Transforming the supervision of Hong Kong’s English language teachers

Uni-directional top-down traditional, approaches to the supervision of teachers limit the engagement of the teachers in reflecting upon their own practice and professional growth. Acheson & Gall (1992) recommend a three-phase approach to teacher supervision which includes […] classroom observation and feedback conference. Such […] emphasizes a more dynamic and constructivist approach to empower teachers to transform their practice and identify directions […] professional development. What happens when this and other approaches are adapted and applied by teachers in different contexts? This as well as other issues and concerns related to the supervision of language teachers in Hong Kong are addressed in this paper […] secondary school teachers of English with different roles, along with their course tutor discuss the strengths and problems of applying different supervisory approaches in a three-week practicum. The writer […] that the clinical supervision approach was conducive to support teachers\u27 professional development when used in conjunction with directive as well as· non-directive approaches. However, the teaching the non-directive approaches to be most difficult to carry out part with less-experienced teachers. From critiques of supervisor transcriptions, recommendations are made for improving the clinical supervision and teacher professional development in Hong Kong

Tubulin nucleotide status controls Sas-4-dependent pericentriolar material recruitment

Regulated centrosome biogenesis is required for accurate cell division and for maintaining genome integrity1. Centrosomes consist of a centriole pair surrounded by a protein network known as pericentriolar material (PCM)1. PCM assembly is a tightly regulated, critical step that determines a centrosome’s size and capability2–4. Here, we report a role for tubulin in regulating PCM recruitment via the conserved centrosomal protein Sas-4. Tubulin directly binds to Sas-4; together they are components of cytoplasmic complexes of centrosomal proteins5,6. A Sas-4 mutant, which cannot bind tubulin, enhances centrosomal protein complex formation and has abnormally large centrosomes with excessive activity. These suggest that tubulin negatively regulates PCM recruitment. Whereas tubulin-GTP prevents Sas-4 from forming protein complexes, tubulin-GDP promotes it. Thus, tubulin’s regulation of PCM recruitment depends on its GTP/GDP-bound state. These results identify a role for tubulin in regulating PCM recruitment independent of its well-known role as a building block of microtubules7. Based on its guanine bound state, tubulin can act as a molecular switch in PCM recruitment

Induction of high-affinity IgE receptor on lung dendritic cells during viral infection leads to mucous cell metaplasia

Respiratory viral infections are associated with an increased risk of asthma, but how acute Th1 antiviral immune responses lead to chronic inflammatory Th2 disease remains undefined. We define a novel pathway that links transient viral infection to chronic lung disease with dendritic cell (DC) expression of the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRIα). In a mouse model of virus-induced chronic lung disease, in which Sendai virus triggered a switch to persistent mucous cell metaplasia and airway hyperreactivity after clearance of replicating virus, we found that FceRIa−/− mice no longer developed mucous cell metaplasia. Viral infection induced IgE-independent, type I IFN receptor–dependent expression of FcεRIα on mouse lung DCs. Cross-linking DC FcεRIα resulted in the production of the T cell chemoattractant CCL28. FceRIa−/− mice had decreased CCL28 and recruitment of IL-13–producing CD4+ T cells to the lung after viral infection. Transfer of wild-type DCs to FceRIa−/− mice restored these events, whereas blockade of CCL28 inhibited mucous cell metaplasia. Therefore, lung DC expression of FcεRIα is part of the antiviral response that recruits CD4+ T cells and drives mucous cell metaplasia, thus linking antiviral responses to allergic/asthmatic Th2 responses

Media and information literate citizens: think critically, click wisely!

Can we improve our societies by clicking wisely? Content providers such as libraries, archives, museums, media and digital communications companies can enable inclusive and sustainable development. However, they do not always live up to these ideals, which creates challenges for the users of these services. Content providers of all types open up new opportunities for lifelong learning. But at the same time, they open up challenges such as misinformation and disinformation, hate speech, and infringement of online privacy, among others. Media and information literacy is a set of competencies that help people to maximize advantages and minimize harms. Media and information literacy covers competencies that enable people to critically and effectively engage with: communications content; the institutions that facilitate this content; and the use of digital technologies. Capacities in these areas are indispensable for all citizens regardless of their ages or backgrounds. This pioneering curriculum presents a comprehensive competency framework of media and information literacy and offers educators and learners structured pedagogical suggestions. It features various detailed modules covering the range of competencies needed to navigate today’s communications ecosystem. This resource links media and information literacy to emerging issues, such as artificial intelligence, digital citizenship education, education for sustainable development, cultural literacy and the exponential rise in misinformation and disinformation. With effective use of this media and information literacy curriculum, everyone can become media and information literate as well as peer-educators of media and information literacy

Expression of High-Affinity IgE Receptor on Human Peripheral Blood Dendritic Cells in Children

