Districts In Japan Research Articles

Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Ozone on Foliar Proanthocyanidins in Betula platyphylla, Betula ermanii, and Fagus crenata Seedlings

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) or condensed tannins are a major group of phenolic compounds in the leaves of birch trees and many other woody and herbaceous plants. These compounds constitute a significant allocation of carbon in leaves and are involved in plant responses to environmental stress factors, such as pathogens or herbivores. In some plants, PA concentrations are affected by atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and ozone (O(3)) levels that may influence, for example, species fitness, community structure, or ecosystem nutrient cycling. Therefore, a study on the quantitative response of PAs to elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and ozone (O(3)) was undertaken in seedlings of Betula platyphylla, Betula ermanii, and Fagus crenata. Seedlings were exposed to ambient or elevated O(3) and CO(2) levels during two growing seasons in the Kanto district in Japan. Ten open-top chambers were used for five different treatments with two replicates: filtered air (FA), ambient air (ambient O(3), 43 ppb; ambient CO(2), 377 ppm), elevated O(3) (1.5 x ambient O(3), 66 ppb), elevated CO(2) (1.5 x ambient CO(2), 544 ppm), and elevated O(3) and CO(2) combined. In addition, seedlings growing in natural conditions outside of chambers were studied. Leaf samples were analyzed for total PA concentrations by butanol-HCl assay and for polymeric PA concentrations by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Total PA concentrations in leaves of all species were similarly affected by different treatments. They were significantly higher in seedlings treated with elevated CO(2) and O(3) combined, and in seedlings growing outside chambers compared with the FA controls. F. crenata contained only traces of polymeric PAs, but significant species x treatment interaction was observed in the polymeric PA concentrations in B. ermanii and B. platyphylla. In B. platyphylla, leaves treated with elevated CO(2) + O(3) differed significantly from all other treatments. It was suggested that the strongest effect of elevated CO(2) and O(3) combined on leaf PA contents resulted from the additive effect of these environmental factors on phenolic biosynthesis.

Clustered incidence of acute promyelocytic leukemia during gefitinib treatment for non‐small‐cell lung cancer: Experience at a single institution

Although gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been shown a significant activity for recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), its long-term adverse effect with its continuous usage has hitherto not been clearly elucidated. Subjects were 108 consecutive NSCLC cases who were treated with gefitinib between November 2001 and December 2004 at our single institution. A crude incidence rate ratio was calculated by ratio of crude incidence rate in our subject to population-based incident rate of all leukemia (ICD: C91-95) in the same region. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated based upon a Poisson distribution. Three cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) occurred during gefitinib treatment, and these patients' past treatment histories are presented herein. No other malignancy was identified. All of the cases were diagnosed at the stage of mild-to-moderate cytopenia, especially thrombocytopenia, without disseminated intravascular coagulation. All presented a normal karyotype with positive PML-RARalpha in RT-PCR, indicating submicroscopic translocation. They responded well to APL treatments, including all-trans-retinoic acid. The crude incident rate ratio was 639.9 (95% confidence interval: 131.6-1,878.9, P < 0.0001) when the APL incidence in this cohort was compared to all leukemia cases in the general population in the same district in Japan. Thus we had three cases of secondary APL patients within the gefitinib-treated NSCLC cohort. Although we cannot exclude an effect of past exposure of other cytotoxic agents and radiotherapy as a cause of APL, APL inducibility of gefitinib should be clarified in the further study.

Clinical outcomes of uterine sarcomas: results from 14 years worth of experience in the Kinki district in Japan (1990-2003)

To review clinical outcomes and therapeutic varieties, we were invited to submit data from the patients who were treated for uterine sarcomas in Japan from 1990 to 2003. Uterine sarcomas were defined as leiomyosarcoma (LMS), endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), and carcinosarcoma (CS). Of a total of 97 patients, 36 (37.1%) were diagnosed with LMS of the uterine corpus, 15 (15.5%) with ESS, 46 (47.4%) with CS. Median age at diagnosis was 59 (21-85) years. Clinical stages based on FIGO were 41 (42.3%) with stage I disease, 6 (6.2%) with staged II, 34 (35.1%) with stage III, and 16 (16.5%) with stage IV. The median follow-up period for all patients was 13 (1-108) months and median disease-free period was 9 (0-96) months. The 1-year survival rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate were calculated in patients with all sarcomas (overall survival [OAS], 61.3%; DFS, 46.6%). Statistical analysis showed that younger age (less than 50 years), early stage (stages I and II), and surgical procedure (extended hysterectomy [EH] and radical hysterectomy [RH]) were associated with significantly better OAS. Histologic types did not affect the survival period. In conclusion, aggressive surgery including EH or RH at the time of initial operation offers the possibility of prolonged survival.

