The Dynamics of Growth, Poverty, and Inequality: A Panel Analysis of Regional Data from the Philippines and Thailand

We propose a new methodological framework to empirically analyze the dynamics of growth, poverty, and inequalitythat incorporates the fact that the entire distribution of a welfare indicator, say, real percapita consumption, changes over time, and that empirical variables for growth, poverty, and inequality are often compiled from the distribution of the welfare indicator. Empirical models derived from this framework are applied to a unique panel dataset of provinces in the Philippines (1985-2003) and Thailand (1988-2004), compiled from microdata on household expenditures. The system GMM estimation results suggest that inequality reduced the subsequent growth rate of percapita consumption in both countries and differences in inequality explain a substantial portion of the Philippine-Thai difference in growth and poverty reduction during the late 1980s and the 1990s.poverty, inequality, pro-poor growth, convergence, Thailand, the Philippines

Rich Periphery, Poor Center: Myanmar's Rural Economy under Partial Transition to a Market Economy

This paper looks at the case of Myanmar in order to investigate the behavior and welfare of rural households in an economy under transition from a planned to a market system. Myanmar's case is particularly interesting because of the country's unique attempt to preserve a policy of intervention in land transactions and marketing institutions. A sample household survey that we conducted in 2001, covering more than 500 households in eight villages with diverse agro-ecological environments, revealed two paradoxes. First, income levels are higher in villages far from the center than in villages located in regions under the tight control of the central authorities. Second, farmers and villages that emphasize a paddy-based, irrigated cropping system have lower farming incomes than those that do not. The reason for these paradoxes are the distortions created by agricultural policies that restrict land use and the marketing of agricultural produce. Because of these distortions, the transition to a market economy in Myanmar since the late 1980s is only a partial one. The partial transition, which initially led to an increase in output and income from agriculture, revealed its limit in the survey period.

Testamentary Gift with Burden and Trust in a Phase of Baknkruptcy

本稿は、平成17年度〜平成19年度科学研究費補助金（基盤研究(C)）課題番号17530085（研究代表者函明治学院大学法学部准教授伊室亜希子）の研究成果の一部である

Termination of Trust and Change of Trustee in a Phase of Civil Procedure

本稿は、平成17年度〜平成19年度科学研究費補助金（基盤研究(C)）課題番号17530085（研究代表者》明治学院大学法学部准教授伊室亜希子）の研究成果の一部である

Risk factors for the first and second inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy

Introduction: Various risk factors for the first inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy event have been reported, including a history of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFL), younger age, and multiple zones. Nonetheless, which factors are concordant with real-world data has not been clarified, and risk factors for the second inappropriate ICD therapy event have not been well examined. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors for the first and second inappropriate ICD therapy events. Methods: We conducted a post-hoc secondary analysis of data from a multicenter, prospective observational study (the Nippon Storm Study) designed to clarify the risk factors for electrical storm. Results: The analysis included data from 1549 patients who received ICD or cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D). Over a median follow-up of 28 months, 293 inappropriate ICD therapy events occurred in 153 (10.0%) patients. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, the risk factors for the first inappropriate ICD therapy event were younger age (hazard ratio [HR], 0.986; p = 0.028), AF/AFL (HR, 2.324; p = 0.002), ICD without CRT implantation (HR, 2.377; p = 0.004), and multiple zones (HR, 1.852; p = 0.010). "No-intervention" after the first inappropriate ICD therapy event was the sole risk factor for the second inappropriate ICD therapy event. Conclusions: Risk factors for the first inappropriate ICD therapy event were similar to those previously reported. Immediate intervention after the first inappropriate ICD therapy event could reduce the risk of the second inappropriate event

Plasticity of Cells and Ex Vivo Production of Red Blood Cells

The supply of transfusable red blood cells (RBCs) is not sufficient in many countries. If transfusable RBCs could be produced abundantly from certain resources, it would be very useful. Our group has developed a method to produce enucleated RBCs efficiently from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells present in umbilical cord blood. More recently, it was reported that enucleated RBCs could be abundantly produced from human embryonic stem (ES) cells. The common obstacle for application of these methods is that they require very high cost to produce sufficient number of RBCs that are applicable in the clinic. If erythroid cell lines (immortalized cell lines) able to produce transfusable RBCs ex vivo were established, they would be valuable resources. Our group developed a robust method to obtain immortalized erythroid cell lines able to produce mature RBCs. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first paper to show the feasibility of establishing immortalized erythroid progenitor cell lines able to produce enucleated RBCs ex vivo. This result strongly suggests that immortalized human erythroid progenitor cell lines able to produce mature RBCs ex vivo can also be established

腎盂尿管移行部狭窄症に逆行性エンドピエロトミーを行った小児の1例

右腎盂尿管移行部狭窄症の6歳女児に対し, アキュサイス尿管切開バルーン装置(軟性尿管カテーテル, 7Fr)を用いた逆行性エンドピエトロトミーを行いその実用性を検討した.全身麻酔下でアキュサイスカテーテルを膀胱鏡操作下に腎盂内にまで挿入し, 狭窄部を電気的に切開し更に同部位をバルーンで24Frまで拡張した.切開終了後にエンドピエトロトミー用尿管カテーテル(6/10Fr)を留置し, これを8週間後に抜去した.手術時間は45分間で, 患者は術後3日目に退院した.特に手術に関する合併症はなく, 術後8ヵ月目の経静脈性腎盂撮影と利尿レノグラムによる評価で, 水腎症の程度は改善していたTo determine the feasibility of retrograde endopyelotomy in the management of pediatric ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, we treated one girl aged 6 years with the Acucise cutting balloon devise for symptomatic UPJ obstruction. The Acucise catheter (7 Fr, flexible) was placed by a cystoscope over a guide wire with fluoroscopic guidance under general anesthesia. After cutting the stenotic area electronically and dilation until 24 Fr for 10 seconds, a 6/10 Fr endopyelotomy ureteral catheter was left in situ for 8 weeks after the operation. Total operating time was 45 minutes and the child was discharged 3 days after the operation. There were no acute complications and short-term, follow-up 8 months after the operative results were satisfactory as determined by intravenous pyelography and diuretic renogram. UPJ obstruction in children may be treated by retrograde endopyelotomy with the Acucise catheter as well as adults. The principal potential advantage of this procedure is reduced morbidity as compared with antegrade endopyelotomy

Interface tool from Wannier90 to RESPACK: wan2respack

We develop the interface tool $\verb|wan2respack|$, which connects $\verb|RESPACK|$ (software that derives the low-energy effective Hamiltonians of solids) with $\verb|Wannier90|$ (software that constructs Wannier functions). $\verb|wan2respack|$ converts the Wannier functions obtained by $\verb|Wannier90|$ into those used in $\verb|RESPACK|$, which is then used to derive the low-energy effective Hamiltonians of solids. In this paper, we explain the basic usage of $\verb|wan2respack|$ and show its application to standard compounds of correlated materials, namely, the correlated metal SrVO$_3$ and the high-$T_{c}$ superconductor La$_2$CuO$_4$. Furthermore, we compare the low-energy effective Hamiltonians of these compounds using Wannier functions obtained by $\verb|Wannier90|$ and those obtained by $\verb|RESPACK|$. We confirm that both types of Wannier functions give the same Hamiltonians. This benchmark comparison demonstrates that $\verb|wan2respack|$ correctly converts Wannier functions in the $\verb|Wannier90|$ format into those in the $\verb|RESPACK|$ format.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure