Creating Classes for Developing the Concept of Functions : A System of Learning Activities for Drawing out Four Qualities Tied to Nurturing the Concept of Functions

本研究は，数・量・図形的要素を見出し，どのような関係があるのかを考え，そこにきまりを発見していく力を育成するために以下の研究を進めた。昨年度は，函数観念の育成につながる授業の中で引き出したい４つの姿である，①事象の中に数・量・図形的要素を見つけようとする姿，②どのような関係かを考えていこうとする姿，③関係の中にある法則を見つけようとする姿，④事象を関係で見ていこうとする姿を発達段階ごとに設定し，その４つの姿を引き出すことを目的とした学習活動を仕組む授業実践を積み重ねた。さらに，本年度は，「関数の考えの指導」の関数の考えの背景となる「物事を動的に見ようとする態度」に焦点をあて，４つの姿を引き出すこととする。それらの取り組みを小学校と中学校で統一して取り組むことで「中一ギャップ」や算数・数学への円滑な移行ができると考えた。その結果，単元の事前と事後，昨年と今年とでは４つの姿をについて，どの項目についても肯定的な回答であった。また，教師が意図的に関数の考えを授業の中で取り扱っていくことが，子どもに「関数の観念」を育んでいく上で効果的であり，小・中学校で統一した指導も可能であることが分かった。This study was conducted, as a means of nurturing the ability to discover set facts when seeking out numerical, volumetric, and graphical elements in pondering relationships. Last year, four of figure you want a drawer in the class, which leads to the development of the function concept has been pulled out. This year, the focus was placed on “attitudes for seeing things dynamically”, as a precursor to thinking about functions, and the instruction thereof. It was felt that unifying these efforts in elementary and junior high schools would relieve the “first-year gap”. The result of these efforts was a positive response to all four qualities in both years, before and after the teaching units. In addition, teachers’ deliberate treatment of the idea of functions in classrooms was effective in engendering the “concept of functions” in children, showing that it is possible to have a unified way of teaching in elementary and junior high schools

The research of probability unit and curriculum with the intention to connect Elementary to Secondary School.: Through mathematical activities that recall probability concept

刻々と変化する現代社会において，不確定な事象を数学的に考察し，判断する能力は必要不可欠である。本研究では，児童・生徒が確率概念を想起することができる小中接続を意図した算数・数学的活動を行うカリキュラム・授業構成の方法を構築することを目的とする。 小中接続を意図した児童・生徒が確率概念を想起することができるような算数・数学的活動を行うカリキュラム・授業構成の方法を構築に向け，本稿では，小学校１年，６年，中学校２年と言う学習の入口，学習の接続，確率の数学的定義を行う３つの学年で目標の設定，授業構成・実践を行い，主に３点の課題を見出した。それは小学校の初期段階から確率概念に繋がるような内容を取り扱うことが可能であり，身近な事象や遊びなどを取り入れることで面白さを体感することができること，小中の接続の内容が曖昧で，中学校での学習との棲み分けが難しいこと，中学校における数学的確率における仮定の設定への意識が低いことが挙げられた。今後はこれらのことを踏まえ，単元・カリキュラムの構築をするために，さらなる理論的整備・授業実践が課題として残っている。In this research, it aims to construct curriculum that elementary and junior high school students can recall probability concepts with the intention to connect Elementary to Secondary School. In this paper, we set goals, planed lesson, practiced lesson for first grade, six grade, second grade of junior high school. As a result, three problems were found. The first is that class linked to probability concept are possible in first grade. The second is that it is difficult to devide contents of probability of six grade and secondary school. The third is junior high school students are less conscious of assumption setting. Based on these three points, it is the next task that organize and practice lesson, construct curriculum

Adalimumab Dose-Escalation Therapy Is Effective in Refractory Crohn’s Disease Patients with Loss of Response to Adalimumab, Especially in Cases without Previous Infliximab Treatment

Background/Aims: Adalimumab dose escalation is one of the most important options in refractory Crohn’s disease patients with loss of response to adalimumab. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adalimumab dose escalation in Crohn’s disease patients with loss of response to adalimumab, since there are few reports of adalimumab dose escalation, especially in East Asia. Methods: The clinical response to adalimumab dose escalation in Crohn’s disease patients with loss of response to adalimumab was evaluated retrospectively, using the Crohn’s disease activity index score, serum C-reactive protein levels, and endoscopic analyses. Results: Of the 203 Crohn’s disease patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor, 14 refractory Crohn’s disease patients with loss of response to adalimumab received adalimumab dose-escalation therapy. The C-reactive protein level was significantly reduced from the start to weeks 12 and 52 of adalimumab dose escalation in the whole group, although there were no significant reductions of Crohn’s disease activity index scores. Both Crohn’s disease activity index scores and C-reactive protein levels were significantly reduced from the start to weeks 12 and 52 of adalimumab dose escalation in patients without previous infliximab treatment, although C-reactive protein levels were positive in all cases with previous infliximab exposure at weeks 12 and 52. Endoscopic mucosal healing was achieved with adalimumab dose escalation in 2 cases without previous infliximab treatment. Conclusions: Adalimumab dose-escalation therapy is effective in refractory Crohn’s disease patients with loss of response to adalimumab, especially in cases without previous infliximab treatment

