Ranking Competencies of Oral Output: A Unit of Analysis for Low-Proficient L2 Speakers

The evaluation of spoken language requires a rigid structure to make the analysis reliable, however, it is challenging to set the right criteria that work for different types of speech samples. Spoken language may be evaluated from different perspectives, depending on what to look at (e.g., intelligibility, Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency). The former tend to concern a holistic evaluation of the spoken data, whereas the latter involves numeric measurements. Although they both analyse oral data, they do not seem to coexist in the same research field. Also, the research tools in both fields do not cater for evaluating data produced by speakers of low proficiency. This is because once a speech is labelled “low”, there are no additional classifications for further analysis. This paper, therefore, attempts to create those further categories. In this paper, intelligibility and existing methods for analysing spoken data in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) are reviewed to see if there are some overarching themes in teaching, assessing, and analysing spoken languages. Some of the issues from intelligibility and SLA are, then, delineated for designing a unit of analysis. The paper, finally, proposes the hierarchical C-unit, which is designed to deal with oral data produced by low-proficient speakers

Delphi法による看護学・保健学系大学院に対する看護職者の需要に関する研究

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 萌芽的研究研究期間: 2001～2003課題番号: 13877402研究代表者: 澤井 信江（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究代表者: 田中 小百合（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 野島 良子（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 大町 弥生（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 泊 祐子（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 西山 ゆかり（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 降田 真理子（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 今本 喜久子（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授

Unexpected Exacerbation of Tracheal Stenosis in a Patient with Hunter Syndrome Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

We report unexpected exacerbation of tracheal stenosis during general anesthesia in a 50-year-old patient with Hunter syndrome undergoing cardiac surgery for valvular disease. He had undergone cervical laminoplasty 3 months previously; at that time, his airway had been uneventfully managed. Preoperative flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy showed a normal upper respiratory tract, but chest computed tomography showed tracheal stenosis that had flattened the lumen. The narrowest part above the tracheal bifurcation was 2 cm long and the anteroposterior diameter was ≤6 mm. Cardiac surgery was uneventfully performed. After weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, the tidal volume suddenly decreased from 450 to 120 ml at sternal closure. The end-expiratory carbon dioxide pressure increased from 39 to 71 mmHg. Bronchoscopic examination showed that the part of tracheal bifurcation was almost occluded. A tidal volume of 400 ml was obtained after the transesophageal echocardiography probe was removed and the peak inspiratory pressure increased. Although extubation was performed on the second postoperative day, procaterol inhalation and noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation were needed for 3 days because of wheezing and dyspnea. In conclusion, the risk of lower respiratory tract obstruction should be considered during general anesthesia in patients with Hunter syndrome with collapsible tracheal stenosis undergoing cardiac surgery