English for Specific Academic Purposes Student Partnerships Across Borders

Students coming to the UK frequently join their chosen university via a pre-sessional English language course, but organisers of such courses often struggle to find staff on campus in the summer months to provide the necessary content input. This paper presents an attempt to overcome this shortfall, describing two parallel English for Specific Academic Purpose telecollaboration projects between universities in Scotland and Gaza, one involving Engineering, the other Biomedical students. We outline how the projects were organised, offer our findings, and provide a set of guidelines that may encourage similar cross-continent link-ups between universities

English for Specific Academic Purposes Student Partnerships Across Borders

Students coming to the UK frequently join their chosen university via a pre-sessional English language course, but organisers of such courses often struggle to find staff on campus in the summer months to provide the necessary content input. This paper presents an attempt to overcome this shortfall, describing two parallel English for Specific Academic Purpose telecollaboration projects between universities in Scotland and Gaza, one involving Engineering, the other Biomedical students. We outline how the projects were organised, offer our findings, and provide a set of guidelines that may encourage similar cross-continent link-ups between universities

Finding space and voice: duoethnographic exploration of teacher agency in EAP

No abstract available

Effect of use of an obstetric gel during labour on parturients’ satisfaction

Cel. Celem badania było określenie, czy zastosowanie podczas porodu bezpiecznego dla organizmu matki i dziecka żelu położniczego wpływa na satysfakcję porodową rodzących. Materiał i metoda. Badaniami objęto 45 pierworódek. Do grupy badanej zakwalifikowano 22 kobiety, u których podczas porodu zastosowano żel położniczy. Grupę kontrolną stanowiły 23 rodzące, u których poród przebiegał bez użycia żelu. Do oceny satysfakcji z przebiegu porodu zastosowano następujące narzędzia badawcze: Wizualną Skalę Analogową (Visual Analogue Scale- VAS) oraz ankietę własnej konstrukcji. Wyniki. Nie wykazano pomiędzy grupą badaną a kontrolną istotnych statystycznie różnic w ocenie zadowolenia z przebiegu porodu, wyczerpania po porodzie oraz natężenia bólu w II okresie porodu. Wniosek. Zastosowanie żelu położniczego podczas drugiego okresu porodu nie wpływało w istotny sposób na satysfakcję z przebiegu porodu u badanych kobiet.Objective. The objective of the presented study was to discover whether the use of an obstetric gel safe for mother and child during labour exerts an effect on woman›s satisfaction with childbirth. Material and method. The study included 45 primaparous women – 22 in whom obstetric gel was applied were qualified into the study group, and a control group covering 23 women whose delivery proceeded without the use of a gel. Satisfaction with the course of childbirth was evaluated using the following research instruments: the Visual Analogue Scale-VAS, and a questionnaire designed by the author. Results. No statistically significant differences in evaluations concerning satisfaction with the course of delivery, exhaustion after delivery and pain intensity during the second stage of labour were observed between the study and control groups. Conclusion. Application of an obstetric gel during the second stage of delivery did not significantly affect the womens’ satisfaction with childbirth

Expression of CTLA-4 and CD86 Antigens and Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia—Any Link with Known Prognostic Factors?

Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) worsens the prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but the underlying mechanisms are not yet established. We intended to assess whether EBV affects the course of CLL by the deregulation of the CTLA-4/CD86 signaling pathway. We used polymerase chain reaction to measure the load of EBV DNA in the blood of 110 newly diagnosed patients with CLL. The expression of CTLA-4 and CD86 antigen on lymphocytes was assessed with flow cytometry. Additionally, CTLA-4 and CD86 serum concentrations were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Fifty-four percent of the patients had detectable EBV DNA [EBV(+)]. In EBV(+) patients the CTLA-4 and CD86 serum concentrations and their expressions on investigated cell populations were significantly higher than in EBV(−) patients. EBV load correlated positively with unfavorable prognostic markers of CLL and the expression of CTLA-4 on CD3+ lymphocytes (r = 0.5339; p = 0.027) and CD86 on CD19+ cells (r = 0.6950; p < 0.001). During a median follow-up period of 32 months EBV(+) patients were more likely to require treatment or have lymphocyte doubling (p < 0.001). Among EBV(+) but not EBV(−) patients, increased expressions of CTLA-4 lymphocytes were associated with elevated risks of progression. We propose that EBV coinfection may worsen prognosis in CLL patients, partly due to EBV-induced up-regulation of CTLA-4 expression