Postal Savings for National Development—The Experience of Japan and Future Perspective in a Globalized World

Global economic forces have been prompting the institutional changes in the public sector based on the market-oriented principles and such changes greatly have affected the postal savings system in Japan. Postal savings system’s public roles were fundamentally changed because of current administrative reform undertakings. In this article, firstly the role of collecting savings from ordinary citizens for fiscal policies was reviewed and the assessment of this public role is conducted. Secondly, abolishment of Universal Service Obligation due to the privatization of the postal savings system and the possible occurrence of Financial Exclusion are analyzed.

The Interface of Institutional,Sociopolitical, and Relational Trauma in Clinical Encounters: The Case of Adelita and Mrs. Diaz

In this article, the author addresses the importance of considering the interface of institutional, sociopolitical, and relational trauma in clinical social work practice. Assessment and treatment are discussed using a clinical case composite drawn from the author's previous encounters in clinical social work practice. In this composite, the author uses a biopsychosocial-spiritual perspective and concepts such as intergenerational trauma and psychodynamic theories as a framework for gaining a deeper understanding of clients in social work practice.     

母语干扰对中日同形词理解与翻译的影响

日语中的汉字词多源于我国,其中大量汉字词词义与汉语相同,但也不乏词义相异之词。在教学中我们发现,正由于母语与日语中均存在同形词的“共同点”,导致学生往往“望文生义”,忽视部分词义相同或词义完全不同的同形词,造成误用和误译现象。本文就初级日语教学中经常出现的中日同形词误用及误译例,分析其在中日文不同语境中的用法,阐述在教学中排除母语干扰,转换思维,正确理解同形词对促进语言提高的重要性。     

Assessing Type I error and power of multistate Markov models for panel data—A simulation study

Ordinal outcomes collected at multiple follow-up visits are common in clinical trials. Sometimes, one visit is chosen for the primary analysis and the scale is dichotomized amounting to loss of information. Multistate Markov models describe how a process moves between states over time. Here, simulation studies are performed to investigate the Type I error and power characteristics of multistate Markov models for panel data with limited non-adjacent state transitions. The results suggest that the multistate Markov models preserve the Type I error and adequate power is achieved with modest sample sizes for panel data with limited non-adjacent state transitions.     

Designing and facilitating collaboration in R&D: A case study

This case study aims to highlight the strategic decisions and managerial practices in the formation and operation of a co-located research unit within a national laboratory. The empirical evidence is based on interviews with members of the research unit as well as responses from a research environment survey. The findings of the case study suggest specific strategies that are conducive not only for the co-location of research units but also for research management in general. Principal among these are the need to balance increases in diversity and complexity with mechanisms of integration and the use of specific management practices and leadership qualities that support these activities.     

Japan’s Innovation of Public Organizations in the Research and Development Field

The Japanese government implemented drastic restructuring of the central government in 2001. As a part of this reform, the incorporated administrative agency (IAA) system was newly introduced in view of carrying out certain public functions in a more flexible, business-like and autonomous way. Research and development activities in the public sector are now mostly conducted by the incorporated administrative agencies. In this article, the purpose of this reorganization is firstly described followed by the outline of this system and current accomplishments. In concluding, the Japanese undertaking of a new public organization is analyzed in comparison with the European and “Anglo-Saxon” countries.

Efficient Regularization Parameter Selection Via Information Criteria

In a nonlinear regression model based on a regularization method, selection of appropriate regularization parameters is crucial. Information criteria such as generalized information criterion (GIC) and generalized Bayesian information criterion (GBIC) are useful for selecting the optimal regularization parameters. However, the optimal parameter is often determined by calculating information criterion for all candidate regularization parameters, and so the computational cost is high. One simple method by which to accomplish this is to regard GIC or GBIC as a function of the regularization parameters and to find a value minimizing GIC or GBIC. However, it is unclear how to solve the optimization problem. In the present article, we propose an efficient Newton–Raphson type iterative method for selecting optimal regularization parameters with respect to GIC or GBIC in a nonlinear regression model based on basis expansions. This method reduces the computational time remarkably compared to the grid search and can select more suitable regularization parameters. The effectiveness of the method is illustrated through real data examples.     

Role of Citizens in Environmental Conservation: The Case of the Yokosuka City; A Statistical Analysis

With the recent environmental issues such as global warming and illegal dumping of waste, people are getting more concerned with the impacts of household activities on the environment. Environmental conservation activities conducted voluntarily by citizens may reduce these impacts. Citizens can be encouraged by the assessment of their activities for further undertakings. In this article, as necessary tools for such assessment, new statistics measuring the size of citizens’ activities in the environmental conservation are presented along with the outline of environmental governance in Japan. In concluding, several strategies for effective involvement of citizens in the environmental governance are suggested.