Shimane Nursing College: Its Present and Future : To be a socially responsible college with uniqueness and appeal

Japan is characterized by its aging society and with a decreasing birth rate and, as a consequence, a decreasing number of 18-year-olds-the age of moving up to higher education. There has been a push to establish new school of nursing ( associate and baccalaureate degree programs ) throughout Japan. It is thus anticipated that will be severe competition in the recruitment of applicants for these schools. The report of the Education Council submitted to the Minister of Education required all universities to undertake a distinctive development program with diversification and individuality. The same requirement is also considered to apply to nursing college. In light of these reform measures presented by the Council, Shimane Nursing College is making every effort to be a socially responsible college throuht a unique and attractive program. An overall review is being carried out in areas including the entrance ezamination ; the National Examinations for Nurse, for Public Health Nurse and for Midwife ; the improvement of educational content and teaching methods through student evaluation ; the securing of employment ; and, our contribution to the community. The enhancement of such activities is undeniably important, requiring an untiring effort. The key phrases of the Ideal and Objectives of Education at Shimane Nursing College are Human Understanding ( Love for Human ), Development of the Roles of Nursing Profession, and Contribution to the Health and Welfare of the Community ( "Open-door College" ). These must serve as our philosophical guidelines for the future development of a unique and inspiring socially responsible college, and for an enjoyable academic life which is both challenging and inspirational

Hydraulic Efficiency of Flood Detention Pools Evaluated by Means of Mathematical Simulation

The hydraulic efficiency to secure optimization of the flood detention pool system will be treated through mathematical simulation. The mathematical model is approximated by the point-sink virtually located at the center of the deversoir section. Numerical computations show that the optimization of the system in hydraulic efficiency will be given through a combination of the deversoir length and the initial diversion discharge. Furthermore, it is seen the whole pool volume will be nearly constant for any possible combination

ROLE OF RUNX3 IN HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Cumulative evidences show that Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) has a tumor suppressive role in various cancers. In particular, RUNX3 appears to be an important component of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß)-induced tumor suppression pathway. Contrary to reports on this tumor suppressive role of RUNX3, RUNX3 can also function as an oncogene when overexpressed. Recently, we found that RUNX3 overexpression was frequently observed and was well correlated with malignant behaviors in head and neck cancer, which is one of the most common types of human cancer. Moreover, it has been revealed that RUNX3 overexpression promoted cell growth and inhibited apoptosis in head and neck cancer cells. This review introduces the oncogenic role of RUNX3 in certain types of cancer including head and neck cancer

Assessing the Empowerment of International Exchange Students : the Globalization Support Internship

This paper concerns the assessment of the empowerment of international exchange students who worked as ‘International Tourism Guide’ in a local ship building museum while enrolled in the course entitled ‘the Globalization Support Internship’. International exchange students from Asia, Oceania, and Europe introduced the development of ship building technology and industry in the local town and its relation to the history of trade and diplomacy of Japan in Japanese and English. As international tourism guides cooperating with local city officials and local power actors, international student interns have had new opportunities for empowerment by being connected to local people in an equal power relationship. For international student interns, their knowledge about Japan and their international perspective was a key for taking initiative in their project which could contribute to the promotion of international tourism in unique ways. The international tourism guide internship provided international students with a unique learning opportunity to work closely with local government officials and experience local culture. It also created opportunities for promoting cross-cultural understanding and the development of multi-culturalism in the local society. The international student interns were empowered by various factors such as utilizing their knowledge of Japanese language and society; contributing knowledge from international perspectives, and contributing their unique skills. Mutual acquisition of cultural knowledge and also knowledge on the Japanese language usage by working in a multi-cultural team was also empowering. Interns expressed that their international experiential learning has brought a sense of self-efficacy in their relationship with local administration and people. Through the practicum the interns have also developed insight into the application of their knowledge to their future careers which are related to Japan in new ways

Interdisciplinary Study on Spirituality : Critical View on the Modern Scientific Paradigm and Suggestion for Global Education

This paper examines the development of research on spirituality in various academic fields, by introducing the criticism on the modem scientific paradigm and the conventional knowledge construction, including the feminist theoretical perspectives. I shall also connect the research development on spirituality with the global education and attempt to search for the direction of global education in the future. Research on spirituality has been actively promoted in various academic fields including science and education, and interdisciplinary study on connectedness of matters and spirit seems to be an universal phenomenon today. Research on spirituality in various fields has significant implications for the development of global education

State-dependent brainstem ensemble dynamics and their interactions with hippocampus across sleep states

The brainstem plays a crucial role in sleep-wake regulation. However, the ensemble dynamics underlying sleep regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we show slow, state-predictive brainstem ensemble dynamics and state-dependent interactions between the brainstem and the hippocampus in mice. On a timescale of seconds to minutes, brainstem populations can predict pupil dilation and vigilance states and exhibit longer prediction power than hippocampal CA1 neurons. On a timescale of sub-seconds, pontine waves (P-waves) are accompanied by synchronous firing of brainstem neurons during both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Crucially, P-waves functionally interact with CA1 activity in a state-dependent manner: during NREM sleep, hippocampal sharp wave-ripples (SWRs) precede P-waves. On the other hand, P-waves during REM sleep are phase-locked with ongoing theta oscillations and are followed by burst firing of CA1 neurons. This state-dependent global coordination between the brainstem and hippocampus implicates distinct functional roles of sleep