Sentence-final expressions-- rasii and yoo : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Japanese at Massey University

In the Japanese language there is a group of sentence-final expressions, which indicate the speaker's attitude toward the proposition they are maintaining. Included in this group are expressions such as kamosirenai, tigainai, hazu, yoo, mitai, rasii, soo (hearsay) and (si) soo. This thesis is an examination of the functions of the two expressions yoo and rasii. In many cases rasii and yoo are interchangeable in the respect that they work as evidential markers that the speaker makes a judgment based on evidence. However there is a subtle difference between them. The distinction between them is made by the degree of the speaker's perception. Even though the same types of evidence may be used, rasii indicates that a lesser degree of the speaker's perception is involved, whereas yoo indicates that a higher degree of the speaker's perception is involved. A closer investigation of the uses of rasii and yoo, based on Brown and Levinson's politeness theory, is carried out and it is concluded that both rasii and yoo work as politeness strategies. That is, the speaker utilises the function of either rasii or yoo to satisfy the other's feeling and to establish a good rapport between the speaker and the addressee in human interactions, as well as to maintain the speaker's own desire

MRI reveals menstrually-related muscle edema that negatively affects athletic agility in young women

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Loss of miR-542-3p enhances IGFBP-1 expression in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells

Endometrial decidualization represents an essential step for the successful implantation of the embryo; however, the molecular mechanism behind this differentiation process remains unclear. This study aimed to identify novel microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the regulation of decidual gene expression in human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). An in vitro analysis of primary undifferentiated and decidualizing HESCs was conducted. HESCs were isolated from hysterectomy specimens from normally cycling premenopausal women with uterine fibroids, who were not on hormonal treatment at the time of surgery. Primary HESCs were expanded in culture and decidualized with 8-bromo-cyclic adenosine monophosphate and medroxyprogesterone acetate. Microarray analysis identified six miRNAs differentially expressed in response to decidualization of HESCs. All but one miRNA were downregulated upon decidualization, including miR-542-3p. We demonstrated that miR-542-3p overexpression inhibits the induction of major decidual marker genes, including IGFBP1, WNT4 and PRL. In addition, miR-542-3p overexpression inhibited the morphological transformation of HESCs in response to deciduogenic cues. A luciferase reporter assay confirmed that the 3′-untranslated region of IGFBP1 mRNA is targeted by miR-542-3p. The results suggest that miR-542-3p plays an important role in endometrial decidualization by regulating the expression of major decidual marker genes

Influence on uncertainty of earthquake response analysis results by initial particle arrangements and cohesion parameters in extended distinct element method

Following the occurrence of extremely large earthquakes, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake, the level of design for earthquake ground motion in nuclear power plants has been enhanced. Additionally, the quantitative evaluation of the seismic performance of critical facilities, such as nuclear power plants, and earthquake-induced failure of surrounding slopes are becoming increasingly important as deterministic approaches in regulation. However, evaluation of other aspects besides the design for earthquake ground motion in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) needs to be conducted voluntarily by the corporation. For the earthquake response analysis, including the seamless transition of the slope from continuum to dis-continuum, the extended distinct element method (EDEM) is an effective approach; however, EDEM is characterised by initial particle arrangement uncertainty. Therefore, we investigated the uncertainty in the EDEM results with respect to failure timing and region. Although essential in the evaluation of impact force in the PRA framework, there are few researches regarding the uncertainty of impact force on the wall of the reactor building after slope failure caused by numerous initial particle arrangements. Furthermore, reducing the computational time is crucial in PRA. Hence, the parameters that do not have an influence on the EDEM results can be omitted, resulting in their dispersion and a reduction in the computational time. This research aims to investigate the impact force uncertainty caused by initial particle arrangements and the influence of cohesion uncertainty. For the former, we conducted 50 numerical simulations for the uncertainty of EDEM results caused by the initial particle arrangements. For the latter, we conducted 50 numerical simulations with two uncertainty factors, namely, cohesion and initial particle arrangement. The simulation results revealed that the largest and second largest loads on the wall occurred in two cases, namely, when there were single particles impacting the wall and when there were group particles impacting the wall. Additionally, the uncertainty caused by cohesion was less than that arrangement when the coefficient of variation was 0.1. Thus, the cohesion uncertainty can be ignored if it is somewhat small

Relationship between Details in Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing Dysfunction and Clinical Outcomes

Severe dysphagia causes aspiration pneumonia, oral intake discontinuation, and even death. To select appropriate interventions, the impaired function must be identified. Endoscopic evaluation has been popular to evaluate dysphagia, and various evaluation methods have been developed. The Hyodo score is widely used in Japan and subdivides the swallowing function into four categories, making it possible to identify impaired functions in detail. Few studies have analyzed the relationship between the severity of dysphagia assessed by the Hyodo score and clinical outcomes, such as aspiration pneumonia, oral intake, and mortality. We conducted a retrospective study of 66 hospitalized patients for dysphagia or aspiration pneumonia and evaluated all four items of the Hyodo score. Patients' information, the severity of dysphagia, onset of aspiration pneumonia, nutritional status, and final outcomes were collected and analyzed. Patients with clinical outcomes, such as aspiration pneumonia, oral intake, and mortality were found to have more severe dysfunction in subdivided items of Hyodo score, such as saliva pooling in the pharynx, glottic closure reflex, swallowing reflex, and pharyngeal clearance. Furthermore, differences in Body Mass Index and comorbidity rates of diabetes and malignant tumors outside of head and neck region were found depending on whether these clinical outcomes occurred. Our study reveals that differences in the severity of dysphagia assessed by the Hyodo score influence clinical outcomes, such as the onset of aspiration pneumonia, oral intake discontinuation, and mortality rate. In the future, prospective clinical studies are required to include larger number of cases and for more accurate analysis.journal articl

MRI reveals menstrually-related muscle edema that negatively affects athletic agility in young women

ContextAbout 10% of Japanese female athletes are afflicted by menstrually-related edema, mainly in the lower limbs, and, with few studies on this problem, the effect on performance remains unclear.ObjectiveTo quantitatively evaluate fluid retention in the calf in female students over their menstrual cycle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine the relationship of MRI changes and athletic performance.DesignThe menstrual cycle was divided into 5 phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, early luteal, and late luteal with sampling done in either morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) sessions. At each phase, MRI of the calf (7:00–8:00, 14:00–16:00), body composition and hormones (7:00–8:00), and athletic performance (14:00–16:00) were evaluated

Nasal Bleeding from a Ruptured Aneurysm of the Internal Carotid Artery Treated with Endovascular Coil Embolization

Nasal bleeding can be generally controlled with only intranasal treatment. However, bleeding from large vessels, such as maxillary and internal carotid arteries, is difficult to control only by intranasal treatment, and endovascular treatment is required. Especially nasal bleeding from a ruptured internal carotid artery aneurysm is extremely rare and requires urgent treatment. The patient visited our hospital for sudden nasal bleeding, but the bleeding spontaneously stopped when the patient was first seen. When the blood clot in the natural ostium of the left sphenoid sinus was inhaled at an outpatient situation, massive pulsatile bleeding occurred and continued. The venous route was secured, extracellular fluid was rapidly administered, and tracheal intubation was performed. With computed tomography and angiography examination, the patient was diagnosed with nasal hemorrhage secondary to a ruptured aneurysm in the left internal carotid artery, and the bleeding was controlled by placing endovascular stents and coil in the left internal carotid artery. From the experience of this case, if nasal bleeding occurs around the sphenoidal sinus ostium, clinicians should consider the possibility of nasal bleeding from a ruptured aneurysm of the internal carotid artery and the appropriate treatment should be managed after detailed examinations.journal articl