Language Policy, Politics and Ideology in Mewat: Comparative Case Studies of Mewati in Two School Types

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in multilingualism, language maintenance and managing language diversity both inside and outside the educational context. However, much of this work, especially in the educational context, has focused on (minority) languages and relatively little attention has been paid to ‘dialects’. This study explores the status and role of Mewati, a dialect generally subsumed under Hindi (Government of India, 2001) in schools. While Mewati is spoken by most Meos as their first language (Srivastava, 2011, p. 250), there are currently no studies that examine the use and role of Mewati in education in Mewat. This thesis addresses an important gap in understanding what roles are assigned (or not) to local dialects in education. This project was guided by two research questions: What language-in-education policies (LiEPs) were in place in the two types of schools (rural and urban) chosen for this study; and what role did Mewati play in the overall language policy framework in these schools. The goal of this project was to develop an understanding about how teachers comprehended, negotiated and implemented LiEPs within classrooms. It also aimed at uncovering and critically analysing the underlying ideologies, policies and political processes that informed and influenced these LiEPs in the two schools studied and how these policies, affected the position of Mewati in these schools. The schools studied differed across multiple dimensions including medium of instruction, board of affiliation, textbooks and curricula, location, infrastructure and the socio-economic background of the students. However, they were similar in that most students in both schools spoke Mewati as their home language. The case study was based on data collected in interviews, informal conversations, artifacts, documents and field notes. The data was gathered from both Meo and non-Meo teachers, who differed across linguistic, ethnic and religious lines, in order to obtain a richer and holistic perspective on teachers’ views and practices. This project took an interdisciplinary approach and drew insights from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, education and sociology. The study draws significantly on Spolsky’s (2004) model of language policy which was used both as an analytical framework as well as a tool for organizing data. The study revealed that the LiEP of the rural schools was largely Hindi monolingual and the urban school mostly Hindi-English bilingual. Both types of schools failed to make space for Mewati, the mother tongue of the majority of students. In both school types, Hindi was taught as the first language. The majority of teachers also held negative attitudes towards Mewati. The teachers perceived Mewati as a hindrance for the learning and overall development of students. There was a significant communication gap between teachers and students particularly in the early years of education. There was also a severe shortage of local Meo teachers. Most teachers in both schools were non-Meos who could not speak Mewati. A complex mix of inter-ethnic relations between these groups and the socio-historical and political structures greatly influenced language choice patterns and policy decisions. This study has important implications for the role of mother tongue in education for policymakers, government officials, educationists, and teachers as the findings indicate a need for change in language policy and procedures

Generation of Functional CLL-Specific Cord Blood CTL Using CD40-Ligated CLL APC

PMCID: PMC3526610This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

A Comparative Study of Different Methodologies for Fault Diagnosis in Multivariate Quality Control

