Hyogo Prefecture Research Articles

Fitting Genomic Prediction Models with Different Marker Effects among Prefectures to Carcass Traits in Japanese Black Cattle.

We fitted statistical models, which assumed single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker effects differing across the fattened steers marketed into different prefectures, to the records for cold carcass weight (CW) and marbling score (MS) of 1036, 733, and 279 Japanese Black fattened steers marketed into Tottori, Hiroshima, and Hyogo prefectures in Japan, respectively. Genotype data on 33,059 SNPs was used. Five models that assume only common SNP effects to all the steers (model 1), common effects plus SNP effects differing between the steers marketed into Hyogo prefecture and others (model 2), only the SNP effects differing between Hyogo steers and others (model 3), common effects plus SNP effects specific to each prefecture (model 4), and only the effects specific to each prefecture (model 5) were exploited. For both traits, slightly lower values of residual variance than that of model 1 were estimated when fitting all other models. Estimated genetic correlation among the prefectures in models 2 and 4 ranged to 0.53 to 0.71, all <0.8. These results might support that the SNP effects differ among the prefectures to some degree, although we discussed the necessity of careful consideration to interpret the current results.

DOES SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT FOSTER GENERATIVITY AND GOOD CITIZENSHIP AMONG THE THIRD AGERS IN JAPAN?

Abstract The labor force rate of those in their sixties have been increasing in Japan. Active Theory assumes that continuing activity is good for their well-being. Several researches also elucidate positive effects of work on older adults. Further, Japan has a mandatory retirement age of 60 years; though, persons can restart their work under contract labor. Katagiri proposed a social engagement model for third agers, which assumes that work for third agers cannot be the purpose in life and suggests three activities social participation, civic activities and work. This study examines the effect of the three activities on third agers. Random sampling survey was conducted in 2019 on people living in Tokyo and Hyogo prefecture. The response rate was 43.0% (N = 665, aged 60-74). Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to examine the effect of the three activities on generativity, sense of community, social contribution orientation, interest in politics by gender, and the robust positive effects of social and civic activities for male and civic activities for female. Though no effect of work existed, interaction effects of work and other activities were observed. Those working with social or civic activities had higher generativity. Among people with civic activity, working males showed higher sense of community while working females showed higher interest in politics. Males engaged only in work showed no such sense. The results suggest engaging only in work do not foster their development and engagement in social and civic activities are required to enrich their lives.

Large-scale individual building extraction from open-source satellite imagery via super-resolution-based instance segmentation approach

Building footprint is a primary dataset of an urban geographic information system (GIS) database. Therefore, it is essential to establish a robust and automated framework for large-scale building extraction. However, the characteristic of remote sensing images complicates the application of the instance segmentation method based on the Mask R-CNN model, which ought to be improved toward extracting and fusing multi-scale features. Moreover, open-source satellite image datasets with wider spatial coverage and temporal resolution than high-resolution images may exhibit different coloration and resolution. This study proposes a large-scale building extraction framework based on super-resolution (SR) and instance segmentation using a relatively lower-resolution (>0.6 m) open-sourced dataset. The framework comprises four steps: color normalization and image super-resolution, scene classification, building extraction, and scene mosaicking. We took Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (19,187 km2) as a test area and extracted 1,726,006 (29.12 km2) of the 3,301,488 buildings (32.46 km2), where the number of buildings and footprint area increased by 3.0 % and 5.0 % respectively. The result indicated that the color normalization and image super-resolution could improve the visual quality of open-source satellite images and contribute to building extraction accuracy. Moreover, the improved Mask R-CNN based on Multi-Path Vision Transformer (MPViT) backbone achieved F1 scores of 0.71, 0.70, 0.81, and 0.67 for non-built-up, rural, suburban, and urban areas, respectively, which is better than those of the baseline model and other mainstream instance segmentation approaches. This study demonstrates the potential of acquiring acceptable building footprint maps from open-source satellite images, which has significant practical implications.

PCR-Based Screening of Spinal Muscular Atrophy for Newborn Infants in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a common devastating neuromuscular disorder, usually involving homozygous deletion of the SMN1 gene. Newly developed drugs can improve the motor functions of infants with SMA when treated in the early stage. To ensure early diagnosis, newborn screening for SMA (SMA-NBS) via PCR-based genetic testing with dried blood spots (DBSs) has been spreading throughout Japan. In Hyogo Prefecture, we performed a pilot study of SMA-NBS to assess newborn infants who underwent routine newborn metabolic screening between February 2021 and August 2022. Hyogo Prefecture has ~40,000 live births per year and the estimated incidence of SMA is 1 in 20,000-25,000 based on genetic testing of symptomatic patients with SMA. Here, we screened 8336 newborns and 12 screen-positive cases were detected by real-time PCR assay. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification assay excluded ten false positives and identified two patients. These false positives might be related to the use of heparinized and/or diluted blood in the DBS sample. Both patients carried two copies of SMN2, one was asymptomatic and the other was symptomatic at the time of diagnosis. SMA-NBS enables us to prevent delayed diagnosis of SMA, even if it does not always allow treatment in the pre-symptomatic stage.

Incidence of antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: A multicenter retrospective epidemiological study in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Background/purposeThe incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw is increasing worldwide, mostly due to the use of antiresorptive agents (ARAs) such as bisphosphonate (BP) and denosumab (Dmab). However, the proportion of BP-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) and Dmab-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (DRONJ) among all ARA-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ) cases is not clear; this hinders appropriate treatment, recurrence-prevention planning, and avoidance of unnecessary Dmab withdrawal. Moreover, the causative drug administered at each disease stage remains unknown. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study of patients with ARONJ who visited oral and maxillofacial surgery departments at hospitals in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, over 3 years to classify and compare patient characteristics with those having BRONJ and DRONJ. We sought to identify the proportion of DRONJ in ARONJ. Materials and methodsAfter excluding stage 0 patients, 1021 patients were included (471 high-dose; 560 low-dose). ARA treatment for bone metastases of malignant tumors and multiple myeloma was considered high dose, while that for cancer treatment-induced bone loss and osteoporosis was low dose. ResultsLow doses of BP and Dmab accounted for >50% patients; the results differed from those in other countries. DRONJ accounted for 58% and 35% of high-dose and low-dose cases, respectively. Stage 3 ARONJ cases comprised 92 (19.5%) low-dose BRONJ, 39 (20.1%) high-dose BRONJ, 24 (30%) low-dose DRONJ, and 68 (24.5%) high-dose DRONJ. Eighty-nine patients who received switch therapy were divided into BRONJ or DRONJ, but there was no difference in the ratio of each stage compared to the non-switch therapy. ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to clarify the proportion of BRONJ and DRONJ cases, causative drug, and its doses by disease stages. DRONJ accounted for approximately 30% of the ARONJ, approximately 60% of which was due to high doses.

Radiation dose and gene expression analysis of wild boar 10 years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant accident

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident led to contamination with radioactive cesium in an extensive environment in Japan in 2011. We evaluated the concentration of radioactive cesium in the skeletal muscles of 22 wild boars and the expression of IFN-γ, TLR3, and CyclinG1 in the small intestine and compared them with those of wild boar samples collected from Hyogo prefecture. The average 137Cs radioactivity concentration in wild boars in the ex-evacuation zone was 470 Bq/kg. Most of samples still showed radioactivity concentration that exceeded the regulatory limit for foods, but the dose remarkably decreased compared with samples just after the accident. IFN-γ expression was significantly higher in wild boars in the ex-evacuation zone than in samples from Hyogo prefecture. TLR3 expression was also upregulated. CyclinG1 expression also tended to be high. Hence, wild boars might have received some effects of low-dose radiation, and immune cells were activated to some extent. However, pathological examination revealed no inflammatory cell infiltration or pathological damage in the small intestine of wild boars in the ex-evacuation area. Long-term monitoring would be necessary, but we consider that the living body responds appropriately to a stimulus from a contaminated environment.

Park renovation for and with Children. - Activities at the Arima Fuji Park in Hyogo Prefecture to create diverse resident involvement -

Park renovation for and with Children. - Activities at the Arima Fuji Park in Hyogo Prefecture to create diverse resident involvement -

Factors influencing healthcare-seeking behaviour among Muslims from Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia and Malaysia) living in Japan: an exploratory qualitative study

ObjectivesTo identify factors influencing healthcare-seeking behaviours and to explore issues with healthcare experiences of Muslims from Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia and Malaysia) living in Japan.DesignQualitative study.SettingKansai area of Japan (Kyoto,...

