Ecological value of gravel pit ponds for floodplain wetland fish

Floodplain wetlands support high biodiversity, but they have been degraded and geographically fragmented due to human activities. Some types of human-created waterbodies have received growing attention as alternative habitats for conserving wetland biodiversity. Gravel pit ponds (GPPs) are human-created wetlands formed when a gravel pit is excavated at or below the water table and filled with groundwater. Differences in community structure among GPPs and floodplain wetlands with respect to habitat characteristics are scarcely known, resulting in insufficient evaluations of the ecological value of GPPs for floodplain wetland species. In this study, we evaluated the ecological value of GPPs for wetland fishes in floodplain landscapes. We surveyed fish abundance, community composition, and 10 environmental factors in GPPs and two types of floodplain ponds (remnant ponds and river backwaters) to clarify the biotic and abiotic differences among the pond types. Environmental factors were similar among the pond types, with only water temperature and the distance from the main channel to the pond significantly lower in river backwaters. The richness and abundance of native fish species did not differ among the pond types, but species composition did. Rhynchocypris percnura sachalinensis, Carassius sp., and Lethenteron sp. N (one of the two cryptic species of Lethenteron reissneri) were selected as indicator species in GPPs, remnant ponds, and river backwaters, respectively. These results indicate that GPPs provide valuable habitats for wetland fishes in floodplain landscapes and support regional gamma diversity. Since many species inhabited the GPPs in this study, including red list species, appropriate management of GPPs is important to conserve wetland fishes

Catchment geology preconditions spatio-temporal heterogeneity of ecosystem functioning in forested headwater streams

Catchment geology can affect water chemistry and groundwater influence, eventually affecting macroinvertebrate communities, but its effects on stream functions such as leaf decomposition have been scarcely investigated. To understand the effects of geology on leaf decomposition, we conducted leaf litter experiments in streams with volcanic and non-volcanic substrata using fine and coarse mesh bags. Volcanic spring-fed streams showed lower temperature in summer and higher temperature in winter (with temperature difference being more pronounced later in incubation) than non-volcanic streams. Macroinvertebrate communities captured inside coarse litter bags differed in the two stream types in both seasons, mainly because of shredder communities. Shredder abundance and biomass were higher in volcanic streams in both seasons. Geology-dependent temperature influenced microbe-mediated decomposition in both seasons, with total phosphorus as an additional driver in winter. Summer temperature was associated with an overall positive effect on the abundance of shredders, which affected invertebrate-mediated decomposition, but this was not evident in winter. Shredder activity in volcanic streams compensated for temperature-dependent microbial activity resulting in an overall balance in leaf decomposition. Spring-fed systems are valuable ecosystems, particularly for cold-adapted species. Thus, understanding these understudied ecosystems will significantly aid in their appropriate conservation

Reconciling biodiversity conservation and flood risk reduction : The new strategy for freshwater protected areas

Aim: Natural disaster risk reduction (DRR) is becoming a more important function of protected area (PAs) for current and future global warming. However, biodiversity conservation and DRR have been handled separately and their interrelationship has not been explicitly addressed. This is mainly because, due of prevailing strategies and criteria for PA placement, a large proportion of PAs are currently located far from human-occupied areas, and habitats in human-occupied areas have been largely ignored as potential sites for conservation despite their high biodiversity. If intensely developed lowland areas with high flooding risk overlap with important sites for biodiversity conservation, it would be reasonable to try to harmonize biodiversity conservation and human development in human-inhabited lowland areas. Here, we examined whether extant PAs can conserve macroinvertebrate and freshwater fish biodiversity and whether human-inhabited lowland flood risk management sites might be suitable to designate as freshwater protected areas (FPAs). Location: Across Japan. Methods: We examined whether extant PAs can conserve macroinvertebrate and freshwater fish biodiversity and analysed the relationship between candidate sites for new FPAs and flood disaster risk and land use intensity at a national scale across Japan based on distribution data for 131 freshwater fish species and 1395 macroinvertebrate species. Results: We found that extant PAs overlapped with approximately 30% of conservation-priority grid cells (1 km2) for both taxa. Particularly for red-listed species, only one species of freshwater fish and three species of macroinvertebrate achieved the representation target within extant PAs. Moreover, more than 40% of candidate conservation-priority grid cells were located in flood risk and human-occupied areas for both taxa. Main conclusions: Floodplain conservation provides suitable habitat for many freshwater organisms and helps control floodwaters, so establishing new FPAs in areas with high flood risk could be a win-win strategy for conserving freshwater biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem-based DRR (eco-DRR)

