Saga Prefectures Research Articles

Current Status and Challenges for Forest Commons (Iriai Forest) Management in Japan: A Focus on Forest Producers’ Cooperatives and Authorized Neighborhood Associations

Iriai forests are an example of communal forest management in Japan. Local institutions have never been static in governing iriai forests and the external environments of iriai forests have changed significantly over time. This study examines the management challenges of forest producers’ cooperatives (FPCs) and authorized neighborhood associations (ANAs) as the two most important contemporary forms of iriai forest management. Data from nine FPCs and three ANAs in the Fukuoka and Saga prefectures of Kyushu Island are used. Surveyed topics included basic information about FPCs and ANAs, recent management activities, financial conditions, and member perceptions of forest management. Some FPCs suffered from disadvantageous forestry circumstances, including low timber prices, decreased number of members, and tax burdens; at the same time, some FPCs greatly profited from non-forestry income or assets, e.g., by leasing or selling forestland. In most cases, basic forest management operations had been conducted by both FPCs and ANAs, and members had maintained attachment to and responsibility for iriai forests and a sense of public contribution. Policy recommendations include making legal settings and administrative supports more compatible with contemporary realities, providing greater financial support for management activities, and pursuing multi-level governance to open the commons to wider society.

Gastropolitics: Speaking in Tongues

Gastropolitics: Speaking in Tongues

Factors influencing the participation of children with disabilities in the community

[Purpose] To promote community involvement in children, the factors that influence and limit their participation must be well understood. The purpose of this study was to clarify the factors that limit the community participation of children with disabilities. [Participants and Methods] In total, 235 questionnaires were distributed to parents at special support schools, pediatric hospitals, home-visit nursing stations, and after-school daycare services in Tokyo, Gunma, Hiroshima, and Saga prefectures in Japan. Data related to the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth, age, height, weight, gross motor function, presence of medical care, diagnosis, and parental age were recorded for school-aged children. [Results] Multiple regression analysis using the 100 valid questionnaire responses revealed that the number of community activities that the children participated in depended on the children’s need for medical care (standardized partial regression coefficient: −0.20). The frequency was affected by gross motor function (standardized partial regression coefficient: −0.24). When respiratory, feeding, and excretion-related medical care were required, the children tended to participate in fewer community activities. [Conclusion] Community participation is influenced by the different factors in each aspect analyzed (number of activities, frequency, and degree of involvement). The factors that should be considered when promoting children’s participation in rehabilitation must be identified.

Tuberculosis-related technical enquiries received by a national level institution in Japan, 2014-2016.

Background: Japan had a tuberculosis (TB) notification rate of 13.9 per 100 000 population in 2016. Objectives: To characterise TB-related enquiries received by the Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Tokyo, Japan, between January 2014 and December 2016. Design: A descriptive study of the time, place and other attributes of the enquiries. Results: A total of 1864 enquiries were listed for analysis. On average, 51.8 enquiries (range 30-77) were received per month. The enquiry rates were highest for Yamanashi (5.87/100 000) and Kochi (5.77) Prefectures, and lowest in Miyazaki (0.45) and Saga (0.48) Prefectures. Enquirers belonged mostly to local governments (n = 1212, 65%) and health care facilities (n = 386, 21%), and included medical doctors (n = 412, 22%), nurses (n = 926, 50%) and the general public (n = 150, 8.0%). Most enquiries concerned TB diagnosis and treatment (n = 475, 25%), including diagnosis in general (n = 38, 2.0%), laboratory diagnosis (n = 83, 4.5%), anti-tuberculosis treatment in general (n = 62, 3.3%) and the management of comorbidities or adverse events (n = 60, 3.2%), followed by contact investigations (n = 371, 20%). Conclusions: As most enquiries concerned the diagnosis and treatment of TB, the Ministry of Health of Japan should maintain a number of specialised TB institutions with TB clinicians to provide technical assistance.

Quality of life among the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer at home in Japan.

