On I-acceleration convergence of sequences

In this article we introduce the notion of I-acceleration convergence of sequences. We prove the decomposition theorem for I-acceleration convergence of sequences as well as for subsequence transformations. We study different properties of I-acceleration convergence of sequences.     

Antagonistic effect of FePP on the ethanol mediated induction of hepatic, renal and splenic δ-amino levulinic acid synthase activityin vivo in rats

In the current study, we report perturbations in hepatic, renal and splenic heme synthesis at the level of the rate limiting enzyme, δ-amino levulinic acid synthase (ALA-S) on ethanol administration independently and in conjunction with iron-protoporphyrin (FePP) in male Wistar rats. Excessive ethanol administration (5 ml/kg bw) resulted in a significant induction of hepatic, splenic and renal ALA-S activity. Simultaneous administration of FePP (50 μmol/kg bw) reverted the observed induction response to a sharp decline. The features of the action of ethanol and FePP togetherin vivo, i.e. a substantial inhibition of ALA-S is suggestive of the beneficial effects of this formulation in acute attacks of porphyria.     

Genetic Variation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">CD166</Emphasis> Gene and Its Association with Bladder Cancer Risk in North Indian Population

Adhesion molecules play a key role in cancer progression and tumorigenesis. Genetic polymorphism of adhesion molecules may alter the normal functioning thereby leading to bladder cancer susceptibility. Hence we aimed to evaluate three SNPs of CD166 gene (CD166rs6437585 C/T, CD166rs10511244 C/T, and CD166rs1157 A/G) in bladder cancer patients and normal controls of North Indian population. A total of 270 healthy controls and 240 confirmed bladder cancer patients were recruited for this study. Three SNPs of CD166 gene viz. CD166rs6437585 C/T, CD166rs10511244 C/T, and CD166rs1157 A/G were selected for this study. CD166rs6437585 C/T and CD166rs10511244 C/T were genotyped by Taqman allelic discrimination assay and CD166rs1157 A/G was genotyped by PCR–RFLP. The statistical analysis was done using the SPSS software, version 16.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL), and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Haplotypic analysis was done by using SNP analyzer version 1.2A. CD166rs6437585 C/T and CD166rs10511244 C/T showed significant association with reduced risk in bladder cancer while CD166rs1157 A/G showed significant high risk along with association at genotypic and allelic levels. Haplotypic analysis showed 1.8-folds risk in CCG combination, whereas CTA and TCG showed significant association with reduced risk. Further stratification on the basis of smoking, tumor grade/stage and BGC therapy revealed no association of these three polymorphic sites of CD166. Our study suggests that CD166rs6437585 C/T and CD166rs10511244 C/T are predictive for the reduced risk of bladder cancer, whereas CD166rs1157 A/G had shown significant association with high risk of bladder cancer in North Indians. This somehow suggests that CD166rs1157 A/G can be used as a marker for risk prediction of bladder cancer.     

Working in Creative Partnership with Students to Co-Produce Neuroanatomy e-Learning Resources in a New Era of Blended Learning

Anatomists are well placed to tackle the transition from face-to-face to blended learning approaches as a result of the rapidly forced changes brought about by Covid-19. The subject is extremely visual and has, therefore, previously been a target for the development of technology-enhanced learning initiatives over the last ten years. Today's students have come to expect the integration of technology in the classroom and remotely. They adjust quickly to the innovative use of new applications and software and have begun to integrate it within their own workflow for note taking and study aids. Given the intense drive toward blended deliveries of anatomy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is easy to picture how the benefits of working in partnership with students (in order to achieve many of these aims) would be possible, particularly in difficult subjects like neuroanatomy. In doing so, it provides anatomists with new opportunities to engage students in a way that aligns well with best practice frameworks for engaging students through partnership. The current United Kingdom guidelines set out by Advance HE (a professional membership organization for promoting excellence in higher education) strongly encourages the higher education community to seek out appropriate academic contexts where a balance of power can be struck between staff and student to create a community of practice. If such an approach can be fully embraced by anatomists, a strong argument can be made for seizing the opportunity to optimize the benefits of student partnership work in this discipline.     

Problems of Illiteracy in a Literate Developing Society: Sri Lanka

With 87.0% of its population literate, Sri Lanka occupies a high ranking position among South and South-East Asian nations in educational development. The high percentage of literacy achieved through progressive measures in education spanning half a century, however, has led to a state of complacency and less priority being given to efforts at eradicating illiteracy. This paper will focus on a recent study conducted on the incidence of illiteracy in specific disadvantaged communities in the country which indicated that in the present era of technological advancement, lack of literacy will continue to affect the life-chances of people in these communities where the rate of literacy remains much lower than the national average. The study investigates into the factors associated with illiteracy, and the attitudes and perceptions of the communities themselves towards literacy programmes and regarding the modalities and strategies of providing literacy. The implications of the study and the final recommendations drawn up in consultation with the policy makers at national and provincial levels in governmental and non-governmental sectors are also discussed in the paper.     

开展机构协作发展远程教育

[译者按]本文原文发表于"学习联邦"(Com-monwea]th of Learning)网站<知识系列>(Know]-edge Series)栏目(2003年).学习联邦是英联邦各成员国的政府首脑倡议成立的政府间组织,其宗旨是鼓励开发和共享开放学习和远程教育的知识、资源和技术.目前我国远程教育机构也正在开展各种形式的协作,既有电大之间的协作,也有电大与其他教育机构的协作,还有国际间的协作,但毕竟一切刚刚起步,许多地方有待于进一步完善.因此,我们认为这篇经验之谈的文章所提出的一些原则、建议、指南等对我们有一定指导意义和借鉴价值.现将其译成中文,以飨读者,并向印度甘地国立开放大学Sharma高级讲师和Chaudhary教授以及学习联邦组织致谢!     

Making sense of double number lines in professional development: exploring teachers’ understandings of proportional relationships

This study presents a qualitative analysis of the knowledge teachers in one professional development course used to reason about proportional relationships with double number lines. We work from the knowledge-in-pieces perspective to consider the existing knowledge the participants did or did not invoke when learning to reason with this new-to-them representation. We analyzed videotaped sessions of a group of urban middle-grade teachers across five class meetings. Our findings include discussion of the two pieces of knowledge that emerged as important for reasoning about proportions with the representation and three knowledge pieces that deterred meaning making. Implications for professional development are discussed as are the implications for conceptualizing teachers’ understanding through a knowledge-in-pieces lens.