Long-Term Effects of Preprimary Education on Cognitive Development: Evidence from PISA-D Participating Countries

The impact of attending preprimary school on primary education has received considerable attention in the literature. There is persuasive evidence for the hypothesis that preprimary education experience supports children’s development of cognitive skills later on in school. However, in the case of middle- and low-income countries, evidence of a long-term effect of preprimary education on cognitive development is not as abundant. This study investigates the relationship between preprimary education and reading achievement at age 15 in seven countries participating in the PISA for Development project̶Cambodia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Senegal, and Zambia. The sample sizes amounted to more than 4,000 children in each country. The present analysis uses a t-test and multiple liner regression. The findings show that in all analyzed countries the reading achievement of children who attended preprimary education was higher than of those who did not. When taking into account student, family, and school factors, preprimary education had positive effects in Honduras, Senegal, and Zambia but negligible effects in Cambodia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Paraguay. The results bolster the case for expanding quality preprimary education in both middle- and low-income countries. The findings can contribute to the discussion on early childhood care and education

Multiple Alternative Indicators for Gauging School Effectiveness in Sub-Saharan Africa

Since the 1980s, school effectiveness research (SER) has been conducted with an aim of improving the educational quality in Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of studies to date have focused on academic achievement measured at a single point in time as an output indicator of effectiveness. However, school effectiveness can be assessed through other measures of academic achievement. The present study suggests four related indicators: rate of grade repetition, dropouts, transfers, and achievement growth. These indicators are used because they have been found to correlate to low completion rate in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores application of these alternative indicators toward helping improve quality of education in this region

マラウイの農村部における学校効果の様々な指標 : マルチレベル・イベント・ヒストリー分析

広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(学術)Doctor of Philosophydoctora

The Causes of Dropout in Rural Primary Schools in Malawi

High dropout rates is a critical issue in most of developing countries. Malawi follows this trend of student nonpersistence; in 2013, the primary school dropout rate was approximately 12.2%. This study aims to find the causes of dropout in rural Malawian primary schools. There are two features: data were collected through survival analysis, which has been used to study dropout in developed countries; a multilevel logistic regression was used to classify individual, family, teacher and school factors potentially associated with dropout. In individual factor, student age of first entry, number of grade repetitions, and feelings about school were significant in determining the odds of dropout. In family factor, parents alive was associated with significant odds of dropout. Although most of the previous studies reported that parents’ education level and economic status affect dropout, in this study, these factors were not found statistically significant. In teacher factor, lack of teacher’s in-service training and teacher absenteeism raises the risk of dropout. In school factor, school location was related to significant increases in the odds of dropout. On the other hand, class size and school facilities were not related to dropout. Although the sample reflects only one district in Malawi, the informative findings contribute to efforts for reducing dropout in this area. Also, the methodology used in this study can be applied to dropout studies in other developing countries. Further research needs to include analysis of additional teacher and school factors

Analysis of students’ mathematical achievement in grades 3 and 6 in Uganda: Factors affecting test scores and curriculum performance

This study aims at determining factors affecting students’ mathematical achievement based on the curriculum, and finding out common errors and the reasons for them. Tests and questionnaires were conducted on grade 3 and grade 6 students. The results revealed: (1) the number of meals, living with mother, and socio-economic status (radio, table and kerosene lamp) positively affected scores in grade 3 and living with younger sisters negatively affected scores in grade 6, (2) student achievement was different in the contents of the curriculum, and (3) students were not able to solve applied questions without acquiring cognitive skills.3rd World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership (WCLTA-2012

A large cavernous malformation of the third ventricle floor: A case report

Suprasellar and third ventricular region cavernous malformations originating from the floor of the third ventricle are extremely rare. We report a case of third ventricular cavernous malformation arising from the ventricle floor in a 24-year-old woman who presented with short-term memory loss and disorientation. Computed tomography revealed a suprasellar mass with calcification in the posterior chiasmatic region. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass with heterogeneous intensity and without hydrocephalus. The mass was slightly enhanced subsequent to gadolinium infusion. Using a basal interhemispheric translamina terminalis approach and a neuroendoscope, we confirmed that the tumor was located at the floor of the third ventricle and removed it. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous malformation. The postoperative course was uneventful, but the patient's short-term memory loss persisted. Despite its rarity, cavernous malformation should be suspected when a tumor is detected in the vicinity of the third ventricle floor. It is treatable through surgical resection

Multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy reveals reduced prefrontal activation in schizophrenia patients during performance of the kana Stroop task

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the activity of frontal lobe of patients with schizophrenia during performance of two Japanese versions of the Stroop task (kana and kanji) by measuring changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Fourteen schizophrenia patients and 14 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects participated in the study after giving consent. The relative changes of concentrations of oxyHb were measured by NIRS during performance of the Stroop task. Significant Stroop effects, as measured by the number of correct responses, were observed with both the kana and the kanji versions. Analysis of NIRS data revealed that the schizophrenia patients showed reduced activation in the prefrontal cortex compared to healthy controls during performance of the kana Stroop task, and that both schizophrenia patients and healthy controls showed lack of activity in the prefrontal cortex during performance of the kanji Stroop task. The results of the present study suggest the possibility that the kana Stroop task cause a greater Stroop effect than the kanji Stroop task, and schizophrenia patients show decreased prefrontal vascular reactivity associated with the inhibition required during the performance of the kana Stroop task

Triethylated chromones with substituted naphthalenes as tubulin inhibitors

Previously synthesized 2-(benzo[]thiophene-3′-yl)-6,8,8-triethyldesmosdumotin B (, TEDB-TB) and 2-(naphth-1′-yl)-6,8,8-triethyldesmosdumotin B () showed potent activity against multiple human tumor cell lines, including a multidrug-resistant (MDR) subline, by targeting spindle formation and/or the microtubule network. Consequently, ester analogues of hydroxylated naphthyl substituted TEBDs (–) were prepared and evaluated for their effects on tumor cell proliferation and on tubulin assembly. Among all new compounds, compound , a 4′-acetoxynaphthalen-1′-yl derivative, displayed the most potent antiproliferative activity (IC 0.2–5.7 μM). Selected analogues were confirmed to be tubulin assembly inhibitors in cell-free and cell-based assays using MDR tumor cells. The new analogues partially inhibited colchicine binding to tubulin, suggesting their binding mode would be different from that of colchicine. This observation was supported by computational docking model analyses. Thus, the newly synthesized triethylated chromones with esterified naphthalene groups have good potential for development as a new class of mitotic inhibitors that target tubulin

The Action of D-Dopachrome Tautomerase as an Adipokine in Adipocyte Lipid Metabolism

Adipose tissue is a critical exchange center for complex energy transactions involving triacylglycerol storage and release. It also has an active endocrine role, releasing various adipose-derived cytokines (adipokines) that participate in complex pathways to maintain metabolic and vascular health. Here, we found D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT) as an adipokine secreted from human adipocytes by a proteomic approach. DDT mRNA levels in human adipocytes were negatively correlated with obesity-related clinical parameters such as BMI, and visceral and subcutaneous fat areas. Experiments using SGBS cells, a human preadipocyte cell line, revealed that DDT mRNA levels were increased in an adipocyte differentiationdependent manner and DDT was secreted from adipocytes. In DDT knockdown adipocytes differentiated from SGBS cells that were infected with the adenovirus expressing shRNA against the DDT gene, mRNA levels of genes involved in both lipolysis and lipogenesis were slightly but significantly increased. Furthermore, we investigated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, which phosphorylates and inactivates enzymes involved in lipid metabolism, including hormonesensitive lipase (HSL) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), in DDT knockdown adipocytes. The AMPK phosphorylation of HSL Ser-565 and ACC Ser-79 was inhibited in DDT knockdown cells and recovered in the cells treated with recombinant DDT (rDDT), suggesting that down-regulated DDT in adipocytes brings about a state of active lipid metabolism. Furthermore, administration of rDDT in db/db mice improved glucose intolerance and decreased serum free fatty acids levels. In the adipose tissue from rDDT-treated db/db mice, not only increased levels of HSL phosphorylated by AMPK, but also decreased levels of HSL phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA), which phosphorylates HSL to promote its activity, were observed. These results suggested that DDT acts on adipocytes to regulate lipid metabolism through AMPK and/or PKA pathway(s) and improves glucose intolerance caused by obesity

Cancer preventive agents 9. Betulinic acid derivatives as potent cancer chemopreventive agents

C-3 Esterifications of betulinic acid (BA, 1) and its A-ring homolog, ceanothic acid (CA, 2), were carried out to provide sixteen terpenoids, 4-19, including nine new compounds (4-12). All synthesized compounds were evaluated in an in vitro antitumor-promoting assay using the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in Raji cells. Among them, compounds 4-6, 11-14, 16, and 17 displayed remarkable inhibitory effects of EBV-EA activation. BA analog 6, which contains a prenyl-like group, showed the most potent inhibitory effect (100, 76, 37, and 11% inhibition of EBA activation at 1000, 500, 100 and 10 mol ratio/TPA, respectively, with IC50 value of 285 mol ratio/32pmol TPA). Compound 6 merits further development as a cancer preventive agent