Understanding changes in teacher beliefs and identity formation: A case study of three novice teachers in Hong Kong

Novice teachers often undergo an identity shift from learner to teacher. Along this process, their instructional beliefs change considerably which in turn affect their teacher identity formation. Drawing on data collected mainly through interviews with three novice English teachers formore than one year, the present study examines their firstyear teaching experience in Hong Kong secondary schools, focusing on changes of their English teaching beliefs and the impact of these changes on their identity construction. Findings reveal that while the teachers’ initial teaching beliefs were largely shaped in their prior school learning and learning-to-teach experience, these beliefs changed and were reshaped a great deal when encountering various contextual realities, and these changes further influenced their views on their teacher identity establishment, unfortunately in a more negative than positive direction. The study sheds light on the importance of institutional support in affording opportunities for novice teachers’ workplace learning and professional development

Non-classical non-Gaussian state of a mechanical resonator via selectively incoherent damping in three-mode optomechanical systems

We theoretically propose a scheme for the generation of a non-classical single-mode motional state of a mechanical resonator (MR) in the three-mode optomechanical systems, in which two optical modes of the cavities are linearly coupled to each other and one mechanical mode of the MR is optomechanically coupled to the two optical modes with the same coupling strength simultaneously. One cavity is driven by a coherent laser light. By properly tuning the frequency of the weak driving field, we obtain engineered Liouvillian superoperator via engineering the selective interaction Hamiltonian confined to the Fock subspaces. In this case, the motional state of the MR can be prepared into a non-Gaussian state, which possesses the sub-Poisson statistics although its Wigner function is positive.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Effect of temozolomide combined with radiotherapy on survival and MGMT protein expression in recurrent malignant glioma patients

Purpose: To investigate the effect of temozolomide (TMZ) combined with radiotherapy (RT) on O-6- methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) protein and survival of recurrent malignant glioma patients. Methods: Ninety-two patients with malignant glioma in our hospital from January 2014 to January 2015 were assigned to study and control groups using the random table method. Subjects in the control group received radiotherapy (total dose in the range of 60 – 75 Gy), while those in the study group were given TMZ orally (75 mg/m2) daily in addition to radiotherapy, as well as TMZ at 150 – 200 mg/m2. After treatment, clinical effectiveness was compared for the two groups. Changes in methylation of MGMT gene were determined in the two groups. The patients were followed up for 3 years, and the degrees of survival and recurrence were recorded. Results: Total effectiveness of clinical treatment was markedly higher in the study group (76.09 %) than in the control group (45.65 %; p < 0.05). One month after radiotherapy, significant decrease in MGMT gene methylation was seen in patients in the study group, relative to control patients (p < 0.05). Patients in the study group had lower median recurrence but higher degree of survival in the 2nd and 3rd years, relative to control patients (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of temozolomide and radiotherapy is more effective than radiotherapy in the treatment of recurrent malignant glioma. The combined treatment significantly inhibits tumor recurrence in patients, and improves their prognosis and standard of life

The tonoplast-localized transporter OsHMA3 plays an important role in maintaining Zn homeostasis in rice

In order to respond to fluctuating zinc (Zn) in the environment, plants must have a system to control Zn homeostasis. However, how plants maintain an appropriate level of Zn during their growth and development is still poorly understood. In this study, we found that OsHMA3, a tonoplast-localized transporter for Zn/Cd, plays an important role in Zn homeostasis in rice. Accessions with the functional allele of OsHMA3 showed greater tolerance to high Zn than those with the non-functional allele based on root elongation test. A 67Zn-labeling experiment showed that accessions with loss of function of OsHMA3 had lower Zn accumulation in the roots but similar concentrations in the shoots compared with functional OsHMA3 accessions. When exposed to Zn-free growing medium, the concentration in the root cell sap was rapidly decreased in accessions with functional OsHMA3, but less dramatic changes were observed in non-functional accessions. A mobility experiment showed that more Zn in the roots was translocated to the shoots in accessions with functional OsHMA3. Higher expression levels of OsZIP4, OsZIP5, OsZIP8, and OsZIP10 were found in the roots of accessions with functional OsHMA3 in response to Zn deficiency. Taken together, our results indicate that OsHMA3 plays an important role in rice roots in both Zn detoxification and storage by sequestration into the vacuoles, depending on Zn concentration in the environment

Parameter Selection of Oscillator Resonant Circuit Based on Stochastic Differential Equation

Because the choice of oscillator resonant circuit parameters depends mostly on experience, we propose nonlinear differential equations to describe an oscillator based on an equivalent circuit of the oscillator and then to describe the internal electrical noise of the oscillator by introducing a stochastic term that establishes a nonlinear stochastic differential equation to analyse the oscillator\u27s behavior. For optimization of the oscillator resonant circuit parameters, first, we used Advanced Design System (simulation software of the Agilent company) to verify the conclusion, and then, using a 10MHz Pierce crystal oscillator, provided experimental evidence

Exosomes: Novel Biomarkers for Clinical Diagnosis

Exosomes are 30–120 nm endocytic membrane-derived vesicles that participate in cell-to-cell communication and protein and RNA delivery. Exosomes harbor a variety of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids and are present in many and perhaps all bodily fluids. A significant body of literature has demonstrated that molecular constituents of exosomes, especially exosomal proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs), hold great promise as novel biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. In this minireview, we summarize recent advances in the research of exosomal biomarkers and their potential application in clinical diagnostics. We also provide a brief overview of the formation, function, and isolation of exosomes