Integrating Pronunciation Into the English Language Curriculum: A Framework for Teachers

Research provides evidence of effective factors in pronunciation teaching and learning. However, incorporating research into classroom practice is a challenge left to instructors, often without the help of a systematic framework for integrating pronunciation into a curriculum. This article, informed by work with international teaching assistants, offers such a framework. Developed over a 10-year period, the framework was tested in a pre-post classroom-based research study that indicated significant pronunciation improvement. The authors guide classroom instructors and teacher trainers through a 5-stage curriculum-design process for the integration of pronunciation, and they exemplify the use of the framework via the development of an English for Specific Purposes curriculum for international teaching assistants. Each stage includes guiding questions, related research, and demonstration of the outcomes through examples from a curriculum designed for international teaching assistants. The framework provides a practical approach to integrating fundamental building blocks of effective pronunciation instruction into the curriculum design process

MODELLING SCAPULAR BIOMECHANICS TO ENHANCE INTERPRETATION OF KINEMATICS AND PERFORMANCE DATA IN ROWING

Rowing involves repetitive, high intensity loading on the glenohumeral joint. Shoulder pain is associated with muscle weakness and imbalance, resulting in long-lasting overuse injuries. The goal of this study was to explore three-dimensional shoulder biomechanics during rowing to identify parameters that influence technique. Eleven athletes had their movement recorded by motion capture while using an instrumented ergometer. Kinetics and kinematics drove a computational model which output joint and muscle forces across the shoulder. Results suggest that subtle muscular changes identified by the model can be sensitively mapped to performance variables. When evaluated alongside ergometer-derived power metrics, biomechanics parameters can provide athletes and coaches a fuller picture of performance potential, injury risk, and training program efficacy

Rehabilitation following lumbar fusion surgery : a systematic review and meta-analysis

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review with meta-analysis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of current evidence evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation following lumbar fusion surgery (LFS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LFS for the management of lower back pain, with(out) neurogenic leg pain, is increasing as the population ages. Clinical outcomes commonly lag behind surgical outcomes and 40% of patients experience significant back-related disability 12 months after LFS. Identifying rehabilitation strategies to improve function and quality of life following LFS is important. METHODS: A systematic review of databases were searched, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, and grey literature. Studies identified were screened for inclusion by title and abstract. Full text of eligible/potentially eligible studies was evaluated against predetermined eligibility criteria. Included studies were subjected to critical appraisal and risk of bias evaluation. The GRADE approach to quality of evidence was utilized. A meta-analysis comparing usual care with "complex rehabilitation," comprising exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy, for outcomes relating to pain, disability, fear of movement, and mental health was conducted at short and longer term (12 months postsurgery) time points. RESULTS: Three studies were identified for the systematic review and 2 included in the meta-analysis (n = 237, female = 62%, mean age = 55). Low-quality evidence suggests that "complex rehabilitation" provides short-term improvement in disability [effect size, -0.85, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), -1.41 to -0.29] and fear avoidance behavior (-1.07, 95% CI -1.33, -0.80), compared with usual care. Low-quality evidence exists favoring "complex rehabilitation" over usual care for longer term disability (-0.84, 95% CI -1.11 to -0.58) and fear avoidance behavior (-1.40, 95% CI -1.69 to -1.12). CONCLUSIONS: A small number of low-quality studies suggest that "complex rehabilitation" reduces short and long-term disability and fear avoidance behavior following LFS. More, high-quality research is required to confirm the effectiveness of "complex rehabilitation" programs

Comparison of median frequency between traditional and functional sensor placements during activity monitoring

Long-term monitoring is of great clinical relevance. Accelerometers are often used to provide information about activities of daily living. The median frequency (f[subscript m]) of acceleration has recently been suggested as a powerful parameter for activity recognition. However, compliance issues arise when people need to integrate activity recognition sensors into their daily lives. More functional placements should provide higher levels of conformity, but may also affect the quality and generalizability of the signals. How f[subscript m] changes as a result of a more functional sensor placement remains unclear. This study investigates the agreement in f[subscript m] for a sensor placed on the back with one in the pocket across a range of daily activities. The translational and gravitational accelerations are also computed to determine if the accelerometer should be fused with additional sensors to improve agreement. Twelve subjects were tested over four tasks and only the “vertical” x-axis showed a moderate agreement (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.54) after correction for outliers. Generalizability across traditional and functional sensor locations might therefore be limited. Differentiation of the signal into a translational and gravitational component decreased the level of agreement further, suggesting that combined information streams are more robust to changing locations then singular data streams. Integrating multiple sensor modalities to obtain specific components is unlikely to improve agreement across sensor locations. More research is needed to explore measurement signals of more user friendly sensor configurations that will lead to a greater clinical acceptance of body worn sensor systems

