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Is Angelo Right?
No full textA children's book, created by AUB students from the Education Department, for the course EDUC218 as a final project.While Sara, Maya and Leo were enjoying their video game, something weird happens. They did not know that Angelo will teach them a great lesson
Unraveling the Impact of Epstein-Barr virus on Behavior and Circadian Rhythm: Insights from Drosophila melanogaster as a Model Organism
No full textIntroduction: The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been extensively studied for its association with autoimmune diseases and various malignancies. Research has demonstrated that EBV is capable of infecting neurons directly or indirectly through infected B-lymphocytes, leading to neuro-inflammation, demyelination, degeneration and necrosis of glial cells. Furthermore; EBV has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and brain tumors. Despite these associations, the specific molecular mechanisms underlying EBV-related neurological pathologies remain to be fully elucidated. Additionally, other research has suggested the association between EBV and diseases such as infectious mononucleosis (IM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) characterized by behavioral manifestations. Upon primary infection, EBV established a latency, undergoes reactivation and sheds DNA resulting in the activation of the immune system. A previous study from our labs demonstrated the activation of the IMD pathway in Drosophila melanogaster following injection with 70 EBV DNA copies.
Aim: A comprehensive project by our team is investigating the association of EBV with auto-immune diseases. As part of this project, we investigated the behavioral, activity, sleep, locomotor and circadian rhythm changes in EBV injected Drosophila melanogaster.
Methods: Behavioral changes in Drosophila melanogaster were assessed using the Drosophila Activity Monitor (DAM). Furthermore; circadian cycle analysis was conducted using the DAM under alternating conditions of 5 days of darkness and 5 days of light to evaluate any variations in behavioral patterns. Additionally, climbing assays have been performed to comprehensively evaluate any locomotor alterations resulting from the viral injections. These methods were performed on wild-type male adult flies (W1118) and comparison was done between uninjected and injected flies with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), sterile water, 70 copies of EBV DNA, 35 and 70 EBV viral particles.
Results: Flies injected with EBV displayed a reduced lifespan, alongside decreased activity levels observed across all of EBV-injected flies, corresponding to altered sleep pattern. Upon closer examination under various conditions during both morning and evening phases, it was evident that activity levels decreased while sleep increased in EBV-injected flies. Furthermore, similar trends were observed during both day and night periods. Notably, a significant difference was only observed in older generation flies (14 days old and up). Analysis under light-dark and dark-dark conditions revealed no discernible behavioral disparities but did indicate an extended free-running period and a reduced proportion of rhythmic flies. Climbing assay results demonstrated an enhanced climbing ability among the tested flies.
Conclusion: Behavioral changes were detected in EBV-injected flies but whether these changes were the result of an altered circadian rhythm or the result of an immune response are to be elucidated. Further experiments and assays should be done to further understand the exact pathways and mechanisms in which this virus works
THE USE OF TRANSLANGUAGING IN A LEBANESE MULTILINGUAL SCIENCE CLASSROOM TO ENACT COGNITIVE, SOCIAL, AND TEACHING PRESENCES
Get PDFIn many countries around the world, and some in the Arab region, such as Lebanon, science is taught in a foreign language (e.g., often English or French) rather than in students’ home language (Arabic, in the Arab region). The use of a foreign language as the language of learning and teaching is assumed to be one of the major reasons for students’ underachievement in science not only in the Arab world (BouJaoude & Dagher, 2009), but also in Africa (Reddy et al., 2016) and the United States (Thomas & Collier, 1997). Translanguaging (TL) has been suggested as a pedagogical strategy to support multilingual learners (MLLs) more than two decades ago; however, it is under-researched in the science classrooms, particularly in the Arab world. This study aims to explore how TL is used in a Lebanese multilingual science classroom and what functions TL plays in the enactment of the cognitive, social, and teaching presences as characterized within the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. A multilingual middle school physics classroom at a low SES Lebanese private school with an official English-only policy for the teaching of science was recruited for this study. Data was collected from several sources: video recordings of physics sessions over a period of four weeks, teacher and students’ responses to the CoI survey, and semi-structured interviews. The video recorded sessions were fully transcribed and coded at three levels: the category indicators of each presence type within the CoI framework, the language(s) used (English-only, Arabic-only, or Mixed), and the speaker (teacher or student). Then, the percentage of the instances of occurrence of each presence, its categories, and indicators were determined. The percentage of the language(s) used at the level of each presence indicator was also calculated. Survey results were used to calculate the average occurrence of each presence as perceived by the teacher and the students using a Likert scale from 1 to 5. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. The findings illuminate an alignment between the findings of the different data sources. Teaching presence dominated the learning environment in the studied classroom. TL was spontaneously used by both the teacher and the students as an agentive resistive act to the English-only school policy. For each presence type, TL appeared to serve several functions. For instance, TL was found to be crucial for students’ enactment of the three presences. For instance, for cognitive presence, TL was found to promote the engagement in higher-order thinking skills, such as reflection. The teacher and students translanguaged, primarily using their home language, to enact their social presence through affective expression, interpersonal relationships, and group cohesion. As for teaching presence, the teacher translanguaged for various purposes, primarily to support students’ conceptual understanding of abstract physics concepts, eliciting his agentive and resistive response to the prevailing English only school policy. In accordance with these findings, the teacher and the students emphasized the importance of deploying TL in the physics classroom. They posited that TL was the preferred, resourceful, just, and culturally sustaining pedagogy. As such, the study concluded that TL can potentially promote the manifestation of cognitive, social, and teaching presence. Recommendations were suggested for future research, practice, and policy
Archaeology of the Mtein and Kfar Selouan Road: A GIS and Landscape Analysis
Get PDFDue to increased urbanization and development in the 21st century, archaeological evidence of road networks has grown more difficult to acquire. Landscape archaeology has tools to continue investigating routes and road networks, such as by using GIS’ Least-Cost Path Analysis. A Least-Cost Path was done with ArcGIS Pro between Berytus and Heliopolis, with Mtein as a midpoint. A survey then determined that the Least-Cost Path’s results were accurate and 1.65 km of road remains were located. The study succeeded in determining that Least-Cost Path Analysis is a practical tool for researchers in the field of landscape archaeology
One Space at a Time: A Multi-Scalar Tactical Urbanism Strategy
No full textIn the aftermath of the civil war, Beirut experienced a surge in real estate dominance, with little emphasis on urban planning for essential public amenities, exacerbating the city's deficiency in open spaces. This oversight has particularly affected vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, intensifying the urgent need for accessible public spaces in Beirut. The lack of such spaces in Beirut has led to creative attempts at tactical urbanism (TU), with temporary urbanism (TPU) being utilized as a tool to create temporary insertions into the urban fabric ranging from art installations to public performances and placemaking initiatives, demonstrating a need for outdoor spaces for gathering and leisure. Although these interventions are often short-lived and site-specific, they serve as learning tools that can guide us toward a more inclusive and holistic vision of the city. This evident need for more accessible public spaces in Beirut, supported by the prevalence of vacant spaces in the city, presents an opportunity for more strategic TPUs and to develop long-term, formalized strategies for Beirut's neighborhoods to enhance their quality of life. I explore the potential of TU as an incremental process of city building. This thesis shifts the focus on TPU from the plot scale to the neighborhood scale to bridge the gap in knowledge on long-term programs of temporary uses. The aim is to create a system of adaptable hybrid TPUs in Beirut’s vacant spaces to support disadvantaged communities informed by a comprehensive analysis of a specific neighborhood. To illustrate this approach, I conducted an in-depth case study focusing on the nuances of everyday life in the neighborhood of Qobayat. This led to the formulation of a neighborhood strategy that combines fixed and spontaneous interventions to the available vacant spaces of Qobayat that contribute to the quality of life, complimented with an activation toolkit of TPU ideas inspired by the existing outdoor activities observed in the neighborhood. The deployment of the strategy will be demonstrated in detail at the plot scale on sections of the old railway forest and three pre-selected streets in Qobayat. Ultimately, this neighborhood will serve as a prototype with the potential for replication in other Beirut neighborhoods
حروف الأبجدية في رحلة فلسطينية مع أسماء
No full textكتابي هو كتاب تعليمي للأطفال في الفئة العمرية من 3 إلى 5 سنوات يهدف إلى تعلم الحروف العربية بطريقة ممتعة وسهلة. يقدم الكتاب كل حرف من الأبجدية العربية بصورة ملونة وجذابة، مع تعليقات قصيرة متناسبة مع فهم الطفل وقدراته اللغوية. يقوم الكتاب بتقديم كل حرف بواسطة الشخصية الرئيسية "أسماء"، التي تقدم الحرف وكلمات تتعلق بالتقاليد الفلسطينية وشهر رمضان، مما يضفي جوًا من التعرف على الثقافة والتقاليد العربية. الكتاب مصمم بشكل بسيط ومبسط، مع تركيز على الرسوم التوضيحية الملونة والتعليقات القصيرة السهلة الفهم والتي تتناسب مع فهم واستيعاب الأطفال الصغار.A children's book, created by AUB students from the Education Department, for the course EDUC218 as a final project
Into the Unkown
No full textA children's book, created by AUB students from the Education Department, for the course EDUC218 as a final project.Karim, an eight year old boy, lives in the village of "Kfar Helda" surrounded by a forest. One day, Karim decides to explore the forest; however, he gets lost and spends the night in an old wooden house. The next day he decides to not give up and find his way back home
Towards a Sustainable Day After : Managing Demolition Rubble in the Aftermath of the 2024 Lebanon Conflict
Get PDFThis document explores the pressing issue of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) generated by the ongoing war, highlighting its environmental, economic, and social impacts. It offers practical strategies and policy recommendations for sustainable CDW management in Lebanon, informed by lessons learned, current challenges, and innovative approaches. The brief is designed to guide policymakers, international and national stakeholders, private and public sector leaders, and community advocates in addressing this critical issue.Includes bibliographical references (page 11)Reconstruction after destructive events offers countries an opportunity to open markets for national industries across development, humanitarian, and corporate sectors. However, post-disaster recovery in Lebanon faces challenges such as weak governance, lack of coordination among actors, fragmented data and conflicting external funding agendas. Furthermore, environmental concerns and the absence of a sustainable holistic approach, continue to generate disparities and inefficiencies in reconstruction efforts
Glutamatergic Projection Neurons Shape Neural Sequence Generation in the Premotor Cortex of Zebra Finches
No full textNeural circuits in the brain maintain a delicate equilibrium between excitation and inhibition, yet ensuring the proper functioning of neural microcircuits and the pre- cise manifestation of this balance at the mesoscopic level of neuronal populations remains less well understood. Moreover, neural circuits often exhibit sequences of activity that relies on excitation and inhibition, but the contribution of local net- works to their generation remains unclear. This study investigates neural sequence generation within the HVC (High Vocal Center) of the adult zebra finch forebrain. This nucleus is an analogue of the mammalian premotor cortex and plays a crit- ical role in the execution of temporally precise courtship songs. The topology of the HVC network is heterogeneous and comprised of three neural populations that has distinct in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological responses: Glutamatergic basal ganglia – projecting (HV CX ) and forebrain - projecting (HV CRA) cortical neurons as well as gabaergic interneurons (HV CINT ). While the excitatory and inhibitory connections between these three classes are reported, it’s largely unknown how they collaborate to orchestrate ongoing song and generate one of the most temporally- precise neural sequence known in nature to date. In this project, we used elimination based search methods and machine learning algorithms to unravel the underlying cytoarchitecture of the HVC neural network. Our network searches are based on biologically realistic constraints reported in the literature that are pertinent to the pharmacological nature of the synaptic connec- tions among the three different classes of HVC neurons as well as other anatomical and intrinsic constraints, like their approximate numbers in the nucleus, the precise timing as well as number of bursts, the frequencies of spiking during song etc. Con- sistent with a seminal experimental work reported earlier which remained shrouded in mystery, our simulations confirmed that irrespective of HV CX neurons’ intrinsic or synaptic properties, glutamatergic HV CRA and gabaergic HV CINT neurons are sufficient to drive motor activity, encode for the temporal precision in the neural se- quence generated, and orchestrate the neurons’ firing patterns. These findings show that the HVC network’s connector hubs are preferentially excitatory and suggest a potential mesoscopic organization of the excitation-inhibition balance within the nucleus
Examining the Impact of Gender Curriculum on Alienation: An Assessment of Implementation in Norwegian Educational Institutions
Get PDFThe Norwegian policy framework is deeply rooted in the promotion of inclusivity and tolerance towards diverse identity groups within Norwegian society.
In 2020, Norway initiated its school curriculum renewal, incorporating topics related to gender identity. While this curriculum intends to cultivate inclusivity and respect for diverse identity groups, it has faced criticism and concerns regarding its potential role of indoctrinating children. This research aimed to delve into two main issues surrounding the implementation of this curriculum: the underlying factors driving opposition to the inclusion of the LK20 curriculum and whether it is perceived as an imposed hegemonic conception of the good or not. 18 textbooks in Norwegian primary schools (grades 3-5) were analyzed and 15 in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the informants’ perspectives. A notable finding is that the majority of the interviewees expressed feelings of alienation towards the gender identity curriculum, while a minority indicated support for its inclusion. The drivers of this alienation included perceived threats to religious beliefs, traditional stereotypes, individual expression, family authority, and concerns for the children’s and parents’ well-being. Conversely, supporters of the curriculum emphasized its contribution to tackling societal issues like racism by promoting tolerance, respect, individualism, and freedom as integral components of the Norwegian policy initiatives