the strategy of finger use in children's addition Relationship with short-term memory, finger dexterity, and addition skills

Previous research has shown that the children's use of the fingers in additon changes with age. In this study, a part of data on the strategy of finger use by Asakawa and Sugimura (2009) was reanalyzed to clarify the relationship between, short-term memory, finger dexterity and addition skills. A two-way ANOVA showed a significant interaction between memory span and finger use. Examination of simple main effect indicated that significant effect of memory span at the group of the children who did not use fingers and significant effect of finger use at the group of the children whose memory span were small. However, there was no significant interaction between finger dexterity and finger use. Results suggest that finger use can compensate for small memory span

Preliminary Considerations of Zone of Proximal development in Childcare

The purpose of this study is to reconsiderate the concept of zone of proximal development by L.S.Vygotsky. Although there has been a recent upsurge of in Vygotsky's theory, most of interst has centered on the role Zone of Proximal Development was equivocal applied in many studies. For example, there is a famous concept of "Scaffolding" by Wood et al. Several studies have been made on "How to scaffolding" and "How to fading" and teacher-child interaction. In child care practice, it is more complex than an educational utopia. There is assumption that the role of the "social other" is presented as always helpful. The possibility that might be overbusy for the child and be ignored to scaffoldings, and be purposelly harmful. We have to consider that ZPD and the "Scaffolding" are not as "Child-Teacher" in two terms but as "Child-Teacher-Object" in the triangle

A function of Imitation in 5-years old children's Play

The purposes of this study are to examine for a function of imitation in 5-years old children's Play. The second was to study process of change in the intention of imitation in children's play. The paticipants were 5-years old children and the classroom teacher. The investigators observed children's and their teacher's activity in the natural setting. The results of observation showed that the change of imitation related with positive emotion. We apply for analysis the idea of Horizontal recontexualization and Vertical recontexualization (Van Oers, 1998). Analyzing episode, the positive emotion changed the intention of imitation and then turned imitation into creation. Moreover, it was also suggested that individual imitation was transformed into social empathy through imitation

The role of movement in young children's development.

本研究の目的は, 運動, 認知, 社会性の3つを同時に縦断的に測定し, 複数の運動項目による質的な群分けを試みるとともに, 子どもの日常を加味した事例的検討を行うことにより, 運動発達が認知や社会性の発達に及ぼす影響を, 総合的にかつ個別に明らかにすることであった。年中児33名, 年長児35名を対象に, 約6ヶ月間隔で, 運動能力8項目と認知や社会性に関する5項目を測定した。クラスタ分析の結果より, 年中児では3つ, 年長児では4つの群に分けることができ, 各群の違いは, 運動に対する子どもの好き嫌い, 苦手意識や緊張感などによって説明できた。また, 重回帰分析の結果から, 年中児では, リーダーに関してはリズム, チャレンジに関しては捕球, 年長児では, リーダー, チャレンジともにボール投げが, 影響を与えていると考えられた。そして, 縦断的に検討した結果, 運動面でも大きな伸びが見られるとともに, 意欲や積極性が増す群が存在した。その一方で, 一部の運動能力の数値とリーダーやチャレンジの評定が共に下降した群も存在した。さらに, 5名の事例を検討することにより, 運動と社会性の発達的な関係を具体的に示した

A study on "growing" and "learning" through nature experience in early childhood.

本研究では, 従来の研究のように保育者を中心にその周囲にいる子どもの自然体験を記録するのではなく, 特定の子どもの自然体験を4ヶ月間記録し, それを昨年度の記録や小学校の生活科の実践記録と比較することにより, 幼児の自然体験における保育者の援助や子どもの「育ち」と「学び」の特徴を検討した。その結果, 保育の文脈からある場面や活動だけを切り取ると, 昨年度の研究と同様に, 自然体験における「学び」を取り出すことはできるが, 実際の保育では, 一人ひとりの「育ち」が重視されており, 「育ち」と「学び」は切り離されたものではなくつながっていることが明らかになった。そして, 「育ち」の充実により「学び」を支えていこうとするところに幼児教育の独自性があること, つまり, 幼児教育では, 特定の領域の知識や技能を学習する小学校とは異なり, あらゆる領域においてさまざまな体験を重ね, それらが有機的に関連づくことにより, 生きる力や学ぶ力の基礎となる心情, 意欲, 態度が育つことが重視されていることが示唆された

Podocyte Injury and Albuminuria in Experimental Hyperuricemic Model Rats

Although hyperuricemia is shown to accelerate chronic kidney disease, the mechanisms remain unclear. Accumulating studies also indicate that uric acid has both pro- and antioxidant properties. We postulated that hyperuricemia impairs the function of glomerular podocytes, resulting in albuminuria. Hyperuricemic model was induced by oral administration of 2% oxonic acid, a uricase inhibitor. Oxonic acid caused a twofold increase in serum uric acid levels at 8 weeks when compared to control animals. Hyperuricemia in this model was associated with the increase in blood pressure and the wall-thickening of afferent arterioles as well as arcuate arteries. Notably, hyperuricemic rats showed significant albuminuria, and the podocyte injury marker, desmin, was upregulated in the glomeruli. Conversely, podocin, the key component of podocyte slit diaphragm, was downregulated. Structural analysis using transmission electron microscopy confirmed podocyte injury in this model. We found that urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine levels were significantly increased and correlated with albuminuria and podocytopathy. Interestingly, although the superoxide dismutase mimetic, tempol, ameliorated the vascular changes and the hypertension, it failed to reduce albuminuria, suggesting that vascular remodeling and podocyte injury in this model are mediated through different mechanisms. In conclusion, vasculopathy and podocytopathy may distinctly contribute to the kidney injury in a hyperuricemic state

Discontinuation of Hemodialysis in a Patient with Anti-GBM Disease by the Treatment with Corticosteroids and Plasmapheresis despite Several Predictors for Dialysis-Dependence

A 26-year-old man highly suspected of having antiglomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease was treated with corticosteroid pulse therapy 9 days after initial infection-like symptoms with high procalcitonin value. The patient required hemodialysis the next day of the treatment due to oliguria. In addition to corticosteroid therapy, plasmapheresis was introduced and the patient could discontinue hemodialysis 43 days after the treatment. Kidney biopsy after initiation of hemodialysis confirmed anti-GBM disease with 86.3% crescent formation. Physician should keep in mind that active anti-GBM disease shows even high procalcitonin value in the absence of infection. To pursue recovery of renal function, the challenge of the immediate and persistent treatment with high-dose corticosteroids plus plasmapheresis for highly suspected anti-GBM disease is vitally important despite the presence of reported predictors for dialysis-dependence including oliguria and requiring hemodialysis at presentation