Japanese Emperor plans abdication

Japanese Emperor Akihito is reported to intend to abdicate his throne.

Japan is a nation of a constitutional sovereign. The Emperor reigns over the country, but he is just the symbol of Japan and the integration of Japanese society. The Emperor abandoned the administrative power of the government and the army of Japan following the end of WWII.

Thus, the Emperor takes a role in some national ceremonies. He admits the inauguration of Prime Minister, confer a decoration to people having contributed to Japan, and do other honorable works.

Akihiro seems to be concerned about his health, being afraid of incomplete devote. Therefore, he is planning to resign the seat of Emperor within some years.

BBC: Japanese Emperor Akihito 'plans to abdicate'

In the ancient era, many Japanese Emperor gave their status to his successor. Some of the ex-Emperors still possessed the political power after the abdication. However, since Meiji period (1868), no Emperors have withdrawn his throne during their ages. Actually, current Imperial Household Law suggests no rules about intentional abdication. Therefore, Akihiro's announcement will inflict an argument.

As a Japanese, I respect Akihiro's idea. It will be good for him to be relieved from busy work and take care of himself. Recently, Roman Pope also resigned alive.

Finger sucking makes you healthy?

Did you do finger sucking or nail biting in your childhood? If so, your mother maybe scolded you. These behaviors are deemed as impolite in many countries. Some physicians believe extended finger sucking in childhood causes disorganized teeth and some adverse effects in development.

Recently, a study was published regarding a positive effect of finger sucking. According to the authors, people who had finger sucking behavior are less likely to have allergic reactions.

Independent: Children who suck their thumb and bite their nails are less likely to get allergies, study finds

Some allergic reactions are associated with autoimmune diseases. Thus, our immune system attacks alien subjects when they invade our body. But some bacteria can live in our body without being attacked by the immune system. Why the difference occur? One possibility is immunotolerance. The immune system does not identify germs which are commonly found in the close environment.

In other words, the more our body is kept in a clean circumstance, the more allergic reaction emerges, theoretically. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that allergic reaction is more frequently seen in modern age compared to the past. The improvement of hygiene is one of the reasons of increased allergies, ironically.

In contrast, children who frequently suck their finger are exposed to germs, unintentionally. This act has an effect to make their immune system calm to ignore non-toxic bacteria, the authors guess.

Pediatrics: Thumb-Sucking, Nail-Biting, and Atopic Sensitization, Asthma, and Hay Fever

I am not sure this interesting hypothesis. And I do not recommend you to suck your finger if you are suffering from autoimmune disease.

On the other hand, there are some patients with autistic disorder who are fond of sucking fingers. The cause of the autistic disorder is still unknown. But it is said the prevalence rate of autistic disorder is rapidly increasing. It is highly likely that the age of parents is associated with the autistic disorder. Besides, the relationship between autistic disorder and autoimmune diseases is also discussed. Perhaps, some autistic patients unconsciously know that they have a risk for allergic reactions, and they suck their finger to protect themselves.

Bitcoin mining reward halved

Just recently, a memorial day for Bitcoin miners came. As it planned, mining reward for Bitcoin miners has halved.

ITProPortal: Bitcoin mining rewards just dropped by 50 per cent

Bitcoin is a crypt-currency. Everyone can possess Bitcoin in their digital wallet. When the transaction of Bitcoin is ordered, Bitcoin miners create and check the code of Blockchain in which all transaction processes are recorded. Examining Blockchain is a very tough task for a computer. Therefore, miners share the task, and they gain Bitcoin as a reward for calculating Blockchain.

This reward is programmed to be halved for every certain period. Finally, Bitcoin will no more be born. After that, people requesting transaction will pay the reward for miners.

Some people prospected that halving period would contribute to the increase of the value of Bitcoin. After the period, Bitcoin will become rare, meaning that its price will be doubled, theoretically.

However, the market seems to have predicted the increased value. For recent some days, the price of Bitcoin has been very stable. The most dramatic change in recent months was caused following Brexit vote.

Now, Bitcoin is gradually infiltrating in our society. It is still deemed as a geeks’ toy. On the other hand, Bitcoin is one of the most reliable currencies in some countries whose economy is very fragile.

