Kansai University

About: Kansai University is a education organization based out in Suita, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Polymerization. The organization has 5881 authors who have published 9254 publications receiving 134385 citations. The organization is also known as: Kansai Daigaku.

A reversibly antigen-responsive hydrogel

Abstract: Stimuli-responsive hydrogels that undergo abrupt changes in volume in response to external stimuli such as pH, temperature and solvent composition have potential applications in biomedicine and the creation of 'intelligent' materials systems, for example as media for drug delivery, separation processes and protein immobilization. Hydrogels have been reported that respond to pH, temperature, electric fields and saccharides. For some biomedical applications it would be very useful to have a material whose swelling response was dictated by a specific protein. Here we report such a material, which swells reversibly in a buffer solution in response to a specific antigen. The hydrogel was prepared by grafting the antigen and corresponding antibody to the polymer network, so that binding between the two introduces crosslinks in the network. Competitive binding of the free antigen triggers a change in gel volume owing to breaking of these non-covalent crosslinks. In addition, we show that the hydrogel displays shape-memory behaviour, and that stepwise changes in antigen concentration can induce pulsatile permeation of a protein through the network.

Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language: The Japanese EFL Context

Abstract: Willingness to communicate (WTC) is emerging as a concept to account for individuals’ first language (L1) and second language (L2) communication. This study examined relations among L2 learning and L2 communication variables in the Japanese English as a foreign language context using the WTC model and the socioeducational model as a framework. A L2 communication model was constructed and tested using AMOS version 4.0, with a sample of 297 Japanese university students. In the model, a latent variable, international posture, was hypothesized to capture the general attitude toward the international community and foreign language learning in Japan. From structural equation modeling, it appeared that international posture influences motivation, which, in turn, influences proficiency in English. Motivation affected self-confidence in L2 communication which led to willingness to communicate in a L2. In addition to this indirect path, a direct path from international posture to WTC in a L2 was significant. The model’s fitness to the data was good, which indicates the potential for using the WTC and other constructs to account for L2 communication.