Evaluation of Adverse Reactions to Influenza Vaccination: A Prospective Cohort Study.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of sex, age, and quadrivalent vaccination history on adverse reactions (ARs) to influenza vaccines and the relationship between the occurrence of ARs and the risk of influenza infection. Study participants were employees of three hospitals in the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, who received the influenza vaccine in 2019. Data were collected using questionnaires. The main factors were age, sex, and history of influenza vaccination as a control. The primary outcomes were the incidence of local and systemic ARs attributable to the vaccine and positive influenza cases among the participants during the influenza season. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Among the 1493 participants, 80% experienced either local or systemic ARs. ARs were less common among men than among women (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.21–0.37) and less common among those aged ≥60 years (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.26–0.89). ARs were significantly more likely to occur in those with a history of influenza vaccination (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.15–3.33). Those who had ARs, notably localized ones, were significantly more likely to incur influenza infection. Individuals who report ARs to influenza vaccination should strictly adopt non-pharmaceutical preventive measures in the hospital, community settings, and at home.

Fluctuations in the Number of Stores by Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Japanese Phone Book Entries

Currently in Japan, summaries of the number of bankruptcies due to the spread of COVID-19 can only be obtained from surveys conducted by a few research firms targeting particular companies. In this study, we used Japanese telephone directory data containing detailed information on the location and industrial category of stores/facilities nationwide in an effort to infer the influence of COVID-19 on businesses in Japan. We analyzed the temporal change in the number of stores before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Among other findings, the analysis revealed that the number of travel agencies and facilities offering karaoke and other forms of entertainment declined significantly after the outbreak in some prefectures, with the largest declines in Ibaraki, Osaka, and Hyogo prefectures, and a relatively small decline in Tochigi prefecture. Among the stores and facilities categorized as restaurants and travel-related services, the decline was particularly significant in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka prefectures.

Survey in Hyogo Prefecture on the Current Status of Pharmacists in Home Health Care and Exploration of Factors Causing Psychological Burden

There is a need for pharmacists to be actively involved in home healthcare through a wide range of collaboration in healthcare and welfare. However, insufficient evidence is available to search for factors that prevent pharmacists from being proactive in home healthcare. In this study, we conducted an extensive questionnaire survey among pharmacists engaged in home pharmacy work who belong to the Hyogo Pharmaceutical Society regarding the current status of pharmacists' work in home medical care and their psychological burden; we also explored the factors that may hinder the future development of home medical care. As a result, 925 (44%) valid responses were obtained, and seven factors- "current multidisciplinary cooperation", "relationships with patients and their families", "emotional burden for home healthcare", "attitude toward patients", "ideal of multidisciplinary cooperation", "anxiety about aggressive intervention", and "anxiety about talking to and dealing with patients"- were extracted. Furthermore, it was suggested that pharmacists' mental burden and anxiety are closely related to their successful experiences in building relationships with patients and patients' families as well as with multidisciplinary cooperation in home healthcare. Therefore, to train pharmacists to be actively involved in home healthcare, it is important not only to impart knowledge and skills but also for them to gain experience practicing their contributions as pharmacists in the field of home healthcare with multiple professions, patients, and patients' families.

Impact of quality of life on future frailty status of rural Japanese community-dwelling older adults.

We aimed to clarify the factors that contribute to the improvement or progression of frailty in rural Japanese community-dwelling older adults. Of the 840 participants in the cohort study of independent older adults aged 65years and older living in the Tamba-Sasayama area of Hyogo Prefecture (FESTA study) from September 2016 to December 2017, 551 participated in the 2-year follow-up survey from September 2018 to December 2019. We evaluated clinical background, physical and cognitive function, total physical activity, daily protein intake, quality of life (QOL) using the WHOQOL-BREF (WHOQOL-26), and frailty status diagnosed using the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study. We compared the frailty status at the initial and follow-up examinations and classified the participants into three groups: improvement, unchanged, and worsening. Each parameter was compared among the three groups and the factors contributing to the improvement or worsening of frailty status were analyzed using a modified Poisson regression analysis. The median age at the first survey was 72years (range: 68-76); 190 men and 361 women were enrolled. The improvement group consisted of individuals with a change in status from frail to prefrail/robust and from prefrail to robust (n=114); the worsening group consisted of individuals with a change in status from robust to prefrail/frail and from prefrail to frail (n=92). The physical domain of QOL was significantly associated with an improvement in frailty status independent of the frailty status at baseline. Contrastingly, any domains of QOL were not significantly associated with a worsening frailty status. This study demonstrated for the first time that QOL has a significant impact on the future improvement and progression of frailty status and that QOL conditions and frailty status affect older adults bidirectionally.

