Assessment of English Teaching From Social - Anthropological Perspective: A Case Study of Microteaching in Warwick SJTU ETD Programme

Microteaching has gained considerable attention for its effectiveness in training teachers. Based on social-anthropological theory, a microteaching workshop in Warwick SJTU ETD Programme for 22 English teachers was investigated. Observation and interview, as the main basic methods, were applied to collect data. The results showed that microteaching offered participants an opportunity to practice teaching and receive useful feedback from peers and professional supervisors. Moreover, it was indicated that the improvement of teaching largely depends on self-reflection. The participants who were aware of teaching objectives and teaching aids, and opened to alternative teaching materials could easily manage the classroom teaching, and activate students’ learning

The influence of water-based drilling fluid on mechanical property of shale and the wellbore stability

AbstractBecause of high cost and pollution of oil-based drilling fluid, the water-based drilling fluid is increasingly used now. However, bedding planes and micro-cracks are rich in shale formation. When water-based drilling fluid contacts formation rock, it causes the propagation of crack and invasion of drilling fluid, which decrease shale strength and cause wellbore instability. In this paper, we analyzed influence of water-based drilling fluid on shale strength and failure mode by mechanics experiment. Based on those experimental results, considering the effect of bedding plane and drilling time, we established modeling of wellbore stability for shale formation. The result from this model indicates that in certain azimuth of horizontal well, collapsing pressure increases dramatically due to shale failure along with bedding plane. In drilling operation, those azimuths are supposed to be avoided. This model is applicable for predication of collapsing pressure in shale formation and offers reference for choosing suitable mud weight

Metagenomic Insights Into the Contribution of Phages to Antibiotic Resistance in Water Samples Related to Swine Feedlot Wastewater Treatment

In this study, we examined the types of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) possessed by bacteria and bacteriophages in swine feedlot wastewater before and after treatment using a metagenomics approach. We found that the relative abundance of ARGs in bacterial DNA in all water samples was significantly higher than that in phages DNA (>10.6-fold), and wastewater treatment did not significantly change the relative abundance of bacterial- or phage-associated ARGs. We further detected the distribution and diversity of the different types of ARGs according to the class of antibiotics to which they confer resistance, the tetracycline resistance genes were the most abundant resistance genes and phages were more likely to harbor ATP-binding cassette transporter family and ribosomal protection genes. Moreover, the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 was also detected in the phage population. When assessing the contribution of phages in spreading different groups of ARGs, β-lactamase resistance genes had a relatively high spreading ability even though the abundance was low. These findings possibly indicated that phages not only could serve as important reservoir of ARG but also carry particular ARGs in swine feedlot wastewater, and this phenomenon is independent of the environment

Effects of Boric Acid Gel on Vaginal Candida albicans Infections and the Local Immune System in Mice

The objective was to determine the effect of 5% boric acid gel on vaginal Candida albicans (CA) infections in mice and its effect on the local immune system (i.e., Th1, Th2, and Th17). Female mice were divided into four groups, with 10 mice in each group. Mycelial suspensions were administered into the vaginal lumen close to the cervix in groups B, F, and M. Mice in group B were given boric acid gel, and group F was treated with fluconazole gel for 30 min every 12 h. Group M was treated with sterile water, and group N was not given treatment. After the seventh day of treatment, each group was observed with the naked eye, and vaginal lavage fluid and vaginal tissue were collected. Expression levels of cytokines were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry. Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining was used to measure the fungi in vaginal tissues. There were no significant changes in group M. In groups B and F, there was less vaginal injury and less exudate, with group B doing better than group F. The numbers of CA colonies were higher in groups B, F, and M than in group N (P < 0.01). There was less vaginal colonization of CA in group B than in group F (P < 0.01). After the seventh day of treatment, levels of IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-6, TGF-β, IL-4, and IL-10 were significantly greater in groups B, F, and M than in group N (P < 0.001); levels of IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-6, and TGF-β in groups B and F were higher than those of group M (P < 0.01), while IL-4 and IL-10 levels were significantly lower (P < 0.001). The trends of cytokine increases and decreases were more significant in group B than in group F (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical results were similar to ELISA results. PAS staining revealed that boric acid inhibited hyphal reproduction. The boric acid significantly reduced the symptoms associated with CA vaginal infection. It inhibited the CA growth, prevented vaginal lesions, promoted the secretion of Th1 and Th17 cytokines, and reduced Th2 cytokines

