7,009 research outputs found
The role of Japan in the international economy: a private view
In earlier times economists used to view the world in terms of dual economic models. For Marx the Asiatic mode of production(1) was the concept which was the counterpart of the Western feudalism from which the capitalist regime and bourgeois society emerged: Weber regarded the Confucian prebendary state as the pair of the Protestant civic society.(2) At the time, however, the various countries conforming to the Asiatic mode of production and the Confucian states played no more than a marginal role on the world economic stage and, though they might have been objects for exploitation by the capitalist nations of the west, they could not be equal competitors. For this reason the mechanism possessed by these obverse models (ideal types) was never subjected to in-depth analysis. (1) Marx's view of the Asiatic mode of production appears in various places throughout his many publications. See, for example, "Capital", vol.III (Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1966) p.791. V Melotti, "Marx and the Third World", (Macmillan, 1977) is a convenient synthesis of these writings for those wishing to know more about the manner in which Marx perceived Asia. (2) M Weber, 'Konfuzianismus und Taoismus', in "Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Religionssoziologie", vol.1, (J.C.B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], Tübingen, 1920)
Virological aspects of Epstein-Barr virus infections.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is usually maintained in an asymptomatic and latent form by the host immune system, and primarily by EBV-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs). However, EBV has been linked to several refractory diseases such as EBV-associated hemophagocytic syndrome(EBV-AHS) and chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV). In these ectopic diseases, EBV infects T/NK cells, causing severe immunodeficiency with a very high EBV load. In recent years, the laboratory procedure to assess these types of EBV infections has been improved. In particular, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to quantify the EBV load, and the MHC: peptide tetramer assay has been used to quantitate EBV-specific CTLs; these tests have been employed for the management of the illnesses associated with EBV infection. Here, we have reviewed the recent progress in the clinical application of these assays. The pathogenesis of EBV-infected T/NK cells, and the host immune response to infection, including the roles carried out by innate immunity and inflammatory cytokines, are likely to be revealed in the future.</p
Seasonal variation of radial brightness contrast of Saturn's rings viewed in mid-infrared by Subaru/COMICS
Aims. To investigate the mid-infrared (MIR) characteristics of Saturn's
rings. Methods. We collected and analyzed MIR high spatial resolution images of
Saturn's rings obtained in January 2008 and April 2005 with COMICS mounted on
Subaru Telescope, and investigated the spatial variation in the surface
brightness of the rings in multiple bands in the MIR. We also composed the
spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the C, B, and A rings and the Cassini
Division, and estimated the temperatures of the rings from the SEDs assuming
the optical depths. Results. We find that the C ring and the Cassini Division
were warmer than the B and A rings in 2008, which could be accounted for by
their lower albedos, lower optical depths, and smaller self-shadowing effect.
We also find that the C ring and the Cassini Division were considerably
brighter than the B and A rings in the MIR in 2008 and the radial contrast of
the ring brightness is the inverse of that in 2005, which is interpreted as a
result of a seasonal effect with changing elevations of the sun and observer
above the ring plane.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Formation and accretion history of terrestrial planets from runaway growth through to late time: implications for orbital eccentricity
Remnant planetesimals might have played an important role in reducing the
orbital eccentricities of the terrestrial planets after their formation via
giant impacts. However, the population and the size distribution of remnant
planetesimals during and after the giant impact stage are unknown, because
simulations of planetary accretion in the runaway growth and giant impact
stages have been conducted independently. Here we report results of direct
N-body simulations of the formation of terrestrial planets beginning with a
compact planetesimal disk. The initial planetesimal disk has a total mass and
angular momentum as observed for the terrestrial planets, and we vary the width
(0.3 and 0.5AU) and the number of planetesimals (1000-5000). This initial
configuration generally gives rise to three final planets of similar size, and
sometimes a fourth small planet forms near the location of Mars. Since a
sufficient number of planetesimals remains, even after the giant impact phase,
the final orbital eccentricities are as small as those of the Earth and Venus.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, Accepted in Ap
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