Relations Between Students’ Mathematics Anxiety and Motivation to Learn Mathematics: a Meta-Analysis

Educational Psychology Review - The current meta-analysis examined the association between K-12 students’ motivation to learn mathematics and mathematics anxiety, and explored the effects of...     

International trends in health science librarianship part 11: Japan and Korea

This is the 11th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship. The previous article in this series looked at the Far East (Greater China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). The current issue surveys developments in Japan and Korea. The next issue will explore trends in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). Next year all four issues will be devoted to trends in four regions in Africa (Southern Africa, East Africa, West Africa and North Africa. JM     

Assessing the impact of a wildlife education program on Japanese attitudes and behavioral intentions

Human–wildlife conflicts are common in agricultural communities and mountainous villages in Japan. Tochigi prefecture has one of the highest amounts of agricultural damage caused by wildlife in the country. To reduce conflicts, the Nature Preservation Division of Tochigi Prefecture launched a wildlife damage prevention program. We evaluated the effects of this program on residents’ attitudes and behavioral intentions by comparing a model district receiving the treatment program to a nearby control district. We conducted a survey of all households registered either in the residential organization or telephone book in each district (n?=?423), with a 46% response rate. The model district did not differ from the control except for greater perceived behavioral control regarding wildlife damage among residents in the model district (F?=?3.83, df?=?1, p?=?0.05). An unanticipated outcome was the development of a community-based wildlife group in the model district. In both model and control districts, subjective norm (perceived social pressure to engage or not to engage in a behavior) was the strongest predictor of behavioral intentions, unlike results of studies conducted in the US.     

Simulation of reductive dechlorination processes in a lab-scale anaerobic biobarrier with enriched TCP dechlorinating consortium

In order to design and predict the dechlorination processes for remediating the halogenated aromatic compounds in the biobarrier system applied in situ,an anaerobic continuous-flow column was set up with the introduction of an enriched 2,4,6-trichlorophenol(TCP) reductive dechlorinating consortium.The fates of TCP and its metabolites were simulated according to the first-order sequential dechlorination kinetic model.The enriched TCP anaerobic dechlorinating consortium dechlorinated 100 μmol/L TCP to 4-chlorophenol(4-CP) via 2,4-dichlorophenol(DCP) in 10 d.The consortium was predominated with the phylum of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes,based on the PCRdenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) analysis.After the consortium was applied to the column,the experimental data in the steady state were fitted by the least square method,and the first-order dechlorination kinetic constants from TCP to 2,4-DCP,from 2,4-DCP to 4-CP and from 4-CP to phenol,were 1.58 d-1,2.23 d-1 and 0.206 d-1,respectively.According to the fitting results,the required biobarrier width for the complete remediation of TCP,2,4DCP and 4-CP were 126 cm,130 cm and 689 cm,respectively.The dechlorination/degradation of 4-CP must be increased when the technology is applied to the real site.     

Early effects of oral administration of omeprazole and roxatidine on intragastric pH

Objective

The ideal medication for the treatment of acid-related diseases, e.g., peptic ulcers, stress-related gastric bleeding, functional dyspepsia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, should have a rapid onset of action to promote hemostasis and relieve the symptoms. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effects on gastric acid secretion of a single oral administration of a proton pump inhibitor, omeprazole 20 mg, and an H₂-receptor antagonist, roxatidine 75 mg.

Methods

Ten Helicobacter pylori-negative male subjects participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. Intragastric pH was monitored continuously for 6 h after single oral administration of omeprazole 20 mg and roxatidine 75 mg. Each administration was separated by a 7-d washout period.

Results

During the 6-h study period, the average pH after administration of roxatidine was higher than that after administration of omeprazole (median: 4.45 vs. 2.65; P=0.0367). Also during the 6-h study period, a longer duration of maintenance at pH above 2, 5, and 6 was observed after administration of roxatidine 75 mg than after administration of omeprazole 20 mg (median: 90.6% vs. 55.2%, P=0.0284; 43.7% vs. 10.6%, P=0.0125; 40.3% vs. 3.3%, P=0.0125; respectively).

Conclusions

In Helicobacter pylori-negative healthy male subjects, oral administration of roxatidine 75 mg increased the intragastric pH more rapidly than that of omeprazole 20 mg.     

Continuous Efforts over 10 Years for Storage Re-organization at the National Museum of Ethnology,Japan

ABSTRACT

The National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan, collects a vast amount of materials and information related to peoples’ life and culture, and makes them available to society through exhibitions and other activities. The number of collected items is increasing every year: 343581 objects have been collected from Japan and abroad as of March 2017. The continuous efforts have been necessary to improve storage conditions and to save space for both general and special storerooms. The former, which account for 90% of the storage capacity of the museum, are air-conditioned during working hours, with temperature and relative humidity (RH) settings varying with the seasons. The latter, which house objects for which strict conservation conditions are required, are air-conditioned for 24 hours with fixed settings of temperature/RH throughout the year determined by the nature of the materials from which the objects have been made or formed. Storage re-organization began with special storerooms, for which the number of objects and the storage area are far more limited in comparison with the general storerooms. The storage shelves for fur/skin/feather (almost 1000 objects) and for carpets (almost 550 objects) were all renewed in FY2007/2008. Then two large-scale innovation projects for general storerooms were conducted: construction of storage areas for ships equipped with a CO₂-based and anoxic pest treatment facility (FY2015), and a complete refurbishing of the general storeroom for large objects (FY2016). Windows were set in the corner of this storeroom to provide visitors an opportunity to view and learn about the museum activities. In parallel to the above projects, daily storage improvement efforts have been undertaken. Storeroom No. 3, chosen as an example for general storerooms for small and medium-sized objects, was used to investigate the range of issues related to the shelving arrangement and storage conditions. Guidelines for storage re-organization were formulated according to the results of the investigation and according to the experiences gained through the renewal of special storerooms. Storage re-organization undertaken in storeroom No. 3 was conducted for 6 years at the rate of around 2000–4000 objects per year with a low budget and with reuse of existing shelves. In FY2016, all objects in storeroom No. 3 were properly redistributed. About 40% of the storage space was saved. Over these 10 years of storage re-organization, preventive measures have been taken for sustainable collection management. As early as FY1992, pest trap investigations have been carried out seasonally. Since FY2004, the results of investigations have been analyzed using a customized computer program. Subsequently, appropriate integrated pest management measures have been taken. In addition, since FY2014, energy-efficient air-condition control has been adopted for general storerooms. It consists of switching off air-conditioning in spring and autumn, and of starting it only when the temperature or RH values become too high in summer or too low in winter. Because the turning-off of air-conditioning causes comparable or even less climatic fluctuation, it was considered acceptable both economically and from a conservation perspective. It is estimated that turning the air-conditioning off during transitional seasons brings cost savings of about 3000000–4000000 JPY (about 26800–35700 USD as of 23 September 2017) per annum, which accounts for almost 30% of the electricity expenditures for all general storerooms.     

Cognitive predictors of literacy acquisition in syllabic Hiragana and morphographic Kanji

We examined the role of different cognitive skills in word reading (accuracy and fluency) and spelling accuracy in syllabic Hiragana and morphographic Kanji. Japanese Hiragana and Kanji are strikingly contrastive orthographies: Hiragana has consistent character-sound correspondences with a limited symbol set, whereas Kanji has inconsistent character-sound correspondences with a large symbol set. One hundred sixty-nine Japanese children were assessed at the beginning of grade 1 on reading accuracy and fluency, spelling, phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid automatized naming (RAN), orthographic knowledge, and morphological awareness, and on reading and spelling at the middle of grade 1. The results showed remarkable differences in the cognitive predictors of early reading accuracy and spelling development in Hiragana and Kanji, and somewhat lesser differences in the predictors of fluency development. Phonological awareness was a unique predictor of Hiragana reading accuracy and spelling, but its impact was relatively weak and transient. This finding is in line with those reported in consistent orthographies with contained symbol sets such as Finnish and Greek. In contrast, RAN and morphological awareness were more important predictors of Kanji than of Hiragana, and the patterns of relationships for Kanji were similar to those found in inconsistent orthographies with extensive symbol sets such as Chinese. The findings suggested that Japanese children learning two contrastive orthographic systems develop partially separate cognitive bases rather than a single basis for literacy acquisition.