Carbon footprint assessment of a whole dairy farming system with a biogas plant and the use of solid fraction of digestate as a recycled bedding material

Biogas generated from livestock manure is a renewable energy source and the digestate is used as a fertilizer. Moreover, dewatered biogas digestate can be used as a bedding material (recycled bedding material). The aims of the present study were to model a whole dairy system with a biogas plant using recycled bedding material and to assess the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Emissions from the material flow of dairy cattle production, manure treatment and organic fertilizer application to on-farm crops were evaluated. In the emissions from organic fertilizer storage and recycled bedding material production, CH4 emission was decreased by 43.0%, and consequently the system with a biogas plant reduced total GHG emissions by 6.8% compared with conventional slurry storage and straw bedding. The use of recycled bedding material from a biogas plant has the potential to create a resource cycle and to be beneficial as a GHG mitigation strategy

Membrane Protein Location-Dependent Regulation by PI3K (III) and Rabenosyn-5 in Drosophila Wing Cells

The class III phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K (III)) regulates intracellular vesicular transport at multiple steps through the production of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI(3)P). While the localization of proteins at distinct membrane domains are likely regulated in different ways, the roles of PI3K (III) and its effectors have not been extensively investigated in a polarized cell during tissue development. In this study, we examined in vivo functions of PI3K (III) and its effector candidate Rabenosyn-5 (Rbsn-5) in Drosophila wing primordial cells, which are polarized along the apical-basal axis. Knockdown of the PI3K (III) subunit Vps15 resulted in an accumulation of the apical junctional proteins DE-cadherin and Flamingo and also the basal membrane protein β-integrin in intracellular vesicles. By contrast, knockdown of PI3K (III) increased lateral membrane-localized Fasciclin III (Fas III). Importantly, loss-of-function mutation of Rbsn-5 recapitulated the aberrant localization phenotypes of β-integrin and Fas III, but not those of DE-cadherin and Flamingo. These results suggest that PI3K (III) differentially regulates localization of proteins at distinct membrane domains and that Rbsn-5 mediates only a part of the PI3K (III)-dependent processes

Sustainable Downtown Development for the Tsunami-Prepared Urban Revitalization of Regional Coastal Cities

Regional cities in Japan are facing a decline in the downtown area owing to urban expansion and a decrease in the population. Promoting downtown living is indispensable for the realization of downtown revitalization. Since many coastal cities originally developed outward from a port, their downtown areas are located near the coast and are at high risk of tsunamis. The purpose of this research is to reveal the effectiveness of dealing with the above two issues in parallel by evaluating the Deae-ru Saiwai estate, a public housing relocation project in downtown Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan that incorporates a tsunami evacuation facility with questionnaires and a GIS survey. Placing public housing in the downtown area shortens the distance to public facilities and improves the convenience of the surrounding environment for many residents. Installing the tsunami evacuation facility improves the feeling of reassurance of residents who would feel anxiety about immigration with regards to tsunamis. This research has clarified the synergistic effect of dealing with the daily and emergency issues in parallel for promoting downtown living. Planning downtown revitalization and disaster prevention concurrently, which has been separated so far, is a fundamental planning approach for urban revitalization in regional coastal cities

Accuracy Assessment of Implant Placement in a Newly Developed Dynamic Navigation System: A Pilot Study

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the accuracy of a newly developed dynamic navigation system and to compare the accuracy between flapless and open-flap surgery, and between surgeons. The subjects were patients who were scheduled to receive implants of the same size using the newly developed dynamic navigation system. The study’s procedures included cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) filming with fiducials, virtual planning of implant placement and the use of motion tracking technology for calibration and practical implant placement. The accuracy was evaluated using preoperative (virtual implant) and postoperative (actual implant) CBCT images based on angular, apical, coronal and vertical deviations. The differences of deviations between flapless and open-flap surgery, and between two surgeons, were statistically compared. In total, 66 implants were placed in 39 patients. The median and interquartile range of angular, apical, coronal and vertical deviations were 3.07° (2.52–3.54°), 0.96 mm (0.75–1.42 mm), 0.76 mm (0.57–1.37 mm) and 0.71 mm (0.61–0.88 mm), respectively. These deviations were similar to those found in previous studies. Flapless surgery resulted in a more accurate placement with respect to apical and coronal deviations, and the differences between the two surgeons were limited. The newly developed dynamic navigation system is considered to be eligible for clinical use

Geology of La Venta, Colombia, South America

Monbusho International Scientific Research Program Reports by 1990 and 1991 Grants for Field ResearchProject Number: 02041050 (1990 to 1991)Phylogenetic Studies of South American MonkeysHead Investigator: Yasuo NOGAMI, Professor, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto Universit