Integrating English as a Foreign Language in Austrian primary schools: contextual and participant perspectives

Government guidelines in Austria specify that first and second year primary school pupils (age 6-8 years old) should receive their first teaching of a foreign language integrated into the syllabus subjects. The present study, embedded in the theoretical framework of social constructivist learning and socio-cultural language learning theories, investigated the actual classroom practices of Austrian primary school teachers during the integration of English into the lessons. The main research question ‘How is English as a foreign language taught in the first two years of Austrian primary schools?' required consideration of both the context and the participants and aligned three perspectives: context, teachers and pupils. From the contextual perspective, government legislation and guidance, teacher training institutions, and school management are significant. They influence some aspects of the individual teachers’ competences and attitudes, which in turn affect her or his teaching goals, lesson planning, time allocated to English and other subjects, and choice of classroom activities. The other key participants are the children themselves and their perspective on English learning in the classroom. Setting out to observe foreign language teaching/learning in Austrian primary schools, the study actually identified a number of disparities in processes and perceptions, and raised questions about how English integration is translated into effective classroom practice. Set in the framework of qualitative mixed methods study design, with data drawn from a combination of case study ethnographic classroom observations, a small scale survey, interviews with academics and teachers, pupil picture questionnaires, documentary evidence and innovative qualitative data elicitation methods adapted to young children, the findings of this study reveal that there is a mismatch between government expectations, teacher training, school policies, and actual teaching practice

Introducing Additional Low Emission Mobility Offers in a Well Connected Area: Challenges and Opportunities

European cities and regions strive for energy efficiency to meet the Europe 2020 goals on climate change and energy sustainability. At present, the transport sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions due to the dependence on fossil fuels. The switch to renewable energies together with improvements in energy efficiency often cause rebound effects (e.g. increased use as a result of the environmentally friendly image) and therefore only partially serves the objectives sought. Hence, making the current mobility behavior more sustainable is of major importance to tackle environmental challenges and secure a high standard of living in European cities and regions. Many cities already offer a well-developed and efficient transport network for public and individual transport. Previous efforts concentrated on a shift from car to public transport to improve transport performance within the city, avoid congestion and reduce air pollution. Taking into account progressive urbanization, it is obvious that public transport will reach its limits without major improvements (new lines, decreases in intervals) which are slow and very expensive and hence cannot be the sole solution. Together with the increasing individualization of society, more flexibility is needed. Therefore, an additional pool of mobility options targeting these user requirements and needs has to be provided. In the EU project “Smarter Together” CO2 savings are targeted by implementing projects in the fields of energy, renovation and mobility in Lyon, Munich and Vienna. An essential part of the project is the introduction of additional low emission mobility options in the Viennese project area in the northwest of the 11th Viennese district covering 1.5 km2. The area is well linked to public transport and the general transportation network. Our research focusses on the potential of mobility behavior changes in such a wellconnected area in terms of the individual and public transport network, and on opportunities provided by additional services (e.g. sharing offers) and challenges in the implementation of theses new services. To develop successfull new concepts, residents’ requirements and needs have to be taken into account. Hence, a survey was conducted to capture information on mobility behavior and available vehicles, attitudes of the residents towards certain transport modes and willingness to use active modes, e-mobility and sharing services. The survey, including roughly 1% of the area population (N=21,300; n=241), was conducted partially online and partially face-to-face to ensure participation among different groups. Based on the collected data, the potential for alternative low emission mobility options was captured in a multi-level survey analysis. The results disclosed challenges and opportunities related to current options concerning user friendliness and communication strategies of existing services along with crucial points for the implementation of additional options. One of the results showed that sharing services are hardly known to the residents. The participants revealed that e-bikes are not yet considered as an appropriate form of transportation since their features and advantages are not known. Offering car- or e-bike sharing services therefore does not only require a location with certain characteristics but also campaigns targeting the lack of knowledge. Active mobility has a good standing, particularly cycling. Many residents want to cycle more, but the surrounding structure does not encourage them, e.g. due to missing public bike parking at shopping facilities, transport stations and transportation hubs. Public transport is already heavily used, but could be stronger linked to other types of transportation. This should be achieved by implementing a “mobility point” offering locally bundled mobility options and information. The “mobility point” links different (multimodal) mobility services and acts as a major component of ICT solutions. This relatively new concept leaves ample room for additional low emission mobility options within the area leading to greater support, services and satisfaction to the travelers and users

Hyperferritinaemia-cataract syndrome: Worldwide mutations and phenotype of an increasingly diagnosed genetic disorder

