A Task Inventory at Job-Entry Level for Malaysian Bakers

As Malaysia strides towards achieving its Vision 2020 to become an industrialised nation, there is need and demand for more capable, skilled and semiskilled workers. It has been the contention that what is taught in vocational schools do not meet the current needs of the industry; that there is a necessity for closer linkages between industry and vocational education. So it is necessary to get the employers and the job incumbents to be involved in vocational Home Economics related programmes, particularly the Bakery and Confectionery programme. A study is needed to examine the relationship between programme content and the competencies required by the industries in which the students are being trained for, especially in Home Economics because the market demand is comparatively small. In this study the task inventory analysis technique was used. The decision rule whether to accept or reject the tasks required for job entry-level, was based on the mean score of 2.0 on scale of I-3 for frequency of performance as well as level of importance. Analysis of the data indicated that all the tasks under duty statements, General Duties and Specific Duties, were accepted as job-entry tasks for a baker. As such these tasks were considered relevant for a task inventory which could be utilised as a guide for the training of vocational education students of the Bakery and Confectionery programme in the country. However, there were differences in the ranking of tasks, on how frequently they were performed or how important the tasks were - at job entry-level, among bakers, employers, teachers and students. The responses of each group differed based on their perception of the tasks carried out. Developing an inventory of tasks for bakers at job-entry provided the linkage between industry and vocational education through the involvement of the employers and bakers. Teachers and students in the vocational Home Economics programmes were made aware of the required competencies at job-entry level

Choroidal vasculature in bietti crystalline dystrophy with CYP4V2 mutations and in retinitis pigmentosa with EYS mutations

Purpose: We compare the choroidal vascular area between Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD) patients with CYP4V2 mutations, retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients with EYS mutations, and normal controls, and investigate the correlation between choroidal vascular area and associated parameters. Methods: This prospective case-series study included consecutive nine eyes of nine BCD patients with CYP4V2 mutations (BCD group), 16 eyes of 16 RP patients with EYS mutations (EYS-RP group), and 16 eyes of 16 normal volunteers matched for age and axial length (control group). Using swept-source optical coherence tomography, we obtained en face images of the choroidal vasculature at the midpoint of the choriocapillaris layer--Sattler's layer (inner choroid) and Haller's layer (outer choroid). After binarization, we compared the inner and outer choroidal vascular areas among the three groups and identified associated factors. Results: The outer choroidal vascular area was 43.34 ± 5.76%, 53.73 ± 4.92%, and 52.80 ± 4.10% in the BCD, EYS-RP, and control groups, respectively. This value was significantly smaller in the BCD group than in the EYS-RP and control groups (P < 0.001 in both; no significant difference between the EYS-RP and control groups). In the BCD group, the outer choroidal vascular area was correlated strongly with the subfoveal inner choroidal thickness (P = 0.001, r = 0.91, respectively). The inner choroidal vasculature could not be identified in eight of nine eyes in the BCD group. Conclusions: The outer choroidal vascular narrowing might progress with the inner choroidal thinning in BCD, and the inner choroidal vasculature might be extinguished in advanced-stage BCD. Our findings may help to clarify the etiology of BCD

Role of exosomes as a proinflammatory mediator in the development of EBV-associated lymphoma

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes various diseases in the elderly, including B-cell lymphoma such as Hodgkin's lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Here, we show that EBV acts in trans on noninfected macrophages in the tumor through exosome secretion and augments the development of lymphomas. In a humanized mouse model, the different formation of lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) between 2 EBV strains (Akata and B95-8) was evident. Furthermore, injection of Akata-derived exosomes affected LPD severity, possibly through the regulation of macrophage phenotype in vivo. Exosomes collected from Akata-lymphoblastoid cell lines reportedly contain EBV-derived noncoding RNAs such as BamHI fragment A rightward transcript (BART) micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and EBVencoded RNA.We focused on the exosome-mediated delivery of BART miRNAs. In vitro, BART miRNAs could induce the immune regulatory phenotype in macrophages characterized by the gene expressions of interleukin 10, tumor necrosis factor-a, and arginase 1, suggesting the immune regulatory role of BART miRNAs.The expression level of an EBV-encoded miRNA was strongly linked to the clinical outcomes in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.These results implicate BART miRNAs as 1 of the factors regulating the severity of lymphoproliferative disease and as a diagnostic marker for EBV1 B-cell lymphoma. (Blood. 2018;131(23):2552-2567)

人工内耳装用児の言語・認知神経心理学的諸能力 : 装用年齢の異なる症例での比較検討

We followed and investigated about the speech-language and cognitive-neuropsychological abilities of two cases, started wearing cochlear implant(CI in the followings) from different ages. And we compared and examined the effects of the age of started wearing CI on the development of them. The results were as follows; Case-A started wearing CI in age of 2, he could achieve the normal developmental level as his calendar age on speech-language and cognitive-neuropsychological abilities. Case-B started wearing CI in age of 6, it was remarkable he restarted in order of his recognition of vocabulary, verbal-intelligence, abilities of articulation, speech-hearing, for the lateness of started wearing the hearing aided devices. It was suggested that they could have the possibility of acquisition of speech-language abilities practically using their hearing, if we would have CI worn on them before age of 3

