THE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001
BAYRAM GÖÇMEN
ABSTRACT. Concentration and composition of ciliate protozoa in the families Ophryoscolecidae and Isotrichidae were determined in rumen contents of domestic sheep (Ovis ammon aries) from Cyprus. A total of five genera of Ophryoscolecidae were identified, Metadinium, Enoploplastron, Polyplastron, Epidinium, and Ophryoscolex, which included six species: Metadinium affine, Enoploplastron triloricatum, Polyplastron multivesiculatum, Epidinium ecaudatum, Epidinium graini, and Ophryoscolex purkynjei. Eight separate forms of Epidinium were identified (E. ecaudatum f. ecaudatum, E, e. f. caudatum, E. e. f. bicaudatum, E. e. f. tricaudatum, E. e. f. quadricaudatum, E. graini f. graini, E. g. f. caudatricoronatum, and E. g. f. caudaquadricoronatum), along with five forms of Ophryoscolex purkynjei (O. p. f. purkynjei, O. p. f. bifidobicinctus, O. p. f. bifidoquadricinctus, O. p. f. bicoronatus, O. p. f. tricoronatus, and O. p. f. quadricoronatus). Three species of Isotrichidae were observed, Isotricha intestinalis, I. prostoma, and Dasytricha ruminantium. This study reports new host records for three forms of Epidinium graini and Ophryoscolex purkynjei f. bifidobicinctus. The rumen fauna in the family Ophryoscolecidae from Cypriote domestic sheep appear to have limited diversity compared to those from Turkish and Far Eastern (Chinese/Japanese) sheep, while they are more diverse than those found in Western European (Scottish) and North American (Canadian/Alaskan) sheep. [source]

MANAGEMENT OF ANTIPLATELET THERAPY FOR ENDOSCOPIC PROCEDURES: OPTIMAL CESSATION PERIOD OF ANTIPLATELET THERAPY FOR JAPANESE

DIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 4 2007
Yoshiko Tamai
Although antiplatelet agents are widely used for the treatment and prevention of thrombotic diseases, only a few studies have reported the validity of the cessation period prior to endoscopic procedures. In 2002, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) published a reference on the management of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy for endoscopic procedures, but it should be confirmed as appropriate for use in Asian patients. To evaluate the optimal cessation period of antiplatelet agents prior to endoscopic procedures for Japanese, we have studied: (i) the current clinically adopted cessation period of antiplatelet agents prior to invasive endoscopic procedures in Japan; (ii) the relationship between the cessation period of antiplatelet agents and complications around the invasive endoscopic procedures; (iii) colonic mucosal bleeding time after aspirin ingestion; and (iv) the time course of primary hemostasis after cessation of antiplatelet agents. We conclude that 3 days cessation period for aspirin, 5 days cessation for ticlopidine and 7 days cessation for aspirin + ticlopidine administration should be sufficient for Japanese. [source]

PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND ITS AWARENESS, TREATMENT, AND SATISFACTORY CONTROL THROUGH TREATMENT IN ELDERLY JAPANESE

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008
Masayuki Ishine MD
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

OLDER ADULTS' VIEWS OF "SUCCESSFUL AGING": COMPARISON OF OLDER JAPANESE AND AMERICANS

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2006
Kozo Matsubayashi MD
First page of article [source]

VARIATIONS OF THE INTERNAL PUDENDAL ARTERY AS A CONGENITAL CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO AGE AT ONSET OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION IN JAPANESE

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2008

No abstract is available for this article. [source]

SEARCHING FOR EXPLANATORY WEB PAGES USING AUTOMATIC QUERY EXPANSION

COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 1 2007
Manabu Tauchi
When one tries to use the Web as a dictionary or encyclopedia, entering some single term into a search engine, the highly ranked pages in the result can include irrelevant or useless sites. The problem is that single-term queries, if taken literally, underspecify the type of page the user wants. For such problems automatic query expansion, also known as pseudo-feedback, is often effective. In this method the top n documents returned by an initial retrieval are used to provide terms for a second retrieval. This paper contributes, first, new normalization techniques for query expansion, and second, a new way of computing the similarity between an expanded query and a document, the "local relevance density" metric, which complements the standard vector product metric. Both of these techniques are shown to be useful for single-term queries, in Japanese, in experiments done over the World Wide Web in early 2001. [source]

