40代以上の女性の情報環境と利用実態

Women beyond their 40s belong to the generation which did not have personal computers or the internet when they were born but for which, in recent years, personal computers and mobile phones have become widespread. Therefore, they are a generation that has absolutely, or almost no experience of any kind of information education at school throughout elementary, junior, and senior high school, and the university level.So, why do they buy personal computers or mobile phones and use them? This paper examines the information environment of women focusing on those currently beyond their 40s and the actual conditions of use based on the“ Survey on the Relationship between the Information Environment of Women and Actual Conditions of Use and their Preferences” implemented by the presenter from April to July, 2011

大学生に必要な情報倫理教育

私情協が平成23年度に実施した「情報リテラシー教育の実践状況の調査」では，大学の多くが初年次教育の中で情報倫理教育を実施している。本学も1年の「情報リテラシーⅠ」関連科目の中で情報倫理教育を指導しているが，卒業までの期間を通した体系的な指導は十分ではなく，情報倫理に関する相談などに関する指導体制も整っていない。しかし現在の情報化社会に起きる様々な事件・事故から社会人になるまでに大学生として学修すべき内容は多く，多岐にわたる。本稿では，学生部が調査したネットトラブルの状況に基づき，大学生に必要な情報倫理教育は，卒業までにキャリア教育など様々な教育の場として定着化を図ることが望ましいと考える

ブライダルビジネスにおけるインターネット活用

少子化，晩婚化，非婚化が進む社会現象を背景に，ブライダルビジネスにも変容が見られる。従来ブライダルビジネスは，雑誌等を中心とする出版社型事業が多かったが，ネットの発達により，消費者が直接情報を提供するサイトが人気を得ている。これにより，消費者の生の声がリアルタイムに掲載され，メーカー等の利害関係に束縛されない自由な意見が情報として集積されるため，消費者にとっては有効なサポート環境が形成される。メーカーにと ってはトレンドの傾向が簡単に判断できる場となっている。本稿は，口コミサイト「みんなのウェディング」が2012～2015年に実施した調査結果から，近年の挙式・披露宴に対する傾向を探る

University Administrators’ Visions for the Recovery of International Student Exchange in a Post–COVID-19 World

Objectives: Little is known about how international functions of higher education, such as exchange programmes, can be resumed during recovery from a disruptive global crisis, such as COVID-19. We collected the opinions of administrators of international exchange programmes regarding their plans to resume their exchange programmes in the recovery phase and identified variations in the responses concerning institution type (public vs. private) and the presence or absence of a medical school. Method: We used multiple-choice survey questions in our study, resulting in 180 valid responses. We examined overall patterns using descriptive statistics and institutional uniqueness using Fisher’s exact test. Results: Governing organisations and domestic university networks are expected to initiate the resumption of student exchange programmes. Respondents indicate that they would rely on infection prevention experts at their institutions as sources of information for their decision-making. Public universities would rely more extensively on their staff’s opinions whilst private universities would consult with external experts. Universities with a medical school indicated a greater likelihood of referring to the opinions of experts at their institutions. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: Higher education systems vary across nations. However, extant studies have shown some shared features, and the findings may have implications for higher education institutions internationally. Policy incentives and support may encourage public universities to participate in the global recovery of international education. During global public health infectious crises, institutions without a medical school may require more government support. Conclusions: Institutional variations should be considered to effectively encourage universities to adapt to changing dynamics in the recovery of international education. Method: The study used multiple-choice survey questions, resulting in 180 valid responses. The study examined overall patterns using descriptive statistics and institutional uniqueness using Fisher\u27s exact test. Results: Governing organisations and domestic university networks are expected to initiate the resumption of student exchange. Respondents indicate that they would rely on infection prevention experts at their institutions as sources of information for their decision-making. Public universities would rely more extensively on their staff’s opinions whilst private universities would consult with external experts. Universities with a medical school indicated a greater likelihood of referring to the opinions of experts at their institutions. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: The higher education systems vary across nations. However, extant studies have shown some shared features, and the findings may have implications for higher education institutions internationally. Policy incentives and support may encourage public universities to participate in the global recovery of international education. During global public health infectious crises, institutions without a medical school may require more government support. Conclusions: Institutional variations should be considered to effectively encourage universities to adapt to changing dynamics in the recovery of international education

Neutron Activation Analysis of Thorium by the Use of the Japan Materials Testing Reactor

Hydraulic power rabbit in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) was used for highly sensitive neutron activation analysis of thorium in silica and aluminum. The thermal neutron flux of JMTR is higher than 1x10^n/cm^2/sec. A number of radioactive isotopes were made from impurities of high purity aluminum and silica irradiated in JMTR. ^Ta, which was produced from ^Ta by (2n, γ) reaction, was observed and made the determination of thorium difficult. The objective activation products ^Pa for the determination of thorium was isolated from majority of interfering radioactivity by a method combined with anion exchange and LaF_3 coprecipitation. It was found that the detection limit of thorium was less than 2x10^g. The method is useful to the analysis for thorium in high purity aluminum and silica that might be used to make very large scale integrated circuit

Geographical distribution for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas in relation to selected climatic factors in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malignant neoplasm of the pancreas has become one of the leading causes of death from malignant neoplasm in Japan (the 5th in 2003). Although smoking is believed to be a risk factor, other risk factors remain unclear. Mortality from malignant neoplasm of the pancreas tends to be higher in northern Japan and in northern European countries. A recent study reported that standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas were negatively correlated to global solar radiation level. People residing in regions with lower solar radiation and lower temperatures may be at higher risk of development of malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between SMRs for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas and climatic factors, such as the amount of global solar radiation and the daily maximum temperature in Japan.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study used multiple linear regression models. Number of deaths and demographic data from 1998 to 2002 were used for the calculation of SMR. We employed mesh climatic data for Japan published in 2006 by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Regression coefficients for the amount of global solar radiation and the daily maximum temperature in males were -4.35 (p = 0.00034) and -2.81 (p < 0.0001) respectively, and those in females were -5.02 (p < 0.0001) and -1.87 (p < 0.0001) respectively. Increased amount of global solar radiation or daily maximum temperature was significantly related to the decreased SMRs for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas in both males and females.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study suggested that low solar radiation and low temperature might relate to the increasing risk of malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Use of group data has a limitation in the case of evaluating environmental factors affecting health, since the impact of climatic factors on the human body varies according to individual lifestyles and occupations. Use of geographical mesh climatic data, however, proved useful as an index of risk or beneficial factors in a small study area. Further research using individual data is necessary to elucidate the relationship between climatic factors and the development of malignant neoplasm of the pancreas.</p

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace for the ISS

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has just started the development of Electrostatic Levitation Furnace to be launched in 2014 for the ISS. This furnace can control the sample position with electrostatic force and heat it above 2000 degree Celsius using semiconductor laser from four different directions. The announcement of Opportunity will be issued soon for this furnace. In this paper, we will show the specifications of this furnace and also the development schedul

Efficacy of Personal Protective Equipment to Prevent Environmental Infection of COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) employed personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, crucial to protecting themselves from infection. To highlight the efficacy of PPE in preventing environmental infection among HCWs, a systematic review was conducted in line with PRISMA guidance. Methods: A search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was conducted from January 2019 to April 2021 using pre-defined search terms. Articles were screened by three researchers. The approved papers were read in full and included in this review if relevance was mutually agreed upon. Data were extracted by study design and types of PPEs. Results: 47 of 108 identified studies met the inclusion criteria, with seven reviews and meta-analyses, seven cohort, nine case-control, fifteen cross-sectional studies, four before and after, four case series, and one modeling studies. Wearing PPE offered COVID-19 protection in HCWs but required adequate training. Wearing surgical masks provided improved protection over cloth masks, while the benefit of powered air-purifying respirators is less clear, as are individual gowns, gloves, and/or face shields. Conclusions: Wearing PPE, especially facial masks, is necessary among HCWs, while training in proper use of PPE is also important to prevent COVID-19 infection

Ultrasound for Perioperative Lung Monitoring of Patients Undergoing Thoracic Surgery with One-Lung Ventilation

Background: The diagnostic efficacy of lung ultrasonography (LUS) has been widely investigated. However, the clinical value of LUS for perioperative monitoring has rarely been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of LUS to assess lung aeration status after one-lung ventilation (OLV) using a validated scoring system. Methods: In this prospective observational study, patients undergoing elective video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) with OLV underwent a lung ultrasound examination just after induction of anesthesia and at the end of the surgery. After each lung ultrasound examination, a semiquantitative score, the LUS score, was calculated to assess lung aeration on the ventilated dependent side and the non-dependent side separately. The relationship between the LUS scores and various patient-related factors was also investigated. Results: Twenty-five patients were studied. All lung ultrasound examinations were successfully completed. LUS scores after OLV on the dependent side (median [IQR]: 2 [1–4]) increased significantly from baseline (1 [0–1.5], P < 0.001). Further, LUS scores on the non-dependent side (2 [1.5–3.5]) increased significantly from baseline (1 [0–1.5], P < 0.001). None of the factors analyzed was significantly correlated with LUS scores after OLV. Conclusion: LUS examination is possible after VATS with OLV on both sides of the thorax. Ultrasonography-measured lung aeration scores increased from baseline on both sides