As epilepsias acometem entre 1-2% da população mundial. De um modo geral, de todas as epilepsias quase um terço deste total de pacientes apresenta a síndrome epiléptica conhecida como Epilepsia de Lobo Temporal (ELT), a qual se instala geralmente após um insulto inicial ou em decorrência de outras patologias como, por exemplo, trauma ou tumor, e parece ser decorrente de anormalidades intrínsecas do lobo temporal tais como, amígdala, hipocampo e córtex piriforme. Depois de um período de latência variado, promove o surgimento de crises convulsivas. Dentre os pacientes que apresentam ELT, cerca de 20 a 30% deles apresentam resistência ao tratamento farmacológico. Para melhor estudar os processos plásticos envolvidos no processo de epileptogênese ocorridos após a instalação do insulto inicial que levam ao aparecimento de crises recorrentes espontâneas, ratos Wistar foram eletricamente estimulados na amígdala para indução de Status Epilepticus (SE). Foram feitas histoquímicas e immunohistoquímica para marcar neurônios ativados (c-Fos+), novos neurônios (Doublecortin DCX+) e em degeneração (FluoroJade C - FJC+) após as crises. Após a indução do SE observamos que quanto mais graves as crises, maior o número de áreas ativadas (c-Fos+) e maior número de neurônios em degeneração (FJC+). Além disso, não houve associação direta entre as áreas cerebrais ativadas e grau de neurodegeneração, nem associação entre gravidade do SE e intensidade de neurogênese (DCX). A segunda fase deste projeto, executada na University of Cincinnati, refere-se ao estudo do impacto do SE, induzido por pilocarpina (PILO) sistêmica, sobre a neurogênese hipocampal. Utilizando a injeção de BrdU, para marcar o dia do nascimento de novos neurônios granulares, em camundongos Thy1-GFP foram submetidos ao SE por PILO. Foram analisadas a plasticidade dendrítica de neurônios granulares em fase de maturação (imaturas, 1 semana) e maduras (8 semanas). As células imaturas sofreram drásticas modificações na sua morfologia e na densidade dendrítica. Por outro lado, as células maturas não sofreram alterações morfológicas na árvore dendrítica, mas apresentaram uma intensa redução na densidade dos espinhos dendríticos, mostrando assim que as células imaturas estão mais suceptíveis ao impacto das crises epilépticas. / The epilepsies affect between 1-2% of the world. In general, all epilepsies almost a third of total patients had an epilepsy syndrome known as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which usually settles after the initial insult or due to other pathologies such as, for example, trauma or tumor, and seems to be due to intrinsic abnormalities such as temporal lobe, amygdala, hippocampus and piriform cortex. After latency period varied, promotes the emergence of seizures. Among the patients with TLE, about 20 to 30% of them are resistant to pharmacological treatment. To better study the processes involved in plastic epileptogenesis occurred after the installation of the initial insult leading to the appearance of spontaneous recurrent seizures, rats were electrically stimulated in the amygdala to induce status epilepticus (SE). Histochemical and immunohistochemistry were done to mark neurons activated (c-Fos +), newborn neurons (Doublecortin - DCX+) and degenerating (FluoroJade C - FJC+) after the crisis. After SE induction observed that the more serious crises, the greater the number of activated areas (c-Fos+) and greater number of degenerating neurons (FJC+). In addition, there was no direct association between the brain areas activated and the degree of neurodegeneration, or association between the severity and intensity of the SE of neurogenesis (DCX+). The second phase of this project, performed at the University of Cincinnati, refers to study the impact of SE induced by pilocarpine (Pilo) system on hippocampal neurogenesis. Using the injection of BrdU, to label the daybirth of new granule neurons in Thy1-GFP mice subjected to SE. We analyzed the dendritic plasticity of granule neurons undergoing maturation (immature, 1 week) and mature (8 weeks). The immature cells have undergone drastic changes in their dendritic morphology and density. On the other hand, the mature cells did not undergo morphological changes in dendritic tree but showed a marked decrease in the density of dendritic spines, thus showing that immature cells are more susceptible to the impact of epileptic seizures.

This doctoral dissertation aimed to explore English language teachers’ construal of membership in English language teachers’ (ELTs’) associations. The study initially examined teachers’ perceptions of membership via an examination of their experience of it – why they become or do not become a member, and/or why they continue or forfeit membership. Thereafter, teachers’ perceptions on what membership says about professionalism were probed as well as what the meanings of membership are to them. Data were obtained using face-to-face semi-structured interviews with eight Japanese English language teachers working at universities in the Kanto and Hokuriku regions of Japan. The findings showed that, experience-wise, teachers become members because they either perceive membership as an occupational norm, a means to gain employment or a way to access CPD. Conversely, teachers do not become members for reasons of being occupied with work, avoiding unwanted responsibility, being able to access the same benefits and/or lacking confidence. Teachers who continue their membership(s) do so because of CPD, feeling unable to leave, and/or because of the financial support provided by their universities. In contrast, teachers who forfeit membership do so because membership fees are too high and/or because they are too busy with work. In terms of what membership says about professionalism, teachers perceived it as not only a marker of professionalism but also, paradoxically, a counter-collegial practice. As for the meanings of membership to participants, it was seen as something giving rise to a fragmented professional self and the feeling of one being either ‘an insider’ and/or ‘outsider’ within an association. These findings, it is argued, point to membership being more for professionalization rather than professionalism purposes, seemingly as a result of the emerging forces of managerialism and neo-liberalism which appear to have created an atmosphere of accountability and competition rather than camaraderie in Japan-based ELTs’ associations. This, in turn, has led the Japanese ELT practitioner, at least at the university level, to become complicit in the creation of a fragmented/hybrid professional self composed of clashing multiple identities where one is rendered ambivalent and uncertain yet somehow able to adapt and cope. This professional self says much about the need for ELTs’ associations in Japan and perhaps elsewhere to engage in a critical discussion of what counts as ‘professionalism’ by raising and attending to the importance of member voice.

Vietnam is a country with more than 80 percent of the population living in the countryside. Rural education is, therefore, of vital importance to Vietnamese education; and ELT effectiveness and efficiency in junior secondary schools in rural Vietnam is a problem of worthwhile attention. This study, being a pilot one, limits itself to seeking solutions to the increase of ELT effectiveness and efficiency in terms of syllabus design, textbook revision and teacher development. The study contains 5 chapters and a conclusion. Chapter 1 deals with the general background of the study, schooling and educational philosophies in Vietnam. In this chapter, special attention is given to the role of foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnamese schools. In addition, educational philosophies in Vietnam are discussed as the philosophical and legal basis for any implementation of FLT and ELT innovations in junior secondary schools in rural Vietnam. Chapter 2 deals with input studies and some models of language teaching and learning that appeared in the last two decades. In this chapter, special emphasis is laid on studies which explain how input is transformed into intake and on the models of teaching and learning that may be applied to the teaching and learning of English in the context of rural Vietnam. Chapter 3 deals with language teaching methods as the neverending search for teaching effectiveness and efficiency. In this chapter, based on the understanding of such concepts as effectiveness and efficiency, language teaching methods are presented as a means to an end, not as an end in itself. Thus, the selection and use of a method depends completely on the goal set for the process of language teaching and learning. When the goal changes, the method will change accordingly. Chapter 4 deals with the actual FLT and ELT situation in rural junior secondary schools in Vietnam. This chapter includes the results of surveys on teacher quality and a critical look at the implementation of the communicative approach in language teaching in the current textbooks in use in junior secondary schools The background of rural students is discussed to clarify the context of the learners in question. In chapter 5, based on the theoretical findings in chapters 2 and 3 and on the actual ELT situation mentioned in chapter 4, possible solutions to the increase of ELT effectiveness and efficiency are proposed. These solutions are concerned with syllabus design, textbook revision and teacher development. The study closes with a conclusion which relates solutions to ELT effectiveness and efficiency to the general solutions to teaching effectiveness and efficiency mentioned at a number of workshops held in Vietnam recently.

