Effects of Pairing on the Relationships between Motivation and Task Performance in an Interactive Task

This study investigates how learners’ own motivational variables are related to task performance and how learners’ task performance is influenced by their partners’ motivational variables in an interactive task. A total of 28 Japanese first year university students engaged in a computer mediated, decision making task, and the number of words produced and turns taken during the task was counted as their task performance. Questionnaires were administered to measure eight motivational dispositions related to the task. Correlation analyses were used to examine the relationships between task motivation and performance. The results showed that (a) learners’ task motivation was positively correlated with task performance, suggesting a positive role of task motivation in performing a task and (b) learners’ task performance was negatively correlated with the interlocutors’ task motivation, except for the highly motivated pairs, which implied limited effects of pair work. This study finally provides some pedagogical and future implications

Research on Pupils' Progress of Mathematical Ability at Lower Secondary School Level (4) : Considering the "Number" of Test Points

Kassel-Exeter Projectによって開発された共通問題を用いて, 日本の中学生の数学的能力の発達・変容を調査し, その検討を通して, よりよい数学教育に向けての示唆を得ることが本研究の目的である。「数」調査問題をもとに1019名の公立中学校2, 3年生を対象とする調査を行ったところ, 日本の中学生の「数」得点は1年次からすでに高いレベルにあり, そのレベルを維持したままで, イギリス・ドイツなどと比して遜色のない程度の伸びを示していることがわかった。さらに, 問題ごとの正答率の変容に着目すると同時に, 被験者を3つの群に層化することによって, 正答率の変容の要因を分析した。その結果, 数学学習に対する「潜在力」の高い生徒および「潜在力」の低い生徒の「数」得点の変容に関する特徴が洗い出され, 個に応じた数学指導を考慮していく際の示唆が得られた。, The authors administered the "number" of test composed of 50 problems developed by Kassel-Exeter Project to students in Tokyo, Nara, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures a year earlier to identify the students' progress in mathematical ability at lower secondary school level. Analysis of the test shows that Japanese students' progress is almost comparable with the students from other countries like England and Germany, which can be attributed to the effective teaching of Mathematics.Aside from the overall analysis of the test scores, a longitudinal analysis of each problem was made. The analysis showed that Japanese pupils made remarkable progress in many problems but they showed corresponding regression on estimation of problems. Based on their points in a "potential" test, students were grouped as potentially high (PH), potentailly medium (PM) or potentially low (PL). PH students exhibited high points in comparatively difficult problem items while PL students' showed progress in comparatively easy problem items. The observed regression could be attributed to the same kind of problem items. Important implications for the improvement of the teaching of Mathematics were identified

Disease-Association Analysis of an Inflammation-Related Feedback Loop

SummaryThe IL-6-triggered positive feedback loop for NFκB signaling (or the IL-6 amplifier/Inflammation amplifier) was originally discovered as a synergistic-activation signal that follows IL-17/IL-6 stimulation in nonimmune cells. Subsequent results from animal models have shown that the amplifier is activated by stimulation of NFκB and STAT3 and induces chemokines and inflammation via an NFκB loop. However, its role in human diseases is unclear. Here, we combined two genome-wide mouse screens with SNP-based disease association studies, revealing 1,700 genes related to the IL-6 amplifier, 202 of which showed 492 indications of association with ailments beyond autoimmune diseases. We followed up on ErbB1 from our list. Blocking ErbB1 signaling suppressed the IL-6 amplifier, whereas the expression of epiregulin, an ErbB1 ligand, was higher in patients with inflammatory diseases. These results indicate that the IL-6 amplifier is indeed associated with human diseases and disorders and that the identified genes may make for potential therapeutic targets

Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ): a patient-based evaluation tool for hip-joint disease. The Subcommittee on Hip Disease Evaluation of the Clinical Outcome Committee of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association