保護者の運動・スポーツ実践と意識が子どもの体力向上に与える影響に関する研究 : 宮城県T小学校体力検定結果を踏まえて

In September 2000, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) revised its Basic Plan for the Promotion of Sports, and improving the physical strength of children became one of the major new policy issues. MEXT commissioned the National Federation of Physical Training Instructors to implement a survey research, which included a test of physical strength carried out at T Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture. Based on the results of this test, the survey, which targeted the parents of this elementary school, identified that parents who played sport and exercised were aware of their own high level of own physical strength and athletic ability. Moreover, these parents recognized the physical strength and athletic ability of their children and encouraged them to exercise and play sports. The survey also highlighted the case of parents with the opposite tendency to those parents who considered their children\u27s physical strength and athletic ability to be high

日本におけるアスレティックトレーナー界の発展に関する提案 : 特に資格認定団体と業界団体の区別を意識して

The purpose of this paper is to suggest how to develop an athletic trainer\u27s society in Japan. This paper is mainly considered the difference an association that qualify as an athletic trainer and a trade association. Especially, we propose following four point, "increase members", "build a trade association of Athletic trainer", "realize blush-up education", " make a system which profits by stakeholders". Moreover, we propose the evaluation index that can find how develop an athletic trainers society in Japan

Amplified EPOR/JAK2 Genes Define a Unique Subtype of Acute Erythroid Leukemia

ゲノム解析から急性赤白血病の変異プロファイルと治療標的を解明 --特定の遺伝子変異群の組み合わせと、特徴となる遺伝子の増幅が鍵--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-05.Acute erythroid leukemia (AEL) is a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia characterized by prominent erythroid proliferation whose molecular basis is poorly understood. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of erythroid proliferation, we analyzed 121 AEL using whole-genome/exome and/or targeted-capture sequencing, together with transcriptome analysis of 21 AEL samples. Combining publicly available sequencing data, we found a high frequency of gains/amplifications involving EPOR/JAK2 in TP53-mutated cases, particularly those having >80% erythroblasts designated as pure erythroid leukemia (10/13). These cases were frequently accompanied by gains/amplifications of ERG/ETS2 and associated with a very poor prognosis, even compared with other TP53-mutated AEL. In addition to activation of the STAT5 pathway, a common feature across all AEL cases, these AEL cases exhibited enhanced cell proliferation and heme metabolism and often showed high sensitivity to ruxolitinib in vitro and in xenograft models, highlighting a potential role of JAK2 inhibition in therapeutics of AEL

A survey on clinical training stress among students of Judo therapist training schools : focus on differences in grade-specific training modes

The accreditation rules for judo therapist training schools have been revised, and the scope of clinical training has been expanded in terms of its contents, duration, and so on. Consequently, the importance of clinical training has increased. While these schools develop clinical training based on the guidelines for (on-site) clinical training, each school independently selects the training location, duration, contents, and so on. However, the actual condition of the students undergoing clinical training remains unknown. Although there have been many reports on the stress of students in other healthcare fields who undergo clinical training, there are few studies on the stress of students who undergo clinical training at judo therapist training schools. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the psychological and physical responses to stress in students at judo therapist training schools that implement different training modes for each grade. The participants were 252 second- to fourth-year students who underwent clinical training. Psychological responses were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and physical responses were measured by salivary alpha-amylase activity assay and acceleration plethysmography. The results showed that the STAI scores, which represent the level of psychological response, were higher before the clinical training for the second-year students and after for the third- and fourth-year students. As for physical re-sponses, acceleration plethysmography showed higher heart rates before the clinical training in the second- and third-year students. Moreover, it was observed that the participants had low stress levels during the clinical training. Thus, the results revealed that during the clinical training, the participants exhibited significant psycho-logical responses, but there were no marked changes in their physical responses. A possible reason for the absence of excessive stress is that the implementation of participatory clinical training through a step-by-step approach of observation, imitation, and practice helped alleviate the participants’ anxie-ty-related stress. The results of this study indicate that the participants underwent clinical training with moderate levels of stress.柔道整復師学校養成施設指定規則が改正され，臨床実習の実施内容および実施時間などの拡大が進んだことで，その重要性が高まっている。柔道整復師学校養成施設の臨床実習は，臨床（地）実習ガイドラインに基づいて展開されるが，実習場所や実施時間および実習内容などは，各学校単位で選定し臨床実習が進められている。しかし，臨床実習に臨む学生の実態が未だ明確となっていない。すなわち，他のコメディカルでは，臨床実習に臨む学生のストレスに関わる報告が多いなか，柔道整復師学校養成施設での臨床実習に臨む学生のストレス調査に関した報告は少ない。 本研究では，柔道整復師学校養成施設での臨床実習形態が異なる各学年について，学生の心理的反応と身体的反応のストレスを調査することを目的とした。 対象は，臨床実習を履修した2年次から4年次の学生252名とした。心理的反応は状態－不安尺度（STAI）を用いて測定し，身体的反応は唾液アミラーゼ活性測定（SAA）と加速度脈波測定を用いて測定した。研究結果から，心理的反応のSTAIでは2年次の実習前に高値を示し，3年次と4年次では実習後に高値を示した。身体的反応の加速度脈波では，2年次と3年次の実習前に高値を示した。また，本研究での臨床実習における学生へのストレスは，低ストレスにて経過したことが示唆された。 本研究の臨床実習では，心理的反応において有意な反応を示したが，身体的反応では大きな変化が生じず実習を経過したことが示唆された。その要因として，診療参加型臨床実習を原則とした見学・模倣・実施を段階的に実践し，学生の不安に関わるストレスを軽減させたことが，過度なストレスに至らなかった要因と考える。結果，本研究での臨床実習では適度な緊張範囲のストレスにて実習を経過したことが結果より考察される。原著論文departmental bulletin pape

Response of aquatic insects along gradients of agricultural development and flood magnitude in northern Japanese streams

Agricultural activities have increased environmental homogenisation in stream ecosystems. These alterations reduce the availability of flow refugia during flooding and increase the effects of flood disturbances on aquatic insects. Thus, we examined the effects of the agricultural development (percentage of pasture cover within the catchment) and flood magnitude (ratio of shear stress at high flow to that at low flow) on the resistance indices measured by relative changes in taxon richness or abundance between pre- and post-flood (all insects, five orders and 31 dominant taxa) at 27 sites in the Kitamihorobetsu River, northern Japan. The resistance index of taxon richness decreased with increasing agricultural development, whereas that of the abundance of all insects decreased synergistically with increasing agricultural development and flood magnitude. Among 31 dominant taxa, the resistance indices of 20 taxa, generally belonging to Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, exhibited stronger negative relationships with agricultural development than with flood magnitude. By contrast, three Diptera taxa exhibited week negative relationships with agricultural development. These results showed that the interactive effect between agricultural development and flood magnitude was taxon dependent, but agricultural development could be detrimental to the resistance of most of the studied taxa, especially Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa. Additionally, agricultural developments in our study watersheds was relatively low (< 18% pasture cover), and nevertheless, apparent interacting effects with natural disturbance was detected. This implies that limited agricultural development along the river line can lower the resistance of instream insects to natural disturbances

Environmental factors affecting the invasion success and morphological responses of a globally introduced crayfish in floodplain waterbodies

Floodplain ecosystems that are characterized by high habitat heterogeneity and hydrological connectivity are considered hotspots for freshwater biodiversity. However, these biodiversity-rich areas have been seriously threatened by biological invasions. The signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) is listed as 100 of the world's worst invasive species, and is a major threat to freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Here, we examined environmental factors relating to the invasion success of signal crayfish and their morphological responses in floodplain waterbodies. Classification and regression tree analyses showed that most of the influential factors differed between tributary and lake populations. In floodplain tributaries, the occurrence of crayfish was positively related with water temperature and abundance of leaf cover, while crayfish abundance was highest where large-wood was abundant. In floodplain lakes, crayfish were absent at oxygen-poor sites, and abundant at sites with high connectivity to a main channel. These results indicate that conservation practitioners should consider different environmental factors in accordance with strategies for invasive species management (i.e., offensive or defensive management). Furthermore, we demonstrated morphological differences between tributary and lake populations, with tributary crayfish having wider chelae. These morphological differences might have resulted from the physical differences between the two types of waterbodies, facilitating the rapid invasion of signal crayfish to floodplain waterbodies. Our study showed that invasion-risk assessments should consider both environmental factors and morphological responses to new environments to understand invasion ecology and to form effective conservation plans and to prioritize management actions