Roles of Output and Noticing in SLA: Does Exposure to Relevant Input Immediately After Output Promote Vocabulary Learning?

This study aims to investigate how noticing fonns in relevant input presented immediately after output encourages learners of English to take lexical items into their IL systems. Twenty nine university students, classified into 3 proficiency levels, took part in an experiment, in which they worked on guided composition, and then took notes of what fonns they had noticed in looking at relevant input presented immediately after output. The participants were asked to work on the same guided composition in the following week to examine how they retained lexical items from the relevant input. The results are: 1) The output-input process leads advanced learners to retain more lexical items;. 2) The uptake is promoted when: i) the participants analyze a fonn in the relevant input syntactically, and/or ii) the participants perceive a fonn in the model as being in contrast with its cOWlterpart in their own output and realize Wlgrammatical or less appropriate status ofthe latter; and 3) The output-input process helps learners gain lexical knowledge on use

Influences of Attention and Noticing on Second Language Acquisition

This study aims to investigate how realizing problems during translation from Japanese to English and noticing fonns in written model sentences encoumge learners to internalize linguistic items. Thirty nine university students, classified into 3 proficiency levels, took part in an experiment, in which they wrote down problems they had realized while translating Japanese into English and also took notes of what fonns they had noticed in looking at model sentences. A post test was given in the following week to examine how the participants internalized target linguistic items. The results are: 1) realizing problems and noticing forms prompt the immediate internalization of linguistic items and play an important role in mapping already learned foons with the new meanings in all proficiency levels, and 2) realizing problems and noticing fonns make advanced learners internalize more linguistic items

ミトコンドリアの呼吸活性に対する酸素輸送担体の発現量の意義

金沢大学人間科学系本研究は、酸素輸送担体:ミオグロビン(Mb)を過剰発現あるいは発現抑制する骨格筋培養細胞系を確立するとともに、骨格筋細胞内のMb発現量を調節した時のMbとミトコンドリアの相互作用、親和性、ならびに筋細胞の呼吸活性について検証することを目的とした。本年度は、1)骨格筋芽細胞の選択と筋管への分化条件の検討、2)Mbを過剰発現させるための発現ベクターの作製に取り組んだ。その結果、次のような成果を得た。1)骨格筋培養細胞としてラット由来骨格筋芽細胞(L6)を用いたが、推奨培養条件では筋管形成が十分ではないため、インスリン刺激による分化誘導を試みた。細胞培養液へのインスリン添加を行ったところ、分化が促進され、筋管細胞が増加したL6細胞を得た。また、分化による発現タンパク質の経時変化を観察したところ、インスリン刺激によりミトコンドリアマーカータンパク質の増加が確認された。2)Mbを過剰発現させるため、哺乳類細胞で高レベルの発現を行うCMVプロモーター搭載のpcDNA3ベクターを用い、Mb cDNAをTAクローニングにより組み込んだ。さらに、過剰発現させた際にタンパク質相互作用、親和性を確認するため、エピトープタグであるc-mycを付加し、myc/Mb/pcDNA3発現ベクターを得た。c-mycは免疫反応性の高いエピトープタグであり、大きさが比較的小さいため、Mbのような低分子タンパク質の機能を阻害しにくいと考えられる。来年度は,作製した発現ベクターを用いて遺伝子導入を行い、Mbを安定して過剰発現するL6骨格筋芽細胞株を作製し、Mbとミトコンドリアとの関連性や呼吸活性の変化の解明に取り掛かる予定である。研究課題/領域番号:22800023, 研究期間(年度):2010 – 2011出典：研究課題「ミトコンドリアの呼吸活性に対する酸素輸送担体の発現量の意義」課題番号22800023（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-22800023/）を加工して作

Increase in the infield critical current density of MgB₂ thin films by high-temperature post-annealing

We propose a novel fabrication technique based on the formation of a Nb protective layer on a MgB₂ hin film and high-temperature post-annealing to increase the critical current density (Jc) of MgB₂ films under an external magnetic field. Analyses of the crystal structure and the composition of the processed MgB₂ films confirmed the suppression of the evaporation and oxidation of Mg by high-temperature annealing above 550 °C. The MgB₂ film annealed at 650 °C exhibited a Jc of 1.62 MA cm⁻² under 5 T, which is the highest reported value for MgB₂ films, wires, and bulk samples to date

Caffeine activates preferentially α1-isoform of 5'AMP-activated protein kinase in rat skeletal muscle.

[Aim]: Caffeine activates 5′AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a signalling intermediary implicated in the regulation of glucose, lipid and energy metabolism in skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle expresses two catalytic α subunits of AMPK, α1 and α2, but the isoform specificity of caffeine-induced AMPK activation is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine which α isoform is preferentially activated by caffeine in vitroand in vivo using rat skeletal muscle. [Methods]: Rat epitrochlearis muscle was isolated and incubated in vitro in the absence or presence of caffeine. In another experiment, the muscle was dissected after intravenous injection of caffeine. Isoform-specific AMPK activity, the phosphorylation status of AMPKα Thr172 and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) Ser79, the concentrations of ATP, phosphocreatine (PCr) and glycogen, and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3MG) transport activity were estimated. [Results]: Incubation of isolated epitrochlearis muscle with 1 mM of caffeine for 15 min increased AMPKα1 activity, but not AMPKα2 activity; concentrations of ATP, PCr and glycogen were not affected. Incubation with 3 mM of caffeine activated AMPKα2 and reduced PCr and glycogen concentrations. Incubation with 1 mM of caffeine increased the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC and enhanced 3MG transport. Intravenous injection of caffeine (5 mg kg−1) predominantly activated AMPKα1 and increased 3MG transport without affecting energy status. [Conclusion]: Our results suggest that of the two α isoforms of AMPK, AMPKα1 is predominantly activated by caffeine via an energy-independent mechanism and that the activation of AMPKα1 increases glucose transport and ACC phosphorylation in skeletal muscle

Current Trends in Pediatric Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery

Over the past two decades, laparoscopic and robotic surgery in children has been described as a viable minimally invasive alternative to open surgery for many pediatric urologic conditions. With the goal of reducing the morbidity associated with open surgery, minimally invasive surgery in children is increasingly being performed as laparoscopic and robotic patients appear to be experiencing shorter hospital stays, decreased pain medication requirements, and the potential for improved cosmesis. This article provides an overview of the existing literature in laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic urologic surgery in children. Laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery appears to be safe and effective in children for a wide range of ablative and reconstructive procedures. Conventional laparoscopic surgery is effective for ablative procedures, while robotic surgery may be ideally suited for reconstructive cases requiring advanced suturing and dissection. Overall, more prospective studies are needed to study the long-term outcomes of minimally invasive surgery in pediatric patients, and the appropriate use of the available technology