Subject specificity in ESP: How much does the teacher need to know of the subject?

The question of subject specificity remains a controversial issue in English for Academic purposes (Johns & Dudley-Evans 1991). Should EAP concentrate on general ‘study skills’ appropriate for students of any discipline or should it attempt to prepare students for the specific demands made on them in their subject departments? Are students motivated by more specific work or do they prefer to have a more general course? Can English teachers cope with materials that require some greater knowled..

Academic text: The importance of the use and comprehension of hedges

Les auteurs d’articles scientifiques recourent fréquemment à la « précaution oratoire » (hedging), grâce à laquelle ils se distancient des affirmations qu’ils avancent. La raison d’être de cette pratique est la prudence inhérente à tout écrit scientifique. Il existe d’autres explications sociologiquement intéressantes. Plusieurs types d’exercices sont passés en revue, qui permettent à des étudiants d’anglais de spécialité de maîtriser les différents aspects linguistiques, psychologiques et sociologiques de la précaution oratoire.Writers of scientific articles often resort to hedging: the process by which they distance themselves from the knowledge claim that they wish to make. The reason for this may be the caution that is natural in academic writing. But there are a number of sociologically interesting alternative explanations. A number of exercises used to teach ESP students how to recognise and use the linguistic, psychological and sociological aspects of hedging are demonstrated

Is it worth it? Patient and public views on the impact of their involvement in health research and its assessment : a UK-based qualitative interview study

Funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust University of Oxford Applied Health Research and Care OxfordPeer reviewedPublisher PD

An Exploration of Lived Experiences of Sexually and Gender Diverse Staff Members in Higher Education: A Case Study

Sexually and gender diverse staff in Higher Education Institutions may experience a sense of belonging and acceptance in inclusive environments, but may also face discrimination and bias, leading to feelings of isolation and exclusion. This paper reports on findings from 40 in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions with LGBTQIA+ self-identified staff members in a HEI and LGBTQIA+ allies who may identify as LGBTQIA+ themselves. Findings reveal that first impressions when joining a university as a staff member may have a long-lasting effect, while both positive and negative experiences are present. Further, a pattern is developed among gay men who may be placing more emphasis on their relationship with line managers, which can be supportive but at times toxic, unsupportive and inattentive. In addition to this, the findings highlight discrimination faced by staff, its impact on their wellbeing, and the significance of visibility and representation. This paper concludes that lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ staff members in Higher Education continue to be mixed with a high percentage of staff experiencing discrimination, primarily in the form of microaggressions, but institutions need to be more pro-active to foster safe spaces for all with more inclusive policies and practices

LGBT+ Culture in Higher Education

This report explores the LGBT+ staff culture at the University of Greenwich and is for staff identifying as LGBT+, allies or neither of the two. It aims to provide further evidence to inform policies and practices in HE that celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity

LGBT+ culture in Higher Education: challenges and controversies

Considering continuously emerging data on systemic and individual oppression faced by LGBTQIA+ self-identified staff in Higher Education, Associate Professor Dr Panagiotis Pentaris and his research team explore the LGBT+ culture in the sector via a case study at the University of Greenwich

Detecting Mutations in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pyrazinamidase Gene pncA to Improve Infection Control and Decrease Drug Resistance Rates in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection.

