“TOTALS”: Transfer of technology approached logically and systematically

Most efforts in transferring technology to a specific location are carried out following essentially a research approach. However, imposing the research approach onto a situation for which a specific solution needs to be created or restructured represents an inappropriate transfer of technology. A planning and design approach (PDA) is called for. “TOTALS” is based on planning and design concepts adapted to solving the problems of technology transfer. It is composed of six time-based and repeating phases, comprised of nineteen steps. It is based on four important concepts: a systems view of technology, a Technology Transfer Equation, five different purposeful perspectives regarding technology transfer activities, and a holistic PDA. No particular approach, technique, model or body of knowledge can be said to be predominant.     

Food and agriculture problems for Japan and the World in the twenty-first century

This article examines the relationship between agriculture and food, agriculture and the environment and agriculture and trade, and discusses the various circumstances that affect the global supply of food. Japan's decline in international competitiveness and food self-sufficiency and the influence that may have on future food security is then discussed. The article concludes with recommendations for structural agricultural policy reform.     

Visualization of latent fingerprints using fluorescence lifetime imaging on paper emitting strong fluorescence

Latent fingerprints were successfully visualized using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) on paper which emits strong fluorescence with a lifetime close to that of fingerprints and thus from which it is difficult for time-resolved spectroscopy to visualize fingerprints. Latent fingerprint samples on paper were excited using a 450 nm or 532 nm nanosecond pulsed-laser, and time-resolved fluorescence images were obtained at a delay time of 6–16 ns in intervals of 1 ns, to the excitation pulse. The excitation beam was expanded using a lens, and the fluorescence from the fingerprints was captured using an intensified CCD camera. Because of the large fluorescence intensity of the background paper of approximately two to four orders of magnitude larger than that of the fingerprint, the fingerprint was not visualized on each fluorescence image by time-resolved spectroscopy. However, the fingerprint was visualized in a FLIM image constructed using a series of the fluorescence images for the case with the fluorescence intensity of the background paper being four orders of magnitude larger than that of the fingerprint. The difference in fluorescence lifetime in the FLIM image of the visualized fingerprint and background paper was in the order of 0.1 ns, which was an order of magnitude smaller than the inherent fluorescence lifetime of a few nanoseconds for the fingerprints and paper. It was demonstrated that, at a background fluorescence intensity with a certain order of magnitude larger than that of fingerprints, FLIM has the potential to visualize latent fingerprints which cannot be visualized by time-resolved spectroscopy.     

Application of mist to fingermark detection: Misting with high-boiling-point liquid containing p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde and cyanoacrylate

In order to detect latent fingerprints that could be damaged by liquid or powder reagents, non-destructive processes such as gaseous reagents have been developed. In this report, we propose the use of fine mist generated when hot vapor of high-boiling-point liquids is rapidly cooled by surrounding air for fingermark detection. Octyl acetate (OA), 2-phenoxyethanol (2PE), and methyl decanoate (MD) were found to efficiently produce mist when heated to 230°C. By combining these liquids with p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) and cyanoacrylate (CN), our team demonstrated effective fluorescence staining of cyano-treated fingermarks using DMAC/OA misting or DMAC/2PE misting, and one-step fluorescence detection of latent fingermarks without cyanoacrylate treatment using DMAC/OA/CN misting or DMAC/MD/CN misting. Fingermark fluorescence was efficiently observed by excitation with a blue LED light (max. wavelength 470 nm) equipped with an interference filter and passing through a 520 nm long-pass filter. We successfully obtained fluorescent images from fingermarks on several substrate materials using the developed misting method.     

A case of death from prothiophos poisoning

A 62-year-old male, a farmer, who had ingested prothiophos (Tokuthion), died after 21 h of intensive care. Prothiophos in the tissues of the victim was extracted and purified by Extrelut column extraction. A gas chromatograph equipped with a flame photometric detector, and a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer were used to detect prothiophos. The concentration of prothiophos was 10.9 micrograms/g in the brain, 8.6 micrograms/g in the kidney, 418 micrograms/g in the liver, 2.96 mg/g in the gastric contents and 4.69 mg/g in the intestinal contents. The case history and the distribution of prothiophos indicated that the cause of death was acute prothiophos poisoning.