Raising Pragmatic Awareness in the EFL Classroom

For EFL learners, it is crucial to acquire pragmatic competence to communicate smoothly in the target language. However, teachers recognize that teaching prangmatics in the second language classrooms is no easy matter. The purpose of this study is to propose an effective way to raise students’ pragmatic awareness through pragmatic experience using American TV drama. The results of this study indicated that students actively found similarities and differences between their own answers and native English speakers’ manner of speaking. It is our hope that the results will be useful to teachers and materials developers by providing insight into the problems that EFL students have in their realization of pragmatic awareness.論

The Realization of the Apology Speech Act in English by Japanese Speakers : Cross-Cultural Differences, Pragmatic Transfer, and Pedagogical Implications

　　The aims of this study were to investigate the differences and similarities between native and non-native realization of apology strategies in English and the existence of pragmatic transfer by Japanese EFL learners when making apologies. Specifically, the following research objectives were developed: 1) what apology strategies are frequently used by Japanese speakers in English and in Japanese, and by Americans in English; 2) how Japanese junior high and high school English textbooks teach Japanese students to make apologies in English; 3) how Americans evaluate Japanese apologies in English.同志社女子大学201

The Realization of the Apology Speech Act in English by Japanese Speakers : Cross-Cultural Differences, Pragmatic Transfer, and Pedagogical Implications : 要旨

博士論文要

The use of please in requests made by Japanese learners of English

The purpose of this study is to investigate Japanese learners\u27 requestive strategies in English focusing on the use of "please." The data was collected through a discourse completion test (DCT). The DCT consisted of two small, intermediate and large requests, which were directed to a friend of equal status and a teacher of higher status. The data were analyzed in terms of the following three points of view: 1) the frequency of the use of "please", 2) the requestive strategies, 3) the awareness of the politeness of the use of "please" to make a request. The results of this study showed that Japanese EFL learners preferred to use "please" in making requests. They frequently formed a sentence "please + imperative sentence" as a way to show politeness when making requests. In addition, it was revealed that they had some intention to show their polite feelings by using or not using "please," depending on the status of the interlocutor

When does facial synkinesis develop?

The objective of this study is to clarify when facial palsy patients with lower value of Electroneurography (ENoG) should begin the rehabilitation to prevent the development of facial synkinesis. For this purpose, we examined the relationship between the value of ENoG measured 10-14 days after facial palsy onset and the onset day of the development of oral-ocular synkinesis. Sixteen patients with facial palsy including 11 with Bell’s palsy and 5 with Ramsay Hunt syndrome (7 men and 9 women ; 15-73 years old ; mean age, 41.6 years) were enrolled in this study. There was no correlation between ENoG value and the onset day of the development of oral-ocular synkinesis (ρ = .09, p = .73). Oral-ocular synkinesis began to develop in 4.0 ± 0.7 months (mean ± SD ; range : 3.1-5.0 months) after facial palsy onset regardless of ENoG value. In conclusion, ENoG value cannot predict when facial synkinesis develops in patients with facial palsy. We recommend that facial palsy patients with a high risk for the development of synkinesis begin the biofeedback rehabilitation with mirror to prevent the development of facial synkinesis 3 months after facial palsy onset

骨卒中予防みそ汁が握力と血清25(OH)D濃度に及ぼす影響

We examined the nutritional effects of miso soup supplemented with vitamin D on serum level of ２５‐hydroxyvitamin D（２５（OH）D）and grip strength in sixty-seven inpatients（２６ males, ４１ females）of vitamin D insufficiency. The average age was ８４．６ years old and average body mass index was ２０．５kg/m２. These inpatients were divided into two groups, miso soup supplemented with vitamin D group（D group）（n=３５）and control group（n＝３２）. Nyucal Kouso FiberⓇ, NUTRI Co, Ltd, easily dissolved in miso soup. The D group ingested ２g of Nyucal Kouso FiberⓇ containing １０μg of vitamin D once a day. The daily diet included １７．５μg of vitamin D. As a result, D group and control group ingested ２７．５ μg and １７．５ μg per day of vitamin D, respectively. These results showed that both serum level of ２５（OH）D and grip strength of D group were significantly higher for one month than before（p<0.001）. In contrast, in control group, serum level of ２５（OH）D also higher than before, whereas grip strength did not change so much. These findings suggest that vitamin D-added diet is nutritionally effective to improve serum level of ２５（OH）D and grip strength of patients with vitamin D insufficiency