In the near future, Bitcoin is expected to overcome the issue of scalability. It will enhance the value of Bitcoin much.

Regulating guns reduces mass shooting in Australia

While the US is shaken by the Orlando mass shooting case, Australia seems successful to abandon guns from the society.

In Australia, a major policy reform was conducted in 1996. The government established a new regulation of firearms, in which prohibited guns were subjected to mandatory buyback by the government. A total of 659,940 guns were purchased by the federal government from the owners at market price by 2001. The government retrieved firearms to destroy them.

The Guardian: Australia’s gun laws stopped mass shootings and reduced homicides, study finds

As a result, no mass shooting, defined as murder cases in which five or more people were victimized, has been reported since the regulation was enforced. Furthermore, homicides and suicides using firearms have been declining in a longitudinal trend, according to the authors.

JAMA: Association Between Gun Law Reforms and International Firearm Deaths in Australia, 1979-2013.

This study was conducted by Simon Chapman et al. JAMA is one of the most famous academic journals in the world. It means that the editor of JAMA considered that their study might have a great impact to the readers all over the world.

In this study, the number of suicide cases with firearms was reduced with statistical significance. But, the number of homicide was not. Homicide is rare compared to suicide in Australia. And people commit homicide may tend to gain firearms to ensure killing the target.

The author claims that there is no evidence suggesting people moved to alternative methods for suicides or homicides. It is not easy to prove that a person has canceled suicide or homicide because of the lack of a gun. He could seek another way of causing a fatality. In my impression, many people commit lethal cases based on very temporal rage or sense of despair. Therefore, extinction of firearms (and blades) can be possible to save your life.

The authors emphasized that scientific thought should be prioritized to ideology in policy making. On the other hand, they seem not believe this result will make a change on the US gun control policy because it will take a long time that evidence overcome fear and ideology in the US. In addition, National Rifle Association and relevant lobbyists have great power on policy makers in the US. If gun regulation is strengthened, many people working there will lose the job. I am not sure, but guess that there had been few domestic companies providing firearms in Australia.

In my opinion, there is a Nash’s equilibrium in the US regarding gun policy, as I wrote in the past. Thus, it is extremely difficult to ban firearms in a region many firearms have been spread. However, Australia achieved this tough task. I respect Australian politicians.

My past entry: Gun control and Nash equilibrium

By the way, in Japan, blades have been regulated since a decade ago. In addition to the previous regulation regarding samurai swords, people buying a knife with a long blade must present an ID to the shop. This amendment was conducted in accordance with some stabbing cases using a knife. I am not sure if this regulation has an impact on public safety. Furthermore, it is doubtful that someone is examining the effect of this policy making. Japanese also should learn about evidence.

Avast gains AVG, combining two internet security companies

Malware and cracking are still great threats for everyone using a computer. And there are many services provided in internet security industry. You can choose one, or some security software from many options.

Among them, two big companies offering internet security are going to be combined. Avast, a famous internet security company, founded in the Czech Republic, announced to buy AVG, which is also a popular internet security provider in Czechia, for 1.3 billion USD.

Avast

AVG

The acquisition has been accepted by the both companies. They will be merged in this autumn. They are willing to provide excellent services not limited to internet security but also on the Internet of the Things (IoT) region.

ITProPortal: Avast buys AVG for £1 billion

The both companies look sharing basic concepts. Consolidation itself will not be difficult. Avast has eliminated a strong competitor and took it into their part. However, it is not sure if this merger will contribute to the improvement of profit. Both Avast and AVG rely on advertisement model. Most consumers of Avast and AVG do not pay for their service. Avast will raise the fee for advertisement to compensate the expenditure of this move. It will make some companies withdraw the contract of advertisement.

On the other hand, it will be beneficial for users to utilize the new antivirus software which will be provided by Avast. Development of an internet security software is costly. Its effectiveness highly depends on the amount of data of violated cases. Heuristic analysis is commonly adopted in modern security software. It also needs big data to be sophisticated. Combining the information possessed by Avast and AVG will be useful for developing stronger antivirus solution.