Regional incidence risk of heat stroke in elderly individuals considering population, household structure, and local industrial sector

This study aims to clarify the regional characteristics of heat stroke incidence patterns inside and outside residences among the elderly from the perspective of working and living conditions. The study area comprised 41 municipalities belonging to Hyogo Prefecture in Japan. Based on information on heat stroke emergency medical evacuees in each municipality from 2011 to 2020, the regional differences in the incidence risk of heat stroke were analyzed. The results revealed that the number of cases and the proportion of males and females among them were related to the demographic structure of each municipality. A grouping analysis was conducted to classify the characteristics of each municipality based on the relationship between the incidence risk of heat stroke and the industrial structure. A factor analysis and binomial logistic regression analysis were also conducted to investigate the effect of demographic structure on the incidence risk of heat stroke. The results indicate that the incidence risk of heat stroke is correlated with industrial and demographic structures, and the risk is likely to vary regionally.

The Second Phase of War: Youth in U.S.-Occupied Japan

Young Japanese people experienced the end of World War II in many ways. Twenty-two-year-old Yamada Taro returned to his home village in Hyogo prefecture in western Japan in the fall of 1945, after having been a Japanese Navy draftee for nearly two years. This must have been an unreal homecoming for him—the Navy had ordered him to go on a “suicide attack.” Before his scheduled last day of life, however, Japan surrendered to the Allied powers. Yamada, who passed away in 2011, left no written reminiscences of his wartime experiences. However, his neighbors and family members recollect him as someone who was never enthusiastic about the war. During a farewell ceremony held in his village for young local men being inducted into the military, all inductees—except for him—customarily performed the “banzai” shouts to show they were happy to fight and die for the emperor. Yamada, instead, looked straight ahead, poker-faced, quietly asking his fellow villagers to take care of the family he would leave behind—his mother and the seven siblings he had been supporting since losing his father during his last year of secondary school.1 While Yamada was adjusting back to civilian life during the U.S. occupation of Japan, Kanai Satoshi, another young man in the same prefecture, was pondering over the future of Seinendan, a youth organization of which he was part. Seinendan originated as a community youth group for men in their teens through mid-twenties but had been incorporated into militarist Japan’s war mobilization scheme. With the war’s end, Kanai was determined to reform and refresh the organization to meet the social needs of the new era.2 Finally, Sato Kayoko was a secondary school student in Tokyo with a distinguished background. Born to an upper-class Christian family, she was fluent in English. At a time when schooling beyond grammar school was unreachable for most children in Japan, she would soon attend an elite high school, with dreams of becoming a schoolteacher.3 There were no personal connections between these three young people, but they did have one thing in common: they were part of the age group that the U.S. occupation authorities in postwar Japan labeled as “youth”; that is, Japanese people in their teens through mid-twenties. In fact, the Japanese government up to World War II had similarly labeled these young people as seinen (youth), connoting that they were the youthful vanguard of the Japanese colonial empire. U.S.-occupied Japan, then, was a unique space in which the Japanese and U.S. conceptions of youth came into contact with each other.

