Global Risks 2012, Seventh Edition

The World Economic Forum's Global Risks 2012 report is based on a survey of 469 experts from industry, government, academia and civil society that examines 50 global risks across five categories. The report emphasizes the singular effect of a particular constellation of global risks rather than focusing on a single existential risk. Three distinct constellations of risks that present a very serious threat to our future prosperity and security emerged from a review of this year's set of risks. Includes a special review of the important lessons learned from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and the subsequent nuclear crisis at Fukushima, Japan. It focuses on therole of leadership, challenges to effective communication in this information age and resilient business models in response to crises of unforeseen magnitude

Beyond LEO

This book presents a small sample of the physiological changes and human health risks that have been observed in low Earth orbit, and that will undoubtedly be magnified with extended exploration operations to deep space. The book presents the evidence to date and offers a glimpse at what will be needed to take humanity further into deep space than ever before

Single Cell Expression Analysis for Understanding the Development of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is characterized as a group of eye diseases where the progressive damage of neurons, particularly Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs), leads to vision loss. This disease affects more than 70 million people worldwide, with approximately 10% being bilaterally blind, making it the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The initiation and progression of the disease is still unknown, but studies have suggested the involvement of particular cell types in the retina that relate to the pathogenesis of glaucoma. Single cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis is a new technology that provides insight into the gene expression profiles of different cell types. In this study, we employed it to elucidate the transcriptomic changes in various cell types during glaucoma progression. ABCA1-/- mice were used as a normal tension glaucoma model. Single cell RNA-seq experiments were conducted on three wild type (WT) and five knockout (KO) retinal tissues. The data of 62,479 cells were integrated and major cell types were identified, including Müller glia, astrocytes, microglia and RGCs. Ontological analysis suggested strong activation of neuroinflammation and senescence related pathways in KO samples, with specific pathways identified affecting certain cell types. Evidence of macrophage invasion further suggests a knockout-induced inflammatory response, accompanied by sub-type specific RGC degeneration due to excitotoxicity. P2Y6-/- mice were used as a high intraocular pressure (IOP) glaucoma model. 105,772 cells from three WT and three KO retinal tissues were analysed using single cell RNA-seq, with major cell types identified such as RGCs and glial cells. Neuroinflammation and senescence pathways activation was again observed, along with angiogenesis, hypoxia and fibrosis activities activated in knockout glial population. pathogenesis, thus provided data to support future interests in developing potential therapeutical targets in the area. pathogenesis, thus provided data to support future interests in developing potential therapeutical targets in the area

Japanese American ethnicity, identity and power in Hawaiʻi

Preface -- Introduction: political and economic Hawaiʻi circa 2022 -- PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY HISTORY -- Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi oral history interview with Jonathan Y. Okamura -- Race relations in Hawaiʻi during World War II: the noninternment of Japanese Americans -- ETHNICITY AND IDENTITY -- Baseball and beauty queens: the political context of ethnic boundary making in the Japanese American community in Hawaiʻi -- Japanese Americans: toward symbolic identity -- Japanese American and Okinawan American transnationalism in Hawaiʻi and the continental United States -- POLITICAL POWER -- Power and ethnicity: post 1986 -- Japanese American settler colonial power in Hawaiʻ

Friends, acquaintances, pupils and patrons: Japanese intellectual life in the late eighteenth century: a prosopographical approach

This study of the social circumstances of Japanese intellectuals in the last quarter of the eighteenth century is based on biographical data concerning 173 individuals. It deals with the image of intellectual life of that period in current scholarship, and with the self-image and ethos of scholars, authors, poets and artists. That self-image and ethos, however, often clash with the realities of their everyday lives. This prosopographical investigation offers a new look at intellectual life on a basic level. The current image of intellectual life in the Tokugawa period is one of dissatisfaction and withdrawal, whereas the image that results from this study is one of dynamism and interaction

Vibration and bone – an option for long-term space missions?

Bone is lost during sojourns in microgravity. In order to prevent fractures in future manned inter-planetary missions, efforts are currently being made to develop effective countermeasures. Bones adapt to mechanical stimuli, and biomechanical analysis suggests that muscle forces play an important role. Thus, resistance training is advocated as a first option for a countermeasure modality. In addition, vibration has certain characteristics (well controllable, rapid stretch-shortening and large number of contractions) that could be of interest. Studies in the past decade have shown that conventional resistive exercise may be sufficient to maintain bone when performed on a daily basis, but not when performed only every other day. Whole body vibration without additional load seems to be ineffective, but it shows good potential, and probably will have a genuine effect upon bone when combined with additional loads in the order of twice the body weight. There is now accumulating evidence to suggest that effective exercises exist to counteract microgravity-related bone loss. At least for bed rest, forceful muscle contractions seem to be a prerequisite. They may be fortified, but probably not replaced, by vibration exposure