Market Integration Analysis of Japan’s Wakame Seaweed Market Before and After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The 2011 Japanese earthquake had a major impact on markets for seafood products. As such, this study investigates its effect on the price of a brand of wakame seaweed produced in Sanriku, an area hit hard by tsunamis. Using monthly data on Sanriku wakame prices at retail stores in 10 regions of Japan from 2005 to 2014, we undertake cointegration analysis to explore the effect of reputational damage due to radioactive contamination and changes in domestic market dynamics. Market integration analysis reveals that the market changed after the earthquake. Before the earthquake, markets in eastern Japan were leading those in the west. However, after the earthquake, markets in the east were integrated and mutually influenced one another. The earthquake also resulted in diversified distribution channels and complicated regional relationships because buyers constructed their own channels for purchasing wakame during the earthquake

Do Radioactive Spills from the Fukushima Disaster Have any Influence on Seafood Market in Japan?

We investigated whether the spill of radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean had a negative impact on demand for cod and pollock in wholesale markets in Japan. A structural break test detected several break points in the market, including the Fukushima disaster, and successfully eliminated the impact of the other disturbing shocks identified in our analysis. A system of demand equations model which has taken into account the structural breaks indicated that the radioactive spills had a significantly negative impact on demand for cod. Our results suggested that the amount of radiation detected in cod products negatively affected Japanese demand for cod and positively affected demand for pollock, while it did not affect its price. We also found that consumers’ current concerns about radioactive spills positively affect cod and pollock markets. We concluded that radioactive spills harm the markets, but the impact is almost negligible

Market Integration Analysis of Japan’s Wakame Seaweed Market Before and After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The 2011 Japanese earthquake had a major impact on markets for seafood products. As such, this study investigates its effect on the price of a brand of wakame seaweed produced in Sanriku, an area hit hard by tsunamis. Using monthly data on Sanriku wakame prices at retail stores in 10 regions of Japan from 2005 to 2014, we undertake cointegration analysis to explore the effect of reputational damage due to radioactive contamination and changes in domestic market dynamics. Market integration analysis reveals that the market changed after the earthquake. Before the earthquake, markets in eastern Japan were leading those in the west. However, after the earthquake, markets in the east were integrated and mutually influenced one another. The earthquake also resulted in diversified distribution channels and complicated regional relationships because buyers constructed their own channels for purchasing wakame during the earthquake

Do Radioactive Spills from the Fukushima Disaster Have any Influence on Seafood Market in Japan?

We investigated whether the spill of radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean had a negative impact on demand for cod and pollock in wholesale markets in Japan. A structural break test detected several break points in the market, including the Fukushima disaster, and successfully eliminated the impact of the other disturbing shocks identified in our analysis. A system of demand equations model which has taken into account the structural breaks indicated that the radioactive spills had a significantly negative impact on demand for cod. Our results suggested that the amount of radiation detected in cod products negatively affected Japanese demand for cod and positively affected demand for pollock, while it did not affect its price. We also found that consumers’ current concerns about radioactive spills positively affect cod and pollock markets. We concluded that radioactive spills harm the markets, but the impact is almost negligible

An Analysis of Introducing Unspawned Oysters in Japan Using a Contingent Valuation Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Demand for unshelled oysters has recently risen in Japan as oyster bars gain popularity among consumers. This study undertook consumer preference research to evaluate a new brand of unspawned oysters, “Amakoro,” compared with conventional oysters. We surveyed the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for both oyster types as well as consumers’ evaluation of the oysters’ appearance, fragrance, taste, and texture. Based on contingent valuation method and analytic hierarchy process, we analyzed how much each factor of consumers’ tastes explains WTP. The results show that Amakoro is preferred to the conventional oyster in terms of appearance, which is positively correlated to WTP, while the conventional oyster is inelastic to any kind of taste factors, but has a robust value. In addition, the results show that WTP largely depends on the characteristics of location and consumption pattern of oysters

An Analysis of Introducing Unspawned Oysters in Japan Using a Contingent Valuation Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Demand for unshelled oysters has recently risen in Japan as oyster bars gain popularity among consumers. This study undertook consumer preference research to evaluate a new brand of unspawned oysters, “Amakoro,” compared with conventional oysters. We surveyed the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for both oyster types as well as consumers’ evaluation of the oysters’ appearance, fragrance, taste, and texture. Based on contingent valuation method and analytic hierarchy process, we analyzed how much each factor of consumers’ tastes explains WTP. The results show that Amakoro is preferred to the conventional oyster in terms of appearance, which is positively correlated to WTP, while the conventional oyster is inelastic to any kind of taste factors, but has a robust value. In addition, the results show that WTP largely depends on the characteristics of location and consumption pattern of oysters

Chemically Tuned p- and n-Type WSe2 Monolayers with High Carrier Mobility for Advanced Electronics

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted a great interest for post-silicon electronics and photonics due to their high carrier mobility, tunable bandgap, and atom-thick 2D structure. With the analogy to conventional silicon electronics, establishing a method to convert TMDC to p- and n-type semiconductors is essential for various device applications, such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuits and photovoltaics. Here, a successful control of the electrical polarity of monolayer WSe2 is demonstrated by chemical doping. Two different molecules, 4-nitrobenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate and diethylenetriamine, are utilized to convert ambipolar WSe2 field-effect transistors (FETs) to p- and n-type, respectively. Moreover, the chemically doped WSe2 show increased effective carrier mobilities of 82 and 25 cm(2) V(-1)s(-1) for holes and electrons, respectively, which are much higher than those of the pristine WSe2. The doping effects are studied by photoluminescence, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory. Chemically tuned WSe2 FETs are integrated into CMOS inverters, exhibiting extremely low power consumption (approximate to 0.17 nW). Furthermore, a p-n junction within single WSe2 grain is realized via spatially controlled chemical doping. The chemical doping method for controlling the transport properties of WSe2 will contribute to the development of TMDC-based advanced electronics

A Clinical Trial Evaluating the Usefulness of Tailored Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Using Rectal-culture Screening Media Prior to Transrectal Prostate Biopsy: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this report is to introduce an on-going, multicenter, randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether tailored antimicrobial prophylaxis guided by rectal culture screening prevents acute bacterial prostatitis following transrectal prostate biopsy (TRPB). Patients will be randomized into an intervention or non-intervention group; tazobactam-piperacillin or levofloxacin will be prophylactically administered according to the results of rectal culture prior to TRPB in the intervention group whereas levofloxacin will be routinely given in the non-intervention group. The primary endpoint is the occurrence rate of acute bacterial prostatitis after TRPB. Recruitment begins in April, 2021 and the target total sample size is 5,100 participants