An attempt of dissemination of potential fishing zones prediction map of Japanese common squid in the coastal water, southwestern Hokkaido, Japan

Accurate prediction of potential fishing zones is regarded as one of the most immediate and effective approaches in operational fisheries. It helps fishermen reduce their cost on fuel and also decrease the uncertainty of their fish catches. To predict potential fishing zones of Japanese common squid, we derived fishing positions from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS), combine with bathymetry and model-derived environmental factors from the 4D-VAR data assimilation system and fitted using habitat suitability index (HSI) model. Validations with an independent DMSP/OLS dataset showed better performance of the model in figuring out the squid aggregations than our previous model established with satellite-derived environmental data. Nighttime visible images during June and early July of 2013 derived from Day/Night band (DNB) of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor with a better resolution and quality compared to DMSP/OLS, were also applied for validation and results showed differences of fitness between actual fishing activities and predictions in Japan Sea and Tsugaru Strait

Effects of hydrographic conditions on the transport of neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii larvae in the North Pacific Ocean

The neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartramii, is widespread in subtropical and temperate regions. In the North Pacific Ocean, the species is comprised of two spawning cohorts; an autumn cohort and a winter-spring cohort. Interestingly, despite their apparently contiguous hatching periods, there is a marked disparity in the mantle length of both cohorts. We hypothesized that differences in the ambient temperature during larval development were responsible for the observed disparity in mantle size. Numerical simulations of ambient temperature revealed that water temperatures were approximately 1 °C higher in areas inhabited by the autumn cohort than they were in areas inhabited by the winter-spring cohort. The findings imply that differences in ambient water temperature and nutrient condition may be responsible for the observed differences in the growth of the autumn and winter-spring cohorts

Recombinant methioninase combined with doxorubicin (DOX) regresses a DOX-resistant synovial sarcoma in a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) mouse model.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a recalcitrant subgroup of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). A tumor from a patient with high grade SS from a lower extremity was grown orthotopically in the right biceps femoris muscle of nude mice to establish a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) mouse model. The PDOX mice were randomized into the following groups when tumor volume reached approximately 100 mm3: G1, control without treatment; G2, doxorubicin (DOX) (3 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [i.p.] injection, weekly, for 2 weeks; G3, rMETase (100 unit/mouse, i.p., daily, for 2 weeks); G4 DOX (3mg/kg), i.p. weekly, for 2 weeks) combined with rMETase (100 unit/mouse, i.p., daily, for 2 weeks). On day 14 after treatment initiation, all therapies significantly inhibited tumor growth compared to untreated control, except DOX: (DOX: p = 0.48; rMETase: p < 0.005; DOX combined with rMETase < 0.0001). DOX combined with rMETase was significantly more effective than both DOX alone (p < 0.001) and rMETase alone (p < 0.05). The relative body weight on day 14 compared with day 0 did not significantly differ between any treatment group or untreated control. The results indicate that r-METase can overcome DOX-resistance in this recalcitrant disease

Research Promotion in Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Medical Engineering - Appeal and Recommendation to the Colleague -

[Summary] Despite of the severe situations of insufficient money, labor, time, and communication, we want to promote the research activity in our university to the level of major institutions. The first step we propose is to acquire the external research grants from public resources. The specific proposal is described in grant application to increase the probability of successful adoption of the grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Japan

BioHackathon series in 2011 and 2012: penetration of ontology and linked data in life science domains

The application of semantic technologies to the integration of biological data and the interoperability of bioinformatics analysis and visualization tools has been the common theme of a series of annual BioHackathons hosted in Japan for the past five years. Here we provide a review of the activities and outcomes from the BioHackathons held in 2011 in Kyoto and 2012 in Toyama. In order to efficiently implement semantic technologies in the life sciences, participants formed various sub-groups and worked on the following topics: Resource Description Framework (RDF) models for specific domains, text mining of the literature, ontology development, essential metadata for biological databases, platforms to enable efficient Semantic Web technology development and interoperability, and the development of applications for Semantic Web data. In this review, we briefly introduce the themes covered by these sub-groups. The observations made, conclusions drawn, and software development projects that emerged from these activities are discussed

Spatiotemporal variations in suitable areas for Japanese scallop aquaculture in the Dalian coastal area from 2003 to 2012

The Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) is an important commercial species in the Dalian coastal area. The present study employed a suitable aquaculture site-selection model (SASSM) and used satellite remote-sensing data to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of suitable areas for Japanese scallop aquaculture in the Dalian coastal area from 2003 to 2012. The study area was divided into four marine zones. The results demonstrated that the suitability scores of scallop aquaculture areas were high in May and low in February. The Changhai County (Zone II) and Lushunkou areas (Zone III) exhibited high potential for Japanese scallop aquaculture development. The results of the suitability models were consistent with the existing scallop aquaculture in the study area. These zones, combined with climatic events [the winter East Asian Monsoon (EAM) and El Nino/La Nina-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events], were used to examine the impact of climate variability on scallop aquaculture. Results suggest that the suitability scores in Zone III were more sensitive to changes in environmental factors (e. g., sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a, and suspended sediment) and climate changes, whereas the correlations among these factors were not significant in Zone II. Adaptation to these changes should be considered when developing plans and management strategies for scallop aquaculture