〔論文〕募金広告におけるエージェントの存在が寄付行動に及ぼす影響

　　Anthropomorphic agents are utilized to support people in their day-to-day lives. For instance, studies suggest that anthropomorphic agents serve to enhance purchase intent and prosocial behavior in advertising and on ecommerce websites (Kimura et al. 2012, etc.). The current study investigates whether anthropomorphic agents promote donations, a kind of prosocial behavior, in an advertising context. In Experiment 1, we used two advertisements that differ in context － one asserting the necessity for aid and the other asserting the effectiveness of aid － to examine whether congruence with the agent’s facial expression (smiling/crying) and the ad description (context) promotes donation behavior. Here, the agent’s presence did not exert an influence. When comparing two types of agents with different attributes (people calling for donations/children needing donations) in Experiment 2, donation amounts increased when children needing donations, rather than people calling for donations, served as anthropomorphic agents

The use of a scented face mask in pediatric patients may facilitate mask acceptance before anesthesia induction

BackgroundScented face masks are commonly used during the induction phase of anesthesia. The present study investigated whether the use of a scented mask improved mask acceptance before the slow induction of anesthesia in pediatric patients.MethodsThis prospective, randomized controlled trial enrolled patients aged 2–10 years who were scheduled to undergo surgery under general anesthesia. Patients were randomly assigned to either of regular unscented (control group) or scented (experimental group) face masks before anesthesia induction with a parent. The primary outcome was the mask acceptance score, rated on a validated 4-point from 1 point (not afraid; easily accepts the mask) to 4 points (afraid of a mask; crying or struggling). The secondary outcome was heart rate assessed by pulse oximetry in the pediatric ward before transfer to the operating room (OR), at the entrance to the OR, at the patient notification of mask fitting by the anesthesiologist, and after mask fitting.ResultsSeventy-seven patients were accessed for eligibility, with 67 enrolled in the study: 33 in the experimental group and 34 in the control group. Mask acceptance was significantly greater among patients aged 2–3 years in the experimental than in the control group (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe use of a scented mask can improve mask acceptance before anesthesia induction with a parental presence in pediatric patients aged 2–3 years.Clinical Trial Registration: https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000040819

〔資 料〕 保護者が認知する子どもの個性と習い事との関連

The variety of extracurricular lessons available to children compared to what was available to those children’s parents has increased. Parents need more information to help them select the lessons for their children that will be most effective in stimulating the development of their children. The present study aims to obtain fundamental data to be used in the creation of an information tool that will help parents select the best lessons for their children. Specifically, an online questionnaire was distributed to parents whose children have taken lessons in order to understand the association between psychological factors in their children and the types of lessons that their children have been taking.A total of 1,217 responses were obtained. Of them, 772 respondents （662 parents of elementary school children and 110 parents of preschool children） who had been taking a lesson for at least 13 months were included in the analyses. Swimming was the most common lesson taken by elementary school children, followed by piano. Regarding psychological factors, the level of multiple intelligences, particularly interpersonal intelligence, was rated higher by parents whose children were taking piano as compared with those whose children were participating in swimming

Decrease in p3-Alcb37 and p3-Alcb40, products of Alcadein b generated by g-secretase cleavages, in aged monkeys and patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Introduction Neuronal p3-Alcβ peptides are generated from the precursor protein Alcadein β (Alcβ) through cleavage by α- and γ-secretases of the amyloid β (Aβ) protein precursor (APP). To reveal whether p3-Alcβ is involved in Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) contributes for the development of novel therapy and/or drug targets. Methods We developed new sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sELISA) systems to quantitate levels of p3-Alcβ in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Results In monkeys, CSF p3-Alcβ decreases with age, and the aging is also accompanied by decreased brain expression of Alcβ. In humans, CSF p3-Alcβ levels decrease to a greater extent in those with AD than in age-matched controls. Subjects carrying presenilin gene mutations show a significantly lower CSF p3-Alcβ level. A cell study with an inverse modulator of γ-secretase remarkably reduces the generation of p3-Alcβ37 while increasing the production of Aβ42. Discussion Aging decreases the generation of p3-Alcβ, and further significant decrease of p3-Alcβ caused by aberrant γ-secretase activity may accelerate pathogenesis in AD