Report from the Annual Conference of the British Society of Echocardiography, November 2016, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London.

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Nothing New in the (North) East? Interpreting the Rhetoric and Reality of Japanese Corporate Governance

Japan finally seems to be pulling itself out of its lost decade (and a half) of economic stagnation. Some grudgingly or triumphantly attribute this to micro-economic reforms, freeing up arthritic markets, although there is also evidence that macro-economic policy failures have been a major cause of poor performance since the 1990s. Many point to overlapping transformations in corporate governance, broadly defined to cover relationships among managers and employees as well as between firms and outside shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders. These relationships are in flux, with moves arguably favouring shareholders and more market-driven control mechanisms. It has certainly been a found decade for law reform in Japan, particularly in corporate law, with a plethora of legislative amendments commencing around 1993 and culminating in the enactment of a consolidated Company Law in 2005. This modernisation project, particularly since 2001, is reportedly aimed at (i) securing better corporate governance, (ii) bringing the law into line with a highly-developed information society, (iii) liberalising fundraising measures, (iv) bringing corporate law into line with the internationalization of corporate activity, and (v) modernizing terms and consolidating corporate law. Because the suite of revisions has moved away from strict mandatory rules set out originally in Japan\u27s Commercial Code of 1899, modeled primarily on German law, another growing perception is that Japanese corporate law and practice is or will soon be converging significantly on US models. However, assessments remain divided as to whether these moves in corporate governance and capitalism more generally in Japan amount to a new paradigm or regime shift . Focusing primarily on quite influential commentary in English, Part I of this paper outlines two pairs of views. It concludes that the most plausible assessment is of significant but gradual transformation towards a more market-driven approach, evident also in other advanced political economies. Drawing more generally from these often virulently divided views, Part II sets out five ways forward through the proliferating literature and source material on corporate governance in Japan. Particular care must be taken in: (i) selecting the temporal timeframe, (ii) selecting countries to compare, (iii) balancing black-letter law and broader socio-economic context, (iv) reflecting on and disclosing normative preferences, and (v) giving weight to processes as well as outcomes, when assessing change in Japan - and any other country\u27s governance system. Part III ends with a call for further research particularly on law- and policy-producing processes, rather than mainly outcomes. It also outlines the usefulness of this analytical framework for analysing the broader field of Corporate Social Responsibility, now emerging as the next major area of debate and transformation in Japan - as elsewhere

Hyperechoic thickened ependyma: sonographic demonstration and significance in neonates.

In the neonate, hyperechoic thickening of the ependyma is believed to be related to ventriculitis. Yet, in our experience, this sign is much more often observed in association with subacute intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), without infection. Sixty premature neonates were prospectively studied. The observations of transfontanellar sonograms (intracranial hemorrhage, ependymal echogenicity, and ventriculomegaly) were correlated with the results of MRI, lumbar punctures and clinical work-up. Intracranial hemorrhage was detected in 28 patients, and hyperechoic thickening of the ependyma was observed in 21 of them, all of whom had IVH. In 9 of these 21 patients IVH was diagnosed retrospectively thanks to the visualization of the hyperechoic ependyma. In all but one, this sign persisted for at least 2 months after disappearance of other signs of IVH. MRI demonstrated the presence of hemosiderin and ferritin in ependymal or subependymal location only in patients with hyperechoic ependyma. One of our patients had in utero diagnosis of IVH owing to the visualization of the same hyperechoic aspect of the ependyma. Nine of the neonates with hyperechoic ependyma developed ventriculomegaly, and three underwent surgery. Hyperechoic thickening of the ependyma in prematures often results from a subacute IVH. It is related to hemoglobin catabolites which can be detected by MRI. It does not require immediate potentially harmful diagnostic punctures. The presence of this hyperechoic rim allows a retrospective diagnosis of IVH and indicates a clinical and sonographic follow-up in newborns at risk for secondary hydrocephalus.Journal ArticleSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe