Ecology, cultural awareness, anti-racism and critical thinking: integrating multiple perspectives in foreign language teaching

This paper aims at presenting a critical approach to teaching ecological, postcolonial and ethnic minority topics in the (foreign language) classroom, describing the need to interrelate these three issues in both research and teaching. It illustrates how Western utilitarian perspectives on both humans and nature must be counterbalanced with alternative stances, such as those provided by indigenous views of reciprocity. With regard to teaching scenarios, it suggests the use of multi-text selections in line with the principle of presenting multiple perspectives on global issues. It suggests that two seemingly contradictory teaching/learning objectives can be combined: bolstering up students’ empathetic skills in understanding ecological and interculturally relevant issues on the one hand and becoming critically aware of textual strategies employed to manipulate readers. We use the hitherto less frequently observed example of the demands of the Chilean indigenous minority of the Mapuche to illustrate how different positions published in the English language on the Internet can be used in the foreign language classroom to discuss the issues at stake here: the inextricable interrelatedness of ecological exploitation of natural resources with processes of sociocultural and economic marginalisation and oppression of ethnic minority groups and their worldviews across the globe.Este artículo busca presentar un acercamiento crítico al tratamiento de la ecología, el postcolonialismo, y las minorías étnicas en las clases de lenguas extranjeras, describiendo la necesidad de establecer una relación entre estas tres temáticas en la investigación y la docencia. Se muestra cómo las perspectivas utilitaristas occidentales sobre el ser humano y la naturaleza deben de contrarrestarse con imaginarios alternativos, como, por ejemplo, aquellos basados en perspectivas indígenas en torno a la reciprocidad. Respecto a los escenarios de enseñanza, se propone el uso de selecciones de textos múltiples, siguiendo el principio de la presentación de diversidad de perspectivas sobre temáticas globales. Así, dos objetivos de aprendizaje aparentemente contradictorios pueden ser combinados: fomentar, por un lado, las habilidades empáticas de los alumnos para comprender las problemáticas ecológicas e interculturales de mayor relevancia en la actualidad, mientras, por el otro lado, inspirar una conciencia crítica en torno a las estrategias textuales empleadas para manipular a los lectores. Nos apoyamos, así pues, en el ejemplo de las demandas de las comunidades Mapuche en Chile para demostrar cómo diferentes posiciones publicadas en internet, en inglés, pueden utilizarse en las aulas de lengua extranjera para discutir sus implicaciones. Estas son la relación intrínseca entre la explotación de recursos naturales con los procesos de marginalización sociocultural y económica, la opresión de grupos minoritarios y las cosmovisiones de los mismos desde perspectivas procedentes de varias partes del mundo

Comparison of X-ray dose-response curves obtained by chromosome painting using conventional and PAINT nomenclatures

Altres ajuts: Consejo Español de Seguridad Nuclear (exp. 246/96)Purpose: The compare the suitability of PAINT and conventional nomenclature systems for the construction of chromosome aberration dose- effect curves for X-rays using FISH techniques, and to compare these curves with those based on solid-stained dicentrics analysed in first division metaphases by the FPG technique. Materials and methods: Blood samples were irradiated at 0.1, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Gy 180 kV X-rays. FISH painting was performed using probes for chromosomes 1, 4 and 11 in combination with a pan-centromeric probe. Results: Translocations showed a higher background frequency than dicentrics. This influences the ratio of translocations:dicentrics at the lower doses and the uncertainties of dose- effect curves for translocations. The dose-effect curves for dicentrics obtained by FISH and solid stain were in close agreement. Conclusion: For short-term biological dosimetry purposes by FISH, the use of dic(BA) (PAINT nomenclature) or total dicentrics (conventional nomenclature) should give similar dose estimates. For dose reconstruction, the use of total or complete translocations result in similar uncertainties

Multimodal take-home exams in online teaching and beyond: constructive and professional alignment in teacher education

The authors propose an alternative to in-class exams (ICEs) based on the higher-order levels of Bloom’s taxonomy as well as both constructive and professional alignment. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructors were faced with restructuring both their teaching and assessment. The paper argues that take-home exams (THEs) tailored to the necessities of individual courses are advantageous to an online learning environment in comparison to an ICE and the pitfalls that accompany it, such as online proctoring, lower-level assessment, and the relative lack of constructive/professional alignment. In addition, THEs provide instructors with the possibility to utilize a variety of multimodal material that authentically reflect learner-centered assessment. The authors will continue to implement THEs post-pandemically as they allow for incorporating activities and strategies that are useful to students in their teaching careers

Chromosomal Rearrangements in Post-Chernobyl Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas: Evaluation by Spectral Karyotyping and Automated Interphase FISH

