Dynamic engagement in second language computer-mediated collaborative writing tasks: Does communication mode matter?

This study takes a dynamic approach to investigating engagement, examining fluctuations in cognitive-affective variables at regular time intervals during online collaborative second language (L2) writing tasks. Using online conference software and online editing software, 16 university students who use English as an L2, completed two collaborative problem-solution L2 writing tasks in two communication modes: video-chat and text-chat. After each task, learners viewed videos of their performances in 12 three-minute segments and were asked to rate their engagement on two scales (interest, focus). They were then interviewed about their attributions for fluctuations in their ratings. Group-level analysis revealed that learners experienced significantly higher focus and interest during tasks performed in video-chat mode than text-chat mode. This was contrasted with an analysis from a dynamic perspective, which produced a more nuanced picture of individual engagement trajectories during the tasks. Dynamic patterns of engagement fell into either moderately steady, increasing, decreasing, or rollercoaster pattern categories. A content analysis of 32 interviews revealed four factors that accounted for changes in engagement during tasks: task design (e.g., task familiarity), task process (e.g., instances of collaboration), task condition (e.g., communication mode), and learner factors (e.g., perceptions of proficiency)

Hydrology and Nutrient Flux in the Shiawassee Flats

The Saginaw River system is a principal source of nutrient loads to Saginaw Bay, an area of Lake Huron experiencing multiple symptoms of eutrophication , yet the Shiawassee Flats wetland/floodplain region is poorly understood in terms of impacts on hydrology and nutrient fluxes. This study analyzed water, nitrogen, and phosphorus inputs and outputs to the Shiawassee Flats and evaluated the current role that the connected wetlands and floodplain play in water and nutrients to the Saginaw River and the downstream Bay. Discharge measurements and water samples were taken at all of the major inputs to, and output from, the Flats, throughout the spring and summer of 2012-2013, and chemical analyses were conducted for nitrogen and phosphorus. When hydrologic storage was occurring, the output flow was reduced by over 20%; conversely, when combined upstream inputs were very low, at times 80% of the output flow was wetland water. This indicates that the Shiawassee Flats is critical both to flood storage and maintaining base flows. In terms of inorganic nitrogen, the Shiawassee Flats seem to provide a minor decrement in load and a major decrease in concentrations downstream. In terms of total reactive phosphorus, the Flats area contributed to the load in the Saginaw River but reactive phosphorus concentration downstream changed little although there was a trend towards reduction during low flows, particularly in 2013 following large-scale spring flooding. Total phosphorus loads and concentrations increased in the Saginaw River due to contributions (likely organic) by the Flats wetlands.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106550/1/aubrey scott 2014.pd

A new specimen of Palvennia hoybergeti: implications for cranial and pectoral girdle anatomy in ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs

The Late Jurassic Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte on Spitsbergen preserves a diverse array of marine reptiles, including four named taxa of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs. One of these, Palvennia hoybergeti, is based on the single holotype specimen (SVB 1451) with an incomplete skull. A newly discovered specimen (PMO 222.669) with a disarticulated but largely complete skull and anterior postcranium is described, which considerably expands our knowledge of this taxon. Two additional new ophthalmosaurid specimens with pectoral girdles from the same member are described. The taxonomic utility of the ophthalmosaurid pectoral girdle is contentious, and an assessment of seven pectoral girdles from the Slottsmøya Member provides a basis for addressing this question via a 2D landmark principal component analysis of baracromian coracoids. The analysis reveals a taxonomic signal in the coracoids but also highlights the degree of individual variation. Commonly used phylogenetic characters do not fully encapsulate the degree of variation seen in coracoids and in some cases combine analogous features

Examining the Validity of the LexTALE Test for Japanese College Students

The question of how vocabulary knowledge of second language (L2) learners can be measured in a valid and reliable way has attracted attention from researchers. One widely used format for assessing vocabulary knowledge is a Yes/No test, where learners are asked to indicate whether they know each vocabulary word on the test. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the LexTALE test, a recently developed Yes/No English vocabulary test, can be an approximate measure of vocabulary knowledge and general proficiency for Japanese learners of English. In this study, 111 Japanese university students majoring in English took the LexTALE, an English to Japanese translation test, and the Vocabulary Size Test (VST). They were further asked to provide self-ratings of their English proficiency. Analysis showed that the LexTALE score correlated more strongly with the translation score and VST score than self-ratings of their proficiency. The results also showed that the LexTALE score correlated significantly with the TOEFL ITP® score, although some self-ratings resulted in a higher correlation. The findings suggest that for Japanese learners of English, LexTALE may be used as an approximate measure of English vocabulary knowledge and, to a lesser extent, general proficiency.This is a product of research which was financially supported in part by the Kansai University Fund for Supporting Young Scholars, 2018.2018年度関西大学若手研究者育成経

Myeloid translocation gene 16 is required for maintenance of haematopoietic stem cell quiescence

In adult mice, haematopoietic stem cells are maintained in a quiescent state. The transcriptional repressor Myeloid Translocation Gene 16 (MTG16) is shown to govern this process