Expanding the vision: a study of trainee teachers’ beliefs about using technology in the English language classroom

This study investigates the beliefs of a group of English language teacher trainees from Malaysia with regard to the use of technology for teaching and learning English. The Malaysian school system, like many schools systems, is strongly committed to the implementation and integration of technology across the curriculum in order to equip its next generation of citizens to compete globally in the technological age. Teacher trainees today, who have often grown up with technology and might be considered as digital natives (Prensky, 2001) or second generation users of technology, appear ideally placed to expedite this aim. In this study, three instruments are used for investigating teacher trainees’ beliefs: questionnaires, discussion boards and reflective writing. Findings suggest that whilst some traditional concerns relating to technology use remain, a number of additional concerns have arisen, such as the perceived need for a wide knowledge of technological tools and a feeling of pressure to keep up to date. The study also highlights several negative influences on participants’ perceptions of technology and its use in the classroom, such as the effect of their own classroom experiences as learners or ‘apprentice of observation’ (Lortie, 1975). Based on the findings, a framework for incorporating a more appropriate technology component into language teacher education programmes emerges which might help second generation users in developing appropriate skills for an ever-changing digital environment

Support for graphicacy: a review of textbooks available to accounting students

This Teaching Note reports on the support available in textbooks for graphicacy that will help students understand the complexities of graphical displays. Graphical displays play a significant role in financial reporting, and studies have found evidence of measurement distortion and selection bias. To understand the complexities of graphical displays, students need a sound understanding of graphicacy and support from the textbooks available to them to develop that understanding. The Teaching Note reports on a survey that examined the textbooks available to students attending two Scottish universities. The support of critical graphicacy skills was examined in conjunction with textbook characteristics. The survey, which was not restricted to textbooks designated as required reading, examined the textbooks for content on data measurement and graphical displays. The findings highlight a lack of support for graphicacy in the textbooks selected. The study concludes that accounting educators need to scrutinize more closely the selection of textbooks and calls for more extensive research into textbooks as a pedagogic tool

Prismatic decompositions and rational GG-spectra

We study the tensor-triangular geometry of the category of rational $G$-spectra for a compact Lie group $G$. In particular, we prove that this category can be naturally decomposed into local factors supported on individual subgroups, each of which admits an algebraic model. This is an important step and strong evidence towards the third author's conjecture that the category of rational $G$-spectra admits an algebraic model for all compact Lie groups. To facilitate these results, we relate topological properties of the associated Balmer spectrum to structural features of the group $G$ and the category of rational $G$-spectra. A key ingredient is our presentation of the spectrum as a Priestley space, separating the Hausdorff topology on conjugacy classes of closed subgroups of $G$ from the cotoral ordering. We use this to prove that the telescope conjecture holds in general for rational $G$-spectra, and we determine exactly when the Balmer spectrum is Noetherian. In order to construct the desired decomposition of the category, we develop a general theory of `prismatic decompositions' of rigidly-compactly generated tensor-triangulated categories, which in favourable cases gives a series of recollements for reconstructing the category from local factors over individual points of the spectrum.Comment: 61 pages; all comments welcome

Torsion models for tensor-triangulated categories: the one-step case

Given a suitable stable monoidal model category $\mathscr{C}$ and a specialization closed subset $V$ of its Balmer spectrum one can produce a Tate square for decomposing objects into the part supported over $V$ and the part supported over $V^c$ spliced with the Tate object. Using this one can show that $\mathscr{C}$ is Quillen equivalent to a model built from the data of local torsion objects, and the splicing data lies in a rather rich category. As an application, we promote the torsion model for the homotopy category of rational circle-equivariant spectra from [18] to a Quillen equivalence. In addition, a close analysis of the one step case highlights important features needed for general torsion models which we will return to in future work.Comment: 35 pages, minor changes in the introductio

Nurturing the young shoots of talent: Using action research for exploration and theory building

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19(4), 433-450, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1350293X.2011.623515.This paper reports the outcomes of a set of action research projects carried out by teacher researchers in 14 local education authorities in England, working collaboratively with university tutors, over a period of three years. The common aim of all the projects was to explore practical ways of nurturing the gifts and talents of children aged four–seven years. The project was funded by the Department of Education and Skills in England as part of the government's gifted and talented programme. The project teachers felt that their understanding of issues relating to nurturing the gifts and talents of younger children was enhanced through their engagement in the project. It was possible to map the findings of the projects to the English government's National Quality Standards for gifted and talented education which include: (1) identification; (2) effective provision in the classroom; (3) enabling curriculum entitlement and choice; (4) assessment for learning; (5) engaging with community, families and beyond. The findings are also analysed within the framework of good practice in educating children in the first years of schooling. Participating practitioners felt that action research offered them a suitable methodology to explore the complexity of the topic of giftedness through cycles of planning, action and reflection and personal theory building

The role of microRNAs in regulating inflammation and exercise-induced adaptations in rheumatoid arthritis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously generated single-stranded RNAs that play crucial roles in numerous biological processes, such as cell development, proliferation, differentiation, metabolism and apoptosis. They negatively regulate target gene expression by repressing translation of messenger RNA into a functional protein. Several miRNAs have been implicated in the development and progression of RA. They are involved in inflammatory and immune processes and are associated with susceptibility to RA and disease activity. They are also considered to be potential markers of disease activity or even therapeutic targets. Likewise, several miRNAs are affected acutely by exercise and regulate exercise-related adaptations in the skeletal muscle and cardiovascular system and aerobic fitness. Interestingly, some miRNAs affected by exercise are also important in the context of RA. Investigating these might increase our understanding of the effects of exercise in RA and improve exercise prescription and, potentially, disease management. In this review, we focus on the miRNAs that are associated with both RA and exercise and discuss their roles in (and potential interactions between) RA and exercise-induced adaptations

The role of microRNAs in regulating inflammation and exercise-induced adaptations in rheumatoid arthritis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously generated single-stranded RNAs that play crucial roles in numerous biological processes, such as cell development, proliferation, differentiation, metabolism and apoptosis. They negatively regulate target gene expression by repressing translation of messenger RNA into a functional protein. Several miRNAs have been implicated in the development and progression of RA. They are involved in inflammatory and immune processes and are associated with susceptibility to RA and disease activity. They are also considered to be potential markers of disease activity or even therapeutic targets. Likewise, several miRNAs are affected acutely by exercise and regulate exercise-related adaptations in the skeletal muscle and cardiovascular system and aerobic fitness. Interestingly, some miRNAs affected by exercise are also important in the context of RA. Investigating these might increase our understanding of the effects of exercise in RA and improve exercise prescription and, potentially, disease management. In this review, we focus on the miRNAs that are associated with both RA and exercise and discuss their roles in (and potential interactions between) RA and exercise-induced adaptations

Participation in physical activity decreased more in people with rheumatoid arthritis than the general population during the COVID-19 lockdown: a cross-sectional study

The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions have significantly reduced population-wide physical activity (PA) levels. However, the impact of the pandemic and relevant restrictions on PA participation, and any potential barriers to it, in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are not clear. Furthermore, we are unsure if any such PA changes have affected their body weight, mental wellbeing, and/or quality of life (QoL). Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of the lockdown on PA participation in people with RA, versus people without RA. Participants (n = 128; RA = 27, non-RA = 101) completed a self-administered online survey, which included questions on PA, body weight, mental wellbeing and QoL. PA participation during lockdown was significantly lower among RA versus non-RA participants (p < 0.001). Additionally, a similar profile of results was found where more RA participants vs non-RA participants reported reduced habitual PA (59% vs 33%) and increased body weight (59% vs 35%). Mental wellbeing scores were similarly low in both groups during lockdown (RA: 20.8 ± 4.2; non-RA: 22.2 ± 3.4, p = 0.080). Matched group comparisons identified similar trends to full sample analyses. In the first months of the lockdown, more people with RA reported decreased PA participation and increased body weight than their non-RA counterparts. Access to exercise equipment and facilities appears to be the main cause for these results. Looking beyond COVID-19, specific PA promotion for people with RA will be required to prevent a pandemic of inactivity

MicroRNA responses to acute resistance exercise protocols: a pilot study

INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that have an important role in regulating gene expression. Although circulating miRNAs are considered good markers of response to acute resistance training (RT) (1), change in expression according to the applied stimulus (e.g. high-intensity low-volume vs. low-intensity high-volume) has yet to be investigated. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the impact of RT protocols on circulating miRNA levels. We selected miRNA 29a, 128a, 486 as they have been previously shown to be implicated in skeletal muscle regeneration and structural adaptation (i.e. hypertrophy