Networking possibilities for waste recycling in Miyagi prefecture, Japan

Successful case studies for waste recycling in Japan have not been evaluated. The evaluation of economic efficiency and environmental effects were lacking at the time the actual network was established. A waste/resource input/output (I/O) coincidence retrieval system called ZENESYS was developed to examine the usefulness of a waste-exchange network in a nonmanufacturing district. We analyzed data from the Miyagi prefecture, a region without heavy industry. The data were collected from 77 companies using a questionnaire and interviews. A total of 33 possible waste exchange links arose after analysis using ZENESYS. However, these were frail networks that relied heavily on the construction industry. Two waste recycling technologies were selected from the ZENESYS database: reclaiming fuel from waste plastic and making construction materials from bottom ash. Evaluation of the environmental effects and economics of these two technologies showed they were both suitable for the environment, but no profit was made from reclaiming fuel from waste plastics. We concluded that in an area with no heavy industry, it may be difficult to adopt recycling technologies that have high environmental and economic performance. Materials are difficult to circulate among manufacturing industries even if a waste-exchange network exists, and resources are consumed during transportation and recycling.     

Environmentally sustainable applications of agro-based spent mushroom substrate (SMS): an overview

Agricultural wastes such as lignocellulosic residues are renewable resources can be used for mushroom cultivation. Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is defined as leftover of biomass generated by commercial mushroom industries after harvesting period of mushroom. Mushroom cultivation using agricultural wastes promises a good quality of SMS for producing beneficial products such as animal feeding and fertilizers. Based on the published papers, the major applications of SMS are animal feedstock, fertilizer, energy production and wastewater treatment. For instance, some species of mushroom such as Pleurotus spp. and Agaricus bisporus are suitable for applications of ruminant feedstock and fertilizers. This paper reviews the recent studies about the beneficial usage of SMS which is considered as a waste since 2013.     

Differences in the lethality of occupational accidents in OECD countries

International comparisons of the frequency of occupational accidents are rare because figures reported by each country are influenced by factors other than differences in the occurrence of actual accidents. In this study, we performed an international comparison of occupational accidents which distinguishes between fatal cases and all reported accidents, in order to control for the effects of other factors in accident reporting. Annual data on the numbers of fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) between 1993 and 1998 were obtained from the Labour Statistics Database, which is operated by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The average incidence of all accidents across OECD countries ranged from 17 to 4608 per 100,000 persons in the labor force, whereas the incidence of fatal accidents across OECD countries ranged from 1 to 12 per 100,000 persons in the labor force. Lethality rates per 10,000 total accident cases ranged from 9 (Germany) to 3252 (Turkey). When comparing countries using the same statistical definition of accidents, three or more absence days, the difference in lethality of reported accidents within the same industrial sector is reduced to a sixfold difference (49 for the United Kingdom versus 333 for Ireland). Furthermore, the difference in lethality decreased to about twofold (18 for Spain versus 35 for Czech Republic) in the group using definitions with a criteria of one absent day. The results suggest that reported differences in lethality can reflect artificial administrative factors rather than the harmful factors that cause actual occupational accidents. To make more valid comparison of occupational accident between countries, harmonization of accident statistics is required.     

Tracer transport model at Japan meteorological agency and its application to the ETEX data

This paper describes the JMA tracer transport model and its sensitivity to model physics and initial conditions by using the ETEX data. Compared with observations, the model overestimates ground-level concentration in the early stage within about one day from the emission, possibly due to underestimation of vertical diffusion. In the early stage, the enhanced vertical diffusion effectively transports the tracer upward and decreases the ground-level concentration, while in the later stage, it enhances downward transports from the upper layer and increases the ground-level concentration. A conceptual model is given for understanding the vertical transport due to vertical diffusion. The horizontal diffusion introduced to the model has preferable impacts on forecasts especially in the early stage. Finally, we discuss the predictability of this model based on sensitivity to initial conditions of emission time and height.     

Early ontogenetic effects on song quality in the Bengalese finch (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lonchura striata</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">domestica</Emphasis>): laying order,sibling competition,and song syntax

Birdsong differs from other sexual traits in that the acquisition process involves learning. Especially in close-ended learning species like the Bengalese finch, conditions experienced during the critical song-learning period can have a profound influence on song quality. Therefore, to understand song evolution from a life-history perspective, we investigated early ontogenetic effects on song quality. In particular, we focused on maternal effects and sibling competition. In asynchronously hatching bird species, the age hierarchy among nestlings affects physical development due to competition for food; mothers may influence this competition by adjusting their investment in each egg according to its sequence in the laying order. To independently assess these effects, chicks of the Bengalese finch were cross-fostered so that the age hierarchies formed in fostered broods were independent of the laying order. Our results indicate that song quality partially reflects early ontogenetic conditions, whereas song duration and note-type repertoire were independent of either laying order or age hierarchy. The syntactical complexity of note order declined over the laying sequence. This finding suggests that the song learning ability is influenced by within-clutch variation in maternal investment toward eggs. Considering that song syntactical complexity is subject to female preference in the Bengalese finch, it is likely that maternal resource allocation strategies play a role in song evolution.     

Fishery livelihoods and adaptation to climate change: a case study of Chilika lagoon, India

Climate change combined with human activities poses significant risks to people’s livelihood especially in developing countries. Adaptation at the community level is of crucial importance in enabling them to respond to the direct and indirect effects of changes in climate. In a case study of fishing communities in Chilika lagoon, India, the focus is made on understanding climate change adaptation at the community level and scaling it up into the policy perspective through application of Sustainable Livelihood Approach. This article challenges the research and policy community to encourage the identification of locally negative constraints and positive strengths toward climate resilient communities in rural areas.

Statistical tools for analysing the data obtained from repeated dose toxicity studies with rodents: a comparison of the statistical tools used in Japan with that of used in other countries

In the present study, an attempt was made to compare the statistical tools used for analysing the data of repeated dose toxicity studies with rodents conducted in 45 countries, with that of Japan. The study revealed that there was no congruence among the countries in the use of statistical tools for analysing the data obtained from the above studies. For example, to analyse the data obtained from repeated dose toxicity studies with rodents, Scheffé's multiple range and Dunnett type (joint type Dunnett) tests are commonly used in Japan, but in other countries use of these statistical tools is not so common. However, statistical techniques used for testing the above data for homogeneity of variance and inter-group comparisons do not differ much between Japan and other countries. In Japan, the data are generally not tested for normality and the same is true with the most of the countries investigated. In the present investigation, out of 127 studies examined, data of only 6 studies were analysed for both homogeneity of variance and normal distribution. For examining homogeneity of variance, we propose Levene's test, since the commonly used Bartlett's test may show heterogeneity in variance in all the groups, if a slight heterogeneity in variance is seen any one of the groups. We suggest the data may be examined for both homogeneity of variance and normal distribution. For the data of the groups that do not show heterogeneity of variance, to find the significant difference among the groups, we recommend Dunnett's test, and for those show heterogeneity of variance, we recommend Steel's test.     

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.     

Plant origin of Okinawan propolis: honeybee behavior observation and phytochemical analysis

Propolis is a natural resinous product collected by honeybees from certain plants. It has gained popularity as a food and alternative medicine. Poplar and Baccharis are well known as the source plants of European and Brazilian propolis, respectively. However, the propolis from Okinawa, Japan, contains some prenylflavonoids not seen in other regions such as Europe and Brazil, suggesting that the plant origin of Okinawan propolis is a particular plant that grows in Okinawa. To identify the plant origin of Okinawan propolis, we observed the behavior of honeybees as they collected material from plants and caulked it inside the hive. Honeybees scraped resinous material from the surface of plant fruits of Macaranga tanarius and brought it back to their hive to use it as propolis. We collected samples of the plant and propolis, and compared their constituents by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photo-diode array detector. We also compared their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical scavenging activity. The chemical constituents and biological activity of the ethanol extracts of the plant did not differ from those of propolis. This indicates directly that the plant origin of Okinawan propolis is M. tanarius. S. K. and J. N. contributed equally to this work.