The Development and Limits of Inter-University Research Institutes as a New Model for the Postwar Japanese Research System in the 1950s

( Konagaya Daisuke ) 한국과학사학회 2020 한국과학사학회지 Vol.42 No.2

In the 1950s, postwar Japanese scientists argued for the establishment of new research institutes that would pursue a democratic management of science. Their discussions led to the establishment of national inter-university research institutes (IURIs) for joint research activities, such as the Research Institute for Fundamental Physics (RIFP) at Kyoto University and the Institute for Nuclear Research (INS) at the University of Tokyo. IURIs served as important joint research centers in various fields in postwar Japan. In the management system of IURIs, despite belonging to the national universities, the scientists made up an organ reflecting the opinions of scientists across the country. In the initial stages, the IURI model seemed to work well as an ideal approach to the democratic management of science. However, in the case of INS, the system resulted in a conflict between scientists and the university, and the IURI system led to several serious organizational problems. The establishment of INS also faced difficult problems over nuclear research after the Bikini Incident in 1954.

Yukawa Institute Connecting Prewar, Wartime, and Postwar Science in Japan

( Daisuke Konagaya ) 한국과학사학회 2014 한국과학사학회지 Vol.36 No.2

There were many historical studies on Hideki Yukawa and his Nobel Prize in 1949 for his meson theory, but they mainly paid attention to his research and its related relationship between Yukawa and his friend Nobel laureate Sin-itiro Tomonaga in order to clarify the process of their scientific and social achievements including the two Nobel Prizes and the peace activities. Although it depends partly on the previous studies, this paper focuses on, as one of their achievements, the establishment of the Research Institute for Fundamental Physics (RIFP which later became the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics in 1990) at Kyoto University in commemoration of Yukawa`s Nobel award, shows the trajectory to its establishment around Yukawa and Tomonaga between the 1930s and the early 1950s, and finally examines the historical context of it in the Japanese science community and the role of RIFP in postwar Japan.

日本における人文,社會科學の振興政策-硏究者の立場から

소장곡유기 ( Yuki Konagaya ) 동아대학교 석당학술원 2009 石堂論叢 Vol.0 No.43

1999년부터 2008년까지 연구소 설립과 연구 프로젝트의 운영에 종사한 경험을 활용하여 연구자가 연구를 조직화하여 운영하는 입장에서 일본의 인문사회과학 학술행정에 관하여 보고하겠다. 우선, 21세기 처음으로 설립된 국립연구소인 「총합지구환경학연구소」를 예로 들겠다. 다음으로 2003년부터 개시된 인문, 사회과학진흥 프로젝트연구사업, 통칭 「인사프로젝트」를 예로 들겠다. 이 모두의 경우도 사회적으로 합의를 얻기 쉬운 현대적 과제를 들어서 그 해결을 목표로 설정하고, 그 과제에 내포된 복잡한 인간적 차원을 해명하기 위하여 인문계의 연구자를 포함시켜 노력하는 것이 21세기 사회와 학술의 기본적인 관계가 되고 있는 것을 알 수 있었다. 단지 사회과학 쪽이 인문학보다 유익하다는 강고한 오해에 의해 인문계의 추진이 저지되고 있다. 가까운 장래, 현대적 과제의 해결에 있어서는 제도론과 함께 가치론이 얼마나 중요한지 인식됨과 아울러 인문학의 존재의식이 저절로 이해되리라 생각한다. I report here briefly Japanese policy on academic development of humanities and social sciences, just only based on my own experiences. I have been an academic senior adviser in Education Ministry from 1999 to 2004 and since 2005 I have been a member of the board for planning in Japanese Society for Promotion of Sciences. As the first case I explain the process of constructing the national research institute of environment named RIHIN (Research Institute for Humanity and Nature) which was founded at Kyoto in 2001. As the second case I illustrate the process of making the project named New Research Initiatives for Humanities and Social Sciences. From these cases we can understand the fundamental relationship between society and academy. Scholars must work for the solution to the modern problems which are so complicated. However, social sciences are believed to be better than humanities to solve the problem and this is disincentive for promotion of humanities. In the near future, we will understand that the both of changes of value and system we need. For the change of value humanities will work well.

