The present research aims to identify Japanese listeners’ perception patterns of non-native liquid contrasts. The study examines Japanese listeners’ perception of Arabic liquids (/l/, /r/, /ll/ and /rr/). Japanese listeners showed poor performance on the Arabic /l/-/r/ discrimination and very good performance on the discrimination of the other liquid contrasts (/l/-ll/, /ll/-/rr/, /l/-/rr/, /r/...

From the point of view of parsing the LL(K] grammars constitute a very attractive class of context-free grammars. For each LL{K] grammar a top-down parsing algorithm can be devised which is essentially a one-state deterministic push-down automaton. From a more theoretiG point of view LL[K) grammars are attractive as well. It is well-known, for example, that it is decidable whether two LLfk) gra...

The human cathelicidin peptide, LL-37, is a host defense peptide with a wide range of immunomodulatory activities and modest direct antimicrobial properties. LL-37 can exert both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects and can modulate the proinflammatory responses of human peripheral blood monocytes and epithelial cells. In this study, we evaluated the effect of LL-37 on mouse bone marrow-derived m...

introduction: the aim of this study is to compare holmium laser (ll) with pneumatic lithoclast (pl) in patients with upper ureteral stones and their ability to destruct the stones and making the patient stone free. we also compare the duration of these procedures and their complications, such as urosepsis, perforation, and pushing the stone backward. methods: this has been a clinical randomized...

As shown in the previous two papers (Prichard, R.G., and M.E. Lickey (1981 a, b) J. Neurosci. 1: 835-839; 840-845), the circadian rhythm of compound action potentials (CAPs) from the Aplysia eye can be reset in vitro by single transitions from continuous light to continuous darkness (LL/DD). The magnitude of the reset depends on the duration of LL that precedes the LL/DD. When LL duration is 18...

It is well known that stroke patients walk with reduced speed, but their potential to increase walking speed can also be impaired and has not been thoroughly investigated. We hypothesized that failure to effectively recruit both hip flexor and ankle plantarflexor muscles of the paretic side limits the potential to increase walking speed in lower functioning hemiparetic subjects. To test this hy...

Antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is produced in response to active vitamin D to exert immunomodulatory effects and inhibits HIV replication in vitro. To date, no studies have investigated LL-37 in HIV-infected patients. This study sought to investigate LL-37 and the relationship to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and HIV-related variables in this population. HIV-infected subjects and healthy controls ...

Proteolysis is a common microbial virulence mechanism that enables the destruction of host tissue and evasion from host defense mechanisms. Antimicrobial peptides, also known as host defense peptides, are effector molecules of the innate immunity that demonstrate a broad range of antimicrobial and immunoregulatory activities. Deficiency of the human LL-37 antimicrobial peptide was previously co...

Capsular polysaccharides (CPS) are a major virulence factor in meningococcal infections and form the basis for serogroup designation and protective vaccines. Our work has identified meningococcal CPS as a pro-inflammatory ligand that functions through TLR2 and TLR4-MD2-dependent activation. We hypothesized that human cationic host defense peptides interact with CPS and influence its biologic ac...