This essay is a reflection on the significance of U.S. accountability to the struggles of Jeju Islanders for reparations. Under international law, a strong case can be made for the United States’ obligation to acknowledge its role in the Jeju atrocities and to provide compensation to the victims.1 Addressing the United States’ responsibility for complicity in these actions will prove controversial, no doubt, for it has significant implications not for U.S. actions in other parts of the world but for all states engaged in military occupations or acting through surrogate governments. These legal and political ramifications diminish the likelihood of voluntary remedial action by the United States, and the international legal system is ill-suited to compel compliance. Nonetheless, even if Jeju Islanders are ultimately unable to obtain full satisfaction from the United States government for its role in the atrocities to which they have been subjected, I believe that recognition of the international legal obligations incurred by the U.S. in that process can reinforce the legitimacy of their claims, thereby aiding in the restoration of their dignity and supporting their on-going struggles for self-determination.

Consumers receive two types of WOM (word-of-mouth) information: instructional- type WOM and information-type WOM. The instructional-type WOM is WOM information about brands that have not been purchased, while the information-type is WOM about brands have been purchased before. By receiving the instructional-type WOM, consumers come to understand the functional and psychological benefits of the brand. On the other hand, consumers learn nothing about the functional and psychological benefits from information-type WOM, since they already know these benefits through their experience. The information-type WOM about a brand informs consumers that the WOM sender has used the brand and wants to talk about his/her consumption experience of the brand. Although previous research has actively investigated the effects of instructional-type WOM (e.g., Jang, Prasad, and Ratchford 2012; Liu 2006; Zhu and Zhang 2010), the effect of informational-type WOM remains virtually unexplored. When receiving information-type WOM about a brand from friends or family members, consumers are more likely to use the brand in order to build a closer relationship, and therefore fulfill their need to belong. Information-type WOM about a brand from significant others can inhibit consideration of other brands. When a person has the goal of fulfilling the belonging need, only purchasing the same brand as significant others purchase will contribute to satisfying this goal. Purchasing other brands will hinder achievement of the goal, and this impedes their consideration of other brands. The author examined the effect of information-type WOM on consideration set formation using the survey data provided by Yomiuri Advertising Company. The empirical analysis revealed that (1) information-type WOM has a greater impact on consideration than ISP and advertising (i.e., positive own-effect) and (2) information-type WOM has the effect of blocking the entry of other brands into the considerations set (i.e., negative cross-effect). These results suggest that, even for major brands, it is important to generate WOM among consumers. Although information-type WOM might seem to be trivial, this type of WOM function as means to avoid competition in consumers’ consideration sets.

In Japan, milk and food companies have recently developed many functional yogurts using selected probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Bifidobacterium strains. In 1991, the FOSHU (foods for specified health uses) system began instituted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. In 2010, approximately 1,000 commercially available items were labeled as FOSHU products that are specially given brands showing good health effects for humans. Japanese commercial yogurts are classified into three type categories: fermented using selected probiotics, functional components added, and standard types. Many functions are considered in the selection of probiotics including competitive adhesion exclusion of enteritic pathogens, cholesterol lowering effects, and positive immuno-modulatory effects. Adhesion to the human intestine is one of the most important characteristics of probiotic LAB and bifidobacteria. Our new screening system for adhesive activity involves a combination of three methods: the rat colonic mucin-micro plate assay, the Carnoy’s histochemical staining method, and the carbohydrate probe binding assay. Recently, we developed a new screening assay using the BIACORE biosensor chip coated with human colon mucin (HCM). We found new LAB strains that recognize and specifically bind to the human ABO blood type antigens. We named these “blood type LAB”. We identified the molecular LAB binding mechanism occurring in the human intestine through unique adhesin molecules that are expressed on the bacterial cell surface as lectin-like proteins. Bacteria with strong adhesion ability improve gastrointestinal health by continuous proliferation in the intestine; and increase the chance of intake into the Peyer’s patches through M-cells that inhibit allergies because of LAB immune-stimulating activity. The future Japanese food market will contain superior functional yogurts containing adhesive effective probiotic LAB and bifidobacteria that are expected to be developed using our proposed mass screening system shown here.

In the primary sensory neuron of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN), the peripheral axon supplies a large number of annulospiral endings surrounding intrafusal fibers encapsulated in single muscle spindles while the central axon sends only a few number of synapses onto single α-motoneuron₃.(α-MN₃)Therefore, the α-y linkage is thought to be very crucial in the jaw-closing movement. Spike activity in a y-motoneuron (y-MN) would induce a large number of impulses in single peripheral axons by activating many intrafusal fibers simultaneously, subsequently causing an activation of α-MN₃ in spite of the small number of synapses. Thus, the activity of y-MN₃ may be vital for modulation of jaw-closing movements. Independently of such a spindle activity modulated by y-MN₃, somatic depolarization in MTN neurons is known to trigger the oscillatory spike activity. Nevertheless, the trafficking of these spikes arising from the two distinct sources of MTN neurons is not well understood. In this short review, switching among multiple functional modes of MTN neurons is discussed. Subsequently, it will be discussed which mode can support the α-y linkage. In our most recent study, simultaneous patch-clamp recordings from the soma and axon hillock revealed a spike-back-propagation from the spike-initiation site in the stem axon to the soma in response to a somatic current pulse. The persistent Nα+ current was found to be responsible for the spike-initiation in the stem axon, the activation threshold of which was lower than those of soma spikes. Somatic inputs or impulses arising from the sensory ending, whichever trigger spikes in the stem axon first, would be forwarded through the central axon to the target synapse. We also demonstrated that at hyperpolarized membrane potentials, 4-AP-sensitive K+ current (IK₄_AP) exerts two opposing effects on spikes depending on their origins; the suppression of spike initiation by increasing the apparent electrotonic distance between the soma and the spike-initiation site, and the facilitation of axonal spike invasion at higher frequencies by decreasing the spike duration and the refractory period. Through this mechanism, the spindle activity caused by y-MN₃would be safely forwarded to α-MN. Thus, soma spikes shaped differentially by this IK₄_AP depending on their origins would reflect which one of the two inputs was forwarded to the target synapses.

Core loss of soft magnetic powder cores have been focused on to achieve high efficiency of power supplies. In this study the effects of crystal grain size on core loss were investigated by changing heat treatment conditions. It was found that core loss is influenced by crystal grain size because eddy current loss decreased and hysteresis loss increased by making crystal grain size smaller, and it is also influenced by particle size.

We have demonstrated that textured nanocomposites can be fabricated by slip casting followed by partial oxidation. reaction sintering of mixed suspensions of and SiC powders in a high magnetic field. The sintered density was changed by the degree of oxidation at 1200C and 1300C. The degree of orientation of alumina in the nanocomposite was examined on the basis of the X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron micrographs. It is confirmed that aluminaoriented nanocomposites were fabricated. The three-point bending strength at room temperature was observed for the nanocomposites.

We have demonstrated that textured nanocomposites can be fabricated by slip casting followed by partial oxidation - reaction sintering of mixed suspensions of and SiC powders in a high magnetic field. The sintered density was changed by the degree of oxidation at 1200C and 1300C. The degree of orientation of alumina in the nanocomposite was examined on the basis of the X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron micrographs. It is confirmed that alumina-oriented nanocomposites were fabricated. The three-point bending strength at room temperature was observed for the nanocomposites.

We show that the star formation activity of spiral galaxies has a great variety. The star formation variation in a time scale of 10 8 yr and the mechanism responsible for the variation are discussed.

A lot of cargo accidents occurred due to insufficient securing in the case of marine transportation. If the residual tension of securing rope can be predicted, it will be very useful in the handling of cargo securing work of operators. It was confirmed in the previous study that the fluctuation tension cf securing rope by oscillation could be predicted. In this paper, in order to the prediction of residual tension of securing rope, the experiments were carried out to measure the residual tension of securing rope under the oscillation and cyclic loadings. The residual tensions of two tests were in good agreement with each other. It can be predicted through the cyclic loading test in the estimated fluctuation tension without oscillation test by ship motion simulator.