Efforts of the Professional Development Program at Hiroshima University Towards Fostering Teachers as Continuous Learners : The Case of the Teaching Practice and Development Course

In 2016, the Graduate School of Education at Hiroshima University established the Professional Development Program for Teachers and School Leaders which consists two courses: The Teaching Practice and Development Course and the School Management Course. Focusing on the former, this paper examines its achievements and problems in the first year to develop some perspectives of models for graduate education toward fostering teachers as continuous learners. We discuss from the following four points: a collaborative learning between teacher and non-teacher graduate students; an effective way to learn the basic skills; a circulation of theory and practice; a triumvirate and learning environment on the realization of them.本研究は，JSPS科学研究費補助金基盤研究（B）（一般）「「学び続ける教員」を支えるアクティブ・ラーニング型教員研修プログラムの開発」（JP16H03765）の助成を受けている。本稿は，平成28年度日本教育大学協会研究集会で発表した内容を加筆・修正したものである

Amino-terminal enhancer of split gene AES encodes a tumor and metastasis suppressor of prostate cancer

A major cause of cancer death is its metastasis to the vital organs. Few effective therapies are available for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PCa), and progressive metastatic lesions such as lymph nodes and bones cause mortality. We recently identified AES as a metastasis suppressor for colon cancer. Here, we have studied the roles of AES in PCa progression. We analyzed the relationship between AES expression and PCa stages of progression by immunohistochemistry of human needle biopsy samples. We then performed overexpression and knockdown of AES in human PCa cell lines LNCaP, DU145 and PC3, and determined the effects on proliferation, invasion and metastasis in culture and in a xenograft model. We also compared the PCa phenotypes of Aes/Pten compound knockout mice with those of Pten simple knockout mice. Expression levels of AES were inversely correlated with clinical stages of human PCa. Exogenous expression of AES suppressed the growth of LNCaP cells, whereas the AES knockdown promoted it. We also found that AES suppressed transcriptional activities of androgen receptor and Notch signaling. Notably, AES overexpression in AR-defective DU145 and PC3 cells reduced invasion and metastasis to lymph nodes and bones without affecting proliferation in culture. Consistently, prostate epithelium-specific inactivation of Aes in Ptenflox/flox mice increased expression of Snail and MMP9, and accelerated growth, invasion and lymph node metastasis of the mouse prostate tumor. These results suggest that AES plays an important role in controlling tumor growth and metastasis of PCa by regulating both AR and Notch signaling pathways

Positive Feedback Regulation between Phospholipase D and Wnt Signaling Promotes Wnt-Driven Anchorage-Independent Growth of Colorectal Cancer Cells

Aberrant activation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway occurs in almost all colorectal cancers and contributes to their growth, invasion and survival. Phopholipase D (PLD) has been implicated in progression of colorectal carcinoma However, an understanding of the targets and regulation of this important pathway remains incomplete and besides, relationship between Wnt signaling and PLD is not known.Here, we demonstrate that PLD isozymes, PLD1 and PLD2 are direct targets and positive feedback regulators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Wnt3a and Wnt mimetics significantly enhanced the expression of PLDs at a transcriptional level in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells, whereas silencing of β-catenin gene expression or utilization of a dominant negative form of T cell factor-4 (TCF-4) inhibited expression of PLDs. Moreover, both PLD1 and PLD2 were highly induced in colon, liver and stomach tissues of mice after injection of LiCl, a Wnt mimetic. Wnt3a stimulated formation of the β-catenin/TCF complexes to two functional TCF-4-binding elements within the PLD2 promoter as assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Suppressing PLD using gene silencing or selective inhibitor blocked the ability of β-catenin to transcriptionally activate PLD and other Wnt target genes by preventing formation of the β-catenin/TCF-4 complex, whereas tactics to elevate intracellular levels of phosphatidic acid, the product of PLD activity, enhanced these effects. Here we show that PLD is necessary for Wnt3a-driven invasion and anchorage-independent growth of colon cancer cells.PLD isozyme acts as a novel transcriptional target and positive feedback regulator of Wnt signaling, and then promotes Wnt-driven anchorage-independent growth of colorectal cancer cells. We propose that therapeutic interventions targeting PLD may confer a clinical benefit in Wnt/β-catenin-driven malignancies