183 research outputs found
An historical study of the development of a communicative approach to English language teaching in post-revolutionary Cuba
This thesis traces the history of a ten-year period
(1972-1982) in the teaching of English to engineers and
engineering students at the Higher Polytechnic Institute
Jose Antonio Echeverria (ISPJAE - Instituto Superior
Polit2cnico Jose Antonio Echeverria) in Havana, Cuba. (1)
It is essentially the story of the search for improved
teaching methods, culminating in the development,
dissemination and implementation in Cuba of a
communicative approach to English language teaching.
The Canadian author of this thesis, who introduced the
approach in Cuba in 1975 and who took part in the entire
decade-long project, has chosen to present a detailed
report on the pedagogical and organizational aspects of
the experience, as well as the conflicts which emerged in
the face of new ideas.
The author believes that the project is worthy of an
exhaustive treatment because of the importance of its
lessons for foreign English-language advisers working in
other developing nations, and for scholars doing research
in Applied Linguistics.
The thesis, which presents a chronology of events,
includes a survey of the history of English language
teaching in Cuba from the early part of the twentieth
century, situating its most recent, development against
the background of the island's general educational growth
since the 1959 Revolution. It examines the Cuban-
Canadian relationship in the field of English language
teaching, and surveys the major English language courses
for Cuban engineers, engineering students, and language
teachers which were given during the ten years under
scrutiny. In addition, it discusses in detail the two year
field study carried out between 1980 and 1982 whose
objective was to influence the approach to be used in new
textbooks for engineering students throughout the 1980's
Feature selection in simple neurons: how coding depends on spiking dynamics
The relationship between a neuron's complex inputs and its spiking output
defines the neuron's coding strategy. This is frequently and effectively
modeled phenomenologically by one or more linear filters that extract the
components of the stimulus that are relevant for triggering spikes, and a
nonlinear function that relates stimulus to firing probability. In many sensory
systems, these two components of the coding strategy are found to adapt to
changes in the statistics of the inputs, in such a way as to improve
information transmission. Here, we show for two simple neuron models how
feature selectivity as captured by the spike-triggered average depends both on
the parameters of the model and on the statistical characteristics of the
input.Comment: 23 Pages, LaTeX + 4 Figures. v2 is substantially expanded and
revised. v3 corrects minor errors in Sec. 3.
Cherenkov luminescence measurements with digital silicon photomultipliers: a feasibility study.
BackgroundA feasibility study was done to assess the capability of digital silicon photomultipliers to measure the Cherenkov luminescence emitted by a β source. Cherenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) is possible with a charge coupled device (CCD) based technology, but a stand-alone technique for quantitative activity measurements based on Cherenkov luminescence has not yet been developed. Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are photon counting devices with a fast impulse response and can potentially be used to quantify β-emitting radiotracer distributions by CLI.MethodsIn this study, a Philips digital photon counting (PDPC) silicon photomultiplier detector was evaluated for measuring Cherenkov luminescence. The PDPC detector is a matrix of avalanche photodiodes, which were read one at a time in a dark count map (DCM) measurement mode (much like a CCD). This reduces the device active area but allows the information from a single avalanche photodiode to be preserved, which is not possible with analog SiPMs. An algorithm to reject the noisiest photodiodes and to correct the measured count rate for the dark current was developed.ResultsThe results show that, in DCM mode and at (10-13) °C, the PDPC has a dynamic response to different levels of Cherenkov luminescence emitted by a β source and transmitted through an opaque medium. This suggests the potential for this approach to provide quantitative activity measurements. Interestingly, the potential use of the PDPC in DCM mode for direct imaging of Cherenkov luminescence, as a opposed to a scalar measurement device, was also apparent.ConclusionsWe showed that a PDPC tile in DCM mode is able to detect and image a β source through its Cherenkov radiation emission. The detector's dynamic response to different levels of radiation suggests its potential quantitative capabilities, and the DCM mode allows imaging with a better spatial resolution than the conventional event-triggered mode. Finally, the same acquisition procedure and data processing could be employed also for other low light levels applications, such as bioluminescence
