Studying texts in a non-native language : a further investigation of factors involved in the L2 recall cost

With academic internationalisation at full speed, English is increasingly used as a medium of instruction in higher education. The question arises of whether unbalanced bilinguals remember study materials in a non-native language (L2) as well as in a first language (L1). In previous studies, we found a disadvantage for students recalling short, expository texts in L2 compared with L1, but no such disadvantage for a true/false recognition test, not even on delayed tests after a month. As no additional forgetting occurs, the quality of the memory trace seems to be equally strong in both languages and the recall cost might be caused by a lack of production skill in L2. To test this hypothesis, we ran experiments in L1-L1, L2-L1, and L2-L2 conditions with free and cued recall (short open questions). We replicate the L2 free recall cost reported earlier and show that it is due to the encoding in L2 rather than to an L2 production cost. In contrast, we found no significant difference in a new pair of texts with short, cued recall questions, though there was a trend in the expected direction. A summary of the effect sizes obtained so far shows a considerable variety in magnitudes (with rather big confidence intervals), suggesting that the cost of studying in L2 depends on several factors such as study time, test requirement, and language proficiency level

Role of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter suis and Helicobacter pylori infections

Helicobacter (H.) suis can colonize the stomach of pigs as well as humans, causing chronic gastritis and other gastric pathological changes including gastric ulceration and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Recently, a virulence factor of H. suis, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), has been demonstrated to play an important role in the induction of human gastric epithelial cell death and modulation of lymphocyte proliferation depending on glutamine and glutathione catabolism. In the present study, the relevance of GGT in the pathogenesis of H. suis infection was studied in mouse and Mongolian gerbil models. In addition, the relative importance of H. suis GGT was compared with that of the H. pylori GGT. A significant and different contribution of the GGT of H. suis and H. pylori was seen in terms of bacterial colonization, inflammation and the evoked immune response. In contrast to H. pylori Delta ggt strains, H. suis Delta ggt strains were capable of colonizing the stomach at levels comparable to WT strains, although they induced significantly less overall gastric inflammation in mice. This was characterized by lower numbers of T and B cells, and a lower level of epithelial cell proliferation. In general, compared to WT strain infection, ggt mutant strains of H. suis triggered lower levels of Th1 and Th17 signature cytokine expression. A pronounced upregulation of B-lymphocyte chemoattractant CXCL13 was observed, both in animals infected with WT and ggt mutant strains of H. suis. Interestingly, H. suis GGT was shown to affect the glutamine metabolism of gastric epithelium through downregulation of the glutamine transporter ASCT2

Anal canal duplication in an 11-year-old-child

Anal canal duplication (ACD) is the least frequent digestive duplication. Symptoms are often absent but tend to increase with age. Recognition is, however, important as almost half of the patients with ACD have concomitant malformations. We present the clinical history of an eleven-year-old girl with ACD followed by a review of symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis based on all the reported cases in English literature

De plaats van ICT in de fysieke leeromgeving en de invloed ervan op de klaspraktijk

Over de invloed van de specifieke plaats van ICT in de fysieke leeromgeving is nog maar weinig geweten. Met deze studie wensen we dan ook meer te weten te komen over 1) de plaats van ICT in de leeromgeving en 2) de wijze waarop de plaats van ICT gerelateerd kan worden aan het educatieve gebruik ervan. Voor de eerste onderzoeksvraag werd een typologie ontwikkeld op basis van het fotografisch materiaal van de bankopstelling in Vlaamse lagere scholen. Vervolgens werd per type klasinrichting de specifieke plaats van ICT geanalyseerd. Op basis van deze resultaten werden leraren geïnterviewd over de relatie tussen de plaats van ICT, de klasinrichting en het educatieve gebruik van ICT

Oral glutathione supplementation drastically reduces Helicobacter-induced gastric pathologies

