Realizing internationalization at home through English-medium courses at a Japanese University: Strategies to maximize student learning

In 2009, the Japanese government launched the Global 30 (G30) Project, a new initiative to internationalize universities. Selected universities had to create English-medium degree programs at undergraduate level in order to stimulate “internationalization at home.” The G30 Project represented a major shift in the focus of internationalization efforts from quantitative to qualitative outcomes. Using a case study approach, this paper investigates one G30 program and the attempts made to open up English-medium course offerings to the wider student body. It explores two related issues: level setting and student attrition. A mixed methods approach was used with data gathered from students and course instructors. Sanford’s (1966/2009) “support and challenge” conceptual framework, as adapted by J. M. Bennett (1993), and Vygotsky’s (1978) “zone of proximal development and scaffolding” were employed. Results showed that to maximize learning it was important to have strategies to maintain a high level of course content while also providing targeted support to students at appropriate times. Effective strategies for reducing course attrition were identified.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v5i1.23

Optimized protocol to derive germline stem-cell-like cells from mouse pluripotent stem cells

Male germ-cell development comprises primordial germ-cell (PGC) development, spermatogonium differentiation, and ensuing spermatogenesis. We present a step-by-step protocol for differentiation of mouse pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into germline stem-cell-like cells (GSCLCs) via PGC-like cell and spermatogonium-like cell intermediates. The differentiation protocol has higher fidelity than our previous protocol. Upon transplantation into testes in vivo or culture for testis transplants, GSCLCs robustly contribute to spermatogenesis, providing a paradigm for PSC-based reconstitution of mammalian male germ-cell development

English Medium Instruction as Internationalization Strategy in Japanese Higher Education : Review of the Literature

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has been used as an internationalization strategy by Japanese universities since the 1960s. The launching of the Global 30 Project (G30) in 2009 by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) signified the expansion and growing acknowledgement of EMI in the context of Japanese higher education. Between 2009 and 2014, there has been a dramatic increase in degree programs delivered in English. This has generated a small but growing body of literature on EMI in the context of internationalization in Japanese universities. This paper offers a review of government reports and scholarly literature available both in English and Japanese concerned with a development of EMI in Japanese universities. While it offers brief historical reviews, it focuses primarily on the literature generated by the launching of G30. This review reveals that while government reports focus overwhelmingly on the positive benefits of EMI, the scholarly literature tends to narrow in on the challenges involved for Japanese higher education institutions. Both bodies of literature fail to offer inside perspectives on EMI programs resulting in a lack of balance in expectations and assessments. It will be argued that a more balanced assessment on current practice and future potentials of EMI is warranted, and this requires incorporation of insider perspectives. This paper offers timely reviews of the field.本稿では，近年大学の国際化の戦略として用いられている「教授言語としての英語（EMI）」の先行研究の課題と展望を検討する事を目的としている．2009年に開始された大学の国際化ネットワーク事業（Global 30）により英語学位取得コースや英語を媒介言語にする授業数は大幅に増加した．しかしながら，EMIに関する先行研究は非常に限られているのが現状である．本稿では，EMIに関する文部科学省の文書や国際・国内学術誌の分析と考察を行い，課題と今後の展望を明らかにした。文部省の文書はEMIの肯定的な側面に焦点を当てられているのに反して，国際・国内学術誌は否定的な面に重きが置かれている．特にGlobal 30の先行研究に関して言えば，Global30導入時の大学が抱えている課題のみに焦点が当てられている傾向にある．また，大学や英語学位コース外からの視点からの考察で，大学内・プログラム内の現場の様子や声が伝えられていないのが現状である．大学の国際化とは「プロセス」であり，一時的な外部からの視点では「プロセス」としての国際化を考察する事は出来ない．今後の大学の国際化研究の展望として，国際化に直接関わる教職員や学生に目を向け国際化の現場どのような取組みが行われ，大学にどのような肯定的・否定的影響を及ぼしているのかを考察する必要がある

University Administrators’ Visions for the Recovery of International Student Exchange in a Post–COVID-19 World

Objectives: Little is known about how international functions of higher education, such as exchange programmes, can be resumed during recovery from a disruptive global crisis, such as COVID-19. We collected the opinions of administrators of international exchange programmes regarding their plans to resume their exchange programmes in the recovery phase and identified variations in the responses concerning institution type (public vs. private) and the presence or absence of a medical school. Method: We used multiple-choice survey questions in our study, resulting in 180 valid responses. We examined overall patterns using descriptive statistics and institutional uniqueness using Fisher’s exact test. Results: Governing organisations and domestic university networks are expected to initiate the resumption of student exchange programmes. Respondents indicate that they would rely on infection prevention experts at their institutions as sources of information for their decision-making. Public universities would rely more extensively on their staff’s opinions whilst private universities would consult with external experts. Universities with a medical school indicated a greater likelihood of referring to the opinions of experts at their institutions. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: Higher education systems vary across nations. However, extant studies have shown some shared features, and the findings may have implications for higher education institutions internationally. Policy incentives and support may encourage public universities to participate in the global recovery of international education. During global public health infectious crises, institutions without a medical school may require more government support. Conclusions: Institutional variations should be considered to effectively encourage universities to adapt to changing dynamics in the recovery of international education. Method: The study used multiple-choice survey questions, resulting in 180 valid responses. The study examined overall patterns using descriptive statistics and institutional uniqueness using Fisher\u27s exact test. Results: Governing organisations and domestic university networks are expected to initiate the resumption of student exchange. Respondents indicate that they would rely on infection prevention experts at their institutions as sources of information for their decision-making. Public universities would rely more extensively on their staff’s opinions whilst private universities would consult with external experts. Universities with a medical school indicated a greater likelihood of referring to the opinions of experts at their institutions. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: The higher education systems vary across nations. However, extant studies have shown some shared features, and the findings may have implications for higher education institutions internationally. Policy incentives and support may encourage public universities to participate in the global recovery of international education. During global public health infectious crises, institutions without a medical school may require more government support. Conclusions: Institutional variations should be considered to effectively encourage universities to adapt to changing dynamics in the recovery of international education

アーチェリーにおける標的の視覚的補助がエイミングの注視運動に及ぼす影響

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an assisting mark, The a cross (a vertical line and a horizon line), which was put on the target to stabilize aiming in archery. Subjects in this study were nine male and one female university archers. They were required to aim at the center of the target for 5 sec. as in archery competition. Dependent valuables were frequency, angle of eye movement and eye fixation time. This study assumed that the presense of a cross on the target makes it easier to aim than under normal conditions. Hypotheses were as follows : (1) Frequency of eye movement for the cross condition is less than that for normal condition in aiming. (2) Eye fixation time for the cross condition is longer than that for normal condition in aiming. (3) Angle of eye movement on cross line condition is smaller than that for normal condition in aiming. The results of analysis indicated that the three hypothesizes were supported and that subjects focused attention on the center of the target when the cross was present on the target

最大筋力発揮イメージ想起時の瞳孔反応について

The purpose of this study was to examine pupillary responses in imagery of maximum muscle strength. Subjects in this study were male and female physical education students (N = 21). They were divided into three groups on scores of imagery as "performing" in VMI test III. These groups were ; (a) imagery training (IM), (b) imagery and performance training (IMP), and (c) control (C). The task was maximum muscle strength by grip. Two different pupil sizes, measured during imaging from in resting and during performing from in imaging, were measured as dependent valuables. The results indicated the following : 1) The pupil size measured during imaging from in resting was the lowest in post test of IMP. 2) The pupil size measured during performing from in imaging was the hightest in post test of IMP. 3) In both pre- and post tests of the pupil size which was taken during performance from in imaging was not equal by each trial. These findings seem to suggest that imagery and performance training will debilitate pupillary responses

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

試験管内における多能性幹細胞から精原幹細胞活性の誘導と増幅

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(医科学)甲第20285号医科博第76号新制||医科||5(附属図書館)京都大学大学院医学研究科医科学専攻(主査)教授 篠原 隆司, 教授 浅野 雅秀, 教授 近藤 玄学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Medical ScienceKyoto UniversityDFA