AbstractBackgroundThe Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Score is widely used in Japan, but this tool is designed to reflect the viewpoint of health-care providers rather than that of patients. In gauging the effect of medical therapies in addition to clinical results, it is necessary to assess quality of life (QOL) from the viewpoint of patients. However, there is no tool evaluating QOL for Japanese patients with hip-joint disease.MethodsWith the aim of more accurately classifying QOL for Japanese patients with hip-joint disease, we prepared a questionnaire with 58 items for the survey derived from 464 opinions obtained from approximately 100 Japanese patients with hip-joint disease and previously devised evaluation criteria. In the survey, we collected information on 501 cases, and 402 were subjected to factor analysis. From this, we formulated three categories—movement, mental, and pain—each comprising 7 items, for a total of 21 items to be used as evaluation criteria for hip-joint function.ResultsThe Cronbach’s α coefficients for the three categories were 0.93, 0.93, and 0.95, respectively, indicating the high reliability of the evaluation criteria. The 21 items included some related to the Asian lifestyle, such as use of a Japanese-style toilet and rising from the floor, which are not included in other evaluation tools.ConclusionsThis self-administered questionnaire may become a useful tool in the evaluation of not only Japanese patients, but also of members of other ethnic groups who engage in deep flexion of the hip joint during daily activities

Fracture Risk Assessment in Chronic Kidney Disease, Prospective Testing Under Real World Environments (FRACTURE): a prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an increased risk of fracture. Decreased bone mass and disruption of microarchitecture occur early in the course of CKD and worsens with the progressive decline in renal function so that at the time of initiation of dialysis at least 50% of patients have had a fracture. Despite the excess fracture risk, and the associated increases in morbidity and mortality, little is known about the factors that are associated with an increase in fracture risk. Our study aims to identify prognostic factors for bone loss and fractures in patients with stages 3 to 5 CKD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This prospective study aims to enroll two hundred and sixty men and women with stages 3 to 5 CKD. Subjects will be followed for 24 months and we will examine the ability of: 1) bone mineral density by dual x-ray absorptiometry at the spine, hip, and radius; 2) volumetric bone density by high resolution peripheral quantitated computed tomography at the radius and tibia; 3) serum markers of bone turnover; 4) bone formation rate by bone biopsy; and 5) muscle strength and balance to predict spine and non-spine fractures, identified by self-report and/or vertebral morphometry. All measurements will be obtained at baseline, at 12 and at 24 months with the exception of bone biopsy, which will be measured once at 12 months. Subjects will be contacted every 4 months to determine if there have been incident fractures or falls.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study is one of the first that aims to identify risk factors for fracture in early stage CKD patients. Ultimately, by identifying risk factors for fracture and targeting treatments in this group-before the initiation of renal replacement therapy - we will reduce the burden of disease due to fractures among patients with CKD.</p

A Genome-Wide Association Study Identified AFF1 as a Susceptibility Locus for Systemic Lupus Eyrthematosus in Japanese

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that causes multiple organ damage. Although recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have contributed to discovery of SLE susceptibility genes, few studies has been performed in Asian populations. Here, we report a GWAS for SLE examining 891 SLE cases and 3,384 controls and multi-stage replication studies examining 1,387 SLE cases and 28,564 controls in Japanese subjects. Considering that expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) have been implicated in genetic risks for autoimmune diseases, we integrated an eQTL study into the results of the GWAS. We observed enrichments of cis-eQTL positive loci among the known SLE susceptibility loci (30.8%) compared to the genome-wide SNPs (6.9%). In addition, we identified a novel association of a variant in the AF4/FMR2 family, member 1 (AFF1) gene at 4q21 with SLE susceptibility (rs340630; P = 8.3×10−9, odds ratio = 1.21). The risk A allele of rs340630 demonstrated a cis-eQTL effect on the AFF1 transcript with enhanced expression levels (P<0.05). As AFF1 transcripts were prominently expressed in CD4+ and CD19+ peripheral blood lymphocytes, up-regulation of AFF1 may cause the abnormality in these lymphocytes, leading to disease onset