The Present Problems and Future Prospects of Parents Support for Children with Developmental Disabilities

社会構造の変容や価値観の多様化が進展するなか,子育て支援のニーズが高まっている｡特別支援教育の領域においても,従来の子ども本人への支援にとどまらず,その家族への支援が重要な課題となっている｡そこで本稿では,とくに発達障害に焦点をあてながら,障害の告知,ストレスの状況,教師による保護者支援の観点から研究動向を整理した｡そして,学校における保護者支援の典型的な事例をとりあげ,問題解決のための基本的な視点を提起した｡発達障害のある子どもの保護者は,比較的早くから障害の疑いを持ちながらも,診断を得るまでの長い期間を苦悩して過ごす場合が多く,子ども自身と子どもをとりまく環境の側面からのストレスにより心理的･身体的に支援を必要としていた。また,教師と保護者との理解(子どもの捉え方や課題意識)が異なる傾向もみられ,問題の要因,背景,経過といった情報を相互から共有していく学校の仕組みづくりも重要であることを指摘した

OCTAD-S: Digital Fast Fourier Transform Spectrometers by FPGA

We have developed a digital fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectrometer made of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The base instrument has independent ADC and FPGA modules, which allow us to implement different spectrometers in a relatively easy manner. Two types of spectrometers have been instrumented, one with 4.096 GS/s sampling speed and 2048 frequency channels and the other with 2.048 GS/s sampling speed and 32768 frequency channels. The signal processing in these spectrometers has no dead time and the accumulated spectra are recorded in external media every 8 ms. A direct sampling spectroscopy up to 8 GHz is achieved by a microwave track-and-hold circuit, which can reduce the analog receiver in front of the spectrometer. Highly stable spectroscopy with a wide dynamic range was demonstrated in a series of laboratory experiments and test observations of solar radio bursts.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Earth, Planets and Spac

A Comparison of Four Types of Toothbrushes and Different Tooth Brushing Methods on Plaque Removal I. Examinations using second year dental hygiene students as subjects

To clarify the relationship between the type of brush and brushing methods, 30 students in Mastumoto Dental College, School of Dental Hygiene were requested to use 4 different types of brushes with 4 brushing methods during 4 two week periods. The following results were obtained: 1. Brushing methods: The scrub method had the best results in plaque control, followed by the Bass, modified Stillman and roll methods in that order. A significant difference was observed with these brushing methods (p<0.01). 2. Toothbrushes: Test brushes S and M got the best results, and H and the open-tufted brushes followed. Significant differences were observed with these brushes (p<0.01). 3. Interaction between brushing methods and brushes: Plaque control effectiveness tended to differ with brushing method between the facial and proximo facial surfaces, a. Facial surfaces: Test brush H showed a higher plaque control effectiveness with the scrub and Bass methods than that of test brushes M and S. Test brush M was the most effective for plaque control using the roll and modified Stillman methods. b. Proximofacial surfaces: Test brush S was the most effective with the Bass method and M was more effective with the other methods

A Comparison of Four Types of Toothbrushes and Different Tooth Brushing Methods on Plaque Removal II. Examinations using first year dental hygiene students as subjects

In a continuation of the first report, the authors hoped to clarify the relationship between toothbrush specifications and various brushing methods. For this purpose, we compared the effectiveness of plaque removal for 4 different types of brushes with 4 different brushing methods. The first year students of Matsumoto Dental College, School of Dental Hygiene, were selected as subjects. The results were as follows: 1. Brushing methods: No significant difference was observed with the roll, Bass, or modified Stillman methods when all surfaces were grouped together. Also, no significant difference was observed on the facial surfaces with the different methods. However, the Bass and roll methods tended to be slightly better. The results of this study did not correlate with the previous study or with the reports from Arai and Watanabe. The subjects\u27 skill and control at the time of evaluation were taken into consideration. 2. Test brushed: Test brush S was the most effective when all surfaces were grouped together and test brush M was the least effective. This tendency was observed on both the facial and the proximo facial surfaces. 3. Interaction between test brushes and the amount of plaque prior to testing: It was observed that subjects who were divided into the "small" group prior to testing kept the amount of plaque at the same low level after testing. By comparing the results with the previous report, the authors concluded that there was more advancement in the skill of the second year students than the first year students

