Display of historical and hypothetical tsunami on the coast of Sakhalin Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostenko, Irina; Zaytsev, Andrey; Kurkin, Andrey; Yalciner, Ahmet

2014-05-01

Tsunami waves achieve the coast of the Sakhalin Island and their sources are located in the Japan Sea, in the Okhotsk Sea, in Kuril Islands region and in the Pacific Ocean. Study of tsunami generation characteristics and its propagation allows studying display of the tsunami on the various parts of the island coast. For this purpose the series of computational experiments of some historical tsunamis was carried out. Their sources located in Japan Sea and Kuril Islands region. The simulation results are compared with the observations. Analysis of all recorded historical tsunami on coast of Sakhalin Island was done. To identify the possible display of the tsunami on the coast of Sakhalin Island the series of computational experiments of hypothetical tsunamis was carried out. Their sources located in the Japan Sea and in the Okhotsk Sea. There were used hydrodynamic sources. There were used different parameters of sources (length, width, height, raising and lowering of sea level), which correspond to earthquakes of various magnitudes. The analysis of the results was carried out. Pictures of the distribution of maximum amplitudes from each tsunami were done. Areas of Okhotsk Sea, Japan Sea and offshore strip of Sakhalin Island with maximum tsunami amplitudes were defined. Graphs of the distribution of maximum tsunami wave heights along the coast of the Sakhalin Island were plotted. Based on shallow-water equation tsunami numerical code NAMI DANCE was used for numerical simulations. This work was supported by ASTARTE project.

Distant Mt. Fuji, Island of Honshu Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-11-01

This distant view of Mt. Fuji, on the main home island of Honshu, Japan (34.0N, 139.0E) was taken from about 450 miles to the south. Evan at that great distance, the majestic and inspiring Mt. Fuji is still plainly visible and easily recognized as a world renowned symbol of Japan. The snow capped extinct volcano lies just a few miles south of Tokyo.

Interagency Coordination: Past Lessons, Current Issues, and Future Necessities

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-07

effort; ownership of Clipperton Island regarding French-US lend-lease agreements; division of interest between Informal Policy Committee on Germany...countries, US post-war military basing requirements in South Pacific Islands which conflict w/ US and UK claims to sovereignty, Norwegian distress 14th...in Japan; relief policy for Japan; Japanese Navy combatant vessel disposition; landing rights in Manchuria and Kurile Islands ; directive on

Verrucostoma, a new genus in the Bionectriaceae from the Bonin Islands, Japan

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Verrucostoma freycinetiae gen. et sp. nov. collected on dead leaves of Freycinetia boninensis (Pandanaceae) in Hahajima, Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Tokyo, Japan, is described and illustrated. The new genus is characterized by having pale orange perithecia with protuberances around the perithecial ap...

Monitoring for bovine arboviruses in the most southwestern islands in Japan between 1994 and 2014.

PubMed

Kato, Tomoko; Yanase, Tohru; Suzuki, Moemi; Katagiri, Yoshito; Ikemiyagi, Kazufumi; Takayoshi, Katsunori; Shirafuji, Hiroaki; Ohashi, Seiichi; Yoshida, Kazuo; Yamakawa, Makoto; Tsuda, Tomoyuki

2016-06-24

In Japan, epizootic arboviral infections have severely impacted the livestock industry for a long period. Akabane, Aino, Chuzan, bovine ephemeral fever and Ibaraki viruses have repeatedly caused epizootic abnormal births and febrile illness in the cattle population. In addition, Peaton, Sathuperi, Shamonda and D'Aguilar viruses and epizootic hemorrhagic virus serotype 7 have recently emerged in Japan and are also considered to be involved in abnormal births in cattle. The above-mentioned viruses are hypothesized to circulate in tropical and subtropical Asia year round and to be introduced to temperate East Asia by long-distance aerial dispersal of infected vectors. To watch for arbovirus incursion and assess the possibility of its early warning, monitoring for arboviruses was conducted in the Yaeyama Islands, located at the most southwestern area of Japan, between 1994 and 2014. Blood sampling was conducted once a year, in the autumn, in 40 to 60 healthy cattle from the Yaeyama Islands. Blood samples were tested for arboviruses. A total of 33 arboviruses including Akabane, Peaton, Chuzan, D' Aguilar, Bunyip Creek, Batai and epizootic hemorrhagic viruses were isolated from bovine blood samples. Serological surveillance for the bovine arboviruses associated with cattle diseases in young cattle (ages 6-12 months: had only been alive for one summer) clearly showed their frequent incursion into the Yaeyama Islands. In some cases, the arbovirus incursions could be detected in the Yaeyama Islands prior to their spread to mainland Japan. We showed that long-term surveillance in the Yaeyama Islands could estimate the activity of bovine arboviruses in neighboring regions and may provide a useful early warning for likely arbovirus infections in Japan. The findings in this study could contribute to the planning of prevention and control for bovine arbovirus infections in Japan and cooperative efforts among neighboring countries in East Asia.

Job and life satisfaction and preference of future practice locations of physicians on remote islands in Japan.

PubMed

Nojima, Yoshiaki; Kumakura, Shunichi; Onoda, Keiichi; Hamano, Tsuyoshi; Kimura, Kiyoshi

2015-05-26

The objective of this research is to investigate job and life satisfaction and preference of future practice locations of physicians in rural and remote islands in Japan. A cross-sectional study was conducted for physicians who reside or resided on the Oki islands: isolated islands situated in the Sea of Japan between the Eurasian continent and the mainland of Japan. A questionnaire was sent to physicians on the Oki islands to evaluate physician satisfaction regarding job environment, career development, living conditions, salary, and support by local government. Data was analysed for 49 physicians; 47 were male and 2 were female, and the mean ± SD age was 44.3 ± 10.9 years. Among the variables related to physicians' satisfaction, most of the physicians (>90%) were satisfied with "team work" and "salary". On the other hand, the majority of physicians (approximately 70%) were not satisfied with the "opportunity to continue professional development". Age ≥ 50 years, graduates of medical schools other than Jichi Medical University (established in 1972 with the aim to produce rural physicians), self-selected the Oki islands as a practice location, and satisfaction in "work as a doctor", "opportunity to consult with peers about patients", "relationship with people in the community", and "acceptance by community" were found to be significant factors influencing the choice of the Oki islands as a future practice location. Factors influencing future practice locations on the remote islands were included in a self-reported questionnaire which illustrated the importance of factors that impact both the spouses and children of physicians. Improving work satisfaction, providing outreach support programmes for career development and professional support in rural practice, and building appropriate relationships between physicians and people in the community, which can in turn improve work satisfaction, may contribute to physicians' choices of practising medicine on rural and remote islands in Japan. Addressing family issues is also crucial in encouraging the choice of a rural medical practice location.

1997 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

caused much loss of life and great destruction at their respective landfall sites in China andVietnam. Mainland Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, the Bonin ...Aside from passing through the Volcano Islands and the Bonin Islands of Japan, Nestor remained over water. Nestor did produce some high waves on...DYNAMIC AVERAGE ( DAVE ) A simple average of all dynamic forecast aids: NOGAPS (NGPS), Bracknell (EGRR), Japanese Typhoon Model (JTYM), JT92, FBAM, OTCM

Okinawa, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-08-11

The southern half of the island of Okinawa, Japan (26.5N, 128.0E) can be seen in this nearly cloud free view. Okinawa is part of the Ryuku Islands which extend from Taiwan northeastward to Kyushu, southernmost of the Japanese Home Islands. The large military base at Kadena, with large runways, is visible near the center of the scene. Kadena is one of several emergency landing sites around the world for the space shuttle.

Cheilopallene ogasawarensis, a New Species of Shallow-Water Pycnogonid (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) from the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan, Northwest Pacific.

PubMed

Nakamura, Koichiro; Akiyama, Tadashi

2015-08-05

A new species of pycnogonid recorded from the shallow waters of Ogasawara (Bonin) Island, Japan, Cheilopallene ogasawarensis n. sp. is described, illustrated and compared with similar species. Cheilopallene ogasawarensis is only the third pycnogonid species recorded from these islands. Morphological characters clearly distinguish the new species from its geographically closest congener C. nodulosa Hong and Kim, 1987, also recorded from Japanese waters.

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-09-20

The city of Sapporo on the northernmost of the Japanese Home Island of Hokkaido (43.5N, 141.5E), host to the 1986 Winter Olympic Games is situated along the margin of a large valley which extends across the island from the Sea of Japan to the Pacific Ocean. The Valley is largely cultivated (the lighter green of the cultivated land distinguishes it from the gray urban development of Sapporo), but much of the island remains heavily forested.

Ogasawara Islands, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-12

This image, acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft, is of the volcanic Ogasawara Islands. The islands were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, in recognition of an outstanding example of ongoing evolutionary processes in oceanic island ecosystems.

Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), Infestation in Host Fruits in the Southwestern Islands of Japan Before the Initiation of Island-wide Population Suppression, as Recorded in Publications of Japanese Public Institutions

PubMed Central

McQuate, Grant T.; Teruya, Tadashi

2015-01-01

Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) is a tephritid fruit fly native to the Indo-Malayan region. Its distribution, though, has extended to include Africa, temperate Asia, and a number of Pacific islands. It became established in Japan in 1919 in the Yaeyama Islands and spread north in the Southwestern Islands of Japan. It was subsequently eradicated from these islands by an eradication program that extended from 1972 to 1993. As part of an effort to develop a worldwide database on the status of fruits as hosts of melon fly, the infestation data gathered from host fruits collected in this eradication program, before the initiation of suppression activities, are summarized here. Bactrocera cucurbitae infestation was documented in 24 plant taxa of four plant families (Caricaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Moraceae, and Solanaceae), with the following four new hosts identified: Ficus erecta Thunb., F. pumila L. (Moraceae), Solanum erianthum D. Don (Solanaceae), and Zehneria liukiuensis Jeffrey ex Walker (Cucurbitaceae). PMID:26816487

JAMSTEC multibeam surveys and submersible dives around the Hawaiian Islands: a collaborative Japan-USA exploration of Hawaii's deep seafloor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, Joel E.; Eakins, Barry W.; Kanamatsu, Toshiya; Naka, Jiro; Takahashi, Eiichi; Satake, Kenji; Smith, John R.; Clague, David A.; Yokose, Hisayoshi

2006-01-01

This database release, USGS Data Series 171, contains data collected during four Japan-USA collaborative cruises that characterize the seafloor around the Hawaiian Islands. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) sponsored cruises in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002, to build a greater understanding of the deep marine geology around the Hawaiian Islands. During these cruises, scientists surveyed over 600,000 square kilometers of the seafloor with a hull-mounted multibeam seafloor-mapping sonar system (SEA BEAM® 2112), observed the seafloor and collected samples using robotic and manned submersible dives, collected dredge and piston-core samples, and performed single-channel seismic surveys.

Euschoengastia suzukii (Acari: Trombiculidae): A new species of chigger mite collected from soil samples in the nest burrows of streaked shearwater in Japan.

PubMed

Takahashi, Mamoru; Fukaya, Hajime; Takahashi, Hisae

2005-07-01

Euschoengastia suzukii Takahashi, Fukaya & Takahashi is described and illustrated. The type material was collected from soil samples in the nest burrows of the sea bird streaked shearwater, Calonectris leucomelas (Temminck), living on Mikurajima Island in Tokyo; Oomorijima Island, Oki, Shimane Prefecture; and Awashima Island, Niigata Prefecture, in Japan, indicating that C. leucomelas is the main parasitic host of E. suzukii new species.

A Revision of the Adult and Larval Mosquitoes of Japan (Including the Ryukyu Archipelago and the Ogasawara Islands) and Korea (Diptera: Culicidae)

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

Ryukyu Archipelago Ogasawara and Volcano islands Prefectures of Japan (large bold numerals) 13. Hyogo 14. Ibaraki 15. Ishikawa 16. Iwate 17...Kishimoto, 1969: 33, Haneji and Ishikawa , Okinawa Is. ; &omi and Sonae, Iriomote Is. ; Ryukyu Archipelago. Descriptions based on specimens from Taiwan...d, 9, P, L). Type-locality: Mt. Hakusan, Ishikawa Pref., Japan. FEMALE (Fig. 216). Wing length 5.1-5.4 mm. Head. Eyes narrowly narrowly separated

Distinct Phylogeographic Structures of Wild Radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. raphanistroides Makino) in Japan

PubMed Central

Han, Qingxiang; Higashi, Hiroyuki; Mitsui, Yuki; Setoguchi, Hiroaki

2015-01-01

Coastal plants with simple linear distribution ranges along coastlines provide a suitable system for improving our understanding of patterns of intra-specific distributional history and genetic variation. Due to the combination of high seed longevity and high dispersibility of seeds via seawater, we hypothesized that wild radish would poorly represent phylogeographic structure at the local scale. On the other hand, we also hypothesized that wild radish populations might be geographically differentiated, as has been exhibited by their considerable phenotypic variations along the islands of Japan. We conducted nuclear DNA microsatellite loci and chloroplast DNA haplotype analyses for 486 samples and 144 samples, respectively, from 18 populations to investigate the phylogeographic structure of wild radish in Japan. Cluster analysis supported the existence of differential genetic structures between the Ryukyu Islands and mainland Japan populations. A significant strong pattern of isolation by distance and significant evidence of a recent bottleneck were detected. The chloroplast marker analysis resulted in the generation of eight haplotypes, of which two haplotypes (A and B) were broadly distributed in most wild radish populations. High levels of variation in microsatellite loci were identified, whereas cpDNA displayed low levels of genetic diversity within populations. Our results indicate that the Kuroshio Current would have contributed to the sculpting of the phylogeographic structure by shaping genetic gaps between isolated populations. In addition, the Tokara Strait would have created a geographic barrier between the Ryukyu Islands and mainland Japan. Finally, extant habitat disturbances (coastal erosion), migration patterns (linear expansion), and geographic characteristics (small islands and sea currents) have influenced the expansion and historical population dynamics of wild radish. Our study is the first to record the robust phylogeographic structure in wild radish between the Ryukyu Islands and mainland Japan, and might provide new insight into the genetic differentiation of coastal plants across islands. PMID:26247202

Quisarctus yasumurai gen. et sp. nov. (Arthrotardigrada: Halechiniscidae) from a submarine cave, off Iejima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Shinta

2015-04-20

Quisarctus yasumurai gen. et sp. nov. (Arthrotardigrada: Halechiniscidae) is described from the submarine cave 'Daidokutsu', off Iejima, Okinawa Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. It is characterised by a cylindrical body, long primary clava and shorter lateral cirrus inserted on a common cirrophore, and simple digits of unequal lengths (without folds, peduncles, proximal pads, pretarsi, or wrinkles) that terminate in a sheathed, small, crescent-shaped claw with a minute calcar. Quisarctinae subfam. nov. is erected for this unique new genus.

Geographical origin of Leucobryum boninense Sull. & Lesq. (Leucobryaceae, Musci) endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan

PubMed Central

Oguri, Emiko; Yamaguchi, Tomio; Tsubota, Hiromi; Deguchi, Hironori; Murakami, Noriaki

2013-01-01

Leucobryum boninense is endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan, and its related species are widely distributed in Asia and the Pacific. We aimed to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species and infer the origin of L. boninense. We also describe the utility of the chloroplast trnK intron including matK for resolving the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species, as phylogenetic analyses using trnK intron and/or matK have not been performed well in bryophytes to date. Fifty samples containing 15 species of Leucobryum from Asia and the Pacific were examined for six chloroplast DNA regions including rbcL, rps4, partial 5′ trnK intron, matK, partial 3′ trnK intron, and trnL-F intergenic spacer plus one nuclear DNA region including ITS. A molecular phylogenetic tree showed that L. boninense made a clade with L. scabrum from Japan, Taiwan and, Hong Kong; L. javense which is widely distributed in East and Southeast Asia, and L. pachyphyllum and L. seemannii restricted to the Hawaii Islands, as well as with L. scaberulum from the Ryukyus, Japan, Taiwan, and southeastern China. Leucobryum boninense from various islands of the Bonin Islands made a monophylic group that was closely related to L. scabrum and L. javense from Japan. Therefore, L. boninense may have evolved from L. scabrum from Japan, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, or L. javense from Japan. We also described the utility of trnK intron including matK. A percentage of the parsimony-informative characters in trnK intron sequence data (5.8%) was significantly higher than that from other chloroplast regions, rbcL (2.4%) and rps4 (3.2%) sequence data. Nucleotide sequence data of the trnK intron including matK are more informative than other chloroplast DNA regions for identifying the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species. PMID:23610621

Geographical origin of Leucobryum boninense Sull. & Lesq. (Leucobryaceae, Musci) endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Oguri, Emiko; Yamaguchi, Tomio; Tsubota, Hiromi; Deguchi, Hironori; Murakami, Noriaki

2013-04-01

Leucobryum boninense is endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan, and its related species are widely distributed in Asia and the Pacific. We aimed to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species and infer the origin of L. boninense. We also describe the utility of the chloroplast trnK intron including matK for resolving the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species, as phylogenetic analyses using trnK intron and/or matK have not been performed well in bryophytes to date. Fifty samples containing 15 species of Leucobryum from Asia and the Pacific were examined for six chloroplast DNA regions including rbcL, rps4, partial 5' trnK intron, matK, partial 3' trnK intron, and trnL-F intergenic spacer plus one nuclear DNA region including ITS. A molecular phylogenetic tree showed that L. boninense made a clade with L. scabrum from Japan, Taiwan and, Hong Kong; L. javense which is widely distributed in East and Southeast Asia, and L. pachyphyllum and L. seemannii restricted to the Hawaii Islands, as well as with L. scaberulum from the Ryukyus, Japan, Taiwan, and southeastern China. Leucobryum boninense from various islands of the Bonin Islands made a monophylic group that was closely related to L. scabrum and L. javense from Japan. Therefore, L. boninense may have evolved from L. scabrum from Japan, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, or L. javense from Japan. We also described the utility of trnK intron including matK. A percentage of the parsimony-informative characters in trnK intron sequence data (5.8%) was significantly higher than that from other chloroplast regions, rbcL (2.4%) and rps4 (3.2%) sequence data. Nucleotide sequence data of the trnK intron including matK are more informative than other chloroplast DNA regions for identifying the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species.

Complete Genome Sequence of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans Strain C2-3, Isolated from a Fresh Volcanic Ash Deposit on the Island of Miyake, Japan

PubMed Central

Fujimura, Reiko; Sato, Yoshinori; Nishizawa, Tomoyasu; Oshima, Kenshiro; Kim, Seok-Won; Hattori, Masahira; Kamijo, Takashi

2012-01-01

A diazotrophic, acidophilic, iron-oxidizing bacterium, Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, known to be difficult to cultivate, was isolated from a fresh volcanic ash deposit on the island of Miyake, Japan. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a cultured strain, C2-3. PMID:22815442

Complete genome sequence of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans strain C2-3, isolated from a fresh volcanic ash deposit on the island of Miyake, Japan.

PubMed

Fujimura, Reiko; Sato, Yoshinori; Nishizawa, Tomoyasu; Oshima, Kenshiro; Kim, Seok-Won; Hattori, Masahira; Kamijo, Takashi; Ohta, Hiroyuki

2012-08-01

A diazotrophic, acidophilic, iron-oxidizing bacterium, Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, known to be difficult to cultivate, was isolated from a fresh volcanic ash deposit on the island of Miyake, Japan. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a cultured strain, C2-3.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) genetic typing in Kakeroma Island, an island at the crossroads of the ryukyuans and Wajin in Japan, providing further insights into the origin of the virus in Japan.

PubMed

Eguchi, Katsuyuki; Fujii, Hidefumi; Oshima, Kengo; Otani, Masashi; Matsuo, Toshiaki; Yamamoto, Taro

2009-08-01

Peripheral blood samples were collected from 23 human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) carriers residing in Kakeroma Island, Japan (Kagoshima Prefecture, Oshima County, Setouchi Town), one of the most highly endemic areas in Japan. The samples were subjected to amplification by PCR and sequencing of the Long Terminal Repeat in order to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree of HTLV-1 isolates. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of env region was also conducted for subgrouping of HTLV-1. Although one sample could not be amplified by PCR, and three more could not be sequenced due to the existence of conspicuous nonspecific bands or repeated sequences, the phylogenetic analysis revealed that the remaining 19 isolates obtained from Kakeroma Island belonged to either the Transcontinental or the Japanese subgroups of the Cosmopolitan subtype, one of the three major subtypes. The RFLP data corresponded closely with the typing data throughout the sequencing. The proportion of the Transcontinental subgroup among the isolates was 26.3% (5 of 19) by sequence analysis and 27.3% (6 of 22) by RFLP. Unlike in Taiwan, China and Okinawa, the Japanese subgroup was dominant in Kakeroma Island. The analysis would also suggest that the Japanese subgroup seems not to have derived from the Transcontinental subgroup, but rather that the Transcontinental subgroup came to Japan first and was followed later by the Japanese one. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Tohoku-Oki Earthquake Tsunami Runup and Inundation Data for Sites Around the Island of Hawaiʻi

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trusdell, Frank A.; Chadderton, Amy; Hinchliffe, Graham; Hara, Andrew; Patenge, Brent; Weber, Tom

2012-01-01

At 0546 U.t.c. March 11, 2011, a Mw 9.0 ("great") earthquake occurred near the northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan, generating a large tsunami that devastated the east coast of Japan and impacted many far-flung coastal sites around the Pacific Basin. After the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for the State of Hawaii, followed by a tsunami-warning notice from the local State Civil Defense on March 10, 2011 (Japan is 19 hours ahead of Hawaii). After the waves passed the islands, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) measured inundation (maximum inland distance of flooding), runup (elevation at maximum extent of inundation) and took photographs in coastal areas around the Island of Hawaiʻi. Although the damage in West Hawaiʻi is well documented, HVO's mapping revealed that East Hawaiʻi coastlines were also impacted by the tsunami. The intent of this report is to provide runup and inundation data for sites around the Island of Hawaiʻi.

Origins of Semisulcospira libertina (gastropoda: semisulcospiridae) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiu, Yuh-Wen; Bor, Hor; Kuo, Po-Hsun; Hsu, Kui-Ching; Tan, Mian-Shin; Wang, Wei-Kuang; Lin, Hung-Du

2017-07-01

The most accepted hypothesis has suggested that the fauna in Taiwan Island originated from South China, but some studies supported the Japan, Ryukyu Archipelago, and Taiwan Islands as a unique biogeographical district. This study examines whether the populations of freshwater snail Semisulcospira libertina in Taiwan are closer to those in Japan based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Our study shows the populations in North Taiwan originated from Japan and the cyclic glacial caused the migrations among islands and continent repeatedly; the populations in South Taiwan might originate from South China or South Asia. Our results will not only affect the conclusions in phylogeography of freshwater species in Taiwan but also change the sampling plans in the future studies about evolutionary of freshwater species in East Asia.

Asymmetric seasonal march from autumn to the next spring in East Asia (Toward interdisciplinary education on the climate systems and the "seasonal feeling" such as around the Japan Islands area)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Kuranoshin; Kato, Haruko; Sato, Sari; Akagi, Rikako; Haga, Yuichi; Miyake, Shoji

2014-05-01

There are many steps of seasonal transitions in East Asia, greatly influenced by the considerable phase differences of seasonal cycle among the Asian monsoon subsystems, resulting in the variety of "seasonal feeling" around the Japan Islands. For example, the "wintertime pressure pattern" begins to prevail already from November due to the seasonal development of the Siberian Air mass and the Siberian High, although the air temperature around the Japan Islands is still rather higher than in midwinter. On the other hand, since the southward retreat of the warm moist air mass in the western Pacific area delays rather greatly to the advances of those northern systems. Thus it would be interesting to re-examine the whole seasonal cycle around the Japan Islands at the view point of how the phase differences among seasonal marches of the Asian monsoon subsystems affect the variety of the seasonal cycle there, together with their effects on the "seasonal feeling". As such, the present study will examine the asymmetric seasonal march from autumn to the next spring through midwinter around the Japan Islands as an interesting example, and will also report the joint activity with music, and so on, toward the development of an interdisciplinary study plan on such topics for the students in junior high school, high school and the faculty of education of the university. The wintertime weather pattern, i.e., precipitation in the Japan Sea side and clear day in the Pacific side of the Japan Islands, prevails from early November to early March, reflected by the seasonal cycle of the Siberian Air Mass and the Siberian High. However, the air temperature shows the minimum from late January to early February around the Japan Islands. In other words, although the dominant weather patterns around November and in early March are nearly the same as each other, air temperature is still lower in early March (early spring). In spite of that, the solar radiation is rather stronger in early March. Comparison of "seasonal feeling" expressed in the Japanese classic poems called "Wa-Ka", the Japanese school songs, and so on, between those seasons was also made, referring to the asymmetric seasonal march as just mentioned above. We would like to introduce also the results of the trial of the class at Kurashiki-Seiryo High School or Faculty of Education of Okyama University. We should note that the present joint activity might also contribute to providing the study materials for the cultural understanding, which is one of the important elements for the ESD (Education for Sustainable Development).

Perspective View of Shaded Relief with Color as Height, Miyake-Jima, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-08-10

This 3D perspective view shows the Japanese island called Miyake-Jima viewed from the northeast. This island - about 180 kilometers south of Tokyo - is part of the Izu chain of volcanic islands that runs south from the main Japanese island of Honshu.

Intraspecific Variation of Eysarcoris guttigerus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Japanese Southwest Population Based on Mitochondrial DNA

PubMed Central

Yamaji, Takuya; Ishikawa, Tadashi; Nomura, Masashi

2016-01-01

The white-spotted globular bug Eysarcoris guttigerus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is widely distributed in East Asia and the Pacific region. In Japan, the species is found in grassy or composite weeds in the western area of the main islands and Ryukyu Islands of Japan. One notable characteristic of the Eysarcoris genus is the two white spots on the scutellum. This is not the case with the Ishigaki Island population, however, which sports red spots instead of white, suggesting that intraspecific variation exists in the species. Therefore, we investigated intraspecific variation in E. guttigerus using mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2), cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), cytochrome b (Cytb), tRNA-Serine (tRNAser), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1), and 16S ribosomal RNA (16SrRNA) genes from 13 populations of Japan. The obtained maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was divided into three groups—Group 1: Mainland, Group 2: Central Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa-Amamioshima Islands), and Group 3: South Ryukyu Islands (Ishigaki Island). The Ishigaki population was significantly separated from the other populations with consistent differences in spot color. The estimated period of divergence between the Ishigaki population and the other populations was consistent with the period of formation of the Kerama Gap in the Ryukyu arc. Thus, the process of formation of the Kerama Gap may have influenced the intraspecific variation of E. guttigerus. PMID:26798143

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 the following 3 principles: 1) the US views Japan as an equal trade partner, 2) that the relationship is global in scope, and 3) that Japan has become increasingly assertive in world matters and plays a greater international role. The combined efforts of the US and Japan will be utilized to promote world peace.

Impacts of Long-Range Transport of Metals from East Asia in Bulk Aerosols Collected at the Okinawa Archipelago, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A, Sotaro; S, Yuka; I, Moriaki; N, Fumiya; H, Daishi; A, Takemitsu; T, Akira

2010-05-01

Economy of East Asia has been growing rapidly, and atmospheric aerosols discharged from this region have been transported to Japan. Okinawa island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km of south Korea. Its location in Asian is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air mass which has been affected by anthropogenic activities. Therefore, Okinawa region is suitable area for studying impacts of air pollutants from East Asia. We simultaneously collected bulk aerosol samples by using the same type of high volume air samplers at Cape Hedo Atmospheric Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS, Okinawa island), Kume island (ca. 160 km south-west of CHAAMS), and Minami-Daitou island (ca. 320 km south-east of CHAAMS). We determined the concentrations of acid-digested metals using atomic absorption spectrometer and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We report and discuss spatial and temporal distribution of metals in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at CHAAMS, Kume island and Minami-Daitou island during June, 2008 to June 2009. We also determined 'background' concentration of metals in Okinawa archipelago. We then compare each chemical component among CHAAMS, Kume island and Minami-Daitou island to elucidate the influence of the transport processes and distances from Asian continent on metal concentrations.

Microsatellite markers for Leucobryum boninense (Leucobryaceae), endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Oguri, Emiko; Yamaguchi, Tomio; Kajita, Tadashi; Murakami, Noriaki

2013-05-01

Microsatellite primers were developed for Leucobryum boninense, endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan, to investigate its level of genetic diversity and population genetic structure. • Using next-generation sequencing, 21 primer sets were developed, among which nine loci were polymorphic in the populations of the Bonin Islands. Among these polymorphic loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 10 (mean = 3.444) and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.066 to 0.801 (mean = 0.338). • These results indicate the utility of the nine microsatellite markers that we developed for population genetic studies of L. boninense.

Millennial-scale variability in vegetation records from the East Asian Islands: Taiwan, Japan and Sakhalin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahara, Hikaru; Igarashi, Yaeko; Hayashi, Ryoma; Kumon, Fujio; Liew, Ping-Mei; Yamamoto, Masanobu; Kawai, Sayuri; Oba, Tadamichi; Irino, Tomohisa

2010-10-01

High-resolution pollen records from Taiwan, Japan and Sakhalin document regional vegetation changes during Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) cycles during the last glacial. During the period from the cold phase (GS 18/19) to warm phase (D-O 19), the biome shift from temperate conifer forest to cold/cool conifer forest in Japan and from subtropical forest to temperate deciduous/conifer forest in Taiwan. The vegetation in D-O 17, cool mixed forest in central Japan, temperate deciduous broadleaf forest in western Japan and subtropical forest in Taiwan, indicates warm condition but not wet in all area. These vegetation changes lead to biome shift from MIS (Marine Isotope Stage) 4 to MIS 3. The abundance of Cryptomeria japonica and Fagus crenata in D-O 12 and D-O 8 indicates wet conditions brought by the strong summer monsoon through the Islands and high snowfall brought by the inflow of the Tsushima Warm Current into the Sea of Japan. The registration of other D-O warming events in MIS 3, although reflected by shifts in the abundance of key species, is not sufficient to produce changes in biomes. Development of cold deciduous forest in HS (Heinrich events) 1 in Sakhalin, Hokkaido and central Japan was conspicuous and was much larger than that in YD. Vegetation response in YD was small scale and within the same biome in the East Asian Islands. In D-O 1 at the termination of the last glacial, the same taxa that developed in the early Holocene, cold evergreen needleleaf trees in northern region, temperate deciduous broadleaf trees in central and western Japan, and warm-temperate evergreen trees in Taiwan, increased.

Organo-tins in sediments and mussels from the Sado estuarine system (Portugal).

PubMed

Quevauviller, P; Lavigne, R; Pinel, R; Astruc, M

1989-01-01

Analyses of methyl- and butyl-tin levels in freshwater, estuarine and marine sediments from the Sado estuarine system, and in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from its adjacent coast, have been performed in order to detect the contaminated areas. The main inputs of tributyl-tin (TBT), along with degradation products di- and monobutyl-tin (DBT and MBT), were detected in the estuarine zone, due to high discharge from shipyards located in this area. These levels are sometimes very high, ranging from 235 to 12,200 ng g(-1) total butyl-tins in sediments. Such inputs lead to higher bioconcentration values in mussels in the estuarine zone, as well as in a harbour located along the adjacent coast. The bioconcentration of organo-tins in mussel tissues could be enhanced in estuarine turbid waters, due to an ingestion of butyl-tins adsorbed onto fine particles, in comparison with non-turbid coastal waters. Debutylation processes occur in both sediments and mussel tissues; in organisms, these processes may lead to the formation of inorganic tin, which may be methylated differently according to the period of the year.

Revisiting the Metaphor of the Island: Challenging "World Culture" from an Island Misunderstood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappleye, Jeremy

2015-01-01

This article revisits the newly "discovered" island that world culture theorists have repeatedly utilised to explain their theoretical stance, conceptual preferences and methodological approach. Yet, it seeks to (re)connect world culture with the real world by replacing their imagined atoll with a real one--the island-nation of Japan. In…

The phylogenetic position of an Armillaria species from Amami-Oshima, a subtropical island of Japan, based on elongation factor and ITS sequences

Treesearch

Yuko Ota; Mee-Sook Kim; Hitoshi Neda; Ned B. Klopfenstein; Eri Hasegawa

2011-01-01

An undetermined Armillaria species was collected on Amami-Oshima, a subtropical island of Japan. The phylogenetic position of the Armillaria sp. was determined using sequences of the elongation factor-1a (EF-1a) gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The phylogenetic analyses based on EF-1a and ITS sequences...

Northeast Coast, Hokkaido, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-04-02

The northeast coast of Hokkaido and Kunashir Island, Japan (44.0N, 143.0E) are seen bordered by drifting sea ice. The sea ice has formed a complex pattern of eddies in response to surface water currents and winds. Photos of this kind aid researchers in describing local ocean current patterns and the effects of wind speed and direction on the drift of surface material, such as ice floes or oil. Kunashir is the southernmost of the Kuril Islands.

Receiver Function Imaging of Crust and Uppermost Mantle Structure beneath the Japan Islands -Inclusion of Hi-net Data-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, M.; Hirahara, K.; Shibutani, T.

2001-12-01

We are examining a large number of teleseismic waveforms observed at stations closely distributed over the Japan Islands to construct body-wave waveform tomography data for determining 3-D crust and upper mantle structure including velocity discontinuities. As one of preparatory studies toward this final goal, we are executing array analyses of Receiver Functions (RF). RF analyses of J-array data ( 32 broad band stations and 269 short period stations ) and Freesia data ( 15 broad band stations ), whose stations are closely distributed, have provided us with new information on the structure including velocity discontinuities beneath the Japan Islands (Tada et al, 2001). In their study, for crustal imaging, RFs transformed from time to depth domain after SVD filtering ( Chevrot and Giardin, 2000 ) are projected onto 2-D profiles, which show average values for cells within +/- 50km from each cross section. However, this cell size does not satisfy our demand to draw the detailed image beneath the Japan Islands. In addition, J-array short period RFs available for the analyses are limited because of high frequency noises. In this research, Hi-net data (short period), whose stations are far more closely distributed, are newly included into our data. We make RF image with α =3 of short period J-array data and Hi-net data for events observed during a period from September, 2000 to July, 2001 with the magnitudes larger than 5.5. The total number of the stations with their average spacing of 10km is about 800 (J-array; 270, Hi-net; 500), which enables to reduce the cell size to +/- 20km at most. We show a new 3-D RF image of the crust and the uppermost mantle, whose best spatial resolution is reaching less than 5km. Therefore we can obtain much more detailed 3-D RF image beneath the whole Japan Islands.

The Struggle for the Soviet Far East: Political, Military, and Economic Trends Under Gorbachev

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-01

being considered for FEZs. Among the coastal areas are southern Sakhalin Island, De -Kastri, and the southernmost contested Kurile Islands (which Japan...lumber to Japan; a processing plggt will be built in De -Kastri, to begin operations in the fall of 1991. Upriver from De -Kastri, at Amursk, an ROK firm...certain reforms in the military structure take shape. Professionalization, in whatever form, and possible press controls will likely weaken the military’s

Molecular Epidemiological Study of Mumps Epidemics of 2015 in Okinawa, Japan.

PubMed

Kuba, Yumani; Kyan, Hisako; Arakaki, Eri; Takara, Taketoshi; Kato, Takashi; Okano, Sho; Oshiro, Yuko; Kudaka, Jun; Kidokoro, Minoru

2017-05-24

Although major mumps epidemics occurred every 4-5 years in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, no laboratory diagnoses were conducted. A mumps epidemic started in Okinawa in October 2014, and we collected clinical samples from 31 patients in 4 areas (Hokubu, Nanbu, Miyako, and Yaeyama) from July to December 2015, for virus isolation and RT-PCR, whose positive ratios were 52% and 87%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all isolates were classified into genotype G, and with one exception, consisted of 2 subgenotypes, Ge (55.6%) and Gw (40.7%), which have been prominent in Japan recently. One isolate was classified in another lineage, which was detected in Japan for the first time, and was similar to a Hong Kong isolate from 2014. Remarkably, the geographic distributions of the 2 major lineages were separated. The Ge viruses were isolated from the main island of Okinawa and the Yaeyama Islands, whereas the Gw isolates were mainly detected from the Miyako Islands. These results suggest that the Ge and Gw mumps viruses mainly caused the mumps epidemics of 2015 in Okinawa, and that they spread independently in separate regions. This is the first report describing the molecular epidemiology of mumps epidemics in Okinawa Prefecture.

Microsatellite markers for Leucobryum boninense (Leucobryaceae), endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan1

PubMed Central

Oguri, Emiko; Yamaguchi, Tomio; Kajita, Tadashi; Murakami, Noriaki

2013-01-01

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for Leucobryum boninense, endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan, to investigate its level of genetic diversity and population genetic structure. • Methods and Results: Using next-generation sequencing, 21 primer sets were developed, among which nine loci were polymorphic in the populations of the Bonin Islands. Among these polymorphic loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 10 (mean = 3.444) and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.066 to 0.801 (mean = 0.338). • Conclusions: These results indicate the utility of the nine microsatellite markers that we developed for population genetic studies of L. boninense. PMID:25202543

Associations between the intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles and the estimated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion: a population-based cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Wakasugi, Minako; James Kazama, Junichiro; Narita, Ichiei

2015-01-01

In Japan, reducing the consumption of miso soup and Japanese pickles, both traditional Japanese dishes, is recommended in order to decrease dietary salt intake. With the Westernization of dietary habits, however, these dishes are now consumed less frequently, and thus a reduction in their effect on sodium intake is suspected. This study examined cross-sectional associations between the frequency of intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles and the estimated 24-hour urine sodium excretion using data obtained from health examination surveys conducted in 2013 in Sado City, Japan. The level of daily salt intake was estimated based on spot urine sodium and creatinine measurements. The frequency of intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles was determined using a self-reported questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations. Among a total of 8,821 participants (3,956 men; age range, 19-97 years), the mean daily salt intake was 9.4 g/day. The frequency of intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles increased with age and was associated with the level of daily salt intake (p for trend <0.0001). A linear regression model analysis adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and chronic kidney disease revealed that daily salt intake was associated with the frequency of intake of miso soup (p<0.0001) and Japanese pickles (p<0.0001) in all age groups, except those ≥ 80 years of age. These findings suggest that reducing the consumption of miso soup and Japanese pickles may be an effective approach for decreasing the level of dietary salt intake in the general Japanese population, although not in octogenarians or nonagenarians.

Epidemiologic survey of feline leukemia virus in domestic cats on Tsushima Island, Japan: management strategy for Tsushima leopard cats.

PubMed

Makundi, Isaac; Koshida, Yushi; Kuse, Kyohei; Hiratsuka, Takahiro; Ito, Jumpei; Baba, Takuya; Watanabe, Shinya; Kawamura, Maki; Odahara, Yuka; Miyake, Ariko; Yamamoto, Hanae; Kuniyoshi, Sawako; Onuma, Manabu; Nishigaki, Kazuo

2017-11-01

The Tsushima leopard cat (TLC) Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, a subspecies of P. bengalensis, is designated a National Natural Monument of Japan, and lives only on Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. TLCs are threatened by various infectious diseases. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) causes a serious infectious disease with a poor prognosis in cats. Therefore, the transmission of FeLV from Tsushima domestic cats (TDCs) to TLCs may threaten the TLC population. We investigated the FeLV infection status of both TDCs and TLCs on Tsushima Island by screening blood samples for FeLV p27 antigen and using PCR to amplify the full-length FeLV env gene. The prevalence of FeLV was 6.4% in TDCs and 0% in TLCs. We also demonstrated that the virus can replicate in the cells of TLCs, suggesting its potential cross-species transmission. The viruses in TDCs were classified as genotype I/clade 3, which is prevalent on a nearby island, based on previous studies of FeLV genotypes and FeLV epidemiology. The FeLV viruses identified on Tsushima Island can be further divided into 2 lineages within genotype I/clade 3, which are geographically separated in Kamijima and Shimojima, indicating that FeLV may have been transmitted to Tsushima Island at least twice. Monitoring FeLV infection in the TDC and TLC populations is highly recommended as part of the TLC surveillance and management strategy.

A revision of the Australian species of Trimma (Actinopterygii, Gobiidae), with descriptions of six new species and redescriptions of twenty-three valid species.

PubMed

Winterbottom, Richard; Hoese, Douglass F

2015-03-17

The gobiid genus Trimma currently contains 75 valid species, with another 20-30 known but undescribed species. There are 29 species in Australian waters (six undescribed). This paper describes the six new species, and provides redescriptions of most of the 23 previously described species known from the region, as well as a key for all the species. The six new species are: T. insularum (endemic to Cocos (Keeling) Islands), T. kitrinum (Fiji to Great Barrier Reef), T. meristum (Cape York to the Bismark Archipelago and Fiji), T. pentherum (Great Barrier Reef to Fiji and the South-West Islands of Palau), T. readerae (Australia to Japan), and T. xanthum (Palau to Fiji, Great Barrier Reef to Christmas Island). The following 23 species have been recorded from Australian waters, and most are redescribed here: T. anaima (Comores to Fiji), T. annosum (Maldives to the Phoenix Islands, Taiwan to the southern Great Barrier Reef), T. benjamini (southern Vietnam to the Marshall Islands, Samoa and southern Barrier Reef), T. caesiura (Ryukyus through the Marshall Islands to Samoa and Elizabeth Reef on the Lord Howe Rise), T. capostriatum (New Caledonia to eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea), T. maiandros (Java to the Ryukyus, Marshalls to Great Barrier Reef), T. emeryi (Comores to Ryukyus and Samoa), T. fangi (western South China Sea through to the Solomons), T. flavatrum (Ryukyu Islands to Western Australia and Samoa), T. hoesei (Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean to Palau and Solomons), T. lantana (Australia, Solomons, northern New Guinea, South-West Islands of Palau), T. macrophthalmus (Ryukyu Islands to Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Samoa), T. milta (Taiwan to Western Australia, Society Islands and Hawaii), T. nasa (Sumbawa, Indonesia to Fiji), T. necopinum (northern tip of Cape York to Sydney), T. nomurai (Japan to northern Australia and New Caledonia), T. okinawae (western Thailand to Japan and the Phoenix Islands, north-west Australia to the Great Barrier Reef), T. preclarum (Palau to Fiji, Great Barrier Reef), T. stobbsi (Maldives to New Caledonia), T. striatum (Maldives to Palau, to northern Australia), T. taylori (Red Sea to Hawaii and Society Islands), T. tevegae (Red Sea to Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands to Samoa), and T. unisquame (Comores to Hawaii and Easter Island).

Radar Image, Hokkaido, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-05-18

The southeast part of the island of Hokkaido, Japan, is an area dominated by volcanoes and volcanic caldera. The active Usu Volcano is at the lower right edge of the circular Lake Toya-Ko and near the center of the image.

IMPACTS OF DIOXIN EMISSIONS FROM THE SHINKAMPO INCINERATOR TO THE U.S. NAVAL AIR FACILITY AT ATSUGI, JAPAN

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Naval Air Facility at Atsugi, Japan (NAF Atsugi) is located in the Kanto Plain area on the island of Honshu, Japan. Directly to the south of the facility, in the Tade River Valley, was the Shinkampo Incinerator Complex (SIC). The Incinerator is no longer in op...

Colliding fragment islands transport independent lineages of endemic rock-crawlers (Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) in the Japanese archipelago.

PubMed

Schoville, Sean D; Uchifune, Toshiki; Machida, Ryuichiro

2013-03-01

Fragment islands, viewed from the paradigm of island biogeographic theory, depend on continual immigration from continental sources to maintain levels of species diversity, or otherwise undergo a period of relaxation where species diversity declines to a lower equilibrium. Japan is a recently derived fragment island with a rich endemic flora and fauna. These endemic species have been described as paleoendemics, and conversely as recently derived Pleistocene colonists. Geological events in the Miocene period, notably the fragmentation and collision of islands, and the subsequent uplift of mountains in central Japan, provided opportunities for genetic isolation. More recently, cyclical climatic change during the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods led to intermittent land bridge connections to continental Asia. Here we investigate the pattern and timing of diversification in a diverse endemic lineage in order to test whether ongoing migration has sustained species diversity, whether there is evidence of relaxation, and how geological and climatic events are associated with lineage diversification. Using multi-locus genetic data, we test these hypotheses in a poorly dispersing, cold-adapted terrestrial insect lineage (Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) sampled from Japan, Korea, and Russia. In phylogenetic analyses of concatenated data and a species tree approach, we find evidence of three deeply divergent lineages of rock-crawlers in Japan consistent with the pattern of island fragmentation from continental Asia. Tests of lineage diversification rates suggest that relaxation has not occurred and instead endemism has increased in the Japanese Grylloblattidae following mountain-building events in the Miocene. Although the importance of climate change in generating species diversity is a commonly held paradigm in Japanese biogeography, our analyses, including analyses of demographic change and phylogeographic range shifts in putative species, suggests that Pleistocene climatic change has had a limited effect on the diversification of rock-crawlers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Upper Triassic limestones from the northern part of Japan: new insights on the Panthalassa Ocean and Hokkaido Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peyrotty, Giovan; Peybernes, Camille; Ueda, Hayato; Martini, Rossana

2017-04-01

In comparison with the well-known Tethyan domain, Upper Triassic limestones from the Panthalassa Ocean are still poorly known. However, these carbonates represent a unique opportunity to have a more accurate view of the Panthalassa Ocean during the Triassic. Their study will allow comparison and correlation of biotic assemblages, biostratigraphy, diagenesis, and depositional settings of different Triassic localities from Tethyan and Panthalassic domains. Moreover, investigation of these carbonates will provide data for taxonomic revisions and helps to better constrain palaeobiogeographic models. One of the best targets for the study of these carbonates is Hokkaido Island (north of Japan). Indeed, this island is a part of the South-North continuity of Jurassic to Paleogene accretionary complexes, going from the Philippines to Sakhalin Island (Far East Russia). Jurassic and Cretaceous accretionary complexes of Japan and Philippines contain Triassic mid-oceanic seamount carbonates from the western Panthalassa Ocean (Onoue & Sano, 2007; Kiessling & Flügel, 2000). They have been accreted either as isolated limestone slabs or as clasts and boulders, and are associated with mudstones, cherts, breccias and basaltic rocks. Two major tectonic units forming Hokkaido Island and containing Triassic limestones have been accurately explored and extensively sampled: the Oshima Belt (west Hokkaido) a Jurassic accretionary complex, and the Cretaceous Sorachi-Yezo Belt (central Hokkaido). The Sorachi-Yezo Belt is composed of Cretaceous accretionary complexes in the east and of Cretaceous clastic basin sediments deposited on a Jurassic basement in the west (Ueda, 2016), both containing Triassic limestones. The origin of this belt is still matter of debate especially because of its western part which is not in continuity with any other accretionary complex known in the other islands of Japan and also due to the lack of data in this region. One of the main goals of this study is to investigate and characterise Triassic limestones, particularly from western part of Sorachi-Yezo, in order to provide new crucial data allowing us to define the origin of this belt. The comparison (i.e., biotic assemblages, preservation, diagnesis, associated lithologies) of the Triassic limestones in Oshima and Sorachi-Yezo belts might highlight differences in their depositional setting as well as in geodynamic evolution of the western part of Sorachi-Yezo Belt. REFERENCES Kiessling, W., & Flügel, E. 2000: Late Paleozoic and Late Triassic Limestones from North Palawan Block (Philippines): Microfacies and Paleogeographical Implications. Facies, 43, 39-78. Onoue, T., & Sano, H. 2007: Triassic mid-oceanic sedimentation in Panthalassa Ocean: Sambosan accretionary complex, Japan. Island Arc, 16(1), 173-190. Ueda H. 2016: Hokkaido in The Geology of Japan, Taira A. Ohara Y. Wallis S. Ishawatari A.Iryu Y. Geological Society, London, 203-223.

A Comparison Study of Single-Parent Families Living on Remote, Rural Islands and in Urban Settings in Japan.

PubMed

Hiratani, Yuko; Hohashi, Naohiro

2016-06-01

Nursing interventions that aim to enhance the family environment are necessary to help single-parent families with children to improve family functioning. The cultural and social factors that are unique to Japan's remote islands should be considered to assess the influence of this unique setting on family functioning. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the family functioning of child-rearing single-parent families living in different environments and to investigate the association between family demographics and family functioning. A self-administered questionnaire, the Japanese version of the Survey of Family Environment, was used to evaluate the sufficiency of family functioning. The participants were families with children enrolled in nurseries and kindergartens who were either living in remote, rural islands or in an urban city on the mainland in Japan. Family functioning was significantly higher for single-parent families living on the islands than for those living in the city in terms of media use, participation in community activities, and the collaboration of family members in child-rearing. Family functioning of single-parent families correlated significantly with household income, the parent's gender, family members' health, and family life cycle. Single-parent families living on Japanese offshore islands maintained family functioning through mutual support and the effective use of information technology. Nevertheless, single-parent families require additional support to improve their healthcare and financial situations.

The Annual Cycle of the Japan Sea Throughflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kida, S.; Qiu, B.; Yang, J.; Lin, X.

2016-02-01

The mechanism responsible for the annual cycle of the flows through the straits of Japan Sea is investigated using a two-layer model. Japan Sea is one of the marginal sea located in the western North Pacific that is separated from the Pacific by the islands of Japan. Three narrow and shallow straits, the Tsushima, Tsugaru, and Soya Straits, connect this sea towards the Pacific Ocean and Okhotsk Sea and observations show that the flow through these three straits vary annually with a maximum transport in summer-fall and a minimum transport in winter. The variability is large for Soya (north) and Tsushima (south) Straits but weak for the Tsugaru Strait (middle). We find the subpolar winds located to the north of Soya Strait to be the primary forcing agent of this annual cycle rather than the subtropical winds located to the east of Japan. The subpolar winds generate baroclinic Kelvin waves that perturb the sea surface height at the Soya Strait, cause barotropic adjustment to occur within the Japan Sea, and change the flow at the other straits. The shallow topography at the straits plays an important role. This mechanism explains why the annual cycle at the three straits occur almost synchronously. We also find the around-island integral constraint a useful tool for explaining how the magnitude of the annual cycle at the three straits are controlled. The theorem show the magnitude and direction of the flow controlled largely by the ratio of the meridional length of the two islands that is bounded by the three straits..

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-03-25

NASA Terra spacecraft shows the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge or Pearl Bridge, the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world, at 1991 meters, connecting the city of Kobe, Japan with Iwaja on Awaji Island by crossing the busy Akashi Strait.

A new species of the genus Peltogaster Rathke, 1842 (Cirripedia: Rhizocephala: Peltogastridae) parasitizing the hermit crab Pagurixus boninensis (Melin, 1939) from the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Yoshida, Ryuta; Naruse, Tohru

2016-07-20

A new rhizocephalan species, Peltogaster unigibba n. sp., is described from the host hermit crab, Pagurixus boninensis (Melin, 1939), from the Bonin Islands, Japan. Of the16 known species of Peltogaster now currently recognised, P. unigibba n. sp., and P. contorta Boschma, 1958 share a left lobe that projects beyond the mantle aperture. The two species can be distinguished from one another by the position of the opening of the mantle aperture. The new species most closely resembles P. naushonensis Reinhard, 1946 in its internal structure, but clearly differs in the relative length of the colleteric glands. Peltogaster unigibba n. sp. represents the first record of a rhizocephalan from the oceanic Bonin Islands, and the second record of a rhizocephalan from an oceanic island in the northern hemisphere.

The genus Microptila Ris (Trichoptera, Hydroptilidae) in Japan.

PubMed

Ito, Tomiko

2017-02-15

The taxonomy of the genus Microptila Ris in Japan is revised. Microptila orienthula Kjærandsen and Ito, 2009, the only East Palearctic species in the genus, is redescribed with new records and two new species, M. genka sp. nov. and M. nakama sp. nov., are described for adults from Ryukyu Islands, far southern Japan, in the Oriental region.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Dyadic Narcissism and the Problem of Individuation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sprince, Jenny

2009-01-01

This paper addresses issues of infantile gender identity as they are demonstrated through group processes amongst the carers of disturbed adolescents. It uses this and other clinical material to explore gender narcissism--both male and female. It examines how such narcissism is linked to sado-masochism, and how it can impede a healthy development…

Sensitivity analysis of source regions to PM2.5 concentration at Fukue Island, Japan.

PubMed

Ikeda, Kohei; Yamaji, Kazuyo; Kanaya, Yugo; Taketani, Fumikazu; Pan, Xiaole; Komazaki, Yuichi; Kurokawa, Jun-ichi; Ohara, Toshimasa

2014-04-01

The authors analyze the sensitivities of source regions in East Asia to PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of < or = 2.5 microm) concentration at Fukue Island located in the western part of Japan by using a regional chemical transport model with emission sensitivity simulations for the year 2010. The temporal variations in PM2.5 concentration are generally reproduced, but the absolute concentration is underestimated by the model. Chemical composition of PM2.5 in the model is compared with filter sampling data in spring; simulated sulfate, ammonium, and elemental carbon are consistent with observations, but mass concentration of particulate organic matters is underestimated. The relative contribution from each source region shows the seasonal variation, especially in summer. The contribution from central north China (105 degrees E-124 degrees E, 34 degrees N-42 degrees N) accounts for 50-60% of PM2.5 at Fukue Island except in summer; it significantly decreases in summer (18%). Central south China (105 degrees E-123 degrees E, 26 degrees N-34 degrees N) has the relative contribution of 15-30%. The contribution from the Korean Peninsula is estimated at about 10% except in summer. The domestic contribution accounts for about 7% in spring and autumn and increases to 19% in summer. We also estimate the relative contribution to daily average concentration in high PM2.5 days (> 35 microg m(-3)). Central north China has a significant contribution of 60-70% except in summer. The relative contribution from central south China is estimated at 46% in summer and about 30% in the other seasons. The contributions from central north and south China on high PM2.5 days are generally larger than those of their seasonal mean contributions. The domestic contribution is smaller than the seasonal mean value in every season; it is less than 10% even in summer. These model results suggest that foreign anthropogenic sources have a substantial impact on attainment of the atmospheric environmental standard of Japan at Fukue Island. The contribution from several source regions in East Asia to PM2.5 concentration at Fukue Island, a remote island located in the western part of Japan and close to the Asian continent, is estimated using a three-dimensional chemical transport model. The model results suggest that PM2.5 that is attributed to foreign anthropogenic sources have a larger contribution than that of domestic pollution and have a substantial impact on attainment of the atmospheric environmental standard of Japan at Fukue Island.

Typhoon Man-Yi

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Typhoon Man-Yi was pummeling the Japanese island of Okinawa with winds between 230 and 295 kilometers per hour (125-160 knots, 144-184 miles per hour) and heavy rain on the morning of July 13, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image. The immense storm covered hundreds of kilometers with spiraling bands of thunderstorms, though it had lost the distinctive cloud-free eye it exhibited the day before. Typhoons are common in Japan, but powerful typhoons usually strike the island nation later in the year. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Man-Yi is the fourth typhoon of the 2007 season and may be the most powerful ever observed in the northwest Pacific in July, reported Kyodo News. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expected the typhoon to strike Kyushu, a southern Japanese island, on July 14, and then curve northeast along the eastern shore of Japan. By the time the storm reaches Tokyo on July 15, it should be degraded to a tropical storm. As of July 13, Typhoon Man-Yi had injured eight and flooded twenty houses in Okinawa, and forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights, said Kyodo News. The storm was expected to bring heavy rain to Japan's Pacific coast. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.

Plate tectonics and crustal deformation around the Japanese Islands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashimoto, Manabu; Jackson, David D.

1993-01-01

We analyze over a century of geodetic data to study crustal deformation and plate motion around the Japanese Islands, using the block-fault model for crustal deformation developed by Matsu'ura et al. (1986). We model the area including the Japanese Islands with 19 crustal blocks and 104 faults based on the distribution of active faults and seismicity. Geodetic data are used to obtain block motions and average slip rates of faults. This geodetic model predicts that the Pacific plate moves N deg 69 +/- 2 deg W at about 80 +/- 3 mm/yr relative to the Eurasian plate which is much lower than that predicted in geologic models. Substantial aseismic slip occurs on the subduction boundaries. The block containing the Izu Peninsula may be separated from the rigid part of the Philippine Sea plate. The faults on the coast of Japan Sea and the western part of the Median Tectonic Line have slip rates exceeding 4 mm/yr, while the Fossa Magna does not play an important role in the tectonics of the central Japan. The geodetic model requires the division of northeastern Japan, contrary to the hypothesis that northeastern Japan is a part of the North American plate. Owing to rapid convergence, the seismic risk in the Nankai trough may be larger than that of the Tokai gap.

Chemical characteristics of Northeast Asian fly ash particles: Implications for their long-range transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Jun; Momose, Azusa; Okudaira, Takamoto; Murakami-Kitase, Akiko; Yamazaki, Hideo; Yoshikawa, Shusaku

2014-10-01

The chemical compositions of fly ash particles emitted in Northeast Asia were studied to better understand the long-range transportation of atmospheric pollutants. We examined the compositions of spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), a type of fly ash from several to ˜20 μm in diameter found in surface sediments in or near the main industrial cities of Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. SCPs from different countries were found to vary; SCPs from Japan and South Korea were characterized by low Ti/Si and high S/Si ratios, whereas SCPs in China exhibited high Ti/Si and low S/Si ratios and particles from Taiwan showed high Ti/Si and S/Si ratios. We also examined the SCPs found in remote islands in the Sea of Japan, at least 100 km from any industrial city. On the basis of their chemical compositions, these SCPs were classified as Japan and Korea, China, and Taiwan types using discriminant analysis. The results indicated that 30-50% of the particles found in these islands were assigned to the China type, suggesting that most of these SCPs were probably transported from Chinese industrial regions to these islands. It implies that even large particulate pollutants of ˜10 μm, such as SCPs, could be transported long distances of ˜1000 km.

28 CFR 42.402 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa... North America, and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community... Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. Additional sub-categories based on national origin or primary...

28 CFR 42.402 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa... North America, and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community... Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. Additional sub-categories based on national origin or primary...

28 CFR 42.402 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa... North America, and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community... Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. Additional sub-categories based on national origin or primary...

28 CFR 42.402 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa... North America, and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community... Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. Additional sub-categories based on national origin or primary...

Onekotan Island, Kurile Chain, Russia as seen from STS-59

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The narrow end of Onekotan Island is to the north by northeast. This is one of several volcanic islands extending south by southwest between the southern tip of Kamchatka and Japan. The exposure was stopped down to provide extremely fine detail in the totally snow-covered landscape, at the same time making the dark sea look completely black.

P-wave anisotropic velocity tomography beneath the Japan islands: Large-scale images and details in the Kanto district

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishise, M.; Koketsu, K.; Miyake, H.; Oda, H.

2006-12-01

The Japan islands arc is located in the convergence zone of the North American (NA), Amurian (AM), Pacific (PAC) and Philippine Sea (PHS) plates, and its parts are exposed to various tectonic settings. For example, at the Kanto district in its central part, these four plates directly interact with each, so that disastrous future earthquakes are expected along the plate boundaries and within the inland areas. In order to understand this sort of complex tectonic setting, it is necessary to know the seismological structure in various perspectives. We investigate the seismic velocity structure beneath the Japan islands in view of P-wave anisotropy. We improved a hitherto-known P-wave tomography technique so that the 3-D structure of isotropic and anisotropic velocities and earthquake hypocenter locations are determined from P-wave arrival times of local earthquakes [Ishise and Oda, 2005]. In the tomography technique, P-wave anisotropy is assumed to hold hexagonal symmetry with horizontal symmetry axis. The P-wave arrival times used in this study are complied in the Japan University Network Earthquake Catalog. The results obtained are summarized as follows; (1) the upper crust anisotropy is governed by the present-day stress field arising from the interaction between the plates surrounding the Japan islands arc, (2) the mantle anisotropy is caused by the present-day mantle flow induced by slab subduction and continental plate motion, (3) the old PAC slab keeps its original slab anisotropy which was captured when the plate was formed, while the youngest part of the PHS slab has lost the original anisotropy during its subduction and has gained new anisotropy which is controlled by the present-day stress field. We also carried out a further study on high-resolution seismic tomography for understanding the specific characteristics of the Kanto district. We mostly focused on the elucidation of the dual subduction formed by the PHS and PAC slabs using seismological data compiled by the Natural Research Institute for Earth Science and Japan Meteorological Agency. This will lead to more accurate source modeling of future plate- boundary earthquakes.

Ecological study of avian malaria vectors on the island of Minami-Daito, Japan.

PubMed

Tsuda, Yoshio; Matsui, Shin; Saito, Atsushi; Akatani, Kana; Sato, Yukita; Takagi, Masaoki; Murata, Koichi

2009-09-01

The seasonal prevalence and spatial distribution of mosquitoes were examined as part of an avian malaria study on the oceanic island of Minami-Daito Island, Japan. Because dry ice was not available in this study, yeast-generated CO2 was used to attract biting mosquitoes. Adult mosquitoes were collected biweekly using battery-operated traps enhanced with yeast-generated CO2 and a gravid trap from March 2006 to February 2007. The CO2-baited traps were distributed in 4 different habitats: sugar cane field, forest and vegetation ring, residential area, and swamp area. At 3 collection sites beside sugar cane fields, traps were fixed at 2 different heights (3 and 6 m above the ground). A total of 1,437 mosquitoes of the following 9 species were collected: Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes albopictus, Coquillettidia sp., Mansonia uniformis, Culex rubithoracis, Armigeres subalbatus, Lutzia fuscanus, Aedes daitensis, and Aedes togoi. Among them, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. albopictus, and Coquillettidia sp. were dominant. The high density and wide distribution of Cx. quinquefasciatus throughout the island suggested the importance of this species as a principal vector of avian malaria on the island.

Population structures of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) on the Hokkaido Island, Japan, revealed by microsatellite analysis.

PubMed

Oishi, Takuya; Uraguchi, Kohji; Takahashi, Kenichi; Masuda, Ryuichi

2011-01-01

In order to examine the population structures of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) on the Hokkaido Island in Japan, we conducted analysis on 250 foxes from all over the island for 12 microsatellite loci. Assignment tests using the genotype data set showed that they were divided into 6 subpopulations. Of the 6, one was geographically isolated in the southern region and considered definitive subpopulation, whereas the other 5 were not. The slight differences among the latter 5 subpopulations were explained by the high adaptability and long dispersal of the red fox on the Hokkaido Island. Although there are few ecological data to explain the genetic differentiation of the southern population, we have proposed some hypotheses from the present ecological and geohistorical viewpoints. One convincing reason from the ecological viewpoint is the restriction of gene flow to southern Hokkaido from other areas due to geographical isolation resulting from the land shape. The other explanation is the geohistorical division of southern Hokkaido from other regions on the island during the last interglacial age, resulting in the isolation of the fox population.

14 CFR 152.403 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands, including, but not limited to China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; or (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native: A... part; Underutilization means having fewer minorities or women in a particular job group than would...

14 CFR 152.403 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands, including, but not limited to China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; or (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native: A... part; Underutilization means having fewer minorities or women in a particular job group than would...

Spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at the Okinawa archipelago, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handa, D.; Somada, Y.; Ijyu, M.; Azechi, S.; Nakaema, F.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

2009-12-01

The economic development and population growth in recent Asia have been increasing air pollution. A computer simulation study showed that air pollutants emitted from Asian continent could spread quickly within northern hemisphere. We initiated a study to elucidate the special distribution and chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols around Okinawa archipelago, Japan. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location in Asia is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. We simultaneously collected bulk aerosol samples by using the same types of high volume air samplers at Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS, Okinawa Island), Kume Island (ca. 160 km south-west of CHAAMS) and Minami-daitou Island (ca. 320 km south-east of CHAAMS). We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. We report and discuss spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species concentrations in bulk atmospheric aerosols collected during July, 2008 to July, 2009. We determine “background” concentration of chemical components in Okinawa archipelago. We then compare each chemical component among CHAAMS, Kume Island and Minami-daito Island to elucidate the influence of the long-range transport of chemical species from Asian continent.

Risk in the Ryukyu Islands: Joint Planning for Okinawa

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

establish bases to increase the sustained heavy bombing and air-sea blockade against Japan. Despite these benefits, the decision incurred greater risk of...establish bases to increase the sustained heavy bombing and air-sea blockade against Japan. Despite these benefits, the decision incurred greater risk of...objectives provided the Allies an opportunity to more quickly establish bases to increase the sustained heavy bombing and air-sea blockade against Japan

An Annual Cycle Of Currents Around Tsushima Island And Resulting Inflow Conditions In The Sea Of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perkins, H.; Teague, W. J.; Chang, K.-I.; Suk, M.-S.; Lee, J.-C.; Book, J. W.; Jacobs, G. A.

