The Role of Socially-Mediated Alignment in the Development of Second Language Grammar and Vocabulary: Comparing Face-to-Face and Synchronous Mobile-Mediated Communication

Decades of research has shown that speakers mutually adapt to each other’s linguistic behaviors at different levels of language during dialogue. Recent second language (L2) research has suggested that alignment occurring while L2 learners carry out collaborative activities may lead to L2 development, highlighting the benefits of using alignment activities for L2 learning. However, despite the notion that speakers linguistically align in interactions happening in socially-situated contexts, little is known about the role of social factors in the magnitude and learning outcomes of alignment occurring in L2 interaction. The purpose of the study was to examine the pedagogical benefits of alignment activities for the development of L2 grammar and vocabulary during peer interaction across two different interactional contexts: Face-to-Face (FTF) and synchronous mobile-mediated communication (SMMC; mobile text-chat). The target vocabulary items included 32 words and the target structure was a stranded preposition construction embedded in an English relative clause. Furthermore, this study investigated whether social factors (i.e., L2 learners’ perceptions of their interlocutor’s proficiency, comprehensibility of the interlocutor’s language production, and task experience with the interlocutor) and cognitive factors (i.e., individual differences in language aptitude, cognitive style, and proficiency) would modulate alignment effects. Ninety-eight Korean university students were assigned to either the FTF or SMMC group. They completed two alignment activities in pairs, three measurement tests (pre-, post-, and delayed post-test), various cognitive ability tests, and perception questionnaires over four weeks. Results indicated that alignment occurred at the structural and lexical levels in FTF and SMMC modes, but also that structural alignment was facilitated significantly more in the SMMC mode when compared to FTF. However, there was no significant modality effect on the degree of lexical alignment. Findings also demonstrated beneficial role of alignment activities in L2 grammar and vocabulary learning, irrespective of the modality. Furthermore, results suggested that language proficiency and explicit language aptitude were significantly associated with structural alignment driven learning. Learners’ perceptions did not show a significant impact on the degree of alignment and learning outcomes. Implications for the benefits of interactive alignment activities for L2 development and the effect of modality, social factors, and cognitive factors are discussed

Graduate Recital, Flute

Andre Jolivet is an iconic figure in contemporary French music. Many of his composition have a unique configuration of high character, maturity, combined with a sense of mysticism, religious influence, and the concept of returning to its origin give the foundation for Jolivet\u27s music. Jolivet\u27s composition, Chant De Linos, was composed during his mid-life stage (2nd stage) for the Paris Conservatory as a competition piece for the Morceau de Concours. Chant de Linos is a literal translation Linos\u27 Song and depicts a chant during an ancient Greek funeral. Jolivet combined the Greek funeral chant with his unique compositional style. Mourning , Cries , and Dance are the reoccurring themes throughout the piece. Primitive and exotic element of the flute and piano can be expressed through modern compositional style, stable technique, and rhythmic repetition, which all come together to create the magical effect of Andre Jolivet\u27s Chant de Linos. Throughout this analysis, an in-depth analysis will be done about Jolivet\u27s past, the importance and development of 20th century French contemporary music and it\u27s the use of woodwind instruments, and finally the compositional techniques used by Andre Jolivet in composing the Chant de Linos

Down-regulation of ARC contributes to vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to ischemia/hypoxia

AbstractARC is a caspase recruitment domain-containing molecule that plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis. We examined ARC expression during neuronal cell death following ischemic injury in vivo and in vitro. After exposure to transient global ischemic conditions, the expression of ARC was substantially reduced in the CA1 region of hippocampus in a time-dependent manner with concomitant increase of TUNEL-positive cells. Quantitative analysis using Western blotting exhibited that most of ARC protein disappeared in the cultured hippocampal neurons exposed to hypoxia for 12 h and showing 60% cell viability. Forced expression of ARC in the primary cultures of hippocampal neurons or B103 neuronal cells significantly reduced hypoxia-induced cell death. Further, the C-terminal P/E rich region of ARC was effective to attenuate hypoxic insults. These results suggest that down-regulation of ARC expression in hippocampal neurons may contribute to neuronal death induced by ischemia/hypoxia