The hereditary hyperferritinaemia-cataract syndrome (HHCS) is characterised by an autosomal dominant cataract and high levels of serum ferritin without iron overload. The cataract develops due to L-ferritin deposits in the lens and its pulverulent aspect is pathognomonic. The syndrome is caused by mutations within the iron-responsive element of L-ferritin. These mutations prevent efficient binding of iron regulatory proteins 1 and 2 to the IRE in L-ferritin mRNA, resulting in an unleashed ferritin translation. This paper reviews all 31 mutations (27 single nucleotide transitions and four deletions) that have been described since 1995. Laboratory test showing hyperferritinaemia, normal serum iron and normal transferrin saturation are indicative for HHCS after exclusion of other causes of increased ferritin levels (inflammation, malignancy, alcoholic liver disease) and should prompt an ophthalmological consultation for diagnostic confirmation. Invasive diagnostics such as liver biopsy are not indicated. HHCS is an important differential diagnosis of hyperferritinaemia. Haematologists, gastroenterologists and ophthalmologists should be aware of this syndrome to spare patients from further invasive diagnosis (liver biopsy), and also from a false diagnosis of hereditary haemochromatosis followed by venesections. Patients diagnosed with HHCS should be counselled regarding the relative harmlessness of this genetic disease, with early cataract surgery as the only clinical consequence

A petrological and geochronological study of the Koralpe-Saualpe-Pohorje (KSP) Complex (Eastern Alps)

The KSP Complex in the Eastern Alps stretches from SE Austria to NW Slovenia and is a lithologically heterogenous (U)HP nappe with abundant eclogite lenses embedded in gneissic and metasedimentary rocks. An increase of metamorphic peak pressure-temperature (PT) conditions from NW to SE with UHP conditions for Pohorje was previously proposed based on thermodynamic modelling. The formation history of the KSP Complex is still debated. Here, we investigate in detail the PT conditions during the formation of the complex along a NW-SE transect following the direction of subduction with a new combined approach for this area of Raman spectroscopy of quartz inclusions in garnet, Zr-in-rutile thermometry and U/Pb dating on garnets. This is the first study within the KSP complex where quartz inclusions in garnet elastic barometry was conducted to determine the entrapment pressures, which correspond to the minimum pressure conditions present during the entrapment of quartz inside garnet. Approximately 5000 quartz inclusions inside the inner part of the garnets were investigated. The garnet rims contain almost no inclusions. The eclogites yield pressures of max. 1.9 GPa across the KSP complex, indicating no pressure increase from the NW to SE (Fig. 1). The metasediments and gneisses show overall lower pressures with ca. 1.4 GPa. Temperatures based on Zr-in-rutile thermometry was conducted on 194 rutile grains in different microstructural positions. The results do not indicate a temperature increase from NW to SE, with ca. 640 (±30)°C across the whole KSP Complex (Fig. 1), based on very similar Zr contents of ca. 270 ppm. The new approach of insitu U/Pb dating on garnets allows the age determination of the different growth zones in garnet and makes it an ideal tool to decipher metamorphic processes. The metasediments provide the following ages (Fig. 1) for the Koralpe 101.3 ± 6.6 Ma (throughout garnet); Saualpe 224.6 ± 31 Ma (core) and 115.5 ± 17.7 Ma (rim); Pohorje 104.2 ± 7.1 Ma to 105.5 ± 17.2 (throughout garnet). Garnet in eclogite from Koralpe is 112.8 ± 9.9 Ma. In general, the garnets in eclogite from the KSP complex are very poor in U. The obtained ages are interpreted to be metamorphic peak ages with a Cretaceous event at c. 100 Ma and a Triassic/Permian event reported in garnet cores from metasediments from Saualpe which is in line with existing literature. Combined with results of previous studies of eclogite ages, we suggest, that the eclogites are former (probably Permian) gabbro intrusions that experienced HP conditions during the Eoalpine orogeny. Whereas garnet ages of metasediments from Saualpe provide evidence for a polymetamorphic history

Protein fiber linear dichroism for structure determination and kinetics in a low-volume, low-wavelength couette flow cell

High-resolution structure determination of soluble globular proteins relies heavily on x-ray crystallography techniques. Such an approach is often ineffective for investigations into the structure of fibrous proteins as these proteins generally do not crystallize. Thus investigations into fibrous protein structure have relied on less direct methods such as x-ray fiber diffraction and circular dichroism. Ultraviolet linear dichroism has the potential to provide additional information on the structure of such biomolecular systems. However, existing systems are not optimized for the requirements of fibrous proteins. We have designed and built a low-volume (200 μL), low-wavelength (down to 180 nm), low-pathlength (100 μm), high-alignment flow-alignment system (couette) to perform ultraviolet linear dichroism studies on the fibers formed by a range of biomolecules. The apparatus has been tested using a number of proteins for which longer wavelength linear dichroism spectra had already been measured. The new couette cell has also been used to obtain data on two medically important protein fibers, the all-β-sheet amyloid fibers of the Alzheimer's derived protein Aβ and the long-chain assemblies of α1-antitrypsin polymers

Birth and death of a phantom

Patients with supernumerary phantom limb report experiencing an additional limb duplicating its physical counterpart, usually following a stroke with sensorimotor disturbances. Here, we report a short-lasting case of a right upper supernumerary phantom limb with unusual visuomotor features in a healthy participant during a pure Jacksonian motor seizure unexpectedly induced by continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation over the left primary motor cortex. Electromyographic correlates of the event followed the phenomenological pattern of sudden appearance and brutal dissolution of the phantom, adding credit to the hypothesis that supernumerary phantom limb results from a dynamic resolution of conflictual multimodal information

Engrailed2 modulates cerebellar granule neuron precursor proliferation, differentiation and insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling during postnatal development

BACKGROUND: The homeobox transcription factor Engrailed2 (En2) has been studied extensively in neurodevelopment, particularly in the midbrain/hindbrain region and cerebellum, where it exhibits dynamic patterns of expression and regulates cell patterning and morphogenesis. Because of its roles in regulating cerebellar development and evidence of cerebellar pathology in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we previously examined an ENGRAILED2 association and found evidence to support EN2 as a susceptibility gene, a finding replicated by several other investigators. However, its functions at the cell biological level remain undefined. In the mouse, En2 gene is expressed in granule neuron precursors (GNPs) just as they exit the cell cycle and begin to differentiate, raising the possibility that En2 may modulate these developmental processes. METHODS: To define En2 functions, we examined proliferation, differentiation and signaling pathway activation in En2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) GNPs in response to a variety of extracellular growth factors and following En2 cDNA overexpression in cell culture. In vivo analyses of cerebellar GNP proliferation as well as responses to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) treatment were also conducted. RESULTS: Proliferation markers were increased in KO GNPs in vivo and in 24-h cultures, suggesting En2 normally serves to promote cell cycle exit. Significantly, IGF1 stimulated greater DNA synthesis in KO than WT cells in culture, a finding associated with markedly increased phospho-S6 kinase activation. Similarly, there was three-fold greater DNA synthesis in the KO cerebellum in response to IGF1 in vivo. On the other hand, KO GNPs exhibited reduced neurite outgrowth and differentiation. Conversely, En2 overexpression increased cell cycle exit and promoted neuronal differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: In aggregate, our observations suggest that the ASD-associated gene En2 promotes GNP cell cycle exit and differentiation, and modulates IGF1 activity during postnatal cerebellar development. Thus, genetic/epigenetic alterations of EN2 expression may impact proliferation, differentiation and IGF1 signaling as possible mechanisms that may contribute to ASD pathogenesis

FREE ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 2: ALCOHOL AND LIVER—CLINICAL RESEARCHO2.1RAPID DECLINE OF LIVER STIFFNESS WITH ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL IN HEAVY DRINKERS

Background and aims. Measurement of liver stiffness using real-time elastography appears as a promising tool to evaluate the severity of chronic liver diseases. Previous studies in patients with alcoholic liver disease have suggested that fibrosis was the only histological parameter to influence liver stiffness. To challenge this hypothesis, we have prospectively tested the short-term impact of alcohol withdrawal on liver stiffness value. Methods. All patients hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal in our Liver Unit between September 2008 and December 2010 had a liver stiffness determination (using a FibroScan® device) at entry (D0) and 7 days after alcohol withdrawal (D7). Stiffness values were compared using non-parametric test for paired-values. We compared (i) the 10 measures performed at D0 and at D7 for each patient; (ii) the variation of the median result of all patients (using Wilcoxon test in both cases). Results. A total of 138 patients were included in the study [median alcohol consumption: 150g/day (range: 40-400); hepatitis C: n=22 (15.9%); cirrhosis: n=29 (21.0%)]. From D0 to D7, the liver stiffness decreased significantly in 61 patients (44.2%) and increased significantly in 18 (13.0%). Considering all patients, median liver stiffness value decreased from 7.25 to kPa (P<0.001). The stage of fibrosis indicated by liver stiffness changed in 47 patients between D0 and D7 (decrease in 33 and increase in 14). Conclusion. Liver stiffness decreases significantly in nearly half of alcoholic patients after only 7 days of abstinence. This result strongly suggests that non-fibrotic lesions (such as inflammatory ones) may influence liver stiffness. From a practical point of view, it also shows that variation in alcohol consumption must be taken into account for the interpretation of liver stiffness valu