O humor verbal como instrumento didático em manuais de Português Língua Estrangeira/Língua Segunda

A presente dissertação focaliza-se na utilização do humor verbal como instrumento didático no ensino e aprendizagem de Português Língua Estrangeira/ Língua Segunda (PLE/PL2). Na comunicação interpessoal, o humor pode constituir uma fonte de dificuldades para aprendentes de língua estrangeira/segunda, porque dele podem fazer parte as ambiguidades de sentido, as referências culturais, históricas ou contextuais. Para uma atuação efetiva nos registos humorísticos, os aprendentes devem ter mais exposição a materiais humorísticos na sua aprendizagem. No contexto do ensino de LE/L2, o humor pode ser um instrumento importante ao serviço dos aspetos linguísticos e socioculturais da língua meta, promovendo ainda um ambiente de aprendizagem que incentive participações. O nosso interesse foi examinar a presença do humor verbal e o seu aproveitamento didático em manuais de PLE/PL2, na medida em que os manuais ainda podem ser considerados como um dos principais recursos didáticos no atual contexto educativo. Antes de proceder à análise, fizemos uma breve exposição dos estudos que abordam o humor no contexto do ensino de LE/L2, apontando as necessidades e os benefícios potenciais da sua incorporação nas aulas e salientando a necessidade do seu uso apropriado, de modo a evitar possíveis efeitos negativos. Além disso, verificou-se que havia pouca atenção dispensada ao humor verbal nos documentos oficiais relativos ao ensino de PLE/PL2, quer como instrumento didático, quer como parte da competência comunicativa plena. Através duma análise quantitativa e qualitativa dos textos humorísticos encontrados no conjunto de vinte e oito manuais de PLE/PL2, procuramos dar respostas às seguintes perguntas: (1) quando os autores usam textos humorísticos nos manuais de PLE/PL2, estão conscientes de que estão a usá-los como instrumento didático? (2) Como se correlacionam os tipos de texto humorístico, os objetivos didáticos, as funções didáticas nas atividades? (3) Qual é a diferença no uso dos textos humorísticos entre os manuais de PLE/PL2 destinados às diferentes faixas etárias, e aos diferentes níveis de proficiência do público-alvo? Neste trabalho, afirmamos a convicção de que o humor verbal pode e deve estar presente nas aulas de PLE/PL2, uma vez que este discurso pode ser um recurso muito proveitoso tanto para o professor como para os aprendentes.This dissertation focuses on the use of verbal humor as a didactic tool in teaching and learning Portuguese as a foreign/second language (PLE/PL2). In interpersonal communication, humor can be a source of difficulties for language learners, because ambiguities of meaning, cultural, historical or contextual references can be part of it. For an effective performance in humorous communicative situations, it is necessary that learners have more exposure to humorous materials in their learning. In the context of foreign/second language teaching, humor can be an important tool to teach linguistic and sociocultural aspects of the target language, and to promote a learning environment that encourages participation. Our interest was to examine the presence of verbal humor and its didactic use in PLE/PL2 manuals, as the manuals can still be considered as one of the main teaching resources in the current educational context. Before proceeding to the analysis, we made a brief presentation of the studies that address humor in the context of foreign/second language teaching, pointing out the needs and potential benefits of its inclusion into the classes and emphasizing the need for its appropriate use in order to avoid possible negative effects. In addition, it was found that little attention was paid to verbal humor in official documents concerning the teaching of PLE/PL2, either as a didactic tool or as part of full communicative competence. Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the humorous texts found in twenty-eight PFL/PSL manuals, we try to provide answers to the following questions: (1) when the authors use humorous texts in the manuals, they are aware of using them as a teaching tool? (2) How are the types of humorous text, didactic objectives, didactic functions correlated in activities? (3) What is the difference between the use of humorous texts between the manuals for different age groups, and the different levels of proficiency of the target audience? In this work we affirm the conviction that verbal humor can and should be present in the PFL/PSL classes, since it can be a very useful resource for both the teacher and the learners

The early variation of left ventricular twisting function in patients with lymphoma received anthracycline therapy assessed by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

Background: Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity remains a significant and unresolved issue in patients receiving chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate left ventricular (LV) twisting function by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) in patients with lymphoma after anthracycline therapy. Methods: One hundred and one patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who had planned to receive anthracycline chemotherapy were enrolled. LV apical rotation, basal rotation, twist, torsion, time to peak apical rotation and time to peak basal rotation were measured by 3D-STE at baseline, after the completion of two cycles and four cycles of the regimen, respectively. Apical–basal rotation delay was calculated as the difference between time to basal and time to apical rotation. Results: The results showed that LV apical rotation, basal rotation, twist and torsion declined progressively during the whole procedure (baseline vs. two and four cycles of the regimen, apical rotation: 12.5 ± ± 4.5° vs. 8.8 ± 3.6° vs. 6.0 ± 3.2°; basal rotation: –7.7 ± 3.0° vs. –5.9 ± 2.6° vs. –4.4 ± 2.5°; twist: 20.0 ± 6.4° vs. 14.5 ± 5.1° vs. 9.8 ± 4.5°; torsion: 2.9 ± 0.9°/cm vs. 2.1 ± 0.9°/cm vs. 1.4 ± 0.7°/cm; all p < 0.01). Furthermore, apical-basal rotation delay increased significantly after two cycles as well as after four cycles of the regimen (38.3 ± 67.9 ms vs. 66.7 ± 73.9 ms vs. 92.6 ± 96.9 ms; p < 0.01). Conclusions: LV twisting function deteriorated in the early stage of anthracycline therapy in patients with lymphoma, which could be detected by 3D-STE sensitively.

Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase-4 Reverses Aβ-Induced Memory Impairment by Regulation of HPA Axis Related cAMP Signaling

Beta amyloid peptides (Aβ) are found to be associated with dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) that leads to memory and cognitive deficits in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors increase the intracellular cAMP activities, which may ameliorate cognitive deficits associated with AD. However, it remains unclear whether PDE4-mediated reversal of cognitive impairment in mouse model of AD is related to HPA axis and downstream cAMP-dependent pathway. The present study investigated the effects of PDE4 inhibitor rolipram on Aβ1-42-induced cognitive dysfunction and its underlying mechanisms. The step-down passive avoidance (PA) and Morris water-maze (MWM) tests were conducted 1 week (1 W), 2 months (2 M), and 6 months (6 M) after intracerebroventricular microjection (i.c.v.) of Aβ1-42. The results suggested that memory impairment emerged as early as 1 W, peaked at 2 M, and lasted until 6 M after injection. Chronic treatment with rolipram (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg/d, i.p.) for 2 weeks (i.e., treatment started at 1.5 months after Aβ1-42 microinjection) dose-dependently improved memory performance in both MWM and PA tests. Moreover, rolipram reversed the Aβ-induced increases in serum corticosterone (CORT), corticotropin-releasing factor, and glucocorticoid receptors (CRF-R and GR) levels, whereas it decreases in brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and the ratio of pCREB to CREB expression. These effects of rolipram were prevented by pre-treatment with PKA inhibitor H89. The findings indicated that the protective effects of rolipram against Aβ1-42-induced memory deficits might involve HPA axis and cAMP-CREB-BDNF signaling

Domestic cooking methods affect nutrient, phytochemicals, and flavor content in mushroom soup

The effects of different cooking methods, including autoclaving, microwaving, sous vide, and stewing, on the nutritional quality of mushroom (Hypsizygus marmoreus) soup were investigated. The results showed that all four cooking methods increased the polysaccharide, polyphenol, and amino acid levels compared to uncooked soup. Stewing increased protein content with the other cooking methods showing no change when compared with uncooked soup. Sous vide increased nucleotide content with the other methods decreasing nucleotide levels, and this method was also the best for increasing polyphenol and flavor compounds. Autoclaving generated the highest levels of polysaccharides. In summary, each method had a characteristic effect on mushroom soup properties, and cooking improved the nutritional value of mushrooms by the increase in releasing macro‐ and micronutrients

Domestic cooking methods affect nutrient, phytochemicals, and flavor content in mushroom soup

The effects of different cooking methods, including autoclaving, microwaving, sous vide, and stewing, on the nutritional quality of mushroom (Hypsizygus marmoreus) soup were investigated. The results showed that all four cooking methods increased the polysaccharide, polyphenol, and amino acid levels compared to uncooked soup. Stewing increased protein content with the other cooking methods showing no change when compared with uncooked soup. Sous vide increased nucleotide content with the other methods decreasing nucleotide levels, and this method was also the best for increasing polyphenol and flavor compounds. Autoclaving generated the highest levels of polysaccharides. In summary, each method had a characteristic effect on mushroom soup properties, and cooking improved the nutritional value of mushrooms by the increase in releasing macro‐ and micronutrients

