Characterization of a non-pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus isolated from a migratory duck flying from Siberia in Hokkaido, Japan, in October 2009

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infection with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of domestic poultry and wild birds has spread to more than 60 countries in Eurasia and Africa. It is concerned that HPAIVs may be perpetuated in the lakes in Siberia where migratory water birds nest in summer. To monitor whether HPAIVs circulate in migratory water birds, intensive surveillance of avian influenza has been performed in Mongolia and Japan in autumn each year. Until 2008, there had not been any H5N1 viruses isolated from migratory water birds that flew from their nesting lakes in Siberia. In autumn 2009, A/mallard/Hokkaido/24/09 (H5N1) (Mal/Hok/24/09) was isolated from a fecal sample of a mallard (<it>Anas platyrhynchos</it>) that flew from Siberia to Hokkaido, Japan. The isolate was assessed for pathogenicity in chickens, domestic ducks, and quails and analyzed antigenically and phylogenetically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No clinical signs were observed in chickens inoculated intravenously with Mal/Hok/24/09 (H5N1). There was no viral replication in chickens inoculated intranasally with the isolate. None of the domestic ducks and quails inoculated intranasally with the isolate showed any clinical signs. There were no multiple basic amino acid residues at the cleavage site of the hemagglutinin (HA) of the isolate. Each gene of Mal/Hok/24/09 (H5N1) is phylogenetically closely related to that of influenza viruses isolated from migratory water birds that flew from their nesting lakes in autumn. Additionally, the antigenicity of the HA of the isolate was similar to that of the viruses isolated from migratory water birds in Hokkaido that flew from their northern territory in autumn and different from those of HPAIVs isolated from birds found dead in China, Mongolia, and Japan on the way back to their northern territory in spring.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mal/Hok/24/09 (H5N1) is a non-pathogenic avian influenza virus for chickens, domestic ducks, and quails, and is antigenically and genetically distinct from the H5N1 HPAIVs prevailing in birds in Eurasia and Africa. H5 viruses with the HA gene of HPAIV had not been isolated from migratory water birds in the surveillance until 2009, indicating that H5N1 HPAIVs had not become dominant in their nesting lakes in Siberia until 2009.</p

A Fundamental Study on Teaching Materials and Methods for Developing Integrated Learning of Japanese Language (V) : Some considerations on two Japanese language units for thinking environments around us.

本研究の目的は, 小中の発達段階に照らしながら他者を学習場面に効果的に設定し, 他者とのかかわり合いの中から学習者が自分の言葉を豊かにしていく学習活動・単元を開発するための基礎的な知見を得ることにある。他者の設定については, 大きく二つに分けて考えた。一つめは「教材としての多様な他者の言葉」であり, 二つめは「協同的な学び」である。また, 「発信型の授業構成」を設定することで教室内外の他者との出会いをつくり出し, 協同的な学びを発展させることができると考えた。検証の材料として用いるのは, 子どもの学習記録や作品, 授業記録などである。結果として, 多様な他者に出会わせることによって子どもたちはより多角的・客観的に言葉をとらえ, 興味を持って教材に向き合うことができた。また他者を設定することで, 子どもたちは言葉をとおしてかかわり合い, 自分の考えの広がりや深まりを確かめたりすることができるようになってきた。このように他者の存在を通して, 学習者はより豊かな言葉を得ることができる。今後は, 実生活においても他者とつながる言葉をつくり出す学びへと発展させていきたい

Practical Approaches based-on New Course of Study for Japanese Language Education by MEXT : Japanese language learning for developing students' world of language through collaborative leaning.

本研究は, 学習者が自分のまわりの他者と出会いかかわり合うことをとおして, 自分自身の言葉の世界を広げ, 自らの学びを探究していくことができるようにするための効果的な指導法を開発していくことを目的としている。そこで, 「さまざまな他者と出会い, 問いを立てる」「個の考えを深め吟味する」「他者とともによりよい方法で問題解決に取り組む」「学びの成果を適切に表現する」「学びを振り返り新たな学びにつなげる」という学習のプロセスに留意して単元構成を行った。2年生では, 自分の発想を言葉として表現したものを, 身近な他者に伝える経験を積ませる学習活動を構成することによって, 達成感を感じさせることができた。また, 子どもたちの意欲を喚起し学習に見通しをもたせることで, 発想豊かにお話作りに取り組ませることができた。3年生では, 説明文の内容を地域の行事と比べながら読ませたり, 今まで何気なく経験してきている行事の意味を改めて見つめ直させたりすることができた。また, 既習教材との比較によって, 筆者の意図や論理構成の工夫に気付かせることができた。今後も, 言葉の世界をひらき, 学びを自ら探求する学習のあり方を探っていきたい

Practical Approaches to New Course of Study for Japanese Language Education by MEXT : Developing students' language competencies through collaborative learning.

本研究は, 学習者が自分のまわりの他者と出会いかかわり合うことをとおして, 自分自身の言葉の世界を広げ, 学びを探究していくことができるようにするための効果的な指導法を開発していくことを目的としている。他者とのかかわり合いをとおして, 自分の思いを表現し, 知識をもとにした的確な判断を行う学習を積み重ねることで, さまざまな場面で活躍していくための力を育み, 学びを実生活や社会の中に生かしていくことで他者とのよりよい関係を築いていくことにつながると考えた。そこで, 「言葉を学ぶ意欲の喚起」「多様な他者との出会い」「コミュニケーションを大事にした協同的な学び」「認識の広がりや深まりを実感させる場の設定」「表現を磨き合う場の設定」の5点に留意して単元構成を行った。その結果, 4年生では, 筆者の主張について, より深く考えさせ, 教材文の筆者の工夫を, 調べ学習の発表原稿やまとめ方の工夫に生かさせることができた。6年生では, 多くの他者の存在を意識して学習を進め, 本校の子どもたちに報道する事を意識し, 様々な視点からニュース番組を構成させることができた。今後も, 学習者を取り巻く環境を考慮し, 他者を意識した多様な実践を積み重ねていきたい

Comprehensive investigation of areae gastricae pattern in gastric corpus using magnifying narrow band imaging endoscopy in patients with chronic atrophic fundic gastritis.

