When Arabic is the "Target Language". Title VI, National Security, and Arabic Language Programs, 1958-1991

This article presents key findings from an interpretive policy analysis of the role that national security ideologies have played in the implementation of federal language education policies in the United States. To better understand this relationship, the study focuses on the case of Arabic language programs supported by Title VI between 1958 and 1991. Specifically, the author argues that assessing how policy relevant actors have enacted past language education policies explicitly linked to national security contributes to meeting two goals: 1) better understanding contemporary language education policies forged in the name of national security; and 2) helping clarify current debates about the most effective basis on which to advocate for language education, indeed for a more multilingual and just society. (DIPF/Orig.)Der Autor setzt sich in seinem Artikel an Ereignissen der jüngeren amerikanischen Geschichte an: am offensiven Rekurs auf Interessen nationaler Sicherheit in aktuellen bildungspolitischen Debatten über den schulischen Fremdsprachenunterricht im Kontext des zweiten Irakkrieges. Der Artikel präsentiert Ergebnisse einer interpretativen Policy-Studie, die der Frage nachgeht, welche Rolle nationale Sicherheitsideologien für sprachliche Bildungsprogramme in den USA spielen. Der Fokus liegt auf Programmen zum Erwerb der arabischen Sprache, die im Rahmen des sogenannten "Title VI"-Programms zwischen 1958 und 1991 umgesetzt wurden. Damit sucht der Autor zu einem genaueren Verständnis aktueller Verbindungen von Sprachbildungspolitik mit nationalen Sicherheitsinteressen wie der Kontroverse über die effektive Gestaltung von Spracherziehung - auch unter Zielen einer mehrsprachigen und gerechten Gesellschaft - beizutragen. (DIPF/Orig.

Garden and landscape-scale correlates of moths of differing conservation status: significant effects of urbanization and habitat diversity

Moths are abundant and ubiquitous in vegetated terrestrial environments and are pollinators, important herbivores of wild plants, and food for birds, bats and rodents. In recent years, many once abundant and widespread species have shown sharp declines that have been cited by some as indicative of a widespread insect biodiversity crisis. Likely causes of these declines include agricultural intensification, light pollution, climate change, and urbanization; however, the real underlying cause(s) is still open to conjecture. We used data collected from the citizen science Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) to explore the spatial association between the abundance of 195 widespread British species of moth, and garden habitat and landscape features, to see if spatial habitat and landscape associations varied for species of differing conservation status. We found that associations with habitat and landscape composition were species-specific, but that there were consistent trends in species richness and total moth abundance. Gardens with more diverse and extensive microhabitats were associated with higher species richness and moth abundance; gardens near to the coast were associated with higher richness and moth abundance; and gardens in more urbanized locations were associated with lower species richness and moth abundance. The same trends were also found for species classified as increasing, declining and vulnerable under IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria

Guidance framework for testing of genetically modified mosquitoes

Reproduced in accordance with the publishers guidelines "The use of content from this health information product for all non-commercial education, training and information purposes is encouraged".Commissioned by TDR and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), this framework was drafted by four different working groups (efficacy; safety; ethical, legal and social; and regulation), each of which received comments about their draft from experts in the field and the public. Genetically modified mosquitoes (GMM) engineered to be incapable of transmitting certain pathogens or able to reduce populations of similar native mosquito vectors have emerged as a promising new tool to combat vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue in the more than 100 countries where they’re endemic. The guidance framework aims to foster quality and consistency among processes for testing and regulating new genetic technologies by proposing standards of efficacy and safety testing comparable to those used for trials of other new public health tools. The framework does not represent the views of the World Health Organization (WHO) or FNIH or provide recommendations on what to do. Rather, it is a document that brings together what is known, based on current research evidence, about how best to evaluate GMM

Defining the causes of sporadic Parkinson's disease in the global Parkinson's genetics program (GP2)

The Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) will genotype over 150,000 participants from around the world, and integrate genetic and clinical data for use in large-scale analyses to dramatically expand our understanding of the genetic architecture of PD. This report details the workflow for cohort integration into the complex arm of GP2, and together with our outline of the monogenic hub in a companion paper, provides a generalizable blueprint for establishing large scale collaborative research consortia

Examining Teacher Candidates’ Pedagogical Practices and Stances Towards Translanguaging and Multimodality in Writing

This study examines pre-service teacher candidates’ (TCs) stances and use of translanguaging and multimodality to support K-12 multilingual learners’ writing. Data were drawn from a course on supporting multilingual learners in a teacher education program in Ontario. Data sources were responses to the Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Language- Inclusive Teaching (PeCK–LIT) Test, and TCs’ unit plans and lesson plans. Analytical codes were derived from the literature on translanguaging: monolingual and translanguaging stance, translanguaging as a scaffold and resource, teacher-directed and student-directed, intentional and spontaneous translanguaging, and supporting monomodality and multimodality. Findings demonstrate the use of translanguaging strategies such as multilingual word walls and online translation tools. However, there were constraints to TCs’ stances, such as allowing translanguaging as a temporary scaffold towards English-only instruction and approaching writing as a discrete rather than multimodal skill. The paper recommends ways TCs can be supported in developing a holistic understanding of translanguaging and multimodality.Cette étude explore les postures des personnes enseignantes en formation initiale et leur utilisation du translanguaging et de la multimodalité pour soutenir l'écriture des apprenants multilingues de la maternelle à la 12e année. Les données, recueillies dans le cadre d'un cours portant sur les apprenants multilingues dans un programme de formation des enseignants en Ontario, proviennent de réponses au test Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Language-Inclusive Teaching (PeCK-LIT) et des plans de cours de ces personnes enseignantes en formation initiale. Les codes analytiques qui ont guidé l’analyses sont : posture monolingue et translanguaging, translanguaging comme soutien et ressource, translanguaging dirigé par l'enseignant et par l'élève, translanguaging intentionnel et spontané, et soutien à la mono- et à la multimodalité. Les résultats indiquent le recours à des stratégies de translanguaging. Cependant, ces stratégies sont parfois misent en oeuvre de façon restrictive, notamment, permettre le translanguaging comme soutien temporaire vers un enseignement exclusivement en anglais ou encore aborder la didactique de l'écriture comme une compétence isolée plutôt que multimodale. Les auteurs proposent des moyens afin de soutenir les personnes enseignantes en formation à développer une compréhension holistique du translanguaging et de la multimodalité

Topographic maps and electrostatics: How what we don’t teach affects what we teach

Electrostatics is often the first truly abstract topic that students encounter in first year physics. The building blocks of the theory, the electrostatic potential and the electric field, are not tangible, require visualizing in three dimensions, and involve a deep calculus relationship between vectors (the electric field) and scalars (the electric potential). Topographic maps (specifically the contours) are a natural analogy for electrostatics. They remove a layer of abstraction by involving tangible things like mountains and valleys, but still require 3D visualization and the deep mathematical relationship between elevation and slope. However, the analogy suffers two things 1) not many students have prior experience with using topographic maps for navigation anymore and 2) it has become apparent that even for those who need to use topographic maps (geologists), they are hard to interpret. The full scope of our study focuses on 3 research questions: Does prior knowledge of topographic maps lead to a better understanding of electrostatics after one semester of instruction? Can we measure far transfer in the spatial reasoning skills required for reading topographic maps and doing electrostatics. Can we use what we know from spatial reasoning research on topographic maps to inform us how to teach electrostatics better? We will present pre/post data (N = 65) of a survey given to a first-year physics class at University of XXX. The survey contains relevant subsets of the Map Experience Survey (MEP), Topographic Map Assessment (TMA), Comparative Measures in Electromagnetism Survey (CMES), and the Mental Rotations Test (MRT)

Mean number of eggs per female after exposure of first instar nymphs and adults of <i>Nilaparvata lugens</i> at their ULT₅₀.

<p>N = 20 pairs for each mating combination. Mean values with the same letter are not significantly different at p<0.05 level.</p

Range of development times for adults of <i>Nilaparvata lugens</i> after exposure as first instar nymphs at the ULT₅₀.

<p>N = 50 for control and treated groups (gender ratio as in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0047413#pone-0047413-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a>).</p

Range of egg development times after exposure of first instar nymphs and adults of <i>Nilaparvata</i> lugens at their ULT₅₀.

<p>N = 20 pairs for each mating combination.</p

Habitat moisture availability and the local distribution of the Antarctic Collembola Cryptopygus antarcticus and Friesea grisea

Population densities of the Collembola Cryptopygus antarcticus and Friesea grisea were compared in two maritime Antarctic habitats with different moisture availability. C. antarcticus was absent from the drier rock platform habitat, where F. grisea was the only collembolan collected. In contrast, the sand/pebble habitat on East Beach had greater moisture availability, and C antarcticus dominated the arthropod community, with juveniles (individuals < 1 mm length) representing 58% of the population. The hygropreference characteristics of F. grisea were determined in relative humidity (RH) gradients (12-98% RH) at 10 and 20 degreesC. F. grisea demonstrated a stronger preference for 98% RH conditions than C. antarcticus, suggesting that the former species is less likely to vacate moist refuges when available. The movement of both species was also monitored at 10 and 15 degreesC under conditions of 33, 75 and 100% RH. C. antarcticus was more active than F. grisea at both temperatures, and its movement increased at a greater rate as a consequence of reduced RH. The limited desiccation tolerance of C. antarcticus, combined with the increased water loss that would result from its continued movement under declining RH conditions, suggests this species is not well suited to drought-prone environments. In contrast, the reduced movement and 'risk averse' behavioural strategy of F. grisea, i.e. taking advantage of moist refuges when available, facilitates water conservation between precipitation/habitat rehydration events. This study provides the first evidence that moisture availability and habitat structure are potential habitat segregation mechanisms between these two Antarctic Collembola