Striving to Become a Better Teacher: Linking Teacher Emotions With Informal Teacher Learning Across the Teaching Career

The importance of informal teacher learning (ITL) to teaching effectiveness and student achievement has been repeatedly demonstrated, but there is limited research into the personal antecedents of ITL. We analyzed the relationships between teacher emotions and participation in five different kinds of ITL activities (learning through media, colleague interaction, stakeholder interaction, student interaction, and individual reflection) among 2,880 primary teachers (85.49% female) with a large range of teaching experience. Regression analysis and structural equation modeling revealed a positive association between enjoyment and engagement in all five ITL activities. Anxiety was found to be negatively related to colleague interaction and self-reflection, and anger was found to be negatively associated with student interaction. Furthermore, anxiety and anger were negatively related to teaching experience, whereas enjoyment was independent from teaching experience. Most ITL activities were positively related to teaching experience, except for stakeholder interaction. Implications for teacher training and intervention programs for in-service teachers are discussed

Effects of Epistemological and Pedagogical Beliefs on the Instructional Practices of Teachers: A Chinese Perspective

This study examines how the beliefs of Chinese in-service teachers regarding knowledge and knowledge acquisition influence their instructional classroom practices in junior secondary schools directly or indirectly through their conceptions of teaching and learning. The results indicate that the factor of learning effort/process is highly valued by Chinese in-service teachers in their epistemological beliefs, and that the constructivist approach is the dominant conception on teaching and learning for junior secondary school teachers.. In addition, the constructivist conception of teaching and learning is found to be positively related to three types of classroom instructional practices, whereas the traditional conception about teaching and learning is found to be only significantly and negatively linked to standard contemporary practices

Activation of Liver FGF21 in hepatocarcinogenesis and during hepatic stress

BACKGROUND: FGF21 is a promising intervention therapy for metabolic diseases as fatty liver, obesity and diabetes. Recent results suggest that FGF21 is highly expressed in hepatocytes under metabolic stress caused by starvation, hepatosteatosis, obesity and diabetes. Hepatic FGF21 elicits metabolic benefits by targeting adipocytes of the peripheral adipose tissue through the transmembrane FGFR1-KLB complex. Ablation of adipose FGFR1 resulted in increased hepatosteatosis under starvation conditions and abrogation of the anti-obesogenic action of FGF21. These results indicate that FGF21 may be a stress responsive hepatokine that targets adipocytes and adipose tissue for alleviating the damaging effects of stress on the liver. However, it is unclear whether hepatic induction of FGF21 is limited to only metabolic stress, or to a more general hepatic stress resulting from liver pathogenesis and injury. METHODS: In this survey-based study, we examine the nature of hepatic FGF21 activation in liver tissues and tissue sections from several mouse liver disease models and human patients, by quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, protein chemistry, and reporter and CHIP assays. The liver diseases include genetic and chemical-induced HCC, liver injury and regeneration, cirrhosis, and other types of liver diseases. RESULTS: We found that mouse FGF21 is induced in response to chemical (DEN treatment) and genetic-induced hepatocarcinogenesis (disruptions in LKB1, p53, MST1/2, SAV1 and PTEN). It is also induced in response to loss of liver mass due to partial hepatectomy followed by regeneration. The induction of FGF21 expression is potentially under the control of stress responsive transcription factors p53 and STAT3. Serum FGF21 levels correlate with FGF21 expression in hepatocytes. In patients with hepatitis, fatty degeneration, cirrhosis and liver tumors, FGF21 levels in hepatocytes or phenotypically normal hepatocytes are invariably elevated compared to normal health subjects. CONCLUSION: FGF21 is an inducible hepatokine and could be a biomarker for normal hepatocyte function. Activation of its expression is a response of functional hepatocytes to a broad spectrum of pathological changes that impose both cellular and metabolic stress on the liver. Taken together with our recent data, we suggest that hepatic FGF21 is a general stress responsive factor that targets adipose tissue for normalizing local and systemic metabolic parameters while alleviating the overload and damaging effects imposed by the pathogenic stress on the liver. This study therefore provides a rationale for clinical biomarker studies in humans

The washback effects of the national college entrance examination on the curriculum reform in Mainland China

© 2013 Sense Publishers. All Rights Reserved.In order to cater to the needs of a competitive globalized market, and to assure educational efficiency and accountability, many countries have emphasized the development of generic skills in students.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Characterization of the complete plastome of Atropanthe sinensis (Solanaceae)

Atropanthe sinensis Pascher (genus Atropanthe, family Solanaceae) is an endangered and medical important plant of China. Here, we report the complete plastome of A. sinensis, which was found to be 156,565 bp in length and encodes 114 annotated known unique genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNAs, and 30 transfer RNAs. Among them, 10 coding genes contained one intron each and two genes (clpP and ycf3) contained two introns each. The result of the phylogenetic analysis showed that genera Scopolia and Przewalskia were placed as sister groups to the Atropanthe

Educational development in Western China: Towards quality and equity

© 2016 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved.Education in China as a vast and fast-growing country has attracted international attention. In 2000, the “Western Development” plan which covers six provinces (Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan), five autonomous regions (Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang), and one municipality (Chongqing) began.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Primula sunhangii (Primulaceae): a new species from Hubei, Central China

This report provides a description of Primula sunhangii from the Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei Province in Central China, which is categorized as a new species of the primrose family. Primula sunhangii is morphologically similar to P. involucrata Wall. ex Duby in terms of its simple umbel, efarinose, and prolonged bracts. However, P. sunhangii is distinguished by its glabrous sepal, short petiole (compare with blade) and cylindrical calyx and capsule. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear and cpDNA genes demonstrates that P. sunhangii and P. involucrata are closely related. Combining genetic and morphological data, the recognition of P. sunhangii as a unique new species is supported

Geum sunhangii (Rosaceae), a new species from Hubei Province, China

Geum sunhangii – first discovered in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China – is described as a new species of Rosaceae. Compared to all known Chinese Geum species, the new species differs by possessing jointed styles, imbricate petals and a reniform radical leaf terminal leaflet. Most significantly, the jointed style is curved at an obtuse or a right angle. In addition, the inclusion of this species within the genus Geum was supported by phylogenetic analysis using the sequence data of a nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) and a chloroplast trnL–trnF intergenic spacer. The new species was found to be closely related to G. rivale and G. aleppicum

Primula sunhangii (Primulaceae): a new species from Hubei, Central China

This report provides a description of Primula sunhangii from the Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei Province in Central China, which is categorized as a new species of the primrose family. Primula sunhangii is morphologically similar to P. involucrata Wall. ex Duby in terms of its simple umbel, efarinose, and prolonged bracts. However, P. sunhangii is distinguished by its glabrous sepal, short petiole (compare with blade) and cylindrical calyx and capsule. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear and cpDNA genes demonstrates that P. sunhangii and P. involucrata are closely related. Combining genetic and morphological data, the recognition of P. sunhangii as a unique new species is supported