Serious game-based word-to-text integration intervention effects in English as a second language

Word-to-text integration (WTI) is the ability to integrate words into a mental representation of the text and is important for reading comprehension, but challenging in English as a second language (ESL). However, it remains unclear whether WTI can be trained in seventh grade ESL learners, who often struggle with reading comprehension and display large individual differences. To pay attention to individual differences, the present study examined an adaptive computer game-based WTI-intervention. The intervention, replacing 50 min of ESL classroom instruction, comprized a 12-week program in which students had to complete WTI-based assignments within four serious games, targeting morphosyntactic awareness, translation of words within sentences, recognizing idioms from words in contexts, and a filler game targeting dictation. The intervention group (n = 164) was compared to a control group (n = 166), who only received regular ESL classroom instruction. Both groups completed the following reading measures: decoding, morphological, and syntactic awareness, WTI (argument and anomaly reading speed and processing), and reading comprehension tasks at the beginning (T1) of the school year and at the end (T2) of the school year. Results demonstrated an intervention effect on decoding and anomaly processing as reflected by an interaction between time (T1 vs. T2) and group (intervention vs. control) in a repeated measures MANOVA. Follow-up mediation analyses for the intervention group only - with game performance as mediators between reading measures at T1 and T2 - indicated that students with better T1 scores on reading measures showed more growth in performance within games. More performance growth within the translation game and the idiom recognition game was related to better reading scores at T2. Both high-achieving and low-achieving students displayed performance growth within games, indicating that a WTI intervention yields promising results for a broad variety of ESL readers

Impact of word-to-text integration processes on reading comprehension development in English as a second language

Background: Word-to-text integration (WTI) can be challenging for second-language (L2) learners, although it can positively contribute to reading comprehension. The present study examined the role of WTI, after controlling for decoding, vocabulary and morphosyntactic awareness, in predicting English as an L2 reading comprehension development in 441 Dutch seventh-grade students. Methods: At the beginning (Time 1 [T1]) and the end (Time 2 [T2]) of the school year, students were tested on their English decoding, vocabulary, morphological and syntactic awareness and reading comprehension with paper-and-pencil tasks and on WTI with a self-paced reading task with reading times being compared on passages with unknown versus known words and passages with and without anomalies. Results: Mediation analyses showed small indirect effects of processing argument overlap and anomalies on T2 reading comprehension, via T1 reading comprehension. Conclusions: WTI explained unique variance in reading comprehension at T2 via reading comprehension at T1, suggesting that it moderately impacts initial stages of reading comprehension in English as a second language (ESL)

Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis

THE MSFR AS A FLEXIBLE CR REACTOR: THE VIEWPOINT OF SAFETY

In recent years efforts have been spent in the development of innovative reactors capable of operating with flexible Conversion Ratio (CR). Fast Reactors (FR) are natural candidates since they allow to achieve high CR, as well as an efficient TRU burning through a low CR and the closure of the fuel cycle. Among the fast-spectrum systems, a peculiar role is played by the Molten Salt Fast Reactor. This reactor lacks the sound technological basis available for the solid-fuelled liquid-metal-cooled FRs, but it shows fuel cycle potential benefits: it uses Th, which features vast natural resources and mitigates waste management issues due to a low generation of TRUs; it can naturally operate with flexible CR without design modifications thanks to the online reprocessing system; it can achieve high CR, with doubling times of the order of 40 years or lower; it can achieve good TRU-burning rates and very high burning rates of minor actinides. However, such fuel cycle flexibility implies a wide variety of fuel salt compositions. Along with the variation of the fuel salt properties, concerns arise for the varying safety features of the core, especially when using the MSFR as TRU- burner. This work first summarizes results regarding the fuel cycle performances of the MSFR when used as breeder, iso-breeder or burner reactor. Subsequently, safety parameters are computed for each fuel cycle option and a simple approach based on reactivity and energy balances is employed to predict the reactor steady-state after major accidental transient initiators, thus giving indications of its inherent safety features for different fuel cycle strategies

