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Water safety programs to protect children from water-related accidents and increase their awareness of the risk factor crucial to maintaining safety. This study examined the behavior of 48 junior high school students after an intervention program on water safety in a river using the Rohrmann's Risk Communication Model and the Analysis, Design, Development, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect responses about the children's perception of danger at three-time points: pre-post-post (5 months) after the program's implementation. We hypothesized that water safety education can increase children's awareness of appropriate behavior around water and raise their awareness of danger. The evaluation indicators consisted of an increase in the awareness of the water area risk perception, general risk acceptance, and risk-taking behavior. The results suggest that practical water safety program may have a positive effect on the students' awareness of water safety and help prevent water accidents. This study is unique in that it was conducted in a natural body of water.

To examine reliability, validity, factor structure, and measurement invariance (i.e., configural, metric, and scalar invariance) of the Japanese Conners' Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Rating Scales (CAARS), Japanese nonclinical adults (N = 786) completed the CAARS Self-Report (CAARS-S). Each participant was also rated by one observer using the CAARS Observer Form (CAARS-O). For the test of measurement invariance, excerpts from the original (North American) CAARS norming data (N = 500) were used. Dimensional structure was examined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were satisfactory. Based on the "DSM-IV" model and Japanese four-factor model, configural and metric invariance were established for the CAARS-S/O across Japanese and North American populations. Scalar invariance was established for the CAARS-O based on the Japanese model. The use of the Japanese CAARS for diagnostic purposes in Japan was supported; however, it should be used with caution for cross-cultural comparison research.

To examine the inter-rater reliability of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Japanese Version (ADI-R-JV), the authors recruited 51 individuals aged 3-19 years, interviewed by two independent raters. Subsequently, to assess the discriminant and diagnostic validity of ADI-R-JV, the authors investigated 317 individuals aged 2-19 years, who were divided into three diagnostic groups as follows: autistic disorder (AD), pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and other psychiatric diagnosis or no diagnosis, according to the consensus clinical diagnosis. As regards inter-rater reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients of greater than 0.80 were obtained for all three domains of ADI-R-JV. As regards discriminant validity, the mean scores of the three domains was significantly higher in individuals with AD than in those of other diagnostic groups. As regards diagnostic validity, sensitivity and specificity for correctly diagnosing AD were 0.92 and 0.89, respectively, but sensitivity was 0.55 for individuals younger than 5 years. Specificity was consistently high regardless of age and intelligence. ADI-R-JV was shown to be a reliable tool, and has sufficient discriminant validity and satisfactory diagnostic validity for correctly diagnosing AD, although the diagnostic validity appeared to be compromised with respect to the diagnosis of younger individuals.

Most reports of the criminal behaviour of individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) have been case studies, and few have empirically examined the risk factors of criminal behaviour among these individuals. This study examined 175 individuals with HFASD, including 36 individuals who had a prior history of criminal behaviours (the criminal group) and 139 individuals without a criminal history (the control group), with regard to 15 types of childhood adversities (CAs). The age of initial HFASD diagnosis and history of neglect and physical abuse were significantly correlated with an increased risk of criminal behaviour. These findings agreed with previous studies on general populations. The unique characteristics of individuals with HFASD and a history of criminal behaviour are discussed. (Contains 7 tables.)

Using the Japanese version of home form of the ADHD-RS, this survey attempted to compare the scores between the US and Japan and examined the correlates of ADHD-RS. We collected responses from parents or rearers of 5977 children (3119 males and 2858 females) in nursery, elementary, and lower-secondary schools. A confirmed factor analysis of ADHD-RS confirmed the two-factor solution (Inattentive and Hyperactive-Impulsive) same as previous studies. ADHD-RS scores were not related to IQ, but were negatively associated with standardized achievement test scores. Males showed stronger ADHD tendencies than did the females, and the scores ended to decline as the children grew older. Japanese children scored lower than did their US children in Hyperactive-Impulsive among all of the sex-age groups. Japanese version of home form of the ADHD-RS was developed with good reliability and validity. More researches of ADHD in Japanese children are required. (Contains 6 tables.)

A strange bifurcation route to chaos is found in a piecewise-linear second-order nonautonomous differential equation derived from a simple electronic circuit. When a limit cycle loses its stability, the attractor changes directly to chaos (instant chaos [4]) without undergoing a period doubling bifurcation or an intermittency. The width of the attractor's band is continuous at the bifurcation point, and the chaotic band grows larger continuously as the system parameter is varied. We call this bifurcation a singular bifurcation into instant chaos. The purpose of this paper is to show that the singular phenomenon arises from the piecewise-linearity of the system. To analyze this phenomenon in detail, the degenerate approach is applied. In this simplified case, the Poincare map is derived rigorously as a one-dimensional mapping. By analyzing it, we prove with computer assistance that the Liapunov exponent jumps discontinuously from minus to plus at the bifurcation point.