Congener‐specific toxicokinetics of polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls in black‐eared kites (Milvus migrans): Cytochrome P4501A—dependent hepatic sequestration

Concentrations of dioxins and related compounds (DRCs), such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs), were determined in black-eared kites (BEKs; Milvus migrans) collected from the Kanto district in Japan. Total 2,3,7,8-tetra-CDD toxic equivalents (TEQs) were in the range of 99 to 3,800 pg/g lipid weight in the liver and 42 to 760 pg/g lipid weight in the pectoral muscle. Three congeners, including PCB 126, 2,3,4,7,8-penta-CDF, and 1,2,3,7,8-penta-CDD, made a greater contribution to total TEQs in both tissues. Levels of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity and a cross-reactive protein with anti-rat cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) polyclonal antibodies showed no significant correlation with hepatic TEQs. This may be attributed to low sensitivity and insufficient TEQ levels to cause CYP1A induction, high metabolic potential of a series of congeners, and influence of CYP1A inducers other than DRCs. Most of the PCDD/ Fs and non-ortho Co-PCBs exhibited a total TEQ- and CYP1A-dependent increase in the liver to muscle concentration ratios, implying their concentration-dependent hepatic sequestration in which CYP1A was involved. Comparison of the toxicokinetics in avian species revealed that BEKs possibly have higher potentials than common cormorants for metabolizing and sequestering certain congeners in the liver in terms of hepatic concentration profiles and liver:muscle concentration ratios, respectively. These results clearly indicate that the toxicokinetics of DRCs is congener-, tissue-, and species-specific as well as concentration-dependent. Therefore, CYP1A expression is one of the critical factors that determine the toxicokinetics in wild avian species.

Studies on the constituents of the leaves of Conandron ramondioides

Conandron ramondioides Sieb. et Zucc. is a perennial herb of the family Gesneriaceae, which is distributed from southeastern China to the Tohoku district in Japan. In Japan, the plant is called iwatabako, and its whole herbs are used as a folk remedy for the treatment of stomachache [1]. In a previous paper [2], we reported the structural identification of 14 phenolic compounds including three with unique structures, named didymocalyxins A, B and C, isolated from the leaves of Didymocarpus leucocalyx (Gesneriaceae). In the course of our studies on the constituents of Gesneriaceae species, we have investigated the leaves of C. ramondioides, for which information on the chemical constituents has not been published. The present paper deals with the isolation and identification of eight compounds from this plant purchased in a Japanese market. MeOH extract (87 g) of the dried leaves (1.1 kg) was suspended in water and successively extracted with ether and ethyl acetate. The ether-soluble portion (18 g) was chromatographed on silica gel (benzeneCHCl3) and ODS (H2O-MeOH), and then purified by HPLC (fluofix, CHCN3-n-propanol-H2O) to give four triterpenoids (1–4) and a phytosterol (7). The ethyl acetate-soluble portion (4 g) was chromatographed on silica gel (n-hexane-acetone followed by CHCl3-MeOHH2O) to give two triterpenoids (5 and 6) and a phytosterol (8). Compounds 1–8 were identified as 3-epipomolic acid (1, 25.6 mg) [4], 3-epiursolic acid (2, 34.6 mg) [5], ursolic acid (3, 152.3 mg) [5], 3-epioleanolic acid (4, 3.0 mg) [5], barbinervic acid (5, 19.8 mg) [3], scutellaric acid

Prevalence of Giardia intestinalis Infection in Household Cats of Tohoku District in Japan

Fecal samples obtained from 600 household cats (244 males and 356 females) kept in 3 prefectures of Tohoku district in Japan were examined for Giardia intestinalis antigen, using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. G. intestinalis antigen was detected in 40% of the fecal specimens. The factors such as the age, life style or environmental condition of cats could be significantly related to the positive rate of G. intestinalis antigen. In contrast, the investigative district, appearance of feces, sex, breed or origin produced no significant difference in the positive rate. The present results suggest that G. intestinalis infection is widely spread in household cats of Tohoku district.

