An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Reading Aloud in English Language Reading Classes at a Senior High School Level

音読活動は,中学校では当然のごとく行われてはいるが,高校段階になると指導者である教師自身が目的意識もなく,惰性的,習慣的に行う場合が多い。また,音読は重要であるという認識を持ちながら,時間の制約もあって省略,あるいは家庭学習にまかせるという事例も多くある。果たして音読は本当に英語習得に効果があるのかどうかが,教師白身にとって曖昧であることもその原因といえよう。本稿では,中1から高3まで各学年の生徒の音読に対する意識・実行の度合いの調査と,高校2年生を対象に音読が英文記憶保持に効果があるかどうかを検証する実験結果を報告する。The activities of reading aloud are adopted in almost all the junior high school English classes and are regarded as taken for granted. At a senior high school level, however, teachers simply make their students read in chorus or individually after comprehending the text without realizing any clear purposes. This means that teachers have a vague idea as to whether reading aloud is an effective activity in English learning. This paper reports students' attitudes toward reading aloud and shows that the activity of reading aloud is effective in keeping the memory of the text they read

Adopting “Active Learning” (A Practical Report) in English Classes: Peer-tutoring for 11th Graders in “English Communication II”

本研究では，アクティブ・ラーニング型の授業をめざし，高校2 年生４３人のクラスの英語コミュニケーションⅡの中で英語のテキストを用いた生徒同士の教えあう授業の実践を報告する。学習者どうしの教えあいは，教材の理解，知識の定着に効果をもたらす可能性がある。また，教えるという他者のために行う協同的な活動を通して，更に準備の段階や，教わる段階で気軽に疑問点を質問し合えるという点などを通して，より深い学習を経験できると思われる。本報告では，教えあう授業の実践事例と生徒の反応，事後の定期テストの平均点の変化，今後の課題について述べる。This paper reports a procedure for peer tutoring that encourages “Active Learning” by using an authorized text of “English Communication II” for 1th graders. Peer tutoring is considered an effective method to deepen the understanding of both the tutor and tutee. For the purpose of tutoring, students have the opportunity to further their understanding via cooperation with other members undertaking the same activities. The students’ positive evaluations of this style of English class and an improvement in their average score in a regularly scheduled test are also reported

Awareness of Japanese 7th Graders Engaged in English Activities in Primary School: Differences in Students’ Awareness Depending on Experiences of Writing Activities or Length of Learning

本研究では中学1 年生が小学校で経験した英語活動をどのように認識しているか，さらにはそれが中学校での英語の授業にどのように活かされていると感じているかを調査したものである。特に， 5 年生から英語活動を行った生徒とそれ以前から行った生徒，「簡単な英文を書くこと」を経験した生徒と，書く活動をしなかった生徒との比較を行い，中学校英語に対する影響を報告する。The purpose of this paper is to determine how Japanese 7th graders regard learning English in primary schools and the effects of this on learning English in middle schools. More specifically, we aim to examine how the experiences of writing activities and the length of learning English in primary schools influence students’ later study of English. The 7th graders in this study have positive views on learning English at primary school and keep motivated to study English once they enter middle school. However, some students who did not experience any writing activities while at primary school now consider that learning English at primary school is of little use for English lessons at middle school

Dynamic Behavior of Dust Particles in Plasmas

Experimentally observed dynamic behavior, such as a particle circulation under magnetic field, a bow shock formation in an upper stream of an obstacle, etc., will be reviewed. Dust particles confined in a cylindrical glass tube show a dynamic circulation when strong magnetic field is applied from the bottom of the tube using a permanent magnet. The circulation consists of two kinds of motions: one is a toroidal rotation around the tube axis, and the other is a poloidal rotation. Dust particles are blown upward from near the bottom of the tube against the gravity neighborhood of the tube axis. A two-dimensional supersonic flow of dust particles forms a bow shock in front of a needlelike-shaped obstacle when the flow crosses the obstacle. The slower flow passes the obstacle as a laminar flow. A streamline-shaped void where dust particles are not observed is formed around the obstacle

