Learning English Speaking through Mobile-Based Role-Plays: The Exploration of a Mobile English Language Learning App called Engage

[EN] Engage is a new form of mobile application that connects students studying English with teachers in real-time via their smartphones. Students receive target language through preparation dialogues, and then apply it to a role-play with a teacher. The conceptualization and development of Engage follows the user-centred design approach; and the product was built through multiple iterations: in the first iteration, students were invited to try out a paper mock-up; in the second iteration, students tried out a mobile prototype; in the external test, a fully functional application was released to App Store between October 25 and November 20, 2012, and 326 users downloaded it. The application was well-received by these test users, reflected in the post-study survey, student ratings, and students’ usage records. The external tests proved that the technical environment of the application was feasible for production; and the operationalization of the teacher service and cost model were also proven to be feasible and scalable.Yang, B.; Zhou, S.; Ju, W. (2013). Learning English Speaking through Mobile-Based Role-Plays: The Exploration of a Mobile English Language Learning App called Engage. The EuroCALL Review. 21(2):27-38. https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2013.9788OJS2738212Burke, T. & Guest, A. (2010). Using role playing as a teaching strategy: an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy, 34-35.Buzan, T. (1989). Use both sides of your brain. New York: Penguin.Demouy, V. & Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2010). On the spot: using mobile devices for listening and speaking practice on a French language programme. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 25(3), 217-232. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2010.511955Edge, D., Searle, E., Chiu, K., Zhao, J. & Landay, J.A. (2011, May). Micromandarin: mobile language learning in context. 2011 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Symposium conducted in Vancouver, BC, Canada.Hyerle, D. (2004). Student successes with thinking maps: school-based research, results, and models for achievement using visual tools. CA: Corwin Press. ISO 13407 (1999). Human-centred design processes for interactive systems. London: British Standards Institution.Karat, C. (1997). Cost-justifying usability engineering in the software life cycle. In M. Helander, T.K.Landauer and P.Prabhu (Eds.), Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 653-688). Amsterdam: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-044481862-1.50098-4Kondo, M., Ishikawa, Y., Smith,C., Sakamoto, K., Shimomura, H., and Wada,N. (2012). Mobile assisted language learning in university EFL courses in Japan: developing attitudes and skills for selfregulated learning. ReCALL, 24, 169187. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344012000055Kukulska-Hulme, A. and Shield, L.(2008). An overview of mobile assisted language learning: from content delivery to supported collaboration and interaction. ReCALL, 20(3), 271-289. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344008000335Kujala,S. (2003). User involvement: a review of the benefits and challenges. Behavior & Information Technology, 22(1),1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290301782Liu, T.-Y. (2009). A context-aware ubiquitous learning environment for language listening and speaking. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(6), 515-527. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00329.xMiangah, T. M., and Nezarat, A. (2012). Mobile-assisted language learning. Journal of Distributed and Parallel Systems, 3(1), 309-319. https://doi.org/10.5121/ijdps.2012.3126Parrish, B. (2004). Teaching adult ESL: a practical introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.Rubin, J. (1994). Handbook of usability testing: how to plan, design, and conduct effective tests. New York: Wiley.Schafer, R. W. (1994). Scientific Bases of Human-Machine Communication by Voice. In D.B. Roe (Eds.), Voice communication between humans and machines(pp.34-75). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.Senf, M. (2012, Dec). Role-play, simulations and drama activities. DocumBase. Retrieved from http://en.convdocs.org/docs/index-44311.htmlSnyder, C. (2003). Paper prototyping: the fast and easy way to design and refine user interfaces. San Diego, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Pub.Sousa, D. A. (2006). How the brain learns. CA: Corwin Press.Traxler, J. (2007). Current state of mobile learning. International Review on Research in Open and Distance Learning, 8(2), 9-24

CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs: A review

Geological storage of CO2 in depleted oil and gas reservoirs is approved due to its advantages, such as strong storage capacity, good sealing performance, and complete infrastructure. This review clarified the existing projects, advantages, significances, influencing factors, mechanisms, and storage potential evaluation procedures of CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs. In this review, the storage capability of depleted oil and gas reservoirs has been confirmed, and factors affecting the CO2 storage potential, including geological factors and engineering factors, are concluded. CO2 trapping mechanisms of different storage processes in depleted oil and gas reservoirs are elaborated and divided into three stages. The evaluation stages of CO2 storage potential of depleted oil and gas reservoirs are summarized as basin selection evaluation stage, oil and gas reservoir selection evaluation stage, storage security evaluation using the bowtie method, and storage capacity calculation stage. The calculation accuracy of CO2 storage capacity in depleted oil and gas reservoirs can be optimized by determining the mineralization storage volume and the actual reservoir characteristics of the dissolution storage coefficient numerically. This work intends to provide support for the storage of CO2 by analyzing and studying the geological theory and engineering achievements of CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs.Document Type: Invited reviewCited as: Wei, B., Wang, B., Li, X., Aishan, M., Ju, Y. CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs: A review. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2023, 9(2): 76-93. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2023.08.0

Organic matter provenance and depositional environment of marine-to-continental mudstones and coals in eastern Ordos Basin, China—Evidence from molecular geochemistry and petrology

Cyclothems, composed of interbedded mudstone, coal and sandstone layers, make up the Taiyuan and Shanxi Formations in the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian in North China under a marine-to-continental depositional environment. The cyclothems act as important fossil energy hosts, such as coalbeds, hydrocarbon source rocks and unconventional natural gas reservoirs. Organic geochemistry and petrology of mudstones and coals in the Taiyuan and Shanxi Formations in the eastern Ordos Basin were studied to reveal the organic matter sources and paleoenvironments. Total organic carbon (TOC) contents vary from 1.1 wt% (mudstone) to 72.6 wt% (coal). The samples are mainly within the oil window, with the Tmax values ranging from 433 to 469 °C. Organic petrology and source biomarkers indicate that the mudstones were sourced from a mixed organic matter input, and terrigenous organic matter predominates over aquatic organic matter. The coals are mostly sourced by terrigenous organic matter inputs. High concentrations of hopanes argue for a strong bacterial input. Some m/z 217 mass chromatograms have peaks at the hopanes' retention times as a result of high hopane to sterane ratios. These hopane-derived peaks do not interfere the identification of the steranes because the hopanes and the steranes have different retention times. Maturity-dependent biomarkers demonstrate that the samples have been thermally mature, which agree with the Tmax values. Anomalously low C29 20S/(20S + 20R) and C29 ββ/(ββ + αα) sterane ratios are present in all the samples, and are interpreted as due to the terrigenous organic matter input or the coal-related depositional environment. In addition, biomarkers and iron sulfide morphology indicate that the organic matter of the mudstones deposited in a proximal setting with shallow, brackish/fresh water bodies. With consideration of preservation of organic matter, the redox conditions are dysoxic. Redox oscillations resulted in the records of oxic conditions in some samples. Finally, the coals and the mudstones mainly generate gas and have poor oil generative potential

Solid state generators and energy harvesters for waste heat recovery and thermal energy harvesting

This review covers solid state thermal to electrical energy converters capable of transforming low grade heat directly into electricity for waste heat recovery and thermal energy harvesting. Direct solid state heat engines, such as thermoelectric modules and thermionic converters for spatial temperature gradients, are compared with pyroelectric energy harvesters and thermomagnetic generators for transient changes in temperature. Temperature and size limitations along with the maturity of the technologies are discussed based on energy density and temperature range for the different generator technologies. Despite the low energy conversion efficiency with solid state generators, electric power density ranges from 4 nW/mm2 to 324 mW/mm2. The most promising sector to implement changes while reducing the primary energy consumption and saving resources, is the processing industry along with stationary and mobile electronics

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts