What relationships do the efficiencies of phonological coding and lexical access have with reading comprehension for Japanese learners of English?

This study examined the relationships between the efficiencies of phonological coding and lexical access of written words and reading comprehension for Japanese senior high school students of English. The primary objective was to verify the speculations on how oral reading practice helps to develop reading comprehension skills: (a) it improves the efficiency of phonological coding; and (b) it enhances the efficiency of lexical access. The efficiencies of phonological coding and lexical access were measured as the articulating speed of written words and as Stroop interference (Stroop, 1935) respectively. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the efficiency of phonological coding and reading comprehension, which supported speculation (a), but that there was no significant relationship between the efficiency of lexical access and reading comprehension, which refuted speculation (b). Some pedagogical implications were also suggested

Do Oral Reading Fluency and Oral Reading Speed Index the Reading Comprehension of Japanese Learners of English?

本論の目的は,集団規準準拠テスト的側面と形成的評価的側面を兼ね備えた評価法であるカリキュラムに基づく評価法（Curriculum-based measurement=CBM）（Fuchs & Fuchs, 1999）として,L1の初等教育及び特殊教育において読解力の指標とされている音読の流暢さ（oral reading fluency = 1分間に正しく音読する語数）（Jenkins, et al., 2003）及び音読速度（1分間に音読する総語数）が,日本人英語学習者の英語読解力を示す指標となり得るか調査することである｡高校2年生39名を対象に,読解力と音読の流暢さ及び速度重視（速く読む）,内容重視（内容理解に努めて読む）,理解度換算（内容重視の音読×正誤問越の正答率）の音読速度の関係を調査した結果,(a)音読の流暢さと読解力の基準関連妥当性は,音読の流暢さが読解力の指標となり得る程は高くないが,読解力を示す参考になり得る,(b)音読速度は音読の流暢さと同様に読解力を示す参考になり得る,(C)胡!解度換算の音読速度がこの用途に適している,等が示 された｡併せて,英語教育への示唆も示された｡This paper has two aims. The first aim is to explain the concepts of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and oral reading fluency. CBM is considered reliable and valid with characteristics of both formative and summative assessments (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1999). Oral reading fluency is one of the most effective CBMs in reading instruction for L1 elementary and special-education students aenkins, Fuchs, van den Broek, Espin & Deno, 2003). The second aim is to report investigations, which were conducted on thirty-nine Japanese second-year senior high school students of English, concerning: (a) whether oral reading fluency could index the English reading cOlnprehension for Japanese learners of English; and (b) whether oral reading speed could take the place of oral reading fluency in indexing their English reading comprehension. In the experiments, reading comprehension, oral reading fluency and three types of oral reading speeds of the participants were measured, and the correlations between them were computed. The three types of oral reading speeds were speed-focused, content-focused and comprehension-adjusted. The main results were: (a) there was a significant correlation between their reading comprehension and oral reading fluency (r=.482, p<.01); (b) there were significant correlations between their reading comprehension and three types of oral reading speeds (rs=.375-.479, p<.05), with the conlprehension-adjusted one being the highest (r=.479, p<.01); and (c) there were significant correlations between their oral reading fluency and three types of oral reading speeds (rs=.690-.770, p<.01) Findings based on the results were: (a) oral reading fluency can be a rough indicator of learners' English reading comprehension; (b) oral reading speed, which is much more handily measured than oral reading fluency, can also be a rough indicator of their English reading cOlnprehension; and (c) comprehension-adjusted oral reading speed can be a better indicator of their reading comprehension than the other types of oral reading speed. Implications for reading pedagogy were: (a) we should introduce the nleasurement of speed-focused oral reading speed into our reading pedagogy so that we may understand learners' decoding skills and deal with their deficiencies; and (b) we should also introduce the measurement of comprehension-adjusted oral reading speed into our reading pedagogy so that we may understand learners' comprehension skills as well as decoding skills and deal with their deficiencies

Interleukin-1 inhibits voltage-dependent P/Q-type Ca2+ channel associated with the inhibition of the rise of intracellular free Ca2+ concentration and catecholamine release in adrenal chromaffin cells

Effects of interleukin (IL) on intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) rise and catecholamine (CA) release were examined in isolated, cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. IL-1α and IL-1β inhibited the rise of [Ca2+]i and CA release induced by acetylcholine (ACh) and excess KCl both in normal and in Ca2+-sucrose medium. IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-1RA by pretreatment blocked the inhibitory actions of IL-1. IL-1α reduced CA release induced by veratridine in normal medium but not in the presence of diltiazem. Analysis using specific blockers for voltage-operated Ca2+ channels revealed that IL-1α specifically inhibited the P/Q-type Ca2+ channel to reduce [Ca2+]i rise induced by excess KCl. IL-1 did not affect [Ca2+]i rise induced either by bradykinin or caffeine in Ca2+- deprivated medium or via activation of store-operated Ca2+ channel. The inhibitory effects of IL-1 were blocked by pretreatments of cells with herbimycin A, U0126 and PD 98054, but not with SB202190, SP 600125 or pertussis toxin (PTX), inhibited the induction of the inhibitory action of IL-1.These results demonstrated that IL-1 inhibits stimulation-evoked [Ca2+]i rise and CA release in chromaffin cells by blocking voltage-operated P/O-type Ca2+ channels. The inhibitory action of IL-1 may be mediated through tyrosine kinase and MEK/ERK pathways

[Material] A Bibliography of Books and Journals Relating to Humor and Laughter in the Meiji Era (4)

This is the third part of "A Bibliography of Books and Journals Relating to Humor and Laughter in the Meiji Era," which covers the publications from 1907 through July, 1912. Alongside books and journals, as is the same with the first part of this bibliography, several important articles in journals, magazines and newspapers are included in this edition as well. Titles are listed on a chronological basis with information on data available on the National Diet Digital Library and other institutions

The Clock Input to the First Optic Neuropil of Drosophila melanogaster Expressing Neuronal Circadian Plasticity

In the first optic neuropil (lamina) of the fly's visual system, two interneurons, L1 and L2 monopolar cells, and epithelial glial cells show circadian rhythms in morphological plasticity. These rhythms depend on clock gene period (per) and cryptochrome (cry) expression. In the present study, we found that rhythms in the lamina of Drosophila melanogaster may be regulated by circadian clock neurons in the brain since the lamina is invaded by one neurite extending from ventral lateral neurons; the so-called pacemaker neurons. These neurons and the projection to the lamina were visualized by green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP reporter gene expression was driven by the cry promotor in cry-GAL4/UAS-GFP transgenic lines. We observed that the neuron projecting to the lamina forms arborizations of varicose fibers in the distal lamina. These varicose fibers do not form synaptic contacts with the lamina cells and are immunoreactive to the antisera raised against a specific region of Schistocerca gregaria ion transport peptide (ITP). ITP released in a paracrine way in the lamina cortex, may regulate the swelling and shrinking rhythms of the lamina monopolar cells and the glia by controlling the transport of ions and fluids across cell membranes at particular times of the day

Inhibition by Interleukin-1 of Catechol-amhe Release from Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

本論文の一部は第36回歯科基礎医学会総会(1994年10月,大阪市)において発表した。(歯科基礎誌suppl,36,111,1994.