ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Since the early design of activities to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the need to engage local communities and indigenous groups in monitoring and reporting has been recognized. REDD+ has advanced under the UNFCCC negotiations, but most countries still need to define formally what the role of communities in their national monitoring systems will be. Previous research and experiences have shown that local communities can effectively contribute in the monitoring of natural resources. This editorial introduces a Special Issue of Forests which discusses the implications of and potential for including community based monitoring (CBM) in monitoring and benefit-sharing systems in REDD+. It outlines the main points of the nine contributions to the Special Issue which cover a wide geographical area and report on projects and research which engages more than 150 communities from eight different countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The editorial summarizes how the articles and reports build further understanding of the potential of CBM to contribute to the implementation, monitoring and distribution of benefits in REDD+. It also discusses the results of an on-going opinion survey on issues related to CBM and its relation to benefit sharing, which indicates that there is still disagreement on a number of key elements.

Description / Table of Contents: Geothermal energy has been harnessed for recreational uses for millennia, but only for electricity generation for a little over a century. Although geothermal is unique amongst renewables for its baseload and renewable heat provision capabilities, uptake continues to lag far behind that of solar and wind. This is mainly attributable to (i) uncertainties over resource availability in poorly-explored reservoirs and (ii) the concentration of full-lifetime costs into early-stage capital expenditure (capex). Recent advances in reservoir characterization techniques are beginning to narrow the bounds of exploration uncertainty, both by improving estimates of reservoir geometry and properties, and by providing pre-drilling estimates of temperature at depth. Advances in drilling technologies and management have potential to significantly lower initial capex, while operating expenditure is being further reduced by more effective reservoir management—supported by robust models—and increasingly efficient energy conversion systems (flash, binary and combined-heat-and-power). Advances in characterization and modelling are also improving management of shallow low-enthalpy resources that can only be exploited using heat-pump technology. Taken together with increased public appreciation of the benefits of geothermal, the technology is finally ready to take its place as a mainstream renewable technology, exploited far beyond its traditional confines in the world’s volcanic regions.

Description / Table of Contents: 1 Introduction: Overview of Our Research on Impacts of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident on Fish and Fishing Grounds --- Part I Seawater and Plankton --- 2 134Cs and 137Cs in the Seawater Around Japan and in the North Pacific --- 3 Temporal Changes in 137Cs Concentration in Zooplankton and Seawater off the Joban–Sanriku Coast, and in Sendai Bay, After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Accident --- Part II Sediments and Benthos --- 4 Three-Dimensional Distribution of Radiocesium in Sea Sediment Derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant --- 5 Radiocesium Concentrations in the Organic Fraction of Sea Sediments --- 6 Bottom Turbidity, Boundary Layer Dynamics, and Associated Transport of Suspended Particulate Materials off the Fukushima Coast --- 7 Investigation of Radiocesium Translation from Contaminated Sediment to Benthic Organisms --- Part III Marine Fish --- 8 Detection of 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs Released into the Atmosphere from FNPP in Small Epipelagic Fishes, Japanese Sardine and Japanese Anchovy, off the Kanto Area, Japan --- 9 Radiocesium Concentration of Small Epipelagic Fishes (Sardine and Japanese Anchovy) off the Kashima-Boso Area --- 10 Why Do the Radionuclide Concentrations of Pacific Cod Depend on the Body Size? --- 11 Radiocesium Contamination Histories of Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) After the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident --- Part IV Mechanisms of Severe Contamination in Fish --- 12 Evaluating the Probability of Catching Fat Greenlings (Hexagrammos otakii) Highly Contaminated with Radiocesium off the Coast of Fukushima --- 13 Analysis of the Contamination Process of the Extremely Contaminated Fat Greenling by Fukushima-Derived Radioactive Material --- 14 Contamination Levels of Radioactive Cesium in Fat Greenling Caught at the Main Port of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant --- Part V Freshwater Systems --- 15 Comparison of Radioactive Cesium Contamination of Lake Water, Bottom Sediment, Plankton, and Freshwater Fish Among Lakes of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, After the Fukushima Fallout --- 16 Radiocesium Concentrations and Body Size of Freshwater Fish in Lake Hayama 1 Year After the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident --- 17 Spatiotemporal Monitoring of 134Cs and 137Cs in Ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis, a Microalgae-Grazing Fish, and in Their Freshwater Habitats in Fukushima --- 18 Radiocesium Concentrations in the Muscle and Eggs of Salmonids from Lake Chuzenji, Japan, After the Fukushima Fallout --- 19 Assessment of Radiocesium Accumulation by Hatchery-Reared Salmonids After the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Description / Table of Contents: Urban water management has somewhat changed since the publication of The Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) Manual in 2007 [1], transforming from building traditional sewers to implementing SuDS, which are part of the best management practice techniques used in the USA and seen as contributing to water-sensitive urban design in Australia. Most SuDS, such as infiltration trenches, swales, green roofs, ponds, and wetlands, address water quality and quantity challenges, and enhance the local biodiversity while also being acceptable aesthetically to the public. Barriers to the implementation of SuDS include adoption problems, flood and diffuse pollution control challenges, negative public perception, and a lack of decision support tools addressing, particularly, the retrofitting of these systems while enhancing ecosystem services.

