English Language Hegemonies in the Internationalization of Two State Universities in Brazil: Unintended Consequences of English Medium Instruction

A larger qualitative study, which we draw upon here, investigated the perceptions of academics and students, in two state funded universities, regarding internationalization and the use of English as a medium of instruction (EMI). In this article, we focus on their concerns about EMI policy, drawing on interviews and focus groups. The range of concerns that were identified during this study were: the negative impact on content learning, language hierarchization, the emotional impact (confidence in using English), low student enrolment, exclusion, (re) production of inequality, impact on identity and collegiality. Taking account of these findings, we argue that it is important for language policymakers in both institutions to consider the concerns of academics and students as part of their planning process, and to address them responsibly

Perceived affordances of a collaborative virtual teacher education course on CLIL and technologies during remote teaching

The objective of this paper is both to describe the course syllabus and the activities implemented in a course on CLIL and technologies for pre-service and in-service teachers from three public universities in Paraná, and also examine the perceived affordances of the initiative. The theoretical framework of affordances guided the analysis and results indicate that the interactions provided by the online course allowed teachers to learn about CLIL, have opportunities to practice their language skills, articulate the use of technological resources and also reflect about pedagogical issues specific to the English language. For the professors in charge of the initiative, it allowed them to collaborate through the course planning as well as through researching/learning together in an international online experience. The affordances for our institutions include the incorporation of new perspectives into their curriculum as well as the development of internationalization at home practices. The proposal also allowed some room for identifying some limitations such as lack of time, no interactions among peers from different regions; no involvement with proposed ethnographic case study activities, aspects which impaired community building

The fully connected N-dimensional skeleton: probing the evolution of the cosmic web

A method to compute the full hierarchy of the critical subsets of a density field is presented. It is based on a watershed technique and uses a probability propagation scheme to improve the quality of the segmentation by circumventing the discreteness of the sampling. It can be applied within spaces of arbitrary dimensions and geometry. This recursive segmentation of space yields, for a $d$-dimensional space, a $d-1$ succession of $n$-dimensional subspaces that fully characterize the topology of the density field. The final 1D manifold of the hierarchy is the fully connected network of the primary critical lines of the field : the skeleton. It corresponds to the subset of lines linking maxima to saddle points, and provides a definition of the filaments that compose the cosmic web as a precise physical object, which makes it possible to compute any of its properties such as its length, curvature, connectivity etc... When the skeleton extraction is applied to initial conditions of cosmological N-body simulations and their present day non linear counterparts, it is shown that the time evolution of the cosmic web, as traced by the skeleton, is well accounted for by the Zel'dovich approximation. Comparing this skeleton to the initial skeleton undergoing the Zel'dovich mapping shows that two effects are competing during the formation of the cosmic web: a general dilation of the larger filaments that is captured by a simple deformation of the skeleton of the initial conditions on the one hand, and the shrinking, fusion and disappearance of the more numerous smaller filaments on the other hand. Other applications of the N dimensional skeleton and its peak patch hierarchy are discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Binding of [125I]Iodocyanopindolol by Rat Harderian Gland Crude Membranes: Kinetic Characteristics and Day-Night Variations

The Harderian glands are innervated by sympathetic fibers originating in the superior cervical ganglia. The aim of this study is to characterize the /3-adrenergic receptors in the rat Harderian gland. The characteristics of/3-adrenergic receptors were determined in crude membrane preparations from rat 125 125 Harderian gland, using [ I]iodocyanopindolol ([ I]CYP) as radioligand. The binding of the ligand to the receptor is rapid, reversible, saturable, specific and dependent on time, temperature and membrane concentration. At 30~ stoichiometric data suggest the presence of one binding site with a K a value of 0.29 nM and Bmax of 32 pmol/L. The interaction shows a high degree of specificity for /3-adrenergic agonists and blockers, as suggested by competitive displacement experiments with isoproterenol (ICso = 19.1 nM), propranolol (ICso = 28.1 nM), and norepinephrine (ICso = 96.3 nM). Clonidine, yohimbine, methoxamine, and prazosin are ineffective at concentrations up to 1 IzM. In the other hand, binding of [125I]CYP by Harderian gland membranes exhibits day-night variations. Binding values are low during the daytime and increase progressively late in the evening to reach a maximum at 2200 h (2 h after the onset of dark period), but decreased to the end of the dark period (0600 h). In conclusion, the results presented in this paper show the functional and pharmacological characterization of/3-adrenergic receptors in the rat Harderian gland. This neurotransmitter may play a physiological role at this level regulating, at least, processes such as a thyroid hormone metabolismComision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (España) PB94-1434Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias 93/021

Emerging Roles of ADAM and ADAMTS Metalloproteinases in Cancer

A disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs) are a recently discovered family of proteins that share the metalloproteinase domain with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Among this family, structural features distinguish the membrane-anchored ADAMs and the secreted ADAMs with thrombospondin motifs referred to as ADAMTSs. By acting on a large panel of membrane-associated and extracellular substrates, they control several cell functions such as adhesion, fusion, migration and proliferation. The current review addresses the contribution of these proteinases in the positive and negative regulation of cancer progression as mainly mediated by the regulation of growth factor activities and integrin functions

