Niigata Prefecture Research Articles

Entrepreneurial Networks in Niigata Prefecture in 1897: Measure of Local Milieu

Entrepreneurial Networks in Niigata Prefecture in 1897: Measure of Local Milieu

First record of Mola alexandrine (Molidae) from Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and first stranding record in the Sea of Japan

First record of <i>Mola alexandrine</i> (Molidae) from Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and first stranding record in the Sea of Japan

Oxygen isotopes of the Japanese stalagmites as global and local paleoclimate proxies

AbstractStalagmite oxygen isotopes (δ18O) have been used to reconstruct terrestrial paleoclimates during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. However, the interpretation of the δ18O is not straightforward when determining the factor controlling δ18O; temperature or water δ18O. In addition, the water δ18O changes with rainfall intensity (amount effect), rainfall seasonality, and some other factors. Here, we first review the hydrochemical processes and behaviors of the oxygen isotopes and the other proxies in a cave system, which are fundamental for interpretating the paleoclimatic signals. We then introduce the oxygen isotope records of Japanese caves. Some of the Japanese stalagmites demonstrated a δ18O profile that represented a similar pattern to the Chinese stalagmite records, but had relatively small δ18O amplitudes, which can be explained mainly by temperature changes rather than the amount effect. This demands a reversal of the relationship between climate and rainwater δ18O across the Japanese Islands. Using δ18O data for rainwater samples from four sites in Japan (in Niigata, Fukuoka, Gifu and Mie Prefectures), we presents the results of model calculations to verify how the rainfall intensity and the seasonality relate with the δ18O of rainwater. A significant correlation coefficient was observed in Niigata, where the rainfall δ18O decreases with an increase in the annual amount of rainfall, and with a decrease in the winter rainfall. Similar trends were observed in Fukuoka, whereas while the results of Gifu and Mie exhibited no significant trends. Temperature change was would be the main factor controlling the stalagmite δ18O at the latter two sites. For a better understanding of the stalagmite δ18O records, the measurement of fluid inclusions and carbonate clumped isotopes can be used to evaluate the effect of temperature on the stalagmite δ18O, as well as to reconstruct the water δ18O. We predict that the 17O excess in stalagmites reconstructs the seasonal shift in the vapor sources.

Community-based Intervention for COVID-19 Pandemic in Niigata Prefecture

Community-based Intervention for COVID-19 Pandemic in Niigata Prefecture

Evaluating earthquake-induced widespread slope failure hazards using an AHP-GIS combination

Landslides and slope failures are often caused by earthquakes. This study proposes a method to map earthquake-induced slope failure hazards that uses the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and a geographic information system (GIS) for four districts where many slope failures were induced by earthquakes (the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi, 2016 Kumamoto, 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku, and 2004 Mid Niigata Prefecture earthquakes). The assessment system, which was based on the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience landslide distribution maps, was analyzed using the methods of previously published. We considered the relationships between the earthquake-induced slope failure distributions and landslide hazard factors (elevation, slope angle, slope type, catchment degree, geology, and vegetation). These relationships were utilized for pairwise comparisons of the factors in the AHP analysis. The slope angle, slope type, and catchment degree exerted the highest effects on the slope failure distribution in the four districts. The four earthquake-induced slope failure distributions were highly consistent with the slope failure hazard rank. These results provide a practical method for evaluating earthquake-induced slope-failure hazards.

A Study on the Actual Conditions and Issues of Settling Resort Condominiums in Yuzawa Town, Niigata Prefecture

A Study on the Actual Conditions and Issues of Settling Resort Condominiums in Yuzawa Town, Niigata Prefecture

Experience of voluntary support provision in youth is associated with later-life supportive actions: A community-based study in Japan.

Enhancing the voluntary supportive actions of older adults towards other community-dwelling citizens is an important measure for a healthy community. Volunteering action in adulthood is related to the volunteering actions of older adults' parents, which they remember from their youth. In this study, the association between parents' former voluntary supportive actions and the current voluntary supportive actions of older adults is explored. Questionnaires were distributed to community-dwelling citizens aged 65 years and above, in Tokamachi city, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (response rate: 81.7%). Participants self-reported their current voluntary supportive actions and reported on their parents' former voluntary actions during their youth. The results indicated that the current voluntary supportive actions of the study participants were related to the former voluntary actions of their parents (OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.62-3.20). Moreover, the participants were more likely to extend support in contexts which are more closely related to one's private life, only when their parents provided support in those private contexts. The study provides implications for the importance of considering life experiences when facilitating voluntary supportive actions and renders information on how unique strategies should to be implemented to involve individuals who are unfamiliar with volunteering actions.

