Folic and Folate Acid

Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin, also known as vitamin B9 or folacin. It is found naturally in a wide variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, dairy products, meats, eggs, seafood, and grains. However, only about 50% of the folate naturally present in food is bioavailable. Folate is critical in the metabolism of nucleic acid precursors and several amino acids, as well as in methylation reactions. Folic acid helps our bodies produce and maintain new cells, and it helps prevent DNA changes that may lead to cancer. Folate deficiency can cause anemia, insomnia, irritability, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and more serious health problems. An inadequate folate status during early pregnancy increases the risk of congenital anomalies, such as neural tube defects (NTDs), which are life-threatening and cause life-long disabilities. Therefore, it has been recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service that even before becoming pregnant, women should consume 400 µg of synthetic folic acid daily, whether in the form of foods or supplements, as well as maintain a healthy diet of folate-rich foods to reduce NTD risk

Pragmatic and Discourse-oriented Functions of English General Extenders Spoken by Japanese Users of English in the Speaking Test

　　This paper explores pragmatic and discourse-oriented functions of and so on, one of the English general extender forms, spoken by Japanese users of English in the speaking test. The NICT JLE Corpus is employed to investigate the way Japanese users of English use and so on and what are their intentions to use it in their speech production from the viewpoints of quantitative and qualitative approaches of corpus linguistics. The corpus-based analysis reveals the preference of Japanese users of English at the lower-intermediate level to employ and so on in the interview and the multi-functionality of their use of and so on to manage the speaking test tasks. It suggests that the power asymmetry where the time and floor are mainly managed by the examiner as well as the real time processing of their speech would impact on their use of and so on at the speaking proficiency level. It contributes to deep understanding of pragmatic and discourse-oriented functions of and so on employed by Japanese learners of English in the context of language education

Corpus-based study of the use of English general extenders spoken by Japanese users of English across speaking proficiency levels and task types

There is a pronounced shift in English language teaching policy in Japan with the recognition not only of the importance of spoken English and interactional competence in a globalised world, but also the need to emphasise it within English language pedagogy. Given this imperative to improve the oral communication skills of Japanese users of English (JUEs), it is vital for teachers of English to understand the cultural complexities surrounding the language, one of which is the use of vague language, which has been shown to serve both interpersonal and interactional functions in communications. One element of English vague language is the general extender (for example, or something). The use of general extenders by users of English as a second language (L2) has been studied extensively. However, there is a lack of research into the use of general extenders by JUEs, and their functional differences across speaking proficiency levels and contexts. This study sought to address the knowledge gap, critically exploring the use of general extenders spoken by JUEs across speaking proficiency levels and task types. The study drew on quantitative and qualitative corpus-based tools and methodologies using the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Japanese Learner English Corpus (Izumi, Uchimoto, & Isahara, 2004), which contains transcriptions of a speaking test. An in-depth analysis of individual frequently-occurring general extenders was carried out across speaking proficiency levels and test tasks (description, narrative, interview and role-play) in order to reveal the frequency, and the textual and functional complexity of general extenders used by JUEs. In order to ensure the relevance of the application of the findings to the context of language education, the study also sought language teachers’ beliefs on the use of general extenders by JUEs. Three general extenders (or something (like that), and stuff, and and so on) were explored due to their high frequency within the corpus. The study showed that the use of these forms differed widely across the JUEs’ speaking proficiency levels and task types undertaken: or something (like that) is typically used in description tasks at the higher level and in interview and description tasks at the intermediate level; and stuff is typical of the interview at the higher level; and so on of the interview at the lower-intermediate level. The study also revealed that a greater proportion of the higher level JUEs use general extenders than do those at lower levels, while those with lower speaking proficiency level who do use general extenders, do so at an high density. A qualitative exploration of concordance lines and extracts revealed a number of interpersonal and discourse-oriented functions across speaking proficiency levels: or something (like that) functions to show uncertainty about information or linguistic choice and helps the JUEs to hold their turn; and stuff serves to make the JUEs’ expression emphatic; and so on appears to show the JUEs’ lack of confidence in their language use, and signals the desire to give up their turn. The findings suggest that the use of general extenders by JUEs is multifunctional, and that this multi-functionality is linked to various elements, such as the level of language proficiency, the nature of the task, the real time processing of their speech and the power asymmetry where the time and floor are mainly managed by the examiners. The study contributes to extending understanding of how JUEs use general extenders to convey interpersonal and discourse-oriented functions in the context of language education, in speaking tests and possibly also in classrooms, and provides new insights into the dynamics of L2 users’ use of general extenders. It brings into questions the generally-held view that the use of general extenders by L2 users as a group is homogenous. The findings from this study could assist teachers to understand JUEs’ intentions in their speech and to aid their speech production. More importantly, it may raise language educators’ awareness of how the use of general extenders by JUEs varies across speaking proficiency levels and task types. These findings should have pedagogical implications in the context of language education, and assist teachers in improving interactional competence, in line with emerging English language teaching policy in Japan

Considerations Japanese university students show intentionally in Conversations with Non-native Speakers of Japanese

This paper aims to study what native speakers pay attention to when speaking to non-native speakers in daily casual conversations. The 'native speakers' referred to in this paper are Japanese university students with no experience in teaching or learning Japanese Language as a Second/Foreign Language. In this study, the relation between intentional consideration and evaluation will be studied. For this purpose, we conduct the following qualitative research. After 10 minutes of free conversation with Japanese Language learners, 30 Japanese students were asked to elaborate on their opinions about the conversation and the Japanese Language spoken by their partners. They were also asked to list the items they paid attention to during the conversation. As a result, it was found that native speakers showed their concerns in 11 different aspects. Their consideration changed consciously according to the situation and the learners' output. It was obvious that native speakers were especially aware about 'speaking slowly' and 'choosing the right words'. Native speakers also thought that there was necessity for certain considerations in conversations with Japanese Language learners irrespective of their opinions about the learners' output and the conversation. Furthermore, it was determined that intentional consideration is closely related to the features of evaluation as indicated in precedent studies

Photocontrolled apoptosis induction using precursor miR-664a and an RNA carrier-conjugated with photosensitizer

Methods to spatially induce apoptosis are useful for cancer therapy. To control the induction of apoptosis, methods using light, such as photochemical internalization (PCI), have been developed. We hypothesized that photoinduced delivery of microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate apoptosis could spatially induce apoptosis. In this study, we identified pre-miR-664a as a novel apoptosis-inducing miRNA via mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Further, we demonstrated the utility of photoinduced cytosolic dispersion of RNA (PCDR), which is an intracellular RNA delivery method based on PCI. Indeed, apoptosis is spatially regulated by pre-miR-664a and PCDR. In addition, we found that apoptosis induced by pre-miR-664a delivered by PCDR was more rapid than that by lipofection. These results suggest that pre-miR-664a is a nucleic acid drug candidate for cancer therapy and PCDR and pre-miR-664a-based strategies have potential therapeutic uses for diseases affecting various cell types

Involvement of RNA-binding protein Hfq in the osmotic-response regulation of invE gene expression in Shigella sonnei

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The expression of Type III secretion system (TTSS) in <it>Shigella </it>is regulated in response to changes in environmental osmolarity and temperature. Temperature-dependent regulation of <it>virF</it>, the master regulator of TTSS synthesis, is believed to occur at the transcriptional level. We recently demonstrated, however, that TTSS synthesis also involves post-transcriptional regulation of the synthesis of InvE, a target of <it>virF </it>and key regulator of TTSS synthesis. The mRNA levels of <it>invE </it>(<it>virB</it>) are stable at 37°C, but mRNA stability markedly decreases at low temperatures where the TTSS synthesis is tightly repressed. Deletion of <it>hfq</it>, which encodes an RNA chaperone in Gram-negative bacteria, results in the restoration of expression of <it>invE </it>and other TTSS genes at low temperature due to an increase in the stability of <it>invE </it>mRNA. To date, the molecular details of the regulation of TTSS expression in response to osmotic pressure are not known. In the current study, we investigated the mechanism of regulation of TTSS by osmotic pressure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Transcription of <it>virF</it>, which encodes the master regulator of TTSS expression, was partially repressed under low osmotic conditions. Several lines of evidence indicated that osmolarity-dependent changes in TTSS synthesis are controlled at the post-transcriptional level, through the regulation of InvE synthesis. First, the expression InvE protein was tightly repressed under low osmotic growth conditions, even though <it>invE </it>mRNA transcripts were readily detectable. Second, under low osmotic conditions, <it>invE </it>mRNA was rapidly degraded, whereas deletion of <it>hfq</it>, which encodes an RNA chaperone, resulted in increased <it>invE </it>mRNA stability and the production of InvE protein. Third, the binding of purified Hfq <it>in vitro </it>to <it>invE </it>RNA was stronger in low-salt buffer, as assessed by gel-shift analysis and surface plasmon resonance (Biacore analysis).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Osmolarity-dependent changes in TTSS synthesis in <it>Shigella </it>involve the post-transcriptional regulation of InvE expression, in addition to partial transcriptional activation by <it>virF</it>. The stability of <it>invE </it>mRNA is reduced under low osmotic conditions, similar to the effect of temperature. Deletion of an RNA chaperone gene (<it>hfq</it>) abolished the repression of TTSS synthesis at low osmolarity through a mechanism that involved increased stability of <it>invE </it>mRNA. We propose that the expression of <it>Shigella </it>virulence genes in response to both osmolarity and temperature involves the post-transcriptional regulation of expression of InvE, a critical regulator of TTSS synthesis.</p