Potential of mosques to serve as evacuation shelters for foreign Muslims during disasters: a case study in Gunma, Japan

Foreigners tend to be vulnerable to disasters due to religious and cultural differences. In Japan, Muslim foreign residents, who are minorities, likely face difficulties in terms of food and religious practices in evacuation shelters. In this study, we propose the use of mosques as voluntary shelters for Muslim foreigners in Japan and evaluate their potential to function as shelters. Mosques are expected to have a large space, including a prayer space, and to store food familiar to daily users. We conducted field surveys targeting two mosques in Isesaki, Gunma, Japan, to investigate their equipment and building environment in relation to how they could function as shelters; the number of evacuees they could accommodate; the amount of food they could supply to evacuees; and the willingness of the administrators to use the mosques as shelters. Both mosques were found to be equipped with toilets and shower rooms and had enough space for approximately 60–80 evacuees. They also had sufficient kitchen space and tableware to prepare meals for about 100 people. Although they did not always stock a large amount of food, they could quickly receive food from nearby stores. Moreover, the administrators were willing to use the mosques as shelters. Therefore, it was suggested that the mosques could serve as shelters accommodating and feeding many evacuees. Finally, measures to improve the function of mosques as shelters are discussed. This study lays the groundwork for the future use of mosques as shelters

To See Invisible Rights: Quantifying Araman informal tenure and its immediate relationship with Social Forestry in Central Java, Indonesia

The process of formalizing traditional, unwritten tenure systems is no simple task. Inaccurate or incomplete representation of the informal system may create more problems for the local communities. As such, a full understanding of the local informal tenure systems is necessary before implementing any type of land reform. This paper discusses a case study conducted in the Tawanmangu area of Central Java, Indonesia, in which the informal system known as Araman is quantified on paper with the help of the Tenure Map tool, survey, and interview. The challenges of quantifying and understanding an informal system are discussed with the following viewpoints: key aspects of the Araman structure, the relationship between the informal Araman system and the formal Social Forestry system also present in the area, and finally comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the Tenure Map tool after using it in the field

Farming strategy of African smallholder farmers in transition from traditional to alternative agriculture : the case of the Nupe in central Nigeria

It is worthwhile to understand farming strategies of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those of farmers who are in transition from traditional to alternative agriculture in terms of adoption of innovative technologies. In a case study of inland valleys in central Nigeria, we investigated the farming strategy of Nupe farmers who have a long-term tradition of wet rice cultivation and indigenous methods of land preparation for soil, water and weed management. In this region, a new method of land preparation has recently been introduced along with a recommendation to use improved seeds and chemical fertilizers. Our findings reveal that Nupe farmers directly sow traditional seeds and apply a marginal amount of fertilizer to paddy plots prepared by labor-saving methods on drought-prone hydromorphic valley fringes and flood-susceptible valley bottoms, whereas they preferentially transplanted improved seedlings and applied a relatively large quantity of fertilizer to paddy fields prepared by a labor-intensive and mechanized method on a valley position where they can access to optimum water condition (less risky against the drought and flood)

The Effect of Rainfall Intensity on Soil Erosion and Runoff for Latosol Soil in Indonesia

Soil erosion is the most serious problem of land degradation in Indonesia. However, limited report has been documented. The erosion problem in Indonesia, particularly in Java, has been at an alarming rate. The fundamental 1 case of soil erosion is the rain effect upon the soil. Rainfall intensity and soil characteristics are related to soil erosion  and runoff The objective of this research was to study the relationship of rainfall intensity, soil erosion and runoff in latosol soil. An experiment was conducted using plot size 22 m in length and 2 m in width and 9 % slope. A field experiment was conducted with rainfall intensity observation for 3 months, to collect soil erosion and runoff in the soil collector. A laboratory experiment was done using rainfall simulator instruments with rainfall intensity of 2.3, 3.4, 4.5, 5.6 cm/hr and 8 % slope each with 3 replications. The result of the experiments showed that soil erosion was 3. J 4 t/ha and runoff was 33.20 m3/ha. When the rainfall size increased the soil erosion and runoff also increased. The correlation coefficient between £130 (Interaction 130 and energy) and soil erosion was positive. Key Words: Rainfall intensity, Soil erosion, Latosol soi