A ten-month long time series of current measurements has been made on two sections across Korea/Tsushima Strait, thus revealing most of an annual cycle of the Tsushima Current that flows into the Japan/East Sea. One section is southwest, the other north- east, of Tsushima Island, giving respectively conditions upstream and downstream of the Island. Along the bathymetric slope upstream of the Island, the current consists of a single, broad stream concentrated in mid-channel. Downstream, this single core is found to have separated into two branches, one on each of the Strait. Between these two near-coastal streams, in the apparent wake of the Island, currents are variable and lack a well-defined mean. This separation persisted during all seasons despite vari- ation in total transport by a factor of two, from 3.5 Sv in October 1999 to 1.7 Sv in January 2000, and despite changes from maximum to minimum stratification. Both branches of the divided current were stronger during high transport and weaker during low transport, but since each branch was measured by only one or two moorings, trans- port estimates for the separate branches are not available. Strongest currents occurred at the surface close to the Korean coast near Ulsan in early fall with low-pass surface currents reaching 90 cm/s during October and November. Farther downstream, outside the measurement area, the two branches define the inflow to the Japan/East Sea. The branch along the Japanese coast remains close to the coast. It undergoes strong annual variability but is steady on shorter time scales. The Korean branch of the current also undergoes strong annual changes but experiences very strong variability, especially in winter. This branch is thought to switch between two paths. The first parallels the Ko- rean coast; the second follows bathymetric contours that lead it back to the Japanese coast. A mechanism for switching between these paths is provided by vorticity asso- ciated with bottom intrusions of cold water in the area. Seasonal variations of flow into the Japan Sea thus depend on the interplay between seasonal variations around Tsushima Island and intrusions of cold bottom water.

Seismic array observations for monitoring phreatic eruptions in Iwojima Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueda, H.; Kawaguchi, R.; Chiba, K.; Fujita, E.; Tanada, T.

2015-12-01

Iwojima is an active volcanic island located within a 10 km wide submarine caldera about 1250 km to the south of Tokyo, Japan. The volcanic activity is characterized by intensive earthquake activity associated with an island-wide uplift with high uplift rate (30~40 cm/year) and hydrothermal activity. In the last 10 years, phreatic eruptions took place in and near the island in 2012, 2013, and 2015. In such restless volcano, predictions and detections of occurrence points of phreatic eruptions are important for ensuring safety of residents. In the previous studies, we found that the earthquake activity of Iwojima highly correlates with the island wide large uplift, but the precursory activity of the phreatic eruption in 2012 was deviated from the correlation (Ueda et al. 2013 AGU Fall Meeting). For prediction of occurrence points of phreatic eruptions and investigation of the eruption mechanism, we began observation by seismic arrays at two areas in December 2014. The seismic arrays enable to locate epicenters of volcanic tremors, which are not well located by existing seismic stations. In May and June 2015, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force stayed in Iwojima and a live camera of Japan Meteorological Agency found very small phreatic eruptions occurred at the northern beach. Existing seismic stations could not detect seismic signals related with the eruptions. The seismic array could detect weak seismic signals related with the eruptions. Although the seismic arrays could not detect precursory signals because of too small eruption, we expect the seismic arrays can detect precursory seismic signals suggesting occurrence points of small or medium-sized phreatic eruptions. The seismic arrays also detected epicenters of harmonic and monotonic tremors took place at an active fumarolic field in the north earthen part of Iwojima. The apparent velocity of seismic waves (~1km/s) strongly suggests that the tremors relate with hydrothermal activity near ground surface.

14 CFR 152.403 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands, including, but not limited to China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; or (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native: A... Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of...

Sequence of deep-focus earthquakes beneath the Bonin Islands identified by the NIED nationwide dense seismic networks Hi-net and F-net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takemura, Shunsuke; Saito, Tatsuhiko; Shiomi, Katsuhiko

2017-03-01

An M 6.8 ( Mw 6.5) deep-focus earthquake occurred beneath the Bonin Islands at 21:18 (JST) on June 23, 2015. Observed high-frequency (>1 Hz) seismograms across Japan, which contain several sets of P- and S-wave arrivals for the 10 min after the origin time, indicate that moderate-to-large earthquakes occurred sequentially around Japan. Snapshots of the seismic energy propagation illustrate that after one deep-focus earthquake occurred beneath the Sea of Japan, two deep-focus earthquakes occurred sequentially after the first ( Mw 6.5) event beneath the Bonin Islands in the next 4 min. The United States Geological Survey catalog includes three Bonin deep-focus earthquakes with similar hypocenter locations, but their estimated magnitudes are inconsistent with seismograms from across Japan. The maximum-amplitude patterns of the latter two earthquakes were similar to that of the first Bonin earthquake, which indicates similar locations and mechanisms. Furthermore, based on the ratios of the S-wave amplitudes to that of the first event, the magnitudes of the latter events are estimated as M 6.5 ± 0.02 and M 5.8 ± 0.02, respectively. Three magnitude-6-class earthquakes occurred sequentially within 4 min in the Pacific slab at 480 km depth, where complex heterogeneities exist within the slab.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Can the United States be Partners with China?

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-16

However, China threatens this stability with its recent territorial 13 disputes and perceived aggression towards Japanese fishing vessels in and around...the Senkaku Islands. The Senkaku islands dispute is not just about fishing rights. The islands are strategically located where whoever occupies...for commercial fishing and economic trade, then Japan will have no option but to amend its constitution and develop offensive military capabilities or

Ryukyuan Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trafton, Terry

The Ryukyu Islands of Japan, of which Okinawa is the best known, possess a lengthy history and a sophisticated cultural background, an exploration of which helps to shed light on this area and on mainland Japan. This document is an exposition of Ryukuan culture. Divided into eight sections, the areas covered include: (1) Historical perspective;…

Can GRACE detect winter snows in Japan?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heki, Kosuke

2010-05-01

Current spatial resolution of the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites is 300-400 km, and so its hydrological applications have been limited to continents and large islands. The Japanese Islands have width slightly smaller than this spatial resolution, but are known to show large amplitude seasonal changes in surface masses due mainly to winter snow. Such loads are responsible for seasonal crustal deformation observed with GEONET, a dense array of GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers in Japan (Heki, 2001). There is also a dense network of surface meteorological sensors for, e.g. snow depths, atmospheric pressures, etc. Heki (2004) showed that combined effects of surface loads, i.e. snow (predominant), atmosphere, soil moisture, dam impoundment, can explain seasonal crustal deformation observed by GPS to a large extent. The total weight of the winter snow in the Japanese Islands in its peak season may reach ~50 Gt. This is comparable to the annual loss of mountain glaciers in the Asian high mountains (Matsuo & Heki, 2010), and is above the detection level of GRACE. In this study, I use GRACE Level-2 Release-4 data from CSR, Univ. Texas, up to 2009 November, and evaluated seasonal changes in surface loads in and around the Japanese Islands. After applying a 350 km Gaussian filter and a de-striping filter, the peak-to-peak change of the water depth becomes ~4 cm in northern Japan. The maximum value is achieved in February-March. The region of large winter load spans from Hokkaido, Japan, to northeastern Honshu, which roughly coincides with the region of deep snow in Japan. Next I compiled snow depth data from surface meteorological observations, and converted them to loads using time-dependent snow density due to compaction. By applying the same spatial filter as the GRACE data, its spatial pattern becomes similar to the GRACE results. The present study suggests that GRACE is capable of detecting seasonal mass changes in an island arc not wider than a few hundreds of kilometers. References: Heki, K., Seasonal modulation of interseismic strain buildup in Northeastern Japan driven by snow loads, Science, 293, 89-92, 2001. Heki, K., Dense GPS array as a new sensor of seasonal changes of surface loads, AGU Monograph, 150, 177-196, 2004. Matsuo, K. and K. Heki, Time-variable ice loss in Asian high mountains from satellite gravimetry, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2009.11.053, 2010.

A new species of fiddler crab from the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan, separated from the widely-distributed sister species Uca (Paraleptuca) crassipes (White, 1847) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae).

PubMed

Shih, Hsi-Te; Komai, Tomoyuki; Liu, Min-Yun

2013-12-10

A new species of fiddler crab (Brachyura: Ocypodidae), Uca boninensis sp. nov., is described from the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan. The new species has previously been identified with the widely distributed U. crassipes (White, 1847), from which it differs by having a slightly differently shaped carapace, and relatively stouter male first gonopods (G1). The recognition of the new species is also supported by differences in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and control region (CR) genes. U. boninensis sp. nov., appears to be endemic to the Ogasawara Islands, and as the only known population is small, urgent conservation measures are needed for its protection. Our study brings the total number of the Japanese fiddler crab species to 12.

Stable isotope compositions and water contents of boninite series volcanic rocks from Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dobson, P.F.; O'Neil, J.R.

1987-01-01

Measurements of stable isotope compositions and water contents of boninite series volcanic rocks from the island of Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan, confirm that a large amount (1.6-2.4 wt.%) of primary water was present in these unusual magmas. An enrichment of 0.6??? in 18O during differentiation is explained by crystallization of 18O-depleted mafic phases. Silicic glasses have elevated ??18O values and relatively low ??D values indicating that they were modified by low-temperature alteration and hydration processes. Mafic glasses, on the other hand, have for the most part retained their primary isotopic signatures since Eocene time. Primary ??D values of -53 for boninite glasses are higher than those of MORB and suggest that the water was derived from subducted oceanic lithosphere. ?? 1987.

Tetrodotoxin and Its Analogues in the Pufferfish Arothron hispidus and A. nigropunctatus from the Solomon Islands: A Comparison of Their Toxin Profiles with the Same Species from Okinawa, Japan

PubMed Central

Gorapava Puilingi, Clyde; Kudo, Yuta; Cho, Yuko; Konoki, Keiichi; Yotsu-Yamashita, Mari

2015-01-01

Pufferfish poisoning has not been well documented in the South Pacific, although fish and other seafood are sources of protein in these island nations. In this study, tetrodotoxin (TTX) and its analogues in each organ of the pufferfish Arothron hispidus and A. nigropunctatus collected in the Solomon Islands were investigated using high resolution LC-MS. The toxin profiles of the same two species of pufferfish from Okinawa, Japan were also examined for comparison. TTXs concentrations were higher in the skin of both species from both regions, and relatively lower in the liver, ovary, testis, stomach, intestine, and flesh. Due to higher TTX concentrations (51.0 and 28.7 µg/g at highest) detected in the skin of the two species from the Solomon Islands (saxitoxin was <0.02 µg/g), these species should be banned from consumption. Similar results were obtained from fish collected in Okinawa, Japan: TTX in the skin of A. hispidus and A. nigropunctatus were 12.7 and 255 µg/g, respectively, at highest, and saxitoxin was also detected in the skin (2.80 µg/g at highest) and ovary of A. hispidus. TTX, 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX (with its 4-epi form), and its anhydro forms were the most abundant, and 11-oxoTTX was commonly detected in the skin. PMID:26343722

UAV observation of newly formed volcanic island, Nishinoshima, Japan, from a ship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohminato, T.; Kaneko, T.; Takagi, A.

2016-12-01

We conducted an aerial observation at Nishinoshima island, south of Japan, from Jun 7 to Jun 9, 2016 by using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a radio controlled small helicopter. Takeoff and landing of the UAV was conducted on a ship. Nishinoshima is a small island, 130km west of Chichijima in Ogasawara Islands, Japan. New eruption started in November 2013 in a shallow sea approximately 400 m southeast of the existing Nishinoshima Island. It started from a small islet and evolved with 1-5 × 105 m3/day discharge rate (Maeno et al, 2016). In late December 2013, the islet coalesced with the existing Nishinoshima. In 16 month, the lava field reached 2.6×106 m2and covered almost all of the existing Nishinoshima. Human landing upon the newly formed part of the island has still been prohibited due to the danger of sudden eruptions. Before our mission, some pumice or rock samples had been taken from the island but their amount was not enough to conduct detailed petrological analyses. The evolution of the lava field from the central cone has been well documented by using images taken from satellites and airplanes. However, due to the limited resolution of satellite images or photos taken from distant airplanes, there still be uncertainties in detailed morphological evolution of lava flows. The purpose of our observation includes, 1) sampling of pyroclasts near the central cone in order to investigate the condition of magma chamber and magma ascent process, and 2) taking high resolution 4K images in order to clarify the characteristic morphology of the lava flow covering the island. During the three days operation, we were successfully able to sample 250g of pyroclasts and to take 1.5TB of 4K movies. Conducting UAV's takeoff and landing on a ship was not an easy task. We used a marine research ship, Keifu-Maru, operated by Japan Meteorological Agency. The ship size is 1483 tons. On the ship deck, there are several structures which can interfere with the helicopter flights. During the UAV operation, the ship kept the lowest velocity but it was always pitching, yawing and rolling. Takeoff or landing on the ship were far more difficult than those on the ground at complete rest. In the presentation, we will show the difficulty in operating the UAV on the ship and how we overcame the difficulties.

Snow-cover condition in Japan and damage of the Sugi (Cryptomeria Japonica D. Don)

Treesearch

Taira Hideaki

1991-01-01

Japan is one of the most snowiest regions in the world. Particularly the mountainous area of Honshu (the main island), along the Japan Sea has heavy snow in winter. In some places, snow piles up more than four meters and the ground is covered with snow about one hundred and forty days a year. The sugi tree is widely planted in snowy regions, and snow-pressure damages,...

The Power to Raise and Support Armies: The Homosexual Exclusion Policy in Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

individuals,5 transsexuals , 7 conscientious objectorss and persons with any of a number of medical conditions. 9 The *2 military discriminates, for example...and primarily to the elected legislature, rather than the judiciary to secure their objectives. These ranks include single parents, 15 transsexuals ...exhibitionism, fetishism, bestiality, transsexualism and sado- masochism, are sexual orientations in the same sense that that term was used by plaintiffs in

Genetic Differentiation and Spatial Structure of Phellinus noxius, the Causal Agent of Brown Root Rot of Woody Plants in Japan.

PubMed

Akiba, Mitsuteru; Ota, Yuko; Tsai, Isheng J; Hattori, Tsutomu; Sahashi, Norio; Kikuchi, Taisei

2015-01-01

Phellinus noxius is a pathogenic fungus that causes brown root rot disease in a variety of tree species. This fungus is distributed in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Southeast and East Asia, Oceania, Australia, Central America and Africa. In Japan, it was first discovered on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture in 1988; since then, it has been found on several of the Ryukyu Islands. Recently, this fungus was identified from the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, where it has killed trees, including rare endemic tree species. For effective control or quarantine methods, it is important to clarify whether the Japanese populations of P. noxius are indigenous to the area or if they have been introduced from other areas. We developed 20 microsatellite markers from genome assembly of P. noxius and genotyped 128 isolates from 12 of the Ryukyu Islands and 3 of the Ogasawara Islands. All isolates had unique genotypes, indicating that basidiospore infection is a primary dissemination method for the formation of new disease foci. Genetic structure analyses strongly supported genetic differentiation between the Ryukyu populations and the Ogasawara populations of P. noxius. High polymorphism of microsatellite loci suggests that Japanese populations are indigenous or were introduced a very long time ago. We discuss differences in invasion patterns between the Ryukyu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands.

Genetic Differentiation and Spatial Structure of Phellinus noxius, the Causal Agent of Brown Root Rot of Woody Plants in Japan

PubMed Central

Akiba, Mitsuteru; Ota, Yuko; Tsai, Isheng J.; Hattori, Tsutomu; Sahashi, Norio; Kikuchi, Taisei

2015-01-01

Phellinus noxius is a pathogenic fungus that causes brown root rot disease in a variety of tree species. This fungus is distributed in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Southeast and East Asia, Oceania, Australia, Central America and Africa. In Japan, it was first discovered on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture in 1988; since then, it has been found on several of the Ryukyu Islands. Recently, this fungus was identified from the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, where it has killed trees, including rare endemic tree species. For effective control or quarantine methods, it is important to clarify whether the Japanese populations of P. noxius are indigenous to the area or if they have been introduced from other areas. We developed 20 microsatellite markers from genome assembly of P. noxius and genotyped 128 isolates from 12 of the Ryukyu Islands and 3 of the Ogasawara Islands. All isolates had unique genotypes, indicating that basidiospore infection is a primary dissemination method for the formation of new disease foci. Genetic structure analyses strongly supported genetic differentiation between the Ryukyu populations and the Ogasawara populations of P. noxius. High polymorphism of microsatellite loci suggests that Japanese populations are indigenous or were introduced a very long time ago. We discuss differences in invasion patterns between the Ryukyu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands. PMID:26513585

Time dependent model of magma intrusion in and around Miyake and Kozu Islands, Central Japan in June August, 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murase, Masayuki; Irwan, Meilano; Kariya, Shinichi; Tabei, Takao; Okuda, Takashi; Miyajima, Rikio; Oikawa, Jun; Watanabe, Hidefumi; Kato, Teruyuki; Nakao, Shigeru; Ukawa, Motoo; Fujita, Eisuke; Okayama, Muneo; Kimata, Fumiaki; Fujii, Naoyuki

2006-02-01

A time-dependent model of magma intrusion is presented for the Miyake-Kozu Island area in central Japan based on global positioning system (GPS) measurements at 28 sites recorded between June 27 and August 27, 2000. A model derived from a precise hypocenter distribution map indicates the presence of three dikes between Miyake and Kozu Islands. Other dike intrusion models, including a dike with aseismic creep and a dike associated with a deep deflation source are also discussed. The optimal parameters for each model are estimated using a genetic algorithm (GA) approach. Using Akaike's information criteria (AIC), the three-dike model is shown to provide the best solution for the observed deformation. Volume changes in spherical inflation and deflation sources, as well as three dikes, are calculated for seven discretized periods after GA optimization of the dike geometry. The optimization suggests a concentration of dike expansion near Miyake Island in the period from June 27 to July 1 associated with large deflation at a depth of about 7 km below Miyake volcano, indicating magma supply from depth below Miyake Island. In the period from July 9 to August 10, a huge dike intrusion near Kozu Island is inferred, accompanied by expansion of the lower parts of a central dike, suggesting magma supply from depth in the region between Miyake and Kozu Islands.

A new species of Psammogammarus (Amphipoda: Melitidae) from Kuchinoerabu Island, Japan, with a note on its feeding habits.

PubMed

Tomikawa, Ko; Kakui, Keiichi; Yamasaki, Hiroshi

2010-07-01

A new melitoid Amphipoda, Psammogammarus mawatarii, is described from Kuchinoerabu Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. This is the first record of the genus from Asia. The new species is morphologically similar to P. garthi, but differs from the latter in the following features: 1) lateral cephalic lobe of head not strongly produced; 2) head lacking antennal sinus; and 3) posteroventral corner of epimeral plate 3 rounded. Morphology of maxillae 1 and 2, and mandible, and gut contents (harpacticoid Copepoda) of P. mawatarii indicate that the feeding type of the species seems to be, at least facultatively, carnivorous.

Submerged karst landforms observed by multibeam bathymetric survey in Nagura Bay, Ishigaki Island, southwestern Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, Hironobu; Urata, Kensaku; Nagao, Masayuki; Hori, Nobuyuki; Fujita, Kazuhiko; Yokoyama, Yusuke; Nakashima, Yosuke; Ohashi, Tomoya; Goto, Kazuhisa; Suzuki, Atsushi

2015-01-01

Submerged tropical karst features were discovered in Nagura Bay on Ishigaki Island in the southern Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The coastal seafloor at depths shallower than ~ 130 m has been subjected to repeated and alternating subaerial erosion and sedimentation during periods of Quaternary sea-level lowstands. We conducted a broadband multibeam survey in the central area of Nagura Bay (1.85 × 2.7 km) and visualized the high-resolution bathymetric results over a depth range of 1.6-58.5 m. Various types of humid tropical karst landforms were found to coexist within the bay, including fluviokarst, doline karst, cockpit karst, polygonal karst, uvalas, and mega-dolines. Although these submerged karst landforms are covered by thick postglacial reef and reef sediments, their shapes and sizes are distinct from those associated with coral reef geomorphology. The submerged landscape of Nagura Bay likely formed during multiple glacial and interglacial periods. According to our bathymetric results and the aerial photographs of the coastal area, this submerged karst landscape appears to have developed throughout Nagura Bay (i.e., over an area of approximately 6 × 5 km) and represents the largest submerged karst in Japan.

23 CFR 230.305 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, or the Indian Subcontinent. (2) The... Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (5) The... North America. (e) State means any of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the...

23 CFR 230.305 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, or the Indian Subcontinent. (2) The... Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (5) The... North America. (e) State means any of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the...

23 CFR 230.305 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, or the Indian Subcontinent. (2) The... Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (5) The... North America. (e) State means any of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the...

10 CFR 1040.3 - Definitions-General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., for example, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, Hawaiian Islands, and Samoa. (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America...) White, not of Hispanic origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North...

23 CFR 230.305 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, or the Indian Subcontinent. (2) The... Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (5) The... North America. (e) State means any of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the...

10 CFR 1040.3 - Definitions-General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., for example, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, Hawaiian Islands, and Samoa. (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America...) White, not of Hispanic origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North...

10 CFR 1040.3 - Definitions-General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., for example, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, Hawaiian Islands, and Samoa. (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America...) White, not of Hispanic origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North...

Time Dependent Model of Magma Intrusion in and around Miyake and Kozu Islands, Central Japan in June-August, 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murase, M.; Irwan, M.; Kariya, S.; Tabei, T.; Okuda, T.; Miyajima, R.; Kimata, F.; Fujii, N.

2004-12-01

We discuss a time dependent model of magma intrusion in and around Miyake and Kozu Islands, Central Japan from GPS measurements at 28 sites in Miyake Island, Kozu Island and their surrounding islands in the period from June 27 to August 27, 2000. A dike complex model of three sheets is assumed between Miyake and Kozu Islands, suggested from the precise hypocenter distribution map (Sakai et al., 2003). Other dike intrusion models, a dike with an aseismic creep model (Nishimura et al.,2001; Furuya et al.,2003) and a dike with a deep deflation source model (Yamaoka et al., submitted) , are also discussed. Akaike's Information Criteria (AIC) value of optimal parameters of a dike complex model indicates lower than that of other two models. After fixing the geometry of three dikes using a genetic algorithm (GA), the amounts of dike openings of top, inside, and bottom of each dike are estimated by GA for seven time periods. In the period from June 27 to July 8, dike opening is concentrated in the dike near Miyake Island, and a large deflation is also estimated at a depth of 5 km of Miyake Volcano. It suggests that magma is supplied from the depths of Miyake Island. In next period until August 10, a huge dike intrusion is characterized in the dike near Kozu Island and the lower parts of dike in central and near Miyake Island. This suggests that magma is supplied from depth between Miyake and Kozu Islands. In the period of August 10 to 27, a huge deflation is estimated at a depth of 10 km under Miyake Volcano, and dike opening is limited

10Be concentrations of Red soils in Southwest Japan and its possibility of dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maejima, Y.; Matsuzaki, H.; Nakano, C.

2004-08-01

10Be concentrations of six Red soils distributed in Southwest Japan ranged from 0.8 × 108 to 2.7 × 109 atoms g-1, and minimum absolute ages were estimated by inventory of meteoric 10Be. The results are follows: Red soils on Toyota derived from granite (⩽25 ka), Kashii derived from Tertiary shale (⩽24 ka), Akiyoshidai derived from limestone (⩽110 ka), Okinawa Island derived from Kunigami gravel bed (⩽9 ka) and Ogasawara Island derived from agglomerate and Boninite (⩽22 and ⩽7 ka) were obtained, respectively. Soil age except with Akiyoshidai indicated younger age. It suggested that the loss of 10Be from the soil was caused by leaching of 10Be or by soil erosion, and 10Be is susceptible to leaching out from these Red soils under the humid climate condition such as Southwest Japan.

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 exceeding over 500,000 in number and the largest block is 108 ton in weight. Stoens of Hikone Castle came from Paleogene Koto Rhyolite. Edo (old Tokyo, biggest city, central Japan) castle ,Imperial Palace at present, Stones are late Quaternary andesite of Hakone Volcanic Products whose quarrying places are more than 100km far from Edo.They were transported by ships and manpower on land .

Phylogenetic analyses suggest a hybrid origin of the figs (Moraceae: Ficus) that are endemic to the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Kusumi, Junko; Azuma, Hiroshi; Tzeng, Hsy-Yu; Chou, Lien-Siang; Peng, Yan-Qiong; Nakamura, Keiko; Su, Zhi-Hui

2012-04-01

The Ogasawara Islands are oceanic islands and harbor a unique endemic flora. There are three fig species (Ficus boninsimae, F. nishimurae and F. iidaiana) endemic to the Ogasawara Islands, and these species have been considered to be closely related to Ficus erecta, and to have diverged within the islands. However, this hypothesis remains uncertain. To investigate this issue, we assessed the phylogenetic relationships of the Ogasawara figs and their close relatives occurring in Japan, Taiwan and South China based on six plastid genome regions, nuclear ITS region and two nuclear genes. The plastid genome-based tree indicated a close relationship between the Ogasawara figs and F. erecta, whereas some of the nuclear gene-based trees suggested this relationship was not so close. In addition, the phylogenetic analyses of the pollinating wasps associated with these fig species based on the nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial cytB genes suggested that the fig-pollinating wasps of F. erecta are not sister to those of the Ogasawara figs These results suggest the occurrence of an early hybridization event(s) in the lineage leading to the Ogasawara figs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intra-Cultural Variation in Child Care Practices in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toyama, Noriko

2016-01-01

This study, comprising three sub-studies, aims to examine how child-rearing practices vary according to different social circumstances in Japan. By comparing teacher-child interaction at mealtimes in day care centres both on an isolated small island located in Okinawa prefecture, Tarama, and in a large industrialised city, Tokyo, the following was…

Game Development Toolkit for Business People in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shirai, Hiroaki; Tanabu, Motonari; Terano, Takao; Kuno, Yasushi; Suzuki, Hisatoshi; Tsuda, Kazuhiko

2003-01-01

This article describes the authors' experience of developing a business gaming course for business people in Japan. The course that was developed consists of (a) simple gaming experiments among multiple students using ALEXANDER ISLANDS, a tiny business game on the World Wide Web; (b) lectures to make the students understand the core concepts of…

Relative Travel Time Tomography for East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, S. J.; CHO, S.

2016-12-01

Japan island region is one of the most seismically active region in the world. As a large number of earthquakes have recently occurred along circum-Pacific belt called the ring of fire, concern over earthquakes is increasing in South Korea close to Japan. In this study, we perform seismic imaging based on relative S-wave travel-times to examine S-wave velocity upper mantle structure of East Asia. We used teleseismic events recorded at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) network and F-net network operated by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED). Relative travel-time residuals were obtained by a multi-channel cross-correlation method designed to automatically determine accurate relative phase arrival times. The resulting images show high-velocity anomalies along East and South side of Japan island region. These anomalies may indicate subducting Pacific and Philippine Sea plates, respectively. The velocity structure beneath southwest Japan is revealed very complex because the two slabs interact with each other there. Velocity structure of East Asia is useful to understand the tectonic evolution and the mechanism of earthquakes that occur in this region.

Future changes in atmospheric condition for the baiu under RCP scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Y.; Takemi, T.; Ishikawa, H.

2015-12-01

This study focuses on atmospheric circulation fields during the baiu in Japan with global warming projection experimental data conducted using a 20-km mesh global atmospheric model (MRI-AGCM3.2) under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios. This model also used 4 different sea surface temperature (SST) initial conditions. Support of this dataset is provided by the Meteorological Research Institute (MRI). The baiu front indicated by the north-south gradient of moist static energy moves northward in present-day climate, whereas this northward shift in future climate simulations is very slow during May and June. In future late baiu season, the baiu front stays in the northern part of Japan even in August. As a result, the rich water vapor is transported around western Japan and the daily precipitation amount will increase in August. This northward shift of baiu front is associated with the westward expansion of the enhanced the North Pacific subtropical high (NPSH) into Japan region. However, the convective activity around northwest Pacific Ocean is inactive and is unlikely to occur convective jump (CJ). These models show that the weak trough exists in upper troposphere around Japan. Therefore, the cold advection stays in the northern part of Japan during June. In July, the front due to the strengthening of the NPSH moves northward, and then it stays until August. This feature is often found between the clustered SSTs, Cluster 2 and 3. The mean field of future August also show the inflow of rich water vapor content to Japan islands. In this model, the extreme rainfall suggested tends to almost increase over the Japan islands during future summer. This work was conducted under the Program for Risk Information on Climate Change supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology-Japan (MEXT).

Lead exposure in raptors from Japan and source identification using Pb stable isotope ratios.

PubMed

Ishii, Chihiro; Nakayama, Shouta M M; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Nakata, Hokuto; Saito, Keisuke; Watanabe, Yukiko; Mizukawa, Hazuki; Tanabe, Shinsuke; Nomiyama, Kei; Hayashi, Terutake; Ishizuka, Mayumi

2017-11-01

Lead (Pb) poisoning is widespread among raptors and water birds. In Japan, fragments of Pb ammunition are still found in endangered eagles although more than 10 years have passed since legislation regarding use of Pb ammunition was introduced. This study was performed to investigate Pb exposure in raptors from various locations in Japan. We measured hepatic and renal Pb concentrations and hepatic Pb isotope ratios of Steller's sea eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus), white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), and 13 other species (total 177 individuals) that were found dead, as well as blood samples from three eagles found in a weakened state during 1993-2015 from Hokkaido (northern part), Honshu (the main island), and Shikoku (a southern island) of Japan. In the present study in Hokkaido, one quarter of the sea eagles showed a high Pb concentration, suggesting exposure to abnormally high Pb levels and Pb poisoning. Pb isotope ratios indicated that endangered Steller's sea eagle and white-tailed sea eagle were poisoned by Pb ammunition that was used illegally in Hokkaido. In other areas of Japan, both surveillance and regulations were less extensive than in Hokkaido, but Pb poisoning in raptors was also noted. Therefore, Pb poisoning is still a serious problem in raptors in various areas of Japan due to accidental ingestion of materials containing Pb, especially Pb ammunition. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Low Genetic Variation of Red-Crowned Cranes on Hokkaido Island, Japan, Over the Hundred Years.

PubMed

Akiyama, Takuya; Momose, Kunikazu; Onuma, Manabu; Matsumoto, Fumio; Masuda, Ryuichi

2017-06-01

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is recognized internationally as an endangered species. Migratory populations breed in eastern Russia and northeastern China, whereas the resident population inhabits the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Although the population inhabiting Hokkaido had experienced a severe bottleneck by the end of the 19th century, the population size has recovered to about 1500 and continues to increase now thanks to conservation efforts. A previous study reported that no marked genetic differences were seen in the island population, and that the genetic variation of the whole population on Hokkaido was lower than that of the continental population. However, the precise genetic structure of the island population in the past or near present remains unclear. To better understand the spatiotemporal changes in the genetic structure of the island population, we performed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses using stuffed specimens (years 1878-2001) and tissue or blood samples (years 1970-2014). We found three haplotypes in the island population, one of which was a novel mtDNA haplotype in 1997 and 2007 samples. In addition, there was no clear difference in the haplotype frequency through the time span. These results suggest that the low genetic variation of the island population persisted for the last hundred years. It is thus nearly impossible for the island population to recover its genetic variation in isolation. Conservation plans for this species should therefore include the promotion of genetic exchanges between the continental and island populations, such as through artificial introduction to Hokkaido.

Fundamental structure model of island arcs and subducted plates in and around Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwasaki, T.; Sato, H.; Ishiyama, T.; Shinohara, M.; Hashima, A.

2015-12-01

The eastern margin of the Asian continent is a well-known subduction zone, where the Pacific (PAC) and Philippine Sea (PHS) plates are being subducted. In this region, several island arcs (Kuril, Northeast Japan, Southwest Japan, Izu-Bonin and Ryukyu arcs) meet one another to form a very complicated tectonic environment. At 2014, we started to construct fundamental structure models for island arcs and subducted plates in and around Japan. Our research is composed of 6 items of (1) topography, (2) plate geometry, (3) fault models, (4) the Moho and brittle-ductile transition zone, (5) the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, and (6) petrological/rheological models. Such information is basic but inevitably important in qualitative understanding not only for short-term crustal activities in the subduction zone (particularly caused by megathrust earthquakes) but also for long-term cumulative deformation of the arcs as a result of strong plate-arc/arc-arc interactions. This paper is the first presentation of our research, mainly presenting the results of items (1) and (2). The area of our modelling is 12o-54o N and 118o-164o E to cover almost the entire part of Japanese Islands together with Kuril, Ryukyu and Izu-Bonin trenches. The topography model was constructed from the 500-m mesh data provided from GSJ, JODC, GINA and Alaska University. Plate geometry models are being constructed through the two steps. In the first step, we modelled very smooth plate boundaries of the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates in our whole model area using 42,000 earthquake data from JMA, USGS and ISC. For 7,800 cross sections taken with several directions to the trench axes, 2D plate boundaries were defined by fitting to the earthquake distribution (the Wadati-Benioff zone), from which we obtained equi-depth points of the plate boundary. These equi-depth points were then approximated by spline interpolation technique to eliminate shorter wave length undulation (<50-100 km). The obtained models represent the plate geometry with longer wave lengths (>75-150 km), but provide a rather clear undulation of the PHS plate under the SW Japan arc. In the second step, finer scale plate configuration is being constrained especially in the vicinity of Japan by recent results from seismic tomography, RF analysis and active source experiment.

Eco-geomorphic processes that maintain a small coral reef island: Ballast Island in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayanne, Hajime; Aoki, Kenji; Suzuki, Takuya; Hongo, Chuki; Yamano, Hiroya; Ide, Yoichi; Iwatsuka, Yuudai; Takahashi, Kenya; Katayama, Hiroyuki; Sekimoto, Tsunehiro; Isobe, Masahiko

2016-10-01

Landform changes in Ballast Island, a small coral reef island in the Ryukyu Islands, were investigated by remote sensing analysis and a field survey. The area of the island almost doubled after a mass coral bleaching event in 1998. Coral branches generated by the mass mortality and broken by waves were delivered and stocked on a reef flat and accumulated to expand the area of the island. In 2012 high waves generated by typhoons also changed the island's topography. Overall, the island moved in the downdrift direction of the higher waves. Waves impacting both sides of the island piled up a large volume of coral gravels above the high-tide level. Eco-geomorphic processes, including a supply of calcareous materials from the corals on the same reef especially during stormy wave conditions, were key factors in maintaining the dynamic topographic features of this small coral reef island.

Epidemiological analysis of bovine ephemeral fever in 2012-2013 in the subtropical islands of Japan.

PubMed

Hayama, Yoko; Moriguchi, Sachiko; Yanase, Tohru; Suzuki, Moemi; Niwa, Tsuyoshi; Ikemiyagi, Kazufumi; Nitta, Yoshiki; Yamamoto, Takehisa; Kobayashi, Sota; Murai, Kiyokazu; Tsutsui, Toshiyuki

2016-03-09

Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) is a febrile disease of cattle that is transmitted by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes and Culicoides biting midges. An outbreak of BEF recently occurred in Ishigaki Island and surrounding islands that are located southwest of Japan. In this study, an epidemiological analysis was conducted to understand the temporal and spatial characteristics of the outbreak. Factors associated with the disease spread within Ishigaki Island were investigated by hierarchical Bayesian models. The possibility of between-island transmission by windborne vectors and transmission by long-distance migration of infected vectors were examined using atmospheric dispersion models. In September 2012, the first case of the disease was detected in the western part of Ishigaki Island. In 1 month, it had rapidly spread to the southern part of the island and to surrounding islands, and led to 225 suspected cases of BEF during the outbreak. The dispersion model demonstrated the high possibility of between-island transmission by wind. Spatial analysis showed that paddy fields, farmlands, and slope gradients had a significant impact on the 1-km cell-level incidence risk. These factors may have influenced the habitats and movements of the vectors with regard to the spread of BEF. A plausible incursion event of infected vectors from Southeast Asia to Ishigaki Island was estimated to have occurred at the end of August. This study revealed that the condition of a terrain and land use significantly influenced disease transmission. These factors are important in assessing favorable environments for related vectors. The results of the dispersion model indicated the likely transmission of the infected vectors by wind on the local scale and on the long-distance scale. These findings would be helpful for developing a surveillance program and developing preventive measures against BEF.

Science education in Elementary school by using of "Geopark", Oki Islands, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oku, S.; Matsumoto, I.

2012-12-01

The Oki islands are located at Japan sea coast side of southwest Japan and belonging to Shimane Prefecture. And there is rich Nature which is consist of mainly alkaline volcanic rocks and metamorphic rocks. Aiming at authorization "Geopark" authorization of Oki Islands, Geologist, Biologist, and residents of Oki Islands are doing investigation and advertisement. Promotion of the science education which utilized the precious Nature, or environmental education is very important in the viewpoint of the science literacy which can protect a Nature and the earth. In this presentation, we mainly propose activity at an elementary school about how to advance the science education by using of this precious Nature. Children learn about the geology which constitutes the ground, and its petro-genesis in the Science of the sixth grade of elementary school. The viewpoint of having been formed by volcano, Earthquake, etc, in long global time is important for the precious and beautiful geology which constitutes the ground. It is at the same time important for a global change to teach also about often doing serious damage to human beings or a living thing with an Earthquake, a volcano, tsunami, etc. That is, we can push (teaching beautiful geology and a precious living thing using "Geopark"), and can learn about the blessing and disaster of a Nature. Moreover, teaching materials and teaching tools like a local textbook or a signboard with which a teacher and a resident can teach them to a child are required.

Low genetic variation in the MHC class II DRB gene and MHC-linked microsatellites in endangered island populations of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Japan.

PubMed

Saka, Toshinori; Nishita, Yoshinori; Masuda, Ryuichi

2018-02-01

Isolated populations of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) on Tsushima and Iriomote islands in Japan are classified as subspecies P. b. euptilurus and P. b. iriomotensis, respectively. Because both populations have decreased to roughly 100, an understanding of their genetic diversity is essential for conservation. We genotyped MHC class II DRB exon 2 and MHC-linked microsatellite loci to evaluate the diversity of MHC genes in the Tsushima and Iriomote cat populations. We detected ten and four DRB alleles in these populations, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis showed DRB alleles from both populations to be closely related to those in other felid DRB lineages, indicating trans-species polymorphism. The MHC-linked microsatellites were more polymorphic in the Tsushima than in the Iriomote population. The MHC diversity of both leopard cat populations is much lower than in the domestic cat populations on these islands, probably due to inbreeding associated with founder effects, geographical isolation, or genetic drift. Our results predict low resistance of the two endangered populations to new pathogens introduced to the islands.

Global Maritime Partnerships Game

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-08

develop concepts of operations, doctrine and TTPs to perform various maritime security mission sets. Close collaboration with the USCG is vital to...issues of common concern in order to develop compatible doctrine . c. Objectives UNCLASSIFIED 37 UNCLASSIFIED i. Examine the interaction between...Senkaku Islands (PRC vs. Japan), Indonesia archipelagic sea lanes passage, Northern Territories Dispute (Japan vs. Russia) UNCLASSIFIED 143

Doctoral Dissertations on Japan and Korea, 1969-1974: A Classified Bibliographical Listing of International Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shulman, Frank Joseph, Ed.

This volume provides a comprehensive listing of dissertations on Japan and Korea that are available from University Microfilms International. The present bibliography incorporates many titles that normally would be overlooked because they do not relate directly to the Japanese home islands or to the Korean peninsula. Among the ones included, for…

Teaching for Multifaceted Knowledge of Disputed Islands in Japanese Classrooms: Toward a Critical Border Dialogism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyazaki, Takeshi; Cashman, Timothy G.; Madokoro, Kayo

2016-01-01

This study considers the teaching of historical and territorial issues between Japan and China for the current Japanese social studies curriculum. For research purposes, a lesson plan was designed and facilitated in Japanese elementary and junior high schools. This lesson addressed ongoing tensions between Japan and China over the sovereignty of…

Ainu as a Heritage Language of Japan: History, Current State and Future of Ainu Language Policy and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teeter, Jennifer Louise; Okazaki, Takayuki

2011-01-01

Ainu is the heritage language of the indigenous people of present-day southern Sakhalin, the Kurile Islands, present-day Hokkaido, and northeastern Honshu (mainland Japan). The UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2009) considered the Ainu language critically endangered with only 15 speakers remaining. This article…

The preliminary results of new submarine caldera on the west of Kume-jima island, Central Ryukyu Arc, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harigane, Y.; Ishizuka, O.; Shimoda, G.; Sato, T.

2014-12-01

The Ryukyu Arc occurs between the islands of Kyushu and Taiwan with approximately 1200 km in the full length. This volcanic arc is caused by subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath the Eurasia Plate along the Ryukyu trench, and is composed of forearc islands, chains of arc volcanoes, and a back-arc rift called Okinawa Trough. The Ryukyu Arc is commonly divided into three segments (northern, central and southern) that bounded by the Tokara Strait and the Kerama Gap, respectively (e.g., Konishi 1965; Kato et al., 1982). Sato et al. (2014) mentioned that there is no active subaerial volcano in the southwest of Iotori-shima in the Central Ryukyu Arc whereas the Northern Ryukyu Arc (i.e., the Tokara Islands) has active frontal arc volcanoes. Therefore, the existence of volcanoes and volcanotectonic history of active volcanic front in the southwestern part of the Central Ryukyu Arc are still ambiguous. Detailed geophysical and geological survey was mainly conducted using R/V Kaiyou-maru No.7 during GK12 cruise operated by the Geological Survey of Japan/National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan. As a result, we have found a new submarine volcanic caldera on the west of Kume-jima island, where located the southwestern part of Central Ryukyu Arc. Here, we present (1) the bathymetrical feature of this new submarine caldera for the first time and (2) the microstructural and petrological observations of volcanic rocks (20 volcanic samples in 13 dredge sites) sampled from the small volcanic cones of this caldera volcano. The dredged samples from the caldera consist of mainly rhyolite pumice with minor andesites, Mn oxides-crust and hydrothermally altered rocks. Andesite has plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts. Key words: volcanic rock, caldera, arc volcanism, active volcanic front, Kume-jima island, Ryukyu Arc

Direct measurements of HOx radicals in the marine boundary layer: testing the current tropospheric chemistry mechanism.

PubMed

Kanaya, Yugo; Akimoto, Hajime

2002-01-01

OH and HO(2) radicals, atmospheric detergents, and the reservoir thereof, play central roles in tropospheric chemistry. In spite of their importance, we had no choice but to trust their concentrations predicted by modeling studies based on known chemical processes. However, recent direct measurements of these radicals have enabled us to test and revise our knowledge of the processes by comparing the predicted and observed values of the radical concentrations. We developed a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) instrument and successfully observed OH and HO(2) at three remote islands of Japan (Oki Island, Okinawa Island, and Rishiri Island). At Okinawa Island, the observed daytime level of HO(2) agreed closely with the model estimates, suggesting that the photochemistry at Okinawa is well described by the current chemistry mechanism. At Rishiri Island, in contrast, the observed daytime level of HO(2) was consistently much lower than the calculated values. We proposed that iodine chemistry, usually not incorporated into the mechanism, is at least partly responsible for the discrepancy in the results. At night, HO(2) was detected at levels greater than 1 pptv at all three islands, suggesting the presence of processes in the dark that produce radicals. We showed that ozone reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons, including monoterpenes, could significantly contribute to radical production. Copyright 2002 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 2: 199-211, 2002: Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/tcr.10019

Helium and methane sources and fluxes of shallow submarine hydrothermal plumes near the Tokara Islands, Southern Japan

PubMed Central

Wen, Hsin-Yi; Sano, Yuji; Takahata, Naoto; Tomonaga, Yama; Ishida, Akizumi; Tanaka, Kentaro; Kagoshima, Takanori; Shirai, Kotaro; Ishibashi, Jun-ichiro; Yokose, Hisayoshi; Tsunogai, Urumu; Yang, Tsanyao F.

2016-01-01

Shallow submarine volcanoes have been newly discovered near the Tokara Islands, which are situated at the volcanic front of the northern Ryukyu Arc in southern Japan. Here, we report for the first time the volatile geochemistry of shallow hydrothermal plumes, which were sampled using a CTD-RMS system after analyzing water column images collected by multi-beam echo sounder surveys. These surveys were performed during the research cruise KS-14-10 of the R/V Shinsei Maru in a region stretching from the Wakamiko Crater to the Tokara Islands. The 3He flux and methane flux in the investigated area are estimated to be (0.99–2.6) × 104 atoms/cm2/sec and 6–60 t/yr, respectively. The methane in the region of the Tokara Islands is a mix between abiotic methane similar to that found in the East Pacific Rise and thermogenic one. Methane at the Wakamiko Crater is of abiotic origin but affected by isotopic fractionation through rapid microbial oxidation. The helium isotopes suggest the presence of subduction-type mantle helium at the Wakamiko Crater, while a larger crustal component is found close to the Tokara Islands. This suggests that the Tokara Islands submarine volcanoes are a key feature of the transition zone between the volcanic front and the spreading back-arc basin. PMID:27671524

Helium and methane sources and fluxes of shallow submarine hydrothermal plumes near the Tokara Islands, Southern Japan.

PubMed

Wen, Hsin-Yi; Sano, Yuji; Takahata, Naoto; Tomonaga, Yama; Ishida, Akizumi; Tanaka, Kentaro; Kagoshima, Takanori; Shirai, Kotaro; Ishibashi, Jun-Ichiro; Yokose, Hisayoshi; Tsunogai, Urumu; Yang, Tsanyao F

2016-09-27

Shallow submarine volcanoes have been newly discovered near the Tokara Islands, which are situated at the volcanic front of the northern Ryukyu Arc in southern Japan. Here, we report for the first time the volatile geochemistry of shallow hydrothermal plumes, which were sampled using a CTD-RMS system after analyzing water column images collected by multi-beam echo sounder surveys. These surveys were performed during the research cruise KS-14-10 of the R/V Shinsei Maru in a region stretching from the Wakamiko Crater to the Tokara Islands. The 3 He flux and methane flux in the investigated area are estimated to be (0.99-2.6) × 10 4 atoms/cm 2 /sec and 6-60 t/yr, respectively. The methane in the region of the Tokara Islands is a mix between abiotic methane similar to that found in the East Pacific Rise and thermogenic one. Methane at the Wakamiko Crater is of abiotic origin but affected by isotopic fractionation through rapid microbial oxidation. The helium isotopes suggest the presence of subduction-type mantle helium at the Wakamiko Crater, while a larger crustal component is found close to the Tokara Islands. This suggests that the Tokara Islands submarine volcanoes are a key feature of the transition zone between the volcanic front and the spreading back-arc basin.

Japanese population structure, based on SNP genotypes from 7003 individuals compared to other ethnic groups: effects on population-based association studies.

PubMed

Yamaguchi-Kabata, Yumi; Nakazono, Kazuyuki; Takahashi, Atsushi; Saito, Susumu; Hosono, Naoya; Kubo, Michiaki; Nakamura, Yusuke; Kamatani, Naoyuki

2008-10-01

Because population stratification can cause spurious associations in case-control studies, understanding the population structure is important. Here, we examined Japanese population structure by "Eigenanalysis," using the genotypes for 140,387 SNPs in 7003 Japanese individuals, along with 60 European, 60 African, and 90 East-Asian individuals, in the HapMap project. Most Japanese individuals fell into two main clusters, Hondo and Ryukyu; the Hondo cluster includes most of the individuals from the main islands in Japan, and the Ryukyu cluster includes most of the individuals from Okinawa. The SNPs with the greatest frequency differences between the Hondo and Ryukyu clusters were found in the HLA region in chromosome 6. The nonsynonymous SNPs with the greatest frequency differences between the Hondo and Ryukyu clusters were the Val/Ala polymorphism (rs3827760) in the EDAR gene, associated with hair thickness, and the Gly/Ala polymorphism (rs17822931) in the ABCC11 gene, associated with ear-wax type. Genetic differentiation was observed, even among different regions in Honshu Island, the largest island of Japan. Simulation studies showed that the inclusion of different proportions of individuals from different regions of Japan in case and control groups can lead to an inflated rate of false-positive results when the sample sizes are large.

American Influence on Okinawan Culture before 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trafton, Terry

The Ryukyu Islands form a chain stretching from the southernmost point of mainland Japan to the northern tip of Taiwan. The largest and most important of these islands is Okinawa. This paper documents the influence of other nations and cultures upon the Okinawan culture, and focuses upon U.S. cultural influence. In the mid-nineteenth century,…

Aggressive root pathogen Phellinus noxius and implications for western Pacific Islands

Treesearch

Sara M. Ashiglar; Phil G. Cannon; Ned B. Klopfenstein

2015-01-01

Phellinus noxius is an aggressive root rot pathogen affecting tropical and subtropical forests. Causing much damage in tropical Asia, Africa, Taiwan, Japan and the Pacific Islands, its wide host range encompasses more than 200 plant species representing 59 families (Ann et al. 2002). It can devastate agricultural plantations of tea, rubber, cocoa, avocados,...

MIL-STD-2411-1 Change 3. Notice Impacts to NAVAIR

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-30

is Steve Rogan, NGA OCIO CE, 314-676- 0292, rogans@nga.mil. METRIC MIL-STD-2411-1 w/CHANGE 3 ______________ SUPERCEDING MIL-STD-2411-1 Change...JN Jan Mayen Is (NO) JA Japan DQ Jarvis Island (US) JE Jersey (UK) JQ Johnston Atoll (US) JO Jordan JU Juan De Nova Islands (FR) YV Juan

Gene flow and genetic diversity of a broadcast-spawning coral in northern peripheral populations.

PubMed

Nakajima, Yuichi; Nishikawa, Akira; Iguchi, Akira; Sakai, Kazuhiko

2010-06-16

Recently, reef-building coral populations have been decreasing worldwide due to various disturbances. Population genetic studies are helpful for estimating the genetic connectivity among populations of marine sessile organisms with metapopulation structures such as corals. Moreover, the relationship between latitude and genetic diversity is informative when evaluating the fragility of populations. In this study, using highly variable markers, we examined the population genetics of the broadcast-spawning coral Acropora digitifera at 19 sites in seven regions along the 1,000 km long island chain of Nansei Islands, Japan. This area includes both subtropical and temperate habitats. Thus, the coral populations around the Nansei Islands in Japan are northern peripheral populations that would be subjected to environmental stresses different from those in tropical areas. The existence of high genetic connectivity across this large geographic area was suggested for all sites (F(ST) < or = 0.033) although small but significant genetic differentiation was detected among populations in geographically close sites and regions. In addition, A. digitifera appears to be distributed throughout the Nansei Islands without losing genetic diversity. Therefore, A. digitifera populations in the Nansei Islands may be able to recover relatively rapidly even when high disturbances of coral communities occur locally if populations on other reefs are properly maintained.

ASTER-SRTM Perspective of Mount Oyama Volcano, Miyake-Jima Island, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-08-10

Mount Oyama is a 820-meter-high (2,700 feet) volcano on the island of Miyake-Jima, Japan. In late June 2000, a series of earthquakes alerted scientists to possible volcanic activity. On June 27, authorities evacuated 2,600 people, and on July 8 the volcano began erupting and erupted five times over that week. The dark gray blanket covering green vegetation in the image is the ash deposited by prevailing northeasterly winds between July 8 and 17. This island is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Tokyo and is part of the Izu chain of volcanic islands that runs south from the main Japanese island of Honshu. Miyake-Jima is home to 3,800 people. The previous major eruptions of Mount Oyama occurred in 1983 and 1962, when lava flows destroyed hundreds of houses. An earlier eruption in 1940 killed 11 people. This image is a perspective view created by combining image data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard NASA's Terra satellite with an elevation model from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Vertical relief is exaggerated, and the image includes cosmetic adjustments to clouds and image color to enhance clarity of terrain features. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02771

Variation in spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta that winter in Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hupp, Jerry W.; Yamaguchi, Noriyuki; Flint, Paul L.; Pearce, John M.; Tokita, Ken-ichi; Shimada, Tetsuo; Ramey, Andrew M.; Kharitonov, Sergei; Higuchi, Hiroyoshi

2011-01-01

In North America, spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta vary because some individuals opportunistically nest at mid-latitudes in years when ephemeral prairie wetlands are available, whereas others regularly nest in arctic and sub-arctic regions where wetland abundance is more constant. Less was known about migration routes and breeding distribution of pintails in East Asia. From 2007–2009 we marked 198 pintails on their wintering areas in Japan with satellite transmitters to: 1) document spring migration routes and summer distribution, 2) evaluate migratory connections and breeding season sympatry with North American pintails, and 3) determine if pintails used the same migration routes in fall as in spring. Most pintails (67%) migrated to the Kamchatka or Chukotka peninsulas in eastern Russia either directly from Japan or via Sakhalin Island, Russia. Remaining pintails primarily migrated to the Magadan region or Kolyma River Basin in eastern Russia via Sakhalin Island. The Chukotka Peninsula was the most common summer destination, with highest densities in the Anadyr Lowlands; a region also used by pintails that migrate from North America. One pintail migrated to St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, in spring and another briefly migrated to the western coast of Alaska in fall. Autumn migration routes generally mirrored spring migration although most pintails bypassed Sakhalin Island in fall. Compared to North American pintails, pintails that winter in Japan exhibited less variation in migration routes and breeding distribution, and nested at higher latitudes. In the Russian Far East there is no region with habitats comparable in extent to the ephemeral mid-latitude wetlands of North America. Consequently, East Asian pintails mainly nest in arctic and sub-arctic regions where annual consistency in wetlands promotes constancy in migration routes and breeding distribution. Breeding season sympatry between pintails from different continents results more from North American pintails migrating to eastern Russia than from Japanese pintails migrating to North America.

The Southern Kurile Islands: Shrouded in Eternal Fog

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-22

nuclear power generation plants from service following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March, 2011.152...countries‟ energy sectors in terms of increased revenues for Russia and increased supply for Japan. Following the Fukushima Daiichi disaster , increased ...and are scheduled to come offline in 2012, in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster . 198 The importance to Japan of diversification

The Earthquake Early Warning System in Japan (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, J. J.; Yamada, M.

2010-12-01

In Japan, the earthquake early warning system (Kinkyu Jishin Sokuhou in Japanese) maintained by the Japan Meterological Agency (JMA) has been in operation and sending pubic information since October 1, 2007. Messages have been broadcast on television and radio to warn of strong shaking to the public. The threshold for broadcasting a message is an estimated intensity of JMA 5 lower, which is approximately equivalent to MM VII to VIII. During the period from October 2007 through August 2010, messages have been sent 9 times for earthquakes of magnitude 5.2 to 7.0. There have been a few instances of significantly over-estimating or under-estimating the predicted shaking, but in general the performance of the system has been quite good. The quality of the detection system depends on the dense network of high-quality seismometers that cover the Japanese Islands. Consequently, the system works very well for events on or close to the 4 main islands, but there is more uncertainty for events near the smaller and more distant islands where the density of instrumentation is much less The Early Warning System is also tied to an extensive education program so that the public can react appropriately in the short amount of time given by the warning. There appears to be good public support in Japan, where people have become accustomed to a high level of fast information on a daily basis. There has also been development of a number of specific safety applications in schools and industry that work off the backbone information provided in the national system.

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 reference, the conventional AO index is shown by the gray line. (b) a 5-day running mean WP index, (c) area-averaged Surface Air Temperature anomalies in Japan, (d) Air Temperature anomalies, (e) heat flux anomalies, and (f) Sea Surface Temperature anomalies. The boxed area on the Sea of Japan indicates the area in which the (d)-(f) indexes were calculated.

Southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-01-20

SL4-141-4340 (20 Jan. 1974) --- An oblique view of the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan, as photographed from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit by one of the Skylab 4 crewmen. The camera used was a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad, and SO-368 medium-speed Ektachrome. NORTH IS AT THE TOP WHEN THE PICTURE IS HELD WITH THE LARGEST LAND MASS AT THE BOTTOM. Most of the land area is Hokkaido Island, Japan. The southern tip of Sakhalin Island (Soviet Union) is in the northwest corner. This photograph was taken to aid in the study of the formation of sea ice. Comparison of these photographs will be made with observations made during a joint USSR-U.S. experiment in the Bering Sea a year earlier. Observations in the Sea of Okhotsk are of interest because the ice has a morphology similar to that of the Bering Sea. Photo credit: NASA

Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine compounds in sea turtles from Japan.

PubMed

Malarvannan, Govindan; Takahashi, Shin; Isobe, Tomohiko; Kunisue, Tatsuya; Sudaryanto, Agus; Miyagi, Toshihiko; Nakamura, Masaru; Yasumura, Shigeki; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2011-01-01

Three species of sea turtles (green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles) stranded along the coasts or caught (by-catch) around Ishigaki Island and Kochi, Japan were collected between 1998 and 2006 and analyzed for six organohalogen compounds viz., PBDEs, PCBs, DDTs, CHLs, HCHs and HCB. The present study is the first and foremost to report the occurrence of organohalogen compounds in the sea turtles from Japan. Among the compounds analyzed, concentrations of PCBs, DDTs and CHLs were the highest in all the turtle samples. PBDEs were ubiquitously present in all the turtle species. Comparing with the other two species, concentrations of organohalogens in green turtle were relatively low and decreasing trend in the concentrations were noted with increasing carapace length. Concentrations of OCs in sea turtles from the coasts of Ishigaki Island and Kochi were relatively low as compared to those from other locations in the world. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proposal for Japanese encephalitis surveillance using captured invasive mongooses under an eradication project on Okinawa Island, Japan.

PubMed

Saito, Mika; Nakata, Katsushi; Nishijima, Taku; Yamashita, Katsuhiro; Saito, Anna; Ogura, Go

2009-06-01

A project to eradicate invasive small Asian mongooses (Herpestes javanicus) is underway to conserve the unique ecosystem of Okinawa Island, Japan. In the present study, we tried to elucidate whether the mongoose is a host of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and to evaluate the reliability of surveillance of Japanese encephalitis (JE) using this species. Culex tritaeniorhynchus, the main vector mosquito of JEV, feeds on the mongoose. Eighty-five (35.4%) of 240 wild small Asian mongooses captured between 2001 and 2005 had neutralizing antibodies against more than one of four JEV strains. Prevalence rates of JEV antibodies tended to increase with body weight and length of the animals. One of three sentinel mongooses showed a temporal change in antibody titer. These results indicate that the small Asian mongooses on Okinawa Island are sensitive to JEV. From the antibody titers and the locations of capture, the JEV active area was clarified. We propose that surveillance of JE using mongooses captured under the eradication program is reliable.

[Toxicity and toxin profiles of xanthid crabs collected around Nakanoshima in the Tokara Islands, Japan].

PubMed

Sagara, Takefumi; Taniyama, Shigeto; Takatani, Tomohiro; Nishibori, Naoyoshi; Nishio, Sachio; Noguchi, Tamao; Arakawa, Osamu

2009-10-01

A total of 36 specimens of 5 xanthid crab species, Zosimus aeneus (n=16), Xanthias lividus (n=4), Leptodius sanguineus (n=3), Daira perlata (n=10) and Eriphia sebana (n=3), were collected around Nakanoshima Island, which is located at the northeastern part of the Tokara Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan in May and July 2000, and their toxicity was determined by mouse bioassay. Nine of 16 Z. aeneus specimens and all of 4 X. lividus specimens showed lethal potency to mice (2.1-11 MU/g, 2.8-8.6 MU/g, respectively), whereas all the other species were non-toxic (less than 2.0 MU/g). LC/MS analyses indicated that the toxin of the Z. aeneus specimens was mainly composed of tetrodotoxin (41% of total toxicity), and 11-oxotetrodotoxin contributed to the remaining toxicity. The toxin of the X. lividus specimens, however, was apparently not tetrodotoxin. In HPLC-FLD analyses, no paralytic shellfish poison component was detected in either of the two toxic species.

The recent history and population structure of five Mandarina snail species from subtropical Ogasawara (Bonin Islands, Japan).

PubMed

Davison, Angus; Chiba, Satoshi

2006-09-01

The effect of Pleistocene climate change on the organisms of tropical and subtropical regions is rather poorly understood. We therefore studied the land snail genus Mandarina (Bradybaenidae) of oceanic Ogasawara (Bonin Islands, Japan), with the aim of using population genetic data to understand their recent history. Our analysis of a mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA region from more than 600 snails in five ground-living species suggests that populations on the small islands of Mukoujima, Anejima, Imotojima and Meijima, as well as on the low-lying southern and central parts of Hahajima, have probably undergone recent bottlenecks followed by subsequent expansions. Except between the main island of Hahajima and Mukouijima, there is almost no evidence for gene flow among islands even though the islands were connected repeatedly by land bridges through the Pleistocene. Within islands the population structure is severe, suggestive of a long-term, low level of gene flow (F(ST) is frequently greater than 0.5 among geographically close populations). Finally, there is a marked genetic patchiness, meaning that genetically close populations are sometimes separated by genetically distant populations. These patterns could be a consequence of expansion from bottlenecks, low active dispersal and founder effects caused by rare long-distance migrants. Unfortunately, the exact nature of the refugia and bottlenecks remains unknown because the palaeoclimate of this region is poorly understood. Dating the population size changes is also challenging because the molecular clock is uncertain. We suggest, however, that arid conditions or deforestation induced by decreased atmospheric CO(2) may have been the main factor in determining population size.

Influence of Asian outflow on Rishiri Island, northernmost Japan: Application of radon as a tracer for characterizing fetch regions and evaluating a global 3D model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Chunmao; Yoshikawa-Inoue, Hisayuki; Matsueda, Hidekadzu; Sawa, Yosuke; Niwa, Yosuke; Wada, Akira; Tanimoto, Hiroshi

2012-04-01

Atmospheric 222Rn was monitored from December 2008 to November 2010 on Rishiri Island (45°07‧N, 141°12‧E), northernmost Japan. Seasonal 222Rn variation was characterized by high concentrations from November to February and low concentrations from May to July, caused by the alternation of continental and maritime fetch regions. 222Rn tracer and back trajectory cluster analyses indicated that the predominant continental fetch region was southeastern Siberia and northeastern China. 222Rn emitted from China and South Korea, whose economies are growing rapidly, did not significantly affect the Rishiri site. The major maritime fetch region was the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. A global three-dimensional model (NICAM-TM) accurately simulated 222Rn concentrations on Rishiri Island and in the seasonal fetch regions. The time series of 222Rn data will make it possible to evaluate the sources and sinks of atmospheric greenhouse gases being monitored at Rishiri Island, which complements other sites in the Asia-Pacific rim region, and to validate model simulations used to examine trans-boundary air pollution.

Molecular phylogenies of figs and fig-pollinating wasps in the Ryukyu and Bonin (Ogasawara) islands, Japan.

PubMed

Azuma, Hiroshi; Harrison, Rhett D; Nakamura, Keiko; Su, Zhi-Hui

2010-01-01

The interaction between figs (Ficus, Moraceae) and fig-pollinating wasps (Chalcidoidea, Agaonidae) is one of the most specific mutualisms, and thus is a model system for studying coevolution and cospeciation. In this study we focused on figs and their associated fig-wasps found in the Ryukyu and Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan, because it has been suggested that breakdown in the specificity may occur in islands or at edge of a species' distribution. We collected 136 samples of 15 native fig species and 95 samples of 13 associated fig-wasps from all major islands in the Ryukyu Islands, including two fig species and one fig-wasp species endemic to the Bonin Islands. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using plastid DNA and nuclear ITS sequences for the figs and nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI genes for the fig-wasps to investigate the interspecific phylogenies and intraspecific variation within the mutualism. Our phylogenetic analyses using multiple samples per species show the single clade of each fig (except the Bonin endemic species) and fig-pollinating wasp species. Fig species belonging to the same subgenera formed well-supported clades in both plastid and ITS trees, except for the subgenus Urostigma. Likewise, fig wasps emerging from host fig species belonging to the same subgenera formed mostly well supported clades in both 28S and COI trees. Host specificity between the figs and fig-wasps functions strictly in these islands. There was very little sequence variation within species, and that no major geographic structure was found. The two Bonin endemic species (F. boninsimae and F. nishimurae) or their common ancestor and the associated fig-wasps (Blastophaga sp.) are apparently derived from F. erecta and its associated fig-wasps (B. nipponica), respectively, and probably migrated from the Ryukyu Islands.

The ecology of medical care on an isolated island in Okinawa, Japan: a retrospective open cohort study.

