304 research outputs found
Input vs. output practice in educational software for second language acquisition
This paper presents an experiment concerning the relative effectiveness of computer assisted comprehension practice and production practice in the acquisition of a second language. Two computer programs were developed: (1) an input-focused program providing students with explicit grammatical instruction and comprehension exercises and (2) an output-focused program providing the same grammatical instruction together with production exercises. The results of the study show that the output-focused group performed significantly better than the input-focused group for the production of Japanese honorifics and equally well for the comprehension of these structures. The study supports Swain's argument that there are roles for output in second language acquisition that are independent of comprehensible input
Anti-damping spin transfer torque through epitaxial Nickel oxide
We prepare the high quality epitaxial
MgO(001)[100]/Pt(001)[100]/NiO(001)[100]/FeNi/SiO2 films to investigate the
spin transport in the NiO antiferromagnetic insulator. The ferromagnetic
resonance measurements of the FeNi under a spin current injection from the Pt
by the spin Hall effect revealed the change of the ferromagnetic resonance
linewidth depending on the amount of the spin current injection. The results
can be interpreted that there is an angular momentum transfer through the NiO.
A high efficient angular momentum transfer we observed in the epitaxial NiO can
be attributed to the well-defined orientation of the antiferromagnetic moments
and the spin quantization axis of the injected spin current
Iguratimod Ameliorates the Severity of Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in Model Mice by Directly Inhibiting IL-6 Production and Th17 Cell Migration via Mitigation of Glial Inflammation
We previously reported a novel secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) model, progressive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (pEAE), in oligodendroglia-specific Cx47-inducible conditional knockout (Cx47 icKO) mice. Based on our prior study showing the efficacy of iguratimod (IGU), an antirheumatic drug, for acute EAE treatment, we aimed to elucidate the effect of IGU on the SPMS animal model. We induced pEAE by immunizing Cx47 icKO mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35–55. IGU was orally administered from 17 to 50 days post-immunization. We also prepared a primary mixed glial cell culture and measured cytokine levels in the culture supernatant after stimulation with designated cytokines (IL-1α, C1q, TNF-α) and lipopolysaccharide. A migration assay was performed to evaluate the effect of IGU on the migration ability of T cells toward mixed glial cell cultures. IGU treatment ameliorated the clinical signs of pEAE, decreased the demyelinated area, and attenuated glial inflammation on immunohistochemical analysis. Additionally, IGU decreased the intrathecal IL-6 level and infiltrating Th17 cells. The migration assay revealed reduced Th17 cell migration and IL-6 levels in the culture supernatant after IGU treatment. Collectively, IGU successfully mitigated the clinical signs of pEAE by suppressing Th17 migration through inhibition of IL-6 production by proinflammatory-activated glial cells.</p
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