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History, Politics and Philosophy of the Succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne: Is the Imperial Family of Japan 'Misogynistic'?
Get PDFA distinctive feature of the Imperial Family of Japan is that, since the first Emperor Jinmu, the 126 successive emperors have, without exception, been succeeded by patrilineal line. For this reason, the Imperial Family has no experience of dynastic change, and no family name or surname. In autumn 2024, the UN's CEDAW recommended that the Japanese Imperial Household Law be corrected on the grounds that it is sexist. In response, leftists, feminists, and anti-monarchists who had long argued for a ‘female emperor’ should be allowed, welcomed this as a way to realise gender equality and respect global standards. On the other hand, right wingers, traditionalists, and Shinto priests vehemently opposed that it is ignorant of Japanese culture to criticise only Japan, even though Japan's restriction of the Emperor, the Shinto priest-king, to men is the common as that of the Pope, the Dalai Lama, the Cohen and the Sultan. In fact, maintaining a stable succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne is a serious issue, as the current Imperial Family has only three princes. However, the current debate is not enough based on the primary resources of each period, and regardless of the pros and cons with them, there are strong tendencies at their two sides that the lack of understanding of the four shinnōke system at the Imperial Court in pre-modern and the modern European bias that the family is equal to the nuclear family. Is the Imperial Family of Japan sexist? Are European and Japanese monarchies comparable? What is the family in the first place in Japan and Western? From the perspective of political and philosophical history, this paper critically discusses contemporary debates based on an analysis of past examples of controversies surrounding the succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne. A key factor is the genealogy system of branch families
Exploring DJ-1 as a Therapeutic Target in 2D and 3D Models of Melanoma
Get PDFDJ-1, also known as PARK7, is a Parkinson’s disease-associated protein and oxidative stress sensor, which can activate the redox-sensitive Nrf2 pathway. Recent evidence has demonstrated that DJ-1 is overexpressed in various cancers, including melanoma, suggesting it has a role in cancer development and progression and may therefore serve as a potential therapeutic target. The mechanisms behind this role remain incompletely elucidated; nonetheless, it appears to be due to DJ-1’s capabilities in protecting cancer cells from oxidative damage and its regulation of multiple signalling pathways involved in carcinogenesis and chemoresistance, including the Nrf2 pathway. This project aimed to investigate the role of DJ-1 and its potential as a therapeutic target in melanoma via 2D and 3D in vitro tissue models.
In a 2D in vitro model of melanoma, metastatic A375 DJ-1 expressing cells cultured in a monolayer exhibited DJ-1 protein in both the cytoplasm and nuclei. DJ-1 knockdown via siRNA transfection was validated by siGLO and RT-qPCR, with results showing that 100 nM DJ-1 siRNA decreased DJ-1 mRNA levels by 65% but had no significant effects on Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 or NADPH quinone oxidoreductase-1 mRNA expression, two downstream target genes of Nrf2. 100 nM DJ-1 siRNA significantly decreased A375 cell viability, suggesting that DJ-1 may influence A375 cell proliferation. Addition of the BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib (1 μM), following knockdown had no extra effect on cell viability compared to the non-targeting control in combination with vemurafenib (1 μM).