Hospital infection control measures are crucial to tuberculosis (TB) control strategies within settings caring for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, as these patients are at heightened risk of developing TB. Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a potent drug that effectively sterilizes persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli. However, PZA resistance associated with mutations in the nicotinamidase/pyrazinamidase coding gene, pncA, is increasing. A total of 794 patient isolates obtained from four sites in Lima, Peru, underwent spoligotyping and drug resistance testing. In one of these sites, the HIV unit of Hospital Dos de Mayo (HDM), an isolation ward for HIV/TB coinfected patients opened during the study as an infection control intervention: circulating genotypes and drug resistance pre- and postintervention were compared. All other sites cared for HIV-negative outpatients: genotypes and drug resistance rates from these sites were compared with those from HDM. HDM patients showed high concordance between multidrug resistance, PZA resistance according to the Wayne method, the two most common genotypes (spoligotype international type [SIT] 42 of the Latino American-Mediterranean (LAM)-9 clade and SIT 53 of the T1 clade), and the two most common pncA mutations (G145A and A403C). These associations were absent among community isolates. The infection control intervention was associated with 58-92% reductions in TB caused by SIT 42 or SIT 53 genotypes (odds ratio [OR] = 0.420, P = 0.003); multidrug-resistant TB (OR = 0.349, P < 0.001); and PZA-resistant TB (OR = 0.076, P < 0.001). In conclusion, pncA mutation typing, with resistance testing and spoligotyping, was useful in identifying a nosocomial TB outbreak and demonstrating its resolution after implementation of infection control measures

Do Development Economists Matter?

SUMMARY If appropriate policies, rather than initial economic conditions, have produced successful development, why are appropriate policies not more widely adopted by developing country governments — or, why has the advice of most development economists not been heeded? The ‘new (neoclassical) political economy’ offers a systematic explanation of why policy?makers behave as they do. Instead of assuming that governments are agencies for promoting the public interest, the new political economy's models endogenise the policy?maker in states characterised variously as predatory (‘the Leviathan state’), as factional, or as bureaucratic. The limitations of these models are addressed, and their relevance to developing countries is questioned. A more eclectic approach to political economy is, therefore, suggested, in which older elements are combined with the new. Such an approach is then applied to the political economy of trade policy. RESUME Les économistes spécialisés dans le domaine du développement sont?ils importants? Si des mesures appropriées, plutôt que des conditions économiques initiales ont produit un développement qui a eu du succès, pourquoi des mesures adéquates ne sont?elles pas adoptées plus largement par les gouvernements des pays en voie de développement. — ou pourquoi le besoin de l'assistance de la plupart des economistes spécialisés dans les problèmes de développement ne s'est?elle pas fait sentir? La nouvelle politique économique (néo?classique) offre une explication systématique expliquant pourquoi ceux qui prennent les décisions se comportent comme ils le font. Au lieu d'assumer que les gouvernements sont des agences pour la promotion de l'intérêt publique, les nouveaux modèles d'économie politique endogénisent ceux qui prennent les décisions, les charactêrisant de prédateurs (‘l’état du Leviathan'), de fonctionel, ou de bureaucratique. Les limitations de ces modèles sont adressés, et leur pertinence concernant les pays en voie de développement sont mis en question. Une approche plus ecclectique à l'economie politique est donc, suggérée, dans laquelle des éléments plus anciens sont associés avec les nouveaux. Une telle approche est ensuite appliquée à l'économie politique du commerce. RESUMEN ¿Importan los economistas del desarrollo? Si el desarrollo exitoso ha sido producido más bien por políticas adecuadas que por condiciones económicas iniciales ¿por qué aquellas no son más ampliamente adoptadas por los gobiernos de los países en desarrollo o por qué no ha sido escuchado el consejo de muchos economistas del desarollo? La “nueva política económica (neoclásica)” ofrece una explicación sistemática del comportamiento de los diseñadores de política. En lugar de suponer que los gobiernos son agencias para promover el interés público, los nuevos modelos de economía política endogenizan el diseño de política en estados caracterizados como predatorios (“el estado Leviathan”), faccionales o burocráticos. Se consideran las limitaciones de estos modelos y se cuestiona su relevancia para los países en desarrollo. En consecuencia, se sugiere un enfoque más ecléctico que combina elementos antiguos con los nuevos aplicándose luego tal enfoque a la política comercial

LGBT+ culture in Higher Education

This research report exploring the LGBT+ staff culture at the University of Greenwich, is for university staff identifying as LGBT+, LGBT+ allies or neither of the two. This includes both internal and external audiences, and the report aims to provide further evidence to inform policies and practices in higher education that celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity