Developmental and gender trends in emotional literacy and interpersonal competence among Japanese children

This study explored cross-sectional gender and grade level trends in emotional literacy and interpersonal competence among 913 elementary and middle school students in Japan. Students were presented with two hypothetical scenarios involving mixed emotions and potential interpersonal dilemmas. Results indicated that older children possess greater emotional literacy when compared to younger children. Additionally, girls identified a greater number of emotions, were better able to identify mixed emotions, and were more likely to identify empathic interpersonal behaviours. These gender and grade level considerations may be incorporated into social-emotional learning curricula to enhance the utility and effectiveness of programs for diverse populations.peer-reviewe

Investigating the Bow-Pulling Model in Reverse Culture Shock

逆カルチャーショックの存在は知られるが、その機序の解明は十分とは言い難い。滞在先によく馴染むほど再適応は困難になるとみる「弓引きモデル」が成り立つかどうかをRQ1、文化受容と帰国後のその変化をRQ2、逆カルチャーショックの心理的機序をRQ3として、日本人元留学生12名に半構造化面接を行った。渡航先は北米6名、欧州3名、オセアニア1名、アジア2名であった。語りから社会文化的な認知や行動の変容と維持を抽出し、KJ法を用いて分析した。帰国後切り替えられた文化行動には、表出性（双方向的授業、主張性、明言、相互性）、社会的圧力（自由さ、過度な気遣いなし、おおらかさ）、親近性（身体接触を伴う挨拶、フレンドリーさ、パーティー）のカテゴリが見いだされた。二文化性への態度として、習慣取り入れ、受容の態度、母文化拒否感、転換への消極性、スイッチングのカテゴリが認められた。弓引きモデルの該当例は8名見られた。滞在先で文化受容が進み、帰国後は二文化を客観視する2名は再適応の困難が小さく、俯瞰モデルと名付けられた。文化受容が限定的で母文化が比較的維持され、再適応の速やかな2名は維持モデルと名付けられた。滞在先での文化受容は逆カルチャーショックを潜在的に準備するが、母文化観が相対的でなく拒否的な場合に、再適応の難度が高まる。この機序は、文化受容の可逆性や準拠文化の択一性、文化的スイッチングの機能に関わる問いに繋がる

Emergence of Benzimidazole- and Strobilurin-Quinone Outside Inhibitor-Resistant Strains of <em>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</em> sensu lato, the Causal Fungus of Japanese Pear Anthracnose, and Alternative Fungicides to Resistant Strains

Japanese pear anthracnose (JPA) can cause severe tree defoliation during the growing season. Infected trees become weak and produce fewer flower buds the following spring. This economically serious fungal plant disease has affected cultivated pears in Japan since 1910. Initially, JPA was controlled by benzimidazole fungicides. However, benzimidazole-resistant pathogen strains emerged in the late 1990s, and the range of JPA has expanded in Japan. Since then strobilurin-quinone outside inhibitors (ST-QoIs) such as azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl became popular, but ST-QoI-resistant pathogen strains appeared. By 2005, JPA control became difficult once again. In this chapter, we outline the history of JPA fungicide resistance problems, assess advantages and disadvantages of available fungicide options, and develop JPA management strategies based on evidences we obtained from a series of field and lab studies

ESCOLHA DE MATERIAL TÉCNICO E SISTEMAS CONSTRUTIVOS DESTINADOS À PRODUÇÃO DE HABITAÇÃO POPULAR E DE CONDIÇÕES DE HABITABILIDADE

This paper is an account of the purpose, the programme and the setting up in 1990 of Development Centre for Urban and Community Equipment (Cedec, for short in Portuguese) run directly by the City Council. It also discusses the use of reinforced mortar in the production of light precast modules for application in workers housing and low-cost infrastructure.O texto trata da criação do Centro de Desenvolvimento de Equipamentos Urbanos e Comunitários (Cedec) junto à prefeitura de São Paulo, em 1990, comentando seu escopo e objetivos. Enfoca o emprego da argamassa armada na produção de pré-moldados leves visando atender à habitação e obras de uso popular e natureza social

On the Bio-Rearrangement into Fully Saturated Fatty Acids-Containing Triglyceride in Aurantiochytrium sp

AbstractA strain of Aurantiochytrium sp. was grown in media with various concentrations of glucose to monitor triglyceride production as a potential source of oil for biodiesel. The fatty acid composition of triglyceride in the strain was unique, because the fatty acids consisted of only 6 molecular species, and the major species were myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, heptadecanoic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids. When cells were cultured in glucose-rich (over 9%) medium for 4 days, the triglyceride yields were 0.5-1.0g/L. After culture for 4 days, the fatty acid composition of triglyceride was nearly identical in all cells grown in media containing various concentrations of glucose. However, when cells were grown in medium containing 12% glucose for 12 days, unique triglyceride containing only saturated fatty acids accumulated. This bio-rearrangement into fully-saturated fatty acids-containing triglyceride may be utilized for the preparation of biodiesel oil

Disruption of a Novel NADH-Glutamate Synthase2 Gene Caused Marked Reduction in Spikelet Number of Rice

