The Impact of Governance Structure on Firm Performance: Evidence from Japanese Local Mixed Enterprises

In Japan, many local mixed enterprises owned and operated jointly by local governments and private sectors had been established from the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s in order to provide public services more efficiently. At present, in Japan, many local mixed enterprises are confronted with a serial fiscal crisis. In 2007, the national government enacted the Local Public Finance Reconstruction Law and started to lead local mixed enterprises and local governments to achieve fiscal soundness. In addition to local governments, mixed enterprises have to make an effort to operate more efficiently. However, we believe that local mixed enterprises lack the incentives to manage more efficiently because of the governance structure. Firstly, as local mixed enterprises are owned by local governments, they can procure government-guaranteed funds and are able to raise capital more easily. Also, if business conditions of enterprises worsen, local governments give subsidies to bail out ailing enterprises. Managers do not have to worry about going bankrupt and might continue to carry out inefficient projects. Secondly, if managers are from local governments, or if the majority of the board members are local government officials, they might supply services without putting stress on profit. Therefore, it is possible that the governance structure of local mixed enterprises is the important factor that determines their performance. In this paper, we study the link between the performance and the governance structure in local mixed enterprises.

How Do Scale Insects Settle into the Nests of Plant-Ants on Macaranga Myrmecophytes? Dispersal by Wind and Selection by Plant-Ants

This report elucidates the process of settlement by Coccus scale insects into Crematogaster plant-ant nests formed inside the hollow stems of a myrmecophytic species, Macaranga bancana, in a tropical rain forest. We collected wafting scale insect nymphs from the canopy using sticky traps and characterized the DNA sequence of the trapped nymphs. In addition, we experimentally introduced first-instar nymphs of both symbiotic and nonsymbiotic scale insects to M. bancana seedlings with newly formed plant-ant colonies. Nymphs of symbiotic species were generally carried by ants into their nests within a few minutes of introduction. Most nymphs of nonsymbiotic species were thrown to the ground by ants. Our results suggest that in Crematogaster-Macaranga myrmecophytism, symbiotic coccids disperse by wind onto host plant seedlings at the nymphal stage, and plant-ants actively carry the nymphs landing on seedlings into their nests in discrimination from nonsymbiotic scale insects.ArticleSOCIOBIOLOGY. 59(2):435-446 (2012)journal articl

Regression of Necrotic Lesions after Methotrexate Withdrawal in Patients with Methotrexate-Associated Lymphoproliferative Disorders: A Retrospective CT Study

This retrospective study investigated whether necrotic lesions detected on a computed tomography (CT) scan are more regressive than non-necrotic lesions after methotrexate withdrawal in patients pathologically diagnosed with methotrexate-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (MTX-LPD). In total, 89 lesions extracted from 24 patients on CT scans were included in the analysis. All patients had been evaluated for the presence of necrosis within lesions via CT scan upon first suspicion of MTX-LPD (baseline CT scan). The percentage lesion size reduction between the baseline and initial follow-up CT scan was calculated. The association between necrosis within lesions and size changes was estimated via linear regression analyses using both crude and adjusted models. Necrosis was significantly more common in extranodal lesions (27 out of 30 lesions, 90%) than in nodal lesions (9 out of 59 lesions, 15%, p<0.001). In the crude model, the regression of necrotic lesions was 58.5% greater than that of non-necrotic lesions; the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Additionally, the longest diameter of necrotic lesions at the baseline CT scan was significantly greater than that of non-necrotic lesions (p<0.001). Based on the adjusted model, necrotic lesions showed 49.3% greater regression than non-necrotic lesions (p=0.017). Necrosis detected on a CT scan was found to be an independent predictor of regression after MTX withdrawal in patients with MTX-LPD

Understanding and utilizing students’ attitudes toward participation in discussions by using emotion analysis

We propose a method that uses an emotion analysis for PBL education. The emotion analysis is a method of analyzing a person's emotions from the person's remarks or facial expressions. In this method, teachers understand the situation of students from the results of the emotion analysis and give accurate advice. PBL education often involves group activities. The students conducted groups discuss, propose ideas, select ideas, and make the products. However, not all students are able to participate in discussions and express their opinions. It is the teacher's duty to provide guidance to such students. Therefore, we propose the use of the emotion analysis techniques to identify and guide students who have problems, such as those who cannot participate in discussions. The method is possible for one teacher to grasp multiple groups at the same time and to help developing the students' ability to learn. Under COVID-19, face-to-face classes were restricted. Online classes using Zoom etc. have also been introduced in PBL education. In online classes, it is difficult to grasp the situation of students. This was a big difference from face-to-face classes. So we looked at ways to keep track of the situation for all students. This is because the gap between students who are willing to take classes and those who are reluctant to take classes has widened due to the shift to online classes. As a result of the adaption to the classes, the number of students who actively participate in the classes has increased. The effectiveness of the proposed method was confirmed

Recombining Plasma and Hard X-ray Filament in the Mixed-Morphology Supernova Remnant W44

We report new features of the typical mixed-morphology (MM) supernova remnant (SNR) W44. In the X-ray spectra obtained with Suzaku, radiative recombination continua (RRCs) of highly ionized atoms are detected for the first time. The spectra are well reproduced by a thermal plasma in a recombining phase. The best-fit parameters suggest that the electron temperature of the shock-heated matters cooled down rapidly from $\sim1$,keV to $\sim 0.5$,keV, possibly due to adiabatic expansion (rarefaction) occurred $\sim20,000$ years ago. We also discover hard X-ray emission which shows an arc-like structure spatially-correlated with a radio continuum filament. The surface brightness distribution shows a clear anti-correlation with $^{12}$CO (J=2-1) emission from a molecular cloud observed with NANTEN2. While the hard X-ray is most likely due to a synchrotron enhancement in the vicinity of the cloud, no current model can quantitatively predict the observed flux.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Decomposition and ergosterol content of the moss Hylocomium splendens litter under various climatic conditions

We examined the differences in the decomposition rate and fungal biomass in the litter of Hylocomium splendens among forests under different climatic conditions. The samples were collected from one boreal forest in Canada, three subalpine forests on Mt. Fuji and one cool temperate forest on Mt. Tsurugi, Shikoku in Japan. The decomposition rate in the cool temperate forest was much faster than those in the boreal and subalpine forests. Ergosterol, which is a component of fungal cell membranes, was used as an indicator of fungal biomass. Ergosterol was detected not only from brown moss litter but also from green shoots of the moss. In spite of the faster decomposition rate, ergosterol content of the moss litter of the cool temperate forest was about one half of those of the boreal and subalpine forests. The results suggest that the relationship between fungal biomass and decomposition rate differs significantly among forest types