Teaching Spoken English at Junior High School: A Comparison of TPR and PPP

This article reports on an experimental methods-comparison study, which was undertaken with beginner level junior high school students (aged 12 and 13) in Japan. The study aimed to investigate which type of teaching, Total Physical Response (TPR) or Present Practice Produce (PPP), was more effective in developing productive and receptive knowledge of a set of collocations. Results showed that both types of teaching had a significant impact upon the development of understanding and using the target language. However, there were no significant differences between the effectiveness of TPR and PPP, apart from a short-term benefit for PPP in terms of receptive knowledge. This shows that both types of teaching can have a positive impact upon learners of this age and level and that there is a need for further research to investigate the effectiveness of these communicative methodologies in this context

Influence of age on outcome from thrombolysis in acute stroke: a controlled comparison in patients from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA)

<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b> Thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke in patients aged >80 years is not approved in some countries due to limited trial data in the very elderly. We compared outcomes between thrombolysed and nonthrombolysed (control) patients from neuroprotection trials to assess any influence of age on response.</p> <p><b>Method:</b>Among patients with ischemic stroke of known age, pretreatment severity (baseline National Institutes of Health Scale Score), and 90-day outcome (modified Rankin Scale score; National Institutes of Health Scale score), we compared the distribution of modified Rankin score in thrombolysed patients with control subjects by Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test and then logistic regression after adjustment for age and baseline National Institutes of Health Scale score. We examined patients ≤80 and ≥ 81 years separately and then each age decile.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Rankin data were available for 5817 patients, 1585 thrombolysed and 4232 control subjects; 20.5% were aged >80 years (mean ± SD, 85.1 ± 3.4 years). Baseline severity was higher among thrombolysed than control subjects (median National Institutes of Health Scale score 14 versus 13, P<0.05). The distribution of modified Rankin Scale scores was better among thrombolysed patients (P<0.0001; OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.54). The association occurred independently with similar magnitude among young (P<0.0001; OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.59) and elderly (P=0.002; OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.70) patients. ORs were consistent across all age deciles >30 years; outcomes assessed by National Institutes of Health Scale score gave supporting significant findings, and dichotomized modified Rankin Scale score outcomes were also consistent.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Outcome after thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke was significantly better than in control subjects. Despite the expected poorer outcomes among elderly compared with young patients that is independent of any treatment effect, the association between thrombolysis treatment and improved outcome is maintained in the very elderly. Age alone should not be a barrier to treatment.</p&gt

Finite-Amplitude Instability of the Compressible Laminar Wake. Strongly Amplified Disturbances

The interaction between mean flow and finite‐amplitude disturbances in certain experimentally observed unstable, compressible laminar wakes is considered theoretically without explicitly assuming small amplification rates. Boundary‐layer form of the two‐dimensional mean‐flow momentum, kinetic energy and thermal energy equations and the time‐averaged kinetic energy equation of spatially growing disturbances are recast into their respective von Kármán integral form which show the over‐all physical coupling. The Reynolds shear stresses couple the mean flow and disturbance kinetic energies through the conversion mechanism familiar in low‐speed flows. Both the mean flow and disturbance kinetic energies are coupled to the mean‐flow thermal energy through their respective viscous dissipation. The work done by the disturbance pressure gradients gives rise to an additional coupling between the disturbance kinetic energy and the mean‐flow thermal energy. The compressibility transformation suggested by work on turbulent shear flows is not applicable to this problem because of the accompanying ad hoc assumptions about the disturbance behavior. The disturbances of a discrete frequency which corresponds to the most unstable fundamental component, are first evaluated locally. Subsequent mean‐flow and disturbance profile‐shape assumptions are made in terms of a mean‐flow‐density Howarth variable. The compressibility transformation, which cannot convert this problem into a form identical to the low‐speed problem of Ko, Kubota, and Lees because of the compressible disturbance quantities, nevertheless, yields a much simplified description of the mean flow

Effects of magnesium treatment in a model of internal capsule lesion in spontaneously hypertensive rats