To identify the associated factors of quality of life (QOL) among the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer at home. The design was an epidemiological study with self-administered questionnaires by mail. Date collection was carried out in the Tokyo Metropolitan, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Nara, Hyogo, Kagawa, Ehime, and Saga prefectures in Japan. The participants who met the criteria for the present study were 262 family caregivers. Their QOL was assessed by the Japanese version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer. The potential factors that are associated with family caregivers' QOL included three factors: patient factors, including demographic characteristics and disease-related factors, family caregiver factors, including demographic characteristics, health conditions, and self-efficacy of family caregiving, and environmental factors, including instrumental, emotional, informational support, and satisfaction with the home care service. A multiple regression analysis was conducted in order to identify the associated factors with family caregivers' QOL. A total of 74 family caregivers participated in this study (response rate: 33.2%). The mean age of the family caregivers was 63.6 years and 79.7% was female. The multiple regression analysis indicated that depression, self-efficacy of family caregiving, the subcaregiver, and satisfaction with the home care service were associated with family caregivers' QOL. It is recommended that health practitioners should develop interventions for family caregivers in order to enhance the competence of the individual and home care system in order to achieve the sustainability of high-quality home care for patients with terminal cancer and the family caregivers' QOL.

Validity of diagnoses, procedures, and laboratory data in Japanese administrative data.

BackgroundValidation of recorded data is a prerequisite for studies that utilize administrative databases. The present study evaluated the validity of diagnoses and procedure records in the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) data, along with laboratory test results in the newly-introduced Standardized Structured Medical Record Information Exchange (SS-MIX) data.MethodsBetween November 2015 and February 2016, we conducted chart reviews of 315 patients hospitalized between April 2014 and March 2015 in four middle-sized acute-care hospitals in Shizuoka, Kochi, Fukuoka, and Saga Prefectures and used them as reference standards. The sensitivity and specificity of DPC data in identifying 16 diseases and 10 common procedures were identified. The accuracy of SS-MIX data for 13 laboratory test results was also examined.ResultsThe specificity of diagnoses in the DPC data exceeded 96%, while the sensitivity was below 50% for seven diseases and variable across diseases. When limited to primary diagnoses, the sensitivity and specificity were 78.9% and 93.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of procedure records exceeded 90% for six procedures, and the specificity exceeded 90% for nine procedures. Agreement between the SS-MIX data and the chart reviews was above 95% for all 13 items.ConclusionThe validity of diagnoses and procedure records in the DPC data and laboratory results in the SS-MIX data was high in general, supporting their use in future studies.

Assessment of the Water Quality in the Ariake Sea Using Principal Component Analysis

The aim of this study is to investigate the condition of the Ariake Sea, Japan, which has been suffering from severe environmental issues for the past few decades. Water quality data have been generated from several points in this area for over 30 years by the Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto, and Nagasaki prefectures. In order to understand the characteristics of this sea, principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized using 11 water quality parameters; transparency, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3--N), nitrite-nitrogen (NO2--N), phosphate-phosphorus, (PO43--P) and silica. PCA conveyed the amount of nutrients originating from the river, the organic pollution level, and seasonal changes. Subsequently, principal component scores were calculated for each point. It was concluded that the Ariake Sea environment has been affected by two main factors, which are the nutrients from the Chikugo River and anticlockwise tidal residual flow. These two factors must be considered for the environmental restoration of the Ariake Sea.

Analysis of the Genetic Population Structure of Cacopsylla chinensis (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) with Mitochondrial DNA Markers in Saga and Yamaguchi prefectures, Japan

DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI)-leucine tRNA (tRNALeu)cytochrome oxidase II (COII) regions was performed to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among 465 summer and winter-form psyllids from Saga and Yamaguchi prefectures in Japan. Multiple alignments of these sequences revealed 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at nucleotide positions 78 and 258 in the COI and tRNALeu regions, respectively. Based on the nucleotide changes at these loci, these 465 insects were grouped into 3 genotypes: 78A/258A, 78G/258G, and 78G/258A. All but 2 of the 225 insects in Saga belonged to the genotype 78A/258A, and the 2 exceptions belonged to the genotype 78G/258G. Conversely, all the insects (105) collected from Shimonoseki city in western Yamaguchi prefecture belonged to the genotype 78G/258G, while eighty percent of the 135 samples from eastern Yamaguchi prefecture belonged to the genotype 78G/258G. Among the other 27 insect samples, 24 were 78G/258A and 3 were 78A/258A. Using POPTREE2, the psyllids were divided into 5 populations associated with the geographical distribution. The results suggest that the genetic population structure of these psyllids varied widely between Saga and Yamaguchi prefectures. Discipline: Insect pest Additional key words: cytochrome oxidase I, molecular phylogenetic analysis, Pear psyllids, population genetics *Corresponding author: e-mail tiwsw37@affrc.go.jp Received 25 September 2013; accepted 22 January 2014.

