I have developed a method for easily displaying reflection cross sections, geological cross sections, and columnar charts in three dimensions, and created a program to realize them. A three-dimensional display was realized by automatically converting location information into polygon data and pasting prepared images as a texture. The procedures to visualize in three-dimensional display are summarizing location information in text, preparing images, and executing the program. The data can be viewed on Google Earth, which is available free of charge. The program is published on the web free of charge (https://staff.aist.go.jp/tomoyuki-sato/), and there are few restrictions on viewing, so please use it to organize data, share with persons concerned and for outreach.

Objective: Anorectal transplantation is a challenging procedure but a promising option for patients with weakened or completely absent anorectal function. Summary Background Data: We constructed a canine model of anorectal transplantation, evaluated the long-term outcomes, and controlled rejection and infection in allotransplantation. Methods: In the pudendal nerve function study, 6 dogs were randomly divided into 2 groups, transection and anastomosis, and were compared with a control using anorectal manometry, electromyography, and histological examination. In the anorectal transplantation model, 4 dogs were assigned to 4 groups: autotransplant, allotransplant with immunosuppression, allotransplant without immunosuppression, and normal control. Long-term function was evaluated by defecography, videography, and histological examination. Results: In the pudendal nerve function study, anorectal manometry indicated that the anastomosis group recovered partial function 6 months postoperatively. Microscopically, the pudendal nerve and the sphincter muscle regenerated in the anastomosis group. Anorectal transplantation was technically successful with a 3-stage operation: colostomy preparation, anorectal transplantation, and stoma closure. The dog who underwent allotransplantation and immunosuppression had 2 episodes of mild rejection, which were reversed with methylprednisolone and tacrolimus. The dog who underwent allotransplantation without immunosuppression had a severe acute rejection that resulted in graft necrosis. Successful dogs had full defecation control at the end of the study. Conclusions: We describe the critical role of the pudendal nerve in anorectal function and the first long-term success with anorectal transplantation in a canine model. This report is a proof-of-concept study for anorectal transplantation as a treatment for patients with an ostomy because of anorectal dysfunction.

The Kanto Basin developed, starting c. 3 Ma, influenced by the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate and the Pacific plate. Sediments in this basin have influenced the geomorphology of the Kanto region. In the Boso Peninsula, located at the eastern edge of the Kanto Basin, uplift continues in what is called the Kashima–Boso uplift zone. Although the development of this uplift after the Late Pleistocene is well understood, there are few data from the Early to Middle Pleistocene. In this study, we investigated the offshore shelf area east of the Boso Peninsula using a high-resolution seismic reflection survey, and report new information on the geological structure and uplift processes in the area from the Early to Middle Pleistocene. We identified the Kujukuri-oki anticline and the Kujukuri-oki normal fault zone. The Kujukuri-oki anticline, more than 47 km long, is north–south striking and deforms the Kujukuri-oki Group. There are numerous normal faults with displacements of less than tens of metres spread widely in the survey area (Kujukuri-oki normal fault zone). These findings reveal that the Kujukuri-oki anticline uplifted during the end of the Early Pleistocene and attenuated during the Middle Pleistocene. This anticline comprised the axis of the Kashima–Boso uplift zone at the Boso Peninsula from the Early to Middle Pleistocene and the Boso Peninsula is located at the western limb of this anticline.

Sandy shelf sediments are important elements of clastic sedimentary systems because of their wide distribution in the geological record and their significance as hydrocarbon reservoirs. Although many studies have investigated shelf sediments influenced by waves or tidal currents, little is known about shelf sediments influenced by oceanic currents, particularly their lithofacies characteristics and stratigraphic evolution. This study investigated the stratigraphic evolution of shelf sediments off the Kujukuri strandplain facing the Pacific Ocean, which is influenced by the strong Kuroshio Current. Sediment cores were obtained from six locations on the Kujukuri shelf (34 to 124 m water depth) using a vibrocorer. The dominant lithofacies is mud-free sand with low-angle cross-lamination associated with alternating beds of finer and coarser sand with cross-lamination. These display depositional processes influenced by storm waves and the Kuroshio Current, respectively. This finding is consistent with the previously presented modern and historical observations of the Kuroshio Current and estimates of the storm-wave base. Radiocarbon dates show that the sediment succession formed during the last transgressive and highstand stages after 13 center dot 1 ka. The depositional processes during the stages represent a transition from storm waves with abundant sediment supply to both storm waves and the Kuroshio Current with sediment starvation mainly due to its trapping in the strandplain. Comparison to other Holocene-Modern shelf systems suggests that the sandy shelf successions are strongly influenced by oceanic currents under conditions of limited riverine input and open coastal geometry. The resultant sand-dominated succession is characterized by reversal of the proximal to distal grain-size trend compared to the fining for most other recognized wave/storm-dominated shelf successions. This is because of seaward increase in the influence of the Kuroshio Current. Thus, shelf deposits are naturally complex, and these may be further complicated by the additional influence of oceanic currents above the usual wave-dominated and tide-dominated end members.

Having developed in the later Quaternary Period, the Mui Ne dunefield, representing the upper-most portion of a major coastal barrier complex in SE Vietnam, formed by wind regimes associated with the Asian monsoon climate. The barrier complex is 100 km long and higher than 150 m in elevation but despite its large dimensions, research on its geomorphological and geological characterization is limited. Several active dune fields extend 2-10 km landwards from the coast while the rest of the barrier surface is stabilized. We applied ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and quartz optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to the transverse dunes of the Mui Ne dunefield to characterize the morphostratigraphy and recent aeolian sedimentation history. Currently the dunes have a relief of typically 5-10 m and a wavelength of 50-100 m. They are driven by the northeasterly winter monsoon winds and reversed with minor relief in response to the southwesterly summer monsoon. GPR profiles and OSL ages define three morphostratigraphic units: the modern, Holocene, and Pleistocene dune units. The GPR data of the modern dune unit is dominated by a series of steep reflections that dip exclusively towards the west reflecting the winter monsoon and is punctuated by reactivation surfaces. Evidence for the wind reversal is not preserved in the sediment successions but is represented by reactivation surfaces. Thus a subunit bounded by the reactivation surfaces defines annual deposition. The preservation potential of a subunit varies with the migration rate of the transverse dune, and in the fastest migrating dunes, approximately one subunit was preserved every year (1.1 +/- 0.6 subunit/yr). The modern dunes are generally younger than 100 years and have migrated WSW at net rates of 0.6-2.5m/yr. The Holocene dune unit is as thick as the modern unit although it spans a period, ten times longer, reflecting the lower preservation potential of the transverse dunes as sedimentary records, due to erosion associated with their migration. The rate of dune migration suggests that an aeolian contribution of coastal sands has occurred following the sea level highstand of the Middle Holocene, accounting for the extent of the active dunefields. This mode of the barrier accumulation is considered as an analogue for earlier highstand events. However, the dunefields only cover a fraction of the entire barrier. It is thus inferred that barrier formation occurred over a long period, probably encompassing several glacial-interglacial cycles. Sand accumulation during the lowstand, either by transport of sand from the subaerially exposed shelf and/or reworking of sand emplaced during the prior highstand, may contribute significantly to the barrier development. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Boso Peninsula is located in central Japan near the junction of the subduction boundary of three tectonic plates. A forearc basin has been developing there since 3 Ma and has been uplifting since 1 Ma. The basal surface of the Holocene deposits in the offshore area was investigated based on a seismic survey and is very similar to the adjacent land areas (the Iioka Plateau, the Kujukuri Plain and the Kazusa Hills). The basal surface in the Kujukuri Plain and its corresponding offshore area contains many incised valleys. Most of them extend southeastward, parallel to the direction from the hinterland to the ocean, but one incised valley (Kujukuri-oki Buried Valley) lies perpendicular to the others. A buried terrace is located SE of the valley and along the area where mudstone (of the Kiwada Formation) is distributed. The present observations indicate that differential erosion formed the terrace, after which the valley bent to follow the terrace. The rivers tend to be perpendicular to the strike of the sediment in the forearc basin owing to tectonic movement. Thus, the valley must have been incised into the underlying strata with a perpendicular strike and may have become bent in uplifting forearc basins.

