Beliefs of Japanese teachers of English regarding language, language teaching, and language learning

The purpose of this study was to explore English teachers' beliefs about language, language teaching, and language learning to answer the research question: What beliefs have been formed through teaching experience? A 28-item questionnaire was administered to 69 junior high school teachers of English in Japan and 69 Japanese-speaking university students. Results showed that the teachers think (a) that grammatical knowledge is not sufficient for communication, (b) that, in reading or writing instruction, Japanese need not be relied on, (c) that, in listening, students do not have to understand every word, and (d) that basically, progress is made in foreign language learning through mimicking. A comparison of teachers with university students further indicated that several beliefs may have evolved out of teaching experience.ArticleJABAET Journal. 13:47-59 (2009)journal articl

ELF3 suppresses gallbladder cancer development through downregulation of the EREG/EGFR/mTOR complex 1 signalling pathway

The prognosis of gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains poor, and a better understanding of GBC molecular mechanisms is important. Genome sequencing of human GBC has demonstrated that loss-of-function mutations of E74-like ETS transcription factor 3 (ELF3) are frequently observed, with ELF3 considered to be a tumour suppressor in GBC. To clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms by which ELF3 suppresses GBC development, we performed in vivo analysis using a combination of autochthonous and allograft mouse models. We first evaluated the clinical significance of ELF3 expression in human GBC tissues and found that low ELF3 expression was associated with advanced clinical stage and deep tumour invasion. For in vivo analysis, we generated Pdx1-Cre; KrasG12D; Trp53R172H; Elf3f/f (KPCE) mice and Pdx1-Cre; KrasG12D; Trp53R172H; Elf3wt/wt (KPC) mice as a control and analysed their gallbladders histologically. KPCE mice developed larger papillary lesions in the gallbladder than those developed by KPC mice. Organoids established from the gallbladders of KPCE and KPC mice were analysed in vitro. RNA sequencing showed upregulated expression of epiregulin (Ereg) in KPCE organoids, and western blotting revealed that EGFR/mechanical targets of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) were upregulated in KPCE organoids. In addition, ChIP assays on Elf3-overexpressing KPCE organoids showed that ELF3 directly regulated Ereg. Ereg deletion in KPCE organoids (using CRISPR/Cas9) induced EGFR/mTORC1 downregulation, indicating that ELF3 controlled EGFR/mTORC1 activity through regulation of Ereg expression. We also generated allograft mouse models using KPCE and KPC organoids and found that KPCE organoid allograft tumours exhibited poorly differentiated structures with mTORC1 upregulation and mesenchymal phenotype, which were suppressed by Ereg deletion. Furthermore, EGFR/mTORC1 inhibition suppressed cell proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition in KPCE organoids. Our results suggest that ELF3 suppresses GBC development via downregulation of EREG/EGFR/mTORC1 signalling. EGFR/mTORC1 inhibition is a potential therapeutic option for GBC with ELF3 mutation. © 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

ジュウドウ セイフク ガッカ ガクセイ オヨビ オープン キャンパス サンカシャ ノ スポーツ ニヨル ガイショウ ショウガイ ノ ジッタイ ニ ツイテ

We conducted a questionnaire survey of the visitors to the Judo Therapy booth at the Open Campus events and the studentsof the faculty of Judo Therapy. The questionnaire had two main sections: 1) asking whether they have experiences of playingsports and sports injuries; and 2) asking whether they were treated at judo therapist\u27s offices when they were injured. Theresults show that, out of 160 people surveyed, 158 people (98.74 percent) have an experience of playing sports and 141 people(89.24 percent) of those have an experience of sports injuries. Among them 118 people, who identified the institutions wherethey received the treatment, were asked whether they have been treated at a judo therapist\u27s office. The ratio is significantlyhigher than a group of ordinary junior and high school students. The people surveyed in this study are highly interested injudo therapy. This survey implies that their experiences of sports injuries and the treatment at judo therapist\u27s offices helpedto generate their interest in judo therapy

Reflecting on Our Teaching Practices

The mein issues in this manuscript can be summarized as follows: 1. Exchange of information is crucial in communication, and therfore it is meaning-centered. 2. English language teachers serve as models of communicators in English therfore must develop t

Beliefs of Japanese teachers of English regarding language, language teaching, and language learning

