Međukulturna komunikacijska kompetencija i pragmatičko razumijevanje kod učenika engleskog kao stranog jezika u srednjoj školi

With the changing objectives of foreign language teaching towards the successful communication and appropriate language use in multicultural environment in mind, this research explores the relationship between intercultural communicative competence and pragmatic comprehension – two concepts that assure successful communication in different intercultural contexts. The paper consists of theoretical and analytical part. The theoretical part of the paper presents the notion of communicative competence through different models with reference to the pragmatic competence and sociocultural aspect, explores the concept of pragmatic comprehension with regard to the conversational implicatures and speech acts, and introduces the intercultural dimension of communicative competence through different models of intercultural communicative competence. The notions of pragmatic comprehension and intercultural communicative competence are, finally, discussed in the Croatian context of foreign language teaching. In the analytical part, the research topic and research questions, together with the demographic data of the participants, instruments and results are presented. Results are then interpreted in the Croatian context, followed by the conclusions about relationship between intercultural communicative competence and pragmatic comprehension in foreign language teaching. The results of this research provide a valuable insight into the intercultural communicative competence and pragmatic comprehension of Croatian EFL learners, which are proven to be at the basic level of competence. Therefore, more systematic development and assessment of pragmatic comprehension and intercultural communicative competence in Croatian foreign language classrooms and their integration in the curriculum are fields worth exploring in future studies.Uzimajući u obzor promjene ciljeva učenja stranog jezika u smjeru odgovarajuće uporabe jezika u različitim sociokulturnim kontekstima, ovaj rad istražuje odnos međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije i pragmatičkog razumijevanja - dva koncepta koja osiguravaju uspješnu komunikaciju u različitim međukulturnim kontekstima. Teorijski dio rada predstavlja pojam komunikacijske kompetencije u pogledu pragmatičke kompetencije i sociokulturnog aspekta u različitim modelima komunikacijske kompetencije, istražuje pojam pragmatičnog razumijevanja u odnosu na govorne činove i konverzacijske implikature te uvodi međukulturnu dimenziju komunikacijske kompetencije predstavljajući različite modele međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije. Konačno, pojmovi pragmatičkog razumijevanja i međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije predstavljaju se u hrvatskom kontekstu poučavanja stranog jezika. U praktičnome su dijelu predstavljeni tema rada i istraživačka pitanja, s demografskim podacima ispitanika, mjernim instrumentima te rezultatima istraživanja. Rezultati su potom interpretirani u kontekstu hrvatskog školskog sustava, a vode do zaključaka o odnosu međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije na nastavi engleskog kao stranog jezika. Rezultati istraživanja daju vrijedan uvid u razinu međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije i pragmatičkog razumijevanja kod učenika engleskog kao stranog jezika u srednjoj školi. S obzirom na to da su učenici na osnovnoj razini kompetencija, pokazuje se potreba za sustavnijim razvijanjem, praćenjem i vrednovanjem pragmatičnog razumijevanja i međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije na nastavi engleskoga kao stranoga jezika te njihova integracija u nastavni plan i program. Ujedno, to su područja vrijedna budućih istraživanja

Međukulturna komunikacijska kompetencija i pragmatičko razumijevanje kod učenika engleskog kao stranog jezika u srednjoj školi

