Japanese ratification of the Kyoto Protocol

Abstract

This paper discusses Japan's quantitative Kyoto target in the context of the country's socio-economic and political background and its desire to express international leadership. Japan's initial negotiating target was developed as a compromise between domestic industrial considerations and its international ambitions, and was strengthened further under the pressures to achieve success at Kyoto.

The original projections relied heavily upon nuclear expansion that will not be realized. Though economic stagnation has helped emissions to decline from their mid-1990s peak, it has also reduced the attention devoted to climate change and the willingness to bear costs, and Japan's commitment remains daunting. Japanese bureaucrats and diplomats are called to work closer together and in an integrated manner in order to develop a new, more realistic policy package for achieving their target. This report analyses various scenarios for additional policies for Japan, including fuel switching, carbon taxation and emissions trading, and concludes that the introduction of gas in the context of energy market liberalization is a key possibility. It also considers the sink and the nuclear energy issues both of high importance for the country.     

Response of Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in the Yellow Sea over the past 400 a

Quantitative identification of long-term changes in the abundance of Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) in the Yellow Sea is particularly important for understanding evolutionary processes of the Yellow Sea ecosystem. Unfortunately, the driving mechanisms of climate variability on the anchovy are still unclear due to the lack of long-term observational data. In this study, we used the fish scale deposition rate in the central Yellow Sea to reconstruct the time series of the anchovy stock over the past 400 a. On this basis, we further explored the impacts of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the anchovy. Our results show that the anchovy stock is positively correlated with the PDO on a decadal time scale. In addition, anchovy abundance was relatively high during 1620–1860 AD (the Little Ice Age, LIA), though in a state of constant fluctuation; anchovy abundance maintained at a relatively low level after ~1860 AD. In particular, followed by overfishing since the 1980s, the anchovy stock has declined sharply. Based on these findings, we infer that fluctuations of the anchovy stock may be regulated by basin-scale “atmosphere–ocean” interactions. Nevertheless, the role of overfishing should not be ignored.     

芥川龙之介《水虎》三元比较研究

芥川龙之介的《水虎》与果戈理的《狂人日记》、鲁迅的《狂人日记》均采用了现实主义与象征主义相结合的创作方法,一针见血地揭露了社会制度的黑暗与腐朽。但他们在创作方法上使用的象征主义和对社会现实揭露的广度与深度不完全相同,主人公的思想高度更是各不相同。作品创作的背景、历史条件,作者的思想高度、性格特点和创作风格是造成这些差别的根源。     

自然环境下虾夷扇贝(Patinopecten yessoensis)体内麻痹性贝毒的净化研究

为探究在自然环境中虾夷扇贝Patinopecten yessoensis体内麻痹性贝毒(PSTs)的净化过程,从黄海北部大窑湾海域采集了受PSTs污染的虾夷扇贝,将其转移至黄海的棋盘磨水域,该水域未曾有PSTs污染的报道。本研究采用高效液相色谱-荧光检测法(HPLC-FLD)检测30天净化过程中虾夷扇贝体内PSTs的组分和水平。研究结果发现,在第9天,虾夷扇贝软体中的PSTs的含量下降到一个相对较低的水平。而且,初期扇贝体内PSTs的净化率高于后期。扇贝各组织器官中PSTs含量分析发现,消化腺中的PSTs含量最高,这对于人类健康和扇贝养殖具有重要的意义。在本研究中还发现,虾夷扇贝的死亡率与PSTs的水平有一定的关系。     

浅谈日语语音的浊音化现象——从か、た行谈起

日语的语音存在清音浊化的现象,对此,解释甚多.着重从か、た行入手,分析这种现象,探讨其产生的原因及发音标准.并通过与汉语相比较,认识两国人在此问题上的理解差异.     

In vitro acute cytotoxicity of neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid to gill cell line of flounder Paralichthy olivaceus

In vitro acute cytotoxicity of neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) to the gill cell line of flounder (FG) that collected in the gill of Paralichthys olivaceus, was examined by 3 widely used endpoint bioassays: NR (neutral red), MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and TCP (total cell protein). The result shows that the IMI increased at concentrations ≥0.5 μg/ml. The IC50 value of NR, MTT, and TCP was 41.86, 38.46, and 39.08 μg/ml, respectively. The ultrastructural observation revealed that the mitochondria of the cells exposed to 60 μg/ml IMI for 48 h were severely damaged, swollen or disrupted, while their nuclei and rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) remained normal. This would suggest that the mitochondria are probably the primary target of IMI.     

