ヒ ボゴ ワシャ ニホンゴ キョウシ ムケ ブンポウ カイセツ ノ ココロミ - 『ニホンゴ キョイク ツウシン』 「ブンポウ ヲ ヤサシク」 ヲ シッピツ シテ -

中級者向け初級文法解説記事「文法をやさしく」は、非母語話者日本語教師向け情報誌『日本語教育通信』に3年間連載された。この記事は、日本語で書かれた教師向け文法参考書を使いこなすことが難しい、運用力が中級段階にある非母語話者日本語教師を読者に想定して書かれた。筆者らはこの記事の執筆にあたり、使用語彙や文型、文体を調整し、挿絵などの視覚的な補助手段を用いて、「やさしい文法解説」の具体化を図った。2003年実施の『日本語教育通信』に関するアンケートでは、想定外の読者、例えば、母語話者教師からも反響があり、日本語でやさしく書かれた文法解説の需要や効果の一端がわかった。但し、解説に多くの抽象的概念や文法用語を要する項目は取り上げにくく、各現場の多様性(母語・文化等)まで踏まえた説明が困難だという限界もある。これらが今後こうした企画を展開する際の留意点と考えられる。We serialized articles named “Approachable Japanese Grammar” on NIHONGO-KYOÔIKU TSÛSHIN, a newsletter for non-native Japanese language teachers (NNTs) for 3 years. More than half of NNTs are presumably occupied with those at or under an intermediate level of competence. For them, reference books in Japanese are not approachable, obstructed by the language incompetence. Our attempt was to serve them interpretative articles in simple Japanese, in a teachers-talk-like style, also with visual aids such as illustrations, etc.. Answers on questionaires in 2003 tell us it attracted not only NNTs including those under intermediate level, but also native teachers as the readers. Accepting difficulty to detour technical terms demanding vocabulary beyond intermediate level for its interpretation, we wish our attempt may suggest a way to make Japanese grammar more comprehensible for teaching and learning

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

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

Distribution of Macrobiotus shonaicus Stec, Arakawa & Michalczyk, 2018 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae) in Japan

Sugiura, Kenta, Arakawa, Kazuharu, Matsumoto, Midori (2020): Distribution of Macrobiotus shonaicus Stec, Arakawa & Michalczyk, 2018 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae) in Japan. Zootaxa 4778 (3): 600-600, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4778.3.1

Distribution of Macrobiotus shonaicus Stec, Arakawa & Michalczyk, 2018 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae) in Japan

Sugiura, Kenta, Arakawa, Kazuharu, Matsumoto, Midori (2020): Distribution of Macrobiotus shonaicus Stec, Arakawa & Michalczyk, 2018 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae) in Japan. Zootaxa 4767 (1): 56-70, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4767.1.

Married women’s decision to delay childbearing, and loneliness, severe psychological distress, and suicidal ideation under crisis: online survey data analysis from 2020 to 2021

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, including the decision to become pregnant. Existing literature suggests that infertility and the decision to delay childbearing at a younger age are associated with a lower level of well-being and regrets when women start to desire a baby. Thus, the decision to delay childbearing due to the pandemic could negatively affect the well-being of women. This study focuses on how pregnancy decisions affect the well-being of women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods From the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey, a nationally representative web-based survey, 768 observations of married women aged 18 to 50 years who had the intention of getting pregnant during the pre-pandemic period (conducted in 2020 and 2021) were used. Loneliness, severe psychological distress, and suicidal ideation were used as well-being indicators. For pooled data, a generalised estimated equation (GEE) model was used to estimate how pregnancy decision related to well-being indicators. For a sub-analysis, the sample was divided by the survey year and a Poisson regression model was used. Results The GEE analysis showed an association between delaying childbearing and severe psychological distress, with the prevalence ratio (PR) being 2.06 [95% CI (1.40–3.03)]. Furthermore, loneliness and suicidal ideation that occurred after the beginning of the pandemic were significantly related to the decision to delay childbearing—1.55 [95% CI (1.03,2.34)] and 2.55 [95% CI (1.45–4.51)], respectively. Moreover, these PRs were larger for 2021 compared to 2020. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately one-fifth of married women who had childbearing intentions before the pandemic decided to postpone pregnancy. They exhibited a deteriorated mental health state. Furthermore, the negative associations were larger in 2021 compared to 2020. Loneliness has negative consequences for both mental and physical health, as well as elevated severe psychological distress and suicidal ideation among those who decided to postpone pregnancy. Therefore, the current results should not be overlooked by society

Sexual dimorphism in the tardigrade Paramacrobiotus metropolitanus transcriptome

Abstract Background In gonochoristic animals, the sex determination pathway induces different morphological and behavioral features that can be observed between sexes, a condition known as sexual dimorphism. While many components of this sex differentiation cascade show high levels of diversity, factors such as the Doublesex-Mab-3-Related Transcription factor (DMRT) are widely conserved across animal taxa. Species of the phylum Tardigrada exhibit remarkable diversity in morphology and behavior between sexes, suggesting a pathway regulating this dimorphism. Despite the wealth of genomic and zoological knowledge accumulated in recent studies, the sexual differences in tardigrades genomes have not been identified. In the present study, we focused on the gonochoristic species Paramacrobiotus metropolitanus and employed omics analyses to unravel the molecular basis of sexual dimorphism. Results Transcriptome analysis between sex-identified specimens revealed numerous differentially expressed genes, of which approximately 2,000 male-biased genes were focused on 29 non-male-specific genomic loci. From these regions, we identified two Macrobiotidae family specific DMRT paralogs, which were significantly upregulated in males and lacked sex specific splicing variants. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis indicated all tardigrade genomes lack the doublesex ortholog, suggesting doublesex emerged after the divergence of Tardigrada. In contrast to sex-specific expression, no evidence of genomic differences between the sexes was found. We also identified several anhydrobiosis genes that exhibit sex-biased expression, suggesting a possible mechanism for protection of sex-specific tissues against extreme stress. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive analysis for analyzing the genetic differences between sexes in tardigrades. The existence of male-biased, but not male-specific, genomic loci and identification of the family specific male-biased DMRT subfamily provides the foundation for understanding the sex determination cascade. In addition, sex-biased expression of several tardigrade-specific genes which are involved their stress tolerance suggests a potential role in protecting sex-specific tissue and gametes

ダイカンミンコク コウトウ ガッコウ ニホンゴ キョウシ ケンシュウ ニオケル ソウゴウ キョウジュ エンシュウ ジュギョウ ニツイテ ニチジョウ ノ キョウジュ カツドウ カラノ イッポ

本稿では、1993年夏に2カ月間にわたり実施された大韓民国高等学校日本語教師研修で試みた「総合教授演習」の授業枠の考え方、計画準備、そして実際の授業の運営経過と、その成果 、課題について述べる。この研修は、韓国の高校の教師だけを集めて行われた初めての研修であり、従来の短期研修では実現できなかった研修生集団の等質性が、母語、教授対象、教授歴、カリキュラム他教育現場の諸条件、使用教材などの諸点で実現した点に大きな特徴がある。研修授業の準備担当者は、このような研修生集団の等質性を最大限活かし、1996年度実施予定の韓国の新教育課程への橋渡しとなるような授業プログラムを考えた。その柱となる授業が『総合教授演習』である。これは、教師が提示する課題を個人やグループで解決しながら、今、自分がどのような教師であるか、どんな授業をしているかを振り返り、さらにどんな考え方が効果 的なのか、どのようにして学習者の意欲を高め、会話の力を上げる授業が実現できるか等、各自が望ましいと考える授業をそれぞれの現場の状況で実現する方策を探る時間である。 授業は第1期と第2期に分かれ、第1期では、オリエンテーションや準備が行われる一方で、研修授業の他の授業枠で、教材の使い方に関する必修の授業を受けて、本格的なグループ作業に入る素地を整え、第2期の3週間で授業の目標設定、略案、細案作成等、模擬授業を目指して作業が進められた。総計33時間の短いコースであるため、研修授業最終日の模擬授業の発表と自己評価をコースの一応の到達点としたが、帰国後今回の授業の成果 が日常の授業を見直していくきっかけとなることも期待したい。 終了後の研修生の声からは教え方や教授技術の工夫の必要性に気づいたとか、補助教材の活用等具体的な方策に手がかりやヒントを得たといった成果 が読み取れる。 授業を担当した教師の所感としては、当初の目標の一つであった、自己の教授活動を変えていく必要性や、その可能性に気づかせるという点では明らかな成果 が得られたが、授業そのものの運営方法、特にグループ作業になれていない研修生をどのように活性化させるかといった点は、まだ今後の課題として検討しなければならないと思われる