Books published by Springer Verlag, Japan

Human biomechanics is an important research field in achieving safety, health, comfort, and a high quality of life in a world where the older generation soon will outnumber the younger generation.

In conjunction with the awarding of the International Prize for Biology, the 14th International Symposium with the theme of The Biology of Biodiversity was held in Hayama on the 9th and 10th of December 1998, with financial support by an international symposium grant from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan.

Ultrasonic examination of the breast has been a valuable diagnostic tool for more than half a century since J.J. Wild,T. Wagai,and others ?rst used it in 1950. The ?rst Int- national Congress on the Ultrasonic Examination of the Breast (ICUEB) was convened in Philadelphia in 1979 by Goldberg (United States),Wells (United Kingdom),Wagai (Japan),Kobayashi (Japan),and Kossoff (Australia). Further congresses in the series have taken place every other year to discuss related theoretical and clinical discov- ies. These meetings led to the founding of the International Association for Breast Ultrasound (IABU) in 1991, and have contributed to improving ultrasonic exami- tion techniques and the associated medical bene?ts. The 13th ICUEB was held in Kyoto,Japan,in April 2003. International events at that time¿the military operations in Iraq and the SARS outbreaks in several countries¿ threatened attendance; however,only one oral presentation and one poster presen- tion had to be canceled,and an impressive 98% of our schedule proceeded as planned. Over the three days of the congress, participants made signi?cant contributions through presentations and discussions, and we moved closer to a global mutual understanding.

This book explains the basic ideas of supergravity, collecting the relevant formulae in one place. Covers vielbein formulation of gravity; supergravities in four dimensions; superalgebras and supermultiplets; supergravities in higher dimensions and more.

This is the first outcome of our effort in ASIAN LINK PROJECT to construct the econometric models of Asian developing countries and analyze their inter-dependence with major trading partners, the United States and Japan.

This book is a sequel to our first report of ASIAN LINK PROJECT in 1985: Econometric Models of Asian LINK, Springer-Verlag, Tokyo - Berlin - New York. Unlike our previous book, we have not tried here to link these national models as a regional or global model in any way, ex cept for the model by S.

The aging of society is a growing concern in all advanced nations, and at the forefront of concern is long-term care for frail older people.

At the international symposium "Rethinking Somatoform Disorders," this problem was addressed by specialists working in somatoform disorders, psychiatric nosology, epidemiology, and biological and cross-cultural psychiatry.

With invited speakers from North America, Europe, and Japan, the symposium focused on standard management and clinical trials of control of symptoms such as pain and cachexia, ethics in palliative medicine, the economics of health care, quality-of-life research, management of depression, and patient education.

The model shown on the cover (and on page 24) is intended to help the reader understand signal transduction in the brain and the patho physiology of affective disorders as well as the mechanisms of antidepressants.

A basic model of residential land use is proposed, in which a group of city residents is assumed to jointly own a circular area of land extending from the central business district.

In Japanese culture the concept of katachi has special significance, connoting relationships and connectedness. To help achieve this aim and to foster international cooperation, the interdisciplinary symposium titled "Katachi "U" Symmetry" was convened in Tsukuba, Japan, November 21 - 25, 1994.

Cases of intestinal anisakiasis, caused by infestation with Anisakis simplex larva, are being increasingly reported in both Europe and the United States.

Studies on physical education and sports for persons with disabilities are an interdisciplinary domain in which theory and practice are closely intertwined.

The First International Symposium on "Pain and Kampo (Japanese Herbal Medicine)" took place in Tokyo in October, 1992. In China, traditional herbal medicine has been used for more than 3000 years while in Japan, its use has been documented for more than 1000 years, albeit with some changes to the original Chinese formulations.

The major topics in our book include molecular biology of the five known hepatitis viruses (HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, and HEV), clinical implications of genetic variants of HBV and HCV, interferon treatment of HCV-related liver disease, and worldwide epidemiology and control of viral hepatitis.

The earth where we live is the only planet of our solar system that holds a mass of water we know as the ocean, covering 70.8% of the earth's surface with a mean depth of 3,800 m. When using the term ocean, we mean not only the water and what it contains, but also the bottom that supports the water mass above and the atmosphere on the sea surface.

With contributions by numerous experts

Pathologic myopia that is due to axial elongation causes thinning of the retina and choroid, especially in cases of posterior staphyloma. The result of this myopia is the development of various kinds of chorioretinal atrophy in the posterior pole, with a gradual progression of the atrophic changes extending over several decades.

Since the 1st Yamaguchi Symposium on Liver Diseases in 1989, this series of symposia has provided opportunities for exchanges of information on the topic between leading Japanese hepatologists and internationally renowned scientists. The 12th symposium was held on December 9 and 10,2000, at the ANA Hotel, Ube, Japan.

Gasps, sighs, and yawns are recognized by even a casual observer as involuntary expressions of emotion through the "medium" of respiration. In recent years, scientific observation has focused on sensation and behavior as researchers investigate the relation of emotion and stress in disorders such as asthma, hyperventilation, and panic disorder. Until now, however, the interplay of psychological factors and physiological responses has not been approached from the interdisciplinary perspective reported in this book. Brought together here is the work of physiologists, psychologists, and researchers in behavioral medicine, together with - for the first time - specialists and practitioners of traditional Japanese arts and culture. Knowledge of the art and control of breathing, which are essential features of such disciplines as Zen and Noh, opens a new and until now unexplored path for scientists seeking to understand the relation between respiration and emotion.

Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia is a crucial site for detecting long-term global changes, owing to its high sensitivity to climatic oscillation and its extraordinarily long history. Based on the study by the Baikal Drilling Project, this book provides information on global climatic and environmental changes for as much as 12 million years.

This volume is the first attempt to summarize and highlight all known aspects of immunoglobulin-like receptors, providing a topical overview of the roles and characteristic features of the immunoglobulin-like receptors and related molecules in the immune system.

The 5th International Symposium on Artificial Heart and Assist Devices, January 26-27, 1995, Tokyo, Japan

At the International Meeting of the Psychometric Society in Osaka, Japan, more than 300 participants from 19 countries gathered to discuss recent developments in the theory and application of psychometrics.

Throughout society the explosion of information technologies is changing how we work and live. This book contains a collection of 36 papers selected from more than 110 high quality presentations at the 2000 International Conference on the Information Society in the 21st Ceptury (IS2000).

Together with its two companion volumes, Biomechanics: Functional Adaptation and Remodeling and Computational Biomechanics, the Data Book on Mechanical Properties of Living Cells, Tissues, and Organs is a timely and valuable contribution to the rapidly growing field of biomechanics.

This book contains the proceedings of the International Symposium on the Mechanisms of Sexual Reproduction in Animals and Plants, where many plant and animal reproductive biologists gathered to discuss their recent progress in investigating the shared mechanisms and factors involved in sexual reproduction.

Full of fresh insights into the potential for developing sustainable economies, this book includes a chapter on 'platinum' societies and shows how consumers' demand for quality will foster sustainable technologies in developed, and developing, countries.

Detailed protocols for analyzing DNA strand breaks, specific RNA/DNA expressions, and DNA binding proteins such as transcription factors at the individual cell level. It describes in situ nick translation and TUNEL in detail, along with radioactive and non-radioactive methods for in situ hybridization.