Failure to Capture Value Because of Commoditization - the Case of Digital Home Electronics (Japanese)

The Japanese digital home electronics industry provides DVDs, digital cameras, flat-screen TVs and many other major products which were developed through innovations in Japan and provided for the world market. Nevertheless, the value added and profits realized from these products are being limited by rapid declines in their market prices (commoditization). This paper analyzes the mechanism and present conditions of the commoditization of digital home electronics, and offers some recommendations for Japanese firms. The mechanism of commoditization is discussed from three perspectives: (1) modularization, (2) establishment of an intermediate goods market, and (3) the topping out of customer values. In particular, discussion of the establishment of an intermediate goods market, both theoretically and empirically, as a core concept linking modularization with commoditization is a novel approach. The recommendations include (1) pursuing a platform leader strategy to gain stable revenues from module sales, (2) the need for strategies that break through the contradictions in pursuing both module and finished product sales, and (3) the pursuit of symbolic value for customers.

Unveiling the role of differential growth in 3D morphogenesis: An inference method to analyze area expansion rate distribution in biological systems

The three-dimensional (3D) morphologies of many organs in organisms, such as the curved shapes of leaves and flowers, the branching structure of lungs, and the exoskeletal shape of insects, are formed through surface growth. Although differential growth, a mode of surface growth, has been qualitatively identified as 3D morphogenesis, a quantitative understanding of the mechanical contribution of differential growth is lacking. To address this, we developed a quantitative inference method to analyze the distribution of the area expansion rate, which governs the growth of surfaces into 3D morphology. To validate the accuracy of our method, we tested it on a basic 3D morphology that allowed for the theoretical derivation of the area expansion rate distribution, and then assessed the difference between the predicted outcome and the theoretical solution. We also applied this method to complex 3D shapes and evaluated its accuracy through numerical experiments. The findings of the study revealed a linear decrease in error on a log-log scale with an increase in the number of meshes in both evaluations. This affirmed the reliability of the predictions for meshes that are sufficiently refined. Moreover, we employed our methodology to analyze the developmental process of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle Trypoxylus dichotomus, which is characterized by differential growth regulating 3D morphogenesis. The results indicated a notably high rate of area expansion on the left and right edges of the horn primordium, which is consistent with the experimental evidence of a higher rate of cell division in these regions. Hence, these findings confirm the efficacy of the proposed method in analyzing biological systems

Individual shape and composition analysis of urban atmospheric aerosols using FIB-TOF-SIMS

Minute solid or liquid particles suspended in air are called aerosols. Aerosols can be of natural origin, such as yellow sand, or of anthropogenic origin, such as railroad wear dust. Bulk analysis has been used for the chemical analysis of aerosols with such various sources. However, bulk analysis can only determine the average chemical composition of a group of particles and cannot, in principle, analyze the chemical composition of individual particles. In our group, we have developed an FIB-TOF-SIMS (Focused Ion Beam Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer) to analyze the compositional distribution of individual particles . Our investigations have revealed that there is a certain correlation between particle composition (source) and particle shape. In addition, it is important to understand the composition and shape of particles originating from urban areas because the traffic volume is relatively high in urban areas and there is concern about the emission of large amounts of aerosols and their health effects on human health. In this study, we sampled aerosols in Shinjuku area and analyzed them using FIB-TOF-SIMS. In this presentation, we will report the component analysis of urban atmospheric aerosols and the shape characteristics of the particles

Molecular dissection of the actin-binding ability of the fission yeast α-actinin, Ain1, in vitro and in vivo

A contractile ring (CR) is involved in cytokinesis in animal and yeast cells. Although several types of actin-bundling proteins associate with F-actin in the CR, their individual roles in the CR have not yet been elucidated in detail. Ain1 is the sole α-actinin homologue in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and specifically localizes to the CR with a high turnover rate. S. pombe cells lacking the ain1+ gene show defects in cytokinesis under stress conditions. We herein investigated the biochemical activity and cellular localization mechanisms of Ain1. Ain1 showed weaker affinity to F-actin in vitro than other actin-bundling proteins in S. pombe. We identified a mutation that presumably loosened the interaction between two calponin-homology domains constituting the single actin-binding domain (ABD) of Ain1, which strengthened the actin-binding activity of Ain1. This mutant protein induced a deformation in the ring shape of the CR. Neither a truncated protein consisting only of an N-terminal ABD nor a truncated protein lacking a C-terminal region containing an EF-hand motif localized to the CR, whereas the latter was involved in the bundling of F-actin in vitro. We herein propose detailed mechanisms for how each part of the molecule is involved in the proper cellular localization and function of Ain1

Generaattorin saarekekäyttö ja suojausten testaus

Työn aiheena oli sähkövoimatekniikan laboratorion oppimisympäristön generaattorin saarekekäyttö ja sen suojausten testaus. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli testata ja käyttää generaattoria saarekekäytössä ja tehdä sille kytkentäohjelma, jonka avulla voidaan myöhemmin käyttää generaattoria saarekekäytön opetuk-sessa. Tavoitteena oli tehdä myös generaattorin relesuojauksille toiminnalliset testit. Opinnäytetyön teoriaosuudessa käsiteltiin generaattoreita ja niiden relesuojauksia. Generaattoreissa keskityttiin enemmän tahtigeneraattoreihin, koska opinnäytetyössä käytettiin sellaista. Työssä esiteltiin myös laiteympäristö, johon tätä opinnäytetyötä tehtiin. Opinnäytetyössä käytiin läpi myös ohjelmistot, joita tässä ympäristössä on mahdollista käyttää. Lähdemateriaaleina käytettiin alan kirjallisuutta sekä laitevalmistajien manuaaleja sekä nettisivuja. Työssä asetetut tavoitteet täyttyivät ja tulokseksi saatiin kytkentäohjelma gene-raattorin saarekekäyttöön ja tieto siitä, kuinka sitä kuormitettiin. Myös generaat-torin suojauksien toiminnallisille testeille tehtiin ohjeistus, jonka avulla voidaan tulevaisuudessa tehdä toiminnallisia testejä. Myös REG630- releelle tehtiin ohjeistuksia, joiden avulla sitä voidaan myöhemmin käyttää.The subject of the thesis was electric power engineering laboratory learning environment for testing a generator in island operation and testing its protec-tion. The aim of the thesis was to test and use the generator in island operation and to make a switch program, which can later be used in education of using the generator in island operation. The other aim was to test a generator´s relay protection. The theoretical part of the thesis was concerned with generator´s and their relay protection. The focus was more on a synchronous generators were more focused, because synchronous generator was used in this thesis. The presentation of the thesis section presents a platform, where this thesis was made. Softwares, that are possible to use in this platform, were also presented in this thesis. The source materials were based on the field of the literature, as well as in the manufacturer`s Internet websites and manuals. The aim of the thesis was met and the results were that the switch program for using the generator in island operation was made and how it was loaded. Generator´s protections were also tested and the instructions were made, which helps in doing these tests in the future. Instructions were also made for the REG630 relay. These instructions help to use it

Incremental prognostic value of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease over coronary computed tomography angiography findings in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

Aims　This study aimed to investigate additional risk stratification benefits of hepatic steatosis (HS) concurrently assessed during coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in a large patient cohort with suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and results　In this prospective study, 1148 Japanese outpatients without a history of CAD who underwent coronary CTA for suspected stable CAD (mean age 64 ± 14 years) were included. HS, defined on CT as a hepatic-to-spleen attenuation ratio of Conclusion　In patients with suspected stable CAD, concurrent evaluation of HS during coronary CTA enables more accurate detection of patients at higher risk of MACE

Prediction of Carbohydrate-Binding Proteins from Sequences Using Support Vector Machines

Carbohydrate-binding proteins are proteins that can interact with sugar chains but do not modify them. They are involved in many physiological functions, and we have developed a method for predicting them from their amino acid sequences. Our method is based on support vector machines (SVMs). We first clarified the definition of carbohydrate-binding proteins and then constructed positive and negative datasets with which the SVMs were trained. By applying the leave-one-out test to these datasets, our method delivered 0.92 of the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We also examined two amino acid grouping methods that enable effective learning of sequence patterns and evaluated the performance of these methods. When we applied our method in combination with the homology-based prediction method to the annotated human genome database, H-invDB, we found that the true positive rate of prediction was improved

Validation Study of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Histologic Grading System of Invasive Lung Adenocarcinoma

[Introduction] A histologic grading system for invasive lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) has been proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Pathology Committee in June 2020. This study evaluated the prognostic value of the IASLC histologic grading system (the IASLC system) in a large Japanese cohort. [Methods] We performed comprehensive histologic subtyping using the semiquantitative estimation of five major patterns and complex glandular patterns in patients with a completely resected lung ADC and determined the histologic grade using the IASLC system. Concordance index and receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the clinical utility of the IASLC system for recurrence and death; the comparison was performed with the architectural-pattern system (the Arch system) and the grading system on the basis of the two most predominant patterns (the Sica’s system). [Results] Of 1002 patients with invasive ADC, 235 had recurrent disease and 166 died of lung cancer. The concordance index and area under the curve of the IASLC system were 0.777 and 0.807 for recurrence and 0.767 and 0.776 for death, respectively. These were similar to those of the Arch system (0.763 and 0.796 for recurrence, 0.743 and 0.755 for death) and the Sica’s system (0.786 and 0.814 for recurrence, 0.762 and 0.773 for death). [Conclusions] We reported that the IASLC system for invasive lung ADC has prognostic significance by evaluating a large Japanese cohort. We believe that the IASLC grading system will provide physicians with better information for postsurgery treatment