PubMed

Kaneko, Makoto; Matsushima, Masato; Irving, Greg

2017-01-14

We aimed to describe the ecology of medical care on an isolated island with limited access to secondary care, and to evaluate the gatekeeping function of the island's primary care clinic through comparison with a previous nationwide survey. We conducted this retrospective, open cohort study on Iheya, an isolated island in Okinawa Prefecture that has one primary care clinic. We considered Iheya as unique location in which to examine the role of primary care in Japan. Participants were patients who visited the island's clinic between February 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014. We calculated the number of visits to the clinic and referrals to off-island medical facilities using electronic medical records. We also compared data for Iheya with a nationwide survey conducted in 2003. Iheya had 1314 inhabitants in 2013. Of the 5682 visits to the clinic in the 1-year study period, 290 people were referred to off-island medical institutions. There were 64 referrals to emergency departments; of these, 57 people were admitted to hospital. The rate of visits to the clinic per month per 1000 inhabitants was 360.4 visits (95% confidence interval: 351.0-369.7). Of these, 18.4 (16.3-20.5) were referred off-island, with 4.1 (3.1-5.1) referrals to emergency departments and 3.6 (2.6-4.6) hospitalizations. Despite the high incidence of visits to the primary care clinic, the rates of hospital-based outpatient clinic visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations were lower than rates reported in a previous Japanese study. This suggests that several dimensions of primary care, its gatekeeping function in particular, are likely to play important roles in this geographical setting.

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

Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at Okinawa Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handa, D.; Nakajima, H.; Nakaema, F.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

2008-12-01

The economic development and population growth in recent Asia spread air pollution. Emission rate of air pollutants from Asia, in particular oxides of nitrogen, surpassed those from North America and Europe and should continue to exceed them for decades. The study of the air pollution transported from Asian continent has gained a special attention in Japan. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location is ideal in observing East Asian atmospheric aerosols because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. In 2005, Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS) was established by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) at the northern tip of Okinawa Island, Japan to monitor the air quality of Asia. Bulk aerosol samples were collected on quartz filters by using a high volume air sampler. Sampling duration was one week for each sample. We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon in the bulk aerosols collected at the CHAAMS, using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components showed that the concentrations were relatively low in summer, higher in fall and winter, and the highest in spring. When air mass came from Asian Continent, the concentrations of water-soluble chemical components were much higher compared to the other directions.

Analysis of Genetic Variation and Phylogeny of the Predatory Bug, Pilophorus typicus, in Japan using Mitochondrial Gene Sequences

PubMed Central

Ito, Katsura; Nishikawa, Hiroshi; Shimada, Takuji; Ogawa, Kohei; Minamiya, Yukio; Tomoda, Masafumi; Nakahira, Kengo; Kodama, Rika; Fukuda, Tatsuya; Arakawa, Ryo

2011-01-01

Pilophorus typicus (Distant) (Heteroptera: Miridae) is a predatory bug occurring in East, Southeast, and South Asia. Because the active stages of P. typicus prey on various agricultural pest insects and mites, this species is a candidate insect as an indigenous natural enemy for use in biological control programs. However, the mass releasing of introduced natural enemies into agricultural fields may incur the risk of affecting the genetic integrity of species through hybridization with a local population. To clarify the genetic characteristics of the Japanese populations of P. typicus two portions of the mitochondrial DNA, the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) (534 bp) and the cytochrome B (cytB) (217 bp) genes, were sequenced for 64 individuals collected from 55 localities in a wide range of Japan. Totals of 18 and 10 haplotypes were identified for the COI and cytB sequences, respectively (25 haplotypes over regions). Phylogenetic analysis using the maximum likelihood method revealed the existence of two genetically distinct groups in P. typicus in Japan. These groups were distributed in different geographic ranges: one occurred mainly from the Pacific coastal areas of the Kii Peninsula, the Shikoku Island, and the Ryukyu Islands; whereas the other occurred from the northern Kyushu district to the Kanto and Hokuriku districts of mainland Japan. However, both haplotypes were found in a single locality of the southern coast of the Shikoku Island. COI phylogeny incorporating other Pilophorus species revealed that these groups were only recently differentiated. Therefore, use of a certain population of P. typicus across its distribution range should be done with caution because genetic hybridization may occur. PMID:21526929

A new species of the genus Paracypria (Crustacea: Ostracoda: Cypridoidea) from the Fiji Islands.

PubMed

Chand, Prerna; Kamiya, Takahiro

2016-08-30

A new marine species of the genus Paracypria (Paracypria fijiensis n. sp.) is reported from the Fiji Islands, a small island archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. This is the first report of a Paracypria species from the Fiji Islands. Descriptions of soft parts and valves of Paracypria fijiensis n. sp. are presented herein, and morphological comparisons are made with existing Paracypria species from Australia, Japan and New Caledonia. Although eight coastal sites were sampled across the Fiji Islands, the new Paracypria species was found at only three sites. Large numbers of P. fijiensis n. sp. were recorded from intertidal flats, indicating it to be highly tolerant of the dynamic intertidal zone conditions.

Mt. Fuji, Honshu, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-10-14

STS002-09-390 (12-14 Nov. 1981) --- Honshu Island, Japan, and its snow-covered Fuji-San or Fuji-Yama volcano are the features of this 70mm frame. The volcano peak is 12,400 feet tall. The western suburbs of Tokyo are at right edge of the photograph. Isu Peninsula is at the bottom, separating the Suruga and Sagami Bay. Other large cities include Yokohama, Kozu, Shizuoka, Namazu and Odawara. Photo credit: NASA

Japan unified hIgh-resolution relocated catalog for earthquakes (JUICE): Crustal seismicity beneath the Japanese Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Tomoko E.; Takeda, Tetsuya; Matsubara, Makoto; Shiomi, Katsuhiko

2017-04-01

We have generated a high-resolution catalog called the ;Japan Unified hIgh-resolution relocated Catalog for Earthquakes; (JUICE), which can be used to evaluate the geometry and seismogenic depth of active faults in Japan. We relocated > 1.1 million hypocenters from the NIED Hi-net catalog for events which occurred between January 2001 and December 2012, to a depth of 40 km. We apply a relative hypocenter determination method to the data in each grid square, in which entire Japan is divided into 1257 grid squares to parallelize the relocation procedure. We used a double-difference method, incorporating cross-correlating differential times as well as catalog differential times. This allows us to resolve, in detail, a seismicity distribution for the entire Japanese Islands. We estimated location uncertainty by a statistical resampling method, using Jackknife samples, and show that the uncertainty can be within 0.37 km in the horizontal and 0.85 km in the vertical direction with a 90% confidence interval for areas with good station coverage. Our seismogenic depth estimate agrees with the lower limit of the hypocenter distribution for a recent earthquake on the Kamishiro fault (2014, Mj 6.7), which suggests that the new catalog should be useful for estimating the size of future earthquakes for inland active faults.

A trial of music composition work on the theme of the marching season from spring to summer (An interdisciplinary class between music and climate education for the university students)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Kuranoshin; Kato, Haruko

2017-04-01

The seasonality is a common important feature characterizing the climate in mid-latitude regions. However, many different factors relating to the seasonal cycles result in the great variety of the seasonal climate features from region to region even of the mid-latitudes. For example, there are many stages with rapid seasonal transitions in East Asia, greatly influenced by the considerable phase differences of seasonal cycle among the Asian monsoon subsystems. This also brings the remarkable change in the "seasonal feeling" from month to month around the Japan Islands. The seasonal increase in air temperature is especially large from March to April around the Japan Islands due to the rapid seasonal weakening of the Siberian High and the alternative passages of the extratropical cyclones and anticyclones there become more dominant in April (Kato et al. 2009). In May appearance frequency of the warm and dry clear day increases around the Japan Islands, in association with seasonal formation of the quasi-stationary Baiu front to its south (Kato and Kodama 1992). In the middle of June, the significant rainy season called the Baiu becomes the mature stage around the Japan Islands. The Baiu there terminates to be the midsummer around the middle of July. As such, people could feel rather great seasonal differences or rather various seasonal phenomena around the Japan Islands only within a few months, even for who do not have enough scientific knowledge on the climate. Inversely, the detailed perception or imagination of the seasonal features could help the scientific understanding of the climate and season. Following such viewpoint, an interdisciplinary class between music and science education was practiced for the students of Teaching Course of Music, Faculty of Education, Gifu Shotoku Gakuen Univesity. They are specialized in music and music education to become a teacher of primary school or a music teacher of junior high school. As for natural science, they have studied it only a little in the university to get license of primary school teacher. But they have already experienced composition on the theme of spring at the class in the previous year. In this class, the students tried to compose on the theme of the marching season from spring to summer. The term of the class was from April to July 2016, and thus the students have really experienced the detailed seasonal advance just during their activity. At the final stage of this activity, students' music works were performed with various instruments. The present study will report outline of the activity including a part of the students' music works and the analysis results of them, together with brief explanation of the seasonal cycle from spring to summer around the Japan Islands. The students' music works are analyzed on the following three points, and then the possibility toward the joint activity of music with science will be discussed. 1) The point to which the students have paid attention for composition, 2) The relationship between music expression of the works and the climate, 3) The students' interest in the climate induced by the experience of this activity.

Could the Mantle Under Island Arcs Contribute to Long Wavelength Magnetic Anomalies?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, S. A.; Ferre, E. C.; Martin-Hernandez, F.; Feinberg, J. M.; Conder, J. A.

2016-12-01

Some island arcs show significant long-wavelength positive magnetic anomalies with potential sources in the mantle wedge while others do not. Here we compare the magnetic properties of mantle xenoliths form metasomatized mantle wedges with counterparts from pristine unaltered mantle and we discuss the role mantle processes may play in producing these anomalies. Samples for this study originate from four localities displaying different degrees of metasomatism, as evidenced by the presence of phlogophite, pargasite, and secondary minerals (olv, cpx, opx): a) Five samples from Ichinomegata crater, Megata volcano, in NE Japan are characteristically lherzolitic with metasomatic pargasite present; b) Six samples from Kurose, SW Japan are mainly harzburgites that contain rare, late stage metasomatic sulfides; c) Ten samples from the Iraya volcano, Batan Island, in the Philippines are lherzolites, harzburgites, and dunites that contain metasomatic olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and pargasite; and d) Ten samples from Avacha and Shiveluch volcanoes in Kamchatka, consists of unaltered harzburgites supported by an LOI <1%. Sample localities come from subduction zones of the western Pacific Ocean, where the angle of subduction varies (from 10° in SW Japan to 55° in the Kamchatka and Taiwan-Luzon arcs). When present, ferromagnetic minerals include stoichiometric magnetite with occasional pyrrhotite only in metasomatized samples. Ultimately, metasomatized mantle material has a Koenigsberger ratio less than 1.0 indicating it would not primarily contribute to satellite-altitude magnetic anomalies. While unaltered mantle material may produce a Koenigsberger ratio greater than 1.0, and would thus, contribute to long wavelength magnetic anomalies. The presence of both metasomatized and unaltered mantle material beneath island arcs would be supportive of the positive magnetic anomaly found in some subduction zones.

Submerged Humid Tropical Karst Landforms Observed By High-Resolution Multibeam Survey in Nagura Bay, Ishigaki Island, Southwestern Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, H.; Urata, K.; Nagao, M.; Hori, N.; Fujita, K.; Yokoyama, Y.; Nakashima, Y.; Ohashi, T.; Goto, K.; Suzuki, A.

2014-12-01

Submerged tropical karst features were discovered in Nagura Bay on Ishigaki Island in the South Ryukyu Islands, Japan. This is the first description of submerged humid tropical karst using multibeam bathymetry. We conducted a broadband multibeam survey in the central area of Nagura Bay (1.85 × 2.7 km) and visualized the high-resolution bathymetric results with a grid size of 1 m over a depth range of 1.6-58.5 m. Various types of humid tropical karst landforms were found to coexist within the bay, including fluviokarst, doline karst, cockpit karst, polygonal karst, uvalas, and mega-dolines. We assume that Nagura Bay was a large karst basin in which older limestone remained submerged, thus preventing corrosion and the accumulation of reef sediments during periods of submersion, whereas the limestone outcropping on land was corroded during multiple interglacial and glacial periods. Based on our bathymetric result together with aerial photographs of the coastal area, we conclude that the submerged karst landscape has likely developed throughout the whole of Nagura Bay, covering an area of ~6 × 5 km. Accordingly, this area hosts the largest submerged karst in Japan. We also observed abundant coral communities during our SCUBA observations. The present marine conditions of Nagura Bay are characterized by low energy (calm sea) and low irradiance owing to the terrestrial influence. Such conditions have been emphasized by the presence of large undulating landforms, which cause decreases in wave intensity and irradiance with depth. These characteristics have acted to establish unique conditions compared to other coral reef areas in the Ryukyu Islands. It may play an important role in supporting the regional coral reef ecosystem.

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

A sign with a model of the Japanese H-IIB rocket welcomes visitors to Minamitane Town, one of only a few small towns located outside of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), where the launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory will take place in the next week, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

Tourist photograph themselves in astronaut space suites next to a cardboard cutout of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide at the visitor's center of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Variations in seismic velocity distribution along the Ryukyu (Nansei-Shoto) Trench subduction zone at the northwestern end of the Philippine Sea plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizawa, Azusa; Kaneda, Kentaro; Oikawa, Mitsuhiro; Horiuchi, Daishi; Fujioka, Yukari; Okada, Chiaki

2017-06-01

The Ryukyu (Nansei-Shoto) island arc-trench system, southwest of Japan, is formed by the subduction of the Philippine Sea (PHS) plate. Among the subduction zones surrounding the Japan Islands, the Ryukyu arc-trench system is unique in that its backarc basin, the Okinawa Trough, is the area with current extensively active rifting. The length of the trench is around 1400 km, and the geological and geophysical characteristics vary significantly along the trench axis. We conducted multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection and wide-angle seismic surveys to elucidate the along-arc variation in seismic structures from the island arc to the trench regions, shooting seven seismic lines across the arc-trench system and two along-arc lines in the island arc and the forearc areas. The obtained P-wave velocity models of the Ryukyu arc crust were found to be heterogeneous (depending on the seismic lines), but they basically consist of upper, middle, and lower crusts, indicating a typical island arc structure. Beneath the bathymetric depressions cutting the island arc—for example, the Kerama Gap and the Miyako Saddle—the MCS record shows many across-arc normal faults, which indicates the presence of an extensional regime along the island arc. In the areas from the forearc to the trench, the subduction of the characteristic seafloor features on the PHS plate affects seismic structures; the subducted bathymetric high of the Amami Plateau is detected in the northern trench: the Luzon-Okinawa fracture zone beneath the middle and southern trenches. There are low-velocity (< 4.5 km/s) wedges along the forearc areas, except for off Miyako-jima Island. The characteristic high gravity anomaly at the forearc off Miyako-jima Island is caused not by a bathymetric high of a large-scale accretionary wedge but by shallower materials with a high P-wave velocity of 4.5 km/s.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

34 CFR 280.4 - What definitions apply to this program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... North America, and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community..., China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (3) Black (Not of Hispanic Origin). A...

34 CFR 280.4 - What definitions apply to this program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... North America, and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community..., China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (3) Black (Not of Hispanic Origin). A...

34 CFR 280.4 - What definitions apply to this program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... North America, and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community..., China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. (3) Black (Not of Hispanic Origin). A...

PIALA '94. Pacific Information Liberation: The Wave of the Future. Proceedings of the Annual Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives Conference (4th, Tamuning, Guam, November 4-9, 1994).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Arlene, Ed.

Over 100 participants from Micronesia, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, and other United States convened to hear presenters speaking on various topics of interest to librarians, archivists, and educators in the Pacific islands. The proceedings include a welcoming speech, remarks acknowledging conference exhibitors, and a keynote address by Dr. John…

Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, and the Indirect Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

shuttered cinemas , barred people from watching the soccer World Cup, and held public amputations or stonings of violators of their stark religious... Japanese warplanes struck the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, Japan invaded the islands. The Impe- rial Japanese Army defeated the tiny American garrisons at...U.S. forces freed the Philippines from Japanese rule. Nearly 2 years later, the island nation attained its full sovereignty on 4 July 1946. The

Molecular and karyological data confirm that the enigmatic genus Platypholis from Bonin-Islands (SE Japan) is phylogenetically nested within Orobanche (Orobanchaceae).

PubMed

Li, Xi; Jang, Tae-Soo; Temsch, Eva M; Kato, Hidetoshi; Takayama, Koji; Schneeweiss, Gerald M

2017-03-01

Molecular phylogenetic studies have greatly improved our understanding of phylogenetic relationships of non-photosynthetic parasitic broomrapes (Orobanche and related genera, Orobanchaceae), but a few genera have remained unstudied. One of those is Platypholis, whose sole species, Platypholis boninsimae, is restricted to the Bonin-Islands (Ogasawara Islands) about 1000 km southeast of Japan. Based on overall morphological similarity, Platypholis has been merged with Orobanche, but this hypothesis has never been tested with molecular data. Employing maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses on a family-wide data set (two plastid markers, matK and rps2, and three nuclear markers, ITS, phyA and phyB) as well as on an ITS data set focusing on Orobanche s. str., it is shown that P. boninsimae Maxim. is phylogenetically closely linked to or even nested within Orobanche s. str. This position is supported both by morphological evidence and by the newly obtained chromosome number of 2n = 38, which is characteristic for the genus Orobanche s. str.

Two new species and new records of Microprosthema Stimpson, 1860 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Stenopodidea: Spongicolidae) from the Indo-West Pacific.

PubMed

Saito, Tomomi; Anker, Arthur

2014-08-28

Two new species of the spongicolid shrimp genus Microprosthema Stimpson, 1860 are described and illustrated on the basis of material collected recently in Australia and Japan. Type specimens of Microprosthema ningaloo sp. nov. were collected on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, whereas type specimens of Microprosthema pallidum sp. nov. were collected on a coral reef off Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. Microprosthema ningaloo sp. nov. and M. pallidum sp. nov. differ from all other species of the genus by a combination of morphological characters, including the gill-exopod formulae, and by their diagnostic colour patterns. This study increases the total number of species described in the genus Microprosthema to 16, nine of them in the Indo-West Pacific. In addition, new records are provided for M. lubricum Saito & Okuno, 2011 (Guam), M. plumicorne (Richters, 1880) (Red Sea, Mariana and Marshall Islands, French Polynesia), M. scabricaudatum (Richters, 1880) (Red Sea, Glorieuses and Tuamotu Islands), and M. validum Stimpson, 1860 (Red Sea, Madagascar, Singapore, French Polynesia), significantly extending their previously known distribution ranges. 

View of Island of Kyushu, Japan from Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-01-07

SL4-139-3942 (7 Jan. 1974) --- This oblique view of the Island of Kyushu, Japan, was taken from the Earth-orbiting Skylab space station on Jan. 8, 1974 during its third manning. A plume from the volcano Sakurajima (bottom center) is clearly seen as it extends about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east from the volcano. (EDITOR'S NOTE: On Jan. 10, 2013, a little over 39 years after this 1974 photo was made from the Skylab space station, Expedition 34 crew members aboard the International Space Station took a similar picture (frame no. ISS034-E-027139) featuring smoke rising from the same volcano, with much of the island of Kyushu visible. Interesting comparisons can be made between the two photos, at least as far as the devices used to record them. The Skylab image was made by one of the three Skylab 4 crew members with a hand-held camera using a 100-mm lens and 70-mm color film, whereas the station photo was taken with 180-mm lens on a digital still camera, hand-held by one of the six crew members). Photo credit: NASA

Japan’s Territorial Disputes: CNA Maritime Asia Project: Workshop Three

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

strengthen, their exercise programs with the Japan Self -Defense Forces (JSDF). These exercises prepare both militaries to deter the use of force and, if...around the islands should be noted. After Lee’s visit, Korea mobilized its air defenses when it claimed a Japanese Self -Defense Force helicopter...lock incidents reported by Japan’s Maritime Self -Defense Force, the first against a destroyer-based helicopter and the second against the frigate

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

The sun sets just outside the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

The entrance sign to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) is seen a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

The launch pads at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center are seen a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Cesium-137 deposition and contamination of Japanese soils due to the Fukushima nuclear accident.

PubMed

Yasunari, Teppei J; Stohl, Andreas; Hayano, Ryugo S; Burkhart, John F; Eckhardt, Sabine; Yasunari, Tetsuzo

2011-12-06

The largest concern on the cesium-137 ((137)Cs) deposition and its soil contamination due to the emission from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) showed up after a massive quake on March 11, 2011. Cesium-137 ((137)Cs) with a half-life of 30.1 y causes the largest concerns because of its deleterious effect on agriculture and stock farming, and, thus, human life for decades. Removal of (137)Cs contaminated soils or land use limitations in areas where removal is not possible is, therefore, an urgent issue. A challenge lies in the fact that estimates of (137)Cs emissions from the Fukushima NPP are extremely uncertain, therefore, the distribution of (137)Cs in the environment is poorly constrained. Here, we estimate total (137)Cs deposition by integrating daily observations of (137)Cs deposition in each prefecture in Japan with relative deposition distribution patterns from a Lagrangian particle dispersion model, FLEXPART. We show that (137)Cs strongly contaminated the soils in large areas of eastern and northeastern Japan, whereas western Japan was sheltered by mountain ranges. The soils around Fukushima NPP and neighboring prefectures have been extensively contaminated with depositions of more than 100,000 and 10,000 MBq km(-2), respectively. Total (137)Cs depositions over two domains: (i) the Japan Islands and the surrounding ocean (130-150 °E and 30-46 °N) and, (ii) the Japan Islands, were estimated to be approximately 6.7 and 1.3 PBq, [corrected] respectively.We hope our (137)Cs deposition maps will help to coordinate decontamination efforts and plan regulatory measures in Japan.

Transboundary transport of anthropogenic sulfur in PM2.5 at a coastal site in the Sea of Japan as studied by sulfur isotopic ratio measurement.

PubMed

Inomata, Yayoi; Ohizumi, Tsuyoshi; Take, Naoko; Sato, Keiichi; Nishikawa, Masataka

2016-05-15

Sulfur isotopic ratios (δ(34)S) in size separated aerosol particles (PM2.5 and coarse particles) were measured at Niigata-Maki facing the Sea of Japan. Non-sea salt δ(34)S (δ(34)Snss) in PM2.5 showed seasonal variations with relatively high values in winter (1.0-3.9‰ in spring, 2.8-4.5‰ in summer, 1.3-4.5‰ in autumn, 3.7-5.7‰ in winter). Taking into consideration air mass transport routes, δ(34)Snss in the air masses which originated in the Asian continent and were transported over the Sea of Japan to the monitoring sites were higher than those values for air masses which were transported over the Japanese islands after leaving the Asian continent for each season. Considering that the δ(34)Snss in sulfuric acid derived from domestic emissions in Japan are lower than those of δ(34)Snss in coal, the lower δ(34)Snss for the air mass transported over the Japanese islands suggest that sulfuric acid in PM2.5 modified the δ(34)Snss due to aerosol mixing with sulfuric acid in Japan. Material balance calculations suggested that the relative contribution of transboundary transport in winter was also higher than for other seasons (40-75% in spring, 51-63% in summer, 45-73% in autumn, and 53-81% in winter). In particular, the contribution to the air masses which were transported directly from the Asian continent was relatively large (75% in spring, 59% in autumn, 78% in winter) in comparison with that for the air masses which were transported over Japan. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NASA's Aqua Satellite Sees Extra-Tropical Storm Vongfong Pulling Away from Hokkaido, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Extra-Tropical Storm Vongfong on Oct. 4 as it was moving away from Hokkaido, Japan, the northernmost of the big islands. Vongfong transitioned into an extra-tropical storm early on Oct. 4 as its core changed from warm to cold. The MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Vongfong over Japan on Oct. 14 at 03:15 UTC as it was southeast of the island of Hokkaido, Japan. The image showed that south of the center of circulation was almost devoid of clouds and showers, which were all pushed to the north and east of the center as a result of southwesterly wind shear. At 0300 UTC on Oct. 14, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued its final advisory on Tropical storm Vongfong. At that time Vongfong's center was located near 29.1 north latitude and 142.9 east longitude, about 111 nautical miles (127.7 miles/205.6 km) southeast of Misawa, Japan. Vongfong was moving to the northeast at a speedy 36 knots (41.4 mph/66.67 kph). Vongfong's maximum sustained winds were near 35 knots (40.2 mph/64.8 kph). Vongfong had transitioned into an extra-tropical system and will continue to move away from northern Japan and over the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. 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 Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Cesium-137 deposition and contamination of Japanese soils due to the Fukushima nuclear accident

PubMed Central

Yasunari, Teppei J.; Stohl, Andreas; Hayano, Ryugo S.; Burkhart, John F.; Eckhardt, Sabine; Yasunari, Tetsuzo

2011-01-01

The largest concern on the cesium-137 (137Cs) deposition and its soil contamination due to the emission from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) showed up after a massive quake on March 11, 2011. Cesium-137 (137Cs) with a half-life of 30.1 y causes the largest concerns because of its deleterious effect on agriculture and stock farming, and, thus, human life for decades. Removal of 137Cs contaminated soils or land use limitations in areas where removal is not possible is, therefore, an urgent issue. A challenge lies in the fact that estimates of 137Cs emissions from the Fukushima NPP are extremely uncertain, therefore, the distribution of 137Cs in the environment is poorly constrained. Here, we estimate total 137Cs deposition by integrating daily observations of 137Cs deposition in each prefecture in Japan with relative deposition distribution patterns from a Lagrangian particle dispersion model, FLEXPART. We show that 137Cs strongly contaminated the soils in large areas of eastern and northeastern Japan, whereas western Japan was sheltered by mountain ranges. The soils around Fukushima NPP and neighboring prefectures have been extensively contaminated with depositions of more than 100,000 and 10,000 MBq km-2, respectively. Total 137Cs depositions over two domains: (i) the Japan Islands and the surrounding ocean (130–150 °E and 30–46 °N) and, (ii) the Japan Islands, were estimated to be more than 5.6 and 1.0 PBq, respectively. We hope our 137Cs deposition maps will help to coordinate decontamination efforts and plan regulatory measures in Japan. PMID:22084074

Some fundamental questions about the evolution of the Sea of Japan back-arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Horne, A.; Sato, H.; Ishiyama, T.

2016-12-01

The Japanese island arc separated from Asia through the rifting of an active continental margin, and the opening of the Sea of Japan back-arc, in the middle Miocene. Due to its complex tectonic setting, the Sea of Japan back-arc was affected by multiple external events contemporary with its opening, including a plate reorganization, the opening of at least two other nearby back-arcs (Shikoku Basin and Okhotsk Sea/Kuril Basin), and two separate arc-arc collisions, involving encroachment upon Japan of the Izu-Bonin and Kuril arcs. Recent tectonic inversion has exposed entire sequences of back-arc structure on land, which remain virtually intact because of the short duration of inversion. Japan experiences a high level of seismic activity due to its position on the overriding plate of an active subduction margin. Continuous geophysical monitoring via a dense nationwide seismic/geodetic network, and a program of controlled-source refraction/wide-angle reflection profiling, directed towards earthquake hazard mitigation, have made it the repository of a rich geophysical data set through which to understand the processes that have shaped back-arc development. Timing, structural evolution, and patterns of magmatic activity during back-arc opening in the Sea of Japan were established by earlier investigations, but fundamental questions regarding back-arc development remain outstanding. These include (1) timing of the arrival of the Philippine Sea plate in southwest Japan, (2) the nature of the plate boundary prior to its arrival, (3) the pre-rift location of the Japanese island arc when it was attached to Asia, (4) the mechanism of back-arc opening (pull-apart or trench retreat), (5) the speed of opening, (6) simultaneous or sequential development of the multi-rift system, (7) the origin of the anomalously thick Yamato Basin ocean crust, and (8) the pattern of concentrated deformation in the failed-rift system of the eastern Sea of Japan since tectonic inversion. Resolving uncertainties like those posed here will be necessary for a more complete understanding of the nature of and processes involved in back-arc development in the Sea of Japan.

The Absence of Remotely Triggered Seismicity in Japan from 1997 to 2002

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wakefield, R. H.; Brodsky, E. E.

2003-12-01

Observations of increased seismicity following the Landers, Hector Mine, Izmit, and the Denali, earthquakes suggests remote seismic triggering occurs in geothermal locations as far as 3150 km. This study attempts to determine if the same effects occur in Japan, a geothermal region of high seismicity. For the period of 1997 to 2002, we searched for significant increases in the seismicity levels following earthquakes with Mw >= 6.5 at distances larger than conventionally associated with aftershocks. Additionally, we examined available waveform data in order to detect uncataloged events hidden by the coda of the mainshock. Five events had associated waveform data: March 24, 2001 Geiyo, Mw = 6.8; March 28, 2000 Volcano Islands, Mw = 7.6; July 30, 2000 Honshu, Mw = 6.5; October 6, 2000 Tottori, Mw = 6.7; and the January 28, 1999 Kuril Islands, Mw = 6.8 earthquake. Located 260 km from the Geiyo epicenter, station TKO recorded one possible triggered event within 65 km during the hour following the mainshock. However, the TKO data contains many anomalous spikes, and we are not confident the record is clear enough to differentiate small local events from noise. An ambiguous, two-day, regional seismicity increase followed the Volcano Islands event. We interpret the swarm associated with the signal as coincidental because no similar swarms occurred at the same location following Tottori or Geiyo, both of which had an order of magnitude larger shaking. Both waveforms and cataloged events indicate no triggering occurred following the Honshu, Tottori and Kuril Islands mainshocks. We do not interpret the one indefinite local event recorded by TKO as evidence for mid range dynamic triggering, implying that the 2.5 cm/s shaking at TKO did not exceed the local triggering threshold. Additionally, the lack of triggering following Honshu, Tottori, and Kuril Islands suggests that the 1, 2.5 and 2.6 cm/s shaking at distances of 182, 238, and 267 km, respectively, creates lower bounds for the dynamic triggering thresholds at the respective locations. This assumes the bound is frequency independent. In none of the cases were thresholds exceeded over a large enough region or by large enough amplitude to produce a statistically significant increase in the cataloged rate of seismicity during the period from 1997 to 2002. All previously documented examples of triggering have occurred following shallow earthquakes with Mw > 7. With the exception of Volcano Islands, all of the events of this study have Mw < 7, and have no triggering associated with them. This suggests two possibilities: either events with Mw > 7 are required to produce sufficient shaking to trigger seismicity, or Japan is less susceptible to triggering than the western US or Greece. We assume that the depth of the Volcano Islands earthquake prohibits any substantial surface shaking. We conclude that more data is required associated with shallow, crustal events with Mw > 7 in order to determine whether or not Japan is susceptible to regional triggering.

48 CFR 1426.7101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Americans are persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America or the Hawaiian Islands...—persons having origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust...

48 CFR 1426.7101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Americans are persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America or the Hawaiian Islands...—persons having origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust...

48 CFR 1426.7101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Americans are persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America or the Hawaiian Islands...—persons having origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust...

48 CFR 1426.7101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Americans are persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America or the Hawaiian Islands...—persons having origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust...

48 CFR 1426.7101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Americans are persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America or the Hawaiian Islands...—persons having origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust...

Description of female pupa and larva of Ficalbia ichiromiyagii from Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.

PubMed

Higa, Yukiko; Toma, Takako; Miyagi, Ichiro

2012-12-01

We describe and illustrate for the 1st time the pupa and larva of adult female Ficalbia ichiromiyagii based on specimens collected from a swamp forest in Otomi, Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. The pupa has a trumpet that is 6.25 times its breadth at halfway, with a long meatal cleft line; setae 6-I, II considerably long, usually single or bifid; median caudal seta absent; and paddle edge serrated only on the outer apical half. The larva is characterized by dark pigmentation of the head and siphon, seta I-C elongate and spiniform, usually with a short lateral spine on the inner basal side and siphon with 1 pecten spine and conspicuous seta 1-S at the base. The immature stages were found only in undisturbed jungle swamps with dense vegetation.

Topographical effects on the distributions of rainfall and 18O distributions: a case in Miyake Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Changyuan; Shindo, Shizuo; Machida, Isao

1998-03-01

In this paper, we try to calculate precipitation in Miyake Island, Japan. In order to know the temporal and spatial variations of precipitation, we have set 15 rain gauges randomly in the island to collect the monthly precipitation data since June 1994. It is found that the precipitation is very different from point to point. First, we used statistical methods to get the correlations between the monthly precipitation at our survey points and that at the weather station. Next, regression analyses were used to establish formulae to calculate precipitation as a function of altitude, aspect of the geomorphological surface and wind direction. Based on these results, distributions of monthly and yearly precipitation and 18O over the island were assessed. The results show that landscape patterns strongly influence precipitation distribution over the island, with the highest precipitation being found on the windward side, about 400-600 m above sea level. Even at places at the same altitude, the precipitation was different because of the aspect of the landscape. At the same time, altitude effects for 18O on both the windward and leeward sides were -0·10/100 m and -0·15/100 m, respectively. Comparing with the distribution of precipitation distribution, it was also found that 18O for the windward and leeward sides was different from that for precipitation, which means that both topographical effects must be considered separately.

Biogeographical Consequences of Cenozoic Tectonic Events within East Asian Margins: A Case Study of Hynobius Biogeography

PubMed Central

Li, Jun; Fu, Cuizhang; Lei, Guangchun

2011-01-01

Few studies have explored the role of Cenozoic tectonic evolution in shaping patterns and processes of extant animal distributions within East Asian margins. We select Hynobius salamanders (Amphibia: Hynobiidae) as a model to examine biogeographical consequences of Cenozoic tectonic events within East Asian margins. First, we use GenBank molecular data to reconstruct phylogenetic interrelationships of Hynobius by Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses. Second, we estimate the divergence time using the Bayesian relaxed clock approach and infer dispersal/vicariance histories under the ‘dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis’ model. Finally, we test whether evolutionary history and biogeographical processes of Hynobius should coincide with the predictions of two major hypotheses (the ‘vicariance’/‘out of southwestern Japan’ hypothesis). The resulting phylogeny confirmed Hynobius as a monophyletic group, which could be divided into nine major clades associated with six geographical areas. Our results show that: (1) the most recent common ancestor of Hynobius was distributed in southwestern Japan and Hokkaido Island, (2) a sister taxon relationship between Hynobius retardatus and all remaining species was the results of a vicariance event between Hokkaido Island and southwestern Japan in the Middle Eocene, (3) ancestral Hynobius in southwestern Japan dispersed into the Taiwan Island, central China, ‘Korean Peninsula and northeastern China’ as well as northeastern Honshu during the Late Eocene–Late Miocene. Our findings suggest that Cenozoic tectonic evolution plays an important role in shaping disjunctive distributions of extant Hynobius within East Asian margins. PMID:21738684

Multi-Disciplinary Analysis and Optimization Frameworks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naiman, Cynthia Gutierrez

2009-01-01

Since July 2008, the Multidisciplinary Analysis & Optimization Working Group (MDAO WG) of the Systems Analysis Design & Optimization (SAD&O) discipline in the Fundamental Aeronautics Program s Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) project completed one major milestone, Define Architecture & Interfaces for Next Generation Open Source MDAO Framework Milestone (9/30/08), and is completing the Generation 1 Framework validation milestone, which is due December 2008. Included in the presentation are: details of progress on developing the Open MDAO framework, modeling and testing the Generation 1 Framework, progress toward establishing partnerships with external parties, and discussion of additional potential collaborations

Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Generation 1 and Next Steps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naiman, Cynthia Gutierrez

2008-01-01

The Multidisciplinary Analysis & Optimization Working Group (MDAO WG) of the Systems Analysis Design & Optimization (SAD&O) discipline in the Fundamental Aeronautics Program s Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) project completed three major milestones during Fiscal Year (FY)08: "Requirements Definition" Milestone (1/31/08); "GEN 1 Integrated Multi-disciplinary Toolset" (Annual Performance Goal) (6/30/08); and "Define Architecture & Interfaces for Next Generation Open Source MDAO Framework" Milestone (9/30/08). Details of all three milestones are explained including documentation available, potential partner collaborations, and next steps in FY09.

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

Roadside flags welcome the NASA team and visitors to Minamitame Town, one of only a few small towns located outside of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), where the launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory will take place in the next week, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. The launch is planned for Feb. 28, 2014. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Nutrition in the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster.

PubMed

Amagai, Teruyoshi; Ichimaru, Satomi; Tai, Mayumi; Ejiri, Yutaka; Muto, Atsushi

2014-10-01

The Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster (GEJED) struck the northeast region of Honshu, the main island of Japan, on March 11, 2011. This mega-disaster claimed more than 15,000 lives, with approximately 3000 later deaths being disaster related. The GEJED consisted of a mega-earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident. Survivors living in temporary shelters might have received insufficient levels of vitamins, with the exception of vitamin B1, which appeared to be overestimated, and excess levels of sodium. However, scientific data collection and surveys following the GEJED were extremely limited. This experience highlights the need to prepare an “emergency nutrition assessment” system for optimal nutrition in future disasters.

Analysis of Air Activity Concentration Data Collected in the Kanto Plain, Japan, following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-09

mi) northeast of Tokyo off the coast of Honshu Island. The tsunami triggered by the earthquake damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station...Concentration Data Collected in the Kanto Plain, Japan, following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...collected at three locations following the release of radioactive materials from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The time series at

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

A sign guides travelers to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for Feb. 28, 2014 from the space center. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

The Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) lighthouse is seen on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

The Takesaki Observation Center is seen at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

A light house and weather station is seen at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

Topiary shaped into the logo of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is seen at the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Elastic strain budget and inelastic deformation in northeast Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagiya, T.; Meneses Gutierrez, A. D. V.

2016-12-01

A degree of magnitude discrepancy between geodetic and geologic strain rates of the Japan islands has been debated for a long time. Ikeda (1996) hypothesized that geodetic strain rate is affected by interseismic locking at the plate interface, which was later supported by the occurrence of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. The hypothesis also predicts that the interseismic elastic strain must be fully released in association with large earthquakes and do not accumulates in time. However, there has been no such quantitative discussion about the elastic strain budget of the Japan Islands so far. A 261 km-long baseline connecting GEONET stations Ryotsu (950232) and Oshika (960550) runs across the northeast Japan in the E-W direction. The baseline length change shows interseismic contraction at 0.11 ppm/yr before 2011, and coseismic extension of about 20 ppm, which comprises only 200 years of interseismic strain. Geologically the recurrence interval of 2011-type giant earthquakes is estimated as 400-800 years, much longer than a prediction from the elastic strain budget. Menese-Gutierrez and Sagiya (2016) recently identified persistent crustal shortening of 4-10 mm/yr along the Japan Sea coastal area from continuous GPS data. This contribution of inelastic deformation corresponds to 10 30% of the total interseismic shortening. The discrepancy can be also partly resolved by considering the effects of M7-class earthquakes and inelastic deformation of the island arc. M7-class earthquakes such as the 1978 and 2005 Miyagi-oki earthquakes cause 0.05-0.10 cm of baseline extension every about 40 years, releasing about 10 % of the totals strain. In addition, a postseismic extension still continues after 5 years from the main shock. By assuming this postseismic phase continues for about 50-100 years, the total elastic strain budget is balanced for a recurrence interval of about 400 yrs. If we assume a longer recurrence interval, we need additional ingredients such as inelastic deformation in the Ou Backbone range, long-term budget balancing over multiple cycles, and significant temporal variation of interseismic strain rate.

Future Change of Snow Water Equivalent over Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, M.; Kawase, H.; Kimura, F.; Fujita, M.; Ma, X.

2012-12-01

Western side of Honshu Island and Hokkaido Island in Japan are ones of the heaviest snowfall areas in the world. Although a heavy snowfall often brings disaster, snow is one of the major sources for agriculture, industrial, and house-use in Japan. Even during the winter, the monthly mean of the surface air temperature often exceeds 0 C 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 the global warming, which is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases. The change in seasonal march of snow water equivalent, e.g., snowmelt season and amount will strongly influence to social-economic activities. We performed a series of numerical experiments including present and future climate simulations and much-snow and less-snow cases using a regional climate model. Pseudo-Global-Warming (PGW) method (Kimura and Kitoh, 2008) is applied for the future climate simulations. MIROC 3.2 medres 2070s output under IPCC SRES A2 scenario and 1990s output under 20c3m scenario used for PGW method. The precipitation, snow depth, and surface air temperature of the hindcast simulations show good agreement with the AMeDAS station data. In much-snow cases, The decreasing rate of maximum total snow water equivalent over Japan due to climate change was 49%. Main cause of the decrease of the total snow water equivalent is the air temperature rise due to global climate change. The difference in the precipitation amount between the present and the future simulations is small.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I Tax genotype analysis in Okinawa, the southernmost and remotest islands of Japan: Different distributions compared with mainland Japan and the potential value for the prognosis of aggressive adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

PubMed

Sakihama, Shugo; Saito, Mineki; Kuba-Miyara, Megumi; Tomoyose, Takeaki; Taira, Naoya; Miyagi, Takashi; Hayashi, Masaki; Kinjo, Shigeko; Nakachi, Sawako; Tedokon, Iori; Nishi, Yukiko; Tamaki, Keita; Morichika, Kazuho; Uchihara, Jun-Nosuke; Morishima, Satoko; Karube, Ken-Nosuke; Tanaka, Yuetsu; Masuzaki, Hiroaki; Fukushima, Takuya

2017-10-01

Okinawa, comprising remote islands off the mainland of Japan, is an endemic area of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1), the causative virus of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). We investigated the tax genotype of HTLV-1 among 29 HTLV-1 carriers, 74 ATL patients, and 33 HAM patients in Okinawa. The genotype distribution-60 (44%) taxA cases and 76 (56%) taxB cases-differed from that of a previous report from Kagoshima Prefecture in mainland Japan (taxA, 10%; taxB, 90%). A comparison of the clinical outcomes of 45 patients (taxA, 14; taxB, 31) with aggressive ATL revealed that the overall response and 1-year overall survival rates for taxA (50% and 35%, respectively) were lower than those for taxB (71% and 49%, respectively). In a multivariate analysis of two prognostic indices for aggressive ATL, Japan Clinical Oncology Group-Prognostic Index and Prognostic Index for acute and lymphoma ATL, with respect to age, performance status, corrected calcium, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and tax genotype, the estimated hazard ratio of taxA compared with taxB was 2.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.87-8.25; P=0.086). Our results suggest that the tax genotype has clinical value as a prognostic factor for aggressive ATL. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and causes of low vision and blindness in a rural Southwest Island of Japan: the Kumejima study.

PubMed

Nakamura, Yuko; Tomidokoro, Atsuo; Sawaguchi, Shoichi; Sakai, Hiroshi; Iwase, Aiko; Araie, Makoto

2010-12-01

To determine the prevalence and causes of low vision and blindness in an adult population on a rural southwest island of Japan. Population-based, cross-sectional study. All residents of Kumejima Island, Japan, 40 years of age and older. Of the 4632 residents 40 years of age and older, 3762 (response rate, 81.2%) underwent a detailed ocular examination including measurement of the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with a Landolt ring chart at 5 m. The age- and gender-specific prevalence rates of low vision and blindness were estimated and causes were identified. Low vision and blindness were defined, according to the definition of the World Health Organization, as a BCVA in the better eye below 20/60 to a lower limit of 20/400 and worse than 20/400, respectively. The prevalence of bilateral low vision was 0.58% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38-0.89). The primary causes of low vision were cataract (0.11%), corneal opacity (0.08%), retinitis pigmentosa (RP; 0.06%), and diabetic retinopathy (0.06%). The prevalence of bilateral blindness was 0.39% (95% CI, 0.23-0.65). The primary causes of blindness were RP (0.17%) and glaucoma (0.11%). The primary causes of monocular low vision were cataract (0.65%), corneal opacity (0.16%), age-related macular degeneration (0.16%), and diabetic retinopathy (0.11%), whereas those of monocular blindness were cataract (0.29%), trauma (0.25%), and glaucoma (0.22%). Logistic analysis showed that female gender (P = 0.001; odds ratio [OR], 7.37; 95% CI, 2.20-24.71) and lower body weight (P = 0.015; OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.99) were associated significantly with visual impairment. The prevalences of low vision and blindness in the adult residents of an island in southwest Japan were 1.5 to 3 times higher than the prevalences reported in an urban city on the Japanese mainland. The prevalence of visual impairment caused by RP on this island was much higher than on the mainland, suggesting a genetic characteristic of the population. Furthermore, the prevalence of visual impairment resulting from cataract and corneal opacity was higher than that on the mainland. The prevalence of visual impairment resulting from myopic macular degeneration was less. Copyright © 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-reported Slower Eating Is Associated with a Lower Salt Intake: A Population-based Cross-sectional Study.

PubMed

Wakasugi, Minako; James Kazama, Junichiro; Narita, Ichiei

2018-06-01

Objective Evidence suggests that the eating rate is positively associated with the body weight and blood pressure. Furthermore, people who are overweight or obese tend to have higher salt intakes than those of normal weight. To investigate whether or not the eating rate is also associated with the salt intake, a cross-sectional study was conducted using health examination survey data collected in 2014 from 7,941 residents of Sado City, Niigata, Japan. Methods The eating rates were evaluated using a questionnaire; 11.7% of participants rated themselves as slow eaters, 65.6% as normal eaters, and 22.7% as fast eaters. The salt intake was estimated from sodium and creatinine spot urine measurements using Tanaka's formula. Associations with eating rate were evaluated using multivariate linear regression analyses, with normal eaters as the reference (set at 0). Results Self-reported eating rates were positively associated with the salt intake after adjustment for age and sex [β coefficient (95% confidence interval) for slow -0.51 (-0.67, -0.35); fast 0.18 (0.05, 0.30) ]. Further adjustment for the body mass index showed that slower eaters had lower salt intakes than normal eaters, but there was no marked difference in the salt intake between normal and fast eaters. The association between slower eating and a lower salt intake persisted after further adjustment for comorbidities [slow -0.33 (-0.49, -0.18) ]. Conclusion Our results suggest that reducing eating rates may be an effective strategy for reducing dietary salt intake as well as preventing obesity.

Detection and phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis E viruses from mongooses in Okinawa, Japan.

PubMed

Nidaira, Minoru; Takahashi, Kazuaki; Ogura, Go; Taira, Katsuya; Okano, Shou; Kudaka, Jun; Itokazu, Kiyomasa; Mishiro, Shunji; Nakamura, Masaji

2012-12-01

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has previously been reported in wild mongooses on Okinawa Island; to date however, only one HEV RNA sequence has been identified in a mongoose. Hence, this study was performed to detect HEV RNA in 209 wild mongooses on Okinawa Island. Six (2.9%) samples tested positive for HEV RNA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 6 HEV RNAs belonged to genotype 3 and were classified into groups A and B. In group B, mongoose-derived HEV sequences were very similar to mongoose HEV previously detected on Okinawa Island, as well as to those of a pig. This investigation emphasized the possibility that the mongoose is a reservoir animal for HEV on Okinawa Island.

Southern limits of distribution of the intertidal gobies Chaenogobius annularis and C. gulosus support the existence of a biogeographic boundary in southern Japan (Teleostei, Perciformes, Gobiidae)

PubMed Central

Murase, Atsunobu; Miki, Ryohei; Motomura, Hiroyuki

2017-01-01

Abstract Understanding the distributional patterns of individual animal groups with respect to coastal topology and the local physical environment provides essential foundational frameworks for marine zoogeography. In the northwestern Pacific waters of Japan, the distributional pattern of some cool-temperate species of marine fishes suggests the existence of a biogeographic boundary corresponding to a long sandy shore on the eastern coast of Kyushu, southern Japan. The existence of this hypothetical biogeographic boundary was tested by mapping the southern distributional limit of two species of cool-temperate intertidal gobies, Chaenogobius annularis and C. gulosus, which are endemic to East Asia and common in rock pools within their range in the Japanese Archipelago. Distribution and abundance were assessed by survey of museum collections from south-east Kyushu (i.e., the entire coasts of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures); and a quantitative survey of the abundance of these gobies in rock pools at various sites around the hypothesized boundary on the eastern coast of Kyushu, including the subtropical Tanega-shima Island. The museum collection survey showed different distribution patterns between the two species: C. annularis was distributed along the entire coasts of south-east Kyushu including subtropical islands, whereas C. gulosus was distributed along these coasts, including one site on a subtropical island, except for an area south of the hypothesized boundary on the eastern coast of Kyushu. The density and occurrence rates of C. annularis in rock pools decreased with latitude, it being absent from a subtropical island, and C. gulosus was not detected from sites south of the hypothesized boundary. The qualitative survey showed that the southernmost records of C. annularis and C. gulosus were the adjacent subtropical islands (Yaku-shima and Tanega-shima islands respectively), although the quantitative survey suggested that their normal range of distribution was limited to the southern part of the Kyushu mainland. A combination of qualitative and quantitative survey methods in the present study highlighted that the southernmost record of a certain species may not necessarily indicate the true limit of its distribution. The distribution of C. gulosus supports the existence of the hypothetical biogeographic boundary, and the different distribution patterns of the two species may be caused by differences in their early life histories. PMID:29362541

Effects of Isolation by Continental Islands in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, on Genetic Diversity of the Large Japanese Field Mouse, Apodemus speciosus (Rodentia: Muridae), Inferred from the Mitochondrial Dloop Region.

PubMed

Sato, Jun J; Tasaka, Yurina; Tasaka, Ryoya; Gunji, Kentaro; Yamamoto, Yuya; Takada, Yasushi; Uematsu, Yasushi; Sakai, Eiichi; Tateishi, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Yasunori

2017-04-01

To study the effects of post-glacial isolation by islands on population genetic diversity and differentiation of the large Japanese field mouse, Apodemus speciosus, we examined partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial Dloop region (ca. 300 bp) in 231 individuals collected from islands in the Seto Inland Sea and adjacent regions on Honshu and Shikoku Islands in the western part of the Japanese archipelago. Molecular phylogenetic and network analyses showed that haplotypes in each island tended to form monophyletic groups, while those in Honshu and Shikoku (the major Japanese islands) showed scattered relationships and were connected with island haplotypes. These observations suggest that a set of Honshu and Shikoku haplotypes became the ancestral lineages of the island population. No gene flow was detected among island populations, indicating that independent evolution occurred on each island, without the influence of human activities, since the establishment of the islands in the Holocene. Population genetic diversities on each island were lower than those on Honshu and Shikoku. Comparison between genetic diversity and island area size showed positive correlations and supported the suggestion that genetic drift is a major factor that shaped the current haplotype constitution of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

2011 Great East Japan tsunami in Okhotsk Sea region: numerical modelings and observation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostenko, Irina; Zaytsev, Andrey; Yalciner, Ahmet; Pelinovsky, Efim

2013-04-01

The 11 March, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with Mw: 9.0 occurred at 05:46:23 UTC with its epicenter estimated at 38.322_N, 142.369_E, and focal depth of 32 km (USGS, 2011). Tsunami waves propagated in Pacific Ocean to all directions. At Russian coast the highest waves were observed in the Kuril Islands (Malokurilskoye, Kunashir Island) which located in between Pacific ocean and the Okhotsk Sea. Kuril island provides limited transmission of tsunami waves from Pacific ocean. tsunami In 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami event, the maximum amplitude of the tsunami was observed as 3 m in Kuril islands. However, tsunami arrived Okhotsk Sea losing a significant amount of energy. Therefore the tsunami amplitudes at the coast of the Okhotsk Sea were smaller. In order to estimate the level of energy loss while passing through the narrow straits of the Kuril Islands, a series of numerical simulations was done by using tsunami numerical code NAMI DANCE. Ten largest earthquake shocks capable of generating tsunami were used as inputs of tsunami sources in the modeling. Hence the relation between the transmission of tsunami and the dimensions of the straits are compared and discussed. Finally the characteristics of tsunami propagation (arrival time and coastal amplification) at the coast in the Okhotsk Sea. The varying grid structure is used in numerical modeling in order to make finer analysis of tsunami passing through narrow straits of the Kuril Islands. This allows to combine exactly the installation locations of stationary and computational gauges. The simulation results are compared with the observations. The linear form of shallow water equations are used in the deep ocean region offshore part of the Sea of Okhotsk. Boussinesq type equations were also used at the near shore area in simulations. Since the Okhotsk Sea Results are a semi enclosed basin, the reflection characteristics at the coastal boundaries may be important. The numerical experiments are also extended to investigate the spectral characteristics of the time histories of water level fluctuations in Okhotsk Results is a semi enclosed basin, the reflection characteristics at the coastal boundaries by comparing with the instrumental data from coastal locations. As the summary, the transmission characteristics of tsunami at Kuril islands, the propagation, coastal amplification and reflection characteristics of tsunamis in the Okhotsk Sea are investigated and presented. This study was partly supported by Russian Federation President Award .1935.2012.5

Conjecture of plume components in hydrothermal sea area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, K., IV; Aoyama, C.

2017-12-01

Investigation at Southern Okinawa Trough, western Kume Island, and Tokara Islands was performed from June 26 to July 12, 2016, as a part of Japan's cross ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) for a complete understanding of active hydrothermal vents. In this investigation, water column sonar data was obtained using multi-beam sonar (EM122) onboard YOKOSUKA (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) and methane plumes were alsp monitored (YK16-07). Multi-beam sonar is an acoustic instrument used to measure submarine topography, and in this investigation, plumes were observed to successfully regenerate the data. It also became clear that volume backscattering strength (SV) of plumes varies, depending on the area where they are settled. On the other hand, components of plumes are still unknown. In this study, acoustic data obtained from YK16-07 will be reviewed using analytical software (echo view 7) to calculate volume backscattering strength (SV) of plumes. Likewise, multi-beam sonar (EM122) onboard DAIICHI KAIYOMARU (KAIYO ENGINEERING CO., LTD) was used to collect acoustic data. This already known data of methane plume from Sea of Japan will be analyzed using echo view 7. By comparing these data, plume components will be examined from plume size.

Nagano, Japan 1998

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-06

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this stunning view of Japan’ four largest islands on February 20, 2004. The snow-covered southern arm of Hokkaido extends into the upper left corner. Honshu, Japan’s largest island, curves across the center of the image. Shikoku, right, and Kyushu, left, form the southern tip of the group. Japan is mostly mountainous, and, as the dusting of snow in this image shows, is cold in the north and more tropical in the south. A single red dot marks the location of an active fire. Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC NASA image use policy. 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 Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Trial of multidisciplinary observation at an expandable sub-marine cabled station "off-hatsushima island observatory" in sagami bay, Japan.

PubMed

Kasaya, Takafumi; Mitsuzawa, Kyohiko; Goto, Tada-Nori; Iwase, Ryoichi; Sayanagi, Keizo; Araki, Eiichiro; Asakawa, Kenichi; Mikada, Hitoshi; Watanabe, Tomoki; Takahashi, Ichiro; Nagao, Toshiyasu

2009-01-01

Sagami Bay is an active tectonic area in Japan. In 1993, a real-time deep sea floor observatory was deployed at 1,175 m depth about 7 km off Hatsushima Island, Sagami Bay to monitor seismic activities and other geophysical phenomena. Video cameras monitored biological activities associated with tectonic activities. The observation system was renovated completely in 2000. An ocean bottom electromagnetic meter (OBEM), an ocean bottom differential pressure gauge (DPG) system, and an ocean bottom gravity meter (OBG) were installed January 2005; operations began in February of that year. An earthquake (M5.4) in April 2006, generated a submarine landslide that reached the Hatsushima Observatory, moving some sensors. The video camera took movies of mudflows; OBEM and other sensors detected distinctive changes occurring with the mudflow. Although the DPG and OBG were recovered in January 2008, the OBEM continues to obtain data.

Food habits of fishes on an exposed sandy beach at Fukiagehama, South-West Kyushu Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakane, Yukinori; Suda, Yusuke; Sano, Mitsuhiko

2011-06-01

To clarify the feeding habits and major food sources of sandy beach fishes, the gut contents of 55 fish species collected on a sandy beach at Fukiagehama, South-West Kyushu Island, Japan, were examined. Ontogenetic changes in food preference were recognized in nine species ( Hypoatherina valenciennei, Lateolabrax japonicus, Trachurus japonicus, Sillago japonica, Sphyraena japonica, Paralichthys olivaceus, Heteromycteris japonica, Paraplagusia japonica, and Takifugu niphobles). A cluster analysis based on dietary overlaps showed that the sandy beach fish assemblage comprised six trophic groups (mysid, amphipod, zooplankton, juvenile fish, terrestrial insect, and mollusk feeders). Of these, the first three groups were the most abundantly represented, whereas the last two were represented by only a single species. These results indicated that epibenthic macrofauna, such as mysids and gammaridean amphipods, and zooplankton, were important food resources for the fish assemblage at the study site, but infaunal macrobenthos, such as polychaetes and bivalves, being relatively unimportant.

Spatial and temporal variations of chemicals in the TSP aerosols simultaneously collected at three islands in Okinawa, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakaki, Takemitsu; Azechi, Sotaro; Somada, Yuka; Ijyu, Moriaki; Nakaema, Fumiya; Hitomi, Yuya; Handa, Daishi; Oshiro, Yoshito; Miyagi, Youichi; Tsuhako, Ai; Murayama, Hitomi; Higaonna, Yumi; Tanahara, Akira; Itoh, Akihide; Fukushima, Soko; Higashi, Kazuaki; Henza, Yui; Nishikawa, Rin; Shinjo, Hibiki; Wang, Hongyan

2014-11-01

East Asia's rapid economic growth has led to concerns about the emission of air pollutants. We collected total suspended particle (TSP) aerosol samples simultaneously at three islands in Okinawa, Japan, which are downwind of East Asia, during the Asian dust season, to examine the spatial and temporal variations and chemical transformations of major chemicals in the aerosols. Weekly samples were collected from July 2008 to June 2010, and the concentrations of water-soluble cations, anions, and organic carbon (WSOC) were determined (n = 303). Spatial distribution analysis showed that monthly mean concentrations of non-sea-salt (nss)-SO42- in the spring (Asian dust season) decreased with increasing distance from Asia, while the trend for NO3- was less evident, suggesting that chemical transformation affected the long-range transport of certain chemicals. Temporal variation analysis showed that concentrations of nss-SO42-, NO3-, and WSOC during the spring were about 2.0, 2.4, and 1.8 times those in the summer (cleaner air mass from the Pacific Ocean), respectively. This study demonstrated that air pollutants were transported from the Asian continent to the Okinawa islands and affected the air quality in the region. There may also be impacts on ecosystems, because increased concentrations of particulate NO3- could increase nutrient levels around the Okinawa islands.

How Does the Democratic Party of Japan Affect Security Policy? High-Profile Stumbles and Quiet Progress

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

collision between a Chinese fishing trawler and a Japan Coast Guard ship off the Senkaku Islands in 2010. Ø The nuclear reactor disasters that followed... triggered by that day’s natural disasters , which is not considered security policy for the purposes of this report. 21 in Afghanistan. In contrast...presidentialization” of political leadership and a greater emphasis on two-party competition triggered politicization of a wide range of policy issues, including

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

A full size model of an H-II rocket is seen at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) visitors center a week ahead of the planned launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

A surfer navigates the waters in front of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) launch pads on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

A rocket is seen at the entrance to the visitor's center of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

A roadside sign announces the upcoming launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Minamitane Town, Tanegashima Island, Japan. Once launched from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) the NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. The launch is planned for Feb. 28, 2014. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

A jogger runs past a sign welcoming NASA and other visitors to Minamitane Town on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Japan

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-08-10

The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world at 1991 m. The total length of the bridge is 3911 m. It links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island, crossing the busy Akashi Strait. The image was acquired April 26, 2014, covers an area of 8.1 by 11.2 km, and is located at 34.6 degrees north, 135 degrees east. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19747

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

Space themed signs are seen along the roads to and from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for Feb. 28, 2014 from the space center. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Accumulation of Hg and other heavy metals in the Javan mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) captured on Amamioshima Island, Japan.

PubMed

Horai, Sawako; Minagawa, Mikiko; Ozaki, Hirokazu; Watanabe, Izumi; Takeda, Yasuo; Yamada, Katsushi; Ando, Tetsuo; Akiba, Suminori; Abe, Shintaro; Kuno, Katsuji

2006-10-01

Concentrations of 22 elements (Mg, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl, total Hg (T-Hg), Pb) and organic Hg (O-Hg) were examined in the liver, kidney and brain of the Javan mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) and in liver of the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) from Amamioshima Island in Japan. Relatively high levels of T-Hg levels (from 1.75 to 55.5 microg g-1 wet wt.) were found in the Javan mongoose. As for a comparison of hepatic T-Hg concentrations between the two areas, there was no significant difference between the Javan mongoose in Amamioshima and those in the Okinawa islands. In addition, T-Hg levels in the livers of the Amami rabbit were the same as in the livers of other herbivorous mammals. Taken together, it suggested that T-Hg accumulation in the livers of the Javan mongoose was not affected by the environment but by a specific physiological mechanism. The comparison of Hg and other heavy metal accumulations between terrestrial mammals (13 species, 61 individuals) including the Javan mongoose and marine mammals (18 species, 508 individuals) were also discussed.

The ambient stress field in the continental margin around the Korean Peninsula and Japanese islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Hong, T. K.; Chang, C.

2016-12-01

The ambient stress field is mainly influenced by regional tectonics. The stress field composition is crucial information for seismic hazard assessment. The Korean Peninsula, Japanese Islands and East Sea comprise the eastern margin of the Eurasian plate. The regions are surrounded by the Okhotsk, Pacific, and Philippine Sea plates. We investigate the regional stress field around the Korean Peninsula and Japanese islands using the focal mechanism solutions of regional earthquakes. Complex lateral and vertical variations of regional crustal stress fields are observed around a continental margin. The dominant compression directions are ENE-WSW around the Korean Peninsula and eastern China, E-W in the central East Sea and northern and southern Japan, NW-SE in the central Japan, and N-S around the northern Nankai trough. The horizontal compression directions are observed to be different by fault type, suggesting structure-dependent stress field distortion. The regional stress field change by depth and location, suggesting that the compression and tension stress may alternate in local region. The stress field and structures affect mutually, causing stress field distortion and reactivation of paleo-structures. These observation may be useful for understanding of local stress-field perturbation for seismic hazard mitigation of the region.

Bioactive compounds in bee propolis for drug discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumazawa, Shigenori

2018-02-01

Propolis is a natural resinous product collected by honeybees. It has been used in folk medicine since ancient times because of its numerous biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Studies of the chemical composition of propolis have demonstrated that its compositional variability depends on the source plant. We have studied the chemistry and biological activities of various types of propolis from Apis mellifera. The studies of propolis collected in Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Solomon Island and Senegal are summarized. Brazilian green propolis contained high levels of artepillin C (3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid), which has a potent apoptosis-inducing agent as well as an angiogenesis inhibitor. The several phenolic compounds with potent antibacterial activity in Brazilian red propolis were found. The propolis from Okinawa, Japan, contained some prenylflavonoids with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The propolis from the Solomon Islands and Hawaii have the same compounds as Okinawan propolis. The propolis from Jeju Island, Korea had the promotion effect on nerve growth factor (NGF) secretion in human glioblastoma T98G cells. The compounds isolated from Senegalese propolis showed high anti-inflammatory activity due to their inhibition of the liposaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS).

Intersectional gene flow between insular endemics of Ilex (Aquifoliaceae) on the Bonin Islands and the Ryukyu Islands.

PubMed

Setoguchi, H; Watanabe, I

2000-06-01

Hybridization and introgression play important roles in plant evolution, and their occurrence on the oceanic islands provides good examples of plant speciation and diversification. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) and trnL (UAA) 3'exon-trnF (GAA) intergenic spacer (IGS) sequences of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA), and the sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA were examined to investigate the occurrence of gene transfer in Ilex species on the Bonin Islands and the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. A gene phylogeny for the plastid genome is in agreement with the morphologically based taxonomy, whereas the nuclear genome phylogeny clusters putatively unrelated endemics both on the Bonin and the Ryukyu Islands. Intersectional hybridization and nuclear gene flow were independently observed in insular endemics of Ilex on both sets of islands without evidence of plastid introgression. Gene flow observed in these island systems can be explained by ecological features of insular endemics, i.e., limits of distribution range or sympatric distribution in a small land area.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae from Recent Outbreaks of Kiwifruit Bacterial Canker Belong to Different Clones That Originated in China

PubMed Central

Butler, Margi I.; Stockwell, Peter A.; Black, Michael A.; Day, Robert C.; Lamont, Iain L.; Poulter, Russell T. M.

