japan the existing healthcare resources are seriously inadequate, especially with regard to the number of physicians and other health professionals. Because healthcare is traditionally viewed as "sacred" work in Japan, healthcare professionals are expected to make large personal sacrifices. Also, public attitudes toward medical malpractice have changed in recent decades, and medical professionals are facing legal issues without experienced support of the government or legal professionals. Administrative response to the lack of resources and collaboration among communities are beginning, and more efficient control and management of the healthcare system is under consideration. The Japanese healthcare system needs to adopt an efficient medical control organization to ease the strain on existing healthcare professionals and to increase the number of physicians and other healthcare resources. Rather than continuing to depend on healthcare professionals being able and willing to make personal sacrifices, the government, the public and medical societies must cooperate and support changes in the healthcare system.

High definition systems in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elkus, Richard J., Jr.; Cohen, Robert B.; Dayton, Birney D.; Messerschmitt, David G.; Schreiber, William F.; Tannas, Lawrence E., Jr.; Shelton, Duane

1991-01-01

The successful implementation of a strategy to produce high-definition systems within the Japanese economy will favorably affect the fundamental competitiveness of Japan relative to the rest of the world. The development of an infrastructure necessary to support high-definition products and systems in that country involves major commitments of engineering resources, plants and equipment, educational programs and funding. The results of these efforts appear to affect virtually every aspect of the Japanese industrial complex. The results of assessments of the current progress of Japan toward the development of high-definition products and systems are presented. The assessments are based on the findings of a panel of U.S. experts made up of individuals from U.S. academia and industry, and derived from a study of the Japanese literature combined with visits to the primary relevant industrial laboratories and development agencies in Japan. Specific coverage includes an evaluation of progress in R&D for high-definition television (HDTV) displays that are evolving in Japan; high-definition standards and equipment development; Japanese intentions for the use of HDTV; economic evaluation of Japan's public policy initiatives in support of high-definition systems; management analysis of Japan's strategy of leverage with respect to high-definition products and systems.

Echolocation clicks from killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on herring (Clupea harengus).

PubMed

Simon, Malene; Wahlberg, Magnus; Miller, Lee A

2007-02-01

Echolocation clicks from Norwegian killer whales feeding on herring schools were recorded using a four-hydrophone array. The clicks had broadband bimodal frequency spectra with low and high frequency peaks at 24 and 108 kHz, respectively. The -10 dB bandwidth was 35 kHz. The average source level varied from 173 to 202 dB re 1 microPa (peak-to-peak) at 1 m. This is considerably lower than source levels described for Canadian killer whales foraging on salmon. It is suggested that biosonar clicks of Norwegian killer whales are adapted for localization of prey with high target strength and acute hearing abilities.

Species Profiles. Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic). Alewife/Blueback Herring.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

The fish temporarily lost their (1973), designed to test the effects ability to osmoregulate when exposed of suspended sediments on the hatching to...moving through a efficient osmoregulators in either pool-and-weir fishway, indicated environment (Stanley and Colby 1971). moderate activity and...J. E., J. P. Miller, and J. electrolyte balance and Davis 1969. Distribution of osmoregulation in the alewife in juvenile river herring in thefresh

Energy Demand and Resources of Japan. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-08-01

the process. But if less coal per ton of steel is required, the countervailing fact remains that Japan, already a major steel pro- ducer, will...requirements between now and 2000 represent a prime marketing tar- get for the United States, provided the world economy remains reason- ably healthy and...today’s dollars, provided the U.S. remains competitive in the world coal market. B.4 Potential Technological Improvements B. 4.1 High-Speed Mining

Release of infectious cells from epidermal ulcers in Ichthyophonus sp.–infected Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii): Evidence for multiple mechanisms of transmission

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, Paul K.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Kocan, R.M.

2010-01-01

A common clinical sign of ichthyophoniasis in herring and trout is “sandpaper” skin, a roughening of the epidermis characterized by the appearance of small papules, followed by ulceration and sloughing of the epithelium; early investigators hypothesized that these ulcers might be a means of transmitting the parasite, Ichthyophonus sp., without the necessity of ingesting an infected host. We examined the cells associated with the epidermal lesions and confirmed that they were viable Ichthyophonus sp. cells that were readily released from the skin into the mucous layer and ultimately into the aquatic environment. The released cells were infectious when injected into the body cavity of specific-pathogen-free herring. Our hypothesis is that different mechanisms of transmission occur in carnivorous and planktivorous hosts: Planktonic feeders become infected by ingestion of ulcer-derived cells, while carnivores become infected by ingestion of whole infected fish.

Predicting synergistic effects of resources and predators on foraging decisions by juvenile Steller sea lions.

PubMed

Frid, Alejandro; Burns, Jennifer; Baker, Gregory G; Thorne, Richard E

2009-01-01

Many theoretical and experimental studies suggest that synergistic interactions between resources and predators influence foraging decisions and their fitness consequences. This framework, however, has been ignored almost completely by hypotheses on causes of the population decline of Steller sea lions (SSLs) (Eumetopias jubatus) in western Alaska. By comparing predictions from a dynamic state variable model to empirical data on the behaviour of individuals instrumented with satellite-linked time-at-depth recorders, we develop and find preliminary support for the hypothesis that, during winter in Prince William Sound, juvenile SSLs (a) underutilise walleye pollock, a predictable resource in deep strata, due to predation risk from Pacific sleeper sharks, and (b) underutilise the potential energy bonanza of inshore aggregations of Pacific herring due to risk from either killer whales, larger conspecifics, or both. Further, under conditions of resource scarcity-induced by overfishing, long-term oceanographic cycles, or their combination-trade-offs between mortality risk and energy gain may influence demographic parameters. Accordingly, computer simulations illustrated the theoretical plausibility that a decline of Pacific herring in shallow strata would greatly increase the number of deep foraging dives, thereby increasing exposure to sleeper sharks and mortality rates. These results suggest that hypotheses on the decline of SSLs should consider synergistic effects of predators and resources on behaviour and mortality rates. Empirical support for our model, however, is limited and we outline tasks for empirical research that emerge from these limitations. More generally, in the context of today's conservation crises, our work illustrates that the greater the dearth of system-specific data, the greater the need to apply principles of behavioural ecology toward the understanding and management of large-scale marine systems.

Species Profiles. Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic). Atlantic Herring,

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-04-01

Serv. Tech. Ser. Rep. 1979. Apparent feeding by the fin 23. 449 pp. whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and humpback whale (Megaptera Soleim, P.A. 1942...established prey of rorqual whales (Overholtz and catch quotas in Federal waters from 3 Nicolas 1979). Sooty shearwaters feed to 200 miles offshore, was...finback whales , and the common This study also revealed a high degree squid (Hildebrand 1963; Bigelow and of diet overlap (71%) between herring Schroeder

Evaluating renewable natural resources flow and net primary productivity with a GIS-Emergy approach: A case study of Hokkaido, Japan.

PubMed

Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Shenyan; Yan, Wanglin; Wang, Renqing; Liu, Jian; Wang, Yutao

2016-11-18

Renewable natural resources, such as solar radiation, rainfall, wind, and geothermal heat, together with ecosystem services, provide the elementary supports for the sustainable development of human society. To improve regional sustainability, we studied the spatial distributions and quantities of renewable natural resources and net primary productivity (NPP) in Hokkaido, which is the second largest island of Japan. With the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, distribution maps for each type of renewable natural resource were generated by kriging interpolation based on statistical records. A composite map of the flow of all types of renewable natural resources was also generated by map layer overlapping. Additionally, we utilized emergy analysis to convert each renewable flow with different attributes into a unified unit (i.e., solar equivalent joules [sej]). As a result, the spatial distributions of the flow of renewable natural resources of the Hokkaido region are presented in the form of thematic emergy maps. Thus, the areas with higher renewable emergy can be easily visualized and identified. The dominant renewable flow in certain areas can also be directly distinguished. The results can provide useful information for regional sustainable development, environmental conservation and ecological management.

Evaluating renewable natural resources flow and net primary productivity with a GIS-Emergy approach: A case study of Hokkaido, Japan

PubMed Central

Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Shenyan; Yan, Wanglin; Wang, Renqing; Liu, Jian; Wang, Yutao

2016-01-01

Renewable natural resources, such as solar radiation, rainfall, wind, and geothermal heat, together with ecosystem services, provide the elementary supports for the sustainable development of human society. To improve regional sustainability, we studied the spatial distributions and quantities of renewable natural resources and net primary productivity (NPP) in Hokkaido, which is the second largest island of Japan. With the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, distribution maps for each type of renewable natural resource were generated by kriging interpolation based on statistical records. A composite map of the flow of all types of renewable natural resources was also generated by map layer overlapping. Additionally, we utilized emergy analysis to convert each renewable flow with different attributes into a unified unit (i.e., solar equivalent joules [sej]). As a result, the spatial distributions of the flow of renewable natural resources of the Hokkaido region are presented in the form of thematic emergy maps. Thus, the areas with higher renewable emergy can be easily visualized and identified. The dominant renewable flow in certain areas can also be directly distinguished. The results can provide useful information for regional sustainable development, environmental conservation and ecological management. PMID:27857230

Synthetic biology as red herring.

PubMed

Preston, Beth

2013-12-01

It has become commonplace to say that with the advent of technologies like synthetic biology the line between artifacts and living organisms, policed by metaphysicians since antiquity, is beginning to blur. But that line began to blur 10,000 years ago when plants and animals were first domesticated; and has been thoroughly blurred at least since agriculture became the dominant human subsistence pattern many millennia ago. Synthetic biology is ultimately only a late and unexceptional offshoot of this prehistoric development. From this perspective, then, synthetic biology is a red herring, distracting us from more thorough philosophical consideration of the most truly revolutionary human practice-agriculture. In the first section of this paper I will make this case with regard to ontology, arguing that synthetic biology crosses no ontological lines that were not crossed already in the Neolithic. In the second section I will construct a parallel case with regard to cognition, arguing that synthetic biology as biological engineering represents no cognitive advance over what was required for domestication and the new agricultural subsistence pattern it grounds. In the final section I will make the case with regard to human existence, arguing that synthetic biology, even if wildly successful, is not in a position to cause significant existential change in what it is to be human over and above the massive existential change caused by the transition to agriculture. I conclude that a longer historical perspective casts new light on some important issues in philosophy of technology and environmental philosophy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic factors have a major effect on growth, number of vertebrae and otolith shape in Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus).

PubMed

Berg, Florian; Almeland, Oda W; Skadal, Julie; Slotte, Aril; Andersson, Leif; Folkvord, Arild

2018-01-01

Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, have complex population structures. Mixing of populations is known, but the extent of connectivity is still unclear. Phenotypic plasticity results in divergent phenotypes in response to environmental factors. A marked salinity gradient occurs from Atlantic Ocean (salinity 35) into the Baltic Sea (salinity range 2-12). Herring from both habitats display phenotypic and genetic variability. To explore how genetic factors and salinity influence phenotypic traits like growth, number of vertebrae and otolith shape an experimental population consisting of Atlantic purebreds and Atlantic/Baltic F1 hybrids were incubated and co-reared at two different salinities, 16 and 35, for three years. The F1-generation was repeatedly sampled to evaluate temporal variation. A von Bertalanffy growth model indicated that reared Atlantic purebreds had a higher maximum length (26.2 cm) than Atlantic/Baltic hybrids (24.8 cm) at salinity 35, but not at salinity 16 (25.0 and 24.8 cm, respectively). In contrast, Atlantic/Baltic hybrids achieved larger size-at-age than the wild caught Baltic parental group. Mean vertebral counts and otolith aspect ratios were higher for reared Atlantic purebreds than Atlantic/Baltic hybrids, consistent with the differences between parental groups. There were no significant differences in vertebral counts and otolith aspect ratios between herring with the same genotype but raised in different salinities. A Canonical Analysis of Principal Coordinates was applied to analyze the variation in wavelet coefficients that described otolith shape. The first discriminating axis identified the differences between Atlantic purebreds and Atlantic/Baltic hybrids, while the second axis represented salinity differences. Assigning otoliths based on genetic groups (Atlantic purebreds vs. Atlantic/Baltic hybrids) yielded higher classification success (~90%) than based on salinities (16 vs. 35; ~60%). Our results demonstrate that otolith shape and

Water supply facility damage and water resource operation at disaster base hospitals in miyagi prefecture in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

PubMed

Matsumura, Takashi; Osaki, Shizuka; Kudo, Daisuke; Furukawa, Hajime; Nakagawa, Atsuhiro; Abe, Yoshiko; Yamanouchi, Satoshi; Egawa, Shinichi; Tominaga, Teiji; Kushimoto, Shigeki

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to shed light on damage to water supply facilities and the state of water resource operation at disaster base hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture (Japan) in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011), in order to identify issues concerning the operational continuity of hospitals in the event of a disaster. In addition to interview and written questionnaire surveys to 14 disaster base hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture, a number of key elements relating to the damage done to water supply facilities and the operation of water resources were identified from the chronological record of events following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Nine of the 14 hospitals experienced cuts to their water supplies, with a median value of three days (range=one to 20 days) for service recovery time. The hospitals that could utilize well water during the time that water supply was interrupted were able to obtain water in quantities similar to their normal volumes. Hospitals that could not use well water during the period of interruption, and hospitals whose water supply facilities were damaged, experienced significant disruption to dialysis, sterilization equipment, meal services, sanitation, and outpatient care services, though the extent of disruption varied considerably among hospitals. None of the hospitals had determined the amount of water used for different purposes during normal service or formulated a plan for allocation of limited water in the event of a disaster. The present survey showed that it is possible to minimize the disruption and reduction of hospital functions in the event of a disaster by proper maintenance of water supply facilities and by ensuring alternative water resources, such as well water. It is also clear that it is desirable to conclude water supply agreements and formulate strategic water allocation plans in preparation for the eventuality of a long-term interruption to water services.

Status of Alabama shad and skipjack herring in Gulf of Mexico drainages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mettee, M.F.; O'Neil, P. E.

2003-01-01

Gulf of Mexico drainages are inhabited by two alosine species, the anadromous Alabama shad Alosa alabamae and the skipjack herring A. chrysochloris. Although their distributions are reasonably well documented, the life history and ecology of both species has been incompletely investigated. Infrequent literature references suggest populations of both species have been adversely affected by river management activities throughout parts of their ranges. This purpose of this paper is to summarize available information concerning past and present distributions, population characteristics, spawning and fecundity, age and growth, and population trends of both species as well as threats to the species. Areas of research are suggested to maintain and possibly recover existing populations. ?? 2003 by the American Fisheries Society.

GPS tracking data of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding at the southern North Sea coast.

PubMed

Stienen, Eric W M; Desmet, Peter; Aelterman, Bart; Courtens, Wouter; Feys, Simon; Vanermen, Nicolas; Verstraete, Hilbran; de Walle, Marc Van; Deneudt, Klaas; Hernandez, Francisco; Houthoofdt, Robin; Vanhoorne, Bart; Bouten, Willem; Buijs, Roland-Jan; Kavelaars, Marwa M; Müller, Wendt; Herman, David; Matheve, Hans; Sotillo, Alejandro; Lens, Luc

2016-01-01

In this data paper, Bird tracking - GPS tracking of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding at the southern North Sea coast is described, a species occurrence dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The dataset (version 5.5) contains close to 2.5 million occurrences, recorded by 101 GPS trackers mounted on 75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 26 Herring Gulls breeding at the Belgian and Dutch coast. The trackers were developed by the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS, http://www.uva-bits.nl). These automatically record and transmit bird movements, which allows us and others to study their habitat use and migration behaviour in great detail. Our bird tracking network is operational since 2013. It is funded for LifeWatch by the Hercules Foundation and maintained in collaboration with UvA-BiTS and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). The recorded data are periodically released in bulk as open data (http://dataset.inbo.be/bird-tracking-gull-occurrences), and are also accessible through CartoDB and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Decentralization and centralization of healthcare resources: investigating the associations of hospital competition and number of cardiologists per hospital with mortality and resource utilization in Japan.

PubMed

Park, Sungchul; Lee, Jason; Ikai, Hiroshi; Otsubo, Tetsuya; Imanaka, Yuichi

2013-11-01

To investigate the associations of hospital competition and number of cardiologists per hospital (indicating the decentralization and centralization of healthcare resources, respectively) with 30-day in-hospital mortality, healthcare spending, and length of stay (LOS) among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Japan. We collected data from 23,197 AMI patients admitted to 172 hospitals between 2008 and 2011. Hospital competition and number of cardiologists per hospital were analyzed as exposure variables in multilevel regression models for in-hospital mortality, healthcare spending, and LOS. Other covariates included patient, hospital, and regional variables; as well as the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Hospitals in competitive regions and hospitals with a higher number of cardiologists were both associated lower in-hospital mortality. Additionally, hospitals in competition regions were also associated with longer LOS durations, whereas hospitals with more cardiologists had higher spending. The use of PCI was also associated with reduced mortality, increased spending and increased LOS. Centralization of cardiologists at the hospital level and decentralization of acute hospitals at the regional level may be contributing factors for improving the quality of care in Japan. Policymakers need to strike a balance between these two approaches to improve healthcare provision and quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does lack of resources impair access to breast and cervical cancer screening in Japan?

PubMed

Sano, Hiroshi; Goto, Rei; Hamashima, Chisato

2017-01-01

To assess the impact of the quantity of resources for breast and cervical cancer screening on the participation rates in screening in clinical settings in municipalities, as well as to clarify whether lack of resources impairs access to cancer screening in Japan. Of the 1,746 municipalities in 2010, 1,443 (82.6%) and 1,469 (84.1%) were included in the analyses for breast and cervical cancer screening, respectively. In order to estimate the effects of the number of mammography units and of gynecologists on the participation rates in breast and cervical cancer screening in clinical settings, multiple regression analyses were performed using the interaction term for urban municipalities. The average participation rate in screening in clinical settings was 6.01% for breast cancer, and was 8.93% for cervical cancer. The marginal effect of the number of mammography units per 1,000 women was significantly positive in urban municipalities (8.20 percent point). The marginal effect of the number of gynecologists per 1,000 women was significantly positive in all municipalities (2.54 percent point) and rural municipalities (3.68 percent point). Lack of mammography units in urban areas and of gynecologists particularly in rural areas impaired access to breast and cervical cancer screening. Strategies are required that quickly improve access for the residents and increase their participation rates in cancer screening.

Does lack of resources impair access to breast and cervical cancer screening in Japan?

PubMed Central

Goto, Rei; Hamashima, Chisato

2017-01-01

Objectives To assess the impact of the quantity of resources for breast and cervical cancer screening on the participation rates in screening in clinical settings in municipalities, as well as to clarify whether lack of resources impairs access to cancer screening in Japan. Methods Of the 1,746 municipalities in 2010, 1,443 (82.6%) and 1,469 (84.1%) were included in the analyses for breast and cervical cancer screening, respectively. In order to estimate the effects of the number of mammography units and of gynecologists on the participation rates in breast and cervical cancer screening in clinical settings, multiple regression analyses were performed using the interaction term for urban municipalities. Results The average participation rate in screening in clinical settings was 6.01% for breast cancer, and was 8.93% for cervical cancer. The marginal effect of the number of mammography units per 1,000 women was significantly positive in urban municipalities (8.20 percent point). The marginal effect of the number of gynecologists per 1,000 women was significantly positive in all municipalities (2.54 percent point) and rural municipalities (3.68 percent point). Conclusions Lack of mammography units in urban areas and of gynecologists particularly in rural areas impaired access to breast and cervical cancer screening. Strategies are required that quickly improve access for the residents and increase their participation rates in cancer screening. PMID:28704430

The effect of progressive hypoxia on school structure and dynamics in Atlantic herring Clupea harengus.

PubMed

Domenici, Paolo; Ferrari, R Silvana; Steffensen, John F; Batty, Robert S

2002-10-22

The effect of progressive hypoxia on the structure and dynamics of herring (Clupea harengus) schools in laboratory conditions was investigated. The length, width and depth of schools of about 20 individuals were measured from video recordings to test the hypothesis that during hypoxia fish schools change their shape and volume. School shape (calculated as the ratios of length/depth, width/depth and length/width) did not change significantly during hypoxia. School length, width, depth, area and volume were all significantly increased at 20% oxygen saturation. Volume, area and width were more sensitive to hypoxia; volume and width were also increased at 25% and area at 30% oxygen saturation. The degree of position changing (shuffling) of individuals within the school was also analysed. Shuffling in normoxia was observed to occur largely through 'O-turn' manoeuvres, a 360( degrees )turn executed laterally to the school that allowed fishes in the front to move to the back. O-turn frequency during normoxia was 0.69 O-turns fish(-1) min(-1) but significantly decreased with hypoxia to 0.37 O-turns fish(-1) min(-1) at 30% oxygen saturation. Shuffling was also investigated by measuring the persistence time of individual herring in leading positions (i.e. the first half of the school). No significant changes occurred during hypoxia, indicating that the decrease in O-turn frequency does not affect shuffling rate during hypoxia, and that position shuffling in hypoxic conditions is mainly due to overtaking or falling back by individual fishes. School integrity and positional dynamics are the outcome of trade-offs among a number of biotic factors, such as food, predator defence, mating behaviour and various physical factors that may impose certain limits. Among these, our results indicate that oxygen level modulates schooling behaviour. Oxygen alters whole-school parameters at oxygen saturation values that can be encountered by herring in the field, indicating that oxygen

The feasibility of assessing the diets of minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea through fatty acid composition in blubber and stable isotopic ratio of skin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Ah-Ra; Ju, Se-Jong; Choi, Seok-Gwan; Shin, Kyung-Hoon

2016-09-01

To track the diet of minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea (Japan Sea), a conjoint analysis of fatty acids and C and N stable isotopes was performed on blubber and skin from the whale and its potential prey. The total lipid content in the blubber of minke whales ranged from 37.9% to 82.7% of wet mass (mean ± SD, 63.1 ± 17.2%), with triacylglycerols being the dominant lipids (96.9%-99.2% of total lipids). The lipid and fatty acid (FA) contents were systematically stratified throughout the depth of the blubber layers; contents of the dominant monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs), including 18:1ω9 and 16:1ω7, increased from the innermost layer to the outermost layer, whereas contents of saturated FAs (SFAs) and polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) were higher in the innermost layer than in the outermost layer. This stratification is related to the different physiological roles of the blubber layers; e.g., thermoregulation, streaming, and buoyancy. A comparison of the FA compositions of the innermost layer of minke whales with those of potential prey indicates that FA compositions in the whales are similar to those of Pacific herring. In addition, stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) suggest that minke whale and Pacific herring have the same or similar diets. Therefore, the diets of minke whale from the East Sea (Japan Sea) could be inferred from information on the diet of the Pacific herring, although FA compositions and stable isotope ratios for Pacific herring would not exactly reflect the whale's diet. Although the very limited number of samples was used in this study, our preliminary findings are very promising to help understand the feeding ecology of minke whales in the East Sea (Japan Sea).

Real-time ichthyoplankton drift in Northeast Arctic cod and Norwegian spring-spawning herring.

PubMed

Vikebø, Frode B; Ådlandsvik, Bjørn; Albretsen, Jon; Sundby, Svein; Stenevik, Erling Kåre; Huse, Geir; Svendsen, Einar; Kristiansen, Trond; Eriksen, Elena

2011-01-01

Individual-based biophysical larval models, initialized and parameterized by observations, enable numerical investigations of various factors regulating survival of young fish until they recruit into the adult population. Exponentially decreasing numbers in Northeast Arctic cod and Norwegian Spring Spawning herring early changes emphasizes the importance of early life history, when ichthyoplankton exhibit pelagic free drift. However, while most studies are concerned with past recruitment variability it is also important to establish real-time predictions of ichthyoplankton distributions due to the increasing human activity in fish habitats and the need for distribution predictions that could potentially improve field coverage of ichthyoplankton. A system has been developed for operational simulation of ichthyoplankton distributions. We have coupled a two-day ocean forecasts from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute with an individual-based ichthyoplankton model for Northeast Arctic cod and Norwegian Spring Spawning herring producing daily updated maps of ichthyoplankton distributions. Recent years observed spawning distribution and intensity have been used as input to the model system. The system has been running in an operational mode since 2008. Surveys are expensive and distributions of early stages are therefore only covered once or twice a year. Comparison between model and observations are therefore limited in time. However, the observed and simulated distributions of juvenile fish tend to agree well during early fall. Area-overlap between modeled and observed juveniles September 1(st) range from 61 to 73%, and 61 to 71% when weighted by concentrations. The model system may be used to evaluate the design of ongoing surveys, to quantify the overlap with harmful substances in the ocean after accidental spills, as well as management planning of particular risky operations at sea. The modeled distributions are already utilized during research surveys to

Real-Time Ichthyoplankton Drift in Northeast Arctic Cod and Norwegian Spring-Spawning Herring

PubMed Central

Vikebø, Frode B.; Ådlandsvik, Bjørn; Albretsen, Jon; Sundby, Svein; Stenevik, Erling Kåre; Huse, Geir; Svendsen, Einar; Kristiansen, Trond; Eriksen, Elena

2011-01-01

Background Individual-based biophysical larval models, initialized and parameterized by observations, enable numerical investigations of various factors regulating survival of young fish until they recruit into the adult population. Exponentially decreasing numbers in Northeast Arctic cod and Norwegian Spring Spawning herring early changes emphasizes the importance of early life history, when ichthyoplankton exhibit pelagic free drift. However, while most studies are concerned with past recruitment variability it is also important to establish real-time predictions of ichthyoplankton distributions due to the increasing human activity in fish habitats and the need for distribution predictions that could potentially improve field coverage of ichthyoplankton. Methodology/Principal Findings A system has been developed for operational simulation of ichthyoplankton distributions. We have coupled a two-day ocean forecasts from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute with an individual-based ichthyoplankton model for Northeast Arctic cod and Norwegian Spring Spawning herring producing daily updated maps of ichthyoplankton distributions. Recent years observed spawning distribution and intensity have been used as input to the model system. The system has been running in an operational mode since 2008. Surveys are expensive and distributions of early stages are therefore only covered once or twice a year. Comparison between model and observations are therefore limited in time. However, the observed and simulated distributions of juvenile fish tend to agree well during early fall. Area-overlap between modeled and observed juveniles September 1st range from 61 to 73%, and 61 to 71% when weighted by concentrations. Conclusions/Significance The model system may be used to evaluate the design of ongoing surveys, to quantify the overlap with harmful substances in the ocean after accidental spills, as well as management planning of particular risky operations at sea. The modeled

The Japan Medical Association's disaster preparedness: lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

PubMed

Ishii, Masami; Nagata, Takashi

2013-10-01

A complex disaster, the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, consisted of a large-scale earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident, resulting in more than 15 000 fatalities, injuries, and missing persons and damage over a 500-km area. The entire Japanese public was profoundly affected by "3/11." The risk of radiation exposure initially delayed the medical response, prolonging the recovery efforts. Japan's representative medical organization, the Japan Medical Association (JMA), began dispatching Japan Medical Association Teams (JMATs) to affected areas beginning March 15, 2011. About 1400 JMATs comprising nearly 5500 health workers were launched. The JMA coordinated JMAT operations and cooperated in conducting postmortem examination, transporting large quantities of medical supplies, and establishing a multiorganizational council to provide health assistance to disaster survivors. Importantly, these response efforts contributed to the complete recovery of the health care system in affected areas within 3 months, and by July 15, 2011, JMATs were withdrawn. Subsequently, JMATs II have been providing long-term continuing medical support to disaster-affected areas. However, Japan is at great risk for future natural disasters because of its Pacific Rim location. Also, its rapidly aging population, uneven distribution of and shortage of medical resources in regional communities, and an overburdened public health insurance system highlight the need for a highly prepared and effective disaster response system.

Native fruit tree genetic resources in Japan

PubMed Central

Iketani, Hiroyuki

2016-01-01

The diversity of climate, from subarctic to subtropical, and the complex geological history of Japan have produced a rich biodiversity. The flora includes several hundred species of native woody plants with edible fleshy fruits or nuts. People have eaten them from prehistoric times until about a half century ago. In Hokkaidō and the Ryūkyū Islands nut species had an important role in the diet, but fleshy fruits were also eaten until recently. Only Castanea crenata and a few minor species became domesticated as edible fruit trees in pre-modern times. Recently, Vitis coignetiae, Lonicera caerulea, Akebia quinata, Akebia trifoliata, Stauntonia hexaphylla, and Actinidia arguta have entered small-scale cultivation. The conservation of the germplasm of many of these native species, both in situ and ex situ, is precarious. PMID:27069393

History of Nuclear Fusion Research in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iguchi, Harukazu; Matsuoka, Keisuke; Kimura, Kazue; Namba, Chusei; Matsuda, Shinzaburo

In the late 1950s just after the atomic energy research was opened worldwide, there was a lively discussion among scientists on the strategy of nuclear fusion research in Japan. Finally, decision was made that fusion research should be started from the basic, namely, research on plasma physics and from cultivation of human resources at universities under the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (MOE). However, an endorsement was given that construction of an experimental device for fusion research would be approved sooner or later. Studies on toroidal plasma confinement started at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) under the Science and Technology Agency (STA) in the mid-1960s. Dualistic fusion research framework in Japan was established. This structure has lasted until now. Fusion research activities over the last 50 years are described by the use of a flowchart, which is convenient to glance the historical development of fusion research in Japan.

The amount of food ingested in a single meal by rainbow trout offered chopped herring, dry and wet diets

PubMed

Ruohonen; Grove; McIlroy

1997-07-01

Two-year-old 1·5-kg rainbow trout were held in cages and conditioned by feeding either on low-fat chopped herring (H trout) or dry pellets (P trout) for 15 weeks. Their satiation amounts were then determined under standard conditions. On a wet weight basis H trout ate 2·5-3·5 times more food than P trout; this was sufficient to compensate for the high water content of herring and thereby maintain the dry matter intake. When P trout were offered herring (PH trout) they consumed more food than when offered dry pellets but not as much as H trout. Stomach capacity restricted the intake and their dry matter intake was reduced by c. 40%. When H trout were offered dry pellets (HP trout) they adjusted their intake immediately close to the level of P trout although their larger stomachs could have accommodated more than twice this volume of dry food. The return of appetite after a satiation meal was almost linear with time. Appetite increased at c. 556 mg g-1 body weight h-1 for H trout and at 142 mg g-1 bw h-1 for P trout. The return of appetite in PH trout was significantly slower (c. 370 mg g-1 bw h-1) than in H trout; the previous dietary history of the PH trout limited their capacity to process larger volumes of wet food in a single meal. Fish offered dry diet (P and HP trout) had similar rates of appetite return despite their previous feeding history suggesting that the property of the dry feed itself might limit meal size. The total gastric emptying time of diets of similar dry matter content (with and without large amounts of water) was similar, but the delay time before gastric emptying starts tended to be longer for dry diets. Dry pellets appear to impose a demand for water that prolongs the gastric delay. This water demand is met partly by drinking since the trout fed on dry pellets drank significantly more (436±189 mg kg-1 h-1) than unfed and herring-fed trout which drank little or not at all (65±113 and 70±66 mg kg-1 h

Ecosystem scale acoustic sensing reveals humpback whale behavior synchronous with herring spawning processes and re-evaluation finds no effect of sonar on humpback song occurrence in the Gulf of Maine in fall 2006.

PubMed

Gong, Zheng; Jain, Ankita D; Tran, Duong; Yi, Dong Hoon; Wu, Fan; Zorn, Alexander; Ratilal, Purnima; Makris, Nicholas C

2014-01-01

We show that humpback-whale vocalization behavior is synchronous with peak annual Atlantic herring spawning processes in the Gulf of Maine. With a passive, wide-aperture, densely-sampled, coherent hydrophone array towed north of Georges Bank in a Fall 2006 Ocean Acoustic Waveguide Remote Sensing (OAWRS) experiment, vocalizing whales could be instantaneously detected and localized over most of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem in a roughly 400-km diameter area by introducing array gain, of 18 dB, orders of magnitude higher than previously available in acoustic whale sensing. With humpback-whale vocalizations consistently recorded at roughly 2000/day, we show that vocalizing humpbacks (i) were overwhelmingly distributed along the northern flank of Georges Bank, coinciding with the peak spawning time and location of Atlantic herring, and (ii) their overall vocalization behavior was strongly diurnal, synchronous with the formation of large nocturnal herring shoals, with a call rate roughly ten-times higher at night than during the day. Humpback-whale vocalizations were comprised of (1) highly diurnal non-song calls, suited to hunting and feeding behavior, and (2) songs, which had constant occurrence rate over a diurnal cycle, invariant to diurnal herring shoaling. Before and during OAWRS survey transmissions: (a) no vocalizing whales were found at Stellwagen Bank, which had negligible herring populations, and (b) a constant humpback-whale song occurrence rate indicates the transmissions had no effect on humpback song. These measurements contradict the conclusions of Risch et al. Our analysis indicates that (a) the song occurrence variation reported in Risch et al. is consistent with natural causes other than sonar, (b) the reducing change in song reported in Risch et al. occurred days before the sonar survey began, and (c) the Risch et al. method lacks the statistical significance to draw the conclusions of Risch et al. because it has a 98-100% false-positive rate and lacks

Ecosystem Scale Acoustic Sensing Reveals Humpback Whale Behavior Synchronous with Herring Spawning Processes and Re-Evaluation Finds No Effect of Sonar on Humpback Song Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine in Fall 2006

PubMed Central

Gong, Zheng; Jain, Ankita D.; Tran, Duong; Yi, Dong Hoon; Wu, Fan; Zorn, Alexander; Ratilal, Purnima; Makris, Nicholas C.