Age and growth of red tilefish Branchiostegus japonicus in two fishery grounds off the Kaetsu region, Niigata Prefecture, northern Sea of Japan

Age and growth of red tilefish Branchiostegus japonicus in two fishery grounds off the Kaetsu region, Niigata Prefecture, northern Sea of Japan

Long-term blast control in high eating quality rice using multilines

Combining genetic heterogeneity and crop homogeneity serves a dual purpose: disease control and maintaining harvest quality. Multilines, which consist of a genetically uniform mixture of plants, have the potential to suppress disease while maintaining eating quality, yet practical methods that facilitate commercial use over large geographical areas are lacking. Here, we describe effective rice multiline management based on seed mixture composition changes informed by monitoring virulent blast races in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The most elite nonglutinous cultivar, Koshihikari, was converted into the multiline, Koshihikari BL (blast resistant lines) and planted on 94,000 ha in 2005. The most destructive rice disease, blast, was 79.4% and 81.8% less severe in leaves and panicles, respectively, during the 2005–2019 period compared to the year 2004. In addition, fungicidal application was reduced by two-thirds after the introduction of BL. Our results suggest that seed mixture diversification and rotation of resistant BL provides long-term disease control by avoiding virulent race evolution.

Drivers of Environmental Conservation Agriculture in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Sado Island in the Niigata prefecture in Japan is one of the first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) among developed countries and has since been involved in environmental conservation agriculture (ECA). While ECA is still in its early stage in Japan, it has proven to be effective in mitigating climate change in the agricultural sector; hence, this study aimed to identify drivers of ECA among Sado Island paddy farmers. The data revealed the prevalence of farmers’ cognitive dissonance between ECA and its mitigating effects on climate change. Our findings confirmed the importance of perceived GIAHS involvement in the continuation of ECA. In addition, other identified drivers of ECA fall either on a macro-level (i.e., farmers’ awareness of their role in improving their environment) or micro-level (i.e., farmers’ differing farm optimizations). These perspectives highlighted the altruistic nature of the Sado Island ECA paddy farmers by valuing the improvement of their local and global environment as their main reason to continue ECA, whereas their various farm management optimizations support this observed farmer altruism by providing avenues to increase yield with only a moderate paddy land area. This study highlights the need to continuously develop sustainable strategies to maintain and improve a positive farmer mindset towards ECA.

Analysis of Variation Factors on Grain Ash Content of Wheat Variety ‘Yukichikara’ for Bread in the Sand Dune in Niigata Prefecture

Analysis of Variation Factors on Grain Ash Content of Wheat Variety ‘Yukichikara’ for Bread in the Sand Dune in Niigata Prefecture

Environmental Factors on the Degraded Rice Grain Quality of Koshihikari in Niigata Prefecture in 2019

Environmental Factors on the Degraded Rice Grain Quality of Koshihikari in Niigata Prefecture in 2019

Secondhand smoke and the risk of incident cardiovascular disease among never-smoking women

The prospective association between secondhand smoke (SHS) and the risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear. This study was the first to examine the association between SHS and risks of ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, and total CVD in a large cohort in Asia. The study followed 24,232 never-smoking women aged 40–59 from around Japan (Akita, Iwate, Nagano, Niigata, Ibaraki, Kochi, Nagasaki, and Okinawa prefectures). Their husbands were classified into never, former, and current smokers. After adjustment for age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, histories of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, medication use for hyperlipidemia, menopausal status, and public health center areas, the hazard ratios (HRs) of CVD according to husbands' smoking status were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models. During the 440,360 person-years follow-up, 846 women had total CVDs (103 IHDs, 744 strokes). The proportional hazard assumption was not assured during the total follow-up from 1990 to 2012, but so was then the follow-up of < and ≥ 10 person-years were examined separately. The multivariable HRs (95% confidence intervals) associated with husbands' current versus non-current smoking was 2.02 (1.19–3.45) for IHD, 1.18 (0.98–1.42) for stroke, and 1.25 (1.05–1.49) for total CVD in the follow-up of ≥10 person-years. The SHS from husbands may raise the risk of IHD among middle-aged never-smoking women.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding tick-borne diseases among an at-risk population living in Niigata prefecture, Japan.

