Succession of the image of the city in the movement for urban design by local proprietors in Ginza from pre-war to post-war

This paper revealed the development of the movement for urban design by local proprietors in Ginza, Tokyo from 1930’s to 1960’s. Ginza Street is known as one of the first modern style streets in Japan. This street has developed greatly by modern buildings and advanced urban design methods in modern times and after although it has also suffered serious damage twice by Great Kanto Earthquake (1923) and bombing in 1945. Therefore, buildings and urban space have seen repeated reconstruction and renewal until today. On the other hand, if we pay attention to local proprietors, we can understand that they have developed the movement for urban design of Ginza Street continuously and succeeded the awareness of the issues toward urban space. So this paper finds a new historical context of Ginza through the elucidation of development of their movement from viewpoints of how the awareness of the issues and the image of spaces have changed

Methodology of Science and Method of Science Teaching : The Process of Scientific Discovery as a Model of Science Teaching

Explanations of scientific discoveries by psychologism and sophisticated falsificationism have different views of the role of rationality. They have the same views, however, that the history of science is the process of replacement of old theories by new ones, and that the process follows the same steps. On the one hand, one of their mutual findings is that scientific knowledge is accepted not because it has universal validity but because it has historical validity. Contemporary scientific knowledge originates in old one. This character should be reflected in science teaching. On the other hand, science learners also have naive conceptions which are similar to the old scientific theories. Thus the question which arises is what process of learning can bring them from their naive conceptions to contemporary ones. The answer is acquired by considering it to be the process of scientific discovery

Functional Differentiation of Memory Retrieval Network in Macaque Posterior Parietal Cortex

SummaryHuman fMRI studies revealed involvement of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) during memory retrieval. However, corresponding memory-related regions in macaque PPC have not been established. In this monkey fMRI study, comparisons of cortical activity during correct recognition of previously seen items and rejection of unseen items revealed two major PPC activation sites that were differentially characterized by a serial probe recognition paradigm: area PG/PGOp in inferior parietal lobule, along with the hippocampus, was more active for initial item retrieval, while area PEa/DIP in intraparietal sulcus was for the last item. Effective connectivity analyses revealed that connectivity from hippocampus to PG/PGOp, but not to PEa/DIP, increased during initial item retrieval. The two parietal areas with differential serial probe recognition profiles were embedded in two different subnetworks of the brain-wide retrieval-related regions. These functional dissociations in the macaque PPC imply the functional correspondence of retrieval-related PPC networks in macaques and humans

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Macaque Monkeys Performing Visually Guided Saccade Tasks Comparison of Cortical Eye Fields with Humans

AbstractThe frontal and parietal eye fields serve as functional landmarks of the primate brain, although their correspondences between humans and macaque monkeys remain unclear. We conducted fMRI at 4.7 T in monkeys performing visually-guided saccade tasks and compared brain activations with those in humans using identical paradigms. Among multiple parietal activations, the dorsal lateral intraparietal area in monkeys and an area in the posterior superior parietal lobule in humans exhibited the highest selectivity to saccade directions. In the frontal cortex, the selectivity was highest at the junction of the precentral and superior frontal sulci in humans and in the frontal eye field (FEF) in monkeys. BOLD activation peaks were also found in premotor areas (BA6) in monkeys, which suggests that the apparent discrepancy in location between putative human FEF (BA6, suggested by imaging studies) and monkey FEF (BA8, identified by microstimulation studies) partly arose from methodological differences

Anderson's disease/chylomicron retention disease in a Japanese patient with uniparental disomy 7 and a normal SAR1B gene protein coding sequence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anderson's Disease (AD)/Chylomicron Retention Disease (CMRD) is a rare hereditary hypocholesterolemic disorder characterized by a malabsorption syndrome with steatorrhea, failure to thrive and the absence of chylomicrons and apolipoprotein B48 post-prandially. All patients studied to date exhibit a mutation in the <it>SAR1B </it>gene, which codes for an essential component of the vesicular coat protein complex II (COPII) necessary for endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi transport. We describe here a patient with AD/CMRD, a normal <it>SAR1B </it>gene protein coding sequence and maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 (matUPD7).</p> <p>Methods and Results</p> <p>The patient, one of two siblings of a Japanese family, had diarrhea and steatorrhea beginning at five months of age. There was a white duodenal mucosa upon endoscopy. Light and electron microscopy showed that the intestinal villi were normal but that they had lipid laden enterocytes containing accumulations of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm and lipoprotein-size particles in membrane bound structures. Although there were decreased amounts in plasma of total- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoproteins AI and B and vitamin E levels, the triglycerides were normal, typical of AD/CMRD. The presence of low density lipoproteins and apolipoprotein B in the plasma, although in decreased amounts, ruled out abetalipoproteinemia. The parents were asymptomatic with normal plasma cholesterol levels suggesting a recessive disorder and ruling out familial hypobetalipoproteinemia. Sequencing of genomic DNA showed that the 8 exons of the <it>SAR1B </it>gene were normal. Whole genome SNP analysis and karyotyping revealed matUPD7 with a normal karyotype. In contrast to other cases of AD/CMRD which have shown catch-up growth following vitamin supplementation and a fat restricted diet, our patient exhibits continued growth delay and other aspects of the matUPD7 and Silver-Russell Syndrome phenotypes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This patient with AD/CMRD has a normal <it>SAR1B </it>gene protein coding sequence which suggests that factors other than the SAR1B protein may be crucial for chylomicron secretion. Further, this patient exhibits matUPD7 with regions of homozygosity which might be useful for elucidating the molecular basis of the defect(s) in this individual. The results provide novel insights into the relation between phenotype and genotype in these diseases and for the mechanisms of secretion in the intestine.</p

