EFL teaching to school students with Asperger Syndrome: perceptions from the school community

Tesis (Profesor de Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media y al grado académico de Licenciado en Educación)The present study investigated the perceptions of the school community regarding EFL teaching to Asperger (AS) Students within the mainstream classroom. This single case study was conducted in a public School in La Florida in Santiago de Chile. Three teachers and one mother from the school participated in a single oral interview. The data sources were three individual semi-structured interviews, designed for the different participants of our study. Overall, the results revealed that the school community plays an important role in AS students’ EFL learning process as each of them contribute in aspects of his or her education. Teachers feel they need to have more support from the Ministry of Education and there is lack of information about how to manage AS students in the EFL mainstream classroom. Special educational needs teachers (SEN teacher henceforth) suggest schools to have at least one SEN teacher present in a classroom when a subject is taught, which in this case would be English as a foreign language. Last but not least, parents suggest and urge teachers to take responsibility in their education and training, and prepare themselves and study specific courses that would help them to better teach and work with AS students and other SEN children. If the participants were unanimously in accord, it would be most beneficial for the AS students English learning process. In Chile, there is a Law that establishes an equality of conditions for those individuals who possess, at least, one type of disability in the physical, mental, psychic, intellectual, or sensory; whether temporary or permanent, is considered disabled.El presente estudio busca investigar la enseñanza del Inglés a niños con Asperger dentro del aula convencional. Nuestro objetivo es recolectar información acerca de las percepciones que la comunidad escolar tiene respecto a este asunto. Este estudio de caso se llevó a cabo en un colegio público de la Florida. Tres profesores y una madre pertenecientes a la comunidad escolar participaron en una entrevista oral. La recolección de datos fue por medio de tres entrevistas semi estructuradas, diseñadas de acuerdo a los diferentes participantes de nuestro estudio. En general, los resultados revelaron que la comunidad escolar desempeña un papel importante en el proceso de aprendizaje de Inglés como Idioma Extranjero (IIE) de los estudiantes con SA, ya que cada uno de ellos contribuye en aspectos de su educación.. Los maestros sienten que necesitan tener más apoyo del Ministerio de Educación y no hay información sobre cómo administrar a los estudiantes con SA en el aula convencional de IIE. Los educadores diferenciales sugieren que las escuelas tengan al menos un(a) educador(a) diferencial presente en el aula cuando se enseña una materia, que en este caso sería IIE. Por último, pero no menos importante, los apoderados sugieren e instan a los maestros a que asuman responsabilidad en su educación y capacitación, y se preparen y estudien cursos específicos que les ayuden a enseñar y trabajar de mejor forma con estudiantes con SA y otros niños con necesidades especiales. Si los participantes unánimemente están de acuerdo, sería lo más beneficioso para el proceso de aprendizaje de inglés de los estudiantes con síndrome de Asperger. En Chile, existe una Ley que establece una igualdad de condiciones para aquellos individuos que posean, al menos, un tipo de discapacidad en lo físico, mental, psíquico, intelectual, o sensorial; ya sea de carácter temporal o permanente, es considerado discapacitado

Developing core sets for persons following amputation based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a way to specify functioning

Amputation is a common late stage sequel of peripheral vascular disease and diabetes or a sequel of accidental trauma, civil unrest and landmines. The functional impairments affect many facets of life including but not limited to: Mobility; activities of daily living; body image and sexuality. Classification, measurement and comparison of the consequences of amputations has been impeded by the limited availability of internationally, multiculturally standardized instruments in the amputee setting. The introduction of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) by the World Health Assembly in May 2001 provides a globally accepted framework and classification system to describe, assess and compare function and disability. In order to facilitate the use of the ICF in everyday clinical practice and research, ICF core sets have been developed that focus on specific aspects of function typically associated with a particular disability. The objective of this paper is to outline the development process for the ICF core sets for persons following amputation. The ICF core sets are designed to translate the benefits of the ICF into clinical routine. The ICF core sets will be defined at a Consensus conference which will integrate evidence from preparatory studies, namely: (a) a systematic literature review regarding the outcome measures of clinical trails and observational studies, (b) semi-structured patient interviews, (c) international experts participating in an internet-based survey, and (d) cross-sectional, multi-center studies for clinical applicability. To validate the ICF core sets field-testing will follow. Invitation for participation: The development of ICF Core Sets is an inclusive and open process. Anyone who wishes to actively participate in this process is invited to do so

Women in (Dis)placement: The Field of Studies on Migrations, Social Remittances, Care and Gender in Chile

This article presents current perspectives on the gender approach to the study of migration in Chile between 1990 and 2018, contextualizing it in light of international debates in the social sciences. We will discuss how the feminization and the growth of Latin American migrations have given rise to a prolific field of research, as exemplified by studies conducted in central and northern Chile. We will show how the concepts of social remittances and caregiving permeate the Chilean debate on migrant women. We conclude with reflections on topics and perspectives to be incorporated into the Chilean research agenda on gender and migration.Se presenta un estado del arte sobre el enfoque de género en los estudios de la migración en Chile entre 1990 y 2018, contextualizándolo a la luz de debates internacionales de las ciencias sociales. Abordaremos cómo la feminización y el incremento de las migraciones latinoamericanas inauguran un prolijo campo de investigaciones, articulado a través de estudios desarrollados en el centro y en el norte de Chile. Señalaremos cómo los conceptos de remesas sociales y cuidados permean el debate chileno sobre las mujeres migrantes. Finalizamos con reflexiones sobre temas y perspectivas a ser incorporados en la agenda chilena de investigaciones sobre género y migración.The authors would like to thank the Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) for funding the study that led to this article through Fondecyt Regular Project number 1160683: “Ser Mujer Mayor en Santiago. Organización social de los cuidados, feminización del envejecimiento y desigualdades acumuladas” (“Being an older woman in Santiago. Social organization of care, feminization of ageing and accumulated inequalities”), led by Herminia Gonzálvez Torralbo and Fondecyt Regular Project number 1190056: “The Boundaries of Gender Violence: Migrant Women’s Experiences in South American Border Territories” led by Menara Lube Guizardi

Maximizing Bioethanol Production from <i>Eucalyptus globulus</i> Using Steam Explosion Pretreatment: A Multifactorial Design and Fermenter Development for High Solid Loads

Steam explosion pretreatment is suitable for bioethanol production from Eucalyptus globulus wood. Multifactorial experiment designs were used to find the optimal temperature and residence time required to obtain the best glucose yield from the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated materials. The chemical composition, crystallinity index, morphology and polymerization degree of the pretreated materials were correlated with enzymatic accessibility. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using a fed-batch strategy was applied to three different laboratory-scale fermenters. The optimization of the pretreatment was obtained at 208 °C and 11 min. However, the enzymatic hydrolysis performance did not show significant differences from the material obtained at 196 °C and 9.5 min, which was determined to be the real optimum, owing to its lower energy requirement. The vertical fermenter with type “G” blades and the horizontal fermenter with helical blades were both highly efficient for reaching ethanol yields close to 90% based on dry wood, and ethanol concentrations close to 9.0% v/v

Effects on Lignin Redistribution in Eucalyptus globulus Fibres Pre-Treated by Steam Explosion: A Microscale Study to Cellulose Accessibility

The objective of this study was to investigate structural changes and lignin redistribution in Eucalyptus globulus pre-treated by steam explosion under different degrees of severity (S-0), in order to evaluate their effect on cellulose accessibility by enzymatic hydrolysis. Approximately 87.7% to 98.5% of original glucans were retained in the pre-treated material. Glucose yields after the enzymatic hydrolysis of pre-treated material improved from 19.4% to 85.1% when S-0 was increased from 8.53 to 10.42. One of the main reasons for the increase in glucose yield was the redistribution of lignin as micro-particles were deposited on the surface and interior of the fibre cell wall. This information was confirmed by laser scanning confocal fluorescence and FT-IR imaging; these microscopic techniques show changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of pre-treated fibres. In addition, the results allowed the construction of an explanatory model for microscale understanding of the enzymatic accessibility mechanism in the pre-treated lignocellulose