Engaging with Culture in Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Finland: A Teacher Perspective

This study focuses on English teachers’ engagement with culture in their teaching and in textbooks. Their views are compared to the Finnish national curricula, which contain numerous cultural aims for foreign language teaching and learning. Culture’s role within foreign language teaching has been extensively studied since it factors in the learners’ communicative and intercultural competences. However, Finnish foreign language teachers’ voice is still unheard in reflecting their subjective views of culture teaching and its connection to the cultural content in textbooks. The aim of this study is to explore English teachers’ conceptions of culture in various contexts. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews that were conducted on six English teachers in Finland. The data analysis was done following principles for qualitative data analysis. The results suggest that the teachers’ conception of culture is broad, and they highlight the importance of intercultural competence in their teaching. Textbooks are a significant resource for culture teaching, which is why teachers often rely on them despite often finding stereotyping representations of cultures in them. The teachers expressed being unfamiliar with the cultural aims for foreign language education in the national curricula, but their personal aims corresponded positively with what the national curricula state. The results of this study underline the importance of cultural awareness being a part of lifelong learning, as teachers need to be constantly retrained to be able to offer culturally responsible education for the students to improve their intercultural competence. Teachers’ views related to culture in foreign language teaching need to be further studied in a wider perspective to improve the foothold culture has in foreign language education

Vinyl chloride: still a cause for concern.

Vinyl chloride (VC) is both a known carcinogen and a regulated chemical, and its production capacity has almost doubled over the last 20 years, currently 27 million tons/year worldwide. According to recent reports it is still a cause for concern. VC has been found as a degradation product of chloroethylene solvents (perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene) and in landfill gas and groundwater at concentrations up to 200 mg/m(3) and 10 mg/L, respectively. Worldwide occupational exposure to VC still seems to be high in some countries (e.g., averages of approximately 1,300 mg/m(3) until 1987 in one factory), and exposure may also be high in others where VC is not regulated. By combining the most relevant epidemiologic studies from several countries, we observed a 5-fold excess of liver cancer, primarily because of a 45-fold excess risk from angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL). The number of ASL cases reported up to the end of 1998 was 197 worldwide. The average latency for ASL is 22 years. Some studies show a small excess risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, and others suggest a possible risk of brain tumors among highly exposed workers. Lung cancer, lymphomas, or leukemia do not seem to be related to VC exposure according to recent results. The mutation spectra observed in rat and human liver tumors (ASL and/or hepatocellular carcinoma) that are associated with exposure to VC are clearly distinct from those observed in sporadic liver tumors or hepatic tumors that are associated with other exposures. In rats, the substitution mutations found at A:T base pairs in the ras and p53 genes are consistent with the promutagenic properties of the DNA adduct 1,N(6)-ethenoadenine formed from VC metabolites. Risk assessments derived from animal studies seem to overestimate the actual risk of cancer when comparing estimated and reported cases of ASL

Bayesian Parameter Estimation Applied to the Li-ion Battery Single Particle Model with Electrolyte Dynamics

This paper presents a Bayesian parameter estimation approach and identifiability analysis for a lithium-ion battery model, to determine the uniqueness, evaluate the sensitivity and quantify the uncertainty of a subset of the model parameters. The analysis was based on the single particle model with electrolyte dynamics, rigorously derived from the Doyle-Fuller-Newman model using asymptotic analysis including electrode-average terms. The Bayesian approach allows complex target distributions to be estimated, which enables a global analysis of the parameter space. The analysis focuses on the identification problem (i) locally, under a set of discrete quasi-steady states of charge, and in comparison (ii) globally with a continuous excursion of state of charge. The performance of the methodology was evaluated using synthetic data from multiple numerical simulations under diverse types of current excitation. We show that various diffusivities as well as the transference number may be estimated with small variances in the global case, but with much larger uncertainty in the local estimation case. This also has significant implications for estimation where parameters might vary as a function of state of charge or other latent variables

Workgroup Report: Biomonitoring Study Design, Interpretation, and Communication—Lessons Learned and Path Forward

Human biomonitoring investigations have provided data on a wide array of chemicals in blood and urine and in other tissues and fluids such as hair and human milk. These data have prompted questions such as a) What is the relationship between levels of environmental chemicals in humans and external exposures? b) What is the baseline or “background” level against which individual levels should be compared? and c) How can internal levels be used to draw conclusions about individual and/or population health? An interdisciplinary panel was convened for a 1-day workshop in November 2004 with the charge of focusing on three specific aspects of biomonitoring: characteristics of scientifically robust biomonitoring studies, interpretation of human biomonitoring data for potential risks to human health, and communication of results, uncertainties, and limitations of biomonitoring studies. In this report we describe the recommendations of the panel

of Environmental Health Sciences

ABSTRACT: The stereoselectivity of cytosolic glutathione S-transferases (GS-T) in rat tissues was determined using (±)-benzo(a)pyrene 4,5-oxid

Design, synthesis, and biological activity of isophthalic acid derivatives targeted to the C1 domain of protein kinase C

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a widely studied molecular target for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. We have approached the issue of modifying PKC function by targeting the C1 domain in the regulatory region of the enzyme. Using the X-ray crystal structure of the PKC delta C1b domain, we have discovered conveniently synthesizable derivatives of dialkyl 5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalate that can act as potential C1 domain ligands. Structure-activity studies confirmed that the important functional groups predicted by modeling were indispensable for binding to the C1 domain and that the modifications of these groups diminished binding. The most promising compounds were able to displace radiolabeled phorbol ester ([H-3]PDBu) from PKC alpha and delta at K-i values in the range of 200-900 nM. Furthermore, the active isophthalate derivatives could modify PKC activation in living cells either by inducing PKC-dependent ERK phosphorylation or by inhibiting phorbol-induced ERK phosphorylation. In conclusion, we report here, for the first time. that derivatives of isophthalic acid represent an attractive novel group of C1 domain ligands that can be used as research tools or further modified for potential drug development.Protein kinase C (PKC) is a widely studied molecular target for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. We have approached the issue of modifying PKC function by targeting the C1 domain in the regulatory region of the enzyme. Using the X-ray crystal structure of the PKC delta C1b domain, we have discovered conveniently synthesizable derivatives of dialkyl 5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalate that can act as potential C1 domain ligands. Structure-activity studies confirmed that the important functional groups predicted by modeling were indispensable for binding to the C1 domain and that the modifications of these groups diminished binding. The most promising compounds were able to displace radiolabeled phorbol ester ([H-3]PDBu) from PKC alpha and delta at K-i values in the range of 200-900 nM. Furthermore, the active isophthalate derivatives could modify PKC activation in living cells either by inducing PKC-dependent ERK phosphorylation or by inhibiting phorbol-induced ERK phosphorylation. In conclusion, we report here, for the first time. that derivatives of isophthalic acid represent an attractive novel group of C1 domain ligands that can be used as research tools or further modified for potential drug development.Protein kinase C (PKC) is a widely studied molecular target for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. We have approached the issue of modifying PKC function by targeting the C1 domain in the regulatory region of the enzyme. Using the X-ray crystal structure of the PKC delta C1b domain, we have discovered conveniently synthesizable derivatives of dialkyl 5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalate that can act as potential C1 domain ligands. Structure-activity studies confirmed that the important functional groups predicted by modeling were indispensable for binding to the C1 domain and that the modifications of these groups diminished binding. The most promising compounds were able to displace radiolabeled phorbol ester ([H-3]PDBu) from PKC alpha and delta at K-i values in the range of 200-900 nM. Furthermore, the active isophthalate derivatives could modify PKC activation in living cells either by inducing PKC-dependent ERK phosphorylation or by inhibiting phorbol-induced ERK phosphorylation. In conclusion, we report here, for the first time. that derivatives of isophthalic acid represent an attractive novel group of C1 domain ligands that can be used as research tools or further modified for potential drug development.Peer reviewe

Exposure to Bisphenol A and Phthalates during Pregnancy and Ultrasound Measures of Fetal Growth in the INMA-Sabadell Cohort

Background: Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates may affect fetal growth; however, previous findings are inconsistent and based on few studies. Objectives: We assessed whether prenatal exposure to BPA and phthalates was associated with fetal growth in a Spanish birth cohort of 488 mother–child pairs. Methods: We measured BPA and eight phthalates [four di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (DEHPm), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), and three low-molecular-weight phthalate metabolites (LMWPm)] in two spot-urine samples collected during the first and third trimester of pregnancy. We estimated growth curves for femur length (FL), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), biparietal diameter (BPD), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) during pregnancy (weeks 12–20 and 20–34), and for birth weight, birth length, head circumference at birth, and placental weight. Results: Overall, results did not support associations of exposure to BPA or DEHPm during pregnancy with fetal growth parameters. Prenatal MBzP exposure was positively associated with FL at 20–34 weeks, resulting in an increase of 3.70% of the average FL (95% CI: 0.75, 6.63%) per doubling of MBzP concentration. MBzP was positively associated with birth weight among boys (48 g; 95% CI: 6, 90) but not in girls (–27 g; 95% CI: –79, 25) (interaction p-value = 0.04). The LMWPm mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) was negatively associated with HC at 12–20 pregnancy weeks [–4.88% of HC average (95% CI: –8.36, –1.36%)]. Conclusions: This study, one of the first to combine repeat exposure biomarker measurements and multiple growth measures during pregnancy, finds little evidence of associations of BPA or phthalate exposures with fetal growth. Phthalate metabolites MBzP and MnBP were associated with some fetal growth parameters, but these findings require replication

New Structural Variants of Aeruginosin Produced by the Toxic Bloom Forming Cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena

Peer reviewe