How is critical thinking incorporated in pre-service English teacher education in China?

*This project was conducted in cooperation with research partners in China: Dr Xiaohui Sun, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Beijing Normal University Dr Hongying Zheng, School of Foreign Languages, Sichuan Normal University *Copyright remains with the authors.This project investigates how critical thinking is incorporated in English reading instruction in pre-service English teacher education in China, and how such pedagogical practice is entwined with contextual factors. All participants – both teacher educators and pre-service teachers – were recruited from two teacher training universities, except questionnaire respondents who were from various parts of China. A mixed-methods approach is adopted, including questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations. Findings of quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that teaching critical reading is highly dynamic and complex. Some universities have embedded critical reading in curriculum design, while others largely rely on teachers’ own initiatives. In addition, variations exist regarding what and how critical reading is taught, owing to factors such as cultural influence, teacher educators’ expertise and perspectives, and support available for grassroots teaching. Furthermore, it is found that the test-oriented education system constitutes a key factor, not only resulting in underdeveloped thinking abilities among pre-service teachers, but also leading to divided views among them regarding teaching critical reading in future. Lastly, this study shows that gender is not considered as an affecting factor of engaging in critical thinking among pre-service teachers. Recommendations are proposed for pre-service teacher education in China and language support for Chinese international students in western universitie

Minocycline ameliorates cognitive impairment induced by whole-brain irradiation: an animal study

Background: It has been long recognized that cranial irradiation used for the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumor often causes neurological side-effects such as intellectual impairment, memory loss and dementia, especially in children patients. Our previous study has demonstrated that whole-brain irradiation (WBI) can cause cognitive decline in rats. Minocycline is an antibiotic that has shown neuroprotective properties in a variety of experimental models of neurological diseases. However, whether minocycline can ameliorate cognitive impairment induced by ionizing radiation (IR) has not been tested. Thus this study aimed to demonstrate the potential implication of minocycline in the treatment of WBI-induced cognitive deficits by using a rat model. Methods: Sprague Dawley rats were cranial irradiated with electron beams delivered by a linear accelerator with a single dose of 20 Gy. Minocycline was administered via oral gavages directly into the stomach before and after irradiation. The open field test was used to assess the anxiety level of rats. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess the spatial learning and memory of rats. The level of apoptosis in hippocampal neurons was measured using immunohistochemistry for caspase-3 and relative markers for mature neurons (NeuN) or for newborn neurons (Doublecortin (DCX)). Neurogenesis was determined by BrdU incorporation method. Results: Neither WBI nor minocycline affected the locomotor activity and anxiety level of rats. However, compared with the sham-irradiated controls, WBI caused a significant loss of learning and memory manifest as longer latency to reach the hidden platform in the MWM task. Minocycline intervention significantly improved the memory retention of irradiated rats. Although minocycline did not rescue neurogenesis deficit caused by WBI 2 months post-IR, it did significantly decreased WBI-induced apoptosis in the DCX positive neurons, thereby resulting in less newborn neuron depletion 12 h after irradiation. Conclusions: Minocycline significantly inhibits WBI-induced neuron apoptosis, leading to less newborn neurons loss shortly after irradiation. In the long run, minocycline improves the cognitive performance of rats post WBI. The results indicate a potential clinical implication of minocycline as an effective adjunct in radiotherapy for brain tumor patients

Association between physical activity and health-related quality of life among adults in China: the moderating role of age

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to examine the association between physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adults and explore the role of age in the association between PA and HRQOL in Shandong, China.MethodsWe investigated the relationship between PA and HRQOL and examined the moderated role of age in this association among adults with different age groups and physical activity levels. Data were obtained from the sixth China National Health Services Survey conducted in Shandong province in 2018. The multi-stage-stratified cluster random sampling method was used to selected respondents, with individuals aged 18 and above included in the present study. The tool of assessing HRQOL was the three-level EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L).ResultsThe study found PA was significantly related to HRQOL (P < 0.05). The interaction analysis indicated that the relationship between PA and HRQOL was significantly different across young, middle-aged, and older adults (P < 0.05). Older adults with the sufficient PA (coefficient = 0.090, 95%CI: [0.081, 0.100]) and active PA (coefficient = 0.057, 95%CI: [0.043, 0.072]) had significantly higher HRQOL compared with young and middle-aged groups.ConclusionPA was positively associated with HRQOL among the adults. Age played a moderate role between the association between PA and HRQOL. Guidelines for PA should be specifically tailored to adults of different age groups in order to enhance their HRQoL

Biofeedback EEG can quantify abnormal phenomenon of EEG in psychology

TEEG (electroencephalography, EEG) is a kind of single which we know human brain function active.BT (Biofeedback Therapy, BT) is based the method of EEG technology, focusing on the studies of human thoughts and emotions activities. We shall study new points that the two kinds of EEG technology are used simultaneously, to find the BT can be quantified abnormal EEG activities in mental illness, to provide the certain reference value in clinical. We found that BT can quantify β wave, θ wave and some abnormal phenomenon of traditional EEG. Therefore, based on the conventional examination of the traditional EEG in clinical, we used BT to further check. The results show not only to quantify the advantages of traditional EEG brain waves specific values occur, such as the specific data of fatigue (θ wave) and anxiety (β wave), but also abnormal phenomenon. Quantized data would become more intuitive, and to assess the clinical efficacy of treatment more scientific and objectivity

An inventory of invasive alien species in China

Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major global challenge requiring urgent action, and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) includes a target on the issue. Meeting the target requires an understanding of invasion patterns. However, national or regional analyses of invasions are limited to developed countries. We identified 488 IAS in China’s terrestrial habitats, inland waters and marine ecosystems based on available literature and field work, including 171 animals, 265 plants, 26 fungi, 3 protists, 11 procaryots, and 12 viruses. Terrestrial plants account for 51.6% of the total number of IAS, and terrestrial invertebrates (104 species) for 21.3%. Of the total numbers, 67.9% of plant IAS and 34.8% of animal IAS were introduced intentionally. All other taxa were introduced unintentionally despite very few animal and plant species that invaded naturally. In terms of habitats, 64.3% of IAS occur on farmlands, 13.9% in forests, 8.4% in marine ecosystems, 7.3% in inland waters, and 6.1% in residential areas. Half of all IAS (51.1%) originate from North and South America, 18.3% from Europe, 17.3% from Asia not including China, 7.2% from Africa, 1.8% from Oceania, and the origin of the remaining 4.3% IAS is unknown. The distribution of IAS can be divided into three zones. Most IAS are distributed in coastal provinces and the Yunnan province; provinces in Middle China have fewer IAS, and most provinces in West China have the least number of IAS. Sites where IAS were first detected are mainly distributed in the coastal region, the Yunnan Province and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The number of newly emerged IAS has been increasing since 1850. The cumulative number of firstly detected IAS grew exponentially

In vitro anticancer activity of acetylshikonin action against cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a malignant neoplasm and is the second commonest cancer in women worldwide. Despite the availability of various treatment modalities, the 5-year survival remains poor. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to explore drugs capable of preventing and treating cervical cancer. Plant-derived natural products are widely used as adjunct to chemotherapy for this type of cancer. Our study aims to investigate the effects of acetylshikonin, an acetyl derivative, isolated from a Chinese medicinal herb Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc., a folk medicine with a long history of safe use for clinically treating cervical cancer in China. MTT assay was used to determine the in vitro anticancer effects of acetylshikonin on human cervical cancer Siha cells. The expression of caspase-3 and -8 proteins were determined. Flow cytometry and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to detect the expression level of Siha cells associated markers and regulatory genes. In Siha cell lines, acetylshikonin inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. The preferential expression of Siha cells related marker, regulatory genes were also highlighted. It arrested the cell cycle by blocking transition from S phase to G2/M phase and induced apoptosis of Siha cell through activating caspase-3 and caspase-8. In the current study, acetylshikonin can be taken as a promising natural lead for cervical cancer