Estimating the malaria transmission of Plasmodium vivax based on serodiagnosis

Background: Plasmodium vivax re-emerged in 1993 and has now become a major public health problem during the summer season in South Korea. The aim of this study was to interpret and understand the meaning of seroepidemiological studies for developing the best malaria control programme in South Korea. Methods: Blood samples were collected in Gimpo city, Paju city, Yeoncheon County, Cheorwon County and Goseong County of high risk area in South Korea. Microscopy was performed to identify patients infected with P. vivax. Antibody detection for P. vivax was performed using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Results: A total of 1,574 blood samples was collected from participants in the study areas and evaluated against three parameters: IFAT positive rate, annual antibody positive index (AAPI), and annual parasite index (API). The IFAT positive rate was 7.24% (n = 114). Of the five study areas, Gimpo had the highest IFAT positive rate (13.68%) and AAPI (4.63). Yeongcheon had the highest API in 2005 (2.06) while Gimpo had the highest API in 2006 (5.00). No correlation was observed between any of the three parameters and study sites' distance from the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Conclusions: These results showed that P. vivax antibody levels could provide useful information about the prevalence of malaria in endemic areas. Furthermore, AAPI results for each year showed a closer relationship to API the following year than the API of the same year and thus could be helpful in predicting malaria transmission risks

Design of the VISTA-ITL Test Facility for an Integral Type Reactor of SMART and a Post-Test Simulation of a SBLOCA Test

To validate the performance and safety of an integral type reactor of SMART, a thermal-hydraulic integral effect test facility, VISTA-ITL, is introduced with a discussion of its scientific design characteristics. The VISTA-ITL was used extensively to assess the safety and performance of the SMART design, especially for its passive safety system such as a passive residual heat removal system, and to validate various thermal-hydraulic analysis codes. The VISTA-ITL program includes several tests on the SBLOCA, CLOF, and PRHRS performances to support a verification of the SMART design and contribute to the SMART design licensing by providing proper test data for validating the system analysis codes. A typical scenario of SBLOCA was analyzed using the MARS-KS code to assess the thermal-hydraulic similarity between the SMART design and the VISTA-ITL facility, and a posttest simulation on a SBLOCA test for the shutdown cooling system line break has been performed with the MARS-KS code to assess its simulation capability for the SBLOCA scenario of the SMART design. The SBLOCA scenario in the SMART design was well reproduced using the VISTA-ITL facility, and the measured thermal-hydraulic data were properly simulated with the MARS-KS code

Are there effects of light exposure on daytime sleep for rotating shift nurses after night shift?: an EEG power analysis

IntroductionNight-shift workers often face various health issues stemming from circadian rhythm shift and the consequent poor sleep quality. We aimed to study nurses working night shifts, evaluate the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern of daytime sleep, and explore possible pattern changes due to ambient light exposure (30 lux) compared to dim conditions (<5 lux) during daytime sleep.MoethodsThe study involved 31 participants who worked night shifts and 24 healthy adults who had never worked night shifts. The sleep macro and microstructures were analyzed, and electrophysiological activity was compared (1) between nighttime sleep and daytime sleep with dim light and (2) between daytime sleep with dim and 30 lux light conditions.ResultsThe daytime sleep group showed lower slow or delta wave power during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep than the nighttime sleep group. During daytime sleep, lower sigma wave power in N2 sleep was observed under light exposure compared to no light exposure. Moreover, during daytime sleep, lower slow wave power in N3 sleep in the last cycle was observed under light exposure compared to no light exposure.DiscussionOur study demonstrated that night shift work and subsequent circadian misalignment strongly affect sleep quality and decrease slow and delta wave activities in NREM sleep. We also observed that light exposure during daytime sleep could additionally decrease N2 sleep spindle activity and N3 waves in the last sleep cycle

Cold shock domain proteins and glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana can promote the cold adaptation process in Escherichia coli

