Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Resource, Environment and Economy of Biomass Use - A Case Study of Firewood Use in Households in Nishiwaga -

Oral Presentatio

Availability of Forest Resources as Firewood for Preservation of Regional Environment (Advanced Studies on Sustainable Animal Production: Interrelationships among Human, Animal and Environment, 8th International Symposium of Integrated Field Science)

Poster Sessio

Relationships between Land Use and River Nutrient in the River Basins of Kitakami River and Ishikari River Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Original Pape

Relationship between watershed environments and growth of coastal diatoms

Effect of watershed environments on river water quality and the subsequent influence of water quality on the growth of diatoms in coastal seawater were studied. Land use in the upper and lower site of the Ohkawa River (O-up and O-low) and the upper site of the Nanakita River (N-up) were dominated by forestry, whereas the lower site of the Nanakita River (N-low) was characterized by urbanization. Seasonal changes in nutrients in the Ohkawa and Nanakita Rivers suggested that the concentrations of NH_4-N, NO_3-N, PO_4-P and acid extractable-Fe were influenced by human activities, while Si concentration reflected geological conditions. The average concentrations of fulvic acid-like Fe (FA-Fe), closely associated with the growth of coastal diatoms, were 1 and 16μgL^ at the O-up and O-low sites, respectively, while those of the Nanakita River were 5μgL^ (N-up) and 53μgL^ (N-low). For each river, FA-Fe concentrations of the lower sites were much higher than the upper sites. Moreover, the concentration of FA-Fe at N-low was much higher than at O-low. Therefore, it was concluded that FA-Fe originates not only from forest vegetation but also from urban activity. The growth of the Skeletonema, a typical diatom of coastal waters, was stimulated by the addition of O-low river water compared to addition of O-up, reflecting the FA-Fe content. Diatom growth stimulation with the addition of lower river water was much more prominent in the Nanakita River, whose watershed is characterized by runoff from Sendai city.Original Pape

Oolong tea increases energy metabolism in Japanese females

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea that has long been believed to be beneficial to health such as decreasing body fat. We were interested in this assertion and tried to evaluate the effect of oolong tea on energy expenditure (EE) in comparison with green tea. The subjects were eleven healthy Japanese females (age 20±1 y body mass index(BMI) 21.2±2.5kg/m2)who each consumed of three treatments in a crossover design : 1) water, 2) oolong tea, 3) green tea. Resting energy expenditure (REE) and EE after the consumption of the test beverage for 120 min were measured using an indirect calorimeter. The cumulative increases of EE for 120 min were significantly increased 10% and 4% after the consumption of oolong tea and green tea, respectively. EE at 60 and 90 min were significantly higher after the consumption of oolong tea than that of water (Plt0.05). In comparison with green tea, oolong tea contained approximately half the caffeine and epigallocatechin galate, while polymerized polyphenols were double. These results suggest that oolong tea increases EE by its polymerized polyphenols

Nutritional factors, parasite infection and allergy in rural and suburban Vietnamese school children

Urban areas often have more allergy than rural areas. Dietary patterns and parasite infection have been suggested as possible related factors. This study evaluated the prevalence of allergy in school children in one rural and suburban area of Vietnam where parasite infection is common. A total of 195 children aged 9 to 13 years old completed a self-administered allergy questionnaire and provided blood and stool samples for analysis. Nutritional status, dietary intake and parasite infection were determined in all participants. Allergy was more common in girls (10.7% vs. 7.6%), suburban children (11.8% vs. 6.9%), children with weight-for-age (16.7% vs. 6.0%) and height-for-age (14.8% vs. 4.9%) in the10th to75th percentile compared to lt3rd percentile, and in children without trichuriasis compared to light trichuriasis (12.5%vs. 9.3%), although none of these comparisons were statistically significant. Logistic regression adjusted for sex, age and area of residence revealed no association between allergy and nutritional status, food intake or parasite infection. Intake of riboflavin, however, was negatively associated with allergy (OR=0.00,95% CI:0.00-0.65, p=0.038). In conclusion, we were unable to detect any association between allergy and nutritional status, diet, or parasite infection. However, in a population with high undernutrition and parasite infection, the prevalence of allergy was low and the extremely low intake of riboflavin was associated with a higher risk of allergy

Differential diagnosis of memory impairment in areas affected by a natural disaster: a case report

We treated a man with a chief complaint of memory impairment after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Initially, he was diagnosed with dementia. However, after several tests, neither could a definitive diagnosis of dementia be reached, nor was there any apparent evidence for depression, epilepsy, delirium, or internal medicine diseases. During the earthquake, the patient experienced the severe trauma of watching his wife being swept away by a tsunami. Furthermore, he experienced separation from his family. Because of this traumatic experience, we suspected that dissociative disorder was involved in the development of the memory impairment and thus, we switched to treatments focusing on emotional support. Subsequently, the patient's memory impairment gradually improved. The present case demonstrates the importance of considering dissociative disorders when examining a patient with memory impairment in areas affected by disasters

Overweight is associated with allergy in school children of Taiwan and Vietnam but not Japan

We collected information concerning diagnosed allergy from 2027 school children in Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. Children were classified according to the age and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) per-age as indicator of weight status. Logistic regression was performed to examine the relationship between percentiles of BMI-per-age and allergy. Compared with children at the lowest percentile group Taiwanese children at>85th percentile group showed a tendency toward higher risk of allergy (OR=1.79, 95% CI 0.98 to 3.27 p=0.060).When children with rhino-conjunctivitis were excluded from the analysis the association reached statistical significance (OR=2.89,95% CI 1.08 to 7.75 p= 0.035).Vietnamese children at>85th percentile group showed a significantly higher risk of allergy (OR= 2.34,95% CI 1.06 to 5.17 p=0.035). This association was not observed when children with atopic dermatitis or food allergy were excluded from the analysis, although a tendency toward increased risk of allergy at BMI-per-age>85th percentile remained. Our study sample of Japanese school children showed no association between being overweight and allergy