Effects of intense exercise on the physiological and mental condition of female university judoists during a training camp

To clarify the physical and mental fatigue caused by intense exercise and the relationship between the two types of fatigue, we examined changes in anthropometric and biochemical variables, neutrophil function, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire in 13 female university judoists attending a one-week training camp. Blood glucose, total cholesterol, haemoglobin, leukocyte count, IgG, and phagocytic activity all decreased after the training camp compared with baseline (P < or = 0.046). Aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and neutrophil oxidative burst activity increased after the training camp (P < or = 0.007). Of the POMS scores, that for Fatigue increased after the training camp (P = 0.041) and that for Vigour decreased (P = 0.042). The changes in several POMS scores correlated with the changes in blood biochemical variables. In particular, the change in Total mood disturbance was negatively associated with changes in myogenic enzymes (P < or = 0.032). Our results suggest that intense exercise during training camps for female judoists leads to the appearance and accumulation of mental and physical fatigue, which are related to each other.     

The Usefulness of Saturated Salt Solution Embalming Method for Oral Surgical Skills Training: A New Cadaveric Training Model for Bone Harvesting

The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of saturated salt solution-embalmed cadavers for oral surgical skills training related to bone graft harvesting. Two half-day surgical skills training workshops were held at the Tokyo Medical University utilizing eight cadavers embalmed with the saturated salt solution. A total of 22 participants including oral surgeons, residents, and dentists attended the workshop. Surgical training consisted of six procedures related to intraoral and extraoral bone harvesting. The participants were surveyed to assess self-confidence levels for each surgical procedure before and after completion of each workshop. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the differences between each median score before and after the workshop. There were statistically significant increases in the self-assessed confidence scores in bone harvesting procedures for the zygomatic bone (P = 0.003), maxillary tuberosity (P = 0.002), and other sites (P < 0.001). The anatomical features of saturated salt solution-embalmed cadavers were also examined. The textures of the oral mucosa and skin were similar to those of living individuals. The structure of bone tissues was well-preserved and the hardness was realistic. Consequently, all procedures were performed with sufficient realism. The saturated salt solution method has a relatively low cost of preparation and storage, and almost no odor. The authors suggest that saturated salt solution-embalmed cadavers could provide a new model for oral surgical skills training in bone harvesting.     

Attitudes of Japanese Learners and Teachers of English towards Non-Standard English in Coursebooks

Over the decades, efforts have been made to incorporate diverse perspectives on World Englishes into English Language Teaching (ELT) practice and teaching materials. To date, the majority of ELT learners and teachers have not yet been exposed to materials which use and explore non-standard forms of English. This paper examines the attitudes of Japanese learners and teachers of English towards the use of these forms in ELT coursebooks. This study, conducted through questionnaires, surveys, focus groups and interviews, indicates that junior and high school teachers in Japan are open to the possibility of exposing students to different varieties of English. There are also indications that teachers and students share practical concerns about this.     

Learning from analogy-enhanced science text

The present study examined the role that an elaborate analogy can play when middle school students learn a major concept from a science text. The elaborate analogy had both graphic and text components that integrated and mapped key features from an analog (a factory) to the target concept (an animal cell). The target features were the functions of the cell parts. In Experiment 1, eighth graders who studied an analogy-enhanced text had greater immediate and 2-week recall of cell-part functions than students who studied a control text. In Experiment 2, sixth graders who studied an analogy-enhanced text considered the target concept to be more understandable than students who studied a control text. The sixth graders who studied the analogy-enhanced text also had greater immediate and 2-week retention, as measured by both recall and recognition. In both experiments, the analogy was interpreted as acting as a mediator between the students' existing knowledge and the new knowledge in the text. The analogy mapped a familiar, concrete schema onto that of the target concept, making the target concept more understandable and memorable. Implications for the meaningful learning of science text are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 1129–1149, 1998.     

The intercultural trust paradigm: Studying joint cultural interaction and social exchange in real time over the Internet

Distance transcending technology of the Internet generated a new experimental paradigm for the study of intercultural, or joint cultural interaction between members of different societies. University students from Japan, China, and Taiwan participated in experiments involving participants from their own society and another society in real time using an intercultural trust paradigm derived from a game theoretic and evolutionary approach to social exchange. The modified trust game improves on the Prisoner's Dilemma Game by eliminating greed as an explanation for lack of cooperation: the truster unilaterally decides whether or not to trust their exchange partner, and the allocator then decides whether or not to divide the reward fairly between the two of them. Participants earned real money by playing six rounds of one-shot trust games with three in-group members and three out-group members over the Internet. Across three experiments involving two interacting societies each, Japanese were found to be less trusting and trustworthy exchange partners compared to cultural Chinese. This suggests that Japanese collectivism is based more on long-term assurance networks, whereas Chinese collectivism provides a more expansive, guanxi-based approach to building new social networks. Japanese also showed less in-group favoritism in both trust and trustworthiness (or conditional fairness) at the national-level compared to cultural Chinese, suggesting that culture-specific content (e.g., collective guilt for WWII) may influence ethnocentrism at the national level.     

元好问和元结

元好问将元结视为自己的远祖,诗中多次提到他.元好问从政治、隐逸、文学三个方面评价元结,评价较为客观.元好问也正是在这三个方面受到元结的影响.     

Association between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and competition results of competitive swimmers

Recent studies have shown the contribution of genetic determinants to athletes’ physical ability. However, despite the fact that cognitive abilities like self-control and stress-tolerance influence athletes’ competitive performance, few studies to date have investigated the association between genetic polymorphism, which is linked to cognitive ability and athletic performance. The present study investigated the link between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are known to exert influences on dopaminergic neural function and competitive performance of swimmers. The results have revealed superior competitive performance in competitive swimmers with Met allele of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism than those with Val/Val genotype. The investigated SNPs of DRD2 and DRD3 were not associated with swimmer’s competitive performance. This finding indicates that genetic polymorphism linked to cognitive ability influences the athletes’ performance.     

Three attempts at “de-Wintelization”: Japan’s TRON project, the US government’s suits against Wintel, and the entry of Java and Linux

The dominance over personal computing technology by the Microsoft OS and the Intel MPU, or ‘Wintel’, has been a long-standing concern of the government and the marketplace. In the past 15 years, there have been at least three attempts to challenge the Wintel monopoly. In comparing these three attempts at de-Wintelization, this paper raises interrelated issues about innovation: (1) the path-dependent nature of innovation, especially that due to network externalities, (2) the balance between property rights and antitrust laws, and (3) the relevance of government intervention in these areas. It also examines different types of R&D organization.