The Effects of Switching to On-Demand on Learning Outcomes in First-Year PBL Courses

本研究では，対面授業とオンデマンド授業の違いが，初年次PBL科目における学習成果の違いに与える影響を検討した。分析の結果，オンデマンド授業において協同作業認識尺度における協同効用のスコアが対面授業より高い傾向がみられた一方で，協同作業をネガティブに評価する尺度である互恵懸念のスコアが対面授業より低い傾向がみられた。加えて，学習成果全体を観察した場合，オンデマンド授業において，授業に適応的でない学生数が減少し適応的な学生数が増加するという改善がみられた。In this study, we examined the effect of the difference between face-to-face and on-demand classes on the differences in learning outcomes in first-year PBL courses. As a result, it was found that the score of the usefulness of cooperation in the belief in cooperation scale tended to be higher in the on-demand class than in the face-to-face class, while the score of inequity, which is a scale to evaluate collaborative work negatively, tended to be lower in the on-demand class than in the face-to-face class. In addition, when observing the overall learning outcomes, the number of students who were not adaptive to the class decreased and the number of adaptive students increased in the on-demand class

Crossmodal correspondences between visual features and tastes in preschoolers: an exploratory study

IntroductionAdults possess a natural inclination to associate sensory cues derived from distinct modalities, such as the pairing of sweet with pink. However, studies exploring crossmodal correspondences in children, particularly in the sensory pairing of visual features and tastes, are scant, leaving unanswered questions regarding the developmental trajectory of crossmodal correspondences. The present study investigates whether Japanese preschool children demonstrate specific biases in shape–color, shape–taste, and color–taste associations.MethodsIn a series of in-person experiments, 92 children between 3 to 6 years of age completed matching tasks utilizing paper stimuli.ResultsChildren exhibit crossmodal correspondences in shape-color (circle-red and asymmetrical star-yellow), shape–taste (triangle-salty and circle-sweet), and color–taste (yellow-sour, black-bitter, and pink-sweet) associations. Moreover, children’s choices are not influenced by their individual preferences.DiscussionThe crossmodal correspondences observed in this study have been observed in previous research on adults from the same (Japanese) culture, although adults showed more crossmodal correspondences than the children in this study (e.g., pink-circle, triangle-sour, and green-bitter). Thus, while some crossmodal correspondences emerge during childhood, others may require additional time to develop, thereby highlighting the importance of understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying crossmodal correspondences from an ontogenic perspective

Can Ground-based Telescopes Detect The Oxygen 1.27 Micron Absorption Feature as a Biomarker in Exoplanets ?

The oxygen absorption line imprinted in the scattered light from the Earth-like planets has been considered the most promising metabolic biomarker of the exo-life. We examine the feasibility of the detection of the 1.27 micron oxygen band from habitable exoplanets, in particular, around late- type stars observed with a future instrument on a 30 m class ground-based telescope. We analyzed the night airglow around 1.27 micron with IRCS/echelle spectrometer on Subaru and found that the strong telluric emission from atmospheric oxygen molecules declines by an order of magnitude by midnight. By compiling nearby star catalogs combined with the sky background model, we estimate the detectability of the oxygen absorption band from an Earth twin, if it exists, around nearby stars. We find that the most dominant source of photon noise for the oxygen 1.27 micron band detection comes from the night airglow if the contribution of the stellar PSF halo is suppressed enough to detect the planet. We conclude that the future detectors for which the detection contrast is limited by photon noise can detect the oxygen 1.27 micron absorption band of the Earth twins for ~50 candidates of the late type star. This paper demonstrates the importance of deploying small inner working angle efficient coronagraph and extreme adaptive optics on extremely large telescopes, and clearly shows that doing so will enable study of potentially habitable planets.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Development of Antibodies against HPV-6 and HPV-11 for the Study of Laryngeal Papilloma

Laryngeal papilloma (LP), which is associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV)-6 or -11, displays aggressive growth. The precise molecular mechanism underlying the tumorigenesis of LP has yet to be uncovered. Building on our earlier research into HPV-6, in this study, the viral gene expression of HPV-11 was investigated by quantitative PCR and DNA/RNA in situ hybridization. Additionally, newly developed antibodies against the E4 protein of HPV-6 and HPV-11 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The average viral load of HPV-11 in LP was 1.95 ± 0.66 × 105 copies/ng DNA, and 88% of HPV mRNA expression was found to be E4, E5a, and E5b mRNAs. According to RNA in situ hybridization, E4 and E5b mRNAs were expressed from the middle to upper part of the epithelium. E4 immunohistochemistry revealed a wide positive reaction in the upper cell layer in line with E4 mRNA expression. Other head and neck lesions with HPV-11 infection also showed a positive reaction in E4 immunohistochemistry. The distribution pattern of HPV DNA, viral mRNA, and E4 protein in LP with HPV-11 infection was quite similar to that of HPV-6. Therefore, it might be possible to apply these E4-specific antibodies in other functional studies as well as clinical applications, including targeted molecular therapies in patients with HPV-6 and HPV-11 infection

Investigation of Interfacial Charge Transfer in Solution Processed Cs2SnI6 Thin Films

Cesium tin halide based perovskite Cs2SnI6 has been subjected to in-depth investigations owing to its potentiality toward the realization of environment benign Pb free and stable solar cells. In spite of the fact that Cs2SnI6 has been successfully utilized as an efficient hole transport material owing to its p-type semiconducting nature, however, the nature of the majority carrier is still under debate. Therefore, intrinsic properties of Cs2SnI6 have been investigated in detail to explore its potentiality as light absorber along with facile electron and hole transport. A high absorption coefficient (5 × 104 cm–1) at 700 nm indicates the penetration depth of 700 nm light to be 0.2 μm, which is comparable to conventional Pb based solar cells. Preparation of pure and CsI impurity free dense thin films with controllable thicknesses of Cs2SnI6 by the solution processable method has been reported to be difficult owing to its poor solubility. An amicable solution to circumvent such problems of Cs2SnI6 has been provided utilizing spray-coating in combination with spin-coating. The presence of two emission peaks at 710 and 885 nm in the prepared Cs2SnI6 thin films indicated coexistence of quantum dot and bulk parts which were further supported by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations. Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) and transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) were employed to investigate the excitation carrier lifetime, which revealed fast decay kinetics in the picoseconds (ps) to nanoseconds (ns) time domains. Time-resolved microwave photoconductivity decay (MPCD) measurement provided the mobile charge carrier lifetime exceeding 300 ns, which was also in agreement with the nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (ns-TAS) indicating slow charge decay lasting up to 20 μs. TA assisted interfacial charge transfer investigations utilizing Cs2SnI6 in combination with n-type PCBM and p-type P3HT exhibited both intrinsic electron and hole transport

Muscle-specific deletion of BDK amplifies loss of myofibrillar protein during protein undernutrition

Ishikawa, T., Kitaura, Y., Kadota, Y. et al. Muscle-specific deletion of BDK amplifies loss of myofibrillar protein during protein undernutrition. Sci Rep 7, 39825 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep3982

A Case Report of Matrix-Producing Carcinoma of the Breast during Lactation : A secondary publication

Matrix-producing carcinoma (MPC) of the breast is relatively rare. We report on a case of MPC of the breast during lactation. A female in her 30s noticed a lump in the upper inner and outer quadrants of her left breast 9 months into her pregnancy. She came hospital at one month after delivery. Ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic tumor with an unclear border region. An MRI revealed a breast tumor approximately 19 mm in size, with dynamic studies demonstrating early contrast and ring enhancement. A core needle biopsy was performed, resulting in an histopathological diagnosis of invasive carcinoma ［Estrogen receptor-, Progesterone receptor-, Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-; stage I, T1cN0M0］. Breast-conserving surgery and a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) were performed. The SLNB was negative for cancer. Chemotherapy (FEC100, DTX75) and radiotherapy were performed as adjuvant therapies. Seventeen months after surgery, the patient is recurrence-free

Usefulness Differs Between the Visual Assessment and Specific Binding Ratio of 123I-Ioflupane SPECT in Assessing Clinical Symptoms of Drug-Naïve Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Background: In clinical practice, assessment of the striatal accumulation in 123I-ioflupane single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is commonly performed calculating the specific binding ratio (SBR) for the whole striatum. On the other hand, visual assessment of striatal accumulation in the SPECT was recently established. However, correlations of visual assessment with motor and cognitive functions in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have rarely been examined. Differences in the usefulness of these assessments at clinics are uncertain.Objective: We performed this study to compare correlations of cognitive and motor functions in drug-naive PD between the SBR and visual assessment using 123I-ioflupane SPECT.Methods: Cognitive and motor assessments and 123I-ioflupane SPECT were performed in 47 drug-naïve PD patients with Mini-mental State Examination scores of ≥25. Cognitive function was assessed using the total score and 6 subscores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and 10 separate subtests of the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (COGNISTAT). Motor function was assessed using the Hoehn and Yahr scale and Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale. Accumulation of 123I-ioflupane was determined by visual assessment based on five grades: 1, burst striatum; 2, egg-shaped; 3, mixed type; 4, eagle wing; 5, normal striatum; and by calculating SBR averaged for the bilateral striatum using the DaTView computer software commonly used in clinical practice. Each SPECT assessment was compared with each subscore for cognitive and motor assessments.Results: Spearman correlation analysis showed SBR was significantly correlated with the MoCA subscores of visuospatial function and attention, and with COGNISTAT subtests of attention. Visual assessment showed significant negative correlation with the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Mean score of postural instability in patients with visual grade of 1 was significantly higher than those in patients with visual grades of 2 and 3.Conclusion: Clinical symptoms reflected by 123I-ioflupane SPECT differ between the SBR and visual assessment. SBR reflects some cognitive functions, whereas a visual assessment grade of 1, which signifies decreased uptake of 123I-Ioflupane in the caudate nucleus, reflects postural instability. Thus, the caudate nucleus may play an important role in posture maintenance. Our results suggest that performing both assessments is of value