Operational and Environmental Efficiencies of Japanese Electric Power Companies from 2003 to 2015: Influence of Market Reform and Fukushima Nuclear Power Accident

This study measures operational and environmental efficiencies of nine incumbent electric power companies (EPCos) in Japan and examines an influence of market reform and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident on efficiencies using a data set from 2003 to 2015. This study applies output-oriented radial data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to the measurement of efficiencies. Three inputs and three desirable outputs are used for the measurement of operational efficiency, and one undesirable output besides inputs and desirable outputs is used to measure environmental efficiency. EPCos produce not only desirable output, for example, electricity, but also undesirable output, for example, CO2, for their operations. For the measurement of environmental efficiency, this study uses a unique DEA model that assumes occurrence of ecotechnology innovation. The results reveal that environmental efficiency of EPCos is mostly invariant over the period of this study, while operational efficiency decreases in the same period. In addition, the results present that Japanese EPCos make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions by promoting ecotechnology innovation. The Kruskal–Wallis rank sum test indicates differences in operational and environmental efficiencies among EPCos. Such performance differences might become larger as market liberalization advances, which could lead to further structural changes of the industry

Laparoendoscopic Single-Site (LESS) Retroperitoneal Radical Nephrectomy in a Patient with Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving Hemodialysis

We present here the patient undergoing laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) retroperitoneal radical nephrectomy while receiving hemodialysis. An 81-year-old man under hemodialysis for 6 years was incidentally discovered to have two left renal masses with acquired cystic disease of the kidney (ACDK). A 4-cm flank incision for GelPort was made. Three trocars were inserted into the retroperitoneum through GelPort. After division of the renal vessels and ureter, the kidney was placed into the extraction bag and was retrieved through flank incision without any extra skin incision. There were no intraoperative and postoperative complications. This procedure offers an effective, minimally invasive therapeutic alternative to the standard laparoscopic technique in high-risk end-stage renal disease patients

Phase and Exceptional Case-marking

In this paper, I claim that the Phase Impenetrability Condition put forth by Chomsky (1998) receives empirical support, by examining certain ECM constructions with infinitival complements in Japanese , which are intractable from the perspective of the Defective Intervention Constraint. Assuming that exceptional case-marking involves the process of raising to edge of a phase, I demonstrate that the data in question can be accounted for within phase theory

Laparoendoscopic Single-Site (LESS) Retroperitoneal Radical Nephrectomy in a Patient with Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving Hemodialysis

We present here the patient undergoing laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) retroperitoneal radical nephrectomy while receiving hemodialysis. An 81-year-old man under hemodialysis for 6 years was incidentally discovered to have two left renal masses with acquired cystic disease of the kidney (ACDK). A 4-cm flank incision for GelPort was made. Three trocars were inserted into the retroperitoneum through GelPort. After division of the renal vessels and ureter, the kidney was placed into the extraction bag and was retrieved through flank incision without any extra skin incision. There were no intraoperative and postoperative complications. This procedure offers an effective, minimally invasive therapeutic alternative to the standard laparoscopic technique in high-risk end-stage renal disease patients

Selective loss of GABAB receptors in orexin/hypocretin-producing neurons results in disrupted sleep/wakefulness architecture

We generated mice with a selective loss of GABAB receptors in orexin neurons. Orexin neurons in these GABAB1<sup>-/-(orexin)</sup> mice showed reduced responsiveness to GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor agonists due to a compensatory increase in GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition. This increased GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor-mediated inhibition of orexin neurons is due to orexin-1 receptor-mediated activation of local GABAergic interneurons. Surprisingly, orexin neurons were also less responsive to glutamate, apparently because the augmented GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor-mediated inhibition increases the membrane conductance and shunts excitatory currents. These observations indicate that absence of GABA<sub>B</sub> receptors decreases the sensitivity of orexin neurons to both excitatory and inhibitory inputs. GABAB1<sup>-/-(orexin)</sup>mice exhibited severe fragmentation of sleep/wake states during both the light and dark periods without affecting total sleep time or inducing cataplexy, indicating that GABA<sub>B</sub> receptors are crucial regulators of orexin neurons and that "fine tuning" of orexin neurons by inhibitory and excitatory inputs is important for the stability of sleep/waking states

Comparison of capacities to maintain hematopoietic stem cells among different types of stem cells derived from the placenta and umbilical cord

AbstractIntroductionCord blood is utilized as a useful source of cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but this can be problematic because there is a high rate of graft failure compared to when other graft sources are used. A previous study successfully avoided graft failure by simultaneously grafting cord blood and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are considered to function in the hematopoietic stem cell niche of the bone marrow.Organs of the fetal life support system such as the placenta and umbilical cord, which are discarded after delivery, contain an abundance of MSCs as well as cells that function in the hematopoietic stem cell niche. By identifying and collecting such cells and subsequently co-transplanting them with cord blood, an improvement in graft survival can be anticipated.MethodsThree types of stem cells, amnion epithelial stem cells (AM-Epi), amnion mesenchymal stem cells (AM-Mes), and Wharton's jelly (WJ)-MSCs, all of which can be isolated and cultured from the placenta amnion or umbilical cord WJ, were investigated for the expression of hematopoietic stem cell niche markers and for their capabilities to maintain hematopoietic stem cells when co-cultured with cord blood hematopoietic stem cells.ResultsAll types of isolated cells showed profiles that met the MSC minimal criteria according to surface marker analysis. In addition, all cell types expressed the hematopoietic stem cell niche marker stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) (in order: AM-Epi > WJ-MSCs ≫ AM-Mes), although the expression declined with further passaging.After 5 days of co-culturing with cord blood CD34+ cells, the percentages of CD34+, CD45− cells were: AM-Epi 37.8%, AM-Mes 38.8%, WJ-MSCs 27.3%, and fibroblasts 27.4%; and the number of CFU-GM colonies were: AM-Epi 255.5 ± 21.6, AM-Mes 246.3 ± 28.5, WJ-MSCs 118.3 ± 11.8, fibroblasts 147.8 ± 19.0, and NC 121.3 ± 6.5. Statistical analyses demonstrated that AM-Epi and AM-Mes produced significantly greater numbers of CFU-GM compared to WJ-MSC, fibroblasts, or NC (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThese findings indicated that cells derived from the fetal life support system such as AM-Epi and AM-Mes can be anticipated as potential cell sources for clinical application in cell therapies for the purpose of enhancing graft survival during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

The Research Trends of Reading Picture-Books to Children in a Whole Group Activity in Early Childhood Education and Care

本研究では，日常の保育で頻繁に行われる，集団での絵本の読み聞かせに関する実践的な研究を概観し，充実した絵本の読み聞かせのあり方に関する知見の整理を試みた。その結果，絵本の読み聞かせ場面における幼児の言動は年齢に沿って変化し，４歳児から５歳児に至る過程において，集団という特徴が活かされるようになることが明らかになった。 　３歳児では，保育者と幼児の個別の関係性が優位であったが，4歳児では徐々に幼児間の相互作用が広がり，他児の発話を繰り返したり，幼児と笑い合ったり等，他児を意識し，一緒に楽しむ共有化が進む。さらに，５歳児になると友達と共に内容の展開を楽しみながら，集団での読み聞かせのマナーを心得た態度を示しつつ，個別の言動の表出を調整する姿が見られるようになることが示された。質の高い読み聞かせにより，幼児の確かな言葉の発達を促す機会に成り得ることが確認された

Exact WKB analysis of confluent hypergeometric differential equations with a large parameter (Exponential Analysis of Differential Equations and Related Topics)

"Exponential Analysis of Differential Equations and Related Topics". October 15～18, 2013. edited by Yoshitsugu Takei. The papers presented in this volume of RIMS Kôkyûroku Bessatsu are in final form and refereed.Voros coefficients of the confluent hypergeometric differential equations (the Kummer equation or the Whittaker equation) with a large parameter are defined and explicit forms of them are obtained

Electroneurography in the acute stage of facial palsy as a predictive factor for the development of facial synkinesis sequela

Objective We investigated whether the value of ENoG is a predictive factor for the development of facial synkinesis in patients with facial palsy. Methods The degree of oral-ocular synkinesis was evaluated quantitatively by an asymmetry of the interpalpebral space width during the mouth movement (% eye opening). Twenty healthy volunteers without a history of facial palsy (12 men and 8 women; 25-65 years old; mean age: 42.3 ± 9.7 years) were included in the study to examine the normal range of % eye opening. Fifty-one patients with facial palsy including 38 with Bell palsy and 15 with herpes zoster oticus (28 men and 25 women; 11-86 years old; mean age: 54 ± 19 years) were enrolled to examine the relationship between the ENoG value 10-14 days after the onset of facial palsy, and the % eye opening 12 months later. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the ENoG value was then used to decide the optimum cut-off value as a predictor of the development of oral-ocular synkinesis. Results We defined a % eye opening inferior to 85% as an index of the development of oral-ocular synkinesis. There was a significant correlation between the values of ENoG 10-14 days after the onset of facial palsy and those of % eye opening 12 months later (ρ=0.81, p<0.001). The area under the ROC curve for the ENoG value was the predictor for the development of oral-ocular synkinesis at 0.913 (95%CI: 0.831-0.996, p<.001). The optimum cut-off value of ENoG 10-14 days after the onset of facial palsy was 46.5% to predict the development of oral-ocular synkinesis 12 months after the onset of facial palsy (sensitivity 97.1% and specificity 77.5%). Conclusion The value of ENoG 10-14 days after the onset of facial palsy is a predictive factor for the development of facial synkinesis 12 months later. Since facial palsy patients with a ENoG value inferior to 46.5% have a high risk of developing synkinesis, they should receive the facial biofeedback rehabilitation with a mirror as a preventive therapy