ObjectiveThis study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of an at-risk population living in Niigata prefecture regarding tick-borne diseases (TBDs) and preventive strategies.MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted to assess the KAP of the community.ResultsIn total, 186 responses were received. Among the respondents, 130 (69·9%) were men, and the mean age was 51.1 (14·3). Nine (4·8%) respondents reported having experienced tick bites. Of the respondents, 44 (23.7%) knew about both scrub typhus and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, while 156 (83·9%) and 71 (38·2%) recognized limiting skin exposure and use of insect repellents as preventive measures, respectively. The attitudes towards TBDs: being worried about tick bites (p = 0·018) and interested in preventing TBDs (p = 0·001), were significantly higher among women than men. About 75% of the respondents reported taking preventive measures against tick bites, and limiting skin exposure was the most frequently applied method (69·9%). Insect repellents were used by 58 (31·2%) respondents. Age (p = 0·049), being worried about tick bites (p = 0·046), and knowledge of ticks score (p = 0·024) were the significant independent predictors of practicing countermeasures.ConclusionWe identified gaps in knowledge and practices regarding TBDs. Public health interventions should be implemented to improve public awareness of TBDs.

Changes in the carbon mitigation responsibility of Japan's capital city, Tokyo – analysis of power supply shocks due to nuclear power plant accidents

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and the hub of the country's economic and administrative activities. To maintain the momentum of sustained economic growth, Tokyo is transforming the structure of its economic activities, production efficiency, and consumption patterns. Consequently, the supply and demand structure of energy and material in the city has been changing over time with a dramatic increase in the external dependency of supply. In particular, Tokyo depends on the supply of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which has power plants outside of Tokyo's boundaries. However, TEPCO suspended its nuclear power plants for inspection purposes in 2003. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant was suspended following Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu-oki Earthquake in 2007; the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (the first and second power plants) was suspended following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. In this study, we analyze the changes in the carbon mitigation responsibility of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, after the electricity supply shock caused by the nuclear power plant accident and examine how dependence on electricity supply affects CO2 emissions. We compare CO2 emissions in terms of 1) the changes in Tokyo's electricity supply, 2) the long-term changes in the local economy (flows of goods and services) in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2015, and 3) different carbon accounting methods applied to consumption-based emissions. In this study, we have adopted a method that is based on four system boundaries to identify and compare per capita CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2015 using data from Tokyo's statistical data. Results show that although CO2 emissions associated with Tokyo's electricity consumption fluctuated significantly due to the suspension of the nuclear power plant, there was no significant change in Tokyo's consumption-based emissions. Since Tokyo's consumption structure has remained steady despite these major changes in electricity supply, we assume that Tokyo's emission responsibility will not change unless there is a major switch to lower carbon goods and services consumed in the city.

Unauthorized Stocking of an Endangered Bitterling Acheilognathus typus in an Irrigation Pond Detected and Substantiated by Biological and Human Lines of Evidence

Acheilognathus typus, an endangered bitterling, was captured in an irrigation pond in the northern part of Niigata prefecture, Japan, in 2019. This bitterling species had once occupied that region. Its absence for years indicated the possible extinction of the bitterling there. We expected that the recently captured individuals are an unknown remnant stock of that endangered species found through an extensive survey. Mitochondrial genotyping, however, revealed that the recently captured individuals had a common haplotype with those from Kashimadai, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. The uniqueness of the haplotype to these two ponds indicates a stock identity between them. In the pond in Kashimadai, the illegal activity of catching the bitterlings by a person from the northern Niigata prefecture was detected in 2015. We conclude that the bitterling from the northern Niigata prefecture was stocked from a pond in Kashimadai. Our report is the first example of unauthorized bitterling stocking substantiated from both biological and human lines of evidence.

