It is said that physical education classes are relatively popular with children and students, and that they are highly independent in these classes.It is true that this has been supported by the diligent research of teaching materials by in-service teachers and the development of teaching methods.
However, in the in-service teachers differentiation according to individuals and groups is required because.However, the development of teaching materials and the choice of teaching methods are becoming half-implicit knowledge.I am trying to systematize the enormous teaching methods of in-service teachers that have been cultivated so far.As such, I hope to make teacher behavior explicit knowledge.

“Home economics” in school education aims to improve the skill of homemaking through the velationships between oneself and their family, their consumption habit, their eating habit, their dwelling life, their clothing life and so on.
“Home economics” is concerned with not only our claily life but some subjects life social studies and science. Moreover it’s very important to reflect on your home life so far.
I investigate how “Home economics” should be and I design exciting, satisfactory and practical classes.

I am interested in teacher involvement in supporting children’s social-emotional development. School is not only a place to develop academic skills, but also to promote children’s social-emotional development. So, what kinds of teacher involvement contribute to the development of children’s social-emotional competence? I am collecting and analyzing data on these questions.
I am also developing programs to foster communication skills, etc., with reference to psycho-educational programs that foster knowledge and skills related to the mind and social-emotional learning (SEL). These programs are meant to “prevent” problematic or maladaptive behaviors before they occur. I am also interested in how to utilize such programs in actual educational settings.

[Health promotion and lifelong sports]
The important thing is to keep exercising. Sports are also important from the perspective of release stress and mental health. Wearable devices have made it possible to measure heart rate and walking distance during exercise. I promote research that contributes to health promotion and lifelong sports.
[Choice reaction time and performance]
The study of choice tasks leads to improved sports performance. The study of reaction time improved prevent accidents. I am studying reaction time and selection tasks.
[Environmental temperature and physiological stress]
Physiological stress during exercise in a hot or cold environment is evaluated using indices such as heart rate and body temperature. I am studying against heatstroke and prevention of hypothermia.

The effcts of chemical substances on living organism depend on animal species and developmental stage. A lot of unexplained subjects exist in these reserch topics. I tackle researches in order to clarify the pathogenesis of lesions induced by chemical substances in various aminal species, such as rat, quail, chicken, medaka and newt in different developmental stages.

We not only analyze the health status of humans, animals, the environment, and food, but also develop new testing methods to evaluate them.
In recent years, we have been conducting joint research with local governments and companies to develop processing methods to reduce food loss and add value to food ingredients, to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of functional ingredients in foods, and to develop new testing methods for inflammation markers.

Novel technologies to efficiently and safely disinfect agricultural products have been studied. We aim to contribute to food safety and security by developing innovative disinfection methods..

In addition, we have studied the effect of disinfectants against a range of pathogens on different materials, including influenza virus and feline calicivirus (a surrogate of human norovirus) as well as prions (most resistant pathogen). We also analyzed the likely mechanism of pathogen inactivation. Given our focus of research, we would like to collaborate with companies to assist in evaluating products as well as developing new technologies.

Mammalian immune system consists of innate and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity can broadly recognize invading pathogens through various pathogen sensors and responds rapidly. On the other hand, adaptive immunity is more specific and recognizes the peptide from antigens. An antigen presenting cell, dendritic cell, can link innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, it has been revealed that immune responses are involved in and affect various types of diseases including not only immune disorders like autoimmune diseases but also metabolic syndromes, diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer, and so on. I am analyzing immunological and pathological roles of innate immune system, including dendritic cells, in immune disorders and various diseases with genetically modified mice.

We study on the biological characteristics of fish parasites with the aim of disease control. Also, many fish parasites in seafoods have been subject to complaints by comsumers. However, fish parasites normally live in wild environments, and it is crucial to discriminate between harmful and harmless for humans.
To improve the quality of farmed fishes, we try to feed grape pomace, effluent from winemaking, on the immunity and health condition in cultured fishes.

Smooth muscle cells are major components of the organ walls of organs, such as artery, gastrointestinal tract, bladder and trachea. Smooth muscle cell motility is highly regulated by nerve and hormonal stimuli. Accumulating lines of evidence suggest that impaired smooth muscle motility is involved in a variety of diseases, such as hypertension, digestive dysfunction, asthma, and dysuria. To elucidate the molecular basis of smooth muscle diseases, and to develop their effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, we have been studying the mechanisms that regulate smooth muscle motor function. Meanwhile, we have discovered a protein that regulates smooth muscle contractile function and have elucidated the underlying mechanism by which the protein mediates regulation of smooth muscle motility. We now study the signals in smooth muscle disease.
In parallel with our research on smooth muscle disease, we are assisting in the development of devices and products to improve the quality of life of animals, including pets, and their owners through collaborative research.

Among infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria, we are studying zoonoses, which are infectious diseases between animals and humans. In recent years, with the increasing distance between animals and humans and the improvement of diagnostic techniques for pathogenic microorganisms, it has become clear that a variety of zoonoses exist in the world and pose a significant threat to us and human society. Our research contributes to the prevention and control of these zoonotic diseases by clarifying how these pathogenic microorganisms are actually maintained in the field and the degree of risk they pose to humans and animals. We also conduct molecular biological studies using actual pathogens and various types of cultured cells to evaluate pathogenicity and elucidate the mechanisms of pathogen transmission.

Most female mammals have an estrous cycle in which they ovulate periodically. During the estrous cycle, ovarian follicles develop and blood levels of estrogen secreted by the developing follicles increase. This increased estrogen induces ovulation, promotes the proliferation of the endometrium to prepare for implantation of a fertilized egg, and induces sexual behavior by acting on the central nervous system. In addition, estrogen is known to have a wide range of effects, including effects on bone formation, central effects such as memory, and effects on the cardiovascular systems. This means that a wide range of cells are affected by estrogen, and these effects fluctuate during the estrous cycle. In our laboratory, we are investigating the factors and functions affected by estrogen during the estrous cycle, especially in tissues related to reproductive functions such as the pituitary gland and uterus. Oxytocin is a hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland and is involved in milk secretion and uterine contractions. Recently, its central effects, such as the ability to trust others more easily, have been attracting attention. Vitamin D is considered to be a hormone and is known to have many actions, just like estrogen. We are currently investigating the regulatory mechanisms of oxytocin receptor and vitamin D receptor expressions, which are involved in the expression of these hormones’ actions.

Our research group is interested in molecular mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter release from nerve cells. In the brain, nervous system function is founded on the transmission of information from one nerve cell to another at a unique and highly specialized structure, synapse. This information transfer at the synapse is mediated by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are stored in small organelles called synaptic vesicles and exocytosed by fusion of synaptic vesicles with plasma membrane. To explore how neurons release transmitters, we combine molecular biological and electrophysiological techniques, especially focusing on protein-protein interactions. We are now trying to examine how the calcium signaling is converted into neurotransmitter release.

I am working for epidemiological research on infectious diseases in animals, especially dirofilariasis and ectoparasite infections in dogs and cats, to aim at contribution to prevention. Furthermore, I am working for development of new drugs for animals. And I am also expanding the appropriate use of drugs in animals through pharmacoepidemiological research on usage survey, re-examination of efficacy and incidence of side effects of already-existing drugs.
Photos are a cat flea and a tick. Cat fleas are mundanely detected on dogs as well as cats, and also on humans in recent years in Japan. Ticks have gotten a lot of attention recently as vectors of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). I am working for development of ectoparasiticides.

Mastication and swallowing are patterned movements that are essential for the vital activities of animals including humans. These movements require coordinated activity of orofacial muscles, and interneurons in the brainstem control the activity of motor neurons in the orofacial motor system. Among brainstem interneurons, we are focusing on cholinergic interneurons and studying their cell morphology, neural circuits, and neurotransmission. By elucidating the neural circuits between interneurons and motor neurons, we aim to gain knowledge that will lead to an understanding of orofacial movement disorders.
We are also studying the histology of the olfactory organ and its center, the olfactory bulb, of urodele amphibians. By comparing the olfactory system between urodelan species, we are investigating the relationship between the adaptation to water and land environments and the olfactory evolution.

The health effects of transboundary pollution such as Asian dust and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have become a public health problem. We have focused on its constituents such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We are also conducting research on the involvement of oxidative stress in exacerbation of symptoms of bronchial asthma caused by PAH using cultured cells.
The eldery are reported to be more susceptible to the psychiatric effects of earthquake. We are analyzing epidemiological surveys data on the psychiatrioc effects of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (2007) on the elderly who lived in temporary housing or in areas where damage was severe.
We are investigating the relationship between parabens, which are contained as antibacterial agents in household goods such as shampoos and cosmetics, and allergic diseases. We reported on the association of parabens and allergic disease in population over 40 years of age and in infants. I am participating in a cohort study (lifestyle and health, etc.) that has been ongoing for more than 10 years in Noto, including this study.

Our laboratory has established a technique to examine the composition of the mammary flora by comprehensively analyzing the bacterial DNA (16S rRNA gene) contained in milk. Using this technology, we clarified that the relationship between SCC and mammary flora composition of healty cows (left figure). It has also become clear that there is a possible relationship between the composition of the mammary flora and the amount of the immune substance (lactoferrin) contained in milk (right figure). We are conducting research not only for the development of new treatments for bovine mastitis, but also for the application of new mastitis prevention methods using intramammary innate immunity.　　

In recent years, the importance of skincare in veterinary medicine has become widely recognized. However, it is known that the epidermis of dogs is much thinner compared to humans. As a result, it remains uncertain whether applying the same skincare practices as humans is appropriate for dogs. In our research laboratory, we are conducting studies on various factors that regulate skin barrier and skin immunity using Beagle dogs and cultured cells. Our goal is to apply the research findings to the field of veterinary clinical practice.

Despite being primarily developed for industrial purposes and not intended for direct human consumption, many chemical substances still come into contact with the human body and organisms in the environment through various pathways, such as water, air, and other environmental factors. Ensuring a safe and secure society requires a thorough evaluation of the toxicity of pharmaceuticals and chemical substances.
In our laboratory, we conduct research on the toxicity of chemical substances through comprehensive gene expression analysis and obtain omics data to elucidate the molecular-level mechanisms, a field known as toxicogenomics. In addition to utilizing omics technology for understanding the inter-organ coordination of energy metabolism in vivo, our research also focuses on elucidating pathological processes in both humans and dogs.

We mainly conduct research related to environmental health. We are working on microorganisms, viruses, contaminants, etc. that exist in water and soil. We also aim to search for useful microorganisms that can contribute to solving environmental problems. We also conduct research using epidemiological and informatic methods.