Classic Dose‐Response and Time Postinoculation Models for Leptospira

Leptospirosis is a preeminent zoonotic disease concentrated in tropical areas, and prevalent in both industrialized and rural settings. Dose‐response models were generated from 22 data sets reported in 10 different studies. All of the selected studies used rodent subjects, primarily hamsters, with the predominant endpoint as mortality with the challenge strain administered intraperitoneally. Dose‐response models based on a single evaluation postinfection displayed median lethal dose (LD₅₀) estimates that ranged between 1 and 10⁷ leptospirae depending upon the strain's virulence and the period elapsed since the initial exposure inoculation. Twelve of the 22 data sets measured the number of affected subjects daily over an extended period, so dose‐response models with time‐dependent parameters were estimated. Pooling between data sets produced seven common dose‐response models and one time‐dependent model. These pooled common models had data sets with different test subject hosts, and between disparate leptospiral strains tested on identical hosts. Comparative modeling was done with parallel tests to test the effects of a single different variable of either strain or test host and quantify the difference by calculating a dose multiplication factor. Statistical pooling implies that the mechanistic processes of leptospirosis can be represented by the same dose‐response model for different experimental infection tests even though they may involve different host species, routes, and leptospiral strains, although the cause of this pathophysiological phenomenon has not yet been identified.     

Variability in wing form of crickets

Loss of functional hindwings is observed in most subfamilies of Japanese crickets. Habitat, behaviour, body size and phylogenetic factors might be involved, but interactions among them may obscure the general trend. Wing dimorphism is common among the relatively small-sized members of Gryllinae, and the two small-sized subfamilies, Nemobiinae and Trigonidiinae. Both environmental cues (e. g. photoperiod) and genetic factors affect the wing form. InDianemobius fascipes (Nemobiinae), the percentage macroptery was drastically changed by selection for macroptery or microptery. Crossing experiments indicated polygenic control of wing form as well asX-chromosomal and maternal effects. Neither the long-winged nor short-winged line bred true after 40 generations of selection. Full-sib families revealed a large genetic variation in frequency of macropterous forms within a population. The genetic determination of the propensity for macropterism did not seem to be directly coupled to the mechanism performing the photoperiodic time-measurement.     

Effect of Educational Expansion on Educational Inequality in Post-industrialized Societies: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Japan and the United States of America

Abstract: This paper analyzes the relationship between educational expansion and educational inequality. I first reconsider the conceptual basis of educational expansion, noting that in post‐industrialized societies, people's educational attainment is no longer measurable in a simple temporal increase because of the recent leveling‐off in the younger generation. I then review the theoretical framework of educational inequality. After presenting a summary of related studies, I provide a multilevel regression model that examines the macro/cohort influence of educational expansion on educational inequality in Japan and the United States. The following propositions are derived from my analyses: Educational expansion has functioned to dissolve both the socio‐economic and the cultural‐educational reproduction processes in Japan; meanwhile, inequality in terms of micro coefficients remains. In the United States, both the magnitude of gender inequality and the influence of the socio‐economic reproduction process are smaller than in Japan. The macro/cohort effects of educational expansion are generally smaller in the United States. This is true despite the fact that educational expansion significantly dissolves gender inequality in the United States, while educational expansion has little to do with gender equalization in Japan. My comparison of the model's fit concludes that the trajectory of educational equalization follows the two‐fold consequence of educational expansion. In sum, these results show that in conjunction with the non‐linear sequence of educational attainment in the post‐industrialized phase of development, the macro/cohort influence of educational expansion as well as the micro structure of educational inequality undergo gradual transformations.     

全球化的"哲学"意义

全球化已经深入到世界的政治、经济、文化等各个领域,在此大环境下哲学也面临新的课题。基于此,本刊刊发“哲学与全球化”为栏目的5篇文章,这是2006年11月26日~27日由中国社会科学院哲学研究所和日本哲学会主办、浙江树人大学东亚研究所承办的题为“21世纪的哲学课题———从东西问题与视点出发”的中日哲学论坛上的交流论文。这组文章分别从“全球化的‘哲学’意义”、“全球化时代的空间论课题”、“全球化与共生思想”、“全球化与哲学的可能性”、“实践、文化与全球化———从《关于费尔巴哈的提纲》到《共产党宣言》”等不同角度,探讨全球化与哲学的关系。开首篇为鹿島教授关于全球化对哲学的影响以及哲学的自我反省两个方面的论述,认为既要使哲学成为大众的哲学,也要从“哲学”的原本意义出发拓宽其内涵。这组文章观点鲜明,思路清晰,侧重点不同,对哲学教学与理论研究有较好的参考价值。     

Board governance of Strategic Change: An assessment of the literature and avenues for future research