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 1 in potato (Solanum tuberosum) and its relationship to other plant RNA-dependent RNA polymerases
Cellular RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RDR) catalyze synthesis of double stranded RNAs that can serve to initiate or amplify RNA silencing. Arabidopsis thaliana has six RDR genes; RDRs 1, 2 and 6 have roles in anti-viral RNA silencing. RDR6 is constitutively expressed but RDR1 expression is elevated following plant treatment with defensive phytohormones. RDR1 also contributes to basal virus resistance. RDR1 has been studied in several species including A. thaliana, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), N. benthamiana, N. attenuata and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) but not to our knowledge in potato (S. tuberosum). StRDR1 was identified and shown to be salicylic acid-responsive. StRDR1 transcript accumulation decreased in transgenic potato plants constitutively expressing a hairpin construct and these plants were challenged with three viruses: potato virus Y, potato virus X, and tobacco mosaic virus. Suppression of StRDR1 gene expression did not increase the susceptibility of potato to these viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of RDR genes present in potato and in a range of other plant species identified a new RDR gene family, not present in potato and found only in Rosids (but apparently lost in the Rosid A. thaliana) for which we propose the name RDR7.LJRH was supported by a studentship co-funded by the James Hutton Institute (formerly Scottish Crop Research Institute) and the UK Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Work in the JPC lab is funded by The Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2012-667), BBSRC (BB/D014376/1, BB/J011762/1) and the Cambridge University Newton Trust. SFB was funded by Leverhulme grant F/09-741/G to Professor Beverley Glover. KG was funded by an EMBO Short Term Fellowship. Work in the PP lab is funded by grant number NRF-2013R1A2A2A01016282 from the Korean National Research Foundation.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via https://doi.org/10.1038/srep2308
LRP1 is required for novobiocin-mediated fibronectin turnover:
Fibronectin (FN) plays a major role in the stability and organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM). We have previously demonstrated that FN interacts directly with Hsp90, as well as showing that the Hsp90 inhibitor novobiocin results in FN turnover via a receptor mediated process. However, the receptor involved has not been previously identified. LRP1 is a ubiquitous receptor responsible for the internalisation of numerous ligands that binds both Hsp90 and FN, and therefore we investigated whether LRP1 was involved in novobiocin-mediated FN turnover
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 1 in potato (Solanum tuberosum) and its relationship to other plant RNA-dependent RNA polymerases.
Cellular RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RDRs) catalyze synthesis of double-stranded RNAs that can serve to initiate or amplify RNA silencing. Arabidopsis thaliana has six RDR genes; RDRs 1, 2 and 6 have roles in anti-viral RNA silencing. RDR6 is constitutively expressed but RDR1 expression is elevated following plant treatment with defensive phytohormones. RDR1 also contributes to basal virus resistance. RDR1 has been studied in several species including A. thaliana, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), N. benthamiana, N. attenuata and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) but not to our knowledge in potato (S. tuberosum). StRDR1 was identified and shown to be salicylic acid-responsive. StRDR1 transcript accumulation decreased in transgenic potato plants constitutively expressing a hairpin construct and these plants were challenged with three viruses: potato virus Y, potato virus X, and tobacco mosaic virus. Suppression of StRDR1 gene expression did not increase the susceptibility of potato to these viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of RDR genes present in potato and in a range of other plant species identified a new RDR gene family, not present in potato and found only in Rosids (but apparently lost in the Rosid A. thaliana) for which we propose the name RDR7.LJRH was supported by a studentship co-funded by the James Hutton Institute (formerly Scottish Crop Research Institute) and the UK Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Work in the JPC lab is funded by The Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2012-667), BBSRC (BB/D014376/1, BB/J011762/1) and the Cambridge University Newton Trust. SFB was funded by Leverhulme grant F/09-741/G to Professor Beverley Glover. KG was funded by an EMBO Short Term Fellowship. Work in the PP lab is funded by grant number NRF-2013R1A2A2A01016282 from the Korean National Research Foundation.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via https://doi.org/10.1038/srep2308
VLA-ANGST: A high-resolution HI Survey of Nearby Dwarf Galaxies
We present the "Very Large Array survey of Advanced Camera for Surveys Nearby
Galaxy Survey Treasury galaxies (VLA-ANGST)." VLA-ANGST is a National Radio
Astronomy Observatory Large Program consisting of high spectral (0.6-2.6 km/s)
and spatial (~6") resolution observations of neutral, atomic hydrogen (HI)
emission toward 35 nearby dwarf galaxies from the ANGST survey. ANGST is a
systematic HST survey to establish a legacy of uniform multi-color photometry
of resolved stars for a volume-limited sample of nearby galaxies (D\lesssim4
Mpc). VLA-ANGST provides VLA HI observations of the sub-sample of ANGST
galaxies with recent star formation that are observable from the northern
hemisphere and that were not observed in the "The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey"
(THINGS). The overarching scientific goal of VLA-ANGST is to investigate
fundamental characteristics of the neutral interstellar medium (ISM) of dwarf
galaxies. Here we describe the VLA observations, the data reduction, and the
final VLA-ANGST data products. We present an atlas of the integrated HI maps,
the intensity-weighted velocity fields, the second moment maps as a measure for
the velocity dispersion of the HI, individual channel maps, and integrated HI
spectra for each VLA-ANGST galaxy. We closely follow the observational setup
and data reduction of THINGS to achieve comparable sensitivity and angular
resolution. A major difference, however, is the high velocity resolution of the
VLA-ANGST observations (0.65 and 1.3km/s for the majority of the galaxies). The
VLA-ANGST data products are made publicly available at:
https://science.nrao.edu/science/surveys/vla-angst. With available star
formation histories from resolved stellar populations and lower resolution
ancillary observations from the FIR to the UV, VLA-ANGST will enable detailed
studies of the relationship between the ISM and star formation in dwarf
galaxies on a ~100 pc scale.Comment: 64 figures, grouped into 32. 115 pages, accepted for publication in
the Astronomical Journa
Epidemiology of melanoma in rural southern Queensland
Objective: The objective of this study is to define the epidemiology of melanoma in rural communities in southern Queensland.
Design: The design used was a 6‐year clinical record audit of melanoma cases identified by billing records and electronic clinical records, confirmed and typed with
histology.
Setting and Participants: This study was based on seven agricultural communities on the Darling Downs with patients presenting to local primary care clinics.
Main outcome measures: Outcomes measured were confirmed type, depth and anatomic distribution of melanoma identified at these practices during the study period.
Results: The results from 317 cases of melanoma found anatomic distribution was significantly different (χ2 = 9.6, P < 0.05) to that reported previously from the
Queensland Cancer Registry. A high proportion (87%) of melanoma diagnosed by these general practitioners were 1 mm or less when treated.
Conclusions: Conclusions drawn from these findings are that melanoma risk is not so much lesser in rural, inland communities compared with coastal and metropolitan
regions, but different. Differences may relate to comprehensive data capture available in rural community studies and to different sun exposure and protection behaviours. The higher proportion of melanoma identified at early stages suggests rural primary care is an effective method of secondary prevention
Adherence to the updated guidelines for the prevention of perinatal Group B streptococcal disease
In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the Guidelines for the Prevention of Perinatal Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Disease. Previous studies of adherence to GBS guidelines have focused on the treatment of carriers of GBS. Our objective was to determine whether there was any difference in adherence to the guidelines for screening and treatment of women who delivered at our institution between the beginning of 2011 and the end of 2011 as the revised guidelines were published in November 2010. Our secondary outcome was to determine whether any differences in adherence occurred between prenatal provider types (OB/Gyn, Certified Nurse Midwives, and Family Practice)
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