The 6th and 7th Squads team up to rescue the abducted Yuuki, kidnapped by a humanoid Shuuki...who turns out to be his long-lost sister Aoba. Upon learning about their situation, Yuuki tries to convince his sister to let go of her hostility toward the Demon Defense Force, but their conflicting ideals lead to a fierce battle between the two siblings!

As Himari is cornered by her elder sister Yachiho’s special technique, will her training with Yuuki pay off!? And next up is a high-power match between Shushu and Sahara, but in the heat of battle a new enemy catches both squads by surprise!

Yuuki’s barely had time to get used to his new role as slave-cum-caretaker when the 7th squad sorties to eliminate a nest of contemptibles. Awaiting them there is Unihorn, the monster responsible for destroying Kyouka’s hometown, as well as a girl with a familiar face...!

This volume contains the proceedings of the East Asia Joint Symposium on Fields and Strings 2021, held at the Media Center of Osaka City University on November 22-27, 2021. About 160 physicists from all over East Asia attended physically or joined online this symposium and more than 50 researchers presented their results in the invited lectures, the short talks or the poster session. Quantum field theory and string theory in the context of several exciting developments were discussed, which include frontiers of supersymmetric gauge theory, anomalies and higher form symmetries, and several issues on quantum gravity and black holes.

Otherworldly spaces known as "demon cities" appeared in various parts of Japan, and those who partook in the “peaches� growing there gained unique abilities-but only if they’re girls. One day, a down-in-the-dumps high school boy named Yuuki Wagura suddenly gets lost at the entrance of a demon city. There, he meets Kyoka Uzen, the beautiful leader of the seven programs of “Magical Defense Corps,� whoo orders him to become her slave?!

This thesis focuses on an unresolved problem in particle and nuclear physics: the relation between two important non-perturbative phenomena in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) - quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. The author develops a new analysis method in the lattice QCD, and derives a number of analytical formulae to express the order parameters for quark confinement, such as the Polyakov loop, its fluctuations, and the Wilson loop in terms of the Dirac eigenmodes closely related to chiral symmetry breaking. Based on the analytical formulae, the author analytically as well as numerically shows that at finite temperatures there is no direct one-to-one correspondence between them. The thesis describes this extraordinary achievement using the first-principle analysis, and proposes a possible new phase in which quarks are confined and chiral symmetry is restored.

This is the first book to systematically review and summarize the recent rapid advances and varied results of multiphysics in nanoscale materials including elastic strain engineering. This book comprises topics on remarkable properties of multiphysics in low-dimensional nanoscale components from first-principles density-functional theory (or tight binding) calculations, which are essential for the nonlinear multiphysics couplings due to quantum mechanical effects. This volume provides a clear point of view and insight into the varied work done in diverse fields and disciplines and promotes a fundamental to state-of-the-art understanding of properties of multiphysics. Because the novelty and complexity of mechanical and multiphysical properties of low-dimensional nanostructures originate from combinations of outer shapes (e.g., films, wires, tubes, and dots) and inner understructures (e.g., grain boundaries, domain walls, vacancies, and impurities), the nanostructures are classified into fundamental elements, and the properties of each element and their interplay are reviewed for systematic, in-depth understanding. This book points out a new direction for multiphysics in nanostructures, which opens the door both to exploiting and to designing novel functionalities at the nanoscale. Readers will be interested in this rapidly expanding multidisciplinary work and will be motivated to enter this promising research area.

Photochromism is the reversible phototransformation of a chemical species between two forms having different absorption spectra. During the phototransformation not only the absorption spectra but also various physicochemical properties change, such as the refractive index, dielectric constant, oxidation/reduction potential, and geometrical structure. The property changes can be applied to photonic equipment such as erasable memory media, photo-optical switch components, and display devices. This book compiles the accomplishments of the research project titled "New Frontiers in Photochromism" supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. The project focused not only on the above-mentioned classical subjects in photochromism, such as color changes, optical memory, and optical switches, but also on fundamental physicochemical studies and unprecedented application fields that have not yet been explored in photochromism. The latter topics include light-driven mechanical motion, photocontrol of surface wettability, metal deposition on solid materials, photocontrol of chiral properties, ultrafast decoloration dyes, and femtosecond laser experiments, among others.

The economic situation in Sub-Saharan Africa has recently undergone a process of change. After a long period of stagnation during the 1980s and 1990s, GDP per capita has shown significant growth in the 2000s. Although the growth rate is lower than that of East Asia, it is significantly higher than that in previous decades. The most significant factor yielding the better economic performance is the increase in commodity prices including oil, mineral and agricultural products, which are the main export products for most African countries. Another factor has been the scaling up of aid flows following the commencement of the Millennium Development Goals. The enhanced commitment of the donor community increased aid flow to Africa, which in turn increased GDP through consumption of locally sourced products and services, such as with the construction industry.This book aims to fill the lack of micro evidences on a structural change of African producers. By collecting studies on single industries, the authors attempt to demonstrate firms' and farmers' responses to the recent economic trend such as growth of demand, emergence of FDI and improvement in infrastructure. Since the economic trend differs by industry, its impacts on producers can be observed more clearly by focusing on a single industry. Based on case studies, this book covers four industries in five countries that experienced significant external changes; namely, horticulture in Ghana, construction in Burkina Faso, textiles in Madagascar, agriculture in Uganda, and wood processing in Tanzania. All studies are based on original data collected through the authors' field work.

This collection of essays offers new perspectives from Japan on Nobel Prize–winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. It analyses the Japanese-born British author from the vantage point of his birthplace, showing how Ishiguro remains greatly indebted to Japanese culture and sensibilities. The influence of Japanese literature and film is evident in Ishiguro’s early novels as he deals with the problem of the atomic bomb and Japan’s war responsibility, yet his later works also engage with folk tales and the modern popular culture of Japan. The chapters consider a range of Japanese influences on Ishiguro and adaptations of Ishiguro’s work, including literary, cinematic and animated representations. The book makes use of newly archived drafts of Ishiguro’s manuscripts at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas to explore the origins of his oeuvre. It also offers sharp, new examinations of Ishiguro’s work in relation to memory studies, especially in relation to Japan.  ​ 

Mechanics and Control of Soft-fingered Manipulation introduces a new approach to the modeling of fingertips that have a soft pad and a hard back plate, similar to human fingers. Starting from the observation of soft-fingered grasping and manipulation, the book provides a parallel distributed model that takes into account tangential deformation of the fingertips. The model is supported with many experimental verifications and simulation results. Statics and dynamics in soft-fingered grasping and manipulation are also formulated based on this new model. The book uniquely investigates how soft fingertips with hard back plates enhance dexterity in grasping and manipulation, theoretically and experimentally, revealing the differences between soft-fingered and rigid-fingered manipulation. Researchers involved in object manipulation by robotic hands, as well as in human dexterity in object manipulation, will find this text enlightening.

Photoreactive thin films have been investigated extensively due to the advances in photonics, and the coupling between photochemistry and nonlinear optics has developed into a new discipline since the 1990s. Light can manipulate the orientation of optically sensitive chromophores containing polymeric thin films, and this phenomena has important applications to the field of opto-electronics and photonics especially in such areas as liquid crystals and optical storage of information.;Scientists from different communities have been working in this area representing such fields as chemistry, chemical engineering, polymer science and optics. The purpose of this books is to provide a comprehensive reference covering the basic fundamentals of the interdisciplinary research as well as the applications in photonics.

Wireless Sensor Network Technologies for Information Explosion Era The amount and value of information available due to rapid spread of information technology is exploding. Typically, large enterprises have approximately a petabyte of operational data stored in hundreds of data repositories supporting thousands of applications. Data storage volumes grow in excess of 50% annually. This growth is expected to continue due to vast proliferation of existing infor- tion systems and the introduction of new data sources. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) represent one of the most notable examples of such new data sources. In recent few years, various types of WSNs have been deployed and the amount of information generated by wireless sensors increases rapidly. The information - plosion requires establishing novel data processing and communication techniques for WSNs. This volume aims to cover both theoretical and practical aspects - lated to this challenge, and it explores directions for future research to enable ef- cient utilization of WSNs in the information-explosion era. The book is organized in three main parts that consider (1) technical issues of WSNs, (2) the integration of multiple WSNs, and (3) the development of WSNs systems and testbeds for conducting practical experiments. Each part consists of three chapters.

This book explains physics under the operating principles of semiconductor lasers in detail based on the experience of the author, dealing with the first manufacturing of phase-shifted DFB-LDs and recent research on transverse modes. The book also bridges a wide gap between journal papers and textbooks, requiring only an undergraduate-level knowledge of electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, and helps readers to understand journal papers where definitions of some technical terms vary, depending on the paper. Two definitions of the photon density in the rate equations and two definitions of the phase-shift in the phase-shifted DFB-LD are explained, and differences in the calculated results are indicated, depending on the definitions. Readers can understand the physics of semiconductor lasers and analytical tools for Fabry-Perot LDs, DFB-LDs, and VCSELs and will be stimulated to develop semiconductor lasers themselves.

