Japanese trade barriers to forest products : hearing before the Subcommittee on International Trade of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, One Hundred First Congress ...

Item 1038-A, 1038-B (MF).

Revisiting the conceptualisation of politeness in English and Japanese

The issue of what in fact constitutes politeness remains a source of considerable debate amongst researchers. There is mounting evidence that although there may be common underlying elements, politeness is conceptualised differently across cultures. A comparison of the notions of politeness in English and teinei, reigi tadashii and keii hyoogen in Japanese indicates that these respective terms encompass somewhat different conceptual ranges. Politeness in English refers to showing consideration for others and demonstrating a polished self-presentation. In Japanese, on the other hand, it encompasses showing respect (with a strong nuance of vertical respect involved) and consideration towards the position and quality of character of others, and modesty about oneself While politeness in both English and Japanese involves showing one thinks well of others (other-oriented politeness) and showing one does not think too highly of oneself (self-oriented politeness), differences in the underlying conceptualisation of politeness give rise to different ways of expressing politeness. It is thus difficult to maintain the assumption that politeness can be defined in the same way across different cultures, although this does not necessarily preclude the identification of common elements of politeness across cultures. © Walter de Gruyter.

Multilingualism and local-global identities: Japanese language education in rural Australia

The purpose of this article is to examine the value accruing to a regional area in Australia from the location of an undergraduate Japanese language education program in a university in that area. The focus is on the manner in which the inclusion of such a program enhances the sustainability of the area. Sustainability is here defined as the resilience demonstrated by social subjects in the absence of the full range of services available in more densely populated and resource advantaged areas. Such resilience implies an ongoing capacity on the part of subjects to contribute productively to social and economic networks in the area. The discussion includes two cases of graduates of the program under review. On the basis of these cases, the argument is advanced that local regional and rural area access to a tertiary sector second language program offers a unique and valuable strategic dimension to the personal and professional development of social agents in regional areas and to the sustainability of these areas generally.

NS1 protein secretion during the acute phase of West Nile virus infection

The West Nile virus (WNV) nonstructural protein NS1 is a protein of unknown function that is found within, associated with, and secreted from infected cells. We systematically investigated the kinetics of NS1 secretion in vitro and in vivo to determine the potential use of this protein as a diagnostic marker and to analyze NS1 secretion in relation to the infection cycle. A sensitive antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of WNW NS1 (polyclonal-ACE) was developed, as well as a capture ELISA for the specific detection of NS1 multimers (4G4-ACE). The 4G4-ACE detected native NS1 antigens at high sensitivity, whereas the polyclonal-ACE had a higher specificity for recombinant forms of the protein. Applying these assays we found that only a small fraction of intracellular NS1 is secreted and that secretion of NS1 in tissue culture is delayed compared to the release of virus particles. In experimentally infected hamsters, NS1 was detected in the serum between days 3 and 8 postinfection, peaking on day 5, the day prior to the onset of clinical disease; immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies were detected at low levels on day 5 postinfection. Although real-time PCR gave the earliest indication of infection (day 1), the diagnostic performance of the 4G4-ACE was comparable to that of real-time PCR during the time period when NS1 was secreted. Moreover, the 4G4-ACE was found to be superior in performance to both the IgM and plaque assays during this time period, suggesting that NS1 is a viable early diagnostic marker of WNV infection.

West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis virus antibody seroconversion, prevalence, and persistence in naturally infected pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

Pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) naturally infected with West Nile virus were monitored from 1999 to 2005 to determine virus-specific antibody seroconversion, prevalence, and persistence. Antibodies persisted for up to 36 months, as detected by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent and hemagglutination inhibition assays. Exposure to cocirculating St. Louis encephalitis virus was evaluated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays.

Origin of the West Nile virus responsible for an outbreak of encephalitis in the northeastern United States

In Late summer 1999, an outbreak of human encephalitis occurred in the northeastern United States that was concurrent with extensive mortality in crows (Corvus species) as well as the deaths of several exotic birds at a zoological park in the same area. Complete genome sequencing of a flavivirus isolated from the brain of a dead Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), together with partial sequence analysis of envelope glycoprotein (E-glycoprotein) genes amplified from several other species including mosquitoes and two fatal human cases, revealed that West Nile (WN) virus circulated in natural transmission cycles and was responsible for the human disease. Antigenic mapping with E-glycoprotein-specific monoclonal antibodies and E-glycoprotein phylogenetic analysis confirmed these viruses as WN. This North American WN virus was most closely related to a WN virus isolated from a dead goose in Israel in 1998.

Emerging viral diseases of South-East Asia and the Western Pacific: A brief review

Over the past 6 years, a number of zoonotic and vectorborne viral diseases have emerged in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Vectorborne disease agents discussed in this article include Japanese encephalitis, Barmah Forest, Ross River, and Chikungunya viruses. However, most emerging viruses have been zoonotic, with fruit bats, including flying fox species as the probable wildlife hosts, and these will be discussed as well. The first of these disease agents to emerge was Hendra virus, formerly called equine morbillivirus. This was followed by outbreaks caused by a rabies-related virus, Australian bat lyssavirus, and a virus associated with porcine stillbirths and malformations, Menangle virus. Nipah virus caused an outbreak of fatal pneumonia in pigs and encephalitis in humans in the Malay Peninsula. Most recently, Tioman virus has been isolated from flying foxes, but it has not yet been associated with animal or human disease. Of nonzoonotic viruses, the most important regionally have been enterovirus 71 and HIV.

Supplier competitive advantage in inter-firm business relationships:is Keiretsu really a source of competitive advantage for Japanese automotive suppliers?

This paper explores how firms create and sustain competitive advantage in the inter-firm business relationships from a supplier’s perspective. Ultimately, this paper draws its attention to keiretsu partnerships and how it is perceived by Japanese automotive suppliers. Four main theoretical perspectives (resource based view, industrial organisation, transaction cost economics, and relational network) were considered when developing a conceptual framework based on competitive capability, market diversification, and level of engagement. The framework was examined against two best-practice automotive component suppliers. Later, primary data was also gathered through an interview with a CEO and a survey questionnaire with 11 Japanese companies. As a result, this paper classified these 11 companies into four supplier groups based on tier level (1 and 2) and affiliation condition. Findings propose that there may be little benefit in being an affiliated tier 1 supplier, and that independent tier 2 suppliers may be more competitive than affiliated ones.

A comparison of U.S. and Japanese management systems and their transferability to Singapore industry

This research compares U.S. and Japanese management systems and evaluates their transferability to the Singaporean manufacturing industry. The objectives were:- a) To determine the effectiveness of U.S. and Japanese management systems when applied to Singapore. b) Determine the extent of transferability of U.S. and Japanese management systems to Singapore. c) Survey general problems ecountered in the application of U.S. and Japanese management systems to the Singapore industry. The study using questionnaire survey and interviews covered a total of eighty companies from four groups of firms in four industrial sectors comprising of U.S. and Japanese subsidiaries based in Singapore and their respective parent companies. Data from the questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate environmental conditions, management philosophy, management functions/practices, management effectiveness, and firm productivity. Two-way analysis of variance was used to analyse the questionnaire data. The analysis of the perceptual data from the questionnaire survey and interviews suggested that both U.S. and Japanese parent companies performed better in almost all the management variables studied when compared to their subsidiaries in Singapore. U.S. subsidiaries have less difficulty in adjusting to the Singapore environmental conditions and obtained better results than the Japanese subsidiaries in management functions/practices and management philosophy than the U.S. subsidiaries. In addition, the firm productivity (in terms of labour and capital productivity) of U.S. subsidiaries in Singapore was found to be higher than those of the Japanese subsidiaries. It was found that the Japanese parent companies returned the highest score among the four groups of firms in all the four industrial sectors for all the four management variables (i.e. environmental conditions, management philosophy, management functions/practices, and management effectiveness) surveyed using questionnaires. In contrast, the average score for Japanese subsidiaries in Singapore was generally the lowest among the four groups of firms. Thus the results of this study suggest that the transfer of U.S. management system into the Singapore industry is more successful than the Japanese management system. The problems encountered in the application of U.S. and Japanese management in Singapore were identified and discussed by the study. General recommendations for the Singaporean manufacturing industry were then made based on the findings of the questionnaire survey and interview analysis.

Expression of Bf/C2 Gene(S) in the Japanese Medaka Fish

Complement factor B and C2 are two central serine proteases of the alternative and classical complement pathways, respectively, that serve as the catalytic subunits of the C3 convertase. Research has been completed using a female Japanese medaka fish, (Oryzias latipes), and other teleost and elasmobrach species in order to isolate eDNA clones and perform linkage analysis of the Bf/C2 gene(s). To further analyze the evolution of the complement system in teleosts, different tissues than the ones from previous studies of medaka fish were analyzed for the constitutive gene expression of factor B and C2. Bf/C2 sequences were amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with primers corresponding to the common amino acid sequences shared by mammalian Bf and C2. Agarose gel electrophoresis was used to visualize sample bands and to calculate the concentration of gene expression of the Bf/C2 gene(s) in each tissue. All five tissue types, kidney, liver, muscle, testis, and spleen from a male medaka fish demonstrated Bf/C2 gene(s) expression, confirming that the messages of Bf/C2 gene(s) are distributed throughout the medaka fish. Tissues of the spleen, liver, and kidney contained the highest concentrations of expression of Bf/C2 gene( s ), while tissues of the muscle and testis contained the lowest concentrations. This research also determined that RT-PCR allowed for more sensitive analysis of gene expression than other molecular biology techniques such as Northern blotting analysis.

Ethnic differences in grains consumption and their contribution to intake of B-vitamins: results of the Multiethnic Cohort Study

Background: Research indicates that a diet rich in whole grains may reduce the risk of prevalent chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers, and that risk for these diseases varies by ethnicity. The objective of the current study was to identify major dietary sources of grains and describe their contribution to B vitamins in five ethnic groups. Methods. A cross-sectional mail survey was used to collect data from participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study in Hawaii and Los Angeles County, United States, from 1993 to 1996. Dietary intake data collected using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire was available for 186,916 participants representing five ethnic groups (African American, Latino, Japanese American, Native Hawaiian and Caucasian) aged 45-75 years. The top sources of grain foods were determined, and their contribution to thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and folic acid intakes were analyzed. Results: The top source of whole grains was whole wheat/rye bread for all ethnic-sex groups, followed by popcorn and cooked cereals, except for Native Hawaiian men and Japanese Americans, for whom brown/wild rice was the second top source; major contributors of refined grains were white rice and white bread, except for Latinos. Refined grain foods contributed more to grain consumption (27.1-55.6%) than whole grain foods (7.4-30.8%) among all ethnic-sex groups, except African American women. Grain foods made an important contribution to the intakes of thiamin (30.2-45.9%), riboflavin (23.1-29.2%), niacin (27.1-35.8%), vitamin B6 (22.9-27.5%), and folic acid (23.3-27.7%). Conclusions: This is the first study to document consumption of different grain sources and their contribution to B vitamins in five ethnic groups in the U.S. Findings can be used to assess unhealthful food choices, to guide dietary recommendations, and to help reduce risk of chronic diseases in these populations.