Boards of directors play a central role in governing corporate strategic change. We systematically review corporate governance research on strategic change published over the past 40 years, differentiating between strategic change types and board characteristics. We identify three developments: a focus on specific strategic change types, board composition and structure, and North American listed firms as a dominant study context. Yet, our analysis of the literature shows that research on board governance of interrelated strategic changes, on different board roles and behaviour, and on the governance of strategic changes across different contexts remains underdeveloped. To address these research gaps, we suggest three future research avenues: (1) examining how boards govern interrelated changes in a strategic change portfolio and its evolution over time; (2) studying the mediating relationship between board governance (particularly different board roles and behaviour), strategic changes, and corresponding outcomes; and (3) gaining a better understanding of the role of context in board governance of interrelated strategic changes. We contribute to corporate governance research by developing a framework that synthesizes extant research on the relationships between different board governance variables and strategic change types, highlights important research gaps, and outlines several future research directions to address these gaps. Our framework and literature overview serve as analytical tools to examine whether boards are well-designed and prepared to govern multiple and interrelated strategic changes.     

A Variable Selection Criterion for Two Sets of Principal Component Scores in Principal Canonical Correlation Analysis

Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is often used to analyze the correlation between two random vectors. However, sometimes interpretation of CCA results may be hard. In an attempt to address these difficulties, principal canonical correlation analysis (PCCA) was proposed. PCCA is CCA between two sets of principal component (PC) scores. We consider the problem of selecting useful PC scores in CCA. A variable selection criterion for one set of PC scores has been proposed by Ogura (2010), here, we propose a variable selection criterion for two sets of PC scores in PCCA. Furthermore, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this criterion.     

Korea's Strong Familism and Lowest-Low Fertility

Abstract:  The emergence of lowest-low fertility in southern and eastern Europe dramatically changed the relationship between fertility and its covariates. Today, low fertility countries are characterized by low female labor force participation, low gender equity, robust marriage institution, and strong familism. It is assumed that the discrepancy between an advanced socioeconomic system and robust family patterns is an important cause of lowest-low fertility. The Republic of Korea is a typical case where the conventional family pattern causes disharmony with socioeconomic development and depresses fertility. The direct cost of children has been rising rapidly because of the Confucian value of education and strong family ties. The tight labor market conditions and the increasing uncertainty about the future are depressing nuptiality as well as marital fertility. The robustness of traditional gender role division checks the improvement in compatibility between work and the family and sustains the high opportunity cost of childbearing. Although the Korean government announced an ambitious pronatal program in 2006, the budget is so limited that its effect is questionable. Furthermore, a large part of the difference between moderately low and lowest-low fertility is attributed to cultural patterns and is beyond family policy.     

What the Japanese have learned from strategic alliances

The major vehicle manufacturers are facing an increasingly turbulent environment. A depressed world economy, rapidly changing technologies and the move towards globalization have brought strong challenges to the key players. One response to these conditions has been the formation of various types of collaborative ventures, in particular, strategic alliances. This article explores the lessons learnt by Japanese companies involved in strategic alliance activity. The nature of Japanese collaborative activity has changed in every decade since the 1950s, from being concerned primarily with gaining technological know-how from overseas to focusing on growing sales in a world market. Because no manufacturer, however large, can take on the huge investment required to dominate the global market, alliance activity is forecast to grow in importance.     

How does interpersonal justice affect outside directors’ governance behavior? A cross-cultural comparison

We examine the impact of interpersonal justice among outside directors on the board and between a director and the CEO regarding the director’s monitoring and resource provision behaviors in different cultural contexts. We argue that directors from individualistic countries are more influenced by CEO interpersonal justice while directors from collectivistic countries are more affected by the board interpersonal justice. Our main effect results indicate that interpersonal justice with board members is positively related to both monitoring and resource provision by a director, while CEO interpersonal justice is related only to resource provision. Our results also show different effects on the director’s behaviors between three countries, i.e., Canada, Singapore, and Spain. We found that CEO interpersonal justice is positively associated with resource provision in Canada, while board interpersonal justice is positively related to both monitoring and resource provision in Singapore and Spain. These results suggest that directors discharge their board duties differently by how they are treated by other directors and the CEO and that their governance behaviors vary by culture. This study contributes to the literature on comparative corporate governance by showing the differences in directors’ behaviors in different cultural contexts.     

Complementarity of behavioral biases

I investigate the complementarity of behavioral biases in a simple investment problem. The agent has incomplete knowledge about the correlation between fitness and the decision environment. Nature endows the agent with a decision procedure so that the induced action can reflect this correlation. I show that the agent with this decision procedure always exhibits (i) present biased time preference, (ii) distorted beliefs, and (iii) cognitive dissonance. The three biases are complements and the absence of one of them destroys the value of the other two. The decision procedure also provides insights into the non-fungibility of savings.