CO Multi-line Imaging of Nearby Galaxies (COMING) IV. Overview of the Project

Observations of the molecular gas in galaxies are vital to understanding the evolution and star-forming histories of galaxies. However, galaxies with molecular gas maps of their whole discs having sufficient resolution to distinguish galactic structures are severely lacking. Millimeter wavelength studies at a high angular resolution across multiple lines and transitions are particularly needed, severely limiting our ability to infer the universal properties of molecular gas in galaxies. Hence, we conducted a legacy project with the 45 m telescope of the Nobeyama Radio Observatory, called the CO Multi-line Imaging of Nearby Galaxies (COMING), which simultaneously observed 147 galaxies with high far-infrared flux in $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, and C$^{18}$O $J=1-0$ lines. The total molecular gas mass was derived using the standard CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor and found to be positively correlated with the total stellar mass derived from the WISE $3.4 \mu$m band data. The fraction of the total molecular gas mass to the total stellar mass in galaxies does not depend on their Hubble types nor the existence of a galactic bar, although when galaxies in individual morphological types are investigated separately, the fraction seems to decrease with the total stellar mass in early-type galaxies and vice versa in late-type galaxies. No differences in the distribution of the total molecular gas mass, stellar mass, and the total molecular gas to stellar mass ratio was observed between barred and non-barred galaxies, which is likely the result of our sample selection criteria, in that we prioritized observing FIR bright (and thus molecular gas-rich) galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASJ; 47 pages, 5 tables, 29 figures. On-line supplementary images are available at this URL (https://astro3.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/~radio/coming/publications/). CO data is available at the Japanese Virtual Observatory (JVO) website (https://jvo.nao.ac.jp/portal/nobeyama/coming.do) and the project website (https://astro3.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/~radio/coming/data/

Examining the Effects of Presentation-based Instruction on Japanese Engineering Students\u27 Attitudes towards Learning English : A Preliminary Study

English has become a necessary tool for Japanese engineering students; however, generally speaking, engineering students do not have much interest in learning English. For a preliminary study of engineering students\u27 motivation to learn English, we used Dörnyei\u27s (2009) second language (L2) motivational self system to examine their attitudes towards learning English and how presentation-based courses might affect their motivation/attitudes. The results showed that presentation activity is effective in reducing students\u27 anxiety towards using English as well as increasing their interest in it. Moreover, students\u27 perceived competence grew significantly, and proved that the English presentation activity is effective in helping engineering students to gain confidence in using English. Thus, we concluded that the presentation activities are effective in helping learners create clearer visions of their future selves using English

Relationships among motivation, psychological needs, FL WTC, and Can-Do statements of English language learning based on Self-Determination Theory : Preliminary study of non-English-major junior college students in Japan

本研究は、英語を専攻としていない日本人短期大学生163名を対象として、動機づけ、心理的欲求、外国語での自発的にコミュニケーションを図る意思(八島,2009)(FL WTC)、英語力の認識(Can-Do statements[STEP])の関係を明らかにすることを目的としている。具体的には、自己決定理論を動機づけの枠組みとして用い、1)内発的動機づけの保持に最も影響を与えている心理的欲求を明らかにし、2)高いFLWTCを持つことと内発的動機づけとの関わりを探る。更に、3)英語力の認識 (Can-Do statements)と高い内発的動機づけの保持との関わりについても示していく。調査の結果、1)心理的欲求の中でも特に有能性の欲求が満たされることが、最も内発的動機づけに影響する要因であることが明らかとなり、更に2)高いFL WTCを持つ学習者は特に自己決定度の高い外発動機づけと関係を持つことが分かった。最後に、3)自己の英語力に対して肯定的な認識を持つ学習者は、高い内発動機づけを保持することが示された。このことから、授業内で「出来る」と感じることが内発動機づけの高まりを助け、更に自発的に英語でコミュニケー ションを図る意思を保持することは、自己決定度の高い外発的な動機づけとなることが示唆された。一方、肯定的な英語力の認識は内発的動機づけと最も強い関係を持つことからも、教育の場においてコミュニケーションの意思を高める働きかけのみではなく、実際に英語を使用する場面を増やすなどし、学習者が自身の英語力に肯定的な認識を保持する機会を設けることが重要であると考えられた

Positive selection on schizophrenia-associated <i>ST8SIA2</i> gene in post-glacial Asia

<div><p>A number of loci are associated with highly heritable schizophrenia and the prevalence of this mental illness has had considerable negative fitness effects on human populations. Here we focused on one particular schizophrenia-associated gene that encodes a sialyltransferase (ST8SIA2) and is expressed preferentially in the brain with the level being largely determined by three SNPs in the promoter region. It is suggested that the expression level of the <i>ST8SIA2</i> gene is a genetic determinant of schizophrenia risk, and we found that a geographically differentiated non-risk SNP type (CGC-type) has significantly reduced promoter activity. A newly developed method for detecting ongoing positive selection was applied to the <i>ST8SIA2</i> genomic region with the identification of an unambiguous sweep signal in a rather restricted region of 18 kb length surrounding the promoter. We also found that while the CGC-type emerged in anatomically modern humans in Africa over 100 thousand years ago, it has increased its frequency in Asia only during the past 20–30 thousand years. These findings support that the positive selection is driven by psychosocial stress due to changing social environments since around the last glacial maximum, and raise a possibility that schizophrenia extensively emerged during the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic era.</p></div