Classification of Foreign Body Reactions due to Industrial Silicone Injection

A foreign body reaction (FBR) is a typical tissue response to a biomaterial that has been injected or implanted in human body tissue. There has been a lack of data on the classification of foreign body reaction to silicone injection, which can describe the pattern of body tissue responses to silicon

モンテッソーリ・メソッドにおける音楽教育の特質

内容の要約広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(教育学)Doctor of Philosophy in Educationdoctora

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Key Genes Involved in Weevil Resistance in the Hexaploid Sweetpotato

Because weevils are the most damaging pests of sweetpotato, the development of cultivars resistant to weevil species is considered the most important aspect in sweetpotato breeding. However, the genes and the underlying molecular mechanisms related to weevil resistance are yet to be elucidated. In this study, we performed an RNA sequencing-based transcriptome analysis using the resistant Kyushu No. 166 (K166) and susceptible Tamayutaka cultivars. The weevil resistance test showed a significant difference between the two cultivars at 30 days after the inoculation, specifically in the weevil growth stage and the suppressed weevil pupation that was only observed in K166. Differential expression and gene ontology analyses revealed that the genes upregulated after inoculation in K166 were related to phosphorylation, metabolic, and cellular processes. Because the weevil resistance was considered to be related to the suppression of larval pupation, we investigated the juvenile hormone (JH)-related genes involved in the inhibition of insect metamorphosis. We found that the expression of some terpenoid-related genes, which are classified as plant-derived JHs, was significantly increased in K166. This is the first study involving a comprehensive gene expression analysis that provides new insights about the genes and mechanisms associated with weevil resistance in sweetpotato

Features of Singing in the Montessori Method : The Musical Education of Maccheroni

Maccheroni worked with Montessori throughout her professional life, and was a major contributor to the development of musical education in the Montessori method. The current study aimed to distinguish the characteristics of singing in the Montessori Method through an examination of documents written by Maccheroni. Our analysis revealed four main components of singing education in the Montessori method: 1) The use of singing as a daily activity; 2) The development of singing techniques; 3) Developing an understanding of the elements of music; and 4) Learning ways to express oneself through the development of artistry. Overall, our results revealed several distinctive features of Maccheroni’s method of singing education, as a way of teaching children to express themselves through the unique worldview of their own music

Use of Tone Bars in the Montessori Method through an Examination of Costruisco la scala (1956)

This study aimed to distinguish the characteristics of the guidance provided by tone bars in the Montessori Method through an examination of documents written by A. M. Maccheroni. Throughout her life, Maccheroni collaborated with M. Montessori. Maccheroni contributed to the development of music education in the Montessori Method. Tone bars and bells are educational materials employed in the Montessori Method, and the use of tone bars was introduced by Maccheroni. This study found that by using tone bars, it was Maccheroni’s intention that children should acquire specialized knowledge of music, including writing and reading music and musical theory. Furthermore, the guidance provided by the tone bars follows a system like that with the guidance provided by bells. However, there is a difference between them: the guidance provided by tone bars relates to teacher-centered education, whereas the guidance provided by bells conforms to child-centered education

Children’s Musical Expression in the Montessori Method: Focusing on the Music Curriculum of J. K. Miller

J. K. Miller underwent Montessori Elementary Teacher Training in Bergamo, Italy, and concurrently received music education based in Montessori method instruction from Fresco-Galeazzi, who had been a student of A. M. Maccheroni. Miller is currently a trainer at the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training program organized by the Association Montessori Internationale. Miller developed a music curriculum in the Montessori method by expanding and modernizing the music education theory of M. Montessori, Maccheroni and E. B. Barnett. The current study aimed to clarify the position of children’s musical expression in Miller’s version of the Montessori method. In this research, we focused on the “Musical Instrument” and “Games and Musical Expression” areas of the program, including elements of musical expression of young children in Miller’s music curriculum. Analysis of children’s musical expression in Miller’s method revealed two main features: (1) collaborative activities are intended to develop children’s ability to express themselves through music; and (2) the process of expression and creative activity itself is emphasized. In addition, our results revealed that musical expression in Miller’s method contributes not only to mastering musical abilities and skills, but also to fostering “creativity” as a core component of the Montessori method

Musical Activity and Teachers’ Perspectives of Music Teaching in Montessori Kindergartens: A Questionnaire Survey

The current study sought to clarify musical activities and teachers’ perspectives of music teaching using a questionnaire-based survey for directors and teachers in nine Montessori kindergartens in Hiroshima prefecture. Although the basic form of the Montessori method involves the care of children of different ages with individual guidance, approximately 90% of all nursery teachers were found to teach children of the same age in group musical instruction. This situation is likely to have occurred because many kindergartens are involved in instrumental ensembles and singing among children of the same age. The following three characteristics were identified as tendencies in teachers’ perspectives of music teaching: 1) until musical activities were performed by the group, the teacher conducted guidance according to the interest and developmental stage of each child; 2) the teacher intended to help the child clearly grasp the musical instrument rendition style using the Montessori teaching method called “presentation”; and 3) teachers placed importance on children listening to sound in a natural way. In each Montessori kindergarten surveyed, elements of the Montessori method were clearly distributed throughout the musical activities, apart from the musical activities devised by Montessori and colleagues

Musical Teaching Method for Preschool- and Elementary School-aged Children in A. M. Maccheroni’s Montessori Method : Focusing on Music Book: Melody

A.M. Maccheroni developed a music education approach for preschool- and elementary school-aged children using the Montessori Method. To clarify the tenets of Maccheroni’s musical teaching method, we focus on her Music Book. The Music Book consists of 6 volumes; in this study, we start by analyzing Music Book: Melody (Vol. 5), intended for children over 5 years old. As a result of our study, the following becomes clear；1) Music Book: Melody (Vol. 5) aims to increase children’s capacity for music composition and appreciation, 2) Music Book: Melody (Vol. 5) builds on the techniques shown in earlier volumes. In other words, children acquire the learning contents through repetition

Effects of improved sodium uptake ability on grain yields of rice plants under low potassium supply

Sodium uptake is a factor that determines potassium use efficiency in plants as sodium can partially replace potassium in plant cells. Rice (Oryza sativa) roots usually exclude sodium but actively take it up when the plant is deficient in potassium. In rice roots, a sodium transporter OsHKT2;1 mediates active sodium uptake. We previously revealed that variation in the expression of OsHKT2;1 underlies the variation in sodium accumulation between a low-sodium-accumulating indica cultivar, IR64, and a high-sodium-accumulating japonica cultivar, Koshihikari. In the present study, we evaluated IR64 and its near-isogenic line IR64-K carrying OsHKT2;1 and neighboring genes inherited from Koshihikari for grain yield. IR64-K had a greater average grain yield and harvest index than IR64 in a pot culture experiment with three levels of potassium fertilizer. The differences were most significant under treatment without the potassium fertilizer. IR64-K also showed a slightly higher grain yield than IR64 when grown in a paddy field without applying the potassium fertilizer. These results suggest that enhanced sodium uptake ability improves the grain yield of rice plants under low-potassium-input conditions

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF BMPS AND MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT ACROSS A SOCIOECONOMIC GRADIENT

To reduce nutrient pollution in our waterways and restore impaired watersheds, residents are needed to voluntarily practice a range of stormwater best management practices (BMPs). The overall goal of my thesis was to better understand barriers to BMP implementation by exploring the links among resident demographics, knowledge, and behaviors, as well as mosquito management, so that appropriate education can be more effectively developed and targeted. Importantly, this study found respondents who defined themselves as Caucasian or other races, and that were in owned houses, had higher mean BMP knowledge than respondents that identified themselves as African American and who are renters, respectively. This study also found that one barrier to BMP implementation, concern of mosquito breeding in BMPs, was not significant. Estimated abundances for all mosquito abundance metrics were significantly higher in combined other types of wet containers compared to wet disconnected downspouts, a commonly found BMP