手話通訳資格保持者における通訳活動の実態と資質・能力に関する調査研究

本研究では、全国の手話通訳士及び手話通訳者を対象としたWeb 調査を実施し、手話通訳士及び手話通訳者における通訳活動の現状（検討１）と、資質・能力の実態（検討２）について分析・検討した。検討１では、対象者の属性、所持資格に関する情報、通訳活動の実態から、通訳活動に従事する通訳者の特徴について分析・検討した。483名の回答を分析した結果、年齢、手話通訳士資格の有無、資格取得前の経験が、通訳派遣の従事時間や通訳業務に係る雇用の有無と関連することが示されたが、資格取得後の経験年数との関連は明確でなかった。また、地域によって、通訳ニーズや雇用実態が異なることが示唆された。検討２では、職業倫理や行動規範に関する自己評定を求めるとともに、手話通訳スキルのテストを実施した。分析の結果、手話通訳士資格の有無と手話通訳スキルに一定の関係があること、一部の地域を除き手話通訳スキルに顕著な差は認められないこと、手話通訳スキルの高い通訳者においても通訳能力の自己評価が高くないことが明らかとなった。以上を踏まえ、手話通訳に関する通訳者養成に向けた課題や問題点について考察した。In this study, we conducted a nationwide web-based survey of sign language interpreters. In Study 1, to examine the characteristics of sign language interpreters, we analyzed the responses of 483 qualified sign language interpreters regarding (1) individual attributes, (2) sign language interpreting qualifications, and (3) actual status of interpreting activities. The results indicated that age; possessing qualifications recognized by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare; and years of experience prior to gaining qualifications were related to the time spent engaged in interpreting dispatch and to whether the respondent was employed in interpreting-related work. However, the relationship with years of experience after qualifications was unclear. It was also suggested that the demand for and employment status of interpreters varied by region. In Study 2, to examine the characteristics of interpreting skills and related factors, we analyzed (1) the professional ethics of sign language interpreters and (2) sign language interpreting skills. The analysis revealed that there is a relationship between sign language interpreting skills and qualifications. There is no significant difference in sign language interpreting skills, except in some regions. Finally, interpreters with high sign language interpreting skills do not have high self-evaluations of their interpreting competency. The study concludes with a discussion of the issues in training interpreters for sign language interpreting.本研究は、令和３年度厚生労働科学研究費補助金（障害者政策総合研究事業）（20GC1014）の助成を受けた

Gender difference in the relationships between vision and hearing impairments and negative well-being.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of hearing impairment, vision impairment and their combination (dual sensory impairment) with negative well-being such as depression, subjective poor health and the reduced functional ability in community-dwelling older adults, and to determine whether any association varies by gender. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2006, we objectively examined vision and hearing impairment (using best-corrected visual acuity and pure-tone audiometric test) in 843 people aged 65 years and older (351 males, 492 females) in a rural Japanese town. Through a home visit interview survey using a structured questionnaire, we also collected information on depression (the five-item Geriatric Depression Scale), subjective poor health, and reduced functional activity (the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology's Index of Competence). RESULTS: We observed gender differences in the association between sensory impairment and depression. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that hearing impairment in males (adjusted odds ratio: 2.22, 95% confidence interval; 1.07-4.61) and vision impairment in females (1.91, 1.14-3.21) were related to depression. Vision impairment and dual sensory impairment were also associated with subjective poor health and reduced functional activity in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Sensory impairment is significantly associated with negative well-being in older persons, and its association with depression may differ between males and females

