Português para hispanofalantes no CELIN : uma alternativa para o ensino de gêneros escritos.

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Sandra Lopes MonteiroCo-Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Terumi Koto Bonnet VillalbaDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Humanas, Letras e Artes, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras. Defesa: Curitiba, 17/09/2007Bibliografia: fls. 88-93Resumo: Este trabalho analisa, com base nos critérios adotados pelo Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros (Celpe-Bras), amostras das atividades de produção escrita propostas durante o segundo semestre de 2005 nas turmas de hispanofalantes do curso de Português para Estrangeiros do Centro de Línguas e Interculturalidade da Universidade Federal do Paraná (Celin), em Curitiba. O conceito de proficiência que fundamenta o exame consiste no uso adequado da língua para desempenhar ações no mundo. Nesse sentido, as tarefas escritas do Celpe-Bras levam em conta o contexto, o propósito e o(s) interlocutor(es), privilegiando a adequação a diferentes gêneros discursivos. Os resultados da análise podem servir de diagnóstico do ensino da produção escrita na área, uma vez que não estão presentes no corpus – exceto por algumas tentativas isoladas – os elementos relevantes para a identificação dos gêneros discursivos. Por sua vez, os princípios da visão de linguagem subjacente ao Celpe-Bras podem ser utilizados como subsídio para os professores de Português para Estrangeiros repensarem a sua prática e elaborarem materiais didáticos que atendam às especificidades dos falantes de espanhol, um público que, segundo pesquisas lingüísticas e pedagógicas, possui características diferenciadas em relação aos outros aprendizes de língua portuguesa. Um aspecto positivo da proximidade entre o português e o espanhol é a possibilidade de trabalhar em sala de aula questões que seriam complexas – como o desenvolvimento da competência discursiva e textual – em contextos de ensino de línguas mais distantes. A issertação examina as orientações do Celpe-Bras e levanta questões referentes ao ensino da escrita em Português para Estrangeiros à luz das investigações desenvolvidas em lingüística aplicada numa perspectiva sócio-histórica, enfatizando a noção de gêneros discursivos tal qual foi desenvolvida por Bakhtin e mais tarde apropriada pelos autores do chamado interacionismo sociodiscursivo, como Schneuwly e olz, que têm se ocupado da transposição didática das teorias sobre gêneros. Schneuwly e Dolz propõem os gêneros como grandes instrumentos para a aprendizagem do texto escrito, mas observam que o gênero trabalhado na escola é sempre uma variação do gênero de origem: ele é, principalmente, gênero a aprender, embora permaneça gênero para comunicar.Abstract: The purpose of this study is to assess samples of writing based on criteria set forth in the Certificate of Language Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners (CELPE-Bras) that were presented during the second term of 2005 for Spanish native speakers who attended the Portuguese as a Foreign Language course of the Intercultural and Language Centre of the Federal University of Paraná (CELIN), in Curitiba. The concept of proficiency which is the basis of the exam consists on the adequate use of language to perform activities in the outside world. With that in mind, written tasks given by CELPE-Bras take into account the purpose and the interlocutor, focusing on the adequate form of different discourse genres. Findings can be used as a iagnostics for teaching the writing skill, as there is no corpus at hand – except for some isolated attempts – of relevant elements to identify discourse genres. Furthermore, language principles underlying the approach adopted by CELPE-Bras can be used as data for teachers of Portuguese as a Foreign anguage, assisting them to re-evaluate their activities and create classroom materials that will address the specific needs of Spanish-speaking students. Linguistic and pedagogical studies show that Spanish native speakers have a unique characteristic compared to other non-native learners of Portuguese as a Foreign Language. A positive aspect of the similarity between the Portuguese and Spanish language is the facility of presenting classroom issues that would be complex for learners from other backgrounds, such as the development of discourse and of writing competences. The dissertation studies the guidelines provided by CELPE-Bras and raises the issue of how to teach writing skills in Portuguese for Foreigners under the light of investigations on applied linguistics in the socio-historical perspective. This approach emphasises the notion of discourse genres such as developed by Bakhtin in his theory of discourse genres, later adopted by authors of the so-called sociodiscursive interactionism, namely Schneuwly and Dolz, among others, who have worked on the didactic transposition of theories on different genres. Both authors present genres as major learning tools for the writing skill, but observe that genre as taught in schools is always a variation of the original one, i.e. it is mainly the genre to be learned, despite continuing to be the genre for communication

Avances en modelos de análisis de estructuras de barras de hormigón frente a combinaciones de esfuerzos normales y tangentes

A pesar del gran desarrollo de los modelos de barras para el análisis estructural, estos modelos presentan, en general, carencias importantes cuando las estructuras son sensibles a esfuerzos tangenciales (cortante, torsión) o cuando existen estados tridimensionales complejos. Estas solicitaciones, muy comunes en las estructuras de ingeniería civil, son mucho más complejas de analizar en el caso de materiales que presentan comportamiento anisótropo dependiente de la carga, como es el caso del hormigón armado. Se presentan los modelos desarrollados en los últimos años para tener en cuenta este comportamiento satisfactoriamente, facilitando así el análisis de estructuras bajo fuertes combinaciones de esfuerzos normales y tangentes, como pueden darse en estructuras bajo acciones sísmicas

A ANÁLISE DO DISCURSO E QUESTÕES SOBRE A LINGUAGEM

Este artigo tem como objetivo verificar em que medida a obra Análise de discurso: princípios e procedimentos (ORLANDI, 2003) contribui para o estudo da AD: a) e as mudanças significativas na formação de professores de linguagem; b) e o estudo dos aspectos interculturais no ensino de língua; c) e o complexo dos sujeitos no texto literário-didático e, d) e suas implicações no conceito de função-autor

Applying behavioural theory to the challenge of sustainable development: using hairdressers as diffusers of more sustainable hair-care practices

The challenges presented by sustainable development are broadly accepted, yet resource use increases unabated. It is increasingly acknowledged that while technical solutions may play a part, a key issue is behaviour change. In response to this there has been a plethora of studies into how behaviour change can be enabled, predominantly from psychological and sociological perspectives. This has resulted in a substantial body of knowledge into the factors that drive behaviour change and how they can be manipulated to achieve desired social goals. In this paper we describe a study that draws on this body of knowledge to design an intervention to drive behaviour change across the hairdressing sector, and by the process of diffusion, across the vast social networks of this occupational group to influence domestic hair-care practices. The intervention was successful: hairdressers indicated positive intentions to adopt more sustainable practices within their salons and pass them onto their customers. The customer survey (N=776) confirms this: customers surveyed after their hairdresser attended the Green-Salon-Makeover intervention were significantly more likely to report that environmental issues had been considered in their salon visit and that they themselves would consider such issues in their hair-care practices at home than customers who were surveyed before the intervention

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Virology under the microscope—a call for rational discourse

Viruses have brought humanity many challenges: respiratory infection, cancer, neurological impairment and immunosuppression to name a few. Virology research over the last 60+ years has responded to reduce this disease burden with vaccines and antivirals. Despite this long history, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the field of virology. Some of this attention is focused on concern about the safe conduct of research with human pathogens. A small but vocal group of individuals has seized upon these concerns – conflating legitimate questions about safely conducting virus-related research with uncertainties over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The result has fueled public confusion and, in many instances, ill-informed condemnation of virology. With this article, we seek to promote a return to rational discourse. We explain the use of gain-of-function approaches in science, discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 and outline current regulatory structures that provide oversight for virological research in the United States. By offering our expertise, we – a broad group of working virologists – seek to aid policy makers in navigating these controversial issues. Balanced, evidence-based discourse is essential to addressing public concern while maintaining and expanding much-needed research in virology

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival