The Appraisal framework within Systemic Functional Linguistics as a robust tool in language teaching and research has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years. Since its establishment as the most complete account, the framework has been used in a variety of contexts, resulting in a number of refinements, tuning its applicability for specific research purposes such as studies of the evaluative language in research article abstracts, biology experiment reports, wine appreciation and student narrative writing. This article proposes additional refinements, particularly to the system of Attitude, informed by research into the deployment of evaluative resources in spoken discourse by postgraduate students in small group discussions in English and in Vietnamese. The refinements were required to account for the range of evaluative language used in discussions of topics including personal experiences of living and studying in Australia, academic experiences at Australian universities, and opinion about one's professional standing. These refinements contribute to the ongoing development of the Appraisal framework and provide a resource for enhancing the effectiveness of expressions of evaluative stance for speakers of English as a second or additional language.

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RNP-1 has roles in protecting microtubules and in directing cortical movement during cytokinesis and cell migration in Dictyostelium cells. The sequence similarity of RNP-1 to human PABPCs suggests that PABPCs may have similar functions in mammalian cells, perhaps in regulating microtubule dynamics and functions during cortical movement in cytokinesis and cell migration.

Students’ difficulties interpreting diagrams remain a concern in science education. Research about improving diagram comprehension has included few studies of teachers’ orchestration of language and gesture in explaining diagrams—and very few in senior high schools. Research with younger students and studies of research scientists’ practice indicate the significance of the interaction of teachers’ gesture and language in explaining visualisations. The strategic deployment of such teacher-focussed authoritative explanations has been observed in facilitating progression to more complex and symbolic representations in classroom work. However, the paucity of such research in senior high school leaves open the question of how these teachers use gesture and language in managing the challenges of explaining the intricate sub-microscopic and abstract visualisations senior high school students need to negotiate. In this paper, we outline existing studies of teachers’ use of gesture and language to explain complex images in senior high school and investigate how it is managed by two biology teachers with images of different types and complexity representing the activity of certain cell components in the early phase of cell duplication. Implications are drawn for foci of further research including the role of a metalanguage describing different types of visualisations and their affordances.

Mesoblastic nephroma (MN) is a distinctive tumor that is seen mostly in early infancy and that consists of classic and cellular (atypical) variants. Mesoblastic nephroma rarely occurs in adulthood, but MN in this age group still is poorly characterized because there are only 17 reported cases. We describe five additional cases of adult MN, including one case of the cellular variant, characterize the immunohistochemical profiles in detail, and critically review the previously reported cases. The collective data obtained from these 22 cases of adult MN showed that the patients predominantly were women (20 cases), ranging in age from 19 to 78 years, who were asymptomatic (5 cases) or had nonspecific signs and symptoms referable to a renal mass. Twenty tumors were classified as classic and 2 as cellular. The tumors were 2-24 cm, well circumscribed, and partially encapsulated and displayed a solid/ cystic cut surface, with a predominantly solid component in most tumors. One tumor, however, was almost purely cystic. Most tumors extended to the renal sinus. and some appeared entirely intrapelvic on imaging studies; however, gross and microscopic evaluation did not show destructive invasion of the pelvic wall. Extension of the tumor beyond the renal capsule has not been described. Each tumor was composed of epithelial and stromal components both. The epithelial component, which displayed no difference between the classic and cellular variants, was composed of isolated or clustered tubules and cysts lined by a benign epithelium with a wide range of cytologic differentiation. The stromal cells were composed of fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells in various combinations. Stromal cellularity was low for the classic variant but high for the cellular variant. Hemorrhage, necrosis, and high mitotic index were noted in the stroma of the cellular, but not in the classic variant. Immunohistochemical study applied to the five current cases and seven normal control kidneys confirmed the presence of fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and prominent vessels in the stroma of each tumor. Most cysts and tubules within the tumors had a distinctive immunohistochemical profile, similar to that of collecting duct but different from those of other portions of the nephron in the normal control kidneys. After total or partial nephrectomy, without adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy, 19 patients, including the 2 with cellular MN, were alive and well at 8-months to 48-years follow-up. Follow-up was not available in two patients. The remaining patient had recurrence at the surgical site 24 years after nephrectomy. Adult MN displays a distinctive morphologic spectrum that parallels that of its pediatric congener. It probably is a benign tumor that can be treated successfully by complete excision. The collecting duct differentiation expressed by most tubules and cysts of adult MN implies ureteric bud, which is the exclusive embryologic origin of collecting duct, as an important element in the histogenesis of this rar...