E・W・バージェスの社会政策論 : 社会改良・計画・福祉の展開

初期シカゴ学派の重要な社会学的方法の一つは、人間生態学である。しかしそれと同時に、人間生態学の対概念とみなされる社会政策論にもシカゴ学派の社会学者は関心をもっていた。本稿では、人間生態学的視点における同心円地帯理論で有名な、E・W・バージェスの社会政策論に着目する。バージェスの社会政策論は、1910年代の社会改良、1930年代の社会計画、1950年代以降の社会福祉の考え方へと展開していったことを、バージェス文献の比較検討によって示す。1910年代の社会改良は、シカゴ学派第一世代の実践社会学の思潮に影響されている。1930年代の社会計画は、「科学」にもとづく社会学が構想されたことによる。1950年代以降のエイジング・老年社会学研究は、これまでのシカゴ学派研究では軽視されてきた社会福祉論であり、それは近代化論を背景としている。バージェスの社会政策論は、社会政策・福祉論において現代議論すべき論点の多くを原初形態として示している。In the earlier Chicago school of sociology, human ecology was one of the initial methods. Being well-known for his concentric zone model of human ecology, Burgess simultaneously put emphasis on the conception of social policy, which was regarded as a contrary concept to human ecology. Through the analysis of his writings, this paper aims at clarifying the chronological changes in his theory, pointing out three different stages: social reform in the 1910s, social planning in the 1930s, and finally social welfare in the 1950s. Each stage appears to have some implications toward science and modernization. As it is argued in the present paper, this finding suggests that his theory of social policy has been contributing to the contentions on social policy and welfare even today

Characterization of an active LINE-1 in the naked mole-rat genome.

Naked mole-rats (NMRs, Heterocephalus glaber) are the longest-living rodent species. A reason for their long lifespan is pronounced cancer resistance. Therefore, researchers believe that NMRs have unknown secrets of cancer resistance and seek to find them. Here, to reveal the secrets, we noticed a retrotransposon, long interspersed nuclear element 1 (L1). L1s can amplify themselves and are considered endogenous oncogenic mutagens. Since the NMR genome contains fewer L1-derived sequences than other mammalian genomes, we reasoned that the retrotransposition activity of L1s in the NMR genome is lower than those in other mammalian genomes. In this study, we successfully cloned an intact L1 from the NMR genome and named it NMR-L1. An L1 retrotransposition assay using the NMR-L1 reporter revealed that NMR-L1 was active retrotransposon, but its activity was lower than that of human and mouse L1s. Despite lower retrotrasposition activity, NMR-L1 was still capable of inducing cell senescence, a tumor-protective system. NMR-L1 required the 3' untranslated region (UTR) for retrotransposition, suggesting that NMR-L1 is a stringent-type of L1. We also confirmed the 5' UTR promoter activity of NMR-L1. Finally, we identified the G-quadruplex structure of the 3' UTR, which modulated the retrotransposition activity of NMR-L1. Taken together, the data indicate that NMR-L1 retrotranspose less efficiently, which may contribute to the cancer resistance of NMRs

Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Observations of the T Tauri Binary System UY Aur

We present a near-infrared image of UY Aur, a 0.9" separated binary system, using the Coronagraphic Imager with Adaptive Optics on the Subaru Telescope. Thanks to adaptive optics, the spatial resolution of our image was ~0.1" in the full width at half maximum of the point spread function, the highest achieved. By comparison with previous measurements, we estimated that the orbital period is ~1640 yrs and the total mass of the binary is ~1.73 solar mass. The observed H-band magnitude of the secondary varies by as much as 1.3 mag within a decade, while that of the primary is rather stable. This inconstancy may arise from photospheric variability caused by an uneven accretion rate or from the rotation of the secondary. We detected a half-ring shaped circumbinary disk around the binary with a bright southwest part but a barely detectable northeast portion. The brightness ratio is ~57. Its inner radius and inclination are about 520 AU and 42, respectively. The disk is not uniform but has remarkable features, including a clumpy structure along the disk, circumstellar material inside the inner cavity, and an extended armlike structure. The circumstellar material inside the cavity probably corresponds to a clump or material accreting from the disk onto the binary. The armlike structure is a part of the disk, created by the accretion from the outer region of the disk or encounters with other stellar systems.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in A

Eccentric Figure-Eight Coils for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Previously we proposed an eccentric figure-eight coil that can cause threshold stimulation in the brain at lower driving currents. In this study, we performed numerical simulations and magnetic stimulations to healthy subjects for evaluating the advantages of the eccentric coil. The simulations were performed using a simplified spherical brain model and a realistic human brain model. We found that the eccentric coil required a driving current intensity of approximately 18% less than that required by the concentric coil to cause comparable eddy current densities within the brain. The eddy current localization of the eccentric coil was slightly higher than that of the concentric coil. A prototype eccentric coil was designed and fabricated. Instead of winding a wire around a bobbin, we cut eccentric-spiral slits on the insulator cases, and a wire was woven through the slits. The coils were used to deliver magnetic stimulation to healthy subjects; among our results, we found that the current slew rate corresponding to motor threshold values for the concentric and eccentric coils were 86 and 78 A/µs, respectively. The results indicate that the eccentric coil consistently requires a lower driving current to reach the motor threshold than the concentric coil. Future development of compact magnetic stimulators will enable the treatment of some intractable neurological diseases at home. Bioelectromagnetics. 35:55–65, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.ArticleBIOELECTROMAGNETICS. 36(1):55-65 (2015)journal articl

