Hopporyodo kosho hiroku : ushinawareta gotabino kikai. The inside story of the negotiations on the northern territories

At the time of the first missed opportunity under Gorbachev in 1986-88, the Cold War rigidity in relations still deeply affected how Japan and the Soviet Union dealt with one another. The relations may been manipulated by Russian political forces not desiring an improvement, but there was corresponding structural weakness on the Japanese side as well. At the second missed opportunity under Gorbachev in 1989, some structural rigidity on the part of Japanese policy makers hampered faster development of the relationship. At the time, the author felt that he made the right decision, but retrospectively he questions whether, had he or the Japanese leadership been more emancipated from Cold War thinking, they might not have been able to produce a different outcome: a more content-rich Gorbachev visit earlier 1991. Concerning the third missed opportunity under Yeltsin in 1992, the author, who did not take part in it, contends very seriously that there was a failure in policy choices on the Japanese side, and that policy makers did not fulfill their responsibility at that point. There is no evidence that other policy makers learned from the experience under Gorbachev and tried to adopt a more realistic policy for Japan to achieve its goal. At the fourth missed opportunity under Yeltsin in 1997-98, the Japanese side learned lessons from past mistakes and did not hesitate to propose a courageous proposal to break the impasse. President Yeltsin was impressed by this proposal, but the Russian side as a whole did not accept it as a basis for negotiations. Nevertheless, recognition on both sides of the need for some mutual concession soared in those years. Before the fifth missed opportunity, awareness of past failures was very much at the forefront of the author__s mind. The negotiations with President Putin began, and the author very consciously tried to fulfill the responsibility of grasping the opportunity as it opened out in front of him in 2000-01. The negotiations proceeded unexpectedly fast and effectively, and then were suddenly crushed because of Japan__s domestic issue. The author did not expect the fifth window of opportunity to close in this way. Individual responsibility was fulfilled in negotiating with the Russians, but it failed to overcome domestic constraint.LEI Universiteit LeidenAsian Studie

Hodgkin Lymphoma at the Paediatric Oncology Unit of Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, Bamako, Mali: 5-Year Experience

Introduction. The aim of this retrospective, unicentric study over 5 years is to describe the epidemiologic, pathologic, clinic and therapeutic aspects of children treated for Hodgkin lymphoma in our paediatric oncology unit. Patients and Methods. From January 2005 to December 2009, all children under 18 years of age, with Hodgkin lymphoma were included in this study. The treatment protocol was the GFAOP (Groupe Franco—Africain d'Oncologie Pédiatrique) Hodgkin lymphoma treatment protocol. Results. During the study period, 217 cancer cases were diagnosed in our centre. Of these cases, 7 were Hodgkin Lymphoma (LH) (0.04%). The mean age was 11.7 years. The sex-ratio was 6/1. 4% (5/7) of patients were stage IIB and 28.6% (2/7) stage IIIB of Ann-Arbor classification. There were 3 cases (42.8%) of sclero-nodular subtype, 2 cases (28.6%) of lymphocyte-rich classical HL subtype, 1 case (14.3%) of mixed cellularity and 1 case (14.3%) of lymphocyte depleted subtype. With a median followup of 37 months, 5 patients (71.4%) are alive, and 2 patients (28.6%) died. Conclusion. Broader multicentric studies are needed for more accurate data on this malignancy

Etude épidémiologique et clinique des détresses respiratoires aigues chez les enfants âgés de 1 à 59 mois admis dans le service des urgences pédiatriques au CHU Gabriel Toure

Introduction : Les détresses respiratoires sont une cause majeure de morbidité et de mortalité en pédiatrie ; l’objectif de notre étude était d’étudier les aspects épidemiocliniques des détresses respiratoires chez les enfants âgés de 1 à 59 mois dans le service de pédiatrie de CHU. Gabriel Toure. Méthodologie : Il s’agit d’une étude transversale descriptive sur douze mois du 1er au 31 décembre 2012 au service de pédiatrie du CHU Gabriel Touré Bamako Mali. Tous les enfants de 1 à 59 mois présentant une détresse respiratoire ont été inclus. Résultats : Ainsi 678 dossiers d’enfants en détresse respiratoire sur un total de 2241 hospitalisés en pédiatrie ont été analysés soit un taux d’admission de 30,25%. 64,75% des enfants avaient un âge compris entre 1 et 11 mois. Le sex-ratio était de 1,38 en faveur des garçons; les signes de lutte respiratoire (battement des ailes du nez, tirage intercostal et le geignement) étaient présents dans 96,22%. La pathologie pulmonaire la plus fréquente était la pneumonie (68,36%) celle extra-pulmonaire était le paludisme grave (11,80%). Le taux de mortalité était de 20,65%. Conclusion : les détresses respiratoires restent une importante cause de mortalité du nourrisson dans notre contexte avec des problèmes majeurs de prise en charg

Dietary patterns and changes in body composition in children between 9 and 11 years

Objective: Childhood obesity is rising and dietary intake is a potentially modifiable factor that plays an important role in its development. We aim to investigate the association between dietary patterns, obtained through principal components analysis and gains in fat and lean mass in childhood. Design : Diet diaries at 10 years of age collected from children taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at 9 and 11. Setting: Longitudinal birth cohort. Subjects: 3911 children with complete data. Results: There was an association between the Health Aware (positive loadings on high-fiber bread, and fruits and vegetables; negative loadings on chips, crisps, processed meat, and soft drinks) pattern score and decreased fat mass gain in girls. After adjusting for confounders, an increase of 1 standard deviation (sd) in this score led to an estimated 1.2% decrease in fat mass gain in valid-reporters and 2.1% in under-reporters. A similar decrease was found only in under-reporting boys. There was also an association between the Packed Lunch (high consumption of white bread, sandwich fillings, and snacks) pattern score and decreased fat mass gain (1.1% per sd) in valid-reporting but not under-reporting girls. The main association with lean mass gain was an increase with Packed Lunch pattern score in valid-reporting boys only. Conclusions: There is a small association between dietary patterns and change in fat mass in mid-childhood. Differences between under- and valid-reporters emphasize the need to consider valid-reporters separately in such studies. © 2014 Andrew D. A. C. Smith et al

