The Electrifying Future of Air Transportation

No abstract availabl

Dramapedagoške tehnike u razvijanju govora u nastavi njemačkog kao stranog jezika

Das Thema dieser Arbeit sind dramapädagogische Techniken zur Förderung des Sprechens im Deutschunterricht als Fremdsprache. Die Arbeit besteht aus zwei Haupteilen, dem theoretischen und dem empirischen Teil. Im theoretischen Teil bespricht man die Grundbedeutung „Dramapädagogik“ und ihre historische Entwicklung, führt die Versuche ihrer Bedeutungsbestimmung und ihre Verbindung mit Theater auf und gibt konkrete Beschreibungen von dramapädagogischen Aufgaben zur „Aufwärmung“ und dramapädagogische Techniken im Unterricht. Der empirische Teil beginnt mit einer Einleitung in die Aktionsforschung und ihren Zweck. Darauffolgend wird die Methodologie der Aktionsforschung vorgestellt, ihre Resultate und die Diskussion über die gewonnenen Daten. Das Hauptziel der Aktionsforschung war die Förderung des Sprechens bei Schülern auf Deutsch durch die Anwendung von dramapädagogischen Techniken. Im Einklang mit den Merkmalen und Charakteristiken der Aktionsforschungen wurde eine Unterrichtstunde entworfen, in der Länge von 45 Minuten, gedacht für die zweite Klasse einer Mittelschule. Die Resultate der Aktionsforschung zeigen, dass die dramapädagogischen Aktivitäten den Schülern interessant sind und ihre Motivation zum aktiven Sprechen im Fremdsprachenunterricht fördern. Die Schüler kamen in Situationen, die nicht nur ihre geistig- sprachlichen Fähigkeiten erfordern, sondern auch die Körpersprache, gemeinsame Aushandlung von Bedeutung und emotionales Verständnis. Durch die Anwendung und Realisierung des dramapädagogischen Zugangs wird das Erlernen einer Fremdsprache auf ein höheres Niveau gebracht, weil es unter anderem die Phantasie, Kreativität, Spontanität und Originalität der Schüler weckt. Somit kann man darauf schließen, dass der dramapädagogische Zugang viel mehr Vorteile aufweist, als der herkömmliche Unterricht, der auf Inhalt und Fakten basiert.Tema ovog rada su dramapedagoške tehnike u procesu razvoja govora u nastavi njemačkog kao stranog jezika. Rad je podijeljen u dvije osnovne cjeline, teorijski i empirijski dio. U teorijskom dijelu rada polazi se od temeljnog pojma „Dramapädagogik“, povijesnog razvoja ove metode, pokušaja definiranja pojma, pojašnjenja temelja dramapedagogije te njezinih poveznica s kazalištem i nastavom stranog jezika. Navedeni dio završava opisom konkretnih dramapedagoških vježbi za „zagrijavanje“ i dramapedagoških tehnika u nastavi. U empirijskom se dijelu daje uvod u akcijsko istraživanje i njegovu svrhu, daje opis metodologije akcijskog istraživanja, prikazuju se rezultati i diskutira o dobivenim podatcima. Osnovni je cilj istraživanja bio unaprijediti i potaknuti razvoj govora učenika na njemačkom jeziku korištenjem dramapedagoških tehnika. U skladu s obilježjima i karakteristikama akcijskog istraživanja, osmišljen je jedan nastavni sat njemačkog jezika kroz dramapedagoški pristup, u trajanju od 45 minuta. Navedeni je sat ostvaren s učenicima drugog razreda srednje škole. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su kako su dramapedagoške aktivnosti učenicima zabavne te da promiču njihovu interakciju i motivaciju za aktivnim sudjelovanjem i govorom u nastavi stranog jezika. Učenici su se našli u situacijama koje nisu zahtijevale primjenu samo njihovih intelektualnih vještina, već i govor tijela, zajedničko konstruiranje značenja te emocionalno razumijevanje. Ostvarivanjem dramapedagoškog pristupa u nastavi učenje stranog jezika podiže se na višu razinu jer se, između ostaloga, razvija i učenikova mašta, kreativnost, spontanost i originalnost. Prema tome može se zaključiti kako dramapedagoški pristup nastavi ima puno više prednosti u odnosu na konvencionalnu, tradicionalnu nastavu koja je usmjerena samo na sadržaj i činjenično znanje

Electrospinning and optical properties of polyacrylonitrile / carbon quantum dots fluorescent nanocomposite nanofibres

The optical properties and structural characteristics of polyacrylonitrile nanofibres containing two different types of fluorescent compounds, prepared by an electrospinning technique have been studied. The electrospinning solution has been prepared by dissolving the PAN powder at various concentrations in N,N- dimethyl formamide. Carbon quantum dots nanoparticles (CQD) as a fluorescent agent, and Disperse Blue 354 as a fluorescent dye, have been used to produce fluorescent composite nanofibres. The effect of the fluorescent agent on the optical properties of the nanofibres has been evaluated by producing nanofibres with fluorescent dye or CQD nanoparticles at various concentrations. The structural and optical properties of the collected composites nanofibres are characterized using polarizing optical microscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectrometry. The results show that the emission and fluorescent properties of the nanofibres depend on the nanofibres diameter, and the type and concentration of the fluorescent materials. The fluorescence intensity is increased with decreasing diameter of the fluorescent nanofibres. In addition, the emission of the nanofibres containing the CQDs is greater than that of the pure nanofibres and nanofibres with the fluorescent dy

Fixed Wing Project: Technologies for Advanced Air Transports

The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Fixed Wing (FW) Project addresses the comprehensive challenge of enabling revolutionary energy efficiency improvements in subsonic transport aircraft combined with dramatic reductions in harmful emissions and perceived noise to facilitate sustained growth of the air transportation system. Advanced technologies and the development of unconventional aircraft systems offer the potential to achieve these improvements. Multidisciplinary advances are required in aerodynamic efficiency to reduce drag, structural efficiency to reduce aircraft empty weight, and propulsive and thermal efficiency to reduce thrust-specific energy consumption (TSEC) for overall system benefit. Additionally, advances are required to reduce perceived noise without adversely affecting drag, weight, or TSEC, and to reduce harmful emissions without adversely affecting energy efficiency or noise.The presentation will highlight the Fixed Wing project vision of revolutionary systems and technologies needed to achieve these challenging goals. Specifically, the primary focus of the FW Project is on the N+3 generation; that is, vehicles that are three generations beyond the current state of the art, requiring mature technology solutions in the 2025-30 timeframe

FLYWCH1, a novel suppressor of nuclear b-catenin, regulates migration and morphology in colorectal cancer

© 2018 American Association for Cancer Research. Wnt/b-catenin signaling plays a critical role during development of both normal and malignant colorectal cancer tissues. Phosphorylation of b-catenin protein alters its trafficking and function. Such conventional allosteric regulation usually involves a highly specialized set of molecular interactions, which may specifically turn on a particular cell phenotype. This study identifies a novel transcription modulator with an FLYWCH/Zn-finger DNA-binding domain, called "FLYWCH1." Using a modified yeast-2-hybrid based Ras-Recruitment system, it is demonstrated that FLYWCH1 directly binds to unphosphorylated (nuclear) b-catenin efficiently suppressing the transcriptional activity of Wnt/ b-catenin signaling that cannot be rescued by TCF4. FLYWCH1 rearranges the transcriptional activity of b-catenin/TCF4 to selectively block the expression of specific downstream genes associated with colorectal cancer cell migration and morphology, including ZEB1, EPHA4, and E-cadherin. Accordingly, overexpression of FLYWCH1 reduces cell motility and increases cell attachment. The expression of FLYWCH1 negatively correlates with the expression level of ZEB1 and EPHA4 in normal versus primary and metastatic colorectal cancer tissues in patients. Thus, FLYWCH1 antagonizes b-catenin/TCF4 signaling during cell polarity/migration in colorectal cancer. Implications: This study uncovers a new molecular mechanism by which FLYWCH1 with a possible tumor suppressive role represses b-catenin-induced ZEB1 and increases cadherin-mediated cell attachment preventing colorectal cancer metastasis

Cten Is Targeted by Kras Signalling to Regulate Cell Motility in the Colon and Pancreas