2013-01-01

A recently emerged plant disease, bacterial canker of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa and A. chinensis), is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA). The disease was first reported in China and Japan in the 1980s. A severe outbreak of PSA began in Italy in 2008 and has spread to other European countries. PSA was found in both New Zealand and Chile in 2010. To study the evolution of the pathogen and analyse the transmission of PSA between countries, genomes of strains from China and Japan (where the genus Actinidia is endemic), Italy, New Zealand and Chile were sequenced. The genomes of PSA strains are very similar. However, all strains from New Zealand share several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that distinguish them from all other PSA strains. Similarly, all the PSA strains from the 2008 Italian outbreak form a distinct clonal group and those from Chile form a third group. In addition to the rare SNPs present in the core genomes, there is abundant genetic diversity in a genomic island that is part of the accessory genome. The island from several Chinese strains is almost identical to the island present in the New Zealand strains. The island from a different Chinese strain is identical to the island present in the strains from the recent Italian outbreak. The Chilean strains of PSA carry a third variant of this island. These genomic islands are integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). Sequencing of these ICEs provides evidence of three recent horizontal transmissions of ICE from other strains of Pseudomonas syringae to PSA. The analyses of the core genome SNPs and the ICEs, combined with disease history, all support the hypothesis of an independent Chinese origin for both the Italian and the New Zealand outbreaks and suggest the Chilean strains also originate from China. PMID:23555547

Spatiotemporal Velocity Changes Around Miyake and Kozu Islands, Central Japan in June,2000 - May,2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagiwara, H.; Sakai, S.; Yamada, T.; Kanazawa, T.

2004-12-01

Spatiotemporal velocity changes have been found around Miyake and Kozu Islands, central Japan in June,2000 - May,2001 from seismic tomography method applied to 694,345 arrival times at 122 sites in and around Miyake and Kozu Islands including ocean bottom observations. Due to the high irregularity in the uppermost crust and the difficulties of handling both of the data of seabed and the land simultaneously, station correction is adopted. The arrival time data is divided eleven periods so as to examine the temporal velocity change, taking into account the hypocenter distribution map. We determine Vp,Vs models in each period applying the seismic tomography method. The result indicates that there are mainly two low velocity zones which locate in the west of Miyake Island and the east of Kozu Island and they change temporally their intensity corresponding hypocenter distribution. In the early period ( ~ July 5 ), low velocity zone (LVZ) is limited at Miyake site and that suggests magma is supplied form Miyake Volcano. Next period (July 6 - July 20), LVZ of Miyake site decreases and in reverse that of Kozu site appears with seismic swarm. In the period (July 21 - Aug 14), LVZ of Kozu site is very powerful and expands up to 5km depth with great swarm. This suggests that the new magma intrusion occurs from deeper between Miyake and Kozu Islands. Next, in the period (Aug 15 - Aug 31), LVZ of Miyake site increases with swarm and that indicates the magma flow form Miyake volcano coming again. After that, in the period (Sept.1,2000 - May 6,2001), both LVZs decrease their rates gradually and the seismic activity decrease either. We surmise that those low velocity zones correspond magma intrusion and spatiotemporal changes of magma intrusions cause repeating seismic immigrations between Miyake and Kozu Islands.

Black brant from Alaska staging and wintering in Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Derksen, Dirk V.; Bollinger, K.S.; Ward, David H.; Sedinger, J.S.; Miyabayashi, Y.

1996-01-01

Black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) nest in colonies in arctic Canada, Alaska, and Russia (Derksen and Ward 1993, Sedinger et al. 1993). Virtually the entire population stages in fall at Izembek Lagoon near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula (Bellrose 1976) before southward migration (Dau 1992) to winter habitats in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja California (Subcommittee on Black Brant 1992). A small number of black brant winter in Japan, Korea, and China (Owen 1980). In Japan 3,000–5,000 brant of unknown origin stop over in fall, and a declining population (<1,000) of birds winter here, primarily in the northern islands (Brazil 1991, Miyabayashi et al. 1994). Here, we report sightings of brant in Japan that were marked in Alaska and propose a migration route based on historical and recent observations and weather patterns.

Tomographic imaging of subducted lithosphere below northwest Pacific island arcs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Der Hilst, R.; Engdahl, R.; Spakman, W.; Nolet, G.

1991-01-01

The seismic tomography problem does not have a unique solution, and published tomographic images have been equivocal with regard to the deep structure of subducting slabs. An improved tomographic method, using a more realistic background Earth model and surf ace-reflected as well as direct seismic phases, shows that slabs beneath the Japan and Izu Bonin island arcs are deflected at the boundary between upper and lower mantle, whereas those beneath the northern Kuril and Mariana arcs sink into the lower mantle.

History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Volume 2. The Test of War, 1950-1953

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

alliance, and mutual assistance with Peking. In Malaya, the Philippines , and Indochina, widespread guerrilla warfare flared after World War II, with...Pacific ran through the Aleutians to Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Philippines and that there could be no U.S. guarantee against aggression for... Philippines to Formosa to prevent any attack on or from that island, and that aid to French forces in Indochina be stepped up. * 29 Since the Joint

Earth observations taken during the STS-59 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-04-14

STS059-219-065 (9-20 April 1994) --- The narrow end of the island is to the north by northeast. This is one of several volcanic islands extending south by southwest between the southern tip of Kamchatka and Japan. The exposure was stopped down to provide extremely fine detail in the totally snow-covered landscape, at the same time making the dark sea look completely black. Compare to STS047-90-087, taken in September, which shows a green ground cover. Hasselblad photograph.

S-net project: Construction of large scale seafloor observatory network for tsunamis and earthquakes in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochizuki, M.; Kanazawa, T.; Uehira, K.; Shimbo, T.; Shiomi, K.; Kunugi, T.; Aoi, S.; Matsumoto, T.; Sekiguchi, S.; Yamamoto, N.; Takahashi, N.; Shinohara, M.; Yamada, T.

2016-12-01

National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience ( NIED ) has launched the project of constructing an observatory network for tsunamis and earthquakes on the seafloor. The observatory network was named "S-net, Seafloor Observation Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis along the Japan Trench". The S-net consists of 150 seafloor observatories which are connected in line with submarine optical cables. The total length of submarine optical cable is about 5,700 km. The S-net system extends along Kuril and Japan trenches around Japan islands from north to south covering the area between southeast off island of Hokkaido and off the Boso Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture. The project has been financially supported by MEXT Japan. An observatory package is 34cm in diameter and 226cm long. Each observatory equips two units of a high sensitive water-depth sensor as a tsunami meter and four sets of three-component seismometers. The water-depth sensor has measurement resolution of sub-centimeter level. Combination of multiple seismometers secures wide dynamic range and robustness of the observation that are needed for early earthquake warning. The S-net is composed of six segment networks that consists of about 25 observatories and 800-1,600km length submarine optical cable. Five of six segment networks except the one covering the outer rise area of the Japan Trench has been already installed. The data from the observatories on those five segment networks are being transferred to the data center at NIED on a real-time basis, and then verification of data integrity are being carried out at the present moment. Installation of the last segment network of the S-net, that is, the outer rise one is scheduled to be finished within FY2016. Full-scale operation of the S-net will start at FY2017. We will report construction and operation of the S-net submarine cable system as well as the outline of the obtained data in this presentation.

Status of Animal Experiments on International Space Station, and Animal Care Activities in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izumi, Ryutaro; Ishioka, Noriaki; Yumoto, Akane; Ito, Isao; Shirakawa, Masaki

We would like to introduce animal experiments status on International Space Station (ISS) of Japan. Aquatic Habitat (AQH) was launched at 2012 July, by H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV, ‘Kounotori’) from Tanegashima island in Japan, which could house small fish (Medaka, or Zebrafish) at most three months. First experiment using AQH was carried out for two months from Oct. 26, 2012, and second experiment would start from February, 2014. Mice housing hardware is now under development. For animal care activities, current topic in Japan is self-estimation for animal experiment status by each institute, and to open the result for public. JAXA conducted self-estimation of fiscal year 2011 (from 2011 April until 2012 March) for the first time, and would continue every fiscal year. JAXA already have its own animal care regulation, under animal care law and policy in Japan, and also referred COSPAR animal care guideline. And this year, JAXA made handbook for animal experiments in space (only Japanese).

Aftereffects of Subduction-Zone Earthquakes: Potential Tsunami Hazards along the Japan Sea Coast.

PubMed

Minoura, Koji; Sugawara, Daisuke; Yamanoi, Tohru; Yamada, Tsutomu

2015-10-01

The 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake is a typical subduction-zone earthquake and is the 4th largest earthquake after the beginning of instrumental observation of earthquakes in the 19th century. In fact, the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake displaced the northeast Japan island arc horizontally and vertically. The displacement largely changed the tectonic situation of the arc from compressive to tensile. The 9th century in Japan was a period of natural hazards caused by frequent large-scale earthquakes. The aseismic tsunamis that inflicted damage on the Japan Sea coast in the 11th century were related to the occurrence of massive earthquakes that represented the final stage of a period of high seismic activity. Anti-compressive tectonics triggered by the subduction-zone earthquakes induced gravitational instability, which resulted in the generation of tsunamis caused by slope failing at the arc-back-arc boundary. The crustal displacement after the 2011 earthquake infers an increased risk of unexpected local tsunami flooding in the Japan Sea coastal areas.

Genetic and morphological differences among populations of the Bonin Islands White-eye in Japan.

PubMed

Kawakami, Kazuto; Harada, Sachiko; Suzuki, Tadashi; Higuchi, Hiroyoshi

2008-09-01

The Bonin Islands White-eye, Apalopteron familiare , is the sole endemic avian species surviving on the Bonin Islands. The current distribution of this species is limited to only three islands of the Hahajima Island group: Hahajima, Imotojima, and Mukohjima. Imotojima and Mukohjima, which are small satellite islands of Hahajima, are about 3.6 km and 5.5 km, respectively, from the larger island. To investigate genetic and morphological differences among A. familiare populations on these islands, we assayed 634 bp of mitochondrial control region sequence for 132 birds from five locations among the three islands. We detected five haplotypes: two endemic haplotypes each on Hahajima and Imotojima and one on Mukohjima. Principal component analysis based on eight morphological characters of 162 birds from the three island populations revealed that birds from the small satellite islands had significantly different beak morphological characters. Our findings indicate that over-sea dispersal is rare in A. familiare , even when islands are separated by only a few kilometers, and suggest that little movement occurs on Hahajima. Thus, each population on each island should be conserved as an evolutionarily significant unit. The low dispersal ability of this species suggests that it is vulnerable to habitat fragmentation. Although the populations are currently stable and do not require rapid countermeasures, they should be monitored, especially those on the smaller islands.

Fatal Meningoencephalomyelitis due to the Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus: The First Detailed Neurological Observation in a Japanese Patient from the Central Part of Hokkaido Island.

PubMed

Tajima, Yasutaka; Yaguchi, Hiroaki; Mito, Yasunori

2018-01-01

To date, the only instance of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Japan was reported from the southern part of Hokkaido Island in 1993; no other cases have been reported since then. We herein report the first case of TBE reported in the central part of Hokkaido Island, and describe the fatal clinical course of a patient who presented with meningoencephalomyelitis, which partly involved the nerve root. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the patient's cranium and spine revealed characteristic central nervous system involvement. Our case report is extremely relevant to efforts to protect public health and for precautions against TBE pandemics.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging and feral cats on Amami Oshima Island, Japan.

PubMed

Matsuu, Aya; Yokota, Shin-Ichi; Ito, Keiko; Masatani, Tatsunori

2017-11-17

On Amami Oshima Island, free-ranging and feral cats are harmful to wildlife populations. In this study, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in these cats was examined using a newly developed Gaussia luciferase immunoprecipitation system assay. Of 1,363 cats, 123 cats (9.0%) was positive for T. gondii. The prevalence was significantly different in different areas; among cats in the rural area, where many wild animals live, including endangered species, T. gondii infection was more prevalent than in the urban area of the island. This finding indicates a possible risk to wildlife of infection from free-ranging and feral cats. Therefore, management of cats is important for wildlife conservation.

Island-enhanced cooling mechanism in typhoon events revealed by field observations and numerical simulations for a coral reef area, Sekisei Lagoon, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardo, Lawrence Patrick C.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Nakamura, Takashi; Watanabe, Atsushi

2017-11-01

While widely known for their destructive power, typhoon events can also bring benefit to coral reef ecosystems through typhoon-induced cooling which can mitigate against thermally stressful conditions causing coral bleaching. Sensor deployments in Sekisei Lagoon, Japan's largest coral reef area, during the summer months of 2013, 2014, and 2015 were able to capture local hydrodynamic features of numerous typhoon passages. In particular, typhoons 2015-13 and 2015-15 featured steep drops in near-bottom temperature of 5 °C or more in the north and south sides of Sekisei Lagoon, respectively, indicating local cooling patterns which appeared to depend on the track and intensity of the passing typhoon. This was further investigated using Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) numerical simulations conducted for the summer of 2015. The modeling results showed a cooling trend to the north of the Yaeyama Islands during the passage of typhoon 2015-13, and a cooling trend that moved clockwise from north to south of the islands during the passage of typhoon 2015-15. These local cooling events may have been initiated by the Yaeyama Islands acting as an obstacle to a strong typhoon-generated flow which was modulated and led to prominent cooling of waters on the leeward sides. These lower temperature waters from offshore may then be transported to the shallower inner parts of the lagoon area, which may partly be due to density-driven currents generated by the offshore-inner area temperature difference.

Management of Bottom Sediments Containing Toxic Substances: Proceedings of the U.S./Japan Experts Meetings (15th) Held in San Pedro, California on 19-21 November 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-01

on Economic Development, which will convene in Rio de Janeiro in June of 1992, will be the next major forum at which this issue may surface for...1985. Coastal oceanography of Japan Islands. Tokai University Shuppan-kai, viii+8+353 pp. (in Japanese). Otsuki, T. 1990. Jinko lagoon . Umetate to...for acclima- tion. It also took 100 days for the test to get the expected water quality with performing de -nitrogen treatment by reducing airflow of

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

Shrubs and flowers in the shape of a space shuttle, star and planet are seen just outside the visitor's center of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

A car drives on the twisty roads that hug the coast line of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

Envelopes with stamps depicting various space missions are shown at the visitor's center of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-21

A sign at an overlook, named Rocket Hill, helps viewers identify the various facilities of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), including launch pad 1 that will be used Feb. 28, 2014 for the launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

The NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory team is seen during an all-day launch simulation for GPM at the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2), Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch an H-IIA rocket carrying the GPM Core Observatory on Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

A small roadside park honoring spaceflight is seen in Minamitane Town, Saturday Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. Minamitane Town is located not far from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), where the launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

A building designed to look like a space shuttle is seen a few kilometers outside of the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Luminescent Mycena: new and noteworthy species

Treesearch

Dennis E. Desjardin; D. Jean Lodge; Cassius V. Stevani; Eiji Nagasawa

2010-01-01

Seven species of Mycena are reported as luminescent, representing specimens collected in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan (Bonin Islands), Malaysia (Borneo) and Puerto Rico. Four of them represent new species (Mycena luxaeterna, M. luxarboricola, M. luxperpetua, M. silvaelucens) and three represent new reports of...

12 CFR 1281.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Indian or Alaskan Native—a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South... Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (3) Black or African American—a person having origins...

12 CFR 1281.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... categories: (1) American Indian or Alaskan Native—a person having origins in any of the original peoples of..., or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (3) Black or African American—a person having...

12 CFR 1281.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Indian or Alaskan Native—a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South... Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (3) Black or African American—a person having origins...

Understanding volcanic geomorphology from derivatives and wavelet analysis: A case study at Miyakejima Volcano, Izu Islands, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, C.

2018-04-01

From feature recognition to multiscale analysis, the human brain does this computation almost instantaneously, but reproducing this process for effective computation is still a challenge. Although it is a growing field in computational geomorphology, there has been only limited investigation of those issues on volcanoes. For the present study, we investigated Miyakejima, a volcanic island in the Izu archipelago, located 200 km south of Tokyo City (Japan). The island has experienced numerous Quaternary and historical eruptions, which have been recorded in details and therefore provide a solid foundation to experiment remote-sensing methods and compare the results to existing data. In the present study, the author examines the use of DEM derivatives and wavelet decomposition 5 m DEM available from the Geographic Authority of Japan was used. It was pre-processed to generate grid data with QGIS. The data was then analyzed with remote sensing techniques and wavelet analysis in ENVI and Matlab. Results have shown that the combination of 'Elevation' with 'Local Data Range Variation' and 'Relief Mapping' as a RGB image composite provides a powerful visual interpretation tool, but the feature separation remains a subjective analysis provided a more appropriate dataset for computer-based analysis and information extraction and understanding of topographic features at different scales. In order to confirm the usefulness of these topographic derivatives, the results were compared to known geological features and it was found to be in accordance with the data provided by geological, topographic maps and field research at Miyakejima. The protocol presented in the discussion can therefore be re-used at other volcanoes worldwide where less information is available on past-eruption and geology, in order to explain the volcanic geomorphology.

Pyrosequencing analysis of the microbiota of kusaya gravy obtained from Izu Islands.

PubMed

Fujii, Tateo; Kyoui, Daisuke; Takahashi, Hajime; Kuda, Takashi; Kimura, Bon; Washizu, Yukio; Emoto, Eiji; Hiramoto, Tadahiro

2016-12-05

Kusaya is a salted, dried fish product traditionally produced on the Izu Islands in Japan. Fish are added to kusaya gravy repeatedly and intermittently, and used over several hundred years, which makes unique microbiota and unique flavors. In this study, we performed a metagenomic analysis to compare the composition of the microbiota of kusaya gravy between different islands. Twenty samples obtained from a total of 13 manufacturers on three islands (Hachijojima, Niijima, and Oshima Islands) were analyzed. The statistical analysis revealed that the microbiota in kusaya gravy maintain a stable composition regardless of the production steps, and that the microbiota are characteristic to the particular islands. The bacterial taxa common to all of the samples were not necessarily the dominant ones. On the other hand, the genera Halanaerobium and Tissierella were found to be characteristic to the microbiota of one or two islands. Because these genera are known to be present in the natural environment, it is likely that the bacterial strains peculiar to an island had colonized kusaya gravy for many years. The results of this study revealed an influence of geographical conditions on the microbiota in fermented food. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oleanane triterpenes with protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitory activity from aerial parts of Lantana camara collected in Indonesia and Japan.

PubMed

Abdjul, Delfly B; Yamazaki, Hiroyuki; Maarisit, Wilmar; Rotinsulu, Henki; Wewengkang, Defny S; Sumilat, Deiske A; Kapojos, Magie M; Losung, Fitje; Ukai, Kazuyo; Namikoshi, Michio

2017-12-01

During the search for new protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B inhibitors, EtOH extracts from the aerial parts of Lantana camara L. (lantana) collected at Manado (Indonesia) and two subtropical islands in Japan (Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands, Okinawa) exhibited potent inhibitory activities against PTP1B in an enzyme assay. Four previously undescribed oleanane triterpenes were isolated together with known triterpenes and flavones from the Indonesian lantana. The EtOH extracts of lantana collected in Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands exhibited different phytochemical profiles from each other and the Indonesian lantana. Triterpenes with a 24-OH group were isolated from the Indonesian lantana only. Five known triterpene compounds were detected in the Ishigaki lantana, and two oleanane triterpenes with an ether linkage between 3β and 25 were the main components together with five known triterpenes as minor components in the Iriomote lantana. The structures of previously undescribed compounds were assigned on the basis of their spectroscopic data. Among the compounds obtained in this study, oleanolic acid exhibited the most potent activity against PTP1B, and is used as a positive control in studies on PTP1B. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of the genetic structure of remnant Morus boninensis Koidz. trees to establish a conservation program on the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Tani, Naoki; Yoshimaru, Hiroshi; Kawahara, Takayuki; Hoshi, Yoshio; Nobushima, Fuyuo; Yasui, Takaya

2006-10-11

Morus boninensis, is an endemic plant of the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands of Japan and is categorized as "critically endangered" in the Japanese red data book. However, little information is available about its ecological, evolutionary and genetic status, despite the urgent need for guidelines for the conservation of the species. Therefore, we adopted Moritz's MU concept, based on the species' current genetic structure, to define management units and to select mother tree candidates for seed orchards. Nearly all individuals of the species were genotyped on the basis of seven microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity levels in putative natural populations were higher than in putative man-made populations with the exception of those on Otouto-jima Island. This is because a limited number of maternal trees are likely to have been used for seed collection to establish the man-made populations. A model-based clustering analysis clearly distinguished individuals into nine clusters, with a large difference in genetic composition between the population on Otouto-jima Island, the putative natural populations and the putative man-made populations. The Otouto-jima population appeared to be genetically differentiated from the others; a finding that was also supported by pairwise FST and RST analysis. Although multiple clusters were detected in the putative man-made populations, the pattern of genetic diversity was monotonous in comparison to the natural populations. The genotyping by microsatellite markers revealed strong genetic structures. Typically, artificial propagation of this species has ignored the genetic structure, relying only on seeds from Otouto-jima for replanting on other islands, because of a problem with inter-specific hybridization on Chichi-jima and Haha-jima Islands. However, this study demonstrates that we should be taking into consideration the genetic structure of the species when designing a propagation program for the conservation of this species.

Determination of the genetic structure of remnant Morus boninensis Koidz. trees to establish a conservation program on the Bonin Islands, Japan

PubMed Central

Tani, Naoki; Yoshimaru, Hiroshi; Kawahara, Takayuki; Hoshi, Yoshio; Nobushima, Fuyuo; Yasui, Takaya

2006-01-01

Background Morus boninensis, is an endemic plant of the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands of Japan and is categorized as "critically endangered" in the Japanese red data book. However, little information is available about its ecological, evolutionary and genetic status, despite the urgent need for guidelines for the conservation of the species. Therefore, we adopted Moritz's MU concept, based on the species' current genetic structure, to define management units and to select mother tree candidates for seed orchards. Results Nearly all individuals of the species were genotyped on the basis of seven microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity levels in putative natural populations were higher than in putative man-made populations with the exception of those on Otouto-jima Island. This is because a limited number of maternal trees are likely to have been used for seed collection to establish the man-made populations. A model-based clustering analysis clearly distinguished individuals into nine clusters, with a large difference in genetic composition between the population on Otouto-jima Island, the putative natural populations and the putative man-made populations. The Otouto-jima population appeared to be genetically differentiated from the others; a finding that was also supported by pairwise FST and RST analysis. Although multiple clusters were detected in the putative man-made populations, the pattern of genetic diversity was monotonous in comparison to the natural populations. Conclusion The genotyping by microsatellite markers revealed strong genetic structures. Typically, artificial propagation of this species has ignored the genetic structure, relying only on seeds from Otouto-jima for replanting on other islands, because of a problem with inter-specific hybridization on Chichi-jima and Haha-jima Islands. However, this study demonstrates that we should be taking into consideration the genetic structure of the species when designing a propagation program for the conservation of this species. PMID:17034624

Seismic evidence for mass-transport deposits and BSR occurrence on the forearc region along the central Ryukyu Islands, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komatsu, Y.; Kobayashi, T.; Fujii, T.

2017-12-01

Mass-transport deposits (MTDs) are widely observed from many continental margins and are a significant component of both slope and basin-floor settings. Although MTDs are typically mud-prone, some MTDs above certain porosity thresholds can act as important hydrocarbon reservoirs. MTDs associated with gas hydrate occurrence in the Ulleung basin were documented. The recovery of gas hydrate by drilling and piston coring has confirmed the gas hydrate accumulations in the basin. Gas hydrate dissociation may have played a role in the slide-initiation at the Storegga Slide offshore Norway. In this study, to identify the gas hydrate reservoir potential of MTDs, we focus on seismic characteristics (seismic facies, attributes, and velocity) of MTDs associated with bottom simulating reflectors (BSR). Our study area is in the forearc region along the central Ryukyu Islands (southeast Japan). In this area, BSR have been widely observed. However, the studies were insufficient for the evaluation of gas hydrate due to poor-quality 2-D seismic data. We use high-quality 3-D seismic volumes in water depths ranging from approximately 150 to 2000 m between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island. BSR in the eastern region of the study area was interpreted within Neogene to Quaternary MTDs. Strata in MTDs are correlated with the upper Shimajiri group based on the characteristics of well data outside of the seismic exploration area and stratigraphy of land areas. The Shimajiri group is composed of homogeneous siltstone intercalated with lenticular, thin-bedded, fine sandstone. Their group is water-dissolved gas reservoir in Okinawa Island and Miyako Island. On our seismic data, MTDs are shown as chaotic, poorly discontinuous strata of low amplitude, partially continuous moderate- to high-amplitude reflections. The seismic velocity profile shows a relative increase in MTD intervals above the BSR, similar to gas hydrate-bearing sediments. It is also indicative of over-consolidation that was result of compression caused by slumping.

EVA

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-08-23

ISS032-E-024171 (30 Aug. 2012) --- Backdropped over Andros Island and other parts of the Bahamas, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide (out of frame), both Expedition 32 flight engineers, participate in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) to continue outfitting the International Space Station.

Verrucostoma, a new genus in the bionectriaceae from the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Hirooka, Yuuri; Kobayashi, Takao; Ono, Tsuyoshi; Rossman, Amy Y; Chaverri, Priscila

2010-01-01

Verrucostoma freycinetiae gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from specimens on dead leaves of Freycinetia boninensis (Pandanaceae) collected in Hahajima, Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan. The genus is characterized by pale orange perithecia with protuberances around the perithecial apex, no color change in 3% potassium hydroxide and lactic acid, unitunicate asci, spinulose ascospores and an Acremonium-like anamorph. Morphological characters were compared with other genera in the Bionectriaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales). Verrucostoma is morphologically similar to Bionectria (Bionectriaceae) from which it differs in the formation of conspicuous protuberances around the perithecial apex and the Acremonium-like anamorph. Moreover molecular analyses of Verrucostoma and other members of the Bionectriaceae and Nectriaceae based on alpha-actin, large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA and RNA polymerase II subunit 1 sequences support the conclusions based on morphological data. Our results confirm that V. freycinetiae is distinct from other genera among the Nectria-like fungi and represents a new genus belonging to the Bionectriaceae.

Plasma lead, silicon and titanium concentrations are considerably higher in green sea turtle from the suburban coast than in those from the rural coast in Okinawa, Japan

PubMed Central

TSUKANO, Kenji; SUZUKI, Kazuyuki; NODA, Jun; YANAGISAWA, Makio; KAMEDA, Kazunari; SERA, Koichiro; NISHI, Yasunobu; SHIMAMORI, Toshio; MORIMOTO, Yasuyo; YOKOTA, Hiroshi; ASAKAWA, Mitsuhiko

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the concentration of trace elements in the plasma of sea turtles that inhabited the suburban (Okinawa Main Island, n=8) and the rural coast (Yaeyama Island, n=57) in Okinawa, Japan. Particle induced X-ray emission allowed detection of 20 trace and major elements. The wild sea turtles in the suburban coast in Okinawa were found to have high concentrations of Pb, Si and Ti in the plasma when compared to the rural area but there were no significant changes in the Al, As and Hg concentrations. These results may help to suggest the status of some elements in a marine environment. Further, monitoring the plasma trace and major element status in sea turtles can be used as a bio-monitoring approach by which specific types of elements found here could indicate effects that are related to human activities. PMID:29070764

[Toxin profiles in fish implicated in ciguatera fish poisoning in Amami and Kakeroma Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan].

PubMed

Yogi, Kentaro; Oshiro, Naomasa; Matsuda, Seiko; Sakugawa, Satsuki; Matsuo, Toshiaki; Yasumoto, Takeshi

2013-01-01

Ciguatoxins (CTXs) responsible for ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) in Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan in 2008 were determined by LC-MS/MS analysis. Ciguatoxin-1B (CTX1B), 54-deoxyCTX1B, and 52-epi-54-deoxyCTX1B were detected in Variola louti and Lutjanus monostigma. The toxin profile distinctly differed from that of a CFP-related fish from Miyazaki, which mainly contained ciguatoxin-3C type toxins. Toxin profiles were species-specific, as observed in fish from Okinawa. The LC-MS/MS and mouse bioassay (MBA) methods produced comparable data, though 54-deoxyCTX1B was not taken into consideration owing to the lack of toxicity data. To improve assessment, toxicity data for this compound are needed. A reef fish caught on the same occasion and judged nontoxic by MBA (<0.025 MU/g) was found to contain low levels of CTX, indicating a potential risk for CFP.

Specific accumulation of arsenic compounds in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Ishigaki Island, Japan.

PubMed

Agusa, Tetsuro; Takagi, Kozue; Kubota, Reiji; Anan, Yasumi; Iwata, Hisato; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2008-05-01

Concentrations of total arsenic (As) and individual compounds were determined in green and hawksbill turtles from Ishigaki Island, Japan. In both species, total As concentrations were highest in muscle among the tissues. Arsenobetaine was a major compound in most tissues of both turtles. High concentrations of trimethylarsine oxide were detected in hawksbill turtles. A significant negative correlation between standard carapace length (SCL), an indicator of age, and total As levels in green turtles was found. In contrast, the levels increased with SCL of hawksbill turtles. Shifts in feeding habitats with growth may account for such a growth-dependent accumulation of As. Although concentrations of As in marine sponges, the major food of hawksbill turtles are not high compared to those in algae eaten by green turtles, As concentrations in hawksbill turtles were higher than those in green turtles, indicating that hawksbill turtles may have a specific accumulation mechanism for As.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Hibiscus glaber Matsum. ex Nakai, an endemic tree species of the oceanic Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Ohtani, Masato; Tani, Naoki; Yoshimaru, Hiroshi

2008-11-01

Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for Hibiscus glaber, an endemic tree of the Bonin Islands. Eighty-seven of the 208 sequences from an enriched library were unique and containing microsatellites. Ten loci were proved to be highly polymorphic among 78 individuals from the Nishi-jima Island. Total exclusionary powers for the first and the second parents were 99.989% and 99.999%, respectively. Nine loci also amplified single fragment from genomic DNA of H. tiliaceus, a related and widespread congener. Our markers can be reliably used for the estimation of current gene flow within/among populations of the two woody Hibiscus species. © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The presence of tick-borne diseases in domestic dogs and cats living on Iriomote-jima and Tsushima islands.

PubMed

Jikuya, Mao; Tateno, Morihiro; Takahashi, Masashi; Endo, Yasuyuki

2017-06-29

The Iriomote cat and Tsushima leopard cat are endangered wildcats in Japan and inhabit only Iriomote-jima and Tsushima islands, respectively. Domestic dogs and cats living on Iriomote-jima and Tsushima islands were surveyed to clarify the interrelationship between wildcats and domestic animals regarding tick-borne disease transmission. Pathogen-derived DNA in blood samples was detected by polymerase chain reaction. Babesia gibsoni was detected in dogs of Iriomote-jima, and Hepatozoon felis and hemoplasmas were detected in domestic cats of Tsushima. Because the H. felis detected in this study was closely related to that isolated from wildcats, we suspect that common H. felis is harbored and transmitted among wildcats and domestic cats via ticks in Tsushima.

What do medical residents learn on a rural Japanese island?

PubMed Central

Ohta, Ryuichi; Son, Daisuke

2018-01-01

Objective: Community-based medical education (CBME) serves as a complement to university medical education, and it is practiced in several urban undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums. However, there are few reports on CBME learning content in rural Japanese settings. Materials and Methods: This research aimed to clarify learning content through semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis of second-year residents who studied on a remote, rural island located 400 km from the mainland of Okinawa, Japan. Analysis was based on Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT). Results: Fifteen concepts were extracted, and four categories were generated: a strong connection among the islanders, the necessary abilities for rural physicians, islander-centered care, and the differences between rural and hospital medicine. In contrast to hospital medicine, various kinds of learning occurred in deep relationships with the islanders. Conclusion: Through CBME on a remote island, the residents learned not only about medical aspects, but also the importance of community health through the social and cultural aspects, whole-person medical care in a remote location, and the importance of reflection in their self-directed learning. PMID:29875892

The Effects of Climate Change and Globalization on Mosquito Vectors: Evidence from Jeju Island, South Korea on the Potential for Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) Influxes and Survival from Vietnam Rather Than Japan

PubMed Central

Jeong, Ji Yeon; Yoo, Seung Jin; Koh, Young-Sang; Lee, Seogjae; Heo, Sang Taek; Seong, Seung-Yong; Lee, Keun Hwa

2013-01-01

Background Climate change affects the survival and transmission of arthropod vectors as well as the development rates of vector-borne pathogens. Increased international travel is also an important factor in the spread of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, chikungunya, and malaria. Dengue is the most important vector-borne viral disease. An estimated 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection in the world and there are approximately 50 million dengue infections and an estimated 500,000 individuals are hospitalized with dengue haemorrhagic fever annually. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is one of the vectors of dengue virus, and populations already exist on Jeju Island, South Korea. Currently, colder winter temperatures kill off Asian tiger mosquito populations and there is no evidence of the mosquitos being vectors for the dengue virus in this location. However, dengue virus-bearing mosquito vectors can inflow to Jeju Island from endemic area such as Vietnam by increased international travel, and this mosquito vector's survival during colder winter months will likely occur due to the effects of climate change. Methods and Results In this section, we show the geographical distribution of medically important mosquito vectors such as Ae. albopictus, a vector of both dengue and chikungunya viruses; Culex pipiens, a vector of West Nile virus; and Anopheles sinensis, a vector of Plasmodium vivax, within Jeju Island, South Korea. We found a significant association between the mean temperature, amount of precipitation, and density of mosquitoes. The phylogenetic analyses show that an Ae. albopictus, collected in southern area of Jeju Island, was identical to specimens found in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and not Nagasaki, Japan. Conclusion Our results suggest that mosquito vectors or virus-bearing vectors can transmit from epidemic regions of Southeast Asia to Jeju Island and can survive during colder winter months. Therefore, Jeju Island is no longer safe from vector borne diseases (VBDs) due to the effects of globalization and climate change, and we should immediately monitor regional climate change to identify newly emerging VBDs. PMID:23894312

The effects of climate change and globalization on mosquito vectors: evidence from Jeju Island, South Korea on the potential for Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) influxes and survival from Vietnam rather than Japan.

PubMed

Lee, Su Hyun; Nam, Kwang Woo; Jeong, Ji Yeon; Yoo, Seung Jin; Koh, Young-Sang; Lee, Seogjae; Heo, Sang Taek; Seong, Seung-Yong; Lee, Keun Hwa

2013-01-01

Climate change affects the survival and transmission of arthropod vectors as well as the development rates of vector-borne pathogens. Increased international travel is also an important factor in the spread of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, chikungunya, and malaria. Dengue is the most important vector-borne viral disease. An estimated 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection in the world and there are approximately 50 million dengue infections and an estimated 500,000 individuals are hospitalized with dengue haemorrhagic fever annually. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is one of the vectors of dengue virus, and populations already exist on Jeju Island, South Korea. Currently, colder winter temperatures kill off Asian tiger mosquito populations and there is no evidence of the mosquitos being vectors for the dengue virus in this location. However, dengue virus-bearing mosquito vectors can inflow to Jeju Island from endemic area such as Vietnam by increased international travel, and this mosquito vector's survival during colder winter months will likely occur due to the effects of climate change. In this section, we show the geographical distribution of medically important mosquito vectors such as Ae. albopictus, a vector of both dengue and chikungunya viruses; Culex pipiens, a vector of West Nile virus; and Anopheles sinensis, a vector of Plasmodium vivax, within Jeju Island, South Korea. We found a significant association between the mean temperature, amount of precipitation, and density of mosquitoes. The phylogenetic analyses show that an Ae. albopictus, collected in southern area of Jeju Island, was identical to specimens found in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and not Nagasaki, Japan. Our results suggest that mosquito vectors or virus-bearing vectors can transmit from epidemic regions of Southeast Asia to Jeju Island and can survive during colder winter months. Therefore, Jeju Island is no longer safe from vector borne diseases (VBDs) due to the effects of globalization and climate change, and we should immediately monitor regional climate change to identify newly emerging VBDs.

Seafloor Geodetic Observations West off Miyake-jima Island During January to April, 2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochizuki, M.; Sato, M.; Yabuki, T.; Yoshida, Z.; Asada, A.

2001-12-01

An intensive earthquake swarm started under Miyake-jima Island, 180km south off Honshu, Japan, on June 26, 2000. The earthquake swarm migrated towards northwest off from Miyake-jima Island, where numerous earthquakes, more than 100,000, were detected within about two months and an extensive crustal deformation was observed by on-land geodetic observations. We started seafloor geodetic observation in this area to monitor seafloor deformation for the better understandings of underground magmatic activities. This poster presents summary of the observations and preliminary results from them. IIS has been developing a method of seafloor geodesy in corporation with JHD. A combination of kinematic GPS measurements and precise acoustic ranging techniques is employed to achieve centimeter-level seafloor geodesy. First observation site using the method was Kumano trough, where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath Japan Islands arc. It was confirmed that the method could locate horizontal position of the seafloor reference points within 4 cm standard deviation ( Asada and Yabuki, 2001). We apply this seafloor positioning method to the observations conducted in the area west off Miyake-jima Island. Three seafloor reference systems ( Stations A, B, and C ), which consist of three or four acoustic mirror transponders, were built in triangle area surrounded by three islands, Miyake-jima, Nii-jima and Koudu-jima Islands, in November and December, 2000. This area would be deformed remarkably due to underground magma movement including magma injections from deeper part. Distances among three reference systems were set about 15 km. Stations A and B were located on the two sides of NW-SE trending seismically active area. The observations have been conducted three times until present, in January, February and April 2001. We obtained less data than we had expected due to bad sea condition in January and February observations. Also, a fast and quickly varying ocean current prevented us from keeping ship lines as they were planned at the observation in April. Although the amount and quality of the data might be less and worse than projected, analyses are going on by improving software suitable for each data set in order to extract as much information as possible from available data.

Current status of atopic dermatitis in Japan

PubMed Central

Chiba, Takahito; Takeuchi, Satoshi

2011-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic or chronically relapsing, severely pruritic, eczematous skin disease. AD is the second most frequently observed skin disease in dermatology clinics in Japan. Prevalence of childhood AD is 12-13% in mainland Japan; however, it is only half that (about 6%) in children from Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. Topical steroids and tacrolimus are the mainstay of treatment. However, the adverse effects and emotional fear of long-term use of topical steroids have induced a "topical steroid phobia" in patients throughout the world. Undertreatment can exacerbate facial/periocular lesions and lead to the development of atopic cataract and retinal detachment due to repeated scratching/rubbing/patting. Overcoming topical steroid phobia is a key issue for the successful treatment of AD through education, understanding and cooperation of patients and their guardians. PMID:22053299

Association of an alphasatellite with tomato yellow leaf curl virus and ageratum yellow vein virus in Japan is suggestive of a recent introduction.

PubMed

Shahid, Muhammad Shafiq; Ikegami, Masato; Waheed, Abdul; Briddon, Rob W; Natsuaki, Keiko T

2014-01-14

Samples were collected in 2011 from tomato plants exhibiting typical tomato leaf curl disease symptoms in the vicinity of Komae, Japan. PCR mediated amplification, cloning and sequencing of all begomovirus components from two plants from different fields showed the plants to be infected by Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV). Both viruses have previously been shown to be present in Japan, although this is the first identification of AYVV on mainland Japan; the virus previously having been shown to be present on the Okinawa Islands. The plant harboring AYVV was also shown to contain the betasatellite Tomato leaf curl Java betasatellite (ToLCJaB), a satellite not previously shown to be present in Japan. No betasatellite was associated with the TYLCV infected tomato plants analyzed here, consistent with earlier findings for this virus in Japan. Surprisingly both plants were also found to harbor an alphasatellite; no alphasatellites having previously been reported from Japan. The alphasatellite associated with both viruses was shown to be Sida yellow vein China alphasatellite which has previously only been identified in the Yunnan Province of China and Nepal. The results suggest that further begomoviruses, and their associated satellites, are being introduced to Japan. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Current status of tropical fruit breeding and genetics for three tropical fruit species cultivated in Japan: pineapple, mango, and papaya

PubMed Central

Ogata, Tatsushi; Yamanaka, Shinsuke; Shoda, Moriyuki; Urasaki, Naoya; Yamamoto, Toshiya

2016-01-01

Tropical fruit crops are predominantly produced in tropical and subtropical developing countries, but some are now grown in southern Japan. Pineapple (Ananas comosus), mango (Mangifera indica) and papaya (Carica papaya) are major tropical fruits cultivated in Japan. Modern, well-organized breeding systems have not yet been developed for most tropical fruit species. Most parts of Japan are in the temperate climate zone, but some southern areas such as the Ryukyu Islands, which stretch from Kyushu to Taiwan, are at the northern limits for tropical fruit production without artificial heating. In this review, we describe the current status of tropical fruit breeding, genetics, genomics, and biotechnology of three main tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, and papaya) that are cultivated and consumed in Japan. More than ten new elite cultivars of pineapple have been released with improved fruit quality and suitability for consumption as fresh fruit. New challenges and perspectives for obtaining high fruit quality are discussed in the context of breeding programs for pineapple. PMID:27069392

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

NASA GPM Safety Quality and Assurance, Shirley Dion, and, NASA GPM Quality and Assurance, Larry Morgan, monitor the all-day launch simulation for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory at the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2), Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch an H-IIA rocket carrying the GPM Core Observatory on Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

A roadside sign shows visitors of Minamitane Town various locations for activities, including the viewing of rocket launches from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), where the launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is scheduled to take place in the next week, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Minamitane Town, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Launch is planned for Feb. 28, 2014. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

A NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission shirt is seen drying in the mid-day sun outside the Sun Pearl Hotel where many of the NASA GPM team are staying, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Taxonomy and Distribution of Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Unionoida: Margaritiferidae) of the Russian Far East

PubMed Central

Bolotov, Ivan N.; Bespalaya, Yulia V.; Vikhrev, Ilya V.; Aksenova, Olga V.; Aspholm, Paul E.; Gofarov, Mikhail Y.; Klishko, Olga K.; Kolosova, Yulia S.; Kondakov, Alexander V.; Lyubas, Artyom A.; Paltser, Inga S.; Konopleva, Ekaterina S.; Tumpeesuwan, Sakboworn; Bolotov, Nikita I.; Voroshilova, Irina S.

2015-01-01

The freshwater pearl mussel family Margaritiferidae includes 13 extant species, which are all listed by IUCN as endangered or vulnerable taxa. In this study, an extensive spatial sampling of Margaritifera spp. across the Russian Far East (Amur Basin, Kamchatka Peninsula, Kurile Archipelago and Sakhalin Island) was conducted for a revision of their taxonomy and distribution ranges. Based on their DNA sequences, shell and soft tissue morphology, three valid species were identified: Margaritifera dahurica (Middendorff, 1850), M. laevis (Haas, 1910) and M. middendorffi (Rosén, 1926). M. dahurica ranges across the Amur basin and some of the nearest river systems. M. laevis is distributed in Japan, Sakhalin Island and the Kurile Archipelago. M. middendorffi was previously considered an endemic species of the Kamchatka. However, it is widespread in the rivers of Kamchatka, Sakhalin Island, the Kurile Islands (across the Bussol Strait, which is the most significant biogeographical boundary within the archipelago), and, likely, in Japan. The Japanese species M. togakushiensis Kondo & Kobayashi, 2005 seems to be conspecific with M. middendorffi because of similar morphological patterns, small shell size (<100 mm long) and overlapped ranges, but it is in need of a separate revision. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that two NW Pacific margaritiferid species, M. laevis and M. middendorffi, formed a monophyletic 18S rDNA clade together with the North American species M. marrianae and M. falcata. The patterns that were found in these Margaritifera spp. are similar to those of freshwater fishes, indicating multiple colonizations of Eastern Asia by different mitochondrial lineages, including an ancient Beringian exchange between freshwater faunas across the Pacific. PMID:26011762

Genotype analysis, using PCR with type-specific primers, of hepatitis B virus isolates from patients coinfected with hepatitis delta virus genotype II from Miyako Island, Japan.

PubMed

Moriyama, Moriyama; Taira, Masaaki; Matsumura, Hiroshi; Aoki, Hiroshi; Mikuni, Morio; Kaneko, Miki; Shioda, Atsuo; Iwaguchi, Kayo; Arai, Shinobu; Ichijima, Sagiri; Iwasaki, Hiroko; Tanaka, Naohide; Abe, Kenji; Arakawa, Yasuyuki

2003-01-01

The aims of this study were to determine the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in hepatitis delta virus (HDV) RNA-positive patients and to characterize the HBV nucleotide sequences that may be found on a distant island of Japan. This study included three patients with chronic hepatitis who were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; ELISA), HDV antibody (ELISA) and HDV RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The HBV genotype was determined by nested PCR using type-specific primers. The first-round PCR products from two patients were sequenced, followed by an investigation of nucleotide homology. Viruses from all three patients in this study were classified as HBV genotype B. Comparison with HBV isolates from geographically neighboring regions revealed that the two HBV isolates had 97.9-98.6% identity at the nucleotide level to a Chinese isolate, 98.3-98.6% identity to the Okinawa isolate and 98.6-98.8% identity to a Japanese isolate of genotype B. On phylogenetic analysis, the HBV isolates from the two patients were classified as HBV genotype B. The HBV isolates of cases 1 and 3 clustered in the same group as isolates from the Chinese mainland and Japanese mainland, which are geographically near Miyako Island. The HBV isolates coinfected with HDV found on Miyako Island were of genotype B. The PCR method based on genotype-specific primers was useful in determining HBV genotypes. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Seeding Experiment of Liquid Carbon Dioxide for Enhancing Winter-time Precipitation in Saga Prefecture,Northern Kyushu,Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wakimizu, K.; Nishiyama, K.; Tomine, K.; Maki, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Morita, O.

2012-12-01

Many droughts (shortage of water) have broken out by extreme small amount rainfall in recent Japan. So far,in order to prevent these droughts,artificial rainfall methods with 'AgI' or 'dry ice' have been widely used in Japan. However,these methods have many problems,which a large amount of overcooling liquid in the cumulus cloud was not able to be converted into precipitation efficiently. So as to solve these problems,new artificial rainfall method using liquid carbon dioxide (LC) was proposed by Fukuta (1996). This new method consists of the generation of ice particles by homogeneous nucleation using LC and the subsequent more effective growth for ice particles without competition process. And, this method is called 'Low-Level Penetration Seeding of Homogeneous Ice Nucleant (LOLEPSHIN)' ; this induces a 'Roll-up Expansion of Twin Horizontal Ice-crystal Thermals (RETHIT)' and a subsequent 'Falling growth-Induced Lateral Air Spreading (FILAS)'. This LC method was applied to thin super-cooled cumulus clouds in Saga prefecture, Northern Kyushu, Japan on February 4,2006. The seeding airplane took off the Atugi Airport in Kanagawa Prefecture toward the Iki Island around 0830JST. Many cloud bands were cofirmed in the flight going to the experimental area and the cloud base temperature was approximately -9C (1200m). Scince some young developing thin cumuli were found over the Iki Island, LC seeding to these clouds was carried out two times from 0841JST until 0919JST penetrating the -9C (1200m) altitude. The first precipitation seeding ebded in failure. The second penetration seeding was done for 115 seconds around 0917JST. This penetration led to success of developing one artificial echo (Echo I) in the leeward side of the Iki Island. Eco I moved from NNW to SSW. The maximum area of Echo I were 48km2 (at 1033JST) and first comfirmed by the Kyushu University radar (KU radar) at 1006JST (46 min. after LC seeding) around Mt.Sefuri in Saga Prefecture. It can be inferred that ice perticles formed by LC seeding grew to the precipitable size and resultant snowfall was detected by radar in approximately 120 min. after seeding operation. In this study, based on these observed facts, optimum design for enhancing winter-time water resources by LC seeding method was suggested. Successive low-level horizontal penetrations of operational aircraft with seeding LC into many moving super-cooled cumuli towards the Japan Islands will lead to the spreading of cloud volume and subsequent coversion of large amount of iv active cloud volume into newly exploited artificial precipitation. As a result, these experiments succeeded, and the total amount of estimated radar precipitation of the be able to secure a large amount of water resource from these experiment results.

CIRF Publications, Vol. 12, No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Labour Office, Geneva (Switzerland).

CIRF Publications, Vol. 12, No. 5 is a collection of 80 abstracts giving particular attention to education, training, and economic growth in developing countries, Iran, Japan, Kenya, the Solomon Islands, and Sri Lanka; vocational rehabilitation in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the U. S. A.; agriculture in Chad, developing countries, and…

12 CFR 1282.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... for unoccupied units may be the market rent for similar units in the neighborhood as determined by the..., Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (iii) Black or African American—a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa; (iv) Hispanic or Latino—a...

12 CFR 1282.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... for unoccupied units may be the market rent for similar units in the neighborhood as determined by the..., Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (iii) Black or African American—a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa; (iv) Hispanic or Latino—a...

12 CFR 1282.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... for unoccupied units may be the market rent for similar units in the neighborhood as determined by the..., Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (iii) Black or African American—a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa; (iv) Hispanic or Latino—a...

Japanese and Korean Kindergartners' Perspectives of Play Using Photos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Izumi-­Taylor, Satomi; Ro, Yeonsun; Han, Jihee; Ito, Yoko

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine Japanese and Korean kindergarteners' perspectives by asking them to photograph play and explain why their photos represent play (photo elicitation interviews). The participants consisted of 50 kindergarteners on Japan's main island and 50 kindergarteners in South Korea. Japanese and Korean kindergartners…

18 CFR 1302.4 - Discrimination prohibited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and who maintains... origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle...

18 CFR 1302.4 - Discrimination prohibited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and who maintains... origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle...

18 CFR 1302.4 - Discrimination prohibited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and who maintains... origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle...

18 CFR 1302.4 - Discrimination prohibited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa; (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and who maintains... origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle...

Repeated Seafloor Geodetic Observation west off Miyake-jima volcanic island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochizuki, M.; Sato, M.; Fujita, M.; Katayama, M.; Yoshida, Z.; Yabuki, T.; Asada, A.

2003-12-01

An intensive earthquake swarm started under Miyake-jima island, 180 km south off Japan main island, on June 26, 2000. The earthquake swarm migrated towards northwest off Miyake-jima island, where numerous earthquakes, more than 100,000, were detected within about two months and an extensive crustal deformation was observed by on-land geodetic observations. Inst. of Industrial Science, Univ. of Tokyo and Hydrographic and Oceanographic Dept, Japan Coast Guard deployed three seafloor geodetic reference stations (St.A, St.B & St.C) in triangle area surrounded by three islands, Miyake-jima, Nii-jima and Kouzu-jima islands, in November and December, 2000, and have been conducting observations using these three stations to monitor seafloor deformation for the better understandings of underground magmatic activities. The observations have been conducted thirteen times until present. Fast and quickly varying ocean current in this area prevented us from stable observation. The surface current makes the pole, which connects the GPS antenna and the ship-board transducer, bend. This bending of the pole gave uncertainty to the analyses of locating the positions of the seafloor geodetic reference stations. The pole was replaced new, more rigid pole to overcome the problem in August 2002. The first observation with this new system was conducted at the reference station in the Sagami-bay. Smaller amount of bending with the new pole than that with the old one against both roll and pitch components could be seen in the data from this observation. This shows that the replacement of the pole provided stability to the observation system. We started to adopt the new system to the observation at the three stations west-off Miyake-jima island area, too. Station C, that is located nearest one to the Miyake-jima island, is one where we had most frequent observation after improvement of the system. The observations with the new system have been conducted four times in September, December 2002, April and August 2003 there. We have been processing and analyzing the data from these four observations at Station C. More stable analyses have been done with the data from the observations which the new system was employed than with ones observed by the old system. In this poster, we will present the repeatability of the observation system with the new pole, as well as discuss the preliminary results from them.

Designation of a neotype and redescription of Hesione reticulata von Marenzeller, 1879 from Japan (Annelida, Hesionidae).

PubMed

Jimi, Naoto; Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I; Kajihara, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

The hesionid polychaete Hesione reticulata von Marenzeller, 1879 was described from Enoshima Island, Japan and has been recorded also from the Red Sea. Depending on researchers, it has been regarded as either a distinct species or synonymous with older established ones. The type specimen has been lost. In order to clarify its taxonomic status, Hesione reticulata is herein redescribed, illustrated, and a neotype is proposed based on recent material collected near the type locality. The diagnostic features include the presence of several dorsal, discontinuous longitudinal bands, interrupted by pale segmental spots; prostomium with tiny antennae; a tuberculated dorsal integument; acicular lobes double; and neurochaetal blades with guards approaching the distal tooth. The dorsal color pattern in life enables a clear distinction from similar species such as Hesione intertexta Grube, 1878 amongst others. Mitochondrial COI barcoding sequences are deposited in the DNA Data Bank of Japan. A key to Hesione species from Japan is also included.

Investigation from Japanese MAGSAT Team. Part A. Crustal structure near Japan and in Antarctic station. Part B. Electric currents and hydromagnetic waves in the ionosphere and the magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukushima, N. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

Preliminary results of MAGSAT data analysis are described. Regional anomaly maps (deviations from the MGST model field) for X,Y,Z, and F in the area of 115 to 155 deg E and 20 to 60 deg N were obtained. A similar map for the geomagnetic total force anomaly in the vicinity of Japan showed that the observed anomaly can be explained by the difference in crustal magnetization between the Japan Sea and the Japan Island, which reflects a difference of 25 km in the thickness of the magnetized layer. The MAGSAT record of a sudden commencement of a magnetic storm above the South Atlantic Ocean showed a reverse impulse particularly in the D-component. Results relating to toroidal currents in the ionosphere, transverse and parallel perturbations over the polar regions, the relationship between field aligned currents and precipitating electrons, and the calculation of the subsatellite electric field are also discussed.

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.

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.

First Report of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) Infections in Invasive Rodents from Five Islands of the Ogasawara Archipelago, Japan

PubMed Central

Tokiwa, Toshihiro; Hashimoto, Takuma; Yabe, Tatsuo; Komatsu, Noriyuki; Akao, Nobuaki; Ohta, Nobuo

2013-01-01

Background Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen, 1935) is a parasite of murid rodents and causative agent of human neuro-angiostrongyliasis. In 2011, the Ogasawara Islands in the western North Pacific were assigned a World Natural Heritage site status. The occurrence of A. cantonensis is well documented in the Chichijima, Hahajima, and Anijima Islands. However, the occurrence of A. cantonensis in the other islands of the Ogasawara Islands has not been reported. Methodology/Principal Findings Between March 2010 and July 2011, 57 Rattus norvegicus and 79 R. rattus were collected from 9 islands (the Hahajima group: Anejima, Imoutojima, Meijima, Mukohjima, and Hirajima; Chichijima group: Minamijima; Mukojima group: Nakoudojima and Yomejima; and Iwojima group: Iwojima). Adult nematodes were found in the pulmonary artery of 46 R. norvegicus collected in the 5 islands of the Hahajima group (Anejima, Meijima, Imoutojima, Hrajima, and Mukohjima Islands). These nematodes were identified by molecular analysis as A. cantonensis. Comparison of the mitochondrial DNA sequences confirmed that all the samples from the Ogasawara Islands shared only a single lineage of A. cantonensis, which has been previously detected in the Okinawa, Hawaii, and Brazil. Conclusions/Significance We describe new endemic foci of rat angiostrongyliasis in the Hahajima group (Anejima, Meijima, Imoutojima, Hirajima, and Mukohjima Islands) of the Ogasawara Islands. These findings indicate that the endemic foci of A. cantonensis are widely distributed in the Ogasawara Islands. Although human cases have not yet been reported in the Ogasawara Islands, the widespread detection of A. cantonensis could be of importance from the perspective of public health. PMID:23950989

Limited overwater dispersal and genetic differentiation of the snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus nigropunctatus) in the Oceanic Ogasawara Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Hayashi, Fumio; Shima, Akina; Horikoshi, Kazuo; Kawakami, Kazuto; Segawa, Ryoko D; Aotsuka, Tadashi; Suzuki, Tadashi

2009-08-01

The genetic differentiation and speciation of lizards on oceanic islands may be affected by their rate of overwater dispersal. Cryptoblepharus is one of the most geographically widespread scincid lizards throughout the Indo-Pacific and Australian regions. Cryptoblepharus nigropunctatus is the northernmost species of the genus, dwelling on several small Pacific islands. To examine the colonization history of this lizard, mitochondrial 16S rDNA and D-loop sequences were compared among populations of the Ogasawara Islands consisting of four island groups (the Muko-jima, Chichi-jima, Haha-jima, and Kazan groups), and an isolated island, Minamitori-shima (Marcus Island). These four groups and Minamitori-shima have not been connected to each other because each is surrounded by deep sea (>100 m). DNA analyses showed that the lizard populations on individual islands had each representative haplotypes. The ancestors of C. nigropunctatus probably arrived on the islands from the southern Pacific Ocean via wave dispersal and differentiated to produce the present state. They appear to have dispersed from their origin along two independent pathways: one between Kitaiwo-to (Kazan group) and the Muko-jima and Chichi-jima groups, and the other among the Minamitori-shima, Minamiiwo-to (Kazan group), and Haha-jima groups. Limited long-distance overwater dispersal may be responsible for the genetic structure of the C. nigropunctatus populations on these oceanic islands. However, among the small islands within the same island group, D-loop haplotypes were shared and the local genetic diversity was usually high, suggesting frequent gene flow across the same group of islands.

Population demographic history of a temperate shrub, Rhododendron weyrichii (Ericaceae), on continental islands of Japan and South Korea.

PubMed

Yoichi, Watanabe; Tamaki, Ichiro; Sakaguchi, Shota; Song, Jong-Suk; Yamamoto, Shin-Ichi; Tomaru, Nobuhiro

2016-12-01

Continental islands provide opportunities for testing the effects of isolation and migration on genetic variation in plant populations. In characteristic of continental islands is that the geographic connections between these islands, which are currently distinguished by seaways, have experienced fluctuations caused by sea-level changes due to climate oscillations during the Quaternary. Plant populations on the islands have migrated between these islands via the exposed seafloors or been isolated. Here, we examined the demographic history of a temperate shrub, Rhododendron weyrichii , which is distributed in the southwestern parts of the Japanese archipelago and on an island of South Korea, using statistical phylogeographic approaches based on the DNA sequences of two chloroplast and eight nuclear loci in samples analyzed from 18 populations on eight continental islands, and palaeodistribution modeling. Time estimates for four island populations indicate that the durations of vicariance history are different between these populations, and these events have continued since the last glacial or may have predated the last glacial. The constancy or expansion of population sizes on the Japanese islands, and in contrast a bottleneck in population size on the Korean island Jeju, suggests that these islands may have provided different conditions for sustaining populations. The result of palaeodistribution modeling indicates that the longitudinal range of the species as a whole has not changed greatly since the last glacial maximum. These results indicate that exposed seafloors during the glacial period formed both effective and ineffective migration corridors. These findings may shed light on the effects of seafloor exposure on the migration of plants distributed across continental islands.

The prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli in two species of invasive alien mammals in Japan.

PubMed

Nakamura, Ichiro; Obi, Takeshi; Sakemi, Yoko; Nakayama, Ayano; Miyazaki, Kei; Ogura, Go; Tamaki, Masanobu; Oka, Tatsuzo; Takase, Kozo; Miyamoto, Atsushi; Kawamoto, Yasuhiro

2011-08-01

The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in 128 Escherichia coli isolates was investigated in two species of invasive alien mammals (IAMs): the small Asian mongoose (SAM) and Japanese weasel (JW). The SAM is found on the main island of Okinawa, Japan, where a large number of livestock is available, and the JW is present on a small island, where is isolated from the main island, and have a small number of livestock. We focused on the two IAMs, inhabiting under the different environments, and compared their prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli. In the comparison of the frequencies of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates between the SAM and JW, JW showed significantly higher prevalence of resistance against three drugs, ampicillin, chlortetracycline and nalidixic acid, compared with SAM's test results (P<0.05). The bla(TEM) gene and the aph1 gene were detected in 35 subjects (91%) of ampicillin-resistant isolates and 6 subjects (100%) of kanamycin-resistant isolates, respectively. The tet (A) gene was detected in 62 subjects (46%) of CTC-resistant isolates, and the tet (B) gene was detected in 25 subjects (8%) of those in IAM. The present results suggest that some IAMs were the carrier of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and their genes, and the frequencies of these resistances were different between two IAM species.

Physical body parameters of red-crowned cranes Grus japonensis by sex and life stage in eastern Hokkaido, Japan.

PubMed

Inoue, Masako; Shimura, Ryoji; Uebayashi, Akiko; Ikoma, Shinobu; Iima, Hiroko; Sumiyoshi, Takashi; Teraoka, Hiroki; Makita, Kohei; Hiraga, Takeo; Momose, Kunikazu; Masatomi, Hiroyuki

2013-01-01

Red-crowned (or Japanese) cranes Grus japonensis are native to eastern Hokkaido, Japan--the island population, and mainland Asia--the continental population that migrates from breeding grounds along the Amur River Basin to winter in east China and the Korean Peninsula. The island population was reduced to about 50-60 birds in early part of the 20th century. Since 1950s, the population has increased to more than 1,300 as a consequence of human-provided food in winter, resulted in change of their habitats and food resource. From the carcasses of 284 wild cranes from the island population, collected in Hokkaido since 1976 until 2010, we measured six physical parameters (body weight and lengths of body, wing, tarsus, tail and exposed culmen) and divided into groups by sex and three developmental stages (juvenile, yearling and adult). All parameters of males were larger than those of females at the same stage. Total body length of females tends to grow up earlier than males, in contrast to body weight. Obvious time trends were not observed in these all parameters during 34 years for these six categories measured, except total length of male juveniles, which showed a significant increasing trend. These results provide the first extensive data on body size and mass in the wild red-crowned cranes.

Back-arc spreading of the northern Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands arc clarified by GPS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, Takuya

2011-11-01

We examined GPS data in the northwestern Pacific region, which includes the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin)-Mariana (IBM) arc and the Japan arc. GPS velocity vectors on the Izu Islands, including Hachijo-jima and Aoga-shima, show systematic eastward movement deviating from that predicted by the rigid rotation of the Philippine Sea plate; this deviation supports the active back-arc spreading model suggested by previous geological studies. The results of a statistical F-test analysis with 99% confidence level showed that the forearc of the Izu Islands arc has an independent motion with respect to the rigid part of the Philippine Sea plate. We developed a kinematic block-fault model to estimate both rigid rotations of crustal blocks and elastic deformation due to locked faults on the block boundaries. The model suggests that the back-arc opening rate along the Izu back-arc rift zone ranges from 2 mm/yr at its southern end to 9 mm/yr near Miyake-jima, its northern end. It also predicts 23-28 mm/yr of relative motion along the Sagami Trough in the direction of ~ N25°W, where the Izu forearc subducts beneath central Japan. The orientation of this motion is supported by slip vectors of recent medium-size earthquakes, repeated slow-slip events, and the 1923 M = 7.9 Kanto earthquake.

The presence of tick-borne diseases in domestic dogs and cats living on Iriomote-jima and Tsushima islands

PubMed Central

JIKUYA, Mao; TATENO, Morihiro; TAKAHASHI, Masashi; ENDO, Yasuyuki

2017-01-01

The Iriomote cat and Tsushima leopard cat are endangered wildcats in Japan and inhabit only Iriomote-jima and Tsushima islands, respectively. Domestic dogs and cats living on Iriomote-jima and Tsushima islands were surveyed to clarify the interrelationship between wildcats and domestic animals regarding tick-borne disease transmission. Pathogen-derived DNA in blood samples was detected by polymerase chain reaction. Babesia gibsoni was detected in dogs of Iriomote-jima, and Hepatozoon felis and hemoplasmas were detected in domestic cats of Tsushima. Because the H. felis detected in this study was closely related to that isolated from wildcats, we suspect that common H. felis is harbored and transmitted among wildcats and domestic cats via ticks in Tsushima. PMID:28484147

DUPAL anomaly in the Sea of Japan: Pb, Nd, and Sr isotopic variations at the eastern Eurasian continental margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tatsumoto, M.; Nakamura, Y.

1991-01-01

Volcanic rocks from the eastern Eurasian plate margin (southwestern Japan, the Sea of Japan, and northeastern China) show enriched (EMI) component signatures. Volcanic rocks from the Ulreung and Dog Islands in the Sea of Japan show typical DUPAL anomaly characteristics with extremely high ??208/204 Pb (up to 143) and enriched Nd and Sr isotopic compositions (??{lunate}Nd = -3 to -5, 87Sr 86Sr = ~0.705). The ??208/204 Pb values are similar to those associated with the DUPAL anomaly (up to 140) in the southern hemisphere. Because the EMI characteristics of basalts from the Sea of Japan are more extreme than those of southwestern Japan and inland China basalts, we propose that old mantle lithosphere was metasomatized early (prior to the Proterozoic) with subduction-related fluids (not present subduction system) so that it has been slightly enriched in incompatible elements and has had a high Th/U for a long time. The results of this study support the idea that the old subcontinental mantle lithosphere is the source for EMI of oceanic basalts, and that EMI does not need to be stored at the core/ mantle boundary layer for a long time. Dredged samples from seamounts and knolls from the Yamato Basin Ridge in the Sea of Japan show similar isotopic characteristics to basalts from the Mariana arc, supporting the idea that the Yamato Basin Ridge is a spreading center causing separation of the northeast Japan Arc from Eurasia. ?? 1991.

Occurrence of human respiratory syncytial virus in summer in Japan.

PubMed

Shobugawa, Y; Takeuchi, T; Hibino, A; Hassan, M R; Yagami, R; Kondo, H; Odagiri, T; Saito, R

2017-01-01

In temperate zones, human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) outbreaks typically occur in cold weather, i.e. in late autumn and winter. However, recent outbreaks in Japan have tended to start during summer and autumn. This study examined associations of meteorological conditions with the numbers of HRSV cases reported in summer in Japan. Using data from the HRSV national surveillance system and national meteorological data for summer during the period 2007-2014, we utilized negative binomial logistic regression analysis to identify associations between meteorological conditions and reported cases of HRSV. HRSV cases increased when summer temperatures rose and when relative humidity increased. Consideration of the interaction term temperature × relative humidity enabled us to show synergistic effects of high temperature with HRSV occurrence. In particular, HRSV cases synergistically increased when relative humidity increased while the temperature was ⩾28·2 °C. Seasonal-trend decomposition analysis using the HRSV national surveillance data divided by 11 climate divisions showed that summer HRSV cases occurred in South Japan (Okinawa Island), Kyushu, and Nankai climate divisions, which are located in southwest Japan. Higher temperature and higher relative humidity were necessary conditions for HRSV occurrence in summer in Japan. Paediatricians in temperate zones should be mindful of possible HRSV cases in summer, when suitable conditions are present.

Pathogenic substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A in SLC26A4 in patients of Okinawa Islands with enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome or Pendred syndrome.

PubMed

Ganaha, Akira; Kaname, Tadashi; Yanagi, Kumiko; Naritomi, Kenji; Tono, Tetsuya; Usami, Shin-ichi; Suzuki, Mikio

2013-05-24

Pendred syndrome (PS) and nonsyndromic hearing loss associated with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) are caused by SLC26A4 mutations. The Okinawa Islands are the southwestern-most islands of the Japanese archipelago. And ancestral differences have been reported between people from Okinawa Island and those from the main islands of Japan. To confirm the ethnic variation of the spectrum of SLC26A4 mutations, we investigated the frequencies of SLC26A4 mutations and clinical manifestations of patients with EVA or PS living in the Okinawa Islands. We examined 22 patients with EVA or PS from 21 unrelated families in Okinawa Islands. The patient's clinical history, findings of physical and otoscopic examinations, hearing test, and computed tomography (CT) scan of the temporal bones were recorded. To detect mutations, all 21 exons and the exon-intron junctions of SLC26A4 were sequenced for all subjects. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for SLC26A4 and calculations using the comparative CT (2(-ΔΔCT)) method were used to determine the pathogenicity associated with gene substitutions. SLC26A4 mutations were identified in 21 of the 22 patients. We found a compound heterozygous mutation for IVS15 + 5G > A/H723R in nine patients (41%), a homozygous substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A in six patients (27%), and homozygous mutation for H723R in five patients (23%). The most prevalent types of SLC26A4 alleles were IVS15 + 5G > A and H723R, which both accounted for 15/22 (68%) of the patients. There were no significant correlations between the types of SLC26A4 mutation and clinical manifestations. Based on qRT-PCR results, expression of SLC26A4 was not identified in patients with the homozygous substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A. The substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A in SLC26A4 was the most common mutation in uniquely found in patients with PS and EVA in Okinawa Islands. This suggested that the spectrum of SLC26A4 mutation differed from main islands of Japan and other East Asian countries. The substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A leads to a loss of SLC26A expression and results in a phenotype of PS and EVA.

Pathogenic substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A in SLC26A4 in patients of Okinawa Islands with enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome or Pendred syndrome

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Pendred syndrome (PS) and nonsyndromic hearing loss associated with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) are caused by SLC26A4 mutations. The Okinawa Islands are the southwestern-most islands of the Japanese archipelago. And ancestral differences have been reported between people from Okinawa Island and those from the main islands of Japan. To confirm the ethnic variation of the spectrum of SLC26A4 mutations, we investigated the frequencies of SLC26A4 mutations and clinical manifestations of patients with EVA or PS living in the Okinawa Islands. Methods We examined 22 patients with EVA or PS from 21 unrelated families in Okinawa Islands. The patient’s clinical history, findings of physical and otoscopic examinations, hearing test, and computed tomography (CT) scan of the temporal bones were recorded. To detect mutations, all 21 exons and the exon–intron junctions of SLC26A4 were sequenced for all subjects. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for SLC26A4 and calculations using the comparative CT (2−ΔΔCT) method were used to determine the pathogenicity associated with gene substitutions. Results SLC26A4 mutations were identified in 21 of the 22 patients. We found a compound heterozygous mutation for IVS15 + 5G > A/H723R in nine patients (41%), a homozygous substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A in six patients (27%), and homozygous mutation for H723R in five patients (23%). The most prevalent types of SLC26A4 alleles were IVS15 + 5G > A and H723R, which both accounted for 15/22 (68%) of the patients. There were no significant correlations between the types of SLC26A4 mutation and clinical manifestations. Based on qRT-PCR results, expression of SLC26A4 was not identified in patients with the homozygous substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A. Conclusions The substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A in SLC26A4 was the most common mutation in uniquely found in patients with PS and EVA in Okinawa Islands. This suggested that the spectrum of SLC26A4 mutation differed from main islands of Japan and other East Asian countries. The substitution of IVS15 + 5G > A leads to a loss of SLC26A expression and results in a phenotype of PS and EVA. PMID:23705809

Bark beetle Polygraphus proximus: a new aggressive far eastern invader on Abies species in Siberia and European Russia

Treesearch

Yuri Baranchikov; Evgeniy Akulov; Sergey Astapenko

2011-01-01

Polygraphus proximus Brandford (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) is a common feeder on Far Eastern firs: Abies nephrolepis, A. hollophyll, and A. sachalinensis. Its native range occupies northeastern China, Korea, Japan, Kurile and Sakhalin Islands, and the southern part of the Russian Far East (Primorskiy and...

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-28

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Entamoeba marina n. sp.; a New Species of Entamoeba Isolated from Tidal Flat Sediment of Iriomote Island, Okinawa, Japan.

PubMed

Shiratori, Takashi; Ishida, Ken-Ichiro

2016-05-01

The genus Entamoeba includes anaerobic lobose amoebae, most of which are parasites of various vertebrates and invertebrates. We report a new Entamoeba species, E. marina n. sp. that was isolated from a sample of tidal flat sediment collected at Iriomote Island, Okinawa, Japan. Trophozoites of E. marina were 12.8-32.1 μm in length and 6.8-15.9 μm in width, whereas the cysts were 8.9-15.8 μm in diam. and contained four nuclei. The E. marina cells contained a rounded nucleus with a small centric karyosome and uniformly arranged peripheral chromatin. Although E. marina is morphologically indistinguishable from other tetranucleated cyst-forming Entamoeba species, E. marina can be distinguished from them based on the combination of molecular phylogenetic analyses using SSU rDNA gene and the difference of collection sites. Therefore, we propose E. marina as a new species of the genus Entamoeba. © 2015 The Author(s) Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology © 2015 International Society of Protistologists.

Evaluation of raw nepodin extraction from Rumex japonicus and R. obtusifolius and their DNA polymorphisms.

PubMed

Minami, Motoyasu; Mori, Takako; Yonezawa, Takayuki; Saito, Yukiko; Teruya, Toshiaki; Woo, Je-Tae

2018-01-01

Nepodin, found in the roots of Rumex japonicus Houtt. (Polygonaceae), inhibits osteoclast differentiation and has an antidiabetic effect. We propose nepodin as an ingredient of new functional foods or as a drug candidate for reducing the risk of reduced locomotion resulting from diseases such as osteoporosis. Although there are no previous reports of R. obtusifolius L., which is found throughout Japan, having roots containing nepodin, we found nepodin in the roots of this species. Therefore, R. obtusifolius as well as R. japonicus was considered a candidate raw material for nepodin extraction. We also discuss the suitability of R. japonicus and R. obtusifolius as sources of raw nepodin for cultivation on the Ryukyu Islands. In this study, all specimens on the Ryukyu Islands were identified as R. japonicus. Conversely, all specimens on mainland Japan were R. obtusifolius. The DNA sequence of the chloroplast trnL-trnF intergenic spacer region and partial nuclear internal transcribed spacer was consistent with the identification of R. japonicus and R. obtusifolius by morphological characteristics of the perianth segments. Therefore, to avoid erroneous identification and misuse of the plant species used for extraction of raw materials, it is preferable to develop DNA markers for these two regions. The content of nepodin varied from undetectable to 0.34% of the fresh weight (%FW) in R. japonicus and from undetectable to 0.21%FW in R. obtusifolius. From a pharmacological perspective, as plants that might be suitable as raw materials for nepodin extraction, it became clear that both R. japonicus and R. obtusifolius can be used with the same expected extraction efficiency. Based on our findings, R. obtusifolius could not be confirmed as inhabiting the Ryukyu Islands. For this reason, to conserve the endemic genetic characteristics of the Ryukyu Islands and to prevent genetic pollution by R. obtusifolius, only R. japonicus should be cultivated on the Ryukyu Islands.

Variation in the biomass density and demography of Antarctic krill in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands during the 1999/2000 austral summer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hewitt, R. P.; Kim, S.; Naganobu, M.; Gutierrez, M.; Kang, D.; Takao, Y.; Quinones, J.; Lee, Y.-H.; Shin, H.-C.; Kawaguchi, S.; Emery, J. H.; Demer, D. A.; Loeb, V. J.

2004-06-01

Vessels from Japan, Peru, and the USA conducted four sequential surveys designed to estimate the biomass density and demography of Antarctic krill in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands between late December 1999 and early March 2000. The surveys were conducted during the same austral summer as the CCAMLR 2000 Survey in the Scotia Sea (Watkins et al., Deep-Sea Research, II, this issue [doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2004.06.010]), and the data were analyzed in a similar manner. Biomass densities were not significantly different between the surveys and averaged 49 g m -2. Maps of krill biomass indicate three areas of consistently high density: one near the eastern end of Elephant Island, one mid-way between Elephant Island and King George Island, and one near Cape Shirreff on the north side of Livingston Island. The areas of highest krill density appeared to move closer to the shelf break as the season progressed. This apparent movement was accompanied by a change in the demographic structure of the population, with smaller krill absent and a larger proportion of sexually mature animals present in late summer.

The seductive superego: the trauma of self-betrayal.

PubMed

Josephs, L

2001-08-01

The author describes a pathological manifestation of the approving superego that functions as a perversely seductive superego. In this process, the seductive superego rationalises and makes ego-syntonic a gratification of forbidden wishes that will result in unconscious punishment. The author argues that the seductive superego torments the self by teasing it with the presence of a tantalising but forbidden object of desire and then by inflicting shame on the self for its timidity, which prevents it from pursuing the object in spite of the dangers. He suggests that the seductive superego inflicts a betrayal trauma upon the self by unconsciously actualising a sado-masochistic fantasy of seduction, surrender and betrayal, along with a humiliating punishment for surrendering.

Threatened pollination systems in native flora of the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands.

PubMed

Abe, Tetsuto

2006-08-01

Various alien species have been introduced to the Ogasawara Islands (Japan). A survey was made investigating whether the native pollination systems fit an 'island syndrome' (biasing the flora to dioecy, with subdued, inconspicuous flowers) and whether alien species have disrupted the native pollination network. Flower visitors and floral traits were determined in the field (12 islands) and from the literature. Associations among floral traits such as sexual expression, flower colour and flower shape were tested. Among the 269 native flowering plants, 74.7 % are hermaphroditic, 13.0 % are dioecious and 7.1 % are monoecious. Classification by flower colour revealed that 36.0 % were white, 21.6 % green and 13.8 % yellow. Woody species (trees and shrubs) comprised 36.5 % of the flora and were associated with dioecy and white flowers. Solitary, endemic small bees were the dominant flower visitors and visited 66.7 % of the observed species on satellite islands where the native pollination networks are preserved. In contrast to the situation on the satellite islands, introduced honeybees were the most dominant pollinator (visiting 60.1 % of observed species) on the two main islands, Chichi-jima and Haha-jima, and had spread to satellite islands near Chichi-jima Island. The island syndrome for pollination systems in the Ogasawara Islands was evident in a high percentage of dioecious species, the subdued colour of the native flora and solitary flower visitors on satellite islands. The shape and colour adaptations of several flowers suggested native pollination niches for long-proboscis moths and carpenter bees. However, the domination and expansion of introduced honeybees have the potential for disruption of the native pollination network in the two main, and several satellite, islands of the Ogasawara Islands.

Earth observation image of Von Karman Vortices taken during STS-100

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-30

STS100-710-182 (19 April-1 May 2001) --- Easily recognizable in this STS-100 70mm frame are phenomena known as the von Karman vortices, which were forming in the stratocumulus field downwind from the volcanic island of Rishiri-to in the northern Sea of Japan off the northwest coast of Hokkaido, Japan. According to NASA scientists studying the STS-100 photo collection, these features form when a stable atmosphere with low clouds flows past a relatively small obstacle with a height greater than the depth of the cloud layer. Because the atmosphere is stable, a series of eddies form in the moving cloud field.

Lithospheric Contributions to Arc Magmatism: Isotope Variations Along Strike in Volcanoes of Honshu, Japan

PubMed

Kersting; Arculus; Gust

1996-06-07

Major chemical exchange between the crust and mantle occurs in subduction zone environments, profoundly affecting the chemical evolution of Earth. The relative contributions of the subducting slab, mantle wedge, and arc lithosphere to the generation of island arc magmas, and ultimately new continental crust, are controversial. Isotopic data for lavas from a transect of volcanoes in a single arc segment of northern Honshu, Japan, have distinct variations coincident with changes in crustal lithology. These data imply that the relatively thin crustal lithosphere is an active geochemical filter for all traversing magmas and is responsible for significant modification of primary mantle melts.

Typhoon Chataan off Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Slowly winding its way down, Typhoon Chataan had dropped to tropical storm status by Thursday, July 11, 2002, when this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was captured. In the image, the storm is located off the east coast of central Japan in the Pacific Ocean. The storm is much less organized than it was in the previous day's image. Through a gap in the clouds to the southwest of the storm's eye, Tokyo can be seen as a grayish cluster of pixels surrounding a small bay or inlet that protrudes into the island of Honshu. Credit: Image courtesy Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory; data provided by the MODIS Land Rapid Response Team

Effects of an increase in population of sika deer on beetle communities in deciduous forests.

PubMed

Iida, Taichi; Soga, Masashi; Koike, Shinsuke

2016-01-01

The overabundance of large herbivores is now recognized as a serious ecological problem. However, the resulting ecological consequences remain poorly understood. The ecological effects of an increase in sika deer, Cervus nippon Temminck (Cervidae), on three insect groups of beetles was investigated: ground beetles (Carabidae), carrion beetles (Silphidae), and dung beetles (Scarabaeidae and Geotrupidae) on Nakanoshima Island, Hokkaido, northern Japan. We collected beetles on Nakanoshima Island (experimental site) and lakeshore areas (control site) and compared the species richness, abundance, diversity index, and community composition of beetles between the sites. Results showed that although both species diversity and abundance of carabid beetles were significantly higher at the lakeshore site, those of dung and carrion beetles were higher at the island site. It was additionally observed that abundance of larger carabid beetles was higher at the lakeshore site, whereas that of small-sized carabid beetles did not differ between the lakeshore and island sites. For dung beetles, abundance of smaller species was higher at the island site, whereas that of large species did not differ between the lakeshore and island sites. Abundance of two body sizes (small and large) of carrion beetles were both higher at the island site. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrated that an increase in deer population altered the insect assemblages at an island scale, suggesting further changes in ecosystem functions and services in this region.

Observation of coral reefs on Ishigaki Island, Japan, using Landsat TM images and aerial photographs

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

Matsunaga, Tsuneo; Kayanne, Hajime

1997-06-01

Ishigaki Island is located at the southwestern end of Japanese Islands and famous for its fringing coral reefs. More than twenty LANDSAT TM images in twelve years and aerial photographs taken on 1977 and 1994 were used to survey two shallow reefs on this island, Shiraho and Kabira. Intensive field surveys were also conducted in 1995. All satellite images of Shiraho were geometrically corrected and overlaid to construct a multi-date satellite data set. The effects of solar elevation and tide on satellite imagery were studied with this data set. The comparison of aerial and satellite images indicated that significant changesmore » occurred between 1977 and 1984 in Kabira: rapid formation in the western part and decrease in the eastern part of dark patches. The field surveys revealed that newly formed dark patches in the west contain young corals. These results suggest that remote sensing is useful for not only mapping but also monitoring of shallow coral reefs.« less

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) in the Okhotsk culture (5th–10th century AD) of northern Japan and the role of cultivated plants in hunter–gatherer economies

PubMed Central

Sergusheva, Elena A.; Müller, Stefanie; Spengler, Robert N.; Goslar, Tomasz; Kato, Hirofumi; Wagner, Mayke; Weber, Andrzej W.; Tarasov, Pavel E.

2017-01-01

This paper discusses archaeobotanical remains of naked barley recovered from the Okhotsk cultural layers of the Hamanaka 2 archaeological site on Rebun Island, northern Japan. Calibrated ages (68% confidence interval) of the directly dated barley remains suggest that the crop was used at the site ca. 440–890 cal yr AD. Together with the finds from the Oumu site (north-eastern Hokkaido Island), the recovered seed assemblage marks the oldest well-documented evidence for the use of barley in the Hokkaido Region. The archaeobotanical data together with the results of a detailed pollen analysis of contemporaneous sediment layers from the bottom of nearby Lake Kushu point to low-level food production, including cultivation of barley and possible management of wild plants that complemented a wide range of foods derived from hunting, fishing, and gathering. This qualifies the people of the Okhotsk culture as one element of the long-term and spatially broader Holocene hunter–gatherer cultural complex (including also Jomon, Epi-Jomon, Satsumon, and Ainu cultures) of the Japanese archipelago, which may be placed somewhere between the traditionally accepted boundaries between foraging and agriculture. To our knowledge, the archaeobotanical assemblages from the Hokkaido Okhotsk culture sites highlight the north-eastern limit of prehistoric barley dispersal. Seed morphological characteristics identify two different barley phenotypes in the Hokkaido Region. One compact type (naked barley) associated with the Okhotsk culture and a less compact type (hulled barley) associated with Early–Middle Satsumon culture sites. This supports earlier suggestions that the “Satsumon type” barley was likely propagated by the expansion of the Yayoi culture via south-western Japan, while the “Okhotsk type” spread from the continental Russian Far East region, across the Sea of Japan. After the two phenotypes were independently introduced to Hokkaido, the boundary between both barley domains possibly existed ca. 600–1000 cal yr AD across the island region. Despite a large body of studies and numerous theoretical and conceptual debates, the question of how to differentiate between hunter–gatherer and farming economies persists reflecting the wide range of dynamic subsistence strategies used by humans through the Holocene. Our current study contributes to the ongoing discussion of this important issue. PMID:28355249

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) in the Okhotsk culture (5th-10th century AD) of northern Japan and the role of cultivated plants in hunter-gatherer economies.

PubMed

Leipe, Christian; Sergusheva, Elena A; Müller, Stefanie; Spengler, Robert N; Goslar, Tomasz; Kato, Hirofumi; Wagner, Mayke; Weber, Andrzej W; Tarasov, Pavel E

2017-01-01

This paper discusses archaeobotanical remains of naked barley recovered from the Okhotsk cultural layers of the Hamanaka 2 archaeological site on Rebun Island, northern Japan. Calibrated ages (68% confidence interval) of the directly dated barley remains suggest that the crop was used at the site ca. 440-890 cal yr AD. Together with the finds from the Oumu site (north-eastern Hokkaido Island), the recovered seed assemblage marks the oldest well-documented evidence for the use of barley in the Hokkaido Region. The archaeobotanical data together with the results of a detailed pollen analysis of contemporaneous sediment layers from the bottom of nearby Lake Kushu point to low-level food production, including cultivation of barley and possible management of wild plants that complemented a wide range of foods derived from hunting, fishing, and gathering. This qualifies the people of the Okhotsk culture as one element of the long-term and spatially broader Holocene hunter-gatherer cultural complex (including also Jomon, Epi-Jomon, Satsumon, and Ainu cultures) of the Japanese archipelago, which may be placed somewhere between the traditionally accepted boundaries between foraging and agriculture. To our knowledge, the archaeobotanical assemblages from the Hokkaido Okhotsk culture sites highlight the north-eastern limit of prehistoric barley dispersal. Seed morphological characteristics identify two different barley phenotypes in the Hokkaido Region. One compact type (naked barley) associated with the Okhotsk culture and a less compact type (hulled barley) associated with Early-Middle Satsumon culture sites. This supports earlier suggestions that the "Satsumon type" barley was likely propagated by the expansion of the Yayoi culture via south-western Japan, while the "Okhotsk type" spread from the continental Russian Far East region, across the Sea of Japan. After the two phenotypes were independently introduced to Hokkaido, the boundary between both barley domains possibly existed ca. 600-1000 cal yr AD across the island region. Despite a large body of studies and numerous theoretical and conceptual debates, the question of how to differentiate between hunter-gatherer and farming economies persists reflecting the wide range of dynamic subsistence strategies used by humans through the Holocene. Our current study contributes to the ongoing discussion of this important issue.

[Distribution and origin of plastic resin pellets as environmental pollutants at the East China Sea area].

PubMed

Kaminuma, T; Ohtake, C; Kabuyama, N

2000-01-01

Plastic debris are important marine pollutants. Plastic debris consist of resin pellets and waste plastics. We are particularly interested in resin pellets. We made field survey of resin pellets at nearly 400 sites in 200 beaches in Japan and neighboring countries. The pellets were found at all most all Japan coasts we surveyed and at some beaches of Macao, Hong Kong, Xiamen, the north of Taipei, and Cheju Island in Korea. The number of pellets was more than 1000 pieces per m2 on the most abundant beach in Japan. Through further analysis using GC/ECD, endocrine disrupting chemicals, PCBs, DDTs, HCHs and Nonylphenol were detected in selected samples. Biota such as Bryozoa were observed on the surface of pellets washed up on the beaches in subtropical areas. Pellets has been suspected to affect wildlife and human health, but we have no report on affection to human.

Regional and local variations in atmospheric aerosols using ground-based sun photometry during Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON) in 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Itaru; Mukai, Sonoyo; Nakata, Makiko; Holben, Brent N.

2016-11-01

Aerosol mass concentrations are affected by local emissions as well as long-range transboundary (LRT) aerosols. This work investigates regional and local variations of aerosols based on Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON). We constructed DRAGON-Japan and DRAGON-Osaka in spring of 2012. The former network covers almost all of Japan in order to obtain aerosol information in regional scale over Japanese islands. It was determined from the DRAGON-Japan campaign that the values of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) decrease from west to east during an aerosol episode. In fact, the highest AOT was recorded at Fukue Island at the western end of the network, and the value was much higher than that of urban areas. The latter network (DRAGON-Osaka) was set as a dense instrument network in the megalopolis of Osaka, with a population of 12 million, to better understand local aerosol dynamics in urban areas. AOT was further measured with a mobile sun photometer attached to a car. This transect information showed that aerosol concentrations rapidly changed in time and space together when most of the Osaka area was covered with moderate LRT aerosols. The combined use of the dense instrument network (DRAGON-Osaka) and high-frequency measurements provides the motion of aerosol advection, which coincides with the wind vector around the layer between 700 and 850 hPa as provided by the reanalysis data of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).

Regional and Local Variations in Atmospheric Aerosols Using Ground-Based Sun Photometry During Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON) in 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sano, Itaru; Mukai, Sonoyo; Nakata, Makiko; Holben, Brent N.

2016-01-01

Aerosol mass concentrations are affected by local emissions as well as long-range transboundary (LRT) aerosols. This work investigates regional and local variations of aerosols based on Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON).We constructed DRAGON-Japan and DRAGON-Osaka in spring of 2012. The former network covers almost all of Japan in order to obtain aerosol information in regional scale over Japanese islands. It was determined from the DRAGON-Japan campaign that the values of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) decrease from west to east during an aerosol episode. In fact, the highest AOT was recorded at Fukue Island at the western end of the network, and the value was much higher than that of urban areas. The latter network (DRAGON-Osaka) was set as a dense instrument network in the megalopolis of Osaka, with a population of 12 million, to better understand local aerosol dynamics in urban areas. AOT was further measured with a mobile sun photometer attached to a car. This transect information showed that aerosol concentrations rapidly changed in time and space together when most of the Osaka area was covered with moderate LRT aerosols. The combined use of the dense instrument network (DRAGON-Osaka) and high-frequency measurements provides the motion of aerosol advection, which coincides with the wind vector around the layer between 700 and 850 hPa as provided by the reanalysis data of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).

Halechiniscidae (Heterotardigrada, Arthrotardigrada) of Oura Bay, Okinawajima, Ryukyu Islands, with descriptions of three new species

PubMed Central

Fujimoto, Shinta

2015-01-01

Abstract Marine tardigrades of the family Halechiniscidae (Heterotardigrada: Arthrotardigrada) are reported from Oura Bay, Okinawajima, one of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, including Dipodarctus sp., Florarctus wunai sp. n., Halechiniscus churakaagii sp. n., Halechiniscus yanakaagii sp. n. and Styraconyx sp. The attributes distinguishing Florarctus wunai sp. n. from its congeners is a combination of two characters, the smooth dorsal cuticle and two small projections of the caudal alae caestus. Halechiniscus churakaagii sp. n. is differentiated from its congeners by the combination of two characters, the robust cephalic cirrophores and the scapular processes with flat oval tips, while Halechiniscus yanakaagii sp. n. can be identified by the laterally protruded arched double processes with acute tips situated dorsally at the level of leg I. A list of marine tardigrades reported from the Ryukyu Islands is provided. PMID:25755627

Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2007, Kuril-Kamchatka Arc and Vicinity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rhea, Susan; Tarr, Arthur C.; Hayes, Gavin P.; Villaseñor, Antonio; Furlong, Kevin P.; Benz, Harley

2010-01-01

This map shows details of the Kuril-Kamchatka arc not visible in an earlier publication, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3064. The arc extends about 2,100 km from Hokkaido, Japan, along the Kuril Islands and the pacific coast of the Kamchatka, Russia, peninsula to its intersection with the Aleutian arc near the Commander Islands, Russia. It marks the region where the Pacific plate subducts into the mantle beneath the Okhotsk microplate, a part of the larger North America plate. This subduction is responsible for the generation of the Kuril Islands chain and the deep offshore Kuril-Kamchatka trench. Relative to a fixed North America plate, the Pacific plate is moving northwest at a rate that decreases from 83 mm per year at the arc's southern end to 75 mm per year near its northern edge.

The Pacific tsunami warning system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pararas-Carayannis, G.

1986-01-01

The impact of tsunamis on human societies can be traced back in written history to 480 BC, when the Minoan civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean was wiped out by great tsunami waves generated by the volcanic explosion of the island of Santorin. In the Pacific Ocean where the majority of these waves have been generated, the historical record, although brief, shows tremendous destruction. In Japan which has one of the most populated coastal regions in the world and a long history of earthquake activity, tsunamis have destroyed entire coastal communities. There is also history of tsunami destruction in Alaska, in Hawaiian Islands, and in South America. 

A Descriptive Analysis of Pointing and Oral Movements in a Home Sign System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torigoe, Takashi; Takei, Wataru

2002-01-01

Discussed a social survey on communication among deaf people who had no formal schooling. Participants were deaf individuals who lived in the Okinawa Islands of Japan. Reveals many elderly deaf people had no formal education, no access to conventional sign languages during childhood, and no contact with a Deaf community. Despite this, most…

First description of the male of Hitobia makotoi Kamura, 2011 (Araneae, Gnaphosidae)

PubMed Central

Zhou, Bing; Yin, Haiqiang; Xu, Xiang

2016-01-01

Abstract The male of Hitobia makotoi Kamura, 2011 is described for the first time from Hengshan Mountain, Hunan Province, China. This species was originally described from Amami-ôshim Island, Japan and has been recorded from Gaoligong Mountain, Yunnan Province, China. Morphological descriptions and illustrations of both sexes of this species are given. PMID:27110199

Assessing tsunami-induced groundwater salinization and its temporal change: a numerical modelling study on the Niijima Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiaqi; Tokunaga, Tomochika

2016-04-01

Groundwater is vulnerable to many natural hazards, including tsunami. As reported after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, the generated massive tsunami inundations resulted in unexpected groundwater salinization in coastal areas. Water supply was strongly disturbed due to the significantly elevated salinity in groundwater. Supplying fresh water is one of the prioritized concerns in the immediate aftermath of disaster, and during long-term post-disaster reconstruction as well. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of tsunami on coastal groundwater system and provide guidelines on managing water resources in post-tsunami period. We selected the study area as the Niijima Island, a tsunami-prone area in Japan, which is under the risk of being attacked by a devastated tsunami with its wave height up to 30 m. A three-dimension (3-D) numerical model of the groundwater system on the Niijima Island was developed by using the simulation code FEFLOW which can handle both density- dependent groundwater flow and saturated-unsaturated flow processes. The model was justified by the measured water table data obtained from the field work in July, 2015. By using this model, we investigated saltwater intrusion and aquifer recovery process under different tsunami scenarios. Modelling results showed that saltwater could fully saturate the vadose zone and come into contact with groundwater table in just 10 mins. The 0.6 km2 of inundation area introduced salt mass equivalent to approximately 9×104 t of NaCl into the vadose zone. After the retreat of tsunami waves, the remained saltwater in vadose zone continuously intruded into the groundwater and dramatically salinized the aquifer up to about 10,000 mg/L. In the worst tsunami scenario, it took more than 10 years for the polluted aquifer to be entirely recovered by natural rainfall. Given that the groundwater is the only freshwater source on the Niijima Island, we can provide suggestions on preparedness of tsunami disasters and guidelines of supplying water resource in post-tsunami period based on these numerical modelling results. This approach has implications for the disaster prevention and the better preparation with respect to tsunami and tsunami-like events such as storm surges on other coastal areas.

Vertebral formula in red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) and hooded crane (Grus monacha).

PubMed

Hiraga, Takeo; Sakamoto, Haruka; Nishikawa, Sayaka; Muneuchi, Ippei; Ueda, Hiromi; Inoue, Masako; Shimura, Ryoji; Uebayashi, Akiko; Yasuda, Nobuhiro; Momose, Kunikazu; Masatomi, Hiroyuki; Teraoka, Hiroki

2014-04-01

Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) are distributed separately in the east Eurasian Continent (continental population) and in Hokkaido, Japan (island population). The island population is sedentary in eastern Hokkaido and has increased from a very small number of cranes to over 1,300, thus giving rise to the problem of poor genetic diversity. While, Hooded cranes (Grus monacha), which migrate from the east Eurasian Continent and winter mainly in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, are about eight-time larger than the island population of Red-crowned cranes. We collected whole bodies of these two species, found dead or moribund in eastern Hokkaido and in Izumi, and observed skeletons with focus on vertebral formula. Numbers of cervical vertebrae (Cs), thoracic vertebrae (Ts), vertebrae composing the synsacrum (Sa) and free coccygeal vertebrae (free Cos) in 22 Red-crowned cranes were 17 or 18, 9-11, 13 or 14 and 7 or 8, respectively. Total number of vertebrae was 47, 48 or 49, and the vertebral formula was divided into three types including 9 sub-types. Numbers of Cs, Ts, vertebrae composing the Sa and free Cos in 25 Hooded cranes were 17 or 18, 9 or 10, 12-14 and 6-8, respectively. Total number of vertebrae was 46, 47, 48 or 49, and the vertebral formula was divided into four types including 14 sub-types. Our findings clearly showed various numerical vertebral patterns in both crane species; however, these variations in the vertebral formula may be unrelated to the genetic diversity.

Mantle Metasomatism under Island Arcs, Magnetic Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, S. A.; Ferre, E. C.; Arai, S.

2013-12-01

The wedge of upper mantle beneath oceanic and island arcs receives an abundant flux of fluids derived from dehydration of subducted slabs. These fluids may cause metasomatism, serpentinization or partial melting at increasing distance from the trench. Each one of these processes profoundly modifies the oxygen fugacity, mineral assemblage, rheology and seismic properties of mantle rocks. Mantle xenoliths in arcs are relatively rare compared to other tectonic settings yet, due to their rapid ascent, they provide the best record of mantle rocks at depth. Previous studies on the metasomatism of the arc mantle wedge focused on the geochemistry and mineralogy of these xenoliths. Here we present new rock magnetic and paleomagnetic results to track changes in the magnetic assemblage of mantle peridotites. Peridotites undergo a wide range of fluid-reactions that involve formation of magnetically remanent phases such as magnetite, maghemite, hematite or monosulfide solutions. Samples for this study originate from three localities displaying different degrees of metasomatism: a) Five samples from Ichinomegata crater, Megata volcano, in NE Japan are characteristically lherzolitic with metasomatic pargasite present; b) Six samples from Kurose, Hakata Bay, in SW Japan are mainly harzburgites that contain rare, late stage metasomatic sulfides; and c) Ten samples from the Iraya volcano, Batan Island, in the Philippines are lherzolites, harzburgites, and dunites that contain metasomatic olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and pargasite. Both remanent and induced magnetizations of these mantle peridotites exhibit systematic variations as a function of the degrees of metasomatism. The contribution of these mantle peridotites to long wavelength magnetic anomalies might be significant.

A modified time-temperature relationship for titanomagnetite and its application to igneous erratic boulders in Hachijo Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonosaki, T.; Nakamura, N.; Goto, K.; Sato, T.; Watanabe, M.

2016-12-01

On land along shore line in an island all over the world, there are many huge boulders which seem that they had been broken and transported by errastic events (such as extreme waves). The presence of boulders on land provides geological evidence that the region had been suffered by ancient tsunami or storm waves, establishing the evaluation of risk-management policies for future disasters. In volcanic island of Hachijo, Japan, there are huge (>5000 kg) andesitic boulder (20 m altitude high), and basaltic boulders (4 m altitude high) which seem that they had been broken from an outcrop and emplaced from it. Because radiocarbon dating can not be applied to volcanic rocks, a magnetic viscous dating might be powerful tool to determine the rotation history of rocks. Tyson Smith and Vrosub (1994) succeeded in revealing the age of landslide basaltic rocks by geological evidence, using Pullaiah's time-temperature monogram by Neel's relaxation theory of single domain (SD) particles of magnetite (Pullaiah et al. 1975). However, our application of this monogram to igneous boulders fails to determine the age due to a different magnetic mineralogy including titanomagnetite. Therefore, by introducing a modified monogram for single domain particles of titanomagnetite, we tried to reveal a possible reworked age of the boulders. However, our boulders still fail to identify the reworked age. In this presentation, we will present our current situation of the problem and a working hypothesis to solve it.

Field Survey in French Polynesia and Numerical Modeling of the 11 March 2011 Japan Tsunami

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyvernaud, O.; Reymond, D.; Okal, E.; Hebert, H.; Clément, J.; Wong, K.

2011-12-01

We present the field survey and observations of the Japan tsunami of March 2011, in Society and Marquesas islands. Without being catastrophic the tsunami produced some damages in the Marquesas, which are always the most prone to tsunami amplification in French Polynesia: 8 houses were destroyed and inundated (up to 4.5 m of run-up measured). Surprisingly, the maximum run-up was observed on the South-West coast of Nuku Hiva island (a bay open to the opposite direction of the wave-front). In Tahiti, the tsunami was much more moderate, with a maximum height observed on the North coast: about 3 m of run-up observed, corresponding to the highest level of the seasonal oceanic swell without damage (just the main road inundated). These observations are well explained and reproduced by the numerical modeling of the tsunami. The results obtained confirm the exceptional source dimensions. Concerning the real time aspect, the tsunami height has been also rapidly predicted during the context of tsunami warning, with 2 methods: the first uses a database of pre-computed numeric simulations, and the second one uses a formula giving the tsunami amplitude in deep ocean in function of the source parameters (coordinates of the source, scalar moment and fault azimuth) and of the coordinates of the receiver. The population responded responsibly to the evacuation order on the 19 islands involved, helped in part by a favourable arrival time of the wave (7:30 a.m., local time).

Mantle wedge structure beneath the Yamato Basin, southern part of the Japan Sea, revealed by long-term seafloor seismic observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinohara, M.; Nakahigashi, K.; Yamashita, Y.; Yamada, T.; Mochizuki, K.; Shiobara, H.

2016-12-01

The Japanese Islands are located at subduction zones where Philippine Sea (PHS) plate subducts from the southeast beneath the Eurasian plate and the Pacific plate descends from the east beneath the PHS and Eurasian plates and have a high density of seismic stations. Many seismic tomography studies using land seismic station data were conducted to reveal the seismic structure. These studies discussed the relationship between heterogeneous structures and the release of fluids from the subducting slab, magma generation and movement in the subduction zone. However, regional tomography using the land station data did not have a sufficient resolution to image a deep structure beneath the Japan Sea.To obtain the deep structure, observations of natural earthquakes within the Japan Sea are essential. Therefore, we started the repeating long-term seismic observations using ocean bottom seismometers(OBSs) in the Yamato Basin from 2013 to 2016. We apply travel-time tomography method to the regional earthquake and teleseismic arrival-data recorded by OBSs and land stations. In this presentation, we will report the P and S wave tomographic images down to a depth of 300 km beneath the southern part of the Japan Sea. This study was supported by "Integrated Research Project on Seismic and Tsunami Hazards around the Sea of Japan" conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.

Mafic mantle sources indicated by the olivine-spinifex basalt-ferropicrite lavas in the accreted Permian oceanic LIP fragments and Miocene low-Ni basalt and adakite lavas in central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishiwatari, A.; Ichiyama, Y.; Yamazaki, R.; Katsuragi, T.; Tsuchihashi, H.

2008-12-01

Melting of mafic (eclogitic) rocks in the peridotite mantle diapir may be important to generate a large quantity of magma in a short period of time as required for the LIP basaltic magmatism (e.g. Takahashi et al. 1998; EPSL, 162, 63-). Ferropicritic rocks also occur in some LIPs, and Ichiyama et al. (2006; Lithos, 89, 47-) propose a non-peridotitic, Ti- and Fe-rich eclogitic source (recycled oceanic ferrogabbro?) entrained in the peridotitic LIP mantle plume for the origin of ferropicritic rocks, that occur with olivine-spinifex basalt (Ichiyama et al., 2007; Island Arc, 16, 493-) in a Permian LIP fragment that was captured in the Jurassic Tamba accretionary complex in central Japan. Although Ti-poor ferrokomatiitic magma might form through high- degree melting of a primitive chondritic mantle (25wt% MgO and 25wt% Fe+FeO), Ti- and HFSE-rich ferropicritic and meimechitic magmas can not form in this way. On the other hand, Miocene volcanic rocks distributed along the Japan Sea coast of central Japan also represent a product of large-scale arc magmatism that happened coeval to the spreading of the Japan Sea floor. The chemical and isotopic signatures of the magmas are consistent with the secular change of tectonic setting from continental arc (22- 20 Ma) to island arc (15-11 Ma) (Shuto et al. 2006; Lithos, 86, 1-). Some adakites have already been found from these Miocene volcanic rocks by Shuto"fs group, and mafic rock melting in either subducting slab or lower arc crust has been proposed. We have recently found a wide distribution of low-Ni basalt from Fukui City. The low-Ni basalt contains olivine phenocrysts which are one order of magnitude poorer in Ni (less than 0.02 wt% NiO at Fo87) than those in normal basalt (more than 0.2 wt% NiO at Fo87). The rock is also poor in bulk-rock Ni, rich in K and Ti, and may have formed from an olivine-free pyroxenitic source. Close association of adakite and low-Ni basalt with normal tholeiitic basalt, calc-alkaline andesite-dacite-rhyolite, high-Mg andesite and rare picritic basalt suggests melting of a heterogeneous mantle wedge that was abundantly endorsed with eclogitic and pyroxenitic rocks. Melting pressure greatly differs between the ferropicrite case (5 GPa or more) and the low-Ni basalt-adakite case (2 GPa or less), causing large chemical differences. However, common occurrences of non-peridotite-origin magmas in the LIP and island arc suggest pervasive and voluminous distribution of the mafic materials in the peridotitic mantle and their important role in magma genesis at various tectonic settings.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 26 crewmember

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-09

ISS026-E-016287 (9 Jan. 2011) --- Onekotan Island, part of the Russian Federation in the western Pacific Ocean, is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 26 crew member on the International Space Station. Snow cover highlights calderas and volcanic cones that form the northern and southern ends of the island. Calderas are depressions formed when a volcano empties its magma chamber in an explosive eruption, followed by collapse of the overlaying material into the newly evacuated space. The northern end of the island is dominated by the Nemo Peak volcano that began forming within an older caldera approximately 9,500 years ago, according to scientists. The last recorded eruptive activity at Nemo Peak occurred in the early 18th century. The southern end of the island is formed by the 7.5 kilometer wide Tao-Rusyr Caldera. The caldera is filled by Kal’tsevoe Lake and Krenitzyn Peak, a volcano that has only erupted once in recorded history during 1952. Extending between northeastern Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia, the Kuril Islands are an island arc located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. Island arcs form along an active boundary between two tectonic plates where one plate is being driven beneath the other (subduction). Magma generated by the subduction process feeds volcanoes—which eventually form volcanic islands—over the subduction boundary.

Quantitative analysis of Ostracoda and water masses around Japan: Application to Pliocene and Pleistocene paleoceanography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ikeya, Noriyuki; Cronin, Thomas M.

1993-01-01

An ostracode data base consisting of 273 samples from coretops and comprising 226 species was developed for the seas around the Japanese Islands to determine zoogeographic patterns and for application to Pliocene and Pleistocene paleoceanography in the area. Quantitative analyses of the 59 most common taxa between 0 and 300m water depth indicate that ostracode associations are controlled by the main oceanic water masses around Japan and that bottom water temperature is a key factor influencing species distributions. Ostracodes from the following water masses were studied: warm Kuroshio Current, Tsushima Current (Tsugaru Current and Soya Current), Japan Sea intermediate water, Japan Sea proper water and cold Oyashio Current. In order to apply the modem coretop data base to fossil ostracode assemblages, the modem analog technique (MAT) using a squared chord distance (SCD) measure of dissimilarity was tested as a means of comparing fossil and modem assemblages. SCD values of 0.25 or less adequately identify modem analogs from the coretop data set at the local ecological level (i.e. within the same modern bay), while values of 0.25-0.5 identify modem analogs at the level of the zoogeographic province. The MAT method was tested against 3 Pliocene and 11 Pleistocene formations in Japan to examine the use of the MAT in paleoceanographic reconstruction.

Environmental predictors of pre-European deforestation on Pacific islands.

PubMed

Rolett, Barry; Diamond, Jared

2004-09-23

Some Pacific island societies, such as those of Easter Island and Mangareva, inadvertently contributed to their own collapse by causing massive deforestation. Others retained forest cover and survived. How can those fateful differences be explained? Although the answers undoubtedly involve both different cultural responses of peoples and different susceptibilities of environments, how can one determine which environmental factors predispose towards deforestation and which towards replacement of native trees with useful introduced tree species? Here we code European-contact conditions and nine environmental variables for 81 sites on 69 Pacific islands from Yap in the west to Easter in the east, and from Hawaii in the north to New Zealand in the south. We thereby detect statistical decreases in deforestation and/or forest replacement with island rainfall, elevation, area, volcanic ash fallout, Asian dust transport and makatea terrain (uplifted reef), and increases with latitude, age and isolation. Comparative analyses of deforestation therefore lend themselves to much more detailed interpretations than previously possible. These results might be relevant to similar deforestation-associated collapses (for example, Fertile Crescent, Maya and Anasazi) or the lack thereof (Japan and highland New Guinea) elsewhere in the world.

INL Director Discusses Lessons Learned from TMI, Fukushima

ScienceCinema

Grossenbacher, John

2017-12-22

Idaho National Laboratory's Director John Grossenbacher explains how the U.S. nuclear industry has boosted its safety procedures as a result of the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident in 1979 and how the industry plans to use current events at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plants to further enhance safety. For more information about INL's nuclear energy research, visit http://www.facebook.com/idahonationallaboratory.

Draft Genome Sequence of Pediococcus lolii NGRI 0510QT Isolated from Ryegrass Silage

PubMed Central

Mori, Kazuki; Tashiro, Kosuke; Fujino, Yasuhiro; Nagayoshi, Yuko; Hayashi, Yoshiharu; Kuhara, Satoru; Ohshima, Toshihisa

2013-01-01

Pediococcus lolii NGRI 0510QT was isolated from ryegrass silage produced on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Here we present a draft genome sequence for this strain, consisting of 103 contigs for a total of 2,047,078 bp, 2,154 predicted coding sequences, and a G+C content of 42.1%. PMID:23405350

Final Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Housing Privatization Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

Natural Resources NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NLR Noise Level Reduction OSBM Office of State Budget and Management OSHA Occupational...Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) and similar state requirements. Earth Resources—Most of the activities associated with...including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia , Pakistan, or the Philippine Islands; and • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

American and Japanese Kindergartners' Views of Play through the Use of Photo Elicitation Interviews (PEIs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Izumi-Taylor, Satomi; Ito, Yoko; Krisell, Meredith

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine American and Japanese kindergarteners' views of play. The participants consisted of 44 kindergarteners and their five teachers in the southeastern United States and 50 kindergarteners and their three teachers on Japan's main island. Both groups of children were asked to photograph their views of play and to…

Prevention of US-China Armed Conflict Over South China Sea Territorial Disputes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Publishing. October 22, 2012, 21. 11 its regional competitors , China ratified the UNCLOS soon thereafter despite disagreements with how various...support United Nations Security 2 CNBC, “ Toyota China Sales Tank as Islands Row Hits Japan Inc.,” CNBC...itself on China. It talks of fostering bilateral alliances with China’s territorial competitors ; supporting western regional organizations like

Personnel Requirements for an Advanced Shipyard Technology.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-01

emergence of Japan as an aggressive and highly successful competitor for western vessel orders and the determination of some less-developed countries...continental United States and the Virgin Islands is specifically excluded from the Jones Act. Participation in Great Lakes international service between U.S...Input-Output Analysis (Washington: Maritime Administration, May 1977), p. 33. 34 In addition, the shipbuilding industry makes substantial positive

Geographical origin and sexual-system evolution of the androdioecious plant Gynochthodes boninensis (Rubiaceae), endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Oguri, Emiko; Sugawara, Takashi; Peng, Ching-I; Yang, T Y Aleck; Murakami, Noriaki

2013-09-01

Gynochthodes boninensis is a woody climber endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan. It is characterized by an androdioecious sexual system, which is rare in angiosperms. We conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of 29 taxa including 61 samples from the tribe Morindeae to elucidate the geographical origin of G. boninensis by determining its progenitor species. We also investigated evolutionary transitions among different sexual systems within this plant group. The combined ETS, ITS, and trnT-F sequence data showed that G. boninensis formed a monophyletic group, but it did not form a clade with G. umbellata, which was treated as the same species, whereas it formed a clade with G. parvifolia, which is distributed in southeastern Asia. This suggests that G. boninensis evolved independently from G. umbellata, and probably originated from a progenitor native to southeastern Asia. In the clade composed of the three species of G. boninensis, G. parvifolia, and G. umbellata, only G. boninensis is androdioecious, whereas the others are dioecious. Thus, the androdioecious sexual system of G. boninensis may have evolved from dioecy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shear-rate-dependent strength control on the dynamics of rainfall-triggered landslides, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, G.; Suemine, A.; Schulz, W.H.

2010-01-01

A typhoon (Typhoon No. 10) attacked Shikoku Island and the Tyugoku area of Japan in 2004. This typhoon produced a new daily precipitation record of 1317 mm on Shikoku Island and triggered hundreds of landslides in Tokushima Prefecture. One catastrophic landslide was triggered in the Shiraishi area of Kisawa village, and destroyed more than 10 houses while also leaving an unstable block high on the slope. The unstable block kept moving after the event, showing accelerating and decelerating movement during and after rainfall and reaching a displacement of several meters before countermeasures were put into place. To examine the mechanism for this landsliding characteristic, samples (weathered serpentinite) were taken from the field, and their shear behaviours examined using ring shear tests. The test results revealed that the residual shear strength of the samples is positively dependent on the shear rate, which may provide an explanation for the continuous acceleratingdecelerating process of the landsliding. The roughness of the shear surface and the microstructure of the shear zone were measured and observed by laser microscope and SEM techniques in an attempt to clarify the mechanism of shear rate effect on the residual shear strength. Copyright ?? 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transport properties of soil particles in Sakiyamawan-Amitoriwan nature conservation area, Iriomote Island, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimokawa, Shinya; Murakami, Tomokazu; Kohno, Hiroyoshi; Mizutani, Akira

2017-12-01

The actual states of soil particle transport in and exchange between the Sakiyama and Amitori bays, Iriomote Island, Japan, were investigated using atmosphere-ocean-river observations and numerical simulations. The results show that in summer in both bays large particles (≥15 μm) do not move from the vicinity of the river mouths. Small particles, however, do move to the respective east sides of the bays. In winter in both the bays, large particles move towards the center of the bays from the vicinity of the river mouths, whereas small particles move to the respective west sides of the bays. Furthermore, soil particles move mainly from the Sakiyama to the Amitori bay in summer, but this direction is reversed in winter. These features are explainable mainly by seasonal differences in wind speed and direction, but the combination among seasonal differences in wind speed and direction, the wind-driven current and the topography is also important for them. The results are useful for assessing soil particle impact on coastal marine ecosystems, such as those containing reef-building coral and Enhalus acoroides, and their effective conservation in the natural conservation areas of the Sakiyama and Amitori bays.

Comparative phylogeny and historical perspectives on population genetics of the Pacific hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas), inferred from feeding populations in the Yaeyama Islands, Japan.

PubMed

Nishizawa, Hideaki; Okuyama, Junichi; Kobayashi, Masato; Abe, Osamu; Arai, Nobuaki

2010-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA sequence polymorphisms and patterns of genetic diversity represent the genealogy and relative impacts of historical, geographic, and demographic events on populations. In this study, historical patterns of population dynamics and differentiation in hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Pacific were estimated from feeding populations in the Yaeyama Islands, Japan. Phylogenetic relationships of the haplotypes indicated that hawksbill and green turtles in the Pacific probably underwent very similar patterns and processes of population dynamics over the last million years, with population subdivision during the early Pleistocene and population expansion after the last glacial maximum. These significant contemporary historical events were suggested to have been caused by climatic and sea-level fluctuations. On the other hand, comparing our results to long-term population dynamics in the Atlantic, population subdivisions during the early Pleistocene were specific to Pacific hawksbill and green turtles. Therefore, regional differences in historical population dynamics are suggested. Despite limited sampling locations, these results are the first step in estimating the historical trends in Pacific sea turtles by using phylogenetics and population genetics.

Two new species of Neozoanthus (Cnidaria, Hexacorallia, Zoantharia) from the Pacific

PubMed Central

Reimer, James Davis; Irei, Yuka; Fujii, Takuma

2012-01-01

Abstract The zoanthid genus Neozoanthus was originally described in 1972 from a single species in Madagascar. This monotypic genus was placed within its own family, Neozoanthidae, given its unusual characters of only partial sand encrustation, and an endodermal sphincter muscle combined with a brachycnemic mesenterial arrangement. Recently, undescribed specimens of Neozoanthus were discovered thousands of kilometers away in both Australia and Japan. While the phylogenetic and evolutionary aspects of Neozoanthus spp. are now somewhat well understood, the new specimens remained undescribed. Here we describe the specimens as two new species, Neozoanthus uchina sp. n. from the Middle Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, and Neozoanthus caleyi sp. n. from the waters around Heron Island, on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Both species can be distinguished from each other and the type species, Neozoanthus tulearensis, by their distributions, oral disk colors, and average numbers of tentacles. Additionally, each species appears to have subtle differences in their cnidae. The division of Japanese and Australian specimens into two species is strongly supported by recently reported phylogenetic data. The discovery and description of these two species highlights how little is known of zoanthid species diversity in the Indo-Pacific. PMID:23275752

Estimation of the isotopic composition and origins of winter precipitation over Japan using a regional isotope circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanoue, M.; Ichiyanagi, K.; Yoshimura, K.; Shimada, J.; Hirabayashi, Y.

2017-12-01

Understanding the dynamics of the origins of precipitation (i.e., vapor source regions of evaporated moisture) is useful for long-term forecasting and calibration of water isotope thermometer. In the Asian monsoon region, vapor source regions are identified by the deuterium excess (d-excess; defined as δD - 8 • δ18O) of precipitation because its values mainly reflect humidity conditions during evaporation at the source regions. In Japan, previous studies assumed the Sea of Japan to be the dominant source of winter precipitation when the d-excess value in winter is >20‰ or higher than the average value in summer. Because this assumption is based on an interpretation that the high d-excess value is due to an interaction between the continental winter monsoon (WM) and warm sea surface at the Sea of Japan, it may not be appropriate for winter precipitation caused by extratropical cyclones (EC). Here, we utilized a regional isotope circulation model and then clarified local patterns of isotopic composition and the origins of precipitation in the WM and EC types over Japan. The results indicated that moisture originating from the Sea of Japan made the highest contribution to precipitation on the Sea of Japan side of Japan in the WM type, whereas the Pacific Ocean was the dominant source of precipitation over Japan in the EC type. Because d-excess values were higher in the WM than in the EC type, we can assume that the Sea of Japan was the dominant source of precipitation on the Sea of Japan side when the d-excess value was high. Because precipitation on the Pacific Ocean side and the Kyushu island of Japan was mainly caused by the EC type, we could not identify the dominant source of precipitation as the Sea of Japan from only the d-excess values in these regions. We also found that WM activity could be estimated from observed d-excess values due to a clear positive correlation between simulated d-excess values and the activity.

Threatened Pollination Systems in Native Flora of the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands

PubMed Central

ABE, TETSUTO

2006-01-01

• Background and Aims Various alien species have been introduced to the Ogasawara Islands (Japan). A survey was made investigating whether the native pollination systems fit an ‘island syndrome’ (biasing the flora to dioecy, with subdued, inconspicuous flowers) and whether alien species have disrupted the native pollination network. • Methods Flower visitors and floral traits were determined in the field (12 islands) and from the literature. Associations among floral traits such as sexual expression, flower colour and flower shape were tested. • Key Results Among the 269 native flowering plants, 74·7 % are hermaphroditic, 13·0 % are dioecious and 7·1 % are monoecious. Classification by flower colour revealed that 36·0 % were white, 21·6 % green and 13·8 % yellow. Woody species (trees and shrubs) comprised 36·5 % of the flora and were associated with dioecy and white flowers. Solitary, endemic small bees were the dominant flower visitors and visited 66·7 % of the observed species on satellite islands where the native pollination networks are preserved. In contrast to the situation on the satellite islands, introduced honeybees were the most dominant pollinator (visiting 60·1 % of observed species) on the two main islands, Chichi-jima and Haha-jima, and had spread to satellite islands near Chichi-jima Island. • Conclusions The island syndrome for pollination systems in the Ogasawara Islands was evident in a high percentage of dioecious species, the subdued colour of the native flora and solitary flower visitors on satellite islands. The shape and colour adaptations of several flowers suggested native pollination niches for long-proboscis moths and carpenter bees. However, the domination and expansion of introduced honeybees have the potential for disruption of the native pollination network in the two main, and several satellite, islands of the Ogasawara Islands. PMID:16790463

Configuration of the Moho discontinuity beneath the Japanese Islands derived from three-dimensional seismic tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsubara, Makoto; Sato, Hiroshi; Ishiyama, Tatsuya; Van Horne, Anne

2017-07-01

The Mohorovičić discontinuity (Moho) is defined on the basis of an abrupt increase in seismic velocity in the lithosphere which has been observed using seismic refraction and receiver function analysis methods worldwide. Moho depth varies regionally and remains a fundamental parameter of crustal structure. We present a new method of mapping the Moho using a 3D seismic tomography model. Since the tomographic method cannot locate discontinuities, we treat the Moho as a zone of high velocity gradient. Maximum lower crust/minimum upper mantle P-wave velocities in Japan are known to be 7.0 km/s and 7.5 km/s, respectively. We map the residual between isovelocity surfaces of 7.0 km/s and 7.5 km/s to find areas where the residual is small, the separation between the surfaces is narrow, and the velocity gradient is high. The Moho is best constrained where the isovelocity surfaces are close together, and under much of Japan, they are < 6 km and rarely > 10 km apart. We chose an isovelocity surface of 7.2 km/s as a representative Moho 'proxy' in these areas. Our resulting 'Moho' map under Japan compares favorably with existing regional Moho models that were obtained from controlled-source seismic investigations. The 'Moho' varies from shallow (25-30 km) to deep (> 30 km), and this variability relates to the structural evolution of the Japanese islands: the opening of the Sea of Japan back-arc, ongoing arc-arc collisions at the Hidaka and Izu collision zones, ongoing back-arc extension in Kyushu, and a possible failed back-arc extensional event of Mesozoic age. It is apparent that the Moho is less well-constrained in areas where the crustal structure has been modified by magmatic activity or thickened due to arc-arc collision.

Long-term observation of water-soluble chemical components in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at Okinawa, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handa, Daishi; Somada, Yuka; Ijyu, Moriaki; Azechi, Sotaro; Nakaema, Fumiya; Arakaki, Takemitsu; Tanahara, Akira

2010-05-01

The economic development and population growth in recent Asia spread air pollution. Emission rate of air pollutants from Asia, in particular oxides of nitrogen, surpassed those from North America and Europe and should continue to exceed them for decades. The study of the long-range transported air pollution from Asian continent has gained a special attention in Japan because of increase in photochemical oxidants in relatively remote islands. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location in Asia is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. Bulk aerosol samples were collected on quartz filters by using a high volume air sampler. Sampling duration was one week for each sample. We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the bulk aerosols collected at the Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS) using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. We will report water-soluble chemical components data of anions, cations and DOC in bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at CHAAMS during August, 2005 to April, 2010. Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components showed that the concentrations were relatively low in summer, higher in fall and winter, and the highest in spring. When air mass came from Asian Continent, the concentrations of water-soluble chemical components were much higher compared to the other directions. In addition, we calculated background concentration of water-soluble chemical components at Okinawa, Japan.

Genetic diversity and stock identification of small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) in Taiwan and Japan

PubMed Central

Hsu, Te-Hua; Gwo, Jin-Chywan

2017-01-01

Small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) is a commercially valuable species for both fisheries and aquaculture. The production of annual farmed small abalone in Taiwan, once the highest in the world, has dramatically decreased in the past 15 years, and currently, the industry is close to collapse. Understanding the genetic diversity of small abalone and developing stock identification methods will be useful for genetic breeding, restoring collapsed stocks, managing stocks, and preventing illegal trade. We investigated 307 cultured and wild individuals from Taiwan, Japan, and Bali Island (Indonesia) by using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Network analysis of mtDNA COI gene sequences revealed that the individuals collected from Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia could be identified, and showed significant genetic divergence. In addition, the Indonesian population (Haliotis diversicolor squamata) was significantly different from the other populations and might need to be considered a separate species. We discovered a single nucleotide polymorphism marker in the mtDNA COI gene that can be used to distinguish the Taiwan population from the Japan population. We also developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for rapid detection. Furthermore, we could identify the cultured stocks, wild population, and hybrid stocks by using 6 microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism. This study contributes useful tools for stock identification and the production of high-disease resistant small abalone strains (Japan × Taiwan or Taiwan × Japan). Efforts should be made to avoid unintentional random genetic mixing of the Taiwan population with the Japan population and subsequent breakdown of population differentiation, which impair local adaptation of the Taiwan wild population. Molecular markers revealed a split between the Taiwan and Japan populations, and the existence of a possible barrier to the free dispersal of small abalone is discussed. PMID:28662122

Genetic diversity and stock identification of small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) in Taiwan and Japan.

PubMed

Hsu, Te-Hua; Gwo, Jin-Chywan

2017-01-01

Small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) is a commercially valuable species for both fisheries and aquaculture. The production of annual farmed small abalone in Taiwan, once the highest in the world, has dramatically decreased in the past 15 years, and currently, the industry is close to collapse. Understanding the genetic diversity of small abalone and developing stock identification methods will be useful for genetic breeding, restoring collapsed stocks, managing stocks, and preventing illegal trade. We investigated 307 cultured and wild individuals from Taiwan, Japan, and Bali Island (Indonesia) by using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Network analysis of mtDNA COI gene sequences revealed that the individuals collected from Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia could be identified, and showed significant genetic divergence. In addition, the Indonesian population (Haliotis diversicolor squamata) was significantly different from the other populations and might need to be considered a separate species. We discovered a single nucleotide polymorphism marker in the mtDNA COI gene that can be used to distinguish the Taiwan population from the Japan population. We also developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for rapid detection. Furthermore, we could identify the cultured stocks, wild population, and hybrid stocks by using 6 microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism. This study contributes useful tools for stock identification and the production of high-disease resistant small abalone strains (Japan × Taiwan or Taiwan × Japan). Efforts should be made to avoid unintentional random genetic mixing of the Taiwan population with the Japan population and subsequent breakdown of population differentiation, which impair local adaptation of the Taiwan wild population. Molecular markers revealed a split between the Taiwan and Japan populations, and the existence of a possible barrier to the free dispersal of small abalone is discussed.

Analysis of satellite data for sensor improvement (detection of severe storms from space)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fujita, T. T.

1984-01-01

Stereo photography of clouds over southeast Asia was obtained using NOAA-7 and the Japanese GMS. Due to the breakdown of GMS2, GMS1, which had been retired, is being used as the replacement satellite. The launch of GMS should permit the US-Japan stereo experiment to be reactivated. The Lear jet experiment based at Grand Island, Nebraska was successful and provided data on the Redwood Falls clouds & Grand Island thunderstorm; an anvil-top cirrus deck; a circular thunderstorm; and jumping cirrus. The IR temperature field of the thunderstorm which induced the Andrews AFB microburst was analyzed with 1 C accuracy. The microburst and severe thunderstorm project is being planned.

On the fourth Diadema species (Diadema-sp) from Japan.

PubMed

Chow, Seinen; Kajigaya, Yoshikazu; Kurogi, Hiroaki; Niwa, Kentaro; Shibuno, Takuro; Nanami, Atsushi; Kiyomoto, Setuo

2014-01-01

Four long-spined sea urchin species in the genus Diadema are known to occur around the Japanese Archipelago. Three species (D. savignyi, D. setosum, and D. paucispinum) are widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The fourth species was detected by DNA analysis among samples originally collected as D. savignyi or D. setosum in Japan and the Marshall Islands and tentatively designated as Diadema-sp, remaining an undescribed species. We analyzed nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene in the "D. savignyi-like" samples, and found all 17 individuals collected in the mainland of Japan (Sagami Bay and Kyushu) to be Diadema-sp, but all nine in the Ryukyu Archipelago (Okinawa and Ishigaki Islands) to be D. savignyi, with large nucleotide sequence difference between them (11.0%±1.7 SE). Diadema-sp and D. savignyi shared Y-shaped blue lines of iridophores along the interambulacrals, but individuals of Diadema-sp typically exhibited a conspicuous white streak at the fork of the Y-shaped blue iridophore lines, while this feature was absent in D. savignyi. Also, the central axis of the Y-shaped blue lines of iridophores was approximately twice as long as the V-component in D. savignyi whereas it was of similar length in Diadema-sp. Two parallel lines were observed to constitute the central axis of the Y-shaped blue lines in both species, but these were considerably narrower in Diadema-sp. Despite marked morphological and genetic differences, it appears that Diadema-sp has been mis-identified as D. savignyi for more than half a century.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 23 Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-12

ISS023-E-041934 (12 May 2010) --- Southern Paramushir Island in the Kuril island chain in Russia is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member on the International Space Station. The Kuril island chain consists of a line of volcanoes, many of which have been historically active, that extends from the Kamchatka Peninsula to northern Japan. This line of island volcanoes is known to geologists as an island arc. Island arcs form along an active geologic boundary, typically marked by a deep undersea trench, between two tectonic plates with one being driven beneath the other (a process called subduction). Magma generated by this process feeds volcanoes ? and eventually, volcanic islands ? over the subduction boundary. Paramushir Island in the northern Kurils is an example of a large island built by several volcanoes over geologic time. This photograph shows the southern end of Paramushir Island after a snowfall. There are four major volcanic centers that form this part of the island. Fuss Peak (center left) is an isolated stratovolcano connected to the main island via an isthmus. The last recorded historical eruption of Fuss Peak was in 1854. The southern tip of the island is occupied by the Karpinsky Group of three volcanic centers. A minor eruption of ash following an earthquake occurred on this part of the island in 1952. The Lomonosov Group to the northeast (center) includes four cinder cones and a lava dome that produced several lava flows extending from the central ridge to the east, northeast, west, and southeast. There have been no recorded historical eruptions from the Lomonosov Group of volcanoes. The most recent volcanic activity (in 2008) occurred at the Chikurachki cone located along the northern coastline of the island at top center. The summit of this volcano (1816 meters above sea level) is the highest on Paramushir Island. Much of the Sea of Okhotsk visible in the image is covered with low clouds that typically form around the islands in the Kuril chain. The clouds are generated by moisture-laden air passing over the cool sea/ocean water and typically wrap around the volcanic islands.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 15 Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-01

ISS015-E-26171 (1 Sept. 2007) --- Simushir Island, Kuril Archipelago, Russian Far East, is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 15 crewmember on the International Space Station. Simushir is a deserted, 5-mile-wide volcanic island in the Kuril island chain, half way between northern Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. Four volcanoes - Milne, Prevo, Urataman and Zavaritski - have built cones that are high enough to rise above the altitude of green forest. The remaining remnant of Zavaritski volcano is a caldera -- a structure formed when a volcano collapses into its emptied magma chamber. A small lake fills the innermost of three nested calderas which make up Zavaritski Caldera. The larger caldera of Urataman Volcano is connected to the sea. A defunct Soviet naval base occupies the northern tip of the island next to this caldera. The islands and volcanoes of the Kuril chain are part of the Pacific Rim of Fire, marking the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate. Low stratus clouds approaching from the northwest (from the Sea of Okhotsk--top left) bank up against the northwest side of the island, making complex cloud patterns. A small finger of cloud can be seen entering the northernmost caldera (Urataman) at sea level. When this image was taken, the cloud layer had stopped at the northwest coast of the island, not flowing over even the low points of the island between the volcanoes. The cloud pattern suggests that the air mass flowed up and over the island, descending on the southeast side. This descending motion was enough--under stable atmospheric conditions--to warm up the atmosphere locally so that a cloud-free zone formed on the southeastern, lee side of the island.

Impacts of two super typhoons on the Kuroshio and marginal seas on the Pacific coast of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tada, Hiroaki; Uchiyama, Yusuke; Masunaga, Eiji

2018-02-01

High-resolution downscaling ocean modeling was conducted to investigate the impacts of two super typhoons on the Kuroshio in the fall of 2014 off the Kyushu and Shikoku Islands, Japan. The model result was compared with field observations and satellite altimetry. The synoptic and mesoscale oceanic structures around the Kuroshio exhibit a good reproducibility. The typhoons generated near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) and near-inertial internal waves (NIIWs) around the Kuroshio path, particularly on the right side of the typhoon tracks. The NIOs developed in the mixed layer to alter the direction of the Kuroshio by 30°. The associated velocity off the Shikoku and Kyushu Islands was significantly decelerated by 0.2 ms-1. The velocity almost vanished off Kyushu Island and thus induced an unstable fluctuating path shortly after both typhoons passed over that region. The NIIWs were also excited at the thermocline, resulting in the oscillation of the Kuroshio path occurred in the entire water column. In contrast, off Shikoku Island, the typhoons shifted the Kuroshio path northward to enhance the interactions with the topographies. This shift caused considerable eddy shedding from the capes that resulted in mesoscale counterclockwise circulations as cyclonic quasi-standing eddies with a shedding period of 3 days in the north of the Kuroshio path. The magnitude, direction, and meridional location of the path of the Kuroshio prominently fluctuated with the propagation of these eddies, manifested off Shikoku Island. Furthermore, these eddies induced sporadic northward intrusions of the Kuroshio warm water through the Kii Channel into the Seto Inland Sea (SIS), where a weak but persisting southward outflow prevails under normal conditions. Therefore, the process could collectively be called the "typhoon-Kuroshio-eddy interaction", which conceptually differs from the "typhoon-eddy-Kuroshio interaction" in the previous studies, where the Kuroshio was modulated by eddy collision. The wind stress curl and intrusions associated with the typhoons jointly provoked the inversion of the counterclockwise SIS residual circulation. The resultant spatially averaged volume flux was 8 times as high as that under normal conditions.

An automated system to simulate the River discharge in Kyushu Island using the H08 model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maji, A.; Jeon, J.; Seto, S.

2015-12-01

Kyushu Island is located in southwestern part of Japan, and it is often affected by typhoons and a Baiu front. There have been severe water-related disasters recorded in Kyushu Island. On the other hand, because of high population density and for crop growth, water resource is an important issue of Kyushu Island.The simulation of river discharge is important for water resource management and early warning of water-related disasters. This study attempts to apply H08 model to simulate river discharge in Kyushu Island. Geospatial meteorological and topographical data were obtained from Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) of Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The number of the observation stations of AMeDAS is limited and is not quite satisfactory for the application of water resources models in Kyushu. It is necessary to spatially interpolate the point data to produce grid dataset. Meteorological grid dataset is produced by considering elevation dependence. Solar radiation is estimated from hourly sunshine duration by a conventional formula. We successfully improved the accuracy of interpolated data just by considering elevation dependence and found out that the bias is related to geographical location. The rain/snow classification is done by H08 model and is validated by comparing estimated and observed snow rate. The estimates tend to be larger than the corresponding observed values. A system to automatically produce daily meteorological grid dataset is being constructed.The geospatial river network data were produced by ArcGIS and they were utilized in the H08 model to simulate the river discharge. Firstly, this research is to compare simulated and measured specific discharge, which is the ratio of discharge to watershed area. Significant error between simulated and measured data were seen in some rivers. Secondly, the outputs by the coupled model including crop growth module and reservoir operation module were analyzed. However, there are differences between the simulated value and measured value. We need to improve dam operation, artificial water intake, and parameters such as depth of the soil and flow velocity in the river.

Anthropogenic effects on the subsurface thermal and groundwater environments in Osaka, Japan and Bangkok, Thailand.

PubMed

Taniguchi, Makoto; Shimada, Jun; Fukuda, Yoichi; Yamano, Makoto; Onodera, Shin-ichi; Kaneko, Shinji; Yoshikoshi, Akihisa

2009-04-15

Anthropogenic effects in both Osaka and Bangkok were evaluated to compare the relationships between subsurface environment and the development stage of both cities. Subsurface thermal anomalies due to heat island effects were found in both cities. The Surface Warming Index (SWI), the departure depth from the steady geothermal gradient, was used as an indicator of the heat island effect. SWI increases (deeper) with the magnitude of heat island effect and the elapsed time starting from the surface warming. Distributions of subsurface thermal anomalies due to the heat island effect agreed well with the distribution of changes in air temperature due to the same process, which is described by the distribution of population density in both Osaka and Bangkok. Different time lags between groundwater depression and subsidence in the two cities was found. This is attributed to differences in hydrogeologic characters, such as porosity and hydraulic conductivity. We find that differences in subsurface degradations in Osaka and Bangkok, including subsurface thermal anomalies, groundwater depression, and land subsidence, depends on the difference of the development stage of urbanization and hydrogeological characters.

Papua New Guinea.

PubMed

1986-10-01

The situation of the island archipelago nation of Papua New Guinea is reviewed in terms of its geography, people, history, government, politics economy and foreign relations. Papua New Guinea consists of the eastern half of the main island of New Guinea (the western portion is Indonesia), and several island groups, all located northeast of Australia. The island has extreme geographical variations, ranging from precipitous mountains to extensive swamps and river valleys, all in a monsoon cimate. As a result, there are hundreds of small groups each with unique cultures and languages; over 650 languages, many unrelated to each other. The population is estimated at 3.5 million, growing at about 2.5% per year. Historically, the region has been occupied by Germany, Britain, Japan, and the U.S. The country came under the international trusteeship system in 1949, and now has a vigorous parliamentary government. The economy is based on subsistence agriculture, but is buttressed by resources such as gold, copper, and other metals, oil, timber, tropical agricultural products, fish. The only indusry is local production, since the minimum wage is too high to compete with Asian labor.

Vertebral Formula in Red-Crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) and Hooded Crane (Grus monacha)

PubMed Central

HIRAGA, Takeo; SAKAMOTO, Haruka; NISHIKAWA, Sayaka; MUNEUCHI, Ippei; UEDA, Hiromi; INOUE, Masako; SHIMURA, Ryoji; UEBAYASHI, Akiko; YASUDA, Nobuhiro; MOMOSE, Kunikazu; MASATOMI, Hiroyuki; TERAOKA, Hiroki

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) are distributed separately in the east Eurasian Continent (continental population) and in Hokkaido, Japan (island population). The island population is sedentary in eastern Hokkaido and has increased from a very small number of cranes to over 1,300, thus giving rise to the problem of poor genetic diversity. While, Hooded cranes (Grus monacha), which migrate from the east Eurasian Continent and winter mainly in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, are about eight-time larger than the island population of Red-crowned cranes. We collected whole bodies of these two species, found dead or moribund in eastern Hokkaido and in Izumi, and observed skeletons with focus on vertebral formula. Numbers of cervical vertebrae (Cs), thoracic vertebrae (Ts), vertebrae composing the synsacrum (Sa) and free coccygeal vertebrae (free Cos) in 22 Red-crowned cranes were 17 or 18, 9–11, 13 or 14 and 7 or 8, respectively. Total number of vertebrae was 47, 48 or 49, and the vertebral formula was divided into three types including 9 sub-types. Numbers of Cs, Ts, vertebrae composing the Sa and free Cos in 25 Hooded cranes were 17 or 18, 9 or 10, 12–14 and 6–8, respectively. Total number of vertebrae was 46, 47, 48 or 49, and the vertebral formula was divided into four types including 14 sub-types. Our findings clearly showed various numerical vertebral patterns in both crane species; however, these variations in the vertebral formula may be unrelated to the genetic diversity. PMID:24334828

Spatial and temporal behavior and acute ecotoxicological effects of Tributyltin (TBT) on coral reef and adjacent ecosystems around Okinawa Island, Japan.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheikh, M. A.; Higuchi, T.; Imo, T. S.; Fujimura, H.; Oomori, T.

2007-12-01

Spatial and temporal behavior of the tributyl tin (TBT) were investigated in the coastal areas around Okinawa Island, Japan. A seasonal monitoring study was conducted between February and October 2006. The effects of TBT on the carbon metabolisms (net production and calcification) on the intact coral-alga association Galaxea fascicularis were also investigated. Mean concentration of TBT (2.45 ng/L) found in the Manko estuary waters have exceeded some international permissible targets of waters quality guideline for TBT (1ng/L). The sediments in Manko estuary sediments can be considered lightly contaminated (0-20 ng/g dw) and Okukubi estuary as uncontaminated (below 3ng/g dw) with TBT. The seasonal concentration pattern of TBT at the Manko estuary was autumn > spring > summer > winter. The acute ecotoxicological results show that the photosynthesis rate and calcification rate were significantly reduced by 78 % and 72 % relative to the control (ANOVA, p<0.001) when corals were exposed to 5000 ng/LTBT, respectively. No significant effects (ANOVA, p>0.05) were observed when corals were exposed to 1000 ng/LTBT. The present study reports the occurrence and continuous input of TBT in the coastal areas around Okinawa Island, even 16 years after legal restriction of TBT usage in coastal waters was implemented by the Japanese Environmental Authorities. However, the nominal sensitive concentration of TBT that causes alteration of carbon metabolisms of coral within 96 hrs exposure are much higher than those recently found in the coral reef waters and adjacent ecosystems.

Decadal trend of black carbon and refractory carbonaceous aerosol in the western rim of the North Pacific Ocean: atmospheric concentration and the retrieved record of deposition flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneyasu, Naoki; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Noguchi, Izumi; Akiyama, Masayuki; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi

2013-04-01

The long-term trend of light absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (or black carbon: BC) or refractory carbonaceous aerosol (or elemental carbon: EC) concentration is reported at European background sites such as Mace Head, and that of aerosol absorption coefficient are monitored in many GAW sites. On the contrary, such long-term data are relatively scarce at around the western part of the North Pacific Ocean. Thus, to understand the long-term variation of in the area, BC in fine aerosol fraction has been measured at Chichi-jima Islands, Japan. Chichi-jima Island is located 1000 km south of the Japanese mainland, and 1800 km west of the coast line of the Asian continent. BC has been measured with an Aethalometer (Magee, AE-16 and AE-30) since December, 1998 with 1 hr time resolution. Mass flowmeter embedded inside the Aethalometer is calibrated with a rotational dry gas-meter once a year. Monthly averaged BC concentration shows an obvious seasonal variation, i.e. high concentration during late autumn-winter-spring period resulting from the transport from East Asia, with maximum daily concentration above 500 ng m-3. In summer, daily concentration was usually less than 20 ng m-3, due to the clean background airmass originating from the North Pacific Anticyclone. Decadal trend of the annual averaged BC concentration showed a increasing trend from 2000 to 2007 and started to decrease after 2008, which roughly coincides with the reported emission trend of SO2 in China (Lu et al., 2010). In addition, total (i.e., wet + dry) deposition record of refractory carbon at two sites in the northern Japan (Rishiri Island: a remote island site, and Sapporo City: an urban site) are retrieved. At these sites, the local government have been measuring the chemical components in precipitation water collected by deposition gauges. In the deposition gauge, a membrane filter made of cellulose-acetate is fixed at the bottom of the funnel to remove water-insoluble particles from the precipitated water. Those "used" membrane filters have been archived for almost two decades at Sapporo without interruption, and for 13 years at Rishiri Island intermittently. We developed a procedure to analyse particulate refractory carbon retained on the membrane filter. The analysis was conducted by thermal-optical transmittance (TOT) method with a Sunset Model-4 carbon analyser (IMPROVE protocol. In this study, we call the resultant analytical quantity as TOT-EC(I). In Sapporo, the annual total deposition of TOT-EC(I) in 2011 (80 mg m-2yr-1) decreased greatly from that in 2001 (208 mg m-2 yr-1) probably due to the strict emission control regulation for the exhaust of diesel powered vehicles that took effect in the 2000s in Japan. In Rishi Island, total deposition in 2011 (47 mg m-2 yr-1) also decreased from that of 2001(141 mg m-2 yr-1). However, the monthly variation of the total deposition in 2001 had pronounced springtime increase while that in 2011 is not obvious. Thus, there is a possibility that the data in 2001 at Rishiri Island were affected by the smoke from Siberian forest fire which becomes active typically during the spring to summer season. Reference Lu, Z. et al., ACP. 10, 6311-6331 (2010).

P and S wave attenuation tomography of the Japan subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zewei; Zhao, Dapeng; Liu, Xin; Chen, Chuanxu; Li, Xibing

2017-04-01

We determine the first high-resolution P and S wave attenuation (Q) tomography beneath the entire Japan Islands using a large number of high-quality t∗ data collected from P and S wave velocity spectra of 4222 local shallow and intermediate-depth earthquakes. The suboceanic earthquakes used in this study are relocated precisely using sP depth phases. Significant landward dipping high-Q zones are revealed clearly, which reflect the subducting Pacific slab beneath Hokkaido and Tohoku, and the subducting Philippine Sea (PHS) slab beneath SW Japan. Prominent low-Q zones are visible in the crust and mantle wedge beneath the active arc volcanoes in Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Kyushu, which reflect source zones of arc magmatism caused by fluids from the slab dehydration and corner flow in the mantle wedge. Our results also show that nonvolcanic low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) in SW Japan mainly occur in the transition zone between a narrow low-Q belt and its adjacent high-Q zones right above the flat segment of the PHS slab. This feature suggests that the nonvolcanic LFEs are caused by not only fluid-affected slab interface but also specific conditions such as high pore pressure which is influenced by the overriding plate.

Deformation of the Japanese Islands and seismic coupling: an interpretation based on GSI permanent GPS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Pichon, Xavier; Mazzotti, Stéphane; Henry, Pierre; Hashimoto, Manabu

1998-08-01

The entire area of the Japanese Islands has been covered by the permanent GPS observation network of the Geographical Survey Institute since 1994. In this paper we use a solution for the vectors of motion during 1995 for a selection of 116 stations to discuss the origin of the observed deformation field. We refer the displacement field to Eurasia using the VLBI-determined motion of Kashima and demonstrate that other choices such as the Okhotsk or North American plates for north Japan are not compatible with the data. 1 yr GPS velocities are much higher than geological constraints would allow because these short-term measurements include transient elastic deformation. However, the good qualitative agreement between the observed geodetic deformation tensors and those inferred from active faults and earthquakes suggests that the Quaternary permanent deformation is essentially the result of the transfer of part of the subduction-induced elastic deformation into permanent plastic deformation. We then compute the elastic deformation of the Japanese Islands caused by interseismic loading of the Pacific and Philippine subduction planes. The geometry of the coupled zone and its downward extension are determined from the distribution of earthquakes for the Pacific slab. For the Philippine slab we use the geometry proposed by Hyndman et al. (1995). These elastic models account for most of the observed velocity field if the subduction movement of the Philippine Sea Plate is 100 per cent locked and if that of the Pacific Plate is 75-85 per cent locked. We note that the boundaries of the areas where significant elastic deformation is predicted (more than 10 mm yr-1 of motion with respect to Eurasia) coincide with the main zones of permanent deformation: the Eastern Japan Sea deformation zone for the Pacific subduction elastic deformation field and the Setouchi/MTL deformation zone for the Nankai field. Each zone probably accommodates 10-15 mm yr-1 of motion in the long term (convergence in the Eastern Japan Sea; strike-slip in the Setouchi/MTL zone). To account for this deformation, the effect of elastic loading from the trench must be combined with 5-10 mm yr-1 of motion of the Amur Plate with respect to Eurasia. Because loading during the subduction earthquake cycle causes an increase in stress in the Eastern Japan Sea and Setouchi/MTL deformation zones, the probability of earthquake occurrence in these zones may be higher near the end of the cycle.

The Battle of Midway: Turning the Tide in the Pacific. Teaching with Historic Places.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Kathleen

Inhabited by humans for less than a century, Midway Atoll dominated the world news for a brief time in the early summer of 1942. These tiny Pacific islands were the focus of a brutal struggle between the Japanese Imperial Navy and the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The U.S. victory here ended Japan's seemingly unstoppable advance across the Pacific and began…

Vulnerability and Resiliency: A Longitudinal Study of Asian Americans from Birth to Age 30.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werner, Emmy E.

A 30-year longitudinal study was undertaken in order to document the course, and determine the outcome, of all pregnancies in a community of Asian Americans on Kauai, the western most of the Hawaiian Islands and equidistant from the continental United States and Japan. The project's goal was to document both the good and poor outcomes of the…

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-08

ISS043E183985 (05/08/2015) --- Typhoon Noul from a camera aboard the International Space Station taken by the Expedition 43 crew led by Commander Terry Virts, NASA astronaut. Noul originated in the tropical Western Pacific, brushing the island of Yap before strengthening rapidly and clipping the northern Philippines as a super typhoon, winding up on the Pacific coast of Japan reduced to a tropical storm.

Research in Seismology

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-31

Koyanagi, Three-dimensional crust and mantle structure of Kilauea Volcano , Hawaii , J. Geophys. Res., 82, 5379-5394, 1977. Engdahl, E.R., J.G. Sindorf, and...Johnson, 1967), in Japan (Zandt, 1975; Hirahara, 1977), at NORSAR (Aki, 1977), in Yellowstone National Park (1yer, 1975; Zandt, 1978), in Hawaii ...1962. Ellsworth, W.L., Three-dimensional structure of the crust and mantle beneath the island of Hawaii , unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Massachusetts

American and Japanese Kindergartners' Meanings of Play through the Use of Photo Elicitation: What Can We Learn from Them?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Izumi-Taylor, Satomi; Ito, Yoko

2016-01-01

This article describes how American and Japanese kindergartners see play and what teachers can learn from them. The authors share their findings from analyzing photos and interviews from 44 American children in the southeastern United States and 55 Japanese children in the main island of Japan, all aged five to six years. In the study, children…

Japanese oak wilt as a newly emerged forest pest in Japan: why does a symbiotic ambrosia fungus kill host trees?

Treesearch

Naoto Kamata; Koujiro Esaki; Kenryu Kato; Hisahito Oana; Yutaka Igeta; Ryotaro Komura

2007-01-01

Japanese oak wilt (JOW) has been known since the 1930s, but in the last 15 years epidemics have intensified and spread to the island's western coastal areas. The symbiotic ambrosia fungus Raffaelea quercivora is the causal agent of oak dieback, and is vectored by Platypus quercivorus (Murayama). This is the first example of an...

Dike Intrusion Process of 2000 Miyakejima - Kozujima Event estimated from GPS measurements in Kozujima - Niijima Islands, central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murase, M.; Nakao, S.; Kato, T.; Tabei, T.; Kimata, F.; Fujii, N.

2003-12-01

Kozujima - Niijima Islands of Izu Volcano Islands are located about 180 km southeast of Tokyo, Japan. Although the last volcano eruptions in Kozujima and Niijima volcanoes are recorded more than 1000 year before, the ground deformation of 2-3 cm is detected at Kozujima - Niijima Islands by GPS measurements since 1996. On June 26, 2000, earthquake swarm and large ground deformation more than 20 cm are observed at Miyakejima volcano located 40 km east-southeastward of Kozu Island, and volcano eruption are continued since July 7. Remarkable earthquake swarm including five earthquakes more than M5 is stretching to Kozushima Island from Miyakejima Island. From the rapid ground deformation detected by continuous GPS measurements at Miyakejima Island on June 26, magma intrusion models of two or three dikes are discussed in the south and west part of Miyakejima volcano by Irwan et al.(2003) and Ueda et al.(2003). They also estimate dike intrusions are propagated from southern part of Miyakejima volcano to western part, and finally dike intrusion is stretching to 20 km distance toward Kozujima Island. From the ground deformation detected by GPS daily solution of Nation-wide dense GPS network (GEONET), some dike intrusion models are discussed. Ito et al.(2002) estimate the huge dike intrusion with length of about 20 km and volume of 1 km3 in the sea area between the Miyake Island and Kozu Island. (And) Nishimura et al.(2001) introduce not only dike but also aseismic creep source to explain the deformation in Shikinejima. Yamaoka et al.(2002) discuss the dike and spherical deflation source under the dike, because of no evidence supported large aseismic creep. They indicate a dike and spherical deflation source model is as good as dike and creep source model. In case of dike and creep, magma supply is only from the chamber under the Miyakejima volcano. In dike and spherical deflation source model, magma supply is from under Miyakejima volcano and under the dike. Furuya et al.(2003) discuss the gravity change of Miyakejima and they conclude that the magma supply from the chamber under Miyakejima volcano is too small to explain the dike intrusion. In order to discuss the local ground deformation, Nagoya University additionally operates the local GPS network of single frequency receivers at seven sites in Kozujima, Shikineshima and Niijima. Form the vertical deformation detected on local GPS network, northward tilting is observed in Kozujima. We used Genetic Algorithm (GA) for search the model parameter of dike intrusion and fault. GA is an attractive global search tool suitable for the irregular, multimodal fitness functions typically observed in nonlinear optimization problems. We discuss mechanism of Miyakejima - Kozujima event in detail using data of 20 GPS sites near field by GA. The results suggest that magma intrusion system of the dike between Miyakejima and Kozujima changes on August 18 when a large volcano eruption occurred. Until August 18 the activity of creep fault is high and after then deflation at the point source just under the dike is active.

Erosion rates of a small coastal island revealed by repeated measurements using TLS and UAS-SfM photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Y. S.; Obanawa, H.

2016-12-01

Due to the weak bedrock and constant wave erosion, sea cliffs along the outer Boso Peninsula, central Japan, have been eroded at ca. 1 m per year for centuries. Modern coastal protection work had significantly reduced the erosion rate, while this became a cause of limited supply of sands along beaches in this area. Among the almost complete protection, a small coastal island, so-called Suzume-Jima Island (70 km southeast of Tokyo), has not been protected, in which we can still observe processes of coastal cliff erosion at the original rate. We have performed multi-temporal (3 times a year), high-resolution (centimeters) topographic measurements of the small island for 3 years, using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and structure-from-motion multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry with an unmanned aerial system (UAS). Landside of the island can be measured by both TLS and UAS, but the seaside could only be captured by UAS, therefore these data are combined to analyze the entire island morphology with a reasonable accuracy. Frequent, spatially variable wave erosion and rockfalls were observed during the measurement period. The dominant wave direction and geologic structure (joint location and orientation) may account for these differences. A severe notch development in the cliff suggests a possible formation of a sea cave through the island in the near future. The measured, short-term results were also compared with the longer-term development of the island shape, obtained by historical aerial photographs for 50 years.

Detection of Measles Virus Genotypes B3, D4, D5, D8, and H1 in the Surveillance System in Hokkaido, Japan, 2006-2015, the Last Decade toward the Elimination.

PubMed

Miyoshi, Masahiro; Komagome, Rika; Yamaguchi, Hiroki; Ohnishi, Asami; Kikuchi, Masayuki; Ishida, Setsuko; Nagano, Hideki; Okano, Motohiko

2017-05-24

Measles is an acute and highly contagious disease caused by measles virus (MeV). The government of Japan, following the last epidemic in 2007 and 2008, which was caused by genotype D5 strains, introduced a catch-up-vaccination program for teenagers during Japan fiscal years 2008-2012 and a mandatory case-based reporting system for the nationwide elimination. Furthermore, laboratory confirmation of measles cases by genotyping of isolates has been performed to clarify the source of infection and support the interruption of measles cases. Owing to these preventive measures, the number of measles cases has been steadily decreasing after the last epidemic. In March 2015, Japan was internationally verified as having achieved measles elimination by the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific. The continuous elimination of measles and high levels of vaccination coverage for MeV have been maintained nationally. However, imported or import-associated cases of measles have sporadically occurred during this time. After the last nationwide epidemic, 17 imported or import-associated measles cases (MeV strains identified as genotypes H1, D4, D8, and B3) were reported in Hokkaido, the northern islands of Japan. In this study, we present the occurrence of measles and surveillance activities in Hokkaido during 2006-2015.

Listening to the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki, Japan, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peng, Zhigang; Aiken, Chastity; Kilb, Debi; Shelly, David R.; Enescu, Bogdan

2012-01-01

The magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki, Japan, earthquake on 11 March 2011 is the largest earthquake to date in Japan’s modern history and is ranked as the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900. This earthquake occurred within the northeast Japan subduction zone (Figure 1), where the Pacific plate is subducting beneath the Okhotsk plate at rate of ∼8–9 cm/yr (DeMets et al. 2010). This type of extremely large earthquake within a subduction zone is generally termed a “megathrust” earthquake. Strong shaking from this magnitude 9 earthquake engulfed the entire Japanese Islands, reaching a maximum acceleration ∼3 times that of gravity (3 g). Two days prior to the main event, a foreshock sequence occurred, including one earthquake of magnitude 7.2. Following the main event, numerous aftershocks occurred around the main slip region; the largest of these was magnitude 7.9. The entire foreshocks-mainshock-aftershocks sequence was well recorded by thousands of sensitive seismometers and geodetic instruments across Japan, resulting in the best-recorded megathrust earthquake in history. This devastating earthquake resulted in significant damage and high death tolls caused primarily by the associated large tsunami. This tsunami reached heights of more than 30 m, and inundation propagated inland more than 5 km from the Pacific coast, which also caused a nuclear crisis that is still affecting people’s lives in certain regions of Japan.

Monitoring underwater explosions in the habitat of resident bottlenose dolphins.

PubMed

dos Santos, Manuel E; Couchinho, Miguel N; Rita Luís, Ana; Gonçalves, Emanuel J

2010-12-01

Maintenance work on the harbor of Setúbal, in Portugal, required the removal of a 14-m deep rocky outcrop at the ship maneuver area, using about 35 kg of Gelamonite, a nitroglycerin-based high-explosive. This important harbor is located in the Sado estuary, a biologically rich environment and an important feeding area for a resident community of bottlenose dolphins. Using different safe range calculation models, a mitigation and monitoring plan was developed that minimized the risks of these underwater explosions for the dolphins. At our monitoring station, at 2 km from the demolition site, acoustic pressure levels in excess of 170 dB re 1 μPa (root-mean-square) were measured. Samples of dead fish collected at the site were indicative of shock trauma from the blasts.

Nutrients levels in paddy soils and flood waters from Tagus-Sado basin: the impact of farming system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Erika S.; Abreu, Maria Manuela; Magalhães, Maria Clara; Viegas, Wanda; Amâncio, Sara; Cordovil, Cláudia

2017-04-01

Application of fertilizers for crops can contribute to nutrients surplus, namely nitrogen, in both groundwater and surface waters resulting in serious environmental problems. The impacts on water quality due to fertilizers are related to land management. In paddy fields using high amounts of water, the nutrient dynamic knowledge is essential to evaluate the impact of farming system. The aims of this study were to evaluate: i)nutrients levels in soils and floodwaters from rice cultivation in Tagus-Sado basin (Portugal); ii)the effect, under controlled conditions, of different irrigation techniques on nutrient enrichment of floodwaters from rice cultivation. Composite samples (n=24) of paddy soils (0-15 cm) and floodwaters were collected, during rice flooding period. In the field, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were determined in waters. Soil pH, concentrations of Corganic, NPK and nutrients (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn) in soils and floodwaters (nitrites, nitrates, phosphates) were determined. A mesocosm assay was performed in lysimeters with a paddy soil (pH: 5.6; g/kg- Ntotal: 2.0, Pextractable: 0.04, Kextractable: 0.6, Corganic: 35.5) and different irrigation techniques (n=3): a)flood; b)four floods per day (great water renewal); c)flood until rice flowering and then a normal superficial irrigation. Rice cultivation was done by transplant as in the field. Irrigation water come from a well. Same chemical characterization than in field assay were determined in floodwater and irrigation water. In field conditions, paddy soils had values of pH between 5.1 and 8.1 and a great fertility range (g/kg; Ntotal: 0.4‒2.2; Pextractable: 0.01‒0.2; Kextractable: 0.04‒0.7; Corganic: 6.5‒37.9). Total soil concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Zn in soils were in same range and below maximum admissible values for agriculture. Total soil concentrations of Ca, Mg and Mn, showed higher heterogeneity (g/kg; 1.2‒19.3, 7.6‒34.2 and 0.2‒1.5 respectively). Floodwaters presented pH ≈7 and, usually, EC>1 mS/cm (MRV‒maximum recommended value for irrigation water). Nitrites concentrations were <0.1 mg/L in floodwaters, while concentrations of nitrates (<2.4 mg/L), Cu (<2‒12.3 µg/L), Fe (<0.1‒0.9 mg/L) and Zn (0.04‒1.9 mg/L) were below MRV. The fertilizers used in rice cultivation did not seem to affect the water quality. Nitrates concentration in irrigation water of lysimeters (24 mg/L) was close to MVR for irrigation water. Intensive agriculture of corn surrounding the well can explain the greater nutrients concentrations, especially nitrates, nitrites and phosphates, in this water compared to water from river used for paddy fields irrigation. Independently of irrigation technique, nutrient concentrations in lysimeters floodwaters (except phosphates in some samples) were in same range of those in irrigation water from well. The nutrients excess in water seems not to be uptake by rice contributing to nutrient enrichment of nearby waters and soils. Studied paddy fields from Tejo-Sado basin are not a potential pollution source of nutrients. However, according mesocosm assay, the potential irrigation of paddy soils with water rich in nitrates can contribute to serious environmental risks. The authors are thankful to: Atlantic Meals for financial and sampling support, and NitroPortugal, H2020-TWINN-2015, EU coordination and support action n. 692331 funding.

Ice Island Calves off Petermann Glacier

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired August 11, 2010. After breaking off the Petermann Glacier on August 5, 2010, a massive ice island floated slowly down the fjord toward the Nares Strait. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this false-color image of the ice island on August 11, 2010. In this image, ice is light blue, water is nearly black, and clouds are nearly white. Although a bank of thin clouds hovers over the fjord, the southernmost margin of the ice island is still visible. Toward the north, the leading edge of the ice island retains the same shape it had days earlier, at the time of the initial calving. NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: Terra - ASTER To see more images from of the glacier go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/event.php?id=45116 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Saturnia jonasii Butler, 1877 on Jejudo Island, a new saturnid moth of South Korea with DNA data and morphology (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

PubMed

Kim, Min Jee; Choi, Sei-Woong; Kim, Iksoo

2015-04-10

Saturnia (Rinaca) jonasii Butler, 1877 is distributed in Japan, including Tsushima Island and Taiwan, whereas S. boisduvalii Eversmann, 1846 is distributed in northern areas, such as China, Russia, and South Korea. In the present study we found that the specimens from Mt. Hallasan on Jejudo, a southern remote offshore island, were S. jonasii, rather than S. boisduvalii based on morphology, DNA barcode, and nuclear elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1α) sequences. The major morphological differences between the two species included the shape of wing pattern elements of fore- and hindwings and male and female genitalia. A DNA barcode analysis of the sequences of the Jejudo specimens and S. boisduvalii, along with those of Saturnia species obtained from a public database showed a minimum sequence divergence of 4.26% (28 bp). A phylogenetic analysis also showed clustering of the Jejudo specimens with S. jonasii, separating S. boisduvalii (Bayesian posterior probability = 0.99). The EF-1α-based sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the two species from Jejudo Island and the Korean mainland showed the uniqueness of the Jejudo specimens from S. boisduvalii collected on the Korean mainland, indicating distribution of S. jonasii on Jejudo Island in South Korea, instead of S. boisduvalii.

The great East Japan earthquake of March 11, 2011, from the vantage point of blood banking and transfusion medicine.

PubMed

Nollet, Kenneth E; Ohto, Hitoshi; Yasuda, Hiroyasu; Hasegawa, Arifumi

2013-01-01

The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, and subsequent tsunami took nearly 20 000 lives in Tohoku, the northeastern part of Japan's main island. Most victims were either carried away by the tsunami or drowned. The ability to collect blood was disrupted on the Pacific coast of Tohoku. Inland areas were less affected, but allogeneic blood collected in Tohoku is tested at the Miyagi Red Cross Blood Center (Miyagi Center) in the coastal city of Sendai. Miyagi Center was damaged and could not test for 2 months. The aims of this study are as follows: (1) to assess transfusion practice at 8 disaster response hospitals in Tohoku's Fukushima Prefecture, for equal intervals before and after March 11, 2011; (2) to report activities related to blood collection and distribution in response to the disaster; and (3) to describe the Great East Japan Earthquake in the context of other disasters. Data were collected through a survey of transfusion services at 8 major disaster response hospitals, communication at transfusion conferences, and literature review. Transfused patients and units transfused were about 70% and 60% of normal in the surveyed hospitals because this was a disaster of mass casualty rather than mass injury, and patients requiring chronic care were evacuated out. A nationally coordinated effort allowed excess blood collected outside Tohoku to be transported in, despite infrastructure damage. Japan's national system of blood collection and distribution responded effectively to local needs after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Disasters such as Japan's 3.11 should guide discourse about emergency preparedness and centralization of services. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Detection and molecular characterization of Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon species in hard ticks collected from Kagoshima, the southern region in Japan.

PubMed

Masatani, Tatsunori; Hayashi, Kei; Andoh, Masako; Tateno, Morihiro; Endo, Yasuyuki; Asada, Masahito; Kusakisako, Kodai; Tanaka, Tetsuya; Gokuden, Mutsuyo; Hozumi, Nodoka; Nakadohzono, Fumiko; Matsuo, Tomohide

2017-06-01

To reveal the distribution of tick-borne parasites, we established a novel nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system to detect the most common agents of tick-borne parasitic diseases, namely Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon parasites. We collected host-seeking or animal-feeding ticks in Kagoshima Prefecture, the southernmost region of Kyusyu Island in southwestern Japan. Twenty of the total of 776 tick samples displayed a specific band of the appropriate size (approximately 1.4-1.6kbp) for the 18S rRNA genes in the novel nested PCR (20/776: 2.58%). These PCR products have individual sequences of Babesia spp. (from 8 ticks), Theileria spp. (from 9 ticks: one tick sample including at least two Theileria spp. sequences), and Hepatozoon spp. (from 3 ticks). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that these sequences were close to those of undescribed Babesia spp. detected in feral raccoons in Japan (5 sequences; 3 sequences being identical), Babesia gibsoni-like parasites detected in pigs in China (3 sequences; all sequences being identical), Theileria spp. detected in sika deer in Japan and China (10 sequences; 2 sequences being identical), Hepatozoon canis (one sequence), and Hepatozoon spp. detected in Japanese martens in Japan (two sequences). In summary, we showed that various tick-borne parasites exist in Kagoshima, the southern region in Japan by using the novel nested PCR system. These including undescribed species such as Babesia gibsoni-like parasites previously detected in pigs in China. Importantly, our results revealed new combinations of ticks and protozoan parasites in southern Japan. The results of this study will aid in the recognition of potential parasitic animal diseases caused by tick-borne parasites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Isolations from the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, confirm that the laurel wilt pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola, originated in Asia

Treesearch

Thomas C. Harrington; Hye Young Yun; Sheng-Shan Lu; Hideaki Goto; Dilzara N. Aghayeva; Stephen W. Fraedrich

2011-01-01

The laurel wilt pathogen Raffaelea lauricola was hypothesized to have been introduced to the southeastern USA in the mycangium of the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, which is native to Asia. To test this hypothesis adult X. glabratus were trapped in Taiwan and on Kyushu Island, Japan, in 2009, and dead beetles were sent to USA for isolation of fungal...

U.S.-Vietnamese Security Cooperation for Access to the SCS

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-16

of the claimants to islands in the SCS, China has more Coast Guard/MLE vessels than Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia , and the Philippines combined.7...45 In 2011, the U.S. looked at Vietnam, along with other Southeast Asian countries, for its Naval Medical ...human rights; culture, tourism , and sports; as well as continued annual defense dialogue meetings.47 Both Vietnam and the U.S. are concerned about

Earthquakes, September-October 1980

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1981-01-01

There were two major (magnitudes 7.0-7.9) earthquakes during this reporting period; a magnitude (M) 7.3 in Algeria where many people were killed or injured and extensive damage occurred, and an M=7.2 in the Loyalty Islands region of the South Pacific. Japan was struck by a damaging earthquake on September 24, killing two people and causing injuries. There were no damaging earthquakes in the United States. 

Host preference of the vector beetle, host resistance, and expanding patterns of Japanese oak wilt in a stand

Treesearch

Kazuyoshi Futai; Hiroaki Kiku; Hong-ye Qi; Hagus Tarn; Yuko Takeuchi; Michimasa Yamasaki

2012-01-01

Since the early 1980s, an epidemic forest disease, Japanese Oak Wilt (JOW), has been spreading from coastal areas along the Sea of Japan to the interior of Honshu island and has been devastating huge areas of forests by killing an enormous number of oak trees in urban fringe mountains, gardens, and parks. The disease is caused by a fungus, Raffaelea...

Russo-Japanese Territorial Dispute

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-08

militarized and used as the means of projecting influence in Asia -Pacific region. Secondly, the Sea of Okhotsk along with the Barents Sea, served as two...and to the middle of Asia . Unidentified national borders between Russia and Japan in Sakhalin Island caused new official talks between countries...in Manchuria, which the Russian Govemn’lent ~sed as a line of communication between eastern provinces of Russian Empire and Middle Asia . Moreover

Defense Management: More Reliable Cost Estimates and Further Planning Needed to Inform the Marine Corps Realignment Initiatives in the Pacific

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

8The Unified Command Plan establishes combatant commanders’ missions and geographic responsibilities. Combatant...military power through the combatant commands. 9The III Marine Expeditionary Force is a formation of multiple Marine units forward- deployed in Japan...Decision for Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Military Relocation (September 2010). dThe $9 billion and $12.1 billion figures

Injury Patterns After the Landslide Disaster in Oshima, Tokyo, Japan on October 16, 2013.

PubMed

Homma, Yasuhiro; Watari, Taiji; Baba, Tomonori; Suzuki, Misako; Shimizu, Tadanori; Fujii, Yuji; Takazawa, Yuji; Maruyama, Yuichiro; Kaneko, Kazuo

2016-04-01

Landslides represent a frequent and threatening natural disaster. The aim of this study was to investigate the injury patterns observed after a landslide and to discuss how to minimize the damage caused by a landslide disaster. A landslide occurred on Oshima Island, Japan, on October 16, 2013. A total of 49 victims with landslide-related injuries were identified and analyzed. The patients ranged in age from 5 to 89 years with an average age of 61.0±19.3 years. Of all patients, 69.4% were triaged as black. Of 15 patients who were treated in the nearest hospital (the only hospital on the island), 8 were triaged as red and yellow with severe chest or pelvic injury and a high Injury Severity Score (average score, 25.6; range, 4-45). Of these, 75% had chest injury and 75% had pelvic injury. The percentage of chest and/or pelvic injury was 100% in patients triaged as red or yellow. Traumatic asphyxia was diagnosed in 62.5% of these patients. Compression of the trunk was the main injury in patients triaged as red or yellow after this landslide disaster. Evacuation in advance, the rapid launch of emergency medical support, and knowledge of this specific injury pattern are essential to minimize the potential damage resulting from landslide disasters.

Characterization of Early Microbial Communities on Volcanic Deposits along a Vegetation Gradient on the Island of Miyake, Japan

PubMed Central

Guo, Yong; Fujimura, Reiko; Sato, Yoshinori; Suda, Wataru; Kim, Seok-won; Oshima, Kenshiro; Hattori, Masahira; Kamijo, Takashi; Narisawa, Kazuhiko; Ohta, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The 2000 eruption of Mount Oyama on the island of Miyake (Miyake-jima) created a unique opportunity to study the early ecosystem development on newly exposed terrestrial substrates. In this study, bacterial and fungal communities on 9- and 11-year-old volcanic deposits at poorly to fully vegetation-recovered sites in Miyake-jima, Japan, were characterized by conventional culture-based methods and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. Despite the differences in the vegetation cover, the upper volcanic deposit layer samples displayed low among-site variation for chemical properties (pH, total organic carbon, and total nitrogen) and microbial population densities (total direct count and culturable count). Statistical analyses of pyrosequencing data revealed that the microbial communities of volcanic deposit samples were phylogenetically diverse, in spite of very low-carbon environmental conditions, and their diversity was comparable to that in the lower soil layer (buried soil) samples. Comparing with the microbial communities in buried soil, the volcanic deposit communities were characterized by the presence of Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria as the main bacterial class, Deinococcus- Thermus as the minor bacterial phyla, and Ascomycota as the major fungal phyla. Multivariate analysis revealed that several bacterial families and fungal classes correlated positively or negatively with plant species. PMID:24463576

Site Amplification Characteristics of the Several Seismic Stations at Jeju Island, in Korea, using S-wave Energy, Background Noise, and Coda waves from the East Japan earthquake (Mar. 11th, 2011) Series.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seong-hwa, Y.; Wee, S.; Kim, J.

2016-12-01

Observed ground motions are composed of 3 main factors such as seismic source, seismic wave attenuation and site amplification. Among them, site amplification is also important factor and should be considered to estimate soil-structure dynamic interaction with more reliability. Though various estimation methods are suggested, this study used the method by Castro et. al.(1997) for estimating site amplification. This method has been extended to background noise, coda waves and S waves recently for estimating site amplification. This study applied the Castro et. al.(1997)'s method to 3 different seismic waves, that is, S-wave Energy, Background Noise, and Coda waves. This study analysed much more than about 200 ground motions (acceleration type) from the East Japan earthquake (March 11th, 2011) Series of seismic stations at Jeju Island (JJU, SGP, HALB, SSP and GOS; Fig. 1), in Korea. The results showed that most of the seismic stations gave similar results among three types of seismic energies. Each station showed its own characteristics of site amplification property in low, high and specific resonance frequency ranges. Comparison of this study to other studies can give us much information about dynamic amplification of domestic sites characteristics and site classification.

Correlation between Asian Dust and Specific Radioactivities of Fission Products Included in Airborne Samples in Tokushima, Shikoku Island, Japan, Due to the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

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

Sakama, M., E-mail: minorusakama@tokushima-u.ac.jp; Nagano, Y.; Kitade, T.

2014-06-15

Radioactive fission product {sup 131}I released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants (FD-NPP) was first detected on March 23, 2011 in an airborne aerosol sample collected at Tokushima, Shikoku Island, located in western Japan. Two other radioactive fission products, {sup 134}Cs and {sup 137}Cs were also observed in a sample collected from April 2 to 4, 2011. The maximum specific radioactivities observed in this work were about 2.5 to 3.5 mBq×m{sup -3} in a airborne aerosol sample collected on April 6. During the course of the continuous monitoring, we also made our first observation of seasonal Asian Dust andmore » those fission products associated with the FDNPP accident concurrently from May 2 to 5, 2011. We found that the specific radioactivities of {sup 134}Cs and {sup 137}Cs decreased drastically only during the period of Asian Dust. And also, it was found that this trend was very similar to the atmospheric elemental concentration (ng×m{sup -3}) variation of stable cesium ({sup 133}Cs) quantified by elemental analyses using our developed ICP-DRC-MS instrument.« less

The El Salvador and Philippines Tsunamis of August 2012: Insights from Sea Level Data Analysis and Numerical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidarzadeh, Mohammad; Satake, Kenji

2014-12-01

We studied two tsunamis from 2012, one generated by the El Salvador earthquake of 27 August ( Mw 7.3) and the other generated by the Philippines earthquake of 31 August ( Mw 7.6), using sea level data analysis and numerical modeling. For the El Salvador tsunami, the largest wave height was observed in Baltra, Galapagos Islands (71.1 cm) located about 1,400 km away from the source. The tsunami governing periods were around 9 and 19 min. Numerical modeling indicated that most of the tsunami energy was directed towards the Galapagos Islands, explaining the relatively large wave height there. For the Philippines tsunami, the maximum wave height of 30.5 cm was observed at Kushimoto in Japan located about 2,700 km away from the source. The tsunami governing periods were around 8, 12 and 29 min. Numerical modeling showed that a significant part of the far-field tsunami energy was directed towards the southern coast of Japan. Fourier and wavelet analyses as well as numerical modeling suggested that the dominant period of the first wave at stations normal to the fault strike is related to the fault width, while the period of the first wave at stations in the direction of fault strike is representative of the fault length.

TTX-Bearing Planocerid Flatworm (Platyhelminthes: Acotylea) in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

PubMed Central

Ueda, Hiroyuki; Itoi, Shiro; Sugita, Haruo

2018-01-01

Polyclad flatworms comprise a highly diverse and cosmopolitan group of marine turbellarians. Although some species of the genera Planocera and Stylochoplana are known to be tetrodotoxin (TTX)-bearing, there are few new reports. In this study, planocerid-like flatworm specimens were found in the sea bottom off the waters around the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The bodies were translucent with brown reticulate mottle, contained two conical tentacles with eye spots clustered at the base, and had a slightly frilled-body margin. Each specimen was subjected to TTX extraction followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Mass chromatograms were found to be identical to those of the TTX standards. The TTX amounts in the two flatworm specimens were calculated to be 468 and 3634 μg. Their external morphology was found to be identical to that of Planocera heda. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of the 28S rRNA gene and cytochrome-c oxidase subunit I gene also showed that both specimens clustered with the flatworms of the genus Planocera (Planocera multitentaculata and Planocera reticulata). This fact suggests that there might be other Planocera species that also possess highly concentrated TTX, contributing to the toxification of TTX-bearing organisms, including fish. PMID:29351203

NASA Sees Typhoon Kilo Maintaining its Eye

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Typhoon Kilo continues to thrive in the Northwestern Pacific and imagery from NASA's Terra satellite late on September 7 showed that the storm still maintained a clear eye. The MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument that flies aboard Terra provided a visible-light image of Kilo on September 7 at 23:50 UTC (7:50 p.m. EDT). The image showed thick bands of thunderstorms wrapping around the eastern and northern quadrants of the visible eye. At 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) on September 9, Typhoon Kilo had maximum sustained winds near 65 knots (74.8 mph/120.4 kph). Kilo is expected to strengthen to 75 knots (86.3 mph/ 138.9 kph) later in the day before weakening. It was centered near 26.8 North latitude and 158.5 East longitude, about 289 nautical miles northeast of Minami Tori Shima, Japan. Kilo was moving to the west-northwest at 18 knots (20.7 mph/33.3 kph). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that Kilo is expected to take more of a northerly track by September 10. Thereafter, Kilo is expected to become extra-tropical and curve to the northeast near the Kuril Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region. The islands form an 808 mile (1,300 kilometer) volcanic archipelago that stretches northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia. For updated watches and warnings from the Japan Meteorological Agency, visit: www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/ NASA image use policy. 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 Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Urban surface energy fluxes based on remotely-sensed data and micrometeorological measurements over the Kansai area, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukeyasu, T.; Ueyama, M.; Ando, T.; Kosugi, Y.; Kominami, Y.

2017-12-01

The urban heat island is associated with land cover changes and increases in anthropogenic heat fluxes. Clear understanding of the surface energy budget at urban area is the most important for evaluating the urban heat island. In this study, we develop a model based on remotely-sensed data for the Kansai area in Japan and clarify temporal transitions and spatial distributions of the surface energy flux from 2000 to 2016. The model calculated the surface energy fluxes based on various satellite and GIS products. The model used land surface temperature, surface emissivity, air temperature, albedo, downward shortwave radiation and land cover/use type from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) under cloud free skies from 2000 to 2016 over the Kansai area in Japan (34 to 35 ° N, 135 to 136 ° E). Net radiation was estimated by a radiation budget of upward/downward shortwave and longwave radiation. Sensible heat flux was estimated by a bulk aerodynamic method. Anthropogenic heat flux was estimated by the inventory data. Latent heat flux was examined with residues of the energy budget and parameterization of bulk transfer coefficients. We validated the model using observed fluxes from five eddy-covariance measurement sites: three urban sites and two forested sites. The estimated net radiation roughly agreed with the observations, but the sensible heat flux were underestimated. Based on the modeled spatial distributions of the fluxes, the daytime net radiation in the forested area was larger than those in the urban area, owing to higher albedo and land surface temperatures in the urban area than the forested area. The estimated anthropogenic heat flux was high in the summer and winter periods due to increases in energy-requirements.

NASA's Aqua Satellite Tracking Super Typhoon Vongfong

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible image of Super Typhoon Vongfong on Oct. 9 at 04:25 UTC (12:25 a.m. EDT as it moved north through the Philippine Sea. Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team --- Vongfong weakened to a Category 4 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson scale on Thursday, October 9, with maximum sustained winds near 130 knots (149.6 mph/240.8 kph), down from a Category 5 typhoon on Oct. 8. Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center predict slow weakening over the next several days. Vongfong was centered near 20.6 north and 129.5 east, about 384 nautical miles south-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. It is moving to the north-northwest at 7 knots (8 mph/12.9 kph) and generating 44 foot (13.4 meter) high seas. For warnings and watches, visit the Japan Meteorological Agency website at: www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/. Vongfong is forecast to continue moving north through the Philippine Sea and is expected to pass just to the east of Kadena Air Base, then track over Amami Oshima before making landfall in Kyushu and moving over the other three big islands of Japan. Residents of all of these islands should prepare for typhoon conditions beginning on October 10. Read more: 1.usa.gov/1s0CCQy NASA image use policy. 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 Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Nitrogen fixation rates associated with the invasive macroalgae Sargassum horneri around Catalina Island, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLiberto, A.

2016-02-01

Nitrogen fixation is an important process which allows organisms access to biologically unavailable dinitrogen gas. Bacteria, known as diazotrophs use the enzyme nitrogenase to convert N2 to NH3. These bacteria, including certain species of heterotrophic bacteria and cyanobacteria, can be symbiotically associated with marine macroalgae, facilitating nutrient cycling in oligotrophic regions. As many species within the genera Sargassum are associated with nitrogen fixation, this study hypothesized that nitrogenase activity would be associated with the benthic invasive Sargassum horneri on Catalina Island. In the past decade, Sargassum horneri, an invasive from Japan, has spread throughout the waters around Catalina Island. Using the acetylene reduction procedure using flame ionization detection, initial nitrogenase activity of S. horneri sampled from Indian Rock was observed. Nitrogen fixation rates increased with decomposition, particularly in dark/anaerobic treatments, suggesting the presence of heterotrophic bacteria. In addition, acetate additions greatly increase nitrogen fixation rates, once again indicating heterotrophic nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-23

Minamitane elementary school girls pose for a photo in front of a sign featuring the town's mascot "Chuta-kun", Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The Chuta-kun mascot rides a rocket and has guns on the side of his helmet to show the areas history as the site of the first known contact of Europe and the Japanese, in 1543 and the introduction of the gun. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the space center on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-22

A daruma doll is seen amongst the NASA GPM Mission launch team in the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2) during the all-day launch simulation for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. One eye of the daruma doll is colored in when a goal is set, in this case a successful launch of GPM, and the second eye is colored in at the completion of the goal. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch an H-IIA rocket carrying the GPM Core Observatory on Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Coseismic rupturing stopped by Aso volcano during the 2016 Mw 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake, Japan.

PubMed

Lin, A; Satsukawa, T; Wang, M; Mohammadi Asl, Z; Fueta, R; Nakajima, F

2016-11-18

Field investigations and seismic data show that the 16 April 2016 moment magnitude (M w ) 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake produced a ~40-kilometer-long surface rupture zone along the northeast-southwest-striking Hinagu-Futagawa strike-slip fault zone and newly identified faults on the western side of Aso caldera, Kyushu Island, Japan. The coseismic surface ruptures cut Aso caldera, including two volcanic cones inside it, but terminate therein. The data show that northeastward propagation of coseismic rupturing terminated in Aso caldera because of the presence of magma beneath the Aso volcanic cluster. The seismogenic faults of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake may require reassessment of the volcanic hazard in the vicinity of Aso volcano. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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

Growth and reproduction of the sea snake, Emydocephalus ijimae, in the central Ryukyus, Japan: a mark and recapture study.

PubMed

Masunaga, Gen; Ota, Hidetoshi

2003-04-01

A mark and recapture study was carried out for three years on a population of the Ijima's sea snake, Emydocephalus ijimae, in the coastal shallow water of Zamamijima Island, central Ryukyus, Japan. The relatively high recapture (47% of 167 marked snakes) suggests that E. ijimae is a particularly philopatric, sedentary species among the sea snakes. The sex ratio (male: female), approximately 1.6:1, significantly skewed from 1:1. The growth rate in SVL declined with growth, with females thoroughly growing better than males. Males and females were estimated to begin reproductive activity in the second or third summer and the third spring after birth, respectively. Frequency of female reproduction is guessed to vary from annual to biennial, or even less frequent.

A Modern History of 'Imperial Medicine' Surrounding Hansen's Disease: Strategies to Manage Public Opinion in Modern Japanese Media.

PubMed

Seo, Gijae

2017-12-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the reality of imperial medicine by exploring the strategic attitude of the Japanese authority targeting the public who were not patients of Hansen's disease. For this purpose, this study examines the mass media data related to Hansen's disease published in Korea and Japan during the Japanese colonial rule. Research on Hansen's disease can be divided into medical, sociohistorical, social welfare, and human rights approach. There are medical studies and statistics on the dissemination of medical information about Hansen's disease and management measures, the history of the management of the disease, guarantee of the rights of the patients and the welfare environment, and studies on the autobiographical, literary writings and oral statements on the life and psychological conflicts of the patients. Among existing research, the topics of the study on Hansen's disease under the Japanese colonial rule include the history of the Sorokdo Island Sanatorium, investigation on the forced labor of the patients in the island, human rights violations against the patients, oral memoirs of the patients and doctors who practiced at that time. All of these studies are important achievements regarding the research on the patients. An important study of Hansen's disease in modern Japan is the work of Hujino Utaka, which introduces the isolation of and discrimination against the patients of Hansen's disease. Hujino Utaka's study examines the annihilation of people with infectious diseases in Japan and its colonies by the imperial government, which was the consequence of the imperial medical policies, and reports on the isolation of Hansen's disease patients during the war. Although these researches are important achievements in the study of Hansen's disease in modernity, their focus has mainly been on the history of isolation and exploitation in the Sorokdo Island Sanatorium and discrimination against the patients within the sanatorium, which was controlled by the director of the sanatorium. Consequently, the research tends to perceive the problem within the frame of antagonism between the agent of imperialism and the victims of exploitation by the hands of imperialism. Hence, it has limitations in that it has not fully addressed the problem of the people who were not Hansen's disease patients and as such, existed somewhere in between the two extremes in the process of administering medicine under the imperial rule. The purpose of this study is to identify the direction of imperial medicine in the history of Hansen's disease in Japan and to comprehend the characteristics of policy on Hansen's disease developed by Mitsuda Kensuke, who was behind the policy of imperial medicine, and examine the process of imperial medicine reaching out to the people (of Japan and its colonies). To achieve the goal, this study explores how the agent of imperial medicine gain the favor the public, who are not Hansen's disease patients, by means of the mass media. Specifically, this paper examines data in the Japanese language related to Korean patients of Hansen's disease including the mass media data on Hansen's disease in the source book titled The Collection of Data on Hansen's Disease in Joseon under the Colonial Rule(8 volumes) compiled by Takio Eiji, which has not been studied until now. It also reviews the cultural and popular magazines published in Japan and Joseon at that time.

Measurement of LF Standard-Frequency Waves JJY along the track of Shirase, the Japanese Antarctic Research Icebreaker, during JARE53-JARE54

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitauchi, H.; Nozaki, K.; Ito, H.; Tsuchiya, S.; Imamura, K.; Nagatsuma, T.

2013-12-01

We first obtained a strong evidence of reception of the low frequency (LF) radio waves, 40 kHz and 60 kHz, of the call sign JJY by use of a newly developed, highly sensitive receiving system on board the Japanese Antarctic research icebreaker Shirase offshore East Ongul Island, East Antarctica--about 14,000 km away from those transmitting stations in Japan. The measured data sets of the electric field intensity and phase of those signals are to be analysed to examine and/or improve numerical prediction methods of field strength for long-distance propagation of LF radio waves, contributing to the Recommendation 'Prediction of field strength at frequencies below about 150 kHz' made by International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). The call sign JJY of standard frequency and time signals (SFTS) of LF 40 kHz and 60 kHz are emitted from the transmitting stations, respectively, Ohtakadoya-yama 37° 22‧ 21″ N, 140° 50‧ 56″ E in Fukushima Prefecture (eastern Japan) and Hagane-yama 33° 27‧ 56″ N, 130° 10‧ 32″ E in Saga/Fukuoka Prefecture (western Japan) by NICT. Those are widely used for calibrating frequency standard oscillators and radio-controlled clocks in Japan. Since low signal attenuation in LF radio band allows long distance communication, kilometre waves have been utilized for operations such as SFTS and military communications around the world. Therefore, there is a need to give guidance to engineers for the planning of radio services in LF band so as to avoid interference. ITU-R recommends the guidance 'Prediction of field strength at frequencies below about 150 kHz', in which a numerical prediction method is proposed to compute the electric field intensity, up to 16,000 km of long-distance propagation, away from the transmitting station. Since reliable data sets are limited for the long-distance propagation, in this study we tried to measure the field strength and phase of the LF SFTS JJY of 40 kHz and 60 kHz over 14,000 km away from those transmitting stations for further examination of the numerical prediction method. As part of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE), NICT conducts ionospheric observation during the round trip between Tokyo, Japan and Syowa Station, the Japanese Antarctic base, at 69° 00‧ S, 39° 35‧ E on East Ongul Island, Lutzow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica. In this research we make measurements of the electric field intensity and phase of those signals, continuously along both the ways between Tokyo and Syowa Station, by a newly developed, highly sensitive receiving system installed on board the Japanese Antarctic research icebreaker Shirase. During the 53rd JARE from November 2011 to April 2012, we conducted the measurements to obtain a strong evidence of reception of the LF SFTS JJY of 40 kHz and 60 kHz offshore East Ongul Island, East Antarctica--about 14,000 km away from those transmitting stations in Japan. We applied phase tracking technique to identify the reception of those signals, for the field strengths of the JJY radio waves are so weak in Lutzow-Holm Bay that it is difficult to distinguish between the signals and noises. The measured data sets are to be analysed for further examination and/or improvement of the numerical prediction method of field strength for long-distance propagation of LF radio waves.

A description of chloride cell and kidney tubule alterations in the flatfish Solea senegalensis exposed to moderately contaminated sediments from the Sado estuary (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, Pedro M.; Caeiro, Sandra; Diniz, Mário S.; Lobo, Jorge; Martins, Marta; Ferreira, Ana M.; Caetano, Miguel; Vale, Carlos; DelValls, T. Ángel; Costa, M. Helena

2010-11-01

The effects of sediment-bound contaminants on kidney and gill chloride cells were surveyed in juvenile Solea senegalensis exposed to fresh sediments collected from three distinct sites of the Sado Estuary (Portugal) in a 28-day laboratorial assay. Sediments were analyzed for metallic contaminants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorines as well as for total organic matter, redox potential and fine fraction. The potential for causing adverse biological effects of each surveyed sediment was assessed by comparison of contaminant levels to available guidelines for coastal sediments, namely the Threshold Effects Level ( TEL) and the Probable Effects Level ( PEL). The Sediment Quality Guideline Quotient indices ( SQGQ) were calculated to compare the overall contamination levels of the three stations. A qualitative approach was employed to analyze the histo/cytopathological traits in gill chloride cells and body kidney of fish exposed to each tested sediment for 0, 14 and 28 days. The results showed that sediment contamination can be considered low to moderate and that the least contaminated sediment (from a reference site, with the lowest SQGQ) caused lesser changes in the surveyed organs. However, the most contaminated sediment (by both metallic and organic xenobiotics, with highest SQGQ) was neither responsible for the highest mortality nor for the most pronounced lesions. Exposure to the sediment presenting an intermediate SQGQ, essentially contaminated by organic compounds, caused the highest mortality (48%) and the most severe damage to kidneys, up to full renal necrosis. Chloride cell alterations were similar in fish exposed to the two most contaminated sediments and consisted of a pronounced cellular hypertrophy, likely involving fluid retention and loss of mitochondria. It can be concluded that sediment contamination considered to be low or moderate may be responsible for severe injury to cells and parenchyma involved in the maintenance of osmotic balance, contributing for the high mortality levels observed. The results suggest that sediment-bound organic contaminants such as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) may be very toxic to the analyzed organs, especially the kidney, even when present in low-risk concentrations.

View of Island of Kyushu, Japan from Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-01-08

SL4-139-3971 (8 Jan. 1974) --- An oblique view of Japan as seen from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. The Island of Kyushu is at center left. The Island of Honshu is in the right background. The Korean Peninsula is in the left background. This picture was taken by one of the Skylab 4 crewmen using a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad camera with a 100mm lens. The plume form Kyushu's volcano Sakurajima is clearly seen in this photograph. Volcanic activity at Sakurajima is known to have occurred for over 1,200 years (first recorded in the year 708 A.D.) but for the first time the entire volcanic plume can be documented at one time. Skylab photographs and crew descriptions are much more detailed then information available from other satellites. The volcano and its plume were observed at least seven times during Skylab 4, and photographed and documented with television. In repeated observations the plume was seen to stream out to the south or southeast and become increasingly diffuse away from the volcano. As the plume reached the open ocean cast of Kyushu it changed direction, sometimes abruptly, and fanned out to the northeast. In this photograph it extends about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east from the volcano; the distribution and dispersion of particulate materials and volcanic gasses will be studied in this and similar Skylab photographs. Although the plume is primarily water vapor, it contains significant quantities of oxides of carbon, sulphur and nitrogen. These gases are considered pollutants, and understanding their abundance and distribution will help to evaluate the relative effect and significance of man-made atmospheric pollutants. Photo credit: NASA

Wintertime urban heat island modified by global climate change over Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, M.

