On the Stratification of Urban Residents and the Socio-Economic Position of the Commercial and Industrial Traders in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, in the Later Meiji Era

Taking all things into consideration as to the materials of occupation, tax, income and holdings of the tenant land, it is possible to perceive several strata of society in Sakata. Namely, the most upper stratum consists of a few who earn very large income from the tenant land and interests. The second stratum consists of many commercial and industrial traders and others who earn income from the tenant land is often larger than trade. The third stratum consists of a large number of traders and others who their mean derives more or less from income of the tenant land. The next stratum consists of a great number oftraders in very small business and others. The lowest stratum consists of a great many residents with no sure means ofliving, and forms the base ofthe stratified and pyramidal organization. In the later Meiji Era, Sakata was already not a city which was simply composed ofthe income of trades, but the city that depends chiefly on enormous wealth from the tenant land and interests. Sakata turned from a commercial city to a so-called parastic city. This was the important point that could recover from the destructive earthquake of 1894, and could fend off severe blows on the transit business of Sakata owing to the construction of railroad from 1899. The nature of parastic moneymaking, the higher of strata he is, the more he depends, took simultaneously upon itself the responsibility to check the development of Sakata. The nature of Sakata as a city is focused on the fact that the accumulated vast capital doesn't apply toward the industrial capital and the social capital

Prevention of esophageal strictures after endoscopic submucosal dissection

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) have recently been accepted as less invasive methods for treating patients with early esophageal cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and dysplasia of Barrett\u27s esophagus. However, the large defects in the esophageal mucosa often cause severe esophageal strictures, which dramatically reduce the patient\u27s quality of life. Although preventive endoscopic balloon dilatation can reduce dysphagia and the frequency of dilatation, other approaches are necessary to prevent esophageal strictures after ESD. This review describes several strategies for preventing esophageal strictures after ESD, with a particular focus on anti-inflammatory and tissue engineering approaches. The local injection of triamcinolone acetonide and other systemic steroid therapies are frequently used to prevent esophageal strictures after ESD. Tissue engineering approaches for preventing esophageal strictures have recently been applied in basic research studies. Scaffolds with temporary stents have been applied in five cases, and this technique has been shown to be safe and is anticipated to prevent esophageal strictures. Fabricated autologous oral mucosal epithelial cell sheets to cover the defective mucosa similarly to how commercially available skin products fabricated from epidermal cells are used for skin defects or in cases of intractable ulcers. Fabricated autologous oralmucosal- epithelial cell sheets have already been shown to be safe

The mirage of the metropolis: city imaging in the age of digital chorography

Even as cities evolved geographically, the basis of city imaging (as codified by Kevin Lynch) remained relatively stable for over half a century. More recently, digitally driven transformations in urban life challenge the continued relevance of established city-imaging paradigms. Although digital navigation and mapping devices are readily at hand to neutralize any disorienting predicaments, the ability to image cognitively the wider urban environment remains integral to the construction of a meaningful sense of place. Towards the objective of reconciling city imaging with the place-making challenges of the contemporary metropolis, this paper explores the potential for innovating modes of urban mapping and representation. Specifically, the digital re-envisioning of the historical mapping practice of ‘chorography’ is positioned within Fredric Jameson’s challenge for a new aesthetic of cognitive mapping that enables the situational representation of the individual within the vaster totality. In doing so, the paper contributes to the wider adaptation of urban discourse to digitally propelled shifts in urban life