Assessing the Sustainability of Ski Fields in Southern Japan under Global Warming

This is the first study in assessing the impact of climate change on Japanese ski fields with ensemble dynamical downscaling simulations. We target three ski fields in Ehime Prefecture, a southern border area for skiing in Japan. Our field survey revealed that a field located above 1200 m altitudes currently operates on natural snow supply, but those located at lower altitudes depend solely or partially on artificial snow supply. Fields are currently open for 82∼105 days. We analyzed ensemble high-resolution (5 km) dynamical downscaling simulations for future ski season durations with natural and artificial snow supplies. The future projection results for the end of the twenty-first century suggested that there would be virtually no natural snow accumulation in the study area for skiing. With artificial snow supply, a field located above 1200 m would be able to retain more than two months of ski season duration. Fields located at lower altitudes would only be able to open for 37∼43 days even with artificial snow supply. While the above projections suggest a severe outlook for the targeted ski fields, it is important to note that there is a strong demand from local skiers at beginner/intermediate levels for these ski fields. Thus, as long as these demands remain in the future, and if a business model to maximize profit during short opening periods is established, it may be possible to offset profit loss due to climate change

Genetic polymorphism of pleiotrophin is associated with pain experience in Japanese adults Case-control study

Genetic factors play a role in individual differences in pain experience. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify novel loci regulating pain processing. We conducted a 2-stage GWAS and the candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) association study on pain experience using an exploratory cohort of patients with cancer pain. The confirmatory cohort comprised of participants from the general population with and without habitual use of analgesic medication. In the exploratory cohort, we evaluated pain intensity using a numerical rating scale, recorded daily opioid dosages, and calculated pain reduction rate. In the confirmatory cohort, pain experience was defined as habitual nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug usage. Using linear regression models, we identified candidate SNP in the exploratory samples, and tested the association between phenotype and experienced pain in the confirmatory samples. We found 1 novel SNP (rs11764598)—located on the gene encoding for pleiotrophin on chromosome 7—that passed the genome-wide suggestive significance at 20% false discovery rate (FDR) correction in the exploratory samples of patients with cancer pain (P = 1.31 × 10-7, FDR = 0.101). We confirmed its significant association with daily analgesic usage in the confirmatory cohort (P = .028), although the minor allele affected pain experience in an opposite manner. We identified a novel genetic variant associated with pain experience. Further studies are required to validate the role of pleiotrophin in pain processing

Real-world comparative effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and baricitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib and baricitinib in patients with RA in a real-world setting.Methods: A total of 242 patients with RA who were treated with tofacitinib (n = 161) or baricitinib (n = 81) were enrolled. We evaluated efficacy and safety between tofacitinib and baricitinib using multivariable analyses to avoid confounding. Their clinical disease activity and AEs were evaluated for 24 weeks.Results: The mean (SD) DAS28-ESR change from baseline to 24 weeks was 1.57 (1.55) (tofacitinib) and 1.46 (1.36) (baricitinib). There was no significant difference in the clinical response between the two groups (adjusted mean difference, 0.04; 95% CI, −0.35 to 0.28). The efficacy was not significantly changed in the patients without concomitant MTX use in both groups, but the concomitant MTX use showed better clinical efficacy in the cases of baricitinib treatment. In both groups, the most common AE was herpes zoster infection, and the AE rates were similar between the two groups. However, the predictive factors contributing to clinical response as revealed by a multivariable logistic analysis differed. The concomitant oral steroid use was independently associated with the achievement of DAS-low disease activity in the tofacitinib group, whereas in the baricitinib group, the number of biological and/or targeted synthetic DMARDs previously used was associated.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that tofacitinib and baricitinib had comparable continuing efficacies and safety profiles. However, there is a possibility that the influence of clinical characteristics on the treatment response differs. The comparison provides useful information to the optimal use of JAK inhibitors in real-world settings

2016年度読書運動プロジェクト活動報告書

活動資料 p.(1)～p.(5)はじめに : 藤本 朝巳 p.1読書会 : 中村 好花、小根山 桃子 p.2-p.3コンテスト・コンクール : 森園 佳子 p.4-p.5展示 : 秋葉 祐子 p.6-p.9コラボランチ : 有馬 梨咲 p.10選書ツアー : 小根山 桃子 p.11文学散歩 : 中村 好花 p.12大学祭 : 秋葉 祐子、有馬 梨咲 p.13-p.15読み聞かせレッスン : 森園 佳子 p.16小学校朗読会 : 阿部 果鈴、山田 優香、穂積 優香 p.17-p.18朗読会 : 武田 真奈、鈴木 珠友、小野 紘子、匿名 p.19-p.22プロフィール p.23-p.29おわりに : 森園 佳子 p.30写真あり表あ

2017年度読書運動プロジェクト活動報告書

活動資料 p.(1)～p.(5)はじめに : 藤本 朝巳 p.1読書会 : 三雲 紫恩、有馬 梨咲 p.2-p.3コンテスト・コンクール : 森園 佳子 p.4-p.6展示 : 山下 萌 p.7-p.10コラボランチ : 小根山 桃子 p.11選書ツアー : 中村 好花 p.12文学散歩 : 伊豆 美保 p.13他大学図書館訪問 : 津田 優里香 p.14大学祭 : 本釜 菜津子、林 陽子 p.15-p.17読み聞かせレッスン : 森園 佳子 p.18小学校朗読会 : 小野 紘子、三雲 紫恩 p.19-p.20朗読会 : 阿部 美彩 , 鈴木 珠友、穂積 優香、森園 佳子 p.21-p.24プロフィール p.25-p.32おわりに : 森園 佳子 p.33写真あり表あ

2018年度読書運動プロジェクト活動報告書

活動資料 p.(1)～p.(5)はじめに : 藤本 朝巳 p.1読書会 : 小根山 桃子、立原 優菜、三雲 紫恩 p.2-p.4コンテスト・コンクール : 森園 佳子 p.5-p.7展示 : 山下 萌 p.8-p.11コラボランチ : 社本 衣舞紀 p.12文学散歩 : 中村 好花 p.13選書ツアー : 津田 優里香、鈴木 綾紗 p.14-p.15泉区読書推進イベント : 森園 佳子、伊豆 美保、小林 すずな p.16-p.18絵本講座・読み聞かせ講座 : 森園 佳子 p.19大学祭 : 花房 若奈、林 陽子 p.20-p.22朗読会 : 小野 紘子、関口 恵奈、穂積 優香、三雲 紫恩、児玉 玲奈、平山 真由子、宇野 菜々春、小林 すずな p.23-p.29プロフィール : p.30-39おわりに : 森園 佳子 p.40写真あり表あ

Assessing the Sustainability of Ski Fields in Southern Japan under Global Warming

This is the first study in assessing the impact of climate change on Japanese ski fields with ensemble dynamical downscaling simulations. We target three ski fields in Ehime Prefecture, a southern border area for skiing in Japan. Our field survey revealed that a field located above 1200 m altitudes currently operates on natural snow supply, but those located at lower altitudes depend solely or partially on artificial snow supply. Fields are currently open for 82∼105 days. We analyzed ensemble high-resolution (5 km) dynamical downscaling simulations for future ski season durations with natural and artificial snow supplies. The future projection results for the end of the twenty-first century suggested that there would be virtually no natural snow accumulation in the study area for skiing. With artificial snow supply, a field located above 1200 m would be able to retain more than two months of ski season duration. Fields located at lower altitudes would only be able to open for 37∼43 days even with artificial snow supply. While the above projections suggest a severe outlook for the targeted ski fields, it is important to note that there is a strong demand from local skiers at beginner/intermediate levels for these ski fields. Thus, as long as these demands remain in the future, and if a business model to maximize profit during short opening periods is established, it may be possible to offset profit loss due to climate change

Learning from experience with the resources of Hiroshima University and in Miyajima (Itsukushima) Island, Hiroshima Prefecture, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 2009.

世界遺産宮島には文化遺産だけでなく, 豊かな自然や日本の近代化にかかわった遺産が多数存在する。また, 広島大学には理学研究科附属宮島自然植物実験所をはじめとする多くの教育・研究資産が存在する。本研究では, 附属学校における教育効果を高めるため, これらのリソースを利用した野外教育実践を行った。本物に実際に触れさせることで, 理科離れを防ぐ効果も期待できる。テキストとして「宮島の植物と自然」を利用し, 宮島で開催された野外観察会へ希望者を募って参加させるとともに, 室浜砲台などの歴史遺産について現地を訪れて見学した。一方, 当初の計画にあった東広島キャンパスの理学研究科生物科学専攻での現代の生物学に関する講演や, 植物生態実験園での生態系に関する話, 東広島天文台での宇宙に関する話については新型インフルエンザのため今年度は中止となった。実施後の理解をみるため, 参加した生徒に感想文として報告させた。いずれも日頃直接体験のできない内容で児童・生徒にとって感動が大きく, 実物を体験させることで非常に大きな教育効果が得られた。今回の結果を発展させるため, 来年度以降も同様の企画を継続して実施する予定である