<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b> The study aim was to assess the effects of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) administration on white matter damage in vivo in spontaneously hypertensive rats.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> The left internal capsule was lesioned by a local injection of endothelin-1 (ET-1; 200 pmol) in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats. MgSO4 was administered (300 mg/kg SC) 30 minutes before injection of ET-1, plus 200 mg/kg every hour thereafter for 4 hours. Infarct size was measured by T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (day 2) and histology (day 11), and functional recovery was assessed on days 3 and 10 by the cylinder and walking-ladder tests.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> ET-1 application induced a small, localized lesion within the internal capsule. Despite reducing blood pressure, MgSO4 did not significantly influence infarct volume (by magnetic resonance imaging: median, 2.1 mm3; interquartile range, 1.3 to 3.8, vs 1.6 mm3 and 1.2 to 2.1, for the vehicle-treated group; by histology: 0.3 mm3 and 0.2 to 0.9 vs 0.3 mm3 and 0.2 to 0.5, respectively). Significant forelimb and hindlimb motor deficits were evident in the vehicle-treated group as late as day 10. These impairments were significantly ameliorated by MgSO4 in both cylinder (left forelimb use, P<0.01 and both-forelimb use, P<0.03 vs vehicle) and walking-ladder (right hindlimb score, P<0.02 vs vehicle) tests.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> ET-1–induced internal capsule ischemia in spontaneously hypertensive rats represents a good model of lacunar infarct with small lesion size, minimal adverse effects, and a measurable motor deficit. Despite inducing mild hypotension, MgSO4 did not significantly influence infarct size but reduced motor deficits, supporting its potential utility for the treatment of lacunar infarct.</p&gt

Allopurinol use yields potentially beneficial effects on inflammatory indices in those with recent ischemic stroke: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

<p><b>Background and Purpose</b>: Elevated serum uric acid level is associated with poor outcome and increased risk of recurrent events after stroke. The xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol lowers uric acid but also attenuates expression of inflammatory adhesion molecules in murine models, reduces oxidative stress in the vasculature, and improves endothelial function. We sought to investigate whether allopurinol alters expression of inflammatory markers after acute ischemic stroke.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the safety, tolerability, and effect of 6 weeks’ treatment with high- (300 mg once a day) or low- (100 mg once a day) dose allopurinol on levels of uric acid and circulating inflammatory markers after ischemic stroke.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: We enrolled 50 patients with acute ischemic stroke (17, 17, and 16 in the high, low, and placebo groups, respectively). Mean (±SD) age was 70 (±13) years. Groups had similar characteristics at baseline. There were no serious adverse events. Uric acid levels were significantly reduced at both 7 days and 6 weeks in the high-dose group (by 0.14 mmol/L at 6 weeks, P=0.002). Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 concentration (ng/mL) rose by 51.2 in the placebo group, rose slightly (by 10.6) in the low-dose allopurinol group, but fell in the high-dose group (by 2.6; difference between groups P=0.012, Kruskal-Wallis test).</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b>: Allopurinol treatment is well tolerated and attenuates the rise in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 levels seen after stroke. Uric acid levels were lowered with high doses. These findings support further evaluation of allopurinol as a preventive measure after stroke.</p&gt

Impact of material deterioration on the strength of reinforced concrete half-joint structures

During the 1960’s and 1970’s a number of reinforced concrete (RC) bridges were constructed with ‘half-joints’ introduced into bridge decks. A half-joint is a particular type of RC structure that was introduced into bridge decks as a means of simplifying the design and construction operations. However, a major disadvantage is that there are problems associated with leakage of water through the joint leading to concrete deterioration and corrosion of the reinforcement. When assessing the integrity of existing half-joint structures, determining the influence of material deterioration and/or repair works is a challenge as current code provisions or guidelines do not provide guidance on how to take any associated strength losses into consideration. This paper focusses on the impact of changes in the material properties (such as compressive strength, yield strength of the reinforcement, reinforcement bar diameter, etc.) on the load bearing capacity of reinforced half-joint structures. The vulnerability of a typical half-joint design to these changes is analysed using finite element models. The results allow designers, assessors and decision makers to better quantify the impact of observed deterioration phenomena on the predicted strength of the studied half-joint.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering via http://dx.doi.org/10.2749/22213781581562275

Phased nonlinear finite-element analysis of precracked RC T-beams repaired in shear with CFRP sheets