Clinical outcomes of uterine sarcomas: results from 14 years worth of experience in the Kinki district in Japan (1990–2003)

To review clinical outcomes and therapeutic varieties, we were invited to submit data from the patients who were treated for uterine sarcomas in Japan from 1990 to 2003. Uterine sarcomas were defined as leiomyosarcoma (LMS), endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), and carcinosarcoma (CS). Of a total of 97 patients, 36 (37.1%) were diagnosed with LMS of the uterine corpus, 15 (15.5%) with ESS, 46 (47.4%) with CS. Median age at diagnosis was 59 (21–85) years. Clinical stages based on FIGO were 41 (42.3%) with stage I disease, 6 (6.2%) with staged II, 34 (35.1%) with stage III, and 16 (16.5%) with stage IV. The median follow-up period for all patients was 13 (1–108) months and median disease-free period was 9 (0–96) months. The 1-year survival rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate were calculated in patients with all sarcomas (overall survival [OAS], 61.3%; DFS, 46.6%). Statistical analysis showed that younger age (less than 50 years), early stage (stages I and II), and surgical procedure (extended hysterectomy [EH] and radical hysterectomy [RH]) were associated with significantly better OAS. Histologic types did not affect the survival period. In conclusion, aggressive surgery including EH or RH at the time of initial operation offers the possibility of prolonged survival.

寒冷地集合住宅へマイクロガスタービンコジェネレーションを導入した際のＣＯ２削減可能性の評価

Introducing a co-generation system is an effective choice for reducing energy derived CO2 emissions and operating costs for the residential and commercial sectors. In this paper, the possibilities of CO2 emission and operating cost reductions were investigated for the case of a micro gas turbine co-generation system being introduced into a 33 household apartment building located in Sapporo, one of the coldest districts in Japan, which demands a lot of energy in winter for hot-water supply and heating.The results were compared with that of the existing system which is composed of an electricity grid and hot water boilers. The CO2 emissions and operating costs of the co-generation system varied according to the ratio of electricity supply from the grid and MGT, MGT generation efficiencies and the season of the year. Using an MGT with an electricity generation efficiency of 35%, a reduction of 10% (23.4 tonne-CO2/y) of CO2 emissions and 9.4% (433ky) of operating costs could be attained compared with the existing system. In the case of a generation efficiency of 30%, a reduction of 3.4 tonne-CO2/y is expected at the same level of operating cost as the existing system. But in the case of a generation efficiency of 25%, there was no signifi-cant reduction in CO2 emission.

全国の住宅80戸を対象としたエネルギー消費量の長期詳細調査 : 対象住宅の属性と用途別エネルギー消費量

In order to obtain the fundamental information for discussing residential energy saving strategies, long-term investigation of detail energy consumption and indoor climate Have been done in 2002 to 2003 for 80 dwellings, including detached houses and apartments, in six districts of Japan. The occupant's behavior and building thermal performance were also investigated. Energy consumption for each appliance was measured as much as possible. This paper reports the description of all houses measured and the end use structure of annual energy consumption. The main results are following; 1) In Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku districts, the annual energy consumption for many houses was more than 60GJ but such houses were very few in other districts. 2) The houses measured in Hokkaido and Hokuriku districts consumed almost the same amount of energy for space heating, cooling and mechanical ventilation as that for hot water supply. But in other districts, the share of energy consumption for hot water supply is the largest. 3) The annual energy consumption increased with the decrease in annual mean outdoor temperature. But the contribution rate is not large as 0.4.

