Multidimensional Approaches to Examining Digital Literacies in the Contemporary Global Society

Literacy scholars have offered compelling theories about and methods for understanding the digital literacy practices of youth. However, little work has explored the possibility of an approach that would demonstrate how different perspectives on literacies might intersect and interconnect in order to better describe the multifaceted nature of youth digital literacies. In this conceptual article, we adopt the idea of theoretical triangulation in interpretive inquiry and explore how multiple perspectives can jointly contribute to constructing a nuanced description of young people’s literacies in today’s digitally mediated global world. For this purpose, we first suggest a triangulation framework that integrates sociocultural, affective, and cognitive perspectives on digital literacies, focusing on recent developments in these perspectives. We then use an example of discourse data from a globally connected online affinity space and demonstrate how our multidimensional framework can lead to a complex analysis and interpretation of the data. In particular, we describe the substance of one specific case of youth digital literacies from each of the three perspectives on literacy, which in turn converge to provide a complex account of such literacy practices. In conclusion, we discuss the promise and limitations of our integrative approach to studying the digital literacy practices of youth

Self-Efficacy and Quality of Classroom Interactions of EFL Teachers in Niger

This study explores the relationships between self-efficacy and observed quality of classroom interactions of EFL teachers in Niger and how they compare to their American counterparts. We collected and analyzed self-efficacy data from 609 EFL teachers using the Teachers’ Sense of Self-efficacy Scale (TSES). In addition, classroom interaction data were collected from 53 Nigerien EFL teachers using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). All the self-efficacy subscales were significantly correlated with the CLASS Instructional Support domain. When we compared the self-efficacy and classroom interactions scores of Nigerien teachers with those of American teachers, a significant difference was only identified in the classroom management scale of TSES. In terms of the CLASS score difference, Nigerien teachers showed significantly higher scores on the Negative Climate and Analysis and Problem-Solving subscales. These findings suggest both teachers’ self-efficacy and the classroom interaction quality may need to be assessed in different ways across the two cultures

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An evolutionary stage model of cyberspace: a case study of Samsung Economi

EFL teachers’ preparation and beliefs in Niger

Niger is a French-speaking country with a history of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in its middle and high schools. The teachers providing instruction in these programs have been trained in different ways including university-based programs, out of country programs, or no training at all. This study sought to examine the beliefs of Nigerien EFL teachers and analyze the relationship between their beliefs and their training. All EFL teachers in Niger were surveyed to understand their beliefs related to teaching. We found that training was related to teacher beliefs. As Niger determines how best to allocate its limited educational resources this study provides some indication of how training connects to teacher beliefs

Eliminating the undercut phenomenon in interference lithography for the fabrication of nano-imprint lithography stamp

We show an easy method to eliminate the undercut profile of photoresist by fabricating periodic nano-patterns on a substrate using interference lithography. An undercut phenomenon occurs frequently on the sidewall of photoresist patterns because of the 3-dimensional intensity distribution generated when two beams are merged to make an interferogram. This is mainly caused by the vertical interference between the incident beam and the one reflected from the surface of a substrate, and bottom-anti-reflection-coating (BARC) material is usually used to prevent beams from being reflected onto the substrate. We propose a simple post-process which helps researchers fabricate well-defined patterns without using BARC material. We developed this process to fabricate stamps for nano-imprint lithography at low cost, and show the results of our nano-imprint process which transfers patterns on a stamp directly through thermal resist. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Macrophage polarization and acceleration of atherosclerotic plaques in a swine model

<div><p>Aims</p><p>Atherosclerosis is a well-known cause of cardiovascular disease and is associated with a variety of inflammatory reactions. However, an adequate large-animal model of advanced plaques to investigate the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis is lacking. Therefore, we developed and assessed a swine model of advanced atherosclerotic plaques with macrophage polarization.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Mini-pigs were fed a 2% high-cholesterol diet for 7 weeks followed by withdrawal periods of 4 weeks. Endothelial denudation was performed using a balloon catheter on 32 coronary and femoral arteries of 8 mini-pigs. Inflammatory proteins (high-mobility group box 1 [HMGB1] or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were injected via a micro-infusion catheter into the vessel wall. All lesions were assessed with angiography and optical coherence tomography and all tissues were harvested for histological evaluation.</p><p>Results</p><p>Intima/plaque area was significantly higher in the HMGB1- and TNF-α-injected groups compared to the saline-injected group (p = 0.002). CD68 antibody detection and polarization of M1 macrophages significantly increased in the inflammatory protein-injected groups (p<0.001). In addition, advanced atherosclerotic plaques were observed more in the inflammatory protein-injected groups compared with the control upon histologic evaluation.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Direct injection of inflammatory proteins was associated with acceleration of atherosclerotic plaque formation with M1 macrophage polarization. Therefore, direct delivery of inflammatory proteins may induce a pro-inflammatory response, providing a possible strategy for development of an advanced atherosclerotic large-animal model in a relatively short time period.</p></div

Analysis of morphologic changes in arteries of mini-pigs with induced atherosclerosis.

<p>The α-SMA content of the arteries was detected by IHC staining of α-SMA; the collagen content of the plaques is represented by Sirius red staining visualized under polarized light. Representative images of plaques injected with either saline (n = 11), HMGB1 (n = 11), and TNF-α (n = 10) as indicated and stained with hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) (a-c [20× of A-C]), Masson’s trichrome (D-F), Masson’s pentachrome (G-I), α-SMA (J-L), and Sirius red (M-O) (100×). Black boxes in a, b, and c represent the areas further magnified in A-O corresponding to their respective columns. IHC area was calculated as (intima/plaque) × 100, %. Scale bars represent 100 μm. The intima-plaque ratio data are represented as the mean±SEM. *p<0.05, compared with the saline group.</p

IF analysis of macrophage infiltration in the arteries of mini-pigs with induced atherosclerosis.

<p>The macrophage content of the plaques was detected by immunofluorescence (IF) using CD68, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS; M1), and arginase-1 (Arg1; M2) antibodies. A) Representative images of M1/M2 macrophage immunofluorescence in the mini-pig artery of the saline, HMGB1, and TNF-α groups (n = 4 vessels/group) (amplification 400×). B) Measurement of the co-expression area of CD68-iNOS. C) Measurement of the co-expression area of CD68-Arg1. Relative area measurements were determined using a Zeiss LSM 700. Scale bars represent 100 μm. Data are represented as the mean±SEM. *p<0.05, compared with the saline group.</p