Description / Table of Contents: CIRIAF (Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment “Mauro Felli” is a research center, based at the University of Perugia, which promotes interdisciplinary research activities in the fields of environmental pollution and its health and socio-economic effects, sustainable development, renewable and alternative energy, energy planning, and sustainable mobility. One hundred professors from fourteen different Italian universities are involved in the activities of the center. The CIRIAF National Congress (e.g., the fourteenth one in 2014), has become, over time, an important event for researchers and experts (engineers, physicists, chemists, architects, doctors, and economists). These individuals are not simply academics; they also hail from ministries, environmental agencies, and local authorities. The annual meeting in Perugia is an opportunity to discuss the issues related to energy, environment and sustainable development. The Special Issue will include the best papers presented at the Congress. These were selected by the Scientific Committee with the help of the various Chairmen of the Sessions. The papers cover all the various aspects of sustainability, from an interdisciplinary point of view, with a strong emphasis on the link between energy production, use and conservation, and environmental impact.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I The Road to Reconstruction from the Tsunami and Radioactive Contamination: Two and a Half Years On --- 1 Dealing with Disasters of Unprecedented Magnitude: The Local Government’s Tribulations and the Road to Reconstruction (Hidekiyo Tachiya) --- 2 Tokyo University of Agriculture East Japan Assistance Project Assisting with Reconstruction: Guiding Principles, Planning, and Propagation of Benefits (Toshiyuki Monma) --- 3 Characteristics of the Agricultural and Forestry Industries in the Soma Area and Damage Sustained as a Result of the Great East Japan Earthquake (Takahiro Yamada, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- Part II Reconstruction from Tsunami Damage --- 4 Reconstruction Support for the Farmland Struck by Tsunami (Itsuo Goto and Kaisei Inagaki) --- 5 Tsunami Damage to Farming Operations and the New Generation of Farmers and Farm Management (Yukio Shibuya, Takahiro Yamada, Nyamkhuu Batdelger, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Gentaro Suzumura, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- 6 Presenting a Model for Revival of Rural Communities in Japan’s Disaster Zones (Shigeyuki Miyabayashi, Yasushi Takeuchi, Hiromu Okazawa, Tomonori Fujikawa, and Yutaka Sasaki) --- 7 Contributing to Restoration of Tidal Flats in Miyagi Prefecture’s Moune Bay Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (Susumu Chiba, Takeshi Sonoda, Makoto Hatakeyama, and Katsuhide Yokoyama) --- Part III Reconstruction from Radioactive Contamination --- 8 Initiatives by the Soil Fertilization Team to Develop Agricultural Technologies for Paddy Fields with Radioactive Contamination (Itsuo Goto and Kaisei Inagaki) --- 9 The Potential for Producing Rice for Feed and Whole Crop Rice Silage in Radiation-Contaminated Areas (Seiji Nobuoka) --- 10 Developing and Trialing a System to Monitor Radionuclide in Individual Plots of Farmland to Help Reconstruction Farming in Contaminated Areas (Toshiyuki Monma, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Youichi Kawano, Dambii Byambasuren, Yuta Ono, and Quar Evine) --- 11 New Decontamination Methods for Parks and Other Areas in Which Radionuclide Have Accumulated (Mitsuo Kondo and Chizuko Mizuniwa) --- 12 Forest Restoration (Takahisa Hayashi) --- 13 Nuclear Radiation Levels in the Forest at Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture (Iwao Uehara, Tomoko Seyama, Fumio Eguchi, Ryuichi Tachibana, Yukito Nakamura, and Hiroya Obayashi ) --- 14 Radioactive Contamination of Ostriches in a Potentially Permanent Evacuation Zone (Hiroshi Ogawa, Hidehiko Uchiyama, Koji Masuda, Takeshi Sasaki, Tadao Watanabe, Toshiaki Tomizawa, and Schu Kawashima) --- 15 The Radioactive Contamination in Some Arthropod Species in Fukushima (Tarô Adati and Sota Tanaka) --- 16 A Consumer Survey Approach to Reputation-Based Damage Affecting Agricultural Products and How to Overcome It (Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Shizuka Matsumoto, Makoto Hoshi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- Part IV Activities and Impressions of Students and Farmers Who Supported the Project --- 17 Staking Recovery Hopes on Soma Revival Rice (Kaisei Inagaki, Tomoko Ninagi, Saburo Sasaki, and Akiko Sato) --- 18 Impression of the Students Participated in the Radioactivity Monitoring System of Farmland (Volodymyr Ganzha, Keiji Kanamori, Hana Fujimoto, and Ryo Itakura) --- 19 Impression of the Forestry managers and students participated in the Radioactivity Damage Investigation of Forests (Eihachi Horiuchi, Kiyoaki Sasaki, Masaaki Itakura, Chisato Yasukawa, and Chihiro Kinoshita)

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction: concept of TAIGA --- Geochemical constraints on potential biomass sustained by subseafloor water-rock interactions --- Microbial cell densities, community structures, and growth in the hydrothermal plumes of subduction hydrothermal systems --- Systematics of distributions of various elements between ferromanganese oxides and seawater from natural observation, thermodynamics, and structures --- Evaluating hydrothermal system evolution using geochronological dating and biological diversity analyses --- Quantification of microbial communities in hydrothermal vent habitats of the Southern Mariana Trough and the Mid-Okinawa Trough --- Development of hydrothermal and frictional experimental systems to simulate sub-seafloor water–rock–microbe interactions --- Experimental hydrogen production in hydrothermal and fault systems: Significance for habitability of subseafloor H2 chemoautotroph microbial ecosystems --- Experimental assessment of microbial effects on chemical interaction between seafloor massive sulfides and seawater at 4℃ --- A compilation of the stable isotopic compositions of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur in soft body parts of animals collected from deep-sea hydrothermal vent and methane seep fields: variations in energy source and importance of subsurface microbial processes in the sediment-hosted systems --- Tectonic background of four hydrothermal fields along the Central Indian Ridge --- Indian Ocean hydrothermal systems: seafloor hydrothermal activities, physical and chemical characteristics of hydrothermal fluids, and vent-associated biological communities --- Petrology and geochemistry of mid-ocean ridge basalts from the southern Central Indian Ridge --- Petrology of peridotites and related gabbroic rocks around the Kairei-hydrothermal field in the Central Indian Ridge --- Distribution and Biogeochemical Properties of Hydrothermal Plumes in the Rodriguez Triple Junction --- Vent fauna in the Central Indian Ridge --- The mantle dynamics, the crustal formation, and the hydrothermal activity of the Southern Mariana Trough back-arc Basin --- Seismic structure and seismicity in the Southern Mariana Trough and their relation to hydrothermal activity --- Electrical resistivity structure of the Snail site at the Southern Mariana Trough spreading center --- Asymmetric seafloor spreading of the southern Mariana Trough back-arc basin --- Geochemical characteristics of active backarc basin volcanisms at the southern end of Mariana Trough --- Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of hydrothermal minerals collected from hydrothermal vent fields in the Southern Mariana spreading center --- Dating of hydrothermal mineralization in active hydrothermal fields in the Southern Mariana Trough --- Intra-field variation of prokaryotic communities on and below the seafloor in the back-arc hydrothermal system of the Southern Mariana Trough --- Vent fauna in the Mariana Trough --- Population history of a hydrothermal vent-endemic snail Alviniconcha hessleri in the Mariana Trough --- Hydrothermal activity in the Okinawa Trough backarc basin -geological background and hydrothermal mineralization- --- Active rifting structures in Iheya Graben and adjacent area of the mid-Okinawa Trough observed through seismic reflection surveys --- ESR dating of barite in sea-floor hydrothermal sulfide deposits in the Okinawa Trough --- Fluid geochemistry of high-temperature hydrothermal fields in the Okinawa Trough --- Sediment‒pore water system associated with native sulfur formation at Jade hydrothermal field in Okinawa Trough --- Comparative investigation of microbial communities associated with hydrothermal activities in the Okinawa Trough --- In situ determination of bacterial growth in mixing zone of hydrothermal vent field on the Hatoma Knoll, Southern Okinawa Trough --- Vent Fauna in the Okinawa Trough --- Brief report of side-scan sonar observations around the Yokoniwa NTO massif --- Examination of volcanic activity: AUV and submersible observations of fine-scale lava flow distributions along the Southern Mariana Trough spreading axis --- Brief report of side-scan sonar imagery observations of the Archaean, Pika, and Urashima hydrothermal sites --- The Yoron Hole: the shallowest hydrothermal site in the Okinawa Trough --- The Irabu Knoll: Hydrothermal site at the eastern edge of the Yaeyama Graben --- Tarama Knoll: Geochemical and biological profiles of hydrothermal activity --- Petrography and geochemistry of basement rocks drilled from Snail, Yamanaka, Archean, and Pika hydrothermal fields at the Southern Mariana Trough by Benthic Multi-coring System (BMS) --- Pore fluid chemistry beneath active hydrothermal fields in the mid-Okinawa Trough: Results of shallow drilling by BMS during TAIGA11 cruise --- The characteristics of the seafloor massive sulfide deposits at the Hakurei Site in the Izena Hole, the Middle Okinawa Trough --- Occurrence of hydrothermal alteration minerals at the Jade hydrothermal field, in the Izena Hole, mid-Okinawa Trough --- Geochemistry of hydrothermal fluids collected from active hydrothermal systems in the southern Mariana Trough backarc spreading center --- Gamma ray doses in water around sea floor hydrothermal area in South Mariana --- 226Ra-210Pb and 228Ra-228Th dating of barite in submarine hydrothermal sulfide deposits collected at Okinawa Trough and South Mariana Trough --- OSL dating of sea floor sediments at the Okinawa Trough --- Immediate change of radiation doses from hydrothermal deposits --- Periodic behavior of deep sea current in the Hatoma Knoll hydrothermal system --- The gelatinous macroplankton community at the Hatoma Knoll hydrothermal vent