Despite the fact that cold shock domain proteins (CSDPs) and glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins (GRPs) have been implicated to play a role during the cold adaptation process, their importance and function in eukaryotes, including plants, are largely unknown. To understand the functional role of plant CSDPs and GRPs in the cold response, two CSDPs (CSDP1 and CSDP2) and three GRPs (GRP2, GRP4 and GRP7) from Arabidopsis thaliana were investigated. Heterologous expression of CSDP1 or GRP7 complemented the cold sensitivity of BX04 mutant Escherichia coli that lack four cold shock proteins (CSPs) and is highly sensitive to cold stress, and resulted in better survival rate than control cells during incubation at low temperature. In contrast, CSDP2 and GRP4 had very little ability. Selective evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment (SELEX) revealed that GRP7 does not recognize specific RNAs but binds preferentially to G-rich RNA sequences. CSDP1 and GRP7 had DNA melting activity, and enhanced RNase activity. In contrast, CSDP2 and GRP4 had no DNA melting activity and did not enhance RNAase activity. Together, these results indicate that CSDPs and GRPs help E.coli grow and survive better during cold shock, and strongly imply that CSDP1 and GRP7 exhibit RNA chaperone activity during the cold adaptation process

Assessing Feasibility and Safety of Using Ultrasonic Bone Aspirator for Revision Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Background and Objectives This study introduced and evaluated the efficacy of an ultrasonic bony aspirator (UBA) in revision endoscopic sinus surgery and compared the outcomes to those of the traditional cold instrument approach. Methods This retrospective study enrolled 57 patients who underwent revision endoscopic sinus surgery between June 2010 and December 2017, 17 patients with a UBA approach and 40 patients with traditional instruments. Results Median Lund–Kennedy scores showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups at 3 months (p=0.004). Synechiae occurred in 17.6% and 35% of cases in the UBA and traditional groups, respectively. The mean operative time was significantly shorter in the traditional group (p=0.001). Conclusion The use of a UBA in revision endoscopic sinus surgery was safe and effective

Effects of Hyul-Bu-Chuke-Tang on Erythrocyte Deformability and Cerebrovascular CO2 Reactivity in Normal Subjects

Aim. Hyul-bu-chuke-tang (HCEt) is a well-known traditional herbal medicine that is used for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disorders. We investigated the acute effects of HCEt on erythrocyte deformability and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity (CVR) in healthy male subjects. Materials and Methods. We examined erythrocyte deformability in an HCEt group (n = 14) and a control group (n = 10). CVR was measured using hyperventilation-induced CO2 reactivity of the middle cerebral artery and transcranial Doppler (TCD) in the HCEt group (n = 11). A historical control group (n = 10) of CVR measurements was also created from our previous study. All measurements were performed prior to and 1, 2, and 3 hours after HCEt administration. Results. HCEt significantly improved erythrocyte deformability 1 hour after administration compared to the control group (2.9 ± 1.1% versus −0.6 ± 1.0%, P = 0.034). HCEt significantly improved the CVR 2 hours after administration compared to the historical control group (9.1 ± 4.0% versus −8.1 ± 4.1%, P = 0.007). The mean blood pressure and pulse rate did not vary from baseline values in either group. Conclusions. We demonstrated that HCEt improved erythrocyte deformability and CVR. Our findings suggest that an improvement in erythrocyte deformability contributes to HCEt's effect on cerebral microcirculation

A Case of Cushing's Syndrome Presenting as Endometrial Hyperplasia

We describe here the case of a 39-year-old woman with a cortisol-producing adrenal adenoma and she presented with endometrial hyperplasia and hypertension without the specific characteristics of Cushing's syndrome. The patient had consulted a gynecologist for menometrorrhagia 2 years prior to her referral and she was diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia and hypertension. Her blood pressure and the endometrial lesion were refractory despite taking multiple antihypertensives and repetitive dilation and curettage and progestin treatment. On admission, the clinical examination revealed mild central obesity (a body mass index of 22.9 kg/m2, a waist circumference of 85 cm and a hip circumference of 94cm), but there was no hirsutism and myopathy. She showed impaired glucose tolerance on an oral glucose tolerance test. The biochemical hypercortisolemia together with the prolactin and androgen levels were evaluated to explore the cause of her anovulation. Adrenal Cushing's syndrome was confirmed on the basis of the elevated urinary free cortisol (454 µg/24h, normal range: 20-70) with a suppressed ACTH level (2.0 pg/mL, normal range: 6.0-76.0) and the loss of circadian cortisol secretion. A CT scan revealed a 3.1 cm, hyperechoic, well-marginated mass in the left adrenal gland. Ten months post-adrenalectomy, the patient had unintentionally lost 9 kg of body weight, had regained a regular menstrual cycle and had normal thickness of her endometrium