Serum levels of retinol and other antioxidants for hearing impairment among Japanese older adults.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the relation between serum levels of retinol and other antioxidants and hearing impairment in Japanese older adults. METHODS: This is a community-based cross-sectional study comprising 762 residents aged 65 years or older in Kurabuchi, Gumma, Japan. We measured serum retinol and other antioxidants (alpha- and gamma-tocopherols, and carotenoids including beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha- and beta-carotenes, lycopene, and lutein plus zeaxanthin) by high-performance liquid chromatography and divided each measurement into quartiles. Hearing impairment was defined as a failure to hear a 30-dB hearing level (HL) signal at 1 kHz and a 40-dB HL signal at 4 kHz in the better ear in pure-tone audiometric tests. The odds ratios (OR) for hearing impairment were calculated for each of the upper three quartiles of retinol and other antioxidant levels relative to the lowest quartile. RESULTS: Crude analysis showed that serum levels of retinol and provitamin A carotenoids (beta-cryptoxanthin, and alpha- and beta-carotenes) were inversely related to the prevalence of hearing impairment. The multiadjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) for the highest quartile of retinol and the provitamin A family (combinations of provitamin A carotenoids) compared with the lowest were 0.51 (0.26-1.00) and 0.53 (0.27-1.02), respectively. A dose-response relationship was observed for retinol (p = .03) and provitamin A (p = .09). CONCLUSION: Increased serum levels of retinol and provitamin A carotenoids were clearly associated with a decreased prevalence of hearing impairment

Millimeter- and Submillimeter-Wave Observations of the OMC-2/3 Region. II. Observational Evidence for Outflow-Triggered Star Formation in the OMC-2 FIR 3/4 Region

We have carried out the observations of the OMC-2 FIR 3/4 region with the NMA and ASTE in the H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ (1--0), $^{12}$CO (3--2, 1--0), SiO ($v$=0, $J$=2--1), CS (2--1), and CH$_3$OH ($J_K$=7$_K$--6$_K$) lines and in the 3.3 mm continuum emission. Our NMA observations in the H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ emission have revealed 0.07 pc-scale dense gas associated with FIR 4. The $^{12}$CO (3--2,1--0) emission shows high-velocity blue and red shifted components at the both north-east and south-west of FIR 3, suggesting a molecular outflow nearly along the plane of the sky driven by FIR 3. The SiO and the CH$_{3}$OH emission are detected around the interface between the outflow and the dense gas. Furthermore, the $^{12}$CO (1--0) emission shows an L-shaped structure in the P-V diagram. These results imply presence of the shock due to the interaction between the molecular outflow driven by FIR 3 and the dense gas associated with FIR 4. Moreover, our high angular-resolution observations of FIR 4 in the 3.3 mm continuum emission have first found that FIR 4 consists of eleven dusty cores. The separation among these cores is on the same order of the Jeans length, suggesting that the fragmentation into these cores has been caused by the gravitational instability. The time scale of the fragmentation is similar to the time scale of the interaction between the molecular outflow and the dense gas. We suggest that the interaction between the molecular outflow from FIR 3 and the dense gas associated with FIR 4 triggered the fragmentation into these dusty cores, and hence the next generation the cluster formation.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by Ap

Effect of Honeycomb β-TCP Geometrical Structure on Bone Tissue Regeneration in Skull Defect

The effect of the geometric structure of artificial biomaterials on skull regeneration remains unclear. In a previous study, we succeeded in developing honeycomb beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP), which has through-and-through holes and is able to provide the optimum bone microenvironment for bone tissue regeneration. We demonstrated that beta-TCP with 300-mu m hole diameters induced vigorous bone formation. In the present study, we investigated how differences in hole directions of honeycomb beta-TCP (horizontal or vertical holes) influence bone tissue regeneration in skull defects. Honeycomb beta-TCP with vertical and horizontal holes was loaded with BMP-2 using Matrigel and Collagen gel as carriers, and transplanted into skull bone defect model rats. The results showed that in each four groups (Collagen alone group, Matrigel alone group, Collagen + BMP group and Matrigel + BMP-2), vigorous bone formation was observed on the vertical beta-TCP compared with horizontal beta-TCP. The osteogenic area was larger in the Matrigel groups (with and without BMP-2) than in the Collagen group (with and without BMP-2) in both vertical beta-TCP and horizontal beta-TCP. However, when BMP-2 was added, the bone formation area was not significantly different between the Collagen group and the Matrigel group in the vertical beta-TCP. Histological finding showed that, in vertical honeycomb beta-TCP, new bone formation extended to the upper part of the holes and was observed from the dura side to the periosteum side as added to the inner walls of the holes. Therefore, we can control efficient bone formation by creating a bone microenvironment provided by vertical honeycomb beta-TCP. Vertical honeycomb beta-TCP has the potential to be an excellent biomaterial for bone tissue regeneration in skull defects and is expected to have clinical applications