The effect of a 2.5-year long extensive reading (ER) program was examined in this paper. The subjects were 129 students in a kosen or a college of national institute of technology (NIT), who had been learning English as a foreign language (EFL) for three years before the ER program, and their English proficiency stayed in elementary level. They attended the ER program for 2.5 years, took a 45-minute weekly ER lesson for 75 weeks, and read 298 thousand total words of easy-to-read English texts in median. The effect of reading a large amount of English texts was examined by comparing the average TOEIC scores among seven student-groups, which had different total words read by the members. Only the average score of the most-read group, whose median words was 601 thousand words, was significantly higher than the average scores of the other less-read groups. We suggest that kosen students should read more than 600 thousand words to recognize the benefits of ER in the TOEIC and ER programs in kosen should have longer duration than three years so that the target amount becomes feasible for many students. Reading logs of nine students, who had read around 420 thousand words, suggested that the students who had read more number of easier books, especially the easiest graded readers (of 300 or fewer headwords), scored higher in the TOEIC, but ones who had read more difficult graded readers (of 300 – 1,000 headwords) scored lower. The most recommended books for elementary EFL learners were the easy-to-read books: the easiest graded readers and further easier picture books such as Oxford Reading Tree series. We would also recommend the elementary EFL learners to read 200 thousand words, almost a third of the suggested 600 thousand words, from these easy-to-read books.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of fiber reinforced regulated set cement concrete mixed polymer. As the results, it is recognized that SAE polymer is most suitable for regulated set cement and that the properties (compressive strength, bending strength, bending toughness, bond strength, etc.) of regulated set cement concrete is greatly affected by the kind of fiber and polymer.

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This study is concerned on the engineering properties of Oya tuff. The behaviors of axial and circumferential displacement in creep tests are investigated. Some considerations are given to in-situ characterization of these tuffs, which may be quite important to evaluate long-term performance of cavities in such rocks. It is considered from this test results that the magnitude of circumferential strain can indicate the degree of rock damage in creep tests.

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It is important to evaluate the input earthquake motion on the damage of a wooden house for the explanation of a structural design to a client. In this report, Sakai’s scale of an earthquake is used to evaluate the input earthquake motion on the damage of a wooden house. Response analyses with a lumped mass model are executed to explain the relation between Sakai’s scale of an earthquake and the maximum storey displacement of Japanese wooden houses. Results may be summarized as follows: Sakai’s 0.1 – 1 second scale of an earthquake gives a good account of wooden house damage than Sakai’s scale of an earthquake gives. The tables and figures in this report give the Sakai’s 0.1 – 1 second scale of an earthquake for demand design response spectra, and the range of maximum displace response of a designed wooden house on Sakai’s 0.1 – 1 second scale of an earthquake.

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We have to select one solution among many solutions in Pareto front by multiobjective optimization. In this case, we employ another evaluation function with weighting factor of each objective. If the weighting factor of each objective changes in future ages, the best solution selected by above evaluation function may not be best in future age. The influence of variation of weighting factor to the superiority of the best solution in Pareto optimality solutions is discussed in this paper. As a result, the influence of variation of weighting factor is not constant feature. It changes by both the evaluation function and the distribution of weighting factor.

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Active Learning has not been prevailed whereas its necessity is growing up. This paper describes how the researcher implemented the collaborative communication activities as Active Learning in English class for a whole year. Also, the performance tests related to those activities were invented. This report shows that the collaborative communication activities were effective in understanding the contents and develop their positive attitudes toward communication. Based on a long-term practice, the theory of Active Learning should be conducted. This research gives a good suggestion.

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At 17 March in 2017, 1st liaison meeting on the experiments and trainings was held at National Institute of Technology, Toyota College, to deepen collaboration among teachers and realize advanced education. At the beginning of the meeting, the authors present two papers with the titles of “Circumstances of the Teaching Reform on Physics/Applied Physics Experiments” and “Education of Peripheral Matters in Physics/Applied Physics Experiments”. The contents of the papers were discussed by the participants and authors. Then, the participants were taken to a laboratory tour. In front of equipment of the physics experiments, they exchanged information about their classes. And then, we had a time to exchange ideas, opinions and information. Lively discussions were done through the meeting. Finally, all of the participants reached the agreement on the necessity of the stepwise education in experiments and trainings, and of the regular liaison meeting to be held.

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This study investigated the heart rate(HR) response at baseball pitching. Four pitcher’s HR at training match and one pitcher’s HR at 100 throwing were measured. Mean HR at pitching was about 150 bpm, and mean HR between innings was about 120bpm. These HR responses were the same load as like aerobic exercise. It was also comfirmed that 100 throwing training is an effective training that can provide the same load as the match.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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Almost all of her writings are always “a backward glance” for Edith Wharton, who kept describing changes in society at the turn of the century. The Age of Innocence (1920) is highly praised as a novel on the past. The past is one of the most important themes in her works. Old New York (1924) is a collection of four novellas set in upper-class New York society in 1840s, 1850s, 1860s and 1870s. Each novella is an attempt to compose the period that Wharton didn’t know about. Old New York, as space, people, customs, is constructed through the narrators’ memory and reminiscence. This article aims to examine the representations of the past, focusing on the narrators.

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