A Study on Method to Refine the Consideration with Argumentation in Lower Secondary School Science

This study intended to devise a method of teaching science to encourage students to reconsider and refi ne the consideration with argumentation in lower secondary school students and to verify the effect of this method through teaching practice. In order to achieve it, a method of teaching was devised to aim refining the consideration based on the argumentation with viewpoint of fallacy. Then a lesson about “force and pressure” was conducted at a class of 40 first-grade lower secondary school students in order to verify the effect of the teaching method. The results clarified that the devised teaching method contributed to encourage students to reconsider and refi ne with the viewpoint of fallacy with respect to the students that derived the consideration from the elements such as “data” “argument.

Issues in Student Surveys of a Permanent Experimental Stand in a Research Forest

学生実習による固定試験地調査を通じて，授業でのフィールド調査の割り当て方法について検討した。信州大学農学部手良沢山演習林のイチイ植林地において，参加学生20名を4班に分け，先回り探索（他の班との位置関係と未調査木の位置をもとに次の調査木を選ばせる方式）で，立木のサイズと位置の計測を実施した。全体では94本（班ごとに17～28本）の立木が調査され，胸高直径（DBH）は正規分布し，班ごとに見ても平均DBHに有意差はなく概ね正規分布していた。立木の位置情報をもとに調査中の各班の移動の軌跡を描いたところ，調査終了まで開始時点の各班の位置関係がほぼ保たれ，軌跡が互いに交錯することはなかった。また，班ごとで調査終了までの時間差はほとんど生じなかった。次の調査木への距離（平均の水平距離3.0～3.5m，垂直距離1.0～1.8m）に班ごとに有意差はなく，調査条件に班ごとの著しい違いはなかった。また，最も調査本数の多かった班で，標識番号の誤記入が1件見られ，それによって欠測と重複カウントをそれぞれ1本ずつ生じたのと等しい状況になった。各班の意思に任せる先回り方式での調査割り当てでは，班ごとの能率に合わせて調査地が分担されることが確かめられたが，問題点として調査ミスを検出しにくいことが挙げられた。Article環境科学年報 40:57-63(2018)research repor

Noninvasive brain stimulation for dysphagia after acquired brain injury : a systematic review

The purpose of this study was to review the best available evidence of noninvasive brain stimulation, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for dysphagia after acquired brain injury. We searched randomized controlled trials that compared noninvasive brain stimulation with control used to improve dysphagia after acquired brain injury. We assessed dysphagia severity rating scales and penetration-aspiration scale as outcomes immediately after intervention. We calculated the pooled estimate of the standardized mean difference (SMD) to combine individual results. We included 8 published studies. Two heterogenous trials of 48 patients showed that rTMS was associated with a significant improvement in the dysphagia severity rating scale score (SMD 2.95). Three homogeneous trials of 88 patients showed a significant effect of rTMS on the penetration-aspiration scale score (SMD 0.77). Two homogeneous trials of 34 patients showed that tDCS was associated with a significant improvement in the dysphagia severity rating scale score (SMD 1.20). The review provided low-quality evidence for the effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation in improving dysphagia after acquired brain injury. Further trials of larger sample sizes are needed to determine the most appropriate noninvasive brain stimulation protocol

Control of seed dormancy and germination by DOG1-AHG1 PP2C phosphatase complex via binding to heme

Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates abiotic stress and developmental responses including regulation of seed dormancy to prevent seeds from germinating under unfavorable environmental conditions. ABA HYPERSENSITIVE GERMINATION1 (AHG1) encoding a type 2C protein phosphatase (PP2C) is a central negative regulator of ABA response in germination; however, the molecular function and regulation of AHG1 remain elusive. Here we report that AHG1 interacts with DELAY OF GERMINATION1 (DOG1), which is a pivotal positive regulator in seed dormancy. DOG1 acts upstream of AHG1 and impairs the PP2C activity of AHG1 in vitro. Furthermore, DOG1 has the ability to bind heme. Binding of DOG1 to AHG1 and heme are independent processes, but both are essential for DOG1 function in vivo. Our study demonstrates that AHG1 and DOG1 constitute an important regulatory system for seed dormancy and germination by integrating multiple environmental signals, in parallel with the PYL/RCAR ABA receptor-mediated regulatory system

Clinical Utility of Germline Genetic Testing in Japanese Men Undergoing Prostate Biopsy

Background: Multiple common variants and also rare variants in monogenic risk genes such as BRCA2 and HOXB13 have been reported to be associated with risk of prostate cancer (PCa); however, the clinical setting in which germline genetic testing could be used for PCa diagnosis remains obscure. Herein, we tested the clinical utility of a 16 common variant-based polygenic risk score (PRS) that has been developed previously for Japanese men and also evaluated the frequency of PCa-associated rare variants in a prospective cohort of Japanese men undergoing prostate biopsy. Methods: A total of 1336 patients undergoing first prostate biopsy were included. PRS was calculated based on the genotype of 16 common variants, and sequencing of 8 prostate cancer-associated genes was performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction based target sequencing. PRS was combined with clinical factors in logistic regression models to assess whether addition of PRS improves the prediction of biopsy positivity. Results: The top PRS decile was associated with an odds ratio of 4.10 (95% confidence interval = 2.46 to 6.86) with reference to the patients at average risk, and the estimated lifetime absolute risk approached 20%. Among the patients with prostate specific antigen 2-10 ng/mL who had prebiopsy magnetic resonance imaging, high PRS had an equivalent impact on biopsy positivity as a positive magnetic resonance imaging finding. Rare variants were detected in 19 (2.37%) and 7 (1.31%) patients with positive and negative biopsies, respectively, with BRCA2 variants being the most prevalent. There was no association between PRS and high-risk rare variants. Conclusions: Germline genetic testing could be clinically useful in both pre- and post-PSA screening settings

BioHackathon series in 2011 and 2012: penetration of ontology and linked data in life science domains

The application of semantic technologies to the integration of biological data and the interoperability of bioinformatics analysis and visualization tools has been the common theme of a series of annual BioHackathons hosted in Japan for the past five years. Here we provide a review of the activities and outcomes from the BioHackathons held in 2011 in Kyoto and 2012 in Toyama. In order to efficiently implement semantic technologies in the life sciences, participants formed various sub-groups and worked on the following topics: Resource Description Framework (RDF) models for specific domains, text mining of the literature, ontology development, essential metadata for biological databases, platforms to enable efficient Semantic Web technology development and interoperability, and the development of applications for Semantic Web data. In this review, we briefly introduce the themes covered by these sub-groups. The observations made, conclusions drawn, and software development projects that emerged from these activities are discussed