Government Transfers and the Samaritan's Dilemma in the Family

This paper examines the effectiveness of government transfersin overcoming the Samaritan's dilemma in a family in which thechild saves an insufficient amount in order to induce largerbequests from the parent. The results are as follows. First,exogenous government transfers do not affect intergenerationalconsumption allocation if bequests are operative. Second,assuming that government transfers are chosen strategically,the government precommits to such a level of transfers fromthe parent to the child that bequests become inoperative, andthus rids the child of the incentive for undersaving. Thisengenders an efficient intertemporal allocation ofconsumption.     

Bioethical Policymaking for Advanced Medical Technologies: Institutional Characteristics and Citizen Participation in Eight OECD Countries1

Organizational characteristics of public institutions, councils, committees, and panels for bioethical deliberations were examined in eight OECD countries, that is, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, Canada, and Japan. Their jurisdiction, membership composition, modes of agenda setting, and appraisal systems were examined, as was their utilization of public involvement measures. Questionnaire surveys and structured interviews were conducted with representatives of parliamentary offices, ministries, and other institutions for ethical deliberations, both public and private, in the eight countries. Confirmation of survey results was made by close follow‐up communications. Since the early 1980s, all the countries studied have established public institutions for policy deliberation on bioethical issues. While legislatures, for example, Parliament, sometimes convene special commissions or expert panels on an ad hoc basis, most of the permanent institutions are affiliated with ministries of health, science, or technology. The composition of core panel members was quite similar across institutions as well as among countries, generally composed of 10 to 15 experts. Many institutions have experimented with some forms of public involvement measures, although public involvement is not routinely incorporated in the policy process, except in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Canada. The study describes the current public institutions and their practices for bioethical policy deliberations. Exchange of experience and knowledge among the institutions is advisable to improve their performance.     

Analysis of dimethylamphetamine and its metabolites in human urine by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry with direct sample injection

An analytical method to identify and determine dimethylamphetamine (DMA) and its metabolites in human urine was developed with liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) involving the direct injection of a urine sample. The urine samples were directly injected by using a gel permeation column, whose stationary phase was polyvinyl alcohol with a small amount of a carboxyl group, so DMA and its metabolites were analyzed rapidly and simply without pretreatment such as extraction, concentration and derivatization. DMA and its metabolites were identified in drug-free human urine spiked with 1 microg of DMA, dimethylamphetamine N-oxide (DMANO) and methamphetamine (MA), and 3 microg of amphetamine (AM) in 1 ml of urine under the full-scan mode. Under the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode, the limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio=5) for DMA, DMANO, MA and AM were 20, 20, 20 and 60 ng in 1 ml of urine, respectively. This method was applied to the identification and determination of DMA and its metabolites in urine samples of 10 DMA abusers. The concentrations of DMANO were higher than those of unchanged DMA in all urine samples; thus, DMANO is considered to be a useful metabolite as an indicator to prove DMA intake.     

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.     

Why the shift from kokubô (national defense) to anzen hoshô (security)? A study of the basic issues surrounding Japan's security

The Japanese term anzen hoshô is usually translated into English as "'security," but its literal meaning is "the securing of safety." While this term means many things, in order to understand its true meaning, we must first take a fresh look at another term, kokubô or "national defense," the idea that only when the safety of the nation has been secured can the personal safety and freedom of the individual be guaranteed. In this article, Professor Seizaburo Sato, former Director of Research at the Institute for International Policy Studies, argues that the reasons for the existence of the military capabilities of the advanced democracies must be reexamined to enable an expansion of the debate on Japan's security.     

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for ABO blood typing of semen by using anti-p 84 monoclonal antibody as a marker of blood group substance in semen

A blood group substance (BGS), a protein with ABH antigenic activity, was isolated from human seminal plasma and designated as p 84 (Sato, 1995). We have developed a method for determining the ABO blood type of semen by performing a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in which p 84 is captured with an anti-p 84 monoclonal antibody, and evaluated the specificity and sensitivity of this method. Although BGS activity was detected in semen sensitively by this method, it was not detected in saliva, urine, breast milk, blood or vaginal secretions. Since the concentration of p 84 in semen was independent of the secretion status, the status can be determined as non-secretor when p 84 but not BGS activity was detected. To determine the stability of BGS activity on p 84, dried stains of semen on filter paper were kept at 4, 26, and 37 degrees C for 8 months, 2 years and 1 month, respectively, and their BGS activities were examined. After 8 months at 4 degrees C, over 60% of the original BGS activity was recovered from the stain. The activity could be detected even from a square as small as 0.25 by 0.25 cm. After 1 month at 37 degrees C and 2 years at 26 degrees C, 31 and 20% of the BGS activity, respectively, still remained. It could be detected from the pieces of 1.0 by 1.0 cm and 0.5 by 0.5 cm squares, kept for 1 month at 37 degrees C and 2 years at 26 degrees C, respectively. Finally, semen was mixed with saliva or blood at varying volumetric ratios and used for the sources of dried stains. The BGS activity of p 84 could be detected in the stains until the ratio between semen and saliva or blood reached 1:4. We conclude that this sandwich ELISA offers a more sensitive and specific method for determining the ABO blood type of semen samples obtained from sexual assault victims than existing methods, such as the conventional absorption-elution and classical hemagglutination-inhibition tests.     

Japanese population database for nine STR loci of the AmpFlSTR Profiler kit

Allele frequencies for nine short tandem repeats (STR) loci: D3S1358, vWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317 and D7S820 were determined in a Japanese population using the AmpFlSTR Profiler PCR amplification kit (Applied biosystems).     

Microscopical study on estimation of time since death in skeletal remains

For the purpose of estimating time since death in skeletal remains, postmortem changes in human compact bones were examined by microradiography and electron microscopy. The UV-fluorescence of the peripheral zone of compact bone was also examined by microscopic spectrophotometry. Microradiographic examination revealed no morphological changes in bones left in the open air for long periods, except one of 15 years since death. In bones left in the soil, vacuoles of 5-10 microns diameter, which contained a honeycomb-like structure formed by small vacuoles of 0.5-1 microns diameter, were found in the peripheral zone of the substantia compacta approximately 5 years since death, and in bones of 6 years or more, this change extended to the mid-zone. In bones left in the sea for 4-5 years, vacuoles of 5-10 microns diameter were observed in the outer peripheral zone of the substantia compacta. The relative intensity of UV-fluorescence in bones dwindled with time since death and the correlation coefficient was considerably high.     

Detection of thyroglobulin in blood stains as an aid in the diagnosis of mechanical asphyxia

Mechanical forces applied to the neck region are known to release certain amounts of thyroglobulin into circulation. In this experiment, an attempt was made to detect thyroglobulin in bloodstains as an aid in the diagnosis of mechanical asphyxia. Experimental bloodstains containing thyroglobulin at concentrations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 mu g/mL were prepared on a sheet of filter paper. Small pieces of bloodstains, measuring approximately 2.4 cm2 in area, were extracted with 0.1 mL of distilled water and the extracts were tested against an antihuman thyroglobulin serum by precipitation-electrophoresis. Bloodstains containing more than 1 mu g/mL of thyroglobulin formed distinct precipitin lines for up to one month of storage, while bloodstains containing more than 5 mu g/mL of thyroglobulin formed distinct precipitin lines for up to three months of storage. The present results suggest that the bloodstains can be utilized in the diagnosis of mechanical asphyxia.