Cancer activity and bleeding events post-PCI

Purpose : Limited data exist about clinically relevant bleeding events related to antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in cancer patients. We investigated the risk factors for clinically relevant bleeding events in patients with cancer after PCI with stent implantation. Patients and Methods : Patients with solid cancer subjected to first PCI were divided into active (n = 45) and non-active cancer groups (n = 44). The active group included non-operable patients on treatment or with metastasis ; the non-active included those already subjected to or for whom radical surgery was planned within 3 months after the index PCI. Results : During a median follow-up of 2.2 years, 11 bleeding events occurred, with only one occurring in the non-active cancer group. Half of them occurred during the dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) period, and the rest occurred during single-antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) period. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly more bleeding events in the active cancer group (p = 0.010). Multivariate Cox regression hazard analysis revealed cancer activity as a significant independent risk factor for bleeding (p = 0.023) ; but not for three-point major adverse cardiovascular events. Conclusion : Clinically relevant bleeding risk after PCI was significantly lower in non-active cancer. Active cancer group had clinically relevant bleeding during both DAPT and SAPT periods

Evidence for Spin–Orbit Alignment in the TRAPPIST-1 System

In an effort to measure the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect for the TRAPPIST-1 system, we performed high-resolution spectroscopy during transits of planets e, f, and b. The spectra were obtained with the InfraRed Doppler spectrograph on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope, and were supplemented with simultaneous photometry obtained with a 1 m telescope of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope. By analyzing the anomalous radial velocities, we found the projected stellar obliquity to be λ = 1 ± 28° under the assumption that the three planets have coplanar orbits, although we caution that the radial-velocity data show correlated noise of unknown origin. We also sought evidence for the expected deformations of the stellar absorption lines, and thereby detected the "Doppler shadow" of planet b with a false-alarm probability of 1.7%. The joint analysis of the observed residual cross-correlation map including the three transits gave λ = 19_(-15)^(+13)°. These results indicate that the the TRAPPIST-1 star is not strongly misaligned with the common orbital plane of the planets, although further observations are encouraged to verify this conclusion

Identification and characterization of an oocyte factor required for development of porcine nuclear transfer embryos.

Nuclear reprogramming of differentiated cells can be induced by oocyte factors. Despite numerous attempts, these factors and mechanisms responsible for successful reprogramming remain elusive. Here, we identify one such factor, necessary for the development of nuclear transfer embryos, using porcine oocyte extracts in which some reprogramming events are recapitulated. After incubating somatic nuclei in oocyte extracts from the metaphase II stage, the oocyte proteins that were specifically and abundantly incorporated into the nuclei were identified by mass spectrometry. Among 25 identified proteins, we especially focused on a multifunctional protein, DJ-1. DJ-1 is present at a high concentration in oocytes from the germinal vesicle stage until embryos at the four-cell stage. Inhibition of DJ-1 function compromises the development of nuclear transfer embryos but not that of fertilized embryos. Microarray analysis of nuclear transfer embryos in which DJ-1 function is inhibited shows perturbed expression of P53 pathway components. In addition, embryonic arrest of nuclear transfer embryos injected with anti-DJ-1 antibody is rescued by P53 inhibition. We conclude that DJ-1 is an oocyte factor that is required for development of nuclear transfer embryos. This study presents a means for identifying natural reprogramming factors in mammalian oocytes and a unique insight into the mechanisms underlying reprogramming by nuclear transfer

Antitumor effects of inductive hyperthermia using magnetic ferucarbotran nanoparticles on human lung cancer xenografts in nude mice

Background: The effects of inductive hyperthermia on lung cancer have yet to be fully investigated. Magnetic nanoparticles used in inductive hyperthermia are made-to-order and expensive. This study was performed to investigate the use of ferucarbotran in inductive hyperthermia and to clarify whether inductive hyperthermia using ferucarbotran promotes antitumor effects in vivo using a lung cancer cell line. Methods: We injected A549 cells subcutaneously into the right thighs of BALB/c nu/nu nude mice. Forty mice with A549 xenografts were then classified into three groups. Group 1 was the control group. All mice in groups 2 and 3 had ferucarbotran injected into their tumors, and mice in group 3 were then subjected to alternating magnetic field irradiation. We evaluated tumor temperature during the hyperthermic procedure, the time course of tumor growth, histologic findings in tumors after hyperthermic treatment, and adverse events. Results: Intratumor temperature rose rapidly and was maintained at 43°C-45°C for 20 minutes in an alternating magnetic field. Tumor volumes in groups 1 and 2 increased exponentially, but tumor growth in group 3 was significantly suppressed. No severe adverse events were observed. Histologic findings for the tumors in group 3 revealed mainly necrosis. Conclusion: Inductive hyperthermia using ferucarbotran is a beneficial and promising approach in the treatment of lung cancer. Ferucarbotran is a novel tool for further development of inductive hyperthermia. © 2013 Araya et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd