University of Auckland

About: University of Auckland is a education organization based out in Auckland, New Zealand. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 28049 authors who have published 77706 publications receiving 2689366 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Auckland & Auckland University College.

Self-propagating high-temperature (combustion) synthesis (SHS) of powder-compacted materials

Abstract: Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) of powder compacts is a novel processing technique currently being developed as a route for the production of engineering ceramics and other advanced materials. The process, which is also referred to as combustion synthesis, provides energy- and cost-saving advantages over the more conventional processing routes for these materials. At the same time, the rapid heating and cooling rates provide a potential for the production of metastable materials with new and, perhaps, unique properties. This paper reviews the research that has been, and is being, undertaken in this exciting new processing route for high-technology materials and examines the underlying theoretical explanations which will, eventually, lead to improved control over processing parameters and product quality.

Recasts in the Adult English L2 Classroom: Characteristics, Explicitness, and Effectiveness

Abstract: A number of descriptive studies of language classrooms have identified recasts as a frequent form of feedback used by teachers following learners' nontarget-like oral production. Some classroom-based researchers (e.g., Lyster, 1998) have suggested that recasts are less effective than other forms of feedback because of the ambiguity of their potentially corrective purpose. The present study focused on both the provision and the effectiveness of recasts in 12 adult English second language classrooms throughout 17 hours of meaning-based interaction. There were 12 teachers and 118 learners who participated, with class sizes ranging from 6 to 14 students. Comparisons involving the incidence of recasts, elicitation, and metalinguistic feedback, together with learner responses (e.g., successful uptake) following these types of feedback, revealed that recasts were widely used and, similar to other types of corrective feedback, were beneficial at least 50% of the time, as measured by posttests. The recasts differed according to characteristics that emphasized their corrective purpose. Logistic regression analysis revealed certain characteristics that were associated with successful uptake and with accuracy on posttests. Stress, declarative intonation, one change, and multiple feedback moves were predictive of successful uptake, whereas interrogative intonation, shortened length, and one change were predictive of the accuracy of the test scores. This study suggests that recasts vary in implicitness and that these differences may have an impact on their effectiveness, both in terms of learners' successful uptake and subsequent use. Moreover, the ambiguity of recasts is greatly reduced by the phrasal, prosodic, and discoursal cues that teachers provide. The effectiveness of recasts is likely to be affected by these cues and other factors, such as degree of difference between the recast and the nontarget-like utterance.

Aberrant splicing of HTT generates the pathogenic exon 1 protein in Huntington disease

Abstract: Huntington disease (HD) is a devastating, late-onset, inherited neurodegenerative disorder that manifests with personality changes, movement disorders, and cognitive decline. It is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in exon 1 of the HTT gene that translates to a polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein (HTT). The formation of HTT fragments has been implicated as an essential step in the molecular pathogenesis of HD and several proteases that cleave HTT have been identified. However, the importance of smaller N-terminal fragments has been highlighted by their presence in HD postmortem brains and by the fact that nuclear inclusions are only detected by antibodies to the N terminus of HTT. Despite an intense research effort, the precise length of these fragments and the mechanism by which they are generated remains unknown. Here we show that CAG repeat length–dependent aberrant splicing of exon 1 HTT results in a short polyadenylated mRNA that is translated into an exon 1 HTT protein. Given that mutant exon 1 HTT proteins have consistently been shown to be highly pathogenic in HD mouse models, the aberrant splicing of HTT mRNA provides a mechanistic basis for the molecular pathogenesis of HD. RNA-targeted therapeutic strategies designed to lower the levels of HTT are under development. Many of these approaches would not prevent the production of exon 1 HTT and should be reviewed in light of our findings.