A LEARNING SYSTEM OF MATHEMATICS ON A COMPUTER NETWORK

The author has developed a learning system for students to independently practice the fundamentals of mathematics. This system consists of material from the World Wide Web (WWW). The learner uses a Web browser on client computers connected with a Local Area Network (LAN). The system generates problems of the type that the learner selects. When a learner inputs the answer to a given problem, the system judges whether it is correct or incorrect and then makes an appropriate response according to the result. The system presents four to six problems in each session. After the learner has finished solving all problems in one session, the system shows the score of the session and records this score in the learner s personal file in the server computer.     

Development of software to support argumentative reading and writing by means of creating a graphic organizer from an electronic text

This paper describes the development of a software program that supports argumentative reading and writing, especially for novice students. The software helps readers create a graphic organizer from the text as a knowledge map while they are reading and use their prior knowledge to build their own opinion as new information while they think about writing their essays. Readers using this software can read a text, underline important words or sentences, pick up and dynamically cite the underlined portions of the text onto a knowledge map as quotation nodes, illustrate a knowledge map by linking the nodes, and later write their opinion as an essay while viewing the knowledge map; thus, the software bridges argumentative reading and writing. Sixty-three freshman and sophomore students with no prior argumentative reading and writing education participated in a design case study to evaluate the software in classrooms. Thirty-four students were assigned to a class in which each student developed a knowledge map after underlining and/or highlighting a text with the software, while twenty-nine students were assigned to a class in which they simply wrote their essays after underlining and/or highlighting the text without creating knowledge maps. After receiving an instruction regarding a simplified Toulmin’s model followed by instructions for the software usage in argumentative reading and writing along with reading one training text, the students read the target text and developed their essays. The results revealed that students who drew a knowledge map based on the underlining and/or highlighting of the target text developed more argumentative essays than those who did not draw maps. Further analyses revealed that developing knowledge maps fostered an ability to capture the target text’s argument, and linking students’ ideas to the text’s argument directly on the knowledge map helped students develop more constructive essays. Accordingly, we discussed additional necessary scaffolds, such as automatic argument detection and collaborative learning functions, for improving the students’ use of appropriate reading and writing strategies.

     

课堂改革:学校改革的中心课题

一、课堂改革:学校改革的中心课题 近年来,称之为“班级崩溃”的现象以小学为中 心泛滥成灾,引起了人们的关注。这个事实本身表 明,日本的课堂处于巨大的转折点。 尽管仅仅观察日本的课堂难以发现,但在近30 年间,世界各国的课堂正在实现缓慢的变革。如今在     

Single-cell attachment and culture method using a photochemical reaction in a closed microfluidic system

Recently, interest in single cell analysis has increased because of its potential for improving our understanding of cellular processes. Single cell operation and attachment is indispensable to realize this task. In this paper, we employed a simple and direct method for single-cell attachment and culture in a closed microchannel. The microchannel surface was modified by applying a nonbiofouling polymer, 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) polymer, and a nitrobenzyl photocleavable linker. Using ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, the MPC polymer was selectively removed by a photochemical reaction that adjusted the cell adherence inside the microchannel. To obtain the desired single endothelial cell patterning in the microchannel, cell-adhesive regions were controlled by use of round photomasks with diameters of 10, 20, 30, or 50 μm. Single-cell adherence patterns were formed after 12 h of incubation, only when 20 and 30 μm photomasks were used, and the proportions of adherent and nonadherent cells among the entire UV-illuminated areas were 21.3%±0.3% and 7.9%±0.3%, respectively. The frequency of single-cell adherence in the case of the 20 μm photomask was 2.7 times greater than that in the case of the 30 μm photomask. We found that the 20 μm photomask was optimal for the formation of single-cell adherence patterns in the microchannel. This technique can be a powerful tool for analyzing environmental factors like cell-surface and cell-extracellular matrix contact.     

Effect of countermovement on elbow joint extension power-load characteristics

The aim of the present study was to examine elbow joint extension power-load characteristics with and without a countermovement. Eight male participants performed maximal elbow extensions with and without a countermovement against different loads (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0 kg). Electromyographic activity of the lateral and long heads of the triceps brachii and the biceps brachii muscles was recorded. The average joint power in the concentric phase was significantly enhanced in the countermovement condition at all loads except for 0 kg. The optimal load for the maximal joint power was greater in the countermovement (7.5 kg) than in the no countermovement condition (5.0 kg). Electromyographic activity was unchanged over the intensities and conditions. Our results suggest that the optimal load for the maximal joint power depends on the type of action (i.e. with or without a counter-movement), and that the enhanced joint power in the countermovement condition is due primarily to the storage and utilization of elastic energy.     

Novel mathematical model to estimate ball impact force in soccer

To assess ball impact force during soccer kicking is important to quantify from both performance and chronic injury prevention perspectives. We aimed to verify the appropriateness of previous models used to estimate ball impact force and to propose an improved model to better capture the time history of ball impact force. A soccer ball was fired directly onto a force platform (10 kHz) at five realistic kicking ball velocities and ball behaviour was captured by a high-speed camera (5,000 Hz). The time history of ball impact force was estimated using three existing models and two new models. A new mathematical model that took into account a rapid change in ball surface area and heterogeneous ball deformation showed a distinctive advantage to estimate the peak forces and its occurrence times and to reproduce time history of ball impact forces more precisely, thereby reinforcing the possible mechanics of ‘footballer’s ankle’. Ball impact time was also systematically shortened when ball velocity increases in contrast to practical understanding for producing faster ball velocity, however, the aspect of ball contact time must be considered carefully from practical point of view.     

Effects of viscoelastic properties of tendon structures on stretch – shortening cycle exercise in vivo

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of viscoelastic properties of human tendon structures during stretch?–?shortening cycle exercise. The elongation of tendon and aponeurosis of the medial gastrocnemius muscle of 26 participants was measured by ultrasonography while they performed ramp isometric plantar flexion up to the voluntary maximum, followed by a ramp relaxation. The relationship between estimated muscle force and tendon elongation during the ascending phase was fitted to a linear regression, the slope of which was defined as stiffness. The percentage of the area within the muscle force?–?tendon elongation loop relative to the area beneath the curve during the ascending phase was defined as hysteresis. In addition, maximal voluntary concentric contractions at 2.09 and 3.14 rad?·?s^?1 with and without prior eccentric contractions were performed. The difference in the concentric torque at equivalent joint angles with and without prior eccentric contractions (i.e. pre-stretch augmentation) was negatively correlated with stiffness (P <?0.05) and hysteresis (P <?0.05). Furthermore, there was a higher correlation between the pre-stretch augmentation and the viscoelastic properties index – that is, the sum of normalized score values of stiffness and hysteresis (P <?0.01) – than with either stiffness or hysteresis alone. The results of this study suggest that performance during stretch?–?shortening cycle exercise is significantly affected by the viscoelastic properties of the tendon structures.     

How narratives move your mind: A corpus of shared-character stories for connecting emotional flow and interestingness

Creativity is considered a human characteristic; creative endeavors, including automatic story generation, have been a major challenge for artificial intelligences. To understand how humans create and evaluate stories, we (1) construct a story dataset and (2) analyze the relationship between emotions and story interestingness. Given that understanding how to move readers emotionally is a crucial creative technique, we focus on the role of emotions in evaluating reader satisfaction. Although conventional research has highlighted emotions read from a text, we hypothesize that readers’ emotions do not necessarily coincide with those of the characters. The story dataset created for this study describes situations surrounding two characters. Crowdsourced volunteers label stories with the emotions of the two characters and those of readers; we then empirically analyze the relationship between emotions and interestingness. The results show that a story’s score has a stronger relationship to the readers’ emotions than the characters’ emotions.     

Numerical and experimental investigations of human swimming motions

This paper reviews unsteady flow conditions in human swimming and identifies the limitations and future potential of the current methods of analysing unsteady flow. The capability of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been extended from approaches assuming steady-state conditions to consideration of unsteady/transient conditions associated with the body motion of a swimmer. However, to predict hydrodynamic forces and the swimmer’s potential speeds accurately, more robust and efficient numerical methods are necessary, coupled with validation procedures, requiring detailed experimental data reflecting local flow. Experimental data obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV) in this area are limited, because at present observations are restricted to a two-dimensional 1.0 m² area, though this could be improved if the output range of the associated laser sheet increased. Simulations of human swimming are expected to improve competitive swimming, and our review has identified two important advances relating to understanding the flow conditions affecting performance in front crawl swimming: one is a mechanism for generating unsteady fluid forces, and the other is a theory relating to increased speed and efficiency.