Sustaining Students’ Quality Learning Environment by Reviewing Factors to Graduate-on-Time: A case study

Research reveals that several factors affect the quality of learning environments. Therefore, this study investigated significant factors that affect postgraduate students’ learning environment with regard to graduate on time (GOT). The study was conducted in a private Malaysian university involving 50 PhD students. Data were collected via tests, a questionnaire, and focus-group interviews. The findings revealed that critical reading skills and supervisory factors were significant factors affecting students’ ability to GOT. This implies that universities should integrate early intervention training programs to hone students’ critical literacy skills and provide effective supervisory practices for a sustainable quality postgraduate learning environment. Keywords: postgraduate students; graduate-on-time; quality learning environment; influencing factors eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER & cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v8i24.464

DIFFERENTIAL BINDING AFFINITY OF dsRNA BINDING DOMAIN OF MOSQUITO STAUFEN ON SUB-GENOMIC FLAVIVIRAL RNA OF DENGUE VIRUS.

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOS

English teacher identity measure: Development and validation in a Chinese EFL context

AbstractWith the emerging trend of researching teacher identity from using qualitative approach to adopting quantitative or mixed-methods approach, it is essential and significant to develop instruments for measuring this construct. This paper reports on the development and validation of a measurement tool, the English Teacher Identity Measure (ETIM). ETIM is designed to measure in-service English teachers’ identity levels. In accordance with DeVellis (2017) scale development guidelines, ETIM was developed following the procedure: (a) defining the construct and identifying indicators; (b) creating item pool; (c) seeking expert advice and validating the translation. The psychometric properties of the ETIM were explored on two separate participant groups. First, the initial 24-item ETIM was piloted online with 103 Chinese university EFL teachers for factor structure. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) resulted in a 19-item scale with four factors: (a) future perspective, (b) career perception, (c) teacher belief, and (d) self-efficacy. Secondly, the 19-item ETIM was used to collect data from 331 university EFL teachers in a provincial capital city. The confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) using Smart PLS3.3.9 software confirmed the 19-item ETIM. The applications of the ETIM are discussed, and recommendations for future research are made in this paper

Characterization of dengue virus 3’UTR RNA binding proteins in mosquitoes reveals that AeStaufen reduces subgenomic flaviviral RNA in saliva

International audienceDengue viruses (DENV) are expanding global pathogens that are transmitted through the bite of mosquitoes, mostly Aedes aegypti . As RNA viruses, DENV rely on RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to complete their life cycle. Alternatively, RBPs can act as restriction factors that prevent DENV multiplication. While the importance of RBPs is well-supported in humans, there is a dearth of information about their influence on DENV transmission by mosquitoes. Such knowledge could be harnessed to design novel, effective interventions against DENV. Here, we successfully adapted RNA-affinity chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry–a technique initially developed in mammalian cells–to identify RBPs in Ae . aegypti cells. We identified fourteen RBPs interacting with DENV serotype 2 3’UTR, which is involved in the viral multiplication and produces subgenomic flaviviral RNA (sfRNA). We validated the RNA affinity results for two RBPs by confirming that AePur binds the 3’UTR, whereas AeStaufen interacts with both 3’UTR and sfRNA. Using in vivo functional evaluation, we determined that RBPs like AeRan, AeExoRNase, and AeRNase have pro-viral functions, whereas AeGTPase, AeAtu, and AePur have anti-viral functions in mosquitoes. Furthermore, we showed that human and mosquito Pur homologs have a shared affinity to DENV2 RNA, although the anti-viral effect is specific to the mosquito protein. Importantly, we revealed that AeStaufen mediates a reduction of gRNA and sfRNA copies in several mosquito tissues, including the salivary glands and that AeStaufen-mediated sfRNA reduction diminishes the concentration of transmission-enhancing sfRNA in saliva, thereby revealing AeStaufen’s role in DENV transmission. By characterizing the first RBPs that associate with DENV2 3’UTR in mosquitoes, our study unravels new pro- and anti-viral targets for the design of novel therapeutic interventions as well as provides foundation for studying the role of RBPs in virus-vector interactions