Effects of Organic Matter on Soil Erosion and Runoff Peanuts and Green Pea in Cultivation

Organic matter from manure are used not only for fertilizer but also can be used for preventing soil erosion and runoff. How to manage manure to soil for peanut and green pea CUltivation is especially important, because most farmers plant these crops. The objective of this research is to identify effect of: 1) organicmatter from chicken manure, cow manure and sheep manure on soil erosion and runoff in peanuts and green pea cultivations, 2) mulch from paddy, corn and leaf of banana on soil erosion and runoff. The design is divided into three experiments. First, field experiment for land preparation with treatment plowing with harrowing. Second, field experiment for peanuts and green pea crops with treatment chicken, cow and sheep manure. Third, laboratory experiment for mulching uses treatment with cover percentage of mulch from paddy, corn and leaf of banana. Land preparation using chicken manure decreased soil bulk density and increased soil porosity and aggregate stability index. Lower soil erosion and runoff is attained when treated with chicken manure. Productivity of peanuts and green pea are increased with the increase of manure. Using mulch of paddy, soil erosion and runoff are lower compared with using mulch of corn and leaf of banana

Water balance in healthy and handicapped adults

The body’s water balance is changed by food and beverage intake, metabolism, and excretion. In this study, we performed a cross-sectional study that investigated the changes of water intake and water output in healthy Japanese young and elderly people and handicapped adults. Water balance was assessed by water intake from foods and beverages, metabolic water production, non-renal water losses (NRWL), and urine volume. Most of the parameters did not change with aging in healthy adults. Estimated total water intake (ml / kg / day) increased with aging. In the healthy men, healthy women, and handicapped adults, daily water intake (median [interquartile range]) accounted for 49.4 (41.4-59.9) ml / kg, 42.9 (38.7-51.8) ml / kg, and 50.9 (43.8-74.0) ml / kg, respectively. Water loss from the kidney accounted for 19.2 (16.2-29.2) ml / kg, 22.0 (16.2-26.6) ml / kg, and 27.5 (22.7- 47.2) ml / kg, respectively. NRWL accounted for 26.6 (18.5-35.2) ml / kg, 22.4 (16.2-28.8) ml / kg, and 23.5 (19.8-28.5) ml / kg, respectively. Our findings suggest that a daily total water intake of more than 50-55 ml / kg is required to prevent dehydration in healthy and handicapped adults

Demographics, practice patterns and long-term outcomes of patients with non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome in the past two decades: the CREDO-Kyoto Cohort-2 and Cohort-3

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate patient characteristics and long-term outcomes in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) in the past two decades. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective study. SETTING: The Coronary REvascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto (CREDO-Kyoto) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)/coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) Registry Cohort-2 (2005-2007) and Cohort-3 (2011-2013). PARTICIPANTS: 3254 patients with NSTEACS who underwent first coronary revascularisation. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was all-cause death. The secondary outcomes were cardiovascular death, cardiac death, sudden cardiac death, non-cardiovascular death, non-cardiac death, myocardial infarction, definite stent thrombosis, stroke, hospitalisation for heart failure, major bleeding, any coronary revascularisation and target vessel revascularisation. RESULTS: Patients in Cohort-3 were older and more often had heart failure at admission than those in Cohort-2. The prevalence of PCI, emergency procedure and guideline-directed medical therapy was higher in Cohort-3 than in Cohort-2. In patients who received PCI, the prevalence of transradial approach, drug-eluting stent use and intravascular ultrasound use was higher in Cohort-3 than in Cohort-2. There was no change in 3-year adjusted mortality risk from Cohort-2 to Cohort-3 (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.22, p=0.97). Patients in Cohort-3 compared with those in Cohort-2 were associated with lower adjusted risks for stroke (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.92, p=0.02) and any coronary revascularisation (HR 0.76, 95%CI 0.66 to 0.87, p<0.001), but with higher risk for major bleeding (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.47, p=0.008). The unadjusted risk for definite stent thrombosis was lower in Cohort-3 than in Cohort 2 (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.67, p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: In the past two decades, we did not find improvement for mortality in patients with NSTEACS. We observed a reduction in the risks for definite stent thrombosis, stroke and any coronary revascularisation, but an increase in the risk for major bleeding