MSFR TRU-BURNING POTENTIAL AND COMPARISON WITH AN SFR

Transmutation of the legacy TRansUranics (TRU) from Light Water Reactor operation has become in recent years a main objective for the development of Fast Reactors (FR). In fact, an effective TRU-burning requires fuel multi-recycling and a fast-neutron-spectrum reduces the endogenous generation of Cm and Cf isotopes, thus benefitting fuel handling and in-core radiotoxicity generation. However, achievement of high TRU-burning rates requires low-Conversion-Ratio (CR) reactors with a high fraction of Minor Actinides (MA) in the core, requiring remote fuel fabrication behind thick shielding. Problems of fuel handling are exacerbated if Th is used as fertile isotope (e.g. to enhance safety or TRU-burning rate), since Th-232 irradiation causes the build-up of U-232, whose progeny emits high energy gamma rays. Use of a liquid fuel with online reprocessing would avoid most of the issues related to reprocessing, manufacturing and transporting highly radioactive recycled fuel. The logical technology for the adoption of liquid fuel is the Molten Salt Reactor (MSR). Among MSRs, the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR) is in principle better suited for TRU burning as it combines the advantages of a liquid fuel with those of a fast-spectrum and of Th use. Objective of this work is to evaluate the MSFR potential benefits in terms of TRU burning through a comparative analysis with a sodium-cooled FR. The comparison is based on TRU- and MA-burning rates, as well as on the in-core evolution of radiotoxicity and decay heat. Solubility issues limit the TRU-burning rate to 1/3 that achievable in traditional low-CR FRs. The softer spectrum also determines notable radiotoxicity and decay heat of the equilibrium actinide inventory. On the other hand, the liquid fuel suggests the possibility of using a Pu- free feed composed only of Th and MA, thus maximizing the MA burning rate. This is generally not possible in traditional low-CR FRs due to safety deterioration and decay heat of reprocessed fuel. In addition, the high specific power and the lack of out-of-core cooling times foster a quick transition toward equilibrium, which improves the MSFR capability to burn an initial fissile loading, and makes the MSFR a promising system for a quick (i.e., in a reactor lifetime) transition from the current U-based fuel cycle to a novel closed Th cycle

Does the availability of orthography support L2 word learning?

Availability of orthography during word learning has been found to facilitate learning the word’s spelling and pronunciation and has been proposed to facilitate learning its meaning. This has not been studied in second language (L2) learning yet, in which word learning often corresponds to translation learning. Therefore, an L2 word learning experiment was carried out. Grade 6 Dutch students (n = 92) were taught English words, with orthography available or absent. Words were divided into those that are spelled entirely like they sound (consistent, e.g., lilt) and those that are not (inconsistent, e.g., budgie). Students learned the words using forward translation (Dutch to English) or backward translation (English to Dutch). At post-test spelling, reading and forward as well as backward translation were measured. Results indicate that availability of orthography mainly facilitated word spelling and reading. There was a trend for orthography to affect learning the translation. Learning consistent words benefited most from orthography, especially when the post-test demanded forward translation. As forward translation requires retrieval of the word’s pronunciation, it is likely that students used orthographic mapping to better remember the pronunciations of the English words. Forward translation was easier if words were learned in the same direction, but backward translation was not affected by learning direction. Together, these results imply that orthography supports translation learning, although this is likely caused by learning the word’s pronunciation and not by establishing a direct link between orthography and word meaning

Thorium-based Fast Reactors: Potential Benefits and Challenges

Use of thorium in Fast Reactors (FR) is gaining consideration in the scientific community thanks to its potential benefits in terms of waste management. The present paper investigates the performance of Th in three FRs: a TRU-burner sodium-cooled FR, an iso- breeder lead-cooled FR and a fast-spectrum Molten Salt Reactor (MSR). The study confirms the relatively low actinide radiotoxicity generated by Th fuel in a closed cycle that could result beneficial to waste management. In addition, notably improved safety parameters are generally observed, which in turn allows increasing the TRU-burning rate while complying with safety requirements. The MSR emerges as the most promising option from the safety features standpoint and thanks to the unique flexibility fostered by a liquid fuel