WIDGET: System Performance and GRB Prompt Optical Observations

The WIDeField telescope for Gamma-ray burst Early Timing (WIDGET) is used for a fully automated, ultra-wide-field survey aimed at detecting the prompt optical emission associated with Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs). WIDGET surveys the HETE-2 and Swift/BAT pointing directions covering a total field of view of 62 degree x 62 degree every 10 secounds using an unfiltered system. This monitoring survey allows exploration of the optical emission before the gamma-ray trigger. The unfiltered magnitude is well converted to the SDSS r' system at a 0.1 mag level. Since 2004, WIDGET has made a total of ten simultaneous and one pre-trigger GRB observations. The efficiency of synchronized observation with HETE-2 is four times better than that of Swift. There has been no bright optical emission similar to that from GRB 080319B. The statistical analysis implies that GRB080319B is a rare event. This paper summarizes the design and operation of the WIDGET system and the simultaneous GRB observations obtained with this instrument.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, Accepted to appear in PAS

Significance and development of Urine uroplakin III mRNA measurement in vesicoureteral reflux

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 基盤研究(C)研究期間: 2005～2006課題番号: 17591673研究代表者: 上仁 数義（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 吉貴 達寛（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教授）研究分担者: 成田 充弘（滋賀医科大学・医学部・講師）研究分担者: 影山 進（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 坂野 祐司（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手

チュウゴク ガクゼン キョウイク ノ ゲンジョウ ト テンボウ : ヒカク キョウイクガク ノ シザ カラ

In Japan, educational reform is now in the middle of third phase. After a series of discussion in the ad hoc Council of Education, "the Law Concerning the Development of Implementation Systems and Other Measures for the Promotion of Lifelong Learning" was enacted in June, 1990. In 1997, "Programs for Educational Reform" was revised, and the new "Course of Study" was implemented for the sake of enriching "education of mind". Then in April, 2000, new "National Curriculum Standard for Kindergarten" was put into effective. Likewise in China, "the resolution of developing modernization with priority given to economic development" in December, 1978 led educational schemes to expand favorably in spite of some concerns about financial situation. In May, 1985, "Decision on the Reform of Educational System" was announced and the educational reform became full-fledged in order to develop nature and talent of Chinese people. In February 1993, a new guideline for educational reform called "Standard for Educational Reform and Development in China" was issued. In January 1999, "the Plan for the Promotion of Education towards 21^ Century" made by the priority reform project was enacted. Under these circumstances, "nature education" was valued and the new concept of scholastic ability, not merely the amount of knowledge, has been gradually recognized as important. While education in China has been promoted along the general reform and scheme plan, pre-school education is now considered important as one aspect of fundamental education (up to the upper-secondary level). To put it more precisely, pre-school education is regarded as \u27fundamental\u27 in fundamental education, and it is considered that it can not only be the basement for the life-long human growth, but also play a crucial role for developing general growth of nature and for the promotion of social progress. This rapid progress of pre-school education can be realized along with the fast growth of economy, cultural development, and the improvement of people\u27s living in China. Those are the current situation of pre-school and early childhood education both in Japan and China. We spent these 10 years to interchange research and education with Chinese counterpart and updated the information of pre-school education in China. This paper deals with the comparative analysis between current situation of Chinese pre-school education and those of Japanese early childhood education, particularly in cooperation with Ms. Zhu Shiyuan, Professor of Education at Beijing Normal University and President of OMEP Chinese Committee.国立情報学研究所『研究紀要公開支援事業』により電子化

Population‑based prostate‑specific antigen screening for prostate cancer may have an indirect effect on early detection through opportunistic testing in Kusatsu City, Shiga, Japan

Prostate cancer is the most common genitourinary cancer in men. Population-based serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is used to screen men for the early detection of asymptomatic prostate cancer. The present study compared the features of patients with prostate cancer in Kusatsu City, the only municipality in Shiga Prefecture of Japan to implement organized PSA screening, with those in other municipalities. The target population for organized PSA screening by mail invitation was men ≥50 years. Patients were pathologically diagnosed via prostate biopsy because of elevated serum PSA. This multicenter observational study was subsequently conducted in 14 hospitals. The following information was extracted from patient records: age, reason for PSA testing, initial PSA level, Gleason score, clinical stage, and place of residence. Risk classification was defined as low, intermediate, high, and advanced. Each patient was stratified according to their city/town. A total of 984 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in Shiga in 2012 and 2017 were analyzed, of which 955 (97%) were opportunistically tested, with the remaining 29 (3%) assessed by organized screening. In Kusatsu, 93 patients were diagnosed, of whom 26 (28%) were detected by organized screening. By contrast, only three of 891 patients (0.3%) were detected by organized screening in other municipalities. Of patients in Kusatsu, cases identified by opportunistic testing had a higher initial PSA value (P=0.010) than those identified by organized screening. However, patients detected through opportunistic testing in Kusatsu City were younger (P=0.034), had a lower PSA value (P=0.001), and improved risk classification (P<0.001) than those in other municipalities. It was concluded that more patients were diagnosed with early-stage cancer by organized PSA screening. Furthermore, population-based PSA screening in Kusatsu City may have indirectly affected early detection, even by opportunistic testing

Selection of Molding Method for CFRP Automotive Body Parts - Resin Injection vs. Compression

Part 3: Knowledge Based Production ManagementInternational audienceThe carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is now drawing attention in the automotive industry and has also recently been adopted for manufacturing bodies of mass produced electric vehicles. The CFRP molding method for automobile body can be largely categorized into the injection and compression methods. The essential difference between the two lies in whether or not the process involves an intermediary material and it became evident that this had a significant impact on quality and productivity. An evaluation was performed to determine which of these methods the valid method for basic molding, is by comparing the nature of such intermediary material with main components of automobile body, which led to the discovery of fundamental issues. A review on how technical developments thus far were considered with regards to such issues, it became evident that while significant progress was being made there was still a divergence from the expected target

ショウジョウバエの転写因子FTZ-F1の転写制御機構の解析

　多くの昆虫において、脱皮および変態の引き金となるのは、ステロイドホルモンであるエクジステロイドの生体濃度の一過的な上昇である。キイロショウジョウバエDrosophila melanogasterでは、20-ヒドロキシエクジソン（20HE）が主要な脱皮ホルモンとして同定されている。また、転写の活性化の指標となる唾線染色体上のパフの消長の観察や、パフ上に存在する遺伝子の発現パターンの解析から、20HEによる遺伝子誘導の機構について以下のようなモデルが提唱されている。すなわち、20HE-受容体複合体は、early puffsと呼ばれるパフ上の遺伝子（early genes）を活性化し、early genesの遺伝子産物はlate puffsと呼ばれる別のパフ上にある遺伝子（late genes）を活性化する。一方、mid-prepupal puffsと呼ばれるパフはこれらearly puffsおよびmid-prepupal puffsより遅れて形成され、20HEの濃度が上昇した後、下降してからはじめて誘導される。したがってmid-prepupal puffs上の遺伝子（mid-prepupal genes）の制御機構についてはより複雑な制御機構の存在が予想されるが、その詳細は明らかにされていない。　FTZ-F1は、核内ホルモンレセプタースーパーファミリーの一員であり、唯一クローン化が行われているmid-prepupal genesである。FTZ-F1遺伝子の遺伝子座である75CDに形成されるパフの観察から、FTZ-F1遺伝子は20HEの生体濃度が上昇した後、下降したときにはじめて発現すると予想されていた。実際に、FTZ-F1遺伝子が脱皮、変態時において、20HEのピークの直後に発現すること、およびカイコにおけるFTZ-F1遺伝子のカウンターパートであるBmFTZ-F1遺伝子が20HEの一過的な上昇により誘導されることが示されている。　FTZ-F1遺伝子の時期特異的転写制御機構を明らかにするため、様々な長さのFTZ-F1遺伝子の5’末端領域と、レポーター遺伝子（大腸菌lacZ遺伝子）との融合遺伝子を導入したキイロショウジョウバエの系統を作製し、抗β-ガラクトシダーゼ抗体を用いたウェスタンブロット法により、融合遺伝子の発現を定量的に解析した。その結果、1.6kgのFTZ-F1遺伝子5’末端領域を含む融合遺伝子が、FTZ-F1遺伝子と同様の時期特異的発現パターンを示したことから、この1.6kgの領域がFTZ-F1遺伝子の時期特異的発現に関わると考えられた。この領域に塩基配列特異的に結合する因子を検索するため、1.6kg領域内の制限酵素断片をプローブとし、後期胚および前蛹から調製した核抽出液を用いたelectrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA)をおこなった。その結果、18個の時期特異的に検出される因子と、13個の時期を問わず常に検出される因子を検出することが出来た。時期特異的に検出される因子のうち、I-4，II-4，II-7と名付けた因子は胚発生後期および前蛹期の両方の時期に検出され、FTZ-F1遺伝子の制御因子の有力な候補であると考えられた。メチル化干渉法による解析の結果、I-4およびII-7は核内ホルモンレセプターの認識配列に結合することが明らかとなった。II-4およびII-7は結合部位周辺の配列が似ているだけでなく、EMSAにおける移動度や時期的な検出パターンもよく一致しており、II-4およびII-7が同一の因子である可能性が考えられたので、この可能性を検討するため、II-4、II-7の結合部位（それぞれsiteIIa、siteIIc）の合成オリゴヌクレオチドを用いた競合阻害実験を行った。siteIIaをプローブに用いたEMSAにsiteIIcの非標識合成オリゴヌクレオチドを加えると、加えた量に応じてII-4の結合が阻害された。これらの結果から、II-4およびII-7は同一の因子であると考えられた。3齢幼虫後期および前蛹から経時的に調製した核抽出液を用いてEMSAを行い、I-4およびII-4/II-7の検出される時期を詳細に調べたところ、I-4は20HEの生体濃度のピークに呼応して検出されはじめ、FTZ-F1遺伝子の発現する時期には消失していた。一方、II-4/II-7もI-4とほぼ同時期に検出され始めるが、I-4とは異なりFTZ-F1遺伝子が発現している時期にも検出された。これらの結果から、I-4がFTZ-F1遺伝子の早すぎる発現を抑制し、II-4/II-7がFTZ-F1遺伝子を活性化している可能性が考えられる

Pressure-induced amorphization of a dense coordination polymer and its impact on proton conductivity

The proton conductivity of a dense coordination polymer (CP) was investigated under high-pressure conditions. Impedance measurements under high pressures revealed that the proton conductivity of the CP decreased more than 1000-fold at pressures of 3–7 GPa and that the activation energy for proton conduction almost doubled compared with that at ambient pressure. A synchrotron X-ray study under high pressure identified the amorphization process of the CP during compression, which rationally explains the decrease in conductivity and increase in activation energy. This phenomenon is categorized as reversible pressure-induced amorphization of a dense CP and is regarded as a demonstration of the coupling of the mechanical and electrical properties of a CP

Stroop interference and reverse Stroop interference as potential measures of cognitive ability during exposure to stress

Stroop interference and reverse-Stroop interference are one of the easiest and most powerful effects to demonstrate in a classroom. Therefore, they have been studied not only through basic research in the laboratory but also through applied research in extreme environments. First, we reviewed studies tha investigated Stroop interference and reverse-Stroop interference as hallmark measures of selective at attention and conflict resolution. Second, we reviewed studies that examined the effects of exposure to psychological and physical stress on cognitive perforemance using Stroop and the reverse-Stroop interference tasks. Fainally, we argued that future research sould focus on the effect of the relative frequency of incongruent and control trials and that of response to stimulus intervals on two Stroop interferences during stress exposure