Masahiro Shoji

Abstract Microfinances in Bangladesh introduced a contingent repayment system beginning in 2002, which allowed rescheduling of savings and installments during natural disasters for affected members. This paper is one of the first attempts to evaluate the system employing a unique dataset. In using evidence from a flood in 2004, the author found that rescheduling plays the role of a safety net by decreasing the probability that people skip meals during negative shocks by 5.1 per cent. This effect

The Japanese food allergen labeling regulation was designed to match real Japanese food allergy circumstances and also to be enforced effectively; thus, (1) regulated food allergens were selected by prevalence and seriousness according to food allergy surveys in Japan; (2) the detection criterion for ELISA monitoring, 10 μg food allergen protein/g (or mL) food, was set up as the threshold value to regulate commercial prepackaged foods; and (3) official food allergen analytical methods, which can

Policymakers should implement different interventions for each generation to increase the adoption rate of contact tracing apps. It may be effective to inform older adults about the health benefits of the apps. For middle-age adults, it is important to mitigate concerns about security and privacy issues, and for younger generations, it is necessary to boost their attachment to their community by utilizing social media and other web-based network tools.

Human monoclonal antibody (MAb) AE6F4, which had been shown potentially useful for the immunocytological detection of lung cancer cells in sputum, was characterized for its antigen(s). Of the three MAb-reacting materials found in A549 cells by the immunoblotting analysis, the cytoplasmic 31-kDa protein extractable with phosphate-buffered saline was evidenced as the most plausible antigen by its highest content and outstanding affinity to the MAb AE6F4-derivatized Sepharose 4B column. This 31-kDa

In vitro immunization of normal human peripheral lymphocytes by the co-cultivation with A549 cells (a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line), followed by the hybridization with the partner cell line A4H12, resulted in the efficient generation of hybridomas which produce human monoclonal antibodies of IgG or IgM isotype. Immunohistochemical and immunocytological studies showed that one of those monoclonal antibodies, termed AE6F4, was specifically reactive to lung cancer tissues as well as cancer c

The literature demonstrates that school-based disaster education is a cost-effective approach to facilitate children's attitudes, knowledge, and behavior regarding disaster risk reduction. However, effective interventions for adults are not yet well understood. The goal of this study is to evaluate the spillover effects of a disaster education program for children on their parents. Unique survey data were collected from 539 elementary school students and their parents on Nias Island, Indonesia,

An essential responsibility of a government is to reduce disaster mortality of citizens by encouraging prompt evacuation. Previous studies document that social capital plays a multifaceted role in facilitating or aggravating evacuation decisions; however, rigorous empirical evidence from developing countries is scarce. Using unique survey data collected from cyclone-affected households in Bangladesh, we examine the association between social capital and the decision to evacuate. We find that tho