Facing the Challenge of Social Forestry in Japan: The Case of Reviving Harmonious Coexistence Between Forest and People in Okayama Prefecture

Social forestry as a development strategy has evolved since the 1970s, especially in the tropics, to address forest degradation and promote local community development amidst the burgeoning population in these areas. As a practice, however, social forestry has been in place since ancient times in many parts of the world, including Japanese forest communities. Forest-people relationships in Japan drastically changed through massive afforestation programs after the energy source change and with the industrialization of the forest sector in 1950s. The majority of the planted forests are underutilized today and forest communities are marginalized due to the decline of forestry operations, depopulation, and changes in people’s values. Some communities address this concern by inviting potential urban migrants who may be interested in settling in rural areas. Using the case of the Nishiawakura Village in Okayama Prefecture, this paper explores the recent challenges confronting social forestry in Japan. It is found that underutilization of forest resources can be a cause of serious environmental degradation and marginalization of forest communities, and that Nishiawakura’s journey to renew forest management in partnership with migrants is a process of revisiting and creating the forest-people relationship. This study advances two related arguments, namely (1) the interaction of the local people and the migrants brings new perspectives to forest management, and (2) in a community facing depopulation and underutilization of forest resources, social forestry can be an effective approach to rediscover traditional forest management in a new form and revitalize forests and local communities.     

Epidemic progress of beet necrotic yellow vein virus: Evidence from an investigation in Japan spanning half a century

Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) is the causal agent of rhizomania, the most serious sugar beet disease worldwide. Since the first finding in Japan in 1969, BNYVV became widespread throughout Hokkaido in a few decades and led to the introduction of Rz1-resistant sugar beet cultivars in the 1990s. Here, we report the historical progress of the BNYVV epidemic in Hokkaido from 1969 to 2019. Previous analysis on samples from 1991 showed that BNYVV isolates were classified into three strains (named O, D, and T) based on the RNA3-encoded p25 gene. The O-type viruses were widely detected in Hokkaido, while the D- and T-type viruses were detected in limited areas. The RNA5, encoding the p26 gene, was initially contained in some D- and O-type isolates but not in any T-type isolates. Interestingly, recent sample analysis revealed that RNA5-containing T-type viruses, seemingly more virulent than the other two strains, were widely detected in Hokkaido. Additionally, a small group of virus isolates harbouring a new p25 gene (named C) was found in limited areas. These results suggest that the T-type viruses, which accompanied RNA5, have been preferentially spread from a limited area to other districts over the last few decades and that this spread might be strongly associated with the recent introduction of Rz1-resistant sugar beet cultivars. BNYVV-positive samples also contained mainly beet soil-borne virus and traces of beet virus Q, both of which are the first to be recorded in Japan.     

A new taper index based on form-factor: application to three bamboo species (Phyllostachys spp.)

European Journal of Forest Research - The form-factor for the stem surface area is directly proportional to the square root of the form-factor for the stem volume, i.e., the square root law of the...     

Amorphization of Serpentine at High Pressure and High Temperature

Pressure-induced amorphization of serpentine was observed at temperatures of 200° to 300°C and pressures of 14 to 27 gigapascals with a combination of a multianvil apparatus and synchrotron radiation. High-pressure phases then crystallized rapidly when the temperature was increased to 400°C. These results suggest that amorphization of serpentine is an unlikely mechanism for generating deep-focus earthquakes, as the temperatures of subducting slabs are significantly higher than those of the rapid crystallization regime.     

Formation of a one-dimensional array of oxygen in a microporous metal-organic solid

We report the direct observation of dioxygen molecules physisorbed in the nanochannels of a microporous copper coordination polymer by the MEM (maximum entropy method)/Rietveld method, using in situ high-resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction measurements. The obtained MEM electron density revealed that van der Waals dimers of physisorbed O2 locate in the middle of nanochannels and form a one-dimensional ladder structure aligned to the host channel structure. The observed O-O stretching Raman band and magnetic susceptibilities are characteristic of the confined O2 molecules in one-dimensional nanochannels of CPL-1 (coordination polymer 1 with pillared layer structure).     

A low-operating-temperature solid oxide fuel cell in hydrocarbon-Air mixtures

The performance of a single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell was studied using a ceria-based solid electrolyte at temperatures below 773 kelvin. Electromotive forces of approximately 900 millivolts were generated from the cell in a flowing mixture of ethane or propane and air, where the solid electrolyte functioned as a purely ionic conductor. The electrode-reaction resistance was negligibly small in the total internal resistances of the cell. The resulting peak power density reached 403 and 101 milliwatts per square centimeter at 773 and 623 kelvin, respectively.     

