Educational Possibilities of Keeping Goats in Elementary Schools in Japan.

Many Japanese elementary schools keep small animals for educational purposes, and the effects and challenges have been investigated. Although goats are medium-sized animals that are familiar to Japanese, few practical studies have been conducted on keeping goats in schools. This study investigated the effects and challenges of keeping goats in elementary schools and discussed its educational possibilities.

Intramolecular [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] Cycloaddition Reactions of Cinnamylamides of Ethenetricarboxylate in Sequential Processes.

Intramolecular [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of cinnamylamides of ethenetricarboxylate in sequential processes have been studied. Reaction of 1,1-diethyl 2-hydrogen ethenetricarboxylate and trans-cinnamylamines in the presence of EDCI/HOBt/EtN led to pyrrolidine products in one pot, via intramolecular [2 + 2], [4 + 2], and some other cyclizations. The types of the products depend on the substituents on the benzene ring and the reaction conditions.

Two-year prognosis after residential treatment for patients with alcohol dependence: three chief guidelines for sobriety in Japan.

Background: In Japan, the three chief traditional guidelines for sobriety (3CGS) are regular medical checkups, participation in self-help groups, and pharmacotherapy with antidipsotropics. However, the official record of the origins of 3CGS is not clear. The aim of this current study was to assess 3CGS by an examination of the prognosis of patients with alcohol dependence 2 years after their discharge from a residential treatment program.

Rice Varieties in Archaic East Asia: Reduction of Its Diversity from Past to Present Times.

The Asian cultivated rice, Oryza sativa, is one of the most important crops feeding more than a third of global population. In spite of the studies for several decades, the origin and domestication history of rice varietal groups, japonica and indica, have not been fully unveiled. Genetic information of ancient rice remains is essential for direct and exclusive insight into the domestication history of rice.

A novel method for determination of inorganic oxyanions by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using dehydration reactions.

Novel methods for the determination of inorganic oxyanions by electrospray (ES) ionization mass spectrometry have been developed using dehydration reactions between oxyanions and carboxylic acids at the ES interface. Twelve oxyanions (VO3 (-) , CrO4 (2-) , MoO4 (2-) , WO4 (2-) , BO3 (3-) , SiO3 (2-) , SiO4 (4-) , AsO4 (4-) , AsO2 (-) , SeO4 (2-) , SeO3 (2-) and NO2 (-) ), out of 16 tested, reacted with at least one of four aminopolycarboxylic acids, i.e.

Reliability and validity of Japanese versions of KIDSCREEN-27 and KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaires.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of Japanese versions of the KIDSCREEN-27 (J-KIDSCREEN-27) and KIDSCREEN-10 (J-KIDSCREEN-10) questionnaires, which are shorter versions of the KIDSCREEN-52 (J-KIDSCREEN-52).

Methods: The present analyses are based on a pre-existing dataset of the J-KIDSCREEN-52 validation study, including 1564 children and adolescents aged 8-18 years and their 1326 parents. All were asked to complete the J-KIDSCREEN and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) questionnaires.

Non-contact measurement of facial surface vibration patterns during singing by scanning laser Doppler vibrometer.

This paper presents a method of measuring the vibration patterns on facial surfaces by using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). The surfaces of the face, neck, and body vibrate during phonation and, according to Titze (2001), these vibrations occur when aerodynamic energy is efficiently converted into acoustic energy at the glottis. A vocalist's vibration velocity patterns may therefore indicate his or her phonatory status or singing skills.

Cultural Difference in Conflict Management Strategies of Children and Its Development: Comparing 3- and 5-Year-Olds Across China, Japan, and Korea.

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the development of conflict management strategies, focusing on 3- and 5-year-olds, through a comparison of 3 neighboring Asian cultures, those of China ( = 114), Japan ( = 98), and Korea ( = 90). The dual concern model of conflict management was adopted to probe which strategy children would prefer to use in 2 hypothetical conflict situations. Results indicated that, first, for disagreement, 3-year-olds in the 3 countries equally preferred the dominating strategy.

Event-related potentials in drug-naïve pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental health disorders, characterized by obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors, which may involve specific disorders in cognition and/or information processing. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are commonly used as physiological measures of cognitive function as they are easily measured and noninvasive. In the present study, 20 drug-naïve pediatric patients with OCD were compared with 20 healthy control participants who were age- and sex-matched to perform the ERP.

Experiences with Patient Refusal of Off-Label Prescribing of Psychotropic Medications to Children and Adolescents in Japan.

Objective: In child and adolescent psychiatry, the off-label prescribing of psychotropic medications is common. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of Japanese child and adolescent psychiatrists with off-label prescribing to children and/or adolescents (hereafter referred to as "children") and to identify the factors associated with these experiences.

Methods: A prospective questionnaire was sent to 1628 psychiatrists belonging to the Japanese Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the quantification of inorganic cations and anions.

Recent studies from our laboratory on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for the quantification of inorganic cations and anions are reviewed. Metal ions were determined by ESI-MS in negative-ion mode as monovalent negative ions of their aminopolycarboxylate (APC) complexes, where excess amounts of the APC agents were added to sample solutions. Among the APCs studied, we found trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (CyDTA, the chemical forms in a complex were expressed as H(n)cydta(n-4)) as the best chelating agent.