Transforming a doctoral summer school to an online experience: A response to the COVID‐19 pandemic

For the last 28 years, one of the leading international science education organisations has regularly provided a week-long summer school experience for doctoral students. In summer 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented international travel and close-contact interactions between scholars. This required the transformation and relocation of learning interactions between mentors and doctoral students online through a virtual week-long summer school. All doctoral participants, from across the five continents, were invited to reflectively comment on their educative experience after the online event. This paper consequently presents the perspectives of these science education PhD students who engaged with the transformed virtual summer school to consider how the range of varied online interactions maintained the learning opportunities for them and enabled their introduction to an established research community. The study indicates how the digital activities facilitated and maintained high-quality learning exchanges through a varied array of intellectual activities involving both experienced and novice scholars. The findings demonstrate how successful academic outcomes can be achieved remotely while minimising international travel and significantly reducing financial outlay. This was achieved through creatively structuring a week-long virtual experience and combining a series of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for different groupings of participants within the international summer school community

FATIGUE LEADS TO ALTERED SPINAL KINEMATICS DURING HIGH PERFORMANCE ERGOMETER ROWING

Low back injuries in rowing are attributed to intense, repetitive, loading through the spine. Good technique and postural control are essential to maximize performance and minimize injury risk. This motion capture study recorded 3D spinal kinematics of 14 athletes during rowing at varying speeds on an instrumented ergometer and correlated motion with power metrics and athlete demographics. Sagittal plane rotation decreases in the lumbar spine and increases in the thoracic spine as speed increases. Transverse and frontal planes have little influence on force output. Declining postural control can be seen within each trial and worsened with higher rate. Assessments of form differences across athletes using relative motion between spine segments at critical stroke points show greater lumbar flexion (compared to thoracic) at the catch and neutral alignment at max handle force

Make Art Real

The Make Art Real project aims to introduce new audiences to the arts. It supports Theme II of VCU’s Quest for Distinction by promoting and fostering creative expression through innovative collaborations. The project involves displaying existing connections between art and non-art disciplines, as well as making new connections. These unusual pairings are then placed on exhibition through a lunch-time lecture series named “Unexpected_Connections,” which allow faculty, staff, and students to lead and participate in discussions about the reality of art. The lecture series is the first sustainable and reoccurring program to be held in the Depot building, a multidisciplinary facility which is intended to foster interdisciplinary collaborations. The targeted audience includes faculty, staff, students, and members of the greater VCU community

Understanding the impact of lumbar disc degeneration and chronic low back pain: A cross-sectional electromyographic analysis of postural strategy during predicted and unpredicted postural perturbations

People with chronic low back pain (LBP) exhibit changes in postural control. Stereotypical muscle activations resulting from external perturbations include anticipatory (APAs) and compensatory (CPAs) postural adjustments. The aim and objective of this study was to determine differences in postural control strategies (peak amplitude, APAs and CPAs) between symptomatic and asymptomatic adults with and without Lumbar Disc Degeneration (LDD) using surface electromyography during forward postural perturbation. Ninety-seven subjects participated in the study (mean age 50 years (SD 12)). 3T MRI was used to acquire T2 weighted images (L1-S1). LDD was determined using Pfirrmann grading. A bespoke translational platform was designed to deliver horizontal perturbations in sagittal and frontal planes. Electromyographic activity was analysed bilaterally from 8 trunk and lower limb muscles during four established APA and CPA epochs. A Kruskal-Wallis H test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was conducted. Four groups were identified: no LDD no pain (n = 19), LDD no pain (n = 38), LDD pain (n = 35) and no LDD pain (n = 5). There were no significant differences in age or gender between groups. The most significant difference between groups was observed during forward perturbation. In the APA and CPA phases of predictable forward perturbation there were significant differences ankle strategy between groups (p = 0.007-0.008); lateral gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior activity was higher in the LDD pain than the LDD no pain group. There were no significant differences in the unpredictable condition (p>0.05). These findings were different from the remaining groups, where significant differences in hip strategy were observed during both perturbation conditions (p = 0.004-0.006). Symptomatic LDD patients exhibit different electromyographic strategies to asymptomatic LDD controls. Future LBP electromyographic research should benefit from considering assessment of both lower limbs in addition to the spine. This approach could prevent underestimation of postural control deficits and guide targeted rehabilitation