2015-12-01

Urban thermal environment change, especially, surface air temperature (SAT) rise in metropolitan areas, is one of the major recent issues in urban areas. The urban thermal environmental change affects not only human health such as heat stroke, but also increasing infectious disease due to spreading out virus vectors habitat and increase of industry and house energy consumption. The SAT rise is mostly caused by global climate change and urban heat island (hereafter UHI) by urbanization. The population in Tokyo metropolitan area is over 30 millions and the Tokyo metropolitan area is one of the biggest megacities in the world. The temperature rise due to urbanization seems comparable to the global climate change in the major megacities. It is important to project how the urbanization and the global climate change affect to the future change of urban thermal environment to plan the adaptation and mitigation policy. To predict future SAT change in urban scale, we should estimate future UHI modified by the global climate change. This study investigates change in UHI intensity (UHII) of major metropolitan areas in Japan by effects of the global climate change. We performed a series of climate simulations. Present climate simulations with and without urban process are conducted for ten seasons using a high-resolution numerical climate model, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Future climate projections with and without urban process are also conducted. The future projections are performed using the pseudo global warming method, assuming 2050s' initial and boundary conditions estimated by a GCM under the RCP scenario. Simulation results indicated that UHII would be enhanced more than 30% in Tokyo during the night due to the global climate change. The enhancement of urban heat island is mostly caused by change of lower atmospheric stability.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA) Isolates from Recent Bacterial Canker of Kiwifruit Outbreaks Belong to the Same Genetic Lineage

PubMed Central

Taratufolo, Maria C.; Cai, Rongman; Almeida, Nalvo F.; Goodman, Tokia; Guttman, David S.; Vinatzer, Boris A.; Balestra, Giorgio M.

2012-01-01

Intercontinental spread of emerging plant diseases is one of the most serious threats to world agriculture. One emerging disease is bacterial canker of kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa and A. chinensis) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA). The disease first occurred in China and Japan in the 1980s and in Korea and Italy in the 1990s. A more severe form of the disease broke out in Italy in 2008 and in additional countries in 2010 and 2011 threatening the viability of the global kiwi fruit industry. To start investigating the source and routes of international transmission of PSA, genomes of strains from China (the country of origin of the genus Actinidia), Japan, Korea, Italy and Portugal have been sequenced. Strains from China, Italy, and Portugal have been found to belong to the same clonal lineage with only 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 3,453,192 bp and one genomic island distinguishing the Chinese strains from the European strains. Not more than two SNPs distinguish each of the Italian and Portuguese strains from each other. The Japanese and Korean strains belong to a separate genetic lineage as previously reported. Analysis of additional European isolates and of New Zealand isolates exploiting genome-derived markers showed that these strains belong to the same lineage as the Italian and Chinese strains. Interestingly, the analyzed New Zealand strains are identical to European strains at the tested SNP loci but test positive for the genomic island present in the sequenced Chinese strains and negative for the genomic island present in the European strains. Results are interpreted in regard to the possible direction of movement of the pathogen between countries and suggest a possible Chinese origin of the European and New Zealand outbreaks. PMID:22590555

Geometry and spatial variations of seismic reflection intensity of the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate off the Boso Peninsula, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kono, Akihiro; Sato, Toshinori; Shinohara, Masanao; Mochizuki, Kimihiro; Yamada, Tomoaki; Uehira, Kenji; Shinbo, Takashi; Machida, Yuya; Hino, Ryota; Azuma, Ryousuke

2017-07-01

In the region off the Boso Peninsula, Japan, the Pacific plate is subducting westward beneath both the Honshu island arc and Philippine Sea plate, while the Philippine Sea plate is subducting northwestward beneath the Honshu island arc. These complex tectonic interactions have caused numerous seismic events occurred in the past. To better understand these seismic events, it is important to determine the geometry of the plate boundary, in particular the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate. We conducted an active-source seismic refraction survey in July and August 2009 from which we obtained a 2-D P-wave velocity structure model along a 216-km profile. We used the velocity model and previously published data that indicate a P-wave velocity of 5.0 km/s for the upper surface of the subducting Philippine Sea plate to delineate its boundary with the overriding Honshu island arc. Our isodepth contours of the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate show that its dip is shallow at depths of 10 to 15 km, far off the Boso Peninsula. This shallow dip may be a result of interference from the Pacific plate slab, which is subducting westward under the Philippine Sea plate. Within our survey data, we recognized numerous seismic reflections of variable intensity, some of which came from the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate. An area of high seismic reflection intensity corresponds with the main slip area of the Boso slow slip events. Our modeling indicates that those reflections can be explained by an inhomogeneous layer close to the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate.

Sea Urchin Embryogenesis as Bioindicators of Marine Pollution in Impact Areas of the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.

PubMed

Lukyanova, Olga N; Zhuravel, Elena V; Chulchekov, Denis N; Mazur, Andrey A

2017-08-01

The embryogenesis of the sea urchin sand dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis was used as bioindicators of seawater quality from the impact areas of the Sea of Japan/East Sea (Peter the Great Bay) and the Sea of Okhotsk (northwestern shelf of Sakhalin Island and western shelf of Kamchatka Peninsula). Fertilization membrane formation, first cleavage, blastula formation, gastrulation, and 2-armed and 4-armed pluteus formation have been analyzed and a number of abnormalities were calculated. Number of embryogenesis anomalies in sand dollar larvae exposed to sea water from different stations in Peter the Great Bay corresponds to pollution level at each area. The Sea of Okhotsk is the main fishing area for Russia. Anthropogenic impact on the marine ecosystem is caused by fishing and transport vessels mainly. But two shelf areas are considered as "hot spots" due to oil and gas drilling. Offshore oil exploitation on the northeastern Sakhalin Island has been started and at present time oil is being drill on oil-extracting platforms continuously. Significant reserves of hydrocarbons are prospected on western Kamchatka shelf, and exploitation drilling in this area was intensified in 2014. A higher number of abnormalities at gastrula and pluteus stages (19-36%) were detected for the stations around oil platforms near Sakhalin Island. On the western Kamchatka shelf number of abnormalities was 7-21%. Such anomalies as exogastrula, incomplete development of pairs of arms were not observed at all; only the delay of development was registered. Eggs, embryos, and larvae of sea urchins are the suitable bioindicators of early disturbances caused by marine pollution in impact ecosystems.

Long- and short-term triggering and modulation of mud volcano eruptions by earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonini, Marco; Rudolph, Maxwell L.; Manga, Michael

2016-03-01

Earthquakes can trigger the eruption of mud. We use eruptions in Azerbaijan, Italy, Romania, Japan, Andaman Islands, Pakistan, Taiwan, Indonesia, and California to probe the nature of stress changes that induce new eruptions and modulate ongoing eruptions. Dynamic stresses produced by earthquakes are usually inferred to be the dominant triggering mechanism; however static stress changes acting on the feeder systems of mud volcanoes may also play a role. In Azerbaijan, eruptions within 2-10 fault lengths from the epicenter are favored in the year following earthquakes where the static stress changes cause compression of the mud source and unclamp feeder dikes. In Romania, Taiwan, and some Italian sites, increased activity is also favored where the static stress changes act to unclamp feeder dikes, but responses occur within days. The eruption in the Andaman Islands, and those of the Niikappu mud volcanoes, Japan are better correlated with amplitude of dynamic stresses produced by seismic waves. Similarly, a new island that emerged off the coast of Pakistan in 2013 was likely triggered by dynamic stresses, enhanced by directivity. At the southern end of the Salton Sea, California earthquakes increase the gas flux at small mud volcanoes. Responses are best correlated with dynamic stresses. The comparison of responses in these nine settings indicates that dynamic stresses are most often correlated with triggering, although permanent stress changes as small as, and possibly smaller than, 0.1 bar may be sufficient to also influence eruptions. Unclamping stresses with magnitude similar to Earth tides (0.01 bar) persist over time and may play a role in triggering delayed responses. Unclamping stresses may be important contributors to short-term triggering only if they exceed 0.1-1 bar.

Molecular phylogeography of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Northeastern Asia based on analyses of complete mitochondrial DNA sequences.

PubMed

Hirata, Daisuke; Mano, Tsutomu; Abramov, Alexei V; Baryshnikov, Gennady F; Kosintsev, Pavel A; Vorobiev, Alexandr A; Raichev, Evgeny G; Tsunoda, Hiroshi; Kaneko, Yayoi; Murata, Koichi; Fukui, Daisuke; Masuda, Ryuichi

2013-07-01

To further elucidate the migration history of the brown bears (Ursus arctos) on Hokkaido Island, Japan, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of 35 brown bears from Hokkaido, the southern Kuril Islands (Etorofu and Kunashiri), Sakhalin Island, and the Eurasian Continent (continental Russia, Bulgaria, and Tibet), and those of four polar bears. Based on these sequences, we reconstructed the maternal phylogeny of the brown bear and estimated divergence times to investigate the timing of brown bear migrations, especially in northeastern Eurasia. Our gene tree showed the mtDNA haplotypes of all 73 brown and polar bears to be divided into eight divergent lineages. The brown bear on Hokkaido was divided into three lineages (central, eastern, and southern). The Sakhalin brown bear grouped with eastern European and western Alaskan brown bears. Etorofu and Kunashiri brown bears were closely related to eastern Hokkaido brown bears and could have diverged from the eastern Hokkaido lineage after formation of the channel between Hokkaido and the southern Kuril Islands. Tibetan brown bears diverged early in the eastern lineage. Southern Hokkaido brown bears were closely related to North American brown bears.

Coordinated management of coastal hazard awareness and preparedness in the USVI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watlington, R. A.; Lewis, E.; Drost, D.

2014-04-01

As far back as history has been written in the islands today known as the US Virgin Islands (USVI), residents have had to endure and survive costly and deadly onslaughts from tropical storms such as the 1867 San Narciso Hurricane, Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Marilyn. Keenly alerted by recent tragic events in the Indian Ocean in 2004, in Haiti in 2010 and in Japan in 2011, the USVI was reminded that it had suffered its greatest tsunami impact in a well-documented event that had followed the 1867 hurricane by fewer than three weeks. To address their community's continual vulnerability to coastal hazards, USVI emergency managers, scientists and educators, assisted by national and regional disaster management agencies and warning programs, have engaged programs for understanding, anticipating and mitigating these hazards. This paper focuses on how three public-serving institutions, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), the University of the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean Ocean Observing System have responded to the community's need for improved preparedness through programs of physical preparation, planning, research, observations, education and outreach. This report reviews some of the approaches and activities employed in the USVI in the hope of sharing their benefits with similarly vulnerable coastal communities.

Ship-wave-shaped wave clouds induced by Kuril Islands

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-09

The Kuril Islands are a string of volcanically-formed islands that stretch between Russia and Japan, separating the North Pacific Ocean from the Sea of Okhotsk. Subject to the cold, moist breezes from the North Atlantic, and the frigid air from Siberia, the climate is severe, with frequent storms, and ever-present winds, which often reach hurricane strength. Cloudy, windy conditions are common. On June 1, 2015 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image as it passed over the Kuril Islands. Clouds curl into the center of a storm system, bringing strong winds to the region. As the winds scrape over the tall volcanic peaks of the Kuril Islands, they become turbulent air behind the islands. The turbulence disturbs the cloudbank, etching its passage into a striking pattern that can be seen from space. This particular pattern is called “ship-waved-shaped wave clouds”, because the pattern can be likened to that formed behind a ship cutting through a smooth ocean. On the windward side of the Kuril Islands, the cloud bank is generally smooth, with streaks that are lined up parallel to the movement of the wind, blowing from the west and towards the east. Behind the tall volcanic peaks of the islands, V’s fan out on the leeward side, illustrating the flow of the turbulent air. Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC NASA image use policy. 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 Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Geophysical Interpretation of Induction Arrows Observed at Jeju Island, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Choi, H.

2015-12-01

Jeju Island, a volcanic island located on the continental margin in the southern end of the Korean Peninsula, has been paid a special attention to geological and geophysical society for a long time due to its tectonic importance associated with the volcanism of the island. In this study, we try to interpret induction arrows observed at the island that have been estimated from broad-band magnetotelluric (MT) data and existing magnetovariational data, which are sensitive to lateral conductivity distribution of the Earth. Overall pattern of observed induction arrows is clearly frequency-dependent: perpendicular to nearby coastline of the observation site for higher frequencies than 0.1 Hz but rotating toward south or southeastern direction for lower frequency than 0.01 Hz. Furthermore, induction arrows at frequencies lower than 0.001 Hz, which derived from the existing magnetovariational data, point to the south or the southeast as well. In order to examine whether observed induction arrows can be explained by only surrounding seas, 3-D MT modeling considering seas surrounding the island is carried out. The results demonstrate that induction arrows at higher frequencies than 0.01 Hz can be explained well by the surrounding seas but for lower frequencies than 0.01 Hz there are significant discrepancies between observed and calculated arrows. This strongly implies the existence of deep-seated conductor located beneath the farther south of the island, namely, the East China Sea. The existence of this deep-seated conductor can be supported by other previous geophysical studies, which is likely to be caused by mantle upwelling derived from shear traction of horizontal mantle flow in tensional back arc of Kyushu Island, Japan.

Yeasts for Global Happiness: report of the 14th International Congress on Yeasts (ICY14) held in Awaji Island.

PubMed

Watanabe, Daisuke; Takagi, Hiroshi

2017-02-01

The 14th International Congress on Yeasts (ICY14) was held at Awaji Yumebutai International Conference Center (Awaji, Hyogo) in Japan from 11 to 15 September 2016. The main slogan of ICY14 was 'Yeasts for Global Happiness', which enabled us to acknowledge the high-potential usefulness of yeasts contributing to the global happiness in terms of food/beverage, health/medicine and energy/environment industries, as well as to basic biosciences. In addition, two more concepts were introduced: 'from Japan to the world' and 'from senior to junior'. As it was the first ICY meeting held in Japan or other Asian countries, ICY14 provided a good opportunity to widely spread the great achievements by Japanese and Asian yeast researchers, such as those by the 2016 Nobel Laureate Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, and also, to convey the fun and importance of yeasts to the next generation of researchers from Asia and all over the world. As a result, a total of 426 yeast lovers from 42 countries (225 overseas and 201 domestic participants) with different generations attended ICY14 to share the latest knowledge of a wide range of yeast research fields and to join active and constructive scientific discussions. © 2017 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Home Reef, South Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

In the South Pacific, south of Late Island along the Tofua volcanic arc in Tonga, a new volcanic island Home Reef is being re-born. The island is thought to have emerged after a volcanic eruption in mid-August that has also spewed large amounts of floating pumice into Tongan waters and sweeping across to Fiji about 350 km (220 miles) to the west of where the new island has formed. In 2004 a similar eruption created an ephemeral island about 0.5 by 1.5 km (0.3 by 0.9 miles) in size; it was no longer visible in an ASTER image acquired November 2005. This simulated natural color image shows the vegetation-covered stratovolcanic island of Late in the upper right. Home Reef is found in the lower left. The two bluish plumes are hot seawater that is laden with volcanic ash and chemicals; the larger one can be traced for more than 14 km (8.4 miles) to the east. The image was acquired October 10, 2006 and covers an area of 24.3 by 30.2 km. It is located at 18.9 degrees South latitude, 174.7 degrees west longitude.

With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet.

ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Size: 24.3 by 30.2 kilometers (15 by 18.6 miles) Location: 18.9 degrees South latitude, 174.7 degrees West longitude Orientation: North at top Image Data: ASTER bands 3, 2, and 1 Original Data Resolution: 15 meters (49.2 feet) Dates Acquired: October 4, 2006

ASTER-SRTM Perspective of Mount Oyama Volcano, Miyake-Jima Island, Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Mount Oyama is a 820-meter-high (2,700 feet) volcano on the island of Miyake-Jima, Japan. In late June 2000, a series of earthquakes alerted scientists to possible volcanic activity. On June 27, authorities evacuated 2,600 people, and on July 8 the volcano began erupting and erupted five times over that week. The dark gray blanket covering green vegetation in the image is the ash deposited by prevailing northeasterly winds between July 8 and 17. This island is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Tokyo and is part of the Izu chain of volcanic islands that runs south from the main Japanese island of Honshu. Miyake-Jima is home to 3,800 people. The previous major eruptions of Mount Oyama occurred in 1983 and 1962, when lava flows destroyed hundreds of houses. An earlier eruption in 1940 killed 11 people.

This image is a perspective view created by combining image data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard NASA's Terra satellite with an elevation model from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Vertical relief is exaggerated, and the image includes cosmetic adjustments to clouds and image color to enhance clarity of terrain features.

The ASTER instrument is a cooperative project between NASA, JPL, and the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

Elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11,2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise,Washington, DC.

Size: Island is approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) in diameter Location: 34.1 deg. North lat., 139.5 deg. East lon. Orientation: View toward the west-southwest. Image Data: ASTER visible and near infrared Date Acquired: February 20, 2000 (SRTM), July 17, 2000 (ASTER)

Estimating rates of coastal cliff erosion in a small island using terrestrial laser scanning and RPAS-based SfM-MVS photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Yuichi S.; Obanawa, Hiroyuki

2017-04-01

Rapid erosion of coastal cliffs has been historically observed to be more than 1 m/y in the outer Boso Peninsula area, eastern Japan. However, due to the modern work of coastal protection, the erosion rates of the coastal cliffs have significantly decreased. This caused coastal erosion in the nearby sand beach, to which sands had been supplied from the formerly eroded rocky coast. In order to assess the relationships between erosion and protection in both rocky and sandy coasts, quantitative evaluation of erosion rates by natural processes would be necessary. The Suzume-jima Island, a small coastal island in the outer Boso Peninsula area, is an ideal site, which is located outside of the coastal protection and natural processes of erosion can still be observed. Here we carried out multiple measurements of the entire shape of the island using remotely piloted aerial system (RPAS) and structure-from-motion multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry. Terrestrial laser scanning is also performed for the accuracy assessment. The high-frequency (3 times a year) and high-resolution (cm) measurements of the small island for 3 years revealed spatially variable rockfalls and wave erosion, whose volume of mass has been quantitatively revealed from the 3-D point cloud obtained. The relatively short-term measurements are also compared with the long-term 2-D topographic changes in the island by aerial photographs for 50 years.

Strategic and Operational Decision-Making: Does Military Weakness Affect Decisions Made?

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-19

January he had no choice but to resign. 27 Ibid., 155. 28 Ibid., 155. 29 B.F. Johnston , Japanese Food Management in World War II (Stanford...Treaty of Versailles, which was the peace settlement signed after World War I. 84 In the Marshalls, several islands of the Kwajalein Atoll became...constantly shuttling Korean laborers and material from Japan for the systematic militarization of Truk in the Carolines and the Kwajalein Atoll .85

Potential Observing Systems for Tropical Cyclone Motion Studies.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

Relatively good coverage exists along the island chain between Taiwan and Japan. Although a number of stations occur along 10N east of the Philippines...shipboard CLASS units for use in GALE. A shipboard CLASS unit will be taking observations during the Taiwan Mesoscale Experiment (TAMEX) in May 1987. f...experiment. Another wind profiler (50 Mhz) is permanently located on the northern tip of Taiwan . Personnel of the Center for Space and Remote Sensing

The types of the landslide by the heavy rain presumed from geographical and geological features in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doshida, S.

2014-12-01

Various types of a landslide, such as a deep-seated landslide, a shallow landslide, and a debris flow, exist. And the risk and the damage area of a landslide change greatly with the types. Therefore it is very important to guess the type of a landslide generated in the future, in order to decrease the damage of a landslide. In this research, I investigated and studied the landslide disaster which occurred in the typhoon No.12 disaster in 2011 and the northern Kyusyu-island heavy rain disaster 2012, in Japan. The purpose of the study presumes the types of a landslide generated in the future by analyzing geographical and geological features. 　Many deep-seated landslides and shallow landslides (debris flows) occurred by the typhoon No.12, 2011 in Japan. The precipitation exceeds 1,800 mm in four days in part regionally. Landslides occurred frequently in the Totsukawa area (Northern part) and Nachi-Katsuura area (Southern part), both area were the precipitation of about 1000 mm in four days. In the Totsukawa area, deep-seated landslides occurred frequently, and in Nachi-Katsuura area, shallow landslides (debris flows) occurred frequently. On the other hand, many deep-seated landslides and shallow landslides occurred by the northern Kyusyu-island heavy rain disaster 2012 in Japan too. Landslides occurred frequently in the Hoshino village area (Northern part) and Asodani area (Southern part). In both area, the total precipitation exceeds 500 mm and the hourly precipitation is about 80 mm. In the Hoshino village area, deep-seated landslides occurred frequently, and in Asodani area, shallow landslides occurred frequently. 　The result compared with the deep-seated landslide area (Totsukawa and Hoshino village) and the shallow landslide area (Nachi-Katsuura and Asodani), area of landslide is larger and number of landslide is fewer in the deep-seated landslide area. In the shallow landslide area, the slope is steeper and the drainage network is more developed. It is surmised that these geographical differentiations are the geographical features formed of the past landslide. Therefore, it is important to read and analyze the past landslide disaster hysteresis from geographical feature for specifying the type of a landslide.

Shipboard Measurements During ACE-Asia: an Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bates, T. S.; Uematsu, M.; Miura, K.

2001-12-01

Shipboard measurements of aerosol properties and related parameters were conducted from the US NOAA R/V Ronald H. Brown and the Japanese R/V Mirai (MR01-K02) during the ACE-Asia Intensive Field Program (http://saga.pmel.noaa.gov/aceasia/). The R/V Brown cruise (14 March - 20 April 2001), with scientists from 22 research institutions, included measurements across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan, in the East China Sea and in the Sea of Japan. Measurements were coordinated with the US NSF/NCAR C-130, US CIRPAS Twin Otter, and the Australian ARA King Air Aircraft, Terra and SeaWiFS satellite overpasses, and the ground station at Hachijo, Japan. Distinct aerosol and trace gas signatures were observed from the Miyakejima volcano, the deserts of China and Mongolia, the Chang Jiang Basin, the Korean Peninsula and the islands of Japan. The R/V Mirai cruise (14 - 28 May 2001), with scientists from 10 research institutions, focused on the region east of Japan along 146.5 E from 30 N to 38 N. Enhanced concentrations of radon and super-micron aerosol were measured in a post-frontal air mass along the 146.5 E transect. Observations from a Kytoon and the NIES two-wavelength (1064 nm and 532 nm) dual-polarization lidar detected dust and sulfate aerosol plumes from the Asian continent. The vertical distribution patterns of the dust and sulfate aerosols qualitatively agreed with the model prediction by the Chemical Weather Forecasting System (CFORS).

Anthropogenic lead inputs to the western Pacific during the 20th century.

PubMed

Inoue, Mayuri; Tanimizu, Masaharu

2008-11-15

Unlike in the North Atlantic, no continuous record of anthropogenic lead (Pb) has been available in the western Pacific. We reconstructed historical changes in anthropogenic Pb on the basis of Pb isotope ratios recorded in annually-banded coral retrieved from Ogasawara Island, Japan. Whereas the predominant natural source of Pb to the surface of the western Pacific apparently is Chinese loess, anthropogenic Pb has affected the western Pacific at least since the late 19th century. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, Australian Pb used in Japan was an important source of anthropogenic Pb. During 1920-1940, Pb emitted from parts of the world other than Japan contributed somewhat to the western Pacific, and the amount of Pb imported from Australia declined. Alkyl Pb used in Japan became the main source from 1950 until the mid-1970s, when leaded gasoline began to be regulated in Japan. Since the mid-1980s, aerosols from China have been the predominant source of Pb in the western Pacific. During the 1990s, around 60% of Pb in the surface of the western Pacific was from Chinese aerosols. We also investigated the present spatial distribution and likely sources of Pb in the western Pacific by using coral samples. Enrichment in 208Pb, which is a characteristic of Pb from China, was found in all coral samples except that from Pohnpei, Micronesia, suggesting that at present anthropogenic Pb is transported to the western Pacific mainly from China via westerly winds.

First molecular detection and characterization of Hepatozoon and Sarcocystis spp. in field mice and voles from Japan.

PubMed

Moustafa, Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed; Shimozuru, Michito; Mohamed, Wessam; Taylor, Kyle Rueben; Nakao, Ryo; Sashika, Mariko; Tsubota, Toshio

2017-08-01

Sarcocystis and Hepatozoon species are protozoan parasites that are frequently detected in domestic and wild animals. Rodents are considered common intermediate and paratenic hosts for several Sarcocystis and Hepatozoon species. Here, blood DNA samples from a total of six rodents, including one Myodes rutilus, one Myodes rufocanus, and four Apodemus speciosus, collected from Hokkaido, Japan, were shown by conventional PCR of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene to contain Sarcocystis and Hepatozoon DNA. Sequencing of the DNA detected one Sarcocystis sp. in the M. rufocanus sample and two different Hepatozoon spp. in the M. rutilus and A. speciosus samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the detected Sarcocystis sp. sequence grouped with GenBank Sarcocystis sequences from rodents, snakes, and raccoons from Japan and China. The 18S rRNA partial gene sequences of both detected Hepatozoon spp. clustered with GenBank Hepatozoon sequences from snakes, geckos and voles in Europe, Africa, and Asia. This study provides evidence that wild rodents have a role in the maintenance of Sarcocystis and Hepatozoon species on the island of Hokkaido.

Spatial distribution of cold-season lightning frequency in the coastal areas of the Sea of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsurushima, Daiki; Sakaida, Kiyotaka; Honma, Noriyasu

2017-12-01

The coastal areas of the Sea of Japan are a well-known hotspot of winter lightning activity. This study distinguishes between three common types of winter lightning in that region (types A-C), based on their frequency distributions and the meteorological conditions under which they occur. Type A lightning occurs with high frequency in the Tohoku district. It is mainly caused by cold fronts that accompany cyclones passing north of the Japanese islands. Type B, which occurs most frequently in the coastal areas of the Hokuriku district, is mainly caused by topographically induced wind convergence and convective instability, both of which are associated with cyclones having multiple centers. Type C's lightning frequency distribution pattern is similar to that of type B, but its principal cause is a topographically induced wind convergence generated by cold air advection from the Siberian continent. Type A is most frequently observed from October to November, while types B and C tend to appear from November to January, consistent with seasonal changes in lightning frequency distribution in Japan's Tohoku and Hokuriku districts.

Voluntary settlement and the spirit of independence: evidence from Japan's "Northern frontier".

PubMed

Kitayama, Shinobu; Ishii, Keiko; Imada, Toshie; Takemura, Kosuke; Ramaswamy, Jenny

2006-09-01

The authors hypothesized that economically motivated voluntary settlement in the frontier fosters independent agency. While illuminating the historical origin of American individualism, this hypothesis can be most powerfully tested in a region that is embedded in a broader culture of interdependence and yet has undergone a recent history of such settlement. The authors therefore examined residents of Japan's northern island (Hokkaido). Hokkaido was extensively settled by ethnic Japanese beginning in the 1870s and for several decades thereafter. Many of the current residents of Hokkaido are the descendents of the original settlers from this period. As predicted, Japanese socialized and/or immersed in Hokkaido were nearly as likely as European Americans in North America to associate happiness with personal achievement (Study 1), to show a personal dissonance effect wherein self-justification is motivated by a threat to personal self-images (Study 2), and to commit a dispositional bias in causal attribution (Study 3). In contrast, these marker effects of independent agency were largely absent for non-Hokkaido residents in Japan. Implications for theories of cultural change and persistence are discussed. ((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Etmopterus lailae sp. nov., a new lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

PubMed

Ebert, David A; Papastamatiou, Yannis P; Kajiura, Stephen M; Wetherbee, Bradley M

2017-02-27

A new species of lanternshark, Etmopterus lailae (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae), is described from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in the central North Pacific Ocean. The new species resembles other members of the "Etmopterus lucifer" clade in having linear rows of dermal denticles, and most closely resembles E. lucifer from Japan. The new species occurs along insular slopes around seamounts at depths between 314-384 m. It can be distinguished from other members of the E. lucifer clade by a combination of characteristics, including a longer anterior flank marking branch, arrangement of dermal denticles on the ventral snout surface and body, flank and caudal markings, and meristic counts including number of spiral valve turns, and precaudal vertebrate. A key to species of the Etmopterus lucifer-clade is included.

When symptom is symbol: some comments on Rosemary Gordon's, 'Masochism: the shadow side of the archetypal need to venerate and worship'.

PubMed

Stein, Murray

2015-09-01

This paper is a commentary on Rosemary Gordon's paper, 'Masochism: the shadow side of the archetypal need to venerate and worship', with a suggestion for an alternative interpretation of masochism as a part of a sado-masochistic couple. Gordon postulates an archetypal need to venerate and worship that can be hidden in the shadow and distorted in such practices as sexual masochism. Her paper also offers several avenues of exploration for further studies in connection with the phenomenon of masochism, including sexual perversion ('paraphilia'), chronic psychological victimhood, PTSD and traumatology, religious extremist behaviour such as self-flagellation, transformation in the individuation process and numinous experience. An extension of her hypothesis to include religious problems of modernity is suggested. © 2015, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

Disease and immunity in the pre-Spanish Philippines.

PubMed

Newson, L A

1999-06-01

It is generally asserted that Filipino populations did not suffer the same demographic collapse that followed Spanish conquest in the Americas because they had previously acquired immunity to Old World diseases through trading contacts with Asia. This assertion is examined by trying to establish which diseases were present in the islands in pre-Spanish times and whether populations there could have acquired immunity to them. This is done through an analysis of the evidence for the presence of infections in China and Japan in particular and the existence of trading contacts with and between the Philippine islands. The likelihood of immunity being acquired is addressed first through a discussion of the physical and human geography of the islands and what is known of the epidemiology of individual diseases from modern scientific research. Second, it reviews evidence from early colonial documents and Filipino dictionaries for the presence and impact of Old World diseases in the early colonial period. The study suggests that Filipino populations had not acquired significant immunities to acute infections in pre-Spanish times, and that their limited demographic impact in the colonial period derived more from the particular geography of the islands. It suggests that in terms of its disease history, the Philippines had more in common with the Pacific islands than mainland Asia, and that the microbiological boundary between the Old World and the New is better conceived of as a broad zone.

A test of present-day plate geometries for northeast Asia and Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demets, Charles

1992-01-01

Alternative geometries for the present-day configuration of plate boundaries in northeast Asia and Japan are tested using NUVEL-1 and 256 horizontal earthquake slip vectors from the Japan and northern Kuril trenches. Statistical analysis of the slip vectors is used to determine whether the North American, Eurasian, or Okhotsk plate overlies the trench. Along the northern Kuril trench, slip vectors are well-fit by the NUVEL-1 Pacific-North America Euler pole, but are poorly fit by the Pacific-Eurasia Euler pole. Results for the Japan trench are less conclusive, but suggest that much of Honshu and Hokkaido are also part of the North American plate. The simplest geometry consistent with the trench slip vectors is a geometry in which the North American plate extends south to 41 deg N, and possibly includes northern Honshu and southern Hokkaido. Although these results imply that the diffuse seismicity that connects the Lena River delta to Sakhalin Island and the eastern Sea of Japan records motion between Eurasia and North America, onshore geologic and seismic data define an additional belt of seismicity in Siberia that cannot be explained with this geometry. Assuming that these two seismic belts constitute evidence for an Okhotsk block, two published kinematic models for motion of the Okhotsk block are tested. The first model, which predicts motion of up to 15 mm/yr relative to North America, is rejected because Kuril and Japan trench slip vectors are fit more poorly than for the simpler geometry described above. The second model gives a good fit to the trench slip vectors, but only if Okhotsk-North America motion is slower than 5 mm/yr.

Measuring the impact of invasive species on popular culture: a case study based on toy turtles from Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Yamamoto, Katsuya

2016-01-01

The red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) is native to portions of the United States of America (USA) and adjacent northeastern Mexico. The bright and colorful hatchlings have long been popular as pets globally but numerous individuals have been released into the wild establishing populations in areas well outside their native range. As a result, slider turtles are now introduced worldwide on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, and many temperate and tropical islands, including Japan. They are very successful at establishing breeding populations in a variety of habitats, even those in proximity to human development. Once established in large populations, they compete with native turtle species sometimes to the detriment of the latter. Tin toy turtles were popular in Japan for decades, and they were an important export item after World War II. From the 1920s to the 1950s, prior to the widespread establishment of slider populations in Japan, the toys were characterized by muted earth-tone colors representative of native species of Japanese turtles. After the 1950s, toy turtles exhibited brighter combinations of yellow, red and green more typical of slider turtles. This transition may reflect demand for more colorful toys by importing countries like the USA. Alternatively, the change was coincident with the importation of large numbers of colorful slider turtles to Japan via the pet trade and their subsequent establishment and numerical dominance in Japanese wetlands. This switch in toy turtle colors may reflect a cultural transition in awareness of what constitutes the appearance of a typical turtle in Japan. Sliders appear to have been accepted by Japanese consumers as a new cultural norm in the appearance of turtles, a case of art imitating life.

How Eddies Gain, Retain, and Release Water: A Case Study of a Hokkaido Anticyclone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prants, S. V.; Budyansky, M. V.; Uleysky, M. Yu.

2018-03-01

A Lagrangian methodology is elaborated to identify the origin of water masses in the Kuroshio-Oyashio frontal zone where waters of the Kuroshio Extension and Oyashio Current and of the Japan and Okhotsk Seas converge. It allows one to track the evolution of mesoscale eddies during the satellite-altimetry era and to document how they gain, retain, and release water masses of different origin. The methodology is applied to study warm-core mesoscale anticyclones propagating along the Japan and Kuril Trenches near the eastern coast of Hokkaido Island that have been observed from 1 January 1993 to 10 December 2016 in an altimetry-based velocity field. The Hokkaido eddy, sampled by profiling floats and a few cruises in 2003 and 2004, is analyzed in detail in order to compare Lagrangian simulation results to observations.

Uplift and Subsidence Associated with the Great Aceh-Andaman Earthquake of 2004

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

The magnitude 9.2 Indian Ocean earthquake of December 26, 2004, produced broad regions of uplift and subsidence. In order to define the lateral extent and the downdip limit of rupture, scientists from Caltech, Pasadena, Calif.; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif.; the U.S. Geological Survey, Pasadena, Calif.; and the Research Center for Geotechnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Bandung, Indonesia; first needed to define the pivot line separating those regions. Interpretation of satellite imagery and a tidal model were one of the key tools used to do this.

These pre-Sumatra earthquake (a) and post-Sumatra earthquake (b) images of North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean, acquired from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft, show emergence of the coral reef surrounding the island following the earthquake. The tide was 30 plus or minus 14 centimeters lower in the pre-earthquake image (acquired November 21, 2000) than in the post-earthquake image (acquired February 20, 2005), requiring a minimum of 30 centimeters of uplift at this locality. Observations from an Indian Coast Guard helicopter on the northwest coast of the island suggest that the actual uplift is on the order of 1 to 2 meters at this site.

In figures (c) and (d), pre-earthquake and post-earthquake ASTER images of a small island off the northwest coast of Rutland Island, 38 kilometers east of North Sentinel Island, show submergence of the coral reef surrounding the island. The tide was higher in the pre-earthquake image (acquired January 1, 2004) than in the post-earthquake image (acquired February 4, 2005), requiring subsidence at this locality. The pivot line must run between North Sentinel and Rutland islands. Note that the scale for the North Sentinel Island images differs from that for the Rutland Island images.

The tidal model used for this study was based on data from JPL's Topex/Poseidon satellite. The model was used to determine the relative sea surface height at each location at the time each image was acquired, a critical component used to quantify the deformation.

The scientists' method of using satellite imagery to recognize changes in elevation relative to sea surface height and of using a tidal model to place quantitative bounds on coseismic uplift or subsidence is a novel approach that can be adapted to other forms of remote sensing and can be applied to other subduction zones in tropical regions.

ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2012 Philippine Sea plate and vicinity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smoczyk, Gregory M.; Hayes, Gavin P.; Hamburger, Michael W.; Benz, Harley M.; Villaseñor, Antonio; Furlong, Kevin P.

2013-01-01

The complex tectonics surrounding the Philippine Islands are dominated by the interactions of the Pacific, Sunda, and Eurasia plates with the Philippine Sea plate (PSP). The latter is unique because it is almost exclusively surrounded by zones of plate convergence. At its eastern and southeastern edges, the Pacific plate is subducted beneath the PSP at the Izu-Bonin, Mariana, and Yap trenches. Here, the subduction zone exhibits high rates of seismic activity to depths of over 600 km, though no great earthquakes (M>8.0) have been observed, likely because of weak coupling along the plate interface. In the northeast, the PSP subducts beneath Japan and the eastern margin of the Eurasia plate at the Nankai and Ryukyu trenches, extending westward to Taiwan. The Nankai portion of this subduction zone has hosted some of the largest earthquakes along the margins of the PSP, including a pair of Mw8.1 megathrust events in 1944 and 1946. Along its western margin, the convergence of the PSP and the Sunda plate is responsible for a broad and active plate boundary system extending along both sides of the Philippine Islands chain. The region is characterized by opposite-facing subduction systems on the east and west sides of the islands, and the archipelago is cut by a major transform structure: the Philippine Fault. Subduction of the Philippine Sea plate occurs at the eastern margin of the islands along the Philippine Trench and its northern extension, the East Luzon Trough. On the west side of Luzon, the Sunda Plate subducts eastward along a series of trenches, including the Manila Trench in the north, the smaller Negros Trench in the central Philippines, and the Sulu and Cotabato trenches in the south. Twentieth and early twentyfirst century seismic activity along the boundaries of the Philippine Sea plate has produced seven great (M>8.0) earthquakes and 250 large (M>7) events. Among the most destructive events were the 1923 Kanto, the 1948 Fukui, and the 1995 Kobe, Japan, earthquakes; the 1935 and the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquakes; and the 1976 M7.6 Moro Gulf and 1990 M7.6 Luzon, Philippines, earthquakes.

Parameters, U.S. Army War College Quarterly. Volume 22, Number 2, Spring 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

the Hitler -Tojo Axis, or Moscow- centered communism at its height of aggressiveness. To be sure, Japan and the European Community threaten our...military community was interested in what Hitler was doing in Europe, it seemed far away. As for the Japanese threat to the islands, it was not until the...reminders of bouts with pellegra and malnutrition. Arrival in the states meant some handshaking with generals and ad- mirals, hometown newspaper stories

Operation CROSSROADS-1946

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-01

design as the one that had been dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Each had a yield of 23 KT (the equivalent of 23,000 tons of TNT). This weapon type had been...tional control of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT). On 3 June 1947, CNO sent a dispatch to CINIPACFLT designating three ships for...addition berths near Eneu Island designated by letters or their phonetic equivalent , e.g., Able for A, Jig for J. Oboe for 0, etc. Figure A.1 shows the

The Future Strategic Environment of East Asia: Implications of a PRC-Taiwan Reunification

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

need to develop space and cyber capabilities.18 Thus, because China’s list of security concerns is ever growing, a number of high- level issues could...Asia and to attenuate U.S. regional alliances and friendships . Some analysts have also pointed to China’s enthusiastic participation in regional...confrontation with Japan over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea In response to this perceived Chinese bullying , Asian nations drew

Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

1946-05-09

decision by higher authority on their eventual dis- position. The units transferred to Fleet Air Wing 17 by FAW-1 were CUMBeLIAND SOUND, HAMLIN, PINE ISLAND...14 September. The litter cases, including those mentally defective and (should any appear) women and children, were to be processed and dispatched...Singapore and Hongkmg. As it turned out, there were no women , no children, and only a handful of civilians. -- ’A C . _tt aa^~ 52 - L Lowh I ,=oe of 17

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction of a H-70 Fuel Storage Facility and a Medical Pharmacy

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-05-01

Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia , Pakistan, or the Philippine Islands; and... OSHA ). The State of Colorado also has regulations pertaining to ACM abatement. Emissions of asbestos fibers into the ambient air are regulated in...contours. Construction noise is planned to occur for periods of 8 hours a day, Monday through Saturday. According to the OSHA , it is unacceptable for

Characterization of herbaspirillum- and limnobacter-related strains isolated from young volcanic deposits in miyake-jima island, Japan.

PubMed

Lu, Hongsheng; Fujimura, Reiko; Sato, Yoshinori; Nanba, Kenji; Kamijo, Takashi; Ohta, Hiroyuki

2008-01-01

The role of microbes in the early development of ecosystems on new volcanic materials seems to be crucial to primary plant succession but is not well characterized. Here we analyzed the bacterial community colonizing 22-year-old volcanic deposits of the Miyake-jima Island (Japan) using culture-based and 16S rRNA gene clone library methods. The majority of 91 bacterial isolates were placed phylogenetically in two clusters (A and B) of the Betaproteobacteria. Cluster A (82% of isolates) was related to the genus Limnobacter and Cluster B (9%) was affiliated with the Herbaspirillum clade. The clone library analysis supported the predominance of Cluster B rather than Cluster A. Strain KP1-50 of Cluster B was able to grow on a mineral medium under an atmosphere of H(2), O(2), and CO(2) (85:5:10), and characterized by its large-subunit gene of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) and nitrogenase reductase gene (nifH). In contrast, strains of Cluster A did not grow chemolithoautotrophically with H(2), O(2), and CO(2) but increased their cell biomass with the addition of thiosulfate to the succinate medium, suggesting the use of thiosulfate as an energy source. From phenotypic characterization, it was suggested that the Cluster A and B strains were novel species in the genus Limnobacter and Herbaspirillum, respectively.

Refinement of a locus for autosomal dominant hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominancy (HMSN-P) and genetic heterogeneity.

PubMed

Maeda, Kouji; Kaji, Ryuji; Yasuno, Katsuhito; Jambaldorj, Jamiyansuren; Nodera, Hiroyuki; Takashima, Hiroshi; Nakagawa, Masanori; Makino, Satoshi; Tamiya, Gen

2007-01-01

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominancy (HMSN-P) is an adult-onset peripheral neurodegenerative disorder which has been reported only in the Okinawa Islands, Japan. The disease locus of "Okinawa-type" HMSN-P has been previously mapped to 3q13.1, with all affected individuals sharing an identical haplotype around the locus, suggesting that the undiscovered causative mutation in HMSN-P originated from a single founder. We have newly found two large families from the western part of Japan within which multiple members developed symptoms similar to those exhibited by HMSN-P patients from Okinawa, with no record of affinal connection between the islands. Using these pedigrees with "Kansai-type" HMSN-P, we carried out a linkage study utilizing eight microsatellite markers and identified a candidate region on 3q13.1 cosegregating with the disease (maximum two-point LOD score of 8.44 at theta=0.0) overlapping with the Okinawa-type HMSN-P locus. However, the disease haplotype shared among all affected members in these families was different from that in the Okinawa kindred, suggesting allelic heterogeneity. Such allelic variation should aid in the identification of the disease-causative gene. Moreover, the allelic heterogeneity of HMSN-P in the Japanese population suggests that HMSN-P may be more common across other ethnic groups, but classified into other disease categories.

The creation of reasonable projections toward sustainable development considering the climate and socioeconomic changes in the Pacific Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, S.; Iida, A.; Nakatani, J.; Noda, K.; Take, M.; Nakamura, S.

2015-12-01

The impacts of climate and socioeconomic change in the future are important factors to consider when discussing the issues of sustainable development in the Pacific Islands, since their impacts here are relatively large compared to those in other regions due to the severe limitation of internal resources and the external dependency of the life essentials. The tourism industry is the key driving force behind the economic growth in island region and it is promoted by the environmental attractions. This study constructs scenarios that foresees the effects of these changes and assesses the subsequent impact on both the local community and the tourism industry. In this study, the scenarios have been developed based on the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) and the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The progress of climate change was expected to affect the attraction of tourists as well as resources availability and food production. The difference of SSPs was expected to affect the quality of life in the local society and the quantity and/or the quality of tourism. A downscale and bias-correction using a local dataset was applied to assess the impacts of climate change, and the relationships between GDP, population, and estimated land availability in the current situation were applied to assess the impact of socioeconomic change. As case studies, the scenarios were constructed to assess the impacts in the Republic of Palau and Ishigaki Island, Japan. Both are typical islands where tourism is the main industry. The situation of environmental resources, local society, and tourism under changing climate and socioeconomic conditions was assessed using these scenarios. The creation of reasonable projections under appropriate scenarios can contribute to sustainable development not only in these islands but also in most Pacific Islands.

Advanced maritime adaptation in the western Pacific coastal region extends back to 35,000-30,000 years before present.

PubMed

Fujita, Masaki; Yamasaki, Shinji; Katagiri, Chiaki; Oshiro, Itsuro; Sano, Katsuhiro; Kurozumi, Taiji; Sugawara, Hiroshi; Kunikita, Dai; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Kano, Akihiro; Okumura, Tomoyo; Sone, Tomomi; Fujita, Hikaru; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Naruse, Toru; Kondo, Megumi; Matsu'ura, Shuji; Suwa, Gen; Kaifu, Yousuke

2016-10-04

Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000-30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world's oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region.

Advanced maritime adaptation in the western Pacific coastal region extends back to 35,000–30,000 years before present

PubMed Central

Fujita, Masaki; Yamasaki, Shinji; Katagiri, Chiaki; Oshiro, Itsuro; Sano, Katsuhiro; Kurozumi, Taiji; Sugawara, Hiroshi; Kunikita, Dai; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Kano, Akihiro; Okumura, Tomoyo; Sone, Tomomi; Fujita, Hikaru; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Naruse, Toru; Kondo, Megumi; Matsu’ura, Shuji; Suwa, Gen; Kaifu, Yousuke

2016-01-01

Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000−30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world’s oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region. PMID:27638208

Morphological and molecular study of the cyanobiont-bearing dinoflagellate Sinophysis canaliculata from the Canary Islands (eastern central Atlantic).

PubMed

García-Portela, María; Riobó, Pilar; Rodríguez, Francisco

2017-04-01

The presence of the benthic dinophysoid dinoflagellate Sinophysis canaliculata has been reported in the Canary Islands (eastern central Atlantic) in live field observations and on fixed macroalgal samples from intertidal ponds (26 sampling sites from El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote islands). In vivo Sinophysis cells were typically pale pink colored. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed a small characteristic narrow hypothecal cut that matched the original description of S. canaliculata. SSU rRNA gene (rDNA) nuclear phylogeny showed that S. canaliculata is closely related to S. microcephalus. Sinophysis specimens displayed cyanobacterial endosymbionts with orange autofluorescence from phycoerythrins. SSU rDNA analyses of the cyanobionts nearly matched a former sequence obtained from S. canaliculata in the Pacific Ocean (Japan). S. canaliculata survived up to 5 months in the original seawater samples. During that period cyanobionts were always present and maintained their orange autofluorescence, although the pink color gradually vanished (<1 month) in most individuals. Molecular similarity of Sinophysis cyanobionts from the Canary Islands and Japanese waters suggest a deterministic relationship, likely a temporary maintenance inside their host via some specific grazing system. © 2016 Phycological Society of America.

Field assessment of innovative sensor for monitoring of sediment accumulation at inshore coral reefs.

PubMed

Thomas, Séverine; Ridd, Peter

2005-01-01

Sediment accumulation rate is a frequently required parameter in environmental and management studies, in particular near coral reefs where sediment accumulation can potentially cause severe impact. However, opportunities to obtain accurate sediment accumulation measurements are often limited by a lack of adequate instrumentation, in particular for high temporal resolution monitoring. For instance the traditional use of sediment traps, as the most widespread technique, offers poor temporal resolution (commonly of weeks) besides having significant hydrodynamic shortcomings. Therefore, a new optical backscatter sediment accumulation sensor (SAS) was developed to continuously measure in situ short-term sediment accumulation in sensitive riverine and coastal environments, enabling high temporal and vertical resolution (order of 1 h and with a deposited thickness resolution in the order of 20 microm respectively). This allows investigations of various parameters that influence accumulation: tides, current, waves, rain, or anthropogenic activity such as sediment dumping. This paper briefly describes the SAS and presents three field applications on nearshore coral reefs at Ishigaki Island (Japan), Lihir Island (Papua New Guinea), and Magnetic Island (Australia).

Transfusion under triple threat: Lessons from Japan's 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.

PubMed

Nollet, Kenneth E; Komazawa, Tomoko; Ohto, Hitoshi

2016-10-01

The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011 provoked tsunami waves with inland penetration up to 5 km and run-up heights to 40 m. More than 400 km 2 were flooded, mainly along the northeast coast of Japan's largest island, Honshu. Nearly 20,000 human lives were abruptly taken by this natural disaster. Four coastal nuclear facilities went into automatic shutdown; at one, Fukushima Daiichi, cooling system failures resulted in the meltdown of three reactor cores, accompanied by explosive release of radioisotopes. Essentials of modern blood banking and transfusion medicine were lost: roads, vehicles, blood collection venues, and facilities for blood testing and processing. Normal channels of communication were interrupted, not only by physical damage but also due to circuit overload as mobile phone users sought information and tried to exchange messages about their own and others' health, welfare, and whereabouts. The Japanese Red Cross, as a monopoly supplier of allogeneic blood, responded with a nationally coordinated effort that met the transfusion demands of a disaster characterized by immediate mass fatality rather than mass injury. Japan's routine transfusion demands are also met by hospital-based autologous blood programs, which could be pressed into service for emergency allogeneic collections. Herein we report institutional and personal experience in anticipation of future disasters, in which transfusion needs might differ from routine demand. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benthic Biotic Response to Climate Changes over the Last 700,000 Years, the Sea of Japan: Ostracode Assemblages from Site U1427, IODP Expedition 346

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H. H. M.; Yasuhara, M.; Iwatani, H.; Alvarez Zarikian, C. A.; Bassetti, M. A.; Sagawa, T.

2016-12-01

The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea, semi-enclosed by the Eurasian Continent, Korean Peninsula, Japanese Islands, and shallow straits (water depth < 130 m). Marginal seas are ideal natural laboratories to study biotic responses to large-scale paleoclimate-ocean mechanisms as they are typically sensitive to glacial/interglacial and stadial/interstadial cycles. The modern oceanographic setting in the Sea of Japan is characterized by the influx of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) from the East China Sea, and this setting was formed 1.7 My ago by tectonic subsidence of the Tsushima Strait. The Sea of Japan, therefore, is an interesting research subject for studying the biotic response to orbital-scale climate changes and benthic faunal development under the influence of TWC. Here we present 700,000-year record of benthic biotic response to the paleoceanographic changes in the southern Sea of Japan based on ostracode assemblage reconstruction at IODP Site U1427. Five local extinction events were caused by extreme bottom conditions (mainly oxygen depletion) during the Ice Age Terminations I, II, IV, V, and VII. Primary and secondary ostracode assemblages were revealed by Q-mode k-means clustering, CABFAC factor analysis, and non-metric multidimensional scaling. The primary ostracode components, characterized by Krithe sawanensis and Cytheropteron hyalinosa, broadly reflect glacial/interglacial and high-latitude insolation cycles. In contrast, a faunal shift determined by the secondary faunal components was driven by the TWC enhancement at 300 ka.

Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Total Quality Management at the Naval Aviation Depot, North Island, California

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

Kaoru Ishikawa recognized the potential of statistical process control during one of Dr. Deming’s many instructional visits to Japan. He wrote the Guide...to Quality Control which has been utilized for both self-study and classroom training. In the Guide to Quality Control, Dr. Ishikawa describes...job data are essential for making a proper evaluation.( Ishikawa , p. 14) The gathering of data and its subsequent analysis are the foundation of

Historical Record of the U.S. Army Finance School for the Period 1 January 1963 - 31 December 1963

DTIC Science & Technology

1963-12-31

Canada 1 1 China Ghana - - Indonesia - Iran 4 1 1 1 6 1 1 2 3 Japan - - - - 2 2 Korea - 2 1 3 Peru - - - - - - - - 1 1 2...Finance Center, U S Army 28 Mr Eugene Newnam, Department of May Applied Mathematics and Sta- 63 tistics, Army Management En - gineer Training Agency...Management En - gineer Training Agency, Rock Island, Illinois 3 Maj Gen William B Bunker, Comp- Jun troller and Director of Pro- 63 grams, U S Army

Volcanic Plume from Mt. Unzen, Dust Cloud, cloud Vortices

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-12-01

Stable, south flowing air over the western Pacific Ocean (26.0N, 131.0E) is disturbed by islands south of Korea, resulting in sinuous clouds known as von Karman vortices. The smoke plume from Japan's Mount Unzen Volcano on Kyushu, is visible just west of the large cloud mass and extending southward. A very large, purple tinged dust pall, originating in Mongolia, can be seen on the Earth's Limb, covering eastern China and extending into the East China Sea.

Population structure and landscape genetics of two endangered frog species of genus Odorrana: different scenarios on two islands

PubMed Central

Igawa, T; Oumi, S; Katsuren, S; Sumida, M

2013-01-01

Isolation by distance and landscape connectivity are fundamental factors underlying speciation and evolution. To understand how landscapes affect gene flow and shape population structures, island species provide intrinsic study objects. We investigated the effects of landscapes on the population structure of the endangered frog species, Odorrana ishikawae and O. splendida, which each inhabit an island in southwest Japan. This was done by examining population structure, gene flow and demographic history of each species by analyzing 12 microsatellite loci and exploring causal environmental factors through ecological niche modeling (ENM) and the cost-distance approach. Our results revealed that the limited gene flow and multiple-population structure in O. splendida and the single-population structure in O. ishikawae were maintained after divergence of the species through ancient vicariance between islands. We found that genetic distance correlated with geographic distance between populations of both species. Our landscape genetic analysis revealed that the connectivity of suitable habitats influences gene flow and leads to the formation of specific population structures. In particular, different degrees of topographical complexity between islands are the major determining factor for shaping contrasting population structures of two species. In conclusion, our results illustrate the diversification mechanism of organisms through the interaction with space and environment. Our results also present an ENM approach for identifying the key factors affecting demographic history and population structures of target species, especially endangered species. PMID:22990312

Availability of Japanese subsidies for international telemedicine projects.

PubMed

Nakajima, I; Tsurumi, T; Sawada, Y; Juzoji, H; Ogushi, Y

1999-10-01

In this article, the authors report the methods for obtaining subsidies for overseas telemedicine projects from Japanese sources based on their own personal experiences. The Japanese Government is already subsidizing such specialized NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) as the Telemedicine Society of Japan and Basic Human Needs and, Japanese trading companies are also hiring telemedicine experts. Prospective methods for obtaining subsidies are outlined as under the following headings: Assistance without compensation, Technology transfer, Grass-roots grant assistance, the Telecommunications Advancement Organization, Postal Savings for International Voluntary Aid, Venture business development funds provided by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Mission demonstration satellites by the National Space Development Agency of Japan, the Sasakawa Pacific Island Nations Fund, and International Communications Foundation. Key points of the applications are noted under (1) Degree of contribution to local residents, (2) Significance of project continuation and (3) Novelty and economic impact.

Biological proliferation of cesium-137 through the detrital food chain in a forest ecosystem in Japan

PubMed Central

Murakami, Masashi; Ohte, Nobuhito; Suzuki, Takahiro; Ishii, Nobuyoshi; Igarashi, Yoshiaki; Tanoi, Keitaro

2014-01-01

Radionuclides, including 137Cs, were released from the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and had been deposited broadly over forested areas of north-eastern Honshu Island, Japan. In the forest, 137Cs was highly concentrated on leaf litters deposited in autumn 2010, before the accident. Monitoring of the distribution of 137Cs among functional groups clearly showed the role of the detrital food chain as the primary channel of 137Cs transfer to consumer organisms. Although many studies have reported the bioaccumulation (or dilution) of radioactive materials through trophic interactions, the present results highlight the importance of examining multiple possible pathways (e.g., grazing vs. detrital chains) in the proliferation of 137Cs through food webs. These results provide important insight into the future distribution and transfer of 137Cs within forest ecosystems. PMID:24398571

Equatorial radar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rukao, S.; Tsuda, T.; Sato, T.; Kato, S.

1989-01-01

A large clear air radar with the sensitivity of an incoherent scatter radar for observing the whole equatorial atmosphere up to 1000 km altitude is now being designed in Japan. The radar, called the Equatorial Radar, will be built in Pontianak, Kalimantan Island, Indonesia (0.03 N, 109.3 E). The system is a 47 MHz monostatic Doppler radar with an active phased array configuration similar to that of the MU radar in Japan, which has been in successful operation since 1983. It will have a PA product of more than 5 x 10(9) sq. Wm (P = average transmitter power, A = effective antenna aperture) with sensitivity more than 10 times that of the MU radar. This system configuration enables pulse-to-pulse beam steering within 25 deg from the zenith. As is the case of the MU radar, a variety of sophisticated operations will be made feasible under the supervision of the radar controller. A brief description of the system configuration is presented.

Transitional changes in microfossil assemblages in the Japan Sea from the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene related to global climatic and local tectonic events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itaki, Takuya

2016-12-01

Many micropaleontological studies based on data from on-land sections, oil wells, and deep-sea drilling cores have provided important information about environmental changes in the Japan Sea that are related to the global climate and the local tectonics of the Japanese Islands. Here, major changes in the microfossil assemblages during the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene are reviewed. Late Pliocene (3.5-2.7 Ma) surface-water assemblages were characterized mainly by cold-temperate planktonic flora and fauna (nannofossils, diatoms, radiolarians, and planktonic foraminifera), suggesting that nutrient-rich North Pacific surface waters entered the Japan Sea via northern straits. The common occurrence of Pacific-type deep-water radiolarians during this period also suggests that deep water from the North Pacific entered the Japan Sea via the northern straits, indicating a sill depth >500 m. A weak warm-water influence is recognized along the Japanese coast, suggesting a small inflow of warm water via a southern strait. Nannofossil and sublittoral ostracod assemblages record an abrupt cooling event at 2.75 Ma that correlates with the onset of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Subsequently, cold intermediate- and deep-water assemblages of ostracods and radiolarians increased in abundance, suggesting active ventilation and the formation of the Japan Sea Proper Water, associated with a strengthened winter monsoon. Pacific-type deep-water radiolarians also disappeared around 2.75 Ma, which is attributed to the intermittent occurrence of deep anoxic environments and limited migration from the North Pacific, resulting from the near-closure or shallowing of the northern strait by a eustatic fall in sea level and tectonic uplift of northeastern Japan. A notable reduction in primary productivity from 2.3 to 1.3 Ma also suggests that the nutrient supply from the North Pacific was restricted by the near-closure of the northern strait. An increase in the abundance of subtropical surface fauna suggests that the inflow of the Tsushima Warm Current into the Japan Sea via a southern strait began at 1.7 Ma. The opening of the southern strait may have occurred after the subsidence of southwestern Japan.

Commencement of Geoparks, Geology day and International Earth Science Olympiad, IYPE in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukuda, Eikichi; Kodama, Kisaburo; Miyazaki, Teruki

2010-05-01

The GSJ is the main supporting organization of IYPE Japan, which is an implementation body of IYPE in Japan, serving as its secretariat. During the IYPE triennial activity, the GSJ has been supporting development of Geparks, establishment of "the Geology Day" and the Earth Science Olympiad activities with some academic societies, and has distributed geological maps with IYPE logo. The GSJ also established an outreach network "Geo-networks Tsukuba" as a local legacy of the IYPE, and has managed it with a local government, research organizations, nonprofit corporations and local media to increase geological and environmental literacy of public, especially among young people. The GSJ-AIST has also contributed internationally to IYPE by joining two international projects, OneGeology and the CCOP Book project. Geoparks in Japan are characterized by following features. The Japanese Islands and the surrounding seas are situated in the area of unique geologic features; the place where several tectonic plates meet and collide. This causes earthquakes and volcanic activities, and makes Japan one of most dynamic areas on the earth. The dynamics of the earth bring about not only geological hazards but also a lot of blessings. In August of 2009, three Geoparks, the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Geopark, the Itoigawa Geopark and the Unzen Volcanic Area Geopark, were accepted to join the Global Geopark Network from Japan for the first time. Since its launch in 2006, the GSJ has been playing a major role in promoting Geoparks in Japan together with Geological Society of Japan. The GSJ hosts the Japan Geopark Committee (JGC) for quality evaluation, serving as the information center of Geoparks in Japan. The Geology Day of Japan (10th of May) has been set up by the academic societies for geology in Japan and GSJ in 2007. The Geology Day is expected to provide the chances for the public to enjoy field trips and excursions and to understand the importance of geo-diversity. The Day commemorates the first publication of the geological map of Japan on 10th of May in 1878. A total of fifty-nine geology-related organizations including natural museums and academic societies have joined the eighty nine events for Geology Day all over Japan in 2009. After the great success of 1st Iinternational Earth Science Olympiad(IESO) in Korea (2007), 2nd Philippines (2008) and 3rd Taiwan (2009), 6th IESO was decided to be held in Japan (2012). We also expect great success of 4th IESO in Indonesia and 5th IESO in Italy. Earth science communities in Japan including Societies, Universities, and Research Institutes take present-day environmental crisis seriously and throw strong messages to young people for saving the earth. Under such circumstances, IESO provides wonderful chances to think of the earth, to make friendships among worldwide participants and to understand each other. We, earth science communities in Japan, promise strongly to support 6th IESO in Tsukuba, Japan (2012) and then to organize this event efficiently. Through the triennial activity of IYPE we all learned the importance of international cooperation and public outreach.

Inhomogeneous Crustal Structure of the Rifting in the Okinawa Trough, a Backarc Basin West of Kyushu, Japan, Deduced from Seismic Reflection and Refraction Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizawa, A.; Kaneda, K.; Oikawa, M.; Horiuchi, D.; Fujioka, Y.; Okada, C.

2017-12-01

Several depressions found under the thick sediments in the East China Sea shelf have been considered as failed rift basins. Their formation age becomes progressively younger from NW to SE and the youngest rift basin is the Okinawa Trough, an active backarc basin of the Ryukyu (Nansei-Shoto) arc-trench system, to the southwest of Kyusyu, Japan. Its rifting is in progress and related hydrothermal activity is present in the trough. The knowledge of the crustal structure of the trough is fundamental to understand the current active tectonics and predict the future of the trough. We, Japan Coast Guard, have conducted extensive seismic reflection and refraction surveys in the Ryukyu region since 2008 and compiled the seismic structures of the Okinawa Trough. We will show the crustal structures along seven along-trough and ten across-trough seismic survey lines. The P-wave velocity models beneath the Okinawa Trough generally show a thinned continental/island arc crust consisting of upper, middle, and lower crusts. Moho depths below the trough were estimated mainly from Moho reflection (PmP) travel times. The crustal thickness of the trough is thinner than those of the East China Sea shelf and of the Ryukyu Islands. The depth of the Moho below the trough decreases from over 30 km in the north to about 13 km in the south, indicating a difference in degree of the rifting process. The position of the shallowest Moho along the across-trough lines in the northern trough does not necessarily correspond to the center of the trough defined as the deepest water depth, but it corresponds to the transition area between the East China Sea shelf and the Okinawa Trough. An M7.1 earthquake occurred at the transition area on Nov. 14, 2015 (JST) and many aftershocks were observed along the transition. This seismic activity demonstrated that the area is under rifting tectonics in the present.

Characteristic mutations found in the ML0411 gene of Mycobacterium leprae isolated in Northeast Asian countries.

