Triaxial superdeformation in 40^{40}Ar

Superdeformed (SD) states in $^{40}$Ar have been studied using the deformed-basis antisymmetrized molecular dynamics. Low energy states were calculated by the parity and angular momentum projection (AMP) and the generator coordinate method (GCM). Basis wave functions were obtained by the energy variation with a constraint on the quadrupole deformation parameter $\beta$, while other quantities such as triaxiality $\gamma$ were optimized by the energy variation. By the GCM calculation, an SD band was obtained just above the ground state (GS) band. The SD band involves a $K^\pi = 2^+$ side band due to the triaxiality. The calculated electric quadrupole transition strengths of the SD band reproduce the experimental values appropriately. Triaxiality is significant for understanding low-lying states.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Analysis of School Oral History : Curriculum Development and Innovation of Project-Based Learning in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the multiple processes of curriculum development and innovation of Inquiry-based learning by Japanese school teachers in secondary education. In Japan inquiry-based learning, especially Problem-based Learning and Projectbased Learning, are currently receiving considerable attention for addressing the rapid-social changes anticipoted in the knowledgebased society by the year 2030 and beyond. The curriculum based on the educational policy, the curriculum experienced by students, and the reality of the curriculum mended and experienced by teachers have not been adequatly studied. This paper presents the multiple aspects of the the curriculum development by teachers by collecting narratives from the teachers themselves as one of the research projects of the Japan Innovative Schools Network supported by OECD. The project provides a means by which both teachers and researchers can work together to develope innovative curricula

Ductal carcinoma in situ and sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The impact of sentinel lymph node biopsy on breast cancer mimicking ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a matter of debate.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied the rate of occurrence of sentinel lymph node metastasis in 255 breast cancer patients with pure DCIS showing no invasive components on routine pathological examination. We compared this to the rate of occurrence in 177 patients with predominant intraductal-component (IDC) breast cancers containing invasive foci equal to or less than 0.5 cm in size.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the clinical and pathological baseline characteristics were the same between the two groups. However, peritumoral lymphatic permeation occurred less often in the pure DCIS group than in the IDC-predominant invasive-lesion group (1.2% vs. 6.8%, p = 0.002). One patient (0.39%) with pure DCIS had two sentinel lymph nodes positive for metastasis. This rate was significantly lower than that in patients with IDC-predominant invasive lesions (6.2%; p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Because the rate of sentinel lymph node metastasis in pure DCIS is very low, sentinel lymph node biopsy can safely be omitted.</p