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In this article, we investigate the role of US macroeconomic variables as leading indicators of regime shifts in the VIX index using a regime-switching approach. We find that there are three distinct regimes in the VIX index during the 1990 to 2010 period: tranquil regime with low volatility, turmoil regime with high volatility and crisis regime with extremely high volatility. We also show that the regime shift from the tranquil to the turmoil regime is significantly predicted by lower term spreads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Establishing containment measures against the potential spread of the smallpox virus has become a major issue in the public health field since the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between the level of activity of public health agencies and the voluntary cooperation of residents with ring-vaccination measures against a smallpox epidemic., Methods: A discrete-time, stochastic, individual-based model was used to simulate the spread of a smallpox epidemic that has become a more pressing topic due to 9/11 and to assess the effectiveness of and required resources for ring-vaccination measures in a closed community. In the simulation, we related sensitive tracing to the level of activity of the public health agency and strict isolation to the level of voluntary cooperation from residents., Results: Our results suggest that early and intensive case detection and contact tracing by public health agencies can reduce the scale of an epidemic and use fewer total resources. In contrast, voluntary reporting by the traced contacts of symptom onset after vaccination had little impact on the scale of epidemic in our model. However, it reduced the total required resources, indicating that citizens' voluntary cooperation would contribute to reducing the burden on public health agencies., Conclusions: We conclude that a combined effort on the part of public health agencies and residents in performing containment measures is essential to quickly ending a smallpox epidemic.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases can cause sudden incapacitation in aircrew. Cardiological diagnosis and therapy have changed a great deal in recent decades, as with coronary revascularization, including percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting for coronary artery disease, and electrophysiological studies and radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for sustained arrhythmias. Physicians need to be able to make appropriate, objective recommendations regarding cardiovascular diseases in an aeromedical waiver system., Methods: We analyzed all 95 waiver cases regarding cardiovascular diseases in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), 1980-2007, and compared them to policies in the United States Air Force (USAF)., Results: The JASDF and the USAF handle most conditions similarly, although there are differences regarding coronary revascularization, atrial fibrillation, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (nsVT), and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The JASDF used RFCA more commonly for the treatment of aircrew with atrial fibrillation and nsVT Although routine follow-up with electrophysiological studies is no longer indicated for Wolff-Parkinson-White and atrioventricular node reentrant tachycardia in USAF policy, the JASDF still conducts reevaluation for all RFCA cases., Conclusion: This study made recommendations to improve the JASDF waiver system for cardiovascular diseases.

The U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program was initiated in 1974 between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), with a view to eventually conquering cancer. The two countries respectively developed cancer research under different academic systems, and, furthermore, the cancers in the two countries show different characteristics from the viewpoint of geographic pathology. The special significance of cooperative study between the two countries with such different backgrounds was therefore mutually recognized. The cooperative program has involved scientific seminars, mutual dispatch of scientists, and exchange of research materials and information, covering specified areas of cancer research. In the program, four major areas for cooperation were established, resulting in an effective and flexible methodology for carrying out cooperative research. These areas were etiology of cancer, biology and diagnosis of cancer, treatment of cancer, and interdisciplinary areas of cancer research. Notable progress was witnessed throughout the ten years of the program. Especially, the program made it possible for a large number of cancer researchers from the two countries to become acquainted with each other through personal contact in cooperative investigations. After termination of the second term in 1983, the program entered into its third five-year period in 1984, and is currently still in progress.