Different methodologies for fault diagnosis in multivariate quality control have been proposed in recent years. These methods work in the space of the original measured variables and have performed reasonably well when there is a reduced number of mildly correlated quality and/or process variables with a well-conditioned covariance matrix. These approaches have been introduced by emphasizing their positive or negative virtues, generally on an individual basis, so it is not clear for the practitioner the best method to be used. This paper provides a comprehensive study of the performance of diverse methodological approaches when tested on a large number of distinct simulated scenarios. Our primary aim is to highlight key weaknesses and strengths in these methods as well as clarifying their relationships and the requirements for their implementation in practice.Vidal Puig, S.; Ferrer, A. (2014). A Comparative Study of Different Methodologies for Fault Diagnosis in Multivariate Quality Control. Communications in Statistics - Simulation and Computation. 43(5):986-1005. doi:10.1080/03610918.2012.720745S9861005435Arteaga, F., & Ferrer, A. (2010). How to simulate normal data sets with the desired correlation structure. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 101(1), 38-42. doi:10.1016/j.chemolab.2009.12.003Doganaksoy, N., Faltin, F. W., & Tucker, W. T. (1991). Identification of out of control quality characteristics in a multivariate manufacturing environment. Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods, 20(9), 2775-2790. doi:10.1080/03610929108830667Fuchs, C., & Benjamini, Y. (1994). Multivariate Profile Charts for Statistical Process Control. Technometrics, 36(2), 182-195. doi:10.1080/00401706.1994.10485765Hawkins, D. M. (1991). Multivariate Quality Control Based on Regression-Adiusted Variables. Technometrics, 33(1), 61-75. doi:10.1080/00401706.1991.10484770Editorial Board. (2007). Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, 51(8), iii-v. doi:10.1016/s0167-9473(07)00125-9Hayter, A. J., & Tsui, K.-L. (1994). Identification and Quantification in Multivariate Quality Control Problems. Journal of Quality Technology, 26(3), 197-208. doi:10.1080/00224065.1994.11979526HOCHBERG, Y. (1988). A sharper Bonferroni procedure for multiple tests of significance. Biometrika, 75(4), 800-802. doi:10.1093/biomet/75.4.800HOMMEL, G. (1988). A stagewise rejective multiple test procedure based on a modified Bonferroni test. Biometrika, 75(2), 383-386. doi:10.1093/biomet/75.2.383Kourti, T., & MacGregor, J. F. (1996). Multivariate SPC Methods for Process and Product Monitoring. Journal of Quality Technology, 28(4), 409-428. doi:10.1080/00224065.1996.11979699Li, J., Jin, J., & Shi, J. (2008). Causation-BasedT2Decomposition for Multivariate Process Monitoring and Diagnosis. Journal of Quality Technology, 40(1), 46-58. doi:10.1080/00224065.2008.11917712Mason, R. L., Tracy, N. D., & Young, J. C. (1995). Decomposition ofT2 for Multivariate Control Chart Interpretation. Journal of Quality Technology, 27(2), 99-108. doi:10.1080/00224065.1995.11979573Mason, R. L., Tracy, N. D., & Young, J. C. (1997). A Practical Approach for Interpreting Multivariate T2 Control Chart Signals. Journal of Quality Technology, 29(4), 396-406. doi:10.1080/00224065.1997.11979791Murphy, B. J. (1987). Selecting Out of Control Variables With the T 2 Multivariate Quality Control Procedure. The Statistician, 36(5), 571. doi:10.2307/2348668Rencher, A. C. (1993). The Contribution of Individual Variables to Hotelling’s T 2 , Wilks’ Λ, and R 2. Biometrics, 49(2), 479. doi:10.2307/2532560Roy, J. (1958). Step-Down Procedure in Multivariate Analysis. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 29(4), 1177-1187. doi:10.1214/aoms/1177706449Runger, G. C., Alt, F. B., & Montgomery, D. C. (1996). Contributors to a multivariate statistical process control chart signal. Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods, 25(10), 2203-2213. doi:10.1080/03610929608831832Sankoh, A. J., Huque, M. F., & Dubey, S. D. (1997). Some comments on frequently used multiple endpoint adjustment methods in clinical trials. Statistics in Medicine, 16(22), 2529-2542. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0258(19971130)16:223.0.co;2-jTukey, J. W., Ciminera, J. L., & Heyse, J. F. (1985). Testing the Statistical Certainty of a Response to Increasing Doses of a Drug. Biometrics, 41(1), 295. doi:10.2307/253066

Update in the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Advances in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have improved initial overall response (OR) rates, complete response (CR) rates and progression free survival (PFS). Despite these advances, CLL remains incurable with standard therapies. Thus, there remains a need for more effective therapies in both the upfront and relapsed setting, particularly for patients with high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities such as del(11q22) and del(17p13). The 2008 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting featured several presentations which highlighted the ongoing clinical advances in CLL. The benefit of adding rituximab to purine analog therapy in the upfront setting was demonstrated by a large randomized study which showed that the addition of rituximab to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FCR) significantly improved OR, CR and PFS. The improvement in PFS directly resulted from an improved ability to eliminate minimal residual disease (MRD) in the peripheral blood, highlighting the importance of MRD eradication. However, a multi-center study suggested that the high CR rates to chemoimmunotherapy regimens such as FCR obtained in academic centers may not be reproducible when the same regimens are given in the community setting. The immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide is active in relapsed high-risk CLL, but two studies of lenalidomide in previously untreated CLL patients failed to achieve a CR and were associated with significant tumor lysis, tumor flare and hematologic toxicity. In the relapsed setting, a combination study of the bifunctional alkylator bendamustine and rituximab (BR) demonstrated a high OR rate in patients with del(11q22) and del(17p13), indicating that further studies to define's bendamustine activity are warranted in high-risk CLL. Similarly, the CDK inhibitor flavopiridol demonstrated significant clinical activity and durable remissions in heavily treated, refractory CLL patients with high-risk cytogenetic features and bulky lymphadenopathy. The monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody ofatumumab appeared to be superior to rituximab in relapsed CLL patients with bulky nodal disease or high-risk cytogenetic features. Ongoing studies of these agents and other novel therapeutic agents in clinical development hold forth the promise that treatment options for CLL patients will continue to expand and improve

The Emerging Role of Ofatumumab in the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has evolved over the past decade. Our better understanding of disease biology and risk stratification has allowed delivering more effective therapies. In fact, front-line chemoimmunotherapy has demonstrated improvement in overall survival when compared to chemotherapy in randomized studies. Yet, treatment of relapsed CLL remains challenging and few agents are effective in that setting. Ofatumumab (Ofa) is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeted against CD20 with demonstrable activity in rituximab-resistant CLL cell lines. This agent was recently approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory CLL patients who have failed fludarabine and alemtuzumab. In this review, we provide a historical perspective on approaches to CLL as front-line and in the relapsed setting. We further summarize novel anti-CD20 antibodies with specific emphasis on ofa. We review studies that led to ofatumumab’s approval including pre-clinical data, trials using ofa in combination therapies, and adverse events/toxicities reported with this agent

Photoswitchable diacylglycerols enable optical control of protein kinase C.

Increased levels of the second messenger lipid diacylglycerol (DAG) induce downstream signaling events including the translocation of C1-domain-containing proteins toward the plasma membrane. Here, we introduce three light-sensitive DAGs, termed PhoDAGs, which feature a photoswitchable acyl chain. The PhoDAGs are inactive in the dark and promote the translocation of proteins that feature C1 domains toward the plasma membrane upon a flash of UV-A light. This effect is quickly reversed after the termination of photostimulation or by irradiation with blue light, permitting the generation of oscillation patterns. Both protein kinase C and Munc13 can thus be put under optical control. PhoDAGs control vesicle release in excitable cells, such as mouse pancreatic islets and hippocampal neurons, and modulate synaptic transmission in Caenorhabditis elegans. As such, the PhoDAGs afford an unprecedented degree of spatiotemporal control and are broadly applicable tools to study DAG signaling

RPPA-based proteomics recognizes distinct epigenetic signatures in chronic lymphocytic leukemia with clinical consequences

The chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) armamentarium has evolved significantly, with novel therapies that inhibit Bruton Tyrosine Kinase, PI3K delta and/or the BCL2 protein improving outcomes. Still, the clinical course of CLL patients is highly variable and most previously recognized prognostic features lack the capacity to predict response to modern treatments indicating the need for new prognostic markers. In this study, we identified four epigenetically distinct proteomic signatures of a large cohort of CLL and related diseases derived samples (n = 871) using reverse phase protein array technology. These signatures are associated with clinical features including age, cytogenetic abnormalities [trisomy 12, del(13q) and del(17p)], immunoglobulin heavy-chain locus (IGHV) mutational load, ZAP-70 status, Binet and Rai staging as well as with the outcome measures of time to treatment and overall survival. Protein signature membership was identified as predictive marker for overall survival regardless of other clinical features. Among the analyzed epigenetic proteins, EZH2, HDAC6, and loss of H3K27me3 levels were the most independently associated with poor survival. These findings demonstrate that proteomic based epigenetic biomarkers can be used to better classify CLL patients and provide therapeutic guidance

Distracting the Mind Improves Performance: An ERP Study

When a second target (T2) is presented in close succession of a first target (T1), people often fail to identify T2, a phenomenon known as the attentional blink (AB). However, the AB can be reduced substantially when participants are distracted during the task, for instance by a concurrent task, without a cost for T1 performance. The goal of the current study was to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of this paradoxical effect.Participants successively performed three tasks, while EEG was recorded. The first task (standard AB) consisted of identifying two target letters in a sequential stream of distractor digits. The second task (grey dots task) was similar to the first task with the addition of an irrelevant grey dot moving in the periphery, concurrent with the central stimulus stream. The third task (red dot task) was similar to the second task, except that detection of an occasional brief color change in the moving grey dot was required. AB magnitude in the latter task was significantly smaller, whereas behavioral performance in the standard and grey dots tasks did not differ. Using mixed effects models, electrophysiological activity was compared during trials in the grey dots and red dot tasks that differed in task instruction but not in perceptual input. In the red dot task, both target-related parietal brain activity associated with working memory updating (P3) as well as distractor-related occipital activity was significantly reduced.The results support the idea that the AB might (at least partly) arise from an overinvestment of attentional resources or an overexertion of attentional control, which is reduced when a distracting secondary task is carried out. The present findings bring us a step closer in understanding why and how an AB occurs, and how these temporal restrictions in selective attention can be overcome