Planktonic Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of the Takaku and Taga Groups in the Joban Coal Field, Northeast Honshu, Japan

To settle long-standing debatable stratigraphic questions concerning the Neogene Takaku and Taga Groups distributed in the Joban coal-field, litho- and microbiostratigraphical investigations were undertaken. Since these groups are distributed in separate areas due to fault system, chronostratigraphic relations of their constituent formations have for long remained unsolved. Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages from the Takaku and Taga Groups comprise the following five biofacies; Takaku, Takahagi, Kohama-I, Kohama-II and Tenpisan. The Takaku biofacies is recognized in the Numanouchi and Shimotakaku Formations of the Takaku Group and ranges in age from late Early Miocene to early Middle Miocene. The Takahagi, Kohama-I, Kohama-II and Tenpisan biofacies are all recognized in the Taga Group : the former two are of Middle to Late Miocene and the latter two the Pliocene. This investigation reveals that the Takaku and Taga Groups are of different ages; the former is older than the latter. Deposition of the Taga Group has been considerably long lasting, ranging from middle Middle Miocene to Late Pliocene; and from geographical viewpoints, strata composing the Taga Group in the southern part are generally older than those in the northern part

A Case of Endobronchial Lipoma

Endobronchial lipomas are very rare tumors originating from the tracheo-bronchial wall. We have experienced a case of endobronchial lipoma which was found at the orifice of the left lower lobe bronchus and obstructive pneumonia distal to it. Left lower lobectomy was performed, and the patient has been well without any symptoms so far

Eastward extension of the Baiu Front on the surface weather maps in ralation to zonal scale of the area with strong low-level southerly wind toward the front

Eastward extension of the Baiu front in relation to zonal scale of the area with strong low-level southerly wind toward the front was examined based on the operational surface weather maps and the NCEP/NCAR re-analysis data mainly for the mature Baiu period (15 June to 31 July) from 1991 to 2000. During that period, the Baiu front on the surface weather maps appeared from the Changjiang River Basim to the east of the Japan Islands accompanied by the strong low-level southerly wind toward it in a wide zonal scala(～3500km), in many cases. However, the situations when the appesrance of the Baiu front was limited to the western part of the Japan Islands or limited to its eastern part are sometimes found with relatively narrow zonal acale of the strong low-level southerly wind toward the front, although the appearance frequency of such cases was not so high. As such the present results illustrate the importance of the zonal scale of the subtropical high for the spatial activity of the Baiu front

Late Cenozoic Micropaleontologic Events in the Equatorial Pacific Sediments

A microbiostratigraphical investigation of five deep-sea sediment cores from the equatorial Pacific was carried out by utilizing planktonic foraminifers, radiolarians and calcareous nannoplankton. Several micropaleontologic events characterized by the first occurrence of taxa were found to provide reliable datum planes for stratigraphic correlation of post-Miocene sediments. These datum planes are : The Buccinosphaera invaginata Datum, Collosphaera tuberosa Datum, Globoquadrina conglomerata Datum, Pulleniatina obliquil-oculata Datum, Gephyrocapsa oceanica Datum, Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica Datum, Anthocyrtidium angulare Datum and Globorotalia (G.) truncatulinoides Datum, in downward sequence. These datum planes are related to the biostratigraphic zonations based on various microfossils, and further to the previously determined paleomagnetic stratigraphy. One new radiolarian species, Amphiropalum praeypsilon, is described

SEX DIFFERENCES IN RACE PROFILE AND STROKE VARIABLES DURING 200-M SPRINT IN JUNIOR KAYAKERS

The purpose of present study was to examine sex differences in race profile and stroke variables during 200-m sprint in junior kayakers. 200-m race time of the male kayakers showed 11% shorter than the female kayakers. In both groups, significant positive correlations were found between kayak velocity and stroke rate. In the three part of duration (Initial: 0-25m, Middle: 100-125m, Finish: 175-Zoom), male kayakers were faster than female kayakers. Kayak velocity of male kayakers significantly decreased in the finish part from the middle part, while the kayak velocity of female kayakers showed a most constant. In conclusion, these different raw profiles might be explained by physiological differences in the upper body power or anaerobic capacities between males and females

When do interest groups contact bureaucrats rather than politicians? Evidence on fire alarms and smoke detectors from Japan

What determines whether interest groups choose to contact politicians or bureaucrats? Despite the importance of this question for policymaking, democracy, and some prominent principal-agent understandings of politics, it is relatively unexplored in the literature. We argue that government stability plays a major part in interest groups' decisions. That is, central to interest groups' decisions is their assessment of the likelihood that politicians currently in power will continue to be in the future. We deduce logical, but totally contrasting hypotheses, about how interest groups lobby under such conditions of uncertainty and then test these using a heteroskedastic probit model that we apply to a unique longitudinal survey of interest groups in Japan. We find that when it is unclear if the party controlling the government will maintain power in the future, interest groups are more likely to contact the bureaucracy. When it is believed that the party in power will retain control for a considerable period, interest groups are more inclined to contact politicians. In addition, during times of government uncertainty, interest groups that are supportive of the governing party (or parties) are more likely to contact politicians and those that are less supportive will be more likely to contact bureaucrats. © 2013 Cambridge University Press

Continuous Observations of the Ground Deformations Related to the Matsushiro Earthquakes

In order to investigate the relations between ground deformations and seismic activities in Matsushiro and neighbouring regions, continuous observations on the ground tilt and strain were carried out at Matsushiro and Suzaka. At Matsushiro, three tiltmeters of horizontal pendulum type and two extensometers of bow-string type were installed in the underground gallery bored into Zozan hill, the western suburb of Matsushiro Town. At Suzaka, two tiltmeters of water tube type and two tiltmeters of horizontal pendulum type were installed in the underground gallery bored halfway up Kamatayama hill, the western suburb of Suzaka City. As to Matsushiro, it was observed that the velocity of the ground tilt sometimes changed before the occurrence of an earthquake. As to Suzaka, it proved that the direction of the ground tilt changed markedly every time an earthquake of a magnitude larger than 5.0 occurred, and an anomalous ground tilt appeared before the occurrence of the earthquakes of Sep. 27, 1966, and Feb. 8, 1967