Numerical modeling of environmental behavior and fate of tributyltin in a semi-closed bay

The environmental behavior and fate of tributyltin (TBT) in the northern Ariake Sea, resulting from the use of TBT-containing antifouling paints on hulls of ships, pleasure crafts and docking facilities, was assessed by numerical simulations. First, a mathematical model was devised on the basis of a non-steady state equilibrium, one box multi-compartment model consisting of the surface micro-layer, the water column, the mud-layer, and the bottom sediment compartments. The movement of TBT among the four compartments was modeled by resuspension of bottom mud, deposition of suspended sediment, film penetration and water advection in each compartment. Furthermore, a one-dimensional diffusion equation was introduced into the bottom sediment compartment to calculate profile distribution of TBT. The reactivity of TBT considered within the compartments included biological degradation, adsorption to particulate matter and diffusion. Next, the optimal amount of past TBT loads, reflecting the recent observations of TBT concentration in the waters and sediments of the northern Ariake Sea, was searched by a simple genetic algorithm. The relative sensitivity of various model parameters were also determined to identify the more important parameters for estimating the environmental behavior and fate of TBT. Finally, the future status of TBT contamination of the northern Ariake Sea was predicted assuming the discontinued use of TBT-containing antifouling paints. Despite its simple model structure relative to hydraulics, it was concluded that this multi-compartment model adequately estimated the environmental behavior and fate of TBT.     

The effects of growth hormone-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2) on the release of growth hormone and growth performance in swine

The effects of GHRP-2 (also named KP102), a new growth hormone-releasing peptide, on the release of growth hormone (GH) and growth performance were examined in swine. The single intravenous (i. v.) injection of GHRP-2 at doses of 2, 10, 30 and 100 microg/kg body weight (BW) to cross-bred castrated male swine stimulated GH release in a dose-dependent manner, with a return to the baseline by 120 min. The peak GH concentrations and GH areas under the response curves (GH AUCs) for 180 min after the injections of GHRP-2 were higher (P < 0.05) than those after the injection of saline. The GH responses to repeated i.v. injections of GHRP-2 (30 microg/kg BW) at 2-h intervals for 6 h were decreased after each injection. The chronic subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of GHRP-2 (30 microg/kg BW) once daily for 30 days consistently stimulated GH release. The GH AUCs for 300 min after the injections on d 1, 10 and 30 of treatment in GHRP-2-treated swine were higher than those in saline-treated swine. However, chronic administration of GHRP-2 caused a partial attenuation of GH response between d 1 and 10 of treatment. The chronic s.c. administration of GHRP-2 also increased average daily gain for the entire treatment period by 22.35% (P < 0.05) and feed efficiency (feed/gain) by 20.64% (P < 0.01) over the saline control values, but did not significantly affect daily feed intake. These results indicate that GHRP-2 stimulates GH release and enhancing growth performance in swine.     

Inhibition of host protein synthesis in B95a cells infected with the HL strain of measles virus

The shut-off of host protein synthesis in virus-infected cells is one of the important mechanisms for viral replication. In this report, we showed that the HL strain of measles virus (MeV-HL) as well as other field isolates, which were isolated from human blood lymphocytes using B95a cells, induce the shut-off in B95a cells. Since the Edmonston strain of MeV failed to induce the shut-off in B95a cells, the ability to induce the shut-off was considered to be dependent on virus strains. Although, the modification of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIF) including eIF4G, eIF4E, and 4E-BP1 was reported for shut-off by various viruses, the involvement of these eIFs was not observed in MeV-HL-infected B95a cells. Instead, the accumulation of phosphorylated eIF2alpha was found to coincide to the decrease of host protein synthesis, suggesting the involvement of phosphorylation of eIF2alpha in inhibition of translation as one of the mechanisms of the shut-off.     

Highly invasive intracranial malignant schwannoma in a rat

A highly invasive intracranial malignant schwannoma containing several masses was detected in a 28-week-old male Crl:CD(SD) rat. Macroscopically, 3 masses were noted in the cranial cavity; one was present at the bottom of the cranial cavity and involved the trigeminal nerve, and the other two were in the parietal bone. Histologically, each mass consisted of fusiform cells with interlacing fascicular, wavy and nuclear pseudopalisading arrangements and round cells with cystic lesions. The tumor cells invaded not only the brain but also the parietal bone. In the brain, the tumor cells infiltrated diffusely into the leptomeningeal and perivascular spaces and parenchyma, in which the tumor cell morphology and invasive pattern closely resembled those of malignant astrocytoma and malignant reticulosis. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells in the masses showed positive reactions for both S-100 protein and GFAP, while those in the cerebral invasion sites were negative for GFAP and less positive for S-100 protein. Electron microscopically, a single basal lamina layer and short intricate cell processes were confirmed in the tumor cells. From these results, the present tumor was diagnosed as a malignant schwannoma arising in the cranial cavity, probably originating from the trigeminal nerve. The present tumor is considered to be a relatively unique malignant schwannoma based on its growth and invasion patterns.