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A comparison study on the effects of two explicit pronunciation syllabi on Korean adult EFL learners' learning of English sounds

textThis study compared two explicit approaches to teaching English pronunciation to Korean adult EFL learners. One approach involved teaching agendas based on the analysis of pronunciation errors that were considered to be typically observed in the target students. The other approach involved rather general teaching agendas that considered no specific L1 background. The experimental group, the error-analysis-based group, was taught by two Korean instructors of English, while the control group was taught by two native English-speaking instructors. The experimental group teachers used an in-house workbook that consisted of segmental sound items from the clinical data obtained from the error analysis. These Korean instructors of English presented short authentic video clips that the researcher edited from feature movies, situational comedies, news casts, etc. to the learners as model L2 utterances. The native English-speaking teachers used a pre-existing pronunciation workbook published by two native English-speaking language practitioners and presented relevant parts of the supplementary tutorial video to their learners. These four 75-minute pronunciation lectures were conducted as a part of an English intensive course at a tertiary institute in Korea. The two groups did not significantly differ in terms of L2 identification improvements. Based on the real-word and fake-word reading-aloud tests, the experimental group indicated a significantly higher production accuracy rate than the accuracy mean score observed in the control group. Mean accuracy scores of the identification and production tests of each individual sound were compared using Post Hoc ANCOVA techniques for any significant mean differences. Qualitative data from relevant surveys were also included.Foreign Language Educatio

Utility of fatty acid profile and in vitro immune cell activation for chemical and biological standardization of Arthrospira/Limnospira

Commercially cultivated Limnospira (species formerly classified to genus Arthrospira) is a popular food/supplement consumed by millions of people worldwide for health benefits. The objective of the current research was to advance the standardization technology for Limnospira. Quantitative methods were established to detect fatty acids as potential chemical markers and immune-enhancing activity. Analysis of 20 different batches of biomass obtained from one commercial grower demonstrated that there was a statistically significant relationship between the sum of two fatty acids (linoleic and γ-linolenic) and Toll-like receptor (TLR)2/TLR1-dependent activation (R2 = 0.48, p = 0.0007). Investigation of 12 biomass samples sourced from growers in 10 different countries demonstrated that fatty acid content was again significantly correlated with biological activity (R2 = 0.72, p = 0.0005) and the content of fatty acids varied by twofold and activity by 12.5-fold. This large variation between different samples confirms the need to use the present standardization methods to ensure consistent and properly characterized biomass for consumers and for future scientific research

The Drosophila Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) DIAP2 Is Dispensable for Cell Survival, Required for the Innate Immune Response to Gram-negative Bacterial Infection, and Can Be Negatively Regulated by the Reaper/Hid/Grim Family of IAP-binding Apoptosis Inducers

Many inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family proteins inhibit apoptosis. IAPs contain N-terminal baculovirus IAP repeat domains and a C-terminal RING ubiquitin ligase domain. Drosophila IAP DIAP1 is essential for the survival of many cells, protecting them from apoptosis by inhibiting active caspases. Apoptosis initiates when proteins such as Reaper, Hid, and Grim bind a surface groove in DIAP1 baculovirus IAP repeat domains via an N-terminal IAP-binding motif. This evolutionarily conserved interaction disrupts DIAP1-caspase interactions, unleashing apoptosis-inducing caspase activity. A second Drosophila IAP, DIAP2, also binds Rpr and Hid and inhibits apoptosis in multiple contexts when overexpressed. However, due to a lack of mutants, little is known about the normal functions of DIAP2. We report the generation of diap2 null mutants. These flies are viable and show no defects in developmental or stress-induced apoptosis. Instead, DIAP2 is required for the innate immune response to Gram-negative bacterial infection. DIAP2 promotes cytoplasmic cleavage and nuclear translocation of the NF-{kappa}B homolog Relish, and this requires the DIAP2 RING domain. Increasing the genetic dose of diap2 results in an increased immune response, whereas expression of Rpr or Hid results in down-regulation of DIAP2 protein levels. Together these observations suggest that DIAP2 can regulate immune signaling in a dose-dependent manner, and this can be regulated by IBM-containing proteins. Therefore, diap2 may identify a point of convergence between apoptosis and immune signaling pathways

Cellular Programming of Plant Gene Imprinting

Gene imprinting, the differential expression of maternal and paternal alleles, independently evolved in mammals and in flowering plants. A unique feature of flowering plants is a double-fertilization event in which the sperm fertilize not only the egg, which forms the embryo, but also the central cell, which develops into the endosperm (an embryo-supporting tissue). The distinctive mechanisms of gene imprinting in the endosperm, which involve DNA demethylation and histone methylation, begin in the central cell and sperm prior to fertilization. Flowering plants might have coevolved double fertilization and imprinting to prevent parthenogenetic development of the endosperm

Laparoscopic low anterior resection for hematogenous rectal metastasis from gastric adenocarcinoma: A Case Report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world and is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Korea. Colorectal metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma are known to be very rare. We report an unusual case of rectal metastasis of gastric adenocarcinoma.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a 43-year-old female patient with gastric cancer who first presented with epigastric pain. The endoscopic and radiologic findings were suggestive of Borrmann type III advanced gastric cancer with linitis plastica. Radical total gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection was performed. The pathology report was AJCC TNM Stage II gastric adenocarcinoma (T3N0M0). On follow up at 34 months after surgery, the patient complained of difficulty in defecation. On colonoscopy, a hard, indurated extraluminal mass was detected 7 cm proximal to the anal verge. The biopsy demonstrated chronic nonspecific colitis. Abdominal CT, rectal MRI and PET-CT revealed rectal metastasis from gastric cancer. Laparoscopic ultralow anterior resection with diverting ileostomy was performed. The pathology report was metastatic adenocarcinoma, and this diagnosis was identical to the gastric pathology reported in the previous pathology report. The patient was discharged after the 11^thpostoperative day with no adverse events.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Rectal metastasis from gastric cancer is known to be very rare. However, metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis for patients presenting with a colorectal mass and a past history of gastric cancer.</p

Ankle MRI for Anterolateral Soft Tissue Impingement: Increased Accuracy with the Use of Contrast-Enhanced Fat-Suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI

OBJECTIVE: To validate the use of contrast-enhanced (CE) fat-suppressed three-dimensional (3D) fast gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state with radiofrequency spoiling (FSPGR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of anterolateral soft tissue impingement of the ankle, as compared to the use of routine ankle MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Contrast-enhanced fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI and routine MRI scans were retrospectively reviewed for 45 patients with arthroscopically proven anterolateral impingement. In addition, scans were reviewed in 45 control subjects with diagnoses other than impingement. Two radiologists independently reviewed the two sets of images in random order. Using areas (Az) under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), we compared the depiction of anterolateral soft tissue impingement in the two sets of images. RESULTS: The overall accuracy for lesion characterization was significantly higher (p < 0.05) using the CE fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MR images (Az = 0.892 and 0.881 for reader 1 and 2, respectively) than using the routine MR images (Az = 0.763 and 0.745). The use of CE fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI enhanced impingement depiction in most cases. However, in cases with a thickened non-enhancing scar or joint effusion, the routine images better depicted a soft tissue mass that intruded into anterolateral gutter than the CE images. CONCLUSION: The use of CE fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI of the ankle allows a more accurate assessment of anterolateral soft tissue impingement of the ankle, as compared to the use of routine MRIope