Multijurisdictional Outbreak of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 Caused by Consumption of Ready-to-Eat Grilled Skewered Meat in Niigata, Japan.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 (EHEC) causes severe complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome. Contaminated ready-to-eat (RTE) food is one of the vehicles of multijurisdictional outbreaks of foodborne disease worldwide. Multijurisdictional (covering cities, towns, and villages) outbreaks of EHEC are usually linked to an increase in cases, and here we describe such an outbreak involving 29 cases in October 2017 in the Niigata Prefecture. After prefecture-wide active case finding, we conducted a case-control study of 29 cases with eligible data who tested positive for EHEC. To determine the association of the outbreak with risk factors, we compared these cases with 38 controls selected from family and acquaintances who were both symptom free and tested negative for EHEC. The largest number of cases was in the 20-29-year age group (7/29; 24%) and most were women (20/29; 69%). All 29 cases had an identical or similar multilocus variable number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) profile. Of these, 76% (22/29) had consumed some type of grilled skewered meat. Also, 69% (20/29) had consumed grilled skewered meat produced by company X. EHEC infection was strongly associated with the consumption of grilled skewered meat produced by any food processing company (odds ratio [OR] = 11.8, confidence interval [95% CI]: 3.7-37.4) and by company X (OR = 9.8, 95% CI: 3.2-30.7). At company X, the skewered meat was grilled to 95°C and then removed from the grilling area to meat trays. The meat trays were not sufficiently washed and disinfected. Testing indicated that the facility was negative for EHEC but four asymptomatic employees tested positive for EHEC. Company X was temporarily closed and voluntarily recalled the foods. We recommend that all employees sufficiently wash and disinfect meat trays to prevent contamination of RTE food, avoid cross-contamination of grilled skewered meat through the environment by regularly cleaning the facility, and appropriately practice self-health care.

Faunal and genetic studies of mosquitoes on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Faunal and genetic studies of mosquitoes on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

The impact of interprofessional communication through ICT on health outcomes of older adults receiving home care in Japan - A retrospective cohort study.

BackgroundInformation communication technology (ICT) is crucial to modern communication and information sharing. Effective interprofessional collaboration is essential in the care of elderly people. However, little is known about the effects of ICT on care provision for elderly people in a home setting. This retrospective cohort study examines the impact of interprofessional collaboration using ICT on the health outcomes of elderly home care patients.MethodsThe Team® mobile application promotes cooperation in local medical health care. It enables providers to obtain and share patient information within a single, cloud‐based platform. We collected and analyzed data from 554 patients from Nagaoka (Niigata prefecture, Japan) who received home care services from 2015 to 2020. We calculated the cumulative hazard ratio (HR) of death or admission to a hospital or nursing home for patients whose information was shared among different professions using the platform, and for those whose information was not shared. We used a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for covariates, and applied propensity score matching.ResultsThe average age of the study population was 83.5 years; the median follow‐up period was 579.0 days. The risk of death or admission to a hospital or nursing home significantly decreased in the information‐shared group, compared with the control group (adjusted HR: 0.47 [p < 0.01]). Significance remained after propensity score matching (HR: 0.58; p = 0.01).ConclusionsInterprofessional collaboration using ICT may reduce the risk of death or admission to a hospital or nursing home among elderly home care patients in Japan.

New estimation model for paddy soil temperature in early growth stage, and its application to estimate nitrogen mineralization of organic fertilizer

ABSTRACT Paddy soil temperatures (Ts) are required to evaluate the mineralization patterns of organic fertilizers in rice paddies. We have developed an estimation method for Ts based on the heat balance model using Agro-Meteorological Grid Square Data (AMD) with a horizontal resolution of 1 km × 1 km. The paddy water temperature (Tw) (daily mean, assuming leaf area index LAI = 0) was first calculated from the AMD using the heat balance equation. Next, the daily mean Ts was evaluated using the empirical relationship between Ts and Tw. The value of Ts can be expressed as a linear function of a time series for Tw for up to 3 days prior. At five test sites in Niigata prefecture, Japan, the mean difference and root mean square errors between the estimated and measured Ts ranged from −0.54°C to 0.77°C (mean: 0.00°C) and from 0.53°C to 1.21°C (mean: 0.86°C), respectively. Overall, the results using the estimated Ts were found to agree with the observations for each field. Using the developed Ts estimation method and the nitrogen (N) mineralization parameters of organic fertilizers, we estimated the N mineralization patterns of four fertilizers at five test sites. The results show a good agreement with the measured values. This suggests that the proposed Ts estimation method in conjunction with the AMD can be utilized to estimate the N mineralization of organic fertilizers applied in paddy fields in Niigata prefecture.