CTEN/TNS4 is an oncogene in colorectal cancer (CRC) which enhances cell motility although the mechanism of Cten regulation is unknown. We found an association between high Cten expression and KRAS/BRAF mutation in a series of CRC cell lines (p = 0.03) and hypothesised that Kras may regulate Cten. To test this, Kras was knocked-down (using small interfering (si)RNA) in CRC cell lines SW620 and DLD1 (high Cten expressors and mutant for KRAS). In each cell line, Kras knockdown was mirrored by down-regulation of Cten Since Kras signals through Braf, we tested the effect of Kras knockdown in CRC cell line Colo205 (which shows high Cten expression and is mutant for BRAF but wild type for KRAS). Cten levels were unaffected by Kras knockdown whilst Braf knockdown resulted in reduced Cten expression suggesting that Kras signals via Braf to regulate Cten. Quantification of Cten mRNA and protein analysis following proteasome inhibition suggested that regulation was of Cten transcription. Kras knockdown inhibited cell motility. To test whether this could be mediated through Cten, SW620 cells were co-transfected with Kras specific siRNAs and a Cten expression vector. Restoring Cten expression was able to restore cell motility despite Kras knockdown (transwell migration and wounding assay, p<0.001 for both). Since KRAS is mutated in many cancers, we investigated whether this relationship could be demonstrated in other tumour models. The experiments were repeated in the pancreatic cancer cell lines Colo357 & PSN-1(both high Cten expressors and mutant for KRAS). In both cell lines, Kras was shown to regulate Cten and forced expression of Cten was able to rescue loss of cell motility following Kras knockdown in PSN-1 (transwell migration assay, p<0.001). We conclude that, in the colon and pancreas, Cten is a downstream target of Kras and may be a mechanism through which Kras regulates of cell motility

ATM Regulated PTEN Degradation Is XIAP E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Mediated in p85α Deficient Cancer Cells and Influence Platinum Sensitivity

Ataxia-telegiectasia mutated (ATM), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and p85α are key tumour suppressors. Whether ATM regulates PTEN expression and influence platinum sensitivity is unknown. We generated ATM knockdowns (KD) and CRISPR knock outs (KO) in glioblastoma (LN18, LN229) and ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR3, OVCAR4). Doxycycline inducible PTEN expression was generated in LN18 and LN229 cells. Transient KD of p85α, CK2, and XIAP was accomplished using siRNAs. Stable p85α knock-in was isolated in LN18 cells. Molecular biology assays included proteasome activity assays, PCR, flow cytometry analysis (cell cycle, double strand break accumulation, apoptosis), immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation, clonogenic, invasion, migration, and 3D neurosphere assays. The clinicopathological significance of ATM, PTEN, p85α, and XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein) was evaluated in 525 human ovarian cancers using immunohistochemistry. ATM regulated PTEN is p85α dependant. ATM also controls CK2α level which in turn phosphorylates and stabilizes PTEN. In addition, p85α physically interacts with CK2α and protects CK2α from ATM regulated degradation. ATM deficiency resulted in accumulation of XIAP/p-XIAP levels which ubiquitinated PTEN and CK2α thereby directing them to degradation. ATM depletion in the context of p85α deficiency impaired cancer cell migration and invasion reduced 3D-neurosphere formation and increased toxicity to cisplatin chemotherapy. Increased sensitivity to platinum was associated with DNA double strand breaks accumulation, cell cycle arrest, and induction of autophagy. In ovarian cancer patients, ATM, PTEN, p85α, and XIAP protein levels predicted better progression free survival after platinum therapy. We unravel a previously unknown function of ATM in the regulation of PTEN throμgh XIAP mediated proteasome degradation

Wnt signalling in adenomas of familial adenomatous polyposis patients

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonists and expression changes in genes associated with Wnt response pathways occur in early sporadic colorectal tumourigenesis, indicating that tumour cells are more sensitive to Wnt growth factors and respond differently. In this study, we have investigated whether similar changes occur in key markers of the Wnt response pathways in the genetic form of the disease, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). METHODS: We investigated epigenetic and expression changes using pyrosequencing and real-time RT-PCR in samples from seven patients without neoplasia, and matched normal and tumour tissues from 22 sporadic adenoma and 14 FAP patients. RESULTS: We found that 17 out of 24 (71%) FAP adenomas were hypermethylated at sFRP1, compared with 20 out of 22 (91%) of sporadic cases. This was reflected at the level of sFRP1 transcription, where 73% of FAP and 100% of sporadic cases were downregulated. Increased expression levels of c-myc and FZD3 were less common in FAP (35 and 46% respectively) than sporadic tumours (78 and 67% respectively). CONCLUSION: Overall, the changes in expression and methylation were comparable, although the degree of change was generally lower in the FAP adenomas. Molecular heterogeneity between multiple adenomas from individual FAP patients may reflect different developmental fates for these premalignant tumours

The distribution of reproductive risk factors disclosed the heterogeneity of receptor-defined breast cancer subtypes among Tanzanian women

BACKGROUND: Recent epidemiological studies suggest that reproductive factors are associated with breast cancer (BC) molecular subtypes. However, these associations have not been thoroughly studied in the African populations. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of BC molecular subtypes and assess their association with reproductive factors in Tanzanian BC patients. METHODS: This hospital-based case-only cross-sectional study consisted of 263 histologically confirmed BC patients in Tanzania. Clinico-pathological data, socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and reproductive risk factors were examined using the Chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. The association among reproductive factors and BC molecular subtypes was analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. The heterogeneity of the associations was assessed using the Wald test. RESULTS: We found evident subtype heterogeneity for reproductive factors. We observed that post-menopausal status was more prevalent in luminal-A subtype, while compared to luminal-A subtype, luminal-B and HER-2 enriched subtypes were less likely to be found in post-menopausal women (OR: 0.21, 95%CI 0.10–0.41, p = 0.001; OR: 0.39, 95%CI 0.17–0.89, p = 0.026, respectively). Also, the luminal-B subtype was more likely to be diagnosed in patients aged ≤ 40 years than the luminal-A subtype (OR: 2.80, 95%CI 1.46–5.32, p = 0.002). Women who had their first full-term pregnancy at < 30 years were more likely to be of luminal-B (OR: 2.71, 95%CI 1.18–4.17, p = 0.018), and triple-negative (OR: 2.28, 95%CI 1.02–4.07, p = 0.044) subtypes relative to luminal-A subtype. Furthermore, we observed that breastfeeding might have reduced odds of developing luminal-A, luminal-B and triple-negative subtypes. Women who never breastfed were more likely to be diagnosed with luminal-B and triple-negative subtypes when compared to luminal-A subtype (OR: 0.46, 95%CI 0.22–0.95, p = 0.035; OR: 0.41, 95%CI 0.20–0.85, p = 0.017, respectively). . CONCLUSION: Our results are the first data reporting reproductive factors heterogeneity among BC molecular subtypes in Tanzania. Our findings suggest that breast-feeding may reduce the likelihood of developing luminal-A, luminal-B, and triple-negative subtypes. Meanwhile, the first full-term pregnancy after 30 years of age could increase the chance of developing luminal-A subtype, a highly prevalent subtype in Tanzania. More interventions to promote modifiable risk factors across multiple levels may most successfully reduce BC incidence in Africa. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-021-01536-6

Allele-Specific Deletions in Mouse Tumors Identify Fbxw7 as Germline Modifier of Tumor Susceptibility

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in finding associations between specific genetic variants and cancer susceptibility in human populations. These studies have identified a range of highly statistically significant associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to development of a range of human tumors. However, the effect of each SNP in isolation is very small, and all of the SNPs combined only account for a relatively minor proportion of the total genetic risk (5–10%). There is therefore a major requirement for alternative routes to the discovery of genetic risk factors for cancer. We have previously shown using mouse models that chromosomal regions harboring susceptibility genes identified by linkage analysis frequently exhibit allele-specific genetic alterations in tumors. We demonstrate here that the Fbxw7 gene, a commonly mutated gene in a wide range of mouse and human cancers, shows allele-specific deletions in mouse lymphomas and skin tumors. Lymphomas from three different F1 hybrids show 100% allele-specificity in the patterns of allelic loss. Parental alleles from 129/Sv or Spretus/Gla mice are lost in tumors from F1 hybrids with C57BL/6 animals, due to the presence of a specific non-synonymous coding sequence polymorphism at the N-terminal portion of the gene. A specific genetic test of association between this SNP and lymphoma susceptibility in interspecific backcross mice showed a significant linkage (p = 0.001), but only in animals with a functional p53 gene. These data therefore identify Fbxw7 as a p53-dependent tumor susceptibility gene. Increased p53-dependent tumor susceptibility and allele-specific losses were also seen in a mouse skin model of skin tumor development. We propose that analysis of preferential allelic imbalances in tumors may provide an efficient means of uncovering genetic variants that affect mouse and human tumor susceptibility