Sotaro Shibayama

Distribution of academic research funds: a case of Japanese national research grant

Drawing on a database of the competitive research funds in the Japanese academia, this study examines the distribution of research grants at the university and individual levels. The data indicates high inequality at the university level and slightly lower inequality at the individual level. Over the last three decades, the total grant budget has greatly increased and an increasing number of researchers have received the funds. Simultaneously, large-size grants have become more common and multiple awarding (i.e., one researcher receives more than one grant simultaneously) has become more frequent. These changes taken together, the level of inequality has not been changed substantially. The extent of inequality largely differs between scientific fields; especially high in basic natural sciences and relatively low in social sciences. A close examination of inequality over researchers’ career indicates different patterns of transition between fields and cohorts. Finally, both at the university and individual levels, the funding distribution is found more unequal than the distribution of publications as an output indicator.

Academic Entrepreneurship and Exchange of Scientific Resources: Material Transfer in Life and Materials Sciences in Japanese Universities

This study uses a sample of Japanese university scientists in life and materials sciences to examine how academic entrepreneurship has affected the norms and behaviors of academic scientists regarding sharing scientific resources. Results indicate that high levels of academic entrepreneurship in a scientific field are associated with less reliance on the gift-giving form of sharing (i.e., generalized exchange) traditionally recommended by scientific communities, and with a greater emphasis on direct benefits for givers (i.e., direct exchange), as well as a lower overall frequency of sharing. We observe these shifts in sharing behavior even among individual scientists who are not themselves entrepreneurially active; this suggests a general shift in scientific norms contingent on institutional contexts. These findings reflect contradictions inherent in current science policies that simultaneously encourage open science as well as commercial application of research results, and they suggest that the increasing emphasis on commercial activity may fundamentally change the normative structure of science.

β-Amyloid peptides inhibit acetylcholine release from cholinergic presynaptic nerve endings isolated from an electric ray

We investigated the effects of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides on cholinergic synaptosomes isolated from the electric organ of the Japanese marine ray Narke japonica. Fresh and pre-incubated solutions of Abeta(1-42) inhibited acetylcholine (ACh) release from the synaptosomes evoked by high [K+] depolarization when incubated with synaptosomes for 10 min before the depolarizing stimulus. A freshly prepared solution of Abeta(1-40) did not inhibit the evoked ACh release, but prolonged pre-incubation of Abeta(1-40) solution caused the inhibition. Abeta(1-15) neither in fresh nor pre-incubated solution inhibited. These results have demonstrated that Abeta peptides can acutely inhibit the depolarization-evoked release of ACh by acting directly on cholinergic presynaptic nerve endings. The electrophoresis analysis showed a strong correlation between Abeta aggregation and its inhibition for ACh release.

Effect of mergers and acquisitions on drug discovery: perspective from a case study of a Japanese pharmaceutical company.

The pharmaceutical industry has experienced intermittent waves of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) since the 1980s and recently appeared to be in yet another wave. Previous studies indicated rather negative impacts of consolidation on research and development, suggesting that they do not necessarily lead to long-term reinforcement of research capabilities, although they may enrich the drug pipeline in the short term. However, recent studies have implied a positive side in terms of knowledge-base transfer. Further micro-organizational studies suggested that scientists learned new knowledge and approaches from partner scientists and improved their performance and innovation. These findings imply that measures for the scientist-level integration after M&As would reinforce fundamental research capabilities in the long term.

Moving Out of Academic Research: Why Scientists Stop Doing Research?

This study examines the determinants of exit from academic research which occurs when academic researchers move into positions in academe which concentrate on non-research activities such as teaching or administration, or when researchers leave academia and move into industry. Drawing on career data for 13,500 Japanese PhD graduates in hard sciences (all scientific fields except social sciences and humanities), we develop a set of econometric models to test the determinants of exit from a career in academic research. We find that academics’ scientific productivity and academic network are negatively correlated with abandoning a university research career, and that female academics, and researchers in less-prestigious universities, tend to exit academic research more easily. Individual and institutional network effects play a role mainly for senior researchers. The results indicate also that the determinants of exit are contingent on scientific field and career stage.

New perspective for the management of M&A process: a merger case of a Japanese pharmaceutical company

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide a new perspective for effective management of the merger and acquisition (M&A) process by making use of a case study of a merger in the Japanese pharmaceutical industry. As corporate governance and culture are notably employee‐oriented in Japanese firms, the paper seeks to explore whether M&As in the industry may follow different paths from those in Western companies and lead to competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the case of a merger of a Japanese pharmaceutical company, Astellas Pharma, which was formed as a result of one of the largest M&As in Japanese M&A history. The case is analyzed in line with previous theories on M&A process management.Findings – The case was characterized by a strong momentum created by a core merger team consisting of a few members of management and workforce representatives, and the merger process was facilitated by both top‐down leadership and ground‐level support from the workforce. While br...

Identification of a C-terminal Region That Is Required for the Nuclear Translocation of ERK2 by Passive Diffusion

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) is located in the cytoplasm of resting cells and translocates into the nucleus upon extracellular stimuli by active transport of a dimer. Passive transport of an ERK2 monomer through the nuclear pore is also reported to coexist. We attempted to characterize the cytoplasmic retention and nuclear translocation of fusion proteins between deletion and site-directed mutants of ERK2 and green fluorescent protein (GFP). The overexpressed ERK2-GFP fusion protein is usually localized to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus unless a cytoplasmic anchoring protein is coexpressed. Deletion of 45 residues, but not 43 residues, from the C terminus of ERK2 prevented the nuclear distribution of the ERK2-GFP fusion protein. Substitution of a part of residues 299–313 to alanine residues also prevented the nuclear distribution of the ERK2-GFP fusion protein without abrogation of its nuclear active transport. These observations may indicate that the passive diffusion of ERK2 into the nucleus is not simple diffusion but includes a specific interaction process between residues 299–313 and the nuclear pore complex and that this interaction is not required for the active transport. We also showed that substitution of Tyr314 to alanine residue abrogated the cytoplasmic retention of the ERK2-GFP fusion protein by PTP-SL but not by MEK1.

Use of dissertation data in science policy research

Although the contribution of scientometric literature to policies on academic science has been substantial, the literature has focused primarily on the production of scientific knowledge, whereas limited attention has been paid to the other critical mission of academic institutions, i.e., education or the production of scientists. To address this limitation and better inform policymakers, the current study proposes a new approach drawing on Ph.D. dissertation data, which we believe should open up a new avenue of scientometric research. Integrating dissertation data with more traditional types of scientometric data such as publications and careers, this study presents a case study of the Japanese science system investigating its transition since the 1970s.

Temporary Mobility - A Policy for Academic Career Development

Researcher mobility has received increasing support from policy makers around the world as an instrument to improve the performance of research systems by promoting the diffusion of knowledge, and facilitating knowledge and technology transfer, network creation, and productivity (OECD, 2008). International mobility grants have been a preferred means for governments across the world to facilitate the mobility of their research base (MEXT, 2009). This paper investigates the effect of temporary mobility spells abroad on a researcher’s probability for promotion. Temporary research visits may help to expand existing networks and promote knowledge transfer while at the same time ensuring career stability, identified as the main barrier to mobility in Europe and Japan (Stephan, 2012). Using a dataset of 370 bioscience professors in Japan we identified their average career path and evaluated the role of mobility in Japanese universities. We find that international research visits have a positive effect on promotion and reduce the waiting time for promotion by one year. This provides evidence that these visits also benefit a researcher’s career in the long-term. This positive research visit effect is weaker for researchers who also change jobs. Research visits may therefore present a way for immobile researchers to speed up promotion without the need for job mobility. We also find that research visits are particularly important for inbred researchers, again indicating that visits discourage late-career mobility and increase promotion speed. We further find that, while research visits of tenured staff enhance the career by providing an early chair, postdocs have no lasting effect on career progression. Instead, they may be an indicator for a researcher’s struggle to find a permanent position after the PhD

Sharing Research Tools in Academia: The Case of Japan

This study examines the sharing of research tools among academic scientists in the life sciences and materials sciences in Japan. First, this study investigates material transfer, or the sharing of research tools, based on individual-level negotiation. Statistical analyses suggest that supplier-side scientists decide whether or not to fulfill requests for material transfer on the basis of: expected return from consumer-side scientists (e.g., co-authorship), previous collaborative relationships, and the likelihood of scientific competition. Although studies in the US have indicated that the trend of academic capitalism or commercialization deters material transfer, our results show limited negative impact in this regard. Second, this study examines the use of central repositories of research tools as a means to the wider dissemination of such tools. The results suggest that entrepreneurial scientists and scientists in public research organizations are more willing to provide their research tools through this publicly accessible system. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.