Helicobacter (H.) suis causes gastric pathologies in both pigs and humans. Very little is known on the metabolism of this bacterium and its impact on the host. In this study, we have revealed the importance of the glutamate-generating metabolism, as shown by a complete depletion of glutamine (Gln) in the medium during H. suis culture. Besides Gln, H. suis can also convert glutathione (GSH) to glutamate, and both reactions are catalyzed by the H. suis gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT). Both for H. pylori and H. suis, it has been hypothesized that the degradation of Gln and GSH may lead to a deficiency for the host, possibly initiating or promoting several pathologies. Therefore the in vivo effect of oral supplementation with Gln and GSH was assessed. Oral supplementation with Gln was shown to temper H. suis induced gastritis and epithelial (hyper) proliferation in Mongolian gerbils. Astonishingly, supplementation of the feed with GSH, another GGT substrate, resulted in inflammation and epithelial proliferation levels returning to baseline levels of uninfected controls. This indicates that Gln and GSH supplementation may help reducing tissue damage caused by Helicobacter infection in both humans and pigs, highlighting their potential as a supportive therapy during and after Helicobacter eradication therapy

The impact of reading comprehension strategy instruction and text difficulty on learning performance when academic reading in L1 or L2

Worldwide, higher education is under pressure to adopt English (L2) as the Medium of Instruction (EMI). In higher education, reading of academic texts is considered as an essential gateway to scientific knowledge. The use of reading strategies in the L2 literature has been recognized as an important way to facilitate reading comprehension. The present study builds on assumptions about the benefits of providing EMI learners with reading comprehension strategy instruction (RCSI) when coping with academic texts to encounter L2 reading challenges. The research involved first year university students (n=181), enrolled in the program educational sciences, building on a multi factorial quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. In two consecutive studies, students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, building on two research variables: L1 versus L2 and with or without RCSI (activation prior knowledge, define unknown concepts, develop graphical organizer). In each study, students read a study text about “educational studies” content in view of a performance test. The text in both studies differed significantly in text difficulty. Research hypotheses built on cognitive load theory, working memory theory and reading comprehension strategy instructional theories. Pretesting focused on assessment of prior knowledge, background questions (e.g. gender) and scales to determine foreign language experiences, L1 and L2 vocabulary proficiency and self-perceived language proficiency level. The posttest measured experienced cognitive load, self-perceived use of reading strategies and learning performance. Study time was tracked in all conditions. ANCOVA were applied to test differences in learning performance, considering prior knowledge, time-on-task, experienced cognitive load, and L1/L2 language proficiency. Though RCSI had a promising impact on learning performance when studying the less difficult text, the effect of RCSI was not significant for the more difficult text, also after controlling for prior knowledge, time-on-task, experienced cognitive load and language proficiency. Instead of RCSI, the main effect of language was a significant factor explaining learning performance. Therefore, in future research, the difficulty of academic texts should be taken into account. Research should also focus on a qualitative analysis of the actual use of the reading strategies, to explain differences in reading behavior when coping with L1 and L2 text

When the teaching language is not your mother tongue in higher education: The potential of reading strategy instruction to cope with L2 challenges

Worldwide, higher education is under pressure for adopting English as the teaching language (L2). These students process learning content in a language different from their mother tongue (L1). This challenges students and invokes cognitive costs. It is unclear how severe this cost is as compared to L1 processing and whether the cost can be countered by educational interventions. The present study centres on the differential impact of reading strategy instruction during studying an L1/L2 text (activate prior knowledge, define unknown concepts, graphical organizer). The research involves 200 first year university students and builds on a 2 x 2 quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Students participate in two iterations of the same research design. Students are - on each occasion - assigned randomly to four conditions, building on two research variables: L1 versus L2 and with or without reading strategy instruction. Students read study texts in view of taking a performance test at the end. Prior knowledge is determined one week before the intervention, to avoid priming. The actual study builds on a pretest, the intervention and a posttest. The pretest centres on gender and L2 motivational orientations, next to foreign language experiences, L1/L2 vocabulary proficiency and self-perceived proficiency level. The posttest centres on cognitive load, their actual use (if applicable) of the reading strategies and a performance posttest. Prior knowledge and posttest performance are measured with MC and open-ended questions, checking retention and application. Hypotheses build on cognitive load theory, theories about competition for working memory resources in L1 and L2 and reading strategy instruction. ANCOVA and regression analysis are being applied to test differences in learning performance, considering prior knowledge, time-on-task, cognitive load, and L1/L2 language proficiency. Theoretical and practical implications are presented to guide future research, theory development and practice