With the changing objectives of foreign language teaching towards the successful communication and appropriate language use in multicultural environment in mind, this research explores the relationship between intercultural communicative competence and pragmatic comprehension – two concepts that assure successful communication in different intercultural contexts. The paper consists of theoretical and analytical part. The theoretical part of the paper presents the notion of communicative competence through different models with reference to the pragmatic competence and sociocultural aspect, explores the concept of pragmatic comprehension with regard to the conversational implicatures and speech acts, and introduces the intercultural dimension of communicative competence through different models of intercultural communicative competence. The notions of pragmatic comprehension and intercultural communicative competence are, finally, discussed in the Croatian context of foreign language teaching. In the analytical part, the research topic and research questions, together with the demographic data of the participants, instruments and results are presented. Results are then interpreted in the Croatian context, followed by the conclusions about relationship between intercultural communicative competence and pragmatic comprehension in foreign language teaching. The results of this research provide a valuable insight into the intercultural communicative competence and pragmatic comprehension of Croatian EFL learners, which are proven to be at the basic level of competence. Therefore, more systematic development and assessment of pragmatic comprehension and intercultural communicative competence in Croatian foreign language classrooms and their integration in the curriculum are fields worth exploring in future studies.Uzimajući u obzor promjene ciljeva učenja stranog jezika u smjeru odgovarajuće uporabe jezika u različitim sociokulturnim kontekstima, ovaj rad istražuje odnos međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije i pragmatičkog razumijevanja - dva koncepta koja osiguravaju uspješnu komunikaciju u različitim međukulturnim kontekstima. Teorijski dio rada predstavlja pojam komunikacijske kompetencije u pogledu pragmatičke kompetencije i sociokulturnog aspekta u različitim modelima komunikacijske kompetencije, istražuje pojam pragmatičnog razumijevanja u odnosu na govorne činove i konverzacijske implikature te uvodi međukulturnu dimenziju komunikacijske kompetencije predstavljajući različite modele međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije. Konačno, pojmovi pragmatičkog razumijevanja i međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije predstavljaju se u hrvatskom kontekstu poučavanja stranog jezika. U praktičnome su dijelu predstavljeni tema rada i istraživačka pitanja, s demografskim podacima ispitanika, mjernim instrumentima te rezultatima istraživanja. Rezultati su potom interpretirani u kontekstu hrvatskog školskog sustava, a vode do zaključaka o odnosu međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije na nastavi engleskog kao stranog jezika. Rezultati istraživanja daju vrijedan uvid u razinu međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije i pragmatičkog razumijevanja kod učenika engleskog kao stranog jezika u srednjoj školi. S obzirom na to da su učenici na osnovnoj razini kompetencija, pokazuje se potreba za sustavnijim razvijanjem, praćenjem i vrednovanjem pragmatičnog razumijevanja i međukulturne komunikacijske kompetencije na nastavi engleskoga kao stranoga jezika te njihova integracija u nastavni plan i program. Ujedno, to su područja vrijedna budućih istraživanja

Taking the lead into sustainability: decision makers’ competencies for a greener future

Many research articles describe competencies that people need in order to think, develop, and enact a sustainable future. Based on findings from the political economy, this paper argues that it is the macroscopic decisions in the public sphere that have an impact on society and the environment. Therefore, decision makers in the economy, politics, and civil society are important actors to enable a societal transformation towards sustainability by making macroscopic decisions. Based on these assumptions, this empirical research article analyzes the competencies decision makers such as ministers, CEOs, or union leaders need to contribute to a sustainable future in their professional life. We conducted interviews with 14 high-level decision makers and analyzed their competencies based on Wiek et al.’s framework on sustainability competencies. The findings show how they enact and organize the competencies needed for steering the sustainable transition. Linking all competencies is particularly important, especially at the intersection of different systems, to develop a macroscale, system-oriented decision. The authors suggest to consider systems and interpersonal thinking as extremely interdisciplinary competencies and to put a focus on public-sphere actions when educating future leaders. Moreover, the results indicate that dealing with uncertainty, following one’s own values, and building up resilience play a major role for decision makers

Novel Features of Potassium and Sodium Vibrations on Copper Surfaces Observed by High-Resolution Electron-Energy-Loss Spectroscopy

High-resolution electron-energy-loss spectra of alkali metals adsorbed on Cu show three unexpected features: the adsorbate-substrate stretching frequency does not change with coverage, within 1 meV on Cu(111) and Cu(110), in agreement with the covalent picture of chemisorption; the spectra show an unusual overtone which is interpreted as a consequence of a strongly non linear relationship between the surface dipole moment and the adsorbate-substrate distance; the dynamical dipole moment is strongly coverage dependent.

