Search

The purpose of this study is to visualize the physical and mental health condition and problems of middle-aged and elderly people participating in salons and Bon dances in the Keihoku Region through a questionnaire survey. The Keihoku Region has a population of 3, 556 people aged 40 and over, and the sample data of 88 people with an average age of 75.6 (41 to 93) was obtained from the participants from salons, etc. (sampling rate 2.5%). The results show that the percentage of people who lead a healthy lifestyle such as eating, chewing, sleeping, not smoking, abstaining from alcohol, and exercising was high. Twenty (23.8%) lived alone, and all lived by preparing their own meals. As problems in daily life, the response rate of “transportation” and “shopping” was high. In terms of transportation, the study considered there were challenges in popularizing the means of transportation other than buses and private cars, and for shopping, moving the mobile sales vehicles to a wider area. In addition to the results of this survey, it is necessary to survey the middle-aged and elderly people who do not participate in community activities such as salons, and to grasp the health condition of all residents in the Keihoku Region.

In recent years, as a countermeasure against tightness of the public finance, the direction to reduce social costs by precautionary measures has gradually been drawing attention in the policy formation process. In the process of investigating the educational policy in the UK, I noticed when "The Public Finance Saving Method by Preventive Measures" led by the Cameron Administration at the time of 2010 was being introduced, and have examined the applicability of the "Social Impact Bond (SIB)" as an educational funding procurement method to educational fields. Based on the above mentioned, this paper aims to explore the possibility of saving educational expenses for public fiscal expenditure by introducing the SIB into the education field and the possibility of achieving the preventive measures effect at the same time. For local governments today, the revitalization of regional economies and countermeasures for the population increase are important issues of regional creation, and the women's participation in society and the pre-school education system to support them are important areas of childcare education support. Therefore, in this paper, we will focus on the introduction case of the SIB as a pre-primary education promotion measure in the US as an advanced case.

本稿では、米国における高等教育の裾野の拡大という役割を担う公立大学に着目し、高校生が大学の授業を履修して単位を取得できる高大接続プログラムであるDualEnrollmentが実施される意義を考察した。事例として、ニューヨーク市立大学のCollegeNowプログラムを取り上げ、具体的な運営方法と実施の狙いについて分析を行った。比較対象として類似の高大接続プログラムであるAPプログラムを参照し、授業場所、授業担当者、単位認定方法、単位互換などの様々な点において、異なっていることがわかった。また、APプログラムは成績上位層の能力伸長に重きが置かれているが、DualEnrollmentは中位層の生徒に対して、高等教育の世界を紹介するという役割を持っていることがわかった。最後に、日本への示唆として、高大連携授業の対象を、従来の成績上位層からより広範囲に拡大していく必要があることが導き出された。In this paper, we focus on public universities and colleges in the United States from the viewpoint of the expansion of access to higher education. We explored the meaning of Dual Enrollment, which is a high-school-to-college articulation program administered by public universities and colleges. We picked the College Now program of City University, New York (CUNY), as a case study, and analyzed the details of management methods and the aims of this program. We also referred to a similar program, Advanced Placement by College Board. The results indicated that these two programs differ in various points, such as teaching place, teaching personnel, and means of certifying credits. Moreover, while Advanced Placement emphasizes nurturing the academic capabilities of upper level students, Dual Enrollment plays a role in introducing higher education to middle level students. Finally, we elicited suggestions for Japan. Although Japanese high-school-to-college articulation programs mainly aim at upper level students, it is necessary to reconsider and implement programs for students with more diverse academic levels.

It has been known that androgens and estrogens, which are referred to as sex steroids, make many effects on two major nasal chemosensory mucosae such as olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ. Our studies conducted in rodents have demonstrated that two of the constituent cells in the olfactory mucosa, sustentacular cells and acinar cells in the associated glands of the olfactory mucosa, Bowman’s glands, express four different enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of estradiol-17β (E2). Furthermore, our ongoing study has shown that olfactory sensory cells contain immunoreactivity for an estrogen receptor (beta-type). In case of vomeronasal organ, vomeronasal sensory cells express two enzymes that catalyze conversion of E2 and estrone, and that of testosterone and androstenedione. In addition, vomeronasal sensory cells contain an estrogen receptor (alpha-type). These results strongly suggest that de novo synthesis of E2 and metabolism of E2 take place in the olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ, respectively. With special emphasis of subcellular characteristics of steroid-producing cells, such as presence of large amount of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and vesicular mitochondria, we will introduce our findings and present working hypotheses for E2 functions in the olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ.

COCOLO-IKI project is a nickname of Kyoto University’s Center of Community (COC) project. COC project is an important new subsidized project that was set up by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). A proposal by Kyoto University titled “KYOTO Future Creation Project for Establishing the Center of Community” has been selected for FY 2013 COC project by MEXT. COCOLO-IKI project aims at promoting community-oriented education, research and social activities with local community and contributing to the development of global human resources with a broad education. To achieve the aim, we developed “Kyotology Education Program.” The program consists of lecture-based learning (MANABI-YOSHI classes) and project-based learning (IKI-YOSHI classes), offering a greater number of learning opportunities that take advantage of Kyoto’s rich historical heritage and other unique features. In addition, we established Education and Research Unit for Regional Alliances as a one-stop service center to promote collaborations between students, researchers, and the local community. The unit also supports students contributing to revitalization of local communities.

Quality assurance in higher education is one of the most important problems in Japan, and around the world. Many studies have examined means of assuring the quality of education, mostly focusing on what type of graduate we should launch into the real world. However, it has been realized only in technical fields, such as Engineering, Medicine, etc. Management of Technology (MOT) is a popular major in Japan, but according to government research, it also has certain serious problems. Here, we discuss the problems of Japanese higher education in scientific fields, and present some answers from American innovation policies. The USA has changed the idea about how to innovate, and in recent years has developed the Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree, which is now awarded by over 100 American universities. PSM programs have produced graduates who can innovate in scientific fields, e.g., in biology, environmental science, and statistics. The degree is highly praised by the Council On Competitiveness, which consists of CEOs of major corporations, university presidents, and heads of labor organizations. The PSM seems to meet their expectations. Interestingly, many research universities have established PSM programs. We examined the reasons why many American universities have accepted the PSM despite their daily duties for research and doctoral education. Finally, we discuss the possibility that programs such as the PSM can succeed in Japanese universities.

Japan began its informazation of education much later than the countries of Europe and America as well as other parts of Asia. The former Ministry of Education and representatives of four other government agencies came together under the Prime Minister to explore the informazation of education. The result was the Millennium Project, and later the new Japan Plan followed by a more specialized new Japan Plan. The plan devised among these policy makers, however, did not go as smoothly as expected. The former Ministry of Education did not have the know-how to support the skills and methods needed to carry out this plan. On the other hand, the ministries dealing with information technology were excited about the chance to use their know-how in the area of education. This paper focuses on the actions of those ministries involved in the informazation efforts starting in the early 1980s, when informazation was first included in the budget, through the present. This paper also analyzes the principles behind the actions of the former Ministry of Education and the other involved ministries concerning the informazaion of education. Specifically, the time frames discussed are: 1. the early stages, 2. beginning of cooperation among ministries, 3. development of the Millennium Project. The above analysis of the ministries actions is also made for each time frame.

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。