El Uso de EPOSTL para la Reflexión Dialógica en la Educación de los Docentes de Inglés como Lengua Extranjera

For many pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and their mentors, the theory and practice driven European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL)3 occupies a prominent and practical role in their preparation programs as a delivery system of core pedagogical skills and knowledge. Interest in the role that dialogical reflection plays in this process is studied in an EFL teacher education program at a Swiss university that relies heavily on the EPOSTL for the professional development awareness-raising. While the EPOSTL contributes valuable core knowledge to the processes of dialogic and mentored-reflection, certain program components provide more opportunities for scaffolded reflection than others.Para muchos docentes en formación de inglés como segunda lengua extranjera y sus mentores, la teoría y la práctica guiada por el Portfolio Europeo para Futuros Profesores de Idiomas – EPOSTL, ocupa un papel importante y práctico en sus programas de preparación, al ser el núcleo fundamental para el desarrollo de conocimiento y competencias pedagógicas. La importancia del papel que juega la reflexión dialógica en este proceso, es analizado en un programa de formación  de docentes de inglés como lengua extranjera en una Universidad suiza, el cual se basa en gran medida en EPOSTL para la sensibilización de los programas de desarrollo profesional docente. A pesar que EPOSTL contribuye de manera valiosa al conocimiento fundamental de los procesos de reflexión dialógica orientada, ciertos componentes del programa proporcionan más oportunidades para generar una reflexión andamiada en comparación con otras

Aristotle on Animals, Agency, and Voluntariness

In this article, I propose a way of reading the text that has both interpretive and philosophical merits. It is a more straightforward and literal reading of the text, requiring less interpolation than alternative readings. It also attributes to Aristotle a theory of moral responsibility which is, if not correct, at least as worthy of attention as many of the contemporary theories under debate. My own view is that the objections raised miss their target not because they fail to voice legitimate concerns about an adequate theory of moral responsibility, but because what Aristotle offers in the text in question (especially in Ethics Book III 1-2) is an account of the proper expression of praise and blame, and not a theory of moral responsibility

Aristotle on Animals, Agency, and Voluntariness

In this article, I propose a way of reading the text that has both interpretive and philosophical merits. It is a more straightforward and literal reading of the text, requiring less interpolation than alternative readings. It also attributes to Aristotle a theory of moral responsibility which is, if not correct, at least as worthy of attention as many of the contemporary theories under debate. My own view is that the objections raised miss their target not because they fail to voice legitimate concerns about an adequate theory of moral responsibility, but because what Aristotle offers in the text in question (especially in Ethics Book III 1-2) is an account of the proper expression of praise and blame, and not a theory of moral responsibility

Botulinum Toxin A for the Treatment of Keloids

Introduction: Keloids are the result of excessive scar tissue formation. Besides their poor aesthetic appearance, keloids can be associated with severe clinical symptoms such as pain, itching, and rigidity. Unfortunately, most therapeutic approaches remain clinically unsatisfactory. Recently, injections with botulinum toxin A (BTA) were proposed for the treatment of established keloids in a clinical trial. In this study, we aimed to verify the effects of intralesional BTA for the treatment of therapy-resistant keloids using objective measurements. In addition, the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated using cultured keloid-derived fibroblasts. Materials and Methods: Four patients received BTA (doses varying from 70 to 140 Speywood units per session) injected directly into their keloids every 2 months for up to 6 months. Differences in height and volume were evaluated clinically and measured with a 3-D optical profiling system. Keloid-derived fibroblasts were treated with different concentrations of BTA, and expression of collagen (COL)1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2, TGF-beta 3, fibronectin-1, laminin-beta 2, and alpha-SMA was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. MTT and BrdU assays were used to analyze the effects of BTA on fibroblast proliferation and metabolism. Results: Intralesional administration of BTA did not result in regression of keloid tissue. No differences in expression of ECM markers, collagen synthesis, or TGF-beta could be observed after BTA treatment of keloid fibroblasts. In addition, cell proliferation and metabolism of keloid fibroblasts was not affected by BTA treatment. Conclusion: The suggested clinical efficiency of intralesional BTA for the therapy of existent keloids could not be confirmed in this study. Based on our data, the potential mechanisms of action of BTA on keloid-derived fibroblasts remain unclear. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer and Elk: a Critique of Current Models and Their Application

