Multi-scale Simulation of Subsequent Tsunami Waves in Japan Excited by Air Pressure Waves Due to the 2022 Tonga Volcanic Eruption

The 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption generated tsunamis that propagated across the Pacific Ocean. Along the coast of Japan, nearshore amplification led to amplitudes of nearly 1 m at some locations, with varying peak tsunami occurrence times. The leading tsunami wave can generally be reproduced by Lamb waves, which are a type of air-pressure wave generated by an eruption. However, subsequent tsunamis that occurred several hours after the leading wave tended to be larger for unknown reasons. This study performs multi-scale numerical simulations to investigate subsequent tsunami waves in the vicinity of Japan induced by air pressure waves caused by the eruption. The atmospheric pressure field was created using a dispersion relation of atmospheric gravity wave and tuned by physical parameters based on observational records. The tsunami simulations used the adaptive mesh refinement method, incorporating detailed bathymetry and topography to solve the tsunami at various spatial scales. The simulations effectively reproduced the tsunami waveforms observed at numerous coastal locations, and results indicate that the factors contributing to the maximum tsunami amplitude differ by region. In particular, bay resonance plays a major role in determining the maximum amplitude at many sites along the east coast of Japan. However, large tsunami amplification at some west coast locations was not replicated, probably because it was caused by amplification during oceanic wave propagation rather than meteorological factors. These findings enhance our understanding of meteotsunami complexity and help distinguish tsunami amplification factors

ヒボゴワシャ ニホンゴキョウシ ヲ タイショウ ト シタ チョウタンキケンシュウ ノ セイカ ～タイケンコウリュウカツドウ ヲ ツウジタ イシキ ノ ヘンカ～

国際交流基金関西国際センターでは、海外の非母語話者日本語教師(以下NNT)を対象に、3週間程度の超短期訪日研修を行っている。短期間でNNTのニーズに応えるため、実際の活動を通じて言語と文化を学ぶ体験交流活動型日本語学習をコースデザインに取り入れている。その成果と研修方法の評価を把握するため、オーストラリアとタイの研修参加者を対象にアンケートとインタビュー調査を行った。その結果、研修参加者は、リソース収集のような明示的な成果とともに、「日本語運用についての自信や勇気を得たこと」や「学習者の視点に立って教授活動をふりかえったこと」などの意識の変化を研修の成果として認識していること、また超短期研修の方法として体験交流活動型日本語学習を肯定的に評価していることがわかった。調査結果を元に、超短期NNT研修における適切な目標設定と研修方法について提案を行った。This paper reports the results of a survey on a minimal short-term program (3 weeks) for non-native Japanese teachers (NNT) implemented by the Japan Foundation Japanese-language Institute, Kansai. The program introduced action-oriented language learning which is able to learn language and culture through real activities to respond to the needs of the NNT. The survey was administered to NNT from Australia and Thailand and aimed to interpret how NNT recognized the results of the program and how they evaluated the method. The result shows that NNT perceived the change of awareness as the results of the program such as being confident and encouraged for using Japanese and reflecting on their teaching from the learner\u27s view point together with explicit results such as collection of teaching resources. Additionally, the NNT evaluated the method positively. Based on these results, we proposed the appropriate target and method for minimal short-term program for NNT

ガクシュウシャ ノ キョウドウ ト キョウシ ノ カカワリ ヲ ジュウシ シタ ディスカッション レンシュウ ノ カツドウ デザイン

ディスカッション練習が学習者同士の活動であることに注目し、学習者が主体的に関わり目標を共有して協力すること、また教師がそれを支えることを目指した活動デザインを試みた。具体的には、学習者はディスカッションの前に全員でルールを決める、ディスカッション後に振り返りのための内省シートに記入する、教師はディスカッションの内容を板書する、各自の内省シートにコメントすることにした。実践後の検証から1.ルールがディスカッションへの関与の仕方、日本語の学習目標、人間関係保持の意識化を促し、2.内省シートが学習内容の確認、日本語学習の課題の意識化を学習者に促していたことが明らかになった。さらに3.教師の板書や内省シートへのコメントが議論の要点の把握や学習目標の設定等を促し、この活動を支えていたこともわかった。学習者同士の活動を考える際、教師の関わり方も含めたデザインが重要であることが示唆された。We have attempted to design an activity aiming for active learner participation and cooperation in Japanese class through the sharing of their learning objectives with on another and the provision of effective teacher support. Under this design, learners themselves 1. decide the rules for discussion prior to the practice, 2. fill in a reflection sheet following practice. The teacher 3. writes the points of each learner’s opinions on the whiteboard during practice, and 4. provides feedback to each learner’s reflection. The interviews with the learners reveal that 1. the rules help learners to be conscious of participation in discussion, their own learning objectives, and maintain good relations with classmates. 2. the reflection sheet makes learners conscious of what they learn, and their own problems, and 3. Assistance from the teacher encourages learners to understand discussion points, establish their own goals etc. When conducting learner-learner activities, a design considering teacher engagement is important

