Launch of Robotic Fish to the Space: Development of Autonomous Cleaning Robot in the International Space Station

This paper describes development of autonomous robot to clean dust in the International Space Station. Clean robot having an autonomous flight control and navigation in Japanese Experiment Module named "KIBO". And, it has function to collect dust which can\u27t be recovered by ISS air conditioning. In this study, the authors chose to fish shapes for cleaning robot. Elastic oscillation fin was realized to have high controllability and soft behavior of creatures. Robotic fish takes evasive action by detecting the astronauts, walls, and obstacles. Then, cleaning work continues safe in cabin. The purpose of robotic fish is to reduce the cleaning workload of astronauts. And, the basic technology contributes to establish autonomous flight control and navigation in zero gravity.9th IFAC Conference on Control Applications in Marine Systems, CAMS 2013; Osaka; Japan; 17 September 2013 through 20 September 201

近現代日本の公益法人と地域社会─「財団法人義倉」を事例に─

本稿は，近現代の地域社会史研究の新たな分析視角として，公益法人に着目することを提起する。事例とするのは，「財団法人義倉」（広島県福山市）である。既存研究では大都市に戦間期に成立した法人が対象とされてきた。それに対して明治期かつ地方において成立した大規模法人として義倉には特異な位置付けが与えられる。その経営は土地（小作地）と金融資産（地元企業の株式）を中心としており，成長性・安定性の面でも優れていた。事業内容としては教育，医療福祉などを多様に展開していた。その中から地域社会との応答を記した史料を用いて，事業の背景を読み解いていった。その結果，地域社会の資金需要が公益法人に集中したり，行政の社会福祉事業と義倉の事業の相補関係があったことも確認された。最後に，このような発見を，より緻密な実証研究のレベルに落とし込み，公益法人と地域社会の関係を資金の需給関係として捉え返していくことが，今後の研究課題となることを示した。2017年度第1回研究集会[2017年6月29日(木)]報告要

Haki Yetu (It’s Our Right): Determinants of Post-Election Violence in Kenya

経済学 / EconomicsDuring the violence following the 2007 presidential election in Kenya, it has been reported that around 1,000 people were killed and over 500,000 people were displaced. In this paper, we investigate the root causes of the violence by using a panel survey of 295 rural households living Rift Valley and Nyanza Provinces, where the violence took place. Among our sample households, 11 percent of male members and 9 percent of female members were victims of the violence, 11 percent of households were displaced, and 23 percent of households hosted at least one internally displaced person. The results show that certain ethnic groups had higher probabilities of being victims of the violence. In addition, we find that members of households without land titles were victimized more than those with land titles, but they were less likely to leave their homes. They could be victimized because the mobs wanted to chase them away, but they hesitated to leave their homes, knowing that it would be difficult for them to retain their land without land titles. The land issue was clearly one of the root causes of the violence, and the issue should be solved or at least addressed to prevent similar conflicts in the future

