Reading While Listening (RWL) in an Extensive Listening Course to Reduce Student Teachers’ Foreign Language Listening Anxiety (FLLA)

In most of initial teacher education (ITE) institutions in Indonesia, teaching listening is mostly anchored with teaching for comprehension in which the inputs are restricted in classroom context or teacher educators’ textbooks. Lacking of inputs in listening may cause the inability to process larger aural texts in normal rates. Consequently, it is indicated that the types of listening inputs influence student teachers’ foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA). They experience FLLA with less listening inputs and the high rate of listening fluency during processing the authentic listening materials. However, in fact, exposing far richer and the greater quantity of comprehensible inputs in an extensive listening (EL) is the main requirement to become proficient teachers in the actual classrooms. With this reason, reducing their FLLA using comprehensible input in EL is highly pivotal. In addition, their FLLA can also be reduced using listening support to facilitate their comprehension. This correlated experimental study was to examine the effect of reading while listening (RwL) as the support and comprehensible input of listening. It was conducted between March to April 2018 in an English Education Department of a private ITE context in East Java, Indonesia. 57 student teachers participated in the foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) survey to determine their FLLA levels in pre-test. 37 student teachers identified as high FLLA group according to the mean scores of FLLA survey were further investigated in the RwL experimentation. It reveals that the scores of student teachers’ FLLA survey after being taught using RwL input in post-test were lower than their previous FLLA scores in initial FLLA scores classification levels in the pre-test. It shows that the scores of FLLA student teachers were significantly reduced. It indicates that reducing student teachers’ high FLLA anxiety level via RwL contributes to the application of EL.     Keywords: extensive listening, reading while listening, EFL listening anxiety, initial teacher educatio

ETNISITAS DAN KEARIFAN LOKAL: PENERAPAN NILAI-NILAI BUDAYA SUNDA DALAM PEMBENTUKAN KARAKTER GENERASI MILENIAL

Fenomena degradasi etika dan moral sudah menjadi pembahasan dan keluhan setiap masyarakat. Nilai-nilai kesantunan yang menjadi inti seorang manusia seakan terpinggirkan oleh hegemoni perkembangan ipteks. Tidak ada yang salah dengan perkembangan ipteks, tetapi masyarakat seakan belum siap menerima gempuran budaya-budaya baru dan latah mengadopsinya. Penelitian ini ingin mengetahui tingkat penerapan nilai-nilai Sunda dalam interaksi masyarakat sehari-hari. Selain itu, mengukur kepedulian masyarakat dalam mentransferkan nilai-nilai Sunda kepada generasi muda. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif deskriptif. Data-data didapat menggunakan google form yang diisi oleh 117 responden. Data tersebut diisi oleh mayoritas responden rentang usia 19-21 tahun, sisanya adalah responden berusia 25-50 tahun. Data menunjukkan bahwa mayoritas responden masih menerapkan nilai-nilai Sunda dalam keseharian dan tidak merasa gengsi. Data juga menunjukkan bahwa mayoritas dari responden ikut bagian dalam mentransferkan nilai-nilai kearifan lokal tersebut, minimalnya adalah nilai kesopanan yang secara teknis dilakukan dalam kebutuhan interaksi. Misalnya dalam bertutur kata baik kepada orang yang lebih tua, berterima kasih, dan mengucap permisi ketika bermasyarakat. Hal tersebut jika diajarkan dan dibiasakan di setiap lapisan masyarakat maka akan membentuk karakter kebangsaan yang harmonis. Karakter kebangsaan menjadi modal utama dan bernilai jika dimiliki oleh individu. Memiliki hal tersebut akan menjadi daya beda dirinya dengan orang lain dan menjadi identitas khas. Masih terdapat masyarakat yang peduli dengan pelestarian nilai-nilai kearifan lokal, hanya ditransfer dengan cara berbeda. Hal tersebut disebabkan karakter masyarakat juga telah bergeser karena berbagai macam perkembangan zaman

Protocol for Nearly Full-Length Sequencing of HIV-1 RNA from Plasma

Nearly full-length genome sequencing of HIV-1 using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) DNA as a template for PCR is now a relatively routine laboratory procedure. However, this has not been the case when using virion RNA as the template and this has made full genome analysis of circulating viruses difficult. Therefore, a well-developed procedure for sequencing of full-length HIV-1 RNA directly from plasma was needed. Plasma from U.S. donors representing a range of viral loads (VL) was used to develop the assay. RNA was extracted from plasma and reverse-transcribed. Two or three overlapping regions were PCR amplified to cover the entire viral genome and sequenced for verification. The success of the procedure was sensitive to VL but was routinely successful for VL greater than 105 and the rate declined in proportion to the VL. While the two-amplicon strategy had an advantage of increasing the possibility of amplifying a single species of HIV-1, the three-amplicon strategy was more successful in amplifying samples with low viral loads. This protocol provides a useful tool for molecular analysis to understand the HIV epidemic and pathogenesis, as well as diagnosis, therapy and future vaccine strategies

A phylogenetic classification of the world’s tropical forests

Knowledge about the biogeographic affinities of the world’s tropical forests helps to better understand regional differences in forest structure, diversity, composition and dynamics. Such understanding will enable anticipation of region specific responses to global environmental change. Modern phylogenies, in combination with broad coverage of species inventory data, now allow for global biogeographic analyses that take species evolutionary distance into account. Here we present the first classification of the world’s tropical forests based on their phylogenetic similarity. We identify five principal floristic regions and their floristic relationships: (1) Indo-Pacific, (2) Subtropical, (3) African, (4) American, and (5) Dry forests. Our results do not support the traditional Neo- versus Palaeo-tropical forest division, but instead separate the combined American and African forests from their Indo-Pacific counterparts. We also find indications for the existence of a global dry forest region, with representatives in America, Africa, Madagascar and India. Additionally, a northern hemisphere Subtropical forest region was identified with representatives in Asia and America, providing support for a link between Asian and American northern hemisphere forests

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher’s alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between ∼40,000 and ∼53,000, i.e. at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of ∼19,000–25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of ∼4,500–6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim: Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location: Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Palms (Arecaceae). Methods: We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results: On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions: Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests