Risk perceptions in Japanese SMEs:the role of Internet marketing capabilities in firm performance

Internet plays a very important role for the success of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Many Japanese SMEs are risk-averse in adopting technological innovation such as the Internet. Others, despite these risk-related business norms, recognize the importance of technology and develop and deploy Internet marketing technology to compete in the current competitive environment. Drawing upon these contradicting practices among Japanese SMEs, this study investigates how Japanese SMEs risk perception impacts on the deployment of Internet marketing capabilities, the relationships between perception of risk, international mind-set, business networks, Internet marketing capabilities, and firm performance. This study makes two contributions. Firstly, there has been limited research investigating how Internet-related capabilities impact on firms’ performance. Secondly, there are few Internet-related studies in Japan. Thus, our emphasis on key antecedents and outcomes of Internet marketing capabilities among Japanese SMEs contributes significantly to our understanding of this unique contextual setting. The findings also provide some insights to managers/owners of Japanese SMEs that lower risk perception fosters adoption of the Internet and combined with other resources creates Internet marketing capabilities which results in higher performance

Associations of Autism Spectrum Quotient and Personality Profiles with Eating Behaviors in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa and in a Non-clinical Population

Article信州医学雑誌 67(3): 157-166(2019)journal articl

Lesson Study Consulting for the Professional Development of Textbook Developers: A case of social studies textbook development project for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in Cambodia

Who should disseminate new curriculum and textbooks from the central government to classroom in developing countries? And, how is it possible? Curriculum and textbook developers often faces the necessity of and the challenges in spreading the essentials and intention of new curriculum and textbooks and the expected educational practices to classroom. In order to design and implement consistent educational reform through three layers of the curriculum (the intended, the implemented and the attained level), it is required for them to be committed in not only the development stage with a clear picture of quality teaching and learning, but also the dissemination stage through in-service teacher training such as lesson study. This study aims at clarifying potential measures to develop the expertise for curriculum and textbook developers as a communicator of educational reform in developing countries. In the process of our project on the curriculum and textbook development of social studies education in Cambodia, we assume “the expertise of consulting lesson study” and examine it both from theory and practical cases of (i) lesson-demonstrating approach and (ii) lesson-advising approach. As a consequence, it is found that their ability for consulting lesson study could be enhanced by regarding senior (Japanese) experts as a role model. And also, the result implies that, for their continuous professional development, it is necessary for them to purposefully take part in lesson study consulting, and shift the approach from “modeling” to “coaching” by steps

ドウキズケ ガ タドク オ ツウジタ グウハツテキ ゴイ ガクシュウ ニ アタエル コウカ ニ ツイテ

Graded Readers (英語学習者向けに段階別に書かれた本) を用いた多読の学習的効果については、主に語彙習得や読解力の側面から多くの先行研究で立証されてきた(Krashen,1993; Nation,2001; Waring & Takaki, 2003; Maruyama, 2009)。しかし、多読学習時における学生の動機の相違の観点から、語彙習得効果に着目した研究はこれまでなかった。そこで、本研究では都内私立大学生67 名を対象に、Vocabulary Levels Test、ProductiveVocabulary Levels Test、及びEnglish Web VocabProfile のテストを実施し、以下の3 グループ間にみられる1 学期間(13 週間)における受容語彙数及び発表語彙数の変化の差異について調べた。(a)外的動機により多読学習を課題として取り組んだグループ (実験群I)(b)内的動機により自主的に多読学習に取り組んだグループ (実験群II)(c)多読学習の課題を与えられなかったグループ(統制群)分析の結果、実験群IIにおいて受容語彙数及び発表語彙数の変化がもっとも著しいことが明らかとなった。本稿で確認された多読学習における内的動機と語彙サイズの変化との正の相関性は、語学学習者に対する情意要素を涵養させる教育の重要性を示唆している

音響・言語的特徴量を利用したパーキンソン病の識別

2021年度卒業論文要旨, 情報科学部情報科学科othe

Local Gene Delivery System by Bubble Liposomes and Ultrasound Exposure into Joint Synovium

Recently, we have developed novel polyethylene glycol modified liposomes (bubble liposomes; BL) entrapping an ultrasound (US) imaging gas, which can work as a gene delivery tool with US exposure. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of US-mediated gene transfer systems with BL into synoviocytes in vitro and joint synovium in vivo. Highly efficient gene transfer could be achieved in the cultured primary synoviocytes transfected with the combination of BL and US exposure, compared to treatment with plasmid DNA (pDNA) alone, pDNA plus BL, or pDNA plus US. When BL was injected into the knee joints of mice, and US exposure was applied transcutaneously to the injection site, highly efficient gene expression could be observed in the knee joint transfected with the combination of BL and US exposure, compared to treatment with pDNA alone, pDNA plus BL, or pDNA plus US. The localized and prolonged gene expression was also shown by an in vivo luciferase imaging system. Thus, this local gene delivery system into joint synovium using the combination of BL and US exposure may be an effective means for gene therapy in joint disorders

Non-destructive readout of 2D and 3D dose distributions using a disk-type radiophotoluminescent glass plate

Novel disk-type X-ray two- and three-dimensional (2D, 3D) dose distributions have been developed using atomic-scale defects as minimum luminescent units, such as radiation- induced silver (Ag)-related species in a Ag-activated phosphate glass. This luminescent detector is based on the radiophotoluminescence(RPL) phenomenon. Accurate accumulated dose distributions with a high spatial resolution on the order of microns over large areas, a wide dynamic range covering three orders of magnitude and a non-destructive readout were successfully demonstrated for the first time by using a disk-type glass plate with a 100-mm diameter and a 1-mm thickness. In addition, the combination of a confocal optical detection system with a transparent glass detector enables 3D reconstruction by piling up each dose image at different depths within the material. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Changes in the Features of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease after Introduction of the Seven-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in a Regional Core Hospital of Kochi, Japan

Since the introduction of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in 2007, invasive pneumococcal disease has declined, but the incidence of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 19A has risen worldwide. The present study examined changes in the features of invasive pneumococcal disease since the introduction of the PCV7 in Kochi, Japan. Pediatric cases of invasive pneumococcal disease were investigated before and after vaccine introduction (January 2008 to December 2013). Cases of invasive pneumococcal disease tended to decrease after PCV7 introduction. In addition, before introduction of the vaccine, most serotypes causing invasive pneumococcal disease were those included in the vaccine. However, after the introduction, we found cases infected by serotypes not covered by vaccine. Penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae was the predominant serotype causing invasive pneumococcal disease before introduction of the PCV7, and the susceptibility of this serotype to antibiotics improved after vaccine introduction. Serotype isolates identified after vaccine introduction were also relatively susceptible to antibiotic therapy, but decreased susceptibility is expected