ケンキュウシャ ・ ダイガクインセイ ニホンゴ ケンシュウ ニ オケル 「ジコ ヒョウカ シエン システム」 ノ ケンショウ -ガクシュウシャ ト キョウシ ノ チシキ ノ ズレ ヲ メグッテ-

研究者・大学院生日本語研修8ケ月コースでは、学習者が日本語学習と研究活動に関して自ら目標を設定し、振り返り、目標を調整する活動を研修に取り込み、これを支援する「自己評価支援システム」を実施している。小稿では、学習者への聞き取り調査と教師の内省を通じてシステムを検証した。その結果、多くの学習者がシステムを肯定的に評価しているものの、そのプロセスで戸惑いや疑問を感じたり、システムの方法から教師の意図しないメッセージを受け取るケースも見受けられた。また、ある事例では、学習者が周囲の環境との相互作用や、教師の役割の変化によって、システムの意味を見出していく過程が明らかになった。主体的な学習環境を構築するために、教師はサポートの方法や時期に注意を払う必要がある。また教師は、自らも学習者にとっての学習リソースの一部であり、学習者との相互作用によって変容する動的な存在であることを自覚しなければならない。The Japanese-Language program for researchers and post-graduate students implemented by the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai, has introduced a “self-evaluation support system ”in order to support students in managing language learning and research activities through the self-evaluation cycle of setting the goal, monitoring the process, and adjusting the goal as needed. This paper attempts to examine this system through interviews with students and reflection by teachers. The results show that the most students found that the system was effective for both language learning and research activity. During the program, students sometimes felt uncomfortable with the system, and some received messages that teachers did not intend through the procedure of the system. In one case, however, a student became to realize the positive aspect of the system by interacting with the surroundings, as well as with the teacher who changed her role. To realize a self-directed learning environment, teachers should be careful about the method and timing of supporting students, and should know that the teacher is a part of the learning resource and it is possible to change through interaction with students

Adaptation and Preadaptation of Salmonella enterica to Bile

Bile possesses antibacterial activity because bile salts disrupt membranes, denature proteins, and damage DNA. This study describes mechanisms employed by the bacterium Salmonella enterica to survive bile. Sublethal concentrations of the bile salt sodium deoxycholate (DOC) adapt Salmonella to survive lethal concentrations of bile. Adaptation seems to be associated to multiple changes in gene expression, which include upregulation of the RpoS-dependent general stress response and other stress responses. The crucial role of the general stress response in adaptation to bile is supported by the observation that RpoS− mutants are bile-sensitive. While adaptation to bile involves a response by the bacterial population, individual cells can become bile-resistant without adaptation: plating of a non-adapted S. enterica culture on medium containing a lethal concentration of bile yields bile-resistant colonies at frequencies between 10−6 and 10−7 per cell and generation. Fluctuation analysis indicates that such colonies derive from bile-resistant cells present in the previous culture. A fraction of such isolates are stable, indicating that bile resistance can be acquired by mutation. Full genome sequencing of bile-resistant mutants shows that alteration of the lipopolysaccharide transport machinery is a frequent cause of mutational bile resistance. However, selection on lethal concentrations of bile also provides bile-resistant isolates that are not mutants. We propose that such isolates derive from rare cells whose physiological state permitted survival upon encountering bile. This view is supported by single cell analysis of gene expression using a microscope fluidic system: batch cultures of Salmonella contain cells that activate stress response genes in the absence of DOC. This phenomenon underscores the existence of phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal populations of bacteria and may illustrate the adaptive value of gene expression fluctuations

タンキホウニチコース ノ タメ ノ キョウザイカイハツ -「ニホンゴ ドキドキ タイケンコウリュウカツドウシュウ」-

国際交流基金関西国際センターでは、海外で日本語を学ぶ学習者を対象に学習奨励を目的とした2週間から6週間の短期訪日研修を実施している。これらの研修では、日本滞在の機会を最大限に生かすため、1.これまでに学習してきた日本語を使う、2.日本を体験し、理解を深める、3.今後の日本語学習に役立つ発見をする、ことを目標としている。そのため、教室外のさまざまなリソースを積極的にとり入れた「体験交流活動」を日本語学習の中心とし、それを支えるための自律学習支援と一体化したコースをデザインした。本稿では、これらの実践の蓄積から、そのノウハウを具体化した教材制作について報告し、教室の「ウチ」と「ソト」をつなぎ、実際の場で「行動できる」能力を養成するための、「体験交流活動型日本語学習」という新たな学習方法を提案する。The Japan Foundation, Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai has been conducting short-term (2 - 6weeks）Japanese-language programs to encourage Japanese language study overseas. Aiming to make the best use of the participants’residential circumstances, we set the goals of these programs as follows: (1) To use the Japanese language effectively,(2) To experience and understand Japan, and (3) To find useful strategies to study the Japanese language further. Utilizing various resources outside the classroom, we designed a course which places “socio-cultural experience and exchange activities” at the center of learning and supports this with an autonomous learning support system. This article reports how we crystallized our accumulated know-how into the development of materials, and proposes “action-oriented Japanese language learning” as a new learning approach which connects the “inside” and “outside” of the classroom and leads learners to “be able to act” in the real world

Electrodeposition and characterisation of CdS thin films using thiourea precursor for application in solar cells

CdS thin films have been successfully electrodeposited on glass/FTO substrates using acidic and aqueous solution of CdCl2.xH2O and thiourea (SC(NH2)2). The electrodeposition of CdS thin films were carried out potentiostatically using a 2-electrode system. The prepared films were characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell measurements, Electrical resistivity measurements and UV-Vis spectrophotometry to study their structural, compositional, morphological, electrical and optical properties, respectively. The structural studies show that the as-deposited and annealed CdS layers are polycrystalline with hexagonal crystal structure and preferentially oriented along (200) planes. The optical studies indicate that the ED-CdS layers have direct bandgaps in the range (2.53-2.58) eV for the as-deposited and (2.42-2.48) eV after annealing at 400oC for 20 minutes in air. The morphological studies show the good coverage of the FTO surface by the CdS grains. The average grain sizes for the as-deposited and annealed layers were in the range (60-225) nm. These grains or clusters are made out of smaller nano crystallites with the sizes in the range ~(11-33) nm. The electrical resistivity shows reduction as thickness increases. The resistivity values for the as-deposited and annealed layers were in the range (0.82-4.92)×105 Ωcm. The optimum growth voltage for the CdS thin films was found to be at the cathodic potential of 797 mV with respect to the graphite anode. No visible precipitations of elemental S or CdS particles were observed in the deposition electrolyte showing a stable bath using thiourea during the growth

Evidence for an association between migraine and the hypocretin receptor 1 gene

The aim of our study was to investigate whether genetic variants in the hypocretin receptor 1 (HCRTR1) gene could modify the occurrence and the clinical features of migraine. Using a case–control strategy we genotyped 384 migraine patients and 259 controls for three SNPs in the HCRTR1 gene. Genotypic and allelic frequencies of the rs2271933 non-synonymous polymorphism resulted different (χ2 = 9.872, p = 0.007; χ2 = 8.108, p = 0.004) between migraineurs and controls. The carriage of the A allele was associated with an increased migraine risk (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.11–1.81). When we divided the migraine patients into different subgroups, the difference reached the level of statistical significance only in migraine without aura. The different genotypes had no significant effect on the examined clinical characteristics of the disease. In conclusion, our data supports the hypothesis that the HCRTR1 gene could represent a genetic susceptibility factor for migraine without aura and suggests that the hypocretin system may have a role in the pathophysiology of migraine

Berberine modulates expression of mdr1 gene product and the responses of digestive track cancer cells to Paclitaxel

Berberine is the major constituent of Coptis chinese and is commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat patients with gastrointestinal disorders. In this study, using flow cytometry, we have found that a 24-h berberine treatment up-regulated the multidrug-resistant transporter (pgp-170) expression in two oral (KB, OC2), two gastric (SC-M1, NUGC-3) and two colon (COLO 205, CT 26) cancer cell lines. Decreased retention of rhodamine 123 was observed in berberine-treated cells as compared to vehicle control. To examine whether the berberine modulated pgp-170 expression in cancer cells is associated with changes in drug resistance, we determined the cytotoxicity, cell cycle progression and cell morphology of Paclitaxel-treated cells. Paclitaxel (1 nM–10 μM) treatment for 24 h induced cytotoxicity in OC2, SC-M1 and COLO 205 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment of cells with 32 μM berberine for 24 h prior to Paclitaxel treatment resulted in increased viability as compared to that of Paclitaxel-treated cells. In addition, Paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and/or G2/M arrest in these three cancer cell lines. Pretreatment of cells with berberine prior to Paclitaxel blocked the Paclitaxel-induced cell cycle responses and morphological changes. These results together suggest that berberine modulated the expression and function of pgp-170 that leads to reduced response to Paclitaxel in digestive track cancer cells. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig