Relative age and birthplace effect in Japanese professional sports: a quantitative evaluation using a Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model

Relative age effect (RAE) in sports has been well documented. Recent studies investigate the effect of birthplace in addition to the RAE. The first objective of this study was to show the magnitude of the RAE in two major professional sports in Japan, baseball and soccer. Second, we examined the birthplace effect and compared its magnitude with that of the RAE. The effect sizes were estimated using a Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model with the number of players as dependent variable. The RAEs were 9.0% and 7.7% per month for soccer and baseball, respectively. These estimates imply that children born in the first month of a school year have about three times greater chance of becoming a professional player than those born in the last month of the year. Over half of the difference in likelihoods of becoming a professional player between birthplaces was accounted for by weather conditions, with the likelihood decreasing by 1% per snow day. An effect of population size was not detected in the data. By investigating different samples, we demonstrated that using quarterly data leads to underestimation and that the age range of sampled athletes should be set carefully.     

A communication system approach to the problem of public library legitimacy

Public library systems intersect with both public and private spheres of social life, but how they negotiate public legitimacy and private influence remains a mystery. To better understand this problem, this study adopts a communication system approach. Using qualitative content analysis, this study examines data from three US public library systems. This study analyzes how private actors communicate with and through public library systems by parsing the signals into components: transmitter, receiver, medium, and message. The resulting signals form two dimensions: the Public Sphere dimension, where private actors govern, legitimate, and use the library, and the Private Sphere dimension, where private actors exchange personal services and exert economic power. A view of public and private signals in interaction reveals how public legitimacy is threatened and how public library systems can mitigate these threats. This study reveals how public/private conflicts in public libraries arise and how they might be resolved.     

脑科学与教育创新中的群组研究

2000年起,日本开展的一系列"脑科学与教育"研究项目以纵向群组研究为主要形式,并依托于日新月异的高科技成像技术,如功能磁共振、脑磁图、近红外成像技术等。在研究者和实践者的通力合作以及高度严谨的伦理审核之下,这一新兴领域如今已搭建起了脑与社会的宏观发展框架。目前研究成果在教育、医疗方面的大量应用昭示着"心智、脑与教育"充满希望的未来,而老龄化带来的记忆减退、全球化形势下的语言学习障碍等典型性社会问题都将获得解决的良方。     

Transitions in Public Library Management: From the International Perspective of Strategy,Organizational Structure,and Operations

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research is to elucidate changes in strategy, organization, and operations in the field of public library management. It uses research methods based on detailed case analysis. This research focuses on cases involving U.S. public libraries and the Tokyo Metropolitan Library in Japan from the 1960s to the 2010s. It analyzes documents related to strategic management, organization, and operations collected through surveys and interviews with library directors and managers. This research illustrates (1) 11 core operations of public libraries, (2) transitions of basic organizational structures, (3) elements that cause differences between the U.S. and Japanese public libraries, and (4) primary elements that have impacts on public library management.     

Limitations of cadence-based walking for assessing bouts of moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity under free-living conditions

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the relationship between the accumulation of 1000 steps in 10 minutes (1K) and 3000 steps in 30 minutes (3K) with the amount and intensity of daily physical activity. Thirty-three adults (16 males and 17 females, 53 ± 19 years) wore an accelerometer (Lifecorder) for seven consecutive days in order to determine the number of steps and the time spent in physical activity at light intensity (LPA), moderate intensity (MPA), vigorous intensity (VPA) and moderate to vigorous intensity (MVPA). Furthermore, based on the minute-by-minute stepping rate, the number, intensity and duration of walking bouts (1K and 3K) were evaluated. The daily number of steps, LPA, MPA and VPA were significantly higher on the days with 1K or 3K compared with that observed on the days without 1K or 3K (P <0.05). The duration of 1K was not found to be correlated with an MVPA >10 minutes. An MVPA >10 minutes was less than 2 min · day^?1 on the days with 1K or 3K. Therefore, it is doubtful that the concept of cadence is an alternative indicator for the commonly used definition of MVPA. It remains unclear whether participation in 1K and 3K guarantees that an individual will meet the current MVPA guidelines.     

Brain Science of Ethics: Present Status and the Future

Recent advances in technologies for neuroscientific research enable us to investigate the neurobiological substrates of the human ethical sense. This article introduces several findings in “the brain science of ethics” obtained through brain-observation and brain-manipulation approaches. Studies over the past decade have revealed that several brain structures associated with emotion processing and the ability to understand the minds of others play key roles in the human ethical sense. We also discuss current limitations in studying the brain mechanisms of ethics: Although the true significance of the human ethical sense lies in social interactions, most neuroimaging studies so far have not captured the rich context of the social interactions that exist in the real world. The latest experimental paradigms focusing on “neural resonance” across brains, as well as a newly developed neuroimaging instrument that allows a wide range of social interactions under natural situations, are promising to overcome this limitation. Applications of such approaches and instruments to study the human ethical sense will improve our understanding of the complex nature of the human ethical sense.     

Age-related differences in daily physical activity divided by bout duration: preliminary findings in female convenience samples

The purpose of the present investigation was to clarify the relationship between age and bout duration of physical activity (PA) under free-living conditions in female adults. Forty-three females wore an accelerometer (Lifecorder) for seven consecutive days in order to determine the time spent in PA at light intensity (LPA), at moderate intensity (MPA), and at vigorous intensity (VPA). The PA was divided according to the bout duration, such as PA lasting longer than 16 s, 32 s, 60 s, 3 min, >5 min, and >10 min (PA16s, PA32s, PA1m, PA3m, PA5m, PA10m). The time for LPA32s, LPA1m, MPA16s, VPA16s, and the total time for MPA and VPA were significantly associated with age (P < 0.05). There were no significant associations between age and PA lasting >60 s, regardless of intensity category. The results of the present pilot study suggest that the age-associated differences in PA occur mainly in PA lasting 1 min or shorter duration.