Developing Lesson Modules for Reconstruction of Perspectives on Peace and Meta-cognition of its Process

The aim of this study is to develop the module for peace education which helps learners to reconstruct their own perspectives on peace. Previous studies introducing lesson plans on peace education have limitation in that these lesson plans focus heavily on wars or issues unfamiliar to students. In addition, they were not intended to give opportunities to metacognize the reconstruction of perspectives on peace. The lesson module we developed consists of three section: introduction section, main section, closing section. The main section consists of six units, and we chose six concepts or theories with which learners reconstruct their perspectives on peace：(1)game theory, (2)Galtung’s theory of peace, (3)conflict resolution, (4)authoritarian personality, (5)labeling theory, and, (6)social identity. This lesson module includes not only various concepts or theories about peace but also the process through which learners reconstruct their own perspectives on peace and reflection on the process in order to cultivate peace-makers

The method of lesson study based on the structure of the subject: the case of primary social studies classroom

This study presents the case study of the lesson study in a primary social studies classroom in Japan. The result indicates to propose a new method of social studies lesson study. While previous method tended to pay less attention to the context of school and children because of the focus of generalization, this study highlights the reality of diverse children in a classroom settings. Throughout the study, we compared the two items: The structure of the subject, namely, triangle relation of goals, contents, and methods and learner 's learning structure. Comparing the two items, we could see the effect of the process of teaching and learning on the children. It means that we can propose the new method by focusing on the reality of the classroom

Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags from the Fungus Aspergillus oryzae Cultured Under Different Conditions

We performed random sequencing of cDNAs from nine biologically or industrially important cultures of the industrially valuable fungus Aspergillus oryzae to obtain expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Consequently, 21 446 raw ESTs were accumulated and subsequently assembled to 7589 non-redundant consensus sequences (contigs). Among all contigs, 5491 (72.4%) were derived from only a particular culture. These included 4735 (62.4%) singletons, i.e. lone ESTs overlapping with no others. These data showed that consideration of culture grown under various conditions as cDNA sources enabled efficient collection of ESTs. BLAST searches against the public databases showed that 2953 (38.9%) of the EST contigs showed significant similarities to deposited sequences with known functions, 793 (10.5%) were similar to hypothetical proteins, and the remaining 3843 (50.6%) showed no significant similarity to sequences in the databases. Culture-specific contigs were extracted on the basis of the EST frequency normalized by the total number for each culture condition. In addition, contig sequences were compared with sequence sets in eukaryotic orthologous groups (KOGs), and classified into the KOG functional categories

Recent Results from LHD Experiment with Emphasis on Relation to Theory from Experimentalist’s View

he Large Helical Device (LHD) has been extending an operational regime of net-current free plasmas towardsthe fusion relevant condition with taking advantage of a net current-free heliotron concept and employing a superconducting coil system. Heating capability has exceeded 10 MW and the central ion and electron temperatureshave reached 7 and 10 keV, respectively. The maximum value of β and pulse length have been extended to 3.2% and 150 s, respectively. Many encouraging physical findings have been obtained. Topics from recent experiments, which should be emphasized from the aspect of theoretical approaches, are reviewed. Those are (1) Prominent features in the inward shifted configuration, i.e., mitigation of an ideal interchange mode in the configuration with magnetic hill, and confinement improvement due to suppression of both anomalous and neoclassical transport, (2) Demonstration ofbifurcation of radial electric field and associated formation of an internal transport barrier, and (3) Dynamics of magnetic islands and clarification of the role of separatrix

Roles of myeloperoxidase and GAPDH in interferon-gamma production of GM-CSF-dependent macrophages

Interferon (IFN)-gamma is highly expressed in atherosclerotic lesions and may have an important role in atherogenesis. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), the most abundant protein in neutrophils, is a marker of plaque vulnerability and a possible bridge between inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The present study investigated the role of neutrophil activation in atherosclerosis. Adherent macrophages were obtained from primary cultures of human mononuclear cells. Expression of IFN-gamma protein by GM-CSF-dependent-macrophages was investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after stimulation with MPO. GM-CSF enhanced macrophage expression of the mannose receptor (CD206), which is involved in MPO uptake. MPO increased IFN-gamma production by GM-CSF-dependent macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner. Pretreatment of macrophages with small interfering RNA (siRNA) for CD206 or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-2 attenuated IFN-gamma production, while siRNA for ERK-1 did not. GAPDH is known to bind to adenylate/uridylate (AU)-rich elements of RNA and may influence IFN-gamma protein expression by binding to the AU-rich element of IFN-gamma mRNA. Interestingly, pretreatment with siRNA for GAPDH significantly reduced IFN-gamma production by macrophages, while it did not affect TF protein expression. In conclusion, MPO upregulates IFN-gamma production by GM-CSF-dependent-macrophages via the CD206/ERK-2 signaling pathway, while silencing GAPDH reduces IFN-gamma production

Human Neutrophil Elastase Induce Interleukin-10 Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells through Protein Kinase C Theta/Delta and Phospholipase Pathways

Objective: Neutrophils have an important role in the rapid innate immune response, and the release or active secretion of elastase from neutrophils is linked to various inflammatory responses. Purpose of this study was to determine how the human neutrophil elastase affects the interleukin-10 (IL-10) response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, changes in IL-10 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels in monocytes derived from human PBMCs were investigated after stimulation with human neutrophil elastase (HNE). A set of inhibitors was used for examining the pathways for IL-10 production induced by HNE. Results: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that stimulation with HNE upregulated IL-10 mRNA expression by monocytes, while the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed an increase of IL-10 protein level in the culture medium. A phospholipase C inhibitor (U73122) partially blunted the induction of IL-10 mRNA expression by HNE, while IL-10 mRNA expression was significantly reduced by a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor (Rottlerin). A calcium chelator (3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid 8-(diethylamino)octyl ester: TMB-8) inhibited the response of IL-10 mRNA to stimulation by HNE. In addition, pretreatment with a broad-spectrum PKC inhibitor (Ro-318425) partly blocked the response to HNE. Finally, an inhibitor of PKC theta/delta abolished the increased level of IL-10 mRNA expression. Conclusion: These results indicate that HNE mainly upregulates IL-10 mRNA expression and protein production in moncytes via a novel PKC theta/delta, although partially via the conventional PKC pathway

Effects of Music Therapy in Frail Elderlies: Controlled Crossover Study

Background: Music therapy (MT) may exert beneficial preventive effects in frail elderly individuals in psychophysiological health. Objectives: One hundred and fifteen frail elderly individuals (65–89 years old) participated. Methods: Subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups for a controlled crossover trial. The MT-first group participated in group sessions of 45–50 min conducted by a certified music therapist for 12 weeks, followed by a 12-week waiting period. The waiting-first group participated in the reverse order. Cognitive function was assessed by the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) and Yamaguchi Kanji Symbol Substitution Test (YKSST). Physical function was assessed by the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). Psychophysical health was assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item version (GDS-15), General Health Questionnaire 12-item version (GHQ-12), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) scale, and Life Space Assessment (LSA) scale. We also evaluated the outcome of MT using the Clinical Global Impressions of Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Results: After 12 weeks of MT, significant improvements were observed in TUG, GDS-15, and GHQ-12 scores. However, no improvements were noted in other scores. CGI-I scores revealed the significant benefits of MT. Conclusions: MT may improve physical function, depressive mood, and quality of life in frail elderly individuals