Possible correlation between nighttime lighting data and building height

This study examined whether nighttime light can be a proxy for building height. It is important for estimating an urban environment and urban design and understanding industrial clusters. However, it is necessary to purchase height data for a wide range of buildings, and it is difficult to obtain data in a time series. In this study, we examined whether it is possible to estimate the height of buildings using nighttime light data. This research focuses on the fact that as the number of windows increases, the amount of light leaking from the windows during the night increases for the entire building. This increases the amount of light emitted by the building. We conducted the first Japanese correlation analysis using a three-dimensional dataset with a resolution of 1 meter that was released by Hyogo Prefecture on 10 January 2020. We also used nighttime light data from the Suomi NPP satellite, which has been in operation since 2011 and is jointly managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. The percentage of land occupied by buildings within a 450-meter square of a nighttime light resolution was varied to obtain a higher correlation between buildings and nighttime light. The correlation between the average height of buildings and the luminous intensity of nighttime light within that pixel was calculated. The coefficient of determination was 0.425, which was the best value when the percentage of land occupied by buildings in a pixel was between 70 and 80%. This study found a high correlation between night light and building height. We believe that if a building has a certain size, the night light can be used as a proxy. The results of our research will contribute to understanding the changes and characteristics of urban development and population distribution as urbanization progresses in various regions. Rapid public transportation services, education, and environmental improvement will contribute to urban development and changes in population distribution, which will greatly relieve urban poverty and improve urban security and the environment.

Pregnant women's migration patterns before childbirth after large-scale earthquakes and the added impact of concerns regarding radiation exposure in Fukushima and five prefectures.

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (within Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures) was a complex disaster; it caused a tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, resulting in radiation exposure. This study investigated the earthquake's effects on the migration patterns of pregnant women and their concerns regarding radiation exposure. We also considered the following large-scale earthquakes without radiation exposure: Great Hanshin-Awaji (Hyogo prefecture), Niigata-Chuetsu, and Kumamoto. Pregnant women were categorized as outflow and inflow pregnant women. Data on the annual number of births three years before and after the earthquake were used as a denominator to calculate the outflow and inflow rates per 100 births. The odds ratios of annual outflow and inflow rates after the earthquake, using three years before the earthquake as the baseline, were calculated. The odds-ratio for outflow significantly increased for Hyogo, Fukushima, Miyagi, and Kumamoto prefectures after the earthquake, particularly for Fukushima, showing a significant increase until three years post the Great East Japan Earthquake (disaster year: odds-ratio: 2.66 [95% confidence interval: 2.44-2.90], 1 year post: 1.37 [1.23-1.52], 2 years post: 1.13 [1.00-1.26], 3 years post: 1.18 [1.05-1.31]), while the remaining three prefectures reported limited increases post one year. The inflow decreased after the earthquake, particularly in Fukushima, showing a significant decrease until 2 years post the Great East Japan Earthquake (disaster year: 0.58 [0.53-0.63], 1 year post: 0.76 [0.71-0.82], 2 years post: 0.83 [0.77-0.89]). Thus, pregnant women's migration patterns changed after large-scale earthquakes, suggesting radiation exposure concerns possibly have a significant effects. These results suggested that plans for receiving assistance and support that considers the peculiarities of disaster related damage and pregnant women's migration patterns are needed in both the affected and non-affected areas.

P078 Effects of Shokuiku and Current Eating and Lifestyle Behaviors on Well-Balanced Dietary Habits in Japanese University Students

<h3>Background</h3> School-aged Japanese children receive shokuiku (food and nutrition education) to encourage them to eat well-balanced diets [cereal grains (shushoku), proteins (shusai), vegetables (fukusai)]. However, few young adults regularly eat well-balanced diets. <h3>Objective</h3> To examine the causal structure of the effects of school shokuiku on young adults' dietary habits and the association of current eating and lifestyle behaviors. <h3>Study Design, Setting, and Participants</h3> The subjects were 148 female university students (48.6% living alone) among 161 who completed a 2020 self-administered questionnaire (99.4% response rate) in a cross-sectional study of first- to fourth-year nutrition course students in Hyogo Prefecture. <h3>Outcome Measures and Analysis</h3> A hypothetical model was developed using factors potentially associated with well-balanced dietary habits (twice daily or more), including school shokuiku (three variables: past conversation about dietary balance consisting of the "three food groups"; major nutrients; and importance of breakfast) and current eating and lifestyle behaviors as limiting factors. A covariance structure analysis was performed by living arrangement (living alone or with family). <h3>Results</h3> Simultaneous multi-population analysis by living arrangement showed acceptable goodness of fit (GFI = 0.918, AGFI = 0.852, CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.040, AIC = 113.168) and a significant positive path from school shokuiku (living alone: standardized estimate 0.29, <i>P</i> = 0.004; with family: 0.32, <i>P</i> = 0.006) and a negative path from eating-out frequency (–0.19, <i>P</i> = 0.039; –0.24, <i>P</i> = 0.017) toward well-balanced dietary habits. A significant negative path was identified from bedtime (–0.45, <i>P</i> < 0.001) and home-meal replacement (ready-to-eat foods) frequency (–0.24, <i>P</i> = 0.010) in those living alone, and from late-night snacking frequency (–0.27, <i>P</i> = 0.007) if living with family. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Well-balanced dietary habits in female university students may be positively affected by school shokuiku and limited by late bedtime and home-meal replacement use if living alone and late-night snacking if living with family, plus by eating out. <h3>Funding</h3> None

Relationships between cystatin C and creatinine-based eGFR with low tongue pressure in Japanese rural community-dwelling older adults.

BackgroundSarcopenia is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is defined as a low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). It has been reported that oral hypofunction characterized by decreased tongue pressure is related to sarcopenia. Although there are several previous reports regarding the association of renal dysfunction with oral hypofunction characterized by low tongue pressure, the association between tongue pressure and renal function is not fully understood.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study included 68 men aged 79.0 ± 4.8 years and 145 women aged 77.3 ± 5.4 years from a rural area in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. We examined the relationships between cystatin C‐based CKD (CKDcys), creatinine‐based CKD (CKDcre), ratio of cystatin C‐based GFR (eGFRcys) divided by creatinine‐based GFR (eGFRcre): eGFRcys/eGFRcre, and tongue pressure in community‐dwelling older adults.ResultsTongue pressure was significantly lower in participants with CKDcys than in those without CKDcys in men and women. However, there were no significant differences in tongue pressure with or without CKDcre. Tongue pressure was significantly lower in participants with eGFRcys/eGFRcre <1.0, than in those with eGFRcys/eGFRcre ≧ 1.0 in men. According to the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the optimal cut‐off value of tongue pressure for the presence of CKDcys was 36.6kPa, area under the curve (AUC) 0.74 (specificity 54.8%, sensitivity 84.6%) in men and 31.8kPa, AUC 0.65 (specificity 67.3%, sensitivity 60.5%) in women.ConclusionsCKDcys but not CKDcre is associated with low tongue pressure. In addition, a lower eGFRcys/eGFRcre ratio is a useful screening marker of low tongue pressure in community‐dwelling older adults.

Decreased sensitivity of &lt;i&gt;Fusarium fujikuroi&lt;/i&gt; Nirenberg isolates from Hyogo Prefecture to Pefurazoate

We obtained 434 isolates of Fusarium fujikuroi Nirenberg collected from Hyogo Prefecture and examined their sensitivity to pefurazoate (Pf) and ipconazole (Ip). The minimum inhibitory concentration range profiles in sensitivity to Pf and Ip were from 0.78 μg/mL to 12.5 μg/mL and from 0.39 μg/mL to 1.57 μg/mL, respectively. The efficacy of seed treatment with Pf and Ip against rice Bakanae disease was evaluated using a seedling test with inoculated seeds. The treatment with the mixture of Pf, fludioxonil, and copper oxychloride, and the mixture of Ip-copper hydroxide flowable, showed high efficacy (protective values were larger than 96.0). In contrast, the treatment with the emulsion of Pf showed low efficacy (protective values were less than 90.0) in 7 out of 12 isolates. These results indicated that the sensitivity of some F. fujikuroi isolates to Pf decreased in the Hyogo Prefecture.

Effectiveness of insecticides against &lt;i&gt;Thrips tabaci&lt;/i&gt; collected from onion- and scallion-producing areas in Hyogo Prefecture

We investigated the effectiveness of 10 insecticides against Thrips tabaci collected from six onion fields and three scallion fields in the onion- and scallion-producing areas of Hyogo Prefecture. In all fields, over 90% of the thrips died from exposure to asephate, prothiofos, fluxametamide, and flometoquin, while approximately 70% to 90% died upon exposure to thiocyclam and cyantraniliprole. However, cypermethrin, acetamiprid, spinetoram, and pyridalyl showed varying levels of effectiveness depending on the field and the effectiveness was low, especially in the scallion fields and in the onion fields located near the scallion fields. Interestingly, the effectiveness of these insecticides was similar in both fields.