CTI Engineering (Japan)

In the present study, intestinal specimens were collected from layer chickens at a poultry slaughterhouse and used to evaluate infection with Eimeria species. Intestinalcontents were extracted separately from the rectum (from the duodenum to rectum) and cecum and used for analyses. Using flotation detection methods, the number of eimerian oocysts per gramwas higher in the cecum than rectum. Polymerase chain reaction analysis also detected a greater abundance of Eimeria species in the cecum than the rectum. These resultssuggest that analysis of cecal contents could be more useful for detecting and identifying Eimeria species.

ABSTRACT Field observations were conducted at a dissipative barred beach in Japan. A current meter and wave gauge were installed in the surf zone, and the sediment dynamics in the swash zone were observed using fluorescent sand tracers. After releasing the tracers, spatial sediment sampling was conducted six times every few hours during the two tidal cycles. Analysis of the number of fluorescent tracers allows us to understand the sediment-transport movement in the cross-shore and longshore directions over a short period. The analyzed results show that, based on the relationship between ebb and flood tides and the number of fluorescent sands obtained in the swash zone, the sediments propagated toward the shore during ebb tide and offshore during flood tide. Moreover, using the spatial distribution of fluorescent sand, the longshore movement of sediment clouds in the swash zone can be estimated based on the current in the swash zone.

近年，我が国では豪雨災害の激甚化・頻発化により各地で大規模な水害による被害が発生している．水害リスクについては、自身で軽減する「自助」の取り組みが重要である．そこで本研究では、水害被災後の住宅再建において，被災者の減災行動に関する研究やそれらに影響を及ぼす要因を明らかにすることを目的とした。令和元年・3年に被災した佐賀県武雄市において実施した質問紙調査とヒアリング調査分析の結果から、被災状況、家屋の属性、再建に関する情報、費用・保険金が、水害リスクへの減災行動に影響を及ぼす要因であることがわかった。他方で、統計的な分析結果からは水害リスク認知と減災行動の関係性は見られなかった。

The paper presents the three-dimensional nonlinear simulation of the concrete pavement by coupling the code of the multi-directional cracked concrete, multi-yield surface plasticity modeling for soil foundation, and the mesoscale model of stagnant water inside concrete cracks to investigate the effects of the concrete strength on the fatigue life under the traffic loads. The pore water inside uncracked concrete is assumed to an isotropic manner. Meanwhile, after cracking, the pore water pressure becomes anisotropy in the concrete pore (capillary and crack gaps). Under traffic moving, cracks may open and close. Upon closing, the water pressure inside cracks significantly rises. The damage is thus accelerated. In view of this issue, a range of water-to-cement (W/C) ratios in the pavement to depict the high, normal, and weak concrete strength is inspected (W/Cs are from 30% to 60%). The results show the strong support of the concrete slab for pavement structures when the low W/C is utilized due to a large number of the finer micro pores in concrete. The dragging force rooted in the permeability of pore water through the concrete micropore and the crack gap is therefore decreased. The deterioration of concrete structures under the traffic moving has dropped simultaneously.

Peer Reviewed

This study investigated the effects of miso, a traditional fermented soybean food in Japan, on muscle mass atrophy. Eight week old male C57BL/6J mice were fed high fat/high sucrose diet with or without miso for 12 weeks. A miso diet increased soleus muscle weights (p<0.05) and reduced intraperitoneal glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance (p<0.05). The miso diet downregulated the Tnfα and Ccl2 expression, related to inflammation, and Trim63 and Fbxo32 expression, related to muscle atrophy, in the soleus muscle (p<0.05). The miso diet increased short-chain fatty acids levels, including acetic, propanoic, and butanoic acids, in the feces, serum, and soleus muscle (p<0.05). According to the LEfSe analysis, the miso diet increased family Prevotellaceae, family Christensenellaceae, family Dehalobacterium, family Desulfitibacter; family Deferribacteraceae, order Deferribacterales, class Deferribacteres; and family Gemmatimonadaceae, order Gemmatimonadetes, and class Gemmatimonadales, whereas the miso diet decreased family Microbacteriaceae, order Micrococcales, class Actinobacteria, and family Lactobacillaceae. Miso suppressed high fat/high sucrose diet induced impaired glucose tolerance, low muscle strength, and muscle atrophy by improving dysbiosis and increasing short-chain fatty acids production and provides new insights into the preventive effects of fermented foods on sarcopenia.