Assessing local-scale inclusive wealth: a case study of Sado Island,Japan

Present trends of urbanization are accompanied by increasing demographic and economic shrinkage of rural regions. In countries such as Japan, these rural regions trail behind metropolitan counterparts according to GDP, the conventional measure used to guide governmental policies. Yet, past research suggests that these regions may be undervalued. Further, the Inclusive Wealth Index (IWI), largely only used at the national level, may be able to capture aspects previously missed. As such, our study attempts to highlight the wealth of rural regions by comparing the inclusive wealth of Sado Island and Japan between 1990 and 2014. Minor methodological modifications were made according to data availability at the local level and to improve the accuracy of human capital estimations. Results captured the ongoing shrinkage of Sado and demonstrate the distinct potential of the IWI as a stock measure. Sado’s per capita wealth was about 10% lower than the national averages, but its natural capital was about threefold national averages. Supplementary estimations of the natural capital of fisheries and cultivated forests suggest that inclusion of additional factors in the evaluation would further increase the relative valuation of rural regions. We discuss implications of our estimations for wellbeing, and conclude with a critical appraisal of the IWI calculation towards policy implementation of the index.     

Time trend of hexabromocyclododecane in the breast milk of Japanese women

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a type of brominated flame retardant. We investigated the time trend of the stereoisomer-specific concentrations of HBCD (alpha, beta, and gamma) in breast milk samples of Japanese women by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The pooled milk lipid samples collected in 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1999, and from 2000 to 2006 were analysed. The concentration was below the detection limit in the samples collected between 1973 and 1983 and increased in those collected since 1988. Between 1988 and 2006, alpha-HBCD was detected in all 11 breast milk samples collected from 25 to 29-year-old Japanese women; gamma-HBCD, in 7; and beta-HBCD, in none of the samples. Time trend of summation operatorHBCD appeared to be related to that of the industrial HBCD consumption level in Japan.     

Seasonal characteristics of water-soluble organic carbon in atmospheric particles in the inland Kanto plain,Japan

An investigation of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in atmospheric particles was conducted as an index of the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from April 2005 to March 2006 at Maebashi and Akagi located in the inland Kanto plain in Japan. Fine (<2.1 μm) and coarse (2.1–11 μm) particles were collected by using an Andersen low-volume air sampler, and WSOC, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and ionic components were measured. The mean mass concentrations of the fine particles were 22.2 and 10.5 μg m^?3 at Maebashi and Akagi, respectively. The WSOC in fine particles accounted for a large proportion (83%) of total WSOC. The concentration of fine WSOC ranged from 1.2 to 3.5 μg-C m^?3 at Maebashi, rising from summer to fall. At Akagi, it rose from spring to summer, associated with the southerly wind from urban areas. The WSOC/OC ratio increased in summer at both sites, but the ratio at Akagi was higher, which we attributed to differences in primary emissions and secondary formation between the sites. The fine WSOC concentration was significantly positively correlated with concentrations of SO₄^2?, EC, and K⁺, and we inferred that WSOC was produced by photochemical reaction and caused by the combustion of both fuel and biomass. We estimated that SOA accounted for 11–30% of the fine particle mass concentration in this study, suggesting that SOA is a significant year-round component in fine particles.     

Groundwater-soil-crop relationship with respect to arsenic contamination in farming villages of Bangladesh--a preliminary study

To clarify the groundwater-soil-crop relationship with respect to arsenic (As) contamination, As concentration was measured in tubewell (TW) water, surface soil from farmyards and paddy fields, and fresh taro (Colocasia esculenta) leaves from farmyards in the farming villages of Bangladesh. The As concentration in TW water from farmyards was at least four times higher than the Bangladesh drinking water standard, and the concentration in fresh taro leaves was equal to or higher than those reported previously for leafy vegetables in Bangladesh. As concentration of surface soils in both farmyards and paddy fields was positively correlated with that of the TW water. Further, the concentration in surface soil was positively correlated with levels in fresh taro leaves in the farmyard. This study, therefore, clarified the groundwater-soil-crop relationship in farmyards and the relationship between groundwater-soil in paddy fields to assess the extent of As contamination in Bangladeshi villages.     

Polychlorinated biphenyl levels in the blood of Japanese individuals ranging from infants to over 80 years of age

Individuals’ exposure to various persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and its adverse health effects have been a cause of concern. We measured blood PCB concentrations from samples taken from 507 Japanese individuals ranging from infants to those over 80 years of age. The blood PCB levels increased with age for both male (Spearman’s r?=?0.69, p?<?0.001) and female (Spearman’s r?=?0.70, p?<?0.001) participants. Adult men and nulliparous women showed similar increases with age. However, the PCB levels of multiparous women were lower than those of nulliparous women in their thirties (p?=?0.005), probably because the PCBs were transferred from the mothers to their children during pregnancy and lactation. Among infants (<2 years of age), some had as high levels of accumulated PCB levels as those in adults >30 years of age. In some cases, the PCB levels were over 0.8 ng/g wet weight, similar to levels observed in adults over 50 years of age. In the future, it will be necessary to do research on the health of the children who are exposed by high concentration level of POPs.     

Detection of Dechlorane Plus and brominated flame retardants in marketed fish in Japan

Fish samples purchased from Japanese markets were analyzed for Dechlorane Plus (DP)(syn-, anti-), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)(α, γ). Twenty fish were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for DP and PBDE, and using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for HBCD. DP was detected in 18 samples and ∑DP concentrations were <0.2-14.2 pg g⁻¹ wet wt. Among the DP isomers, anti-DP was the dominant residue observed in this study. PBDE was detected in all samples. Concentrations of ∑PBDE ranged from 2.2 to 878 pg g⁻¹ wet wt. HBCD was detected in 18 samples, and ∑HBCD concentrations were <0.02-21.9 ng g⁻¹ wet wt. In fish landed near the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, we detected relatively high concentrations of DP, PBDE, and HBCD. These results indicate that the seawaters around East Asia are contaminated with flame retardants. This study demonstrates the presence of DP in fish marketed in Japan for the first time.     

Shifting from apple to peach farming in Kazuno, northern Japan: perceptions of and responses to climatic and non-climatic impacts

Apple farmers in Kazuno, northern Japan, have started to grow peaches in the northernmost climatic region suitable for peach farming. Here, we investigate the process from the initial introduction of peach cultivation to its diffusion focusing on the farmers’ perceptions of climatic and non-climatic stimuli and their actions to respond to these stressors. Interviews with the farmers identified three distinct groups. Four farmers (Group 1) initiated the transition to peach production, which then spread to other farmers (Group 2) via personal connections. Later, after the provision of various means of support from the local government and the producers’ cooperative, many more apple farmers (Group 3) decided to begin peach production. Most farmers recognized the risk of damages to apple production as a result of typhoons and drought. However, only Group 1 farmers, who depend on direct sales to customers, mentioned these climate-related damages as a reason to shift toward peach cultivation in order to maintain their customers. The peach fruit was specifically chosen as a replacement for apple because it is less vulnerable to these climatic stressors. For Group 3 farmers, the financial losses associated with these climate-related events could be compensated for by insurance. Their decision to grow peach is largely due to its higher price and immunity against a specific disease which affects apples but they only shifted once institutional support was available, thereby reducing the risk in cultivating a new species. Our findings suggest that the role of institutions was not to drive the process of the adaptation itself but rather to provide relevant support to farmers to enable them to shift to new crop varieties more easily. We argue that such process-based understanding is crucial in formulating strategies to increase adaptive capacity in agriculture.     

Comparative assessment of primary and secondary infection risks in a norovirus outbreak using a household model simulation

Diarrheal diseases can be transmitted via both primary infection due to exposures to contaminated materials from the environment and secondary infection due to personto-person contacts. Usually, the importance of secondary infection is empirically assessed by fitting mathematical models to the epidemic curves. However, these empirical models may not be applicable to other epidemic cases because they are developed only for the target epidemics and they don't consider the detail routes of infection. In our previous study, we developed a theoretical model taking into account the various routes of infection that commonly occur in households(e.g., shaking hands, food handling, and changing diapers).This model was made flexible and applicable to any epidemics by means of adjusting model parameters. In this study, we proposed a new index "Vulnerability indicator to secondary infection(VISI)", which expressed a ratio of secondary infection to primary infection risks and calculated this index in a simulated norovirus(No V) epidemic that involved 10,000 households.The results demonstrated that households composed of more than three members including infant(s) had much higher levels of VISI(5–45) than two-member-households with VISI(0.1–4).These results concluded that the infants were likely to be a hub of secondary infections in highly dense families and therefore careful handling of diapers was deemed indispensible in such families to effectively control the secondary infections.     

Time-trend (1973-2000) of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Japanese mother's milk

The time-trend and recent concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Japanese mother's milk were investigated. The time-trend of 16 PBDEs (BDE-28, 37, 47, 66, 71, 75, 77, 85, 99, 100, 119, 153, 154, 138, 183, and 190) in pooled milk samples from mothers living in Osaka between 1973 and 2000 was analyzed. Additionally, PBDE concentrations in individual milk samples collected from 13 mothers living in Kanagawa and Okayama in 1999 were measured. The total concentration of all PBDE congeners (SigmaPBDEs) measured in the pooled samples increased during the period between 1973 (<0.01 ng/g lipid) and 1988 (1.64 ng/g lipid), and remained low afterwards while showing remarkable changes in PBDE congener profiles. The SigmaPBDEs in the 1999 individual milk samples were also low (0.56-3.97 ng/g lipid), except for a single sample (291 ng/g lipid). The source of this exposure could not be identified.     

Photodegradation of surfactants. XV: Formation of SO4 ions in the photooxidation of sulfur-containing surfactants

Three types of surfactants and related reference compounds containing sulfonate (-SO₃Na), sulfate (-OSO₃Na) or thioether carboxylate (-S-Cn-COOK) group were photodecomposed in an aqueous heterogeneous dispersion system. The photomineralization to SO₄²⁻ions was examined for the surfactants with different chemical structures. The photocatalytic activities of TiO₂ and ZnO were compared for the sulfonates of dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DBS) and polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), the sulfates of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and the potassium salts of S-dodecylthioglycol acid (TGA), S-dodecylthiopropionic acid (TPA) and S-dodecylthiomalic acid (TMA). ZnO catalyst exhibited higher activity in the formation of SO₄²⁻ion than TiO₂ catalyst.