Tsuru University

Urban areas face increasing vulnerability to climate change, manifested through flooding, water contamination, soil degradation, and the loss of green spaces. Green infrastructure has emerged as a nature-based solution to these challenges, offering multifunctional ecosystem services while promoting resilience. Within this context, biochar—a carbon-rich material produced through pyrolysis of biomass—has attracted attention due to its porous structure, adsorption properties, and potential for long-term carbon sequestration. This paper critically examines the integration of biochar across three key urban systems: bioswales for stormwater management, water filtration for contaminant removal, and urban greening for ecological restoration. The research employs a desk-based review of literature published between 2015 and 2025, synthesising findings from peer-reviewed articles, case studies, and book chapters. Results suggest that biochar significantly enhances infiltration rates and pollutant removal in bioswales, improves the efficiency of water filtration systems, and supports soil fertility and vegetation growth in green infrastructure. Unlike conventional methods that often require high energy inputs and frequent maintenance, biochar offers a cost-effective and sustainable alternative. However, challenges remain regarding scalability, standardisation, and long-term environmental trade-offs. The novelty of this paper lies in positioning biochar not as an isolated amendment, but as an integrated component of urban resilience strategies that bridge stormwater control, water quality improvement, and ecological restoration. The study concludes by recommending pilot-scale implementations and policy incentives to mainstream biochar within urban planning frameworks.

This paper demonstrates how ecosystem service valuation can inform conservation finance strategies using the Benefit Transfer Method (BTM) and internationally recognized valuation databases. We apply the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD) to estimate the economic value of services provided by a 60-hectare property in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Using BTM, we compare Net Present Value outcomes across three scenarios: Carbon Sequestration Only, Extractive Use, and Full Ecosystem Services. Results show that the full valuation scenario—i.e. the “True Economic Value” (TEV)—far exceeds the outcomes in both the carbon-only and extractive-use cases. By year 100, this value is 4.8 times greater than extractive use and 3.1 times greater than carbon-only, underscoring the long-term importance of intact ecosystems. We then examine financing pathways, including payments for ecosystem services (PES), biodiversity credits, conservation easements, and REDD+, and propose investment structuring options informed by ESVD-derived valuation. Drawing on recent developments, we argue for diversified, multi-service approaches that more fully capture the ecological and economic value of tropical forests.

This distinctive single-center survey study aimed to assess the actual awareness of oral care and the understanding of oral health and periodontal disease among patients visiting not a dental clinic, but a community pharmacy. Out of the 225 patients who were given the questionnaire, 150 provided valid responses. Participants were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of interest in oral care. The proportion of participants in the interested group who had relatives working in healthcare, visited the dentist frequently, and used oral care products was significantly higher than that of participants in the uninterested group. However, in each group, only a small proportion of participants understood parts of the oral cavity regarding the development of periodontal disease. More patients with diabetes were in the uninterested group. Participants in the uninterested group also tend to show a passive attitude for oral health. Furthermore, a large number of participants were unaware that pregnancy and genetics could be risk factors for periodontal disease. The results indicated that the one of the most important factors in improving oral care awareness is providing accurate information regarding oral hygiene and prevention of periodontal disease. Pharmacies and pharmacists serve as the most accessible healthcare institutions and professionals within the community. Therefore, to prevent periodontal disease and to improve oral health awareness, pharmacists need to provide information regarding oral health and pharmacies should serve as the first point of access for community residents.

In recent years, the role of parents and guardians in managing bullying among children has been attracting attention. The purpose of this study was to develop a bullying prevention program for parents and to examine if the program would change parental self-efficacy for managing bullying among children. In Study 1, a questionnaire was administered to 724 parents with elementary and junior high school students, and a “Parent’s Knowledge of Bullying scale” and a “Parent Bullying Self-Efficacy scale” were developed. The reliability and validity of the two scales were confirmed in Study 1. Based on the results of Study 1, in Study 2, a bullying prevention program for parents was developed, and the effectiveness was examined with 47 parents with elementary school-aged children. The results of Study 2 showed that the program had an effect on increasing parental self-efficacy to manage bullying. These results discuss the importance of a parent bullying prevention program.

This chapter traces how the film studios Shochiku and Nikkatsu participated in the Japanese film industry’s extended transition to sound cinema. Shochiku pursued a production policy that encouraged its directors to explore the potential of sound film aesthetics piecemeal, as they continuously went back and forth between silent cinema, sound-version films, and full talkies. Nikkatsu came to lead the way in redefining the aesthetics of the jidaigeki genre, gradually re-shaping the norms and aesthetic modes to bring contemporary aesthetics and thematic concerns into their representations of the past. This chapter explores how Shochiku and Nikkatsu negotiated issues such as songs, language, elocution and other sound practices, and the changing relation between on-screen and off-screen space.