ラムゼイ・ハント症候群症例の前庭蝸牛神経MRI造影効果と前庭蝸牛機能障害との関係

Objective: The correlation between enhancement of the vestibulocochlear nerves on gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and vestibulocochlear functional deficits was examined in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS). Methods: Nineteen patients with RHS who showed herpes zoster oticus, peripheral facial palsy, and vertigo were enrolled. Canal paresis (CP) in the caloric test, abnormal response to ocular and cervical vestibular myogenic potentials (oVEMP and cVEMP), and refractory sensorineural hearing loss were evaluated. MRI images perpendicular to the internal auditory canal were reconstructed to identify the superior (SVN) and inferior vestibular nerves (IVN) and the cochlear nerve (CV). The signal intensity increase (SIinc) of the four-nerve enhancement was calculated as an index. Results: Among RHS patients, 79%, 53%, 17% and 26% showed CP in the caloric test, abnormal responses to oVEMP and cVEMP, and refractory sensorineural hearing loss, respectively. SIinc rates of the SVN were significantly increased in RHS patients with CP in the caloric test, and with abnormal responses to oVEMP and cVEMP. SIinc rates of the SVN tended to increase in RHS patients with refractory sensorineural hearing loss ( p = 0.052). SIinc rates of the IVN were significantly increased in RHS patients with abnormal responses to oVEMP and cVEMP, and refractory sensorineural hearing loss, but not in those with CP in the caloric test. SIinc rates of the CN were significantly increased in RHS patients with CP in the caloric test, abnormal response to oVEMP and refractory sensorineural hearing loss, but not in those with abnormal response to cVEMP. Conclusion: In patients with RHS, the origin of vertigo may be superior vestibular neuritis, which is affected by reactive varicella-zoster virus from the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve through the faciovestibular anastomosis. The results also suggested that in some RHS patients, inferior vestibular neuritis contributes to the development of vertigo and that the origin of refractory sensorineural hearing loss is cochlear neuritis

zTrap: zebrafish gene trap and enhancer trap database

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We have developed genetic methods in zebrafish by using the <it>Tol2 </it>transposable element; namely, transgenesis, gene trapping, enhancer trapping and the Gal4FF-UAS system. Gene trap constructs contain a splice acceptor and the GFP or Gal4FF (a modified version of the yeast Gal4 transcription activator) gene, and enhancer trap constructs contain the zebrafish <it>hsp70l </it>promoter and the GFP or Gal4FF gene. By performing genetic screens using these constructs, we have generated transgenic zebrafish that express GFP and Gal4FF in specific cells, tissues and organs. Gal4FF expression is visualized by creating double transgenic fish carrying a Gal4FF transgene and the GFP reporter gene placed downstream of the Gal4-recognition sequence (UAS). Further, the Gal4FF-expressing cells can be manipulated by mating with UAS effector fish. For instance, when fish expressing Gal4FF in specific neurons are crossed with the UAS:TeTxLC fish carrying the tetanus neurotoxin gene downstream of UAS, the neuronal activities are inhibited in the double transgenic fish. Thus, these transgenic fish are useful to study developmental biology and neurobiology.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>To increase the usefulness of the transgenic fish resource, we developed a web-based database named <it>z</it>Trap <url>http://kawakami.lab.nig.ac.jp/ztrap/</url>. The <it>z</it>Trap database contains images of GFP and Gal4FF expression patterns, and genomic DNA sequences surrounding the integration sites of the gene trap and enhancer trap constructs. The integration sites are mapped onto the <it>Ensembl </it>zebrafish genome by in-house Blat analysis and can be viewed on the <it>z</it>Trap and <it>Ensembl </it>genome browsers. Furthermore, <it>z</it>Trap is equipped with the functionality to search these data for expression patterns and genomic loci of interest. <it>z</it>Trap contains the information about transgenic fish including UAS reporter and effector fish.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>z</it>Trap is a useful resource to find gene trap and enhancer trap fish lines that express GFP and Gal4FF in desired patterns, and to find insertions of the gene trap and enhancer trap constructs that are located within or near genes of interest. These transgenic fish can be utilized to observe specific cell types during embryogenesis, to manipulate their functions, and to discover novel genes and <it>cis</it>-regulatory elements. Therefore, <it>z</it>Trap should facilitate studies on genomics, developmental biology and neurobiology utilizing the transgenic zebrafish resource.</p

Pharmacologic characterization of TBP1901, a prodrug form of aglycone curcumin, and CRISPR-Cas9 screen for therapeutic targets of aglycone curcumin

プロドラッグ型クルクミン注射製剤の抗腫瘍効果及び治療標的の包括的な解析 --安全性の高い抗がん薬としての開発に期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-10-21.Curcumin (aglycone curcumin) has antitumor properties in a variety of malignancies via the alteration of multiple cancer-related biological pathways; however, its clinical application has been hampered due to its poor bioavailability. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a synthesized curcumin β-D-glucuronide sodium salt (TBP1901), a prodrug form of aglycone curcumin. In this study, we aimed to clarify the pharmacologic characteristics of TBP1901. In β-glucuronidase (GUSB)-proficient mice, both curcumin β-D-glucuronide and its active metabolite, aglycone curcumin, were detected in the blood after TBP1901 injection, whereas only curcumin β-D-glucuronide was detected in GUSB-impaired mice, suggesting that GUSB plays a pivotal role in the conversion of TBP1901 into aglycone curcumin in vivo. TBP1901 itself had minimal antitumor effects in vitro, whereas it demonstrated significant antitumor effects in vivo. Genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 screen disclosed the genes associated with NF-κB signaling pathway and mitochondria were among the highest hit. In vitro, aglycone curcumin inhibited NF-kappa B signaling pathways whereas it caused production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, partially reversed antitumor effects of aglycone curcumin. In summary, TBP1901 can exert antitumor effects as a prodrug of aglycone curcumin through GUSB-dependent activation