Cracking the Incremental Paradigm of Japanese Creativity

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004
Tony Proctor
This paper points out the differences between incremental and paradigm shift approaches to creativity in management that exists between Japanese and Western schools of thought. A number of examples are used to illustrate how a systematic incremental process that places emphasis on continuous improvement is key to Japanese creativity in management. A framework that captures the cornerstones of Japanese creativity is outlined. The paper concludes by discussing the contribution of this research and outlines a plan for further work. [source]

New ocular movement detector system as a communication tool in ventilator-assisted Werdnig-Hoffmann disease

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2000
Masaya Kubota MD;
A non-contact communication system was developed for a ventilator-assisted patient with Werdnig-Hoffmann disease who had lost all voluntary movements except for those of the eye. The system detects the extraocular movements and converts them to either a,yes'signal (produced by one lateral eyeball movement) or a,no'signal (produced by two successive lateral eyeball movements) using a video camera placed outside the patient's visual field. The patient is thus able to concentrate on performing a task without any intrusion from the detection system. Once the setting conditions of the device have been selected, there is no need for any resetting, as the patient is unable to move his body. In addition to playing television games, the child can use the device to select television channels, compose music, and learn written Japanese and Chinese characters. This seems to broaden the patient's daily world and promote mental development. [source]

Understanding of speaker certainty and false-belief reasoning: a comparison of Japanese and German preschoolers

DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2009
Tomoko Matsui
It has been repeatedly shown that when asked to identify a protagonist's false belief on the basis of his false statement, English-speaking 3-year-olds dismiss the statement and fail to attribute to him a false belief. In the present studies, we tested 3-year-old Japanese children in a similar task, using false statements accompanied by grammaticalized particles of speaker (un)certainty, as in everyday Japanese utterances. The Japanese children were directly compared with same-aged German children, whose native language does not have grammaticalized epistemic concepts. Japanese children profited from the explicit statement of the protagonist's false belief when it was marked with the attitude of certainty in a way that German children did not , presumably because Japanese but not German children must process such marking routinely in their daily discourse. These results are discussed in the broader context of linguistic and theory of mind development. [source]

Shifting ontological boundaries: how Japanese- and English-speaking children generalize names for animals and artifacts

DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2003
Hanako Yoshida
Past research shows that young language learners know something about the different category organizations of animals, objects and substances. The three experiments reported here compare Japanese-speaking and English-speaking children's novel name generalizations for two kinds of objects: clear instances of artifacts and objects with ambiguous features suggestive of animates. This comparison was motivated by the very different nature of individuation in the two languages and by the boundary shift hypothesis that proposes that entities that straddle the individuation boundary of a language are assimilated toward the individuated side. The results of the three experiments support the hypothesis. An explanation in terms of mutually reinforcing correlations among language, perceptual properties and category structure is proposed. [source]

ENDOSCOPIC DEFINITION OF ESOPHAGOGASTRIC JUNCTION FOR DIAGNOSIS OF BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS: IMPORTANCE OF SYSTEMATIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING

DIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 4 2009
Norihisa Ishimura
The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus (BE) requires an accurate recognition of the columnar-lined esophagus at endoscopy. However, a universally accepted standardized endoscopic grading system of BE was lacking prior to the development of the Prague ,circumferential and maximal' criteria. In this system, the landmark for the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) is the proximal end of the gastric folds, not the distal end of the palisade vessels, which are used to endoscopically identify the EGJ in Japan. Although the circumferential and maximal criteria are clinically relevant, an important shortcoming of this system may be failure to identify short-segment BE, a lesion that is found frequently in the Japanese. To compare the diagnostic yield for BE when using the palisade vessels versus gastric folds as a landmark for the EGJ, we evaluated interobserver diagnostic concordance. The endoscopic identification of the EGJ using both landmarks resulted in unacceptably low kappa coefficients of reliability. However, there was a statistically significant improvement after the participants were thoroughly trained in identification of the EGJ during the endoscopic study. Although it remains controversial which landmark is better for the endoscopic diagnosis of BE, it is important to systematically educate and train endoscopists in order to improve diagnostic consistency in patients with BE. [source]

MANAGEMENT OF ANTIPLATELET THERAPY FOR ENDOSCOPIC PROCEDURES: OPTIMAL CESSATION PERIOD OF ANTIPLATELET THERAPY FOR JAPANESE

Macroscopic Classificatrion of Early Colorectal Carcinoma: A Comparison Between Japan and China

DIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 4 2000
Fang-yu Wang
Background: To clarify the similarities and dissimilarities in the macroscopic classification criteria for early colorectal carcinoma (CRC) between Japan and China. Methods: Six early CRC cases were included in this study. Eleven Japanese and Chinese endoscopists were asked to review the colonoscopic pictures of these cases, including before and after indigocarmine spraying. After viewing the pictures, all the endoscopists individually made their classificatory diagnoses of these cases and indicated the findings on which they based each diagnosis. Results: Some lesions diagnosed by Japanese endoscopists as IIa or IIa + IIc, might be classified as Is or Isp by Chinese endoscopists. For superficial lesions consisting of elevation with central depression, IIa + depression, IIa + IIc or IIc + IIa were classified according to the ratio of elevated area/depressed area. However, international as well as interobserver differences still existed in the classification of such lesions. In addition, most Chinese endoscopists overlooked the slightly depressed part on the top of a protruded lesion. Conclusion: Discrepancies on macroscopic classification for early CRC do exist between Japanese and Chinese endoscopists, which were found not only in terminology, but also in recognition of some lesions. In order to develop a universal macroscopic classification, there is a great need for international communication and cooperation. [source]

Temporal and spatial variations in periglacial soil movements on alpine crest slopes

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 1 2005
Norikazu Matsuoka
Abstract This paper describes up to ten years of continuous monitoring of frost heave, creep and associated parameters on high mountain crest slopes in the Japanese and Swiss Alps, aiming to evaluate spatial and interannual variations in the rates and controls of soil movement. Shallow frost creep re,ecting diurnal frost heave activity dominates the crest slopes that lack a vegetation mat and have a thin debris mantle with good drainage. Seasonal frost heave activity can induce slightly deeper movement where ,ne soil exists below the depth reached by diurnal freeze,thaw penetration, although the shallow bedrock impedes movements below 20 cm depth. As a result, downslope velocity pro,les display strong concavity with surface velocities of 2,50 cm a,1. The frost creep rates vary spatially, depending on the soil texture, slope gradient, frequency of temperature cycling across 0 °C and moisture availability during freeze,thaw periods. Soil movements recur in every freeze,thaw period, although with some interannual variations affected by the length of seasonal snow cover and the occurrence of precipitation during freeze,thaw periods. The Swiss Alps encounter more signi,cant interannual variations than the Japanese Alps, re,ecting the large variability of the annual snow regime. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Genetic and expression analysis of all non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human deoxyribonuclease I-like 1 and 2 genes

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 12 2010
Misuzu Ueki
Abstract Members of the human DNase I family, DNase I-like 1 and 2 (DNases 1L1 and 1L2), with physiological role(s) other than those of DNase I, possess three and one non-synonymous SNPs in the genes, respectively. However, only limited population data are available, and the effect of these SNPs on the catalytic activity of the enzyme remains unknown. Genotyping of all the non-synonymous SNPs was performed in three ethnic groups including six different populations using the PCR-RFLP method newly developed. Asian and African groups including Japanese, Koreans, Ghanaians and Ovambos were typed as a single genotype at each SNP, but polymorphism at only SNP V122I in DNase 1L1 was found in Caucasian groups including Germans and Turks; thus a Caucasian-specific allele was identified. The DNase 1L1 and 1L2 genes show relatively low genetic diversity with regard to these non-synonymous SNPs. The level of activity derived from the V122I, Q170H and D227A substituted DNase 1L1 corresponding to SNPs was similar to that of the wild-type, whereas replacement of the Asp residue at position 197 in the DNase 1L2 protein with Ala, corresponding to SNP D197A, reduced its activity greatly. Thus, SNP V122I in DNase 1L1 exhibiting polymorphism exerts no effect on the catalytic activity, and furthermore SNP D197A in DNase 1L2, affecting its catalytic activity, shows no polymorphism. These findings permit us to postulate that the non-synonymous SNPs identified in the DNase 1L1 and 1L2 genes may exert no influence on the activity levels of DNases 1L1 and 1L2 in human populations. [source]

Multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism analysis of 36 mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms for haplogrouping of East Asian populations

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 1 2005
Kazuo Umetsu
Abstract We present a reliable, rapid, and economical multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism (APLP) method for analyzing the haplogroup-diagnostic mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) in East Asian populations. By examining only 36 haplogroup-specific mtSNPs in the coding region by using four 9-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent electrophoresis, we could safely assign 1815 individuals from 8 populations of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Germans to 45 relevant haplogroups. This multiplex APLP analysis of coding-region mtSNPs for haplogrouping is especially useful not only for molecular phylogenetic studies but also for large-scale association studies due to its rapid and economical nature. This is the first panel of mtSNPs in the coding region to be used for haplogrouping of East Asian populations. [source]

Assessing the joint effects of chlorinated dioxins, some pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls on thyroid hormone status in Japanese breast-fed infants

ENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 2 2003
Takashi Yanagawa
Abstract Joint effects of dioxin related chemicals (DXNs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor-epoxide (HCE), chlordane and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the levels of triirodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) and thyroid binding globulin (TBG) in the peripheral blood of 101 breast-fed infants are studied. The statistical issue involved is how to estimate the effects based on data from volunteer subjects with possible measurement errors. A chain independent graph is applied for modeling the associations among factors, and dicotomizations of selected factors are performed for estimating the effects. Use of nonparametric methods with careful consideration of over-adjustment is suggested. It is shown that the estimated odds ratios of DXNs,DDT, the first principal component of DXNs and DDT, relative to TSH are 3.02 (p -value=0.03) and 7.15 (p -value=0.02), respectively, when PCB is not adjusted and adjusted for, respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Pharmacokinetics of carisbamate (RWJ-333369) in healthy Japanese and Western subjects

EPILEPSIA, Issue 8 2009
Peter Zannikos
Summary Purpose:, To compare the pharmacokinetics of carisbamate (RWJ-333369) in healthy Japanese and Western adults, and to comparatively assess carisbamate safety and tolerability between the two populations. Methods:, An open-label study was conducted in 24 Japanese and 24 Caucasian healthy subjects. Subjects received a single oral dose of 250 mg carisbamate on day 1 followed by a 3-day washout period; twice-daily dosing of 250 mg carisbamate on days 5,8; subsequently, 500 mg on days 9,12 and a single dose of 500 mg on day 13. Plasma samples were collected for a pharmacokinetic analysis on days 1, 8, and 13. Plasma and urine samples were analyzed for carisbamate and its urinary metabolites by liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry. Results:, Following a single dose, carisbamate Cmax and area under the curve (AUC) geometric mean ratios were 16.4% and 28.8% higher in Japanese than in Caucasians, respectively; these differences were statistically significant and their 90% confidence intervals (CIs) fell outside of the 80,125% limits, which are considered not to be of clinical significance. With dose,body weight normalization, Cmax and AUC were similar in Japanese and Caucasian subjects and the 90% CIs were within the 80,125% boundaries. Carisbamate was well tolerated, and its mean oral clearance and half-life were similar in both groups, ranging from 35.1,41.4 ml/h/kg and 11.5,12.8 h. Discussion:, Carisbamate plasma exposure (AUC) and Cmax in Japanese subjects is ,20,25% higher than in Caucasians due to a higher mg/kg dose. After body weight normalization, carisbamate pharmacokinetics was similar between Japanese and Caucasian subjects following single and multiple dosing, and showed the same dose proportionality. [source]

Epidemiology of sharka disease in Spain

EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 2 2006
M. Cambra
PPV was first detected in Spain in 1984 in Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl) cv. Red Beaut and spread very quickly to other Japanese and European plums and apricot cultivars but left peach cultivars unaffected. In the years following the detection of PPV, the predominant aphid species visiting Prunus orchards in Mediterranean areas were Aphis gossypii followed by Aphis spiraecola, the latter being the main aphid species found at present. Both species are considered to be the main vectors of PPV in Spanish early Prunus growing areas. Spatial analysis of the spread of PPV-D in Japanese plum and apricot trees confirmed the lack of significant association between immediately adjacent trees. The observed spatial pattern of sharka suggests a lack of movement of PPV-viruliferous aphid vectors to immediately adjacent trees and indicates their preferential movement to trees several tree spaces away. PPV-D is the only type currently present in Spain, with the exception of a PPV-M outbreak that was detected in and successfully eradicated from Aragón in 2002. The short-distance spread of PPV-M infection occurred as far as 12 m along the rows of peach trees. However, PPV-D has not been observed to spread through peach cultivars, despite being grown in the vicinity of heavily infected plots of apricot or Japanese plum trees. [source]

Mating Call Discrimination in Female European (Coturnix c. coturnix) and Japanese Quail (Coturnix c. japonica)

ETHOLOGY, Issue 2 2003
Sébastien Derégnaucourt
Each year, thousands of domestic Japanese and hybrid quails are released within the breeding range of the European quail. We showed recently that no post-zygotic isolating mechanisms have yet been established between these subspecies. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-zygotic mechanisms are strong enough to prevent hybridization. We tested the level of subspecies selectivity in females of European and Japanese quail respectively using playbacks of European, hybrid and Japanese male mating calls. European quail females emitted the greatest number of rally calls in response to mating calls by conspecific males. Their responses were the weakest to mating calls produced by males of the other subspecies and intermediate to mating calls by hybrid males. In contrast, Japanese quails produced similar responses to all types of mating calls. These results suggest that mixed pairs could form in the wild. The European quail could thus become one of the most endangered galliforms of the Western Palearctic. [source]

Mortuary Rituals in Japan: The Hegemony of Tradition and the Motivations of Individuals

ETHOS, Issue 3 2006
Yohko Tsuji
Despite rapid social change, traditional mortuary rituals persist in contemporary Japan, and most Japanese ascribe their continuous compliance with tradition to cultural hegemony. In this article, I explore various other motivational forces behind their actions and illustrates how external pressures and individuals' internal motivations are intricately intertwined to generate human behavior. To do so, I consider the social and personal significance of Japanese funerals, examining rituals not only as an embodiment of sociocultural order but also as a culturally prescribed means to legitimize individuals' actions and define their identity. I also demonstrate the multiplicity and fluidity of cultural discourse and the malleability of tradition as well as individuals' active roles in perpetuating and altering mortuary tradition. Primary data were gathered from participant-observation research in Japan since 1988. [funerals, gift exchange, culture and the individual, motivations, identity, Japan] [source]

Career choice and attitudes towards dental education amongst dental students in Japan and Sweden

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009
H. Karibe
Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the perspectives of dental students towards their career choice and dental education in Japan and Sweden. One hundred and fourteen dental students from the Nippon Dental University, Japan and 43 dental students from the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden participated in this study. Information was derived from a self-answered questionnaire consisting of five items for career choice and six items for dental education. Chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for comparison. Significant differences were detected for 10 questionnaire items between the two countries. Regarding motivation towards the career choice, 44% of Swedish students indicated interpersonal motives related to helping other people, whereas 32% of Japanese students indicated expectations of their family in the dental profession. As future career options, 64% of Japanese and 47% of Swedish students planned to work as general dentists. More Swedish students (37%) preferred specialisation than Japanese students (17%). Nearly three-quarters of the Swedish students were satisfied with the teaching faculty of their school, whilst only 32% of the Japanese students indicated content. The perspectives of dental students were different in Japan and Sweden. This study provides a description of the perspectives of Japanese and Swedish dental students and enables better understanding of career decision and dental curriculum issues. [source]

Why do Westerners self-enhance more than East Asians?