Effects of different fatty acid chain lengths on fatty acid oxidation-related protein expression levels in rat skeletal muscles.

Skeletal muscles can adapt to dietary interventions that affect energy metabolism. Dietary intake of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) enhances mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids (FAO) in type IIa skeletal muscle fibers. However, the effect of MCFAs diet on mitochondrial or cytoplasmic FAO-related protein expression levels in different types of muscle fibers remains unclear.

The role of word choice and criterion on intentional memory.

The relationship between the criterion for choosing and the self-choice effects (greater recall in a self-choice compared to a forced-choice condition) on intentional memory was examined. Thirty-three female nursing school volunteers were administered 24 word pairs in a 2 × 2 design to assess the influence of motivation upon free recall. When word pairs were presented to participants, they were asked to choose a word to-be-remembered, either in a self-choice condition or a forced-choice condition.

Music increase altruism through regulating the secretion of steroid hormones and peptides.

Music is well known for its effect on human behavior especially of their bonding and empathy towards others. Music provokes one's emotion and activates mirror neurons and reward system. It also regulates social hormones such as steroid hormones or peptides, and increases empathy, pro-sociality and altruism.

Chill-inducing music enhances altruism in humans.

Music is a universal feature of human cultures, and it has both fascinated and troubled many researchers. In this paper we show through the dictator game (DG) that an individual's listening to preferred "chill-inducing" music may promote altruistic behavior that extends beyond the bounds of kin selection or reciprocal altruism. Participants were 22 undergraduate and postgraduate students who were divided into two groups, the in-group and the out-group, and they acted as dictators.

Problems associated with the seed-trap method when measuring seed dispersal in forests inhabited by Japanese macaques.

Despite the widespread use of seed/litter traps in seed dispersal ecology, several problems have arisen when using this method in forests inhabited by semi-terrestrial monkeys. The first issue is the height of the trap relative to the location where macaques spit seeds and/or defecate. For Japanese macaques in the lowland forests of Yakushima Island, southern Japan, 30-50% of the seeds emitted from cheek pouches and faeces will not be caught by seed traps, leading to underestimation of seed fall.

Influence of music on steroid hormones and the relationship between receptor polymorphisms and musical ability: a pilot study.

Studies have shown that music confers plasticity to the brain. In a preliminary pilot study, we examined the effect of music listening on steroid hormones and the relationship between steroid hormone receptor polymorphisms and musical ability. Twenty-one subjects (10 males and 11 females) were recruited and divided into musically talented and control groups.

Autobiographical remembering and individual differences in emotional intelligence.

The relationship between individual differences in Emotional Intelligence (EI) and self-reported arousal from remembering an autobiographical emotional or neutral event was examined. Participants (N = 235; 75 men; M age = 18.7 yr.

Lewis acid-promoted cyclization reactions of alkenyl ethenetricarboxylates: stereoselective synthesis of 2-oxotetrahydrofurans and 2-oxopyrrolidines.

Lewis acid-promoted intramolecular reactions of alkenyl ethenetricarboxylates and the corresponding amides have been examined. Reaction of allyl ethenetricarboxylates and the amides with Lewis acids (1-2 equiv) such as TiCl4, TiBr4, AlCl3, and AlBr3 gave 3,4-trans-halogenomethyl 2-oxotetrahydrofuran and pyrrolidine derivatives stereoselectively in high yields. The stereochemistries were determined by NOE experiments.

Efficacy of music therapy in treatment for the patients with Alzheimer's disease.

We report that music therapy is effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We found that the secretion of 17β-estradiol and testosterone, hormones that are supposed to have preventive effects on Alzheimer's disease, is significantly increased by music therapy. During the sessions, patients with Alzheimer's disease were allowed to listen to music and songs with verbal contact from the therapist.

Determination of chromium(III), chromium(VI) and total chromium in chromate and trivalent chromium conversion coatings by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Developed were the determination methods of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, where HCrO(4)(-) (m/z 117) and [Cr(III)(cydta)](-) (m/z 394) were measured, respectively. Moreover, total Cr was also determined by measuring [Cr(III)(cydta)](-) after reduction of Cr(VI) with ascorbic acid. Here, cydta denotes trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid.

Proton transfers along hydrogen bonds in the tautomerization of purine.

Tautomerization of purine in the water cluster was investigated by the use of DFT calculations. The correlation between the reaction paths and the number of water molecules (n) was examined. For n = 3 and n = 4, concerted reaction paths were obtained.

New determination methods of halides and cyanide ions by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry based on ternary complex formation.

Determination methods of halide ions (X(-) = F(-), Cl(-), Br(-) and I(-)) by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) were developed, where negative ions of the ternary complexes of group-13 elements, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and halides were measured. In particular, these halides were simultaneously determined by measuring [InX(nta)](-), and the limits of detection (LODs) were 1.1 µmol dm(-3) for F(-), 0.