Structural genomic rearrangements are frequent findings in human cancers. Therefore, papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) were investigated for chromosomal aberrations and rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene. For this purpose, primary cultures from 23 PTC have been established and metaphase preparations were analysed by spectral karyotyping (SKY). In addition, interphase cell preparations of the same cases were investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) for the presence of RET/PTC rearrangements using RET-specific DNA probes. SKY analysis of PTC revealed structural aberrations of chromosome 11 and several numerical aberrations with frequent loss of chromosomes 20, 21, and 22. FISH analysis for RET/PTC rearrangements showed prevalence of this rearrangement in 72% (16 out of 22) of cases. However, only subpopulations of tumour cells exhibited this rearrangement indicating genetic heterogeneity. The comparison of visual and automated scoring of FISH signals revealed concordant results in 19 out of 22 cases (87%) indicating reliable scoring results using the optimised scoring parameter for RET/PTC with the automated Metafer4 system. It can be concluded from this study that genomic rearrangements are frequent in PTC and therefore important events in thyroid carcinogenesis

G6b-B Inhibits Constitutive and Agonist-induced Signaling by Glycoprotein VI and CLEC-2

Platelets play an essential role in wound healing by forming thrombi that plug holes in the walls of damaged blood vessels. To achieve this, platelets express a diverse array of cell surface receptors and signaling proteins that induce rapid platelet activation. In this study we show that two platelet glycoprotein receptors that signal via an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) or an ITAM-like domain, namely the collagen receptor complex glycoprotein VI (GPVI)-FcR γ-chain and the C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2), respectively, support constitutive (i.e. agonist-independent) signaling in a cell line model using a nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) transcriptional reporter assay that can detect low level activation of phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ). Constitutive and agonist signaling by both receptors is dependent on Src and Syk family kinases, and is inhibited by G6b-B, a platelet immunoglobulin receptor that has two immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs in its cytosolic tail. Mutation of the conserved tyrosines in the two immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs prevents the inhibitory action of G6b-B. Interestingly, the inhibitory activity of G6b-B is independent of the Src homology 2 (SH2)-domain containing tyrosine phosphatases, SHP1 and SHP2, and the inositol 5′-phosphatase, SHIP. Constitutive signaling via Src and Syk tyrosine kinases is observed in platelets and is associated with tyrosine phosphorylation of GPVI-FcR γ-chain and CLEC-2. We speculate that inhibition of constitutive signaling through Src and Syk tyrosine kinases by G6b-B may help to prevent unwanted platelet activation

Comparison of established and emerging biodosimetry assays

Rapid biodosimetry tools are required to assist with triage in the case of a large-scale radiation incident. Here, we aimed to determine the dose-assessment accuracy of the well-established dicentric chromosome assay (DCA) and cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay (CBMN) in comparison to the emerging γ-H2AX foci and gene expression assays for triage mode biodosimetry and radiation injury assessment. Coded blood samples exposed to 10 X-ray doses (240 kVp, 1 Gy/min) of up to 6.4 Gy were sent to participants for dose estimation. Report times were documented for each laboratory and assay. The mean absolute difference (MAD) of estimated doses relative to the true doses was calculated. We also merged doses into binary dose categories of clinical relevance and examined accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the assays. Dose estimates were reported by the first laboratories within 0.3-0.4 days of receipt of samples for the γ-H2AX and gene expression assays compared to 2.4 and 4 days for the DCA and CBMN assays, respectively. Irrespective of the assay we found a 2.5-4-fold variation of interlaboratory accuracy per assay and lowest MAD values for the DCA assay (0.16 Gy) followed by CBMN (0.34 Gy), gene expression (0.34 Gy) and γ-H2AX (0.45 Gy) foci assay. Binary categories of dose estimates could be discriminated with equal efficiency for all assays, but at doses ≥1.5 Gy a 10% decrease in efficiency was observed for the foci assay, which was still comparable to the CBMN assay. In conclusion, the DCA has been confirmed as the gold standard biodosimetry method, but in situations where speed and throughput are more important than ultimate accuracy, the emerging rapid molecular assays have the potential to become useful triage tools

Dasatinib inhibits CXCR4 signaling in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells and impairs migration towards CXCL12

Chemokines and their ligands play a critical role in enabling chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells access to protective microenvironmental niches within tissues, ultimately resulting in chemoresistance and relapse: disruption of these signaling pathways has become a novel therapeutic approach in CLL. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib inhibits migration of several cell lines from solid-organ tumours, but effects on CLL cells have not been reported. We studied the effect of clinically achievable concentrations of dasatinib on signaling induced by the chemokine CXCL12 through its' receptor CXCR4, which is highly expressed on CLL cells. Dasatinib pre-treatment inhibited Akt and ERK phosphorylation in CLL cells upon stimulation with CXCL12. Dasatinib also significantly diminished the rapid increase in actin polymerisation observed in CLL cells following CXCL12 stimulation. Moreover, the drug significantly inhibited chemotaxis in a transwell assay, and reduced the percentage of cells able to migrate beneath a CXCL12-expressing murine stromal cell line. Dasatinib also abrogated the anti-apoptotic effect of prolonged CXCL12 stimulation on cultured CLL cells. These data suggest that dasatinib, akin to other small molecule kinase inhibitors targeting the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, may redistribute CLL cells from protective tissue niches to the peripheral blood, and support the investigation of dasatinib in combination strategies