Global issues and global values in foreign language education : selection and awareness-raising

The global education trend has recently been gaining in significance in education systems throughout the world. This paper discusses a number of issues regarding the possibility of incorporating a global perspective into foreign language education, and considering also some of the implications of this for language teacher education Firstly, I shall describe my former teaching context – a pre-service foreign language teacher training course at the Belarusian State Pedagogical University in Minsk, Belarus. Then, I shall briefly discuss the concept of global education and its particular relevance to foreign language teaching, focusing on global issues and values as ways of incorporating a global perspective into foreign language education. Next, I shall report on and discuss the findings of my 2001 study of EFL teachers’ attitudes to certain aspects of the incorporation of a global perspective into foreign language education

High-Temperature Protective Coatings Produced by EB-PVD

The paper presents some new technological sequences of electron beam evaporation and deposition of high-temperature metal-ceramic coatings. The main attention is given to two-layer Me-Cr-Al-Y/ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings with transition layers of the total thickness of up to 0.2 mm. Chemical composition and structures of the main layers (metal, ceramics) and substrate/metal and metal/ceramics transition layers, as well as the respective physico-mechanical properties are considered. A method of deposition of these coatings in one technological cycle of evaporation and condensation with application of evaporation composite ingot is proposed. Examples of coating "design" and respective equipment for practical application in gas turbine construction are given

MOVING BEYOND PLAGIARISM DETECTION TOWARDS A CULTURE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The advent of electronic detection of plagiarism can lead to an increasing use of punitive measures and the re-inforcement of a very negative approach to academic scholarship. An alternative approach is the honour code system, which originated in the US. Students take a pledge to uphold the principles of academic integrity and in return are awarded certain privileges and responsibilities. These may include examinations that are not invigilated by staff and a student judiciary that polices the honour code. There is a campus-wide focus on the positive promotion of academic integrity and scholarship and less emphasis on penalties and punishment.The rise in the number of plagiarism-related cases has forced many HEIs into a rapid evolution of policies and practices for dealing with plagiarism. Wide variation in the detail and use of plagiarism policies has been demonstrated at a national level, with concern from the OIA that this could lead to inequality of treatment of students.

Beyond publish or perish – exploring the multi-faceted benefits of academic writing

The phrase ‘publish or perish’ suggests that the purpose of academic writing is in and of itself to be published. Drawing on qualitative research into academic writing practices, Marion Heron, Karen Gravett and Nadya Yakovchuk suggest that the ‘publish or perish’ concept obscures much of the value in academic writing that resides in writing as a process, and the opportunities it presents academics to individually and collaboratively develop and innovate

Developing Researcher Identity Through the PhD Confirmation

The PhD confirmation, or upgrade stage, is a key requirement and rite of passage for most doctoral students. Yet despite its significance and high-stakes nature, little attention has been paid to students’ experiences of this stage of the PhD journey and how it influences the development of their researcher identity. Through semi-structured interviews with PhD students from a range of disciplines who had recently successfully completed the confirmation stage, we found that for many the confirmation stage was a catalyst for ‘feeling’ like a researcher through external validation, recognition and legitimacy. Students also developed their researcher identity through talking about their research with significant others. We argue for recognising the pivotal role the confirmation stage plays in developing doctoral students’ researcher identity and offer suggestions on how supervisors and researcher developers can support students through this transition

Base-stacking and base-pairing contributions into thermal stability of the DNA double helix

Two factors are mainly responsible for the stability of the DNA double helix: base pairing between complementary strands and stacking between adjacent bases. By studying DNA molecules with solitary nicks and gaps we measure temperature and salt dependence of the stacking free energy of the DNA double helix. For the first time, DNA stacking parameters are obtained directly (without extrapolation) for temperatures from below room temperature to close to melting temperature. We also obtain DNA stacking parameters for different salt concentrations ranging from 15 to 100 mM Na(+). From stacking parameters of individual contacts, we calculate base-stacking contribution to the stability of A•T- and G•C-containing DNA polymers. We find that temperature and salt dependences of the stacking term fully determine the temperature and the salt dependence of DNA stability parameters. For all temperatures and salt concentrations employed in present study, base-stacking is the main stabilizing factor in the DNA double helix. A•T pairing is always destabilizing and G•C pairing contributes almost no stabilization. Base-stacking interaction dominates not only in the duplex overall stability but also significantly contributes into the dependence of the duplex stability on its sequence

Base-stacking and base-pairing contributions into thermal stability of the DNA double helix

Two factors are mainly responsible for the stability of the DNA double helix: base pairing between complementary strands and stacking between adjacent bases. By studying DNA molecules with solitary nicks and gaps we measure temperature and salt dependence of the stacking free energy of the DNA double helix. For the first time, DNA stacking parameters are obtained directly (without extrapolation) for temperatures from below room temperature to close to melting temperature. We also obtain DNA stacking parameters for different salt concentrations ranging from 15 to 100 mM Na(+). From stacking parameters of individual contacts, we calculate base-stacking contribution to the stability of A•T- and G•C-containing DNA polymers. We find that temperature and salt dependences of the stacking term fully determine the temperature and the salt dependence of DNA stability parameters. For all temperatures and salt concentrations employed in present study, base-stacking is the main stabilizing factor in the DNA double helix. A•T pairing is always destabilizing and G•C pairing contributes almost no stabilization. Base-stacking interaction dominates not only in the duplex overall stability but also significantly contributes into the dependence of the duplex stability on its sequence