Japanese Language as an Organizational Barrier for International Students to Access to University Services: A Case of Aoyama Gakuin University

In 2011, Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) started a government-funded degree program (taught in English) to accept international students with limited or no Japanese language proficiency. However, the students faced obstacles in accessing all of the university resources provided. In this article, I investigated Japanese language as an organizational barrier for students accessing to campus resources. I utilized the case study methodology through participatory observation on campus and face-to-face interviews

Explaining the Effectiveness of the Contrast Culture Method for Managing Interpersonal Interactions Across Cultures

One of the current challenges in the field of intercultural education comes from the limited availability of training efficacy studies. The present study focused on explaining the effectiveness of the Contrast Culture Method (CCM) as an intercultural education method for managing interpersonal interactions across cultures between graduate international students and their local counterparts in an academic program in Japan. By incorporating a qualitative methodology through the grounded theory, the study explained a context of domestic interpersonal relations across cultures in Japan. The result showed CCM’s effectiveness based on respondents’ reflective accounts, and supported the ideas suggested by the original study. The article concludes with future directions for research and application of CCM

Comparative study on the immunogenicity between an HLA-A24-restricted cytotoxic T-cell epitope derived from survivin and that from its splice variant survivin-2B in oral cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We previously reported an HLA-A24-restricted cytotoxic T-cell epitope, Survivin-2B80-88, derived from a splice variant of survivin, survivin-2B. In this report, we show a novel HLA-A24-restricted T-cell epitope, Survivin-C58, derived from a wild type survivin, and compared their immunogenicity in oral cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>By stimulating peripheral blood lymphocytes of HLA-A24-positive cancer patients with Survivin-C58 peptide <it>in vitro</it>, the peptide-specific CTLs were induced. In order to compare the immunogenic potential between C58 peptide and 2B80-88 peptide, peripheral blood T-cells from thirteen HLA-A24-positive oral cancer patients were stimulated with either or both of these two peptides.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Survivin-2B80-88 peptide-specific CTLs were induced from four patients, and C58 peptide-specific CTLs were induced from three out of eight patients with over stage II progression. The CTLs exerted cytotoxicity against HLA-A24-positive tumor cells. In contrast, CTL induction failed from a healthy volunteer and all four patients with cancer stage I.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was indicated that a splicing variant-derived peptide and wild type survivin-derived peptide might have a comparable potency of CTL induction, and survivin targeting immunotherapy using survivin-2B80-88 and C58 peptide cocktail should be suitable for HLA-A24+ oral cancer patients.</p

A Study of Cases with Rib Metastasis Difficult to Distinguish from Microfractures on Bone Scintigraphy

A retrospective study of about 10,000 cases at Kawasaki Medical School Hospital on whom bone scans were performed over a six year period revealed five cases in which metastasis was mistaken for a benign rib lesion. This mistake occurred because the accumulation pattern of the radionuclide in the rib region on the bone scan indicated a so-called "hot spot" observed with microfractures rather than the rod-like increased accumulation along costal bones that is coincident with the finding of bone metastasis. This experience suggests that solitary hot spots in the rib region on bone scans should be diagnosed carefully, as such an accumulation is most frequently associated with a benign etiology but rarely may be a malignant lesion

Cytoplasmic RASSF2A is a proapoptotic mediator whose expression is epigenetically silenced in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer cells often show altered Ras signaling, though the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. We examined the expression profile of eight ras-association domain family (RASSF) genes plus MST1/2 and found that RASSF2A is the most frequently downregulated in gastric cancer. RASSF2A was completely silenced in 6 of 10 gastric cancer cell lines as a result of promoter methylation, and expression was restored by treating the cells with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine. Introduction of RASSF2A into non-expressing cell lines suppressed colony formation and induced apoptosis. These effects were associated with the cytoplasmic localization of RASSF2A and morphological changes to the cells. Complementary DNA microarray analysis revealed that RASSF2A suppresses the expression of inflammatory cytokines, which may in turn suppress angiogenesis and invasion. In primary gastric cancers, aberrant methylation of RASSF2A was detected in 23 of 78 (29.5%) cases, and methylation correlated significantly with an absence of the lymphatic invasion, absence of venous invasion, absence of lymph node metastasis, less advanced stages, Epstein–Barr virus, absence of p53 mutations and the presence of the CpG island methylator phenotype-high. These results suggest that epigenetic inactivation of RASSF2A is required for tumorigenesis in a subset of gastric cancers

An Assessment of Internationalization as Perceived by Faculty Members at Virginia Wesleyan College

Internationalization is not just the issue of Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC) but of many U.S. and even other national higher educational systems around the world today. The internationalization of U.S. higher education caught the attention of many scholars, practitioners and other administrators of colleges and universities; however, there still is not yet a clear and specific consensus of standards to be applied in the internationalization of higher education, and the concept “internationalization” remains difficult to define. This research project assesses VWC faculty members’ perceptions on internationalizing the educational experience at VWC through the role of educators. The study explores the current level of knowledge and experience of international education, international scholarship and the needs of faculty members in their efforts to make themselves more international. The result articulated the faculty perceptions on international education, an ideal form of international scholars at VWC, and the needs of faculty members in further achieving it. The study should initiate discussions of what and how VWC, as well as its faculty members, can further internationalize its educational experience. People are one of the most important aspects for the changing process or progress, and the research of internationalization calls for more attention to the reflections of faculty members. The study has the potential to make an impact and direct the way for the institution. The study contributes different discussion possibilities related to the whole institutional change toward internationalization from a scholarship perspective

An Evaluative Case Study of Japanese Undergraduate Students’ Changes in Intercultural Competence as Learning Outcomes in Malaysia and Thailand

Japan’s policy on outbound student mobility reflects the national commitment to preparing the next generation of Japanese professionals in terms of intercultural understanding. However, very little evidence is available for evaluating a relationship between Japanese students’ gains in intercultural understanding and their study abroad participation. Addressing the current shortcomings in several areas, including evidence, methodologies, diversity of destination, and theoretical application, this thesis designed a mixed-methods case study to evaluate Japanese students’ gains in their intercultural competence as a measurement of learning outcomes from their study abroad in Malaysia and Thailand. The main framework was based on the cultural learning theory in the Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive (ABC) model through the Sociocultural Adaption Scale (SCAS). The cultural learning theory gave a behavioral emphasis to my study, and the existing theories of intercultural competence in the literature were integrated into it. This study’s sample came from two cohorts of the School of Global Studies and Collaboration (GSC), Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU). My results affirmed that research on study abroad learning outcomes in Japan needs to improve in terms of the availability and quality of evidence. The quantitative results illustrated that traditional variables such as language proficiency, destination countries, and gender are poor indicators for evaluating changes in the intercultural competence of Japanese students. One promising result was the role of GPA in the 2015 cohort; this cohort showed a negative relationship between GPA and ICC changes. The qualitative findings were significant as they extended the existing intercultural competence theories by integrating concepts of cultural self-awareness and young adult development. The findings also formulated thematic relationships that identified students’ perceived concerns and excitement in the pre-departure phase and perceived positive and negative learning outcomes in the post-return phase. The results of the data integration illustrated a correlation between the ICC scores and the comments in the 2016 cohort. Furthermore, the data integration uncovered a limitation of a self-administered instrument like SCAS. Although this study has acknowledged several limitations, it was possible to make recommendations to Japanese stakeholders to overcome the current shortcomings of both research and program administration relating to study abroad. 現在の日本の留学政策は、「異文化能力を持った次世代の日本人職業人を育成する」というコミットメントの表れである。しかし、日本の学生の異文化理解と留学への参加の関係性に関する評価エビデンスは、非常に限られている。エビデンス・研究手法・渡航先・理論の改善の必要性のため、本研究は、混合手法研究をデザインし、異文化能力という概念を留学効果測定の評価方法として採用した。この研究の理論の枠組みは、ABCモデルにおける「文化学習理論」を採用した。測定方法は、文化学習理論に反映された、SCASというアンケートを採用した。本研究のサンプルは、青山学院大学の地球社会共生学部から協力を得た。本研究における結果は、現状を改善するエビデンスを提供した。まず、量的結果は、今後も引き続き研究を継続する必要性を明示した。唯一可能性としてあげられたのは、2015年度の学生グループの学力と異文化力の変化には、負の関係性があるということである。更にユニークな結果は、質的分析である。質的結果は、学生の渡航前と渡航後の多様な現状を説明し、これまでの異文化教育における概念を異文化能力理論へ統合することができた。また、データ統合結果からは、SCASのようなアンケート利用における方法的限界を示唆する内容となった。本研究は、手法的にも課題を残すこととなったkが、日本国内のステークホルダーに対して、研究と実践におけるエビデンスをもとにした提案をすることに成功した。Ph.D