Grounded in the positioning theory and the notion of transaction, this study examined two first grade English language learners in the ESL classroom in a North American elementary school. The research aimed at exploring 1) how the two children participated in the ESL classroom and developed positioning, and 2) what the patterns and paths of the students’ positioning told about their learning English. Observation of the two children in the classroom and extensive field notes were the main data for the study. The analysis of the data revealed contrasting paths of positioning the two children took up in the process of making transaction with the teacher and the classroom lesson acts. The study has several suggestions for researchers, educators, and parents.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of heat-treated fermented black beans. The production of fermented black beans was optimized using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SMF470 and L. plantarum SMF796 strains isolated from kimchi as starters. Compared to heat-treated black bean extract, heat-treated fermented black beans showed significantly higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, as well as higher total polyphenol content (p <0.05). The neuroprotective effect through the gut-brain axis was evaluated using conditioned medium (CM) obtained by culturing heat-treated fermented black beans in intestinal cells (HT-29). The CMs of heat-treated fermented black beans from SMF470 and SMF796 showed a high protective effect on SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells induced by oxidative stress from H2O2. Additionally, the CMs of heat-treated fermented black beans were found to protect SH-SY5Y cells from toxicity induced by MPP+. SMF470-CM and SMF796-CM significantly increased the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in SH-SY5Y cells treated with MPP+, while lowering the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) (p <0.05). Furthermore, SMF470-CM and SMF796-CM lowered the apoptosis-related Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. The results of this study suggest that heat-treated fermented black beans can be utilized as potential health functional materials for the prevention and improvement of degenerative brain diseases.