中国大陆经济的减速及其对台湾经济的影响

一、中国大陆成为世界输入贸易大国与亚洲经济中国大陆经济自1978年底实行经济改革开放以来,经济虽有起起伏伏,但取得了9%以上的年平均经济增长率的高速经济增长。经济的高增长带来了内需的扩大,经济改革开放的进展带来了外国企业的出口工业生产基地向中国大陆的转移,贸易自由化的关税降低与非关税壁垒的削减带来了中国大陆走向世界输入贸易大国的进展。特别是近年来中国大陆的进口贸易额的增长十分显著。2000年中国大陆的进口贸易额为2251亿美元,到了2003年增大到4128亿美元,约增大了一倍。结果,中国大陆的进口贸易额在世界进口贸易总额中…     

How Does Contract Design Affect the Uptake of Microcredit among the Ultra-poor? Experimental Evidence from the River Islands of Northern Bangladesh

This study examines the demand of microcredit among ultra-poor households in northern Bangladesh. We implemented a field experiment to identify what type of credit is best suited to their demand. We found that the uptake rate by the ultra-poor is the lowest for regular small cash credit, followed by in-kind credit. We also found that the ultra-poor are significantly more likely to join a microcredit programme than the moderately poor if a grace period with longer maturity is attached to a large amount of credit, irrespective of whether the credit is provided in cash or in kind.     

Use of the "SMITEST" PSA card to identify the presence of prostate-specific antigen in semen and male urine

To determine whether the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) could be identified in semen using the "SMITEST" PSA immunochromatographic membrane test card, we examined semen and other body fluids, including urine. Although PSA activity was detected in semen with high sensitivity using the "SMITEST" PSA card, it was also detected in adult male urine. However, the lower detectable limit in the urine was 1000-fold lower than that in semen. The concentration of PSA in adult male urine was found to be 800 ng/ml using the card. PSA activity usually can be detected in urine of individuals over 14 years old and it has been detected in urine from children as young as 11 years old. Therefore, the appearance of PSA in urine may occur anytime between the age of 12 and 14 years. To determine the stability of PSA activity in urine, dried samples of urine on filter paper were kept at room temperature for up to 3 years. Although the immunoreactive line showing PSA activity became weak after storage, it was still detectable, but faint, after 3 years. In addition, PSA activity was not detected in male serum or saliva and in the urine from human females, male cats or male dogs using the PSA card. We conclude that the PSA card is useful for identification of PSA in both semen and adult male urine.     

Ancient Postmodernism

Takeshi Umehara, director general of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, is Japan's most famous philosopher, controversial for his idea of Japanese "uniqueness." Umehara, also a playwright, is author of such books at The Concept of Hell, The Exiling of the Gods and Japan's Deep Strata .
Back in 1990, I sat down with him in his office amid the bamboo forests that cover the hills surrounding Kyoto to get an Eastern view of the theme raised by Western thinkers from Arnold Toynbee to Lewis Mumford: the central role of the religious imagination in the rise and fall of civilizations.
Here, he sets out his ideas in an essay tracing his disillusionment with Western philosophy and his rediscovery of Japan's Shinto roots. Our conversation follows.     

Returning to the Original Point of Normalization of China-Japan Relations and Renewing Peaceful and Friendly Relations between Governments

正Japan and China are neighbors that cannot move away from each other.Thus,it’s quite natural that there are quarrels between them because we are so close to each other.There is no other option between Japan and China except peace and friendship.On the occasion of the 3rd Anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations on September 29,1975,in order to solidify the     

Sudden death of an alcoholic elderly man with acute esophageal necrosis (black esophagus)

We report a fatal case of acute esophageal necrosis (black esophagus) in an elderly male with alcohol abuse who was found dead with coffee-ground vomiting. A postmortem examination revealed severe anemia and marked black coloring of the esophagus from the upper to the bottom end. This was accompanied by histologic evidence of extensive mucosal necrosis. Alcohol abuse and esophagitis-related vomiting were both considered to be factors that led to the acute fatal esophageal necrosis. The cause of death was undetermined. We discuss the possible role of acute esophageal necrosis in the cause of sudden death.     

A novel method for the identification of saliva by detecting oral streptococci using PCR

We have used DNA amplification methods to detect common oral bacterial strains to test for the presence of saliva in forensic samples. Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus mutans were detected in various forms of saliva samples, whereas these streptococci were not detected in semen, urine, vaginal fluid, or on skin surfaces. Therefore, we demonstrated that these streptococci are promising new marker for the forensic identification of saliva. Our data indicated that S. salivarius is more reliable than S. mutans as an indicator of saliva presence, because the detection rates for S. salivarius and S. mutans by this method were 100% and 90%, respectively. Furthermore, S. salivarius was detected in all saliva stain samples, whereas S. mutans was only identified in 60% of the stains. Finally, using this method we were able to successfully detect S. salivarius and S. mutans in mock forensic samples. We therefore suggested that this method is useful for the identification of saliva in forensic science.     

A simple identification method of saliva by detecting Streptococcus salivarius using loop-mediated isothermal amplification

We previously reported that detection of Streptococcus salivarius is feasible for proving the presence of saliva in a forensic sample. Here, a simple and rapid method for the detection of S. salivarius in forensic samples was developed that uses loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). The LAMP primer set was designed using S. salivarius-specific sequences of glucosyltransferase K. To simplify the procedure, the sample was prepared by boiling and mutanolysin treatment only, and the entire analytical process was completed within 2.5 h. The cut-off value was set at 0.1 absorbance units, measured at 660 nm, upon termination of the reaction. S. salivarius was identified in all saliva samples, but was not detected in other body fluids or on the skin surface. Using this method, S. salivarius was successfully detected in various mock forensic samples. We therefore suggest that this approach is useful for the identification of saliva in forensic practice.