A fascinating study of this amazing archaeological discovery.

Very few studies in language teacher education have extensively scrutinized how multiple factors influence preservice ESL teacher development. Therefore, a more comprehensive exploration of preservice ESL teachers’ learning process is needed to portray the complex activity holistically, and more attention should be given to their participation in teacher education programs. Adopting activity theory—in particular the concept of appropriation (Grossman et al., 1999), I used a qualitative case study approach to investigate preservice ESL teacher development, particularly focusing on the ability to appropriate pedagogical tools, in an undergraduate TESOL licensure program in a college of education at a large state university in the United States. Six preservice ESL teachers, including three focal preservice ESL teacher participants, enrolled in this study. Other participants included the program manager of the undergraduate TESOL licensure program, two university supervisors, and three in-service teachers who served as mentors during the preservice ESL teachers’ student teaching at the K-12 school field sites. Data were gathered from interviews, observations of an undergraduate reflective seminar course and the focal preservice ESL teachers’ student teaching, concept maps created by the preservice ESL teachers, and collection of relevant documents. I also considered the preservice ESL teachers’ lived experiences when analyzing the factors that influenced their tool appropriation in teaching. Findings of this study have revealed that preservice ESL teachers’ experiences in teacher education programs and at school field sites can overcome the influence of their apprenticeship of observation (Lortie, 1975). In addition, this study has discovered the impactful influence of mentor teachers on preservice ESL teacher development. It also reiterates the irreplaceability of teacher education programs and reemphasizes the importance of the partnership between teacher education programs and field experiences in school field settings. Therefore, this holistic investigation has illuminated our understanding of how multiple factors affect preservice ESL teacher development.

Abstract: Recombinant adenoviruses containing a double-stranded DNA genome of 26-45 kb were broadly explored in basic virology, for vaccination purposes, for treatment of tumors based on oncolytic virotherapy, or simply as a tool for efficient gene transfer. However, the majority of recombinant adenoviral vectors (AdVs) is based on a small fraction of adenovirus types and their genetic modification. Recombineering techniques provide powerful tools for arbitrary engineering of recombinant DNA. Here, we adopted a seamless recombineering technology for high-throughput and arbitrary genetic engineering of recombinant adenoviral DNA molecules. Our cloning platform which also includes a novel recombination pipeline is based on bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs). It enables generation of novel recombinant adenoviruses from different sources and switching between commonly used early generation AdVs and the last generation high-capacity AdVs lacking all viral coding sequences making them attractive candidates for clinical use. In combination with a novel recombination pipeline allowing cloning of AdVs containing large and complex transgenes and the possibility to generate arbitrary chimeric capsid-modified adenoviruses, these techniques allow generation of tailored AdVs with distinct features. Our technologies will pave the way toward broader applications of AdVs in molecular medicine including gene therapy and vaccination studies

Abstract: Two different types of graphene materials were used as functional nanofillers for the mechanical and tribological improvement of silicon carbide/graphene nanocomposites. On the one hand is thermally reduced graphite oxide (TRGO) reduced at three different temperatures, and on the other hand is graphene made of three different organic precursors, which were directly coated on silicon carbide (SiC) platelets (GSiC). Additionally, benchmark materials were also used as carbon fillers. The SiC/graphene nanocomposites with 2 wt% filler content were manufactured by pressureless sintering (PLS). Some composites were produced with higher graphene contents of 4% and 8% and sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Microstructural analyses were conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Underwater lubrication, the SP sintered TRGO and GSiC materials with high graphene content have shown the most promising tribological performance. Furthermore, the reduced size of the homogeneously distributed nanoparticles promotes the formation of surface states, which improve the friction and wear properties

This book focuses on the latest research and new techniques in the field of functional carbohydrate-related enzymes. Carbohydrates are a key form of energy for most organisms. The "good" carbohydrates generally refer to functional carbohydrates. In addition to the low or moderate energy-supplying function, they have more nutritious value than traditional carbohydrates and some of them also have health-promoting effects especially prebiotic actions. Several enzymatic methods for the synthesis of such carbohydrates have been discovered and developed in the recent decades, providing a new range of application areas for these novel enzymes. This book addresses the classification of functional carbohydrate-related enzymes and the overall development in food enzyme in Chapter 1. Chapters 2-5 describe the isomerases or epimerases involved in the production of rare sugars, such as D-allulose, D-mannose, D-tagatose, and D-allose. While the studies of the enzymes related to fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) dominate the scientific literature in the field of enzymatic production of health-functional oligosaccharides, some enzymes also show promise for the emerging oligosaccharide production, which are introduced in Chapters 6-8. Chapters 9-12 summarize the new enzymatic technologies and applications in fructan- and glycan-related industries. The last Chapter gives an overall prospective on the trends of enzymatic functional carbohydrate production. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students in the fields of biotechnology, enzyme engineering, and carbohydrate production, as well as the health industry.