Ensuring methodological rigor for investigating the discourse development of bilingual mathematics learners

Given the nature of investigating bilingual mathematics learners and learning environments, a key concern is how we can ensure that the rigor of our research is matched by the rigor of methodological frameworks and approaches employed. Our goal is to develop a theoretical framework and associated methodology and methods, in practice, in order to ascertain their suitability for investigating bilingual mathematics learners in an educational context. Moschkovich (2016) identified four key recommendations for conducting research on language: utilising interdisciplinary approaches, defining central constructs, building on existing methodologies, and recognizing central distinctions. Utilising Moschkovichâ s framework, this paper provides an appraisal of the methodology and methods to be employed in a research project examining bilingual mathematics learners

Observations of glitches in PSR 0833-45 and 1641-45

An eleven-year series of radio timing observations of 0833- 45 (Vela) and PSR 1641- 45 is presented. During this time, five large spin-ups ("glitches") were observed in 0833- 45 and one in 1641-45. The stellar response to these events is investigated, and the three relat ively long complete inter-glitch intervals in 0833-45 are modeled. The results are of relevance to studies of the interiors of neutron stars. The initial aim of the project - to obtain good observational coverage of large glitches in the Vela pulsar - was successfully achieved, and high quality observations of the periods between glitches were obtained as a by-product. The results of the analysis presented here provide support for the existence of both linear and non-linear coupling in the Vela pulsar, and put a limit on the former in PSR 1641- 45. The recently observed existence of a rapidly recovering component of part of a glitch in Vela was verified in the subsequent glitch, although there is now evidence to contradict the suggestion that this component involves a particular region of the star that is implicated in every glitch. Observations of a recent glitch in the same pulsar have resolved a small component of the spin-up; such a component has not been reported for any other large glitch

A Collagen‐Glycosaminoglycan‐Fibrin Scaffold For Heart Valve Tissue Engineering Applications

The field of heart valve biology and tissue engineering a heart valve continue to expand. The presentatio ns at this meeting reflect the advances made in both areas due to the multi-disciplinary approach taken by many laboratories

Fronto-striatal atrophy in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia & Alzheimer’s disease

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) has only recently been associated with significant striatal atrophy, whereas the striatum appears to be relatively preserved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Considering the critical role the striatum has in cognition and behavior, striatal degeneration, together with frontal atrophy, could be responsible of some characteristic symptoms in bvFTD and emerges therefore as promising novel diagnostic biomarker to distinguish bvFTD and AD. Previous studies have, however, only taken either cortical or striatal atrophy into account when comparing the two diseases. In this study, we establish for the first time a profile of fronto-striatal atrophy in 23 bvFTD and 29 AD patients at presentation, based on the structural connectivity of striatal and cortical regions. Patients are compared to 50 healthy controls by using a novel probabilistic connectivity atlas, which defines striatal regions by their cortical white-matter connectivity, allowing us to explore the degeneration of the frontal and striatal regions that are functionally linked. Comparisons with controls revealed that bvFTD showed substantial fronto-striatal atrophy affecting the ventral as well as anterior and posterior dorso-lateral prefrontal cortices and the related striatal subregions. In contrast, AD showed few frontostriatal atrophy, despite having significant posterior dorso-lateral prefrontal degeneration. Direct comparison between bvFTD and AD revealed significantly more atrophy in the ventral striatal–ventromedial prefrontal cortex regions in bvFTD. Consequently, deficits in ventral fronto-striatal regions emerge as promising novel and efficient diagnosis biomarker for bvFTD. Future investigations into the contributions of these fronto-striatal loops on bvFTD symptomology are needed to develop simple diagnostic and disease tracking algorithms

A New Reinforced Fibrin Collagen Glycosaminoglycan Material to Resist Tissue Contraction in Heart Valves

A crosslinked, multicomponent scaffold of collagen, GAG and fibrin has been characterised for heart valve applications. Fibrin gels reinforced with a 0.75% collagen, 0.044% GAG scaffolds can resist VSMC induced contraction significantly more than fibrin-only gels, while allowing cell proliferation and maintaining excellent cell viability. This improvement in structural integrity may facilitate the use of fibrin based materials for heart valve tissue engineering

COMPARISON OF THE RELIABILITY OF PEAK FORCE MEASURED DURING AN ISOMETRIC MID-THIGH PULL AND ISOMETRIC SQUAT.

The purpose of this study was to compare peak force produced during the isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) and isometric squat (IsoSquat), performed at the same knee and hip angles (135 – 140°) and determine the reliability of both tests. Following a specific warmup, 22 international athletes from different sports performed 2 maximal effort tests of both the IMTP and IsoSquat. Peak force achieved during the IsoSquat was significantly greater (p = 0.01) than peak force achieved during the IMTP. Both tests were highly reliable for peak force (�������� ���� ���������� ������ ���� ��%). Therefore, strength and conditioning coaches can select either test when examining lower extremity maximum strength. However, the IsoSquat produces higher peak force values and this may be a more accurate reflection of the athlete’s maximum strength

Motor Planning Modulates Neural Activity Patterns in Early Human Auditory Cortex

It is well established that movement planning recruits motor-related cortical brain areas in preparation for the forthcoming action. Given that an integral component to the control of action is the processing of sensory information throughout movement, we predicted that movement planning might also modulate early sensory cortical areas, readying them for sensory processing during the unfolding action. To test this hypothesis, we performed 2 human functional magnetic resonance imaging studies involving separate delayed movement tasks and focused on premovement neural activity in early auditory cortex, given the area\u27s direct connections to the motor system and evidence that it is modulated by motor cortex during movement in rodents. We show that effector-specific information (i.e., movements of the left vs. right hand in Experiment 1 and movements of the hand vs. eye in Experiment 2) can be decoded, well before movement, from neural activity in early auditory cortex. We find that this motor-related information is encoded in a separate subregion of auditory cortex than sensory-related information and is present even when movements are cued visually instead of auditorily. These findings suggest that action planning, in addition to preparing the motor system for movement, involves selectively modulating primary sensory areas based on the intended action

Freeze-Drying as a Novel Biofabrication Method for Achieving a Controlled Microarchitecture within Large, Complex Natural Biomaterial Scaffolds

The biofabrication of large scaffolds from natural biomaterials into complex 3D shapes with controllable microarchitecture remains a major challenge. Freeze-drying (or lyophilization) is a technique used to create bioactive scaffolds with a porous architecture and is typically only used to generate scaffolds in planar 3D geometries. Here we report the development of a new biofabrication process to form a collagen-based scaffold into a large, complex geometry which has a large height to width ratio, and a controlled porous microarchitecture. This biofabrication process was validated through the successful development of a heart valve shaped scaffold, fabricated from a collagen-glycosaminoglycan co-polymer. Notably, despite the significant challenges in using freeze-drying to create such a structure, the resultant scaffold had a uniform, homogeneous pore architecture throughout. This was achieved through optimization of the freeze-drying mold and freezing parameters. We believe this to be the first demonstration of using freeze-drying to create a large, complex scaffold geometry with a controlled, porous architecture using natural materials. This study validates the potential of using freeze-drying for development of organ-specific scaffold geometries for tissue engineering applications, which up until now might not have been considered feasible

A Common Purpose? Social Work Students’ Social Justice Related Views in Finland and the island of Ireland

Exploring social work students’ views to understand how equipped they are to pursue the social justice mission of the profession should be of central academic and practical interest. There are, however, surprisingly few empirical studies focussing on social work students’ views on social justice-related issues from a comparative viewpoint. Such knowledge is thought to be of a wider international interest from a number of perspectives, including social work education and student exchange and, in a wider context, for the development of social work as a profession and for discussing the prerequisites for shared international notions of social work. This article explores the views of social work students studying in different socio-economic contexts and welfare regimes in relation to some key aspects assumed to be vital for the profession. The results based on survey data from student cohorts in Finland (N = 608) and the island of Ireland (N = 279) support the general conclusion that there are important, similar patterns of motivations and understandings amongst the students, despite substantial differences in histories, welfare state developments, current policies and social conditions in various jurisdictions. The results are of interest to educators across countries internationally and provide an important basis for future similar studies

The role of social work education in relation to empathy and self-reported resilience: Results from entry to exit of social work education on the island of Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of people’s lives worldwide, including the work of social workers and the education of social work students. Field placements are a significant part of social work education, but during the pandemic they were cut short and most teachings moved online. The current mixed methods study examined the effects of social work education on social work students’ empathy and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic on the island of Ireland. A matched sample of forty-nine students completed an online survey at the start (T1) of their degree and at the end (T2). A further 229 students who only completed the T1 survey were compared to 70 others who only completed the T2 survey. The results showed improved resilience in the cohort comparison. There were no differences in empathy in the matched sample nor between the cohorts. Thematic analysis of students’ narratives showed that they found the switch to online learning difficult, with some reporting negative impacts on their mental health and the abrupt ending of placements impacting their feelings of preparedness for practice. Implications of this study and future research areas are discussed.</p