Adaptation-induced collective dynamics of a single-cell protozoan

We investigate the behavior of a single-cell protozoan in a narrow tubular ring. This environment forces them to swim under a one-dimensional periodic boundary condition. Above a critical density, single-cell protozoa aggregate spontaneously without external stimulation. The high-density zone of swimming cells exhibits a characteristic collective dynamics including translation and boundary fluctuation. We analyzed the velocity distribution and turn rate of swimming cells and found that the regulation of the turing rate leads to a stable aggregation and that acceleration of velocity triggers instability of aggregation. These two opposing effects may help to explain the spontaneous dynamics of collective behavior. We also propose a stochastic model for the mechanism underlying the collective behavior of swimming cells

Synaptic-like microvesicles, synaptic vesicle counterparts in endocrine cells, are involved in a novel regulatory mechanism for the synthesis and secretion of hormones

Microvesicles in endocrine cells are the morphological and functional equivalent of neuronal synaptic vesicles. Microvesicles accumulate various neurotransmitters through a transmitter-specific vesicular transporter energized by vacuolar H+-ATPase. We found that mammalian pinealocytes, endocrine cells that synthesize and secrete melatonin, accumulate L-glutamate in their microvesicles and secrete it through exocytosis. Pinealocytes use L-glutamate as either a paracrine- or autocrine-like chemical transmitter in a receptor-mediated manner, resulting in inhibition of melatonin synthesis. In this article, we briefly describe the overall features of the microvesicle-mediated signal-transduction mechanism in the pineal gland and discuss the important role of acidic organelles in a novel regulatory mechanism for hormonal synthesis and secretion

Development of Bioactivity and Pull-out Torque Control Technology on Ti Implant Surface and its Application for Cold Thread Rolled Bone Screw

AbstractThe influence of cold thread rolling conditions and a production method of titania (TiO2) films on surface bioactivity and pull-out torque of a titanium bone screw was investigated. The bone screw with micro surface roughness distribution was formed by cold thread rolling with a pair of parallel dies. The die shape and surface roughness distribution were changed to the 3 grades. The TiO2 films were coated on the surface of the bone screw using anodizing in aqueous solutions (hydro-coating). We introduced the rolled bone screws into tibia of rats for two weeks and examined the effects of the combinations of the surface morphology and the TiO2 film on osteoconductivity in an in-vivo experiment. As the results, it is found that we could control the bioactivity and pull-out torque by controlling the surface roughness at the bottom of the screw root

Development of a UAV-mounted Light Source for Fluorescence Detector Calibration of the Telescope Array Experiment

ArticleThe Physical Society of Japanjournal articl

Discovery and informing research participants of incidental findings detected in brain magnetic resonance imaging studies : Review and multi‐institutional study

Background: Brain imaging studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI ) sometimes reveal incidental findings (IFs) that might be relevant to some of the health issues in research participants. Although professional communities have discussed how to manage these IFs, there is no global consensus on the concrete handling procedures including how to inform participants of IFs. Methods: First, this study reviewed previous studies for the number of IFs discovered in brain imaging studies using MEDLINE. Second, a multi‐institutional study determined the number of IF discoveries and evaluated the method of informing participants at multiple institutions, which participated in a national brain science project in Japan. Results: Both the review and multi‐institutional study showed that IFs with a high urgency level were discovered in 0–2.0% of participants, including healthy volunteers, and that the rate of IF discovery in general was higher in studies conducted in elderly population. Moreover, multi‐institutional study suggested the criteria used to judge whether or not to inform participants of IFs may differ by institution. Conclusions: Our results suggest that in order to ensure informing the participants of high urgency IFs, physicians who are capable of interpreting brain images clinically should review all brain images, and the establishment of a support system is required for brain imaging studies at nonmedical institutions. Since the method of informing participants of IFs might affect their understanding and acceptance of IFs, which are related to managing risks of false “clean bill of health” or psychological impacts of informing IFs, further research focusing on communication of IFs is needed