Agriculture and Law in Japanese Society: Rolnictwo i prawo w społeczeństwie japońskim

This study analyzes the changes in farmland system in Japan. The main policy of post-World War II Japan was regulation of the transfer lease or ownership of farmland, and the conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land considering the importance of farmlands. Paradoxically, this policy created some problems, such subdivision of farmland and ownerless lands. To address these problems, the Farmland Intermediary Management Institution was established in 2014 to accelerate farmland concentration and intensify the power of core farmers. In 2016, The Agricultural Land Act was reformed to make it easier for stock companies to own farmland. And, ICT has enabled us to visualize and verbalize tacit knowledge. This study explores the outcomes of these reforms and other unanswered issues

D.I.Y. Clean Hood

The DIY Clean Hood is a low-cost, sterile, and accessible scientific workspace intended for installation in the BioElectroFluidics Lab of California Polytechnic State University’s (San Luis Obispo) Biomedical Engineering Department (BMED), under the sponsorship of Dr. Benjamin Hawkins, PhD. As normal Clean Hood, Biosafety Cabinets, and the like are generally too expensive for a university, a competitive solution to an expensive problem can assist research students and professors alike continue their own work with an inexpensive yet effective environment. Specific design elements that the customer requirements entailed for the project include a low-particle-count air filtration system, positive pressure air flow inside the vessel, and compatibility with common cleaning agents. These critical details for the DIY Clean Hood are to ensure that the cell cultures being cultivated and studied are free from any foreign contaminants or agents that could compromise the product. Unlike the original, mislabeled identification of the project as a “DIY Biosafety Cabinet”, it is not the responsibility of the Clean Hood to protect either the environment or the user of the DIY Clean Hood. Despite the non-hazardous conditions of the cells being manipulated, proper design components and features ensure sterility and effectiveness. Other notable design elements of the DIY Clean Hood include a 15 degree angled, swinging sash opening, an air filtration system utilizing a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, an installed UV light for an additional sterilization option, and a wide opening for comfortable mobility while using the Clean Hood. The project was a recipient of the Biomedical Engineering Department’s Hannah-Forbes Grant, which allows the DIY Clean Hood project an additional $500 towards any necessary purchases and bringing the total budget to$700. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project required its focus to shift from a manufacturing and qualification testing standpoint to a more design and technically-centered frame, as several factors prevented the project from proceeding originally as planned. These included, but were not limited to, the closure of manufacturing and assembly facilities on the Cal Poly campus, anticipated delays in material acquisition due to non-essential items, social distancing of team members, and limited alternative build options. This decision was agreed upon in correspondence with project sponsor Dr. Hawkins, Engineering Design overseer Dr. Michael Whitt, and the members of the DIY Clean Hood Team. As a result, the DIY Clean Hood prepared a final, detailed design for the product to ensure all customer requirements were met in approaches the team thought would provide the best performance and usability; the BioElectroFluidics lab will find a team of their own in late 2020 to build the device using the enclosed detailed designs, and qualify the product with the DIY Clean Hood’s testing protocols

Lateral Deformation due to Drying and Shearing in Triaxial Compression Test of Unsaturated Soil

The application of suction on a saturated soil specimen consolidated in an oedometer may cause the lateral shrinkage and therefore the condition of the one dimensional compression will not be implemented. This study tries to simulate such situation using triaxial testing apparatus and to quantify the lateral deformation due to drying and shearing. Main conclusions are as follows: (1) lateral shrinkage occurs when suction is applied under the anisotropic stress condition, and (2) with increasing the shear stress, the lateral compressive strain, which occurred due to the drying, will reduce and, at some raised level of the shear stress, it will turn to be expansive

Kinetics of Deposition of Cu Thin Films in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Solutions from a F-Free Copper(II) ␤-Diketone Complex

Kinetics of deposition of Cu thin films in supercritical carbon dioxide solutions from copper bis͑di-isobutyrylmethanate͒ ͕Cu͓͑CH 3 ͒ 2 CH͑CO͒CH͑CO͒CH͑CH 3 ͒ 2 ͔ 2 ͖, Cu͑dibm͒ 2 ͒, a F-free copper͑II͒ complex, via hydrogen reduction were studied. A flow-type reaction system was employed to control each deposition parameter independently and at a constant value. Apparent activation energies for Cu growth were determined for a temperature range of 200-260°C as a function of hydrogen concentration. The determined values varied from 0.35 to 0.63 eV and decreased as hydrogen concentration increased. At a deposition temperature of 200°C, growth rate followed a Langmuir-type dependence against Cu͑dibm͒ 2 and hydrogen concentrations, showing first-order dependence at lower concentrations and zero-order dependence at higher concentrations. At a higher deposition temperature of 240°C, no saturation in the growth rate was observed. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood-type growth mechanism was discussed, and a rate equation for growth was proposed, taking into account the temperature dependence of both the rate constant of the rate-determining reaction and adsorption equilibrium constants. The hydrogen concentration dependence of the apparent activation energy for Cu growth was discussed with this rate equation

Iodoarene-Catalyzed Cyclizations of Unsaturated Amides

The cyclization of N-alkenylamides catalyzed by iodoarenes under oxidative conditions is presented. Five-, six-, and seven-membered rings with a range of substitutions can be prepared by this route. Preliminary data from the use of chiral iodoarenes as precatalysts show that enantiocontrol is feasible

Kinetic analysis of gan-movpe via thickness profiles in the gas flow direction with systematically varied growth conditions

We carried out a kinetic analysis of metallorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of GaN to investigate the dependence of the growth rate on the process conditions as a function of residence time of the precursors in the reactor. The wafer was not rotated during growth, allowing us to analyze the thickness profile of the film in the direction of gas flow, and hence the dependence of the growth rate on the residence time. The growth rate is determined mainly by the concentration of the growth species and mass transfer of the growth species to the wafer surface. The growth rate peaked in the flow direction, and the position of this peak could, in most cases, be explained by considering a combination of the linear gas velocity and the time constant for vertical diffusion of trimethylgallium (TMGa) and/or growth species across the NH3 feed stream to the wafer surface. In some cases this was not possible, indicating that more complex effects were significant. This work is expected to contribute to understanDing of the reaction pathways for GaN-MOVPE, and the growth rate data reported here are expected to provide useful benchmarks for growth simulations that combine computational fluid dynamics and reaction models

Quasi-Drugs Developed in Japan for the Prevention or Treatment of Hyperpigmentary Disorders

Excess production of melanin or its abnormal distribution, or both, can cause irregular hyperpigmentation of the skin, leading to melasma and age spots. To date, various quasi-drugs that prevent or improve hyperpigmentary disorders have been developed and officially approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. Many of these inhibit the activity of tyrosinase, an enzyme required for melanin synthesis, for example, by competitive or non-competitive inhibition of its catalytic activity, by inhibiting its maturation, or by accelerating its degradation. In this review, we categorize the quasi-drugs developed in Japan to prevent or treat hyperpigmentary disorders, or both, and discuss perspectives for future development