Any Time, Any Place, Flexible Pace: Technology-Enhanced Language Learning in a Teacher Education Programme

Ongoing developments in e-learning, improved internet accessibility and increased digital citizenry provide exciting opportunities to integrate effective classroom pedagogies with online educational technologies, creating mixed-mode courses to enhance student engagement and facilitate greater autonomous learning. This research examines pre-service teacher education students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of experiential and digitally-mediated tools which take them beyond the constraints of traditional lecture-type delivery. Quantitative and qualitative results from distance and face-to-face cohorts show the value the students ascribe to tools employed in a modified language course. These are discussed in relation to reported changes in students’ proficiency in the target language and culture, and their teaching confidence, using principles for effective instructed language learning as an interpretive lens. The data provide valuable insights into features that enhanced the students’ digitally-mediated learning experiences in this blended delivery course, including the impact of when, where and how they could engage with course material

Journeys Towards Intercultural Capability in Language Classrooms

This open access book presents an account of five teacher educators who, over a two-year period, undertook a research project with five teachers of languages other than English in pre-secondary schools in New Zealand. Their collaborative aim was to develop students’ intercultural capability in the context of learning a new language. The school participants were typical of many in New Zealand’s pre-secondary sector; the teachers had limited language-teaching experience and limited prior knowledge of how to develop the intercultural dimension in their language classrooms, and the students were largely at the beginning stages of learning a new language. The book discusses the findings obtained using a range of data collection methods, including classroom observations, reflective interviews with teachers, and focus groups with students. It documents instances of breakthrough and growth for teachers and students and reveals the problems and tensions. Lastly, it reflects on the lessons learned in the course of this project and speculates on the roles that teacher education needs to play if the goal of intercultural capability is to be better achieved in language classrooms, both in New Zealand and internationally. Of interest to a wide range of stakeholders in the area of education, the book allows readers to gain an understanding of the opportunities of working with teachers through an action–research model, alongside the challenges that this brings and ways in which intercultural capability may be strengthened

The kinetochore prevents centromere-proximal crossover recombination during meiosis

During meiosis, crossover recombination is essential to link homologous chromosomes and drive faithful chromosome segregation. Crossover recombination is non-random across the genome, and centromere-proximal crossovers are associated with an increased risk of aneuploidy, including Trisomy 21 in humans. Here, we identify the conserved Ctf19/CCAN kinetochore sub-complex as a major factor that minimizes potentially deleterious centromere-proximal crossovers in budding yeast. We uncover multi-layered suppression of pericentromeric recombination by the Ctf19 complex, operating across distinct chromosomal distances. The Ctf19 complex prevents meiotic DNA break formation, the initiating event of recombination, proximal to the centromere. The Ctf19 complex independently drives the enrichment of cohesin throughout the broader pericentromere to suppress crossovers, but not DNA breaks. This non-canonical role of the kinetochore in defining a chromosome domain that is refractory to crossovers adds a new layer of functionality by which the kinetochore prevents the incidence of chromosome segregation errors that generate aneuploid gametes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10850.00

Journeys Towards Intercultural Capability in Language Classrooms

This open access book presents an account of five teacher educators who, over a two-year period, undertook a research project with five teachers of languages other than English in pre-secondary schools in New Zealand. Their collaborative aim was to develop students’ intercultural capability in the context of learning a new language. The school participants were typical of many in New Zealand’s pre-secondary sector; the teachers had limited language-teaching experience and limited prior knowledge of how to develop the intercultural dimension in their language classrooms, and the students were largely at the beginning stages of learning a new language. The book discusses the findings obtained using a range of data collection methods, including classroom observations, reflective interviews with teachers, and focus groups with students. It documents instances of breakthrough and growth for teachers and students and reveals the problems and tensions. Lastly, it reflects on the lessons learned in the course of this project and speculates on the roles that teacher education needs to play if the goal of intercultural capability is to be better achieved in language classrooms, both in New Zealand and internationally. Of interest to a wide range of stakeholders in the area of education, the book allows readers to gain an understanding of the opportunities of working with teachers through an action–research model, alongside the challenges that this brings and ways in which intercultural capability may be strengthened

Sun Protection Behavior in Organ Transplant Recipients in Queensland, Australia.

Background: Organ transplant recipients (OTRs) have a high risk of skin cancer, and excessive sun exposure is a major contributing factor. Objective:To document the prevalence of sun protection and associated factors in OTRs in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Cross-sectional study of the frequency of wearing hats, long sleeves and using sunscreens among OTRs and factors associated with regular use. Adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cis) were estimated using Poisson regression models. Results: Among 446 OTRs, 66, 49 and 39% wore a hat, sunscreen and long sleeves, respectively, mostly when outdoors. 52% regularly practiced multiple sun protection measures while 19% did not. Sunburn-prone skin (PR = 1.43,95% CI = 1.06-1.93) and frequent whole-body skin examinations (PR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.19-1.84) were independently associated with regular use of multiple sun protection measures. Conclusion: Findings are consistent with sun-conscious OTRs also having more regular skin screening and that having frequent skin examinations promotes sun-protective habits. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Base

Prevalence of Skin Cancer and Related Skin Tumors in High-Risk Kidney and Liver Transplant Recipients in Queensland, Australia

The increased skin cancer incidence in organ transplant recipients is well-known, but the skin cancer burden at any one time is unknown. Our objective was to estimate the period prevalence of untreated skin malignancy and actinic keratoses in high-risk kidney and liver transplant recipients and to assess associated factors. Organ transplant recipients underwent full skin examinations by dermatologically trained physicians. The proportion of examined organ transplant recipients with histopathologically confirmed skin cancer in the 3-month baseline period was estimated. Prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals indicated significant associations. Of 495 high-risk organ transplant recipients (average age ¼ 54 years, time immunosuppressed ¼ 8.9 years), 135 (27%) had basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or Bowen’s disease (intraepidermal carcinoma) present and confirmed in the baseline period, with respective prevalence proportions of 10%, 11%, and 18% in kidney transplant recipients and 10%, 9%, and 13% in liver transplant recipients. Over 80% had actinic keratosis present, with approximately 30% having 5 or more actinic keratoses. Organ transplant recipients with the highest skin cancer burden were Australian born, were fair skinned (prevalence ratio ¼ 1.61, 95% confidence interval ¼ [1.07, 2.43]), reported past skin cancer (prevalence ratio ¼3.39, 95% confidence interval ¼ [1.93, 5.95]), and were receiving the most frequent skin checks (prevalence ratio ¼ 1.76, 95% confidence interval ¼ [1.15, 2.70]). In conclusion, high-risk organ transplant recipients carry a substantial measurable skin cancer burden at any given time and require frequent review through easily accessible, specialized services

Omega-3 fatty acid intake and decreased risk of skin cancer in organ transplant recipients

Organ transplant recipients have over 100-fold higher risk of developing skin cancer than the general population and are in need of further preventive strategies. We assessed the possible preventive effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake from food on the two main skin cancers, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in kidney and liver transplant recipients.Adult kidney or liver transplant recipients transplanted for at least 1\ua0year and at high risk of skin cancer were recruited from the main transplant hospital in Queensland, 2012-2014 and followed until mid-2016. We estimated their dietary total long-chain omega-3 PUFAs and α-linolenic acid intakes at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire and ranked PUFA intakes as low, medium, or high. Relative risks (RRs) of skin cancer adjusted for confounding factors with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.There were 449 transplant recipients (mean age, 55\ua0years; 286 (64%) male). During follow-up, 149 (33%) patients developed SCC (median 2/person; range 1-40) and 134 (30%), BCC. Transplant recipients with high total long-chain omega-3 PUFA compared with low intakes showed substantially reduced SCC tumour risk (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.18-0.60), and those with high α-linolenic acid intakes experienced significantly fewer BCCs (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.22-0.74). No other significant associations were seen.Among organ transplant recipients, relatively high intakes of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs and of α-linolenic acid may reduce risks of SCC and BCC, respectively