Time variations in the deep underground muon flux

More than 35 million high-energy muons collected with the MACRO detector at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory have been used to search for flux variations of different nature. Two kinds of studies were carried out: a search for the occurrence of clusters of events and a search for periodic variations. Different analysis methods, including the Scan Statistics test and the Lomb-Scargle spectral analysis have been applied to the data.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted by EP

The Impact of Selected Socioeconomic Factors on Residents’ Perceptions of Benefits of Community Gardens

Participating in community gardens is believed to have several benefits; yet, there has been limited research on socioeconomic factors and their impact on community gardens. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of selected socioeconomic factors on residents’ perceptions of benefits of community gardens. Using a questionnaire, data were obtained from a convenience sample of 217 participants from Macon County, Alabama, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logit analysis. The results showed that a majority (at least 73%) agreed or strongly agreed with statements regarding nutritional benefits, health benefits, and community benefits of community gardens. In addition, several socioeconomic factors; age, education, and annual household income, had statistically significant effects on perceptions of benefits of participating in community gardens. Consequently, it was recommended that policies and programs that encourage participation in community gardens be put in place for residents in the study area, with cooperation among, county officials, University scientists, and community residents. This will lead to benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, eating fresher foods, and possibly, in the long-term, reducing chronic diseases. Keywords: Community gardens, Socioeconomic factors, Macon County, Rural communitie

Molecular activated recombination in divertor simulation plasma on GAMMA 10/PDX

In the tandem mirror GAMMA 10/PDX, molecular activated recombination (MAR) leading to plasma detachment has been observed by additional hydrogen gas injection to the divertor simulation plasma (i.e. end loss plasma) which is exposed to the V-shaped target in the divertor simulation experimental module (D-module). The temperature near the corner of the V-shaped target decreased from ∼23 eV to ∼2 eV as the neutral pressure in the D-module increased. A clear density rollover was observed at ∼2 Pa. A position of the density maximum moves to upstream of the plasma with increase in the neutral pressure and the density near the corner of the target decreases to detach the plasma from the target. After the occurrence of the density rollover, the Balmer β intensity decreases as with the density but the Balmer α intensity continues to increase, indicating the dissociative attachment process in MAR is more dominant than the ion conversion process although the rate coefficient of the former process is lower than that of the latter one, which is calculated by using a collisional radiative model. This would be caused by the MAR process related to triatomic hydrogen molecules which significantly contributed to the detachment process

Accounting students' IT applicaton skills over a 10-year period

This paper reports on the changing nature of a range of information technology (IT) application skills that students declare on entering an accounting degree over the period from 1996 to 2006. Accounting educators need to be aware of the IT skills students bring with them to university because of the implications this has for learning and teaching within the discipline and the importance of both general and specific IT skills within the practice and craft of accounting. Additionally, IT skills constitute a significant element within the portfolio of employability skills that are increasingly demanded by employers and emphasized within the overall Higher Education (HE) agenda. The analysis of students' reported IT application skills on entry to university, across a range of the most relevant areas of IT use in accounting, suggest that their skills have continued to improve over time. However, there are significant differential patterns of change through the years and within cohorts. The paper addresses the generalizability of these findings and discusses the implications of these factors for accounting educators, including the importance of recognising the differences that are potentially masked by the general increase in skills; the need for further research into the changing nature, and implications, of the gender gap in entrants' IT application skills; and the low levels of entrants' spreadsheet and database skills that are a cause for concern

La bronchiolite aiguë du nourrisson: à propos de 112 cas hospitalisés au département pédiatrie du CHU Gabriel Touré

Introduction : Les infections respiratoires aiguës (IRA) constituent l’une des principales causes de morbidité et de mortalité infantile au Mali. L’objectif de ce travail était de décrire les aspects épidémiologiques, cliniques et thérapeutiques de la bronchiolite aiguë du nourrisson au service de pédiatrie du CHU Gabriel Touré. Méthodologie: Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective portant sur 112 nourrissons âgés de 1 à 24 mois hospitalisés dans le service de pédiatrie générale pour bronchiolite aiguë. L’étude s’étalait sur une période d’un an (du 1er janvier au 31 décembre 2012). Résultats: Les nourrissons âgés de 1 à 6 mois étaient majoritaires (69%). L’âge moyen des patients était de 6 mois avec des extrêmes de 1 et 24 mois. Le sexe masculin était prédominant (63%) avec un sex-ratio de 1,73. Le principal motif de consultation était la difficulté respiratoire (87%). Le pic d’hospitalisation était au mois de novembre (33%). Les principaux signes cliniques en plus des sibilants étaient la toux, la rhinorrhée et la détresse respiratoire (97%). La fièvre était présente dans 38% des cas et la cyanose chez 4% des patients. La saturation en oxygène était inférieure à 94% chez 50% des patients. La kinésithérapie respiratoire a été faite chez un tiers des malades. Tous les malades avaient reçu une corticothérapie et une nébulisation avec du salbutamol et sérum physiologique. Une antibiothérapie a été faite chez 85% des patients. La durée moyenne d’hospitalisation était de 6 jours avec des extrêmes de 1 et 30 jours. Le taux de guérison était de 98 %. Conclusion : La bronchiolite est une pathologie bénigne et fréquente chez le nourrisson de 1 à 6 mois qui évolue favorablement dans la majorité des cas