An Empirical Study of Alcoholic Consumption and Labor Productivity in Japan

This paper examines the relationship between labor productivity and alcohol consumption based on research conducted with a limited sample of workers who drink alcohol. Estimation results show that in the case of males, the amount of alcohol consumed significantly raises labor productivity, with an elasticity of approximately 0.13. In females, we cannot reach the firm conclusion. Conversely, the reverse relationship between labor productivity and alcohol consumption cannot be confirmed. Moreover, an awareness of appropriate alcohol consumption supports the sixth strategy of the Health Japan 21 policy, which is to reduce national alcohol consumption by about 20%.

The Nocturnal Heat Island Formation and Rural Lapse Rates Based on Steep Slope Soundings in Nagano Basin, Japan

Article信州大学教育学部研究論集 4: 99-112(2011)departmental bulletin pape

低原子価ニオブ触媒を用いた選択的環化付加反応の開発

関西大

Studies on Low-valent Nb Catalyst for Selective Cycloaddition Reaction [論文要旨及び審査の要旨]

関西大

Mapping dust column density in dark clouds by using NIR scattered light : Case of the Lupus 3 dark cloud

We present a method of mapping dust column density in dark clouds by using near-infrared scattered light. Our observations of the Lupus 3 dark cloud indicate that there is a well defined relation between (1) the H-Ks color of an individual star behind the cloud, i.e., dust column density, and (2) the surface brightness of scattered light toward the star in each of the J, H, and Ks bands. In the relation, the surface brightnesses increase at low H-Ks colors, then saturate and decrease with increasing H-Ks. Using a simple one-dimensional radiation transfer model, we derive empirical equations which plausibly represent the observed relationship between the surface brightness and the dust column density. By using the empirical equations, we estimate dust column density of the cloud for any directions toward which even no background stars are seen. We obtain a dust column density map with a pixel scale of 2.3 x 2.3 arcsec^2 and a large dynamic range up to Av = 50 mag. Compared to the previous studies by Juvela et al., this study is the first to use color excess of the background stars for calibration of the empirical relationship and to apply the empirical relationship beyond the point where surface brightness starts to decrease with increasing column density

Mobility of highly skilled retirees from Japan to Korea and Taiwan

Attracting highly skilled workers is a major element for the economic development of many countries, especially developing countries. However, the general international mobility of workers is from developing countries to developed ones. Historical evidence has indicated that Korean and Taiwanese firms scout for highly skilled Japanese workers (either retired or soon-to-retire) to accrue knowledge and achieve catch-up. Therefore, this paper investigates how the highly skilled Japanese workers were scouted by firms in Korea and Taiwan. Aiming at producing evidence rather than testing hypotheses, the findings of this paper shed practical information for firms in developing countries to attract highly skilled workers for their growth. In addition, this paper provides insights into the international mobility of highly skilled workers from a developed country to developing countries, which has not been examined in previous literature

Studies of the Synthetic Inorganic Ion Exchanger. V. : The Separation of Zirconium-95 and Niobium-95 by Means of a Stannic Phosphate Cation Exchanger

With the aim of developing a method for the separation of ^Zr and ^Nb, various eluants were investigated, a sulfuric acid solution was found to be most suitable for this purpose. After the stannic phosphate exchanger column had been conditioned with 1N nitric acid, the sample solution was passed through it to adsorb ^Zr and ^Nb. By using a 2N sulfuric acid solution and a 3N sulfuric acid -0.01N hydrofluoric acid solution as eluants, ^Zr and ^Nb could be eluted respectively. The separation was not quantitative, however, because of the unfavorable tailing of the elution curves. On the basis of the above results, the possibility of the total radiochemical separation of a long-lived fission product and the mechanism of the adsorption of these ions were discussed

Development of new therapeutic approaches for gastrointestinal disease through basic research focused on gastrointestinal cancer and liver cirrhosis

Recently, the development of new drugs and therapeutic strategies have made it possible to control disease status in many gastrointestinal（GI）diseases. However, GI cancer still accounts for half of the cancer deaths in Japan, and therefore, development of a new therapeutic approach is urgently required. On the other hand, new oral combination treatment has dramatically improved health outcomes for patients with hepatitis C. However, liver cirrhosis, the end-stage of every chronic liver disease still being the major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Until now, the author has been involved in translational research focused on GI diseases with a particular focus on GI cancer and cirrhosis based on clinical（patient）needs. This review focused on the author’s research on new treatments approach and clinical trials, especially for GI cancer and cirrhosis and discussed the future directions of our study