We investigate the novel problem of what happens in special relativity and in relativistic field theories whenthree-dimensional space is quantized. First we examine the equation for elastic waves on a linear chain, the simplest example of a quantized medium, and propose, on its analogy, a nonlinearp-k relationp=ħk(sinhkl)/kl for light and material waves. Here,kl is a new variable which represents the space-quantization effect on the plane wave of wave numberk=|k|. (Note thatkl=0 givesp=ħk.) This relation makes the light velocity in vacuum dependent (...) onkl. We postulate, however, that the phase and group velocities of each individual light wave are still invariant, and try to generalize special relativity to the case ofkl ≠ 0. This can be simply done if the invariance ofkl is assumed. Our results suggest that “localization” might be a relative concept. One interesting consequence of our proposal is that relativistic field theories become automatically finite. This comes out without violating unitarity or causality. A precise measurement of velocities of high-energy photons or massive particles is desirable for checking our proposal. (shrink)

This paper examines possible applications of ideas and methods of Philosophy for Children (P4C) to workshop-style environmental education conducted in Sado, Japan. The theme of the workshop is the preservation of toki (the crested ibis) and the local community development. As a result of the success in new breeding, it was determined that the toki, which once became extinct in Japan, would be released to the natural environment in 2008. In order to achieve its successful settlement, local residents are expected (...) to participate in natural and social restoration. Since children will take over this task in the future, they need to be familiar with this issue and to be equipped with necessary skills to think for themselves what can be done towards the betterment of personal, natural, andsocial well-being. As an approach to children’s education, a series of school workshop has been conducted in Sado. The focuses of this education are to introduce the value of thinking for themselves about the issues of toki, environment, and community, and to provide them with some of the necessary skills. A strict timeframe, however, is a crucial difficulty when applying P4C to the school workshop. The workshop must be conducted in two hours (or less), and can be given only one time at each school. In this paper, I consider how it is possible to incorporate the process of thinking into the school workshop and to examine the value of thinking-oriented environmental education. Based on the responses from the students and the teachers, I argue that the integration of P4C ideas into theschool workshop has been meaningful for providing different and creative learning opportunities for them. (shrink)

The nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse spontaneously develops an autoimmune diabetes that shares many immunogenetic features with human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), type 1 diabetes. The mononuclear cell infiltrates in the islet, which results in the development of insulitis (a prerequisite step for the development of diabetes) are primarily composed of T cells. It is now well accepted that these T cells play important roles in initiating and propagating an autoimmune process, which in turn destroys insulin-producing islet β cells in the (...) pancreas. T cells are subdivided into CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. CD4+ T cells are further subdivided into Th1 and Th2 cells based on profiles of cytokine production, and these two T-cell populations counterregulate each other. Because many autoimmune diseases are Th1 T-cell mediated, current studies have focused on manipulating the Th1/Th2 imbalance to suppress the autoimmune process in the NOD model. Furthermore, the incidence of disease is much higher in females than that in males, suggesting an involvement of sex-steroid hormones in the development of diabetes. Understanding insights of the mechanism of immune-mediated islet cell destruction and the interaction between the immune and the neuroendocrine system may, therefore, provide new therapeutic means of preventing this chronic debilitating disease. BioEssays 20:750–757, 1998. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (shrink)

The abandoment of the use of local natural resources has caused serious ecological degradation in some parts of the world. Such situations highlight the importance of a democratic approach to the revitalization of commons. According to traditional systems of resource management, a clear boundary should be set between users and non-users: a closed community has been regarded as the basis for appropriate governance of resources. To the contrary, when restoring commons, it is more important to create an open platform that (...) gathers people from various backgrounds and generations and to consider together possible means for sustainable resource governance. In terms of field research in environmental restoration conducted on Sado Island, Japan, there are three conditions that need to be stressed in the process of establishing a collaborative platform: accepting a variety of participants, maintaining a fair and neutral stance, and respecting various sorts of knowledge. In addition to these conditions, cultivating the ability to engage in adaptive rule making is crucial to the realization of an autonomous community for sustainable resource governance. (shrink)

This international selection of 34 papers from the Tokyo '99 conference held at the United Nations University gives a valuable state of the art overview of consciousness research. Not only the recognized European and American approaches but also the distinguishing approaches from many Japanese researchers are presented. It will provide a world-wide audience with a comprehensive outlook for the remarkable potential contribution in the future scene of consciousness research.The Tokyo '99 declaration to promote scientists' ethical warning against the thoughtless aiming (...) of consciousness research at warfare is also included.(Series B). (shrink)

For brain science, the binary code is embodied in the all or none characteristic of nerve impulses by which one part of the brain communicates with another. ...

The development of a reliable and relatively simple micro‐assay for lipid peroxides in serum or plasma has made it possible to conduct clinical surveys of lipid peroxide levels in man. From many studies made in Japan, those suggesting a relationship between the elevation of lipid peroxide level plasma serum and the occurrence of vascular disorders are discussed here.The data described in this paper show that the elevation of the serum lipid peroxide level over the normal value is a direct cause (...) of the initiation of atherogenesis. Therefore, any factor bringing about the elevation of serum lipid peroxide levels, such as irradiation, would be an indirect cause of atherogenesis. In fact, irradiation is known to provoke this disorder and to elevate serum lipid peroxide levels. (shrink)

Emergence of the modern science of international law is usually attributed to Grotius and other somewhat heroic ‘founders of international law.’ This book offers a more worldly explanation why it was developed mostly by German writers ...

This international selection of 34 papers from the Tokyo '99 conference held at the United Nations University gives a valuable state of the art overview of consciousness research.

Classical Marxism is apparently a past topic. But, Marxist methodology is still useful to treat several contemporary problems of science and technology studies (STS). Marx had criticized the capitalist economy of his time and classical economic theory by analyzing the commodity production of the industrial revolution. But, he accepted western science and industrial technology as given factors in the capitalist economy. Though Classical Marxism attributed knowledge to the ideological superstructure of social relationships, it did not treat knowledge production as an (...) economic and social process. Now knowledge, especially scientific and technological knowledge, is an essential feature of the contemporary economy of the developed countries. Now the, critical study of production and distribution of knowledge, the object of STS, is an essential subject of our time. It includes the problems of ever expanding new working class: technical specialists, professionals, software workers, and health-related professionals. They, once independent proud professionals, are now in unstable working conditions. Improved Marxist methodology might make possible such a critical study. (shrink)

The book is the first to give a systematic account, founded in fundamental quantum physical principles, of how the brain functions as a unified system.

A theoretical framework called "Quantum Brain Dynamics" to describe long range ordered dynamics of the quantum system of electromagnetic field and water dipole field in the brain is proposed as a revival of the original idea developed by Umezawa in the early 1960s. Based on Umezawa’s world view of quantum field theory, the manifestation of long range ordered dynamics is a macroscopic object of quantum origin, and so it reveals the existence of specific macroscopic objects in the brain called "tunneling (...) photon water." Tunneling photon water is shown to manifest several interesting quantum phenomena involving coherent photon emission and transmission, and is suggested to play an important role in quantum brain dynamics. The ordered quantum dynamics of such a macroscopic condensate of tunneling photons with nonvanishing effective charge and mass as tunneling photon water is governed by the macroscopic Schrödinger equation, and ensures superconducting phenomena in the brain at body temperature. The meaning of quantum brain dynamics is clearly explained for brain and cognitive scientists who have been confused by either the overstatement with misplaced quantum concepts usually given by those not appropriately schooled in physics or the understatement with textbook quantum concepts given by technical physicists. (shrink)

Site‐specific phosphorylation of intermediate filament (IF) proteins on serine and threonine residues leads to alteration of the filament structure, in vitro and in vivo. Protein kinases involved in cell signaling and those activated in mitosis dynamically control spatial and temporal organization of intracellular IF phosphorylation. Thus, IF phosphorylation appears to be one of the most predominant strategies in coordinating intracellular organization of the IF network.

Poor sleep quality negatively affects memory performance, and working memory in particular. We investigated sleep habits related to sleep quality including sleep duration, daytime nap duration, nap frequency, and dream content recall frequency (DCRF). Declarative working memory can be subdivided into verbal working memory (VWM) and visuospatial working memory (VSWM). We hypothesized that sleep habits would have different effects on VWM and VSWM. To our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate differences between VWM and VSWM related to daytime (...) nap duration, nap frequency, and DCRF. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that the effects of duration and frequency of daytime naps and DCRF on VWM and VSWM differed according to sex. We assessed 779 healthy right-handed individuals (434 males and 345 females; mean age: 20.7 ± 1.8 years) using a digit span forward and backward VWM task, a forward and backward VSWM task, and sleep habits scales. A correlation analysis was used to test the relationships between VWM capacity (VWMC) and VSWM capacity (VSWMC) scores and sleep duration, nap duration, nap frequency, and DCRF. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with VWMC and VSWMC scores and to identify sex-related differences. We found significant positive correlations between VSWMC and nap duration and DCRF, and between VWMC and sleep duration in all subjects. Furthermore, we found that working memory capacity (WMC) was positively correlated with nap duration in males and with sleep duration in females, and DCRF was positively correlated with VSWMC in females. Our finding of sex-related differences in the effects of sleep habits on WMC has not been reported previously. The associations between WMC and sleep habits differed according to sex because of differences in the underlying neural correlates of VWM and VSWM, and effectiveness of the sleep habits in males and females. (shrink)