Research into second language learning motivation in Japan

This paper aims to clarify the applicability of research into second language motivation research in Japan to English language teaching practices. In order to accomplish this, three areas will be covered. First, an overview of the research done in Japan will be provided. Second, a model analysis of five studies done in differing contexts using different methodologies will be provided, and finally the relevance of these studies to English language teaching practice will be discussed

More heat than light: controversies in second language writing

　This paper examines four areas of controversy in second language writing: contrastive rhetoric, ideology and politics, personal versus academic writing, and assessment. It questions the value of the resulting debate for second language writing instructors and in the end concludes that these controversies are of little practical value

Sports, Family, and Leadership in Youth: Impacts of Family Environments and Sport Participation on Youth Leadership Development

This study investigated the effects of family relationships/environment and sport participation on youth leadership development using the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) questionnaire. Responses from 9th and 11th graders were used, resulting in 81,885 total participants between the ages of 13 and 19 for this archival, cross-sectional study. This study had two aims: One, to investigate the relationship between family relationships/environment and sport participation, and their impact on youth leadership skills and development; and two, to investigate whether participation in youth sports provides enough scaffolding to foster the development of youth leadership skills despite poor family relationships/environments. Scales were created for this study using questions from the MSS questionnaire. Linear regression was used to test three hypotheses: (1) Both positive family relationships and a positive family environment, as well as greater participation in sports, will each be associated with youth leadership ability; (2) Sport participation will be more strongly related to leadership ability than family relationships and environment; and (3) Adolescents that have non-supportive family relationships/environment and participate in sports will endorse better leadership skills than adolescents that do not participate in sports but have positive family relationships/environments. Results found hypotheses two and three were not supported, while hypothesis one was supported. Implications for findings are discussed including possible clinical application and future research directions

The effectiveness of Nazi propaganda during World War II

This thesis examines Nazi propaganda’s overall effectiveness during Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s through the end of World War II in 1945. Historians have had mixed opinions of the overall potency of the propaganda. The questions in consideration are why Nazi propaganda received so much support from the Nazi leadership if it didn’t work and whether or not it was a primary reason Germany continued to resist until the end of the war. Using the diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, soldiers’ letters from the front lines, the propaganda itself, and a variety of secondary sources, this work investigated these questions and found that propaganda was indeed influential throughout the duration of the Third Reich. Three primary elements were effective: indoctrination, anti-Soviet propaganda, and the intense media deification of Hitler that came to be known as the Hitler Myth

Evaluation of bovine spermatid sex ratio by fluorescent in situ hybridization

The objective of this study was to use fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to determine if a skew in the sex ratio was present at the level of the bovine round spermatid. Paraffin embedded bovine testicular tissue obtained from biopsies were used to perform FISH, and the seminiferous tubules were examined. Our findings show that the skew does exist within the round spermatids. Analysis of variance on X- and Y-chromosome bearing round spermatids as affected by sex, slide, picture set, and tubule was performed. Sex showed that the variation in round spermatid sex ratio differed between slides (P = 0.0001). The interaction of sex by slide were indicated to be non-significant (P = 0.0815). Sex within tubule nested in slide showed a significant deviation in sex ratio (P = 0.0122). Picture set showed no significant difference in counts, confirming that the counts were consistent (P = 0.2096). A closer look at the data also showed a 10 to 30% variation in the number of seminiferous tubules with a significant skew per slide. Most the skew was toward the Y-chromosome, but a significant skew toward the X-chromosome was also seen. This skew toward the X-chromosome showed that the skew could be counteracted or reversed. Meiotic drives have been shown to exist in other species. Meiotic drives are alleles with the ability to increase their probability of being transmitted to the next generation. Although we cannot prove that a meiotic drive exists in bovine, our findings agree with the meiotic drive principle. These drives push the sex ratio of the population in one direction. Modifiers attached to these drives can counteract or reverse the effect of the meiotic drive. Environmental factors such as crowding, brought on by intense group housing could also have an effect on the expression of these drives. Further investigation is necessary to completely understand these skews in sex ratio and what factors may affect it

Comparison of epididymal and ejaculated sperm collected from the same Holstein bulls

Salvaging of epididymal sperm from injured or deceased animals allows for the propagation of favorable traits from endangered or genetically superior males. Techniques developed in domestic species can also serve as the foundation for the collection, cryopreservation and utilization of epididymal sperm in exotic breeds. The need to preserve and utilize epididymal sperm, in the most efficient manner, is of the utmost importance. In a series of experiments, ejaculated and epididymal sperm from the same four mature, fertile, Holstein bulls were collected, cryopreserved, cultured and used for in vitro fertilization. In Experiment I, epididymal sperm was found to have higher post-thaw motility compared to ejaculated sperm. During cryopreservation, the membrane permeability of ejaculated and epididymal sperm was found to be similar. In addition, the membrane permeability of both ejaculated and epididymal sperm was decreased by the inclusion of glycerol during freezing. The optimal cooling rate for ejaculated and epididymal sperm was determined to be between 50 and 60⁰C/min. In Experiment II, we demonstrated that following castration, circulating concentration of plasma cholesterol increased. In Experiment III, the percentage of post-thaw auto-acrosome reacted ejaculated sperm was found to be higher than epididymal sperm. During in vitro culture, the percentage of auto-acrosome reacted ejaculated sperm remained relatively stable compared with epididymal sperm that significantly increased over time. The percentage of capacitation significantly increased over time for ejaculated sperm but not epididymal sperm, which only slightly increased following 6-hours of culture. In Experiment IV, cryopreserved ejaculated Holstein bull sperm was unaffected by the inclusion of PIF to the culture medium. PIF was also unable to improve or inhibit the in vitro fertility of cryopreserved ejaculated bull sperm. In Experiment V, ejaculated sperm with heparin and epididymal sperm with and without heparin were similar in their ability to fertilize oocytes in vitro and in their cleavage rates compared with ejaculated sperm without heparin, which was significantly lower. The number of embryos developing to the 8-cell stage was higher for the epididymal sperm plus heparin group compared with epididymal sperm without heparin. The number of blastocyst was similar for both ejaculated and epididymal sperm when heparin was added to the fertilization medium, compared with when heparin was not included in the fertilization medium. In summary, epididymal sperm was better able to endure cryopreservation. Ejaculated and epididymal sperm also displayed different in vitro dynamics. However, in vitro fertility of ejaculated and epididymal sperm was found to be similar and the inclusion of heparin increases blastocyst development in vitro. This may be useful when using epididymal sperm for in vitro reproductive techniques

Pharmacologic inhibition of RGD-binding integrins ameliorates fibrosis and improves function following kidney injury

Fibrosis is a final common pathway for many causes of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-binding integrins are important mediators of the pro-fibrotic response by activating latent TGF-β at sites of injury and by providing myofibroblasts information about the composition and stiffness of the extracellular matrix. Therefore, blockade of RGD-binding integrins may have therapeutic potential for CKD. To test this idea, we used small-molecule peptidomimetics that potently inhibit a subset of RGD-binding integrins in a murine model of kidney fibrosis. Acute kidney injury leading to fibrosis was induced by administration of aristolochic acid. Continuous subcutaneous administration of CWHM-12, an RGD integrin antagonist, for 28 days improved kidney function as measured by serum creatinine. CWHM-12 significantly reduced Collagen 1 (Col1a1) mRNA expression and scar collagen deposition in the kidney. Protein and gene expression markers of activated myofibroblasts, a major source of extracellular matrix deposition in kidney fibrosis, were diminished by treatment. RNA sequencing revealed that inhibition of RGD integrins influenced multiple pathways that determine the outcome of the response to injury and of repair processes. A second RGD integrin antagonist, CWHM-680, administered once daily by oral gavage was also effective in ameliorating fibrosis. We conclude that targeting RGD integrins with such small-molecule antagonists is a promising therapeutic approach in fibrotic kidney disease

The significance of scale in the analysis of gentrification

As the nineteenth century entered its last decades and the years of Reconstruction receded into the past, New Orleans began anew its struggle to modernize its water infrastructure. The problem, as usual, was threefold: How would improvements be financed? What role would government play? How could the sheer physical challenges of the swampy terrain be met? Requirements of piped-in water and drainage of the land had been prior concerns, and a need for a sewer system was added to the priorities