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With the present study I investigated the sources of score variance and dependability in a local oral English proficiency test for potential international teaching assistants (ITAs) across four first language (L1) groups, and suggested alternative test designs. Using generalizability theory, I examined the relative importance of L1s (i.e., Indian, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish), examinees, tasks, and ratings to score variability, and estimated dependability across the L1s. The analyses identified examinees as the largest contributor, which is important for high dependability and validity arguments for test scores. Effects of ratings and tasks were small, but L1 effects on score variance were considerable, with the Indian group's dependability lowest. Unlike previous generalizability theory studies on L1 effects, however, further analyses revealed that the L1 effects highly likely reflect proficiency differences rather than strong bias when comparing the percent agreement of the ratings, external criteria of examinee English proficiency, and underlying score distributions. I discuss the proficiency differences related to varied socio-linguistic contexts of using and learning English. Lastly, I suggest an alternative design with fewer items and one additional rating for improved dependability. Considering multiple test purposes specific to ITA testing (i.e., efficiency, construct representation, formative advantages), I propose a flexible approach.

Previous research has shown that developing second language (L2) academic writers use a limited set of reporting verbs in comparison to more advanced writers (Biber & Reppen, 1998; Hinkel, 2003; Kwon, Staples, & Partridge, 2018; Neff et al., 2003; Staples & Reppen, 2016). These writers also tend to rely on verbs that are typical for conversation (Biber et al., 1999). The present study examines the effects of corpus-informed instruction on developing L2 writers’ learning of reporting verbs in a first-year writing course by comparing drafts of literature reviews before and after a workshop. The forty-five-minute workshop was designed to improve L2 writers’ lexical and functional uses of reporting verbs using corpus-informed materials. The researchers compared the literature review drafts written by 40 students who participated in the workshop to 38 randomly chosen drafts from our corpus. The results show an increase in the experimental groups’ reporting verb lexical variety and a decrease in the use of verb types used in speech in favor of types used in academic writing. The results suggest that corpus-informed instruction may support L2 writers in the development of lexical and functional reporting verb use.

This study identifies the stigma experienced by 12 bereaved parents 2 and 5 years after losing a child in the Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea. Using thematic analysis, we categorized the experience of stigma into two components based on Corrigan and Kosyluk's social cognitive model of stigma: public stigma and self-stigma, and each was analyzed into three types of stigma: stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. We identified four additional factors related to stigma mitigation. The potential implications for characterizing the experiences of bereaved parents, particularly those facing stigma, are discussed in light of these findings in the longitudinal perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) plays a critical role in diverse cellular functions, and regulating the Pi balance is accomplished by sodium-dependent Pi co-transporter (NPT). Pulmonary NPT has recently been identified in mammalian lungs. However, to date, many of the studies that have involved Pi have mainly focused on its effect on bone and kidney. Therefore, current study was performed to discover the potential effects of low Pi on the lung of developing transgenic mice expressing the renilla/firefly luciferase dual reporter gene. Two-weeks old male mice divided into 2 groups and these groups were fed either a low PI diet or a normal control diet (normal: 0.5% Pi, low: 0.1% Pi) for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of the diet, all the mice were sacrificed. Their lungs were harvested and analyzed by performing luciferase assay, Western blotting, kinase assay and immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrate that low Pi affects the lungs of developing mice by disturbing protein translation, the cell cycle and the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2. These results suggest that optimally regulating Pi consumption may be important to maintain health.

The skin sensitization potential of agrochemicals can be assessed using laboratory methods such as the keratinocyte activation assay so that their use in regulatory toxicology might replace experimental animal testing. Here, we evaluated the skin sensitization potential of 11 agrochemicals by using an antioxidant response element–nuclear factor erythroid 2 luciferase assay in KeratinoSens and LuSens cells and applying a skin sensitization adverse outcome pathway (AOP). The KeratinoSens and LuSens assays consistently evaluated the skin sensitization potential of 10/11 agrochemicals with reference to animal testing databases. Benomyl, pretilachlor, fluazinam, terbufos, butachlor, and carbosulfan were correctly detected as sensitizers, and glufosinate ammonium, oxiadiazon, tebuconazole, and etofenprox were correctly detected as non-sensitizers. For diazinon, the skin sensitizing potential was positive in the KeratinoSens assay but not in the LuSens assay. These results suggest that the evaluation of in vitro skin sensitization using the AOP mechanism can be applied to assess active agrochemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]