Creating clinical guidelines is a modern trend. Published studies pertaining to a given theme are collected, their credibility evaluated, and then treatment options in the form of evidence-based guidelines are offered. There are a number of guidelines for the treatment of thyroid tumors that have established positions in clinical practice in North America and in Western European countries. In Japan, however, where radioisotope facilities are of limited availability, treatment plans for differentiated thyroid cancer differ considerably from those of America and Europe, and the associated clinical guidelines need modification before they can be adopted. In addition, although thyroid tumor is a common disease in endocrine practice, its management can differ even among specialists. Thus, a Japanese clinical guideline for the treatment of thyroid tumor was desired by many clinicians. As a combination of evidence-based and consensus-based guidelines for the treatment of thyroid tumor, this book offers alternatives to conventional approaches in the West. Ultimately, the authors hope the guideline will lead to the best possible treatment for patients all over the world in the not-distant future.

This book tackles the question of border control in and around imperial Japan in the first half of the twentieth century, with a specific focus on its documentation regime. It explores the institutional development, media and literary discourses, and on[1]the-ground practices of documentary identification in the Japanese empire and the places visited by its subjects. The contributing authors, covering such regions as Korea, Manchuria, Taiwan, Siberia, Australia, and the United States, place the question of individual identity in the eyes of the respective governments in dialogue with the global developments of the identification and mobility control practices. The chapters suggest the importance of focusing more than previously on the narrative of individual identification, not as a tool for creating nation states but as a tool for generating, strengthening, and maintaining asymmetrical relationships between people of different socioeconomic backgrounds who moved in and out of empires. This book joins the effort in the recent scholarship in migration history to highlight experiences of migrants beyond the transatlantic world, and that in East Asian history to investigate the space and connections beyond the boundaries of the nation states. By bringing together the analyses on the trans-Pacific mobility and Japan's imperial expansion and its aftermath in East Asia, it shows a complex interplay between state power and moving individuals, two forces whose relationships went far beyond simple competition.

This book focuses on chemical reactions and processing under extreme conditions-how materials react with highly concentrated active species and/or in a very confined high-temperature and high-pressure volume. Those ultimate reaction environments created by a focused laser beam, discharges, ion bombardments, or microwaves provide characteristic nano- and submicron-sized products and functional nanostructures. The book explores the chemistry and processing of metals and non-metals as well as molecules that are strongly dependent on the energy deposition processes and character of the materials. Descriptions of a wide range of topics are given from the perspective of a variety of research methodologies, material preparations, and applications. The reader is led to consider and review how a high-energy source interacts with materials, and what the key factors are that determine the quality and quantity of nanoproducts and nano-processing.

This book addresses three main issues in regional income inequality and development: meaning of regional inequality, measurement of regional inequality and the relationship between national economic development and regional income inequality. It provides analytical methods useful in exploring the determinants of regional inequality in income and productivity. Some software commands in Stata (statistical software package) available for the measurement and analysis of income inequality are also introduced. Some researchers have argued that spatial concentration of population in and around major cities and the concurrent increase in regional inequality do not hinder national economic development, and may stimulate it. Nevertheless, many national governments seek to promote balanced regional economic development and reduce regional income inequality, because unbalanced development and higher levels of regional inequality may cause political or ethnic conflicts between different regions of the country. As the applications of the analytical methods introduced in the first part of the book, the second part presents four independent empirical studies on regional inequality and development in Indonesia. They offer very interesting case studies for the formulation of policies and programs to reduce regional inequalities, because as the world's largest archipelagic country with more than 13 thousand islands and 300 ethnic groups, Indonesia is spatially diverse in terms of its ecology, natural resource endowments, economy, ethnicity and culture.This book can be used as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in national economic development and regional income inequality. It is also beneficial for practitioners and policy makers who are in charge of the formulation, implementation and evaluation of development policies and programs.

Darren Shan is going home' and his world is going to hell. Old enemies await. Scores must be settled. Destiny looks certain to destroy him, and the world is doomed to fall to the Ruler of the Night.

In the near future, many parts of the world will suffer from a shortage of freshwater. Effective use of seawater in concrete production could therefore become a crucial technology. Seawater in Concrete Mix provides a detailed overview of the fundamental knowledge of concrete engineering that is essential for the usage of seawater-mixed concrete. According to the worldwide standard for reinforced concrete (RC), freshwater is typically used in concrete mixing rather than seawater. Yet a potential exists for the extensive use of seawater in concrete, especially with the addition of ground granulated blast-furnace slag, fly ash, or other mineral admixtures. The recent trend toward performance-based design makes this alternative more viable. The text is ideal for graduate students, researchers, concrete engineers, and all civil engineers who deal with concrete for infrastructure. Hidenori Hamada is Professor of Kyushu University, Japan. Nobuaki Otsuki is Professor Emeritus of Tokyo Institute of Technology and was Chairman of the JCI Technical Committee on the use of seawater in concrete. Takahiro Nishida is Senior Researcher of the Japanese National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology.

Takahiro Horitaka or Taki Kitamura's tattoo career has put him in contact with many unique individuals, not to mention many of the best artists in the biz. Here, in more than 1400 new images, Taki presents the tattoo art of nearly 200 of the world's finest tattoo artists. This visual insider's reference book presents a wide range of styles, from portraits to classic Americana to traditional Japanese to Polynesian and contemporary, edgy interpretations of each. Featured artists include Robert Atkinson, Colin Baker, Kim Saigh, Shawn Brown, Steve Byrne, Tim Hendricks, Freddy Corbin, Lil Roy, Crash, Klem, Mario Desa, Ben Grillo, Grime, Leo Zulueta, Don Ed Hardy, Doug Hardy, Heath Preheim, Eiland Hogan, Thomas Hooper, Horikiku, Horiken, Horimasa, Josh Howard, Timothy Hoyer, Ichibay, Jondix, Venjamin Jimenez, Eric Jones, Henning Jorgensen, Horitomo, Koji, Jason Kundell, Chad Koeplinger, Paulo Manabe, Smith Street, Steve Looney, and many more.

Sensei doesn’t exactly fit the normal mould for an otherworldly hero: Moody, quirky, and weirdly comfortable with death, he seems much more interested in finding inspiration for a new novel than in doing anything adventurous. Yet when the fallen hero Kaibara the Glutton terrorizes Princess Matilda, Sensei can feel the seeds of an intriguing story starting to take root. Even in the face of overwhelming power, perhaps his pen really is mightier than the sword!

“A BROKEN MAN? I WOULD WELCOME SUCH AN OUTCOME.� Together, heroes summoned from another world defeated the dreaded Dark Lord–but those very same heroes have become an even greater peril. They’ve made the world into their playground, using their skills and powers for personal gain. But the melancholy author known as “Sensei� is different. He alone has the power to send his fellow otherworlders back home to Earth. Trouble is, he’s an unreliable, unpredictable, and deeply moody fellow with absolutely zero sense of self-preservation. When his party encounters a town with an exploitative casino, Sensei develops a fascination with a woman unjustly vilified as a “witch.� Holding pen in hand, he spins the tale of a complex world where not all things are black and white.

Increasing evidence suggests that liver stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into parenchymal hepatocytes or into bile ductular cells. These stem cells may be activated to proliferate after severe liver injury or exposure to hepatocarcinogens. Stem cell replacement strategies are being investigated as an alternative approach to liver repair and regeneration. Additionally, stem cell transplantation has been shown to significantly improve liver function and increase survival in experimentally-induced liver-injury models in animals. In Liver Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers focus on several hepatic progenitor cells, hepatic differentiation form stem cells, bile ductal cell formation from stem cells, liver stem cells and hepatocarcinogenesi, and application of liver stem cells for cell therapy. These topics shed light on stem cell technology which may lead to the development of effective clinical modalities for human liver diseases. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Thorough and intuitive, Liver Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study of preclinical and clinical investigations that explore the therapeutic potential of stem cells in repair of liver injuries.

All over the world, open innovation is emerging and requires much more interactions between different actors with different organizational cultures: large firms and SMEs (i.e. industry), universities and research institutions (i.e. academia), as well as national and regional authorities for building the legal or incentive framework of innovation (i.e government). Certainly, flows of knowledge between these three spheres, which are also known as the triple helix, have always existed; but what appears to be new in an open innovation environment is the overlapping of their missions. In many areas such multi-actor interactions with overlapping roles did not emerge spontaneously, as was the case with the United States.Based on robust cases studied by researchers and practical experiences of personnel involved in innovation at public or private institutions, this book successively discusses the policy framework in Europe and Japan, the new role for universities due to intellectual property reform or technology transfer promotion, the new challenges for firms in terms of licensing, patents, corporate venturing, including entrepreneurship, incubation, venture capital or cross-industry knowledge sharing.All issues addressed in this book are clearly those toward regional innovation policies and practices that are open in nature. It contains descriptions and analysis of the various approaches taken by industrial, governmental, and academic players in various regions of Japan (Tohoku, Tokyo) and Europe (France, Belgium). The mix of theoretical and empirical material collected in this book was first presented at an international symposium in Tokyo.The dynamics of regional innovation is an on-going issue, and we are still standing at the threshold of this field of research. It is exactly why such a book is needed now.