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 3 2009
Carl F. Falk
Abstract Much research finds that Westerners self-enhance more than East Asians, with the exception of studies using the implicit associations test for self-esteem (IATSE). We contrasted Japanese and Canadians on a new measure of self-enhancement under low- and high-attentional load to assess whether cultural differences vary across controlled and automatic processes. Participants also completed measures of relational mobility and the IATSE. Results indicated that Japanese and Asian-Canadians were more self-critical than Euro-Canadians, both under high- and low-attentional load. This cultural difference was partially mediated by relational mobility. The IATSE showed no cultural differences, but this measure did not positively correlate with any of the other measures in the study, suggesting that it is not a valid measure of ,true' self-feelings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

An International Comparison of Socially Constructed Language Learning Motivation and Beliefs

FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 2 2009
Sandra G. Kouritzin
French; Japanese; relevant to all languages Abstract: In our global economy, it is important to understand all factors influencing successful language learning. A survey of more than 6,000 university students in Canada, Japan, and France revealed differences in language learning beliefs, attitudes, and motivations in the three countries. Learners in Canada and France exhibited primarily instrumental and integrative motivation, respectively, whereas learners from Japan displayed a different form, social capital motivation, in which knowledge of a foreign language carries value in and of itself. Knowledge of these different forms of motivation has pedagogical and political implications for language teachers. [source]

A Cross-Cultural Survey of Students' Expectations of Foreign Language Teachers

FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 3 2003
Article first published online: 31 DEC 200, Eri Banno
One hundred ten Japanese, 98 American, and 105 Chinese college students chose five important qualities in good foreign language teachers from a list. Chi-square statistics and the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient were used for the analyses. A statistically significant difference was found for some qualities. The results indicate that the students of all groups placed importance on some qualities, such as "explain clearly" and "approachable," and that Japanese and Chinese students had some similar expectations in foreign language teachers. Chinese participants placed more importance on pronunciation than did Japanese and Americans. Americans valued creative and patient teachers more than Japanese students did, whereas Japanese valued entertaining, impartial, open-minded, and reliable teachers more than Americans. [source]

Diversity and Inclusion of Sociopolitical Issues in Foreign Language Classrooms: An Exploratory Survey

FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 1 2003
Ryuko Kubota
ABSTRACT: One aim of foreign language teaching is to broaden learners' worldviews and promote intercultural communication. Less discussed, however, are domestic diversity and sociopolitical issues. Through a survey of university students of Japanese, Spanish, and Swahili, the authors of this study investigated diversity in the classroom, students' backgrounds and learning experiences, and their perceptions about the relationship between foreign language learning and issues of race, gender, class, and social justice. The study found more racial diversity in Japanese and Swahili than in Spanish classes and in beginning Spanish classes than in advanced Spanish classes. Beginning Spanish students related foreign language learning with social justice issues less frequently than did advanced students. A follow-up survey revealed stigmatized experiences and detachment from ethnic identity among some minority students. [source]

Masturbation and Discourse on Female Sexual Practices in Early Modern Japan

GENDER & HISTORY, Issue 1 2009
Anne Walthall
Much of the discourse on female sexual practices in early modern Japan centred on masturbation, usually with a dildo, deemed necessary for a woman's mental and physical health when the male member was unavailable. References to female same-sex relations suggest that they too made sense in situations where men were absent. Some sex manuals treated female sexual arousal within the context of conjugal relations, while a text written for wives in polygamous marriages places female sexual practice at the service of male interests. The texts analysed here show not only that early modern Japanese held different attitudes toward sex than their western counterparts, but also that they could hold multiple attitudes at the same time. [source]

Association study between kynurenine 3-monooxygenase gene and schizophrenia in the Japanese population

GENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2006
N. Aoyama
Several lines of evidence suggest that metabolic changes in the kynurenic acid (KYNA) pathway are related to the etiology of schizophrenia. The inhibitor of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) is known to increase KYNA levels, and the KMO gene is located in the chromosome region associated with schizophrenia, 1q42-q44. Single-marker and haplotype analyses for 6-tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of KMO were performed (cases = 465, controls = 440). Significant association of rs2275163 with schizophrenia was observed by single-marker comparisons (P = 0.032) and haplotype analysis including this SNP (P = 0.0049). Significant association of rs2275163 and haplotype was not replicated using a second, independent set of samples (cases = 480, controls = 448) (P = 0.706 and P = 0.689, respectively). These results suggest that the KMO is unlikely to be related to the development of schizophrenia in Japanese. [source]

Revised Pacific M-anomaly geomagnetic polarity timescale

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2010
Masako Tominaga
SUMMARY The current M-anomaly geomagnetic polarity timescale (GPTS) is mainly based on the Hawaiian magnetic lineations in the Pacific Ocean. M-anomaly GPTS studies to date have relied on a small number of magnetic profiles, a situation that is not ideal because any one profile contains an uncertain amount of geologic ,noise' that perturbs the magnetic field signal. Compiling a polarity sequence from a larger array of magnetic profiles is desirable to provide greater consistency and repeatability. We present a new compilation of the M-anomaly GPTS constructed from polarity models derived from magnetic profiles crossing the three lineation sets (Hawaiian, Japanese and Phoenix) in the western Pacific. Polarity reversal boundary locations were estimated with a combination of inverse and forward modelling of the magnetic profiles. Separate GPTS were established for each of the three Pacific lineation sets, to allow examination of variability among the different lineation sets, and these were also combined to give a composite timescale. Owing to a paucity of reliable direct dates of the M-anomalies on ocean crust, the composite model was time calibrated with only two ages; one at each end of the sequence. These two dates are 125.0 Ma for the base of M0r and 155.7 Ma for the base of M26r. Relative polarity block widths from the three lineation sets are similar, indicating a consistent Pacific-wide spreading regime. The new GPTS model shows slightly different spacings of polarity blocks, as compared with previous GPTS, with less variation in block width. It appears that the greater polarity chron irregularity in older models is mostly an artifact of modelling a small number of magnetic profiles. The greater averaging of polarity chron boundaries in our model gives a GPTS that is statistically more robust than prior GPTS models and a superior foundation for Late Jurassic,Early Cretaceous geomagnetic and chronologic studies. [source]

Brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment in older Japanese: Validation of the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment

GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2010
Yoshinori Fujiwara
Aim: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), developed by Dr Nasreddine (Nasreddine et al. 2005), is a brief cognitive screening tool for detecting older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We examined the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the MoCA (MoCA-J) in older Japanese subjects. Methods: Subjects were recruited from the outpatient memory clinic of Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital or community-based medical health check-ups in 2008. The MoCA-J, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the revised version of Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS-R), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, and routine neuropsychological batteries were conducted on 96 older subjects. Mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) was found in 30 subjects and MCI in 30, with 36 normal controls. Results: The Cronbach's alpha of MoCA-J as an index of internal consistency was 0.74. The test,retest reliability of MoCA, using intraclass correlation coefficient between the scores at baseline survey and follow-up survey 8 weeks later was 0.88 (P < 0.001). MoCA-J score was highly correlated with MMSE (r = 0.83, P < 0.001), HDS-R (r = 0.79, P < 0.001) and CDR (r = ,0.79, P < 0.001) scores. The areas under receiver,operator curves (AUC) for predicting MCI and AD groups by the MoCA-J were 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.90,1.00) and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), respectively. The corresponding values for MMSE and HDS-R were 0.85 (95% CI = 0.75,0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), and 0.86 (95% CI = 0.76,0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), respectively. Using a cut-off point of 25/26, the MoCA-J demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.0% and a specificity of 87.0% in screening MCI. Conclusion: The MoCA-J could be a useful cognitive test for screening MCI, and could be recommended in a primary clinical setting and for geriatric health screening in the community. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2010; 10: 225,232. [source]