Implementing Holistic and Humanistic Approaches in a Remote Flipped English Translation Module

A holistic approach encourages meaningful learning, creativity, risk-taking, and mutual empathy within a learning environment and challenges the traditional pedagogical approaches based on mono-referential methods. Rethinking these approaches entails placing learners at the core of the teaching process, including their inner personal spheres. Grounded in a case study of an Italian university setting, this study underlines the contribution to learner centrality of holistic and humanistic approaches to flipped learning and suggests how to implement such an approach in a remote English translation module. The study was conducted via a structured questionnaire completed anonymously by 148 Italian students aged 18–19 at the end of their English module. The outcomes highlighted the students’ appreciation of the holistic approach combined with a humanistic teaching approach (HTA), which they perceived as pushing the boundaries of formal, mono-referential teacher–learner relationships while maintaining these roles. The present study thus holds implications for the wider teacher community regarding the benefits and challenges of implementing flipped learning with an HTA in other translation courses or modules. Rather than simply guiding and assisting students in learning for themselves, teachers have a crucial role as holistic learning facilitators. By redesigning a typical flipped learning class, the study enhances teachers’ awareness of this role and provides insightful suggestions on how holistic and humanistic approaches can be applied in remote English translation teaching

Authenticity and awareness of English as a lingua franca in English language classrooms

Research on the incorporation of the emerging English as a lingua franca (ELF) paradigm into English language teaching has flourished in recent years, foregrounding the necessity of translanguaging practices. However, despite the growing awareness of ELF, teachers still struggle to determine whether and how to adhere to the emerging paradigm. In particular, the authenticity of ELF teaching methods in the English language classroom has not been sufficiently addressed, and therefore, needs to be revamped. The aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it explores the aspect of teachers’ ELF awareness in English teaching practices as well as the importance of incorporating authentic ELF materials into the classroom to help learners become ELF-aware and, consequently, competent intercultural speakers. On the other hand, it helps English language teachers, specifically those who have no or marginal exposure to ELF to reflect on the subject they teach, challenging the dominant World Englishes paradigm

La lingua inglese nell’Italia del Semestre europeo

Il contributo si configura come sconcertante disamina relativa alla conoscenza e alla diffusione della lingua inglese nell'Italia del Semestre europeo (1° luglio - 31 dicembre 2014).This contribution draws on the analysis of the most recent data concerned with the knowledge of English in Italy within the European semester of Italian presidency ((1st July - 31st December 2014)

Analisi FEM di un piede piatto

La patologia del piattismo dell’arco plantare comporta una distribuzione non uniforme dei carichi, rispetto ad un piede sano, dando luogo a disallineamenti del bacino e ad atteggiamenti cifotici e/o scoliotici. Il presente lavoro riguarda l’analisi FEM di un piede affetto da tale patologia. Il modello numerico è stato realizzato da TAC, mediante tecniche di Reverse Engineering di segmentazione della densità, definendo geometricamente la struttura ossea e i tessuti morbidi. Successivamente è stata impiegata la modellazione CAD per la defi nizione geometrica delle cartilagini e per un affi namento del modello stesso

Correlating the Clinical and Genetic Features of Benign Familial Neonatal Seizures (BFNS) with the Functional Consequences of Underlying Mutations

Almost ten years have passed since the identification of Kv7.2 and Kv7.3, the genes altered in benign familial neonatal seizures (BFNS), a familial autosomal dominant focal epilepsy of the newborn. Despite the rarity of the disease, clinical and genetic data have been gathered from more than 50 BFNS-affected families; these studies reveal that each family harbours a specific disease-causing mutation, and that the mutation-induced functional changes range from a subtle alteration in channel behaviour to a complete ablation of channel function. Prompted by the recent identification of peculiar gating changes in Kv7.2 subunits caused by novel mutations responsible for BFNS, in the present work we attempt to link, whenever possible, the specific genetic defect with the clinical evolution of the disease in the affected families on one side, and, on the other, with the functional defects revealed by expression studies. Such genotype-phenotype correlations may provide clues on the pathogenesis of the wide variety of neuropsychiatric manifestations often associated to BFNS, and should foster our attempts to gain more detailed functional information which might help to elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease

Decreased subunit stability as a novel mechanism for potassium current impairment by a KCNQ2 C terminus mutation causing benign familial neonatal convulsions.

KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 K+ channel subunits underlie the muscarinic-regulated K+ current (I(KM)), a widespread regulator of neuronal excitability. Mutations in KCNQ2- or KCNQ3-encoding genes cause benign familiar neonatal convulsions (BFNCs), a rare autosomal-dominant idiopathic epilepsy of the newborn. In the present study, we have investigated, by means of electrophysiological, biochemical, and immunocytochemical techniques in transiently transfected cells, the consequences prompted by a BFNC-causing 1-bp deletion (2043deltaT) in the KCNQ2 gene; this frameshift mutation caused the substitution of the last 163 amino acids of the KCNQ2 C terminus and the extension of the subunit by additional 56 residues. The 2043deltaT mutation abolished voltage-gated K+ currents produced upon homomeric expression of KCNQ2 subunits, dramatically reduced the steady-state cellular levels of KCNQ2 subunits, and prevented their delivery to the plasma membrane. Metabolic labeling experiments revealed that mutant KCNQ2 subunits underwent faster degradation; 10-h treatment with the proteasomal inhibitor MG132 (20 microm) at least partially reversed such enhanced degradation. Co-expression with KCNQ3 subunits reduced the degradation rate of mutant KCNQ2 subunits and led to their expression on the plasma membrane. Finally, co-expression of KCNQ2 2043deltaT together with KCNQ3 subunits generated functional voltage-gated K+ currents having pharmacological and biophysical properties of heteromeric channels. Collectively, the present results suggest that mutation-induced reduced stability of KCNQ2 subunits may cause epilepsy in neonates

A Novel Hyperekplexia-causing Mutation in the Pre-transmembrane Segment 1 of the Human Glycine Receptor α1 Subunit Reduces Membrane Expression and Impairs Gating by Agonists

In this study, we have compared the functional consequences of three mutations (R218Q, V260M, and Q266H) in the alpha(1) subunit of the glycine receptor (GlyRA1) causing hyperekplexia, an inherited neurological channelopathy. In HEK-293 cells, the agonist EC(50s) for glycine-activated Cl(-) currents were increased from 26 microm in wtGlyRA1, to 5747, 135, and 129 microm in R218Q, V260M, and Q266H GlyRA1 channels, respectively. Cl(-) currents elicited by beta-alanine and taurine, which behave as agonists at wtGlyRA1, were decreased in V260M and Q266H mutant receptors and virtually abolished in GlyRA1 R218Q receptors. Gly-gated Cl(-) currents were similarly antagonized by low concentrations of strychnine in both wild-type (wt) and R218Q GlyRA1 channels, suggesting that the Arg-218 residue plays a crucial role in GlyRA1 channel gating, with only minor effects on the agonist/antagonist binding site, a hypothesis supported by our molecular model of the GlyRA1 subunit. The R218Q mutation, but not the V260M or the Q266H mutation, caused a marked decrease of receptor subunit expression both in total cell lysates and in isolated plasma membrane proteins. This decreased expression does not seem to explain the reduced agonist sensitivity of GlyRA1 R218Q channels since no difference in the apparent sensitivity to glycine or taurine was observed when wtGlyRA1 receptors were expressed at levels comparable with those of R218Q mutant receptors. In conclusion, multiple mechanisms may explain the dramatic decrease in GlyR function caused by the R218Q mutation, possibly providing the molecular basis for its association with a more severe clinical phenotype

ELF- or NES-Oriented Pedagogy: Enhancing Learners’ Intercultural Communicative Competence Using a Dual Teaching Model

This study underpins the integration of an English as a lingua franca (ELF)-oriented approach into traditional English language teaching (ELT) to develop learners’ full intercultural awareness and intercultural communicative competence (ICC). The aim is to inform prospective and senior teachers as well as practitioners about the need for adequate preparation for learners to face any speech situations involving native and non-native English speakers. Using informal classroom observations from different Italian education cycles, this study adopts a multidimensional approach to traditional ELT, combining some main ICC and ELF pedagogy tenets. Our discussion indicates that a dual teaching model, including the native English speaker (NES) model for the structural section of language teaching and learning and the ELF intercultural competent communicator model for the intercultural section, can be attained by shifting conveniently from model to model. Therefore, this study offers a fresh perspective on an extensively addressed topic by clarifying and explicitly combining the underlying connections between the main ICC and ELF tenets. This study intends to encourage teachers and practitioners to change their attitudes, perceptions, and concerns towards integrating ELF-oriented approaches into traditional ELT to tackle today’s intercultural communicative challenges outside the classroom.1n