Regeneration of AgXO@SBA-15 for reactive adsorptive desulfurization of fuel

Abstract Adsorbent regeneration is critical for a continuous adsorption–regeneration process and often underestimated. In this work, the regeneration of bifunctional AgXO@SBA-15 for [O]-induced reactive adsorptive desulfurization of liquid fuel is reported and further investigated. The spent AgXO@SBA-15 was regenerated in various types of solvents followed by calcination and tested in multiple desulfurization–regeneration cycles. The effects of regenerate solvents were also compared systematically. The original and regenerated AgXO@SBA-15 was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, N2 adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry. The recovery of desulfurization capacity using various solvents follows the order of acetonitrile > acetone > ethanol > methanol > water. Owing to the complete reduction of silver species to Ag0 and severe agglomeration of Ag0, the bifunctional AgXO@SBA-15 demonstrating > 85% (2.60 mg-S/g) of sulfur removal dramatically reduced to < 46% (1.56 mg-S/g) after only 1st-cycle regeneration. It is suggested that polar organic species strongly adsorbed (or residual) on the spent AgXO@SBA-15, in that case, after solvent wash may contribute to the accelerated decomposition of Ag+ to Ag0 in the following calcination step. The desulfurization capacity decreased rather mildly in the later regeneration runs. Cautious choice of regeneration conditions and strategies to rational design stabilized adsorbents is required to avert the adsorbent deactivation

Direct reduction of iron oxides based on steam reforming of bio-oil : a highly efficient approach for production of DRI from bio-oil and iron ores

Production of direct reduced iron (DRI) was performed by a novel and environmentally friendly approach through a systematic experimental process development and process integration study on bio-oil reforming and iron ores reduction. The Ni-Cu-Zn-Al₂O₃ catalyst is one of most suitable candidates for bio-oil reforming because this non-noble metal catalyst can efficiently reform the bio-oil to H₂ and CO₂ at a lower operating temperature (450-500 °C) with a longer lifetime. The catalytic activities of the Ni-Cu-Zn-Al₂O₃ catalyst for different processes, including the reforming of the oxygenated organic compounds in the bio-oil, the water-gas shift reaction and the decomposition of organic compounds, have been investigated. A hydrogen yield of 87.4% with a carbon conversion of 91.8% was obtained at T = 500 °C and S/C = 6.1. The hydrogen content reached about 94.6 vol% after simple purification by removing CO₂. Furthermore, direct reduction of iron oxides at different reduction temperatures was investigated using on-line rich-hydrogen reducing gases. The metallization for production of DRI from three ore powders (limonite, hematite and magnetite) and hematite pellets ranges from 93 to 97% at 850 °C for 1 h reduction. The reduction process from the oxidized iron to metallic iron and the intermediate phases were investigated via chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analyses. The green DRI process with high reduction efficiency and real environmental benefits would, potentially, be a useful route to produce DRI from bio-oil or biomass.12 page(s

Hexagonal CuCo2O4 Nanoplatelets, a Highly Active Catalyst for the Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane for Hydrogen Production

Catalytic hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) has been considered as an effective and safe method to generate hydrogen. Development of highly active and low-cost catalysts is one of the key tasks for this technology. In this work, hexagonal CuCo2O4 nanoplatelets with a thickness of approximately 55 nm were prepared. In AB hydrolysis, those nanoplatelets exhibited ultrahigh catalytic activity with turnover frequency (TOF) of 73.4 molhydrogen min&minus;1 molcat&minus;1. As far as we know, this is one of the highest TOF values ever reported for non-noble metal catalysts. In addition, the effects of viscosity and different alkalis on the hydrolysis were also investigated. It is revealed that high viscosity of the reaction medium will retard the hydrolysis reaction. The presence of NaOH, KOH, and Na2CO3 in the reaction solution is favorable for hydrolytic process. In contrast, NH3&middot;H2O will slow down the hydrolysis rate of ammonia borane. This work can provide some novel insight into the design of catalysts with both high performance and low cost. Besides, some findings in the present study can also offer us some information about how to improve the hydrolysis rates by optimizing the hydrolysis condition

Long-term abacus training gains in children are predicted by medial temporal lobe anatomy and circuitry

Abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) is a widely used educational tool for enhancing math learning, offering an accessible and cost-effective method for classroom implementation. Despite its universal appeal, the neurocognitive mechanisms that drive the efficacy of AMC training remain poorly understood. Notably, although abacus training relies heavily on the rapid recall of number positions and sequences, the role of memory systems in driving long-term AMC learning remains unknown. Here, we sought to address this gap by investigating the role of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system in predicting long-term AMC training gains in second-grade children, who were longitudinally assessed up to fifth grade. Leveraging multimodal neuroimaging data, we tested the hypothesis that MTL systems, known for their involvement in associative memory, are instrumental in facilitating AMC-induced improvements in math skills. We found that gray matter volume in bilateral MTL, along with functional connectivity between the MTL and frontal and ventral temporal-occipital cortices, significantly predicted learning gains. Intriguingly, greater gray matter volume but weaker connectivity of the posterior parietal cortex predicted better learning outcomes, offering a more nuanced view of brain systems at play in AMC training. Our findings not only underscore the critical role of the MTL memory system in AMC training but also illuminate the neurobiological factors contributing to individual differences in cognitive skill acquisition. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/StVooNRc7T8