The Interaction of Individual Working Memory Capacity with Cognitive Linguistics-Based and Translation-Based Instructional Treatments During the Acquisition of Polysemous L2 Spanish Spatial Prepositions

The present study investigated three areas in SLA related to the acquisition of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions. These three areas were (1) the effect of instructional method on the acquisition of productive knowledge of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions, (2) the effect of working memory capacity on the acquisition of productive knowledge of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions, and (3) the effects resulting from the interaction of working memory capacity with instructional method on the acquisition of productive knowledge of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions. The target learners were adult L1 English speakers 18 years of age or over with no prior knowledge of Spanish or any cognate language (ab initio learners). These target learners and these three areas of inquiry motivated three research questions and related hypotheses. The first research question and hypothesis examined the effectiveness of two techniques commonly used in the teaching of L2 polysemes. These two instructional methods were (1) Translation-based instruction (TBI), which treats the multiple meanings of polysemes as arbitrary, discreet and unrelated; (2) Cognitive linguistics-based instruction (CLBI), which treats the multiple meanings of polysemes as interrelated and motivated by an association to a common conceptual base via the processes of metaphor and metonymy. Immediate post-test scores suggest that these two instructional methods are equally effective in developing short- term productive knowledge, but delayed post-test scores suggest that learners under CLBI acquire a greater level of long-term productive knowledge The second research question and hypothesis examined the predictive nature of working memory in the acquisition of L2 polysemes. Immediate and delayed post-test results suggest that higher scores in working memory capacity directly correlate to higher scores in productive knowledge of the four target prepositions. Finally, the third research question and hypothesis examined effects resulting from the interaction of working memory with the two instructional treatments, CLBI and TBI. Immediate and delayed post-test results suggest that learner working memory capacity does interact with the instructional treatment. High working memory learners under TBI outscored their high working memory counterparts under CLBI, but low working memory learners under CLBI outscored their low working memory counterparts under TBI on the same immediate post-test

Bridging the Learning Gap in the Marketfor Higher Education: E‐learning and Public Subsidies

This article aims at analyzing the adoption patterns which apply on the market for higher education when two types of learning organizations – namely, traditional learning and e‐learning organizations – provide educational programs. We focus on the impact of public subsidies to e‐learning providers in order to evaluate the conditions under which the learning gap is bridged. A welfare analysis is introduced to estimate the relevance of such ‘pro e‐learning’ public policies. Our first results show that public subsidies enable the e‐learning organization to provide quality‐based and pricing strategies that tend to be similar to those of the brick’n mortar organization. Besides, we find that such short‐term policies positively impact on the global level of quality which is provided by both providers. Nevertheless, our welfare analysis underlines contrasted results about the relevance of such short‐term public policies

Les compétences distinctives en fonction de la largeur et de la profondeur des connaissances : le cas des systèmes de surveillance du trafic aérien au sein d’Eurocontrol.

Les compétences technologiques et organisationnelles sont difficiles à identifier, en particulier dans des périodes de changement de contexte. Si la littérature sur les compétences et les connaissances est riche, la possibilité d’opérationnaliser les concepts demeure souvent limitée. En particulier les organisations sont souvent démunies pour répondre aux questions suivantes : • Comment les compétences de l’organisation doivent-elles évoluer face à un changement de contexte ? • Quelles compétences l’organisation doit préserver en interne ou au contraire externaliser ? • Quelles sont les incidences d’une identification des compétences distinctives de l’organisation au niveau des compétences individuelles ? Cet article propose une méthode d’identification des compétences technologiques et organisationnelles et une analyse de leur évolution à partir des concepts de profondeur et la largeur des connaissances actionnées par les organisations. Nous proposons d’identifier la profondeur des connaissances en analysant la capacité de l’organisation à identifier et résoudre les problèmes qu’elle rencontre. La largeur des connaissances est analysée à partir de la diversité des connaissances concrètes et abstraites mobilisées par l’organisation dans la résolution de problèmes. Cette approche permet non seulement de caractériser les compétences au niveau de l’organisation mais aussi de faire le lien avec les compétences individuelles. L’analyse proposée apporte un éclairage sur l’évolution de la frontière des organisations dans les environnements turbulents. Cette recherche est fondée sur une méthode de recherche intervention réalisée au sein de l’unité SPS d’Eurocontrol, organisation inter-gouvernementale européenne en charge de missions dans le cadre de la sécurité de la navigation aérienne. Elle est confrontée à une évolution de son environnement aux plans économique, technologique et institutionnel. C’est dans ce contexte qu’a été menée une réflexion sur le positionnement stratégique quant aux systèmes et produits de surveillance.Compétences; connaissances; résolution de problèmes; environnements turbulents;

Development and application of a next-generation-sequencing (NGS) approach to detect known and novel gene defects underlying retinal diseases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inherited retinal disorders are clinically and genetically heterogeneous with more than 150 gene defects accounting for the diversity of disease phenotypes. So far, mutation detection was mainly performed by APEX technology and direct Sanger sequencing of known genes. However, these methods are time consuming, expensive and unable to provide a result if the patient carries a new gene mutation. In addition, multiplicity of phenotypes associated with the same gene defect may be overlooked.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To overcome these challenges, we designed an exon sequencing array to target 254 known and candidate genes using Agilent capture. Subsequently, 20 DNA samples from 17 different families, including four patients with known mutations were sequenced using Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx next-generation-sequencing (NGS) platform. Different filtering approaches were applied to identify the genetic defect. The most likely disease causing variants were analyzed by Sanger sequencing. Co-segregation and sequencing analysis of control samples validated the pathogenicity of the observed variants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The phenotype of the patients included retinitis pigmentosa, congenital stationary night blindness, Best disease, early-onset cone dystrophy and Stargardt disease. In three of four control samples with known genotypes NGS detected the expected mutations. Three known and five novel mutations were identified in <it>NR2E3, PRPF3, EYS, PRPF8, CRB1, TRPM1 </it>and <it>CACNA1F</it>. One of the control samples with a known genotype belongs to a family with two clinical phenotypes (Best and CSNB), where a novel mutation was identified for CSNB. In six families the disease associated mutations were not found, indicating that novel gene defects remain to be identified.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In summary, this unbiased and time-efficient NGS approach allowed mutation detection in 75% of control cases and in 57% of test cases. Furthermore, it has the possibility of associating known gene defects with novel phenotypes and mode of inheritance.</p

WDR34, a candidate gene for non-syndromic rod-cone dystrophy

Rod-cone dystrophy (RCD), also called retinitis pigmentosa, is characterized by rod followed by cone photoreceptor degeneration, leading to gradual visual loss. Mutations in over 65 genes have been associated with non-syndromic RCD explaining 60% to 70% of cases, with novel gene defects possibly accounting for the unsolved cases. Homozygosity mapping and whole-exome sequencing applied to a case of autosomal recessive non-syndromic RCD from a consanguineous union identified a homozygous variant in WDR34. Mutations in WDR34 have been previously associated with severe ciliopathy syndromes possibly associated with a retinal dystrophy. This is the first report of a homozygous mutation in WDR34 associated with non-syndromic RCD

WDR34, a candidate gene for non-syndromic rod-cone dystrophy

Rod-cone dystrophy (RCD), also called retinitis pigmentosa, is characterized by rod followed by cone photoreceptor degeneration, leading to gradual visual loss. Mutations in over 65 genes have been associated with non-syndromic RCD explaining 60% to 70% of cases, with novel gene defects possibly accounting for the unsolved cases. Homozygosity mapping and whole-exome sequencing applied to a case of autosomal recessive non-syndromic RCD from a consanguineous union identified a homozygous variant in WDR34. Mutations in WDR34 have been previously associated with severe ciliopathy syndromes possibly associated with a retinal dystrophy. This is the first report of a homozygous mutation in WDR34 associated with non-syndromic RCD.Doctoral funding from the Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche; Europe exchange 2018 Erasmus; European Reintegration Grant, Grant/Award Number: PERG04-GA-2008-231125; Fondation de France-Berthe Fouassier; Foundation Fighting Blindness, Grant/Award Number: Grant # CD-CL-0808-0466-CHNO CIC503 recogn; Foundation Voir et Entendre; French Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Grant/Award Numbers: IHU FOReSIGHT: ANR-18-IAHU-0001, LIFESENSES: ANR-10-LABX-65; National Eye Institute [R01EY012910 (EAP), R01EY026904 (KMB/EAP) and P30EY014104 (MEEI core support)], the Foundation Fightin

A review of applying second-generation wavelets for noise removal from remote sensing data.

The processing of remotely sensed data includes compression, noise reduction, classification, feature extraction, change detection and any improvement associated with the problems at hand. In the literature, wavelet methods have been widely used for analysing remote sensing images and signals. The second-generation of wavelets, which is designed based on a method called the lifting scheme, is almost a new version of wavelets, and its application in the remote sensing field is fresh. Although first-generation wavelets have been proven to offer effective techniques for processing remotely sensed data, second-generation wavelets are more efficient in some respects, as will be discussed later. The aim of this review paper is to examine all existing studies in the literature related to applying second-generation wavelets for denoising remote sensing data. However, to make a better understanding of the application of wavelet-based denoising methods for remote sensing data, some studies that apply first-generation wavelets are also presented. In the part of hyperspectral data, there is a focus on noise removal from vegetation spectrum