If blocking potency of ivabradine is preserved under elevated endotoxin levels in human atrial myocytes

AbstractLower heart rate is associated with better survival in patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), a disease mostly caused by sepsis. The benefits of heart rate reduction by ivabradine during MODS are currently being investigated in the MODIfY clinical trial. Ivabradine is a selective inhibitor of the pacemaker current If and since If is impaired by lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin), a trigger of sepsis, we aimed to explore If blocking potency of ivabradine under elevated endotoxin levels in human atrial cardiomyocytes. Treatment of myocytes with S-LPS (containing the lipid A moiety, a core oligosaccharide and an O-polysaccharide chain) but not R595 (an O-chain lacking LPS-form) caused If inhibition under acute and chronic septic conditions. The specific interaction of S-LPS but not R595 to pacemaker channels HCN2 and HCN4 proves the necessity of O-chain for S-LPS–HCN interaction. The efficacy of ivabradine to block If was reduced under septic conditions, an observation that correlated with lower intracellular ivabradine concentrations in S-LPS- but not R595-treated cardiomyocytes. Computational analysis using a sinoatrial pacemaker cell model revealed that despite a reduction of If under septic conditions, ivabradine further decelerated pacemaking activity. This novel finding, i.e. If inhibition by ivabradine under elevated endotoxin levels in vitro, may provide a molecular understanding for the efficacy of this drug on heart rate reduction under septic conditions in vivo, e.g. the MODIfY clinical trial

Literatur der Archäologie: Materialität und Rhetorik im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert

Seit der Einführung des Konzepts einer »Archäologie des Wissens« ist wiederholt versucht worden, den Begriff der Archäologie für eine allgemeine Kulturtheorie zu funktionalisieren. Umfangreich erschienen in der Folge die Archäologien, als deren Gegenstände nicht einmal mehr die Gegenwart oder die Zukunft undenkbar sind. Daneben musste sich, wie alle Kulturwissenschaften, das institutionelle Fach Archäologie mit dem prägenden Einfluss sprachlicher Bedingungen auf die Gewinnung von Erkenntnissen auseinandersetzen. Dies verweist auf eine zentrale Problematik, die eng an der Kombination von Archäologie und Germanistik in der konzeptionellen Gestaltung des Forschungskollegs Morphomata orientiert ist, nämlich das wechselseitige Verhältnis visuell wahrgenommener und literarisch vermittelter Form sowie ihre Bezüge zu einer ihnen zugrunde liegenden Vorstellung. Der vorliegende Sammelband will über Fallbeispiele aus den Blickwinkeln der Fachdisziplinen der Archäologie und der Literaturwissenschaften Veränderungen und Persistenzen in der Erschließung von Antike deutlich machen. Im Zentrum der Beiträge stehen erstens die Verwendung des Begriffs »Archäologie« außerhalb des aus heutiger Sicht dafür charakteristischen Feldes der Ausgrabung und deutenden Erfassung überlieferter materialer Fundstücke, zweitens die dichterische Darstellung archäologischer Tätigkeit im modernen Sinne der sich ausbildenden Fachdisziplin und drittens Literatur als Medium der Formulierung und Systematisierung generierter Wissensbestände bzw. intersubjektiver Diskursivität der Archäologie

Regulation of CLC-Ka/barttin by the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 and the serum- and glucocorticoid-dependent kinases

Regulation of ClC-Ka/barttin by the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 and the serum- and glucocorticoid-dependent kinases.BackgroundClC-Ka and ClC-Kb, chloride channels participating in renal tubular Cl− transport, require the coexpression of barttin to become functional. Mutations of the barttin gene lead to the Bartter's syndrome variant BSND, characterized by congenital deafness and severe renal salt wasting. Barttin bears a proline-tyrosine motif, a target structure for the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2, which mediates the clearance of channel proteins from the cell membrane. Nedd4-2 is, in turn, a target of the serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase SGK1, which phosphorylates and, thus, inactivates the ubiquitin ligase. ClC-Ka also possesses a SGK1 consensus site in its sequence. We hypothesized that ClC-Ka/barttin is stimulated by SGK1, and down-regulated by Nedd4-2, an effect that may be reversed by SGK1 and its isoforms, SGK2 or SGK3.MethodsTo test this hypothesis, ClC-Ka/barttin was heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes with or without the additional expression of Nedd4-2, SGK1, SGK2, SGK3, constitutively active S422DSGK1, or inactive K127NSGK1.ResultsExpression of ClC-Ka/barttin induced a slightly inwardly rectifying current that was significantly decreased upon coexpression of Nedd4-2, but not the catalytically inactive mutant C938SNedd4-2. The coexpression of S422DSGK1, SGK1, or SGK3, but not SGK2 or K127NSGK1 significantly stimulated the current. Moreover, S422DSGK1, SGK1, and SGK3 also phosphorylated Nedd4-2 and thereby inhibited Nedd4-2 binding to its target. The down-regulation of ClC-Ka/barttin by Nedd4-2 was abolished by elimination of the PY motif in barttin.ConclusionClC-Ka/barttin channels are regulated by SGK1 and SGK3, which may thus participate in the regulation of transport in kidney and inner ear

Decision-analytic modeling to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HPV-DNA testing in primary cervical cancer screening in Germany

Sroczynski G, Schnell-Inderst P, Muhlberger N, et al. Decision-analytic modeling to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HPV-DNA testing in primary cervical cancer screening in Germany. GMS health technology assessment. 2010;6:Doc05.Persistent infections with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are associated with the development of cervical neoplasia. Compared to cytology HPV testing is more sensitive in detecting high-grade cervical cancer precursors, but with lower specificity. HPV based primary screening for cervical cancer is currently discussed in Germany. Decisions should be based on a systematic evaluation of the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HPV based primary screening. What is the long-term clinical effectiveness (reduction in lifetime risk of cervical cancer and death due to cervical cancer, life years gained) of HPV testing and what is the cost-effectiveness in Euro per life year gained (LYG) of including HPV testing in primary cervical cancer screening in the German health care context? How can the screening program be improved with respect to test combination, age at start and end of screening and screening interval and which recommendations should be made for the German health care context? A previously published and validated decision-analytic model for the German health care context was extended and adapted to the natural history of HPV infection and cervical cancer in order to evaluate different screening strategies that differ by screening interval, and tests, including cytology alone, HPV testing alone or in combination with cytology, and HPV testing with cytology triage for HPV-positive women. German clinical, epidemiological and economic data were used. In the absence of individual data, screening adherence was modelled independently from screening history. Test accuracy data were retrieved from international meta-analyses. Predicted outcomes included reduction in lifetime-risk for cervical cancer cases and deaths, life expectancy, lifetime costs, and discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). The perspective of the third party payer and 3% annual discount rate were adopted. Extensive sensitivity analyses were performed in order to evaluate the robustness of results and identify areas of future research. In the base case analysis screening resulted in a 53% to 97% risk reduction for cervical cancer with a discounted ICER between 2,600 Euro/LYG (cytology alone every five years) and 155,500 Euro/LYG (Annual cytology age 20 to 29 years, and annual HPV age 30 years and older). Annual cytology, the current recommended screening strategy in Germany, was dominated. In sensitivity analyses variation in the relative increase in the sensitivity of HPV testing as compared to cytology, HPV test costs, screening adherence, HPV incidence, and annual discount rate influenced the ICER results. Variation in the screening start age also influenced the ICER. All cytology strategies were dominated by HPV screening strategies, when relative sensitivity increase by HPV testing compared to cytology was higher (scenario analysis with data for test accuracy from German studies). HPV testing every one, two or three years was more effective than annual cytology. With increased screening adherence a longer screening interval and with low screening adherence a shorter interval would be more cost-effective. With a reduction in HPV incidence of more than 70% triennial HPV screening in women aged 30 years and older (and biennial Pap screening in women aged 20 to 29 years) is cost-effective. The discounted ICER increases with increasing annual discount rate. Increasing screening start age to 25 years had no relevant loss in effectiveness but resulted in lower costs. An optimal strategy may be biennial HPV testing age 30 years and older with biennial cytology at age 25 to 29 years (ICER of 23,400 Euro/LYG). Based on these results, HPV-based cervical cancer screening is more effective than cytology and could be cost-effective if performed at intervals of two years or greater. Increasing the age at screening start to 25 years causes no relevant loss in effectiveness but saves resources. In the German context an optimal screening strategy could be biennial HPV testing at age 30 years and older with biennial cytology at the age of 25 to 29 years. An extension to a three-yearly screening interval requires substantially improved screening adherence or a higher relative increase in the sensitivity of HPV testing as compared to cytology. The implementation of an organised screening program for quality-controlled introduction of HPV-screening and -vaccination with continued systematic outcome evaluation is recommended