Association between Mammographic Breast Density and Lifestyle in Japanese Women

A high mammographic breast density is considered to be a risk factor for breast cancer. However, only a small number of studies on the association between breast density and lifestyle have been performed. A cross-sectional study was performed using a survey with 29 questions on life history and lifestyle. The breast density on mammography was classified into 4 categories following the BI-RADS criteria. The subjects were 522 women with no medical history of breast cancer. The mean age was 53.3 years old. On multivariate analysis, only BMI was a significant factor determining breast density in premenopausal women (parameter estimate, －0.403;p value, 0.0005), and the density decreased as BMI rose. In postmenopausal women, BMI (parameter estimate, －0.196;p value, 0.0143) and number of deliveries (parameter estimate, －0.388;p value, 0.0186) were significant factors determining breast density;breast density decreased as BMI and number of deliveries increased. Only BMI and number of deliveries were identified as factors significantly influencing breast density. BMI was inversely correlated with breast density before and after menopause, whereas the influence of number of deliveries on breast density was significant only in postmenopausal women in their 50 and 60s

Effects of lifestyle and single nucleotide polymorphisms on breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Japanese women

Background: Lifestyle factors, including food and nutrition, physical activity, body composition and reproductive factors, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with breast cancer risk, but few studies of these factors have been performed in the Japanese population. Thus, the goals of this study were to validate the association between reported SNPs and breast cancer risk in the Japanese population and to evaluate the effects of SNP genotypes and lifestyle factors on breast cancer risk. Methods: A case-control study in 472 patients and 464 controls was conducted from December 2010 to November 2011. Lifestyle was examined using a self-administered questionnaire. We analyzed 16 breast cancer-associated SNPs based on previous GWAS or candidate-gene association studies. Age or multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated from logistic regression analyses. Results: High BMI and current or former smoking were significantly associated with an increased breast cancer risk, while intake of meat, mushrooms, yellow and green vegetables, coffee, and green tea, current leisure-time exercise, and education were significantly associated with a decreased risk. Three SNPs were significantly associated with a breast cancer risk in multivariate analysis: rs2046210 (per allele OR = 1.37 [95% CI: 1.11-1.70]), rs3757318 (OR = 1.33[1.05-1.69]), and rs3803662 (OR = 1.28 [1.07-1.55]). In 2046210 risk allele carriers, leisure-time exercise was associated with a significantly decreased risk for breast cancer, whereas current smoking and high BMI were associated with a significantly decreased risk in non-risk allele carriers. Conclusion: In Japanese women, rs2046210 and 3757318 located near the ESR1 gene are associated with a risk of breast cancer, as in other Asian women. However, our findings suggest that exercise can decrease this risk in allele carriers

Patterns of C-reactive protein trends during clozapine titration and the onset of clozapine-induced inflammation: a case series of weekly and daily C-reactive protein monitoring

BackgroundInternational guidelines for clozapine titration recommend measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) weekly for 4 weeks after clozapine initiation to prevent fatal inflammatory adverse events, including myocarditis. However, limited evidence exists regarding whether weekly CRP monitoring can prevent clozapine-induced inflammation.AimsWe examined the relationship between CRP trends and the development of clozapine-induced inflammation. We also explored the usefulness and limitations of CRP monitoring during clozapine titration.MethodThis study presents 17 and 4 cases of weekly and daily CRP monitoring during clozapine initiation, respectively.ResultsAmong 17 patients with weekly CRP measurements, 7 had fever. Elevated CRP levels were detected before the onset of fever in two of the seven patients. Of the five remaining patients, the CRP levels on a previous test had been low; however, the fever developed suddenly. Of the 10 patients with no fever under weekly CRP monitoring, three had elevated CRP levels >3.0 mg/dL. Refraining from increasing the clozapine dose may have prevented fever in these patients. Among four patients with daily CRP measurements, two became febrile. In both cases, CRP levels increased almost simultaneously with the onset of fever.ConclusionWeekly and daily CRP monitoring during clozapine titration is valuable for preventing clozapine-induced inflammation, assessing its severity, and guiding clozapine dose adjustments. Weekly CRP monitoring may not adequately predict clozapine-induced inflammation in some cases. Consequently, clinicians should be aware of the sudden onset of clozapine-induced inflammation, even if CRP levels are low. Daily CRP monitoring is better for detecting clozapine-induced inflammation

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection