Using a large number of sources, this paper documents the sharp and continuous decline of arranged marriages (AM) around the world during the past century, and describes the factors associated with this transition. To understand these patterns, I construct and empirically test a model of marital choices that assumes that AM serve as a form of informal insurance for parents and children, whereas...

The spatial information given by the distributed sensors (e.g., piezoelectric laminates) can be used to forecast structural damage on localised critical spot. It is well known that a localised structural damage with relative small amplitude does not affect significantly the modal response of the structure, at least at low frequencies. Nevertheless, a local delamination or electrode deterioratio...

We propose an optical encryption framework that can encrypt and decrypt large-sized images beyond the size of the encrypted image using our two methods: random phase-free method and scaled diffraction. In order to record the entire image information on the encrypted image, the large-sized images require the random phase to widely diffuse the object light over the encrypted image; however, the r...

Based on studies comparing the prevalence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) between Japan and Europe, we have learned that the difference may be due to genetic background and environmental factors, but not to diagnosis or ELISA system for myeloperoxidase and proteinase-3 ANCA. In Japan, microscopic polyangiitis is the most common among AAV, but Wegener’s...

Based on studies comparing the prevalence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) between Japan and Europe, we have learned that the difference may be due to genetic background and environmental factors, but not to diagnosis or ELISA system for myeloperoxidase and proteinase-3 ANCA. In Japan, microscopic polyangiitis is the most common among AAV, but Wegener’s...

A relationship between Takayasu arteritis (TA) and positive antiphospholipid antibody states has been pointed out, but patients with TA complicated with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) are rare. Here we report the case of a 17-year-old Japanese man diagnosed with TA based on pulselessness of the left brachial artery, discrepancy of blood pressure between the upper extremities, and arte...

Seasickness or Mal de Mer is a very unpleasant experience, and most sailors, if all, had to cope with it. In its extreme form it leaves the victim unwilling to perform any task, even to assist in his or her own rescue. Motion sickness or cinetose is dependent on the magnitude of ship motion, but how it affects human operator is not unequivocal. We will review the different factors, environmenta...

We recently identified a tumor-associated antigen that was recognized by human monoclonal antibody L94. The antibody-reactive 707-AP sequence RVAALARDAP, cloned from a melanoma cDNA library, was also found to be recognized by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from melanoma patients. In this study, 707-AP was used to stimulate melanoma patients' PBLs for the establishment of peptidespecific CT...