Relationship between cognitive function and prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in adolescents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study group consisted of 134 elementary school students from 4th to 6th grades and 133 junior high school students from 7th to 9th grades. Participants completed a questionnaire on intrinsic academic motivation. They also performed paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests to measure abilities in motor processing, spatial construction, semantic fluency, immediate memory, short-term memory, delayed memory, spatial working memory, and selective, alternative, and divided attention.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, scores of none of the cognitive tests were correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in elementary school students. However, low digit span forward test score and score for comprehension of the story in the <it>kana </it>pick-out test were positively correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in junior high school students.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present findings suggest that decrease in capacity for verbal memory is associated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation among junior high school students.</p

Predictions on the neutrinoless double beta decay from the leptogenesis via the LHu flat direction

If the baryon asymmetry in the present universe is generated by decays of the $L H_u$ flat direction, the observed baryon asymmetry requires the mass of the lightest neutrino to be much smaller than the mass scale indicated from the atmospheric and solar neutrino oscillations. Such a small mass of the lightest neutrino leads to a high predictability on the rate of the neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay. In this letter we show general predictions on the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay in the leptogenesis via the $LH_u$ flat direction.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, 4 figure

Ground-state properties of neutron-rich Mg isotopes

We analyze recently-measured total reaction cross sections for 24-38Mg isotopes incident on 12C targets at 240 MeV/nucleon by using the folding model and antisymmetrized molecular dynamics(AMD). The folding model well reproduces the measured reaction cross sections, when the projectile densities are evaluated by the deformed Woods-Saxon (def-WS) model with AMD deformation. Matter radii of 24-38Mg are then deduced from the measured reaction cross sections by fine-tuning the parameters of the def-WS model. The deduced matter radii are largely enhanced by nuclear deformation. Fully-microscopic AMD calculations with no free parameter well reproduce the deduced matter radii for 24-36Mg, but still considerably underestimate them for 37,38Mg. The large matter radii suggest that 37,38Mg are candidates for deformed halo nucleus. AMD also reproduces other existing measured ground-state properties (spin-parity, total binding energy, and one-neutron separation energy) of Mg isotopes. Neutron-number (N) dependence of deformation parameter is predicted by AMD. Large deformation is seen from 31Mg with N = 19 to a drip-line nucleus 40Mg with N = 28, indicating that both the N = 20 and 28 magicities disappear. N dependence of neutron skin thickness is also predicted by AMD.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Open Multi-Access Network Platform with Dynamic Task Offloading and Intelligent Resource Monitoring

We constructed an open multi-access network platform using open-source hardware and software. The open multi-access network platform is characterized by the flexible utilization of network functions, integral management and control of wired and wireless access networks, zero-touch provisioning, intelligent resource monitoring, and dynamic task offloading. We also propose an application-driven dynamic task offloading that utilizes intelligent resource monitoring to ensure effective task processing in edge and cloud servers. For this purpose, we developed a mobile application and server applications for the open multi-access network platform. To investigate the feasibility and availability of our developed platform, we experimentally and analytically evaluated the effectiveness of application-driven dynamic task offloading and intelligent resource monitoring. The experimental results demonstrated that application-driven dynamic task offloading could reduce real-time task response time and traffic over metro and core networks

Comprehensive Analysis of Bacterial Flora in Postoperative Maxillary Cyst Fluid by 16S rRNA Gene and Culture Methods

Intracystic fluid was aseptically collected from 11 patients with postoperative maxillary cyst (POMC), and DNA was extracted from the POMC fluid. Bacterial species were identified by sequencing after cloning of approximately 580 bp of the 16S rRNA gene. Identification of pathogenic bacteria was also performed by culture methods. The phylogenetic identity was determined by sequencing 517–596 bp in each of the 1139 16S rRNA gene clones. A total of 1114 clones were classified while the remaining 25 clones were unclassified. A total of 103 bacterial species belonging to 42 genera were identified in POMC fluid samples by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Species of Prevotella (91%), Neisseria (73%), Fusobacterium (73%), Porphyromonas (73%), and Propionibacterium (73%) were found to be highly prevalent in all patients. Streptococcus mitis (64%), Fusobacterium nucleatum (55%), Propionibacterium acnes (55%), Staphylococcus capitis (55%), and Streptococcus salivarius (55%) were detected in more than 6 of the 11 patients. The results obtained by the culture method were different from those obtained by 16S rRNA gene analysis, but both approaches may be necessary for the identification of pathogens, especially of bacteria that are difficult to detect by culture methods, and the development of rational treatments for patients with POMC

Leptogenesis with Almost Degenerate Majorana Neutrinos

We investigate the leptogenesis with almost degenerate neutrinos, in the framework of democratic mass matrix, which naturally explains the large mixing angles for neutrino oscillations as well as quark masses and mixing matrix. We find that the baryon asymmetry in the present universe is explained via the decays of right-handed neutrinos produced nonthermally by the inflaton decay. The model predicts neutrinoless double beta decays accessible in near future experiments.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 2 figure