PubMed

Kai, M; Nakata, N; Matsuoka, M; Sekizuka, T; Kuroda, M; Makino, M

2013-10-01

Genome analysis of Mycobacterium leprae strain Kyoto-2 in this study revealed characteristic nucleotide substitutions in gene ML0411, compared to the reference genome M. leprae strain TN. The ML0411 gene of Kyoto-2 had six SNPs compared to that of TN. All SNPs in ML0411 were non-synonymous mutations that result in amino acid replacements. In addition, a seventh SNP was found 41 bp upstream of the start codon in the regulatory region. The seven SNP sites in the ML0411 region were investigated by sequencing in 36 M. leprae isolates from the Leprosy Research Center in Japan. The SNP pattern in 14 of the 36 isolates showed similarity to that of Kyoto-2. Determination of the standard SNP types within the 36 stocked isolates revealed that almost all of the Japanese strains belonged to SNP type III, with nucleotide substitutions at position 14676, 164275, and 2935685 of the M. leprae TN genome. The geographical distribution pattern of east Asian M. leprae isolates by discrimination of ML0411 SNPs was investigated and interestingly turned out to be similar to that of tandem repeat numbers of GACATC in the rpoT gene (3 copies or 4 copies), which has been established as a tool for M. leprae genotyping. All seven Korean M. leprae isolates examined in this study, as well as those derived from Honshu Island of Japan, showed 4 copies of the 6-base tandem repeat plus the ML0411 SNPs observed in M. leprae Kyoto-2. They are termed Northeast Asian (NA) strain of M. leprae. On the other hand, many of isolates derived from the Okinawa Islands of Japan and from the Philippines showed 3 copies of the 6-base tandem repeat in addition to the M. leprae TN ML0411 type of SNPs. These results demonstrate the existence of M. leprae strains in Northeast Asian region having characteristic SNP patterns. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detection of Two Zoonotic Babesia microti Lineages, the Hobetsu and U.S. Lineages, in Two Sympatric Tick Species, Ixodes ovatus and Ixodes persulcatus, Respectively, in Japan

PubMed Central

Tsuji, Masayoshi; Qiang, Wei; Nakao, Minoru; Hirata, Haruyuki; Ishihara, Chiaki

2012-01-01

The species Babesia microti, commonly found in rodents, demonstrates a high degree of genetic diversity. Three lineages, U.S., Kobe, and Hobetsu, are known to have zoonotic potential, but their tick vector(s) in Japan remains to be elucidated. We conducted a field investigation at Nemuro on Hokkaido Island and at Sumoto on Awaji Island, where up to two of the three lineages occur with similar frequencies in reservoirs. By flagging vegetation at these spots and surrounding areas, 4,010 ticks, comprising six species, were collected. A nested PCR that detects the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia species revealed that Ixodes ovatus and I. persulcatus alone were positive. Lineage-specific PCR for rRNA-positive samples demonstrated that I. ovatus and I. persulcatus carried, respectively, the Hobetsu and U.S. parasites. No Kobe-specific DNA was detected. Infected I. ovatus ticks were found at multiple sites, including Nemuro and Sumoto, with minimum infection rates (MIR) of ∼12.3%. However, all I. persulcatus ticks collected within the same regions, a total of 535, were negative for the Hobetsu lineage, indicating that I. ovatus, but not I. persulcatus, was the vector for the lineage. At Nemuro, U.S. lineage was detected in 2 of 139 adult I. persulcatus ticks (MIR, 1.4%), for the first time, while 48 of I. ovatus ticks were negative for that lineage. Laboratory experiments confirmed the transmission of Hobetsu and U.S. parasites to hamsters via I. ovatus and I. persulcatus, respectively. Differences in vector capacity shown by MIRs at Nemuro, where the two species were equally likely to acquire either lineage of parasite, may explain the difference in distribution of Hobetsu throughout Japan and U.S. taxa in Nemuro. These findings are of importance in the assessment of the regional risk for babesiosis in humans. PMID:22389378

The July 12, 1993, Hokkaido-Nansei-Oki, Japan, earthquake: Coseismic slip pattern from strong-motion and teleseismic recordings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mendoza, C.; Fukuyama, E.

1996-01-01

We employ a finite fault inversion scheme to infer the distribution of coseismic slip for the July 12, 1993, Hokkaido-Nansei-Oki earthquake using strong ground motions recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency within 400 km of the epicenter and vertical P waveforms recorded by the Global Digital Seismograph Network at teleseismic distances. The assumed fault geometry is based on the location of the aftershock zone and comprises two fault segments with different orientations: a northern segment striking at N20??E with a 30?? dip to the west and a southern segment with a N20??W strike. For the southern segment we use both westerly and easterly dip directions to test thrust orientations previously proposed for this portion of the fault. The variance reduction is greater using a shallow west dipping segment, suggesting that the direction of dip did not change as the rupture propagated south from the hypocenter. This indicates that the earthquake resulted from the shallow underthrusting of Hokkaido beneath the Sea of Japan. Static vertical movements predicted by the corresponding distribution of fault slip are consistent with the general pattern of surface deformation observed following the earthquake. Fault rupture in the northern segment accounts for about 60% of the total P wave seismic moment of 3.4 ?? 1020 N m and includes a large circular slip zone (4-m peak) near the earthquake hypocenter at depths between 10 and 25 km. Slip in the southern segment is also predominantly shallower than 25 km, but the maximum coseismic displacements (2.0-2.5 m) are observed at a depth of about 5 km. This significant shallow slip in the southern portion of the rupture zone may have been responsible for the large tsunami that devastated the small offshore island of Okushiri. Localized shallow faulting near the island, however, may require a steep westerly dip to reconcile the measured values of ground subsidence.

Depth-varying azimuthal anisotropy in the Tohoku subduction channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xin; Zhao, Dapeng

2017-09-01

We determine a detailed 3-D model of azimuthal anisotropy tomography of the Tohoku subduction zone from the Japan Trench outer-rise to the back-arc near the Japan Sea coast, using a large number of high-quality P and S wave arrival-time data of local earthquakes recorded by the dense seismic network on the Japan Islands. Depth-varying seismic azimuthal anisotropy is revealed in the Tohoku subduction channel. The shallow portion of the Tohoku megathrust zone (<30 km depth) generally exhibits trench-normal fast-velocity directions (FVDs) except for the source area of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake (Mw 9.0) where the FVD is nearly trench-parallel, whereas the deeper portion of the megathrust zone (at depths of ∼30-50 km) mainly exhibits trench-parallel FVDs. Trench-normal FVDs are revealed in the mantle wedge beneath the volcanic front and the back-arc. The Pacific plate mainly exhibits trench-parallel FVDs, except for the top portion of the subducting Pacific slab where visible trench-normal FVDs are revealed. A qualitative tectonic model is proposed to interpret such anisotropic features, suggesting transposition of earlier fabrics in the oceanic lithosphere into subduction-induced new structures in the subduction channel.

Tsunami preparedness at the resort facilities along the coast of the Ryukyu Islands - their actions against the 27 February 2010 Okinawan and Chilean tsunami warning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, T.

2010-12-01

The economy (including tourism) in tropical and subtropical coastal areas, such as Okinawa Prefecture (Ryukyu) is highly relying on the sea. The sea has both “gentle” side to give people healing and “fierce” side to kill people. If we are going to utilise the sea for marine tourism such as constructing resort facilities on the oceanfront, we should know the whole nature of the sea, Tsunami is the typical case of the “fierce” side of the sea. We have already learned a lesson about this issue from the Sumatra tsunami in 2004. Early morning (5:31 am Japanese Standard Time = JST) on 27 February 2010, a M6.9 earthquake occurred near the coast of Okinawa Ryukyu Island Japan, and just after that Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami warning along the coastal area of Okinawa Prefecture. About one hour later the tsunami warning was cancelled. The CMT solution of this earthquake was found to be strike-slip type with NE-SW P-axis. Therefore this did not induce a tsunami. However, in the afternoon on the same day (JST) a M8.6 earthquake occurred off the coast of Chile and soon after that a tsunami warning issued along the Pacific coastal area including Japan and Ryukyu Islands. Indeed maximum 1m tsunami hit the eastern coast of Okinawa Island on 28th February (Nakamura, 2010, personal communication). The author conducted a survey about the actions against the both tsunami after the 27 February tsunami warming to the major resort hotels along the coast of the Ryukyu Islands. A questionnaire was sent to about 20 hotels and 6 hotels replied to the questionnaire. Most of these hotels reported the regular training against tsunami attack, preparation of a disaster prevention manual, close communication with the local fire station authority, evacuation procedure towards high stories of the hotel building etc. It was “winter season” when the tsunami took place. However, if that were “summer season,” the other problem such as how they make the people enjoying on the beach evacuate as quickly as possible might be considered. The author will show the details of the answer to the questionnaire and would like to discuss the best way of the tsunami preparedness at the waterfront resort facilities through this presentation.

Phylogeography of Quercus variabilis Based on Chloroplast DNA Sequence in East Asia: Multiple Glacial Refugia and Mainland-Migrated Island Populations

PubMed Central

Kang, Hongzhang; Sun, Xiao; Yin, Shan; Du, Hongmei; Yamanaka, Norikazu; Gapare, Washington; Wu, Harry X.; Liu, Chunjiang

2012-01-01

The biogeographical relationships between far-separated populations, in particular, those in the mainland and islands, remain unclear for widespread species in eastern Asia where the current distribution of plants was greatly influenced by the Quaternary climate. Deciduous Oriental oak (Quercus variabilis) is one of the most widely distributed species in eastern Asia. In this study, leaf material of 528 Q. variabilis trees from 50 populations across the whole distribution (Mainland China, Korea Peninsular as well as Japan, Zhoushan and Taiwan Islands) was collected, and three cpDNA intergenic spacer fragments were sequenced using universal primers. A total of 26 haplotypes were detected, and it showed a weak phylogeographical structure in eastern Asia populations at species level, however, in the central-eastern region of Mainland China, the populations had more haplotypes than those in other regions, with a significant phylogeographical structure (N ST = 0.751> G ST = 0.690, P<0.05). Q. variabilis displayed high interpopulation and low intrapopulation genetic diversity across the distribution range. Both unimodal mismatch distribution and significant negative Fu’s FS indicated a demographic expansion of Q. variabilis populations in East Asia. A fossil calibrated phylogenetic tree showed a rapid speciation during Pleistocene, with a population augment occurred in Middle Pleistocene. Both diversity patterns and ecological niche modelling indicated there could be multiple glacial refugia and possible bottleneck or founder effects occurred in the southern Japan. We dated major spatial expansion of Q. variabilis population in eastern Asia to the last glacial cycle(s), a period with sea-level fluctuations and land bridges in East China Sea as possible dispersal corridors. This study showed that geographical heterogeneity combined with climate and sea-level changes have shaped the genetic structure of this wide-ranging tree species in East Asia. PMID:23115642

Historical Tsunami Records on Russian Island, the Sea of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razjigaeva, N. G.; Ganzey, L. A.; Grebennikova, T. A.; Arslanov, Kh. A.; Ivanova, E. D.; Ganzey, K. S.; Kharlamov, A. A.

2018-04-01

In this article, we provide data evidencing tsunamis on Russian Island over the last 700 years. Reconstructions are developed based on the analyses of peat bog sections on the coast of Spokoynaya Bay, including layers of tsunami sands. Ancient beach sands under peat were deposited during the final phase of transgression of the Medieval Warm Period. We used data on diatoms and benthic foraminifers to identify the marine origin of the sands. The grain size compositions of the tsunami deposits were used to determine the sources of material carried by the tsunamis. The chronology of historical tsunamis was determined based on the radiocarbon dating of the underlying organic deposits. There was a stated difference between the deposition environments during tsunamis and large storms during the Goni (2015) and Lionrock (2016) typhoons. Tsunami deposits from 1983 and 1993 were found in the upper part of the sections. The inundation of the 1993 tsunami did not exceed 20 m or a height of 0.5 m a.m.s.l. (0.3 above high tide). The more intensive tsunami of 1983 had a run-up of 0.65 m a.m.s.l. and penetrated inland from the shoreline up to 40 m. Sand layer of tsunami 1940 extend in land up to 50 m from the present shoreline. Evidence of six tsunamis was elicited from the peat bog sections, the deposits of which are located 60 m from the modern coastal line. The deposits of strong historic tsunamis in the Japan Sea region in 1833, 1741, 1614 (or 1644), 1448, the XIV-XV century and 1341 were also identified on Russian Island. Their run-ups and inundation distances were also determined. The strong historic tsunamis appeared to be more intensive than those of the XX century, and considering the sea level drop during the Little Ice Age, the inundation distances were as large as 250 m.

Historical Tsunami Records on Russian Island, the Sea of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razjigaeva, N. G.; Ganzey, L. A.; Grebennikova, T. A.; Arslanov, Kh. A.; Ivanova, E. D.; Ganzey, K. S.; Kharlamov, A. A.

2018-03-01

In this article, we provide data evidencing tsunamis on Russian Island over the last 700 years. Reconstructions are developed based on the analyses of peat bog sections on the coast of Spokoynaya Bay, including layers of tsunami sands. Ancient beach sands under peat were deposited during the final phase of transgression of the Medieval Warm Period. We used data on diatoms and benthic foraminifers to identify the marine origin of the sands. The grain size compositions of the tsunami deposits were used to determine the sources of material carried by the tsunamis. The chronology of historical tsunamis was determined based on the radiocarbon dating of the underlying organic deposits. There was a stated difference between the deposition environments during tsunamis and large storms during the Goni (2015) and Lionrock (2016) typhoons. Tsunami deposits from 1983 and 1993 were found in the upper part of the sections. The inundation of the 1993 tsunami did not exceed 20 m or a height of 0.5 m a.m.s.l. (0.3 above high tide). The more intensive tsunami of 1983 had a run-up of 0.65 m a.m.s.l. and penetrated inland from the shoreline up to 40 m. Sand layer of tsunami 1940 extend in land up to 50 m from the present shoreline. Evidence of six tsunamis was elicited from the peat bog sections, the deposits of which are located 60 m from the modern coastal line. The deposits of strong historic tsunamis in the Japan Sea region in 1833, 1741, 1614 (or 1644), 1448, the XIV-XV century and 1341 were also identified on Russian Island. Their run-ups and inundation distances were also determined. The strong historic tsunamis appeared to be more intensive than those of the XX century, and considering the sea level drop during the Little Ice Age, the inundation distances were as large as 250 m.

A trial of cross-disciplinary classes at the university and the high school on the seasonal transition and the seasonal feeling from autumn to winter in East Asia (joint activity of meteorology with Japanese classical literature, music and art)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, K.; Sato, S.; Kato, H.; Akagi, R.; Sueishi, N.; Mori, T.; Nakakura, T.; Irie, I.

2012-04-01

There are many steps of the rapid seasonal transitions in East Asia influenced by the seasonal cycle of the Asian monsoon system, resulting in the variety of "seasonal feeling" there. For example, the extremely cold air flowing from the Siberian continent to the Japan Islands is transformed by the huge supply of heat and moisture from the underlying sea (the Japan Sea) in midwinter, which brings the large amount of snowfall in the Japan Sea side of the Japan Islands. However, although the air temperature there is still rather higher from November to early December than in the midwinter, such wintertime weather pattern often appears due to the early development of the Siberian high (however, the precipitation is brought not as in snow but as rain). The intermittent rainfall in such situation due to the shallow cumulus clouds from late autumn to early winter is called the word "Shi-gu-re" in Japanese. It is also well known that the "Shi-gu-re" is often used for expression of the "seasonal feeling" in the Japanese classical literature (especially we can see in the Japanese classic poems called "Wa-Ka"). The present study reports a trial of cross-disciplinary class on the seasonal cycle in East Asia in association with the "seasonal feeling" from autumn to winter, by the joint activity of meteorology with the Japanese classical literature, the music, and the art. Firstly, we will summarize the characteristics of the large-scale climate systems and the daily weather situations from autumn to winter. We will also introduce some examples of the expression of the weather situation found in the Japanese classical poems. Next the outline of the cross-disciplinary classes on such topics at the Faculty of Education, Okayama University, and those at Okayama-Ichinomiya High School and Attached Junior High School of Okayama University will be presented together with the analyses of these practices. We should note that the present trial of the classes might also contribute to providing the study materials for the cultural understanding, which is one of the important elements for the ESD (Education for Sustainable Development).

Paternal phylogeographic structure of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in northeastern Asia and the effect of male-mediated gene flow to insular populations.

PubMed

Hirata, Daisuke; Mano, Tsutomu; Abramov, Alexei V; Baryshnikov, Gennady F; Kosintsev, Pavel A; Murata, Koichi; Masuda, Ryuichi

2017-01-01

Sex-biased dispersal is widespread among mammals, including the brown bear ( Ursus arctos ). Previous phylogeographic studies of the brown bear based on maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA have shown intraspecific genetic structuring around the northern hemisphere. The brown bears on Hokkaido Island, northern Japan, comprise three distinct maternal lineages that presumably immigrated to the island from the continent in three different periods. Here, we investigate the paternal genetic structure across northeastern Asia and assess the connectivity among and within intraspecific populations in terms of male-mediated gene flow. We analyzed paternally inherited Y-chromosomal DNA sequence data and Y-linked microsatellite data of 124 brown bears from Hokkaido, the southern Kuril Islands (Kunashiri and Etorofu), Sakhalin, and continental Eurasia (Kamchatka Peninsula, Ural Mountains, European Russia, and Tibet). The Hokkaido brown bear population is paternally differentiated from, and lacked recent genetic connectivity with, the continental Eurasian and North American populations. We detected weak spatial genetic structuring of the paternal lineages on Hokkaido, which may have arisen through male-mediated gene flow among natal populations. In addition, our results suggest that the different dispersal patterns between male and female brown bears, combined with the founder effect and subsequent genetic drift, contributed to the makeup of the Etorofu Island population, in which the maternal and paternal lineages show different origins. Brown bears on Hokkaido and the adjacent southern Kuril Islands experienced different maternal and paternal evolutionary histories. Our results indicate that sex-biased dispersal has played a significant role in the evolutionary history of the brown bear in continental populations and in peripheral insular populations, such as on Hokkaido, the southern Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin.

Analysis of early bacterial communities on volcanic deposits on the island of Miyake (Miyake-jima), Japan: a 6-year study at a fixed site.

PubMed

Fujimura, Reiko; Sato, Yoshinori; Nishizawa, Tomoyasu; Nanba, Kenji; Oshima, Kenshiro; Hattori, Masahira; Kamijo, Takashi; Ohta, Hiroyuki

2012-01-01

Microbial colonization on new terrestrial substrates represents the initiation of new soil ecosystem formation. In this study, we analyzed early bacterial communities growing on volcanic ash deposits derived from the 2000 Mount Oyama eruption on the island of Miyake (Miyake-jima), Japan. A site was established in an unvegetated area near the summit and investigated over a 6-year period from 2003 to 2009. Collected samples were acidic (pH 3.0-3.6), did not utilize any organic substrates in ECO microplate assays (Biolog), and harbored around 106 cells (g dry weight)(-1) of autotrophic Fe(II) oxidizers by most-probable-number (MPN) counts. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans, and the Leptospirillum groups I, II and III were found to be abundant in the deposits by clone library analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The numerical dominance of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was also supported by analysis of the gene coding for the large subunit of the form I ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO). Comparing the 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from samples differing in age, shifts in Fe(II)-oxidizing populations seemed to occur with deposit aging. The detection of known 16S rRNA gene sequences from Fe(III)-reducing acidophiles promoted us to propose the acidity-driven iron cycle for the early microbial ecosystem on the deposit.

Analysis of Early Bacterial Communities on Volcanic Deposits on the Island of Miyake (Miyake-jima), Japan: a 6-year Study at a Fixed Site

PubMed Central

Fujimura, Reiko; Sato, Yoshinori; Nishizawa, Tomoyasu; Nanba, Kenji; Oshima, Kenshiro; Hattori, Masahira; Kamijo, Takashi; Ohta, Hiroyuki

2012-01-01

Microbial colonization on new terrestrial substrates represents the initiation of new soil ecosystem formation. In this study, we analyzed early bacterial communities growing on volcanic ash deposits derived from the 2000 Mount Oyama eruption on the island of Miyake (Miyake-jima), Japan. A site was established in an unvegetated area near the summit and investigated over a 6-year period from 2003 to 2009. Collected samples were acidic (pH 3.0–3.6), did not utilize any organic substrates in ECO microplate assays (Biolog), and harbored around 106 cells (g dry weight)−1 of autotrophic Fe(II) oxidizers by most-probable-number (MPN) counts. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans, and the Leptospirillum groups I, II and III were found to be abundant in the deposits by clone library analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The numerical dominance of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was also supported by analysis of the gene coding for the large subunit of the form I ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO). Comparing the 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from samples differing in age, shifts in Fe(II)-oxidizing populations seemed to occur with deposit aging. The detection of known 16S rRNA gene sequences from Fe(III)-reducing acidophiles promoted us to propose the acidity-driven iron cycle for the early microbial ecosystem on the deposit. PMID:22075623

Sediment and nutrients transport in watershed and their impact on coastal environment

PubMed Central

Ikeda, Syunsuke; Osawa, Kazutoshi; Akamatsu, Yoshihisa

2009-01-01

Sediment and nutrients yields especially from farmlands were studied in a watershed in Ishigaki island, Okinawa, Japan. The transport processes of these materials in rivers, mangrove, lagoon and coastal zones were studied by using various observation methods including stable isotope analysis. They were simulated by using a WEPP model which was modified to be applicable to such small islands by identifying several factors from the observations. The model predicts that a proper combination of civil engineering countermeasure and change of farming method can reduce the sediment yield from the watershed by 74%. Observations of water quality and coral recruitment test in Nagura bay indicate that the water is eutrophicated and the corals cannot grow for a long time. Based on these observations, a quantitative target of the reduction of sediment and nutrients yield in watershed can be decided rationally. PMID:19907124

A new marine interstitial Psammogammarus (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae) from Gura Ici Island, off western Halmahera (North Moluccas, Indonesia), and an overview of the genus.

PubMed

Vonk, Ronald; Hoeksema, Bert W; Jaume, Damià

2011-01-01

Psammogammarus wallaceisp. n. is described from the shallow marine interstitial of a sand and coral rubble beach on the Gura Ici islands (North Moluccas; Indonesia). This is the first record of this circum-tropical genus from SE Asia, with the geographically closest relative inhabiting the Ryukyu archipelago in Japan. The new species is highly distinctive by the display of sexual dimorphism on pleopod II, with the medial margin of the male proximal article of exopod provided with a comb of short, blunt curved spinules; no other representative of the genus is known to display sexually-dimorphic appendages aside of the gnathopods. The new species is also noteworthy by the outline of the palm margin of male gnathopod II, hardly excavated, and by showing a carpus broader than long. An overview of the genus Psammogammarus with 14 species to date is provided.

Mammomonogamus auris infection in the middle ear of a domestic cat in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, USA.

PubMed

Tudor, Edgar G; Lee, Alice C Y; Armato, Danielle G; Bowman, Dwight D

2008-10-01

A 2-year-old female domestic shorthair cat on the island of Saipan was presented to a local veterinarian for headshaking. Otoscopic examination showed mild erythema of the right tympanic membrane, but was otherwise unremarkable. Headshaking resolved with topical gentamicin/betamethasone/clotrimazole therapy; however, erythema persisted. Further otoscopy revealed movement of the erythematous region, which was in fact the red-colored strongylid nematode, Mammomonogamus auris, residing within the middle ear. Myringotomy and a saline flush were performed under heavy sedation. A silastic tube was inserted into the incision and the worms were retrieved by applying negative pressure. Follow-up treatment included topical thiabendazole/dexamethasone/neomycin ointment as well as selamectin. Mammomonogamus auris has previously been documented only three times, once each in China, Sri Lanka and Japan. This is the first report of M auris in cats from Saipan.

PREFACE Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Migaku; Saito, Hitoshi; Yoshimura, Satoru; Takanashi, Koki; Sahashi, Masashi; Tsunoda, Masakiyo

2011-01-01

The 2nd International Symposium on Advanced Magnetic Materials and Applications 2010 (ISAMMA 2010) was held in Sendai, Japan, from 12-16, July 2010. ISAMMA is the first consolidated symposium of three independent symposia held in the Asian region: ISPMM (International Symposium on Physics of Magnetic Materials) of Japan which was first held in 1987 in Sendai, and was subsequently held five times, Beijing (1992), Seoul (1995), Sendai (1998), Taipei (2001), and Singapore (2005); ISAMT (International Symposium of Advanced Magnetic Technology) of Taiwan, and SOMMA (International Symposium on Magnetic Materials and Applications) of Korea, both of which were started in 1999, and were held five times up to 2005. ISAMMA was established as a new international symposium which will be held every 3 years in Asia. The concept of this unified international symposium was mainly developed by Prof. M. Takahashi, Conference Chair of this conference, ISAMMA 2010. The first memorial symposium, ISAMMA 2007, was held on Jeju Island, Korea, from 28 May to 1 June 2007. The main purpose and scope of the ISAMMA conferences are to provide an opportunity for scientists and engineers from all over the world to meet in Asia to discuss recent advances in the study of magnetic materials and their physics, and spin related phenomena and materials. Conference photograph The categories of ISAMMA 2010 were: Fundamental Properties of Magnetic Materials; Hard/Soft Magnetic Materials and Applications; Spintronics Materials and Devices; Structured Materials; Multi Functional Magnetic Materials; Spin Dynamics and Micromagnetics; Magnetic Storage; Materials for Applications (Sensors, High Frequency, Power, and Bio/Medical devices); Magnetic Imaging and Characterization. The scientific program commenced on Tuesday 13 July 2010 with opening remarks by the Symposium Chairman and the plenary talks were presented by T Rasing, P Fischer, H Yoda and S Sugimoto. The conference was attended by 511 participants from 23 countries, with about 40 percent of participants attending from overseas (see figure). The program involved 4 plenary talks (45 minutes each), 37 invited talks (30 minutes), 85 contributed talks (15 minutes), and 352 posters. Pie chart Organizing Committee of ISAMMA 2010 M TakahashiTohoku Univ., Japan, Chairman K TakanashiTohoku Univ., Japan, Chair of the Program Committee H SaitoAkita Univ., Japan, Chair of the Publication Committee M SahashiTohoku Univ., Japan, Chair of the Treasury Committee M TsunodaTohoku Univ., Japan, General Secretary H AkinagaAIST, Japan H FukunagaNagasaki Univ., Japan K HonoNIMS, Japan S IshioAkita Univ., Japan S IwataNagoya Univ., Japan K NakagawaNihon Univ., Japan S NakagawaTokyo Inst. of Tech., Japan T OnoKyoto Univ., Japan Y SuzukiOsaka Univ., Japan M TanakaEhime Univ., Japan T Tanaka Univ. of Tokyo, Japan Program Committee of ISAMMA 2010 K TakanashiTohoku Univ., Japan, ChairS MizukamiTohoku Univ., Japan M MizuguchiTohoku Univ., Japan, Vice-chairH NaganumaTohoku Univ., Japan M DoiTohoku Univ., JapanS NakagawaTokyo Inst. of Tech., Japan A FujitaTohoku Univ., JapanK NakamuraTohoku Univ., Japan K IshiyamaTohoku Univ., JapanK OnoKEK, Japan T KatoNagoya Univ., JapanT OnoKyoto Univ., Japan T KawagoeOsaka Pref. Univ.of Edu., JapanF SatoTohoku Univ., Japan O KitakamiTohoku Univ., JapanM ShiraiTohoku Univ., Japan Y KitamotoTokyo Inst. of Tech., JapanS SugimotoTohoku Univ., Japan F MatsukuraTohoku Univ., JapanM YamaguchiTohoku Univ., Japan C MitsumataHitachi Metals, Japan Publication Committee of ISAMMA 2010 H SaitoAkita Univ., Japan, ChairS MitaniNIMS, Japan S YoshimuraAkita Univ., Japan, Vice-chairH MuraokaTohoku, Japan Y AndoTohoku Univ., JapanM NakanoNagasaki Univ., Japan J AriakeAIT, JapanR NakataniOsaka Univ., Japan H AsanoNagoya Univ., JapanK O'GradyUniv. of York, UK M FutamotoChuo Univ., JapanA SakumaTohoku Univ., Japan J HayakawaHitachi, ARL, JapanT SatoKeio Univ., Japan T HondaKyushu Inst. of Tech., JapanT SatoShinshu Univ., Japan M IgarashiHitachi, CRL, JapanK TajimaAkita Univ., Japan H ItoKansai Univ., JapanM TakedaJAEA, Japan H IwasakiToshiba, JapanY TakemuraYokohama Nat'l Univ., Japan H KatoYamagata Univ., JapanM TanakaUniv. of Tokyo, Japan M KonotoAIST, JapanA TsukamotoNihon Univ., Japan H KubotaAIST, JapanS YabukamiTohoku Gakuin Univ., Japan Treasury Committee of ISAMMA 2010 M SahashiTohoku Univ., Japan, ChairS SaitoTohoku Univ., Japan K IshiyamaTohoku Univ., JapanT TanakaEhime Univ., Japan K NakagawaNihon Univ., JapanN TezukaTohoku Univ., Japan T OgawaTohoku Univ., Japan Executive Committee of ISAMMA 2010 M TakahashiTohoku Univ., Japan, ChairS SaitoTohoku Univ., Japan K TakanashiTohoku Univ., Japan, Vice-chairY SakurabaTohoku Univ., Japan K MiyakeTohoku Univ., JapanT ShimaTohoku Gakuin Univ., Japan T OgawaTohoku Univ., JapanN TezukaTohoku Univ., Japan S OkamotoTohoku Univ., JapanM TsunodaTohoku Univ., Japan M OoganeTohoku Univ., Japan We are grateful to all the participants for their valuable contributions and active discussions. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from 17 Japanese companies (ASAKA RIKEN CO., LTD, Fujikin Incorporated, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd, Hitachi Metals, Ltd, IZUMI-TEC CO., LTD, Miwa Electric Industrial CO., LTD, MIWA MFG CO., LTD, NEOARK Corporation, Optima Corporation, PRESTO CO., LTD, SHOWA DENKO K.K., TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD, TDK Corporation, TEIJIN LIMITED, Ube Material Industries, Ltd, ULVAC, Inc, and V TEX Corporation) and 7 foundations (SENDAI TOURISM & CONVENTION BUREAU, The Iwatani Naoji Foundation, Tohoku University Electro-Related Departments Global COE Program 'Center of Education and Research for Information Electronics Systems', The Murata Science Foundation, Research Foundation for Materials Science, Nippon Sheet Glass Foundation for Materials Science and Engineering, and Aoba Foundation for The Promotion of Engineering).

High Resolution Tsunami Modelling for the Evaluation of Potential Risk Areas in Setubal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, João.; Silva, Adélio; Leitão, Paulo

2010-05-01

Modeling has a relevant role in today's natural hazards mitigation planning as it can cover a wide range of natural phenomena. This is also the case for an event like a tsunami. In order to support the urban planning or prepare emergency response plans it is of major importance to be able to properly evaluate the vulnerability associated with different areas and/or equipments. The use of high resolution models can provide relevant information about the most probable inundation areas which complemented with other data such as the type of buildings, location of prioritary equipments, etc., may effectively contribute to better identify the most vulnerable zones, define rescue and escape routes and adequate the emergency plans to the constraints associated to these type of events. In the framework of FP6 SCHEMA project these concepts are being applied to different test sites and a detailed evaluation of the vulnerability of buildings and people to a tsunami event is being evaluated. One of the sites selected it is located in Portugal, in the Atlantic coast, and it refers to Setúbal area which is located about 40 km south of Lisbon. Within this site two specific locations are being evaluated: one is the city of Setúbal (in the Sado estuary right margin) and the other is the Tróia peninsula (in the Sado estuary left margin). Setúbal city is a medium size town with about 114,000 inhabitants while Tróia is a touristic resort located in a shallow area with a high seasonal occupation and has the river Sado as one of the main sources of income to the city. Setúbal was one of the Portuguese villages that was seriously damaged by the of 1755 earthquake event. The 1755 earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, took place on 1 November 1755, the catholic holiday of All Saints, around 09:30 AM. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires which caused a huge destruction of Lisboa and Setúbal In the framework of the present study, a detailed evaluation of the site vulnerability to a tsunami event based on the consideration of the wave heights, buildings type and access routes characteristics was performed. The wave height and most probable inundation areas was made on the basis of the simulation of three earthquake potential sources with different level of impact (extreme, moderate and weak) in the Setúbal area. In the case of the extreme event the selected source for simulation corresponds to an interpretation of the origins of the 1755 earthquake proposed by Baptista et al (2003).In this study it is suggest that the 1755 tsunami event had two sources: one located in the Marques de Pombal thrust (MPTF) and a second one located in the Guadalquivir Bank. The other two sources are based on a study done by Omira et al (2009) regarding the design of a Sea-level Tsunami Detection Network for the Gulf of Cadiz. In the framework of this study there are analyzed different areas of seismic activity in the South of Portugal and proposed some possible earthquake sources and characteristics. The tsunami propagation simulations were performed using MOHID modelling system which is an open source three-dimensional water modelling system, developed by Hidromod and MARETEC (Marine and Environmental Technology Research Center - Technical University of Lisbon). As a result of the study detailed inundation maps associated to the different events and to different tide levels were produced. As a result of the combination of these maps with the available information of the city infrastructures (building types, roads and streets characteristics, prioritary buildings, etc.) there were also produced high scale vulnerability maps, escape routes, emergency routes maps.

Time-lapse changes in velocity and anisotropy in Japan's near surface after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snieder, R.; Nakata, N.

2012-12-01

A strong-motion recording network, KiK-net, helps us to monitor temporal changes in the near surface in Japan. Each KiK-net station has two seismometers at the free surface and in a borehole a few hundred meters deep, and we can retrieve a traveling wave from the borehole receiver to the surface receiver by applying deconvolution based seismic interferometry. KiK-net recorded the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which is one of the largest earthquakes in recent history, and seismicity around the time of the main shock. Using records of these seismicity and computing mean values of near-surface shear-wave velocities in the periods of January 1--March 10 and March 12--May 26 in 2011, we detect about a 5% reduction in the velocity after the Tohoku earthquake. The area of the velocity reduction is about 1,200 km wide, which is much wider than earlier studies reporting velocity reductions after larger earthquakes. The reduction partly recovers with time. We can also estimate the azimuthal anisotropy by detecting shear-wave splitting after applying seismic interferometry. Estimating mean values over the same periods as the velocity, we find the strength of anisotropy increased in most parts of northeastern Japan, but fast shear-wave polarization directions in the near surface did not significantly change. The changes in anisotropy and velocity are generally correlated, especially in the northeastern Honshu (the main island in Japan).

LONGITUDINAL MONITORING OF TREE AIRBORNE POLLEN IN JAPAN.

PubMed

Kishikawa, Reiko; Kotoh, Eiko; Oshikawa, Chie; Soh, Nobuo; Shimoda, Terufumi; Saito, Akemi; Sahashi, Norio; Enomoto, Tadao; Usami, Atsushi; Teranishi, Hidetoyo; Fujisaki, Yohko; Yokoyama, Toshitaka; Murayama, Kohji; Imai, Tohru; Fukutomi, Yuma; Taniguchi, Masami; Iwanaga, Tomoaki

2017-01-01

In Japan patients with Japanese Cedar (JC) pollinosis have increased nation widely since the latter of 1970's. The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japanese Governments has begun to take preventive measures against JC pollinosis and airborne pollen monitoring has begun to investigate as a causative agent since 1986. We have estimated the longitudinal investigation result for successful prevention and treatment against pollinosis in Japan. We have monitored airborne pollen all year around since July 1986 by gravitational pollen sampler, Durham's sampler, at more than 20 locations in the Japanese Islands. Pollen samples were sent to our hospital and counted pollen number per cm 2 after stained by Calberla solution and then classified main pollen grains as a causative agent of pollinosis. JC pollen number was the most of all, more than 40%, next cypress family, about 20%. They were occupied of more than 60% of all and they increased with the remarkable annual fluctuation as the allergen of JC pollinosis. Beech family pollen counting were also increasing and occupied about 10% of all pollen counts. In Hokkaido the prevalence of birch family pollen count was larger than that in other districts. There is cross-reactivity between beech and birch family which related with oral allergic syndrome.Perspective and Conclusion: In future new occurrences of oral allergy syndrome due to increasing allergic tree pollen grains would be appeared. The contentious pollen research should be important for patients with pollinosis in Japan.

Gas measurements on Western Pacific in Mirai MR01-K02 cruise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KATO, S.; Matsumoto, J.; Kajii, Y.

2001-12-01

The Japanese investigation ship, Mirai, cruised in the Western Pacific in May 2001. The cruise is a part of ACE-ASIA project. During the cruise, we measured atmospheric gas components on the ship. CO, O3, NO, NOx, SO2 were measured continuously by commercial instruments, and 40 canisters were sampled for hydrocarbon measurements and were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS in the laboratory in Tokyo. Since the shipped area is located in the east of Japan main island, most of the air masses would be affected by the pollutants emitted in Japan. In May, the wind is mostly coming from the west, and long range transport of polluted air and aerosol would be observed. After leaving the port near Tokyo, the concentrations of CO, O3, SO2, NO and NOx decreased gradually as expected. NO and NOx are sensitive to the influence of the exhaust emitted from the ship itself. SO2 is also sensitive to the exhaust from the ship, but there are some small, and broad peaks which are not corresponding to the NO and NOx peaks. The concentration of O3 and hydrocarbons decreased drastically after the front passage. Westerly wind polluted in Japan was dominant in most case, but the clean maritime air came from east or south when low pressure passed. The backward trajectories explain the concentration changes of hydrocarbons well. When the air came quickly from Japan, high concentrations were observed. There are good correlation between O3 and hydrocarbons.

Variations of atmospheric CH4, N2O and SF6 over Japan and the East China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishijima, K.; Goto, D.; Ishidoya, S.; Yashiro, H.; Umezawa, T.; Sugawara, S.; Patra, P. K.; Muromachi, A.; Elkins, J. W.; Dutton, G. S.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Morimoto, S.; Aoki, S.; Nakazawa, T.

2013-12-01

East Asia is one of the most important regions for anthropogenic sources of both short-lived air pollutants and long-lived greenhouse gases (GHGs). According to recent estimates from an emission database, China has become the largest emitter of long-lived GHGs. Since Japan and the East China Sea are located at the east end of Eurasia, atmospheric species emitted from the continent are transported over them throughout the year. Particularly in winter to spring, outflow of the emitted species is enhanced over the East China Sea due to the East Asian Monsoon. To monitor temporal and spatial variability of atmospheric GHGs in the East Asian region, we conducted systematic GHG observations during 2003-2012 from flask samples collected onboard four different commercial ferry boats, which connected between Wakkanai and Rishiri islands (WAK ; 45.4°N, 141.5°E), between Sakaiminato and Oki islands (OKI ; 35.8°N, 133.2°E), between Kagoshima and Okinawa islands (RYU ; 30.0°N, 130.0°E), and between Ishigaki and Hateruma islands (HTR ; 24.0°N, 124.0°E). Air samples were collected almost weekly, and they were sent to Tohoku University and analyzed for GHGs and related gases. In this study, we present analyses of observed CH4, N2O and SF6 concentrations in comparison with simulations by the Atmospheric general circulation model-based Chemistry Transport model (ACTM). The observed three species predictably show higher concentrations than those observed at Cape Kumukahi (KUM), which is a NOAA air sampling site located in the Central Pacific, reflecting strong outflow of the species from East Asia. Annual mean latitudinal gradients found from the four locations as well as decrease toward KUM are generally reproduced by the ACTM. This is mostly because of reasonable spatial distributions in GHG emissions given in the ACTM. The three species also show discernible seasonal cycles. ACTM simulates seasonal cycles of CH4 and SF6 relatively well, but not for N2O, suggesting deficiency of our present understanding of N2O sources in East Asia. Further details including tagged simulations for CH4 regional emission will be shown in our presentation.

Tsunami Hazard Assessment in Guam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcas, D.; Uslu, B.; Titov, V.; Chamberlin, C.

2008-12-01

The island of Guam is located approximately 1500 miles south of Japan, in the vicinity of the Mariana Trench. It is surrounded in close proximity by three subduction zones, Nankai-Taiwan, East Philippines and Mariana Trench that pose a considerable near to intermediate field tsunami threat. Tsunami catalogues list 14 tsunamigenic earthquake with Mw≥8.0 since 1900 only in this region, (Soloviev and Go, 1974; Lander, 1993; Iida, 1984; Lander and Lowell, 2002), however the island has not been significantly affected by some of the largest far-field events of the past century, such as the 1952 Kamchatka, 1960 Chile, and the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake. An assessment of the tsunami threat to the island from both near and far field sources, using forecast tools originally developed at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) for real-time forecasting of tsunamis is presented here. Tide gauge records from 1952 Kamchatka, 1964 Alaska, and 1960 Chile earthquakes at Apra Harbor are used to validate our model set up, and to explain the limited impact of these historical events on Guam. Identification of worst-case scenarios, and determination of tsunamigenic effective source regions are presented for five vulnerable locations on the island via a tsunami sensitivity study. Apra Harbor is the site of a National Ocean Service (NOS) tide gauge and the biggest harbor on the island. Tumon Bay, Pago Bay, Agana Bay and Inarajan Bay are densely populated areas that require careful investigation. The sensitivity study shows that earthquakes from Eastern Philippines present a major threat to west coast facing sites, whereas the Marina Trench poses the biggest concern to the east coast facing sites.

Genetic structure of the crown-of-thorns seastar in the Pacific Ocean, with focus on Guam.

PubMed

Tusso, Sergio; Morcinek, Kerstin; Vogler, Catherine; Schupp, Peter J; Caballes, Ciemon F; Vargas, Sergio; Wörheide, Gert

2016-01-01

Population outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS), Acanthaster 'planci' L., are among the most important biological disturbances of tropical coral reefs. Over the past 50 years, several devastating outbreaks have been documented around Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean. Previous analyses have shown that in the Pacific Ocean, COTS larval dispersal may be geographically restricted to certain regions. Here, we assess the genetic structure of Pacific COTS populations and compared samples from around Guam with a number of distant localities in the Pacific Ocean, and focused on determining the degree of genetic structure among populations previously considered to be isolated. Using microsatellites, we document substantial genetic structure between 14 localities from different geographical regions in the Pacific Ocean. Populations from the 14 locations sampled were found to be structured in three significantly differentiated groups: (1) all locations immediately around Guam, as well as Kingman Reef and Swains Island; (2) Japan, Philippines, GBR and Vanuatu; and (3) Johnston Atoll, which was significantly different from all other localities. The lack of genetic differentiation between Guam and extremely distant populations from Kingman Reef and Swains Island suggests potential long-distance dispersal of COTS in the Pacific.

Full Seismic Waveform Tomography of the Japan region using Adjoint Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steptoe, Hamish; Fichtner, Andreas; Rickers, Florian; Trampert, Jeannot

2013-04-01

We present a full-waveform tomographic model of the Japan region based on spectral-element wave propagation, adjoint techniques and seismic data from dense station networks. This model is intended to further our understanding of both the complex regional tectonics and the finite rupture processes of large earthquakes. The shallow Earth structure of the Japan region has been the subject of considerable tomographic investigation. The islands of Japan exist in an area of significant plate complexity: subduction related to the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates is responsible for the majority of seismicity and volcanism of Japan, whilst smaller micro-plates in the region, including the Okhotsk, and Okinawa and Amur, part of the larger North America and Eurasia plates respectively, contribute significant local intricacy. In response to the need to monitor and understand the motion of these plates and their associated faults, numerous seismograph networks have been established, including the 768 station high-sensitivity Hi-net network, 84 station broadband F-net and the strong-motion seismograph networks K-net and KiK-net in Japan. We also include the 55 station BATS network of Taiwan. We use this exceptional coverage to construct a high-resolution model of the Japan region from the full-waveform inversion of over 15,000 individual component seismograms from 53 events that occurred between 1997 and 2012. We model these data using spectral-element simulations of seismic wave propagation at a regional scale over an area from 120°-150°E and 20°-50°N to a depth of around 500 km. We quantify differences between observed and synthetic waveforms using time-frequency misfits allowing us to separate both phase and amplitude measurements whilst exploiting the complete waveform at periods of 15-60 seconds. Fréchet kernels for these misfits are calculated via the adjoint method and subsequently used in an iterative non-linear conjugate-gradient optimization. Finally, we employ custom smoothing algorithms to remove the singularities of the Fréchet kernels and artifacts introduced by the heterogeneous coverage in oceanic regions of the model.

Mapping seismic azimuthal anisotropy of the Japan subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, D.; Liu, X.

2016-12-01

We present 3-D images of azimuthal anisotropy tomography of the crust and upper mantle of the Japan subduction zone, which are determined using a large number of high-quality P- and S-wave arrival-time data of local earthquakes and teleseismic events recorded by the dense seismic networks on the Japan Islands. A tomographic method for P-wave velocity azimuthal anisotropy is modified and extended to invert S-wave travel times for 3-D S-wave velocity azimuthal anisotropy. A joint inversion of the P and S wave data is conducted to constrain the 3-D azimuthal anisotropy of the Japan subduction zone. Main findings of this work are summarized as follows. (1) The high-velocity subducting Pacific and Philippine Sea (PHS) slabs exhibit trench-parallel fast-velocity directions (FVDs), which may reflect frozen-in lattice-preferred orientation of aligned anisotropic minerals formed at the mid-ocean ridge as well as shape-preferred orientation such as normal faults produced at the outer-rise area near the trench axis. (2) Significant trench-normal FVDs are revealed in the mantle wedge, which reflects corner flow in the mantle wedge due to the active subduction and dehydration of the oceanic plates. (3) Obvious toroidal FVDs and low-velocity anomalies exist in and around a window (hole) in the aseismic PHS slab beneath Southwest Japan, which may reflect a toroidal mantle flow pattern resulting from hot and wet mantle upwelling caused by the joint effects of deep dehydration of the Pacific slab and the convective circulation process in the mantle wedge above the Pacific slab. (4) Significant low-velocity anomalies with trench-normal FVDs exist in the mantle below the Pacific slab beneath Northeast Japan, which may reflect a subducting oceanic asthenosphere affected by hot mantle upwelling from the deeper mantle. ReferencesLiu, X., D. Zhao (2016) Seismic velocity azimuthal anisotropy of the Japan subduction zone: Constraints from P and S wave traveltimes. J. Geophys. Res. 121, doi:10.1002/2016JB013116. Zhao, D., S. Yu, X. Liu (2016) Seismic anisotropy tomography: New insight into subduction dynamics. Gondwana Res. 33, 24-43.

The Russians Debate the Kuril Islands Territorial Dispute: An Aspect of Russo-Japanese Relations in the Post-Cold War World

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-01

the existence of a territorial problem up until the time of President Mikhail Gorbachev. When Gorbachev visited Japan in April 1991, he admitted that...Alexei Arbatov and Boris Makeyev , ’The Kuril Barrier," New Times (42.92), p. 26. 34 diplomats and politicians which has taken shape has yet to be overcome...in English GMT 3 Mar 92 (FBIS-SOV-92-042, 3 March 1992, p. 22). 52 IV. ECONOMIC INTERESTS A. OVERVIEW Mikhail Gorbachev officially announced his

SEDs at Los Alamos: A Personal Memoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bederson, Benjamin

2001-03-01

I have written this personal memoir approximately 55 years after the events I describe. It is based almost exclusively on memory, since apart from the diary I kept while on Tinian, I have few documents concerning it. It covers my service in the U.S. Army's Special Engineering Detachment (SED) in Oak Ridge and Los Alamos in 1944-45, on Tinian island, the launching pad for the bombing raids on Japan, in the summer and fall of 1945, and my return to Los Alamos until my discharge in January 1946.

Perspective View of Shaded Relief with Color as Height, Miyake-Jima, Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This 3D perspective view shows the Japanese island called Miyake-Jima viewed from the northeast. This island -- about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Tokyo -- is part of the Izu chain of volcanic islands that runs south from the main Japanese island of Honshu. Dominated by the 820-meter-high (2,700 feet) volcano Mount Oyama, Miyake-Jima is home to 3,800 people. In late June 2000, a series of earthquakes alerted scientists to possible volcanic activity and on June 27 authorities evacuated 2,600 people. On July 7, the island was hit by a typhoon passing overhead, and on July 8 the volcano began erupting. The volcano erupted five times over the next week, spreading gray ash over surrounding areas. Detailed topographic information can be used to predict the directions that lava flows will take. The previous major eruption of Mount Oyama occurred in 1983, when lava flows destroyed hundreds of houses, and an earlier eruption in 1940 killed 11 people.

This three-dimensional perspective view was generated using topographic data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. A computer-generated artificial light source illuminates the elevation data to produce a pattern of light and shadows, while colors show the elevation as measured by SRTM. Slopes facing the light appear bright, while those facing away are shaded. On flatter surfaces, the pattern of light and shadows can reveal subtle features in the terrain. The elevation is indicated by colors. Lowest elevation areas appear blue, medium elevations appear green, while higher elevations appear brown and white.

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), launched on February 11, 2000, used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise,Washington, DC.

Site name: Miyake-Jima, Japan Size: Scale varies in this perspective image, island has an area of 55 square kilometers (21 square miles). Vertical scale approximately equal to horizontal scale. Center Location: 34.1 deg. North lat., 139.5 deg. East lon. Orientation: perspective view is looking from northeast towards the southwest Original Data Resolution: 30 m Date Acquired: February 20, 2000

Shallow Moho with aseismic upper crust and deep Moho with seismic lower crust beneath the Japanese Islands obtained by seismic tomography using data from dense seismic network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsubara, Makoto; Obara, Kazushige

2015-04-01

P-wave seismic velocity is well known to be up to 7.0 km/s and over 7.5 km/s in the lower crust and in the mantle, respectively. A large velocity gradient is the definition of the Moho discontinuity between the crust and mantle. In this paper, we investigates the configuration of Moho discontinuity defined as an isovelocity plane with large velocity gradient derived from our fine-scale three-dimensional seismic velocity structure beneath Japanese Islands using data obtained by dense seismic network with the tomographic method (Matsubara and Obara, 2011). Japanese Islands are mainly on the Eurasian and North American plates. The Philippine Sea and Pacific plates are subducting beneath these continental plates. We focus on the Moho discontinuity at the continental side. We calculate the P-wave velocity gradients between the vertical grid nodes since the grid inversion as our tomographic method does not produce velocity discontinuity. The largest velocity gradient is 0.078 (km/s)/km at velocities of 7.2 and 7.3 km/s. We define the iso-velocity plane of 7.2 km/s as the Moho discontinuity. We discuss the Moho discontinuity above the upper boundary of the subducting oceanic plates with consideration of configuration of plate boundaries of prior studies (Shiomi et al., 2008; Kita et al., 2010; Hirata et al, 2012) since the Moho depth derived from the iso-velocity plane denotes the oceanic Moho at the contact zones of the overriding continental plates and the subducting oceanic plates. The Moho discontinuity shallower than 30 km depth is distributed within the tension region like northern Kyushu and coastal line of the Pacific Ocean in the northeastern Japan and the tension region at the Cretaceous as the northeastern Kanto district. These regions have low seismicity within the upper crust. Positive Bouguer anomaly beneath the northeastern Kanto district indicates the ductile material with large density in lower crust at the shallower portion and the aseismic upper crust. The Moho discontinuity deepens over 35 km in the collision zone like as Kanto Mountains, the volcanic underplating zone as the Tohoku backbone range, and non-tension region like as Chugoku Mountains. These regions associated with deep Moho are characterized by the crustal seismicity within the depth range from 20 to 30 km. The iso-depth contour of 35 km beneath the southwestern Japan is consistent with that derived from the receiver function method (Shiomi et al. 2006). There are nonvolcanic tremors and short-time slow slip events (SSE) beneath the southwestern Japan (eg. Obara, 2002). Matsubara et al. (2009) consider that the tremors and SSEs occur along the contact zone of Moho discontinuity beneath the Eurasian plate and the subducting Philippine Sea plate beneath southwestern Japan. Our Moho model is consistent with this since they exist along the southern edge of the Moho discontinuity of the continental Eurasian plate. Reference: Hirata, N., Sakai, S., Nakagawa, S., Ishikawa, M., Sato, H., Kasahara, K., Kimura, H. and Honda, R. (2012) A new tomographic image on the Philippine Sea Slab beneath Tokyo - Implication to seismic hazard in the Tokyo metropolitan region, EOS, Transactions, AGU, T11C-06. Kita, S., T. Okada, A. Hasegawa, J. Nakajima, and T. Matsuzawa (2010) Anomalous deepening of a seismic belt in the upper-plane of the double seismic zone in the Pacific slab beneath the Hokkaido corner: Possible evidence for thermal shielding caused by subducted forearc crust materials, Earth Planet. Science Lett., 290, 415-426. Matsubara, M. and K. Obara (2011) The 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku earthquake related to a strong velocity gradient with the Pacific plate, Earth Planets Space, 63, 663-667. Matsubara, M., K. Obara, and K. Kasahara (2009) High-Vp/Vs zone accompanying non-volcanic tremors and slow-slip events beneath southwestern Japan, Tectonophysics, 472, 6-17, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2008.06.013. Obara, K. (2002) Nonvolcanic deep tremor associated with subduction in southwest Japan. Science 296, 1679-1681. Shiomi, K., K. Obara, and H. Sato (2006) Moho depth variation beneath southwestern Japan revealed from the velocity structure based on receiver function inversion , Tectonophysics, 420, 205-221, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2006.01.017. Shiomi, K., M. Matsubara, Y. Ito, and K. Obara (2008) Simple relationship between seismic activity along Philippine Sea slab and geometry of oceanic Moho beneath southwest Japan, Geophys. J. Int., 173, 1018-1029.

Satellite tracking of the migration of Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus wintering in Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shimada, Tetsuo; Yamaguchi, Noriyuki M.; Hijikata, N.; Hiraoka, Emiko N.; Hupp, Jerry W.; Flint, Paul L.; Tokita, Ken-ichi; Fujita, Go; Uchida, Kiyoshi; Sato, F.; Kurechi, Masayuki; Pearce, John M.; Ramey, Andy M.; Higuchi, Hiroyoshi

2014-01-01

We satellite-tracked Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus wintering in northern Japan to document their migration routes and timing, and to identify breeding areas. From 47 swans that we marked at Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeast Honshu, and at Lake Kussharo, east Hokkaido, we observed 57 spring and 33 autumn migrations from 2009-2012. In spring, swans migrated north along Sakhalin Island from eastern Hokkaido using stopovers in Sakhalin, at the mouth of the Amur River and in northern coastal areas of the Sea of Okhotsk. They ultimately reached molting/breedmg areas along the Indigirka River and the lower Kolyma River in northern Russia. In autumn, the swans basically reversed the spring migration routes. We identified northern Honshu, eastern Hokkaido, coastal areas in Sakhalin, the lower Amur River and northern coastal areas of the Sea of Okhotsk as the most frequent stopover sites, and the middle reaches of the Indigirka and the lower Kolyma River as presumed breeding sites. Our results are helpful in understanding the distribution of the breeding and stopover sites of Whooper Swans wintering in Japan and in identifying their major migration habitats. Our findings contribute to understanding the potential transmission process of avian influenza viruses potentially carried by swans, and provide information necessary to conserve Whooper Swans in East Asia.

Detection of surface temperature from LANDSAT-7/ETM+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suga, Y.; Ogawa, H.; Ohno, K.; Yamada, K.

Hiroshima Institute of Technology (HIT) in Japan has established LANDSAT-7 Ground Station in cooperated with NASDA for receiving and processing the ETM+ data on March 15t h , 2000 in Japan. The authors performed a verification study on the surface temperature derived from thermal infrared band image data of LANDSAT- 7/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) for the estimation of the thermal condition around Hiroshima City and Bay area in the western part of Japan as a test site. As to the thermal infrared band, the approximate functions for converting the spectral radiance into the surface temperature are estimated by considering both typical surface temperatures measured by the simultaneous field survey with the satellite observation and the spectral radiance observed by ETM+ band 6, and then the estimation of the surface temperature distribution around the test site was examined. In this paper, the authors estimated the surface temperature distribution equivalent to the land cover types around Hiroshima City and Bay area. For the further study, the authors performed the modification of approximate functions for converting the spectral radiance into the surface temperature by the field and satellite observation throughout a year and the development of various monitoring systems for the environmental issues such as the sea surface anomalies and heat island phenomena.

Recurrent Kawasaki disease: USA and Japan.

PubMed

Maddox, Ryan A; Holman, Robert C; Uehara, Ritei; Callinan, Laura S; Guest, Jodie L; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Yashiro, Mayumi; Belay, Ermias D

2015-12-01

Descriptive epidemiologic studies of recurrent and non-recurrent Kawasaki disease (KD) may identify other potentially important differences between these illnesses. Data from the USA and Japan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national KD surveillance(1984-2008) and the 17th Japanese nationwide survey (2001-2002), respectively, were analyzed to examine recurrent KD patients <18 years of age meeting the CDC KD case or atypical KD case definition. These patients were compared with non-recurrent KD patients. Of the 5557 US KD patients <18 years of age during 1984-2008, 97 (1.7%) were identified as having had recurrent KD. Among the US Asian/Pacific Islander KD patients, 3.5% had recurrent KD, which was similar to the percentage identified among KD patients (3.5%) in the Japanese survey. Compared with non-recurrent KD patients, KD patients [with recurrent KD] were more likely to be older, fulfill the atypical KD case definition, and have coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) despite i.v. immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. Differences in the age, race, and frequency of CAA exist between recurrent and non-recurrent KD patients. The increased association of CAA with recurrent KD suggests that more aggressive treatment strategies in conjunction with IVIG may be indicated for the second episode of KD. © 2015 Japan Pediatric Society.

Widespread seismicity excitation throughout central Japan following the 2011 M=9.0 Tohoku earthquake and its interpretation by Coulomb stress transfer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toda, S.; Stein, R.S.; Lin, J.

2011-01-01

We report on a broad and unprecedented increase in seismicity rate following the M=9.0 Tohoku mainshock for M ≥ 2 earthquakes over inland Japan, parts of the Japan Sea and Izu islands, at distances of up to 425 km from the locus of high (≥15 m) seismic slip on the megathrust. Such an increase was not seen for the 2004 M=9.1 Sumatra or 2010 M=8.8 Chile earthquakes, but they lacked the seismic networks necessary to detect such small events. Here we explore the possibility that the rate changes are the product of static Coulomb stress transfer to small faults. We use the nodal planes of M ≥ 3.5 earthquakes as proxies for such small active faults, and find that of fifteen regions averaging ~80 by 80 km in size, 11 show a positive association between calculated stress changes and the observed seismicity rate change, 3 show a negative correlation, and for one the changes are too small to assess. This work demonstrates that seismicity can turn on in the nominal stress shadow of a mainshock as long as small geometrically diverse active faults exist there, which is likely quite common.

Volcanisme, activité anthropique et circulation des masses océaniques : leur influence respective sur la distribution des populations d'ostracodes dans la baie de Kagoshima (île de Kyushu, Japon)Impact of volcanism, human activities, and water mass circulation on the distribution of ostracod populations in Kagoshima Bay (Kyushu Island, southern Japan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodergat, Anne-Marie; Oki, Kimihiko; Ishizaki, Kunihiro; Rio, Michel

2002-11-01

The distribution of ostracod populations in Kagoshima Bay (Japan) is analysed with reference to different environmental parameters. The bay is an area of volcanic activity of Sakurajima volcano under the influence of the Kuroshio Current. Most of the Head environment is occupied by an acidic water mass. Numbers of individual and species decrease from the Mouth of the bay towards the Basin and Head environments. In this latter, acidic water mass has a drastic effect on ostracod populations, whereas volcanic ashes and domestic inputs are not hostile. Ostracod distribution is influenced by the quality and structure of water masses. To cite this article: A.-M. Bodergat et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 1053-1059.

Volcanism and Tectonics of the Central Deep Basin, Sea of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lelikov, E. P.; Emelyanova, T. A.; Pugachev, A. A.

2018-01-01

The paper presents the results of a study on the geomorphic structure, tectonic setting, and volcanism of the volcanoes and volcanic ridges in the deep Central Basin of the Sea of Japan. The ridges rise 500-600 m above the acoustic basement of the basin. These ridges were formed on fragments of thinned continental crust along deep faults submeridionally crossing the Central Basin and the adjacent continental part of the Primorye. The morphostructures of the basin began to submerge below sea level in the Middle Miocene and reached their contemporary positions in the Pliocene. Volcanism in the Central Basin occurred mostly in the Middle Miocene-Pliocene and formed marginal-sea basaltoids with OIB (ocean island basalt) geochemical signatures indicating the lower-mantle plume origin of these rocks. The OIB signatures of basaltoids tend to be expressed better in the eastern part of the Central Basin, where juvenile oceanic crust has developed. The genesis of this crust is probably related to rising and melting of the Pacific superplume apophyse.

A model of convergent plate margins based on the recent tectonics of Shikoku, Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bischke, R. E.

1974-01-01

A viscoelastic finite element plate tectonic model is applied to displacement data for the island of Shikoku, Japan. The flow properties and geometry of the upper portions of the earth are assumed known from geophysical evidence, and the loading characteristics are determined from the model. The nature of the forces acting on the Philippine Sea plate, particularly in the vicinity of the Nankai trough, is determined. Seismic displacement data related to the 1946 Nankaido earthquake are modeled in terms of a thick elastic plate overlying a fluidlike substratum. The sequence of preseismic and seismic displacements can be explained in terms of two independent processes operating on elastic lithospheric plates: a strain accumulation process caused by vertical downward forces acting on or within the lithosphere in the vicinity of the trench, and a strain release process caused by plate failure along a preexisting zone on weakness. This is a restatement of Reid's elastic rebound theory in terms of elastic lithospheric plates.

Metal Concentrations in the Liver and Stable Isotope Ratios of Carbon and Nitrogen in the Muscle of Silvertip Shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) Culled off Ishigaki Island, Japan: Changes with Growth

PubMed Central

Endo, Tetsuya; Kimura, Osamu; Ohta, Chiho; Koga, Nobuyuki; Kato, Yoshihisa; Fujii, Yukiko; Haraguchi, Koichi

2016-01-01

We analyzed Hg, Cd, Zn, Cu and Fe concentrations in liver samples as well as the Hg concentration and stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C and δ15N) in muscle samples from silvertip sharks (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) in Japan. Muscular and hepatic Hg concentrations increased with increased body length. However, these increases were more prominent in the liver than in the muscle samples, and appeared to occur after maturation. Hepatic Zn and Cu concentrations decreased during the growth stage, and then increased concomitantly thereafter with increases in Cd burden. Hepatic Fe concentration from males increased proportionally with increases in body length, whereas no increase was observed in samples from females, probably due to the mother-to-embryo transfer of Fe. The δ13C values tended to decrease with increases in body length, whereas no decrease in the δ15N values was observed. PMID:26859569

Managing the Fukushima Challenge

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Atsuyuki

2014-01-01

The Fukushima Daiichi accident raises a fundamental question: Can science and technology prevent the inevitability of serious accidents, especially those with low probabilities and high consequences? This question reminds us of a longstanding challenge with the trans-sciences, originally addressed by Alvin Weinberg well before the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents. This article, revisiting Weinberg's issue, aims at gaining insights from the accident with a special emphasis on the sociotechnical or human behavioral aspects lying behind the accident's causes. In particular, an innovative method for managing the challenge is explored referring to behavioral science approaches to a decision-making process on risk management; such as managing human behavioral risks with information asymmetry, seeking a rational consensus with communicative action, and pursuing procedural rationality through interactions with the outer environment. In short, this article describes the emerging need for Japan to transform its national safety management institutions so that these might be based on interactive communication with parties inside and outside Japan. PMID:24954604

A New Species of Hyperbenthic Cyclopoid Copepod from Japan: First Record of the Genus Cyclopicina in the Indo-Pacific Region.

PubMed

Ohtsuka, Susumu; Tanaka, Hayato; Boxshall, Geoffrey A

2016-12-01

A new species of the cyclopinid genus Cyclopicina, C. toyoshioae sp. nov., was collected from the hyperbenthic layer off northern Kyushu Island, Japan; its description is based on two adult female specimens. This is the first record of the genus from the Indo-Pacific region. The new species can be distinguished from its two known congeners in: (1) the relatively short antennules which do not reach the posterior margin of the dorsal cephalothoracic shield; (2) the shape of seminal receptacles; (3) the segmentation and armature of the cephalothoracic appendages; (4) the shape of the basal protrusion between the rami of legs 1-4; (5) the presence of three outer spines on the third exopodal segment of leg 4; and (6) the presence or absence of outer setae on the free exopodal segment of leg 5. The genus Cyclopicina shows a wide but scattered distribution in hyperbenthic layers, from the continental shelves to deep-sea basins, in the northern hemisphere.

Nova Scorpii 2011 = PNV J16551100-3838120

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waagen, Elizabeth O.

2011-06-01

Announces the discovery of Nova Scorpii 2011 = PNV J16551100-3838120 by John Seach (Chatsworth Island, NSW, Australia) on 2011 June 1.40 UT at magnitude 9.5 (DSLR + orange filter). Spectra by Bernard Heathcote (South Yarra, Vic, Australia) on Jun 2.4896 UT, A. Arai, T. Kajikawa, and M. Nagashima (Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan) on 2011 June 2.68 UT, and Masayuki Yamanaka and Ryosuke Itoh (Hiroshima University, Japan) on Jun 2 UT indicate a highly-reddened classical nova. Initially reported to the AAVSO by Seach and announced in AAVSO Special Notice #240 (Arne Henden) and IAU CBET 2735 (Daniel W. E. Green, ed.). The object was designated PNV J18102135-2305306 when posted on the Central Bureau's Transient Objects Confirmation Page (TOCP) webpage. Finder charts with sequence may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (http://www.aavso.org/vsp). Observations should be submitted to the AAVSO International Database. See full Alert Notice for more details, observations, and links to images. [Nova Sco 2011 subsequently assigned the name V1312 Sco