〈父なるもの〉の断絶と継承の狭間で : 村上春樹『騎士団長殺し』と、〈父殺し〉のその先

村上春樹「騎士団長殺し」 : 〈メタ・テクスト性〉と「物語」のその先本稿は、平成二十九年十一月二十六日に立教大学にて行なわれた、日本近代文学会11月例会「第三回 国際研究集会」におけるパネル発表「村上春樹「騎士団長殺し」―〈メタ･テクスト〉性と「物語」のその先―」での口頭発表に基き、加筆修正を施したものである

Antecedents and consequences of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: A natural experiment in Japan

リモートワークの先行要因と結果 --コロナ禍での自然実験による検討--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2024-03-19.Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, telework (remote work) has become a widespread practice adopted by companies worldwide. However, Japan has notably maintained a low rate of telework implementation, suggesting cultural factors hindering its adoption. This study aimed to elucidate the antecedents and consequences of teleworking in Japan. Leveraging the natural experiment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we addressed two key questions: (1) What socio-psychological factors in Japanese workplaces were important for implementing telework in the first place? and (2) How did the implementation of telework subsequently influence socio-psychological factors in these workplaces? Employees from various Japanese companies completed three waves of an online survey before and during the pandemic. Results showed that telework was more likely to be implemented in organizations characterized by a meritocracy. Results also showed that the implementation of telework demonstrated no measurable negative effects but instead increased levels of independence, organizational commitment, and perceived hierarchy mutability

Preliminary Study on a System for Visualization of Big Data in SMEs

The 2012 White Paper on Information and Communications in Japan issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan advocates use of big data under its “Special Theme: ICT-induced and accelerated Disaster Recovery and Japan’s Re-birth.” However, the analysis in the Japan Users Association of Information Systems’ white paper on its 2014 IT trend survey for companies reports that less than 10% of companies utilize big data, and it would appear that progress in its use is centered on large firms. Under such conditions, use of big data is becoming a challenge for the purpose of ensuring the survival and success of SMEs as well. As a result, R&D and technological support for SMEs are becoming pressing issues. However, at present there has been almost no academic research concerning policies and future directions for use of big data at SMEs. Accordingly, this study conducted the modelization of the procedure for visualization of big data for SMEs. Specifically, we organized the procedure as a tutorial, from obtaining data of Japanese hot-spring areas using web scraping, to visualizing them using the visualization software Cytoscape

ACTH-Producing Breast Cancer: A Patient Report

Ectopic ACTH secretion in the setting of breast cancer is extremely rare but when present affects both the tumor’s behavior and the incidence of complications. The patient, a 58-year-old woman, first presented with a mass in her left breast as well as multiple osseous metastases and a right femur fracture. Laboratory data revealed a hypokalemic alkalosis. Her plasma ACTH level was elevated. She was diagnosed with breast cancer with ectopic ACTH secretion, and underwent a left mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection. Histological examination demonstrated a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma with ectopic ACTH secretion. Although the signs and symptoms of ectopic ACTH secretion from a breast cancer are frequently subtle, the recognition of ectopic ACTH secretion from breast cancer is important for patient management

The protective effect of CD40 ligand–CD40 signalling is limited during the early phase of Plasmodium infection

Abstractγδ T cells are essential for eliminating Plasmodium berghei XAT. Because administration of the agonistic anti-CD40 antibody can induce elimination of P. berghei XAT parasites in γδ T cell-deficient mice, we considered that γδ T cells might activate dendritic cells via CD40 signalling during infection. Here we report that administration of the anti-CD40 antibody to γδ T cell-deficient mice 3–10days post-P. berghei XAT infection could eliminate the parasites. Our data suggest that dendritic cell activation via γδ T cells expressing CD40 ligand is critical during the early phase of infection

Vaccination with liposome-coupled glypican-3-derived epitope peptide stimulates cytotoxic T lymphocytes and inhibits GPC3-expressing tumor growth in mice

AbstractBecause therapeutic manipulation of immunity can induce tumor regression, anti-cancer immunotherapy is considered a promising treatment modality. We previously reported that glypican-3 (GPC3), an oncofetal antigen overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a useful target for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated cancer immunotherapy, and we have performed clinical trials using the GPC3-derived peptide vaccine. Although vaccine-induced GPC3-peptide-specific CTLs were often tumor reactive in vitro and were correlated with overall survival, no complete response was observed. In the current study, we synthesized liposome-coupled GPC3-derived CTL epitope peptide (pGPC3-lipsome) and investigated its antitumor potential. Vaccination with pGPC3-liposome induced peptide-specific CTLs at a lower dose than conventional vaccine emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Coupling of pGPC3 to liposomes was essential for effective priming of GPC3-specific CTLs. In addition, immunization with pGPC3-liposome inhibited GPC3-expressing tumor growth. Thus, vaccination with tumor-associated antigen-derived epitope peptides coupled to the surfaces of liposomes may be a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer

Identification of the Occipito-Pontine Tract Using Diffusion-Tensor Fiber Tracking in Adult-Onset Adrenoleukodystrophy with Topographic Disorientation

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy is a severe and progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the peroxisomal transporter ATP-binding cassette, subfamily D, member 1 gene mutations. The defect of this gene product results in accumulation of very-long-chain fatty acids in organs and serum, central demyelination, and peripheral axonopathy. Although there are different magnetic resonance (MR) findings which reflect various phenotypes in adrenoleukodystrophy, some cases present with specific symmetrical occipital white-matter lesions. We describe a patient with adult-onset X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy with topographic disorientation, whose brain MR images revealed T2-signal hyperintensity along the occipito-pontine tract and lateral lemnisci, but not in the cortico-spinal tract in the brainstem. The occipito-pontine tract and lateral lemnisci were clearly detected using diffusion-tensor fiber tracking, suggesting that the topographic disorientation of this patient might be related to the occipito-pontine tract. MR tractography can effectively identify the occipito-pontine tract and may help to localize the fibers associated with clinical symptoms

Muscle Fiber Type-Predominant Promoter Activity in Lentiviral-Mediated Transgenic Mouse

Variations in gene promoter/enhancer activity in different muscle fiber types after gene transduction was noticed previously, but poorly analyzed. The murine stem cell virus (MSCV) promoter drives strong, stable gene expression in hematopoietic stem cells and several other cells, including cerebellar Purkinje cells, but it has not been studied in muscle. We injected a lentiviral vector carrying an MSCV-EGFP cassette (LvMSCV-EGFP) into tibialis anterior muscles and observed strong EGFP expression in muscle fibers, primary cultured myoblasts, and myotubes isolated from injected muscles. We also generated lentiviral-mediated transgenic mice carrying the MSCV-EGFP cassette and detected transgene expression in striated muscles. LvMSCV-EGFP transgenic mice showed fiber type-dependent variations in expression: highest in types I and IIA, intermediate in type IID/X, and lowest in type IIB fibers. The soleus and diaphragm muscles, consisting mainly of types I and IIA, are most severely affected in the mdx mouse model of muscular dystrophy. Further analysis of this promoter may have the potential to achieve certain gene expression in severely affected muscles of mdx mice. The Lv-mediated transgenic mouse may prove a useful tool for assessing the enhancer/promoter activities of a variety of different regulatory cassettes