Molecular Detection of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in Feral Raccoons (<i>Procyon lotor</i>) in the Western Part of Japan

Rickettsial infection in feral raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the western part of Japan (Shimane, Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures) was surveyed by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay detecting the rickettsial citrate synthase (gltA) gene. Four of one hundred and ninety-four feral raccoon spleens (2.1%) were positive for Rickettsia spp. One gltA gene sequence was identical to R. helvetica, whereas the other 3 sequences were identical and had the highest similarity (98.4%) to R. amblyommii. Simultaneously, we determined a partial sequence of the rickettsial 17-kilodalton (17K) genus-common antigen gene in the later 3 raccoon samples. Their sequences were identical and had the highest similarity (98.5%) to Rickettsia sp. Hj126. Based on the sequences of gltA and 17K antigen genes, these raccoons might be infected with spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia most closely related to R. amblyommii and/or Rickettsia sp. Hj126. Feral raccoons may be a susceptible reservoir for SFG rickettsiae in Japan.

Characterisation of QoI‐resistant field isolates of Botrytis cinerea from citrus and strawberry

In 2004, field isolates of Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr., resistant to strobilurin fungicides (QoIs), were first found in commercial citrus orchards in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Subsequently, QoI-resistant isolates of this fungus were also detected in plastic strawberry greenhouses in Saga, Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, Japan. Biological and molecular characterisation of resistant isolates was conducted in this study. QoI-resistant isolates of B. cinerea grew well on PDA plates containing kresoxim-methyl or azoxystrobin at 1 mg L(-1), supplemented with 1 mM of n-propyl gallate, an inhibitor of alternative oxidase, whereas the growth of sensitive isolates was strongly suppressed. Results from this in vitro test were in good agreement with those of fungus inoculation tests in vivo. In resistant isolates, the mutation at amino acid position 143 of the cytochrome b gene, known to be the cause of high QoI resistance in various fungal pathogens, was found, but only occasionally. The heteroplasmy of cytochrome b gene was confirmed, and the wild-type sequence often present in the majority of resistant isolates, indicating that the proportion of mutated cytochrome b gene was very low. The conventional RFLP and sequence analyses of PCR-amplified cytochrome b gene are insufficient for molecular identification of QoI resistance in B. cinerea.

Distribution, host plants, and seasonal occurrence of the maize orange leafhopper, Cicadulina bipunctata (Melichar) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), in Japan

The maize orange leafhopper, Cicadulina bipunctata, is a serious pest of second crops of forage maize in Kyushu, Japan, because it induces maize wallaby ear symptom (MWES), characterized by stunted growth and severe swelling of leaves. We investigated the seasonal occurrence, host plants, and distribution of C. bipunctata in Kyushu from 2004 to 2007. Population densities of C. bipunctata rapidly increased from late July, and generally peaked between September and October. Cicadulina bipunctata fed mainly on Eleusine indica, Digitaria ciliaris, and Setaria viridis from summer to autumn, and overwintered as adults mostly on Sasa spp., followed by wheat and Italian ryegrass. In early spring, the first generation seemed to grow largely on wheat. These results suggest that earlier planting of the second crop of forage maize and management of Sasa spp. in early winter are likely to be effective strategies for reducing the infestation of forage maize by C. bipunctata. Field surveys in 2005 and 2007 revealed that C. bipunctata was distributed at 34 of 54 sites, including Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima prefectures. Because such a wide distribution has not been reported in previous studies, C. bipunctata is considered to have expanded its range in recent years.

Palaeogene decapod Crustacea from the Kishima and Okinoshima Groups, Kyushu, Japan

Twelve species in 11 genera of decapod crustaceans are recorded from Palaeogene rocks of Nagasaki and Saga Prefectures, Kyushu, Japan. Carinocarcinoides gen. nov. (Goneplacidae) is proposed to accommodate Carinocarcinoides carinatus sp. nov. and Varuna angustifrons Karasawa from the lower Oligocene Kishima Group. A new monotypic genus, Cicarnus (Portunidae), is erected with Cicarnus fumiae sp. nov. from the middle Eocene Okinoshima Group. Neocallichirus sakiae sp. nov. (Callianassidae) is described from the lower Oligocene Kishima Group. Axius (s. I.) sp. and Euphylax ? sp. from the Kishima Group represent the first records for both genera from the Oligocene of Japan. The occurrence of Minotielienus macroctieilus Kato and Karasawa extends the known geologic range of this species back to the lower Oligocene. A new description is given for Collinsius simplex Karasawa.

Marine reservoir effect deduced from 14C dates on marine shells and terrestrial remains at archeological sites in Japan

Paired marine and terrestrial samples were collected at archeological shell mounds in Kagoshima, Saga and Aichi prefectures and selected from sediment samples bored at the Mawaki archeological site in Ishikawa prefecture, to evaluate the local marine reservoir effect in Japan. The local reservoir corrections, ΔR, were evaluated to be 8±110 and −178±113 14C years for Miyasaka shell mound, −125±50 to −45±49 and −86±48 to −21±50 14C years for Higashimyo shell mound, −46±52, 40±44, −136±44 and 100±44 14C years for Yoshigo shell mound, −255±38 and −146±46 14C years for Kuzubasama shell mound, −71±33, −30±85 and −78±74 14C years on average for C4, C5 and C6 cores, respectively, from the Mawaki site. The existing data along with the present results suggest that the ΔR values obtained for central to southern part of Japan are consistent with zero or a bit negative, but are different from the ΔR values of 200 to 500 14C years for the northern parts of the Japanese archipelago.

有明海におけるクルマエビ共同放流事業

有明海におけるクルマエビ共同放流事業

散発下痢症患者由来のフルオロキノロン耐性大腸菌における<I>gyrA</I>遺伝子および<I>parC</I>遺伝子の変異

We studied 107 isolates of Escherichia coli O153 from sporadic diarrhea cases in Fukui, Toyama, Aichi, and Saga prefectures from 1991 to 2005 for antimicrobial susceptibility and mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance, based on standard disk diffusion. Of 12 drugs tested, ampicillin displayed resistance to 72.9% of isolates, streptomycin to 48.6%, tetracycline to 46.7%, sulfisoxazole to 46.7%, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole to 29.9%, nalidixic acid (NA) to 29.9%, and ciprofloxacin (CPFX) to 24.3%. Ten of 32 isolates resistant to 3-6 drugs and 16 of 18 isolates resistant to 7-10 drugs were resistant both to NA and CPFX. Mutations of amino acid in quinolone resistance-determining regions of gyrA and parC genes were detected in 24 isolates resistant both to NA and CPFX, and in 1 isolate resistant to NA. The former possessed a combination of double substitution (S83L and D87L) in GyrA and a single substitution (S80I) in ParC. Some 12 of 24 isolates possessed another single substitution (E84V or E84G or A108T) in ParC. The 25 isolates were classified into 4 types as follows. 1 isolate as type 1: GyrA (S83L) and ParC (S80I); 12 isolates as type 2: GyrA (S83L and D87N) and ParC (S80I); 8 isolates as type 3: GyrA (S83L and D87N) and ParC (S80I and E84G/S80R and E84V); and 4 isolate as type 4: GyrA (S83L and D87N) and ParC (S80I and A108T). In the relationship between amino acid mutations and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of fluoroquinolone, MICs of CPFX, ofloxacin, and norfloxacin showed 1microg/mL, 2microg/mL and 8microg/mL in type 1; 8 approximately 32microg/mL, 8 approximately 32microg/mL and 16 approximately 256microg/mL in type 2; and 32 approximately 256microg/mL' 32 approximately 128microg/mL and 128-->512microg/ mL in types 3 and 4. These results suggest that most of multiple-antimicrobial-resitant E. coli O153 isolates from sporadic diarrhea cases were resistant to fluoroquinolones and possessed mutations at gyrA and parC genes associated with fluoroquinolone resistance.

Two new species and a new synonymy of the subfamily Coelotinae (Araneae: Amaurobiidae) from Kyushu, Japan

Three species of coelotine spiders of the genera Coelotes and Tegecoelotes from Kyushu District, Japan, are reviewed. Two new species of the genus Coelotes are described under the names, Coelotes bifurcatus n. sp. and C. hiradoensis n. sp. The former new species is distributed in Nagasaki, Saga and Fukuoka Prefectures, northern Kyushu, and is characteristic in having the bifurcate apophysis of male palp. The latter new species is recorded only from Hirado Island in Nagasaki Prefecture and characteristic with the palpal conductor extending in the direction of the tip of cymbium in males and long and slender epigynal teeth in females. Tegecoelotes muscicapus (Bosenberg & Strand 1906) described using a male holotype, and Tegecoelotes ignotus (Bosenberg & Strand 1906) described with two female syntypes are considered to be synonymous, and the former is regarded as a junior synonym of the latter. Tegecoelotes ignotus is recorded for the first time since the original description in 1906. The intraspecific variation recognized in epigynum of this species is reported.

タマネギ（Ａｌｌｉｕｍ ｃｅｐａ）から分離されたＩｒｉｓ ｙｅｌｌｏｗ ｓｐｏｔ ｖｉｒｕｓ （ＩＹＳＶ）の遺伝的特性およびＩＹＳＶ２系統のタマネギおよびネギ（Ａｌｌｉｕｍ ｓｃｈｏｅｎｏｐｒａｓｕｍ）に対する病原性

Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) was isolated from onion with streaks on leaves in Saga and Chiba prefectures, Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequence identities of the nucleocapsid genes showed the presence of two strains, as represented by an isolate from onion in Brazil (IYSVBR) and that from Dutch iris (Iris hollandica) in the Netherlands (IYSVNL), on onion in Japan. Pathogenicity was tested on 11 cultivars of onion and five of leaf onion by mechanical inoculation with either of the two IYSV isolates, which were genetically similar with IYSVBR and IYSVNL, respectively. Both isolates caused the same type of streaks only on inoculated leaves of all onion cultivars tested, and the virus was not detected in upper leaves. None of the leaf onions developed symptoms on either inoculated or upper leaves, even though IYSV was detected in the inoculated leaves. Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) transmission to onion, leaf onion, wakegi (Allium wakegi) and shallot (Allium grayi) was examined, and IYSV was detected from onion leaves where thrips fed.

A Comparison of the Volatile Compounds in Several Green Teas

Differences in the aromas of steamed green teas are due to the cultivars, the climate and the production process. We compare the volatile compounds found in steamed green tea of the same cultivar (cv. Yabukita (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis)) but produced in different places (Saitama, Shizuoka, Mie, Nara, Kyoto, Saga and Miyazaki prefectures). A total of 75 volatile compounds were identified by GC and GC/MS. The results showed observed differences in the quantities of these compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed for the GC data to investigate the relationship between green teas from different places. Each green tea was found to contain certain characteristic compounds.

Regional Differences in Relationships between Depressive Symptoms and Psychosocial Factors among High School Students: A Comparison of Okinawa and Saga Prefectures.

This study aims to examine regional differences in relationships between depressive symptoms and psychosocial factors among Japanese high school students in Okinawa and Saga prefectures in Japan. The study sample was 3,234 students from 14 public high schools in Okinawa and 2,503 students from 12 public high schools in Saga. The students completed a self-administered questionnaire between September and November 2000. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The psychosocial factors examined were participation in community events, life stress, self-esteem, perceived social support, and life environment. There was no difference in depressive symptoms by region. Students in Saga had higher levels of stress in the academic, teachers' and friends' domains compared to students in Okinawa. Students in Saga also evaluated their natural environment better than their counterparts in Okinawa. On the other hand, students in Okinawa were more likely to participate in community events than those in Saga. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, depressive symptoms were found to be significantly associated with life stress, self-esteem, and social support among students in both Okinawa and Saga. Only among students in Okinawa, however, were depressive symptoms significantly related to participation in community events. The psychosocial factors accounted for the same amount of variance in depressive symptoms for Okinawa and Saga students. Additionally, life stress in the teachers' domain had stronger associations with depressive symptoms among students in Saga than among those in Okinawa. The depressive symptom levels of Okinawa students seemed to be more strongly associated with self-esteem than those affecting their counterparts in the Saga prefecture. These findings show that there is similar pattern of associations between depressive symptoms and psychosocial factors among high school students in Okinawa and Saga, except for participation in community events. Life stress, self-esteem, and social support may be common factors associated with depressive symptoms among high school students regardless of region. Overall, the magnitude of the relationship between depressive symptoms and psychosocial factors was similar across Okinawa and Saga students.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. cerasicola, pv. nov., the Causal Agent of Bacterial Gall of Cherry Tree

Bacterial gall on trunks and twigs of cherry trees (Prunus × yedoens, Someiyoshino) was found in Miyazaki and Saga prefectures, Japan. The surface of young galls are relatively smooth and light brown, but they become rough and dark brown. Characteristics of the bacterium isolated from galls on trunks or twigs are similar to those of Pseudomonas syringae pathovars, i.e., pv. actinidiae, pv. daphniphylli, pv. dendropanacis, pv. Morsprunorum, pv. myricae, pv. rhaphiolepidis, pv. syringae and pv. tremae. This bacterium produced galls on cherry and apricot, but not on 66 other species of plants belonging to 39 families. From these results, this bacterium was classified as a new pathovar of Pseudomonas syringae, and the name Pseudomonas syringae pv. cerasicola, pv. nov., is proposed. Strain M9501(ICMP 13926) was designated as the pathotype strain.