Background: Anorectal transplantation is a challenging procedure but a promising option for patients with weakened or completely absent anorectal function. We constructed a canine model of anorectal transplantation, evaluated the long-term outcomes, and controlled rejection and infection in allotransplantation. Methods: In the pudendal nerve function study, six dogs were randomly divided into two groups: transection and anastomosis, and were compared with a control using anorectal manometry, electromyography, and histological examination of the anorectal segment. In the anorectal transplantation model, four dogs were assigned to four groups: autotransplant, allotransplant with immunosuppression, allotransplant without immunosuppression, and normal control. Long-term function was evaluated by defecography, videography, and histological examination of the graft. Findings: In the pudendal nerve function study, anorectal manometry indicated that the anastomosis group recovered partial function 6 months postoperatively, but the resection group never regained function. Microscopically, the pudendal nerve and the sphincter muscle regenerated, and function was well-maintained in the anastomosis group at the end of the study. Anorectal transplantation was technically successful with a three-stage operation: colostomy preparation, anorectal transplantation, and stoma closure. The dog who underwent allotransplantation and immunosuppression had two episodes of mild rejection, which were reversed with methylprednisolone and tacrolimus. The dog who underwent allotransplantation without immunosuppression had a severe acute rejection that resulted in graft necrosis. Successful dogs had full defecation control at the end of the study. Interpretation: We described the first long-term success with anorectal transplantation in a canine model. This report is a proof-of-concept study for anorectal transplantation as a treatment for patients with an ostomy because of anorectal dysfunction. Funding Statement: This study was funded by a Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (JSPS) Fellows Grant (number: 201600159), and a JSPS KAKENHI Grant (number: JP 19K18075). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: All animal experiments were approved by the Animal Experimental Committee of Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo Animal Care and use Committee.

“Rising Asia !” International Conference on Asian Marine Geology(ICAMG,アジア海洋地質会議)の記念すべき 30 周年記念式典での言葉である.第 9回 ICAMGが 2018年 10月 9日∼17日にかけて中国の上海で開催された.アジ アの主要大河川の源であるチベット高原にある長江(揚子 江)の上流域と河口域を巡検で満喫しながら,河川の恩恵 を受けて下流域に発達した上海にて土砂の最終運搬先であ る海洋の地質を議論するという贅沢な内容で,まさにアジ アの地質の面白さ,研究の底力を体現した会議だった. 本国際会議は,1988年に第 1回が上海で開催されて以 降,おおむね 4年に一度開催されている.今回は 30周年 で第 1回と同じ開催地ということもあり大いに盛り上がっ た.本大会と前後の巡検それぞれに参加できたので概要を 報告する.

In this study, which was conducted to investigate present-day geological deformations occurring off the central Ryukyu Arc along the Ryukyu Trench (Okinawa-jima) in the vicinity of Japan, we obtained and examined dense, high-resolution, 2D grid (high-density) multichannel seismic reflection data. The forearc slope of the central Ryukyu Arc lacks a large forearc basin but has a steep narrow slope that dips to the southeast in the direction opposite to the plate convergence. However, while the seismic profiles obtained in our investigation do not reveal any active structures indicative of compressional stress in this convergent subduction zone, recent tectonic deformations are characterized by normal faults that strike perpendicular to the Ryukyu Trench axis. Examinations of high-density geological data show that the recent relative motion of the overriding plate has resulted in an active, arc-parallel extensional field. Furthermore, the results of our observations indicate two stages of extensional stress beneath the forearc slope of the central Ryukyu Arc that resulted from back-arc rifting in the Okinawa Trough.

The profile of a river that conveys sediment without net deposition and net erosion is referred to as ‘graded’ with respect to vertical aggradation of the river segment. Three experimental series, designed in terms of the autostratigraphic view of alluvial grade, were conducted to clarify the diagnostic spatial behaviour of graded alluvial–deltaic rivers: an ‘R series’, which utilized a moving boundary setting with a stationary base level; an ‘F series’ in a fixed boundary setting with a stationary base level to produce ‘forced grade’; and an ‘M series’ in a moving boundary setting with constant base‐level fall to produce ‘autogenic grade.’ The results of the three experimental series, combined with geometrical modelling of the effects of basin water depth and other experimental data, suggest the following: (i) in a graded alluvial–deltaic system, lateral shifting and avulsing of active distributary channels are suppressed regardless of whether the downstream boundary of the deltaic system is fixed; (ii) in a delta with a downstream‐fixed boundary, the graded streams are stabilized within a valley that is incised in the axial part of the delta plain, whereby the alluvial plain outside the valley is abandoned and terraced; (iii) in moving boundary settings, the graded river simply extends basinward as a linearly elongated channel and lobe system without cutting a valley; and (iv) a modern forced‐graded alluvial river is most likely to be found in a valley incised into a fan delta in front of very deep water, and the stratigraphic signal of fossil autogenic‐graded rivers will be found in deltaic successions that accumulated in the outer to marginal areas of deltaic continental shelves during sea‐level falls. This renewed autostratigraphic view of alluvial grade suggests a thorough reconsideration of the conventional understanding that an alluvial river feeding a progradational delta is graded with a stationary base level.