Utilization of drones

Drones are going to become common, gradually but steadily. Amazon has almost utilized drone delivering. And you can get a drone via Amazon.com for less than 100 USD.

My past entry: Drone delivery comes true

So, what will happen? IS our future fantastic such as at Coruscant, as the capital of Galactic Republic in Star Wars, or dreadful that you will be chased by a killing machine as if in the scene of Oblivion?

My past entry: Oblivion: a real Sci-Fi movie

My past entry: Shadow of the Drones

As controlling drone is still underdeveloped technology, there are several ways of utilization of drones. Delivering objects to a distant area is a usage easy to imagine. But, it is doubtful regarding cost-effectiveness except among small isles. Trains and ships are more capable, and may be faster.

Military use is also feasible. Many nations are considering to introduce drones in their army. In the US, autopilot bombers have been working in the battlefield since several years ago. Spying a facility is another activity for drones. They are so small that they can take photos of the target from the very close position. It will enable to send the secretary information of the enemy in detail.

There are more examples described in the article below. Caring elder people is expected for drones as well as walking robots. Sports activities and entertainment will be one of the main fields for the drone to show their best performance. Drones are also good to investigate an area in which no human cannot survive. Finally, some drones will act as a patrol to catch rogue drones.

The Washington Post: Four unexpected ways people are using drones

To be honest, I am afraid that suicidal-bomber drone will be developed soon. You may create one with ease for a low cost. However, I do not believe Islamic extremists will utilize such grenade drone, because they believe who carried out a suicidal attack will be sent to the Promised Land in the afterlife.

On the other hand, drones will be personalized in the near future. You will possess a drone like a car or smartphone. And it will send you missing objects from somewhere as soon as you order. It will take a couple of decades, I guess. I expect the future with drones is peaceful and fruitful.

Sex selection drugs are risky: in India

Sex selection of fetus has been concerned for many parents for a long time. Some parents strongly want to get a boy rather girl for several reasons, such as make him the successor of the family. On the other hand, some mothers are fond of having a girl to enjoy a friendly talk with her later.

Each desire is understandable. However, there is no way to determine the sex of a new child artificially. If we could, it would cause an ethical issue.

Even a lack of sex selection method established, some parents are eager to seek one. They sometimes rely on alternative medicines. In India, this idea seems to have become a serious health concern.

In India, there remains a discriminative tradition in which women are to be despised. Therefore, most parents are keen to have male offspring. Some parents buy remedies which are believed to have the power to make a male fetus.

The Wall Street Journal: Folk Remedies for Sex Selection are Risky, Study Finds

The current situation regarding sex selection in India was reported by Sutapa Bandyopadhyay Neogi in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, an academic journal. The authors gathered several indigenous medicines available in India as drugs used for sex selection, to examine their components. As a result, two-thirds of them contained phytoestrogens, potentially harmful to the growth of the fetus. Thus, these kinds of the drug were biologically active, in terms of adverse effects, unfortunately.

Pubmed: Consumption of indigenous medicines by pregnant women in North India for selecting the sex of the foetus: what can it lead to?

Of course, no effective way to select the sex of a new-born baby has been detected. Instead, some academic articles mention the risk of this concept in the society. It will be possible to know the sex of the fetus much earlier. But we should be extremely cautious in utilizing this method, because it can be the cause of abortion in some situation.

Pubmed: Why parents should not be told the sex of their fetus.

The prenatal examination is often a subject of argument for its ethical dilemma. In real, some parents cannot take care of a child with the serious congenital disease. I understand their thought to consider abortion when they know the destiny of their fetus. In contrast, it will never be acceptable to kill a fetus only for its sex.

There is an easy way for the Indian government to make citizens stop seeking sex selection. The government should adopt an affirmative action. If parents get a considerable amount of money when they get a girl, they will be less likely to hesitate to have a girl. It will take a long time to extinct the discrimination against women in India. Rather, the introduction of affirmative action is reasonable, I think. The situation is similar to that in black people in the US.

Every culture should be respected as it exists to some extent. At the same time, we have to be aware of the global standard. Keeping a discriminative thought is not advantageous for everyone in longitudinal point of view. I expect the strong leadership of the Indian government.