Inorganic ammonium ions are assimilated by a coupled reaction of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase (GOGAT). In rice, three genes encoding either ferredoxin (Fd)-GOGAT, NADH-GOGAT1, or NADH-GOGAT2, have been identified. OsNADH-GOGAT2, a newly identified gene, was expressed mainly in fully expanded leaf blades and leaf sheaths. Although the distinct expression profile to OsNADH-GOGAT1, which is mainly detected in root tips, developing leaf blades, and grains, was shown in our previous studies, physiological role of NADH-GOGAT2 is not yet known. Here, we isolated retrotransposon mediated-knockout mutants lacking OsNADH-GOGAT2. In rice grown under paddy field conditions, disruption of the OsNADH-GOGAT2 gene caused a remarkable decrease in spikelet number per panicle associated with a reductions in yield and whole plant biomass, when compared with wild-type (WT) plants. The total nitrogen contents in the senescing leaf blade of the mutants were approximately a half of the WT plants. Expression of this gene was mainly detected in phloem companion cells and phloem parenchyma cells associated with large vascular bundles in fully expanded leaf blades, when the promoter region fused with a β-glucuronidase gene was introduced into the WT rice. These results suggest that the NADH-GOGAT2 is important in the process of glutamine generation in senescing leaves for the remobilization of leaf nitrogen through phloem to the panicle during natural senescence. These results also indicate that other GOGATs, i.e., NADH-GOGAT1 and ferredoxin-GOGAT are not able to compensate the function of NADH-GOGAT2

A silent eligibility trace enables dopamine‐dependent synaptic plasticity for reinforcement learning in the mouse striatum

Dopamine-dependent synaptic plasticity is a candidate mechanism for reinforcement learning. A silent eligibility trace - initiated by synaptic activity and transformed into synaptic strengthening by later action of dopamine - has been hypothesized to explain the retroactive effect of dopamine in reinforcing past behaviour. We tested this hypothesis by measuring time-dependent modulation of synaptic plasticity by dopamine in adult mouse striatum, using whole-cell recordings. Presynaptic activity followed by postsynaptic action potentials (pre-post) caused spike-timing-dependent long-term depression in D1-expressing neurons, but not in D2 neurons, and not if postsynaptic activity followed presynaptic activity. Subsequent experiments focused on D1 neurons. Applying a dopamine D1 receptor agonist during induction of pre-post plasticity caused long-term potentiation. This long-term potentiation was hidden by long-term depression occurring concurrently and was unmasked when long-term depression blocked an L-type calcium channel antagonist. Long-term potentiation was blocked by a Ca(2+) -permeable AMPA receptor antagonist but not by an NMDA antagonist or an L-type calcium channel antagonist. Pre-post stimulation caused transient elevation of rectification - a marker for expression of Ca(2+) -permeable AMPA receptors - for 2-4-s after stimulation. To test for an eligibility trace, dopamine was uncaged at specific time points before and after pre- and postsynaptic conjunction of activity. Dopamine caused potentiation selectively at synapses that were active 2-s before dopamine release, but not at earlier or later times. Our results provide direct evidence for a silent eligibility trace in the synapses of striatal neurons. This dopamine-timing-dependent plasticity may play a central role in reinforcement learning

Marked Hypertriglyceridemia in a Patient with type 2 Diabetes Receiving SGLT2 Inhibitors

A 43-year-old male with type 2 diabetes, under treatment with 5 mg/day of dapagliflozin, was referred to our hospital with upper left abdominal pain and marked hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides [TGs], 5,960 mg/dl). He was also on a low-carbohydrate diet that promoted ketosis under sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor administration. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a remarkable increase in very-low-den-sity lipoprotein, a TG-rich lipoprotein particle synthesized in the liver using free fatty acids derived from adi-pose tissue. Although SGLT2 inhibitors generally improve the lipid profile, under certain conditions such as a low-carbohydrate diet, they may adversely exacerbate the lipid profile via ketosis

Association between the quality of life and asymptomatic episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the J-RHYTHM II study

AbstractBackgroundParoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) patients have a reduced quality-of-life (QoL) despite the fact that the majority of AF episodes are asymptomatic. Asymptomatic AF is likely to be associated with substantial morbidity and mortality rates similar to those with symptomatic AF, whereas its effect on the QoL has not yet been clarified.PurposeWe studied the specific contribution of asymptomatic AF episodes to reducing the QoL.MethodsWe assessed the QoL in 233 patients with paroxysmal AF and hypertension (age 64.9±9.7 years, 71% male) enrolled in the Japanese Rhythm Management Trial II for Atrial Fibrillation (J-RHYTHM II study) using an AF-specific QoL questionnaire (AFQLQ). The AFQLQ comprised 3 components: AFQLQ1, the frequency and duration of symptoms; AFQLQ2, severity of symptoms; and AFQLQ3, limitations in daily activities and mental anxiety. Higher scores indicated a better QoL. Each patient transmitted electrocardiograms for 30s daily at a predetermined time as well as whenever arrhythmia-related symptoms were experienced. We examined the relationship between the 3 AFQLQ components and frequency of symptomatic and asymptomatic AF episodes (days/month) during 12 months of follow-up.ResultsThe symptomatic and asymptomatic AF frequencies were 0.9±3.1 days/month and 1.5±3.5 days/month, respectively. AFQLQ1 negatively correlated with the symptomatic AF frequency (Spearman's correlation coefficient: r=−0.332, p<0.001). AFQLQ2 and AFQLQ3 correlated with both the symptomatic AF frequency (r=−0.27, p<0.001 and r=−0.265, p<0.001, respectively) and asymptomatic AF frequency (r=−0.197, p<0.01 and r=−0.229, p<0.005, respectively).ConclusionThe asymptomatic AF episode frequency correlates with a reduced QoL in patients with paroxysmal AF, suggesting that there would be psychological benefits to its reduction