Effect of reduced forms on ESL learners' input-intake process

The distinction between input and intake was first proposed by Corder (1967). Whether or not target language input becomes intake is determined by various factors, one of which is perceptual saliency. The language phenomenon called reduced forms, which is observed in informal spoken languages, decreases perceptual saliency, and is thus believed to influence the input-intake process in SLA. Henrichsen (1984) examined how the presence and absence of reduced forms influence ESL learners’ input-intake process. The purpose of the study reported here was to investigate further the influence of reduced forms on the input-intake process, by modifying two aspects of Henrichsen’s study: (a) sentence complexity in the test and (b) differences in reduced form type. The data were collected from 18 ESL learners and nine native speakers at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa using a dictation test. Two two-way repeated measures ANOVAs indicated that the presence of reduced forms, students’ language proficiency, and the type of reduced form (lexical vs. phonological forms) affected the learners’ listening comprehension. The interaction effect was also found to be statistically significant between the type of reduced form and proficiency, but not between the presence of reduced forms and proficiency. This study provides further understanding, not only of whether or not reduced forms influence listening comprehension, but also of which type of reduced form influence learners’ listening comprehension more than others

Developing a reading test based on CEFR-J

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Current and Future Gene Therapy for Malignant Gliomas

Malignant gliomas are the most common neoplasm in the central nervous system. When treated with conventional treatments including surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy, the average life expectancy of the most malignant type, glioblastoma multiforme is usually less than 1 year. Therefore, gene therapy is expected to be an effective and possibly curative treatment. Many gene therapeutic approaches have demonstrated efficacy in experimental animal models. However, the current clinical trials are disappointing. This review focuses on current therapeutic genes/vectors/delivery systems/targeting strategies in order to introduce updated trends and hopefully indicate prospective gene therapy for malignant gliomas

Effects of experimental procedures on lie recognition

It has been pointed out that conventional experimental procedures might distort results about lie recognition. Levine (2014) argues in his Truth–Default Theory (TDT) that people usually trust others but that they can quickly abandon their trust when witnessing a trigger event in which they examine why the person told a lie. He also stated that asking participants to judge which stimulus persons are lying in experiments can work as a “lie prime” (i.e., a trigger event). Furthermore, when participants are asked to think about lies, this may increase the estimated frequency of lies. We conducted two studies to investigate the effects of the following instruction: “Please determine who told a lie.” Instead of asking participants to determine who is lying, we asked participants to give their impressions of stimulus persons, based on the presumption that an individual positively evaluates others who tell the truth. Study 1 employed a between-participant design but we found that the instructions had no significant effects. Study 2 employed a within-participant design and we found that the lie instructions had significant effects on lie recognition in evaluating stimulus persons. In the without-lie-instruction condition, stimulus persons were more likely to be positively evaluated than those in the with-lie-instruction condition. Our study suggests that researchers should be more careful about what instructions they give to participants in lie recognition experiments

Factors affecting the decision making to enter nursing course

The shortage of nurses is one of the very important social problems in Japan. This study by questionaire survey was done to reveal the factors affecting the decision making of senior highschool students to enter nursing course. Two handred thirty-four 3-year college students studying in nursing course their 168 parents and 109 highschool teachers responded, and those data were statistically analysed. The results were as follows; 1. Students' choice to the nursing course were done basically by themselves, but were influenced by their parents and highschool teachers. 2. They, highschool students, parents and teachers have little knowledge about nursing job and nursing education on that time. 3. The incease in number of bachelor course to nursing in Japan may have impact on students, their parents and teachers, and it may link with the increase of students aiming to be nurses

Study on the Effect of Atomic Bomb Radiation on Thyroid Function

The thyroid function of 6112 cases directly exposed to the atomic bomb within 1.5 km (exposed group) and of 3047 cases directly exposed beyond 3.0 km from the hypocenter (control group) was analyzed and the following results were obtained. 1) The frequency distribution curves of TSH values of both groups closely resembled each other in males, but the curve of the exposed group deviated to the right due to high TSH values. In females, the distribution width of TSH values of the exposed group was wide with a low peak and when compared to the control group, the curve was remarkably deviated to the right due to TSH values. 2) The frequency of hypothyroidism was 1.22% in males of the exposed group and 0.35% in males of the control group, while in females it was 7.08% and 1.18%, respectively, showing a significantly higher rate in the exposed group in both sexes. By exposure dose, the frequency was 1.03% in males of the 1-99 rad group and with increase of exposure dose the frequency elevated, being 3.67% at exposure dose of 200 rad or more. In females, the frequency was 6.23% and 7.76%, respectively, showing a significantly higher frequency when compared to the control group. 3) The prevalence rate of positive MCHA among the cases of hypothyroidism was 16.4% in males of the exposed group and 88.9% in males of the control group, while in females the prevalence was 25.3% and 63.3%, respectively, showing a remarkably low rate in the exposed group

1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 enhances cerebral clearance of human amyloid-β peptide(1-40) from mouse brain across the blood-brain barrier

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebrovascular dysfunction has been considered to cause impairment of cerebral amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) clearance across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Further, low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, as well as vascular dysfunction. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃(1,25(OH)₂D3), an active form of vitamin D, on cerebral Aβ clearance from mouse brain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The elimination of [¹²⁵I]hAβ(1-40) from mouse brain was examined by using the Brain Efflux Index method to determine the remaining amount of [¹²⁵I]hAβ(1-40) radioactivity after injection into the cerebral cortex. [¹²⁵I]hAβ(1-40) internalization was analyzed using conditionally immortalized mouse brain capillary endothelial cells (TM-BBB4).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-four hours after intraperitoneal injection of 1,25(OH)₂D3 (1 μg/mouse), [¹²⁵I]hAβ(1-40) elimination from mouse brain was increased 1.3-fold, and the level of endogenous Aβ(1-40) in mouse brain was reduced. These effects were observed at 24 h after i.p. injection of 1,25(OH)₂D3, while no significant effect was observed at 48 or 72 h. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) mRNA was detected in mouse brain capillaries, suggesting that 1,25(OH)₂D3 has a VDR-mediated genomic action. Furthermore, forskolin, which activates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), enhanced [¹²⁵I]hAβ(1-40) elimination from mouse brain. Forskolin also enhanced [¹²⁵I]hAβ(1-40) internalization in TM-BBB4 cells, and this enhancement was inhibited by a MEK inhibitor, suggesting involvement of non-genomic action.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The active form of vitamin D, 1,25(OH)₂D3, appears to enhance brain-to-blood Aβ(1-40) efflux transport at the BBB through both genomic and non-genomic actions. Compounds activating these pathways may be candidate agents for modulating Aβ(1-40) elimination at the BBB.</p