New Agglomeration Indicators in Urban and Regional Economies

　The indicators of agglomeration in urban and regional economies can be broadly classified into specialization and diversity, each of which is called the Marshal-Arrow-Romer type and the Jacobs type as external economic effects. There is also a Porter-type competitive environment indicator that advocates cluster-like agglomeration. The（modified）specialization coefficient, the Hirshman-Halfindahl index, and the entropy index are examples of indices that directly measure these factors. This paper reviews and evaluates indicators related to urban and regional economic agglomeration developed by Nakamura（2008）and Nakamura（2009）, as well as indicators directly and indirectly related to agglomeration that have been developed since then. rice field

Regional Revitalization through Education : An Example of Wake Town’s Education Policy

This article analyzes the importance of education when attempting regional revitalization by considering the case of the introduction of‘ an English Education District’ and a public cram school in a Japanese town. As Japan faces a depopulated society, it is important for local administrations to maintain their local population through public policy that supports economic activities and improves living conditions. Wake Town in Okayama Prefecture has already undertaken a variety of actions, supported by the human resources of the national government and private companies, to promote its livability. This article elucidates the reason behind Wake Town＇s strong commitment to its education policy, which has resulted in, for example, the creation of a public cram school. This article focuses on three points: （1） the background of the education policy in Wake Town, （2） the management of the newly established public cram school, and （3） the evaluation of this school in the view of its students and their parents. Finally, the article argues that free public education is becoming increasingly important for community development in the global era ofthe 21st century

Two-photon excitable boron complex based on tridentate imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine ligand for heavy-atom-free mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy

We have synthesized a cyan fluorescent boron complex based on a tridentate imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine ligand. The boron complex was found to have potential applications as not only a chiroptical material but also a heavy-atom-free mitochondria-targeted photosensitizer for cancer treatment

Empirical Research on Vulnerability and Value of〈Care Labor〉(2) “working consciousness” of people with disabilities support/care professionals ; supported by the granted research from Mizuho Welfare Foundation.

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A Novel Method for Inducing Amastigote-To-Trypomastigote Transformation In Vitro in Trypanosoma cruzi Reveals the Importance of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor

Background Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasitic protist that causes Chagas disease, which is prevalent in Latin America. Because of the unavailability of an effective drug or vaccine, and because about 8 million people are infected with the parasite worldwide, the development of novel drugs demands urgent attention. T. cruzi infects a wide variety of mammalian nucleated cells, with a preference for myocardial cells. Non-dividing trypomastigotes in the bloodstream infect host cells where they are transformed into replication-capable amastigotes. The amastigotes revert to trypomastigotes (trypomastigogenesis) before being shed out of the host cells. Although trypomastigote transformation is an essential process for the parasite, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process have not yet been clarified, mainly because of the lack of an assay system to induce trypomastigogenesis in vitro. Methodology/Principal Findings Cultivation of amastigotes in a transformation medium composed of 80% RPMI-1640 and 20% Grace\u27s Insect Medium mediated their transformation into trypomastigotes. Grace\u27s Insect Medium alone also induced trypomastigogenesis. Furthermore, trypomastigogenesis was induced more efficiently in the presence of fetal bovine serum. Trypomastigotes derived from in vitro trypomastigogenesis were able to infect mammalian host cells as efficiently as tissue-culture-derived trypomastigotes (TCT) and expressed a marker protein for TCT. Using this assay system, we demonstrated that T. cruzi inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (TcIP3R) - an intracellular Ca2+ channel and a key molecule involved in Ca2+ signaling in the parasite - is important for the transformation process. Conclusion/Significance Our findings provide a new tool to identify the molecular mechanisms of the amastigote-totrypomastigote transformation, leading to a new strategy for drug development against Chagas disease