Singapore\u27s Ethnic Politics and Representations of the "Malays"

This paper examines Singapore\u27s ethnic politics through an analysis of the representations of people in the Malay "racial" group. Ethnic politics plays a significant role in a process of multiethnic Singapore\u27s nation building and economic development. The state classifies its citizens into four "racial" categories ; Chinese, Indians, Malays, and other and defines culture and mother tongue of each of the three main categories. Cultural and language differences within each category are ignored. Each "racial" category is imposed specific representations based on culture seen as shared by the entire group. These representations construct an ethnic hierarchy in which "racial" groups are positioned according to a degree of its contribution to the state\u27s economic development. In this hierarchy, the Malays hold its position at the bottom while the Chinese at the top. The mass media have reported problems particular to the Malays, which are derived from their representations and which are closely linked with their economic positions in Singapore. In contrast to such representations, the representations of "new Malays" reported in the 1990s have been created in a process of cultural homogenization : they are similar to those of other successful Singaporeans unless their religious affiliation is specified

タブンカキョウセイ ニ カンスル イチコウサツ / フビョウドウ ノ サイセイサン ト ブンカ ノ ガイネン

This paper examines what the Japanese government means by "tabunka-kyosei" through an analysis of multicultural policy in local societies issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2006. Especially, I focus on the concept of culture in the plan and argue that it reproduces unequal relationships between international and Japanese residents. It reinforces the status-quo of Japanese society consisting of majority Japanese and minority foreigners. Finally, I present how local societies can empower people with different cultures through redefining a concept of culture

インドヨウ ツナミ ヒサイチ アチェ ニ オケル ジョセイ ノ ケイザイカツドウ ト イスラムキョウ

This paper examines interactions between the concept of gender equality and Islamic teachings in post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. Iespecially focus on how Muslim women empowered by a feminist NGO which enabled them to earn their own incomes, explain theireconomic activities, as well as inactivities, and negotiate with the Acehnese Islamic view of family.After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami devastated Aceh, many victims, who had lost their properties and means of livelihood, soughtto secure their living; economic reconstruction was one of the important objectives in the tsunami affected areas. Many aidorganizations entered Aceh in order to reconstruct destroyed Acehnese societies and provided a variety of programs for the security ofvictims\u27 economic lives. Aid in affected areas was often a synonym for economic development and empowerment. Through the aids,some aid organizations also spread global hegemony or Western order. Among them, an Indonesian feminist NGO, which loanedcapital for women\u27s economic activities in rural areas, conveyed powerful political/feminist messages without including discourse withIslam, which was left to the villagers to provide themselves

ツナミゴ ノ アチェ ニオケル トチモンダイ -コッカ ノ ホウ ト アダット トチショユウケン-

This paper examines how tsunami victims in Aceh, Indonesia, have claimed land, on which they had lived until the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami hit Aceh. After the disaster, the local government prohibited people from living in a specific area adjacent to the Ocean while providing compensation to only some of the victims and heirs. In this situation, the dispossessed claimed landownership based on adat or customary law. In Aceh, as well as other parts of Indonesia, plural laws, such as state law, Islamic law, and customary laws, have coexisted. Such a complex socio-legal environment has produced plural justifications and reasoning

死と破壊から始まる観光:アチェにおけるインド洋津波の解釈

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami devastated Aceh, Indonesia. Tsunami remarks and experiences have created a variety of narratives. A leaflet of tsunami tourism issued by the Indonesian government is one of them. Through an analysis of the leaflet, this paper examines what meanings the sate gives the disaster and Acehnese tsunami experiences and how it depicts the past and future of their society in an elaborate Islamic context. I also discuss an implied meaning of the Acehnese independent struggle ended by the tsunami

HIF-1α expression in liver metastasis but not primary colorectal cancer is associated with prognosis of patients with colorectal liver metastasis

Background: The role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) has remained unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate HIF-1α expression and its association with prognosis in patients with CRLM with a focus on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Methods: Colon cancer cells were cultured in HSC-conditioned medium (CM), and HIF-1α expression and cell migration were analyzed. Seventy-five patients with CRLM who underwent an initial curative hepatectomy were enrolled. We examined HIF-1α expressions and patient prognosis between primary CRCs and the matched liver metastatic specimens. Results: Activated HSCs induced HIF-1α mRNA and protein expression in colon cancer cells (p < 0.01) and promoted cell migration (p < 0.01). The positive rates of HIF-1α expression in primary CRCs and liver metastases were 68.0 and 72.0%, respectively. There were no differences in overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of HIF-1α expression in primary CRC. However, HIF-1α expression in liver metastasis correlated to poor prognosis in both OS and DFS. Furthermore, patients with HIF-1α positive expression in liver metastasis had poor prognosis. Conclusion: HIF-1α expression in liver metastasis determines poor prognosis of CRLM patients. HSCs might play a key role in aggressive phenotypes of tumor cells

Role of Nrf2 in HLC

Generation of hepatocytes from human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) could be a promising alternative source of human hepatocytes. However, mechanisms to differentiate hepatocytes from hADSCs are not fully elucidated. We have previously demonstrated that our three-step differentiation protocol with glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3 inhibitor was effective to improve hepatocyte functions. In this study, we investigated the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) on hADSCs undergoing differentiation to HLC (hepatocyte-like cells). Our three-step differentiation protocol was applied for 21 days (Step 1 : day 1-6, Step2 : day 6-11, Step3 : day 11-21). Our results show that significant nuclear translocation of Nrf2 occurred from day 11 until the end of HLC differentiation. Nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and CYP3A4 activity in the GSK3 inhibitor-treated group was obviously higher than that in Activin A-treated groups at day 11. The maturation of HLCs was delayed in Nrf2-siRNA group compared to control group. Furthermore, CYP3A4 activity in Nrf2-siRNA group was decreased at the almost same level in Activin A-treated group. Nrf2 translocation might enhance the function of HLC and be a target for developing highly functional HLC

Nrf2 signaling in sorafenib-resistant HCC

Background and aim As a multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sorafenib is widely used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but patients frequently face resistance problems. Because the mechanism controlling sorafenib-resistance is not well understood, this study focused on the connection between tumor characteristics and the Nrf2 signaling pathway in a sorafenib-resistant HCC cell line. Methods A sorafenib-resistant HCC cell line (Huh7) was developed by increasing the dose of sorafenib in the culture medium until the target concentration was reached. Cell morphology, migration/invasion rates, and expression of stemness-related and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes were compared between sorafenib-resistant Huh7 cells and parental Huh7 cells. Next, a small interfering RNA was used to knock down Nrf2 expression in sorafenib-resistant Huh7 cells, after which cell viability, stemness, migration, and ABC transporter gene expression were examined again. Results Proliferation, migration, and invasion rates of sorafenib-resistant Huh7 cells were significantly increased relative to the parental cells with or without sorafenib added to the medium. The expression levels of stemness markers and ABC transporter genes were up-regulated in sorafenib-resistant cells. After Nrf2 was knocked down in sorafenib-resistant cells, cell migration and invasion rates were reduced, and expression levels of stemness markers and ABC transporter genes were reduced. Conclusion Nrf2 signaling promotes cancer stemness, migration, and expression of ABC transporter genes in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells