Casimir Effect in Hyperbolic Polygons

We derive a trace formula for the spectra of quantum mechanical systems in hyperbolic polygons which are the fundamental domains of discrete isometry groups acting in the two dimensional hyperboloid. Using this trace formula and the point splitting regularization method we calculate the Casimir energy for a scalar fields in such domains. The dependence of the vacuum energy on the number of vertexes is established.Comment: Latex, 1

資本自由化の是非

1.資本自由化をめぐる論争　1.1."Should the IMF Pursue Capital-Account Convertibility?　1. 2. 資本自由化の論拠　1. 3. 私的所有権　1. 4. 裁量権　2. 資本自由化は望ましいか?　2.1. 「貯蓄の効率的配分」vs. 「群集心理」　2. 2. 健全な政策と金融システムの強化　2.3. 金融と投機　3. 国際資本移動の規制は可能か?

治療を終了した頭頸部がん患者の食に関する問題と対処

本研究の目的は,治療を終了した頭頸部がん患者の食に関する援助を検討するために,患者が体験する食に関する問題とその対処を明らかにすることである。対象者は,頭頸部がんで化学療法,手術療法そして/あるいは放射線療法の治療を終了した者13名で,平均年齢61.5歳であった。研究方法は,患者の退院後に体験する食に関する問題と対処および医療者へのニーズを明らかにするために半構成的な質問による面接法を用いた。分析方法は質的帰納的方法を用いた。患者の食に関する問題は,【口腔内粘膜の脆弱】【唾液分泌の低下】【味覚異常】【嚥下困難】【栄養の保持の困難】【食べる楽しみ・満足感の消失】【食を介する他者との交わりの苦痛】【食習慣の変化】の8のカテゴリーに分類された患者の食に関する問題の対処は,問題解決型対処と情動調節型対処であったが,特に心理・社会的な問題に対する対処は情動調節型対処が多くみられた。This study evaluated problems concerning food-in-take experienced by head and neck cancer patients after treatment and proposed ways to support such patients concerning food-in-take. The study was carried out by interviewing with a semi-structured questionnaire and a basic data sheet prepared for this study to obtain data concerning problems of patients with head and neck cancer about food-in-take and how they coped with them. The subjects were 13 patients who had completed chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiotherapy for cancer of the head and neck, had less than 1 year since discharge, and were receiving outpatient care. They all consented to enrollment in the study. Problems concerning food-in-take after treatment and measures to cope with them were extracted using the technique of content analysis ; fragments of statements extracted were classified according to the similarity of the meaning ; and they were categorized by giving names that closely reflected the nature of the categories. The subjects consisted of 10 males and 3 females with a mean age of 61.5 years. The site of cancer was the oral cavity in 3, pharynx in 4 and larynx in 6. Eight categories of problems concerning food-in-take for head and neck cancer patients were extracted: "vulnerability to oral mucosa", "reduced saliva secretion", "dysgeusia", and "dysphagia" related to physical factors ; "difficulty about not being able to hold enough nutrition" and "loss of the joy and satisfaction of eating" related to psychological factors ; "distress of communication with others via eating" and "changes in dietary habit" related to sociocultural factors. Coping measures concerning food-in-take in head and neck cancer patients included: "devise cooking methods", "change the way to eat food", "look for foods that are easy to eat", and "use nutritional supplements" for physical problems ; "make an effort to eat", "change the state of foods", and "accept the situation" for psychological problems ; "change the way to eat foods", "change the state of foods", and "accept the situation" for sociocultural problems. Head and neck cancer patients used the problem-solving type and the emotion-controlling type measures to cope with problems concerning food-in-take, but some problems were difficult to cope with. Therefore, patients need support to accurately understand their problems with food-in-take, to attain emotional stability, and to learn appropriate measures to cope with problems concerning food-in-take early after treatment.報告Report国立情報学研究所で電子

音高認知機能と音高に関する音楽能力との関連性 : 大学生に実施したエクササイズ実践と音楽実技調査をもとに

音高の能力に何らかの問題を有する大学1年生12名を学習者として，彼らに音高の能力を育成するエクササイズアプローチによる実践を3回行った。同時に， 3回の音楽実技調査によって音高の能力の変容がわかる量的データを, 6回の聴き取り調査によって音高認知機能の状況がわかる質的データを入手した。 その双方のデータをつきあわせて分析した結果，①音高の能力が未熟な段階にある者の多くは，音高認知機能のうち，音高の記憶機能に主要な問題がある。 ②彼らは，音高の記憶機能に問題があるために，再生すべき音高を[思い違い」して再生する。 ③さらに，そのことが要因となって音高の記憶機能がしばらく混乱している。 一方，音高の能力を保有している者の音高の記憶機能は，誤った再生で生じる混乱に対して，何らかの修正ができる程度に強固である，などが推察できた

Establishing specialized health services for professional consultation in euthanasia: experiences in the Netherlands and Belgium

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg have adopted laws decriminalizing euthanasia under strict conditions of prudent practice. These laws stipulate, among other things, that the attending physician should consult an independent colleague to judge whether the substantive criteria of due care have been met. In this context initiatives were taken in the Netherlands and Belgium to establish specialized services providing such consultants: Support and Consultation for Euthanasia in the Netherlands (SCEN) and Life End Information Forum (LEIF) in Belgium. The aim of this study is to describe and compare these initiatives.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied and compared relevant documents concerning the Dutch and Belgian consultation service (e.g. articles of bye-laws, inventories of activities, training books, consultation protocols).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In both countries, the consultation services are delivered by trained physicians who can be consulted in cases of a request for euthanasia and who offer support and information to attending physicians. The context in which the two organisations were founded, as well as the way they are organised and regulated, is different in each country. By providing information on all end-of-life care matters, the Belgian LEIF seems to have a broader consultation role than the Dutch SCEN. SCEN on the other hand has a longer history, is more regulated and organised on a larger scale and receives more government funding than LEIF. The number of training hours for physicians is equal. However, SCEN-training puts more emphasis on the consultation report, whereas LEIF-training primarily emphasizes the ethical framework of end-of-life decisions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In case of a request for euthanasia, in the Netherlands as well as in Belgium similar consultation services by independent qualified physicians have been developed. In countries where legalising physician-assisted death is being contemplated, the development of such a consultation provision could also be considered in order to safeguard the practice of euthanasia (as it can provide safeguards to adequate performance of euthanasia and assisted suicide).</p