>Magister Scientiae - MSc / This study describes the synthesis and characterisation of Cu(II) and V(IV) complexes of tri- and quadridentate ligands L1 and L2 formed by condensation of ethylenediamine with acetylacetonate in 1:1 and 1:2 molar ratio, respectively. Encapsulation of these metal complexes in the nanocage of zoilite-Y generates new heterogeneous catalysts. These catalysts were synthesized employing the flexible ligand method encapsulation technique.The structures of these encapsulated complexes were established on the basis of various physico-chemical and spectroscopic studies. The results indicated that the complexes did not hinder or modify the framework or structure of the zeolite, confirming successful immobilization of Schiff-bases through the voids of zeolite Y.These encapsulated complexes were screened as heterogeneous catalysts for various oxidation reactions such as such as phenol, benzene, styrene and cyclohexene using a green oxidant (H2O2).For comparison, the corresponding neat complexes were screened as potential homogeneous catalysts for these oxidation reactions. The results proved that the corresponding homogeneous systems described here represent an efficient and inexpensive method for oxidation of phenol, benzene, styrene and cyclohexene, having advantages over heterogeneous catalysis are its high activity and selectivity and short reaction times. Its major problem is its industrial application regarding principally the separation of the catalyst from the products.The size of the substrate has a significant effect on the conversion by encapsulated complexes such as in styrene oxidation. Therefore, it was established that steric effects of the substrates play a critical role in the poor reactive nature of the encapsulated complexes.In general, the percentage conversion decreased upon encapsulation of complexes in zeolite Y. All catalysts studied proved to be potential catalysts for the various oxidation reactions.It has been shown in this study that encapsulation can effectively improve product selectivity but requires a longer reaction time in most cases for maximum activity.Furthermore,oxovanadium complexes were more reactive than copper-based catalysts in all oxidation reactions tested in this study.A reaction mechanism study revealed that the activity of the encapsulated and neat complexes occurs through either formation of peroxovanadium (V) or hydroperoxidecopper(II) intermediate species.The studies in this thesis, therefore, conclude that the Cu(II) and V(IV) complexes encapsulated in Y-zeolite are active heterogeneous catalysts for the selective oxidation of various substrates. Encapsulation of the metal complexes in the super cages (-cages) of the zeolite matrix has the advantages of solid heterogeneous catalysts of easy separation and handling, ruggedness, thermostability, reusability (regeneration of the deactivated catalysts) as well as share many advantageous features of homogeneous catalysts.

Superdiversity has reached the EFL classroom and consequently language acquisition’s starting point has changed from one to various native languages. EFL teachers in Sweden meet a broad spectrum of students, varying from nearly bilingual when it comes to English, to students, who have to learn both English and Swedish from scratch. Meanwhile, the Swedish school system aspires to provide all students with an equal education. In addition to the increasingly diverse student body, EFL teachers also face the dilemma of steering documents that can be perceived as favouring the traditional monolingual principle of language teaching, while at the same time EFL teachers are asked to support students’ development into plurilingualists that embrace linguistic and cultural diversity. This thesis seeks to investigate EFL teachers’ reasoning concerning linguistic diversity and inclusion methods in the EFL classroom, as a part of school practice. Furthermore, this thesis aims to give a picture of the current situation in Swedish schools and seeks to find indications of whether further training is required in order to embrace the diversity of the globalized classroom. Mixed methods are used to examine the current situation and the results are based on the answers of 35 EFL teachers in Sweden. The findings indicate that most EFL teachers rarely include students’ L1 in the EFL classroom and that the inclusion of students’ L1 is for many participants related with weaker proficiency in English. Additionally, the necessity of enhancing the benefits of translanguaging pedagogy for all students, and consequently further education for EFL teachers can be identified, because the very important aspect of identity that matters when it comes to school success has hardly been considered.

Ten years into a democratic South Africa, significant changes have been witnessed in economic, social, political and educational development. Changes in the education system have resulted in many of the learners being encouraged to attend English medium schools although this is not their L1. Hence, there has been an increase of learners learning to read in a language that is not their first language. The transition from their home language to the language of learning is often not easy and impacts on their academic proficiency as well as academic development. This study investigated English reading abilities and academic performance of Grade 8 L1 and L2 learners attending an Ex-Model C school. The SDRT – Brown Level was used to assess the level of reading and its impact on academic achievement was investigated. Results show that the SDRT was highly correlated with, and a significant predictor of academic performance with certain tests being stronger predictors than others for L1 and L2 learners. Implications of these findings for the education of L1 and L2 learners are discussed.

In support of educational equity, the White Paper 6 (Department of Education, 2001) states that every learner in South Africa has the right to pursue their learning potential to the best of their ability. The South African Schools Act of 1996 states that a school’s language policy may not exclude learners from different backgrounds. As a result, many English second language (L2) learners struggle to understand the learning material and perform poorly academically. Poor literacy and reading skills have been identified in the literature (for example Pretorius, 2005) as a significant cause for poor academic performance. In an endeavour to work within the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) system, teachers are increasingly seeking ways to improve group learning. These factors motivated the present study and a paired reading intervention was selected and administered to Grade 9 English second language learners. Volunteer participants consisted of an Experimental Group (n 53) and a Comparison Group (n 53). Each group was divided into strong (mentor) and weak (mentee) readers. Pre-tests and post-tests were conducted regarding the Experimental and Comparison Group’s scores on the Vocabulary and Comprehension subtests of the Stanford Reading Diagnostic Test (SDRT): Brown Level and the Academic Performance of both groups were recorded at pre and post-test phases. After an 11 week intervention programme a statistical analysis of the results was conducted. The overall means for the groups were analysed using t-tests to establish any significant differences between the pre-test and post-test results. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was also conducted to determine whether any significant differences existed between the Experimental and Comparison Group. A null hypothesis was supported. It would appear that the whole-hearted commitment and participation of all role-players is essential for the effective implementation of a peer reading intervention at a school.

Compressed sensing (CS) is a relatively new branch of mathematics with very interesting applications in signal processing, statistics and computer science. This thesis presents some theory of compressed sensing, which allows us to recover (high-dimensional) sparse vectors from (low-dimensional) compressed measurements by solving the L1-minimization problem. A possible application of CS to the problem of error correction is also presented, where sparse vectors are that of arbitrary noise. Successful sparse recovery by L1-minimization relies on certain properties of rectangular matrices. But these matrix properties are extremely subtle and difficult to numerically verify. Therefore, to get an idea of how sparse (or dense) errors can be, numerical simulation of error correction was done. These simulations show the performance of error correction with respect to various levels of error sparsity and matrix dimensions. It turns out that error correction degrades slower for low matrix dimensions than for high matrix dimensions, while for sufficiently sparse errors, high matrix dimensions offer a higher likelihood of guaranteed error correction.

Orientador: Miriane de Oliveira / Resumo: Introdução: O hormônio triiodotironina (T3) influencia o metabolismo e desenvolvimento do tecido adiposo (TA), modulando a proliferação e diferenciação de adipócitos, podendo agir sobre os reguladores do processo de adipogênese, como o receptor ativado por proliferador de peroxissomo (PPARy). O TA está envolvido na regulação da energia corporal, sintetizando e secretando substâncias denominadas adipocinas, dentre elas a adiponectina e leptina. A adiponectina está relacionada ao aumento da sensibilidade à insulina, enquanto a leptina está envolvida com o gasto energético. O T3 pode desencadear ações por ativação de vias extranucleares, dentre elas a via MAPK/ERK e integrina αVβ3. Objetivo: Verificar a ação do T3, com participação das vias extranucleares MAPK/ERK e integrina αVβ3, na modulação de adiponectina e leptina, além de avaliar os parâmetros relacionados ao perfil adipogênico e dano de DNA. Métodos: Adipócitos, 3T3-L1, foram tratados com T3 (10nM) por uma hora, na ausência ou presença dos inibidores de MAPK/ERK – PD98059 (PD, 50uM) e da integrina αvβ3 – ácido tetraiodotiroácetico (Tetrac, 10-4M). A ausência de qualquer tratamento foi considerada grupo controle (C). Após o período de tratamento foi realizado PCRq-RT para analisar a expressão de mRNA de adiponectina e leptina, e Western Blot para expressão proteica de adiponectina, leptina, PPARy, pAKT e pERK; a viabilidade celular foi realizada pelo ensaio de MTT; a quantificação do acúmulo lipídico pelos ens... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Introduction: The hormone triiodothyronine (T3) influences the metabolism and development of adipose tissue (TA), modulating the proliferation and differentiation of adipocytes, and can act on regulators of the adipogenic differentiation process, such as the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor). TA is involved in the regulation of body energy, synthesizing and secreting substances called adipokines, among them adiponectin and leptin. Adiponectin is related to increased insulin synaptic, since leptin is involved in energy expenditure. T3 can trigger actions by activation of extranuclear pathways, including MAPK / ERK and integrin α Vβ3. Objective: Given the role of T3 in TA and the importance of adipokines, the objective of this study is to verify the action of T3 with the participation of extranuclear pathways in the modulation of adiponectin and leptin and the parameters related to the adipogenic profile. Methods: Adipocytes, 3T3-L1, were treated with a physiological dose of T3 (10nM) for one hour, in the absence or presence of MAPK / ERK-PD98059 (PD) and integrin αvβ3 - tetraiodothyrocetic (Tetrac) integrin inhibitors. The absence of any treatment was considered as a control group (C). After the treatment period PCRqRT was performed to analyze the expression of leptin and adiponectin mRNA, and Western Blot for protein expression of adiponectin, leptin, PPARγ, pAKT and pERK; cell viability was performed by the MTT assay; the quantification of lipid accumulation by the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

INTRODUCTION: Melanoma is the most deadly skin cancer with mortality dependent on the extent and location of metastases. Lymphatic metastasis occurs early in melanoma, and tumor-associated lymphatic vessel area correlates with melanoma progression. Recently, the discovery of checkpoint inhibitors has drastically changed the treatment strategy and survival rates in melanoma. Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) is a potential common target in melanoma cells, tumor-associated lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). NRP2 is a cell surface receptor with competing stimulatory ligands (VEGF-A/-C) and inhibitory ligands (SEMA3F/G). AIM: The goal of this study was to investigate the role of NRP2 in both melanoma cells and the melanoma microenvironment (LECs, TILs) and to examine the effect of semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F) on the tumor cells as well as an immune modulator. RESULTS: Mouse and human melanocytes expressed NRP2 but not other vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinases in vitro and in vivo. NRP2 protein expression, as analyzed by immunohistochemistry, was upregulated in human metastatic melanoma sections. Treatment of melanoma cells in vitro with SEMA3F inhibited migration and phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) but did not inhibit cell viability. SEMA3F also increased programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in melanoma. Syngeneic B16F10 melanoma did not grow in global NRP2 knockout (KO) mice but did grow in wild-type mice. In addition, mice inoculated with B16F10 were treated with SEMA3F or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) by mini-osmotic pumps. Resulting tumors were analyzed histologically for microvessel density and presence of TILs (number and subtype). CONCLUSIONS: Expression of NRP2 protein positively correlated with melanoma progression in human patient samples. NRP2 functions differently in melanoma tumor cells than in host stromal cells (endothelial cells [ECs], LECs). In melanoma, NRP2 is not a VEGF receptor but responds to the ligand, SEMA3F. Alternately, NRP2 appears to be an important VEGF-A/-C co-receptor in tumor-associated angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, as demonstrated in the NRP2 transgenic mice studies. SEMA3F inhibited tumor cell migration but increased PD-L1 expression. Systemic treatment with purified SEMA3F protein in melanoma preclinical trials inhibited melanoma growth and microvessel density. Taken together, these results suggest that exploiting the NRP2/SEMA3F signaling axis may be a novel treatment strategy to be used in combination with existing immunotherapy in melanoma. / 2020-07-03T00:00:00Z

In Sweden and in many places around the world there is a great discussion about using L1 or not in teaching. The fact that 43% of the pupils having a parent speaking another language do not qualify for upper secondary studies in Sweden is worrying. The aim of the thesis was to collect a classroom teacher's experiences and how the teacher perceived the pupils' participation and the perspectives of the mother tongue teacher over three lessons. The research was carried out in a multilingual grade 3, consisting of 19 pupils. The focus was the experience of the classroom teacher and mother tongue teachers. The result was positive for pupils in many ways but the organisation of how to use L1 is an issue to solve. The data collection was carried out through observations from three lessons and interviews with teacher and mother tongue teachers. Recommendations for further studies include to get a better point of view concerning the organisation round mother tongue tuition and how the pupils develop their knowledge. / <p>Educational work/ English</p><p>Pedagogiskt arbete/ Engelska</p>

When learning a second language, there are elements of a learner's native language that can transfer and are exhibited during production in the second language. This can extend not only to the way things are said but even to gestures that are language- and speech-act-specific. However, there is evidence that the same can occur backwards, that is to say that elements of a second language can be exhibited during production of one's native language (Pavlenko and Jarvis, 2002). This study focuses on English L1 learners of Japanese who have spent significant time both in country and learning the language to see if they exhibit Japanese tendencies when performing apologies in their native English. Comparisons between those with no Japanese experience were made with those who had extensive Japanese experience. Through video recordings of 45 participants engaging in six apology-induced scenarios (non-Japanese, n=24; Japanese, n=21), the participants showed that backward transfer occurs with repetition of IFIDs and nonverbal cues. Further research through different methods can be more telling.

Precision medicine has allowed for the development of monoclonal antibodies that unmask the anti-tumor immune response. These agents have provided some patients durable clinical benefit. However, PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitor therapies are effective in a small group (10-20%) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients when used as single-agent therapy. The approved companion diagnostic is expression of the immune cell surface molecule, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), on tumors measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Studies in tumor biology and immune surveillance dictate that PD-1 inhibitor efficacy should depend on the level of PD-L1 expression; however, the literature has not followed with convincing evidence. The limitations of this test include timing of tissue acquisition, tumor heterogeneity, and timing of therapy relative to the expression of PD-L1. In addition, the requirement of analyzing tumor tissue biopsy samples from a patient is cumbersome. Thus, a peripheral blood biomarker that predicts efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition would be optimal for precise and cost-effective treatment. A history of chronic inflammatory diseases may be advantageous for a cancer patient who is treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and may allow them to then mobilize a swift immune response to tumor cells. Specific biological components of this persistent inflammation may predict PD-1 inhibitor response. We have taken a novel approach to leverage national healthcare claims data that couples patient history with response to therapy. We have identified potential peripheral blood biomarkers of response to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors using a combination of healthcare outcomes and molecular markers that correlate with therapeutic efficacy.