Description / Table of Contents: Part I Basic Research for Innovative Medicine --- 1. Diverting Glycolysis to Combat Oxidative Stress --- 2. Metabolic Regulation by Nuclear Receptors --- 3. Fighting Fire with Fire in Cancer --- 4. Linear Polyubiquitination: a Crucial Regulator of NF-kB Activation --- 5. VCP, a major ATPase in the cells, as a novel drug target for currently incurable disorders --- 6. Roles of E-cadherin in hepatocarcinogenesis --- 7. The Hippo Signaling Pathway: A Candidate New Drug Target for Malignant Tumors --- 8. Inhibitory immunoreceptors on mast cells in allergy and inflammation --- 9. Doxycycline-inducible Autoimmune Blistering Skin Disease Model --- 10. T-cell Senescence and Autoimmunity --- Part II Translational Research for Innovative Medicine --- 11. IL-6: A new era for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases --- 12. Pathogenesis of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis and Its Potential Therapeutic Strategies --- 13. Multifaceted translational approach of major mental illness --- 14. Translational research of leptin in lipodystrophy and its related diseases --- 15. Translational research of the activation of the C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP)-guanylyl cyclase-B pathway for skeletal dysplasia --- 16. Clarity and Challenges in Tissue Fibrosis --- 17. TRP Channels: Their Function and Potentiality as Drug Targets --- 18. Autophagic Cell Death and Cancer Chemotherapeutics --- 19. Adrenomedullin as a Potential Therapeutic Agent for Refractory Ulcerative Colitis --- 20. RNA activation --- Part III New Technology for Innovative Medicine --- 21. Cardiac Reprogramming for Heart Repair --- 22. Development of a new in vivo optical probe for biological diagnosis and therapy --- 23. Introduction of mesenchymal stem cells for liver surgery (hepatectomy and transplantation) --- 24. Synaptic and axonal plasticity induction in the human cerebral cortex --- 25. TIM-3 is a novel therapeutic target for eradicating acute myelogenous leukemia stem cells --- 26. TGF-beta LAP degradation products, a novel biomarker and promising therapeutic target for liver fibrogenesis --- 27. Cell-based regenerative therapy for liver disease

Description / Table of Contents: Part I The Road to Reconstruction from the Tsunami and Radioactive Contamination: Two and a Half Years On --- 1 Dealing with Disasters of Unprecedented Magnitude: The Local Government’s Tribulations and the Road to Reconstruction (Hidekiyo Tachiya) --- 2 Tokyo University of Agriculture East Japan Assistance Project Assisting with Reconstruction: Guiding Principles, Planning, and Propagation of Benefits (Toshiyuki Monma) --- 3 Characteristics of the Agricultural and Forestry Industries in the Soma Area and Damage Sustained as a Result of the Great East Japan Earthquake (Takahiro Yamada, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- Part II Reconstruction from Tsunami Damage --- 4 Reconstruction Support for the Farmland Struck by Tsunami (Itsuo Goto and Kaisei Inagaki) --- 5 Tsunami Damage to Farming Operations and the New Generation of Farmers and Farm Management (Yukio Shibuya, Takahiro Yamada, Nyamkhuu Batdelger, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Gentaro Suzumura, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- 6 Presenting a Model for Revival of Rural Communities in Japan’s Disaster Zones (Shigeyuki Miyabayashi, Yasushi Takeuchi, Hiromu Okazawa, Tomonori Fujikawa, and Yutaka Sasaki) --- 7 Contributing to Restoration of Tidal Flats in Miyagi Prefecture’s Moune Bay Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (Susumu Chiba, Takeshi Sonoda, Makoto Hatakeyama, and Katsuhide Yokoyama) --- Part III Reconstruction from Radioactive Contamination --- 8 Initiatives by the Soil Fertilization Team to Develop Agricultural Technologies for Paddy Fields with Radioactive Contamination (Itsuo Goto and Kaisei Inagaki) --- 9 The Potential for Producing Rice for Feed and Whole Crop Rice Silage in Radiation-Contaminated Areas (Seiji Nobuoka) --- 10 Developing and Trialing a System to Monitor Radionuclide in Individual Plots of Farmland to Help Reconstruction Farming in Contaminated Areas (Toshiyuki Monma, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Youichi Kawano, Dambii Byambasuren, Yuta Ono, and Quar Evine) --- 11 New Decontamination Methods for Parks and Other Areas in Which Radionuclide Have Accumulated (Mitsuo Kondo and Chizuko Mizuniwa) --- 12 Forest Restoration (Takahisa Hayashi) --- 13 Nuclear Radiation Levels in the Forest at Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture (Iwao Uehara, Tomoko Seyama, Fumio Eguchi, Ryuichi Tachibana, Yukito Nakamura, and Hiroya Obayashi ) --- 14 Radioactive Contamination of Ostriches in a Potentially Permanent Evacuation Zone (Hiroshi Ogawa, Hidehiko Uchiyama, Koji Masuda, Takeshi Sasaki, Tadao Watanabe, Toshiaki Tomizawa, and Schu Kawashima) --- 15 The Radioactive Contamination in Some Arthropod Species in Fukushima (Tarô Adati and Sota Tanaka) --- 16 A Consumer Survey Approach to Reputation-Based Damage Affecting Agricultural Products and How to Overcome It (Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Shizuka Matsumoto, Makoto Hoshi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- Part IV Activities and Impressions of Students and Farmers Who Supported the Project --- 17 Staking Recovery Hopes on Soma Revival Rice (Kaisei Inagaki, Tomoko Ninagi, Saburo Sasaki, and Akiko Sato) --- 18 Impression of the Students Participated in the Radioactivity Monitoring System of Farmland (Volodymyr Ganzha, Keiji Kanamori, Hana Fujimoto, and Ryo Itakura) --- 19 Impression of the Forestry managers and students participated in the Radioactivity Damage Investigation of Forests (Eihachi Horiuchi, Kiyoaki Sasaki, Masaaki Itakura, Chisato Yasukawa, and Chihiro Kinoshita)

