Japan\u27s Community Currency Systems

近年,日本おいて地域通貨制度(community currency systems)が急増しており,かつ多数の非営利組織(NPO)がこの制度の導入を検討している.日本の地域通貨制度の多くは,経済的,経済外的なメリットの追求をめざして導入されてきた.その歴史がまだ浅いことから,地域通貨が参加者や参加コミュニティーに与えてきた経済的なyリットを測定することは現時点では困難だが,この制度は地域社会における互恵的な,市場では取引されにくい財・サービスの取引を通じて,人的交流や相互扶助の精神を深め,ボランティア活動・環境保護活動の促進など経済外的なメリットをもたらしてきたといってよい.地域通貨制度は,コミュニティー・レベルでの結束,連帯,ネットワーク強化など地域的な「社会資本」を作り出す上で有用な道具となる可能性を持っている.公共政策的な観点からは,地域通貨制度は国民経済全体に対して,少なくとも初期の段階においては重大な影響を与えるものではない.地域通貨制度は現状の規模を極めて大きく上回らない限り,一国の経済運営にとって脅威となることはなく,中央・地方政府は支援することはあっても,それに歯止めをかける目的で干渉すべきではない.There is a proliferation of community currency systems (CCSs) in Japan in the last few years. Many non-profit organizations are considering the introduction of these systems. Given their short history, it is difficult to clearly identify economic benefits of CCSs to the participants and communities concerned. However, community currencies appear to have had some positive non-economic impacts by way of promoting reciprocal trade of non-market services and encouraging solidarity, unity and good will in local communities. A CCS may be a useful tool to strengthen human networks at the community level, thus contributing to the formation of community-based ""social capital."" From public policy points of view, CCSs do not have significant implications for the national economy, particularly in their initial stage. Hence, the local or central government should not interfere with the development of CCSs because they do not pose a serious threat to national economic management, unless the systems grow to an uncontrollable size

Association of phosphorylation site of tau protein with neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer\u27s disease

金沢大学大学院医学系研究科In addition to neuritic changes and amyloid deposits, neuronal and glial cell apoptosis is an important pathological feature of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Several factors have been postulated as causes or triggers of cellular apoptotic change. This study focused on a quantifiable relationship between phosphorylation sites of tau protein in the neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and neuronal apoptosis. Five monoclonal anti-tau antibodies (AT180, AT8, HT7, Tau2 and Tau5) for NFT labeling and TdT-mediated UTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) for localizing apoptotic change were employed. TUNEL-stained neuronal nuclei showed significantly high density in the entorhinal cortex, cornu ammonis (CA) and the parietal cortex. In all regions, density of TUNEL-stained neuronal nuclei showed significantly direct correlation with that of AT8-, AT180- and Tau2-positive neurons. Correlation of TUNEL-stained neuronal nuclei with tau-positive neurons differed depending on the cerebral regions. Density of TUNEL-stained neuronal nuclei showed inverse correlation with that of both AT8-positive and Gallyas-stained NFT in the CA and showed significantly direct correlation with AT8- and HT7-positive neurons in the frontal cortex. Density of tau-positive and Gallyas-stained NFT was higher than that of TUNEL-stained nuclei. We conclude that phosphorylation sites of tau, 159-163 and 202-205, are probably associated with neuronal apoptosis and apoptotic change follows abnormal phosphorylation of tau

Clinical activity of ASP8273 in Asian patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer with EGFR activating and T790M mutations

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐activating mutations confer sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment for non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ASP8273 is a highly specific, irreversible, once‐daily, oral, EGFR TKI that inhibits both activating and resistance mutations. This ASP8273 dose‐escalation/dose‐expansion study (NCT02192697) was undertaken in two phases. In phase I, Japanese patients (aged ≥20 years) with NSCLC previously treated with ≥1 EGFR TKI received escalating ASP8273 doses (25‐600 mg) to assess safety/tolerability and to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and/or the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) by the Bayesian Continual Reassessment Method. In phase II, adult patients with T790M‐positive NSCLC in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan received ASP8273 at RP2D to further assess safety/tolerability and determine antitumor activity, which was evaluated according to Simon's two‐stage design (threshold response = 30%, expected response = 50%, α = 0.05, β = 0.1). Overall, 121 (n = 45 [33W/12M] phase I, n = 76 [48W/28M]) phase 2) patients received ≥1 dose of ASP8273. In phase I, RP2D and MTD were established as 300 and 400 mg, respectively. As 27 of the 63 patients treated with ASP8273 300 mg achieved a clinical response, ASP8273 was determined to have antitumor activity. The overall response rate at week 24 in all patients was 42% (n = 32/76; 95% confidence interval, 30.9‐54.0). Median duration of progression‐free survival was 8.1 months (95% confidence interval, 5.6, upper bound not reached). The most commonly reported treatment‐related adverse event in phase II was diarrhea (57%, n = 43/76). ASP8273 300 mg was generally well tolerated and showed antitumor activity in Asian patients with both EGFR‐activating and T790M mutations

Relationship between oral status and prevalence of periodontopathic bacteria on tongues of elderly individuals.

Colonization of periodontopathic bacteria is associated with increased risk for systemic diseases. However, few studies have investigated the relationships between oral status factors as well as health related-quality of life (HR-QOL) and the prevalence of such bacteria in elderly individuals. This study investigated the prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia in 165 community-dwelling functionally independent 85-year-old Japanese individuals (93 dentate, 72 edentulous) and the relationship to oral status, including oral malodor and HR-QOL. All 4 of the studied periodontopathic bacteria were found more frequently in tongue coating samples from dentate than edentulous subjects, and the prevalence of P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and T. denticola was significantly related to the number of teeth with a periodontal pocket depth (>/= 4 mm). These results suggest the existence of a stable circulation of periodontopathic bacteria between the gingival sulcus and tongue coating over time with teeth. In addition, the presence of teeth with a deep pocket and colonization of T. denticola were positively related to the level of CH(3)SH, while the number of present teeth positively contributed to HR-QOL, especially in regard to mental health. In conclusion, since dentate state can retain colonization of periodontopathic pathogens in the oral cavity, both periodontal treatment and tongue care are important for maintaining a healthy oral status in the elderly, and possibly results in avoidance of a risk for tooth loss and decline in HL-QOL, as well as protects from systemic diseases

Vertical distribution and diet of Stenobrachius nannochir (Myctophidae) in the southern Bering Sea, summer, 1987

The vertical distribution and diet of the myctophid species Stenobrachius nannochir were examined on samples collected at various mesopelagic depths (>600m) day and night in the southern Bering Sea, in June and July 1987. This species exhibited no diel variation in vertical distribution, remaining at a depth of about 600m. Stomachs were examined from 226 specimens. The diet was dominated by copepoda, mostly Calanus plumchrus, Calanus cristatus, Eucalanus bungii bungii and Metridia pacifica. The stomach fullness and prey digestive stage indicated little evidence of feeding periodicity, suggesting that S. nannochir is an acyclic predator among the family Myctophidae. The acyclic feeding by this non-migrating myctophid appears to adapt it to exploit efficiently the broad vertical distribution and abundance of prey in the subarctic Pacific Ocean

Relativistic segmented contraction basis sets with core-valence correlation effects for atoms 57La through 71Lu : Sapporo-DK-nZP sets (n = D, T, Q)

For the 15 lanthanide atoms 57La through 71Lu, we report Sapporo-DK-nZP sets (n = D, T, Q), which are natural extensions of the Sapporo-(DK)-nZP sets for lighter atoms and efficiently incorporate the correlation among electrons in the N through P shells as well as the relativistic effect. The present sets well describe the correlation among the 4s and 4p electrons, which are important in the excitation of 4f electrons. Atomic test calculations of 57La, 58Ce, 59Pr, and 60Nd at configuration interaction with the Davidson correction level of theory confirm high performance of the present basis sets. Molecular test calculations are carried out for 57LaF and 70YbF diatomics at the coupled cluster level of theory. The calculated spectroscopic constants approach smoothly to the experimental values as the quality of the basis set increases

Metastatic Small Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder That Recurred in the Vagina 6 Years after Radical Cystectomy: A Case Report

Small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urinary bladder is highly aggressive and portends a poor outcome. Herein, we report a patient with recurrent SCC of the urinary bladder who experienced an unusually long-term disease-free duration after radical cystectomy. The patient was a 60-year-old woman who had undergone transurethral resection followed by radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (high-grade urothelial carcinoma with adenocarcinomatous differentiation) 6 years prior; the surgical specimen had a negative surgical margin. She was referred to our hospital because of continuous bleeding from her vagina. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass located at the anterior wall of her residual vagina, a biopsy of which confirmed a pathological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. The vaginal tumor and a section of the sigmoid colon were resected en bloc and were pathologically diagnosed as adenocarcinoma and SCC. We reevaluated the initial transurethral resection specimen and found SCC with foci of adenocarcinoma concomitant with high-grade urothelial carcinoma. Local recurrence and metastasis at the pelvic bone occurred 4 months later; although radiation therapy was performed, she died of the progressive disease