2014-01-01

We show that humpback-whale vocalization behavior is synchronous with peak annual Atlantic herring spawning processes in the Gulf of Maine. With a passive, wide-aperture, densely-sampled, coherent hydrophone array towed north of Georges Bank in a Fall 2006 Ocean Acoustic Waveguide Remote Sensing (OAWRS) experiment, vocalizing whales could be instantaneously detected and localized over most of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem in a roughly 400-km diameter area by introducing array gain, of 18 dB, orders of magnitude higher than previously available in acoustic whale sensing. With humpback-whale vocalizations consistently recorded at roughly 2000/day, we show that vocalizing humpbacks (i) were overwhelmingly distributed along the northern flank of Georges Bank, coinciding with the peak spawning time and location of Atlantic herring, and (ii) their overall vocalization behavior was strongly diurnal, synchronous with the formation of large nocturnal herring shoals, with a call rate roughly ten-times higher at night than during the day. Humpback-whale vocalizations were comprised of (1) highly diurnal non-song calls, suited to hunting and feeding behavior, and (2) songs, which had constant occurrence rate over a diurnal cycle, invariant to diurnal herring shoaling. Before and during OAWRS survey transmissions: (a) no vocalizing whales were found at Stellwagen Bank, which had negligible herring populations, and (b) a constant humpback-whale song occurrence rate indicates the transmissions had no effect on humpback song. These measurements contradict the conclusions of Risch et al. Our analysis indicates that (a) the song occurrence variation reported in Risch et al. is consistent with natural causes other than sonar, (b) the reducing change in song reported in Risch et al. occurred days before the sonar survey began, and (c) the Risch et al. method lacks the statistical significance to draw the conclusions of Risch et al. because it has a 98–100% false-positive rate and

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, Japan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-06

pollack, herring, smelt, etc.). In the fish that are reproduced by artificial insemination , it is advantageous for egg production when there are many...operations. So far, we have been directing our efforts to the rocket and satellite fields and space environment utilization, and in the future we intend...as well as of bringing to completion Engineering Test Satellite VI for the development of 2-ton class large satellites in the future. We

Unravelling the Gordian knot! Key processes impacting overwintering larval survival and growth: A North Sea herring case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hufnagl, Marc; Peck, Myron A.; Nash, Richard D. M.; Dickey-Collas, Mark

2015-11-01

Unraveling the key processes affecting marine fish recruitment will ultimately require a combination of field, laboratory and modelling studies. We combined analyzes of long-term (30-year) field data on larval fish abundance, distribution and length, and biophysical model simulations of different levels of complexity to identify processes impacting the survival and growth of autumn- and winter-spawned Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae. Field survey data revealed interannual changes in intensity of utilization of the five major spawning grounds (Orkney/Shetland, Buchan, Banks north, Banks south, and Downs) as well as spatio-temporal variability in the length and abundance of overwintered larvae. The mean length of larvae captured in post-winter surveys was negatively correlated to the proportion of larvae from the southern-most (Downs) winter-spawning component. Furthermore, the mean length of larvae originating from all spawning components has decreased since 1990 suggesting ecosystem-wide changes impacting larval growth potential, most likely due to changes in prey fields. A simple biophysical model assuming temperature-dependent growth and constant mortality underestimated larval growth rates suggesting that larval mortality rates steeply declined with increasing size and/or age during winter as no match with field data could be obtained. In contrast better agreement was found between observed and modelled post-winter abundance for larvae originating from four spawning components when a more complex, physiological-based foraging and growth model was employed using a suite of potential prey field and size-based mortality scenarios. Nonetheless, agreement between field and model-derived estimates was poor for larvae originating from the winter-spawned Downs component. In North Sea herring, the dominant processes impacting larval growth and survival appear to have shifted in time and space highlighting how environmental forcing, ecosystem state and other

A Survey On Management Of Software Engineering In Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadono, Yasuo; Tsubaki, Hiroe; Tsuruho, Seishiro

2008-05-01

The purpose of this study is to clarity the mechanism of how software engineering capabilities relate to the business performance of IT vendors in Japan. To do this, we developed a structural model using factors related to software engineering, business performance and competitive environment. By analyzing the data collected from 78 major IT vendors in Japan, we found that superior deliverables and business performance were correlated with the effort expended particularly on human resource development, quality assurance, research and development and process improvement.

Simultaneous separation and determination of eleven nucleosides and bases in beer, herring sperm DNA and RNA soft capsule by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Hou, Shengjie; Ding, Mingyu

2010-01-01

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of eleven nucleosides and bases in beer, herring sperm DNA and RNA soft capsules. The separation was carried out on an Agilent extend-C(18) column with a simple gradient elution of acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase. Good linear relationships between the peak areas and the concentrations of the analytes were obtained. The detection limits for eleven analytes were in the range of 0.007-0.037 mg/L by UV detection at 260 nm. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the retention times were in the range of 0.78-1.85% for intra-day and 0.87-1.94% for inter-day, respectively. The RSDs of the peak areas were in the range of 2.71-3.22% for intra-day and 3.03-3.39% for inter-day, respectively. This method has been successfully applied to simultaneous determination of eleven nucleosides and bases in beer, herring sperm DNA and RNA soft capsules with the recoveries in the range of 93.7-108.3%.

Proceedings of the 9th U.S.-Japan natural resources panel for earthquake research

USGS Publications Warehouse

Detweiler, Shane T.; Ellsworth, William L.

2015-01-01

The Panel strongly urges that the appropriate agencies in the U.S. and Japan that are represented on this panel work together with the academic sector to support and coordinate scientific work in these areas of cooperation. The Panel recognizes the importance of promoting the exchange of scientific personnel, exchange of data, and fundamental studies to advance progress in earthquake research. The U.S. and Japan should promote these exchanges throughout the world. The Panel endorses continuation of these activities.

Characteristics of hospital-based Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in Japan.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Takeo; Okuyama, Makiko; Kasahara, Mari; Nakamura, Ayako

2008-04-01

This article explores characteristics of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) in Japan, a country which provides an egalitarian, low cost, and easy-access health care system. We sent a questionnaire survey to 11 leading doctors in the child abuse field in Japan, each located in different hospital-based sites. Child abuse doctors answered questions regarding the characteristics of MSBP cases for whom they had helped care. Twenty-one MSBP cases (20 families) were reported. Characteristics of the victims included: no differences based on sex, 4.6 years of age on average when MSBP was confirmed, and an average of 1.9 years duration of MSBP abuse. Biological mothers were at least one of the perpetrators in 95% of cases. Among the 12 cases (57%) who remained with their families, 2 victims died. Only 5% of perpetrators had a medical background or relatives who engaged in healthcare work. There are similar features of MSBP cases between Japan and other English-speaking countries, such as the UK or the US. However, perpetrators of MSBP in Japan did not have a medical background. Easier access to hospital resources in Japan may give greater opportunities for perpetrators to obtain medical knowledge from doctors or nurses. The findings suggest that perpetrators of MSBP should not be assumed to possess a medical background in a country which provides universal medical care such as Japan. A contributory factor of MSBP may be the high frequency of medical consultations and equal level of accessibility of medical resources for Japanese citizens. Social welfare services that need to decide on custody for MSBP victims should recognize the relatively high risk of life-threatening danger in their family of origin. Further collaboration between hospital staff including pediatricians, nurses, medical social workers and staff at the social welfare services is needed to protect children from MSBP.

Integrated solid waste management in Japan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The Japanese, through a combination of public policy, private market conditions, a geographic necessity, practice integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management. The approach of MSW management in Japan is as follows: The basic concept of refuse treatment consists of recycling discharged refuse into usable resources, reusing such resources as much as possible, and then treating or disposing of the usable portion into a sanitary condition. Considering the difficulty of procuring land or seaside areas for such purpose as a refuse disposal site, it will be necessary to minimize the volume of refuse collected for treatment or disposal.

Seasonal dynamics of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) populations spawning in the vicinity of marginal habitats.

PubMed

Eggers, Florian; Slotte, Aril; Libungan, Lísa Anne; Johannessen, Arne; Kvamme, Cecilie; Moland, Even; Olsen, Esben M; Nash, Richard D M

2014-01-01

Gillnet sampling and analyses of otolith shape, vertebral count and growth indicated the presence of three putative Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) populations mixing together over the spawning season February-June inside and outside an inland brackish water lake (Landvikvannet) in southern Norway. Peak spawning of oceanic Norwegian spring spawners and coastal Skagerrak spring spawners occurred in March-April with small proportions of spawners entering the lake. In comparison, spawning of Landvik herring peaked in May-June with high proportions found inside the lake, which could be explained by local adaptations to the environmental conditions and seasonal changes of this marginal habitat. The 1.85 km(2) lake was characterized by oxygen depletion occurring between 2.5 and 5 m depth between March and June. This was followed by changes in salinity from 1-7‰ in the 0-1 m surface layer to levels of 20-25‰ deeper than 10 m. In comparison, outside the 3 km long narrow channel connecting the lake with the neighboring fjord, no anoxic conditions were found. Here salinity in the surface layer increased over the season from 10 to 25‰, whereas deeper than 5 m it was stable at around 35‰. Temperature at 0-5 m depth increased significantly over the season in both habitats, from 7 to 14 °C outside and 5 to 17 °C inside the lake. Despite differences in peak spawning and utilization of the lake habitat between the three putative populations, there was an apparent temporal and spatial overlap in spawning stages suggesting potential interbreeding in accordance with the metapopulation concept.

Toxicity of crude oil chemically dispersed in a wave tank to embryos of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus).

PubMed

Greer, Colleen D; Hodson, Peter V; Li, Zhengkai; King, Thomas; Lee, Kenneth

2012-06-01

Tests of crude oil toxicity to fish are often chronic, exposing embryos from fertilization to hatch to oil solutions prepared using standard mixing procedures. However, during oil spills, fish are not often exposed for long periods and the dynamic nature of the ocean is not easily replicated in the lab. Our objective was to determine if brief exposures of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) embryos to dispersed oil prepared by standard mixing procedures was as toxic as oil dispersed in a more realistic model system. Embryos were first exposed to chemically dispersed Alaska North Slope crude and Arabian light crude oil for 2.4 h to 14 d from fertilization to determine if exposure time affected toxicity. Toxicity increased with exposure time, but 2.4-h exposures at realistic concentrations of oil induced blue-sac disease and reduced the percentage of normal embryos at hatch; there was little difference in toxicity between the two oils. Secondly, oil was chemically dispersed in a wave tank to determine if the resultant oil solutions were as toxic to herring embryos as laboratory-derived dispersed oil using a single exposure period of 24 h. Samples taken 15 min postdispersion were more toxic than laboratory-prepared solutions, but samples taken at 5, 30, and 60 min postdispersion were less toxic. Overall, the laboratory- and wave tank-derived solutions of dispersed oil provided similar estimates of toxicity despite differences in the methods for preparing test solutions, suggesting that laboratory and wave tank data are a reliable basis for ecological risk assessments of spilled oil. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Environmental genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in flounder (Platichthys flesus), herring (Clupea harengus) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from chemical munitions dumping zones in the southern Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Baršienė, Janina; Butrimavičienė, Laura; Grygiel, Wlodzimierz; Lang, Thomas; Michailovas, Aleksandras; Jackūnas, Tomas

2014-05-01

The data on environmental genotoxicity and cytotoxicity levels as well as on genotoxicity risk in flounder (Platichthys flesus), herring (Clupea harengus) and cod (Gadus morhua) collected in 2010-2012 at 42 stations located in chemical munitions dumping areas of the southern Baltic Sea are presented. The frequency of micronuclei, nuclear buds and nucleoplasmic bridges in erythrocytes was used as genotoxicity endpoint and the induction of fragmented-apoptotic, bi-nucleated and 8-shaped erythrocytes as cytotoxicity endpoint. The most significantly increased geno-cytotoxicity levels were determined in fish collected near known chemical munitions dumpsites. Extremely high genotoxicity risk for flounder were identified at 21 out of 24 stations, for herring at 29 out of 31 and for cod at 5 out of 10 stations studied. The reference level of genotoxicity was not recorded at any of the stations revealing that in the sampling area fish were affected generally. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Lewisian turning point and international migration: the case of Japan.

PubMed

Watanabe, S

1994-01-01

"This article critically examines the Lewisian turning point [concerning the availability of unlimited manpower resources] in light of Japan's experience since the mid-1800s. Japan reached its Lewisian turning point around 1960. Contrary to the assumptions of the theory however, the findings for Japan indicate that political factors have been more determinative of the rate of migration than purely economic ones. Prior to its turning point in 1960, international relations, war and forced repatriation were the decisive factors. Recently, though the inflow of foreign workers to fill labor shortages has increased, so also has the outflow of Japanese to accompany direct foreign investment." excerpt

Effects of pressure reductions in a proposed siphon water lift system at St. Stephen Dam, South Carolina, on mortality rates of juvenile American shad and blueback herring. Technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nestler, J.M.; Schilt, C.R.; Jones, D.P.

1998-09-01

This report presents results of studies to predict the mortality rate of juvenile blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and American shad (A. sapidissima) associated with reduced pressure as they pass downstream through a proposed siphon water lift system at St. Stephen Dam, South Carolina. The primary function of the siphon is to increase attracting flow to better guide upstream migrating adult herring of both species into the existing fish lift for upstream passage. The US Army Engineer District, Charleston, wishes to consider the siphon as an alternative bypass route through the dam for downstream migrating juvenile and adult herring. A pressure-reductionmore » testing system that emulates some of the pressure characteristics of the siphon was used to determine the approximate percentage of juvenile fishes that could be reasonably expected to be killed passing through the reduced pressures anticipated for the siphon water lift system. The testing system could duplicate the range of pressure change anticipated for the siphon lift system but could not obtain pressures lower than 4.1 psi, whereas pressures for some design alternatives may approach the theoretical minimum pressure of 0.0 psi. Study results indicate that the mortality rate is probably about 20 percent. Power analysis indicates that mortality rate above 30 percent is unlikely. Conducting additional mortality studies is recommended to refine predicted mortality rates. Measures should be taken to prevent juvenile fish from entering the siphon lift system if excessive mortality rates are observed.« less

Development and characterization of a cell line from Pacific herring, Clupea harengus pallasi, sensitive to both naphthalene cytotoxicity and infection by viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus.

PubMed

Ganassin, R C; Sanders, S M; Kennedy, C J; Joyce, E M; Bols, N C

1999-01-01

A cell line, PHL, has been successfully established from newly hatched herring larvae. The cells are maintained in growth medium consisting of Leibovitz's L-15 supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum (FBS), and have been cryopreserved and maintain viability after thawing. These cells retain a diploid karotype after 65 population doublings. PHL are susceptible to infection by the North American strain of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus, and are sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of naphthalene, a common environmental contaminant. Naphthalene is a component of crude and refined oil, and may be found in the marine environment following acute events such as oil spills. In addition, chronic sources of naphthalene contamination include offshore drilling and petroleum contamination from areas such as docks and marinas that have creosote-treated docks and pilings and also receive constant small inputs of petroleum products. This cell line should be useful for investigations of the toxicity of naphthalene and other petroleum components to juvenile herring. In addition, studies of the VHS virus will be facilitated by the availability of a susceptible cell line from an alternative species.

Mediating Role of Psychological Resources on the Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Current Health in the Community Adult Population of Japan.

PubMed

Kan, Chiemi; Kawakami, Norito; Umeda, Maki

2015-12-01

The majority of studies on the role of psychological resources linking childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and adult health have been conducted in Western countries. Empirical evidence for mediation effects of psychological resources is currently lacking in Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of psychological resources (mastery and sense of coherence [SOC]) on the association between childhood SES and current health. Analyses were conducted on cross-sectional data (1,497 men and 1,764 women) from the Japanese Study of Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood Study (J-SHINE) in Tokyo. Psychological resources (mastery and SOC), childhood SES (parents' education and perceived childhood SES), and current health of adults (psychological distress measured by K6 and self-rated health) were measured using a self-report questionnaire. Mastery and SOC significantly and independently mediated the association between childhood SES and current health in the total sample after adjusting for age, gender, and respondent education, regardless of type of SES or health outcome indicators. Similar mediation effects were observed for both men and women. A few gender differences were observed; specifically, SOC significantly mediated the association between parents' education and current health only among women, and it mediated the association between perceived childhood SES and current health only among men. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of the mediating role of psychological resources in the association between childhood SES and current health.

Impaired immune function in seals and laboratory rats exposed to dioxin-like compounds from Baltic herring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ross, P.S.; Swart, R.L. de; Timmerman, H.H.

Complex mixtures of lipophilic contaminants have been shown to affect certain top predators in the aquatic food chain, including seals. A recent demonstration that harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) fed Baltic Sea herring displayed impaired natural killer cell activity and T-lymphocyte function represented the first demonstration of immunotoxicity induced by ambient levels of contaminants in the environment. While these animals had a lower ability to respond to immunizations with inactivated vaccines, specific antibody responses, and in vitro antigen-specific lymphoproliferative responses, obvious constraints limited the ability to extend these results with host resistance tests or an evaluation of thymus and other lymphoidmore » organs. The authors therefore set up a parallel study by exposing pregnant laboratory rats to the same Baltic herring contaminant mixture as received the seals. They then examined immune function parameters and host resistance to virus infection. As in the seals, rat pups of the Baltic group had impaired T-lymphocyte function. In addition, thymus cells and/or their precursors appeared to be targeted, as their numbers and function were reduced in the rats. Following challenge with rat cytomegalovirus in a host resistance study, rat pups in the Baltic group had impaired natural killer cell responses to the virus infection, and lower specific CD8 + (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte) responses following in vitro stimulation. By extrapolation, these results suggest that the impaired immune responses observed in the Baltic group of seals may lead to a less effective defense against virus infections in marine mammals inhabiting polluted coastal waters. Toxicological profiles and results of both the captive seal and laboratory rat experiments tend to implicate the 2,3,7,8-TCDD-like PCB, dioxin and furan congeners in the immunosuppression, and point to a major role for the PCBs.« less

Renewable Energy Opportunities at the Kanto Installations, Japan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Solana, Amy E.; Horner, Jacob A.; Russo, Bryan J.

2010-09-24

This document provides an overview of renewable resource development potential at the U.S. Army installations in the Kanto region in Japan, which includes Camp Zama, Yokohama North Dock, Sagamihara Family Housing Area (SFHA), Sagami General Depot, and Akasaka Press Center. This effort focuses on grid-connected generation of electricity from renewable energy sources and also on ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling buildings. The effort was funded by the Huntsville Army Corps of Engineers, and includes the development of a methodology for renewable resource assessment at Army installations located on foreign soil. The methodology is documented in Renewable Energymore » Assessment Methodology for Japanese OCONUS Army Installations. The site visit to the Kanto installations took place on April 5 and 6, 2010. At the current time, there are some renewable technologies that show economic potential. Because of siting restrictions and the small size of these installations, development of most renewable energy technologies will likely be limited to Camp Zama. Project feasibility is based on installation-specific resource availability and energy costs and projections based on accepted life-cycle cost methods. Development of any renewable energy project will be challenging, as it will require investigation into existing contractual obligations, new contracts that could be developed, the legality of certain partnerships, and available financing avenues, which involves the U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ), the Government of Japan (GOJ), and a number of other parties on both sides. The Army will not be able to implement a project without involvement and approval from the other services and multiple levels of Japanese government. However, implementation of renewable energy projects could be an attractive method for GOJ to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower annual utility payments to USFJ. This report recommends projects to pursue and offers approaches to use. The most

Transformation of Discourse: Multilingual Resources and Practices among Filipino Mothers in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takeuchi, Miwa

2016-01-01

Family language practice can be significantly influenced by social, historical, and political contexts, especially in immigrant households where a society's minority languages are used. Set in a large city in Japan, this study examines how institutional power can affect Filipino mothers' language use at home. Drawing from the cultural historical…

Labour Markets, Unemployment and Training for Quality: Germany and Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lange, Thomas; Maguire, Keith

1998-01-01

Although unemployment is a serious problem in Europe, deregulating labor markets is not the solution. Deregulation could lead to decline in quality and competitiveness. The example of Japan shows the interaction of education, training, human resource management, and quality control. (SK)

Highlights of B/D-HPP and HPP Resource Pillar Workshops at 12th Annual HUPO World Congress of Proteomics: September 14-18, 2013, Yokohama, Japan.

PubMed

Aebersold, Ruedi; Bader, Gary D; Edwards, Aled M; van Eyk, Jennifer; Kussman, Martin; Qin, Jun; Omenn, Gilbert S

2014-05-01

At the 12th Annual HUPO World Congress of Proteomics in Japan, the Human Proteome Project (HPP) presented 16 scientific workshop sessions. Here we summarize highlights of ten workshops from the Biology and Disease-driven HPP (B/D-HPP) teams and three from the HPP Resource Pillars. Highlights of the three Chromosome-centric HPP sessions appeared in the many articles of the 2014 C-HPP special issue of the Journal of Proteome Research . © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Citrus breeding, genetics and genomics in Japan

PubMed Central

Omura, Mitsuo; Shimada, Takehiko

2016-01-01

Citrus is one of the most cultivated fruits in the world, and satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) is a major cultivated citrus in Japan. Many excellent cultivars derived from satsuma mandarin have been released through the improvement of mandarins using a conventional breeding method. The citrus breeding program is a lengthy process owing to the long juvenility, and it is predicted that marker-assisted selection (MAS) will overcome the obstacle and improve the efficiency of conventional breeding methods. To promote citrus molecular breeding in Japan, a genetic mapping was initiated in 1987, and the experimental tools and resources necessary for citrus functional genomics have been developed in relation to the physiological analysis of satsuma mandarin. In this paper, we review the progress of citrus breeding and genome researches in Japan and report the studies on genetic mapping, expression sequence tag cataloguing, and molecular characterization of breeding characteristics, mainly in terms of the metabolism of bio-functional substances as well as factors relating to, for example, fruit quality, disease resistance, polyembryony, and flowering. PMID:27069387

[Research resource network and Parkinson disease brain bank donor registration program in Japan].

PubMed

Arima, Kunimasa

2010-10-01

In spite of the increasing need for brain tissue in biomedical research, overall brain banking activities in Japan has been lagging behind. On the initiative of the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 2 projects have been carried out; the Research Resource Network (RRN) and the Parkinson's Disease Brain Bank (PDBB) donor registration program. RRN is a nation-wide network that links 15 brain repositories, and 1,463 autopsy brains have been registered in this network as of December 2009. The brain donor registration program for PDBB was established in 2006. A donor without cognitive impairment can enroll in this PDBB donor registration program. When the donor dies, the next-of-kin will contact the PDBB coordinators for subsequent autopsy services and brain retention. On obtaining the next-of-kin's consent at the time of donor's death, autopsy will be performed at PDBB collaborating hospitals of National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Juntendo University Hospital, and Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital. In order to arouse public interest, lecture meetings for citizens have been held on a regular basis. Fifty individuals have registered in the PDBB donor registration program including 27 patients with PD, 4 patient with Parkinson syndrome, 1 patient with progressive supranuclear palsy, and 18 individuals without PD or related disorders as of December 2009. Autopsies have been performed for 2 of these donors. To promote brain banking activities,it is necessary to establish legal and ethical guidelines for the use of autopsied materials in biomedical research.

International HIV and AIDS prevention: Japan/United States collaboration.

PubMed

Umenai, T; Narula, M; Onuki, D; Yamamoto, T; Igari, T

1997-01-01

As the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic shifts from Africa to Asia, Japan is becoming ever more aware of the importance of containing and preventing spread of the virus. International collaboration, particularly with the United States, is a logical approach because it allows utilization of expertise from countries in other stages of the pandemic, can prevent duplication of efforts, and complements efforts of the other countries. Further, both Japan and the United States can use their combined influence and prestige to encourage cooperation among all nations. In 1994, Japan established the Global Issues Initiative to extend cooperation to developing countries in the areas of population and AIDS control. It has disbursed more than $460 million (U.S.$) to promote active cooperation and stimulate international attention to the importance of addressing these health issues. Japan has established four main programs for international collaboration for control of HIV and AIDS, three operated by ministries and one by a Japanese nongovernmental organization. Japanese/United States collaboration is developing through the United States/Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program, the Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective, the Paris Summit, and the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS. It is critical that Japan and the United States, as the two largest donors to international development, demonstrate, through their collaboration, ways to maximize the use of limited resources, reduce duplication, and promote sustainable development programs in which HIV prevention and AIDS care programs are systemically integrated.

Projecting health-care expenditure for Switzerland: further evidence against the 'red-herring' hypothesis.

PubMed

Colombier, Carsten; Weber, Werner

2011-01-01

This paper contributes to the debate about the impact of population ageing on health-care (HC) expenditure. Some health economists claim that the commonly presumed impact of population ageing is a 'red herring'. Based on empirical studies, these authors conclude that proximity to death and not age per se matters. In projecting HC expenditure for Switzerland, the present study provides evidence that proximity to death is of marginal importance. These projections suggest that population ageing is still the most important age-related cost-driver. Moreover, morbidity outweighs mortality as a factor of HC expenditure. But most vital are non-demographic drivers such as medical progress. Thus, from the point of view of cost-benefit analysis one should even ignore costs of dying when projecting HC expenditure. Moreover, regressions might overestimate proximity to death due to systematic biases. Finally, ever-increasing HC expenditure can be slowed down by appropriate policy measures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Italy-Japan international project-based learning for developing human resources using design of welfare equipment as a subject.

PubMed

Hanafusa, A; Komeda, T; Ito, K; Zobel, P Beomonte

2015-08-01

Project-based learning (PBL) is effective for developing human resources of young students. The design of welfare equipment, such as wheelchairs and gait assistive devices, is taken as the subject in this study because these devices must be fit to their environment, users, and method of use; students must consider the circumstances of each country concerned. The program commenced in 2012 at L'Aquila, Italy, and the Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan and has been continuing for three years. Students were divided into four groups and discussions were held on how to adapt the equipment to the user and environment. After discussion, they designed and simulated a model of the equipment using CAD. Finally, they presented their designs to each other. Through the program, students had fruitful discussions, exchanged ideas from different cultures, and learned from each other. Furthermore, friendships among the students were nurtured. It is believed that the objective of the program was satisfactorily accomplished.

What is nuclear power in Japan?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Toshikazu

2011-03-01

The aggressive use of such non-fossil energy as the atomic energy with high power density and energy production efficiency is an indispensable choice aiming at the low-carbon society. There is a trial calculation that the carbon dioxide emission of 40000 ton can be suppressed by nuclear power generation by one ton of uranium. The basis of nuclear research after the Second World War in Japan was established by the researchers learnt in Argonne National Laboratory. In 2010, NPPs under operation are 54 units and the total electric generating power is 48.85GW. The amount of nuclear power generation per person of the people is 0.38kW in Japan, and it is near 0.34kW of the United States. However, the TMI accident and the Chernobyl disaster should have greatly stagnated the nuclear industry of Japan although it is not more serious than the United States. A lot of Japanese unconsciously associate a nuclear accident with the atomic bomb. According to the investigation which Science and Technology Agency carried out to the specialist in 1999, ``What will be the field where talent should be emphatically sent in the future?'' the rank of nuclear technology was the lowest in 32 fields. The influence of the nuclear industry stagnation was remarkable in the education. The subject related to the atomic energy of a university existed 19 in 1985 that was the previous year of the Chernobyl disaster decreased to 7 in 2003. In such a situation, we have to rely on the atomic energy because Japan depends for 96% of energy resources on import. The development of the fuel reprocessing and the fast breeder reactor has been continued in spite of a heavy failure. That is the only means left behind for Japan to be released from both fossil fuel and carbon dioxide.

Kinetics of viral load and erythrocytic inclusion body formation in pacific herring artificially infected with erythrocytic necrosis virus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glenn, Jolene A.; Emmenegger, Eveline J.; Grady, Courtney A.; Roon, Sean R.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Conway, Carla M.; Winton, James R.; Hershberger, Paul K.

2012-01-01

Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a condition that affects marine and anadromous fish species, including herrings and salmonids, in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Infection is frequently associated with severe anemia and causes episodic mortality among wild and hatchery fish when accompanied by additional stressors; VEN can be presumptively diagnosed by (1) light microscopic identification of a single characteristic—a round, magenta-colored, 0.8-μm-diameter inclusion body (IB) within the cytoplasm of erythrocytes and their precursors on Giemsa-stained blood films; or (2) observation (via transmission electron microscopy [TEM]) of the causative iridovirus, erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV), within erythrocytes or their precursors. To better understand the kinetics of VEN, specific-pathogen-free Pacific herring Clupea pallasii were infected with ENV by intraperitoneal injection. At 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 d postexposure, samples of blood, spleen, and kidney were collected and assessed (1) via light microscopy for the number of intracytoplasmic IBs in blood smears and (2) via TEM for the number of virions within erythrocytes. The mean prevalence of intracytoplasmic IBs in the blood cells increased from 0% at 0–4 d postexposure to 94% at 28 d postexposure. Viral load within circulating red blood cells peaked at 7 d postexposure, fell slightly, and then reached a plateau. However, blood cells observed within the kidney and spleen tissues demonstrated high levels of ENV between 14 and 28 d postexposure. The results indicate that the viral load within erythrocytes does not correlate well with IB prevalence and that the virus can persist in infected fish for more than 28 d.

Coresidence with Parents, Women's Economic Resources, and the Transition to Marriage in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raymo, James M.; Ono, Hiromi

2007-01-01

Integrating three theoretical explanations for declining rates of marriage in Japan, the authors develop hypotheses in which linkages between benefits of coresidence with parents and marriage timing are moderated by women's own socioeconomic characteristics. To evaluate these hypothesized interactive relationships, data from a panel survey of…

Size- and food-dependent growth drives patterns of competitive dominance along productivity gradients.

PubMed

Huss, Magnus; Gårdmark, Anna; Van Leeuwen, Anieke; de Roos, André M

2012-04-01

Patterns of coexistence among competing species exhibiting size- and food-dependent growth remain largely unexplored. Here we studied mechanisms behind coexistence and shifts in competitive dominance in a size-structured fish guild, representing sprat and herring stocks in the Baltic Sea, using a physiologically structured model of competing populations. The influence of degree of resource overlap and the possibility of undergoing ontogenetic diet shifts were studied as functions of zooplankton and zoobenthos productivity. By imposing different size-dependent mortalities, we could study the outcome of competition under contrasting environmental regimes representing poor and favorable growth conditions. We found that the identity of the dominant species shifted between low and high productivity. Adding a herring-exclusive benthos resource only provided a competitive advantage over sprat when size-dependent mortality was high enough to allow for rapid growth in the zooplankton niche. Hence, the importance of a bottom-up effect of varying productivity was dependent on a strong top-down effect. Although herring could depress shared resources to lower levels than could sprat and also could access an exclusive resource, the smaller size at maturation of sprat allowed it to coexist with herring and, in some cases, exclude it. Our model system, characterized by interactions among size cohorts, allowed for consumer coexistence even at full resource overlap at intermediate productivities when size-dependent mortality was low. Observed shifts in community patterns were crucially dependent on the explicit consideration of size- and food-dependent growth. Accordingly, we argue that accounting for food-dependent growth and size-dependent interactions is necessary to better predict changes in community structure and dynamics following changes in major ecosystem drivers such as resource productivity and mortality, which are fundamental for our ability to manage exploitation of

Possible effects of pollock and herring on the growth and reproductive success of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): insights from feeding experiments using an alternative animal model, Rattus norvegicus.

PubMed

Donnelly, Carolyn P; Trites, A W; Kitts, D D

2003-01-01

The decline of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the Gulf of Alaska appears to have been associated with a switch of diet from one dominated by fatty forage fishes (such as herring; Clupea pallasi) to one dominated by low-fat fish (such as pollock; Theragra chalcogramma). Observations made during the decline include reduced body size of sea lions, low pregnancy rates, and high mortality. We used the general mammalian model, the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus), to test whether changing the quality of prey consumed could cause changes in size and reproductive performance. Five groups of twelve female, weanling rats were fed diets composed of herring (H), pollock (P), pollock supplemented with herring oil (PH), pollock supplemented with pollock oil (PP), or a semi-purified diet (ICN). Mean body weights were greatest for H, followed by PH, P, PP and finally ICN, although ICN was the only group significantly different from the others (P<0.05). Food intakes before mating were 10 % higher for groups on the lower-fat diets (P and ICN), resulting in similar energy intakes in all groups. The protein efficiency ratio was highest for the H diet, slightly lower for all pollock diets, and significantly lower for ICN (P<0.05). The fetal weights for mothers fed P were significantly reduced (P<0.05). The present study shows that the energy content was a major limiting factor in the nutritional quality of pollock. When food intake was adjusted to meet energetic requirements, there were no detrimental consequences from eating pollock. However, supplementation of pollock meal with additional pollock oil may reduce growth and reproductive performance, although the reasons for this were not apparent.

Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geiger, Rita; And Others

The document offers practical and motivating techniques for studying Japan. Dedicated to promoting global awareness, separate sections discuss Japan's geography, history, culture, education, government, economics, energy, transportation, and communication. Each section presents a topical overview; suggested classroom activities; and easily…

[The present and future of brain bank in Japan].

PubMed

Murayama, Shigeo; Saito, Yuko

2010-10-01

Brain Bank was established in 1960's in the United States and Europe as a basic infrastructure for human neuroscience research. In Japan,institutional collections are a substitute to brain banks and these function as the main repository of postmortem brains; Niigata University has one such center. The brain bank movement officially started in 2001 with the establishment of the Brain Bank for Aging Research (BBAR) in Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology. The Research Resource Network as well as the Brain Donation System of patients with Parkinson disease started in the National Center for Neurology and Psychiatry. A brain bank specially for psychiatric disorders was also established in Fukushima University. The Japanese Society of Neuropathology recognized the establishment of brain bank system as one of its major goals and the Brain Bank Committee worked as a task force. In 2010,the Japanese Brain Bank Network for Neuroscience Research (JBBNNR) was funded by Comprehensive Brain Science Network from the Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,Science and Technology of Japan. BBAR was also appointed as the pathology core of Japanese Alzheimer Disease Neuroimage Initiative (JADNI) this year. The key features of JBBNNR are as follows. (1) The brain bank was approved by the institutional review board with the consensus of clinical and pathological branches of the neuroscience departments in the institute. (2) The brain bank accepts brain donation and maintains a clinical longitudinal follow-up record of the donor. (3) The brain bank resource is quality controlled and its information is shared by researchers. (4) The brain bank provides useful resources to researchers. Currently,JBBNNR includes Mihara Memorial Hospital Brain Bank and Fukushimura Brain Bank in addition to BBAR and it aims to expand the network for the creation of a future Japan Brain Net.

English education for healthcare professionals in Japan.

PubMed

Moross, Janelle; Seki, Naoko; Morio, Ikuko

2017-11-01

In a global environment, education for healthcare professionals should include cultivating human resources who have the necessary skills to work in an international arena. This article will review the current status of English education for dental healthcare professionals in Japan. After conducting a literature search using the keywords: English education, Japan, and dental, only a few studies were found that investigated and proposed suggestions for dental professional English education. Even so, these were still in the early stages with outcomes yet to be fully evaluated. Even though English is thought indispensable for global professionals, and that increasing chances for communication skills is necessary, little attention has been addressed to English education for dental professionals or the implementation of such education in the Japanese undergraduate dental curricula. With the current reality of field expansion in dentistry, the need for not only improved English communication skills for Japanese dentists, but also the acquisition of essential expertise, psychomotor, teambuilding, critical thinking, and creative thinking skills in English as well as Japanese, is a definite probability. In order to reach this level of knowledge, further efforts and research would be necessary for the advancement and development of dental professional English education in Japan.

Identifying Molecular Effects of Diet through Systems Biology: Influence of Herring Diet on Sterol Metabolism and Protein Turnover in Mice

PubMed Central

Holmäng, Agneta; Sandberg, Ann-Sofie; Nielsen, Jens

2010-01-01

Background Changes in lifestyle have resulted in an epidemic development of obesity-related diseases that challenge the healthcare systems worldwide. To develop strategies to tackle this problem the focus is on diet to prevent the development of obesity-associated diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). This will require methods for linking nutrient intake with specific metabolic processes in different tissues. Methodology/Principal Finding Low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr −/−) mice were fed a high fat/high sugar diet to mimic a westernized diet, being a major reason for development of obesity and atherosclerosis. The diets were supplemented with either beef or herring, and matched in macronutrient contents. Body composition, plasma lipids and aortic lesion areas were measured. Transcriptomes of metabolically important tissues, e.g. liver, muscle and adipose tissue were analyzed by an integrated approach with metabolic networks to directly map the metabolic effects of diet in these different tissues. Our analysis revealed a reduction in sterol metabolism and protein turnover at the transcriptional level in herring-fed mice. Conclusion This study shows that an integrated analysis of transcriptome data using metabolic networks resulted in the identification of signature pathways. This could not have been achieved using standard clustering methods. In particular, this systems biology analysis could enrich the information content of biomedical or nutritional data where subtle changes in several tissues together affects body metabolism or disease progression. This could be applied to improve diets for subjects exposed to health risks associated with obesity. PMID:20808764

Effect of technological factors on the activity and losses of cathepsins B, D and L during the marinating of Atlantic and Baltic herrings.

PubMed

Szymczak, Mariusz

2017-03-01

This study analyzes the effect of salt and acetic acid concentration, time, temperature and fish freezing on the activity and losses of cathepsins during the marinating of Atlantic and Baltic herrings. The highest contribution to meat general proteolytic activity was found for cathepsin D-like activity. This contribution decreased during the marinating process as a result of, among other things, cathepsin losses to brine. The methods of marinating had a significant impact on cathepsin activity losses. The average ratio of cathepsin D-like activity to L and B in brine accounted for 15:3.5:1.5, respectively. Depending on the method of calculation, cathepsin activity in brine was similar (per gram of tissue/milliliter of brine) or multiply higher (per gram protein in tissue/brine) than in the marinated herring meat. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the extent and structure of cathepsin losses were significantly correlated with the quantitative and qualitative composition of protein hydrolysis products in marinades. The presented results depict new phenomena of cathepsin losses and explain their impact on the process of fish marinating. Results allow better optimization of the process of meat ripening. The high activity of aspartyl and cysteine cathepsins in brine indicates the real feasibility of their application in the food industry for novel food design. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Introductory Overview of Stone Heritages in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Hirokazu; Oikawa, Teruki; Fujita, Masayo; Yokoyama, Shunji

2013-04-01

As one contribution to 'Global Heritage Stone Resources' (GHSR), some stone heritages in Japan, which are nominated in the interim list, are briefly introduced. The geology of Japanese Islands where are the one of the most active areas in the history of the Earth, is very complicated. Therefore Japanese Islands consist of various kinds of minerals and rocks. Some of them were used to make stone implements and accessories. Japanese people also used to the best possible advantage to built tombstone, gate, pavement ,and the basement and wall of the large building such as temples, shrines, castles and modern buildings. 1. Stone Heritages of Pre-historical age: In the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, ancient Japanese used obsidian cooled rapidly from rhyolitic magma.to make small implements and accessories. For example, Shirataki, Hokkaido (north island) is the largest place producing obsidian in Japan where Paleolithic people made arrowhead, knives and so on. Another example, Jade yielded in Itoigawa City, Japan Sea coast of central Japan, was made in the metamorphic rock about five hundred million years ago. Itoigawa area is only one place where jade is abundantly produced in Japan. Ancient people had been already collected and processed to ornaments although it is very hard and traded in wide area more than several thousand years ago. 2. Stone Heritages of Historical age: 2.1 Archaeological remains: In the Kofun (old mound) period (250 to 538 AD), stone burial chambers were used for old mounds to preserve against the putrefaction and to protect from the theft. For example, Ishibutai Kofun ("ishi" means "stone" and "butai" means "stage") in Nara old capital city, southwest Japan, is the largest known megalithic structure made of granite in Japan. 2.2 Stone walls of some typical castles Stones used is because of not only the rich reserves of rocks but also restriction of transportation. Osaka (second biggest city) castle, are composed of Cretaceous granite

Career redevelopment programmes for inactive nurses in Japan.

PubMed

Tanaka, Sachiko; Serizawa, Takako; Sakaguchi, Chizuru

2008-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges and problems in using career redevelopment programmes and individual hospital programmes to prepare inactive nurses to re-enter into the workforce in Japan. It is critical to supply sufficient skilled health human resources for medical care. Although, Japan has a mandatory retraining programme for supporting nurses to return to the workplace after a career break, it is unclear to what extent there are benefits to nurses from these programmes. The research of career redevelopment programme was undertaken in three administrative divisions' nurse centres in local prefecture A, B and C. A survey of nurses participating in the programme running in T Hospital was also conducted. The issues examined were the background and motivations of participants, the length of career break, the percentages returning to work and the effectiveness of each programme. The average age of participants was 40 years, ranging widely from the 20-60 years. Local prefecture A tended to have narrower age range than others, namely from the 30-50 years. The average period of career break was around eight years at two of three. Length of experience was quite varied from entry level to 20 or 30 years in nursing. Feedback from nurses in the case study T Hospital suggests that the most effective ways of providing support through the programme was to meet the need for continuing support, including working styles after return to work and using the resources programme in their own area of domicile. In the potential return of the nurse, the following are important: (i) job support system by using social resources effectively in the community level; and (ii) introduction of diverse working styles that take account of varying work-life balance, as well as childcare support, by using existing facilities or human resources.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, Japan, 1987 S&T Paper

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-26

council recommended in its report increasing the amount of subsidies for scientific research, vitalizing the scientific research systems at...activities that have recently been progressing in Japan. Greatest importance was attached to "the development of an effective means of preventing cancer...natter COKPENDEX (Engineering —Civil enginsering, environmental eng, —Hetal, resource eng —Hechanical eng. —ChBnical, agric . eng —Agricultural, nana

Historical Change of Equilibrium Water Temperature in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyamoto, H.

2015-12-01

Changes in freshwater ecosystems due to a climate change have been great concern for sustainable river basin management both for water resources utilization and ecological conservation. However, their impact seems to be difficult to evaluate because of wide variety of basin characteristics along a river network both in nature and social environment. This presentation uses equilibrium water temperature as a simple criterion index for evaluating the long-term changes of stream thermal environment due to the historical climate change in Japan. It examines, at first, the relationship between the equilibrium water temperature and the stream temperature observed for 7 years at a lower reach in the Ibo River, Japan. It analyzes, then, the seasonal and regional trends of the equilibrium water temperature change for the last 50 years at 133 meteorological station sites throughout Japan, discussing their rising or falling characteristics. The correlation analysis at the local reach of the Ibo River shows that the equilibrium water temperature has similar trend of change as the stream temperature. However, its value tends to be higher than the stream temperature in summer, while lower in winter. The onset of the higher equilibrium water temperature fluctuates annually from mid February to early April. This onset fluctuation at each spring could be influenced by the different amount of snow at the antecedent winter. The rising or falling trends of the equilibrium water temperature are analyzed both annually and seasonally through the regression analysis of the 133 sites in Japan. Consequently, the trends of the temperature change could be categorized by 12 patterns. As for the seasonal analysis, the results shows that there are many sites indicating the falling trend in spring and summer, and rising trends in autumn and winter. In particular, winter has the strong rising tendency throughout Japan. As for the regional analysis, the result illustrates the precise rationality; e

Comparative study of linkage between environmental policy instruments and technological innovation: Case study on end-of-life vehicles technologies in Japan and EU.

PubMed

Singh, Rajeev Kumar; Yabar, Helmut; Nozaki, Noriko; Niraula, Baburam; Mizunoya, Takeshi

2017-08-01

A growing population and urbanization is a challenge for finite natural resources. Without strict regulation to recycle, recover and reuse resources, waste is discarded with no value. Every year throughout the world, more than twenty-five million vehicles turn into end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and most of their valuable resources end up in landfill sites. This research analyses the effect of regulation on ELV innovation for additional recovery of resources in Japan and EU nations using patent data as a proxy. The analysis determines the statistical difference in patent activity before and after regulations were enacted in the case studies. The relevant data on ELV technologies was gathered for the period 1985-2013. The study suggests that in general environmental regulation in Japan drove innovation and reveals that environmental policy in Japan was more effective in enabling innovation compared to EU nations. Specifically, the results from these developed countries can be used by the rapidly growing developing countries in automobile manufacturing like China for amendment of their ELV regulation accordingly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A common agenda of global challenges. Japan and U.S. pool resources to tackle global issues including population and HIV / AIDS.

PubMed

1998-05-01

The Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective is a bilateral partnership established in 1993 between the US and Japan to address important global challenges of the 21st century such as global health and human development, including population and HIV/AIDS, global stability, protection of the global environment, and the advancement of science and technology. On the fifth anniversary of the agenda, representatives of the Japan and the US governments, international organizations, and private sectors discussed ways to further promote US-Japan cooperation under the agenda at a meeting held in Tokyo during March 12-13. Participants of the Common Agenda Open Forum also reviewed efforts made by Japan and the US under the agenda to address population and the environment. Forum participants focused upon developing new ideas for future cooperation between the governments, the private sector, and other nations, especially in the areas of health and the environment. The meeting was jointly organized by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Department of State. Attention was also given during talks to diminishing international assistance budgets worldwide.

Dynamics of storage of organochlorine pollutants in herring gulls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, D.W.; Hickey, J.J.

1976-01-01

Several organochlorine pollutants were studied over the period of one annual cycle in caged juvenile and wild-collected adult herring gulls (Lagus argentatus) from Lake Michigan. Fish, mostly alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), comprised the major year-round food items in the wild; alewives were also fed to the caged juveniles. Fish residues averaged around 3 mg/kg of p,p'-DDE, 2 mg/kg p,p'DDT + p,p'-TDE, and 2 mg/kg apparent PCBs. Juvenile body-burdens of DDE and PCBs showed a continual buildup after fledging, then a temporary dynamic equilibrium, related only in part to annual lipid deposition. Maximum body-burdens were reached in both juveniles and adults when winter fat deposits were declining prior to the breeding season?followed by a return to dynamic equilibrium. Residues of DDT and TDE followed closely the annual pattern of lipid deposition in both juveniles and adults. Total body-burdens in both age classes were similar after the buildups to equilibrium in juveniles in their eighth month after fledging. Seasonal variations of residues of DDE and PCBs were characterised by two phases in adults and three in juveniles, which gradually assumed the adult cyclic pattern. The maximum body-burdens attained by caged juveniles fed a diet of Lake Michigan alewives were 290 mg/kg DDE, 19 mg/kg DDT + TDE, and 200 mg/kg apparent PCBs. Residues in wild adults at the same time were 300, 4, and 200 mg/kg of the same residues. Apparent PCBs and DDE were highly accumulative, although DDE levels resulted from dietary DDE, as well as conversion from DDT.

The Prince William Sound herring fishery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hose, J.E.; Brown, E.; Marty, G.D.

1995-12-31

The Exxon Valdez oil (EVO) spill of 1989 occurred a few weeks before herring spawned in Prince William Sound (PWS), AK. An estimated 40% to 50% of the egg biomass sustained exposure during early development, and the majority of pelagic larvae were collected within the oil trajectory path. Sublethal effects observed at hatch (morphologic defects and genetic damage) were related to ambient EVO concentrations. Reduced survival rates, decreased growth, genetic damage and histopathological changes were measured in pelagic larvae from oiled areas. However, because the 1989 year class is one of the smallest cohorts now in PWS, population effects aremore » difficult to assess. From 1990 to 1992, population abundance and reproductive potential remained high. When the 1989 year class was fully recruited (1993--1994), the spawning population decreased by 50% to 75% of the expected abundance. Many of the surviving fish were infected with viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) and failed to spawn. Proposed causes for the VHS epizootic include previous oil exposure, density-dependent effects following the 1989 fishery closure, and reduced food availability from 1990 to 1994.« less

Effects of Invasive European Fire Ants (Myrmica rubra) on Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) Reproduction

PubMed Central

DeFisher, Luke E.; Bonter, David N.

2013-01-01

Various invasive ant species have negatively affected reproductive success in birds by disrupting nest site selection, incubation patterns, food supply, and by direct predation on nestlings. Impacts can be particularly severe when non-native ants colonize seabird nesting islands where thousands of birds may nest in high densities on the ground or in burrows or crevices. Here we report on the first documented effects of Myrmica rubra, the European fire ant, on the reproduction of birds in its non-native range. We documented herring gulls (Larus argentatus) on Appledore Island, Maine, engaging in more erratic incubation behaviors at nests infested by the ants. Newly-hatched chicks in some nests were swarmed by ants, leading to rapid chick death. Due to high overall rates of chick mortality, survival probabilities did not vary between nests with and without ant activity, however chick growth rates were slower at nests with ants than at ant-free nests. Ant infestation likely leads to longer-term fitness consequences because slower growth rates early in life may ultimately lead to lower post-fledging survival probabilities. PMID:23691168

Effects of Culture and Age on the Perceived Exchange of Social Support Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vondras, Dean D.; Pouliot, Gregory S.; Malcore, Sylvia A.; Iwahashi, Shigetoshi

2008-01-01

This research explores the perceived exchange of social support resources of young, midlife, and older adults in the United States and Japan, and how perceptions of exchange may moderate attributions of control, difficulty, and success in attaining important life-goals. A survey was administered to participants in the United States and Japan who…

Direct Effects of Microalgae and Protists on Herring (Clupea harengus) Yolk Sac Larvae

PubMed Central

Illing, Björn; Moyano, Marta; Niemax, Jan; Peck, Myron A.

2015-01-01

This study investigated effects of microalgae (Rhodomonas baltica) and heterotrophic protists (Oxyrrhis marina) on the daily growth, activity, condition and feeding success of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae from hatch, through the end of the endogenous (yolk sac) period. Yolk sac larvae were reared in the presence and absence of microplankton and, each day, groups of larvae were provided access to copepods. Larvae reared with microalgae and protists exhibited precocious (2 days earlier) and ≥ 60% increased feeding incidence on copepods compared to larvae reared in only seawater (SW). In the absence and presence of microalgae and protists, life span and growth trajectories of yolk sac larvae were similar and digestive enzyme activity (trypsin) and nutritional condition (RNA-DNA ratio) markedly declined in all larvae directly after yolk sac depletion. Thus, microplankton promoted early feeding but was not sufficient to alter life span and growth during the yolk sac phase. Given the importance of early feeding, field programs should place greater emphasis on the protozooplankton-ichthyoplankton link to better understand match-mismatch dynamics and bottom-up drivers of year class success in marine fish. PMID:26035592

Direct Effects of Microalgae and Protists on Herring (Clupea harengus) Yolk Sac Larvae.

PubMed

Illing, Björn; Moyano, Marta; Niemax, Jan; Peck, Myron A

2015-01-01

This study investigated effects of microalgae (Rhodomonas baltica) and heterotrophic protists (Oxyrrhis marina) on the daily growth, activity, condition and feeding success of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae from hatch, through the end of the endogenous (yolk sac) period. Yolk sac larvae were reared in the presence and absence of microplankton and, each day, groups of larvae were provided access to copepods. Larvae reared with microalgae and protists exhibited precocious (2 days earlier) and ≥ 60% increased feeding incidence on copepods compared to larvae reared in only seawater (SW). In the absence and presence of microalgae and protists, life span and growth trajectories of yolk sac larvae were similar and digestive enzyme activity (trypsin) and nutritional condition (RNA-DNA ratio) markedly declined in all larvae directly after yolk sac depletion. Thus, microplankton promoted early feeding but was not sufficient to alter life span and growth during the yolk sac phase. Given the importance of early feeding, field programs should place greater emphasis on the protozooplankton-ichthyoplankton link to better understand match-mismatch dynamics and bottom-up drivers of year class success in marine fish.

Resource Assessment of Methane Hydrate in the Eastern Nankai Trough, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, T.; Saeki, T.; Kobayashi, T.; Inamori, T.; Hayashi, M.; Takano, O.

2007-12-01

well location. Cage occupancy was determined to be around 0.95 by refereeing recent field observations. Total amount of methane gas in place contained in MH in the eastern Nankai Trough within survey area was estimated to be 40 tcf as Pmean value (10 tcf as P90 value, 82 tcf as P10 value). Total gas in place for MH concentrated zone was estimated to be 20 tcf (Half of total amount) as Pmean value. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the N/G and Sh have higher sensitivity than other parameters, and they are important for further detail analysis. This study was carried out as a part of Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resource in Japan (MH21). [1] Takahashi et al. (2005): Proc. Of 2005 OTC, 2-5 May, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. [2] Fujii et al. (2005): Proc. Of 5th ICGH, Trondheim, Norway, 974-979. [3] Tsuji et al. (2007): AAPG Special Publication (in press). [4] Saeki et al. (2007): Abst. of 2007 Technical Meeting of the JAPT, June 5-7, 2007, Tokyo, p49. [5] Takano et al. (2007): Abst. of 2007 Technical Meeting of the JAPT, June 5-7, 2007, Tokyo, p34. [6] Fujii et al. (2007): AAPG Special Publication (in press).

7th U.S. / Japan Natural Resources (UJNR) Panel on Earthquake Research: Abstract Volume and Technical Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Detweiler, Shane T.; Ellsworth, William L.

2008-01-01

The U.S. / Japan Natural Resources (UJNR) Panel on Earthquake Research promotes advanced study toward a more fundamental understanding of the earthquake process and hazard estimation. The Panel promotes basic and applied research to improve our understanding of the causes and effects of earthquakes and to facilitate the transmission of research results to those who implement hazard reduction measures on both sides of the Pacific and around the world. Meetings are held every other year, and alternate between countries with short presentation on current research and local field trips being the highlights. The 5th Joint Panel meeting was held at Asilomar, California in October, 2004. The technical sessions featured reports on the September 28, 2004 Parkfield, California earthquake, progress on earthquake early warning and rapid post-event assessment technology, probabilistic earthquake forecasting and the newly discovered phenomenon of nonvolcanic tremor. The Panel visited the epicentral region of the M 6.0 Parkfield earthquake and viewed the surface ruptures along the San Andreas Fault. They also visited the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), which had just completed the first phase of drilling into the fault. The 6th Joint Panel meeting was held in Tokushima, Japan in November, 2006. The meeting included very productive exchanges of information on approaches to systematic observation of earthquake processes. Sixty eight technical papers were presented during the meeting on a wide range of subjects, including interplate earthquakes in subduction zones, slow slip and nonvolcanic tremor, crustal deformation, recent earthquake activity and hazard mapping. Through our discussion, we reaffirmed the benefits of working together to achieve our common goal of reducing earthquake hazard, continued cooperation on issues involving densification of observation networks and the open exchange of data among scientific communities. We also reaffirmed the importance of

Tokyo, Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Tokyo, (35.5N, 140.0E) the capital city of Japan, Tokyo Bay and the neighboring cities of Yokohama, Kawasaki and Chiba are seen in this view of Japan. This great international seaport facility covers almost all of the bayfront and is home to over thirty million people.

Are prehospital airway management resources compatible with difficult airway algorithms? A nationwide cross-sectional study of helicopter emergency medical services in Japan.

PubMed

Ono, Yuko; Shinohara, Kazuaki; Goto, Aya; Yano, Tetsuhiro; Sato, Lubna; Miyazaki, Hiroyuki; Shimada, Jiro; Tase, Choichiro

2016-04-01

Immediate access to the equipment required for difficult airway management (DAM) is vital. However, in Japan, data are scarce regarding the availability of DAM resources in prehospital settings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Japanese helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) are adequately equipped to comply with the DAM algorithms of Japanese and American professional anesthesiology societies. This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2015. Base hospitals of HEMS were mailed a questionnaire about their airway management equipment and back-up personnel. Outcome measures were (1) call for help, (2) supraglottic airway device (SGA) insertion, (3) verification of tube placement using capnometry, and (4) the establishment of surgical airways, all of which have been endorsed in various airway management guidelines. The criteria defining feasibility were the availability of (1) more than one physician, (2) SGA, (3) capnometry, and (4) a surgical airway device in the prehospital setting. Of the 45 HEMS base hospitals questioned, 42 (93.3 %) returned completed questionnaires. A surgical airway was practicable by all HEMS. However, in the prehospital setting, back-up assistance was available in 14.3 %, SGA in 16.7 %, and capnometry in 66.7 %. No HEMS was capable of all four steps. In Japan, compliance with standard airway management algorithms in prehospital settings remains difficult because of the limited availability of alternative ventilation equipment and back-up personnel. Prehospital health care providers need to consider the risks and benefits of performing endotracheal intubation in environments not conducive to the success of this procedure.

Reconsidering Japan's underperformance in pharmaceuticals: evidence from Japan's anticancer drug sector.

PubMed

Umemura, Maki

2010-01-01

Unlike its automobile or electronics industries, Japan's pharmaceutical industry did not become a global leader. Japan remains a net importer of pharmaceuticals and has introduced few global blockbuster drugs. Alfred Chandler argued that Japan's pharmaceutical firms remained relatively weak because Western firms enjoyed an insurmountable first first-mover advantage. However, this case study of the anticancer drug sector illustrates that Chandler's explanation is incomplete. Japanese medical culture, government policy, and research environment also played a substantial role in shaping the industry. In the 1970s and 1980s, these factors encouraged firms to develop little few effective drugs with low side effects, and profit from Japan's domestic market. But, these drugs were unsuitable to foreign markets with more demanding efficacy standards. As a result, Japan not only lost more than a decade in developing ineffective drugs, but also neglected to create the infrastructure necessary to develop innovative drugs and build a stronger pharmaceutical industry.

21 CFR 186.1555 - Japan wax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2010-04-01 2009-04-01 true Japan wax. 186.1555 Section 186.1555 Food and Drugs... Substances Affirmed as GRAS § 186.1555 Japan wax. (a) Japan wax (CAS Reg. No. 8001-39-6), also known as Japan... fruits of the oriental sumac, Rhus succedanea (Japan, Taiwan, and Indo-China), R. vernicifera (Japan...

The Consequence of Economic Growth for Human and Natural Resource Development: Case Study in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ninomiya, Tetsuo

Before being included in Kanazawa City in 1954, all villages in the Yasuhara district of Japan might have been called model village communities, for these farming communities were built around common utilization of naturally-flowing ground water, and the rice farmers worked communally exhibiting principles of closeness and equality. When Yasuhara…

Japan's funding supremo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durrani, Matin

2018-02-01

Yasuhiro Iye, a condensed-matter physicist who is executive director of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, talks to Matin Durrani about the pressures and challenges facing Japan's biggest funding agency

Human Hair, Baltic Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) Fur and Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) Feathers as Accumulators of Bisphenol A and Alkylphenols.

PubMed

Nehring, Iga; Staniszewska, Marta; Falkowska, Lucyna

2017-05-01

The purpose of the study was to determine the concentration of bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), and 4-nonylphenol (NP), in human hair, the fur of Baltic grey seals and the feathers of herring gulls. Hair was collected from 42 volunteers, while grey seal fur (n = 17) came from the seal centre in Hel (Marine Station of Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk) and gull covert feathers (n = 26) were collected from dead herring gulls along the Southern Baltic coast. Assays of phenol derivatives were conducted using the high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection technique. In human hair, the mean BPA concentration amounted to 411.2 ng g -1  dw, OP 131.2 ng g -1  dw, NP 4478.4 ng g -1  dw, in seal fur BPA 67.5 ng g -1  dw, OP 62.8 ng g -1  dw, NP 39.1 ng g -1  dw, and in feathers BPA 145.1 ng g -1  dw, OP 162.0 ng g -1  dw, NP 37.7 ng g -1  dw. The increase of the analysed EDCs in hair was significantly influenced by diet rich in products of marine origin, as well as hair colouring, heating up food in plastic containers, using home cleaning products without protective gloves and wearing newly purchased clothes without washing them first. The concentration of phenol derivatives in seal fur was influenced solely by the uniform diet rich in fish. In birds, the feeding area during molting significantly influenced the concentration of BPA, OP and NP found in covert feathers.

Effects of the per diem prospective payment system with DRG-like grouping system (DPC/PDPS) on resource usage and healthcare quality in Japan.

PubMed

Hamada, Hironori; Sekimoto, Miho; Imanaka, Yuichi

2012-10-01

In 2003, Japan introduced the prospective payment system (PPS) with diagnosis-related groups (DRG) rearranged grouping system called the diagnostic procedure combination/per-diem payment system (DPC/PDPS). Even after eight years, little is known about the effects of DPC/PDPS. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of DPC/PDPS on resource usage and healthcare quality. Using 2001-2009 (fiscal year) administrative data of acute myocardial infarction patients, four indices, including inpatient total accumulated medical charges, length of stay (LOS), mortality rate, and readmission rate, were compared between patients reimbursed by DPC/PDPS or by fee-for-service. DPC/PDPS significantly reduced total accumulated medical charges by $1061 (95% confidence interval [CI], -2007, -116) and LOS by 2.29 days (95% CI, -3.71, -0.88) after risk adjustment. However, mortality rate (Odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.73, 1.21) was unchanged. Furthermore, DPC/PDPS increased the readmission rate (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.03, 1.82). This study showed that DPC/PDPS was associated with reduced resource usage, but not improved healthcare quality, as with DRG/PPSs in other countries. To achieve successful healthcare reform, further discussion on additional motives will be required. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes in a population of exotic rainbow smelt in Lake Superior: Boom to bust, 1974-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gorman, O.T.

2007-01-01

Changes in a population of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) in the Apostle Islands region of Lake Superior were chronicled over a 32-yr time series, 1974–2005. At the beginning of the time series, rainbow smelt was the predominant prey species, abundance of lake herring (Coregonis artedi) was very low, and the dominant predator was stocked lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Following a period of successful lake trout stocking in the 1970s, the rainbow smelt population declined sharply in 1980, largely through mortality of adult fish and subsequent poor recruitment. In the succeeding 4 years, rainbow smelt populations reached historic low levels, resulting in reduced food resources for both wild and stocked lake trout. During 1985–1990 lake herring stocks began a spectacular recovery following the appearance of a very strong 1984 year class and subsequent 1988, 1989, and 1990 year classes. Rainbow smelt benefited from the high abundance of young lake herring as an alternate prey source for lake trout and showed a partial recovery in the late 1980s. However, a growing lake trout population coupled with an 8-yr period of low herring reproduction after 1990 resulted in a diminished rainbow smelt population dominated by age-1 and 2 fish and showing a pattern of alternating recruitment attributed to cannibalism. Low productivity of rainbow smelt and intermittent production of herring over the past decade has left lake trout populations with a diminished prey base. Although lake trout recovery benefited from the presence of rainbow smelt as a prey resource, the Lake Superior fish community was fundamentally altered by the introduction of rainbow smelt.

Development of a green remediation tool in Japan.

PubMed

Yasutaka, Tetsuo; Zhang, Hong; Murayama, Koki; Hama, Yoshihito; Tsukada, Yasuhisa; Furukawa, Yasuhide

2016-09-01

The green remediation assessment tool for Japan (GRATJ) presented in this study is a spreadsheet-based software package developed to facilitate comparisons of the environmental impacts associated with various countermeasures against contaminated soil in Japan. This tool uses a life-cycle assessment-based model to calculate inventory inputs/outputs throughout the activity life cycle during remediation. Processes of 14 remediation methods for heavy metal contamination and 12 for volatile organic compound contamination are built into the tool. This tool can evaluate 130 inventory inputs/outputs and easily integrate those inputs/outputs into 9 impact categories, 4 integrated endpoints, and 1 index. Comparative studies can be performed by entering basic data associated with a target site. The integrated results can be presented in a simpler and clearer manner than the results of an inventory analysis. As a case study, an arsenic-contaminated soil remediation site was examined using this tool. Results showed that the integrated environmental impacts were greater with onsite remediation methods than with offsite ones. Furthermore, the contributions of CO2 to global warming, SO2 to urban air pollution, and crude oil to resource consumption were greater than other inventory inputs/outputs. The GRATJ has the potential to improve green remediation and can serve as a valuable tool for decision makers and practitioners in selecting countermeasures in Japan. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disaster Vulnerability of Hospitals: A Nationwide Surveillance in Japan.

PubMed

Ochi, Sae; Kato, Shigeaki; Kobayashi, Kenichi; Kanatani, Yasuhiro

2015-12-01

Hospital preparedness against disasters is key to achieving disaster mitigation for health. To gain a holistic view of hospitals in Japan, one of the most disaster-prone countries, a nationwide surveillance of hospital preparedness was conducted. A cross-sectional, paper-based interview was conducted that targeted all of the 8701 registered hospitals in Japan. Preparedness was assessed with regard to local hazards, compliance to building code, and preparation of resources such as electricity, water, communication tools, and transportation tools. Answers were obtained from 6122 hospitals (response rate: 70.3%), among which 20.5% were public (national or city-run) hospitals and others were private. Eight percent were the hospitals assigned as disaster-base hospitals and the others were non-disaster-base hospitals. Overall compliance to building code, power generators, water tanks, emergency communication tools, and helicopter platforms was 90%, 84%, 95%, 43%, and 22%, respectively. Major vulnerabilities in logistics in mega-cities and stockpiles required for chronic care emerged from the results of this nationwide surveillance of hospitals in Japan. To conduct further intensive surveillance to meet community health needs, appropriate sampling methods should be established on the basis of this preliminary study. Holistic vulnerability analysis of community hospitals will lead to more robust disaster mitigation at the local level.

Japan: Shikoku Island

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-08-24

... and island stations in the waters surrounding Japan and Korea. They characterized meteorological conditions, measured the atmospheric ... flew overhead. These MISR images, centered just north of Shikoku Island in southwest Japan, were acquired on April 13, 2001 ...

JTEC monograph on biodegradable polymers and plastics in Japan: Research, development, and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lenz, Robert W.

1995-01-01

A fact-finding team of American scientists and engineers visited Japan to assess the status of research and development and applications in biodegradable polymers. The visit was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and industry. In Japan, the team met with representatives of 31 universities, government ministries and institutes, companies, and associations. Japan's national program on biodegradable polymers and plastics evaluates new technologies, testing methods, and potential markets for biodegradables. The program is coordinated by the Biodegradable Plastics Society of Japan, which seeks to achieve world leadership in biodegradable polymer technology and identify commercial opportunities for exploiting this technology. The team saw no major new technology breakthroughs. Japanese scientists and engineers are focusing on natural polymers from renewable resources, synthetic polymers, and bacterially-produced polymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, poly(amino acids), and polysaccharides. The major polymers receiving attention are the Zeneca PHBV copolymers, Biopol(registered trademark), poly(lactic acid) from several sources, polycaprolactone, and the new synthetic polyester, Bionolle(registered trademark), from Showa High Polymer. In their present state of development, these polymers all have major deficiencies that inhibit their acceptance for large-scale applications.

Physics in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Sameen Ahmed

2018-04-01

I read your Japan special report with a keen interest. My first visit to Japan was in March 1994 to attend the JSPS-KEK International Spring School: High Energy Ion Beams – Novel Beam Techniques and their Applications.

Japan's aging economics.

PubMed

Ezrati, M

1997-01-01

"Japan's population is aging faster than that of any other country in the world. The unprecedented increase in retirees relative to the size of Japan's work force will force radical change if the nation is to avoid a fiscal crisis, or worse. These seemingly innocent demographic changes will force Japan to shrink its famously high savings rate, reverse its proud trade surplus, send more industry overseas, liberalize its tightly controlled markets, and take on a more active, high-profile foreign policy. Ultimately, these changes will shift the balance of power in East Asia." excerpt

21 CFR 186.1555 - Japan wax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... fruits of the oriental sumac, Rhus succedanea (Japan, Taiwan, and Indo-China), R. vernicifera (Japan), and R. trichocarpa (China, Indo-China, India, and Japan). Japan wax is soluble in hot alcohol, benzene...

21 CFR 186.1555 - Japan wax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... fruits of the oriental sumac, Rhus succedanea (Japan, Taiwan, and Indo-China), R. vernicifera (Japan), and R. trichocarpa (China, Indo-China, India, and Japan). Japan wax is soluble in hot alcohol, benzene...

21 CFR 186.1555 - Japan wax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... fruits of the oriental sumac, Rhus succedanea (Japan, Taiwan, and Indo-China), R. vernicifera (Japan), and R. trichocarpa (China, Indo-China, India, and Japan). Japan wax is soluble in hot alcohol, benzene...

Barbarian medicine in feudal Japan.

PubMed

Fodstad, Harald; Hariz, Marwan I; Hirabayashi, Hidehiro; Ohye, Chihiro

2002-10-01

THE FIRST EUROPEANS to discover Japan were Portuguese traders who arrived in 1542. Fifteen years later, the Portuguese Jesuit priest and surgeon Luis De Almeida (1525-1583) founded the first Western hospital in Japan, for the care of lepers, syphilitics, and orphans. Because the hospital had a negative influence on the spread of Christianity, the Jesuits closed it in 1586. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868), when Japan was secluded from the rest of the world, the only foreign physicians allowed to enter Japan were those employed by the Dutch factory at Dejima in Nagasaki. Only four of those physicians left behind seeds for the foundation of Western medicine in Japan, namely Caspar Schambergen, who founded a Japanese school of surgery in 1650; Engelbert Kämpfer, who visited Japan in 1691 to 1692; Carl Peter Thunberg, who botanically explored Japan in 1775 to 1776; and Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold, who practiced medicine in Nagasaki in 1823 to 1829 and 1859 to 1861. On the whole, Western medicine and surgery never established a real foothold in Japan until the fall of the shogunate and the restoration of the emperor in 1868.

Tropical fishes dominate temperate reef fish communities within western Japan.

PubMed

Nakamura, Yohei; Feary, David A; Kanda, Masaru; Yamaoka, Kosaku

2013-01-01

Climate change is resulting in rapid poleward shifts in the geographical distribution of tropical and subtropical fish species. We can expect that such range shifts are likely to be limited by species-specific resource requirements, with temperate rocky reefs potentially lacking a range of settlement substrates or specific dietary components important in structuring the settlement and success of tropical and subtropical fish species. We examined the importance of resource use in structuring the distribution patterns of range shifting tropical and subtropical fishes, comparing this with resident temperate fish species within western Japan (Tosa Bay); the abundance, diversity, size class, functional structure and latitudinal range of reef fishes utilizing both coral reef and adjacent rocky reef habitat were quantified over a 2 year period (2008-2010). This region has undergone rapid poleward expansion of reef-building corals in response to increasing coastal water temperatures, and forms one of the global hotspots for rapid coastal changes. Despite the temperate latitude surveyed (33°N, 133°E) the fish assemblage was both numerically, and in terms of richness, dominated by tropical fishes. Such tropical faunal dominance was apparent within both coral, and rocky reef habitats. The size structure of the assemblage suggested that a relatively large number of tropical species are overwintering within both coral and rocky habitats, with a subset of these species being potentially reproductively active. The relatively high abundance and richness of tropical species with obligate associations with live coral resources (i.e., obligate corallivores) shows that this region holds the most well developed temperate-located tropical fish fauna globally. We argue that future tropicalisation of the fish fauna in western Japan, associated with increasing coral habitat development and reported increasing shifts in coastal water temperatures, may have considerable positive economic

Effects of culture and age on the perceived exchange of social support resources.

PubMed

VonDras, Dean D; Pouliot, Gregory S; Malcore, Sylvia A; Iwahashi, Shigetoshi

2008-01-01

This research explores the perceived exchange of social support resources of young, midlife, and older adults in the United States and Japan, and how perceptions of exchange may moderate attributions of control, difficulty, and success in attaining important life-goals. A survey was administered to participants in the United States and Japan who ranged in age from 17 to 70 years. Results suggested culture and age to influence the designation of important life-goals, and to interactively moderate the perceived exchange of social support resources in the interpersonal contexts of family and business associates and co-workers. Furthermore, relationships between the perceived exchange of social support and perceptions of control and success in achieving life-goals indicated different intracultural effects. Overall, these findings suggest nuances in the perceived exchange of social support and social cognitions that reflect the cultural orientations of young, midlife and older adults in the United States and Japan. A culturally grounded model of social support is proposed and discussed.

Japan's Methane Hydrate R&D Program, Accomplishments and Future Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, T.

2009-12-01

JOGMEC have been searching for methane hydrate offshore around Japan for use as a future energy resource as a member of the research consortium of methane hydrate resources in Japan (MH21 Research Consortium). The MH21 Research Consortium was established in 2002 to carry out "Japan's Methane Hydrate R&D Program" published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in July 2001. The program has been extended over 18 years (until 2018) and is divided into three phases. During phase 1, the following key accomplishments had been achieved. Revealed and confirmed the occurrence of methane hydrate filling pore spaces of sand layers in the marine environment for the first time in the eastern Nankai Trough. Established methodology to delineate the thick methane hydrate concentrated zones composed of alternations of highly hydrate-saturated turbidite sand mainly by geophysical measures. Evaluated the amount of gas trapped in the eastern Nankai Trough, applied a probabilistic method based on the borehole data and seismic data, contained in methane hydrate-bearing layers. Tested and achieved substantial methane gas production through the wellbore from subsurface hydrate-bearing layers by dissociating hydrates in Canadian arctic area under international collaboration. Both depressurization method and hot water circulation method were successfully conducted to produce methane gas, and the depressurization method was proved to be effective as a production method that could be utilized in the future. We accumulated a significant amount of knowledge and experience during phase 1. However, many technical and economic challenges still remain for the development of methane hydrate. The research program proceeded to phase 2 in 2009. This time we would like to present summary of phase 1 and challenges during phase 2. The author would like to express sincere appreciation to MH21 Research Consortium and METI for permission for this presentation.

The Isolation and Characterization of Glycosylated Phosphoproteins from Herring Fish Bones*

PubMed Central

Zhou, Hai-Yan; Salih, Erdjan; Glimcher, Melvin J.

2010-01-01

Past studies of bone extracellular matrix phosphoproteins such as osteopontin and bone sialoprotein have yielded important biological information regarding their role in calcification and the regulation of cellular activity. Most of these studies have been limited to proteins extracted from mammalian and avian vertebrates and nonvertebrates. The present work describes the isolation and purification of two major highly glycosylated and phosphorylated extracellular matrix proteins of 70 and 22 kDa from herring fish bones. The 70-kDa phosphoprotein has some characteristics of osteopontin with respect to amino acid composition and susceptibility to thrombin cleavage. Unlike osteopontin, however, it was found to contain high levels of sialic acid similar to bone sialoprotein. The 22-kDa protein has very different properties such as very high content of phosphoserine (∼270 Ser(P) residues/1000 amino acid residues), Ala, and Asx residues. The N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of both the 70-kDa (NPIMA(M)ETTS(M)DSKVNPLL) and the 22-kDa (NQDMAMEASSDPEAA) fish phosphoproteins indicate that these unique amino acid sequences are unlike any published in protein databases. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that the 70-kDa phosphoprotein was present principally in bone and in calcified scales, whereas the 22-kDa phosphoprotein was detected only in bone. Immunohistological analysis revealed diffusely positive immunostaining for both the 70- and 22-kDa phosphoproteins throughout the matrix of the bone. Overall, this work adds additional support to the concept that the mechanism of biological calcification has common evolutionary and fundamental bases throughout vertebrate species. PMID:20833721

Minors' capacity to refuse treatment: a reply to Gilmore and Herring.

PubMed

Cave, Emma; Wallbank, Julie

2012-01-01

Re R and Re W allow a parent to consent to treatment a competent minor refuses, but the cases have not been tested post-Human Rights Act 1998. Gilmore and Herring offer a means by which they might be distinguished or sidelined. They interpret Gillick to say that in order to consent a minor need only have a full understanding of the particular treatment. They argue that the minors in Re R and Re W were refusing all treatment which requires a separate assessment of capacity-an assessment which was not made. We fear that this distinction would not be workable in clinical practice and argue that their interpretation of Gillick is flawed. From a clinician's point of view, competence cannot always be judged in relation to a specific treatment, but instead must relate to the decision. We show that a decision can incorporate more than one treatment, and more than one decision might be made about one treatment. A minor's understanding of a specific treatment is not always sufficient to demonstrate competence to make a decision. The result is that whilst there might be situations when a parent and a minor both have the power to consent to a particular treatment, they will not share concurrent powers in relation to the same decision. Consequently, a challenge to Re R and Re W, if forthcoming, would need to take a different form. We emphasise the necessity to minimise the dichotomy between legal consent and how consent works in medical practice.

Future trends in power generation cost by power resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1992-08-01

The Japan Energy Economy Research Institute has been evaluating power generation cost by each power resource every year focusing on nuclear power generation. The Institute is surveying the cost evaluations by power resources in France, Britain and the U.S.A., the nuclear generation advanced nations. The OECD is making power generation cost estimation using a hypothesis which uniforms basically the conditions varying in different member countries. In model power generation cost calculations conducted by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan, nuclear power generation is the most economical system in any fiscal year. According to recent calculations performed by the Japan Energy Economy Research Institute, the situation is such that it is difficult to distinguish the economical one from others among the power generation systems in terms of generation costs except for thermal power generation. Economic evaluations are given on estimated power generation costs based on construction costs for nuclear and thermal power plants, nuclear fuel cycling cost, and fuel cost data on petroleum, LNG and coal. With regard to the future trends, scenario analyses are made on generation costs, that assume fluctuations in fuel prices and construction costs, the important factors to give economic influence on power generation.

Japan Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-18

increased profitability, productivity and more effective management ." Members of the British side also called for an increase in Japan’s defense...copyright transfer, or rental permission is called technology trade. According to the Statistic Bureau of the Management and Coordina- tion Agency...1- 8.8 -Swizerland 6.3 5.6 Others 13.1 Source: Statistics Bureau of the Management and Coordination Agency China. 66.2% of Japan’s imported

Evaluation of doctoral nursing programs in Japan by faculty members and their educational and research activities.

PubMed

Arimoto, Azusa; Gregg, Misuzu F; Nagata, Satoko; Miki, Yuko; Murashima, Sachiyo

2012-07-01

Evaluation of doctoral programs in nursing is becoming more important with the rapid increase in the programs in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate doctoral nursing programs by faculty members and to analyze the relationship of the evaluation with educational and research activities of faculty members in Japan. Target settings were all 46 doctoral nursing programs. Eighty-five faculty members from 28 programs answered the questionnaire, which included 17 items for program evaluation, 12 items for faculty evaluation, 9 items for resource evaluation, 3 items for overall evaluations, and educational and research activities. A majority gave low evaluations for sources of funding, the number of faculty members and support staff, and administrative systems. Faculty members who financially supported a greater number of students gave a higher evaluation for extramural funding support, publication, provision of diverse learning experiences, time of supervision, and research infrastructure. The more time a faculty member spent on advising doctoral students, the higher were their evaluations on the supportive learning environment, administrative systems, time of supervision, and timely feedback on students' research. The findings of this study indicate a need for improvement in research infrastructure, funding sources, and human resources to achieve quality nursing doctoral education in Japan. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Industrial lasers in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karube, Norio

1991-03-01

I am to report on some aspects of industrial lasers in Japan. Mostly centering on the market. In Japan, the history of laser developnent is rather profound. And long. Ever since the first invention of the laser in this country in 1960. This is partly because of the fact that in Japan the spectroscopic studies of the ruby was very popular in the late 1950's. Ever since niost of the work has been done in the research laboratories of the industry, not in the universities or not in the governmental laboratories. And since that time our first activity was mainly centering on the basic research, but after that time we have the evolution of the technology. One of the features in Japan is that the activity of developement and research of laser technology from the very basic phase up to the present commercialization has been done by the same group of people, including ine. We had a national project which ended about six years ago which was sponsored by MITI. MITI is Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Japan. And because of this national project, the effect of this project had a very enlightening effect in Japan. And after that our Japanese laser market became very flourishing.

Non-physician communities in Japan: are they still disadvantaged?

PubMed

Kashima, S; Inoue, K; Matsumoto, M; Takeuchi, K

2014-01-01

Non-physician community' (NPC) is a policy term that indicates a medically underserved area in Japan. Designated NPCs are politically targeted as the foci of medical resource allocation. NPC is defined as a specified district where 50 or more persons dwell within a geographic diameter of 4 km and medical care is not easily accessible. The definition of NPC was first introduced in 1960 and has been unchanged for more than half a century despite radical social changes in rural Japan. This study examines whether designated NPCs are still more disadvantaged in terms of geographical access to healthcare in comparison to other communities. Hiroshima prefecture, which has the largest number of NPCs in terms of tertiary healthcare areas of Japan, was used as the study area. Targeted communities were all the NPCs in the prefecture, and, as controls, two community groups were selected: non-NPC adjacent to NPC, and municipal center. We measured driving time from NPCs and control communities to the nearest healthcare facilities, which were classified into the following two types: primary or secondary care facilities (n=2636) and tertiary care facilities (equal to tertiary emergency care centers; n=6). We further calculated the driving time to the nearest facilities for secondary emergency care (n=246) extracted from the 2636 primary or secondary care facilities. The median driving times to the nearest primary or secondary healthcare facility for NPC, non-NPC, and municipal center were 11 minutes, 11 minutes, and 1 minute, respectively; the times to a tertiary healthcare facility (equal to an accident and emergency care center) were 80 minutes, 84 minutes, and 68 minutes, respectively; and the times to a secondary emergency care facility were 24 minutes, 18 minutes, and 15 minutes, respectively. Although a municipal center was significantly more advantageous in driving time compared to a primary or secondary care facility, the disadvantage of a NPC in access was no more obvious

Physician job satisfaction and working conditions in Japan.

PubMed

Wada, Koji; Arimatsu, Mayuri; Higashi, Toshiaki; Yoshikawa, Toru; Oda, Susumu; Taniguchi, Hatsumi; Kawashima, Masatoshi; Aizawa, Yoshiharu

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine factors of working conditions associated with job satisfaction among physicians in Japan. We sent a questionnaire to all the physicians who graduated from a medical school in Japan. Physicians who were satisfied with their job were determined as those who selected "very satisfied" and "satisfied" in response to the question: "Overall, are you satisfied with your job?" Working conditions were determined from 10 different aspects: income fairness, hospital resources, career satisfaction, difficulty in patient care, lack of personal time, administrative work, workload, and relationships with physician colleagues, staff and patients. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between working conditions and job satisfaction. Among the respondents, 209 (55.4%) men and 62 (61.4%) women were determined to be satisfied with their job. Job satisfaction was associated with income fairness for both men (corrected odds ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.47) and women (1.35, 1.05 to 1.53). For men, job satisfaction was associated with good hospital resources (1.45, 1.29 to 1.57), high career satisfaction (1.41, 1.23 to 1.57), good relationships with physician colleagues (1.33, 1.12 to 1.49), and good relationships with hospital staff (1.28, 1.07 to 1.45). For women, job satisfaction was associated with good relationships with patients (1.41, 1.07 to 1.56). Certain working conditions were important factors for job satisfaction among physicians. These factors should be discussed for improving working conditions.

A Survey of the Awareness, Offering, and Adoption of OERs and MOOCs in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shigeta, Katsusuke; Koizumi, Mitsuyo; Sakai, Hiroyuki; Tsuji, Yasuhiro; Inaba, Rieko; Hiraoka, Naoshi

2017-01-01

Awareness about Open Educational Resources (OERs) and the purposes for offering and adopting OERs and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were analyzed using a detailed survey of higher education across Japan, which was conducted in 2015. A comparison with a similar study conducted in 2013 revealed that awareness of OERs has increased slightly and…

Development of potential candidate reference materials for drugs in bottom sediment, cod and herring tissues.

PubMed

Baranowska, Irena; Buszewski, Bogusław; Namieśnik, Jacek; Konieczka, Piotr; Magiera, Sylwia; Polkowska-Motrenko, Halina; Kościelniak, Paweł; Gadzała-Kopciuch, Renata; Woźniakiewicz, Aneta; Samczyński, Zbigniew; Kochańska, Kinga; Rutkowska, Małgorzata

2017-02-01

Regular use of a reference material and participation in a proficiency testing program can improve the reliability of analytical data. This paper presents the preparation of candidate reference materials for the drugs metoprolol, propranolol, carbamazepine, naproxen, and acenocoumarol in freshwater bottom sediment and cod and herring tissues. These reference materials are not available commercially. Drugs (between 7 ng/g and 32 ng/g) were added to the samples, and the spiked samples were freeze-dried, pulverized, sieved, homogenized, bottled, and sterilized by γ-irradiation to prepare the candidate materials. Procedures for extraction and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry were developed to determine the drugs of interest in the studied material. Each target drug was quantified using two analytical procedures, and the results obtained from these two procedures were in good agreement with each other. Stability and homogeneity assessments were performed, and the relative uncertainties due to instability (for an expiration date of 12 months) and inhomogeneity were 10-25% and 4.0-6.8%, respectively. These procedures will be useful in the future production of reference materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fracture risk and healthcare resource utilization and costs among osteoporosis patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and without diabetes mellitus in Japan: retrospective analysis of a hospital claims database.

PubMed

Sato, Masayo; Ye, Wenyu; Sugihara, Tomoko; Isaka, Yoshitaka

2016-11-25

Osteoporosis, osteoporosis-related fractures, and diabetes are considerable health burdens in Japan. Diabetes in patients with osteoporosis has been reported to be associated with increased fracture risk. This retrospective analysis of a Japanese hospital claims database investigated the real-world effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on the incidence of clinical fractures, costs, and healthcare resource utilization in patients with osteoporosis and a subgroup of patients prescribed raloxifene. Women aged ≥50 years diagnosed with osteoporosis who had a first prescription claim for osteoporosis treatment with a pre-index period ≥12 months and a post-index period of 30 months were selected from a database extract (April 2008-July 2013). Patients prescribed raloxifene were classed as a subgroup. Patients diagnosed with T2DM constituted the T2DM group; all other patients (excluding patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus) constituted the non-diabetes mellitus (non-DM) group. Groups were matched by exact matching, using selected baseline characteristics. Patient demographic and clinical characteristics were compared using chi-squared tests, t-tests, or Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Time to first fracture was examined using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Overall, the T2DM and non-DM groups had 7580 and 7979 patients, respectively; following matching, there were 3273 patients per group. In the raloxifene subgroup, the T2DM and non-DM groups had 668 and 699 patients, respectively; following matching, there were 239 patients per group. At baseline, the T2DM group (overall and raloxifene subgroup) had significantly higher healthcare resource utilization and comorbidities. During the post-index period, a similar pattern was observed in the overall group, even after matching; the T2DM group also had a higher incidence of fracture. In the raloxifene subgroup, after matching, there were no significant differences in fracture incidence or costs and fewer differences in

Japan Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-02-03

of Keidanren’s U.S. Investment Mission, who is also vice chairman of the Industrial Bank of Japan; Mamoru Sakai, leader of the B Group of...Keidanren’s U.S. Investment Mission, who is also a director of the Japan Long-Term Credit Bank ; Masayoshi Tozaki, leader of the C Group of Keidanren’s U.S...Constitution. At the same time, Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Volcker has repeatedly stressed that maintaining the value of the dollar is essential. In

Japan: Teaching Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadley, Marilyn, Ed.; And Others

This teaching guide was developed by undergraduate elementary education students as part of the requirements for a social studies methods course. The guide presents nine teaching units about various aspects of Japan. The unit topics range from the broad to the specific, and reflect a variety of approaches for teaching about Japan in the public…

Japan's High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rohlen, Thomas P.

The author, an anthropologist, spent 14 months (1974-75) in the industrial port city of Kobe (Japan) observing a cross section of urban high schools, including Japan's most elite private school and a night vocational school plagued by absenteeism and delinquency. He reports on the character of the institutions and of the experience via…

Microelectronics in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulton, William R.

1995-02-01

The purpose of this JTEC study is to evaluate Japan's electronic manufacturing and packaging capabilities within the context of global economic competition. To carry out this study, the JTEC panel evaluated the framework of the Japanese consumer electronics industry and various technological and organizational factors that are likely to determine who will win and lose in the marketplace. This study begins with a brief overview of the electronics industry, especially as it operates in Japan today. Succeeding chapters examine the electronics infrastructure in Japan and take an in-depth look at the central issues of product development in order to identify those parameters that will determine future directions for electronic packaging technologies.

Microelectronics in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boulton, William R.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this JTEC study is to evaluate Japan's electronic manufacturing and packaging capabilities within the context of global economic competition. To carry out this study, the JTEC panel evaluated the framework of the Japanese consumer electronics industry and various technological and organizational factors that are likely to determine who will win and lose in the marketplace. This study begins with a brief overview of the electronics industry, especially as it operates in Japan today. Succeeding chapters examine the electronics infrastructure in Japan and take an in-depth look at the central issues of product development in order to identify those parameters that will determine future directions for electronic packaging technologies.

Globalization and Education in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohkura, Kentaro; Shibata, Masako

2009-01-01

In this paper, the authors contend that globalization in Japan is the gradual process in which Japan's positioning of "self" within international relations, which had formerly been dominated by the West, has changed. Accordingly, Japan's relationships with the West and the rest of the world, for example, Asia, have also been reviewed and…

Prevalence, awareness, characteristics, and health outcomes associated with COPD at-risk status among adults in Japan.

PubMed

Omori, Hisamitsu; Yoshimoto, Daisuke; Kumar, Maya; Goren, Amir

2016-08-01

We examined the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosed and at-risk status, and public awareness of COPD among adults in Japan, as well as respondent characteristics and health outcomes compared with controls. Regression models used 2012 National Health and Wellness Survey in Japan data to compare COPD-diagnosed, at-risk, and healthy adults (aged ≥18) on demographics, health behaviors, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), productivity and healthcare resource use. Among n = 29,978 respondents, diagnosed COPD prevalence was 0.9%; 26.9% were at-risk. Relative to controls, those at-risk and diagnosed with COPD had significantly greater healthcare resource use, with lower productivity and HRQoL. Fewer than 20% of respondents were aware of COPD. Over 25% of adult Japanese respondents were at-risk for COPD and had health outcomes impairments relative to controls. Efforts to increase awareness among the general public are needed.

Tropical Fishes Dominate Temperate Reef Fish Communities within Western Japan

PubMed Central

Nakamura, Yohei; Feary, David A.; Kanda, Masaru; Yamaoka, Kosaku

2013-01-01

Climate change is resulting in rapid poleward shifts in the geographical distribution of tropical and subtropical fish species. We can expect that such range shifts are likely to be limited by species-specific resource requirements, with temperate rocky reefs potentially lacking a range of settlement substrates or specific dietary components important in structuring the settlement and success of tropical and subtropical fish species. We examined the importance of resource use in structuring the distribution patterns of range shifting tropical and subtropical fishes, comparing this with resident temperate fish species within western Japan (Tosa Bay); the abundance, diversity, size class, functional structure and latitudinal range of reef fishes utilizing both coral reef and adjacent rocky reef habitat were quantified over a 2 year period (2008–2010). This region has undergone rapid poleward expansion of reef-building corals in response to increasing coastal water temperatures, and forms one of the global hotspots for rapid coastal changes. Despite the temperate latitude surveyed (33°N, 133°E) the fish assemblage was both numerically, and in terms of richness, dominated by tropical fishes. Such tropical faunal dominance was apparent within both coral, and rocky reef habitats. The size structure of the assemblage suggested that a relatively large number of tropical species are overwintering within both coral and rocky habitats, with a subset of these species being potentially reproductively active. The relatively high abundance and richness of tropical species with obligate associations with live coral resources (i.e., obligate corallivores) shows that this region holds the most well developed temperate-located tropical fish fauna globally. We argue that future tropicalisation of the fish fauna in western Japan, associated with increasing coral habitat development and reported increasing shifts in coastal water temperatures, may have considerable positive economic

Tohoku Tsunami Debris, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-14

The Mar. 11, 2011, Tohoku, Japan earthquake and tsunami devastated a large extent of the northeastern Japan coast, and virtually erased many villages and cities from the map. NASA Terra spacecraft acquired this image of Sendai on Mar. 14, 2011.

FBIS report. Science and technology: Japan, December 10, 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-12-10

Contents (partial): Japan: Fabrication of Diamond Single Crystal Thin Film by Ion Beam Deposition; Japan: Hitachi Metal Develops New Semi Solid Metal Processing Technology; Japan: NTT Develops Fuel Cell System That Uses Both City Gas, LPG; Japan: Daihatsu Motor Completes Prototype EV; Japan: NIRIM Announces Success With Synthetic Bone Development; Japan: Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Plans Clinical Trials of Gene Therapy to Cerebral Tumor in Japan; Japan: MITI To Provide Aid for Residential Solar Power Generation Systems; Japan: MELCO To Provide Satellite Solar Cell Panel for SSL, USA; Japan: Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Leads Nuclear Research; Japan: Kobe Steel`s Superconducting Magnetmore » Ready to Go Fast; Japan: MPT To Begin Validation Test for Electric Money Implementation; and Japan: Defense Agency to Send ASDF`s Pilots to Russia for Training.« less

[Physician shortage in Japan: the new postgraduate medical education program and physicians as a human medical resource].

PubMed

Nomura, Kyoko

2011-01-01

Japan now faces a serious physician shortage. After introducing the new postgraduate medical education (PGME) system and doctor-to-facility matching system, residents shifted their teaching hospitals from university hospitals to non-university hospitals. Because university hospitals had played a central role in allocating physicians to communities, the decrease in the number of physicians at university hospitals has driven this physician shortage. Japanese policymakers blame the new PGME for exacerbating this physician shortage and have tentatively agreed to reform the PGME to encourage residents to return to university hospitals. However, the PGME system should not be reformed only for political reasons; such a change requires a scientific basis. First, after the introduction of the new PGME, residents showed an improved clinical competence; therefore, it has accomplished its ultimate goal. Second, the residents' satisfaction level in terms of the residency system and clinical skills training was significantly higher at non-university hospitals than at university hospitals. This implies that training conditions at university hospitals are not as good as at non-university hospitals, which explains the decrease in the number of physicians at university hospitals. Third, in 2009, the Japanese government increased the maximum medical school enrollment to mitigate the physician shortage. However, a simple increase does not solve the problem of physician shortage unless it also addresses the problem of physician maldistribution. Fourth, the number of females entering medicine is increasing, and women constituted 30% of newly certified physicians in 2010. In this era of physician shortage, female physicians are highly recommended as a human medical resource.

[Building epilepsy care network in Japan].

PubMed

Otsuki, Taisuke

2012-01-01

Number of epilepsy patient in Japan officially surveyed by our government in 2008 is 219,000, which is only 0.17% of the total population and less than one third of the prevalence rate reported in Western countries. Number of epilepsy surgery per year in Japan is also low and less than half of other countries such as US, UK and Korea. These numbers may suggest that epilepsy care in Japan is not sufficient to cover all hidden medical needs of people with epilepsy at present. To solve this issue, our research group funded by the government have started to build an epilepsy care network among primary care physicians, secondary care neurology specialists and tertiary care epilepsy centers by utilizing a web site: Epilepsy Care Network-Japan (http://www.ecn-japan.com/) from July 2012. We are also proposing an epilepsy care algorithm suitable for our complex medical community consisted with various neurology specialists such as pediatric and adult neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychiatrists. Building Epilepsy Care Network in Japan may facilitate better medical and social support for people with epilepsy in Japan.

Transforming healthcare with information technology in Japan: a review of policy, people, and progress.

PubMed

Abraham, Chon; Nishihara, Eitaro; Akiyama, Miki

2011-03-01

Healthcare reform as part of the economic recovery plan in Japan is placing emphasis on the use of healthcare information technology (HIT). This research mainly focuses on the HIT efforts in Japan with reference to the US for context. The purpose is to: (a) provide detail on governmental policy impacting promotion of HIT adoption to provide services to the people of Japan, (b) describe the outcomes of past and present policy impacting progress based on a case study of HIT use in the Kyoto Yamashina area, and (c) discuss issues for refinement of current policy. The method is case study, and data collection techniques include: (a) interviews of people involved in policy making for HIT in Japan (Japanese healthcare professionals, government officials, and academics involved in HIT research in Japan) and use in the medical community of HIT in the Kyoto Yamashina area, (b) archived document analysis of reports regarding government policy for HIT policy and user assessment for HIT mainly in the case study site, and (c) the literature review about HIT progression and effectiveness assessments to explore and describe issues concerning the transformation with HIT in Japan. This study reveals the aspects of governmental policy that have been effective in promoting successful HIT initiatives as well as some that have been detriments in Japan to help solve pressing social issues regarding healthcare delivery. For example, Japan has stipulated some standardized protocols and formats for HIT but does not mandate exactly how to engage in inter-organizational or intra-organizational health information exchange. This provides some desired autonomy for healthcare organizations and or governments in medical communities and allows for more advanced organizations to leverage current resources while providing a basis for lesser equipped organizations to use in planning the initiative. The insights gained from the Kyoto Yamashina area initiative reflect the success of past governmental

Characteristics of Wet Deposition in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwasaki, A.; Arakaki, T.

2017-12-01

Acid deposition survey in Japan has started since 1991 by Japan Environmental Laboratories Association (JELA). The JELA has about 60 monitoring sites for wet deposition including remote, rural and urban area. The measured constituents of wet deposition are; precipitation, pH, electric conductivity, major Anions, and major Cations. From those data, we analyze spatial and temporal variations of wet deposition components in Japan. Among the 60 monitoring sites, 39 sampling sites were selected in this study, which have kept sampling continuously between 2003JFY and 2014JFY. All samples were collected by wet-only samplers. To analyze area characteristics, all the areas were divided into 6 regions; Northern part of Japan (NJ), Facing the Japan Sea (JS), Eastern part of Japan (EJ), Central part of Japan (CJ), Western part of Japan (WJ) and Southern West Islands (SW). NO3- and non-sea-salt-SO42- (nss-SO42-) are major components of rain acidification. Especially, between December and February (winter) the air mass from west affected the temporal variations of those acid components and the concentrations were higher in JS and WJ regions than those in other regions. Japanese ministry of the Environment reported that mixing ratio of NO2 in Japan has been less than 0.04ppm since 1976, and that of SO2 has been less than 0.02ppm since 1978. Their concentrations in Japan have remained flat or slowly decreased recently. However the temporal variations of NO3-/nss-SO42- ratio in winter in JS region were significantly increased on average at 2.2% y-1 from 2003JFY to 2014JFY. The results suggest that long-range transboundary air pollutants increased NO3- concentrations and NO3-/nss-SO42- ratio.

Interaction Mode between Inclusion Complex of Vitamin K3 with γ- Cyclodextrin and Herring-Sperm DNA.

PubMed

Tang, Yan; Cai, Li; Xue, Kang; Wang, Chunling; Xiong, Xiaoli

2016-05-03

Methods including spectroscopy, electronic chemistry and thermodynamics were used to study the inclusion effect between γ-cyclodextrin (CD) and vitamin K3(K3), as well as the interaction mode between herring-sperm DNA (hsDNA) and γ-CD-K3 inclusion complex. The results from ultraviolet spectroscopic method indicated that VK3 and γ-CD formed 1:1 inclusion complex, with the inclusion constant Kf = 1.02 × 10(4) L/mol, which is based on Benesi-Hildebrand's viewpoint. The outcomes from the probe method and Scatchard methods suggested that the interaction mode between γ-CD-K3 and DNA was a mixture mode, which included intercalation and electrostatic binding effects. The binding constants were K (θ)25°C = 2.16 × 10(4) L/mol, and K(θ)37°C = 1.06 × 10(4) L/mol. The thermodynamic functions of the interaction between γ-CD-K3 and DNA were ΔrHm(θ) = -2.74 × 10(4) J/mol, ΔrSm(θ) = 174.74 J·mol(-1)K(-1), therefore, both ΔrHm(θ) (enthalpy) and ΔrSm(θ) (entropy) worked as driven forces in this action.

The evolutionary origins of diadromy inferred from a time-calibrated phylogeny for Clupeiformes (herring and allies).

PubMed

Bloom, Devin D; Lovejoy, Nathan R

2014-03-07

One of the most remarkable types of migration found in animals is diadromy, a life-history behaviour in which individuals move between oceans and freshwater habitats for feeding and reproduction. Diadromous fishes include iconic species such as salmon, eels and shad, and have long fascinated biologists because they undergo extraordinary physiological and behavioural modifications to survive in very different habitats. However, the evolutionary origins of diadromy remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the widely accepted productivity hypothesis, which states that differences in productivity between marine and freshwater biomes determine the origins of the different modes of diadromy. Specifically, the productivity hypothesis predicts that anadromous lineages should evolve in temperate areas from freshwater ancestors and catadromous lineages should evolve in tropical areas from marine ancestors. To test this, we generated a time-calibrated phylogeny for Clupeiformes (herrings, anchovies, sardines and allies), an ecologically and economically important group that includes high diversity of diadromous species. Our results do not support the productivity hypothesis. Instead we find that the different modes of diadromy do not have predictable ancestry based on latitude, and that predation, competition and geological history may be at least as important as productivity in determining the origins of diadromy.

Advances in food composition tables in Japan-Standard Tables Of Food Composition in Japan - 2015 - (Seventh Revised Edition).

PubMed

Watanabe, Tomoko; Kawai, Ryoko

2018-01-01

The latest version of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan-2015- comprises the main food composition table (Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan-2015-[Seventh revised Edition)) and three supplementary books. The supplementary books are Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan - 2015 - (Seventh Revised Edition) - Amino Acids -, Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan - 2015 - (Seventh Revised Edition) - Fatty Acids - and Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan - 2015 - (Seventh Revised Edition) - Available Carbohydrates, Polyols and Organic Acids-. We believe understanding these food composition tables can give greater insight into Japan's gastronomic culture and changes in eating habits. We expect them to play important roles as part of the East Asia food composition tables. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Japan's electronic packaging technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tummala, Rao R.; Pecht, Michael

1995-01-01

The JTEC panel found Japan to have significant leadership over the United States in the strategic area of electronic packaging. Many technologies and products once considered the 'heart and soul' of U.S. industry have been lost over the past decades to Japan and other Asian countries. The loss of consumer electronics technologies and products is the most notable of these losses, because electronics is the United States' largest employment sector and is critical for growth businesses in consumer products, computers, automobiles, aerospace, and telecommunications. In the past there was a distinction between consumer and industrial product technologies. While Japan concentrated on the consumer market, the United States dominated the industrial sector. No such distinction is anticipated in the future; the consumer-oriented technologies Japan has dominated are expected to characterize both domains. The future of U.S. competitiveness will, therefore, depend on the ability of the United States to rebuild its technological capabilities in the area of portable electronic packaging.

Current Status of Doping in Japan Based on Japan Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panels of the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA): A Suggestion on Anti-Doping Activities by Pharmacists in Japan.

PubMed

Imanishi, Takashi; Kawabata, Takayoshi; Takayama, Akira

2017-01-01

In 2009, the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) established the "Sports Pharmacist Accreditation Program" to prevent doping in sports. Since then, anti-doping activities in Japan have been attracting attention. In this study, we investigated research about the current status of doping from 2007 to 2014 in Japan to make anti-doping activities more concrete, and we also discussed future anti-doping activities by pharmacists. In Japan, bodybuilding was the sporting event with the highest number and rate of doping from 2007 to 2014. Many of the positive doping cases were detected for class S1 (anabolic agents), S5 (diuretics and masking agents), and S6 (stimulants). Within class S1, supplements were the main cause of positive doping. Within class S5, medicines prescribed by medical doctors were the main cause of positive doping. Within class S6, non-prescription medicines (e.g., OTC) were the main cause of positive doping. When we looked at the global statistics on doping, many of the positive doping cases were detected for class S1. On comparing the Japanese statistics with the global statistics, the rate of positive doping caused by class S1 was significantly lower, but that caused by classes S5 and S6 was significantly higher in Japan than in the world. In conclusion, pharmacists in Japan should pay attention to class S1, S5, and S6 prohibited substances and to the sport events of bodybuilding. Based on this study, sports pharmacists as well as common pharmacists should suggest new anti-doping activities to prevent doping in the future.

Japan's advanced medicine.

PubMed

Sho, Ri; Narimatsu, Hiroto; Murakami, Masayasu

2013-10-01

Like health care systems in other developed countries, Japan's health care system faces significant challenges due to aging of the population and economic stagnation. Advanced medicine (Senshin Iryou) is a unique system of medical care in Japan offering highly technology-driven medical care that is not covered by public health insurance. Advanced medicine has recently developed and expanded as part of health care reform. Will it work? To answer this question, we briefly trace the historical development of advanced medicine and describe the characteristics and current state of advanced medical care in Japan. We then offer our opinions on the future of advanced medicine with careful consideration of its pros and cons. We believe that developing advanced medicine is an attempt to bring health care reform in line rather than the goal of health care reform.

Dust over Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

March 24, 2010 - Dust over Japan This image of gray/brown dust being blown over Japan was captured on March 21, 2010 by the MODIS on the Terra satellite. On the left is the Korean peninsula. Japan stretches diagonally across the image, up to the top right corner. The dust is likely from the sandstorm that swept across the China the previous day. The sand and dust originated from the south and east of Inner Mongolia. In this image from March 20, the dust is nearly obscuring the Bohai Sea, which is just west of the Korean peninsula. Here is a handy map. For more information related to this image go to: modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2010-0... For more information about Goddard Space Flight Center go here: www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html

Recent meteor observing activities in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, M.

2005-02-01

The meteor train observation (METRO) campaign is described as an example of recent meteor observing activity in Japan. Other topics of meteor observing activities in Japan, including Ham-band radio meteor observation, the ``Japan Fireball Network'', the automatic video-capture software ``UFOCapture'', and the Astro-classroom programme are also briefly introduced.

A Cultural Experience: Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Robert W.; And Others

This activities unit for teaching about Japan is designed for use with elementary students. The activities reflect the growing importance of Japan in today's world, and the belief that the social studies curriculum should reflect principles of global education. The unit is intended to explore seven major goals included in the social studies…

Can wolves help save Japan's mountain forests?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber-Meyer, Shannon

2017-01-01

Japan’s wolves were extinct by 1905. Today Japan's mountain forests are being killed by overabundant sika deer and wild boars. Since the early 1990s, the Japan Wolf Association has proposed wolf reintroduction to Japan to restore rural ecology and to return a culturally important animal. In this article I discuss whether the return of wolves could help save Japan's mountain forests.

FBIS report. Science and technology: Japan, February 20, 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-02-20

;Partial Contents: Energy (Japan: MHI Discovers Maritime Photo Plankton that Produces Ethanol from CO2, Japan: Tokyo Electric Power Co.`s PAFC Development); Telecommunications (Japan: Report on 1st Asian Telecommunications Industry Exchange, Japan: MPT Reports Test Evaluation Results for PHS); Defense Industries (Japan: Expert on Shipbuilding, Welding Technology, Japan: Komatsu R&D Chief on Dream of Ground Robots; Japan: Defense Simulator Series, Part 7: Torpedo Simulator).

Yoga Therapy in Japan.

PubMed

Kimura, By Keishin

2017-08-01

This perspective piece gives an overview of the current situation of yoga therapy in Japan today. Traditional yoga in Japan suffered a serious setback in 1995 with a nerve gas terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway, which was carried out by a cult that recruited members through yoga classes. But with the increase in popularity with modern forms of yoga such as Iyengar yoga, Ashtanga yoga and hot yoga in the West, the general public in Japan today is forgetting its aversion to yoga and considers it to be something that can contribute to good health. In 2012, the Japan Yoga Therapy Society (JYTS) conducted a study on adverse events in yoga classes throughout Japan with the University of Kyushu School of Medicine, with support from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This study indicated that more than half of people attending yoga classes have some form of chronic illness, with 42.3% receiving outpatient care. This survey was the beginning of growing interest from both the government and universities in yoga therapy. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. This perspective piece introduces some of the developments in yoga therapy research and practice in

Yoga Therapy in Japan.

PubMed

Kimura, Keishin

2017-11-01

This perspective piece gives an overview of the current situation of yoga therapy in Japan today. Traditional yoga in Japan suffered a serious setback in 1995 with a nerve gas terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway, which was carried out by a cult that recruited members through yoga classes. But with the increase in popularity with modern forms of yoga such as Iyengar yoga, Ashtanga yoga and hot yoga in the West, the general public in Japan today is forgetting its aversion to yoga and considers it to be something that can contribute to good health. In 2012, the Japan Yoga Therapy Society (JYTS) conducted a study on adverse events in yoga classes throughout Japan with the University of Kyushu School of Medicine, with support from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This study indicated that more than half of people attending yoga classes have some form of chronic illness, with 42.3% receiving outpatient care. This survey was the beginning of growing interest from both the government and universities in yoga therapy. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. This perspective piece introduces some of the developments in yoga therapy research and practice in

TWELVE DOORS TO JAPAN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BEARDSLEY, RICHARD K.; HALL, JOHN WHITNEY

THE TWELVE DOORS OF THIS COLLEGE-LEVEL TEXT ARE TWELVE CHAPTERS ON ASPECTS OF JAPAN AND JAPANESE CULTURE AS TREATED BY VARIOUS ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES. THE AUTHORS' PURPOSE IN CHOOSING THIS FORMAT WAS TO PRESENT INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION ABOUT JAPAN AND TO ACQUAINT STUDENTS WITH THE AIMS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS OF DISCIPLINES OTHER THAN THE ONE THEY…

Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan

PubMed Central

Shiota, Seiji; Murakawi, Kazunari; Suzuki, Rumiko; Fujioka, Toshio; Yamaoka, Yoshio

2013-01-01

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection is gradually decreasing in Japan. On the main island of Japan, nearly all H. pylori isolates possess cagA and vacA with strong virulence. However, less virulent H. pylori strains are frequently found in Okinawa where cases of gastric cancer are the lowest in Japan. Eradication therapy for peptic ulcer, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and early gastric cancer after endoscopic resection has been approved by the Japanese national health insurance system. However, the Japanese Society for Helicobacter Research recently stated that all ‘H. pylori infection’ was considered as the indication for eradication irrespective of the background diseases. To eliminate H. pylori in Japan, the Japanese health insurance system should approve the eradication of all H. pylori infections. PMID:23265147

The truth lies somewhere in the middle: Swinging between globalization and regionalization of medical education in Japan.

PubMed

Saiki, Takuya; Imafuku, Rintaro; Suzuki, Yasuyuki; Ban, Nobutaro

2017-10-01

Japan is well known as a super-aging society, with a low birth rate, and has been ranked as one of the countries having the highest quality of healthcare system. Japan's society is currently approaching a major turning point with regard to societal and healthcare reforms, which are influenced by international trends and regional needs. Development of Japanese healthcare human resources, including medical students, is now expected to ride the wave of globalization, while resolving regional problems in the training and delivery of healthcare. Terms and global trends in medical education, such as outcome-based education, community-based education, reflective learning, international accreditation of medical education, and professionalization of educators are well translated into the Japanese language and embraced positively among the Japanese medical educators. However, these trends occasionally sit uncomfortably with cultural variations that are often a common approach in Japan; notably, "hansei" (introspection) and "kaizen" (change for the better). In the world facing a new era where people are unsettled between globalism and regionalism, Japan's future mission is to steer a balanced route that recognizes both global and regional influences and produce global health professionals educators.

Human Resources and Corporate Strategy. Technological Change in Banks and Insurance Companies: France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertrand, Olivier; Noyelle, Thierry

Twelve financial institutions (nine banks and three insurance companies) from five countries (France, West Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) were studied to determine the directions in which financial service markets and firms are moving as a result of increasing competition and technological change. Data were collected from…

Sleep, serotonin, and suicide in Japan.

PubMed

Kohyama, Jun

2011-01-01

This article reviews evidence supporting the hypothesis that suicide rates in Japan could be reduced by elevating serotonin levels via increasing the average duration of sleep. Seven major relevant findings were apparent in the literature: 1) Sleep loss is associated with suicide, but the direction of causality is equivocal. 2) Decreased serotonergic activity may be involved in suicidal behavior. 3) Sleep debt may decrease serotonergic activity. 4) The suicide rate in Japan has remained at a heightened level for the past 12 years. 5) The average sleep duration in Japan has decreased over the past 40 years. 6) The average sleep duration in Japan is among the lowest in the world. 7) The average sleep duration in Japan plateaued in 1995 and has been relatively stable since. From the research reviewed, two major problematic issues were apparent: 1) Most people in Japan receive inadequate sleep. 2) Individuals whose sleep is inadequate are unlikely to be sufficiently physically active to stimulate serotonergic systems to a desirable level. I propose that public health initiatives encouraging a longer duration of sleep may provide a relatively simple way of addressing the disturbing current trend in Japan. The combination of actigraph and brain serotonin level measurement could allow large population-based cohort studies to be designed, to elucidate the causal links between sleep duration, serotonin levels, and suicide rates.

Bioavailability of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from phospholipid-rich herring roe oil in men and women with mildly elevated triacylglycerols.

PubMed

Cook, Chad M; Hallaråker, Hogne; Sæbø, Per Christian; Innis, Sheila M; Kelley, Kathleen M; Sanoshy, Kristen D; Berger, Alvin; Maki, Kevin C

2016-08-01

This randomized, single-blind, crossover trial assessed the bioavailability of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) from two different sources, each examined over a 12h period following consumption of a single serving and after 2-weeks of daily supplementation. Thirty-two adults with fasting triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations between 100 and 399mg/dL were randomly assigned, with stratification by sex and age, to receive 12 capsules/day containing either phospholipid (PL)-rich herring roe oil (Romega® 30, 628mg/day EPA; 1810mg/day DHA; 137mg/day DPA) or TAG-rich fish oil (575mg/day EPA; 1843mg/day DHA; 259mg/day DPA) each for a 2-week period separated by a 4 week washout. The net incremental area under the curve from 0 to 12h for EPA, DHA, and EPA+DHA in plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) were significantly higher (p<0.01 for all) after Romega 30 supplementation compared to fish oil. Similar results were observed when the data for the Romega 30 condition were normalized to fish oil EPA and DHA intakes (p<0.001 for all). After the 2-week supplementation period, fasting plasma PC EPA+ DHA was elevated by ~2.8 to 3.0-fold relative to baseline in both conditions (p<0.0001 for each), but there was no significant difference in the change from baseline (p=0.422) between Romega 30 (baseline=62.2±3.8µg/mL vs. end of study=172.9±11.7µg/mL) and fish oil (baseline=62.0±3.4µg/mL vs. end of study=185.4±11.2µg/mL) conditions. Similar results were observed for each individual LC n-3 PUFA in plasma PC after 2 weeks of supplementation. These data demonstrate that PL-rich herring roe is a well-tolerated and bioavailable source of LC n-3 PUFA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychology in Japan.

PubMed

Imada, Hiroshi; Tanaka-Matsumi, Junko

2016-06-01

The purpose of this article is to provide information about Japan and its psychology in advance of the 31st International Congress of Psychology (ICP), to be held in Yokohama, Japan, in 2016. The article begins with the introduction of the Japanese Psychological Association (JPA), the hosting organization of the ICP 2016, and the Japanese Union of Psychological Associations consisting of 51 associations/societies, of which the JPA is a member. This is followed by a brief description of a history of psychology of Japan, with emphasis on the variation in our approach to psychology in three different periods, that is, the pre- and post-Pacific War periods, and the post-1960 period. Next, the international contributions of Japanese psychology/psychologists are discussed from the point of view of their visibility. Education and training in psychology in Japanese universities is discussed with a final positive remark about the long-awaited enactment of the Accredited Psychologist Law in September, 2015. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

Lifetime and 12-month prevalence, severity and unmet need for treatment of common mental disorders in Japan: results from the final dataset of World Mental Health Japan Survey

PubMed Central

Ishikawa, H.; Kawakami, N.; Kessler, R. C.

2016-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence, severity, and treatment of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed. (DSM-IV) mental disorders in Japan based on the final data set of the World Mental Health Japan Survey conducted in 2002–2006. Methods Face-to-face household interviews of 4,130 respondents who were randomly selected from Japanese-speaking residents aged 20 years or older were conducted from 2002 to 2006 in 11 community populations in Japan (overall response rate, 56%). The World Mental Health version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI), a fully structured lay administered psychiatric diagnostic interview, was used for diagnostic assessment. Results Lifetime/12-month prevalence of any DSM-IV common mental disorders in Japan was estimated to be 20.3/7.6%. Rank-order of four classes of mental disorders was anxiety disorders (8.1/4.9%), substance disorders (7.4/1.0%), mood disorders (6.5/2.3%), and impulse control disorders (2.0/0.7%). The most common individual disorders were alcohol abuse/dependence (7.3/0.9%), major depressive disorder (6.1/2.2%), specific phobia (3.4/2.3%), and generalized anxiety disorder (2.6/1.3%). While the lifetime prevalence of any mental disorder was greater for males and the middle-aged, the persistence (proportion of 12-month cases among lifetime cases) of any mental disorder was greater for females and younger respondents. Among those with any 12-month disorder, 15.3% were classified as severe, 44.1% moderate, and 40.6% mild. Although a strong association between severity and service use was found, only 21.9% of respondents with any 12-month disorder sought treatment within the last 12 months; only 37.0% of severe cases received medical care. The mental health specialty sector was the most common resource used in Japan. Although the prevalence of mental disorders were quite low, mental disorders were the second

Modeling the budget impact of long-acting injectable paliperidone palmitate in the treatment of schizophrenia in Japan

PubMed Central

Mahlich, Jörg; Nishi, Masamichi; Saito, Yoshimichi

2015-01-01

Background The cost of schizophrenia in Japan is high and new long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics might be able to reduce costs by causing a reduction of hospital stays. We aim to estimate budget effects of the introduction of a new 1-month LAI, paliperidone palmitate, in Japan. Methods A budget impact analysis was conducted from a payer perspective. The model took direct costs of illness into account (ie, costs for inpatient and outpatient services, as well as drug costs). The robustness of the model was checked using a sensitivity analysis. Results According to our calculations, direct total costs of schizophrenia reach 710,500 million yen a year (US$6 billion). These costs decrease to 691,000 million yen (US$5.9 billion) 3 years after the introduction of paliperidone palmitate. Conclusion From a payer point of view, the introduction of a new treatment for schizophrenia in Japan helps to save resources and is not associated with a higher financial burden. PMID:26045674

Contested embryonic culture in Japan--public discussion, and human embryonic stem cell research in an aging welfare society.

PubMed

Sleeboom-Faulkner, Margaret

2010-01-01

This article explores the reasons for the lack of a broad discussion on bioethical regulation of human embryonic stem cell research (hESR) in Japan and asks why scientists experience difficulties accessing resources for hESR despite the acclaimed indifference of dominant Japanese culture to embryo research. The article shows how various social actors express their views on the embryo and oocyte donation in terms of dominant Japanese culture, foiled against what is regarded as Western culture. Second, it shows how the lack of concern with hESR should be understood in the context of public health policies and communications and bioethics decision making in Japan. Finally, it interprets the meaning of the embryo in the context of Japan as an aging modern welfare society, explaining how policymakers have come to emphasize the urgency of infertility problems over issues around abortion and embryonic life.

Guidelines for obstetrical practice in Japan: Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) and Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (JAOG) 2014 edition.

PubMed

Minakami, Hisanori; Maeda, Tsugio; Fujii, Tomoyuki; Hamada, Hiromi; Iitsuka, Yoshinori; Itakura, Atsuo; Itoh, Hiroaki; Iwashita, Mitsutoshi; Kanagawa, Takeshi; Kanai, Makoto; Kasuga, Yoshio; Kawabata, Masakiyo; Kobayashi, Kosuke; Kotani, Tomomi; Kudo, Yoshiki; Makino, Yasuo; Matsubara, Shigeki; Matsuda, Hideo; Miura, Kiyonori; Murakoshi, Takeshi; Murotsuki, Jun; Ohkuchi, Akihide; Ohno, Yasumasa; Ohshiba, Yoko; Satoh, Shoji; Sekizawa, Akihiko; Sugiura, Mayumi; Suzuki, Shunji; Takahashi, Tsuneo; Tsukahara, Yuki; Unno, Nobuya; Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki

2014-06-01

The 'Clinical Guidelines for Obstetrical Practice, 2011 edition' were revised and published as a 2014 edition (in Japanese) in April 2014 by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The aims of this publication include the determination of current standard care practices for pregnant women in Japan, the widespread use of standard care practices, the enhancement of safety in obstetrical practice, the reduction of burdens associated with medico-legal and medico-economical problems, and a better understanding between pregnant women and maternity-service providers. The number of Clinical Questions and Answers items increased from 87 in the 2011 edition to 104 in the 2014 edition. The Japanese 2014 version included a Discussion, a List of References, and some Tables and Figures following the Answers to the 104 Clinical Questions; these additional sections covered common problems and questions encountered in obstetrical practice, helping Japanese readers to achieve a comprehensive understanding. Each answer with a recommendation level of A, B or C was prepared based principally on 'evidence' or a consensus among Japanese obstetricians in situations where 'evidence' was weak or lacking. Answers with a recommendation level of A or B represent current standard care practices in Japan. All 104 Clinical Questions and Answers items, with the omission of the Discussion, List of References, and Tables and Figures, are presented herein to promote a better understanding among English readers of the current standard care practices for pregnant women in Japan. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2014 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Humanistic and economic burden of fibromyalgia in Japan

PubMed Central

Lee, Lulu K; Ebata, Nozomi; Hlavacek, Patrick; DiBonaventura, Marco; Cappelleri, Joseph C; Sadosky, Alesia

2016-01-01

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the health and economic burden associated with fibromyalgia among adults in Japan. Materials and methods Data from the 2011–2014 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (n=115,271), a nationally representative survey of adults, were analyzed. The greedy matching algorithm was used to match the respondents who self-reported a diagnosis of fibromyalgia with those not having fibromyalgia (n=256). Generalized linear models, controlling for covariates (eg, age and sex), examined whether the respondents with fibromyalgia differed from matched controls based on health status (health utilities; Mental and Physical Component Summary scores from Medical Outcomes Study: 12-item Version 2 and 36-item Version 2 Short Form Survey), sleep quality (ie, sleep difficulty symptoms), work productivity (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire – General Health Version 2.0), health care resource use, and estimated annual indirect and direct costs (based on published annual wages and resource use events) in Japanese yen (¥). Results After adjustment for covariates, respondents with fibromyalgia relative to matched controls scored significantly lower on health utilities (adjusted means =0.547 vs 0.732), Mental Component Summary score (33.15 vs 45.88), and Physical Component Summary score (39.22 vs 50.81), all with P<0.001; these differences exceeded the clinically meaningful levels. In addition, those with fibromyalgia reported significantly poorer sleep quality than those without fibromyalgia. Respondents with fibromyalgia compared with those without fibromyalgia experienced significantly more loss in work productivity and health care resource use, resulting in those with fibromyalgia incurring indirect costs that were more than twice as high (adjusted means =¥2,826,395 vs ¥1,201,547) and direct costs that were nearly six times as high (¥1,941,118 vs ¥335,140), both with P<0.001. Conclusion Japanese adults with

Microsystems Research in Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-01

microsystems applications, like microfluidic systems, will require more than planar lithography -based fabrication processes. The committee was impressed by the...United States focused on exploiting silicon planar lithography as the core technology for microstructure fabrication, whereas Japan explored a wide...including LIGA and its extensions, micro-stereolithography, and e-beam lithography . The range of materials seen in Japan was broader than in the

[History of pandemic influenza in Japan].

PubMed

Matsumoto, Keizo

2010-09-01

In Japan, influenza like epidemics were described many times since Heian era. However, Spanish flu as the modern medicine invaded Japan in 1918, thus almost infected 390,000 patients died with associated pneumonia. After the discovery of influenza virus in 1933, Japan experienced pandemic influenza--Asian flu(H2N2) in 1957. After about 10 years, Hong Kong flu (H3N2) came to Japan at 1968. However, we had many reliable antibiotics but had not any antiviral drug at the early time. After year 2000, we fortunately obtained reliable three antiviral drugs such as amantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. Moreover, very useful rapid test kits for influenza A and B viruses were developed and used in Japan. 2009 H1N1 influenza epidemic occured in Japan after the great epidemic in Mexico and North America but elderly patient was few. With together, host conditions regarding with high risk are changing. Lessons from past several pandemic influenza are those that many issues for changing high risk conditions, viral genetic changes, developing antiviral agents, developing new useful vaccins and determinating bacterial secondary pathogens are important.

Global health resource utilization associated with pacemaker complications.

PubMed

Waweru, Catherine; Steenrod, Anna; Wolff, Claudia; Eggington, Simon; Wright, David Jay; Wyrwich, Kathleen W

2017-07-01

To estimate health resource utilization (HRU) associated with the management of pacemaker complications in various healthcare systems. Electrophysiologists (EPs) from four geographical regions (Western Europe, Australia, Japan, and North America) were invited to participate. Survey questions focused on HRU in the management of three chronic pacemaker complications (i.e. pacemaker infections requiring extraction, lead fractures/insulation breaches requiring replacement, and upper extremity deep venous thrombosis [DVT]). Panelists completed a maximum of two web-based surveys (iterative rounds). Mean, median values, and interquartile ranges were calculated and used to establish consensus. Overall, 32 and 29 panelists participated in the first and second rounds of the Delphi panel, respectively. Consensus was reached on treatment and HRU associated with a typical pacemaker implantation and complications. HRU was similar across regions, except for Japan, where panelists reported the longest duration of hospital stay in all scenarios. Infections were the most resource-intensive complications and were characterized by intravenous antibiotics days of 9.6?13.5 days and 21.3?29.2 days for pocket and lead infections respectively; laboratory and diagnostic tests, and system extraction and replacement procedures. DVT, on the other hand, was the least resource intensive complication. The results of the panel represent the views of the respondents who participated and may not be generalizable outside of this panel. The surveys were limited in scope and, therefore, did not include questions on management of acute complications (e.g. hematoma, pneumothorax). The Delphi technique provided a reliable and efficient approach to estimating resource utilization associated with chronic pacemaker complications. Estimates from the Delphi panel can be used to generate costs of pacemaker complications in various regions.

HYDROACOUSTIC ESTIMATES OF ABUNDANCE AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PELAGIC PREY FISHES IN WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR

EPA Science Inventory

Lake herring (Coregonus artedi) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are a valuable prey resource for the recovering lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). However, their respective biomasses may be insufficient to support the current predator demand. In August 1977, we assessed the ...

75 FR 38119 - Polychloroprene Rubber From Japan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-01

... Rubber From Japan AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Institution of a five-year review concerning the antidumping duty finding on polychloroprene rubber from Japan. SUMMARY: The... on polychloroprene rubber from Japan would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of...

Electronic manufacturing and packaging in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Michael J.; Boulton, William R. (Editor); Kukowski, John A.; Meieran, Eugene S.; Pecht, Michael; Peeples, John W.; Tummala, Rao R.

1995-01-01

This report summarizes the status of electronic manufacturing and packaging technology in Japan in comparison to that in the United States, and its impact on competition in electronic manufacturing in general. In addition to electronic manufacturing technologies, the report covers technology and manufacturing infrastructure, electronics manufacturing and assembly, quality assurance and reliability in the Japanese electronics industry, and successful product realization strategies. The panel found that Japan leads the United States in almost every electronics packaging technology. Japan clearly has achieved a strategic advantage in electronics production and process technologies. Panel members believe that Japanese competitors could be leading U.S. firms by as much as a decade in some electronics process technologies. Japan has established this marked competitive advantage in electronics as a consequence of developing low-cost, high-volume consumer products. Japan's infrastructure, and the remarkable cohesiveness of vision and purpose in government and industry, are key factors in the success of Japan's electronics industry. Although Japan will continue to dominate consumer electronics in the foreseeable future, opportunities exist for the United States and other industrial countries to capture an increasingly large part of the market. The JTEC panel has identified no insurmountable barriers that would prevent the United States from regaining a significant share of the consumer electronics market; in fact, there is ample evidence that the United States needs to aggressively pursue high-volume, low-cost electronic assembly, because it is a critical path leading to high-performance electronic systems.

The evolutionary origins of diadromy inferred from a time-calibrated phylogeny for Clupeiformes (herring and allies)

PubMed Central

Bloom, Devin D.; Lovejoy, Nathan R.

2014-01-01

One of the most remarkable types of migration found in animals is diadromy, a life-history behaviour in which individuals move between oceans and freshwater habitats for feeding and reproduction. Diadromous fishes include iconic species such as salmon, eels and shad, and have long fascinated biologists because they undergo extraordinary physiological and behavioural modifications to survive in very different habitats. However, the evolutionary origins of diadromy remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the widely accepted productivity hypothesis, which states that differences in productivity between marine and freshwater biomes determine the origins of the different modes of diadromy. Specifically, the productivity hypothesis predicts that anadromous lineages should evolve in temperate areas from freshwater ancestors and catadromous lineages should evolve in tropical areas from marine ancestors. To test this, we generated a time-calibrated phylogeny for Clupeiformes (herrings, anchovies, sardines and allies), an ecologically and economically important group that includes high diversity of diadromous species. Our results do not support the productivity hypothesis. Instead we find that the different modes of diadromy do not have predictable ancestry based on latitude, and that predation, competition and geological history may be at least as important as productivity in determining the origins of diadromy. PMID:24430843

Electronics manufacturing and assembly in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kukowski, John A.; Boulton, William R.

1995-01-01

In the consumer electronics industry, precision processing technology is the basis for enhancing product functions and for minimizing components and end products. Throughout Japan, manufacturing technology is seen as critical to the production and assembly of advanced products. While its population has increased less than 30 percent over twenty-five years, Japan's gross national product has increase thirtyfold; this growth has resulted in large part from rapid replacement of manual operations with innovative, high-speed, large-scale, continuously running, complex machines that process a growing number of miniaturized components. The JTEC panel found that introduction of next-generation electronics products in Japan goes hand-in-hand with introduction of new and improved production equipment. In the panel's judgment, Japan's advanced process technologies and equipment development and its highly automated factories are crucial elements of its domination of the consumer electronics marketplace - and Japan's expertise in manufacturing consumer electronics products gives it potentially unapproachable process expertise in all electronics markets.

Japan’s Role in the New Era

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-15

JAPAN’S ROLE IN THE NEW ERA BY .1 Colonel Yasuhiro Naomi ELECTE .F Japan Ground Self Defense Force ,4aY 1.4 19,92 A DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved...Colonel Yasuhiro Naomi D.ti ibltof Japan Ground Self Defense Force ,v’ilti~ity Cod - A~a~i ardj r Colonel Donald W. Boose, Jr...Pennsylvania 17013 ABSTRACT AUTHOR: Colonel Yasuhiro Naomi, Japan Ground Self -Defense Force TITLE: Japan’s Role in the New Era FORMAT: Individual Study

Explaining Meiji Japans Top Down Revolution

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

enabled Japan to become a great power also provides insights into how Japan became what it is today—an economically strong but militarily weak country...top- down nature of the Japanese revolution allowed for effective decision-making that centralized domestic politics and boosted economic ...other road focuses on changes made to compete with the West in the economic and military realm. Since Meiji Japan began in reaction to hostile Western

Analysis of the Governance Structures in Japan's Biosphere Reserves: Perspectives from Bottom-Up and Multilevel Characteristics.

PubMed

Tanaka, Toshinori; Wakamatsu, Nobuhiko

2018-01-01

This paper analyzes the governance structures of Biosphere Reserves (BRs) in Japan by focusing on six criteria that elucidate the main characteristics therein: general information (nomination process, year of designation, size, and population), legal frameworks, stakeholder identification, and decision-making processes (number of municipalities and role of consociation), administrative institutions (human resources, budgetary situation, and expense distribution), executed BR implementation activities, and participatory/collaborative frameworks. This research consists of a literature review, a questionnaire administered to the secretariats of seven existing BRs and follow-up interviews. Three main characteristics of BRs were identified. First, a responsible local government(s) is nominated to manage the BR rather than the central government. Consequently, BR implementation in Japan is led by those municipalities that have strong motivations for regional development using the BR concept. Second, two types of BR governance structures exist in Japan: the single municipality type and the multi-municipality type. All BRs have so called Kyougikai, a consociation for decision-making, consultation and/or collaboration among stakeholders. In the single municipality structure, the consociation includes diverse actors from private and community sectors, while in the multi-municipality structure, consociations are based in more diplomatic settings and only include members of the public sector. Third, gaps between pre/post-Seville BR implementation sites were identified. The motivations for the formation of pre-Seville BRs, which were designated in 1980 in a top-down fashion prior to an awareness of BRs, varied greatly from those BRs nominated by municipalities after 2010. The authors identified fewer administrative resources and activities associated with the pre-Seville sites.

Analysis of the Governance Structures in Japan's Biosphere Reserves: Perspectives from Bottom-Up and Multilevel Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Toshinori; Wakamatsu, Nobuhiko

2018-01-01

This paper analyzes the governance structures of Biosphere Reserves (BRs) in Japan by focusing on six criteria that elucidate the main characteristics therein: general information (nomination process, year of designation, size, and population), legal frameworks, stakeholder identification, and decision-making processes (number of municipalities and role of consociation), administrative institutions (human resources, budgetary situation, and expense distribution), executed BR implementation activities, and participatory/collaborative frameworks. This research consists of a literature review, a questionnaire administered to the secretariats of seven existing BRs and follow-up interviews. Three main characteristics of BRs were identified. First, a responsible local government(s) is nominated to manage the BR rather than the central government. Consequently, BR implementation in Japan is led by those municipalities that have strong motivations for regional development using the BR concept. Second, two types of BR governance structures exist in Japan: the single municipality type and the multi-municipality type. All BRs have so called Kyougikai, a consociation for decision-making, consultation and/or collaboration among stakeholders. In the single municipality structure, the consociation includes diverse actors from private and community sectors, while in the multi-municipality structure, consociations are based in more diplomatic settings and only include members of the public sector. Third, gaps between pre/post-Seville BR implementation sites were identified. The motivations for the formation of pre-Seville BRs, which were designated in 1980 in a top-down fashion prior to an awareness of BRs, varied greatly from those BRs nominated by municipalities after 2010. The authors identified fewer administrative resources and activities associated with the pre-Seville sites.

Contraception in Japan: Current trends.

PubMed

Yoshida, Honami; Sakamoto, Haruka; Leslie, Asuka; Takahashi, Osamu; Tsuboi, Satoshi; Kitamura, Kunio

2016-06-01

High proportion of Japanese uses condoms; lower proportion uses oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). We examined the longitudinal patterns for contraceptive usage in Japan and evaluated differences before and after OCP government approval. We accessed nationally representative survey data for women aged 16-49years from 1950 to 2014. Usage of condoms and OCP was 83.4% and 3.0%, respectively in 2014. OCP use before (1.21%) and after (1.97%) government approval did not differ significantly (p=.58). The prevalence of OCP usage remains low in Japan. A wide gap in use between Japan and other developed countries exists. Through a wide gap in OCP use between Japan and other countries, we revealed how choices of contraceptive methods and their benefits could be openly available for women of reproductive age, and how health care professionals disseminate appropriate knowledge about contraception for women in need. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cancer registries in Japan: National Clinical Database and site-specific cancer registries.

PubMed

Anazawa, Takayuki; Miyata, Hiroaki; Gotoh, Mitsukazu

2015-02-01

The cancer registry is an essential part of any rational program of evidence-based cancer control. The cancer control program is required to strategize in a systematic and impartial manner and efficiently utilize limited resources. In Japan, the National Clinical Database (NCD) was launched in 2010. It is a nationwide prospective registry linked to various types of board certification systems regarding surgery. The NCD is a nationally validated database using web-based data collection software; it is risk adjusted and outcome based to improve the quality of surgical care. The NCD generalizes site-specific cancer registries by taking advantage of their excellent organizing ability. Some site-specific cancer registries, including pancreatic, breast, and liver cancer registries have already been combined with the NCD. Cooperation between the NCD and site-specific cancer registries can establish a valuable platform to develop a cancer care plan in Japan. Furthermore, the prognosis information of cancer patients arranged using population-based and hospital-based cancer registries can help in efficient data accumulation on the NCD. International collaboration between Japan and the USA has recently started and is expected to provide global benchmarking and to allow a valuable comparison of cancer treatment practices between countries using nationwide cancer registries in the future. Clinical research and evidence-based policy recommendation based on accurate data from the nationwide database may positively impact the public.

The State of Audiovisual Education Facilities in Japanese Schools and Social Education Centers Today. AVE in Japan No. 32.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Japan Audio-Visual Education Association, Tokyo.

This booklet, in English and Japanese, reports on a national survey conducted during the 1992 academic year by the Education Media and Learning Resources Division, Lifelong Leaning Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Japan). Similar surveys are conducted triennially. This report describes the current situation regarding the…

Recent trends for drug lag in clinical development of oncology drugs in Japan: does the oncology drug lag still exist in Japan?

PubMed

Maeda, Hideki; Kurokawa, Tatsuo

2015-12-01

This study exhaustively and historically investigated the status of drug lag for oncology drugs approved in Japan. We comprehensively investigated oncology drugs approved in Japan between April 2001 and July 2014, using publicly available information. We also examined changes in the status of drug lag between Japan and the United States, as well as factors influencing drug lag. This study included 120 applications for approval of oncology drugs in Japan. The median difference over a 13-year period in the approval date between the United States and Japan was 875 days (29.2 months). This figure peaked in 2002, and showed a tendency to decline gradually each year thereafter. In 2014, the median approval lag was 281 days (9.4 months). Multiple regression analysis identified the following potential factors that reduce drug lag: "Japan's participation in global clinical trials"; "bridging strategies"; "designation of priority review in Japan"; and "molecularly targeted drugs". From 2001 to 2014, molecularly targeted drugs emerged as the predominant oncology drug, and the method of development has changed from full development in Japan or bridging strategy to global simultaneous development by Japan's taking part in global clinical trials. In line with these changes, the drug lag between the United States and Japan has significantly reduced to less than 1 year.

Advanced composites in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diefendorf, R. Judd; Hillig, William G.; Grisaffe, Salvatore J.; Pipes, R. Byron; Perepezko, John H.; Sheehan, James E.

1994-01-01

The JTEC Panel on Advanced Composites surveyed the status and future directions of Japanese high-performance ceramic and carbon fibers and their composites in metal, intermetallic, ceramic, and carbon matrices. Because of a strong carbon and fiber industry, Japan is the leader in carbon fiber technology. Japan has initiated an oxidation-resistant carbon/carbon composite program. With its outstanding technical base in carbon technology, Japan should be able to match present technology in the U.S. and introduce lower-cost manufacturing methods. However, the panel did not see any innovative approaches to oxidation protection. Ceramic and especially intermetallic matrix composites were not yet receiving much attention at the time of the panel's visit. There was a high level of monolithic ceramic research and development activity. High temperature monolithic intermetallic research was just starting, but notable products in titanium aluminides had already appeared. Matrixless ceramic composites was one novel approach noted. Technologies for high temperature composites fabrication existed, but large numbers of panels or parts had not been produced. The Japanese have selected aerospace as an important future industry. Because materials are an enabling technology for a strong aerospace industry, Japan initiated an ambitious long-term program to develop high temperature composites. Although just starting, its progress should be closely monitored in the U.S.

Will Japan Become a Military Superpower?

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-15

SOURCE OF FUNDING NUMBERS PROGRAM PROJECT TASK WORK ý;NiT ELEMENT NO. NO. NO. CCESSiON NO 11. TITLE (Include Security Ciassification) Will Japan Become a... competition , Japan can no longer continue with status quo. Security relationships within the Asia-Pacific region are changing. The end of the Cold War...of the work on the aircraft while Mitsubishi would pick up the remaining 60 percent. This aircraft will use leading-edge technology. Japan wants to

Urologic cancer in Japan: role of Japan at the frontier of issues in Asia.

PubMed

Akaza, Hideyuki

2016-01-01

The characteristics of urological cancer in Japan can be summarized in the following points. (i) As the onset of this type of cancer is typically seen in elderly patients, it is becoming a major social issue in Japan that has already become an aging society. (ii) Many diverse treatment methods are available and a response is required that prioritizes quality of life. (iii) Although vigorous research and development efforts into new drugs are being carried out on a global level, resulting in beneficial medical agents becoming more readily available, unless concepts relating to cost vs. effectiveness are further developed and there is a real risk that medical systems and structures in their current form will become unsustainable. (iv) Although at the current point there are no original large-scale clinical trials being conducted in Asia, Japan has a wealth of experience of participating in many international joint clinical trials and it is therefore an urgent and pressing challenge to organize joint clinical trials in Asia and amass a body of knowledge that is unique to Asia. In view of this current situation and given Japan's position at the frontier of issues, it is important for Japan to take the initiative in Asia in cooperating with other Asian nations in efforts to resolve and overcome various challenges. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Enhancement of the surface methane hydrate-bearing layer based on the specific microorganisms form deep seabed sediment in Japan Sea.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hata, T.; Yoneda, J.; Yamamoto, K.

2017-12-01

A methane hydrate-bearing layer located near the Japan Sea has been investigated as a new potential energy resource. In this study examined the feasibility of the seabed surface sediment strength located in the Japan Sea improvement technologies for enhancing microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) process. First, the authors cultivated the specific urease production bacterium culture medium from this surface methane hydrate-bearing layer in the seabed (-600m depth) of Japan Sea. After that, two types of the laboratory test (consolidated-drained triaxial tests) were conducted using this specific culture medium from the seabed in the Japan Sea near the Toyama Prefecture and high urease activities bacterium named Bacillus pasteurii. The main outcomes of this research are as follows. 1) Specific culture medium focused on the urease production bacterium can enhancement of the urease activities from the methane hydrate-bearing layer near the Japan Sea side, 2) This specific culture medium can be enhancement of the surface layer strength, 3) The microbial induced carbonate precipitation process can increase the particle size compared to that of the original particles coating the calcite layer surface, 4) The mechanism for increasing the soil strength is based on the addition of cohesion like a cement stabilized soil.

Workplace bullying among nurses and their related factors in Japan: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Mami; Suzuki, Miho; Takai, Yukari; Igarashi, Ayumi; Noguchi-Watanabe, Maiko; Yamamoto-Mitani, Noriko

2016-09-01

To explore the association between workplace bullying and workplace environment factors among nurses in Japan. Workplace bullying among nurses is increasing globally and occurs more frequently than among other professions. However, there is little information on the impact of workplace environment factors on nurse bullying in Japan. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire. Participants were 1152 nurses recruited at seminars or training courses outside of their workplaces in Tokyo. Workplace bullying was measured using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised. Participants were considered to have been 'bullied' if they reported experiencing at least one negative act on a daily or weekly basis. Workplace environment factors were measured using the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, which comprises five domains: nurse participation in hospital affairs; nursing foundations for quality of care; nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses; staffing and resource adequacy; and collegial nurse-physician relationships. A total of 898 (78·0%) questionnaires were returned, of which 825 (71·6%) were analysed. Altogether, 153 (18·5%) nurses were considered 'bullied.' The three most frequent negative acts reported as occurring on a weekly or daily basis were 'someone withholding information which affects your performance' (6·7%), 'being exposed to an unmanageable workload' (4·4%) and 'being shouted at or being the target of spontaneous anger (or rage)' (3·6%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that 'bullied' were associated with low scores on two work environment domains: nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses and staffing and resource adequacy. Effective nurse manager leadership and support as well as appropriate staffing management may positively influence workplace bullying among nurses in Japan. Authentic leadership styles and allowing nurses to easily request days off might also be important

The US Occupation and Japan's New Democracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumano, Ruriko

2007-01-01

During the US Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), a victorious America attempted to reform Japanese education by replacing Japan's tradition system of values with one that promoted American democratic values. The United States had considered the source of Japan's militarism to lie in the selfless loyalty and love of country that many older Japanese…

History Textbook Controversies in Japan. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masalski, Kathleen Woods

Currently, there is a controversy in Japan about textbook treatments of Japanese military actions during World War II. This digest examines: (1) the importance of history textbooks in schools in Japan and the United States; (2) the context of history textbook controversies in Japan; (3) the current issues and contending positions in the Japanese…

Legislative Basis of Pedagogical Education in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuchai, Tetiana

2014-01-01

Legal framework policy of Japan in the field of education has been analyzed. The problem of influence of legislative materials on the development of education in Japan, its legislative support has been considered. It has been defined that directive materials affect the development of education system in Japan. Legislation policy of the country is…

Ehrlichia chaffeensis Infection of Sika Deer, Japan

PubMed Central

Kawahara, Makoto; Tajima, Tomoko; Torii, Harumi; Yabutani, Mitsutaka; Ishii, Joji; Harasawa, Makiko; Isogai, Emiko

2009-01-01

To determine whether Ehrlichia chaffeensis exists in Japan, we used PCR to examine blood from sika deer in Nara, Japan. Of 117 deer, 36 (31%) were infected with E. chaffeensis. The E. chaffeensis 16S rRNA base and GroEL amino acid sequences from Japan were most closely related to those of E. chaffeensis Arkansas. PMID:19961683

Competition for Resources: A Reexamination of Sibship Composition Models of Parental Investment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Kristen Schultz

2009-01-01

The predictions of resource dilution and sibship gender composition models of educational investment are tested using the Japanese Nationwide Survey on Families (N = 6,985). Japan is an important case because of its postindustrial economy, coupled with high levels of dependence on parental investment to attend a university and persisting gender…

Space robotics in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whittaker, William; Lowrie, James W.; Mccain, Harry; Bejczy, Antal; Sheridan, Tom; Kanade, Takeo; Allen, Peter

1994-01-01

Japan has been one of the most successful countries in the world in the realm of terrestrial robot applications. The panel found that Japan has in place a broad base of robotics research and development, ranging from components to working systems for manufacturing, construction, and human service industries. From this base, Japan looks to the use of robotics in space applications and has funded work in space robotics since the mid-1980's. The Japanese are focusing on a clear image of what they hope to achieve through three objectives for the 1990's: developing long-reach manipulation for tending experiments on Space Station Freedom, capturing satellites using a free-flying manipulator, and surveying part of the moon with a mobile robot. This focus and a sound robotics infrastructure is enabling the young Japanese space program to develop relevant systems for extraterrestrial robotics applications.

Rat Genome and Model Resources.

PubMed

Shimoyama, Mary; Smith, Jennifer R; Bryda, Elizabeth; Kuramoto, Takashi; Saba, Laura; Dwinell, Melinda

2017-07-01

Rats remain a major model for studying disease mechanisms and discovery, validation, and testing of new compounds to improve human health. The rat's value continues to grow as indicated by the more than 1.4 million publications (second to human) at PubMed documenting important discoveries using this model. Advanced sequencing technologies, genome modification techniques, and the development of embryonic stem cell protocols ensure the rat remains an important mammalian model for disease studies. The 2004 release of the reference genome has been followed by the production of complete genomes for more than two dozen individual strains utilizing NextGen sequencing technologies; their analyses have identified over 80 million variants. This explosion in genomic data has been accompanied by the ability to selectively edit the rat genome, leading to hundreds of new strains through multiple technologies. A number of resources have been developed to provide investigators with access to precision rat models, comprehensive datasets, and sophisticated software tools necessary for their research. Those profiled here include the Rat Genome Database, PhenoGen, Gene Editing Rat Resource Center, Rat Resource and Research Center, and the National BioResource Project for the Rat in Japan. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

[Abortion in Japan].

PubMed

Yamamoto, K; Yamamoto, Y; Hayase, T

1993-01-01

In Japan, the artificial abortion is a penal offence; only in the presence of certain conditions it is authorized under the provision of the Eugenic Protection Law which was promulgated in 1948. According to the law, the artificial abortion is restricted to the period, in which the fetus is not viable outside of the uterus. This period is prescribed by notification from the Ministry of Public Welfare; up to now it has been shortened twice (1976, 1991). Due to the introduction of economic reasons in the list of conditions and the simplification of the procedure the artificial abortion in Japan was virtually liberalized. Prosecution for illegal abortion is very rare in recent years. The number of reported artificial abortions decreases; in the about last 30 years it reduced by half. However, the increase in the number of abortions in women younger than 20 years of age is a problem. The abortion in teenagers is late compared with that in other age groups. Although the number of neonaticides does not seem to increase, the increase in the number of abortions in teenagers remains a serious problem in Japan.

Evaluating the impact of health resource reconstruction on improving spatial accessibility of tuberculosis care.

PubMed

Izumi, K; Kawatsu, L; Ohkado, A; Uchimura, K; Kato, S

2016-11-01

In Japan, a decline in tuberculosis (TB) notification rates and shortening of duration of hospitalisation have led to a drastic decrease in the number of hospital beds for TB patients (TB beds), causing severe undersupply in certain regions. To assess the current status of spatial access to TB beds in Japan and evaluate the potential impact of health resource reconstruction in mitigating undersupply of TB beds. A cross-sectional study was conducted whereby a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method was used to calculate an 'accessibility score' to evaluate spatial accessibility of TB beds in the regions classified by four levels of urbanisation. The impact of introducing 'potential TB beds' was assessed via the changes in the proportion of undersupplied regions and TB patients notified from undersupplied regions. Undersupplied regions were characterised by 'very low', 'low' and 'moderate' level of urbanisation. By introducing 'potential TB beds', the proportion of both undersupplied regions and TB patients could be significantly reduced, especially in less urbanised regions. Our results may be used to guide future decision-making over resource allocation of TB care in Japan. The 2SFCA method may be applied to other countries using appropriate demand and supply variables.

Japanese-U.S. Economic Relations. Japan Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellington, Lucien

World War II was the last time when overall U.S.-Japan relations, and the economic relationship in particular, were as bad as appears to be the case in the 1990s. The United States and Japan are, respectively, the two largest economies in the world. The Japanese have the second leading market for U.S. products trailing only Canada. Japan buys more…

Higher Education Studies in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaneko, Motohisa

2010-01-01

The rapid development of higher education in the postwar period has given rise to various problems, and higher education studies in Japan have developed in response to them. What have been the major issues, and how did academic research respond to them, in postwar Japan? This article delineates an outline of higher education studies in general,…

Diets of aquatic birds reflect changes in the Lake Huron ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hebert, Craig E.; Weseloh, D.V. Chip; Idrissi, Abode; Arts, Michael T.; Roseman, Edward F.

2009-01-01

Human activities have affected the Lake Huron ecosystem, in part, through alterations in the structure and function of its food webs. Insights into the nature of food web change and its ecological ramifications can be obtained through the monitoring of high trophic level predators such as aquatic birds. Often, food web change involves alterations in the relative abundance of constituent species and/or the introduction of new species (exotic invaders). Diet composition of aquatic birds is influenced, in part, by relative prey availability and therefore is a sensitive measure of food web structure. Using bird diet data to make inferences regarding food web change requires consistent measures of diet composition through time. This can be accomplished by measuring stable chemical and/or biochemical “ecological tracers” in archived avian samples. Such tracers provide insights into pathways of energy and nutrient transfer.In this study, we examine the utility of two groups of naturally-occurring intrinsic tracers (stable isotopes and fatty acids) to provide such information in a predatory seabird, the herring gull (Larus argentatus). Retrospective stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis of archived herring gull eggs identified declines in gull trophic position and shifts in food sources in Lake Huron over the last 25 years and changes in gull diet composition were inferred from egg fatty acid patterns. These independent groups of ecological tracers provided corroborating evidence of dietary change in this high trophic level predator. Gull dietary shifts were related to declines in prey fish abundance which suggests large-scale alterations to the Lake Huron ecosystem. Dietary shifts in herring gulls may be contributing to reductions in resources available for egg formation. Further research is required to evaluate how changes in resource availability may affect population sustainability in herring gulls and other waterbird species. Long-term biological monitoring

Disaster relief activities of the Japan self-defense force following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

PubMed

Nishiyama, Yasumasa

2014-06-01

Cooperation between civilian and military forces, including the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), enabled wide-ranging disaster relief after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Nevertheless, many preventable fatalities occurred, particularly related to an inability to treat chronic disease, indicating the need to plan for the provision of long-term medical aid after natural disasters in stricken areas and evacuation shelters. To assist in this effort, this report (1) provides an overview of the consequences of the medical response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, the largest natural disaster ever to hit Japan, focusing on the role and actions of the JSDF; (2) discusses the lessons learned regarding the provision of medical aid and management by the JSDF after this disaster, looking at the special challenges of meeting the needs of a rapidly aging population in a disaster situation; and (3) provides recommendations for the development of strategies for the long-term medical aid and support after natural disasters, especially with regard to the demographics of the Japanese population.

Neurosurgeons in Japan Are Exclusively Brain Surgeons.

PubMed

Asamoto, Shunji

2017-03-01

In Japan, neurosurgeons have traditionally mainly treated brain diseases, with most cases involving the spine and spinal diseases historically being treated by orthopedists. Nowadays, spinal surgery is 1 of the many subspecialties in the neurosurgical field in Japan. Most patients with neurological deficits or suspected neurological diseases see board-certified neurosurgeons directly in Japan, not through referrals from family physicians or specialists in other fields. Problems originating in the spine and spinal cord have been overlooked or misdiagnosed in these situations. Neurosurgeons in Japan must rethink the educational program to include advanced trauma life support and spinal surgery. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Explaining nuclear energy pursuance: A comparison of the United States, Germany, and Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKee, Lauren Emily

Energy is critical to the functioning of the global economy and seriously impacts global security as well. What factors influence the extent to which countries will pursue nuclear energy in their overall mix of energy approaches? This dissertation explores this critical question by analyzing the nuclear energy policies of the United States, Germany and Japan. Rather than citizen opposition or proximity to nuclear disasters, it seems that a country's access to other resources through natural endowments or trading relationships offers the best explanation for nuclear energy pursuance.

Environmentally relevant organophosphate triesters in herring gulls: In vitro biotransformation and kinetics and diester metabolite formation using a hepatic microsomal assay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greaves, Alana K.

The in vitro biotransformation and kinetics of six organophosphate triester (OPE) flame retardants were investigated in herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the Great Lakes using a hepatic microsomal metabolism assay. Administration of each individual OPE (tri-n-butyl phosphate (TNBP), tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), triethyl phosphate (TEP), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP)) to the in vitro assay (concentration range 0.01 to 10 μM) resulted in rapid depletion with the exception of TEP. Following the Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics model, a preliminary 2-minute incubation period was used to estimate the V{sub max} (± SE) values (i.e., the maximal rate ofmore » reaction for a saturated enzyme system), which ranged from 5.0 ± 0.4 (TPHP) to 29 ± 18 pmol/min/mg protein (TBOEP), as well as the K{sub M} (± SE) values (i.e., the OPE concentration corresponding to one half of the V{sub max}), which ranged from 9.8 ± 1 (TPHP) to 189 ± 135 nM (TBOEP). Biotransformation assays over a 100-minute incubation period revealed that TNBP was metabolized most rapidly (with a depletion rate of 73 ± 4 pmol/min/mg protein), followed by TBOEP (53 ± 8 pmol/min/mg), TCIPP (27 ± 1 pmol/min/mg), TPHP (22 ± 2 pmol/min/mg) and TDCIPP (8 ± 1 pmol/min/mg). In vitro biotransformation of OP triesters was clearly structure-dependent where non-halogenated alkyl OP triesters were metabolized more rapidly than halogenated alkyl triesters. Halogenated OP triesters were transformed to their respective diesters more efficiently relative to non-halogenated OP triesters. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate OP triester metabolism and OP diester formation in an avian or wildlife model system, which is important to understand the fate and biological activity of OPEs in an exposed organism. - Highlights: • The metabolism and kinetics of 6 OPEs were examined in herring gull liver

Healthcare resource utilization and clinical outcomes associated with acute care and inpatient rehabilitation of stroke patients in Japan.

PubMed

Murata, Kyoko; Hinotsu, Shiro; Sadamasa, Nobutake; Yoshida, Kazumichi; Yamagata, Sen; Asari, Shoji; Miyamoto, Susumu; Kawakami, Koji

2017-02-01

To investigate healthcare resource utilization and changes in functional status in stroke patients during hospitalization in an acute hospital and a rehabilitation hospital. Retrospective cohort study. One acute and one rehabilitation hospital in Japan. Patients who were admitted to the acute hospital due to stroke onset and then transferred to the rehabilitation hospital (n = 263, 56% male, age 70 ± 12 years). Hospitalization costs and functional independence measure (FIM) were evaluated according to stroke subtype and severity of disability at discharge from the acute hospital. Median (IQR) costs at the acute hospital were dependent on the length of stay (LOS) and implementation of neurosurgery, which resulted in higher costs in subarachnoid hemorrhage [$52 413 ($49 166-$72 606) vs $14 129 ($11 169-$19 459) in cerebral infarction; and vs $15 035 ($10 920-$21 864) in intracerebral hemorrhage]. The costs at the rehabilitation hospital were dependent on LOS, and higher in patients with moderate disability than in those with mild disability [$30 026 ($18 419-$39 911) vs $18 052 ($10 631-$24 384)], while those with severe disability spent $25 476 ($13 340-$43 032). Patients with moderate disability gained the most benefits during hospitalization in the rehabilitation hospital, with a median (IQR) total FIM gain of 16 (5-24) points, compared with a modest improvement in patients with mild (6, 2-14) or severe disability (0, 0-5). The costs for in-hospital stroke care were substantial and the improvement in functional status varied by severity of disability. Our findings would be valuable to organize efficient post-acute stroke care. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Pharmaceutical company perspectives on current safety risk communications in Japan.

PubMed

Urushihara, Hisashi; Kobashi, Gen; Masuda, Hideaki; Taneichi, Setsuko; Yamamoto, Michiko; Nakayama, Takeo; Kawakami, Koji; Matsuda, Tsutomu; Ohta, Kaori; Sugimori, Hiroki

2014-01-01

In 1987, a group infection of hepatitis in patients receiving a contaminated fibrinogen product was first reported to the Japanese regulatory agency. Eventually, this serious drug incident involved more than 10,000 cases of infection. In response, the Government of Japan established a responding inspection committee in 2008 to make recommendations for the restructuring of drug regulatory administration. The final report was issued in 2010. One agenda item of this restructuring was the improvement of drug-related safety risk communications. Our research group on drug safety risk communications, which is funded by the Government of Japan, surveyed pharmaceutical companies regarding their perspective on current risk communications. The survey was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire developed for this study which included the three operational domains of targets, contents, and measures of drug risk communication. Fifty-two of the 74 member companies of the Post-marketing Surveillance Subcommittee of the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer's Association participated, and this response rate of more than 70% was considered sufficient to ensure the external validity of the survey results. Results showed that the most highly prioritized aspect of risk messaging was the strength of evidence, and that outcome evaluation of risk communication gained recognition. Further, while physicians and pharmacists were the most prioritized communication targets, pharmacovigilance departments devoted the most resources to regulators, at more than 30%. The Internet was recognized as a useful public source of risk information, whereas Drug Guides for Patients delivered on the web were considered under-recognized. Further discussion of these results with the aim of enhancing the restructuring of the Japanese drug regulatory administration system are warranted.

Japan: Tsunami

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... tsunami triggered by the March 11, 2011, magnitude 8.9 earthquake centered off Japan's northeastern coast about 130 kilometers (82 ... inland from the eastern shoreline is visible in the post-earthquake image. The white sand beaches visible in the pre-earthquake view are ...

Downscaling of snow depth and river discharge in Japan by the Pseudo-Global-Warming Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, F.; Ma, X.; Hara, M.; Advanced Atmosphere-Ocean-Land Modeling Program

2010-12-01

Although a heavy snowfall often brings disaster, snow cover is one of the major water resources in Japan. Even during the winter, the monthly mean of the surface air temperature often exceeds 0 deg. in large parts of the heavy snow areas along the Sea of Japan. Thus, snow cover may be seriously reduced in these areas as a result of global warming, which is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases. This study estimates the impact of global warming on the snow depth in Japan during early winter. Some dynamical downscaling experiments are conducted by the Pseudo-Global-Warming method for the future projection of snow cover. By the hindcast runs, precipitation, snow depth, and surface air temperature show good agreement with the AMeDAS station data observed in a High-Snow-Cover (HSC) year and a Low-Snow-Cover (LSC) yea. Pseudo-Global-Warming runs for these years indicate that the decreasing ratios of the snow water are more significant in the areas whose altitude is less than 1500 m. The increase of the air temperature is one of the major factors for the decrease in snow water, since the present mean air temperature in most of these areas is near 0 deg. even in winter. On the other hand, the change in the aerial-mean precipitation due to global warming is less than 15% in both years. To evaluate the impact of the reduction of snow cover to water resource, a hydrological simulation is also made for the Agano River basin, which locates in Niigata and Fukushima Prefectures. The Agano River drains into the Sea of Japan and is the second largest river in Japan with annual discharge of about 12.9 billion m3. A hind cast experiment is carried out for the two decades from 1980 to 1999. The average correlation coefficient of 0.79 for the monthly mean discharge in the winter season indicates that the interannual variation of the river discharge could be reproduced and that the method is useful for climate change study. Then the hydrological response to the future global warming

Universal varicella vaccine immunization in Japan.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Tetsushi; Kawamura, Yoshiki; Ohashi, Masahiro

2016-04-07

In 1974, Japanese scientists developed a live attenuated varicella vaccine based on the Oka strain. The efficacy of the vaccine for the prevention of varicella has been primarily demonstrated in studies conducted in the United States following the adoption of universal immunization using the Oka strain varicella vaccine in 1996. Although the vaccine was developed by Japanese scientists, until recently, the vaccine has been administered on a voluntary basis in Japan resulting in a vaccine coverage rate of approximately 40%. Therefore, Japan initiated universal immunization using the Oka strain varicella vaccine in November 2014. Given the transition from voluntary to universal immunization in Japan, it will also be important to monitor the epidemiology of varicella and herpes zoster. The efficacy and safety of co-administration of the varicella vaccine and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine have been demonstrated in many countries; however, there was no data from Japan. In order to adopt the practice of universal immunization using the Oka strain varicella vaccine in Japan, data demonstrating the efficacy and safety of co-administration of varicella vaccine and measles and rubella (MR) vaccine were required. Additionally, we needed to elucidate the appropriate time interval between the first and second administrations of the vaccine. It is also important to differentiate between wild type and Oka vaccine type strains in herpes zoster patient with past history of varicella vaccine. Thus, there are many factors to consider regarding the adoption of universal immunization in Japan to control varicella zoster virus (VZV) infections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychohistorical Hypotheses on Japan's History of Hostility Towards China.

PubMed

Wang, Bo; Rudmin, Floyd

2016-01-01

The accelerating tensions and military posturing between Japan and China have created a serious crisis with a danger of a catastrophic war. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the events of the current crisis, and to put it in the context of Japan's long history of hostility to China and repeated attempts at conquest. The historical record shows that Japan has attacked China at least seven times, even though China has never attacked Japan. The irrationality of Japan's behavior is demonstrated by the repetition of this hostile behavior despite the enormous human and economic costs that Japan has suffered because of it. The irrationality of Japan's militarism suggests that psychological explanations may be required to understand this phenomenon. Several hypotheses are proposed, including 1) projected paranoid aggression, 2) collective Zeigarnik compulsion, 3) perceived weakness exciting aggression, 4) national inferiority feelings, 5) cultural narcissism, and 6) Oedipal-like hatred of a parent culture.

Psychological Resources and Glucoregulation in Japanese Adults: Findings from MIDJA

PubMed Central

Boylan, Jennifer Morozink; Tsenkova, Vera K.; Miyamoto, Yuri; Ryff, Carol D.

2017-01-01

Objective To examine associations between glucoregulation and three categories of psychological resources: hedonic well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect), eudaimonic well-being (i.e., personal growth, purpose in life, ikigai) and interdependent well-being (i.e., gratitude, peaceful disengagement, adjustment) among Japanese adults. The question is important given increases in rates of type 2 diabetes in Japan in recent years, combined with the fact that most prior studies linking psychological resources to better physical health have utilized Western samples. Methods Data came from the Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) Study involving randomly selected participants from the Tokyo metropolitan area, a subsample of whom completed biological data collection (N=382; 56.0% female; M(SD)age = 55.5(14.0) years). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the outcome. Models adjusted for age, gender, educational attainment, smoking, alcohol, chronic conditions, body mass index, use of anti-diabetic medication, and negative affect. Results Purpose in life (β = −.102, p = .022) was associated with lower HbA1c, and peaceful disengagement (β = .124, p = .004) was associated with higher HbA1c in fully adjusted models. Comparable to the effects of BMI, a one standard deviation change in well-being was associated with a .1% change in HbA1c. Conclusions Associations among psychological resources and glucoregulation were mixed. Healthy glucoregulation was evident among Japanese adults with higher levels of purpose in life and lower levels of peaceful disengagement, thereby extending prior research from the U.S. The results emphasize the need for considering sociocultural contexts in which psychological resources are experienced in order to understand linkages to physical health. PMID:28192004

Psychological resources and glucoregulation in Japanese adults: Findings from MIDJA.

PubMed

Boylan, Jennifer Morozink; Tsenkova, Vera K; Miyamoto, Yuri; Ryff, Carol D

2017-05-01

To examine associations between glucoregulation and 3 categories of psychological resources: hedonic well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect), eudaimonic well-being (i.e., personal growth, purpose in life, ikigai), and interdependent well-being (i.e., gratitude, peaceful disengagement, adjustment) among Japanese adults. The question is important given increases in rates of type 2 diabetes in Japan in recent years, combined with the fact that most prior studies linking psychological resources to better physical health have utilized Western samples. Data came from the Midlife in Japan Study involving randomly selected participants from the Tokyo metropolitan area, a subsample of whom completed biological data collection (N = 382; 56.0% female; M(SD)age = 55.5(14.0) years). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the outcome. Models adjusted for age, gender, educational attainment, smoking, alcohol, chronic conditions, body mass index (BMI), use of antidiabetic medication, and negative affect. Purpose in life (β = -.104, p = .021) was associated with lower HbA1c, and peaceful disengagement (β = .129, p = .003) was associated with higher HbA1c in fully adjusted models. Comparable to the effects of BMI, a 1 standard deviation change in well-being was associated with a .1% change in HbA1c. Associations among psychological resources and glucoregulation were mixed. Healthy glucoregulation was evident among Japanese adults with higher levels of purpose in life and lower levels of peaceful disengagement, thereby extending prior research from the United States. The results emphasize the need for considering sociocultural contexts in which psychological resources are experienced in order to understand linkages to physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Remote sensing strategies for global resource exploration and environmental management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, Frederick B.

Since 1972, satellite remote sensing, when integrated with other exploration techniques, has demonstrated operational exploration and engineering cost savings and reduced exploration risks through improved geological mapping. Land and ocean remote sensing satellite systems under development for the 1990's by the United States, France, Japan, Canada, ESA, Russia, China, and others, will significantly increase our ability to explore for, develop, and manage energy and mineral resources worldwide. A major difference between these systems is the "Open Skies" and "Non-Discriminatory Access to Data" policies as have been practiced by the U.S. and France and the restrictive nationalistic data policies as have been practiced by Russia and India. Global exploration will use satellite remote sensing to better map regional structural and basin-like features that control the distribution of energy and mineral resources. Improved sensors will better map lithologic and stratigraphic units and identify alteration effects in rocks, soils, and vegetation cover indicative of undiscovered subsurface resources. These same sensors will also map and monitor resource development. The use of satellite remote sensing data will grow substantially through increasing integration with other geophysical, geochemical, and geologic data using improved geographic information systems (GIS). International exploration will focus on underdeveloped countries rather than on mature exploration areas such as the United States, Europe, and Japan. Energy and mineral companies and government agencies in these countries and others will utilize available remote sensing data to acquire economic intelligence on global resources. If the "Non-Discriminatory Access to Data" principle is observed by satellite producing countries, exploration will remain competitive "on the ground". In this manner, remote sensing technology will continue to be developed to better explore for and manage the world's needed resources

From sword to chrysanthemum: Japan's culture of anti-miltarism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berger, T.U.

The end of the Cold War and the phenomenal increase in Japan's economic and technological power put Japan today in the position to become, if it chooses, a military as well as economic superpower. The diminution of the Soviet threat and the increasing US preoccupation with domestic problems give Japan a latitude for independent action it has not had since the end of World War II. At the same time the US-Japanese security alliance, which has enabled Japan to adopt a minimalist approach to defense and national security, is being weakened by ideologically charged trade and other economic frictions andmore » a growing American perception of Japan as a threat to its interests. Moreover, in the long run Japan faces the prospect of having to deal with other rising regional powers, most notably the People's Republic of China. This changing international security environment thus raises question whether Japan, having become an economic rival of the United States, may not in the future become a military competitor as well; whether, after having adopted a pacifist stance for half a century, Japan may choose to unsheathe its sword once again.« less

U.S.-Japan Quake Prediction Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kisslinger, Carl; Mikumo, Takeshi; Kanamori, Hiroo

For the seventh time since 1964, a seminar on earthquake prediction has been convened under the U.S.-Japan Cooperation in Science Program. The purpose of the seminar was to provide an opportunity for researchers from the two countries to share recent progress and future plans in the continuing effort to develop the scientific basis for predicting earthquakes and practical means for implementing prediction technology as it emerges. Thirty-six contributors, 15 from Japan and 21 from the U.S., met in Morro Bay, Calif.September 12-14. The following day they traveled to nearby sections of the San Andreas fault, including the site of the Parkfield prediction experiment. The conveners of the seminar were Hiroo Kanamori, Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), for the U.S., and Takeshi Mikumo, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, for Japan . Funding for the participants came from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Japan Society forthe Promotion of Science, supplemented by other agencies in both countries.

Preliminary publications Book 1 from Project on Mineral Resources, Metallogenesis and Tectonics of Northeast Asia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ariunbileg, Sodov; Badarch, Gombosuren; Berzin, Nikolai A.; Bulgatov, Alexander N.; Chimed, Noosoi; Deikunenko, Aleksey V.; Dejidmaa, Gunchin; Diggles, Michael F.; Distanov, Elimir G.; Dorjgotov, Dangindorjiin; Gerel, Ochir; Gordienko, Ivan V.; Gotovsuren, Ayurzana; Hwang, Duk-Hwan; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Koch, Richard D.; Miller, Robert J.; Nokleberg, Warren J.; Obolenskiy, Alexander A.; Ogasawara, Masatsugu; Orolmaa, Demberel; Oxman, Vladimir S.; Parfenov, Leonid M.; Popeko, Ludmila I.; Prokopiev, Andrey V.; Smelov, Alexander P.; Sotnikov, Vitaliy I.; Sudo, Sadahisa; Timofeev, Vladimir F.; Tret'yakov, Felix F.; Vernikovsky, Valery A.; Ye, Mao; Zadgenizov, Alexander P.

1999-01-01

This report consists of preliminary data tables, maps, and interpretative articles compiled in late 1997 and early 1998 for a new project on the Mineral Resources, Metallogenesis, and Tectonics of Northeast Asia (Eastern and Southern Siberia, Mongolia, North-eastern China, South Korea, and Japan).

Age structure and development in ASEAN and Japan: 1950-2015; a preliminary report.

PubMed

Campbell, B O

1982-01-01

An attempt was made to show that significant shifts in age composition have occurred and will occur in the ASEAN countries and Japan. Based on the key ratio, the ratio of the entering labor force population, 15-29, to the established labor force population, 30-64, and on the education and dependency burdence, the evidence supports that such shifts have occurred and will occur. Another goal was to trace the potential impact of these age structure changes on the economy and society of the ASEAN countries and Japan, assuming a set of hypothetical relations between age structure changes, as measured by the key ratio and various demographic, economic, and social outcomes. This was done for Indonesia, and the Indonesian "case study" suggests that past and future changes in age strucute could have led and could lead to wide swings or long waves in per capita incomes or the growth rate in per capita incomes, the skill and possible captial intensity of production, household formation rates, emigration and immigration rates, fertility rates, and suicide rates, and other indicators of social instability. Interesting conclusions also emerged from the analysis of education and dependency burdens, especially the inverse relation between Japan's and ASEAN's burdens on both indices. The low educational and dependency burdens Japan enjoyed must have given Japan a distinct advantage in providing resources for infrastrucute, plant, and equipment, and so forth--an advantage that Japan will maintain (joined by Singapore) over the rest of this century. It is entirely possible that the relative economic performance of Japan versus the ASEAN countries or the ASEAN countries versus one another could not be fully explained or adequately forecasted without considering the impact of age structure and changes in age structure. It seems unlikely that the past or future performance of these countries individually can be adequately understood or forecasted without considering the long swing

International Collaboration and the Management of Linguistic Resources at a Diaspora Festival in Okinawa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrucci, Peter R.; Miyahira, Katsuyuki

2009-01-01

This article uses Jernudd and Neustupny's (1987) theory of language management to address the planning, management and distribution of linguistic resources at the 4th Worldwide Uchinaanchu Festival (WUF), a diaspora festival held in Okinawa, Japan. WUF organizers--from Okinawa and diaspora communities abroad--were concerned with both international…

Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-23

fields in an area of the East China Sea that both countries claim as their territory. Hu also announced that China would lease two giant pandas to Japan...to replace a recently deceased panda at a Tokyo zoo. Days later, after China was struck by a devastating earthquake, Japan immediately offered...other shipments of U.S. beef from Japan. In May 2007, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) announced that the United States was a “controlled

Human Resource Development to Facilitate Experiential Learning: The Case of Yahoo Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsuo, Makoto

2015-01-01

Although work experiences are recognized as important mechanisms for developing leaders in organizations, existing research has focused primarily on work assignments rather than on human resource development (HRD) systems that promote experiential learning of managers. The primary goal of this study was to develop an HRD model for facilitating…

50 CFR 648.204 - Possession restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... in Area 1 only if issued an open access herring permit or a Limited Access Incidental Catch Herring... issued an open access herring permit may not fish for, possess, or land more than 6,600 lb (3 mt) of... access herring permit to fish for, possess, or land more than 6,600 lb (3 mt) of Atlantic herring from or...

Teaching about Japan in Secondary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Helen W.

1981-01-01

Suggests that a good starting point for social studies curriculum units on Japan at the secondary school level is an analysis of the interrelationships between Japan and the United States. Information is presented on population figures, industrialization, standard of living indicators, consumer price indexes, and crude birth and death rates for…

AERIAL MEASURING SYSTEM IN JAPAN

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyons, Craig; Colton, David

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Agency’s Aerial Measuring System deployed personnel and equipment to partner with the U.S. Air Force in Japan to conduct multiple aerial radiological surveys. These were the first and most comprehensive sources of actionable information for U.S. interests in Japan and provided early confirmation to the government of Japan as to the extent of the release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Generation Station. Many challenges were overcome quickly during the first 48 hours; including installation and operation of Aerial Measuring System equipment on multiple U.S. Air Force Japan aircraft, flying over difficultmore » terrain, and flying with talented pilots who were unfamiliar with the Aerial Measuring System flight patterns. These all combined to make for a dynamic and non-textbook situation. In addition, the data challenges of the multiple and on-going releases, and integration with the Japanese government to provide valid aerial radiological survey products that both military and civilian customers could use to make informed decisions, was extremely complicated. The Aerial Measuring System Fukushima response provided insight in addressing these challenges and gave way to an opportunity for the expansion of the Aerial Measuring System’s mission beyond the borders of the US.« less

NASDA and the Space Industry in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takamatsu, Hideo

2002-01-01

agencies under these Ministries, NASDA, ISAS and NAL, are going to consolidate within a couple of years. We expect the new organization could restore the confidence in Japanese space development by combining the enthusiasms for space activities and utilize effectively resources in Japan.

Male acceptance of condoms in Japan.

PubMed

Uchida, Y

1981-01-01

Current surveys indicate that more than 70% of married couples in Japan use condoms as their primary contraceptive method. The popularity of condoms is due to the oral contraceptive (OC) pills not being recognized as safe forms of contraception and IUDs not being legalized by the government until 1974. The history of condom use in Japan goes back to 1872 when condoms of thin leather were imported into Japan from England and France. Manufacturing of condoms in Japan began in 1909, mainly as a method for venereal disease prevention. The condom and induced abortion are now the major methods of contraception. 60% of the distribution of condoms is through pharmacies and cosmetic stores; 50% of the buyers are women. Since 1955, teams of family planning workers have distributed condoms by selling on a door-to-door basis, especially to lower middle class couples. Between 1969-75, 75% of contraceptive users were using condoms. Currently there are 81% users. The rhythm method ranks second in popularity at 30% between 1969-75. OCs have gradually increased recently to 3% users, but side effects have deterred people from selecting them. The proportion of IUD users has remained at a consistently low level for the past several years. Japan accounts for 1/3 of the total world production of condoms.

L-Band RFI in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soldo, Yan; de Matthaeis, Paolo; Le Vine, David M.

2016-01-01

In recent years, three instruments have been launched into orbit with the aim of producing global maps of sea surface salinity and soil moisture using the 1400-1427 MHz band: SMOS, Aquarius and SMAP. Although this frequency band is allocated to passive measurements only, RFI (Radio-Frequency Interference) is present in the data of all three missions. On a global scale, the three sensors have observed approximately the same distribution of RFI. Japan is an important exception that has implications for the design of RFI detection algorithms. RFI in Japan is caused by a large number of emitters belonging to the same system (TV receivers) and for this reason some traditional RFI detection strategies detect little to no RFI over Japan. The study of this case has led to an improvement of the approach to detect RFI in Aquarius data.

Nationwide survey of care facilities for adults with congenital heart disease in Japan.

PubMed

Toyoda, Tomohiko; Tateno, Shigeru; Kawasoe, Yasutaka; Shirai, Takeaki; Shiina, Yumi; Matsuo, Kozo; Niwa, Koichiro

2009-06-01

The number of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) is increasing rapidly, but care programs have not been fully established in Japan. Questionnaires regarding current status and resources of outpatient and in-hospital services, and management of pregnancy in patients with adult CHD (ACHD) were sent to 1,033 training hospitals for board-certified cardiologists. Useful replies were obtained from 458 hospitals (44%). In 417 hospitals (91%), at least 1 patient was followed in the outpatient clinic; however, only 14 hospitals (3%) had specialized outpatient clinics; 354 hospitals (77%) had in-hospital patients, but only 6 hospitals (2%) admitted >50 patients per year. Surgery for ACHD was performed in 232 hospitals (51%), but in 135 of these (58%), the number of operations was <5 per year. Pregnant women with CHD were managed in 157 hospitals (34%), although only 3 hospitals (2%) managed >10 cases per year. In most hospitals in Japan, a limited number of ACHD patients have been followed up and specialized multi-disciplinary facilities for ACHD need to be established.

Barriers to mental health care in Japan: Results from the World Mental Health Japan Survey.

PubMed

Kanehara, Akiko; Umeda, Maki; Kawakami, Norito

2015-09-01

The reasons for accessing and maintaining access to mental health services in Japan may be different to those in other countries. Using the World Health Organization World Mental Health Japan survey data, this study investigated the prevalence of sociodemographic correlates of barriers for the use of, reasons for delayed access to, and reasons for dropping out from mental health care in a Japanese community-based sample. An interview survey was conducted with a random sample of residents living in 11 communities across Japan during the years 2002-2006. Data from 4130 participants were analyzed. The most frequently reported reason for not seeking mental health care was a low perceived need (63.9%). The most common reason for delaying access to help was the wish to handle the problem on one's own (68.8%), while the most common reason for dropping out of care was also a low perceived need (54.2%). Being a woman and of younger age were key sociodemographic barriers to the use of mental health services. Low perceived need was a major reason for not seeking, delay in using, and dropout from mental health services in Japan. In addition, low perceived need and structural barriers were more frequently reported than attitudinal barriers, with the exception of a desire to handle the problem on one's own. These findings suggest that improving therapist-patient communication and quality of mental health care, as well as mental health literacy education in the community, might improve access to care in Japan. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Results at Mallik highlight progress in gas hydrate energy resource research and development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collett, T.S.

2005-01-01

The recent studies that project the role of gas hydrates in the future energy resource management are reviewed. Researchers have long speculated that gas hydrates could eventually be a commercial resource for the future. A Joint Industry Project led by ChevronTexaco and the US Department of Energy is designed to characterize gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico. Countries including Japan, canada, and India have established large gas hydrate research and development projects, while China, Korea and Mexico are investigating the viability of forming government-sponsored gas hydrate research projects.

Outdoor Education and Camping in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebashi, Shinshiro

Professor Shinshiro Ebashi of the University of Tokyo discusses outdoor education in Japan, especially in relation to legislation (e.g., the Sport Promotion Law of 1961) and programs endorsed by the Ministry of Education. A typical outdoor education program for junior-high students is given. Also discussed are the programs of the All Japan Senior…

Dynamics of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, viral erythrocytic necrosis and ichthyophoniasis in confined juvenile Pacific herring Clupea pallasii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hershberger, P.; Hart, A.; Gregg, J.; Elder, N.; Winton, J.

2006-01-01

Capture of wild, juvenile herring Clupea pallasii from Puget Sound (Washington, USA) and confinement in laboratory tanks resulted in outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) and ichthyophoniasis; however, the timing and progression of the 3 diseases differed. The VHS epidemic occurred first, characterized by an initially low infection prevalence that increased quickly with confinement time, peaking at 93 to 98% after confinement for 6 d, then decreasing to negligible levels after 20 d. The VHS outbreak was followed by a VEN epidemic that, within 12 d of confinement, progressed from undetectable levels to 100% infection prevalence with >90% of erythrocytes demonstrating inclusions. The VEN epidemic persisted for 54 d, after which the study was terminated, and was characterized by severe blood dyscrasias including reduction of mean hematocrit from 42 to 6% and replacement of mature erythrocytes with circulating erythroblasts and ghost cells. All fish with ichthyophoniasis at capture died within the first 3 wk of confinement, probably as a result of the multiple stressors associated with capture, transport, confinement, and progression of concomitant viral diseases. The results illustrate the differences in disease ecology and possible synergistic effects of pathogens affecting marine fish and highlight the difficulty in ascribing a single causation to outbreaks of disease among populations of wild fishes. ?? Inter-Research 2006.

Words of Tohkaku Wada: medical heritage in Japan

PubMed Central

Matsumoto, M.; Inoue, K.; Kajii, E.

2001-01-01

The origins of Japan's medical ideas, which are deeply rooted in its religion, culture and history, are not widely understood in medical societies of other countries. We have taken up the task of summarising this tradition here so that some insight can be gained into the unique issues that characterise the practice of medicine in Japan. We borrow from the sayings of Tohkaku Wada, a medical philosopher of late eighteenth-century Japan, for a look at Japanese medical tradition. Wada's medical thought was very much reflective of the Buddhism, Zen, and swordsmanship that informed eighteenth-century philosophy in Japan. His central concepts were "chu" and "sei", that is, complete and selfless dedication to the patient and the practice of medicine. This paper explores Wada's thought, explaining it mainly from the standpoint of Japanese traditional culture. Key Words: Tohkaku Wada • ethics • philosophy • Buddhism • Zen • Japan PMID:11233381

A prospective earthquake forecast experiment for Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoi, Sayoko; Nanjo, Kazuyoshi; Tsuruoka, Hiroshi; Hirata, Naoshi

2013-04-01

One major focus of the current Japanese earthquake prediction research program (2009-2013) is to move toward creating testable earthquake forecast models. For this purpose we started an experiment of forecasting earthquake activity in Japan under the framework of the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP) through an international collaboration. We established the CSEP Testing Centre, an infrastructure to encourage researchers to develop testable models for Japan, and to conduct verifiable prospective tests of their model performance. On 1 November in 2009, we started the 1st earthquake forecast testing experiment for the Japan area. We use the unified JMA catalogue compiled by the Japan Meteorological Agency as authorized catalogue. The experiment consists of 12 categories, with 4 testing classes with different time spans (1 day, 3 months, 1 year, and 3 years) and 3 testing regions called All Japan, Mainland, and Kanto. A total of 91 models were submitted to CSEP-Japan, and are evaluated with the CSEP official suite of tests about forecast performance. In this presentation, we show the results of the experiment of the 3-month testing class for 5 rounds. HIST-ETAS7pa, MARFS and RI10K models corresponding to the All Japan, Mainland and Kanto regions showed the best score based on the total log-likelihood. It is also clarified that time dependency of model parameters is no effective factor to pass the CSEP consistency tests for the 3-month testing class in all regions. Especially, spatial distribution in the All Japan region was too difficult to pass consistency test due to multiple events at a bin. Number of target events for a round in the Mainland region tended to be smaller than model's expectation during all rounds, which resulted in rejections of consistency test because of overestimation. In the Kanto region, pass ratios of consistency tests in each model showed more than 80%, which was associated with good balanced forecasting of event

LANDSAT menhaden and thread herring resources investigation, Gulf of Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savastano, K. (Principal Investigator); Kemmerer, A. J.; Leming, T.; Holley, H.; Faller, K. H.

1977-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The most significant achievement thus far includes the successful charting of high probability fishing areas from LANDSAT MSS data and the successful simulation of an operational satellite system to provide tactical information for the commercial harvest of menhaden.

LANDSAT menhaden and thread herring resources investigation, Gulf of Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savastano, K. (Principal Investigator); Kemmerer, A. J.; Leming, T.; Holley, H.; Faller, K. H.

1976-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The most significant achievements thus far include the successful charting of high probability fishing areas from LANDSAT MSS data and the successful simulation of an operational satellite system to provide tactical information for the commercial harvest of menhaden.

2012/13 abnormal cold winter in Japan associated with Large-scale Atmospheric Circulation and Local Sea Surface Temperature over the Sea of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ando, Y.; Ogi, M.; Tachibana, Y.

2013-12-01

On Japan, wintertime cold wave has social, economic, psychological and political impacts because of the lack of atomic power stations in the era of post Fukushima world. The colder winter is the more electricity is needed. Wintertime weather of Japan and its prediction has come under the world spotlight. The winter of 2012/13 in Japan was abnormally cold, and such a cold winter has persisted for 3 years. Wintertime climate of Japan is governed by some dominant modes of the large-scale atmospheric circulations. Yasunaka and Hanawa (2008) demonstrated that the two dominant modes - Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Western Pacific (WP) pattern - account for about 65% of the interannual variation of the wintertime mean surface air temperature of Japan. A negative AO brings about cold winter in Japan. In addition, a negative WP also brings about cold winter in Japan. Looking back to the winter of 2012/13, both the negative AO and negative WP continued from October through December. If the previous studies were correct, it would have been extremely very cold from October through December. In fact, in December, in accordance with previous studies, it was colder than normal. Contrary to the expectation, in October and November, it was, however, warmer than normal. This discrepancy signifies that an additional hidden circumstance that heats Japan overwhelms these large-scale atmospheric circulations that cool Japan. In this study, we therefore seek an additional cause of wintertime climate of Japan particularly focusing 2012 as well as the AO and WP. We found that anomalously warm oceanic temperature surrounding Japan overwhelmed influences of the AO or WP. Unlike the inland climate, the island climate can be strongly influenced by surrounding ocean temperature, suggesting that large-scale atmospheric patterns alone do not determine the climate of islands. (a) Time series of a 5-day running mean AO index (blue) as defined by Ogi et al., (2004), who called it the SVNAM index. For

Learning by the Aged in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sekiguchi, Reiko W.

This paper discusses demographic changes in Japan, the sources of pleasure of the retired Japanese senior citizen, and lifelong learning. It also describes a study that examined learning preferences of Japanese senior citizens. Data for 1983 show that life expectancy has increased in Japan to 74.20 years for males and 79.78 for females. The level…

The rise and fall of the nature conservation movement in Japan in relation to some cultural values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyadomari, Motoko

1989-01-01

The Japanese are traditionally regarded as nature-loving people, living in “harmony” with nature. However, this assumption is difficult to accept when observing the environmental problems in Japan. How can one explain the incongruities? Has the Japanese people's attitude toward nature changed as Japan has modernized? Is the concept of the nature-loving Japanese merely a myth? Is there another reason to explain this contradiction? This study shows political and economic origins of the paradox. The origin of the Japanese traditional idea of nature is fear and reverence of nature based on a primitive religion that developed in a rural subsistence living situation. Aesthetic and spiritual values of nature for cultural, educational, and intellectual entertainment were developed by the ruling class in the seventh century. Japan's first nature conservation movement, imported from the West, developed among the intellectual community and was advocated and promoted by the elite in the Meiji period (1868 1911). However, because deep commitment was lacking, the movement was abused by the military government before World War II. In the early 1970s the nature conservation movement seemed to be on the ascendancy, mainly because it was combined with the antipollution movement claiming the basic rights of survival. The Japanese nature conservation movement is still in the embryonic stage; in the future, the blending of some traditional resource management with the scientific philosophy of nature conservation may help promote the new wave of nature conservation in Japan.

Economic Factors of Japan’s National Security Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

34Japan bashers " have been eager to retaliate with protectionist trade legislation. Japan has been criticized by free-market strategists and frustrated...exercise served to quiet Japan- bashers and defuse protectionist sentiments in Congress. Even more important, defeat of a retaliatory bill based on general

Water resources management in the urban agglomeration of the Lake Biwa region, Japan: An ecosystem services-based sustainability assessment.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaochen; Chen, Yuqing; Shimizu, Toshiyuki; Niu, Jia; Nakagami, Ken'ichi; Qian, Xuepeng; Jia, Baoju; Nakajima, Jun; Han, Ji; Li, Jianhua

2017-05-15

An innovative ecosystem services-based sustainability assessment was conducted in the important urban agglomeration of the Lake Biwa region, Japan, covering the time period from 1950 to 2014. A 22-indicator system was established that was based on the major ecosystem services of Lake Biwa and its water courses, i.e., provisioning services regarding aquatic products and water; regulating services regarding floods and water quality; cultural services regarding recreation and tourism, scientific research, and environmental education; and supporting services regarding biodiversity. First, changes in the eight ecosystem services were discussed together with the considerable experience and difficult lessons that can be drawn from the development trajectory. Next, with the indicators rearranged according to sustainability principles, the regional sustainability over the past six-plus decades was assessed. In general, this urban agglomeration has been progressing in terms of its sustainability, although economic and social development was achieved at the cost of environmental degradation in the past, and the current economic downturn is hurting the balanced development and integrated benefits. The results lead directly to recommendations for regional development, especially in terms of economic rejuvenation, from the perspective of improving management of Lake Biwa's water resources. Moreover, the relevant knowledge is educational and inspirational for other places in the world that are facing similar development issues. For example, the effective and even pioneering countermeasures that have been taken against environmental degradation, as well as the participation and collaboration of multiple stakeholders, could be useful as a model. Moreover, the study invites increased understanding of ecosystem vulnerability to anthropogenic devastation and emphasizes the priority of precautionary measures over countermeasures in the context of holistic urban planning and sustainable

75 FR 57980 - Polychloroprene Rubber From Japan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-23

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. AA1921-129 (Third Review)] Polychloroprene Rubber From Japan AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Termination of five-year... of the antidumping duty finding on polychloroprene rubber from Japan would be likely to lead to...

Genetic divergence in nuclear genomes between populations of Fagus crenata along the Japan Sea and Pacific sides of Japan.

PubMed

Hiraoka, Koichi; Tomaru, Nobuhiro

2009-05-01

Genetic diversity and structure in Fagus crenata were studied by analyzing 14 nuclear microsatellite loci in 23 populations distributed throughout the species' range. Although population differentiation was very low (F (ST) = 0.027; R (ST) = 0.041), both neighbor-joining tree and Bayesian clustering analyses provided clear evidence of genetic divergence between populations along the Japan Sea (Japan Sea lineage) and Pacific (Pacific lineage) sides of Japan, indicating that physical barriers to migration and gene flow, notably the mountain ranges separating the populations along the Japan Sea and Pacific sides, have promoted genetic divergence between these populations. The two lineages of the nuclear genome are generally consistent with those of the chloroplast genome detected in a previous study, with several discrepancies between the two genomes. Within-population genetic diversity was generally very high (average H (E) = 0.839), but decreased in a clinal fashion from southwest to northeast, largely among populations of the Japan Sea lineage. This geographical gradient may have resulted from the late-glacial and postglacial recolonization to the northeast, which led to a loss of within-population genetic diversity due to cumulative founder effects.

JTEC panel report on machine translation in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carbonell, Jaime; Rich, Elaine; Johnson, David; Tomita, Masaru; Vasconcellos, Muriel; Wilks, Yorick

1992-01-01

The goal of this report is to provide an overview of the state of the art of machine translation (MT) in Japan and to provide a comparison between Japanese and Western technology in this area. The term 'machine translation' as used here, includes both the science and technology required for automating the translation of text from one human language to another. Machine translation is viewed in Japan as an important strategic technology that is expected to play a key role in Japan's increasing participation in the world economy. MT is seen in Japan as important both for assimilating information into Japanese as well as for disseminating Japanese information throughout the world. Most of the MT systems now available in Japan are transfer-based systems. The majority of them exploit a case-frame representation of the source text as the basis of the transfer process. There is a gradual movement toward the use of deeper semantic representations, and some groups are beginning to look at interlingua-based systems.

Healthcare in Japan: its professionals, institutions, and financing.

PubMed

Al-Assaf, A F; Payne, J

1991-01-01

Like the United States, Japan's healthcare system is a conglomerate of government, employer, and individual financing--but that's about as far as the similarity goes. Universal access to basic healthcare has been achieved in Japan through comprehensive employer/employee plans and government subsidies. However, the United States should not be too hasty in emulating Japan, for culture plays a definite role in healthcare on both sides of the Pacific.

The Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident: a triple disaster affecting the mental health of the country.

PubMed

Yamashita, Jun; Shigemura, Jun

2013-09-01

The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 caused 2 other serious disasters: a tsunami and a nuclear power plant accident. A chronic shortage of mental health resources had been previously reported in the Tohoku region, and the triple disaster worsened the situation. Eventually a public health approach was implemented by providing a common room in temporary housing developments to build a sense of community and to approach evacuees so that they could be triaged and referred to mental health teams. Japan now advocates using psychological first aid to educate first responders. This article extracts key lessons from relevant literature. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching Primary School Children about Japan through Art. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Patricia Berg

There are a variety reasons for teaching about Japan. Many students in the United States are of Japanese heritage; Japan is the second largest trading partner of the United States; and some healing still needs to occur between the United States and Japan because of the damage and pain of World War II. Further, the Unites States and Japan share the…

Divorce in contemporary Japan.

PubMed

Fukurai, H; Alston, J

1990-10-01

Data from the 1985-86 Japanese census are analysed to explore the determinants of the divorce rates in Japan's forty-seven prefectures, using two theoretical models: (a) the social integration model, which is shown to have a greater utility in predicting Japanese divorce levels than (b), the human capital model. Female emigration patterns play a significant role in affecting the divorce rate. Population increase and net household income are also important predictors of the Japanese divorce rate and urbanization has a great influence in modern Japan. Demographic and aggregate variables such as migration, urbanization, and socioeconomic factors are useful when organized under a social integration model.

Japan: International Perspectives on Business Communication Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakasako, Shun-Itsu

1998-01-01

Discusses research developments in business communication in Japan from the early 1900s to present. Describes early interest in business English; the emergence of business communication; business communication as a broad and interdisciplinary research field in Japan; and its impact on teaching. (SR)

Should Japan Become a Normal Country

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

9 B. ANCIENT JAPAN: ORIGINS AND ASUKA, NARA, AND HEIAN PERIODS...ANCIENT JAPAN: ORIGINS AND ASUKA, NARA, AND HEIAN PERIODS Japanese culture emerged on Yamato plain around the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. and continued...record of ancient matters.22 Immediately following this era was the Heian period during which the imperial court moved to a new, permanent capital

78 FR 7451 - Clad Steel Plate From Japan; Determination

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-01

... Japan; Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject five-year review, the... from Japan would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in... USITC Publication 4370 (January 2013), entitled Clad Steel Plate from Japan: Investigation No. 731-TA...

Literacy in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanaya, Toshio

1979-01-01

Examines three causes for Japan's high literacy rate: (1) emphasis on literacy in Japanese society; (2) pervasive effect of the modern Japanese school system; (3) special structural features of the Japanese language which aid in functional use. (DR)

78 FR 66767 - Chlorinated Isocyanurates From China and Japan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-06

...)] Chlorinated Isocyanurates From China and Japan Determinations On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the... reason of imports from China and Japan of chlorinated isocyanurates, provided for in subheadings 2933.69... (LTFV) from Japan and subsidized by the Government of China.\\2\\ \\1\\ The record is defined in sec. 207.2...

50 CFR 648.6 - Dealer/processor permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... herring, Atlantic sea scallop, Atlantic deep-sea red crab, spiny dogfish, summer flounder, Atlantic surf... permitted vessel of the United States. (ii) Atlantic herring at-sea processing permit. A vessel of the... eligible to obtain an Atlantic herring at-sea processing permit to receive and process Atlantic herring...

Endocrine disorders and diabetes in Japan.

PubMed

Seino, Y; Imura, H

1994-10-01

The frequency of glucose intolerance including diabetes and IGT in endocrine diseases was compared between Japan and foreign countries. It was revealed that the frequency of diabetes in endocrine diseases is generally higher in Japan than in foreign countries. In addition, plasma insulin response to glucose was exaggerated in Cushing's syndrome with glucose intolerance, but was impaired in acromegaly and pheochromocytoma with glucose intolerance.

People of Japan: Building Bridges of Understanding.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT. Language Research Center.

This booklet was designed to facilitate interactions and communication with the people of Japan by providing information about their customs, attitudes and other cultural characteristics which influence their actions and values. A brief description of Japan is given, covering the following: history, government, the economy, education,…

Understanding Resource Nationalism in the 21st Century

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hughes, Llewelyn; Kreyling, Sean J.

2010-07-26

Resource nationalism in oil-importing states appears on the rise. Oil price volatility underpinned by demand growth has led China, India and others to increase state support for national-flag firms in order to increase the state’s energy self-sufficiency. Both Chinese and Indian National Oil Companies (NOCs) have made energy investments worldwide, including in Sudan and Iran. Long-standing oil importers such as the United States and Japan have reenergized policies designed to increase domestic production of crude and crude substitutes, or have subsidized national-flag firms, in the name of energy independence.

Delays in clinical development of neurological drugs in Japan.

PubMed

Ikeda, Masayuki

2017-06-28

The delays in the approval and development of neurological drugs between Japan and other countries have been a major issue for patients with neurological diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze factors contributing to the delay in the launching of neurological drugs in Japan. We analyzed data from Japan and the US for the approval of 42 neurological drugs, all of which were approved earlier in the US than in Japan, and examined the potential factors that may cause the delay of their launch. Introductions of the 42 drugs in Japan occurred at a median of 87 months after introductions in the US. The mean review time of new drug applications for the 20 drugs introduced in Japan in January 2011 or later (15 months) was significantly shorter than that for the other 22 drugs introduced in Japan in December 2010 or earlier (24 months). The lag in the Japan's review time behind the US could not explain the approval delays. In the 31 of the 42 drugs, the application data package included overseas data. The mean review time of these 31 drugs (17 months) was significantly shorter than that of the other 11 drugs without overseas data (26 months). The mean approval lag behind the US of the 31 drugs (78 months) was also significantly shorter than that of the other 11 drugs (134 months). These results show that several important reforms in the Japanese drug development and approval system (e.g., inclusion of global clinical trial data) have reduced the delays in the clinical development of neurological drugs.

Use of the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) in Japan

PubMed Central

TAKASAKI, Hiroshi; ELKINS, Mark R.; MOSELEY, Anne M.

2016-01-01

Background: The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) may help users to overcome some obstacles to evidence-based physiotherapy. Understanding the extent to which Japanese physiotherapists access research evidence via the PEDro website may suggest strategies to enhance evidence-based physiotherapy in Japan. Objectives: To quantify usage of PEDro in Japan, to compare this to usage in other countries, and to examine variations in PEDro usage within Japan. Design: An observational study of PEDro usage with geographic analysis. Methods: Data about visits to the home-page and searches of the database were recorded for 4 years. These data were analysed by each region of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, each country in the Asia Western Pacific region, and each prefecture in Japan. Results: From 2010 to 2013, users of PEDro made 2.27 million visits to the home-page and ran 6.28 million searches. Usage (ie, number of searches normalised by population) was highest in Europe, followed by North America Carribean, South America, Asia Western Pacific, and Africa. Within the Asia Western Pacific region, population-normalised usage was highest in Australia, then New Zealand and Singapore. Japan ranked 10 among the 26 countries in the region. Within Japan, the highest population-normalised usage was in the Nagano, Kumamoto and Aomori prefectures, which was ten-fold higher usage than in some other prefectures. Conclusions: Although Japan has higher PEDro usage than many other countries in the Asia Western Pacific region, some prefectures had very low usage, suggesting that evidence-based practice may not be being adopted uniformly across Japan. PMID:28289582

Coronary Artery Calcification in Japanese Men in Japan and Hawaii

PubMed Central

Abbott, Robert D.; Ueshima, Hirotsugu; Rodriguez, Beatriz L.; Kadowaki, Takashi; Masaki, Kamal H.; Willcox, Bradley J.; Sekikawa, Akira; Kuller, Lewis H.; Edmundowicz, Daniel; Shin, Chol; Kashiwagi, Atsunori; Nakamura, Yasuyuki; El-Saed, Aiman; Okamura, Tomonori; White, Roger; Curb, J. David

2013-01-01

Explanations for the low prevalence of atherosclerosis in Japan versus United States are often confounded with genetic variation. To help remove such confounding, coronary artery calcification (CAC), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, was compared between Japanese men in Japan and Japanese men in Hawaii. Findings are based on risk factor and CAC measurements that were made from 2001 to 2005 in 311 men in Japan and 300 men in Hawaii. Men were aged 40 to 50 years and without cardiovascular disease. After age-adjustment, there was a 3-fold excess in the odds of prevalent CAC scores ≥10 in Hawaii versus Japan (relative odds [RO] = 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1,4.9). While men in Hawaii had a generally poorer risk factor profile, men in Japan were 4-times more likely to smoke cigarettes (49.5 vs. 12.7%, p<0.001). In spite of marked risk factor differences between the samples, none of the risk factors provided an explanation for the low amounts of CAC in Japan. After risk factor adjustment, the RO of CAC scores ≥10 in Hawaii versus Japan was 4.0 (95% CI = 2.2,7.4). Further studies are needed to identify factors that offer protection against atherosclerosis in Japanese men in Japan. PMID:17728270

Constructing a Foundational Platform Driven by Japan's K Supercomputer for Next-Generation Drug Design.

PubMed

Brown, J B; Nakatsui, Masahiko; Okuno, Yasushi

2014-12-01

The cost of pharmaceutical R&D has risen enormously, both worldwide and in Japan. However, Japan faces a particularly difficult situation in that its population is aging rapidly, and the cost of pharmaceutical R&D affects not only the industry but the entire medical system as well. To attempt to reduce costs, the newly launched K supercomputer is available for big data drug discovery and structural simulation-based drug discovery. We have implemented both primary (direct) and secondary (infrastructure, data processing) methods for the two types of drug discovery, custom tailored to maximally use the 88 128 compute nodes/CPUs of K, and evaluated the implementations. We present two types of results. In the first, we executed the virtual screening of nearly 19 billion compound-protein interactions, and calculated the accuracy of predictions against publicly available experimental data. In the second investigation, we implemented a very computationally intensive binding free energy algorithm, and found that comparison of our binding free energies was considerably accurate when validated against another type of publicly available experimental data. The common feature of both result types is the scale at which computations were executed. The frameworks presented in this article provide prospectives and applications that, while tuned to the computing resources available in Japan, are equally applicable to any equivalent large-scale infrastructure provided elsewhere. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Getah Virus Infection among Racehorses, Japan, 2014

PubMed Central

Bannai, Hiroshi; Tsujimura, Koji; Kobayashi, Minoru; Kikuchi, Takuya; Yamanaka, Takashi; Kondo, Takashi

2015-01-01

An outbreak of Getah virus infection occurred among racehorses in Japan during September and October 2014. Of 49 febrile horses tested by reverse transcription PCR, 25 were positive for Getah virus. Viruses detected in 2014 were phylogenetically different from the virus isolated in Japan in 1978. PMID:25898181

Japan's Winning Margins. Management, Training, and Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorriman, John; Kenjo, Takashi

This book explains the fundamental reasons for Japan's astonishing commercial success in relation to its Western competitors. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 discusses implications of Japanese history for education, training, and management. Chapter 3 looks at the first winning margin--education. It covers the following: Japan's long…

Factors associated with "Ikigai" among members of a public temporary employment agency for seniors (Silver Human Resources Centre) in Japan; gender differences

PubMed Central

Shirai, Kokoro; Iso, Hiroyasu; Fukuda, Hideki; Toyoda, Yasuhiro; Takatorige, Toshio; Tatara, Kozo

2006-01-01

Background "Ikigai" is culturally defined in the society of Japan as a comprehensive concept describing subjective well-being. It is considered to be related to life-satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, happiness as well as evaluation towards meaning of one's life. Although previous studies examined factors associated with Ikigai with smaller samples, consistent results have not been obtained, especially from the viewpoint of gender differences. Identification of gender-specific factors related with Ikigai among the elderly, may be of value to enhance subjective well-being. Methods Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 4,737 randomly selected members of the Silver Human Resources Centre (SHRC), a public temporary employment agency for seniors, in Osaka, Japan. This represents about 10% of all registered members (n = 41,593) in the 38 SHRC centres in Osaka. A total of 4,376 subjects (male: 2,913; female: 1,463) provided a satisfactory response to the questionnaire (response rate: 92%). The status whether they have "Ikigai" or not was evaluated by self-anchoring scale ranging from 0 to 5 (0 = lowest rate and 5 = highest rate of having "Ikigai"). Also, self-rated life-change score through work (-3 to 3) was evaluated by three items, i.e.) changes in (1) the number of friends through work, (2) social interests and (3) the quantity of conversation with others (1 = increase, 0 = no change, and -1 = decrease). Results The factors associated with "Ikigai" for total subjects were the number of rooms in one's residence, annual income, healthy life style score (Breslow), the number of working days through SHRC, satisfaction with one's life history and life-change sore through work. The multivariable odds ratio (95%CI) of having "Ikigai" was 1.9 (1.1–3.3) for persons with no change in life thorough work compared with subjects with a score of ≦-1. Moreover, the multivariable odds ratios were 3.5 (1.9–6.6) for a life-change score = 1, 3.1 (1.7–5.7) for a

Factors associated with "Ikigai" among members of a public temporary employment agency for seniors (Silver Human Resources Centre) in Japan; gender differences.

PubMed

Shirai, Kokoro; Iso, Hiroyasu; Fukuda, Hideki; Toyoda, Yasuhiro; Takatorige, Toshio; Tatara, Kozo

2006-02-27

"Ikigai" is culturally defined in the society of Japan as a comprehensive concept describing subjective well-being. It is considered to be related to life-satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, happiness as well as evaluation towards meaning of one's life. Although previous studies examined factors associated with Ikigai with smaller samples, consistent results have not been obtained, especially from the viewpoint of gender differences. Identification of gender-specific factors related with Ikigai among the elderly, may be of value to enhance subjective well-being. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 4,737 randomly selected members of the Silver Human Resources Centre (SHRC), a public temporary employment agency for seniors, in Osaka, Japan. This represents about 10% of all registered members (n = 41,593) in the 38 SHRC centres in Osaka. A total of 4,376 subjects (male: 2,913; female: 1,463) provided a satisfactory response to the questionnaire (response rate: 92%). The status whether they have "Ikigai" or not was evaluated by self-anchoring scale ranging from 0 to 5 (0 = lowest rate and 5 = highest rate of having "Ikigai"). Also, self-rated life-change score through work (-3 to 3) was evaluated by three items, i.e.) changes in (1) the number of friends through work, (2) social interests and (3) the quantity of conversation with others (1 = increase, 0 = no change, and -1 = decrease). The factors associated with "Ikigai" for total subjects were the number of rooms in one's residence, annual income, healthy life style score (Breslow), the number of working days through SHRC, satisfaction with one's life history and life-change sore through work. The multivariable odds ratio (95% CI) of having "Ikigai" was 1.9 (1.1-3.3) for persons with no change in life thorough work compared with subjects with a score of < or = -1. Moreover, the multivariable odds ratios were 3.5 (1.9-6.6) for a life-change score = 1, 3.1 (1.7-5.7) for a score = 2 and 7.8 (4

Japan and the Soviet Threat: Perceptions and Reactions.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

s...nce the late 1970’s. This _training cannot but help elevate the defense readiness posture of Japan and based on the scenarios being exercised , the...supersonic low flyers, can be easily jammed, and are virtually unprotected (as are Japan’s air bases ). Though work is underway to improve BADGE, it will...opposition to Japanese plans in East Asia, Japan moved to improve its position by concluding a Neutrality Pact with le. .the USSR (1941). .5 The Soviets

Childbirth in aristocratic households of Heian Japan.

PubMed

Andreeva, Anna

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on childbirth in Japan's aristocratic households during the Heian period (794-1185). Drawing on various sources, including court diaries, visual sources, literary records, and Japan's first medical collection, with its assortment of gynaecological and obstetric prescriptions, as well as Buddhist and other ritual texts, this short excursion into the cultural history of childbirth offers an insight into how childbirth was experienced and managed in Heian Japan. In particular, it addresses the variety of ideas, knowledge systems and professionals involved in framing and supporting the process of childbirth in elite households. In so doing, it casts light on the complex background of early Japanese medicine and healthcare for women.

The cause of larger local magnitude (Mj) in western Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamoto, H.; Furumura, T.

2017-12-01

The local magnitude of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) scale (Mj) in Japan sometimes show a significant discrepancy between Mw. The Mj is calculated using the amplitude of the horizontal component of ground displacement recorded by seismometers with the natural period of T0=5 s using Katsumata et al. (2004). A typical example of such a discrepancy in estimating Mj was an overestimation of the 2000 Western Tottori earthquake (Mj=7.3, Mw=6.7; hereafter referred to as event T). In this study, we examined the discrepancy between Mj and Mw for recent large earthquakes occurring in Japan.We found that the most earthquakes with larger Mj (>Mw) occur in western Japan while the earthquakes in northern Japan show reasonable Mj (=Mw). To understand the cause of such larger Mj for western Japan earthquakes we examined the strong motion record from the K-NET and KiK-net network for the event T and other earthquakes for reference. The observed ground displacement record from the event T shows a distinctive Love wave packet in tangential motion with a dominant period of about T=5 s which propagates long distances without showing strong dispersions. On the other hand, the ground motions from the earthquakes in northeastern Japan do not have such surface wave packet, and attenuation of ground motion is significant. Therefore, the overestimation of the Mj for earthquakes in western Japan may be attributed to efficient generation and propagation properties of Love wave probably relating to the crustal structure of western Japan. To explain this, we then conducted a numerical simulation of seismic wave propagation using 3D sedimentary layer model (JIVSM; Koketsu et al., 2012) and the source model of the event T. The result demonstrated the efficient generation of Love wave from the shallow strike-slip source which propagates long distances in western Japan without significant dispersions. On the other hand, the generation of surface wave was not so efficient when using a

Words of Tohkaku Wada: medical heritage in Japan.

PubMed

Matsumoto, M; Inoue, K; Kajii, E

2001-02-01

The origins of Japan's medical ideas, which are deeply rooted in its religion, culture and history, are not widely understood in medical societies of other countries. We have taken up the task of summarising this tradition here so that some insight can be gained into the unique issues that characterise the practice of medicine in Japan. We borrow from the sayings of Tohkaku Wada, a medical philosopher of late eighteenth-century Japan, for a look at Japanese medical tradition. Wada's medical thought was very much reflective of the Buddhism, Zen, and swordsmanship that informed eighteenth-century philosophy in Japan. His central concepts were "chu" and "sei", that is, complete and selfless dedication to the patient and the practice of medicine. This paper explores Wada's thought, explaining it mainly from the standpoint of Japanese traditional culture.

Nursing practice environment, quality of care, and morale of hospital nurses in Japan.

PubMed

Anzai, Eriko; Douglas, Clint; Bonner, Ann

2014-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe Japanese hospital nurses' perceptions of the nursing practice environment and examine its association with nurse-reported ability to provide quality nursing care, quality of patient care, and ward morale. A cross-sectional survey design was used including 223 nurses working in 12 acute inpatient wards in a large Japanese teaching hospital. Nurses rated their work environment favorably overall using the Japanese version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Subscale scores indicated high perceptions of physician relations and quality of nursing management, but lower scores for staffing and resources. Ward nurse managers generally rated the practice environment more positively than staff nurses except for staffing and resources. Regression analyses found the practice environment was a significant predictor of quality of patient care and ward morale, whereas perceived ability to provide quality nursing care was most strongly associated with years of clinical experience. These findings support interventions to improve the nursing practice environment, particularly staffing and resource adequacy, to enhance quality of care and ward morale in Japan. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Japan: Language Policy and Planning in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottlieb, Nanette

2008-01-01

This monograph discusses the language situation in Japan, with an emphasis on language planning and policy. Japan has long considered itself to be a monoethnic and therefore monolingual society, despite the existence of substantial old-comer ethnic minorities, and this--with the instrumental exception of English--has been reflected in its language…

[Rabies contingency plan in Japan].

PubMed

Inoue, Satoshi

2005-12-01

In Japan, rabies has been culled out since 1957 thanks to the strong implementation of measures against rabies, such as vaccination of dogs, quarantine and control of wild dogs under the 'Rabies Prevention Law' enacted in 1950. Nevertheless one cannot deny the possibility of introduction of rabies into Japan in view of the recent increase in the international movements of people and animals. Should an outbreak of rabies be suspected now in Japan, the society would probably overreact due to a decreased awareness of risks and a lack of correct knowledge about this disease. Officials of the government and the municipalities, veterinarians and doctors should exchange correct information on rabies and on prevention control and raise their awareness, while providing also information to the public on a timely basis. Besides it is needless to say that it is important to set up a crisis management system allowing a quick and adequate response in case of an outbreak of rabies and to continue to implement appropriate prevention measures in normal times.

Cross-Border Higher Education for Labor Market Needs: Mobility of Public-Funded Malaysian Students to Japan over Years. JICA-RI Working Paper. No. 29

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koda, Yoshiko; Yuki, Takako; Hong, Yeeyoung

2011-01-01

As globalization and the knowledge economy spreads, the demand for highly skilled workers has increased and developing countries are engaged in cross-border higher education to develop high level human resources for their nations. Using data on a cross-border higher education program between Malaysia and Japan, namely the Higher Education Loan…

Testing the Nuclear Will of Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

particularly the United States. This was significant because a soured economic relationship would undoubtedly affect the U.S.-Japan security...around the world, has sometimes soured its image as a serious international player.136 This is because many of the world’s great powers have extended...for International Exchange, 2005. Beer , Lawrence W. “Japan Turning the Corner.” Asian Survey 11, no. 1 (January 1971): 74 – 85. Bueno de Mesquita

Toward freedom from cancer pain in Japan.

PubMed

Otsuka, Kuniko; Yasuhara, Hajime

2007-01-01

Life expectancy in Japan is highest in the world. Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in Japan, accounting for about 30 percent of all deaths. Many Japanese cancer patients experience severe pain although they and their families hope to be pain free at the end of their lives. Toward that end, the consumption of morphine in Japan has increased markedly since 1989. The amount of morphine hydrochloride and morphine sulfate consumed in 2001 was 6.1 times that used in Japan in 1989. However, the amount of morphine consumed in Japan is still less than in other developed nations, and was only one-sixth of the amount used in Australia in 2001. As a result, many Japanese cancer patients experience potentially manageable cancer pain, largely because the amount of the drug used by doctors is insufficient for pain control. An increasing number of Japanese doctors now understand that their patients' quality of life is most important in end-of-life care and how to use the three step analgesic ladder of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, other doctors do not understand these issues sufficiently causing some patients to die without good pain control. Both the general population and some medical professionals misunderstand and have prejudice against the use of morphine. Patients often do not participate in decision making about medical treatment because of remaining paternalism in the relationship between Japanese doctors and patients. Thus, cancer pain management in Japan is not as effective as it can be and not all Japanese cancer patients receive appropriate management for their cancer pain. To improve outcomes for Japanese patients, it is necessary for health professional and social work students and practicing professionals to receive contemporary education including an introduction to palliative care and ethics.

Regional and transported aerosols during DRAGON-Japan experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, I.; Holben, B. N.; Mukai, S.; Nakata, M.; Nakaguchi, Y.; Sugimoto, N.; Hatakeyama, S.; Nishizawa, T.; Takamura, T.; Takemura, T.; Yonemitsu, M.; Fujito, T.; Schafer, J.; Eck, T. F.; Sorokin, M.; Kenny, P.; Goto, M.; Hiraki, T.; Iguchi, N.; Kouzai, K.; KUJI, M.; Muramatsu, K.; Okada, Y.; Sadanaga, Y.; Tohno, S.; Toyazaki, Y.; Yamamoto, K.

2013-12-01

Aerosol properties over Japan have been monitored by AERONET sun / sky photometers since 2000. These measurements provides us with long term information of local aerosols, which are influenced by transported aerosols, such as Asian dusts or anthropogenic pollutants due to rapid increasing of energy consumption in Asian countries. A new aerosol monitoring experiment, Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON) - Japan is operated in spring of 2012. The main instrument of DRAGON network is AERONET sun/sky radiometers. Some of them are sparsely set along the Japanese coast and some others make a dense network in Osaka, which is the second-largest city in Japan and famous for manufacturing town. Several 2ch NIES-LIDAR systems are also co-located with AERONET instrument to monitor Asian dusts throughout the campaign. The objects of Dragon-Japan are to characterize local aerosols as well as transported ones from the continent of China, and to acquire the detailed aerosol information for validating satellite data with high resolved spatial scale. This work presents the comprehensive results of aerosol properties with respect to regional- and/or transported- scale during DRAGON-Japan experiments.

[The natural resources of the expedition bay as a basis for the creation of the health resort centre at the coast of the Peter the Great Bay, the Sea of Japan].

PubMed

Vasil'chenko, V F; Badalov, N G; Derkacheva, L N

2014-01-01

The present article presents characteristics of the therapeutic and health promoting potential of the Expedition Bay, (part of the Peter the Great Bay, the Sea of Japan), known to be a deposit of therapeutic sea muds. The great variety of local therapeutic natural resources, viz. sea muds, sea weeds, friendly climate, beeches, etc., can be used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. The Expedition Bay was designated as a local area of recreational and therapeutic value that can be used as a basis for the creation and further development of the multi-field health resort centre (or medical spa) that would attract patients from other regions of Russia and the surrounding countries. The future centre would provide medical services based in the first place on the classical methods of climatic and peloid therapy, thalassotherapy (heliotherapy, aeroionotherapy, bathing, marine algae therapy, etc.) as well as the modern balneotherapeutic and spa technologies, therapeutic tourism for the purpose of rehabilitation and health promotion.

The educational system in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spearman, M. L.

1986-01-01

The rapid economic growth of Japan since World War II has resulted in Japan becoming a reference point for developing nations and the West. This remarkable growth results from a combination of factors, one of which has been unyielding attention to education in order to cultivate the human talent necessary to provide the productivity for economic growth. The Japanese education system emphasizes quality of instruction and rewards hard work. Some of the principles of the system are outlined together with a summary of the content of the curriculum, the quantity and quality of instruction, and the influence of culture and environment.

Development of bubble memory recorder onboard Japan Earth Resources Satellite-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araki, Tsunehiko; Ishida, Chu; Ochiai, Kiyoshi; Nozue, Tatsuhiro; Tachibana, Kyozo; Yoshida, Kazutoshi

The Bubble Memory Recorder (BMR) developed for use on the Earth Resources Satellite is described in terms of its design, capabilities, and functions. The specifications of the BMR are given listing memory capacity, functions, and interface types for data, command, and telemetry functions. The BMR has an emergency signal interface to provide contingency recording, and a satellite-separation signal interface can be turned on automatically by signal input. Data are stored in a novolatile memory device so that the memory is retained during power outages. The BMR is characterized by a capability for random access, nonvolatility, and a solid-state design that is useful for space operations since it does not disturb spacecraft attitude.

Developing a uniformed assessment tool to evaluate care service needs for disabled persons in Japan.

PubMed

Takei, Teiji; Takahashi, Hiroshi; Nakatani, Hiroki

2008-05-01

Until recently, the care services for disabled persons have been under rigid control by public sectors in terms of provision and funding in Japan. A reform was introduced in 2003 that brought a rapid increase of utilization of services and serious shortage of financial resources. Under these circumstances, the "Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act" was enacted in 2005, requiring that the care service provision process should be transparent, fair and standardized. The purpose of this study is to develop an objective tool for assessing the need for disability care. In the present study we evaluate 1423 cases of patients receiving care services in 60 municipalities, including all three categories of disabilities (physical, intellectual and mental). Using the data of the total 106 items, we conducted factor analysis and regression analysis to develop an assessment tool for people with disabilities. The data revealed that instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) played an essential role in assessing disability levels. We have developed the uniformed assessment tool that has been utilized to guide the types and quantity of care services throughout Japan.

Effects of exploitation, environmental changes, and new species on the fish habitats and resources of Lake Erie

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hartman, Wilbur L.

1973-01-01

No other lake as large as Lake Erie (surface area, 25,690 km2) has been subjected to such extensive changes in the drainage basin, the lake environment, and the fish populations over the last 150 years. Deforestation and prairie burning led to erosion of the watershed and siltation of valuable spawning grounds. Marsh spawning areas were drained. Lake-to-river spawning migrations of sturgeon, walleye, and other fishes were blocked by mill dams. Accelerated cultural nutrient loading increased total dissolved solids by nearly 50% (1920-70). Phosphate loading reached 469 metric tons per year by the 1950's and continued to increase. The biomass of phytoplankton increased 20-fold between 1919 and 1963. Oxygen demand for decomposition of these algae so degraded oxygen regimes in the western and central basins by the 1950's that the once abundant mayfly nymphs were destroyed and the central basin hypolimnion became anoxic. The sequence of disappearance or severe depletion of fish species was as follows: lake trout, sturgeon, lake herring, lake whitefish, sauger, blue pike, and walleye. Yellow perch are now declining. All resources were intensively exploited at one time or another. Lake trout suffered only this stress, but changes in the watershed significantly stressed sturgeon and lake whitefish. Degradation of the lake spawning grounds, benthos, and oxygen regimes culminated in severe stress by the 1950's on the remnants of the lake herring and lake whitefish, and on the sauger, blue pike, and walleye. Additional mortality may have been imposed on walleye and blue pike fry by predacious smelt that successfully colonized Lake Erie after first appearing in 1932. The cultural stresses, in the probable order of greatest to least net effects on the fish community of Lake Erie, appear to have been: (1) an intense, opportunistic, ineffectively controlled commercial fishery; (2) changes in the watershed, such as erosion and siltation of stream beds and inshore lake areas, and

The UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshop Programme...

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albone, Eric; Okano, Toru

2012-01-01

The authors have been running UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshops at universities in Britain and Japan since 2001: for the past three years in England with Cambridge University and, last year, also with Kyoto University and Kyoto University of Education. For many years they have worked jointly with colleagues in a group of Super Science High…

View from... JSAP spring meeting 2007: Inside Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Won, Rachel; Graydon, Oliver

2007-06-01

Photonics research in Japan is thriving and there is no better place to hear the latest news firsthand than the meetings of the Japan Society of Applied Physics. Nature Photonics decided to pay the 54th Spring Meeting a visit.

76 FR 8774 - Granular Polytetrafluoroethylene Resin From Japan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-386 (Third Review)] Granular Polytetrafluoroethylene Resin From Japan AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Termination of five... revocation of the antidumping duty order on granular polytetrafluoroethylene resin from Japan would be likely...

Study of Global Health Strategy Based on International Trends: -Promoting Universal Health Coverage Globally and Ensuring the Sustainability of Japan's Universal Coverage of Health Insurance System: Problems and Proposals.

PubMed

Hatanaka, Takashi; Eguchi, Narumi; Deguchi, Mayumi; Yazawa, Manami; Ishii, Masami

2015-09-01

The Japanese government at present is implementing international health and medical growth strategies mainly from the viewpoint of business. However, the United Nations is set to resolve the Post-2015 Development Agenda in the fall of 2015; the agenda will likely include the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) as a specific development goal. Japan's healthcare system, the foundation of which is its public, nationwide universal health insurance program, has been evaluated highly by the Lancet. The World Bank also praised it as a global model. This paper presents suggestions and problems for Japan regarding global health strategies, including in regard to several prerequisite domestic preparations that must be made. They are summarized as follows. (1) The UHC development should be promoted in coordination with the United Nations, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. (2) The universal health insurance system of Japan can be a global model for UHC and ensuring its sustainability should be considered a national policy. (3) Trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should not disrupt or interfere with UHC, the form of which is unique to each nation, including Japan. (4) Japan should disseminate information overseas, including to national governments, people, and physicians, regarding the course of events that led to the establishment of the Japan's universal health insurance system and should make efforts to develop international human resources to participate in UHC policymaking. (5) The development of separate healthcare programs and UHC preparation should be promoted by streamlining and centralizing maternity care, school health, infectious disease management such as for tuberculosis, and emergency medicine such as for traffic accidents. (6) Japan should disseminate information overseas about its primary care physicians (kakaritsuke physicians) and develop international human resources. (7) Global health should be developed in

A brief history of the Japan Society for Cell Biology.

PubMed

Tashiro, Y; Okigaki, T

2001-02-01

The Japan Society for Cell Biology (JSCB) was first founded in 1950 as the Japan Society for Cellular Chemistry under the vigorous leadership of Seizo Katsunuma, in collaboration with Shigeyasu Amano and Satimaru Seno. The Society was provisionally named as above simply because cell biology had not yet been coined at that time in Japan, although in prospect and reality the Society was in fact for the purpose of pursuing cell biology. Later in 1964, the Society was properly renamed as the Japan Society for Cell Biology. After this renaming, the JSCB made great efforts to adapt itself to the rapid progress being made in cell biology. For this purpose the Society's constitution was created in 1966 and revised in 1969. According to the revised constitution, the President, Executive Committee and Councils were to be determined by ballot vote. The style of the annual meetings was gradually modified to incorporate general oral and poster presentations in addition to Symposia (1969-1974). The publication of annual periodicals in Japanese called Symposia of the Japan Society for Cellular Chemistry (1951-1967) and later Symposia of the Japan Society for Cell Biology (1968-1974) was replaced by a new international journal called Cell Structure and Function initiated in 1975. This reformation made it possible for the Society to participate in the Science Council of Japan in 1975 and finally in 1993 to acquire its own study section of Cell Biology with grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Education and Science, Japan. The JSCB hosted the 3rd International Congress on Cell Biology (ICCB) in 1984 and the 3rd Asian-Pacific Organization for Cell Biology (APOCB) Congress in 1998, thus contributing to the international advancement of cell biology. Now the membership of JSCB stands at approximately 1,800 and the number of presentations per meeting is 300 to 400 annually. Although a good number of interesting and important findings in cell biology have been reported from Japan, the

Using Parse's humanbecoming theory in Japan.

PubMed

Tanaka, Junko; Katsuno, Towako; Takahashi, Teruko

2012-01-01

In this paper the authors discuss the use of Parse's humanbecoming theory in Japan. Elements of the theory are used in the nursing approach to an 88 year-old Japanese man who had complications following surgery. Process recordings of the dialogues between the patient, the patient's wife, and the nurse were made and considered in light of the three methodologies of Parse's theory; illuminating meaning, synchronizing rhythms, and mobilizing transcendence. The theory is seen as useful in Japan.

Country Profiles. Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muramatsu, Minoru

This occasional paper on Japan is one of a series setting forth the nature, scope, and accomplishments of population activities in specified countries. Here, an overview is given of population characteristics and growth patterns, the relationship of population growth to socioeconomic development, and the history of population concerns and…

Dietary variation and stress among prehistoric Jomon foragers from Japan.

PubMed

Temple, Daniel H

2007-08-01

Current archaeological evidence indicates that greater dietary reliance on marine resources is recorded among the eastern Jomon, while plant dependence prevailed in western/inland Japan. The hypothesis that the dietary choices of the western/inland Jomon will be associated with greater systemic stress is tested by comparing carious tooth and enamel hypoplasia frequencies between the eastern and western/inland Jomon. Demographic collapse coincides with climate change during the Middle to Late Jomon period, suggesting dwindling resource availability. It is hypothesized that this change was associated with greater systemic stress and/or dietary change among the Middle to Late Jomon. This hypothesis is tested by comparing enamel hypoplasia and carious tooth frequencies between Middle to Late and Late to Final Jomon foragers. Enamel hypoplasia was significantly more prevalent among the western/inland Jomon. Such findings are consistent with archaeological studies that argue for greater plant consumption and stresses associated with seasonal resource depletion among the western/inland Jomon. Approximately equivalent enamel hypoplasia frequencies between Middle to Late and Late to Final Jomon foragers argues against a demographic collapse in association with diminished nutritional returns. Significant differences in carious tooth frequencies are, however, observed between Middle to Late and Late to Final Jomon foragers. These results suggest a subsistence shift during the Middle to Late Jomon period, perhaps in response to a changed climate. The overall patterns of stress documented by this study indicate wide-spread environmentally directed biological variation among the prehistoric Jomon. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

76 FR 8773 - Superalloy Degassed Chromium From Japan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-1090 (Review)] Superalloy Degassed Chromium From Japan AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Termination of five-year... revocation of the antidumping duty order on superalloy degassed chromium from Japan would be likely to lead...

The Vanguard of Community-based Integrated Care in Japan: The Effect of a Rural Town on National Policy

PubMed Central

Matsumoto, Masatoshi; Okita, Mitsuaki; Inoue, Kazuo; Takeuchi, Keisuke; Tsutsui, Takako; Nishimura, Shuhei; Hayashi, Takuo

2017-01-01

Introduction: Japan has the largest percentage of elderly people in the world. In 2012 the government implemented a community-based integrated care system which provides seamless community healthcare resources for elderly people with chronic diseases and disabilities. Methods: This paper describes the challenges of establishing a community-based integrated care system in 1974 in Mitsugi, a rural town of Japan. This system has influenced the government and become the model for the nationwide system. Results: In the 1970s, Mitsugi’s aging population was growing faster than Japan’s, but elder care was fragmented among a variety of service sections. A community-based integrated care system evolved because of the small but aging population size and the initiative of some local leaders of medical care and politics. After the system took effect, the proportion of bedridden people and medical care costs for the elderly dropped in Mitsugi while it continued to rise everywhere else in Japan. Mitsugi’s community-based integrated care system is now shaping national policy. Conclusion: Mitsugi is in the vanguard of Japan’s community-based integrated care system. The case showed the community-based integrated care system can diffuse from rural to urban areas. PMID:28970743

Neuropsychology in Japan: history, current challenges, and future prospects.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Maiko

2016-11-01

The purpose of this special issue was to describe the cross-cultural differences in neuropsychology throughout the world. The current state of neuropsychology in Japan is discussed in this manuscript. Information on six topics, including (1) the history of Japanese neuropsychology, (2) licensure system, (3) job opportunities, (4) neuropsychological clinical services, (5) neuropsychological tests, and (6) neuropsychological research, was gathered via literature searches, official organization websites, and personal communication with clinical psychologists and other professionals in Japan. Neuropsychology reached Japan from the west in the late 1800s, a period of rapid political and social modernization. Professional associations were founded in the 1960s and 1970s and continued to grow. The need for neuropsychological assessment in Japan is growing; however, credential requirements for neuropsychologists have not yet been established. To practice clinical psychology in Japan, one must obtain a Master's degree and pass a licensure examination that is administered by a private professional foundation. Clinical psychologists often conduct neuropsychological tests; however, they have little training in neuropsychological assessment. While many western neuropsychological tests have been translated into Japanese and are used in clinical settings, the majority of translated tests have not been standardized and their psychometric properties remain poorly understood. Standardization and development of normative data in Japan is warranted. Given that needs for neuropsychological services are increasing, it is essential for clinical psychologists in Japan to improve their skills in neuropsychological evaluations. Japanese graduate schools must work to establish neuropsychology programs to educate and train clinical neuropsychologists.

Ebola virus disease: preparedness in Japan.

PubMed

Ashino, Yugo; Chagan-Yasutan, Haorile; Egawa, Shinichi; Hattori, Toshio

2015-02-01

The current outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is due to a lack of resources, untrained medical personnel, and the specific contact-mediated type of infection of this virus. In Japan's history, education and mass vaccination of the native Ainu people successfully eradicated epidemics of smallpox. Even though a zoonotic virus is hard to control, appropriate precautions and personal protection, as well as anti-symptomatic treatment, will control the outbreak of EVD. Ebola virus utilizes the antibody-dependent enhancement of infection to seed the cells of various organs. The pathogenesis of EVD is due to the cytokine storm of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the lack of antiviral interferon-α2. Matricellular proteins of galectin-9 and osteopontin might also be involved in the edema and abnormality of the coagulation system in EVD. Anti-fibrinolytic treatment will be effective. In the era of globalization, interviews of travelers with fever within 3 weeks of departure from the affected areas will be necessary. Not only the hospitals designated for specific biohazards but every hospital should be aware of the biology of biohazards and establish measures to protect both patients and the community.

Computerizing medical records in Japan.

PubMed

Yasunaga, Hideo; Imamura, Tomoaki; Yamaki, Shintaro; Endo, Hiroyoshi

2008-10-01

The present study reports the current status of computerizing medical records in Japan. In 2001, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare formulated the Grand Design for the Development of Information Systems in the Healthcare and Medical Fields. The Grand Design stated a numerical target for "spreading the use of electronic medical records (EMR) in at least 60% of Japan's hospitals with 400 or more beds by 2006." The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which EMR and order entry systems (OES) have been adopted as of February 2007 and to evaluate the Japanese government's policy regarding the computerization of medical records. We conducted a postal survey targeting medical institutions throughout Japan. In February 2007, we mailed self-administered questionnaires to all 1574 hospitals with 300 or more beds, and to a random selection of 1000 hospitals with less than 300 beds in addition to 4000 clinics. Responses were received from 812 (51.6%), 504 (50.5%), and 1769 (44.8%), respectively. We asked questions concerning: (i) the extent to which EMR and OES had been introduced; (ii) the reasons why certain institutions had not introduced EMR and (iii) the subjective evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of EMR. The percentage of institutions that had introduced EMR as of February 2007 was 10.0% for hospitals and 10.1% for clinics. Even the percentage for hospitals with 400 or more beds was just 31.2%, illustrating that the government's target had not been reached. The most common reason given for not introducing EMR was: "The cost is high" which was observed in 82.0% of hospitals. It was considered that the introduction of EMR could improve 'inter-hospital networks', and 'time efficiency for physicians' by around 45% and 25% of hospitals, respectively. Healthcare information computerization in Japan is behind schedule because the introductory costs are high. For the computerization of healthcare information to be further promoted, prices

JTEC panel report on advanced composites in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diefendorf, R. J.; Grisaffe, S. J.; Hillig, W. B.; Perepezko, J. H.; Pipes, R. B.; Sheehan, J. E.

1991-01-01

The JTEC Panel on Advanced Composites visited Japan and surveyed the status and future directions of Japanese high performance ceramic and carbon fibers and their composites in metal, intermetallic, ceramic and carbon matrices. The panel's interests included not only what composite systems were chosen, but also how these systems were developed. A strong carbon and fiber industry makes Japan the leader in carbon fiber technology. Japan has initiated an oxidation resistant carbon/carbon composite program. The goals for this program are ambitious, and it is just starting, but its progress should be closely monitored in the United States.

Frontiers Of Education: Japan As ``Global Model'' Or ``Nation At Risk''?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, David Blake; Yamamura, Satoshi; Rappleye, Jeremy

2008-07-01

The Japanese educational system is undergoing extensive change, affecting all stages from pre-school programmes to higher education. As Japan has moved from a nation at the top to "A Nation at Risk," certain dichotomies have been highlighted. Viewing Japan as either educational super-power or educational tragedy, depending on the era of research or background of the researchers, has been especially provocative for educators and policy-makers. At the same time, the controversies in America surrounding the report A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education) are well known, a major impetus for the report of course being Japan. Central to the question of whether Japan is best understood as a Global Model or A Nation at Risk are themes of cross-national attraction and educational transfer. What can the world learn from Japan? What does Japan need to learn from the world? The answers to these questions have particular significance for Japanese higher education, which we take up as a case study here, with its urgent task to innovate in the face of a steep demographic downward trend. For those in Japan who feel that Japanese education is in a dismal state, what are the origins of this serious decline? For observers in other national contexts who envisage Japan as a model, how do the calls to ‹learn from Japan' reflect genuine attempts to improve practice at home? Or are they simply rhetorical tools in support of domestic political projects?

Effects of market liberalisation on smoking in Japan

PubMed Central

Honjo, K.; Kawachi, I.

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE—To document the effect of the liberalisation of the Japanese tobacco market on Japanese smoking rates and on Japanese tobacco industry practices.
DATA SOURCE—Asahi Shimbun (major daily newspaper) from 1980 to 1996.
STUDY SELECTION—Review of media coverage on the effects of market liberalisation following the imposition of the USA's section 301 trade sanction.
DATA SYNTHESIS—The opening of Japan's tobacco market to foreign cigarette companies stalled a decline in smoking prevalence. Smoking rates among young women increased significantly, and also appear to be on the rise among adolescents. Aggressive marketing and promotional activities by US and Japanese tobacco companies in response to trade liberalisation appear responsible for these adverse trends. Steep increases in sales through vending machines were also possible contributors to the rising smoking prevalence among adolescents. On the positive side, market liberalisation indirectly promoted smoking control efforts in Japan, by causing an anti-smoking movement to coalesce.
CONCLUSION—Market liberalisation in Japan played a significant role in increasing smoking prevalence among young women and adolescents while helping to transform the issue of smoking in Japan from a matter of individual choice to a public health problem.


Keywords: Japan; market liberalisation PMID:10841856

U.S.-Japan Seminar on Dielectric and Piezoelectric Ceramics Held in Kyoto, Japan on 11-14 December 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

Hydrothermal Electrochemical Method" Y. Sakabe, Y. Hamaji, M. Hayashi . Y. Ogino, N. Ishizawa* and M. Yoshimura* (Murata Mfg. Co., Ltd., *Research Laboratory of...Koya Hayashi Research and Development Division Research and Development Sakai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Shoei Chemical Inc. 5-1 Ebisujima, Sakai...Shinagawa 14-18 Takatsuji-cho, Mizuho-ku Tokyo 141, Japan Nagoya 467-91, Japan Akira Nagai Tomeji Ohno Odawara Research Center TOKIN Corporation

Cancer incidence and incidence rates in Japan in 2008: a study of 25 population-based cancer registries for the Monitoring of Cancer Incidence in Japan (MCIJ) project.

PubMed

Matsuda, Ayako; Matsuda, Tomohiro; Shibata, Akiko; Katanoda, Kota; Sobue, Tomotaka; Nishimoto, Hiroshi

2014-04-01

The Japan Cancer Surveillance Research Group aimed to estimate the cancer incidence in Japan in 2008 based on data collected from 25 of 34 population-based cancer registries, as part of the Monitoring of Cancer Incidence in Japan project. The incidence in Japan for 2008 was estimated to be 749 767 (C00-C96). Stomach cancer and breast cancer were the leading types of cancer in males and females, respectively.

NASA Satellite Image of Japan Captured March 11, 2011

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Japan one hour and 41 minutes before the quake hit. At the time Aqua passed overhead, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured a visible of Japan covered by clouds. The image was taken at 0405 UTC on March 11 (1:05 p.m. local time Japan /11:05 p.m. EST March 10). The quake hit at 2:46 p.m. local time/Japan. Satellite: Aqua Credit: NASA/GSFC/Aqua NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Associations among job demands and resources, work engagement, and psychological distress: fixed-effects model analysis in Japan.

PubMed

Oshio, Takashi; Inoue, Akiomi; Tsutsumi, Akizumi

2018-05-25

We examined the associations among job demands and resources, work engagement, and psychological distress, adjusted for time-invariant individual attributes. We used data from a Japanese occupational cohort survey, which included 18,702 observations of 7,843 individuals. We investigated how work engagement, measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, was associated with key aspects of job demands and resources, using fixed-effects regression models. We further estimated the fixed-effects models to assess how work engagement moderated the association between each job characteristic and psychological distress as measured by Kessler 6 scores. The fixed-effects models showed that work engagement was positively associated with job resources, as did pooled cross-sectional and prospective cohort models. Specifically, the standardized regression coefficients (β) were 0.148 and 0.120 for extrinsic reward and decision latitude, respectively, compared to -0.159 and 0.020 for role ambiguity and workload and time pressure, respectively (p < 0.001 for all associations). Work engagement modestly moderated the associations of psychological distress with workload and time pressure and extrinsic reward; a one-standard deviation increase in work engagement moderated their associations by 19.2% (p < 0.001) and 11.3% (p = 0.034), respectively. Work engagement was associated with job demands and resources, which is in line with the theoretical prediction of the job demands-resources model, even after controlling for time-invariant individual attributes. Work engagement moderated the association between selected aspects of job demands and resources and psychological distress.

50 CFR 648.10 - VMS and DAS requirements for vessel owners/operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...′ 22. A point in eastern Vineyard Sound 41°30′ 70°33′ 24. A point east of Martha's Vineyard 41°22.2′ 70... vessel issued an Areas 2/3 open access herring permit, or a vessel declaring an Atlantic herring carrier... declare an Atlantic herring carrier trip via VMS must notify NMFS by declaring a herring trip with the...

Insights into software development in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duvall, Lorraine M.

1992-01-01

The interdependence of the U.S.-Japanese economies makes it imperative that we in the United States understand how business and technology developments take place in Japan. We can gain insight into these developments in software engineering by studying the context in which Japanese software is developed, the practices that are used, the problems encountered, the setting surrounding these problems, and the resolution of these problems. Context includes the technological and sociological characteristics of the software development environment, the software processes applied, personnel involved in the development process, and the corporate and social culture surrounding the development. Presented in this paper is a summary of results of a study that addresses these issues. Data for this study was collected during a three month visit to Japan where the author interviewed 20 software managers representing nine companies involved in developing software in Japan. These data are compared to similar data from the United States in which 12 managers from five companies were interviewed.

[Establishment of anatomical terminology in Japan].

PubMed

Shimada, Kazuyuki

2008-12-01

The history of anatomical terminology in Japan began with the publication of Waran Naikei Ihan-teimŏ in 1805 and Chŏtei Kaitai Shinsho in 1826. Although the establishment of Japanese anatomical terminology became necessary during the Meiji era when many western anatomy books imported into Janan were translated, such terminology was not unified during this period and varied among translators. In 1871, Tsukumo Ono's Kaibŏgaku Gosen was published by the Ministry of Education. Although this book is considered to be the first anatomical glossary terms in Japan, its contents were incomplete. Overseas, the German Anatomical Society established a unified anatomical terminology in 1895 called the Basle Nomina Anatomica (B.N.A.). Based on this development, Kaibŏgaku Meishŭ which follows the BNA, by Buntarŏ Suzuki was published in 1905. With the subsequent establishment in 1935 of Jena Nomina Anatomica (J.N.A.), the unification of anatomical terminology was also accelerated in Japan, leading to the further development of terminology.

Human impact on the environment in Japan and New Zealand: a comparison.

PubMed

Harada, K; Glasby, G P

2000-12-18

Because of its proximity to Asia, Japan has been populated by humans for a much longer time period than New Zealand and has a much higher population density. The similarity in geology and tectonic setting of the two island groups has forced both peoples to confront similar environmental hazards but this was achieved in different ways. During the Edo period (1600-1868) when contact with outside countries was limited, the Japanese adapted their agricultural practices to the environment and developed an agricultural system that corresponds closely to the ideals of sustainability. Indeed, it can be argued that the farming lifestyle of the Edo period was the most advanced way of life that can be adopted without depleting stock resources. Following the Meiji restoration in 1868, the policy of rapid industrialization led to many environmental mistakes, particularly after World War II. By the end of the 1960s, Japan was the world's most polluted country. The situation has subsequently improved greatly from this low point but much remains to be done. New Zealand was initially occupied by the Maori over 1000 years ago. They did more environmental damage than was previously thought, particularly in burning off bush and destroying the bird life. However, it was the colonization of New Zealand by the Europeans after 1840 that led to the greatest environmental damage with their introduction of farming methods unsuited to the conditions. Although the need for better scientific planning of land use practices within New Zealand is recognized, sustainable management of the environment remains a distant goal. More detailed study of the agricultural methods and lifestyles adopted in Japan during the Edo period could help in defining the concept of sustainability.

The Issue of Diversity and Multiculturalism in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qi, Jie; Zhang, Sheng Ping

2008-01-01