バンコック ニホンゴ センター ニオケル キョウイン ケンシュウ プログラム ノ カイハツ

タイ国における日本語教育は、年々規模を拡大し、各機関では学習者の増加に伴い、教員不足に悩むとともに教員のレベルアップに対する関心が高まってきた。このような状況の中、国際交流基金バンコック日本語センターが設立され、さまざまな便宜供与が企図されているが、本稿では、研修会・コンサルティング・教師向け日本語講座等の活動状況を一瞥し、当センターで開発を企てている教員研修プログラムの実際、今後の展望について論じる。 一年に2回行なう予定の「日本語教育研修会」は、研修プログラムの中心をなすものであり、一週間にわたり集中的に講義が行なわれる。 「日本語教師のための日本語講座」は、タイ人日本語教師の日本語運用力を高め、授業を活性化させる目的で開設された。その他、コンサルティングや各地のセミナーで吸収した問題点からのフィードバックも含め、研修会・日本語講座を通 じ、教員研修プログラムを開発していく予定である。 研修内容についても、日本語教育に関する知識をいかに実際の授業に活かすかという観点に立っての教員研修シラバスの開発が急務である。これらの活動の結果、指導法に悩むタイ人日本語教師に躍進のきっかけを提供できればと願っている。Japanese-language education has been expanding yearly in Thailand. With the increase of learners, each institution has been increasingly concerned with the recruitment and "brush-up" of teachers. The Japan Foundation Bangkok Language Center, following this trend, has started to extend its services to the Japanese-language institutions in Thailand. In this paper, I review the center\u27s activities, including teachers\u27 training courses, consultation, and Japanese courses for teachers. I also discuss the present state and future development of the teachers\u27 training program. First, we hold a "Teachers\u27 Training Course in Teaching Japanese" twice a year for one week each. This plays a central role in our academic program. Second, we organize a "Japanese-Language Course for Teachers," which seeks to improve the communicative abilities of Thai teachers of Japanese and revitalize their teaching. Last, we offer consultation and visiting services to various seminars in which we discuss problems of pedagogy and "feedback." Our teachers\u27 training program will continue to develop through the above three programs with a view to efficient application of academic knowledge of the Japanese language to actual classroom teaching. We are now endeavoring to establish syllabi for teachers\u27 training and to provide opportunities for the improvement of teaching Japanese

ヒューマニスティック テクニック オ カンガエル : チュウトウ キョウイク ノ ガイコクジン ニホンゴ キョウシ ノタメニ

特定の教授法理論とは直接関係づけずに現在使用中の教科書を使いながら教室活動を組み立てていく際のヒントになる考え方として「ヒューマニスティック・テクニック」を紹介し、中等教育の外国人日本語教師のための可能性を提案した。まず、Moskowitz(1978)およびGalyean(1977)によるヒューマニスティック・テクニック」の考え方を紹介した。その要点は以下の通りである。(1)言語学習は言語形式を習得する認知面の学習にとどまらず、情意面での人間的成長を考慮したものである べきだ。(2)言語学習が学習者にとって有意味であるためには、学習者に身近な題材をトピックにしながら自己表現させ、併せてクラスメート間の人間的交流を図ることが大事である。 「ヒューマニスティック・テクニック」の拠って立つ「人間性」のとらえどころのなさや楽観性などに対して批評的考察を加える一方、次のような点で意義を認めた。(1)学習者心理、教室内における目標言語の有意味な使用、言語学習における自己表 現の重要性などに大きな関心を払っている。(2)教師が学習者の内発的動機を探求するうえで有益な機会を与え、教師自身の内省に効果的である。 中等教育における言語教育のもつ人間教育の側面や外国人教師の利点を生かすうえで「ヒューマニスティック・テクニック」の意義を確認し、日本語の教室活動の例を紹介して、外国人日本語教師にその評価を問う。This paper discusses humanistic techniques in teaching Japanese as a foreign language and studies their feasibility for non-native teachers of the Japanese language at the secondary level. Moskowitz (1978) and Galycan (1977), both of which propose humanistic techniques, can be summarized as follows: 1) language education should provide learning and an environment that facilitates the humanistic growth of the learners; 2) the content of language practice should be based on student-offered material, both cognitive and affective; and 3) healthy relationships with other classmates is effective for increasing one\u27s self-esteem and enhances learning. While the above-mentioned discussion could be criticized as elusive or optimistic, humanistic techniques still have great value as in the following: 1) they realize the essential characteristics of language teaching/learning-first, language use is closely related with human psychology; second, language proficiency improves only through using the target language; and third, self-expression is essential in language learning; and 2) they offer teachers a great chance to explore what language learning is and how motivation is related with language learning. This paper emphasizes the significance of humanistic techniques when they are applied to non-native teachers of Japanese in secondary education because of the following reasons: 1) in secondary education the purpose of the course is not necessarily based on the present needs of the students but is to develop intellectual and emotional dimensions through language learning; and 2) humanistic techniques seem to offer an effective way for non-native teachers to utilize their strong points such as sharing native language and cultural background with the learners as well as having their own experiences of learning the target language. Four original classroom activities are created as samples and attached for the readers to use and evaluate

Clinical practice guidelines for the foot and ankle in rheumatoid arthritis: a critical appraisal

Background: Clinical practice guidelines are recommendations systematically developed to assist clinical decision-making and inform healthcare. In current rheumatoid arthritis (RA) guidelines, management of the foot and ankle is under-represented and the quality of recommendation is uncertain. This study aimed to identify and critically appraise clinical practice guidelines for foot and ankle management in RA. Methods: Guidelines were identified electronically and through hand searching. Search terms 'rheumatoid arthritis', 'clinical practice guidelines' and related synonyms were used. Critical appraisal and quality rating were conducted using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Results: Twenty-four guidelines were included. Five guidelines were high quality and recommended for use. Five high quality and seven low quality guidelines were recommended for use with modifications. Seven guidelines were low quality and not recommended for use. Five early and twelve established RA guidelines were recommended for use. Only two guidelines were foot and ankle specific. Five recommendation domains were identified in both early and established RA guidelines. These were multidisciplinary team care, foot healthcare access, foot health assessment/review, orthoses/insoles/splints, and therapeutic footwear. Established RA guidelines also had an 'other foot care treatments' domain. Conclusions: Foot and ankle management for RA features in many clinical practice guidelines recommended for use. Unfortunately, supporting evidence in the guidelines is low quality. Agreement levels are predominantly 'expert opinion' or 'good clinical practice'. More research investigating foot and ankle management for RA is needed prior to inclusion in clinical practice guidelines

New Approach to Teaching Japanese Pronunciation in the Digital Era - Challenges and Practices

Pronunciation has been a black hole in the L2 Japanese classroom on account of a lack of class time, teacher\u2019s confidence, and consciousness of the need to teach pronunciation, among other reasons. The absence of pronunciation instruction is reported to result in fossilized pronunciation errors, communication problems, and learner frustration. With an intention of making a contribution to improve such circumstances, this paper aims at three goals. First, it discusses the importance, necessity, and e ectiveness of teaching prosodic aspects of Japanese pronunciation from an early stage in acquisition. Second, it shows that Japanese prosody is challenging because of its typological rareness, regardless of the L1 backgrounds of learners. Third and finally, it introduces a new approach to teaching L2 pronunciation with the goal of developing L2 comprehensibility by focusing on essential prosodic features, which is followed by discussions on key issues concerning how to implement the new approach both inside and outside the classroom in the digital era

Understanding mobility characteristics and needs of older persons in urban Pakistan with respect to use of public transport and self-driving

Since 1990, Pakistan's demographic transition has been increasing life spans with a steady rise in the number of older persons. Pakistan faces many challenges in caring for its older population. The proportion of the population aged 60 years and above is estimated to increase from 5.8% in 2000 to 12.4% in 2050. A study was conducted to understand the existing mobility characteristics of the elderly, their perceived needs and constraining factors. Data was collected using convenient sampling from 450 people aged 60 years or older in nine towns within Lahore City. Older people were approached around urban facilities (shops, banks, terminals) and asked to respond to survey questions. Within-residence interviews were also conducted, mainly for those women who declined interviews in public places. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed, including Pearson's chi squared test for independence. The results are discussed in terms of mode choice, public transport preferences, self-driving issues and the relative benefits of formal and informal public transport options. The study found lower levels of weekly trip-making compared to those reported for older people in China, South Korea and USA. Vehicle ownership (mainly carsand motorcycles) and socio-demographic factors were found to significantly affect trip making. There were large gender differences in trip making and vehicle ownership, suggesting further research and policy action targeting the mobility needs of elderly women. Older persons were concerned about safety issues concerning public transport and self-driving, and also the behavior of transport crews, and this has informed several of the concluding policy recommendations