Cellular calcium oscillations in droplets with different chemical concentrations supplied by droplet-array sandwiching technology

DAST技術の独自展開によりバイオケミカル分野への幅広い応用を期待 --微量液滴間の接触によりヒスタミン供給量を調整し液滴内の細胞カルシウム振動の変化を初実証--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Digital microfluidics using droplets on a chip, such as droplet-array sandwiching technology, provide efficient tools for biochemistry from the perspective of time and sample consumption. Droplet-array sandwiching technology uses the fusion and separation of droplets on upper and lower substrates for high-throughput screening. In our previous work, we developed independent control of individual droplets for this technology using electrowetting-on-dielectric to control the droplet height and allow different chemical concentrations in droplets on the same chip. In this study, we explored the applicability of droplet-array sandwiching technology to cell-based analysis by observing cellular calcium oscillations in HeLa cells in droplets with different histamine concentrations. Histamine concentrations could be controlled by controlling contact time between upper and lower droplets. We found that calcium oscillations intensified with higher histamine concentrations prepared by controlling contact time. These results suggest that droplet-array sandwiching technology can be used for cell-based analysis, where the chemical concentration for cellular stimulation needs to be controlled

A Development of the Theory of Aesthetic Education (5): Subjectiveness and Wholeness

This paper considered the fourth viewpoint for aesthetic education: subjectiveness and wholeness. The naïve discourses concerning school education including an ideology of “active learning” with a Japanese word shutai, which was a translation of “subject” were critically investigated. The criticism referred to a philosophy and movement of education called the holistic education. The significance of passiveness or pathos of the learner’s attitude and the learner’s relationship to the world rather than the individual subjectiveness or identity was emphasized. In the final section, the practices in school education were evaluated through the significance pointed out above.井上弥先生・樋口聡先生退職記念特集

A Development of the Theory of Aesthetic Education (2): Sensation and Sensitivity

This is the second article in my series of the development of the theory of aesthetic education. It aims to clarify the position of sensation and sensitivity in sensibility, as a viewpoint of aesthetic education. (1) The argument about the concept of sensibility in aesthetics was critically reviewed. (2) A genealogy of the education of the senses was followed through William Boyd's From Locke to Montessori: A Critical Account of the Montessori Point of View (1914). (3) Learning from Bergson's Le rire (1900), the possibility of laughter as a stimulus to sensitivity for school education was considered in rakugo or the traditional Japanese comic storytelling

A Critical Reflection on the Concept of Art and an Innovation of Art Education

This paper aims to reflect the concept of art and propose an innovated idea of art education. The reason why the concept of art should be critically reflected is that our ordinary concept of art only signifies institutionalized “fine arts” nowadays, so that it ideologically inclined to high art based on Eurocentrism. In this paper, the problem of the concept of art was investigated and then the extension of the concept was attempted in three different dimensions. The prototypical meanings of art such as “fine arts as an institution,” “techne,” “mimesis,” “poiesis,” “beauty,” “expression,” and “critique” were pointed out and the new concept of art was defined as an embodiment of the acts of techne, mimesis, and poiesis developed by imagination; beauty and expression blooming in there; the living wisdom rooted in bodily experiences; and the way of life in the field where those important matters are generated. The innovated concept of art education proposed in this paper concerns with the idea that art deeply relates to the construction of the world, others and self. It is closely related with aesthetic education, in which kansei or sensibility connects with human senses and body, furthermore with “reason” as an active human faculty. Without restricting aesthetic education narrowly to the institutionalized fine arts education, a development of a performer of expression is the aim of this art education

A Development of the Theory of Aesthetic Education (3): Expression

This paper deals with “expression” as the second viewpoint for kansei or aesthetic education. A teacher can imagine and understand student’s kansei or sensibility when it is represented and expressed. Expression is a necessary moment for aesthetic education. In this paper, the following problems were investigated: 1) “Expression” in the current school education practices, 2) A power called an ability to express as competency, and 3) Aesthetic and philosophical conceptions of expression. In the conclusion, it is pointed out that expression is an exteriorization of inner awareness, sensitivity and ability of a person, but those inner factors do not emerge autonomously, but are made through the person’s interaction with the environmental world. Therefore, expression must be considered in the interface between the person and the objects in the world. In the sense, expression is a confrontation with objects in the world, that is to say, act itself. The essence of aesthetic education including expression should be found in the acquisition of knowledge and skill, because the acquisition of them could be a rich confrontation with the world. This conclusion seems a sharp contrast with common senses of the people involved in education nowadays

A Memorandum on the Concept of ESD

The term ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) is becoming popular all over the world, particularly in Japan. It is said that education is essential to sustainable development. Today’s education is crucial to the ability of present and future leaders and citizens to create solutions to contemporary global environmental, societal and economic problems and find new paths to a better future (UNESCO). In Japan, the idea of ESD is promoted by the Ministry of Education with connecting to the Associated School Project called “UNESCO School.” Educational practices such as environmental education, energy education, international education, the World Heritage cultural education began to spread at schools. However, the fundamental discussion regarding the concept of ESD is not enough, so that teachers sometimes admit that the notion of ESD is staying unclear. In this paper, three basic factors, Development, Education, and Sustainability for ESD are critically examined in the literature and the related Websites. What was done here is a review of the materials and the indication of the problems. In the sense, this is just a memorandum, namely notes for further investigation. The following was pointed out: 1) The original point of ESD was about environmental problems. 2) Under the influence of DESD since 2005 which was promoted by Japan at the United Nations, the term ESD became popular among others like EfS (Education for Sustainability), ESF (Education for Sustainable Future), ESL (Education for Sustainable Living). Anyway, the basic idea is about the global issues. 3) The term ESD is not necessarily adequate, because it includes the ambiguous word “development.” The Japanese translation of development is also problematic. 4) The concept of ESD demands the philosophical consideration on “knowledge” and “intelligence.” 5) The fundamental significance of ESD is that it requires the innovation of the current system of school education

A Significance and Capability of ""Somaesthetics"" from the Viewpoint of Learning Theory : A Commentarv on R. Shusterman's Article

This paper examines Richard Shusterman's ""Somaesthetics and Education"" from the viewpoint of learning theory. The points of the discussion are: (1) what is somaesthetics?, (2) three fundamental dimensions of somaesthetics, (3) educational value of practical somaesthetics, (4) somaesthetic exercise and school curriculum. Significance and capability of somaesthetics would be considered in three aspects in terms of the problems of learning and education: (1) rethinking the pragmatism in education, (2) new framework of the relationship between theory and practice, and (3) reconsidering the dualistic scheme of mind and body

A Development of the Theory of Aesthetic Education (1): Thinking of the Education of Language

This paper aims to develop the theory of aesthetic education which has been asserted by the author since 2001 with focusing on the education of language. As the education of language, the poetry was paid attention to in this paper in order to present a conception that the poetry twines around the life beyond the function of the denotative meaning of words and implies the aesthetic experiences of the bodily knowing. It was pointed out that the current school subjects system could not respond to this crucial character of language correctly, and some examples of learning across the framework of school subjects were described through considering the poetic attitudes of poets such as Shuntarou TANIKAWA and Shirou MURANO. It was clarified that the poetry was a verbal expression of the bodily knowing which constructed an innovative world and the bodily knowing was, on the contrary, activated by the world. As a concluding remark, it was insisted that the education of language as an aesthetic education would make explicit the deep relationship between language and life