Continuous theta burst stimulation over right cerebellum for speech impairment in Parkinson’s disease: study protocol for a randomized, sham-controlled, clinical trial

BackgroundSpeech impairment is a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) that worsens with disease progression and affects communication and quality of life. Current pharmacological and surgical treatments for PD have inconsistent effects on speech impairment. The cerebellum is an essential part of sensorimotor network that regulates speech production and becomes dysfunctional in PD. Continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that can modulate the cerebellum and its connections with other brain regions.ObjectiveTo investigate whether cTBS over the right cerebellum coupled with speech-language therapy (SLT) can improve speech impairment in PD.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial (RCT), 40 patients with PD will be recruited and assigned to either an experimental group (EG) or a control group (CG). Both groups will receive 10 sessions of standard SLT. The EG will receive real cTBS over the right cerebellum, while the CG will receive sham stimulation. Blinded assessors will evaluate the treatment outcome at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a 12-week follow-up. The primary outcome measures are voice/speech quality and neurobehavioral parameters of auditory-vocal integration. The secondary outcome measures are cognitive function, quality of life, and functional connectivity determined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).SignificanceThis trial will provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of cerebellar cTBS for the treatment of speech impairment in PD and shed light on the neural mechanism of this intervention. It will also have implications for other speech impairment attributed to cerebellar dysfunctions.Clinical trial registrationwww.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2100050543

MAP kinase phosphatase 1 controls innate immune responses and suppresses endotoxic shock

Septic shock is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. However, genetic factors predisposing to septic shock are not fully understood. Excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and the resultant severe hypotension play a central role in the pathophysiological process. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascades are crucial in the biosynthesis of proinflammatory cytokines. MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP)-1 is an archetypal member of the dual specificity protein phosphatase family that dephosphorylates MAP kinase. Thus, we hypothesize that knockout of the Mkp-1 gene results in prolonged MAP kinase activation, augmented cytokine production, and increased susceptibility to endotoxic shock. Here, we show that knockout of Mkp-1 substantially sensitizes mice to endotoxic shock induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. We demonstrate that upon LPS challenge, Mkp-1−/− cells exhibit prolonged p38 and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase activation as well as enhanced TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-6 production compared with wild-type cells. After LPS challenge, Mkp-1 knockout mice produce dramatically more TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 than do wild-type mice. Consequently, Mkp-1 knockout mice develop severe hypotension and multiple organ failure, and exhibit a remarkable increase in mortality. Our studies demonstrate that MKP-1 is a pivotal feedback control regulator of the innate immune responses and plays a critical role in suppressing endotoxin shock

Integrated CdTe PV glazing into windows: energy and daylight performance for different window-to-wall ratio

When integrated photovoltaics into building windows, the solar cells will absorb a fraction of solar radiation that hit on the window surface to generate electrical power and thus obstruct the solar energy and natural daylight that would have penetrated into inside space. In this paper, a window system integrated with thin film CdTe solar cells with 10% transparency was electrically characterised by Sandia model. The annual energy performance of a typical office with this PV window applied to different façade design was investigated using EnergyPlus under five typical climatic conditions in China. The dynamic daylight performance of the office has been assessed using RADIANCE. The result shows that when compared to a conventional double glazed system, the application of PV window can result in significant energy saving potential if the office has a relative large window-to-wall ratio (i.e. WWR≥45%). The simulation results also show that this PV window offers better daylight performance than conventional double-glazing

Edaravone Guards Dopamine Neurons in a Rotenone Model for Parkinson's Disease

3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (edaravone), an effective free radical scavenger, provides neuroprotection in stroke models and patients. In this study, we investigated its neuroprotective effects in a chronic rotenone rat model for Parkinson's disease. Here we showed that a five-week treatment with edaravone abolished rotenone's activity to induce catalepsy, damage mitochondria and degenerate dopamine neurons in the midbrain of rotenone-treated rats. This abolishment was attributable at least partly to edaravone's inhibition of rotenone-induced reactive oxygen species production or apoptotic promoter Bax expression and its up-regulation of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) expression. Collectively, edaravone may provide novel clinical therapeutics for PD