環境配慮型生活における生活質感評価法の研究Ｉ : 生活モデル模索への覚書

The present thesis reports of the activities of a Team project“ Assessment Project for Criteria for Human Life Quality”， established by several members of the Department of Life Environmental Sciences. Preliminary research was mainly conducted in areas of consumer products use， housing facilities， as well as the cultivation of public opinion and attitudes towards low energy life. The high accumulation of systems and functions， the rational and rigid differentiations of tasks and areas， typical of city life， aggravate the alienation of the individual and accelerate the consumption rate of material and energy resource. Further research is necessary， therefore， to relocate the areas in which the needs for privacy and property can be reformulated to embrace a more organic and cyclic concept of life

Use of magnetic resonance analysis for clinical evaluation of the peripheral area of gestational sac in bleeding and non-bleeding ectopic pregnancy cases

Purpose To evaluate preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of bleeding and non-bleeding ectopic pregnancy (EP) by comparison with surgical findings. Methods Eighteen suspected EP cases underwent preoperative MR imaging. We classified 8 cases as the bleeding group and 7 cases as the non-bleeding group with or without intra-abdominal bleeding and/or hematoma at the site of EP, and compared, retrospectively, gestational sac (GS)-like structure, particularly the peripheral area of the GS via MR analysis. Excluded were 3 cases that were insufficient for assessing extrauterine GS-like structure: ruptured tubal pregnancy and uterine horn pregnancy. Results GS-like structures were typically observed as low intensity on T1-weighted image (T1WI) and as high intensity on T2-weighted image (T2WI). In non-bleeding cases, most peripheral areas of the GS were of intermediate intensity on T1WI and high intensity on T2WI. Most bleeding cases were of high intensity on T1WI and low to high intensity on T2WI. Furthermore, the peripheral area of the GS was of higher intensity on T1WI with fat suppression than on T1WI. Conclusions It is clear that MR imaging is effective for diagnosis of cases of suspected EP. EP conditions may be predicted by signal intensity of the peripheral area of the GS via MR analysis

Induction of 11 -HSD 1 and activation of distinct mineralocorticoid receptor- and glucocorticoid receptor-dependent gene networks in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells

The actions of glucocorticoids at the feto-maternal interface are not well understood. Here, we show that decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) in response to progesterone and cAMP signaling is associated with a strong induction of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11βHSD1) expression and enzyme activity. Decidualization also triggered a gradual decrease in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression and reciprocal increase in mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) levels. Gene expression profiling of differentiating HESCs after small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of either GR or MR identified 239 and 167 significantly regulated genes, respectively. Interestingly, GR-repressed genes were enriched for Krüppel-associated box domain containing zinc-finger proteins, transcriptional repressors involved in heterochromatin formation. In agreement, GR knockdown was sufficient to enhance trimethylated H3K9 levels in decidualizing cells. Conversely, we identified several MR-dependent genes implicated in lipid droplet biogenesis and retinoid metabolism. For example, the induction in differentiating HESCs of DHRS3, encoding a highly conserved enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation/reduction of retinoids and steroids, was enhanced by aldosterone, attenuated in response to MR knockdown, and abolished upon treatment with the MR antagonist RU26752. Furthermore, we demonstrate that decidualization is associated with dynamic changes in the abundance and distribution of cytoplasmic lipid droplets, the formation of which was blocked by RU26752. In summary, progesterone drives local cortisol biosynthesis by decidual cells through induction of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11βHSD1), leading to transcriptional regulation of distinct GR and MR gene networks involved in epigenetic programming and lipid and retinoid metabolism, respectively

Comparative Metabolomics of Small Molecules Specifically Expressed in the Dorsal or Ventral Marginal Zones in Vertebrate Gastrula

Many previous studies have reported the various proteins specifically secreted as inducers in the dorsal or ventral regions in vertebrate gastrula. However, little is known about the effect on cell fate of small molecules below 1000 Da. We therefore tried to identify small molecules specifically expressed in the dorsal marginal zone (DMZ) or ventral marginal zone (VMZ) in vertebrate gastrula. Small intracellular and secreted molecules were detected using explants and supernatant samples. Hydrophilic metabolites were analyzed by capillary ion chromatography–mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and lipids were analyzed by supercritical fluid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. In total, 190 hydrophilic metabolites and 396 lipids were identified. The DMZ was found to have high amounts of glycolysis- and glutathione metabolism-related metabolites in explants, and the VMZ was richer in purine metabolism-related metabolites. We also discovered some hydrophilic metabolites and lipids differentially contained in the DMZ or VMZ. Our research would contribute to a deeper understanding of the cellular physiology that regulates early embryogenesis