Usefulness of Serum C-reactive Protein in the Management of Adult Community-acquired Pneumonia

C-Reactive protein (CRP) is widely used as a marker of infection, but there is insufficient evidence as to its usefulness in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In the present study, we investigated the clinical usefulness of CRP in a retrospective study of 242 patients aged 14 years who were hospitalized with CAP. Patients were classified into three groups according to the number of days between disease onset and the initial measurement of CRP as follows: Group 1, 0-1 day; Group 2, 2-4 days; Group 3, 5 days. Patients in Groups 2 and 3, who had more severe pneumonia, had higher CRP levels. Over time, CRP levels decreased in the responders in Groups 2 and 3; specifically, in Group 2, median CRP levels on Days 0, 3, and 7 were 9.85, 5.33, and 0.81mg/dL, respectively, compared with 9.99, 4.29, and 0.70mg/dL, respectively, in Group 3. In patients not responding to initial treatment, median CRP levels increased from Day 0 to Day 3 (4.32 vs. 11.70mg/dL, respectively). In all non-responders, CRP levels on Day 3 were>50% of levels on Day 0. In conclusion, when measured approximately 48 h after disease onset, CRP is useful for evaluating the severity of pneumonia and predicting the response to treatment. A good clinical outcome is likely when CRP levels on Day 3 are 50% of those on admission

ISWT Predicts Survival on PD

Objective: The incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) is an important marker of aerobic capacity in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study aimed to evaluate its predictive value for PD-related outcomes. Methods: This single-center cohort study recruited outpatients on maintenance PD from our hospital between March 2017 and March 2018. Exercise capacity was assessed using measurement of ISWT and handgrip and quadriceps strength. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the median of exercise capacity and prospectively followed up until cessation of PD, death, or the study end (October 2019). The primary end point of this study was technique survival rate, and secondary outcomes were rates of peritonitis-free survival and PD-related hospitalization-free survival. Results: Among the 50 participants, age and PD vintage were [median (IQR)] 62.5 (58.3–70) and 3.5 (1.3–6.5) years, respectively. At the end of the study, 3 of the 28 participants (11%) in the long-ISWT group and 13 of the 22 participants (59%) in the short-ISWT group were transferred to hemodialysis. The short-ISWT group showed lower technique survival rate (p < 0.001), peritonitis-free survival rate (p = 0.01), and PD-related hospitalization-free survival rate (p < 0.01) than the long-ISWT group, whereas those survival rates did not differ when participants were divided by handgrip or quadriceps strength. Multivariate analysis revealed lower ISWT to be independently associated with technique failure (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The ISWT is an important predictor of technique survival for patients on PD. Monitoring and enhancing ISWT as a marker of aerobic capacity might improve PD-related outcomes

Importance of Fatty Acid Compositions in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease

Objective: Importance of fatty acid components and imbalances has emerged in coronary heart disease. In this study, we analyzed fatty acids and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in a Japanese cohort. Methods: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was diagnosed in 101 patients by ABI <= 0.90 and/or by angiography. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors and components of serum fatty acids were examined in all patients (mean age 73.2 +/- 0.9 years; 81 males), and compared with those in 373 age- and sex-matched control subjects with no evidence of PAD. Results: The presence of PAD (mean ABI: 0.71 +/- 0.02) was independently associated with low levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85-0.96; P = 0.002), eicosapentaenoic acid: arachidonic acid (EPA: AA) ratio (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.86; P = 0.021), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; P<0.0001), and with a high hemoglobin A1c level (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.06-1.69; P = 0.013). Individuals with lower levels of GLA (<= 7.95 mu g/mL) and a lower EPA: AA ratio (<= 0.55) had the lowest ABI (0.96 +/- 0.02, N = 90), while the highest ABI (1.12 +/- 0.01, N = 78) was observed in individuals with higher values of both GLA and EPA: AA ratio (P<0.0001). Conclusion: A low level of GLA and a low EPA: AA ratio are independently associated with the presence of PAD. Specific fatty acid abnormalities and imbalances could lead to new strategies for risk stratification and prevention in PAD patients.ArticlePLOS ONE. 9(9):e107003 (2014)journal articl