Model-based analyses of trends over time in the age corresponding to the transition phase for Antarctic minke whales in the JARPA research area

This study applies a model-based approach similar to that of Thomson et al. (1999) to the transition phase data obtained from JARPA surveys to examine trends in the age at maturity for the I and P stocks of Antarctic minke whales. The results, which takes into account various potential biases related to examining trend in transition phase data (i.e. truncation and fringe effects, differences between readers, and readers learning over time) suggest that the age at maturity of Antarctic minke whales declined from about 11 years in the late 1940s to 7 years in the late 1960s for both stocks, and these declining trends are statistically significant at the 5% level. The analyses also suggest that the age at maturity increased slightly from the late 1960s to the late 1970s and has stabilized thereafter. These trends are consistent with the results obtained from VPA (Mori et al. 2006), which suggest that for both the I and P stocks, abundance increased from the 1940s to the late 1960s and thereafter has been stable or declined somewhat. This consistency enhances the confidence to be placed in estimates of parameters (such as natural mortality and MSYR) from such VPA analyses that may be of value for management purposes. It also serves to demonstrate the utility of age-at-maturity as an index to monitor stock status, and suggests that continued monitoring of this parameter is desirable both for this purpose and for contributing to the understanding of the dynamics of the Antarctic ecosystem

ソウサクブツ ノ ドウサ ヒョウゲン ホウホウ ニ タイスル ジョウホウ ギジュツ ノ カツヨウ

Educational content of the drawing and handicrafts has generally divided into two areas of "Expression" and "Appreciation" as being provided by the elementary school course of study. This research focuses on the former content of study concerning the expression of motion which pupils want to produce with feeling, seeing, and imagination and so on. The purpose is to use the information technology as a technique for expressing the motion of a creative object in order to expand pupils\u27 activity range. A motion-expression-type robot is proposed as the teaching material that can be used in the class of the drawing and handicrafts. The pupil can make the robot move by either a manual operation or an embedded microcomputer. The possibility to be able to apply the proposed robot to the drawing and handicrafts is considered. The understanding level of the expression of the motion by the information technology is also investigated by using the robot. As a result ofthe research class in the elementary school, it has been clear to be able to apply the information technology to express the motion of the creative object

Pathway to psychiatric care in Japan: A multicenter observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study examines pathways to psychiatric care in Japan using the same method as the collaborative study carried out in 1991 under the auspices of the World Health Organization.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirteen psychiatric facilities in Japan were involved. Of the 228 patients who contacted psychiatric facilities with any psychiatric illness, eighty four visiting psychiatric facilities for the first time were enrolled. Pathways to psychiatric care, delays from the onset of illness to treatment prior to reaching psychiatrists were surveyed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty three patients (39.4%) directly accessed mental health professionals, 32 patients (38.1%) reached them via general hospital, and 13 patients (15.5%) via private practitioners. The patients who consulted mental health professionals as their first carers took a longer time before consulting psychiatrists than the patients who consulted non-mental health professionals as their first carers. The patients who presented somatic symptoms as their main problem experienced longer delay from the onset of illness to psychiatric care than the patients who complained about depressive or anxiety symptoms. Prior to the visit to mental health professionals, patients were rarely informed about their diagnosis and did not receive appropriate treatments from their physicians. Private practitioners were more likely to prescribe psychotropics than physicians in general hospitals, but were less likely to inform their patients of their diagnosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This first pathway to psychiatric care study in Japan demonstrated that referral pathway in Japan heavily relies on medical resources. The study indicates possible fields and gives indications, underlining the importance of improving skills and knowledge that will facilitate the recognition of psychiatric disorders presenting with somatic and depressive symptoms in the general health care system and by private practitioners.</p

Sarcopenic Dysphagia and Simplified Rehabilitation Nutrition Care Process: An Update

Sarcopenic dysphagia is characterized by weakness of swallowing-related muscles associated with whole-body sarcopenia. As the number of patients with sarcopenia increases with the aging of the world, the number of patients with sarcopenic dysphagia is also increasing. The prevalence of sarcopenic dysphagia is high in the institutionalized older people and in patients hospitalized for pneumonia with dysphagia in acute care hospitals. Prevention, early detection and intervention of sarcopenic dysphagia with rehabilitation nutrition are essential. The diagnosis of sarcopenic dysphagia is based on skeletal and swallowing muscle strength and muscle mass. A reliable and validated diagnostic algorithm for sarcopenic dysphagia is used. Sarcopenic dysphagia is associated with malnutrition, which leads to mortality and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) decline. The rehabilitation nutrition approach improves swallowing function, nutrition status, and ADL. A combination of aggressive nutrition therapy to improve nutrition status, dysphagia rehabilitation, physical therapy, and other interventions can be effective for sarcopenic dysphagia. The rehabilitation nutrition care process is used to assess and problem solve the patient’s pathology, sarcopenia, and nutrition status. The simplified rehabilitation nutrition care process consists of a nutrition cycle and a rehabilitation cycle, each with five steps: assessment, diagnosis, goal setting, intervention, and monitoring. Nutrition professionals and teams implement the nutrition cycle. Rehabilitation professionals and teams implement the rehabilitation cycle. Both cycles should be done simultaneously. The nutrition diagnosis of undernutrition, overnutrition/obesity, sarcopenia, and goal setting of rehabilitation and body weight are implemented collaboratively

A key role for neuropeptide Y in lifespan extension and cancer suppression via dietary restriction

Knowledge of genes essential for the life-extending effect of dietary restriction (DR) in mammals is incomplete. In this study, we found that neuropeptide Y (Npy), which mediates physiological adaptations to energy deficits, is an essential link between DR and longevity in mice. The lifespan-prolonging effect of lifelong 30% DR was attenuated in Npy-null mice, as was the effect on the occurrence of spontaneous tumors and oxidative stress responses in comparison to wild-type mice. In contrast, the physiological processes activated during adaptation to DR, including inhibition of anabolic signaling molecules (insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1), modulation of adipokine and corticosterone levels, and preferential fatty acid oxidation, were unaffected by the absence of Npy. These results suggest a key role for Npy in mediating the effects of DR. We also provide evidence that most of the physiological adaptations to DR could be achieved in mice without Npy

Studies on Reception Processes of Picture Books

異学科学生に専門性を共有させながら，キーワード「絵本」に基づいてそれぞれの専門分野を展開し，実践可能なエリアで子育て支援のあり方を各教員と学生が模索しながら３年間の実践を重ねた．その中で次世代子育て予備軍としての学生たちは，どのように「絵本」を受容して子育て実践教育に資することが出来たか事後調査を中心に，実践学生群と非実践学生群の比較から検証した．結果，両群共に子育て支援の媒材としての絵本と，彼らが解釈する絵本の意味・位置付けが異なることが検証された．さらに，体験してきた過去の絵本観と子育て支援に資するための絵本観も体験の有無に関係なく異質であることも判明した．しかし，子どもとの接点，子どもに対する姿勢の在り方は体験の有無で差異が見られた．拠って，世相の流れのなかでブックスタート活動などの活発化から鑑みても，子育て支援の媒材としての絵本観，すなわち意味と位置付けを，学生を含めた子育て中の母親に対しても，その役割を解く必要性を明らかにした