BACKGROUND: In a mouse model of viral induced atopic disease, expression of FcεRI on dendritic cells is critical. While adult human conventional (cDC) and plasmacytoid (pDC) dendritic cells have been shown to express FcεRI, it is not known if this receptor is expressed in childhood and how its expression is governed by IgE. METHODS: Following informed consent of subjects (n = 27, aged 12-188 months), peripheral blood was stained for surface expression of CD19, ILT7, CD1c, IgE, FcεRI and analyzed by flow cytometry (cDC: CD19(-) ILT7(-) CD1c(+); pDC: CD19(-) ILT7(+) CD1c(-)). Total and specific serum IgE levels to food and inhalant allergens were determined by ImmunoCAP, and the relationship between FcεRI expression on dendritic cells and sensitization, free IgE, cell bound IgE, and age was determined. RESULTS: Independent of sensitization status, FcεRI expression was noted on cDC and pDC as early as 12 months of age. Serum IgE level correlated with expression of FcεRI on cDC, but not pDC. Based on the concentration of IgE, a complex relationship was found between surface bound IgE and expression of FcεRI on cDC. pDC exhibited a linear relationship of FcεRI expression and bound IgE that was consistent through all IgE concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: In children, FcεRI expression on cDC and pDC is modulated differently by serum and cell bound IgE. IgE governance of FcεRI expression on cDC depends upon a complex relationship. Further studies are needed to determine the functional roles of FcεRI on cDC and pDC

The ADIPS pilot national diabetes in pregnancy benchmarking programme

Background: To test the feasibility of benchmarking the care of women with pregnancies complicated by hyperglycaemia. Methods: A retrospective audit of volunteer diabetes services in Australia and New Zealand involving singleton pregnancies resulting in live births between 2014 and 2020. Ranges are shown and compared across services. Results: The audit included 10,144 pregnancies (gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) = 8696; type 1 diabetes (T1D) = 435; type 2 diabetes (T2D) = 1013) from 11 diabetes services. Among women with GDM, diet alone was used in 39.4% (ranging among centres from 28.8-57.3%), metformin alone in 18.8% (0.4-43.7%), and metformin and insulin in 10.1% (1.5-23.4%); when compared between sites, all p 6.5% (48 mmol/mol)), 78.4% and 54.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Management of maternal hyperglycaemia and pregnancy outcomes varied significantly. The maintenance and extension of this benchmarking service provides opportunities to identify policy and clinical approaches to improve pregnancy outcomes among women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy

Prevalence, incidence, and progression of myopia of school children

PURPOSE. To determine the prevalence, incidence, and progression of myopia of Chinese children in Hong Kong. METHODS. A cross-sectional survey was initially conducted. A longitudinal follow-up study was then conducted 12 months later. RESULTS. A total of 7560 children of mean age 9.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] ϭ 9.11-9.45; range, 5-16) participated in the study. Mean spherical equivalent refraction (SER) was Ϫ0.33 D (SD ϭ 11.56; range, Ϫ13.13 to ϩ14.25 D). Myopia (SER Յ Ϫ0.50 D) was the most common refractive error and was found in 36.71% Ϯ 2.87% (SD) of children. Prevalence of myopia correlated positively with older age. Children aged 11 years were almost 15 times more likely to have myopia than were children younger than 7 years (Odds ratio [OR] ϭ 14.81; 95% CI ϭ 14.17-15.48). Incidence of myopia was 144.1 Ϯ 2.31 (SD) per 1000 primary school children per annum. Increasing age was correlated with increased incidence of myopia, with highest risk in children ages 11 years (OR ϭ 2.27; 95% CI ϭ 2.11-2.44). The average annual change in SER for children with myopia (SER Յ Ϫ0.50 D) was Ϫ0.63 D (SD ϭ 3.44) compared with Ϫ0.29 D (SD ϭ 2.96) for those who were not myopic at the beginning of the study (P Ͻ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS. The results show that the prevalence and progression of myopia in Hong Kong children was much higher than those previously reported in Western countries. The longterm socioeconomic impact of these findings warrants further studies. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

Multiple Sclerosis Risk Variant HLA-DRB1*1501 Associates with High Expression of DRB1 Gene in Different Human Populations

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DRB1*1501 has been consistently associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) in nearly all populations tested. This points to a specific antigen presentation as the pathogenic mechanism though this does not fully explain the disease association. The identification of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) for genes in the HLA locus poses the question of the role of gene expression in MS susceptibility. We analyzed the eQTLs in the HLA region with respect to MS-associated HLA-variants obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We found that the Tag of DRB1*1501, rs3135388 A allele, correlated with high expression of DRB1, DRB5 and DQB1 genes in a Caucasian population. In quantitative terms, the MS-risk AA genotype carriers of rs3135388 were associated with 15.7-, 5.2- and 8.3-fold higher expression of DQB1, DRB5 and DRB1, respectively, than the non-risk GG carriers. The haplotype analysis of expression-associated variants in a Spanish MS cohort revealed that high expression of DRB1 and DQB1 alone did not contribute to the disease. However, in Caucasian, Asian and African American populations, the DRB1*1501 allele was always highly expressed. In other immune related diseases such as type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, asthma and IgA deficiency, the best GWAS-associated HLA SNPs were also eQTLs for different HLA Class II genes. Our data suggest that the DR/DQ expression levels, together with specific structural properties of alleles, seem to be the causal effect in MS and in other immunopathologies rather than specific antigen presentation alone