Combinación del Enseñanza de Idiomas Basada en Tareas (EIBT) y Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenido y Lenguaje (AICLE) para la Enseñanza del Inglés y del Chino dentro del contexto del aprendizaje de Lenguas Extranjeras

[EN]English and Chinese are the two most widely spoken languages in the world. The United States and China, as the two most powerful countries in the world, have experienced many changes in political and economic status in the few past decades, which leads to a new social phenomenon: that English and Chinese are two of the most demanded foreign languages in non-English-speaking and non-Chinese-speaking countries. As more people around the world are starting to study English and Chinese as a foreign language, there has been a growing interest in developing new methodologies which can facilitate the acquisition of these languages. The aim of this thesis is to try to find a compatible method of foreign language teaching and learning that will contribute to the body of knowledge being created around the teaching of these two great languages. Furthermore, it seeks innovative teaching methods that would provide for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) in such a way as to increase the time available for the natural practice of language skills in class. Two prevalent foreign language teaching methods were selected to be combined for this goal: Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), representing task-centered FL teaching methods, and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), one of the current new FL teaching methods. In addition, this thesis also examines whether the TBLT-CLIL combinations would provide some stimulation in TEFL and TCFL or in any other foreign language teaching field, by exposing their particular features to class experiments. The main aim was to show empirical evidence for the extent to which the combination of TBLT and CLIL could improve FL learners’ motivation to learn the target foreign language naturally. This evidence was sought through class experiments. The other concern was to provide a compatible methodology for FLT researchers and teachers to explore, research and use in all foreign language classrooms, while at the same time stimulating researchers to seek improved foreign language teaching approaches based on this study. Twelve groups, aged between 14 and 22, from five universities and schools in four countries participated in 20 classroom experiments for the two new proposed TBLT-CLIL combinations. After detailed introduction and comparisons of TBLT and CLIL, a questionnaire produced basic information on each participant such as age, gender and linguistic background, before class experiments began. During each experiment a class observation report was produced to record class performance, and post-experiment participant satisfaction evaluation forms were collected. The analysis of all classroom experiments showed some improvements in the two TBLT-CLIL combinations in language skill competence and in FL learners’ motivation regarding target foreign language and subject content compared with their previously used teaching methods. It was the intention of this study to analyze the data as produced, rather than to compare them to other data. Therefore, neither its findings nor conclusions are necessarily generalizable to other contexts and should only be viewed as tentative recommendations that can be taken into account when teaching EFL or CFL or any other foreign languages. The perspective intends to be an open field and topic, requiring further research from future pioneers in the foreign language teaching field

Real-Time Warning System of Regional Landslides Supported by WEBGIS and its Application in Zhejiang Province, China

AbstractAs one of the provinces of highest economic growth in coastal China, Zhejiang Province is experiencing serious geological disasters during the past development of economy, which are mainly induced by intensive rainfall during typhoon season or by long-term rainfall from May to June every year. Thus, supported by WEBGIS, a real-time warning system of regional landslides is studied. According to the characteristic of rainfall in Zhejiang province, the study divides the province into typhoon region and non-typhoon region, using statistic approach to study the correlation of regional landslides hazards and rainfall, rainfall intensity of typhoon region and non-typhoon region. By correlation analysis, effective rainfall model is defined, and the thresholds of effective rainfall and rainfall intensity are obtained. Combining these thresholds with spatial prediction production of landslides hazards, predictive models for landslide warning of Zhejiang Province are established. Then a real-time warning system of regional landslides explored by WEBGIS software is successfully developed considering both regional geology and rainfall process information

The anti-sepsis activity of the components of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction with high lipid A-binding affinity

Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HJD), one of the classic recipes for relieving toxicity and fever, is a common method for treating sepsis in China. However, the effective components of HJD have not yet been identified. This experiment was carried out to elucidate the effective components of HJD against sepsis. Thus, seven fractions from HJD were tested using a biosensor to test their affinity for lipid A. The components obtained that had high lipid A-binding fractions were further separated, and their affinities to lipid A were assessed with the aid of a biosensor. The levels of LPS in the blood were measured, and pathology experiments were conducted. The LPS levels and mRNA expression analysis of TNF-α and IL-6 of the cell supernatant and animal tissue were evaluated to investigate the molecular mechanisms. Palmatine showed the highest affinity to lipid A and was evaluated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results of the in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that the levels of LPS, TNF-α and IL-6 of the palmatine group were significantly lower than those of the sepsis model group (p \u3c 0.01). The group treated with palmatine showed strong neutralizing LPS activity in vivo. The palmatine group exhibited stronger protective activity on vital organs compared to the LPS-induced animal model. This verifies that HJD is a viable treatment option for sepsis given that there are multiple components in HJD that neutralize LPS, decrease the release of IL-6 and TNF-α induced by LPS, and protect vital organs

Linear Thermodynamics of Rodlike DNA Filtration

Linear thermodynamics transportation theory is employed to study filtration of rodlike DNA molecules. Using the repeated nanoarray consisting of alternate deep and shallow regions, it is demonstrated that the complex partitioning of rodlike DNA molecules of different lengths can be described by traditional transport theory with the configurational entropy properly quantified. Unlike most studies at mesoscopic level, this theory focuses on the macroscopic group behavior of DNA transportation. It is therefore easier to conduct validation analysis through comparison with experimental results. It is also promising in design and optimization of DNA filtration devices through computer simulation.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Diagnosis of East African climate and the circulation mechanisms associated with extreme wet and dry events: a study based on RegCM4

The latest version of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) regional climate model (RegCM4) is used in this study to examine the East African climate, focusing on October to December (OND) rainfall and the circulation mechanisms associated with extreme wet and dry events over the period 1991–2008. Grell convection scheme with Fritsch-Chappell closure assumption is used. The experiment was performed with the initial and lateral boundary conditions obtained from ERA-interim gridded reanalysis at a 1.5° resolution. The simulation period was 1990–2008 at a resolution of 50 km. Results show that the model realistically simulates the annual cycle, the OND mean seasonal rainfall, and its interannual variability over the East African region, where the simulated rainfall tends to underestimate the observed rainfall. There is however a significant positive correlation between the simulated rainfall and the rainfall datasets used to evaluate the model performance. Further analysis revealed that, the model captures well the observed circulation anomaly patterns, with divergence at low level and convergence at upper level during dry years, and for wet years, convergence (divergence) was simulated at low (upper) level, especially over the western Indian Ocean and the study area. Dry years are hence characterized by sinking motion as oppose to wet years which depict rising motion. These were corroborated by the pressure vertical velocity (omega), which showed positive (negative) anomalies over the region during dry (wet) years. The findings from this study provide insight into the circulation anomaly associations with wet and dry events in the region. The observed biases indicate that the ability of the model in simulating the East African climate is still a significant challenge. Therefore, future work needs to focus on improving the performance of the model in climate research over the region

An analysis of microbiota-targeted therapies in patients with avian influenza virus subtype H7N9 infection

BACKGROUND: Selective prophylactic decontamination of the digestive tract is a strategy for the prevention of secondary nosocomial infection in patients with avian influenza virus subtype H7N9 infection. Our aim was to summarize the effectiveness of these therapies in re-establishing a stable and diverse microbial community, and reducing secondary infections. METHODS: Comprehensive therapies were dependent on the individual clinical situation of subjects, and were divided into antiviral treatment, microbiota-targeted therapies, including pro- or pre-biotics and antibiotic usage, and immunotherapy. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used for real-time monitoring of the predominant intestinal microbiome during treatment. Clinical information about secondary infection was confirmed by analyzing pathogens isolated from clinical specimens. RESULTS: Different antibiotics had similar effects on the gut microbiome, with a marked decrease and slow recovery of the Bifidobacterium population. Interestingly, most fecal microbial DGGE profiles showed the relative stability of communities under the continual suppression of the same antibiotics, and significant changes when new antibiotics were introduced. Moreover, we found no marked increase in C-reactive protein, and no cases of bacteremia or pneumonia, caused by probiotic use in the patients, which confirmed that the probiotics used in this study were safe for use in patients with H7N9 infection. Approximately 72% of those who subsequently suffered exogenous respiratory infection by Candida species or multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae were older than 60 years. The combination of probiotics and prebiotics with antibiotics seemed to fail in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients infected with the influenza A (H7N9) virus are considered a high-risk group for developing secondary bacterial infection. Microbiota restoration treatment reduced the incidence of enterogenous secondary infection, but not exogenous respiratory infection. The prophylactic effects of microbiota restoration strategies for secondary infection were unsatisfactory in elderly and critically ill patients

Conserved chemosensory proteins in the proboscis and eyes of Lepidoptera

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are endowed with several different functions besides being carriers for pheromones and odorants. Based on a previous report of a CSP acting as surfactant in the proboscis of the moth Helicoverpa armigera, we revealed the presence of orthologue proteins in two other moths Plutella xylostella and Chilo suppressalis, as well as two butterflies Papilio machaon and Pieris rapae, using immunodetection and proteomic analysis. The unusual conservation of these proteins across large phylogenetic distances indicated a common specific function for these CSPs. This fact prompted us to search for other functions of these proteins and discovered that CSPs are abundantly expressed in the eyes of H. armigera and possibly involved as carriers for carotenoids and visual pigments. This hypothesis is supported by ligand-binding experiments and docking simulations with retinol and β-carotene. This last orange pigment, occurring in many fruits and vegetables, is an antioxidant and the precursor of visual pigments. We propose that structurally related CSPs solubilise nutritionally important carotenoids in the proboscis, while they act as carriers of both β-carotene and its derived products 3-hydroxyretinol and 3-hydroxyretinal in the eye. The use of soluble olfactory proteins, such as CSPs, as carriers for visual pigments in insects, here reported for the first time, parallels the function of retinol-binding protein in vertebrates, a lipocalin structurally related to vertebrate odorant-binding proteins

Wild-Type and Non-Wild-Type Mycobacterium tuberculosis MIC Distributions for the Novel Fluoroquinolone Antofloxacin Compared with Those for Ofloxacin, Levofloxacin, and Moxifloxacin.

Antofloxacin (AFX) is a novel fluoroquinolone that has been approved in China for the treatment of infections caused by a variety of bacterial species. We investigated whether it could be repurposed for the treatment of tuberculosis by studying its in vitro activity. We determined the wild-type and non-wild-type MIC ranges for AFX as well as ofloxacin (OFX), levofloxacin (LFX), and moxifloxacin (MFX), using the microplate alamarBlue assay, of 126 clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from Beijing, China, of which 48 were OFX resistant on the basis of drug susceptibility testing on Löwenstein-Jensen medium. The MIC distributions were correlated with mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions of gyrA (Rv0006) and gyrB (Rv0005). Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data for AFX were retrieved from the literature. AFX showed lower MIC levels than OFX but higher MIC levels than LFX and MFX on the basis of the tentative epidemiological cutoff values (ECOFFs) determined in this study. All strains with non-wild-type MICs for AFX harbored known resistance mutations that also resulted in non-wild-type MICs for LFX and MFX. Moreover, our data suggested that the current critical concentration of OFX for Löwenstein-Jensen medium that was recently revised by the World Health Organization might be too high, resulting in the misclassification of phenotypically non-wild-type strains with known resistance mutations as wild type. On the basis of our exploratory PK/PD calculations, the current dose of AFX is unlikely to be optimal for the treatment of tuberculosis, but higher doses could be effective.The work was supported by the research funding from Infectious Diseases Special Project, Minister of Health of China (2016ZX10003001-12) and Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Clinical Medicine Development of Special Funding Support (ZYLX201304). The strains used in this project were obtained from the ‘Beijing Bio-Bank of clinical resources on Tuberculosis’ (D09050704640000), Beijing Chest Hospital. In addition, this study was supported by the Health Innovation Challenge Fund (HICF-T5-342 and WT098600), a parallel funding partnership between the UK Department of Health and Wellcome Trust. T. S. was supported by grants from the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation and Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health, Public Health England, or the Wellcome Trust. C. U. K. is a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Society for Microbiology at http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00393-16