Description / Table of Contents: China’s road to sustainability has attracted global attention. Since the “Reform & Opening Up” policy, China’s rapid pace of both urbanization and industrialization has made its being the second largesteconomy but meantime a heavy environmental price has been paid over the past few decades for addressing the economic developmental target. Today, as the biggest developing country, China needs to take more responsibilities for constructing its local ecological-civilization society as well as for addressingthe global challenges such as climate change, resources scary and human beings well-fare; therefore, weneed to have deeper understandings into China’s way to sustainability at very different levels, bothspatially and structurally, concerns ranging from generating sustainable household livelihoods to globalclimate change, from developing technological applications to generate institutional changes. In thisspirit, this publication, “Sustainability in China: Bridging Global Knowledge with Local Action” aims to investigate the intended and spontaneous issues concerning China’s road to sustainability in a combined top-down and bottom-up manner, linking international knowledge to local-based studies.

Description / Table of Contents: Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) and water banking are of increasing importance to water resources management. MAR can be used to buffer against drought and changing or variable climate, as well as provide water to meet demand growth, by making use of excess surface water supplies and recycled waters. Along with hydrologic and geologic considerations, economic and policy analyses are essential to a complete analysis of MAR and water banking opportunities. The papers included in this Special Issue fill a gap in the literature by revealing the range of economic and policy considerations relevant to the development and implementation of MAR programs. They illustrate novel techniques that can be used to select MAR locations and the importance and economic viability of MAR in semi-arid to arid environments. The studies explain how MAR can be utilized to meet municipal and agricultural water demands in water-scarce regions, as well as assist in the reuse of wastewater. Some papers demonstrate how stakeholder engagement, ranging from consideration of alternatives to monitoring, and multi-disciplinary analyses to support decision-making are of high value to development and implementation of MAR programs. The approaches discussed in this collection of papers, along with the complementary and necessary hydrologic and geologic analyses, provide important inputs to water resource managers.

Description / Table of Contents: The earth is experiencing the adverse effect of climate change. In response to growing global warming issues and the constant increase of energy prices, house-builders and housing manufacturers today are becoming more responsive to the delivery of net zero energy and carbon dioxide emission sustainable homes than ever. Within this context, the sustainability may embrace housing economy and adequacy beyond the legitimacy in which the quality barely coincides with individuals' dynamic various needs, desires and expectations. In this special issue, "mass customisation" is reviewed being considered as a paradoxical concept which has been recognised as a means to lessen production costs of end-user products whilst achieving the customisability through economies of scope rather than economies of scale. Nevertheless, the housing industry's business operation tends to follow routines and the close system mode of operation often hinders the enterprises from adopting unfamiliar inn ovations which may be inevitable in realising the delivery and operation of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable homes. In order to deliver a marketable and replicable zero energy/emission mass custom home, or ZEMCH, the strategic balance between the optional and standard features seems to be critical. The optional features may be provided with the aim to enhance design quality (or customizability) that helps contribute to satisfying desires and expectations of individual stakeholders. The standard equipment, on the other hand, needs to be installed in buildings as it aims to exceed product quality whose levels can be adjusted in conjunction with societal demands and requirements. This edition encompasses a wide spectrum of hopes and fears around the design, production and marketing approaches to the ZEMCH delivery and operation, and showcases some exemplars budding out in different climates around the globe.

