Several barriers in schools make teaching challenging, particularly for early-career TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) teachers. A study from Doshisha University examined the professional development experiences of three such teachers from their school years through university and into the early stages of their careers. The findings revealed critical factors at each stage that can support teachers’ professional development, even in schools full of constraints, carrying significant implications for advancing TESOL education.

To achieve effective intraday dispatch of photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems, a reliable ultra-short-term power generation forecasting model is required. Based on a gradient boosting strategy and a dendritic network, this paper proposes a novel ensemble prediction model, named gradient boosting dendritic network (GBDD) model which can reduce the forecast error by learning the relationship between forecast residuals and meteorological factors during the training of sub-models by means of a greedy function approximation. Unlike other machine learning models, the GBDD proposed is able to make fuller use of all meteorological factor data and has a good model interpretation. In addition, based on the structure of GBDD, this paper proposes a strategy that can improve the prediction performance of other types of prediction models. The GBDD is trained by analyzing the relationship between prediction errors and meteorological factors for compensating the prediction results of other prediction models. The experimental results show that the GBDD proposed has the benefit of achieving a higher PV power prediction accuracy for PV power generation and can be used to improve the prediction performance of other prediction models.

The “Wakuwaku Aira Dinosaur Museum Exhibition,” organized by Aira City in cooperation with Okayama University of Science, concluded successfully on December 27, 2025, attracting a total of 11,580 visitors over eight days. Held at Aira Square in the city’s newly completed municipal office building, the exhibition showcased approximately 20 dinosaur-related specimens, including a full-body tyrannosaurid skeletal reconstruction, a Triceratops skull, and Tarbosaurus fossils.

The exhibition emphasized hands-on learning and research outreach, featuring a recreated excavation site from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, along with panels and videos introducing paleontological fieldwork. Daily workshops allowed children to experience fossil replica making and fossil cleaning activities. Students from the Faculty of Biosphere-Geosphere Science served as guides, providing accessible explanations of dinosaur research to visitors.

On the final day, an educational lecture titled “Digging for Dinosaurs in Mongolia!” was delivered by Masato Fujita, professor of dinosaur paleontology and director of the Museum of Dinosaur Research at Okayama University of Science, attracting approximately 150 attendees.

Originally expected to draw around 5,000 visitors, the exhibition’s turnout more than doubled projections, highlighting strong public interest in dinosaurs and science education. Organizers noted that the combination of authentic research content, interactive experiences, and student-led explanations contributed significantly to the exhibition’s success.

An international group of experts has developed new guidelines to help veterinarians better recognize and diagnose canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), commonly known as canine dementia. The condition affects many older dogs and can cause changes in behavior, sleep, learning, and daily routines, yet it is often overlooked despite its significant impact on animal welfare. The guidelines also highlight that research on canine dementia has the potential to contribute to our understanding of human dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.