Tissue Expression and Stock Variation of Isozymes of Stone Flounder （Kareius bicoloratus）

Tissue expression and stock variation of isozymes of stone flounder (Kareius bicoloratus) were analyzed with horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. For the fourteen enzymes assayed, 31 loci were recorded. The results indicated that all the isozymes ex- amined were obviously tissue-specific. The expressions of SOD*, GDH*, G3PDH-2* and ADH-2* were detected only in liver, SDH-1*, MDH-1* and ADH-1* only in muscle, and LDH-B* and LDH-C* only in eyes. In comparison, MDH-2*, GPI-3* and SDH-2* were detected in all tissues examined. Other loci examined were detected in a variety of tissues. Muscle and liver were se- lected to detect the isozyme variation of the two geographic stocks of Qingdao and Weihai, Shandong Province, China. The percent- ages of polymorphic loci (P0.99) were 29.17% and 25.00%, the observed heterozygosities (H0) were 0.028 ± 0.014 and 0.040 ± 0.019, and the expected heterozygosities (He) were 0.039 ± 0.017 and 0.052 ± 0.022 in Qingdao and Weihai stock, respectively. The coeffi- cient of gene differentiation (Fst) and genetic distance (D) between the two stocks was 0.012 and 0.0011, respectively, indicating that the genetic differentiation is low between them. Compared with other species of Pleuronectiformes, both the percentage of polymor- phic loci and the mean heterozygosity of K. bicoloratus were at a middle level.     

Estimation of suspended sediment sources using 137Cs and 210Pbex in unmanaged Japanese cypress plantation watersheds in southern Japan

To analyse suspended sediment sources in unmanaged Japanese cypress plantation watersheds, field measurements and fingerprinting of the suspended sediment was conducted in the Shimanto River basin in southern Japan. For sediment fingerprinting, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex were detected by means of gamma‐ray spectrometry in the surface soil of the forest floor, stream bank and truck trail and mobilized sediment by interrill erosion. The ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex activities associated with the forest floor materials were considerably higher than those of the stream bank and truck trail. The ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex activities associated with the suspended sediment were found to vary with the sampling period. Evidently, the suspended sediment can comprise materials generated from the forest floor by interrill erosion and those from the truck trail and/or stream bank. The multivariate sediment‐mixing model using ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex showed that the contribution of the forest floor varied periodically, ranging from 23–56% in the Hinoki 156 subwatershed and from 18–85% in the Hinoki 155 subwatershed. The difference in the average contribution of the forest floor between Hinoki 156 (46%) and Hinoki 155 (69%) may relate to the presence of truck trail networks in the watershed. The truck trail network can play roles of sediment source and pathway for sediment from forest floor to stream channel due to the concentrated overland flow on the truck trail during heavy rainfall events. These results indicate that the forest floor should be recognized as a major source of suspended sediment in unmanaged Japanese cypress plantation watersheds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Do foreign subsidiaries innovate and perform better in a cluster? A spatial analysis of Japanese subsidiaries in the US

The interrelationship between clustering, innovation, and performance of Japanese subsidiaries in the US is examined in this paper. First, we apply Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic to identify process innovation clustering among Japanese subsidiaries. The scale at which clustering occurs is regional rather than local, and cluster location captures the geographical environment of home-transplants from Japan. Second, we apply spatial autoregressive models to test the relationship between cluster location and innovation among Japanese subsidiaries. The results indicate that cluster location strengthens the relationship between subsidiary innovation and firm performance. Negative spatial autocorrelation shows that clustering contributes to innovation by facilitating proximate learning between less innovative laggards, and, leading innovative Japanese subsidiaries.     

桂林暴雨分析与预报

通过分析历年汛期各类暴雨过程的日本数值预报产品资料,统计出桂林历年暴雨过程的天气形势和数值产品要素特征,并检验了日本短期预报产品对各类暴雨的预报能力。然后通过对预报桂林暴雨的各种日本数值产品临界值的分析,挑选出一些相关性较好的要素产品预报因子,统计出桂林局部暴雨过程和致洪暴雨过程预报指标,最后对大暴雨过程预报指标及连续性暴雨过程的数值产品特征作了初步分析。