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Introduction: Needs for New Global Strategies --- Part I. Global Business Strategy --- 2. Management Strategies for Global Businesses --- 3. Changes in the Global Economic Environment --- 4. Comparison of Economic Institutions in China and India --- 5. New Business Model as Response to Competition from Emerging Economies --- 6. India’s Neemrana Industrial Park for Japanese Firms --- Part II. Fundamentals Of Strategic Planning --- 7. Alliance-based Global Strategy --- 8. Hitachi Construction Machinery: Becoming a Wholly Owned Chinese Entity --- 9. Marketing Theory in Global Business Context --- 10. Shiseido Marketing in China --- 11. International R&D Management --- 12. Multinationals’ R&D in China and India --- 13. Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency and Japanese Firms --- 14. Suzuki Motor’s Expansion in India --- 15. Strategy Integration at the Global Level

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction: concept of TAIGA --- Geochemical constraints on potential biomass sustained by subseafloor water-rock interactions --- Microbial cell densities, community structures, and growth in the hydrothermal plumes of subduction hydrothermal systems --- Systematics of distributions of various elements between ferromanganese oxides and seawater from natural observation, thermodynamics, and structures --- Evaluating hydrothermal system evolution using geochronological dating and biological diversity analyses --- Quantification of microbial communities in hydrothermal vent habitats of the Southern Mariana Trough and the Mid-Okinawa Trough --- Development of hydrothermal and frictional experimental systems to simulate sub-seafloor water–rock–microbe interactions --- Experimental hydrogen production in hydrothermal and fault systems: Significance for habitability of subseafloor H2 chemoautotroph microbial ecosystems --- Experimental assessment of microbial effects on chemical interaction between seafloor massive sulfides and seawater at 4℃ --- A compilation of the stable isotopic compositions of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur in soft body parts of animals collected from deep-sea hydrothermal vent and methane seep fields: variations in energy source and importance of subsurface microbial processes in the sediment-hosted systems --- Tectonic background of four hydrothermal fields along the Central Indian Ridge --- Indian Ocean hydrothermal systems: seafloor hydrothermal activities, physical and chemical characteristics of hydrothermal fluids, and vent-associated biological communities --- Petrology and geochemistry of mid-ocean ridge basalts from the southern Central Indian Ridge --- Petrology of peridotites and related gabbroic rocks around the Kairei-hydrothermal field in the Central Indian Ridge --- Distribution and Biogeochemical Properties of Hydrothermal Plumes in the Rodriguez Triple Junction --- Vent fauna in the Central Indian Ridge --- The mantle dynamics, the crustal formation, and the hydrothermal activity of the Southern Mariana Trough back-arc Basin --- Seismic structure and seismicity in the Southern Mariana Trough and their relation to hydrothermal activity --- Electrical resistivity structure of the Snail site at the Southern Mariana Trough spreading center --- Asymmetric seafloor spreading of the southern Mariana Trough back-arc basin --- Geochemical characteristics of active backarc basin volcanisms at the southern end of Mariana Trough --- Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of hydrothermal minerals collected from hydrothermal vent fields in the Southern Mariana spreading center --- Dating of hydrothermal mineralization in active hydrothermal fields in the Southern Mariana Trough --- Intra-field variation of prokaryotic communities on and below the seafloor in the back-arc hydrothermal system of the Southern Mariana Trough --- Vent fauna in the Mariana Trough --- Population history of a hydrothermal vent-endemic snail Alviniconcha hessleri in the Mariana Trough --- Hydrothermal activity in the Okinawa Trough backarc basin -geological background and hydrothermal mineralization- --- Active rifting structures in Iheya Graben and adjacent area of the mid-Okinawa Trough observed through seismic reflection surveys --- ESR dating of barite in sea-floor hydrothermal sulfide deposits in the Okinawa Trough --- Fluid geochemistry of high-temperature hydrothermal fields in the Okinawa Trough --- Sediment‒pore water system associated with native sulfur formation at Jade hydrothermal field in Okinawa Trough --- Comparative investigation of microbial communities associated with hydrothermal activities in the Okinawa Trough --- In situ determination of bacterial growth in mixing zone of hydrothermal vent field on the Hatoma Knoll, Southern Okinawa Trough --- Vent Fauna in the Okinawa Trough --- Brief report of side-scan sonar observations around the Yokoniwa NTO massif --- Examination of volcanic activity: AUV and submersible observations of fine-scale lava flow distributions along the Southern Mariana Trough spreading axis --- Brief report of side-scan sonar imagery observations of the Archaean, Pika, and Urashima hydrothermal sites --- The Yoron Hole: the shallowest hydrothermal site in the Okinawa Trough --- The Irabu Knoll: Hydrothermal site at the eastern edge of the Yaeyama Graben --- Tarama Knoll: Geochemical and biological profiles of hydrothermal activity --- Petrography and geochemistry of basement rocks drilled from Snail, Yamanaka, Archean, and Pika hydrothermal fields at the Southern Mariana Trough by Benthic Multi-coring System (BMS) --- Pore fluid chemistry beneath active hydrothermal fields in the mid-Okinawa Trough: Results of shallow drilling by BMS during TAIGA11 cruise --- The characteristics of the seafloor massive sulfide deposits at the Hakurei Site in the Izena Hole, the Middle Okinawa Trough --- Occurrence of hydrothermal alteration minerals at the Jade hydrothermal field, in the Izena Hole, mid-Okinawa Trough --- Geochemistry of hydrothermal fluids collected from active hydrothermal systems in the southern Mariana Trough backarc spreading center --- Gamma ray doses in water around sea floor hydrothermal area in South Mariana --- 226Ra-210Pb and 228Ra-228Th dating of barite in submarine hydrothermal sulfide deposits collected at Okinawa Trough and South Mariana Trough --- OSL dating of sea floor sediments at the Okinawa Trough --- Immediate change of radiation doses from hydrothermal deposits --- Periodic behavior of deep sea current in the Hatoma Knoll hydrothermal system --- The gelatinous macroplankton community at the Hatoma Knoll hydrothermal vent

Description / Table of Contents: This book covers essential aspects of transmutation technologies, highlighting especially the advances in Japan. The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has caused us to focus attention on a large amount of spent nuclear fuels stored in NPPs. In addition, public anxiety regarding the treatment and disposal of high-level radioactive wastes that require long-term control is growing. The Japanese policy on the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle is still unpredictable in the aftermath of the accident. Therefore, research and development for enhancing the safety of various processes involved in nuclear energy production are being actively pursued worldwide. In particular, nuclear transmutation technology has been drawing significant attention after the accident. This publication is timely with the following highlights: 1) Development of accelerator-driven systems (ADSs), which is a brand-new reactor concept for transmutation of highly radioactive wastes; 2) Nuclear reactor systems from the point of view of the nuclear fuel cycle. How to reduce nuclear wastes or how to treat them including the debris from TEPCO’s Fukushima nuclear power stations is discussed; and 3) Environmental radioactivity, radioactive waste treatment, and geological disposal policy. State-of-the-art technologies for overall back-end issues of the nuclear fuel cycle as well as the technologies of transmutation are presented here. The chapter authors are actively involved in the development of ADSs and transmutation-related technologies. The future of the back-end issues in Japan is very uncertain after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, and this book provides an opportunity for readers to consider the future direction of those issues

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Introduction: Needs for New Global Strategies --- Part I. Global Business Strategy --- 2. Management Strategies for Global Businesses --- 3. Changes in the Global Economic Environment --- 4. Comparison of Economic Institutions in China and India --- 5. New Business Model as Response to Competition from Emerging Economies --- 6. India’s Neemrana Industrial Park for Japanese Firms --- Part II. Fundamentals Of Strategic Planning --- 7. Alliance-based Global Strategy --- 8. Hitachi Construction Machinery: Becoming a Wholly Owned Chinese Entity --- 9. Marketing Theory in Global Business Context --- 10. Shiseido Marketing in China --- 11. International R&D Management --- 12. Multinationals’ R&D in China and India --- 13. Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency and Japanese Firms --- 14. Suzuki Motor’s Expansion in India --- 15. Strategy Integration at the Global Level

Description / Table of Contents: Negotiation, reconciliation of multiple scales through both ecological and social dimensions and minimization of power imbalances are considered critical challenges to overcome for effective governance of forest restoration. Finding the right mix of “command and control” in forest restoration vs. “environmental governance”, which includes non-state actors, regulatory flexibility, and market based instruments is at the heart of these challenges. This Special Issue attempts at shedding light on these challenges with case studies from South and Central America, Africa, and Asia. Some provide within-country as well as cross-country comparisons. A few others present case studies at the household level. Both policy and legal constraints towards implementing forest restoration are also discussed as a function of top down vs. bottom up approaches. The effectiveness of payments for environmental services is examined as catalyzers of forest restoration initiatives. Finally, two papers deal with the legal and policy constraints in making restoration through natural regeneration a viable and cost-effective tool. In the face of renewed perspectives for expanding forest restoration programs globally, governance issues will likely play a key role in eventually determining success. As many of the papers in this Special Issue suggest, the fate of forest restoration outcomes is, more often than not, associated with overall governance challenges, some of which are often overlooked particularly across multiple scales.