To test DJ-1’s potential as a therapeutic target for melanoma, experiments involving the small molecule inhibitor of DJ-1, STK793590, were conducted. STK793590 targets the DJ-1 homodimer. STK793590 (50 μM) in combination with vemurafenib (1 μM) reduced A375 cell viability by 58% compared to the DMSO control. Intriguingly, STK793590 had no eaects on mRNA expression of DJ-1, Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 or NADPH quinone oxidoreductase-1. Following experiments in the 2D in vitro model of melanoma, 3D in vitro models of melanoma were developed and optimised to test the effects of STK793590 in combination with vemurafenib on A375 tumouroid growth. The Matrigel Matrix, ‘hanging drop’ and ultra-low adherence (ULA) plate methods were investigated. Out of these, the ULA plate method proved most favourable to conduct these experiments. Vemurafenib alone (1 μM) and STK793590 (50 μM) in combination with vemurafenib (1 μM) caused significant decreases in A375 tumouroid growth, however the combination was no better than vemurafenib treatment alone. Overall, this project revealed disparate results in 2D in vitro models compared to 3D in vitro models, necessitating further studies to confirm the potential of DJ-1 in vivo as a therapeutic target in skin melanoma
A 7000-year record of human influence on Global River Deltas: Geomorphology, stratigraphy, the Anthropocene overprint and future
Get PDFWith the inception of most of the world's deltas about 8000 years ago, deltaic floodplains started offering, about a thousand years later, arable land, water and ecosystem services for early human settlements. We identify delta geomorphic changes and proxies and geoarchaeological markers of the human presence on deltas and in their stratigraphy over the last 7000 years, and from ancient maps. We analyse the human-delta relationship in four phases: Neolithic, Metal Ages, Common Era, and Anthropocene, marking increasing human adaptation to changing delta geomorphology modulated by fluctuations in relative sea level and fluvial sediment supply. These adaptations fostered the emergence of urbanization and served as a catalyst for technological innovation and human modification of deltas. The sparse Neolithic human presence in delta stratigraphy gradually expanded to become pervasive in the contemporary Anthropocene, reflecting the twin effects of global population growth and increasingly favourable conditions for humans. We explore the links between early deltaic and non-deltaic communities and gauge the impact of humans on sediment supply from river catchments, and its consequences, notably in terms of frequent delta avulsions, expansion or vulnerability, and explore its inextricable links with climate variation. The Anthropocene is witnessing a profoundly transformed, globally distributed, human-managed delta landscape dominated by important urbanization, reduction in sediment supply, increasing intentional but also unintentional delta modifications, and vulnerability to sea-level rise compounded by exacerbated subsidence. Understanding the human-delta relationship over the past 7000 years contributes to fostering stronger links between geoscience and cultural heritage, to better delta management and sustainability, including an upstream river-basin scale perspective, and to better anticipation of delta futures, notably under the threat of sea-level rise
'I wote full well where is a file | To frame a learned man': the unknown Petrarchs of Tottel's 'Uncertain Authors'
No full textStudent-led development of group working guidance:Monash Pharmacy Education Symposium Abstracts 2024
Get PDFBackground: Group work is an integral part of pharmacy education. Barriers to successful group work may include different working styles; ‘free riders’ who appear not to engage or contribute to the work; poor communication, especially in larger groups; and managing individuals that dominate group discussions. Consequently, a student-led project was set-up to produce student guidance to support group work. Methods: Student views informed the development of the guidance, with focus groups undertaken with current undergraduates, the content of which was informed by the literature on group work barriers. Key teaching staff were interviewed to comment on the draft guidance which informed the version that was shared with Year 1 student groups working on a problem-based learning scenario. After assignment completion, students were invited to complete an online feedback questionnaire on the guidance, including one 5-point Likert scale and two open questions on improvements and further comments. Results: Of 86 students, 41 (48%) used the guidance, and of these 34 (83%) found the guidance useful. The majority felt it provided clear and precise information and helped improve team communication. Perceived issues included the lack of availability of the guidance; and that it did not resolve all issues some groups experienced, including the issue of ‘free riders’. Students requested more guidance on managing power imbalances, organising meetings and tracking progress, and a process for addressing or reporting individuals who did not engage. Conclusion: Overall, this first iteration of the group work guidance was shown to be of some use to students. By having students lead the development of this guidance, it helped to keep it relevant to student needs. Further development of the guidance is needed for certain issues including engaging with students perceived as ‘free riders’ and dealing with power imbalances within the group
The Dark Lit Up: Ecosystemic Writing as a New Multi-Modality for the Climate Crisis
Get PDFThe climate crisis exists on a scale that far exceeds our day-to-day experience. At the same time, our stories have largely written the more-than-human world into the background in favour of anthropocentric narrative models. This project is an attempt to develop a workable model that can speak to the scale and complexity of climate change while decentring the human and accepting the disorder and non-linearity of the more-than-human world. The proposal is a new hybrid, multi-modal narrative form I call ecosystemic writing.
To explore and demonstrate this form, the project consists of two sections: 1.) an original work of ecosystemic writing, a novel entitled The Dark Lit Up, 2.) a critical enquiry, which sits in conversation with the novel. The critical enquiry has three main chapters, opening with a discussion around the spatial-temporal scale of climate change and the challenges it poses to narrative fiction. Chapters two and three focus on the two primary, formal responses demonstrated within The Dark Lit Up. Chapter two argues for the application of abstraction and narrative disruption as a way to provide space for the more-than-human world within a narrative structure. Chapter three investigates theories of photography within the context of memory studies and, in turn, advocates for the use of personal photography to speak to the role of memory in our experience of climate change and biodiversity loss. Throughout the thesis, the core arguments presented across these three chapters are supported with visual examples from the novel and page references to support the proposal for ecosystemic writing
Challenges and Limitations of Using Monitoring Data in Catchment-Based Models—A Case Study of Rivers Taw and Torridge, UK
No full textWater quality monitoring is a key requirement for fulfilling various national environmental policies, but with many competing needs and limited resources, data collected can suffer from both spatial and temporal deficiencies. Modelling offers the potential to substitute estimated values into observational gaps, but model validation often requires the very data that are lacking. In this paper we present the results of a pilot study to investigate spatial and temporal issues around the monitoring of faecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli) in rivers of the Taw and Torridge catchments in the UK. Statistical analysis of in situ measurements versus simulated data from the catchment models reveals similar seasonal associations between riverine bacterial counts and rainfall patterns. Furthermore, spatial apportionment of livestock to better reflect land use was found to be important in the models, especially in upstream reaches of the catchments. In conclusion, successful monitoring of faecal bacteria levels in UK rivers requires risk-based monitoring (sufficient to identify possible seasonal trends) and informed spatial consideration of sampling sites. Catchment models can be useful aids for directing and augmenting such monitoring programmes, but these models should undergo rigorous validation, particularly in upper catchment areas, to ensure correct model response to changes in land use and/or climate
Access to social farms for people with dementia living at home in England: A mixed methods analysis using Levesque’s conceptual framework
Get PDFWhile much of the care literature has focused on the benefits of social farms for people living with dementia, less research has examined the accessibility of this form of support. Conducted in England between 2023 and 2024, this study examined access to social farms by people living with dementia using Levesque’s conceptual framework of access as a navigational guide. We surveyed 32 social farm managers, held four online focus groups—two with care professionals and two with social farm staff—and conducted 14 single or dyad interviews with people living with dementia and either their family carer or a social farm volunteer. The sample included six nonfarm users unaware of farm-based services, all of whom were people living with dementia originally from India, Bangladesh, or Pakistan but now living in England. The inclusion of multiple perspectives provided novel insights about accessibility and the cultural meaning of animals, which has not been reported in farm-based studies before. Overall, we found a wide variation in access to social farms by people living with dementia in England. People who access a social farm are overwhelmingly White British with the means to travel independently to a social farm (i.e., access to a car and/or a carer who can drive). The study shows how Levesque’s conceptual framework is a helpful navigational tool for researching access to social care. However, to make the framework more compatible for research on access to social care services, and in particular, forms of ‘green care’, we recommend that researchers incorporate more detailed consideration of intersectionality and access to specific facilities and activities within a service, beyond access to the service itself
“An incentive for innovation”: the impact of being a subject-specific secondary ITE mentor within an HEI partnership on the professional learning of teacher mentors
No full textThis paper explores how the subject-specific professional learning of secondary history teachers is supported by mentoring a preservice teacher within a subject-specific Higher Education Institution (HEI) Initial Teacher Education (ITE) partnership. The research was conducted using a case study approach focused on three subject-specific HEI-school ITE partnerships, where the ITE curriculum and mentor development is coordinated by a subject-specialist teacher educator. The study found that subject-specific mentoring stimulated history mentors’ intrinsic professional motivation for continued subject-specific learning and their sense of obligation to undertake this. It also revealed the role of mentoring in stimulating mentors’ engagement with professional learning communities, providing mentors with a sense of belonging and opportunities for collaboration. From these findings, the researchers developed a framework that demonstrates the opportunities inherent in mentoring with a subject-specific HEI–ITE partnership. The framework provides a valuable insight for policymakers and ITE stakeholders seeking to identify and evaluate effective mechanisms for supporting the subject-specific professional learning of teachers