Documents and Records of Science Education Reform in Postwar Japan (Ⅻ)

The current study sought to clarify the materials provided by Genjiro Oka (1901–84), an official at the Ministry of Education in Japan, during science education reform in postwar Japan. An analysis of documentary records revealed four main findings: (1) G. Oka’s private library contained 727 Japanese books and 72 foreign books. The foreign books included writings by K.M. Harkness, V.T. Edmiston and H. Heffernan. These books are thought to have been given to G. Oka by three officials at the CIE. (2) Comparing the “Course of Study in Elementary Science” (1947) compiled by the Ministry of Education with “Science in General Education” (1938) by K.M. Harkness revealed that the former writing quoted a section on evaluation from the latter writing. In addition, “Science in General Education” (1938) appears to have influenced “Objectives of Understandings” (1947) compiled by the Advisory Committee on Science Curriculum in Japan. (3) Comparing “Course of Study in Elementary Science” (1947) with “Course of Study in Elementary Science, Spokane Public Schools” (1943) written by V.T. Edmiston revealed that the educational contents from the 1st grade to the 3rd grade in the former writing were quoted from the basic science concepts of the latter writing. (4) It appears that G. Oka made use of the foreign books provided by the officials at the CIE when he compiled “Course of Study in Elementary Science” (1947) and “Objectives of Understandings” (1947)

Children’s Concepts of Particles in the Phenomena of Dissolution : A Comparison between Japan and Finland

In Japan, 5th grade students learn about particle models in dissolution in science classes. In contrast, 5th grade students in Finland learn about atoms and molecules. Thus, there are some differences in the way that dissolution is taught in the two countries. The current study sought to investigate the effect of these differences on children’s understanding of dissolution in the 4th and 6th grades in Japan and Finland. The results indicated that, among 6th grade students who studied dissolution, more Japanese students than Finnish students were able to describe sugars and salts using a particle model. We discuss the potential causes of this finding in relation to the way that dissolution is taught in science lessons, and whether particle models are included in textbooks

Development of Active and Collaborative Problem-Solving Learning in Science Lesson : Focused on Students’ Ideas about Chemical Change

本研究では，五感を通して小学生にも分かりやすい化学変化の指導のための教材を開発し，その効果を検証するとともに，子どもの主体的・協働的な課題解決による授業開発のための示唆を得ることを目的とした。 そこで，カルボン酸とアルコールによるエステル化反応を取り上げ，試薬の種類や組み合わせを変えて化学変化の理解に適した実験内容と方法を開発した。そして，実験の記録や質問紙調査の分析により，教材の効果について検討した。その結果，多くの子どもがにおいの変化を通して物質がはじめと異なるものに変化していることをとらえていることが明らかとなった。また，エステル化反応における物質の変化の学習では，カルボン酸とアルコールの両方が互いに関わっていることをとらえることができた。以上のことから，においの変化に注目した実験を教材として活用することにより，小学生が化学変化について探究する授業の開発の可能性が示唆された。This study aimed to develop teaching materials through which elementary students can understand chemical change with their five senses, examine those effects for their understanding, and obtain suggestions for learning active and collaborative problem-solving. We conducted an experiment to examine effective combinations of esterification using some chemical reagents of carboxylic acid and alcohol, so we developed the contents and methods of the experiment for the students’ investigation. Then, we verified the effects of the materials for an understanding of chemical reaction through teaching practice and a questionnaire. Most students identified changes of substances through the sense of smell. Also, it was indicated that most of students grasped that two kinds of materials were related to each other for chemical reaction. From the above, it was inferred that it is possible to develop science teaching for elementary students to investigate chemical reactions through experimental activities focused on the sense of smell

Exploration of the Nature of Active Learning in Elementary School Science Class: Focussing on Learning-Problem Making and the Method of Interchange Between Groups

本研究の目的は，子どもの学び合いの姿を明らかにするとともに，アクティブ・ラーニングの実質化のための示唆を得ることである。その目的の達成に向けて，自然事象と子どもの素朴概念とのギャップが子どもに意識できるようにする導入を行うとともに，実験後には他グループと交流できる「フリータイム」を採り入れた授業を実践し，子どもの学びを分析した。その結果，子どもは自ら学習を開始し，他の子どもが考えた仮説や検証方法であっても共感的に理解して実験を行えることが明らかになった。また，子どもは自ら目的意識をもって他のグループへ行き，実験を行ったり納得できるまで話し合い活動を行ったりしながら，学級全体で合意することができることが分かった。加えて，アクティブ・ラーニングの実質化のためには，共に学ぶ学級の全員が納得できることをゴールとするという意識を子どもに培い続けることや，子どもには主体的・対話的で深く学び合う力があることを教師が認識し，その力を発揮できるような授業をデザインすると共に，子どもの学び合いをコーディネートすることが必要であるという示唆を得た。This study aimed to clarify children's interaction and to suggest for the enrichment of active learning. After the classes where children recognized and investigated problems from natural events, and then they interacted with other groups in "Free Time", the data of their learning were analyzed. It was clarified that children started learning by themselves and other’s ideas could be understood empathically and investigated. In addition, children could agree in the whole class by going to other groups with purposes, conducting experiments and talking until they were satisfied. It was suggested that in order to enrich active learning, teachers need to continue to cultivate chilren’s awareness that one goal of science learning is the agreement in whole class, to recognize that children have the ability to learn independently, interactively and deeply, to design classes that children can demonstrate their power, and to coordinate the learning of children in class

Glaucomatous Visual Field Defect Severity and the Prevalence of Motor Vehicle Collisions in Japanese: A Hospital/Clinic-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose. This study examined the association between the severity of visual field defects and the prevalence of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) in subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods. This is a cross-sectional study. Japanese patients who have had driver’s licence between 40 and 85 years of age were screened for eligibility. Participants answered a questionnaire about MVCs experienced during the previous 5 years. Subjects with POAG were classified as having mild, moderate, or severe visual field defect. We evaluated associations between the severity of POAG and the prevalence of MVCs by logistic regression models. Results. The prevalence of MVCs was significantly associated with the severity of POAG categorized by worse eye MD (control: 30/187 = 16.0%; mild POAG: 17/92 = 18.5%; moderate POAG: 14/60 = 23.3%; severe POAG: 14/47 = 29.8%; P=0.025, Cochran-Armitage trend test). Compared to the control group, the adjusted OR for MVC prevalence in subjects with mild, moderate, or severe POAG in the worse eye was 1.07 (95% CI: 0.55 to 2.10), 1.44 (95% CI: 0.68 to 3.08), and 2.28 (95% CI: 1.07 to 4.88). Conclusions. There is a significant association between the severity of glaucoma in the worse eye MD and the prevalence of MVCs

Quasi-Particle Bound States around Impurities in d-wave Superconductors

Zn and Ni impurities in the hole-doped high-temperature superconductors are known to have strong effects on thermodynamic and transport properties. A recent scanning tunneling microscope study of Zn-doped Bi2212 (Pan et al., Nature 403, 746 (2000)) has provided high-resolution images of the local density of states around non-magnetic impurities in d-wave superconductors. These pictures contain detailed information about the spinor wave functions u(r) and v(r) of bound states with energy E_0 \sim Delta/30, centered at the Zn-sites. We show that this type of wave function follows from the solutions of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations for d-wave superconductors.Comment: RevTex, 11 pages with 5 eps figure

Anxiety- and depression-like behavior in mice lacking the CD157/BST1 gene, a risk factor for Parkinson\u27s disease

金沢大学疾患モデル総合研究センターCD157, known as bone marrow stromal cell antigen-1, is a glycosylphosphatidylinositolanchored ADP-ribosyl cyclase that supports the survival and function of B-lymphocytes and hematopoietic or intestinal stem cells. Although CD157/Bst1 is a risk locus in Parkinson\u27s disease (PD), little is known about the function of CD157 in the nervous system and contribution to PD progression. Here, we show that no apparent motor dysfunction was observed in young knockout (CD157-/-) male mice under less aging-related effects on behaviors. CD157-/- mice exhibited anxiety-related and depression-like behaviors compared with wild-type mice. These behaviors were rescued through treatment with anti-psychiatric drugs and oxytocin. CD157 was weakly expressed in the amygdala and c-Fos immunoreactivity in the amygdala was less evident in CD157-/- mice than in wild-type mice. These results demonstrate for the first time that CD157 plays a role as a neuro-regulator and suggest a potential role in pre-motor symptoms in PD. © 2014 Lopatina, Yoshihara, Nishimura, Zhong, Akther, Fakhrul, Liang, Higashida, Sumi, Furuhara, Inahata, Huang, Koizumi, Yokoyama, Tsuji, Petugina, Sumarokov, Salmina, Hashida, Kitao, Hori, Asano, Kitamura, Kozaka, Shiba, Zhong, Xie, Sato, Ishihara and Higashida.CC-BY 4.