Description / Table of Contents: Climate change will bring about significant changes to the capacity of, and the demand on, water resources. The resulting changes include increasing climate variability that is expected to affect hydrologic conditions. The effects of climate variability on various meteorological variables have been extensively observed in many regions around the world. Of these, rainfall is one of the most important variables. Understanding the effects of climate variability on spatial and temporal rainfall characteristics is of special interest to water resource policy makers. Investigating rainfall variability at the regional scale is essential for understanding potential impacts on humans and the natural environment. Atmospheric circulation, topography, land use and other regional features modify global changes to produce unique patterns of change at the regional scale. As the future changes to these water resources cannot be measured in the present, hydrological models are critical in the planning required to adapt our water resource management strategies to future climate conditions. Such models include catchment runoff models, reservoir management models, flood prediction models, groundwater recharge and flow models, and crop water balance models. In water-scarce regions such as Australia, urban water systems are particularly vulnerable to rapid population growth and climate change. In the presence of climate change induced uncertainty, urban water systems need to be more resilient and multi-sourced. Decreasing volumetric rainfall trends have an effect on reservoir yield and operation practices. Severe intensity rainfall events can cause failure of drainage system capacity and subsequent urban flood inundation problems. Policy makers, end users and leading researchers need to work together to develop a consistent approach to interpreting the effects of climate variability and change on water resources.

Description / Table of Contents: 1 Introduction: Overview of Our Research on Impacts of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident on Fish and Fishing Grounds --- Part I Seawater and Plankton --- 2 134Cs and 137Cs in the Seawater Around Japan and in the North Pacific --- 3 Temporal Changes in 137Cs Concentration in Zooplankton and Seawater off the Joban–Sanriku Coast, and in Sendai Bay, After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Accident --- Part II Sediments and Benthos --- 4 Three-Dimensional Distribution of Radiocesium in Sea Sediment Derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant --- 5 Radiocesium Concentrations in the Organic Fraction of Sea Sediments --- 6 Bottom Turbidity, Boundary Layer Dynamics, and Associated Transport of Suspended Particulate Materials off the Fukushima Coast --- 7 Investigation of Radiocesium Translation from Contaminated Sediment to Benthic Organisms --- Part III Marine Fish --- 8 Detection of 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs Released into the Atmosphere from FNPP in Small Epipelagic Fishes, Japanese Sardine and Japanese Anchovy, off the Kanto Area, Japan --- 9 Radiocesium Concentration of Small Epipelagic Fishes (Sardine and Japanese Anchovy) off the Kashima-Boso Area --- 10 Why Do the Radionuclide Concentrations of Pacific Cod Depend on the Body Size? --- 11 Radiocesium Contamination Histories of Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) After the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident --- Part IV Mechanisms of Severe Contamination in Fish --- 12 Evaluating the Probability of Catching Fat Greenlings (Hexagrammos otakii) Highly Contaminated with Radiocesium off the Coast of Fukushima --- 13 Analysis of the Contamination Process of the Extremely Contaminated Fat Greenling by Fukushima-Derived Radioactive Material --- 14 Contamination Levels of Radioactive Cesium in Fat Greenling Caught at the Main Port of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant --- Part V Freshwater Systems --- 15 Comparison of Radioactive Cesium Contamination of Lake Water, Bottom Sediment, Plankton, and Freshwater Fish Among Lakes of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, After the Fukushima Fallout --- 16 Radiocesium Concentrations and Body Size of Freshwater Fish in Lake Hayama 1 Year After the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident --- 17 Spatiotemporal Monitoring of 134Cs and 137Cs in Ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis, a Microalgae-Grazing Fish, and in Their Freshwater Habitats in Fukushima --- 18 Radiocesium Concentrations in the Muscle and Eggs of Salmonids from Lake Chuzenji, Japan, After the Fukushima Fallout --- 19 Assessment of Radiocesium Accumulation by Hatchery-Reared Salmonids After the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Description / Table of Contents: This book covers essential aspects of transmutation technologies, highlighting especially the advances in Japan. The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has caused us to focus attention on a large amount of spent nuclear fuels stored in NPPs. In addition, public anxiety regarding the treatment and disposal of high-level radioactive wastes that require long-term control is growing. The Japanese policy on the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle is still unpredictable in the aftermath of the accident. Therefore, research and development for enhancing the safety of various processes involved in nuclear energy production are being actively pursued worldwide. In particular, nuclear transmutation technology has been drawing significant attention after the accident. This publication is timely with the following highlights: 1) Development of accelerator-driven systems (ADSs), which is a brand-new reactor concept for transmutation of highly radioactive wastes; 2) Nuclear reactor systems from the point of view of the nuclear fuel cycle. How to reduce nuclear wastes or how to treat them including the debris from TEPCO’s Fukushima nuclear power stations is discussed; and 3) Environmental radioactivity, radioactive waste treatment, and geological disposal policy. State-of-the-art technologies for overall back-end issues of the nuclear fuel cycle as well as the technologies of transmutation are presented here. The chapter authors are actively involved in the development of ADSs and transmutation-related technologies. The future of the back-end issues in Japan is very uncertain after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, and this book provides an opportunity for readers to consider the future direction of those issues