Modification of Culturing Method for Saprolegnia sp. as the Observation Material in Biology

Saprolegnia spp., common aquatic fungi, are known as one of the appropriate material to observe the reproductive process in its life cycle. The aim of the present study is to modify culturing method of Saprolegnia sp. We prepared culture media containing various concentration of the Cannabis extract solidified by agar. The hyphae of Saprolegnia sp. were cultured in sterilized water with small pieces of the agar media. As the result, many zoosporangia and archegonia were observed under the light microscope. In comparison with the ordinary culturing method using whole cotyledon of Cannabis, the colonies of Saprolegnia sp. obtained by this modified method were suitable to observe various stage of life cycle. The nutritional conditions in culturing are able to be controlled by this method. Therefore, it will be used as the practical method in the biology class.本研究は，科学研究費基盤研究（A）（一般）（25242015）および科学研究費基盤研究（C）（一般）（26350235）の助成を受けて行った

Making and using of two types of the simple magnifying projectors

Magnifying equipment is the basic tool for experiments of science classes. In the present study, two types of handmade magnifying projectors were developed. They were the non-screen type and the built-in screen type. Most of the materials of these projectors were obtained from the super-market or the Do-it-yourself stores. Lenses used for these tools were objective lenses and eye lenses of the common light microscope. The built-in screen type projector was used in the science class of the 1st grade of the junior high school. As the result, all students had actively observed crystals of the sodium chloride and the alum. This suggests that the handmade simple magnifying projectors were very effective for the student's activities in the science classes.本研究の一部は,科学研究費基盤研究A(25242015)の助成によ

Development of a Field Guide for Identification of Plant Species by using of the "Google My Map"

In the present study, a field guide for identification of plant species was developed. It was built by the “My Maps” of the function in the “Google Map”. This online “Map” showed the habitat point, the plant name and photos of each species. Students were able to use it by the smart phones and the tablet devices as well as PC machines. They were able to confirm their position by GPS in their mobile devices, and also find plants to observe. Moreover, they were easily able to identify the species name by this "Map". A questionnaire survey was conducted for the purpose of improvement of the “Map” to students. As the result, it was suggested that this "Map" enhanced students' interest in outdoor observation, and was effective when students actually go out to the field and observe the plants. On the other hand, it turned out that this "Map" was not easy to use for the beginners of the mobile equipment. It is necessary to improve usability.本研究の一部は，科学研究費基盤研究（B）（一般）（17H01980），および科学研究費基盤研究（C）（一般）（26350235），ならびに科学研究費基盤研究（C）（一般）（16K00966）の助成を受けて行った

Development of a simple, hand made fluorescence microscope and a proposal to its practical use for the high school biology

In the present study, a simple hand made fluorescence microscope was developed. Four UV-LED lamps (NS360L-5RLO, Nitride Semiconductors Co., Ltd.) were used for the ultraviolet irradiation device. Some problems of a sample device have been improved and that has been completed. As the result, the nuclear fluorescence of the epidermal tissue of Tradescantia ohiensis stained by DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) were observed. This low cost simple fluorescence microscope was very effective for the student’s activities in the high school biology classes. In this paper, authors proposed an example of experiment which analyze relative DNA content value of nucleus in mitotic cell cycle by using this fluorescence microscope.本研究の一部は，科学研究費基盤研究A（25242015）および科学研究費基盤研究C（26350235）の助成を受けて行ったものである

A survey on recognition of the "bryophytes" targeting university students

The aim of the present study was to grasp the current situation of university students' understanding about the bryophytes. The survey was conducted on 49 students of National University "A", Faculty of Education. The contents of the questionnaire were (1) ability to distinguish the bryophytes, (2) knowledge about bryophytes, and (3) attitudes toward the bryophytes and science classes, nature experiences. The results were as follows. In the question (1), it was difficult to distinguish the bryophytes from the lichens or the algae. In the question (2), many students did not understand the classification and reproduction of the bryophytes. Factor analysis was conducted on the result of the question (3), and calculated Pearson’s correlation coefficient with the question (1) or (2). As the results, weak correlations (.227, .235) were observed between the total score of question (1) and the factors "interests in the bryophytes" or "interests in science (biology)". Weak correlation (.246) was also observed between "knowledge on reproduction of bryophytes" and "positive nature experiences". These results suggested that there are relevance between distinguishing or understanding and attitude of the bryophytes. However, more detailed examination is required.本研究の一部は，JSPS科研費17H01980および16K00966の助成を受けて行った