Figuring the Modern: The Objectified Present in Stéphane Mallarmé and T. S. Eliot

Contextualizing modern/modernist poetry as an artful objectification, this monograph aims to elucidate the significance of resourceful texts by Stéphane Mallarmé and T. S. Eliot in a symbolist productivity. The engaging texts represent the sublime in verbal extremity: Mallarmé's posthumous manuscript entitled Igitur in an endless circularity for the completion by an incompletion, his article "Ballets" as a printed synthesis of poetry and the performing art, ballet, and Eliot's poetic works in their entirety for a manifold development of the imagery of water that embodies a cosmic inclusion. Particularly, as a swan song for the poet Mallarmé facing a mental crisis, Igitur directs the reader to reconsider the testamentary letters written by the conscripted Japanese students in the Second World War. Representing literature as a holistic combination of the logical and the artistic, the two poets' creation leads the reader to fully recognize the importance of living this moment

Fragment as Completion: Igitur in a Plot for the Sublime

The author’s note: Just recently finalized as of 28 January 2019, this paper is intended by the author to be part of her monograph in progress, which is tentatively entitled Figuring the Modern: The Objectified Present in Stéphane Mallarmé and T. S. Eliot

Literature in Life : Tiffany's Newspaper Advertisement Based on a Mother Goose Rhyme

An interesting example of a literary work used in everyday life can be found in an advertisement by Tiffany & Co., published in a Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, on December 29, 1997. Featuring a silver rattle for baby gifts, Tiffany's advertisement is based on an English traditional nursery rhyme found in 'Mother Goose.' The original rhyme begins with the expression 'The man in the moon,' whereas the advertised rattle, this musical toy, is named 'Man in the Moon.' The Tiffany rattle, as well as its advertisement with the toy's centered photo, may be viewed as intersemiotic translations of the nursery rhyme, according to a classification by Roman Jakobson (1958). It is possible to elicit four essential characteristics common to both the publicized rattle and the rhyme: both are musical, both are intended for children, both feature 'The man in the moon,' and, finally, both the rattle and the rhyme twinkle with the image of a silver spoon, a sign of wealth and great promise. The Tiffany advertisement indicates a close relationship between everyday life and literature, an art form with verbal signs. The monochromatic advertisement also impresses upon the readers the significance of the artistic genre, literature, and its material, language, this primary tool for human communication and civilization

Stéphane Mallarmé's Printed Dance: The Article “Ballets” as a Scenic Totality

The author’s note: Just recently finalized as of 16 June 2017, this paper is intended by the author to be part of her monograph in progress, which is tentatively entitled Figuring the Modern: The Objectified Present in Stéphane Mallarmé and T. S. Eliot

Isolation of monomethylarsonic acid-mineralizing bacteria from arsenic contaminated soils of Ohkunoshima Island

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科物質情報解析Chemical warfare agents, composed of harmful organoarsenic compounds have contaminated the soils of Ohkunoshima Island with high levels of arsenic. As a basic research establishing useful bioremediation techniques, environmental factors such as arsenic concentrations and bacterial biomass in the soils were investigated. Among the five stations of Ohkunoshima Island, the soils of four stations were contaminated by high levels of arsenic compounds at concentrations of 125,12.7, 3.29 and 0.504 g/kg soil, while the other station with low arsenic concentrations of 0.007 g/kg soil was considered an uncontaminated area. The distribution of arsenic compounds originating from the chemical weapon agent differs among the various areas of Ohkunoshima Island. The cell densities of arsenate-resistant bacteria also varied among the five stations, ranging from 106 to 108 cells/g soil. In an attempt to isolate bacteria that strongly mineralize the organoarsenic compounds, the mineralization activities for monomethylarsonic acid [MMAA(V)] of 48 isolates of arsenate-resistant bacteria were determined. Only nine isolates reduced 140 μg/1 of MMAA(V), giving decreasing percentages ranging from 5 to 100% within 14 days. Among the nine isolates, two remarkably converted 140 μg/1 of MMAA to more than 71 μg/1 of inorganic arsenic. Presumably only specific members of the environmental bacterial population have strong mineralization activities for MMAA. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequences showed that the two isolates belonged to the Pseudomonas putida strains, which are known to have strong mineralization activity for various organic compounds. In the soil contaminated by arsenic at a high level, few bacteria in the arsenate-resistant bacterial group would significantly mineralize organoarsenic compounds. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Changes in body composition parameters with age

Health risks are associated with changes in body composition parameters with age. In the present study, body composition parameters （appendicular skeletal muscle mass ［ASMM］, fat mass ［FM］, and water content ［water］） using bioelectrical impedance analysis （BIA） and total skeletal MM （TSMM） measured by 24-h creatinine excretion （Cr） were obtained in 30 male and 38 female healthy subjects. BIA-ASMM in both sexes and Cr-TSMM in females were negatively correlated with aging, and BIA-FM was negatively correlated with BIA-water in both sexes. Of note, Cr-TSMM was a more sensitive marker of MM than BIA-ASMM. Thus, decreases in BIA-ASMM and Cr- TSMM were the most consistent markers of aging and sarcopenia. This study may help promote nursing care for healthy aging

Development and validation of a prognostic model for non-lung cancer death in elderly patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer

This study sought to develop and validate a prognostic model for non-lung cancer death (NLCD) in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Patients aged ≥65 diagnosed with NSCLC (Tis-4N0M0), tumor diameter ≤5 cm and SBRT between 1998 and 2015 were retrospectively registered from two independent institutions. One institution was used for model development (arm D, 353 patients) and the other for validation (arm V, 401 patients). To identify risk factors for NLCD, multiple regression analysis on age, sex, performance status (PS), body mass index (BMI), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), tumor diameter, histology and T-stage was performed on arm D. A score calculated using the regression coefficient was assigned to each factor and three risk groups were defined based on total score. Scores of 1.0 (BMI ≤18.4), 1.5 (age ≥ 5), 1.5 (PS ≥2), 2.5 (CCI 1 or 2) and 3 (CCI ≥3) were assigned, and risk groups were designated as low (total ≤ 3), intermediate (3.5 or 4) and high (≥4.5). The cumulative incidences of NLCD at 5 years in the low, intermediate and high-risk groups were 6.8, 23 and 40% in arm D, and 23, 19 and 44% in arm V, respectively. The AUC index at 5 years was 0.705 (arm D) and 0.632 (arm V). The proposed scoring system showed usefulness in predicting a high risk of NLCD in elderly patients treated with SBRT for NSCLC

Pyrogallol inhibits NFAT signal

As the expression level of allergic disease sensitive genes are correlated with the severity of allergic symptoms, suppression of these gene expressions could be promising therapeutics. We demonstrated that protein kinase Cδ / heat shock protein 90-mediated H1R gene expression signaling and nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT)-mediated IL-9 gene expression signaling are responsible for the pathogenesis of pollinosis. Treatment with Awa-tea combined with wild grape hot water extract suppressed these signaling and alleviated nasal symptoms in toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI)-sensitized rats. However, the underlying mechanism of its anti-allergic activity is not elucidated yet. Here, we sought to identify an anti-allergic compound from Awa-tea and pyrogallol was identified as an active compound. Pyrogallol strongly suppressed ionomycin-induced up-regulation of IL-9 gene expression in RBL-2H3 cells. Treatment with pyrogallol in combination with epinastine alleviated nasal symptoms and suppressed up-regulation of IL-9 gene expression in TDI-sensitized rats. Pyrogallol itself did not inhibit calcineurin phosphatase activity. However, pyrogallol suppressed ionomycin-induced dephosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NFAT. These data suggest pyrogallol is an anti-allergic compound in Awa-tea and it suppressed NFAT-mediated IL-9 gene expression through the inhibition of dephosphorylation of NFAT. This might be the underlying mechanism of the therapeutic effects of combined therapy of pyrogallol with antihistamine