Language learning as participation: case studies of Saudi Arabian international students

This thesis explores the nature of situated language learning; in particular, how learners of English participate in English speaking communities during an international study experience. It addresses a number of research questions to understand how one group of international students interacts with community members and the impact of their culture and identity on it, namely: How do Saudi Arabian international students participate in an overseas English study context? What opportunities are there for Saudi Arabian international students to interact and participate in English language communities of practice? To what extent are they taken up? What sociocultural factors influence the participation of Saudi Arabian international students? The study was motivated by the desire to understand how learners negotiate their culture and identity to learn a second language whilst participating in a community of its speakers. Such a task is undertaken by international students studying in English speaking countries in order to improve their language skills, obtain higher degrees, and enjoy positive study experiences. Research indicates that English language development might not be occurring sufficiently for such students due to their lack of interaction with members of the local community. As such, this study is concerned with the opportunities that second language learners have to practise speaking the target language and the factors that influence their take-up

Mapping Professional Identities of Dance Teachers across Time, Space and Practice: towards a model of professional identity formation

This investigation explores ways in which dance teachers perceive and articulate their professional identities. The product of this exploration is a model of professional identities of dance teachers which will serve as a framework through which dance teachers and educators of dance teachers can engage in discursive dialogues about what it means to be a dance teacher. To date, no such model is in existence. This investigation proposes that such a model would support initial and on-going professional development, with a view of empowering dance teachers to operate in increasingly diverse dance teaching landscapes. In adopting an interpretive stance, 12 dance teachers from three different dance contexts across six different dance genres were interviewed. Semi-structured interview questions were framed by aspects of time, space and practice as a means of identifying different trajectories of professional identity formation. Analysis of the interviews resulted in the identification of four dance teacher professional identity types: Passive Idealist, Passive Materialist, Active Idealist and Active Materialist. The combination of different professional identity types enabled professional identity profiles for each participant to be created. The investigation concludes that the model of professional identities of dance teachers emanating from this investigation may also be useful for others wishing to explore and/or research professional identity formation in other fields of professional training/education

Dance at Home for People With Parkinson's During COVID-19 and Beyond: Participation, Perceptions, and Prospects

From Frontiers via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: collection 2021, received 2021-03-15, accepted 2021-05-04, epub 2021-05-31Publication status: PublishedEmerging evidence shows that dance can provide both physical and non-physical benefits for people living with Parkinson's disease (PD). The suspension of in-person dance classes during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a transition to remote provision via live and recorded digital media. An online survey explored accessibility of and engagement with home-based dance programs, as well as potential benefits and processes involved in participation. The survey was co-developed by researchers and dance program providers, with input from people with PD and physiotherapists. Responses were collected from 276 individuals, including 178 current users of home-based programs, the majority of whom were participating at least once per week. Among respondents not currently using digital resources, lack of knowledge and motivation were the primary barriers. Most participants (94.9%) reported that home based practise provided some benefits, including physical (e.g., balance, posture) and non-physical (e.g., mood, confidence) improvements. Participants valued the convenience and flexibility of digital participation, but noted limitations including reductions in social interaction, support from instructors and peers, and motivation. There was a strong preference (70.8%) for continuing with home-based practise alongside in-person classes in the future. The results indicate that at-home dance is accessible and usable for people with PD, and that some of the previously-reported benefits of dance may be replicated in this context. Digital dance programs will likely remain a key element of future provision for people with PD, and the present findings will inform further development of resources and research into mechanisms and outcomes of home-based dance participation

The value of best-practice guidelines for OSCEs in postgraduate program in an Australian remote area setting

Introduction: Nurses in remote areas of Australia are the primary healthcare professionals, who need to be able to deliver comprehensive and culturally sensitive care to clients, many of whom are Indigenous Australians. Adequate and specific preparation for practice is crucial to the quality of care delivered by remote area nurses (RANs). Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) provide an excellent opportunity for student practice in a simulated environment that is safe, authentic, fair and valid when well constructed. Seven integrated best practice guidelines (BPGs), previously developed by project team members to inform OSCEs within educational programs, provided guidance in restructuring the OSCE. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the value of BPGs used in the development, teaching and learning, and evaluation of OSCEs in a rural and remote postgraduate course for RANs. Method: A pre-site visit to the Centre for Remote Health, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, was conducted with modification of the course and previous OSCE according to BPGs. Following delivery of the course and OSCE, evaluations occurred via a mixed method approach. Student surveys (n=15) and focus groups (n=13) and staff interviews (n=5) provided an in-depth analysis of their perceptions of the revised OSCE. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the student sample. The narrative data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. Triangulation was achieved with the convergence of the separate data sources focusing on themes and patterns within and between students and tutors.Results: All 15 students and five tutors provided feedback. The majority of student participants had limited experience in working in remote area nursing prior to participation and therefore the opportunities that availed themselves were critical in adequately equipping them with the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) value of common and significant events in OSCE; (2) power of deliberate actions; and (3) learning cultural sensitivity.Discussion: OSCEs in this setting proved to be a good way for students to learn the skills required by RANs. Overwhelmingly, the modifications using the BPGs were highly valued by students and staff. Three themes emerged and were clearly linked to specific BPGs, indicating the positive impact the BPGs had on the OSCEs and student learning. The authentic content for the scenarios was seen as relevant and motivational for student learning. The practice element of the OSCEs enhanced the learning experience and feedback supported learning. Conclusions: OSCEs developed, taught and assessed using BPGs were highly valued. The BPGs provided an integrated approach with real-life scenarios with a strong cultural perspective – all important features to the RANs’ future success in providing individualised care to clients in remote areas of Australia. Further use of BPGs is recommended

Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein, Cytoplasmic 1 (PITPNC1) Binds and Transfers Phosphatidic Acid

Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are versatile proteins required for signal transduction and membrane traffic. The best characterized mammalian PITPs are the Class I PITPs, PITPα (PITPNA) and PITPβ (PITPNB), which are single domain proteins with a hydrophobic cavity that binds a phosphatidylinositol (PI) or phosphatidylcholine molecule. In this study, we report the lipid binding properties of an uncharacterized soluble PITP, phosphatidylinositol transfer protein, cytoplasmic 1 (PITPNC1) (alternative name, RdgBβ), of the Class II family. We show that the lipid binding properties of this protein are distinct to Class I PITPs because, besides PI, RdgBβ binds and transfers phosphatidic acid (PA) but hardly binds phosphatidylcholine. RdgBβ when purified from Escherichia coli is preloaded with PA and phosphatidylglycerol. When RdgBβ was incubated with permeabilized HL60 cells, phosphatidylglycerol was released, and PA and PI were now incorporated into RdgBβ. After an increase in PA levels following activation of endogenous phospholipase D or after addition of bacterial phospholipase D, binding of PA to RdgBβ was greater at the expense of PI binding. We propose that RdgBβ, when containing PA, regulates an effector protein or can facilitate lipid transfer between membrane compartments

Deficiency of the zinc finger protein ZFP106 causes motor and sensory neurodegeneration

Acknowledgements We are indebted to Jim Humphries, JennyCorrigan, LizDarley, Elizabeth Joynson, Natalie Walters, Sara Wells and the whole necropsy, histology, genotyping and MLC ward 6 teams at MRC Harwell for excellent technical assistance. We thank the staff of the WTSI Illumina Bespoke Team for the RNA-seq data, the Sanger Mouse Genetics Project for the initial mouse characterization and Dr David Adams for critical reading of the manuscript. We also thank KOMP for the mouse embryonic stem cells carrying the knockout first promoter-less allele (tm1a(KOMP)Wtsi) within Zfp016. Conflict of Interest statement. None declared. Funding This work was funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) to A.A.-A. and a Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) project grant to A.A.-A. and EMCF. D.L.H.B. is a Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Scientist Fellow and P.F. is a MRC/MNDA Lady Edith Wolfson Clinician Scientist Fellow. Funding to pay the Open Access publication charges for this article was provided by the MRC grant number: MC_UP_A390_1106.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Disruption of CTCF-YY1-dependent looping of the human papillomavirus genome activates differentiation-induced viral oncogene transcription.

The complex life cycle of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) initiates in undifferentiated basal epithelial keratinocytes where expression of the E6 and E7 oncogenes is restricted. Upon epithelial differentiation, E6/E7 transcription is increased through unknown mechanisms to drive cellular proliferation required to support virus replication. We report that the chromatin-organising CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) promotes the formation of a chromatin loop in the HPV genome that epigenetically represses viral enhancer activity controlling E6/E7 expression. CTCF-dependent looping is dependent on the expression of the CTCF-associated Yin Yang 1 (YY1) transcription factor and polycomb repressor complex (PRC) recruitment, resulting in trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27. We show that viral oncogene up-regulation during cellular differentiation results from YY1 down-regulation, disruption of viral genome looping, and a loss of epigenetic repression of viral enhancer activity. Our data therefore reveal a key role for CTCF-YY1-dependent looping in the HPV life cycle and identify a regulatory mechanism that could be disrupted in HPV carcinogenesis

Human marginal zone B cell development from early T2 progenitors.

B cells emerge from the bone marrow as transitional (TS) B cells that differentiate through T1, T2, and T3 stages to become naive B cells. We have identified a bifurcation of human B cell maturation from the T1 stage forming IgMhi and IgMlo developmental trajectories. IgMhi T2 cells have higher expression of α4β7 integrin and lower expression of IL-4 receptor (IL4R) compared with the IgMlo branch and are selectively recruited into gut-associated lymphoid tissue. IgMhi T2 cells also share transcriptomic features with marginal zone B cells (MZBs). Lineage progression from T1 cells to MZBs via an IgMhi trajectory is identified by pseudotime analysis of scRNA-sequencing data. Reduced frequency of IgMhi gut-homing T2 cells is observed in severe SLE and is associated with reduction of MZBs and their putative IgMhi precursors. The collapse of the gut-associated MZB maturational axis in severe SLE affirms its existence in health