This thesis undertakes a reformulation of ELT curricula by means of a critique of established theoretical models and a case study of the ELT curriculum at De La Salle University (DLSU), Manila. The thesis proceeds in accordance with the precise that a sound theoretical and philosophical perspective is crucial to any task of curriculum development and criticism and thus derives a theoretical/ philosophical perspective from a consideration of ELT in the context of the philosophy of education and linguistic, applied linguistic, sociolinguistic, learning and curriculum theories. The argument is presented that any model of language as communication derived from linguistics and applied linguistics is not amenable to translation into descriptive rules of 'use' and hence a pedagogic grammar. Such theoretical perspectives, in only deriving partial models of 'use', are largely inadequate in the context of a concern with language teaching. Input from cognitive learning theory however suggests that teaching language as communication requires a curriculum approach focusing on 'open' communicative procedures rather than systematic techniques premised on language description and exemplified by a syllabus-based structure. It is thus argued that communicative language teaching requires 'open', methodology-based procedures that provide a markedly subordinated role for syllabus. The advocated form of communicative language curriculum is thus described as employing an 'open' rather than a 'closed-system') approach. It is also maintained that the ELT debate on communicative curricula has largely ignored crucial issues in curriculum theory and the philosophy of education - especially the distinction between 'education' and 'training'. This theoretical debate enables the derivation of a revised taxonomy of language curricula to replace the orthodox dichotomy into General English and ESP. The argument is presented that there are essentially two approaches to the curriculum - closed-system and open approaches - and that within each approach there are two curriculum types. Through revised definitions, the intents of 6E and ESP curricula are distinguished and a new taxonomy of four possible curriculum types, including that of a Focused English Learning (FED curriculum, presented. The principles derived from the theoretical discussion and reformulated taxonomy enable an 'illuminative' case study investigation of an example curriculum: the ostensibly English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum for Engineers employed at DLSU. This case study, by examining curriculum justification and intent and illuminating the nature of the problem at the university, illustrates, by example, aspects of the reformulated taxonomy. The case study findings detail crucial aspects of the interface between theory and local practice and expose the curriculum at DLSU as inherently contradictory, based on an inaccurate notion of ESP, and principally concerned with the pursuit of broadly educational aims through a mainly training-based, closed-system and non-communicative curriculum. The thesis concludes by proposing that the orthodox dichotomy between GE and ESP curricula is inappropriate and fails to reflect the various and possible forms of curricular intent. This has been a consequence of a theoretical emphasis on linguistics and sociolinguistics and an inadequate consideration of the philosophy of education and learning and curriculum theories. The inadequacy of the established dichotomy has led to confusion in application (as demonstrated through the case study) that could be avoided through the adoption of the reformulated taxonomy.

