Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products in Japan: Analysis of a web survey (Japanese)

Eco-labeling systems for fish and fishery products provide the fishery industry with incentives to conserve marine resources and protect the environment. Under these systems, unlike command-and-control fishery management mechanisms, the fishery industry voluntarily controls their catch. By choosing products labeled as ecologically friendly, consumers can also help promote sustainable fisheries. Despite Japan being a major fishing and fish-consuming country, the system is still in its infancy. One reason may be that Japanese consumers are not aware of the fisheries' harmful ecological impacts and the relationship of these impacts with their seafood consumption. Would Japanese consumers change their consumption patterns if they knew which of the fish available in the supermarkets, were being overfished? We devised a web survey that included discrete choice conjoint analysis. We investigated what kind of information influences consumers' awareness of overfishing, and also what affects consumers' preferences regarding eco-labeled seafood. Our study revealed that Japanese consumers are willing to choose seafood based on eco-labeling when they: understand the role of eco-labeling, encounter reliable information about the item's relationship with marine resources, and know that a reliable organization is responsible for the labels. This result supports the idea of designing a feasible eco-labeling mechanism in Japan.

Evaluation of the ocean ecosystem: climate change modelling with backstop technology

This paper discusses the economic impacts of climate change, including those on ecosystems, and whether a new backstop technology should be used under conditions of strict temperature targets. Using the dynamic integrated climate-economy (DICE) model, we developed a new model to calculate the optimal path by considering new backstop technologies, such as CO2 capture and storage (CCS). We identify the effects of parameter changes based on the resulting differences in CO2 leakage and sites, and we analyse the feasibility of CCS. In addition, we focus on ocean acidification and consider the impact on economic activity. As a result, when CCS is assumed to carry a risk of CO2 leakage and acidification is considered to result in a decrease in utility, we find that CCS can only delay the effects of climate change, but its use is necessary to achieve strict targets, such as a 1.5C limit. This observation suggests that if the target temperature is too tight, we might end up employing a technology that sacrifices the ecosystem too greatly

Evaluation of the ocean ecosystem: climate change modelling with backstop technology

This paper discusses the economic impacts of climate change, including those on ecosystems, and whether a new backstop technology should be used under conditions of strict temperature targets. Using the dynamic integrated climate-economy (DICE) model, we developed a new model to calculate the optimal path by considering new backstop technologies, such as CO2 capture and storage (CCS). We identify the effects of parameter changes based on the resulting differences in CO2 leakage and sites, and we analyse the feasibility of CCS. In addition, we focus on ocean acidification and consider the impact on economic activity. As a result, when CCS is assumed to carry a risk of CO2 leakage and acidification is considered to result in a decrease in utility, we find that CCS can only delay the effects of climate change, but its use is necessary to achieve strict targets, such as a 1.5C limit. This observation suggests that if the target temperature is too tight, we might end up employing a technology that sacrifices the ecosystem too greatly

多数の消波ブロックを撮影した動画像からの3次元形状の復元

平成20年度電気・情報関連学会中国支部第59回連合大会発表資料 ; 開催地:鳥取大学 ; 開催日:2008年10月25

青色光は滑膜肉腫に対して活性酸素種によるミトコンドリア機能障害を起こし、アポトーシスとオートファジーを誘導する

Background: Synovial sarcoma (SS) has limited treatment options and there is an urgent need to develop a novel therapeutic strategy to treat SS. Blue light (BL) has been shown to inhibit the growth of several cancer cells. However, the efficacy of BL in soft tissue sarcomas such as SS has not been demonstrated, and the detailed mechanism underlying the antitumor activity of BL is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of BL on SS. Methods: Human SS cell lines were continuously irradiated with BL using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in an incubator for in vitro analysis. The chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) tumors and xenograft tumors in mice were subjected to daily BL irradiation with LEDs. Results: BL caused growth inhibition of SS cells and histological changes in CAM tumors. BL also suppressed the migration and invasion abilities of SS cells. The type of cell death in SS cells was revealed to be apoptosis. Furthermore, BL induced excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria, resulting in oxidative stress and malfunctioned mitochondria. Reducing the production of ROS using N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, attenuated the inhibitory effect of BL on SS cells and mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, BL induced autophagy, which was suppressed by the administration of NAC. The autophagy inhibitor of 3-methyladenine and small interfering RNA against the autophagy marker light chain 3B facilitated apoptotic cell death. Moreover, BL suppressed tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model. Conclusion: Taken together, our results revealed that BL induced apoptosis via the ROS-mitochondrial signaling pathway, and autophagy was activated in response to the production of ROS, which protected SS cells from apoptosis. Therefore, BL is a promising candidate for the development of an antitumor therapeutic strategy targeting SS

Posterior-Stabilized型人工膝関節置換術において内側側副靭帯の解離が腔骨内旋運動に及ぼす影響の検討 : 未固定遺体を用いた研究

Background: Previous studies suggested that changes in kinematics in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) affected satisfaction level. The aim of this cadaveric study was to evaluate the effect of medial collateral ligament (MCL) release by multiple needle puncture on knee rotational kinematics in posterior-stabilized TKA. Methods: Six fresh, frozen cadaveric knees were included in this study. All TKA procedures were performed with an image-free navigation system using a 10-mm polyethylene insert. Tibial internal rotation was assessed to evaluate intraoperative knee kinematics. Multiple needle puncturing was performed 5,10, and 15 times for the hard portion of the MCL at 90° knee flexion. Kinematic analysis was performed after every 5 punctures. After performing 15 punctures, a 14-mm polyethylene insert was inserted, and kinematic analysis was performed. Results: The tibial internal rotation angle at maximum knee flexion without multiple needle puncturing was significantly larger (9.42°) than that after 15 punctures (3°). Negative correlation (Pearson r.＝0.715, P < .001) between tibial internal rotation angle at maximum knee flexion and frequency of puncture was observed. The tibial internal rotation angle with a 14-mm insert was significantly larger (7.25°) compared with the angle after 15 punctures. Conclusion: Tibial internal rotation during knee flexion was reduced by extensive MCL release using multiple needle puncturing and was recovered by increasing of medial tightness. From the point of view of knee kinematics, medial tightness should be allowed to maintain the internal rotation angle of the tibia during knee flexion which might lead to patient satisfaction

3D reconstruction from images of many wave absorbing blocks

第10回IEEE広島支部学生シンポジウム(HISS), ポスター ; 開催場所:広島 ; 開催日:2008年11月21-23

Fast pose estimation of a wave absorbing block with GPGPU

第10回IEEE広島支部学生シンポジウム(HISS), ポスター ; 開催場所:広島 ; 開催日:2008年11月21-23

Differentiation of hypertrophic chondrocytes from human iPSCs for the in vitro modeling of chondrodysplasias

iPS細胞から肥大軟骨細胞への誘導法を確立し、成長板疾患の病態再現に成功. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-02-26.Reprogramming children's cells to study cartilage diseases. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-02-26.Chondrodysplasias are hereditary diseases caused by mutations in the components of growth cartilage. Although the unfolded protein response (UPR) has been identified as a key disease mechanism in mouse models, no suitable in vitro system has been reported to analyze the pathology in humans. Here, we developed a three-dimensional culture protocol to differentiate hypertrophic chondrocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and examine the phenotype caused by MATN3 and COL10A1 mutations. Intracellular MATN3 or COL10 retention resulted in increased ER stress markers and ER size in most mutants, but activation of the UPR was dependent on the mutation. Transcriptome analysis confirmed a UPR with wide-ranging changes in bone homeostasis, extracellular matrix composition, and lipid metabolism in the MATN3 T120M mutant, which further showed altered cellular morphology in iPSC-derived growth-plate-like structures in vivo. We then applied our in vitro model to drug testing, whereby trimethylamine N-oxide led to a reduction of ER stress and intracellular MATN3