Acceptance and transformation of the housing “ladder” in slum resettlement projects in Colombo, Sri Lanka

This study focuses on the Sustainable Township Development Programme, a slum resettlement project that represents a recent housing policy shift in Sri Lanka. Through the actual housing improvement activities of the residents of Sahaspura, a resettlement housing complex, and the slum residents in the surrounding area, the response of the beneficiaries to the housing “ladder” was clarified. Policy makers and planners intended to merge slum dwellers into the formal housing market through the provision of “ladders, ” a set of regular ownership and dwelling units in Sahaspura. However, residents have responded in a variety of ways, including house extensions and renovations and informal housing transactions according to their daily needs. As a result, the original intention of the planners was distorted and the “ladder” was incorporated into the indigenous housing market in the slum, revealing a “transformation” from legal tenure to de facto tenure. Factors contributing to this transformation include the location of resettlement sites near urban areas, the looseness of housing environment management, the possibility of choosing the multiple form of tenure, and the existence of actors and social relations that guarantee access to land

Changes in the Japanese Employment System in the Two Lost Decades

Despite changes in the economic and social environment following the burst of the bubble economy in the early 1990s, studies on the Japanese employment system so far have detected few major changes in seniority-based wage or lifetime employment patterns. Using recent microdata from the Basic Survey on Wage Structure, this paper takes another look at developments in these two key elements of the Japanese employment system. In contrast with previous studies, we do find evidence that the two practices are eroding and that, hence, the traditional employment system overall has begun to unravel. Specifically, with regard to seniority wages, we found, for example, that the age-wage profile has become flatter in recent years, especially for employees in the middle and final phase of their career. And as for lifetime employment, we found a clear downward trend in the share of lifetime employees among younger, university-educated workers from the early 2000s. Taken together, the findings suggest that a growing share of educated younger workers choose to leave indefinite-contract jobs due to the poor prospects for seniority-based wage progression, while older workers choose to stay in their present job despite stagnating or falling wages, since it is more difficult for them to find alternative employment.Seniority-based wages, Lifetime employment, Japan

How Does the First Job Matter for an Individual’s Career Life in Japan?

Exploiting annual career records of female workers constructed from the Japanese Panel Survey of Consumers (JPSC), this paper examines how the first job matters for an individual’s future job career. Using the regional unemployment rate in the year of graduation as an instrument for the first job status (i.e., regular job or not), we confirm that an individual’s first job status matters significantly for the future job status even for female workers in Japan, although the effect gradually declines over the years and effectively disappears within around ten years from graduation. However, the observed first job effect appears to depend on the post-graduation career path taken by an individual, in the sense that someone who was unsuccessful during the first job hunt at the time of graduation can make up for the negative effect if she is lucky enough to secure a job as a regular employee within a reasonable time period.youth labor market, initial labor market conditions, cost of recessions, Japan

Modulation of 2-Point Discrimination Threshold Under Chemically Induced Global Stimulation

The two-point discrimination threshold(2PDT) serves as a critical indicator in the study of tactile acuity, representing the minimal distance at which an individual can differentiate two distinct points of contact on the skin. This measurement is instrumental in exploring the neural mechanisms underlying tactile perception. On the other hand, tactile acuity can be modulated by global stimulation. Prior research indicates that experimental inflammation induced by an application of capsaicin cream increases2PDT. In our study, we applied chemicals(oregano, menthol, and Sichuan pepper) to selectively activate receptors that usually respond to mild physical stimuli to investigate their influence on2PDT without inducing inflammation. The results unveiled a pronounced augmentation of2PDT following any form of global stimulation. Intriguingly, the cumulative effect of the chemical mix on2PDT appeared to be additive. These observations suggest that Wide Dynamic Range(WDR) neurons, functioning as relay nuclei with projections for touch, warmth, and cold sensations, play a pivotal role in this process. In lateral connection structures parallel to afferent nerve transmission pathways with WDR neurons as relay nuclei, global stimulation amplifies excitatory connections over inhibitory ones, thereby elevating the two-point discrimination threshold

Studies on CO2 Laser Treatment of Tinea Pedis

An experiment on the treatment of tinea pedis, common athlete’s foot, infections was done using a pulsed CO2 laser having an output energy of 3 joule/pulse and pulse duration of 0.5 μsec. Based on the results by the culture experiment, the ratio of the number of the samples having a cure rate of above 70% to all the samples is about 0.55 for thin skin and 0.35 for thick skin. The itchiness on the blistered infected parts virtually disappear within a few hours after the laser irradiation and the vesicles almost completely disapper within about 2 days

効果的なオーラル・イントロダクションの方法

新高等学校学習指導要領では、「授業は英語で指導することを基本とする」と謳われている。 その背景として「生徒が英語に触れる機会を充実する」ことや「授業を実際のコミュニケー ションの場面とする」ことを想定しており、その際には「生徒の理解の程度に応じた英語を 用いるよう十分配慮するものとする」という留意点も明記されている。英語で指導するには、 英語で指導するための授業のスタイルを考える必要があり、生徒の理解の程度に応じた英語 を用いるには英語の先生としての話し方(teacher talk)を実践する必要がある。英語での指導 スタイルの一つとして、そしてteacher talk を活かす活動として、オーラル・イントロダク ション(oral introduction)がある。しかし、オーラル・イントロダクションという用語はよく 耳にするが、その具体的な方法論となるとあいまいさが残る。本文のあらすじならともかく、 時には生徒が自分の力で英文から読み取るべき結末までを先生が話してしまうオーラル・イ ントロダクションも行われがちである。ここでは、オーラル・イントロダクションの効用を 確認しながら、story telling のようなあらすじを先に導入してしまう方法ではなく、生徒の 既知の能力を活かしたり、スキーマを広げたりする目的で行う(1)“Keyword Method”や、 さらに論理的な英文で応用できる(2)“Arranging Cards Method”について述べたい。ここ における“Keyword Method”や“Arranging Cards Method”は、オーラル・イントロダ クションの一方法としての筆者の造語である

A study of dictation

大学入試センター試験にリスニングテストが導入され、学校現場でもその指導法の確立が課題となっている。試験では、ただ単に英語を聴いて理解するというプロセスの他、適切に問題を解くことが必要となってくるが、そこには集中力や設問への処理能力が大切である。この論文は、リスニング中に適切にメモをとることでその能力の向上が図れるのではないかという仮説のもとに行ったディクテーション指導とその実験についてまとめたものである

Statistical Mechanics of Self--Gravitating System : Cluster Expansion Method

We study statistical mechanics of the self--gravitating system applying the cluster expansion method developed in solid state physics. By summing infinite series of diagrams, we derive a complex free energy whose imaginary part is related to the relaxation time of the system. Summation of another series yields two--point correlation function whose correlation length is essentially given by the Jeans wavelength of the system.Comment: 4 pages including 2 eps figures, RevTe

Presenilin-2 Mutation Causes Early Amyloid Accumulation and Memory Impairment in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

In order to clarify the pathophysiological role of presenilin-2 (PS2) carrying the Volga German Kindred mutation (N141I) in a conventional mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) with the Swedish mutation (Tg2576 line), we generated a double transgenic mouse (PS2Tg2576) by crossbreeding the PS2 mutant with Tg2576 mice. Here, we demonstrate that the PS2 mutation induced the early deposition of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) at 2-3 months of age and progressive accumulation at 4-5 months of age in the brains of the mutant mice. The PS2 mutation also accelerated learning and memory impairment associated with Aβ accumulation at 4-5 months of age in Tg2576 mice. These results suggest that the PS2 mutation causes early cerebral amyloid accumulation and memory dysfunction. PS2Tg2576 mice are a suitable mouse model for studying amyloid-lowering therapies