Background:  Barium radiographic studies have suggested the importance of evaluating areae gastricae pattern for the diagnosis of gastritis. Significance of endoscopic appearance of areae gastricae in the diagnosis of chronic atrophic fundic gastritis (CAFG) was investigated by image-enhanced endoscopy. Materials and Methods:  Endoscopic images of the corpus lesser curvature were studied in 50 patients with CAFG. Extent of CAFG was evaluated with autofluorescence imaging endoscopy. The areae gastricae pattern was evaluated with 0.2% indigo carmine chromoendoscopy. Micro-mucosal structure was examined with magnifying chromoendoscopy and narrow band imaging. Results:  In patients with small extent of CAFG, polygonal areae gastricae separated by a narrow intervening part of areae gastricae was observed, whereas in patients with wide extent of CAFG, the size of the areae gastricae decreased and the width of the intervening part of areae gastricae increased (p < 0.001). Most areae gastricae showed a foveola-type micro-mucosal structure (82.7%), while intervening part of areae gastricae had a groove-type structure (98.0%, p < 0.001). Groove-type mucosa had a higher grade of atrophy (p < 0.001) and intestinal metaplasia (p < 0.001) compared with foveola type. Conclusions:  As extent of CAFG widened, multifocal groove-type mucosa that had high-grade atrophy and intestinal metaplasia developed among areae gastricae and increased along the intervening part of areae gastricae. Our observations facilitate our understanding of the development and progression of CAFG

Cleavage of Toll-Like Receptor 9 Ectodomain Is Required for In Vivo Responses to Single Strand DNA

Mouse toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is an endosomal sensor for single-stranded DNA. TLR9 is transported from the endoplasmic reticulum to endolysosomes by a multiple transmembrane protein Unc93 homolog B1, and proteolytically cleaved at its ectodomain. The structure of TLR9 and its biochemical analyses have shown that the proteolytic cleavage of TLR9 ectodomain enables TLR9-dimerization and TLR9 activation. However, the requirement of TLR9 cleavage in vivo has not been studied. We here show that the 13 amino acids deletion at the cleavage site made TLR9 resistant to proteolytic cleavage. The deletion mutation in the Tlr9 gene impaired TLR9-dependent cytokine production in conventional dendritic cells from the mutant mice. Not only in vitro, in vivo production of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-12p40), chemokine (CCR5/RANTES), and type I interferon (IFN-α) induced by administration of TLR9 ligand was also impaired. These results demonstrate that the TLR9 cleavage is required for TLR9 responses in vivo

東京・上宮会所蔵聖徳太子孝養像考

　東京都荒川区の社会福祉法人上宮会所蔵聖徳太子像は、像内銘により、文永七年（一二七〇）に仏師尭慶が製作したことの知られる鎌倉時代後期の規準作品である。本稿では、二〇一三年五月に大学院思想文化専攻開講科目「美術史学演習Ⅲ」における演習の一環で実施した調査の概要を、「伝来」「像の概要」「銘記および納入品」の三章に分けて報告し、さらに日本彫刻史上の意義や周辺の問題についても、「聖徳太子造像における位置」「形式と表現」「仏師尭慶について」の三章に分けて論述する。この像は、聖徳太子像の典型的形式のひとつである孝養太子像の初期作例として貴重である。銘記によれば不退寺（現在も奈良市に所在する不退寺にあたる可能性がつよい）の像として造られたもので、さらに十六歳の肖像であると明記し、その形式の原型となった像の存在が暗示されることも注目される。また、形式や表現の点で奈良・元興寺の善春作聖徳太子像と共通する点が多く、作者尭慶はその他の事績をふくめても、鎌倉中・後期の奈良で活躍した善派仏師と関係が深いこと、などが明らかになった。末尾には、近代以降のこの像の伝来に関する文献を関連史料として付載した。　 The statue of Shotoku Taishi owned by the Jyogu Hospital Social Welfare Group (Jyogu Kai), Arakawa-ku, Tokyo is a standard work in the late Kamakura Period, known to be created by Busshi (sculptor of Buddhist statues) Gyokei in 1270 from the inscription in the statue. This paper reports an outline of an investigation conducted as a part of a seminar in “Art History Seminar III”, a course offered by the Department of Cultural History, Graduate School in May, 2013, in three chapters; “History”, “Outline of the Statue”, and “Inscription and Items inside the Statue” and discusses its meaning in Japanese sculpture history and peripheral issues in three chapters; “Position in Creation of Shotoku Taishi Statues”, “Style and Expression”, and “Busshi Gyokei”. This statue is valuable as an example of the early stage of statues of Kyoyo Taishi (considered to be a style of praying, being concerned about the condition of his father), which is one of typical styles of statues of Shotoku Taishi. According to the inscription, this statue was made for Futai-ji temple (this temple is likely to be Futai-ji still located in Nara city) and is clearly described as an image at 16 years old, and the suggestion of presence of a statue used as a model of the style attracts attention. The statue has many points in common regarding style and expression with the statue of Shotoku Taishi made by Zenshun in Gango-ji temple in Nara, and it was found out that Gyokei had a close relationship with the Zen-pa School Busshi who were active in Nara in the middle to late Kamakura period also in terms of other achievements. Materials relating to the history of this statue in the modern period and after are attached to the end of the paper