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of deer (Odocoileus spp.) and elk (Cervus elaphus), presents a challenge to wildlife managers because little is known about its transmission, yet it could severely threaten wildlife populations if action is not taken rapidly. Published mathematical models predict that CWD could devastate populations of free-living deer and elk, prompting wildlife managers to attempt large-scale eradication of deer in hopes of containing CWD outbreaks. Our objective is to critically examine the theoretical and empirical support for current models of CWD epizootiology, in light of herd health-management actions. We identify a critical, untested premise (i.e., strictly frequency-dependent transmission) that underlies the dire model predictions. We re-evaluate published comparisons of model output with field data and find little support for published model structures. Given the uncertainty surrounding the future effects of chronic wasting disease on deer and elk populations, and the potential costs of unnecessarily culling large numbers of charismatic and valuable animals, we propose that consideration of alternative models and management actions in a decision–theoretic framework is necessary for wildlife management actions to retain their scientific basis

Estimating Abundance of Adult Trachemys scripta with Camera Traps: Accuracy, Precision and Probabilities of Capture for a Closed Population

Low and variable rates of capture are common problems when estimating abundance of freshwater turtles with capture-mark-recapture (CMR). We speculated camera traps would allow us to obtain reliable estimates of abundance by re-sighting marked Trachemys scripta elegans (Sliders) as they basked on man-made rafts during a 20-day surveillance period. We evaluated the method by releasing Sliders in a fenced enclosure to compare estimates from CMR to true abundance. We also evaluated probabilities of detection and retention of marks. Permanence of marks applied with marine epoxy satisfied assumptions for CMR. Camera traps detected 23 of 25 Sliders. Our ability to discern marks from photos was good (110 of 114 re-sightings). The proportion of marked Sliders detected per day was 0.22; detection varied with day of surveillance (1–20) and maximum air temperature the preceding day. All CMR models providing valid estimates of abundance included the true number of marked Sliders in their confidence intervals and yielded point estimates within 27% of the true value. An estimate of abundance from the top CMR model exceeded the true value by 22%, with a wide confidence interval. Model averaging improved the point estimate (17% over true) and produced a narrower confidence interval. A favorable comparison of estimated and true abundance validated camera traps as a tool for estimating abundance of adult Sliders. We believe camera traps could prove useful for detecting biases caused by primary methods of capture, refining estimates of abundance from other methods and collecting data at multiple locations consistently, simultaneously and frugally compared to manual methods alone

Behavioral Indicators of Predator Space Use: Studying Species Interactions Through the Behavior of Predators

Predation has major impacts on survival and reproductive success for many species. To quantify these effects, ecologists often choose to intensively study prey populations to measure predation rates and/or estimate predator abundance. But in some cases, predation rates are less strongly related to predator abundance per se than to spatial and temporal patterns of predator space use; thus, quantifying the latter may provide meaningful surrogates of predation rates that scale up to larger areas. This is particularly true when safety for prey, especially sessile and vulnerable prey, is strongly linked to predator-free space. Our own research programs have used two general types of behavioral indicators to quantify space use by predators: giving-up densities, as a surrogate for patch quitting harvest rates, and activity density. We discus.s two general mechanisms by which predator-free (or predator-poor) space is created and link these mechanisms to behavioral indicators that can be easily collected in the field. We then summarize our past work on prédation on passerine nests and moth pupae to demonstrate how using behavioral indicators of space use can reveal much about the impact of a predator on its prey. We demonstrate that behavioral indicators can be used for the following: (1) leading indicators for predation rates, (2) surrogates for information otherwise difficult to obtain, (3) integrative measures of the strength of species interactions, and (4) to reveal the outcomes of ecological interactions, such as prey persistence

Modeling the Effects of Reservoir Competence Decay and Demographic Turnover in Lyme Disease Ecology

Lyme disease risk is related to the abundance of infected nymphal ticks, which in turn depends on the abundance and reservoir competence of wild hosts. Reservoir competence of a host (i.e., probability that an infected host will infect a feeding vector) often declines over time after inoculation, and small mammalian reservoirs typically undergo rapid population growth during the period when vector ticks feed. These processes can affect disease risk in the context of site-specific tick abundance and host community composition. We modeled the effects of reservoir decay and host demographic turnover on Lyme disease risk using a simple yearly difference equation model and a more realistic simulation incorporating seasonal dynamics of ticks and hosts. Both reservoir decay and demographic turnover caused (1) specific infectivity (proportion infected 3 reservoir competence) of host populations to vary with host community composition, (2) tick infection prevalence and the specific infectivity of reservoirs to be highly sensitive to the abundance of questing nymphs, and (3) specific infectivity and the infection prevalence of ticks to decrease at high host densities. Reservoir competence decay had similar effects in both model formulations, but host turnover had less effect than reservoir decay in the seasonal model. In general, exponential reservoir decay and abrupt loss of reservoir competence had similar effects, although exponential decay caused greater sensitivity to tick density and host community composition. Reservoir decay may explain the observed variability in published field measurements of reservoir competence of a host species. Our results illuminate mechanisms by which host diversity can dilute the impact of a highly competent reservoir and suggest that management to reduce nymphal tick abundance may reap an added benefit by reducing nymphal infection prevalence