The purpose of this study was to explore English teachers' beliefs about language, language teaching, and language learning to answer the research question: What beliefs have been formed through teaching experience? A 28-item questionnaire was administered to 69 junior high school teachers of English in Japan and 69 Japanese-speaking university students. Results showed that the teachers think (a) that grammatical knowledge is not sufficient for communication, (b) that, in reading or writing instruction, Japanese need not be relied on, (c) that, in listening, students do not have to understand every word, and (d) that basically, progress is made in foreign language learning through mimicking. A comparison of teachers with university students further indicated that several beliefs may have evolved out of teaching experience.ArticleJABAET Journal. 13:47-59 (2009)journal articl

NI-22 IMPROVED DELINEATION OF THE SUPERFICIAL CEREBRAL VENOUS SYSTEM IN BRAIN CT ANGIOGRAPHY BY ULTRAHIGH-RESOLUTION CT FOR ASSISTING BRAIN TUMOR SURGERY

Abstract BACKGROUND In brain CT angiography (CTA) for assisting brain tumor surgery, delineation of the superficial cerebral venous system is critical for selecting the optimal surgical approach. This delineation is, however, limited using conventional CT scanners, including an area-detector CT (ADCT) scanner, due to their insufficient spatial resolution. Since March 2017, a state-of-the-art ultrahigh-resolution CT (UHRCT) scanner has been clinically available to improve in- and through-plane spatial resolution compared with conventional CT scanners, mainly due to smaller slice thickness from 0.5 mm to 0.25 mm, larger channel number from 896 to 1792, and smaller x-ray focus from 0.9 x 0.8 mm to 0.4 x 0.5 mm.PurposeWe assessed usefulness of UHRCT to improve delineation of the superficial cerebral venous system in brain CTA for assisting brain tumor surgery compared with conventional ADCT. METHODS We retrospectively enrolled patients with intra- and/or extra-axial brain tumors who underwent preoperative brain CTA for assisting brain tumor surgery by UHRCT or ADCT using our routine technique and generated the CTA to delineate the superficial cerebral venous system using the same technique. Two reviewers by consensus subjectively counted the number of the superficial sylvian veins and the cortical veins draining into these veins and the maximal bifurcation order of the cortical veins draining into the superior sagittal sinus. We compared these numbers and the maximal bifurcation order in the CTA between the UHRCT and ADCT groups using the intraoperative findings as the reference. RESULTS The numbers and the maximal bifurcation order in the UHRCT group were significantly greater and more accurate than those in the ADCT group. CONCLUSIONS Use of UHRCT can be clinically useful for better delineating the superficial cerebral venous system in brain CTA and assisting brain tumor surgery. </jats:sec

Development of Quality Indicators of Stroke Centers and Feasibility of Their Measurement Using a Nationwide Insurance Claims Database in Japan : J-ASPECT Study

journal articl

Regional differences in the response to acute blood pressure lowering after cerebral hemorrhage

Objective:To compare the impact of intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering right after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) on clinical and hematoma outcomes among patients from different geographic locations, we performed a prespecified sub-analysis of the randomized, multi-national, two-group, open-label trial to determine the efficacy of rapidly lowering BP in hyperacute ICH (ATACH-2), involving 537 patients from East Asia and 463 recruited outside of Asia.Methods:Eligible patients were randomly assigned to a systolic BP (SBP) target of 110-139 mmHg (intensive treatment) or 140-179 mmHg (standard treatment). Pre-defined outcomes were: poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 4-6 at 90 days), death within 90 days, hematoma expansion at 24 hours; and cardio-renal adverse events within 7 days.Results:Poor functional outcomes (32.0% versus 45.9%), death (1.9% versus 13.3%), and cardio-renal adverse events (3.9% versus 11.2%) occurred significantly less in patients from Asia than those outside of Asia. The treatment-by-cohort interaction was not significant for any outcomes. Only patients from Asia showed a lower incidence of hematoma expansion with intensive treatment (adjusted RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.38-0.83). Both Asian (3.53, 1.28-9.64) and non-Asian cohorts (1.71, 1.00-2.93) showed a higher incidence of cardio-renal adverse events with intensive treatment.Conclusions:Poor functional outcomes and death 90 days after ICH were less common in patients from East Asia than those outside of Asia. Hematoma expansion, a potential predictor for poor clinical outcome, was attenuated by intensive BP lowering only in the Asian cohort.Clinicaltrials.gov identifierNCT01176565.Classification of evidence:This study provides Class II evidence that, for patients from East Asia with intracerebral hemorrhage, intensive blood pressure lowering significantly reduces the risk of hematoma expansion.</jats:sec