TEACHERS LEARNING ABOUT ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA ON FACEBOOK: INSIGHTS FROM A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Communities of practice is a concept widely adopted by teacher educators affiliated with a practice-based education and situated learning. It provides a lens to examine how experienced and novice teachers engage in collaborative problem-solving and learn from each other in emergent interactions. Both face-to-face and virtual communities of professionals provide room for learning opportunities, with dynamic trajectories from more peripheral to more central forms of participation. According to this theoretical framework (LAVE; WENGER, 1991; WENGER, 1998; WENGER et al., 2002, 2011), teachers learn from engagement with others and build their understandings upon interactions focused on the practice of the community. ELF is a concept that is not yet reified among English language teachers in Brazil but is beginning to catch the attention of a wider group of professionals, since English is now compulsory in basic education and the national curriculum defines English as a lingua franca. In this paper we analyze interactions in a Facebook community of teachers (BrELT Brazil´s English Language Teachers) who, over a period of two months, discussed the meanings of ELF and how it was/could be contextualized in their classrooms. We looked into the various ways in which the sharing of information and experiences were displayed and the strategic resources employed to advance their learning on this theme. The BrELT group reconstructed their knowledge on ELF, interacting in democratic ways and showing how they care about their domain. Also, the group revealed to be a potential learning site, as they engaged in the activity and negotiated new meanings. Finally, the BrELT community illustrates how social media can play an important role in teacher development, as it can bring together professionals with different levels of expertise who are willing to share their experience

An Abnormal Nitric Oxide Metabolism Contributes to Brain Oxidative Stress in the Mouse Model for the Fragile X Syndrome, a Possible Role in Intellectual Disability

Background. Fragile X syndrome is the most common genetic cause of mental disability. Although many research has been performed, the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis is unclear and needs further investigation. Oxidative stress played major roles in the syndrome. The aim was to investigate the nitric oxide metabolism, protein nitration level, the expression of NOS isoforms, and furthermore the activation of the nuclear factor NF-κB-p65 subunit in different brain areas on the fragile X mouse model. Methods. This study involved adult male Fmr1-knockout and wild-type mice as controls. We detected nitric oxide metabolism and the activation of the nuclear factor NF-κBp65 subunit, comparing the mRNA expression and protein content of the three NOS isoforms in different brain areas. Results. Fmr1-KO mice showed an abnormal nitric oxide metabolism and increased levels of protein tyrosine nitrosylation. Besides that, nuclear factor NF-κB-p65 and inducible nitric oxide synthase appeared significantly increased in the Fmr1-knockout mice. mRNA and protein levels of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase appeared significantly decreased in the knockout mice. However, the epithelial nitric oxide synthase isoform displayed no significant changes. Conclusions. These data suggest the potential involvement of an abnormal nitric oxide metabolism in the pathogenesis of the fragile X syndrome

A liftless intervention to prevent preterm birth and low birthweight among pregnant Ghanaian women : protocol of a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Every year, 20 million babies are born with low birthweight (LBW), about 96% of which occur in low-income countries. Despite the associated dangers, in about 40%-50% of PTB and LBW cases, the causes remain unexplained. Existing evidence is inconclusive as to whether occupational physical activities such as heavy lifting are implicated. African women bear the transport burden of accessing basic needs for their families. Ghana’s PTB rate is 14.5%, whereas the global average is 9.6%. The proposed liftless intervention aims to decrease lifting exposure during pregnancy among Ghanaian women. We hypothesize that a reduction in heavy lifting among pregnant women in Ghana will increase gestational age and birthweight. Objective: To investigate the effects of the liftless intervention on the incidence of PTB and LBW among pregnant Ghanaian women. Methods: A cohort stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial in 10 antenatal clinics will be carried out in Ghana. A total of 1000 pregnant participants will be recruited for a 60-week period. To be eligible, the participant should have a singleton pregnancy between 12 and 16 weeks gestation, be attending any of the 10 antenatal clinics, and be exposed to heavy lifting. All participants will receive standard antenatal care within the control phase; by random allocation, two clusters will transit into the intervention phase. The midwife-led 3-component liftless intervention consists of health education, a take-home reminder card mimicking the colors of a traffic light, and a shopping voucher. The primary outcome are gestational ages of <28, 28-32, and 33-37 weeks. The secondary outcomes are LBW (preterm LBW, term but LBW, and postterm), compliance, prevalence of low back and pelvic pain, and premature uterine contractions. Study midwives and participants will not be blinded to the treatment allocation. Results: Permission to conduct the study at all 10 antenatal clinics has been granted by the Ghana Health Service. Application for funding to begin the trial is ongoing. Findings from the main trial are expected to be published by the end of 2019. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, there has been no randomized trial of this nature in Ghana. Minimizing heavy lifting among pregnant African women can reduce the soaring rates of PTB and LBW. The findings will increase the knowledge of the prevention of PTB and LBW worldwide. Trial Registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Register (PACTR201602001301205); http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/ Trial2.aspx?TrialID=PACTR201602001301205 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/71TCYkHzu) Registered Report Identifier: RR1-10.2196/1009