Motivos trabajo inicial y la desmotivación en la enseñanza del inglés como lengua ex-­ tranjera: Los casos de los profesores coreanos

In order to broaden understanding of English as a foreign language (EFL) tea-­ cher motivation, this study examines Korean EFL teachers’ initial job motives and demotiva-­ ting factors. Four psychological constructs emerged regarding initial career motives: Global Orientation, Job Security, Altruism, and Ought-­to Self. Among the constructs, global orien-­ tation proved to be the most popular reason for choosing an EFL teaching career. This study also showed three constructs for detrimental factors on EFL teacher motivation: Obstacles to Communicative Language Teaching, Inadequate Administrative Support, and Lack of Social Recognition. It was shown that obstacles to communicative language teaching contributed to the greatest demotivation.Para la comprensión de inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL) motivación del profesorado, este estudio examina motivos de trabajo inicial y factores desmotivadores de los profesores coreanos. Cuatro constructos psicológicos surgieron con respecto a los moti-­ vos de trabajo inicial: orientación global, seguridad en el empleo, altruismo, y Ought-­to Self. Entre las constructos, orientación global resultó para ser la razón más popular para elegir una carrera de enseñanza de inglés como lengua extranjera. Este estudio también mostró tres constructos de factores perjudiciales en EFL motivación del profesorado: Los obstáculos de enseñanza de ingles como lengua extranjera. Este estudio también mostro tres constructores de factores perjudiciales en EFL motivación del profesorado: Los obstáculos de enseñanza comunicativa, la insuficiencia de apoyo administrativo, y la falta de reconocimiento social. Se ha demostrado que los obstáculos en enseñanza comunicativa ha contribuido a la mayor desmotivación

Elastomeric membrane valves in a disc

We present elastomeric membrane valves integrated into a centrifugal microfluidic platform for precise control of fluid on a disc. The amount of the fluid passing through the valves, which depends on the rotating speed of the disc and the membrane thickness, has been characterized, and could be precisely controlled by tuning the disc motion.close131

Challenges and opportunities of centrifugal microfluidics for extreme point-of-care testing

The advantages offered by centrifugal microfluidic systems have encouraged its rapid adaptation in the fields of in vitro diagnostics, clinical chemistry, immunoassays, and nucleic acid tests. Centrifugal microfluidic devices are currently used in both clinical and point-of-care settings. Recent studies have shown that this new diagnostic platform could be potentially used in extreme point-of-care settings like remote villages in the Indian subcontinent and in Africa. Several technological inventions have decentralized diagnostics in developing countries; however, very few microfluidic technologies have been successful in meeting the demand. By identifying the finest difference between the point-of-care testing and extreme point-of-care infrastructure, this review captures the evolving diagnostic needs of developing countries paired with infrastructural challenges with technological hurdles to healthcare delivery in extreme point-of-care settings. In particular, the requirements for making centrifugal diagnostic devices viable in developing countries are discussed based on a detailed analysis of the demands in different clinical settings including the distinctive needs of extreme point-of-care settings.ope

Liquid biopsy in lung cancer: Clinical applications of circulating biomarkers (CTCs and ctDNA)

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for the majority of cases. Recent advances in the understanding of the biology of tumors and in highly sensitive detection technologies for molecular analysis offer targeted therapies, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, our understanding of an individual patient's lung cancer is often limited by tumor accessibility because of the high risk and invasive nature of current tissue biopsy procedures. Liquid biopsy, the analysis of circulating biomarkers from peripheral blood, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), offers a new source of cancer-derived materials that may reflect the status of the disease better and thereby contribute to more personalized treatment. In this review, we examined the clinical significance and uniqueness of CTCs and ctDNA from NSCLC patients, isolation and detection methods developed to analyze each type of circulating biomarker, and examples of clinical studies of potential applications for early diagnosis, prognosis, treatment monitoring, and prediction of resistance to therapy. We also discuss challenges that remain to be addressed before such tools are implemented for routine use in clinical settings

Dual priming oligonucleotide system for the multiplex detection of respiratory viruses and SNP genotyping of CYP2C19 gene

Successful PCR starts with proper priming between an oligonucleotide primer and the template DNA. However, the inevitable risk of mismatched priming cannot be avoided in the currently used primer system, even though considerable time and effort are devoted to primer design and optimization of reaction conditions. Here, we report a novel dual priming oligonucleotide (DPO) which contains two separate priming regions joined by a polydeoxyinosine linker. The linker assumes a bubble-like structure which itself is not involved in priming, but rather delineates the boundary between the two parts of the primer. This structure results in two primer segments with distinct annealing properties: a longer 5′-segment that initiates stable priming, and a short 3′-segment that determines target-specific extension. This DPO-based system is a fundamental tool for blocking extension of non-specifically primed templates, and thereby generates consistently high PCR specificity even under less than optimal PCR conditions. The strength and utility of the DPO system are demonstrated here using multiplex PCR and SNP genotyping PCR

Science Song Project: Integration of Science, Technology and Music to Learn Science and Process Skills

It has been critical to find a way for teachers to motivate their young children to learn science and improve science achievement. Since music has been used as a tool for educating young students, this study introduces the science song project to teacher candidates that contains science facts, concepts, laws and theories, and combines them with music for motivating their young children to learn science and improve science achievement. The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of the science song project on teacher candidates’ understanding of science processing skills and their attitudes toward science. The participants were 45 science teacher candidates who were enrolled in an EC-6 (Early Childhood through Grade 6) program in the teacher certification program at a racially diverse Texas public research university. To collect data, this study used two instruments: pre-and post-self efficacy tests before and after the science teacher candidates experienced the science song project and final reflective essay at the end of the semester. The results show that while developing their songs, the participating teacher candidates experienced a process for science practice, understood science concepts and facts, and positively improved attitudes toward science. This study suggests that the science song project is a science instruction offering rich experiences of process-based learning and positive attitudes toward science

Paper on a disc: balancing the capillary-driven flow with a centrifugal force

This paper describes the active control of the capillary-driven flow in paper using a centrifugal device.close191