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Soil erosion is an emerging concern threatening sustainability of forest ecosystems. In case of Japan, one of the driving forces of accelerating soil erosion is heavy deer browsing and trampling. To investigate the effect of deer and clear-cutting on soil erosion, we set up three experimental plots at a slope (24°–27°) of a forest ecosystem with high density of deer, i.e., the fenced plot [F], the non-fenced plot [NF], and the fenced + clear-cut plot [F + C]. The amounts of eroded soil, surface runoff, and loss of nutrients were measured in each experimental plot for 1 year. The amount of eroded soils were in the order of F (1.81 t ha−1 yr−1) 93%) was derived from the loss of soil particles. In conclusion, we should conserve the forest ecosystems through preventing soil erosion because heavy deer browsing and trampling and clear-cutting of trees would lead to the accelerated soil erosion and loss of nutrients.

Oak wilt disease and deer browsing have depleted the canopy and forest floor of secondary Quercus serrata and Quercus variabilis forests in Japan. Small-scale clear-cuttings enhance sprouting, and are, therefore, recommended for restoration of the damaged forests. However, most damaged forests are composed of mature stands, and it is not clear whether they would sprout successfully when cut. Moreover, little is known about the regeneration of forests damaged by both oak wilt disease and deer browsing. To determine the appropriate treatment for restoration of damaged Q. serrata and Q. variabilis forests, we established a study site with three different treatments (10 × 30 m each) in Kyoto City: clear-cut and fenced, removed dead oak trees and fenced, and removed dead oak trees and unfenced. After 1-year treatment, the number of species and individual saplings tended to increase at the lower slope of each treatment site with dominance of Ilex pedunculosa. The largest species and individual numbers were observed at the clear-cut fenced site, where pioneer species such as Mallotus japonicus were found. A few seedlings of Q. serrata were found at each treatment site, and no Q. variabilis was recorded. The emergence of Q. serrata seedlings was explained by their location at the slope and not by the treatment. Moreover, many sprouts of Q. serrata and Q. variabilis were observed at the clear-cut fenced site. Although further monitoring is needed, clear-cutting and fencing appear to be an effective method for the rehabilitation of depleted forests.

The prevalence of anxiety in patients with chronic constipation is particularly high and these individuals are not necessarily satisfied by normal treatments targeting the gastrointestinal tract. Kamikihito, a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine, has been widely used to date in treating anxiety and neurosis in Japan. We conducted a single-arm, open-label pilot study of female patients with intractable chronic constipation and anxiety who took kamikihito by mouth for 12 weeks.Validated symptom questionnaires on anxiety and gastrointestinal symptoms [the Profile of Mood States, second edition (POMS2); the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS)] were completed at each study visit. Plasma, salivary, and stool samples were also assessed to evaluate levels of clinical bioactive substances linked to stress and inflammation, oxidative levels, the metabolome profile, and gut microbiota.Twenty-four patients completed this study. Anxiety was significantly reduced at four and 12 weeks (Tension-Anxiety subscale of the POMS2, p = 0.006 and p = 0.039; Trait anxiety score of the STAI, p 0.001 and p = 0.034), while the total GSRS score was improved at 12 weeks (p = 0.039). Targeted metabolomics in plasma showed significant alterations in some metabolites associated with psychological symptoms, such as O-phosphoethanolamine. No significant differences were found between pre- and posttreatment levels of clinical bioactive substances related to stress and inflammation, oxidative levels, and the gut microbiota in this cohort. No serious adverse events occurred.Kamikihito ameliorated psychological and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic constipation. In parallel with the onset of efficacy, kamikihito modulated some anxiety-related metabolites. Kamikihito was safe and well-tolerated.

Research shows that the intensity impact factors of wood, such as late timber ratio, volume density and the intensity of itself, correlate with the width of wood annual rings. Therefore, extracting wood annual ring information from wood images is helpful for evaluating wood quality. During the past few years, many researchers have conducted defect detection by studying the information of wood images. However, there are few in-depth studies on the statistics and calculation of wood annual ring information. This study proposes a new model combining the Total Variation (TV) algorithm and the improved Hough transform to accurately measure the wood annual ring information. The TV algorithm is used to suppress image noise, and the Hough transform is for detecting the center of the wood image. Moreover, the edges of wood annual rings are extracted, and the statistical ring information is calculated. The experimental results show that the new model has good denoising capability, clearly extract the edges of wood annual rings and calculate the related parameters from the indoor wood images of the processed logs and the unprocessed low-noise logs.

Objective: To maintain a sustainable forest, the existence of saplings plays an important role. The light environment is one of the most important parameters influencing the forest floor vegetation. To restore a natural forest, two techniques were introduced 25 years ago on a slope in the Akandana parking lot,Japan: a mixed-species plantation method and a sowing method. The mixed-species plantation slope is a multilayered forest where the number of saplings was abundant, whereas the sowing slope is a monolayered forest where the dominance of herbaceous species and less number of saplings were confirmed. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the light environment at different heights as well as the daily fluctuation in the light conditions between the two slopes, and to decipher the influence of the light environment on the forest floor vegetation, especially on the saplings.Methods: We established 36 plots (5 m × 5 m) and measured relative photosynthetic photon flux density (rPPFD) at 1.0-m height intervals (using the midpoints) from 0.0 to 10.0 m. To continuously measure the fluctuation in the daily light environment for three days, one sensor was placed inside a typical point of the sowing slope and two sensors were placed inside the mixed-species plantation slope, one under the canopy gap point and one under the multilayered canopy.Results: The rPPFD at 0.0 m height on the sowing slope was significantly lower than that on the other slope because of the dominance of herbaceous species which hindered sapling establishment (P < 0.01). Moreover, the multilayered mixed-species plantation slope showed a wide variation in rPPFD in vertical and horizontal directions, whereas the monolayered sowing slope showed a uniform value.Conclusion: These findings suggest that the forest created by mixed-species plantation is more appropriate to be called a sustainable forest.

Increase in degraded plantation forests in Japan requires an integrated management system that enhances the multiple-use of forests to achieve sustainable forest management. This paper introduces the steps taken in Odai town in Mie Prefecture, Japan, to establish a forest management regime map by evaluating the site suitability for forestry. Site suitability was evaluated from two aspects: the natural site conditions and the relationship among site conditions, growth, and insect damage by Anaglyptus subfasciatus Pic. in Cryptomeria japonica D. Don and Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. et Zucc. forests. By analyzing the relationship among site conditions, growth, and insect damage based on field data obtained in plantation forests, a growth evaluation map and insect damage evaluation map were developed. Based on the natural forest investigation, natural site condition maps for C. japonica and C. obtusa were established. Furthermore, by integrating these evaluation maps with the forest road maps showing the accessibility to the forest, the forest management regime for whole of the plantation area of Odai town was established. The forest management regime map indicates sites suitable for long-rotation forestry and short-rotation forestry, and potential sites for short-rotation forestry. Sites more suitable for conversion to broadleaved forests are also identified. Based on the forest management regime map, different forest operations have begun to be implemented at each evaluated area. For sites suitable for long rotation, thinning is implemented for inferior trees and will be repeated as the trees approach the age for cutting (more than 100 years). Thinning is also conducted for the sites suitable for short rotation. However, these will be cut down more rapidly as the trees reach the age for cutting (50 years). At sites evaluated as being more suitable for conversion to broadleaved forests, clear-cutting in a small area is conducted and about 20 broadleaved species are planted in an area of 80–120 m2 protected by deer fences. As these measures have just begun, their effect on enhancing sustainable forest management is still being monitored. Notably, the people implementing these measures are proud of their task and work actively, which might be the most important driving force to solve the problem of plantation forest abandonment and to enhance sustainable forest management in Japan.

Objective: In recent years, many analyses have been conducted on the vertical structure of the forest using airborne LiDAR data. For analyze LiDAR data, analysis software is developed in Europe and USA. The forest conditions are quite differences between these country and Japan. In this study, we used Fusion/LiDAR Data Viewer (LDV) software that developed in USA, as a tool to analyze LiDAR data. The purpose of this study is to verify the efficacy of Fusion/LDV in Japanese forest management, in terms of function, accuracy, andtype of output obtained using this software.Methods: The verification parameters used in this study were tree height, crown base height (CBH), and crown width (CW). We used three data sources –automatically extracted Fusion/LDV data, manually measured Fusion/LDV data, and field survey data. In order to compare the obtained data, we used scatter diagram analysis, root-mean-square error (RMSE), and differences from three different types of field survey data.Results: The study findings confirmed relatively high precision of both the automatic and manual measurements by Fusion/LDV in estimating tree height. The inclination of linear regression was over 0.9 in two survey areas. The results of R square were over 0.7. But while neither the measurement of CBH nor that of CW had such precision. The inclination of linear regression was near zero or minus values.Conclusion: For individual tree height measurement, Fusion/LDV was very useful when a tree have a clear peak, it was available enough in Japanese forest environment.