As epilepsias acometem entre 1-2% da população mundial. De um modo geral, de todas as epilepsias quase um terço deste total de pacientes apresenta a síndrome epiléptica conhecida como Epilepsia de Lobo Temporal (ELT), a qual se instala geralmente após um insulto inicial ou em decorrência de outras patologias como, por exemplo, trauma ou tumor, e parece ser decorrente de anormalidades intrínsecas do lobo temporal tais como, amígdala, hipocampo e córtex piriforme. Depois de um período de latência variado, promove o surgimento de crises convulsivas. Dentre os pacientes que apresentam ELT, cerca de 20 a 30% deles apresentam resistência ao tratamento farmacológico. Para melhor estudar os processos plásticos envolvidos no processo de epileptogênese ocorridos após a instalação do insulto inicial que levam ao aparecimento de crises recorrentes espontâneas, ratos Wistar foram eletricamente estimulados na amígdala para indução de Status Epilepticus (SE). Foram feitas histoquímicas e immunohistoquímica para marcar neurônios ativados (c-Fos+), novos neurônios (Doublecortin DCX+) e em degeneração (FluoroJade C - FJC+) após as crises. Após a indução do SE observamos que quanto mais graves as crises, maior o número de áreas ativadas (c-Fos+) e maior número de neurônios em degeneração (FJC+). Além disso, não houve associação direta entre as áreas cerebrais ativadas e grau de neurodegeneração, nem associação entre gravidade do SE e intensidade de neurogênese (DCX). A segunda fase deste projeto, executada na University of Cincinnati, refere-se ao estudo do impacto do SE, induzido por pilocarpina (PILO) sistêmica, sobre a neurogênese hipocampal. Utilizando a injeção de BrdU, para marcar o dia do nascimento de novos neurônios granulares, em camundongos Thy1-GFP foram submetidos ao SE por PILO. Foram analisadas a plasticidade dendrítica de neurônios granulares em fase de maturação (imaturas, 1 semana) e maduras (8 semanas). As células imaturas sofreram drásticas modificações na sua morfologia e na densidade dendrítica. Por outro lado, as células maturas não sofreram alterações morfológicas na árvore dendrítica, mas apresentaram uma intensa redução na densidade dos espinhos dendríticos, mostrando assim que as células imaturas estão mais suceptíveis ao impacto das crises epilépticas. / The epilepsies affect between 1-2% of the world. In general, all epilepsies almost a third of total patients had an epilepsy syndrome known as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which usually settles after the initial insult or due to other pathologies such as, for example, trauma or tumor, and seems to be due to intrinsic abnormalities such as temporal lobe, amygdala, hippocampus and piriform cortex. After latency period varied, promotes the emergence of seizures. Among the patients with TLE, about 20 to 30% of them are resistant to pharmacological treatment. To better study the processes involved in plastic epileptogenesis occurred after the installation of the initial insult leading to the appearance of spontaneous recurrent seizures, rats were electrically stimulated in the amygdala to induce status epilepticus (SE). Histochemical and immunohistochemistry were done to mark neurons activated (c-Fos +), newborn neurons (Doublecortin - DCX+) and degenerating (FluoroJade C - FJC+) after the crisis. After SE induction observed that the more serious crises, the greater the number of activated areas (c-Fos+) and greater number of degenerating neurons (FJC+). In addition, there was no direct association between the brain areas activated and the degree of neurodegeneration, or association between the severity and intensity of the SE of neurogenesis (DCX+). The second phase of this project, performed at the University of Cincinnati, refers to study the impact of SE induced by pilocarpine (Pilo) system on hippocampal neurogenesis. Using the injection of BrdU, to label the daybirth of new granule neurons in Thy1-GFP mice subjected to SE. We analyzed the dendritic plasticity of granule neurons undergoing maturation (immature, 1 week) and mature (8 weeks). The immature cells have undergone drastic changes in their dendritic morphology and density. On the other hand, the mature cells did not undergo morphological changes in dendritic tree but showed a marked decrease in the density of dendritic spines, thus showing that immature cells are more susceptible to the impact of epileptic seizures.

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which high school violin students transform and comprehend a teacher’s model through the framework of Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Theory. Additionally, the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) results of this study’s participants were compared to extant researchers’ LSI data. Kolb and Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory 3.1 and a brief survey were administered to participants (N = 100) during Phase I of the study in order to gather data regarding three quantitative independent variables—learning style, gender, and grade level. A subset of participants (n = 15) representing an array of those variables participated in Phase II of the study wherein participants were shown a video recorded lesson. During that lesson, a teacher modeled an eight-measure melodic phrase for each participant whose responses to the lesson were recorded for later analysis. Qualitative student responses (applied strategy, focus during the lesson, type of response to the model, performance intensity, task complexity) and interview responses were coded and distilled into common themes and compared among independent variables from Phase I. The high school violinist participants in this study preferred reflective observation and concrete experience orientations more frequently than was the case in extant research. The only significant interaction between independent variables was found between gender and learning preference. The two most frequently applied strategies were derived from Initiating (AE/CE = 24.46%) and Creating (CE/RO = 20.44%) learning styles. Participants largely focused on musical components (77.55%)—e.g., rhythm, pitch, intonation, articulation—by performing with the bow (48.72%) concurrently with the model (57.95%). When provided with practice time, participants largely utilized low (33. 68%) or silent, reflective (24.47%) intensities. Fundamental, two-phase combinations of strategies were applied the majority of the time (57.72%) by participants. Qualitative descriptions of the variety of participant responses were included and contextualized using LSI data. I concluded, based on a synthesis of the quantitative data and qualitative observations, that participants largely prioritized immediate individual needs—such as pitch identification or previous sections of the lesson—over both teacher instruction and their own learning preferences. I also concluded that a single modeling experience often resulted in a diverse array of participant responses—which may or may not adhere to the immediate content of the lesson. As a result of this study, I suggest that music educators and researchers consider that learners potentially utilize a singular modeling experience in a variety of different ways resulting in an array of potential outcomes. It is important for teachers to be explicit and clear in their instructions surrounding a modeling task in order to better guide students towards desired outcomes. Future researchers might consider learners’ viewpoints in response to a modeled experience as a means of framing achievement, outcome, or other research topics. ELT researchers might consider building on the implications of the comparison among KLSI data and qualitative data among learners under the age of 19 with a focus on variables outside the typical factors of gender, age, educational level, educational specialization, and culture.

English has spread across the globe and it is spoken with varying pronunciations, lexical items, spellings, and grammatical structures across diverse regions and cultures. This has resulted in questioning what should represent the language for a new learner. The aim is to gain insight into how culture is presented in the ELT textbook series Champ and to examine English teachers' opinions on cultural representation in language teaching in Sweden. The Champ textbooks series for grade four underwent an analysis using Byram's criteria for cultural content (Byram, 1989). Data was collected by interviewing teachers and doing a content analysis of the Champ textbook. The findings show that the Champ does fulfil the necessary cultural requirements in the curriculum but does lack local cultural representation. The data demonstrated that teachers lack knowledge and understanding of cultural representation in language teaching. The result also revealed that teachers use the same material differently as some use the textbook more frequently than others, and due to financial situations, there are differences in using the extra material connected to the textbook.

The present thesis considers the topic of English as a Lingua Franca as it is perceived and experienced by three groups: the ELF research community, ELT professionals, and ELF users themselves. This thesis first presents an overview of the theoretical foundations of ELF research, identifying key topics with which the ELF research community has grappled in recent decades. In order to determine how much closer the ELT community has gotten to aligning teaching policy, practices, and goals to students' specific needs and expectations, sociolinguistic research in the form of seven semi-structured interviews was conducted with L2 English speakers who use ELF to live, work, and study in their daily lives, and the ELT professionals tasked with developing their English skills in the classroom. The content of these interviews is then analyzed with regard to the specific needs and expectations of ELF users and the concerns of ELT professionals, followed by a discussion of the key issues uncovered in these interviews in light of the theoretical background of ELF research. The author provides suggestions for further research aimed at improving the ELT community's role in developing ELF proficiency in the expanding circle. Keywords: English as a Lingua Franca, English Language Teaching, Expanding Circle, ELF...

Education in the Swedish school system should aim to assist pupils in the development of fundamental values. This study investigates to what extent different groups of people are represented within two textbooks for English language teaching (ELT), produced in Sweden and commonly used in Swedish schools and how these representations correlate with the values indicated in the curriculum. Additionally, this study explores if textbooks designed for ELT can be adapted and used as a resource in the Arts classroom for multimodal representation analysis. The study used a multimodal critical discourse analysis with a social semiotic approach to address these questions, looking at the textbooks' textual and visual elements. The result is addressed both quantitatively and qualitatively and showed that, while women were shown in active roles, white men were overrepresented in both the visual and textual representations and people of colour of both genders were underrepresented. The results imply that ELT textbooks have some ways to go in order to meet the representation demands that the curriculum sets and that more research needs to address how to more accurately and frequently represent different groups of people within ELT teaching materials.

In this project we investigate the feasibility of detecting the signatures of Pop III stars in metal poor second generation stars and in gas clouds at high redshifts. First, the nucleosynthetic yields of Pair Instability Supernova and how they are manifested in gas clouds are presented. Next, some basic quantities of radio astronomy are explained and the requirements of SKA are shown. Then, the minimum detectable hydrogen column density of SKA for gas clouds at high redhsift is calculated and after that the basic principles of spectroscopy and the requirements of the HiReS instrument of E-ELT are demonstrated. Finally, suggestions about where the observations with HiReS should focus are made.