Volatile composition and vapour activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes of 36 aromatic herbs cultivated in Chichibu district in Japan

Thirty-six aromatic herbs were cultivated in Chichibu district of Japan, and their volatile constituents were elucidated by GC/MS analysis using ethyl acetate extract of the herbs to determine the chemotype. The volatile compositions of 30 herbs were similar to those of commercial essential oils and literature except for Eupatorium japonicum, marjoram, Japanese mint, oregano and yarrow. The volatile composition of Eupatorium laciniatum was first elucidated in this study. The vapour activity of the ethyl acetate extracts was determined by box vapour assay against Trichophyton mentagrophytes to search for the anti-infectious herbs to treat tinea pedis by vapour therapy. For comparison, the contact activity was determined by agar diffusion assay. The results showed that most of herbs exhibited potent vapour activity against the test organism, of which Roman chamomile, curry plant, hyssop, lavandin, marjoram sweet, orange mint, spearmint, monarda, oregano, rosemary, rue sage, tansy, tarragon, thyme common and yarrow showed the most potent activity. Most of the activity was correlated with the contact activity and also with main active ingredients of the herbs, but no correlation was found for curry plant, oregano, rosemary, rue, sage and yarrow.

オオメカメムシＰｉｏｃｏｒｉｓ ｖａｒｉｕｓ（Ｈｅｔｅｒｏｐｔｅｒａ：Ｌｙｇａｅｉｄａｅ）の茨城県および千葉県における生活史

The life history of the big-eyed bug, Piocoris varius, was investigated in two locations in Ibaraki and Chiba, Japan in 2004 by observing seasonal changes in the stage composition of field populations. The nymphal instar of field-collected samples was identified by comparing their head capsule widths with those of laboratory-reared individuals. P. varius nymphs and adults were found on 19 plant species (12 families) of 24 species (14 families) on which the population census was made. Overwintering adults became active on plants in May and disappeared in July. First-generation young nymphs appeared in late May and June. They developed into old nymphs in late June and then emerged as adults in late July and August. After August, adults predominated until December, although a small proportion of second-generation nymphs occurred in August and September. Only adults were found under the litter in December. These observations indicate that P. varius is basically a univoltine species with a partial bivoltine lifecycle in the Kanto district in Japan.

Results of primary central nervous system lymphoma treated by radiation and chemotherapy: Retrospective analysis of twelve institutions in the Tokai district of Japan, 1995–1999

We analyzed the therapeutic results and prognostic factors of 46 primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients who were treated at twelve institutions in the Tokai district of Japan between 1995 and 1999. We compared the results with those of a Japanese nationwide survey performed in the past. We sent each institution a questionnaire about the state of patients' disease, pathological type, method and doses of radiotherapy, regimen and intensity of chemotherapy, and patients' prognoses. The range of patients' ages was 33 to 93 years (median, 61 years). Thirty-one were men and 15 were women. The most prevalent histology was diffuse large B cell type (33 patients). We used the Kaplan-Meier method to calculate the survival rate and Cox's proportional hazards model to analyze the prognostic factors. The five-year cumulative survival rate was 25%, and the median survival time was 22.7 months. The five-year disease-free survival rate was 23%. In monovariate analysis, patients who were both younger than 60 years old and had a WHO performance status (PS) score equal to or less than 2 showed a better survival rate. Furthermore, the patients receiving systemic chemotherapy showed a significantly better local control rate. In addition, patients who received systemic chemotherapy achieved a higher complete remission rate than those not receiving it. However, no factors that significantly influenced survival rate were identified in multivariate analysis. We demonstrated that the therapeutic outcome of PCNSL patients has recently improved. In particular, patients with good PS showed better local control than those with poor PS. However, we could not identify any significant prognostic factors in PCNSL patients.

DEVELOPMENTAL FEATURES OF PRESENT-DAY CHILDREN IN JAPAN

Objectives: We tried to investigate the changes in developmental features of children between present-day and 20 years ago in Kansai district of Japan. Methods: We used the materials, which we collected for standardization of testing procedure (Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development) in 1983 and 2001. The data were individual assessments for 811 children in 1983 and 1115 children in 2001, aged 1–6 years old. The test consists of the postural-motor areas of 8 items, cognitive-adaptive areas of 54 items and language-social areas of 37 items. To analyze the change, we compared the '50%-passing ages' of each item between the data of 1983 and 2001. The '50%-passing ages' are conducted through data and mean the provable age (months) which 50% of children would satisfy requirements. Results: Comparing the 50%-passing ages of each item, the 2001 result came with more items than the 1983 result, in which the passing ages have delayed. It means that development of children has become slow. Most of delayed items belong to the cognitive-adaptive areas and the language-social areas. In many items of drawing pictures, the 50%-passing ages delayed especially; 'Copying square', 'Copying triangle' and 'Copying diamond' delayed about 6 months, 8 months and 11 months respectively. A few item showed acceleration, 'Naming 4 colors' advanced about 9 months. Conclusions: Before this investigation we thought that the developmental tendency of present-day children has been accelerating, because of the progress of early-age education. But these results indicate that the developmental tendency has delayed recently. Further more study is needed from now on.

Venous Thromboembolism in Earthquake Victims

Sudden death from pulmonary thromboembolism following an earthquake has not been reported to date. This is a published case report of a 48-year-old woman who died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism on October 28, 2004. She lived in the Chuetu District in Japan, where a big epicentral earthquake occurred on October 23. She evacuated her house with her family and spent 4 of 5 nights in a private car. Until November 1, 8 persons who had been living out of their cars after evacuation from their houses in the District were treated for pulmonary thromboembolism. The immobility that comes with living in a car should be recognized as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism. In addition, potential preventive measures should be recommended, including provisions for emergency shelters, access to other temporary housing, public education, and the use of compression stockings.

Need for enforcement of ethicolegal education - an analysis of the survey of postgraduate clinical trainees.

BackgroundThe number of medical lawsuits in Japan was between 14 and 21 each year before 1998, but increased to 24 to 35 per year after 1999. There were 210 lawsuits during this 10-year period. There is a need for skills and knowledge related to ethics, which is as fundamental to the practice of medicine as basic sciences or clinical skills. in Japan education in ethics is relatively rare and its importance is not yet recognized. Establishing ethics education using legal precedents, which has already been achieved in Western countries, will be a very important issue in Japan. In the present study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among graduate intern doctors, in order to investigate whether ethics education using precedents might have a positive effect in Japan.MethodsIn 2002, a questionnaire survey entitled Physicians' Clinical Ethics was carried out in a compulsory orientation lecture given to trainees before they started clinical practice in our hospital. The attendees at this lecture were trainees who came from colleges in various districts of Japan. During the lecture, 102 questionnaires were distributed, completed by attendees and collected. The recovery rate was 100%. The questionnaire consisted of 22 questions (in three categories), of which 20 were answered by multiple choices, and the other two were answered by description. The time required to complete the questionnaire was about 10 minutes.ResultsThe recovered questionnaires were analyzed using statistical analysis software (SPSS for Windows, Release 10.07J-1/June/2000), in addition to simple statistical analysis. answers using multiple choices for the 20 questions in the questionnaire were input into SPSS. The principal component analysis was performed for each question. As a result, the item that came to the fore was "legal precedent". Since many intern doctors were interested in understanding laws and precedents, learning about ethical considerations through education using precedents might better meet with their needs and interests.ConclusionWe applied a new method in which the results of principal component analysis and frequencies of answers to other questions were combined. From this we deduced that the precedent education used in Western countries was useful to help doctors acquire ethical sensitivity and was not against their will. A relationship was found between reading precedents and the influence of lawsuits, and it was thought that student participation-type precedent education would be useful for doctors in order to acquire ethical sensitivity.

Distinct geographic distributions of hepatitis B virus genotypes in patients with acute infection in Japan

Genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) were determined in 145 patients with acute hepatitis B from various districts in Japan to establish their geographic distribution and evaluating the influence on the clinical illness and outcome. Genotypes were A in 27 (19%) patients, B in 8 (5%), C in 109 (75%) and mixed with B and C in the remaining one (1%). Genotype A was more frequent in metropolitan than the other areas (21/69 (30%) vs. 6/76 (8%), P < 0.001). On phylogenetic analysis, seven of the nine (78%) HBV/A isolates selected at random clustered with those from Europe and the United States, while the remaining two with those of subgroup A' prevalent in Asia and Africa. Maximum ALT levels were lower (2069 +/- 1075 vs. 2889 +/- 1867 IU/L, P = 0.03) and baseline HBV DNA titers were higher (5.90 +/- 1.45 vs. 5.13 +/- 1.36 log genome equivalents (LGE)/ml, P = 0.002) in patients infected with genotype A than C. Hepatitis B surface antigen persisted longer in patients infected with genotype A than C (1.95 +/- 1.09 vs. 1.28 +/- 1.42 months, P = 0.02). HBV infection became chronic in one (4%) patient with genotype A and one (1%) with genotype C infection. Fulminant hepatic failure developed in none of the patients with genotype A, one (13%) with genotype B and five (5%) with genotype C. The point mutation in the precore region (A1896) or the double mutations in the basic core promoter (BCP) region (T1762/A1764) were detected in none of the patients with genotype A, two (25%) with genotype B and 27 (26%) with genotype C. In conclusion, genotype A is frequent in patients with acute hepatitis B in metropolitan areas of Japan, probably reflecting particular transmission routes, and associated with longer and milder clinical course than genotype C.

EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF GREEN TEA CULTIVATED IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS IN JAPAN ON BODY WEIGHT, BLOOD LIPID AND GLUCOSE LEVELS ON db/db MICE

Previous research using short-term animal experiments has indicated that oral administration of green tea can suppress elevation of blood sugar. However, few data are available on the antihyperglycemia effect of green tea in long-term experiments. In this study, effects of long-term (up to 16 weeks) administration of green tea preparations on body weight, blood sugar and lipid content of db/db and db/+m mice were examined. Preparations were prepared by the same procedure from tea leaves cultivated in different districts in Japan. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the blood parameters and body weight between control and green tea groups of db/db mice. In the case of normal mice, however, no significant difference was observed. In addition, the response to the administration of green tea depended on the source and composition of tea leaves.

Demography of red clover seeds in mixed-sown meadows

To clarify the reproduction probability of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) in meadows for herbage cutting, the demography of this legume was studied in a meadow in the central mountainous district of Japan. The present study shows the demography of deposited red clover seeds in a meadow, where timothy (Phleum pratense L.) predominated and herbage had been harvested for making hay or silage in early June and late August of a year. The densities of deposited seeds, buried seeds and seedlings were monitored to determine their survival. Deposited seeds were collected using seed traps, buried seeds were monitored seasonally by sampling them from topsoil and seedlings were counted in ten permanent 1×1 m quadrats. Many permeable and hard seeds of red clover were deposited on the soil surface of the meadow during the mechanical operation of the second haymaking in mid- to late August. Of the population of deposited permeable seeds, 0·16 germinated and 0·84 were lost in the present autumn. Conversely, of the population of deposited hard seeds, 0·11 germinated in the succeeding spring, 0·83 were lost and 0·06 remained as hard seeds until the succeeding autumn. The deposited permeable and hard seeds could contribute to the persistence of red clover population when their seedlings survived for seed setting in the meadow.

Farmers managed irrigation districts in Japan: Assessing how fairness may contribute to sustainability

This article examines irrigation management conduct within Japanese Water Users Associations (WUAs), named Land Improvement Districts (LID), which are regarded as a successful case of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The authors conducted field and questionnaire surveys in sample LIDs focusing on the social function of LID and village communities. Among many factors, the authors paid special attention on how fairness contributes to the sustainability of WUAs. The results of the surveys proved that farmers operate the irrigation facilities in a self-serving way and have their own rule of fairness, such as upstream superiority, based on the long-term traditional experiences of irrigation systems management. The result of questionnaire survey proved that farmers do place high priority in fairness in various ways. The application of fairness to irrigation management is quite new and it is worthwhile to try this approach in other country's case studies.

Distribution characteristics of natural radionuclides at some spa districts in Japan

In Japan, there are many high-level natural radiation areas such as Masutomi spa (Yamanashi pref.), Misasa spa (Tottori pref.), Ikeda spa (Shimane pref.), and Tamagawa spa (Akita pref.), etc. The Uranium and thorium decay series and K-40 are widely distributed as the sources of terrestrial radiation. Their concentrations are influenced by geological features and are nonuniform. We carried out a study of the behavior and distribution of natural radionuclides in the surrounding soils of high-level natural radiation spa areas by γ-ray energy spectrometry using a Ge(INT) diode detector. It was found that the Pb-212(Th)/Pb-214(U) ratios fluctuated widely in the same areas, of which Tamagawa spa and Masutomi spa were typical.