Improvement of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) by combination of vacuum infiltration and co-cultivation on filter paper wicks

Nanasato, Yoshihiko,Konagaya, Ken-Ichi,Okuzaki, Ayako,Tsuda, Mai,Tabei, Yutaka 한국식물생명공학회 2013 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.7 No.3

An improved method for genetic transformation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Shinhokusei No. 1) was developed. Vacuum infiltration of cotyledonary explants with Agrobacterium suspension enhanced the efficiency of Agrobacterium infection in the proximal regions of explants. Co-cultivation on filter paper wicks suppressed necrosis of explants, leading to increased regeneration efficiency. Putative transgenic plants were screened by kanamycin resistance and green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence, and integration of the transgene into the cucumber genome was confirmed by genomic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blotting. These transgenic plants grew normally and $T_1$ seeds were obtained from 7 lines. Finally, stable integration and transmission of the transgene in $T_1$ generations were confirmed by GFP fluorescence and genomic PCR. The average transgenic efficiency for producing cucumbers with our method was $11.9{\pm}3.5%$, which is among the highest values reported until date using kanamycin as a selective agent.

Improvement of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) by combination of vacuum infiltration and co-cultivation on filter paper wicks

Yoshihiko Nanasato,Ken-ichi Konagaya,Ayako Okuzaki,Mai Tsuda,Yutaka Tabei 한국식물생명공학회 2013 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.7 No.3

An improved method for genetic transformationof cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Shinhokusei No. 1) wasdeveloped. Vacuum infiltration of cotyledonary explantswith Agrobacterium suspension enhanced the efficiency ofAgrobacterium infection in the proximal regions of explants. Co-cultivation on filter paper wicks suppressed necrosis ofexplants, leading to increased regeneration efficiency. Putative transgenic plants were screened by kanamycinresistance and green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence,and integration of the transgene into the cucumber genomewas confirmed by genomic polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and Southern blotting. These transgenic plants grewnormally and T1 seeds were obtained from 7 lines. Finally,stable integration and transmission of the transgene in T1generations were confirmed by GFP fluorescence andgenomic PCR. The average transgenic efficiency for producingcucumbers with our method was 11.9 ± 3.5 %,which is among the highest values reported until date usingkanamycin as a selective agent.

How to Interpret a Functional or Motility Test : How to Interpret a Functional or Motility Test -Slow Nutrient Drinking Test

( Akihito Iida ),( Hiroshi Kaneko ),( Toshihiro Konagaya ),( Kunio Kasugai ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회(구 대한소화관운동학회) 2012 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.18 No.3

The gastric barostat study is the gold standard method for evaluating gastric perception and accommodation. This technique has serious drawbacks, such as expense and invasiveness. Several drinking tests have been developed as noninvasive methods. Such tests are easily performed without special instruments and are well tolerated. We have reported that (1) a threshold volume inducing mild bloating in the slow nutrient drinking test might be an alternative parameter of gastric accommodation volume as determined by the barostat method and (2) the maximum satiety volume in the drinking test correlated positively with the pressure to induce severe discomfort in healthy volunteers, indicating that the slow nutrient drinking test may be useful for evaluating accommodation volume and the threshold to induce severe discomfort. However, the correlation between the maximum satiety drinking volume and accommodation volume as measured by the barostat study has been controversial. Therefore, validation of a certain nutrient drink test for measuring gastroduodenal function might be recommended in each institution. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2012;18:332-335)

Interaction of Tomato Mosaic Virus Movement Protein with Tobacco RIO Kinase

Hiroshi Nyunoya,Kuniaki Yoshioka,Yasuhiko Matsushita,Masahiro Kasahara,Ken-ichi Konagaya 한국분자세포생물학회 2004 Molecules and cells Vol.17 No.2

Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) has a regulatory gene encoding a movement protein (MP) that is involved in the cell-to-cell movement of viral RNA through plas-modesmata. To identify the host cell factors interacting with ToMV MP, we used a recombinant MP probe to isolate cDNA clones from a phage expression library of Nicotiana tabacum by a far-Western screening method. One of the cDNA clones encoded an MP-interacting protein, MIP-T7, homologous to the yeast novel pro-tein kinase, Rio1p. We isolated a full-length cDNA by RT-PCR. The putative gene product was designated NtRIO, and shared 33 and 73% amino acid identity with yeast and Arabidopsis RIO kinases, respectively. In vitro analyses using recombinant proteins showed that NtRIO also interacted with a different MP de-rived from Cucumber mosaic virus. NtRIO had auto-phosphorylation activity and phosphorylated ToMV MP. Addition of recombinant tobacco casein kinase 2 resulted in a marked increase in the phosphorylation of NtRIO. The interaction between NtRIO and ToMV MP was inhibited by phosphorylation of NtRIO.