Phased nonlinear finite-element (FE) analyses were carried out to predict the behavior of precracked reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams repaired in shear with externally bonded (EB) carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets and subjected to two loading patterns (LPs). Appropriate constitutive relationships were employed to model the behavior of concrete, internal steel reinforcement, EB CFRP reinforcement, and CFRP-to-concrete interface and consequently predict the structural behavior and capture the failure modes of the strengthened beams. Three constitutive models for the behavior of concrete in shear were evaluated, namely, a total strain rotating crack model and two fixed-angle crack models with either constant or variable shear retention factors. The majority of published FE studies have considered rectangular sections that were strengthened before testing. The key feature of the FE models presented in this paper is the use of the phased-analysis technique to model realistically the process of strengthening RC T-beams under load and predict the structural response of the beams to different loading patterns. Furthermore, the paper provides insight into and evaluates the accuracy of the three concrete shear models named above. A detailed comparison between the numerical and experimental results included the shear forces at failure, shear force-deflection curves, crack patterns, failure modes, and strains in the internal steel and external CFRP shear reinforcement. The FE models predicted the experimental shear force capacities and crack patterns with sufficient accuracy but underestimated the postrepair stiffness for the beams subjected to Loading Pattern 1 and overestimated the strain in the CFRP sheets.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number GR/S55101/01].This is the accepted version of the original publication available at http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CC.1943-5614.0000341. See also http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?304998. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers

Limits on τ lepton-flavor violating decays into three charged leptons

A search for the neutrinoless, lepton-flavor violating decay of the τ lepton into three charged leptons has been performed using an integrated luminosity of 468  fb^(-1) collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II collider. In all six decay modes considered, the numbers of events found in data are compatible with the background expectations. Upper limits on the branching fractions are set in the range (1.8–3.3)×10^(-8) at 90% confidence level

Study of Y(3S,2S) → ηY(1S) and Y(3S,2S) → π^+π^-Y(1S) hadronic transitions

We study the Υ(3S,2S)→ηΥ(1S) and Υ(3S,2S)→π^+π^-Υ(1S) transitions with 122×10^6Υ(3S) and 100×10^6Υ(2S) mesons collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e^+e^- collider. We measure B[Υ(2S)→ηΥ(1S)]=(2.39±0.31(stat.)±0.14(syst.))×10^(-4) and Γ[Υ(2S)→ηΥ(1S)]/Γ[Υ(2S)→π^+π^-Υ(1S)]=(1.35±0.17(stat.)±0.08(syst.))×10^(-3). We find no evidence for Υ(3S)→ηΥ(1S) and obtain B[Υ(3S)→ηΥ(1S)]<1.0×10^(-4) and Γ[Υ(3S)→ηΥ(1S)]/ Γ[Υ(3S)→π^+π^-Υ(1S)]<2.3×10^(-3) as upper limits at the 90% confidence level. We also provide improved measurements of the Υ(2S)-Υ(1S) and Υ(3S)-Υ(1S) mass differences, 562.170±0.007(stat.)±0.088(syst.)  MeV/c^2 and 893.813±0.015(stat.)±0.107(syst.)  MeV/c^2, respectively

Branching fraction measurements of the color-suppressed decays B̅^0 to D^((*)0_π^(0), D^((*)0)η, D^((*)0)ω, and D^((*)0)η′ and measurement of the polarization in the decay B̅ 0→D^(*0)ω

We report updated branching fraction measurements of the color-suppressed decays B̅ ^(0) → D^(0)π^(0), D^(*0)π^(0), D^(0)η, D^(*0)η, D^(0)ω, D^(*0)ω, D^(0)η′, and D^(*0)η′. We measure the branching fractions (×10^(-4)): B(B̅^0 → D^(0)π^(0)) = 2.69±0.09±0.13, B(B̅^(0) → D^(*0)π^(0)) = 3.05±0.14±0.28, B(B̅^(0) → D^(0)η) = 2.53±0.09±0.11, B(B̅^(0) → D^(*0)η) = 2.69±0.14±0.23, B(B̅^(0) → D^(0)ω) = 2.57±0.11±0.14, B(B̅^(0) → D^(*0)ω) = 4.55±0.24±0.39, B(B̅^(0)→D^(0)η′) = 1.48±0.13±0.07, and B(B̅^(0) → D^(*0)n′) = 1.49±0.22±0.15. We also present the first measurement of the longitudinal polarization fraction of the decay channel D*0ω, fL=(66.5±4.7±1.5)%. In the above, the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The results are based on a sample of (454±5)×10^6 BB̅ pairs collected at the Υ(4S) resonance, with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage rings at SLAC. The measurements are the most precise determinations of these quantities from a single experiment. They are compared to theoretical predictions obtained by factorization, Soft Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) and perturbative QCD (pQCD). We find that the presence of final state interactions is favored and the measurements are in better agreement with SCET than with pQCD