The Troubled Sense of Otherness among Christian and Non-Christian ESL Freshmen at a Christian College in the Midwest

This study was derived from an ethnographic study conducted with five ESL learners and their peers in a Christian college in the Midwest. The theoretical framework of this article was built upon Freire’s (2000) and Kumashiro’s (2001) anti-oppressive education. The study employed various data sources to find out how Christian and non-Christian ESL freshmen experienced a sense of otherness in the local college community. The findings reveal the hidden norms in the faith-based college, which marginalized the non-Christian ESL freshmen from being legitimate participants (Lave & Wenger, 1991). The researcher provides recommendations to educators and administrators in higher education for advising international students and providing services to them. The researcher also highlights the importance of having a deeper understanding of the plights experienced by non-Christian ESL freshmen at Christian colleges in the USA

Three-manifolds, virtual homology, and group determinants

We apply representation theory to study the homology of equivariant Dehn-fillings of a given finite, regular cover of a compact 3-manifold with boundary a torus. This yields a polynomial which gives the rank of the part of the homology carried by the solid tori used for Dehn-filling. The polynomial is a symmetrized form of the group determinant studied by Frobenius and Dedekind. As a corollary every such hyperbolic 3-manifold has infinitely many virtually Haken Dehn-fillings.Comment: This is the version published by Geometry & Topology on 29 November 200

“I really don’t know what you mean by critical pedagogy.” Reflections made by in-service teachers in the USA

This is a study of the responses given by in-service teachers in an exit interview upon completing a grant program that prepared them to be ESL teachers in the USA. There were 28 participants in this study and they were in-service K-12 teachers who would become ESL certified. Based on Gee’s (2015) discourse analysis, the researcher analyzed their responses and found that the majority (96%) did not know about critical pedagogy or took the literal meaning and thought that the term meant critical thinking or evaluation of teaching. The researcher advocates for academic programs to include critical pedagogy for strengthening the knowledge base of MA TESOL programs.Lee-Johnson, YL. (2020). “I really don’t know what you mean by critical pedagogy.” Reflections made by in-service teachers in the USA. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020). https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11253OCS128930-05-202

Complete positivity of matrices of special form

AbstractGiven that B,C2,…,Ck are positive semidefinite (PSD) n-by-n real matrices and B is entrywise nonnegative, we characterize (fully for n=2 and partially for n⩾3) when B may be written as B=∑i=2kBi so that Bi and Bi−Ci are PSD and Bi is entrywise nonnegative, i=2,…,k. These characterizations are used to give conditions under which an entrywise nonnegative, PSD matrix A with a special block form can be written as A=BBT, in which B is entrywise nonnegative

Gauge Invariant Geometric Variables For Yang-Mills Theory

In a previous publication [1], local gauge invariant geometric variables were introduced to describe the physical Hilbert space of Yang-Mills theory. In these variables, the electric energy involves the inverse of an operator which can generically have zero modes, and thus its calculation is subtle. In the present work, we resolve these subtleties by considering a small deformation in the definition of these variables, which in the end is removed. The case of spherical configurations of the gauge invariant variables is treated in detail, as well as the inclusion of infinitely heavy point color sources, and the expression for the associated electric field is found explicitly. These spherical geometries are seen to correspond to the spatial components of instanton configurations. The related geometries corresponding to Wu-Yang monopoles and merons are also identified.Comment: 21 pp. in plain TeX. Uses harvmac.te

Lung function response and side effects to rapamycin for lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a prospective national cohort study

Rationale Mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitors reduce loss of lung function in lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), although their benefit varies between individuals. We examined lung function response and side effects to rapamycin in a national cohort. Methods Subjects were receiving rapamycin for progressive lung disease. Clinical evaluation, detailed phenotyping, serial lung function, rapamycin and safety monitoring were performed according to a clinical protocol. Lung function change, measured as FEV1 slope (ΔFEV1), was reported for those treated for 1 year or longer. Results Rapamycin was associated with improved ΔFEV1 in 21 individuals where pretreatment data were available (p<0.0001). In 47 treated for a mean duration of 35.8 months, mean ΔFEV1 was +11 (SD 75) mL/year, although it varied from +254 to −148 mL/year. The quartile with the highest positive ΔFEV1 had greater pretreatment FEV1 (p=0.02) and shorter disease durations (p=0.02) than the lowest quartile. Serum rapamycin level was positively associated with side effects (p=0.02) but not ΔFEV1 over 1 year. Within the first month of therapy, apthous ulcers, nausea and diarrhoea were associated with higher rapamycin levels. Acne, oedema and menstrual irregularities tended to increase over the first year of therapy. At the end of observation, the prevalence of side effects was 5% or less. Conclusions Rapamycin reduces lung function loss in LAM, although in some, ΔFEV1 continues to fall at an accelerated rate. Poor response to rapamycin was associated with lower pretreatment lung function and longer disease duration but not serum level. Early intervention with low-dose rapamycin may preserve lung function and reduce side effects

A Mixed-Methods, Randomized, Controlled Feasibility Trial to Inform the Design of a Phase III Trial to Test the Effect of the Handheld Fan on Physical Activity and Carer Anxiety in Patients with Refractory Breathlessness

© 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Context The handheld fan is an inexpensive and safe way to provide facial airflow, which may reduce the sensation of chronic refractory breathlessness, a frequently encountered symptom. Objectives To test the feasibility of developing an adequately powered, multicenter, multinational randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of a handheld fan and exercise advice with advice alone in increasing activity in people with chronic refractory breathlessness from a variety of medical conditions, measuring recruitment rates; data quality; and potential primary outcome measures. Methods This was a Phase II, multisite, international, parallel, nonblinded, mixed-methods randomized controlled trial. Participants were centrally randomized to fan or control. All received breathlessness self-management/exercise advice and were followed up weekly for four weeks. Participants/carers were invited to participate in a semistructured interview at the study's conclusion. Results Ninety-seven people were screened, 49 randomized (mean age 68 years; 49% men), and 43 completed the study. Site recruitment varied from 0.25 to 3.3/month and screening:randomization from 1.1:1 to 8.5:1. There were few missing data except for the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Self-Efficacy Scale (two-thirds of data missing). No harms were observed. Three interview themes included 1) a fan is a helpful self-management strategy, 2) a fan aids recovery, and 3) a symptom control trial was welcome. Conclusion A definitive, multisite trial to study the use of the handheld fan as part of self-management of chronic refractory breathlessness is feasible. Participants found the fan useful. However, the value of information for changing practice or policy is unlikely to justify the expense of such a trial, given perceived benefits, the minimal costs, and an absence of harms demonstrated in this study