The abandonment of sites after clearcutting plantations is increasing rapidly in Japan. Although a few stand-level studies have been conducted, a broad-scale study is needed to understand the general tendency of vegetation recovery and to obtain information for the management of such extensively distributed abandoned clearcut sites. This study is a province-level study that aims to interpret the patterns and factors in early-stage vegetation recovery at abandoned plantation clearcut sites. We also discuss the potential indicators that may determine whether a certain site recovers towards evergreen broad-leaved forest consisting of Castanopsis cuspidata and Quercus glauca or towards deciduous broad-leaved forest comprising Q. serrata and Q. acutissima. A cluster analysis revealed that five types of vegetation (evergreen trees, evergreen trees–deciduous pioneer shrubs, pioneer species, deciduous trees, and deciduous shrubs) were observed from an early stage of succession. The first two vegetation types were considered to recover successfully to the target vegetation of evergreen broad-leaved forest, but the remaining three vegetation types did not show any tendency to recover to the target vegetations. According to the results of the detrended correspondence analysis, a smaller size of the abandoned site with adjacent evergreen broad-leaved forest and a longer time after clearcutting were identified as factors that enhance the invasion of evergreen tree species; these factors are also useful to predict the future successional tendency. In conjunction with these factors, the existence of regeneration sources (i.e., stumps) that allow sprouting appeared to be an important indicator for predicting the early-stage vegetation recovery.

The expansion of forest plantations in New Zealand has modified both the landscape and the country’s economic environment. In the Nelson region, plantations were established relatively close to the city center during the past 20 years. However, the Resource Management Act (RMA), which was implemented in 1991, will influence future land-use changes including plantation expansion. This study uses discriminant functions derived from the analysis of past land-use changes to predict future land-use patterns taking into account restrictions imposed by the RMA. Areas with high potential for plantation establishment, were mapped and compared with the District Plans to determine whether plantations could be established under the restrictions of the RMA. Indigenous forests were well conserved by the District Plans and therefore no areas were available for further establishment of plantations. Fifteen thousand hectare of shrub and 37,000 ha of pasture (52,000 ha in total) were available for further plantation establishment in the Nelson region. Considering other land-use changes, such as from pasture to shrub and from pasture to horticultural land, pasture that currently surrounds the city center was predicted to disappear. Instead, plantations would become the dominant land-use. This change in land-use pattern will make the lowland landscape more homogenous, and therefore make it more difficult to conserve and enhance biodiversity. Conservation and rehabilitation of lowland vegetation are recommended to be introduced into the district plan to reduce the influence of expansion of forest plantations.

The importance of a resource and forest management system integrated with land use management is widely recognized in the world. New Zealand (NZ) was the country took the lead to establish the integrated resource management system by dividing the role of natural forests and plantation forests clearly and by establishing the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). This review aims to introduce NZ's forest management system, their developing processes and the effectiveness or problems of the system. Comparison to Japan's forest management system was also stated.The dichotomous management system, which manages indigenous forest for environmental conservation and plantation forest for timber production, allowed the indigenous forests to be free from harvesting. New Zealand was able to conduct this system because of (1) the small area of indigenous forest remaining on the hill countries, (2) the development of plantation forestry to a promising industry and (3) the pressure of rationalization and the conservation movement. The dichotomous forest management system itself is not likely to apply for Japan because of the difference of forest distribution pattern and the profitability of forestry. Nonetheless, the process for clarifying the role of administration bodies and the legislation related to forests might be able to introduce because forest legislations and their administration bodies are still fragmented in Japan.The establishment of the RMA accompanied by the central government reform, local government reform, and the integration of environmental legislations. These processes enabled the RMA to provide the platform to implement integrated resource management. Although some problems are still remaining, the RMA is an advanced comprehensive environmental law that put every effort to minimize contradiction among legislations and conflicts among the administration bodies. In order to establish an integrated resource or forest management system in Japan, reviewing processes of the administration system and legislations as conducted in NZ might be important.

Forestry is expanding in New Zealand and increasingly contributing to the economy. The expansion has also altered the landscape and will continue to do so. In addition, the implementation of the district plan under the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991 also directly influences the expansion of forestry and the future land-use. Using Nelson region as a case study, the difference in land-use distribution patterns between the mid-1970s and 1990s, and the land-use changes over the 20 years were interpreted. The factors influencing the changes were also examined. Because landscape is mainly changed by human activity, land-use change was considered from an economic perspective. Thus, the productivity, the land-use capability (LUC), and the distance from the city center were considered as well as the physical attributes of the land. The objective was to establish a data set from which future land-use could be predicted. Forest expansion over the period was mainly from shrub or pasture, and horticulture expansion from pasture. Both changes probably were related to the higher returns from forestry and horticulture than from sheep grazing or dairy farming. Based on discriminant analysis, the distance from the city was always the main factor determining the land-use change, which reflects costs and ease of transportation. Conversion to plantation over the 20-year period was closer to the city than conversion to pasture. Since more intensive and higher demand land-use tends to be closer to the city, this means that forestry had priority over pasture during this period. If this tendency continues, it will probably change the regions land-use distribution pattern in the future. The large conversion of shrub to other land-uses over the period is of concern because of risk of reduction in biodiversity and loss of habitat for threatened species. Based on discriminant analysis, the data set in this study was useful for predicting the future land-use.

The expansion of plantation forestry in New Zealandduring the last century has altered the landscape and will continue to do so in the future. The implementation of recent resource management policy, the 1991 Resource Management Act (RMA), will also influence the impact of future plantation expansion on the landscape. It is necessary to analyze current land-use patterns in order to predict effects on future landscapes. This study analyzed the current land-use patterns of the Nelson region by examining the relationship between land-use and site conditions and by characterizing the distribution pattern of land-use depending on distance from the city. The distribution pattern was considered from an economic perspective, based on the Barlowe’s model of land use distribution. The relationship between the current land-use pattern and previous land management policy was also examined using the Land Use Capability. Consequently, in addition to the physical attributes of the land, the influence of land-use management policy was obvious. Thus the RMA will undoubtedly influence land-use changes in the future. It is therefore necessary to understand the factors determining changes in land-use patterns in conjunction with the district plan of the RMA to predict future changes in land-use.

Four new dihydrophenanthrene derivatives, spiranthesol, spiranthoquinone, spiranthol-C, and spirasineol-B, were isolated from the roots of Spiranthes sinensis (PERS.) AMES var. amoena (M. BIEBERSON) HARA (Japanese name "nezibana"). The structures 1, 2, 3, and 4 were proposed for these compounds, respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic data obtained by various methods including 1H-detected heteronuclear multiple-bond multiple-quantum coherence (HMBC) spectroscopy. Chemical conversions of spiranthol-A to spiranthol-C and spiranthoquinone and of spirasineol-A-to spirasineol-B are also described.

The primordium of the mammalian adenohypophysis derived from Rathke's pouch (RP) is known to be formed by oral ectoderm invagination. However, in the early phase of pituitary development, the detailed process by which the oral ectoderm develops into the adenohypophysis remains largely unknown. Using high-resolution non-radiolabeled in situ hybridization and the BrdU and TUNEL methods, we have examined the detailed expression pattern of factors involved in the formation of RP of chicken and the changes in the mitotic and apoptotic cell regions in RP. In the chicken embryo, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) mRNA was initially expressed in the stomodeal plate but not in the oral ectoderm. After prospective diencephalon had detached from the oral ectoderm, another Shh-expressing region appeared in the most rostral part of the recess. LIM homeobox gene 3 (Lhx3) mRNA first appeared in the anterior area of Rathke's recess, and expression then spread to the caudal region. alphaGSU mRNA-expressing cells were observed at both ends of the Lhx3-expressing region, and thereafter the expression area moved to the posterior region. Furthermore, a close overlap was found between the proliferating region and Lhx3 mRNA-expressing area, and TUNEL-positive cells appeared in Seessel's pouch derived from the foregut. Thus, the primordium of the pituitary gland corresponding to the Lhx3-expressing region is surrounded by the Shh-expressing region, which appears in two steps, and the mass growth and invagination of RP of chicken result from the coordination of the dorsal extension of the anterior region and the ventral extension of the posterior region of RP.

Variation of the center of gravity were recorded in 11 patients and normal controls. Involuntary fluctuation segments were extracted and analysed. In patients with posture disorder, randomness were lower than that in the other patients. Results suggested that the random oscillation of the sway plays important role in posture control.

The variation of the center of gravity and microvibration were measured. The data analysed by FFT showed that the spectra of both body sway and microvibration had a 1/fα feature. But theirserious differences suggested that the origin of the microvibration is not related to the body sway oscillation.

Time series of the center of gravity were analysed to investigate the effect of visual distraction on posture control function. Visual distraction was created by rotating disk filled with geographical patterns. Specific fluctuation related to visual signal was observed. The role of visual sensory processing in posture control was discussed.