The Global Financial and Economic Crisis and Marxian Crisis Theory : From the Perspective of the Stages Theory Originated by the Uno School

The global financial and economic crisis, aggravated in the fall of 2008 in particular, has been described as a “once in a hundred years” crisis (Greenspan [2008]) or one of the “worst since the Great Depression” (Geithner [2008]). It is appropriate to analyze it as a “structural crisis” similar to the 1930s Great Depression that led to the total disintegration of the world capitalist economy. In this sense, it should be elucidated as a “global crisis” of the “global capitalist system” brought about by the structural characteristics inherent to the specific capital accumulation structure and the mechanism of the current phase of modern capitalism. The economic crisis in real world cannot be reduced to a pure theoretical model of the crisis theory. It must be comprehensively elucidated as a “global crisis,” including its historical dimension, in light of the Stages Theory originated by the Japanese Uno School, although it should be reformulated according to the two stages of the “Pax Britannica Stage” and the “Pax Americana Stage.” In accordance with this reformulation, the current global capitalism is defined as a capitalism in the “transfiguring phase” of the “Pax Americana Stage,” including significant processes of transition toward a new stage of capitalist development. The global financial and economic crisis in the late 2000s was the global “Great Crisis” that was brought about by causes deep-rooted in the capital accumulation system specific to the current phase of capitalist development

Chiral Generations on Intersecting 5-branes in Heterotic String Theory

We show that there exist two 27 and one 27 bar of E6, net one D=4, N=1 chiral matter supermultiplet as zero modes localized on the intersection of two 5-branes in the E8 x E8 heterotic string theory. The smeared intersecting 5-brane solution is used via the standard embedding to construct a heterotic background, which provides, after a compactification of some of the transverse dimensions, a five-dimensional Randall-Sundrum II like brane-world set-up in heterotic string theory. As a by-product, we present a new proof of anomaly cancellation between those from the chiral matter and the anomaly inflow onto the brane without small instanton.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures; references added, typo correcte

Cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine as a novel biomarker for predicting prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a prospective observational study

[Background] Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrotic lung disease that leads to respiratory failure and death. Although there is a greater understanding of the etiology of this disease, accurately predicting the disease course in individual patients is still not possible. This study aimed to evaluate serum cytokines/chemokines as potential biomarkers that can predict outcomes in IPF patients. [Methods] A multi-institutional prospective two-stage discovery and validation design using two independent cohorts was adopted. For the discovery analysis, serum samples from 100 IPF patients and 32 healthy controls were examined using an unbiased, multiplex immunoassay of 48 cytokines/chemokines. The serum cytokine/chemokine values were compared between IPF patients and controls; the association between multiplex measurements and survival time was evaluated in IPF patients. In the validation analysis, the cytokines/chemokines identified in the discovery analysis were examined in serum samples from another 81 IPF patients to verify the ability of these cytokines/chemokines to predict survival. Immunohistochemical assessment of IPF-derived lung samples was also performed to determine where this novel biomarker is expressed. [Results] In the discovery cohort, 18 cytokines/chemokines were significantly elevated in sera from IPF patients compared with those from controls. Interleukin-1 receptor alpha (IL-1Rα), interleukin-8 (IL-8), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1α), and cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) were associated with survival: IL-1Rα, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.04 per 10 units, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01–1.07; IL-8, HR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08; MIP-1α, HR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.00–1.36; and CTACK, HR = 1.12 per 100 units, 95% CI 1.02–1.21. A replication analysis was performed only for CTACK because others were previously reported to be potential biomarkers of interstitial lung diseases. In the validation cohort, CTACK was associated with survival: HR = 1.14 per 100 units, 95% CI 1.01–1.28. Immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of CTACK and CC chemokine receptor 10 (a ligand of CTACK) in airway and type II alveolar epithelial cells of IPF patients but not in those of controls. [Conclusions] CTACK is a novel prognostic biomarker of IPF

Racial Exclusion and the Political Economy of the Subprime Crisis

Abstract Th is paper develops a political economic explanation of the 2007-9 US subprime crisis which focuses on one of its central causes: the transformation of racial exclusion in US mortgagemarkets. Until the early 1990s, racial minorities were systematically excluded from mortgagefi nance due to bank-redlining and discrimination. But, then, racial exclusion in credit-markets was transformed: racial minorities were increasingly given access to housing-credit under terms far more adverse than were off ered to non-minority borrowers. Th is paper shows that the emergence of the subprime loan is linked, in turn, to the strategic transformation of banking in the 1980s, and to the unique global circumstances of the US macro-economy. Th us, subprime lending emerged from a combination of the long US history of racial exclusion in credit-markets, the crisis of US banking, and the position of the US within the global economy. From the viewpoint of the capitalist accumulation-process, these loans increased the depth of the fi nancial expropriation of the working class by fi nancial capital. Th e crisis in subprime lending then emerged when subprime loans with exploitative terms became more widespread and were made increasingly on an under-collateralised basis -that is, when housing-loans became not just extortionary but speculative

Involvement of SIK3 in Glucose and Lipid Homeostasis in Mice

Salt-inducible kinase 3 (SIK3), an AMP-activated protein kinase-related kinase, is induced in the murine liver after the consumption of a diet rich in fat, sucrose, and cholesterol. To examine whether SIK3 can modulate glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver, we analyzed phenotypes of SIK3-deficent mice. Sik3−/− mice have a malnourished the phenotype (i.e., lipodystrophy, hypolipidemia, hypoglycemia, and hyper-insulin sensitivity) accompanied by cholestasis and cholelithiasis. The hypoglycemic and hyper-insulin-sensitive phenotypes may be due to reduced energy storage, which is represented by the low expression levels of mRNA for components of the fatty acid synthesis pathways in the liver. The biliary disorders in Sik3−/− mice are associated with the dysregulation of gene expression programs that respond to nutritional stresses and are probably regulated by nuclear receptors. Retinoic acid plays a role in cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis, wheras ALDH1a which produces retinoic acid, is expressed at low levels in Sik3−/− mice. Lipid metabolism disorders in Sik3−/− mice are ameliorated by the treatment with 9-cis-retinoic acid. In conclusion, SIK3 is a novel energy regulator that modulates cholesterol and bile acid metabolism by coupling with retinoid metabolism, and may alter the size of energy storage in mice

Potential of Asian Economic Integration : A Perspective from the Strategy of Japanese Enterprises

The progress of the cooperation and economic integration of the region has a big potentiality for further industrial and economic development of the whole Asian region in general. IT industries have big potentiality for the future economic development of each country in the region. IT sectors will stimulate high-tech and lead the technological innovations in the economy and possibly lead the economic development of the region. Japanese firms have significant roles, as demonstrated by the experiences over the past three decades. The effective transfer of its capability-building system, or its significant human resources management and development system still has the key importance.IT, development, Asia, regional economics

Reasons for dental visits and needs for oral health/disease after 50 years in the poisoning patients caused by dried milk

研究期間:平成18-19年度 ; 研究種目:基盤研究C ; 課題番号: 1859227

Statistical Analysis of Vertical and Torsional Whipping Response Based on Full-Scale Measurement of a Large Container Ship

In this study, as a preliminary attempt to reveal the whipping response of large container ships in actual seaways, the stress monitoring data of an 8600 TEU large container ship were analyzed. The measurement lasted approximately five years, and using a large amount of data, we investigated how the sea state and operational conditions affected the whipping response. In addition, the midship longitudinal stresses were decomposed into hull girder vertical bending, horizontal bending, and torsional and axial components. Thereafter, we found that the whipping magnitude on the torsional and horizontal bending components is much smaller than that on the vertical bending component. Future research would include the analysis of a larger amount of data, analysis of other sensor data, and effects of various patterns of vibrational response on the ultimate strength and fatigue strength. The obtained results will benefit the future design and operation of large container ships for safer navigation