Use of Oral Reflection in Facilitating Graduate EAL Students’ Oral-Language Production and Strategy Use: An Empirical Action Research Study

Research in the fields of second-language acquisition and education has supported the value of written reflection, but scant research has explored how other types of reflection may come into play when learners employ strategies and produce oral language. This paper reports findings from an action research study that focused on integrating individual oral reflection using digital recorders to facilitate 18 graduate-level English-as-an-additionallanguage (EAL) students’ learning of academic speaking skills. The qualitative and quantitative results provide important empirical information about what strategies graduate students used, the relationships between the learners’ strategic behaviours and oral performance, and differences in the quality of reflection between advanced and nonadvanced proficiency learners. The study’s findings indicate that weekly spoken reflection functions as a mediational tool that learners can use to deal with their language-learningrelated thoughts and emotions, which have important implications because of the online nature of speaking. In addition to generating empirical knowledge about a modality of reflection that has direct pedagogical implications, the paper includes a personal reflection on the challenges involved in conducting action research, for the purpose of inviting further dialogue and reflection among action researchers

A Forest of Forests: Constructing a centre-usage profile as a source of outcomes assessment

Most writing-centre administrators collect centre-usage information because it can generate one of the most basic forms of assessment. Such assessment can and often does determine resources in the institutional-funding process. In addition to responding to the call since the 1980s for rigorous scientific assessment issued from researchers and professionals in the field of writing centre research, assessment-based activities have also become necessary for accreditation, budget, and educational-accountability purposes at both institutional and programmatic levels. This paper reports on a usage-profile analysis of an outcomes-assessment project in the context of a newly established language-support unit. The centre-usage profile analysis focused on the 2,932 tutoring sessions conducted during the academic year, which involved 1,100 different users. In addition to the findings’ implications for writing-centre research and practice, the information about the approach used in implementing this component may be useful to administrators, researchers, and practitioners in academic language-support units across institutions of higher education

Effects of cord pretension and stiffness of the Dynesys system spacer on the biomechanics of spinal decompression- a finite element study

BACKGROUND: The Dynesys system provides stability for destabilized spines while preserving segmental motion. However, clinical studies have demonstrated that the Dynesys system does not prevent adjacent segment disease. Moreover, biomechanical studies have revealed that the stiffness of the Dynesys system is comparable to rigid fixation. Our previous studies showed that adjusting the cord pretension of the Dynesys system alleviates stress on the adjacent level during flexion. We also demonstrated that altering the stiffness of Dynesys system spacers can alleviate stress on the adjacent level during extension of the intact spine. In the present study, we hypothesized that omitting the cord preload and changing the stiffness of the Dynesys system spacers would abate stress shielding on adjacent spinal segments. METHODS: Finite element models were developed for - intact spine (INT), facetectomy and laminectomy at L3-4 (DEC), intact spine with Dynesys system (IntDyWL), decompressed spine with Dynesys system (DecDyWL), decompressed spine with Dynesys system without cord preload (DecDyNL), and decompressed spine with Dynesys system assembled using spacers that were 0.8 times the standard diameter without cord pretension (DecDyNL0.8). These models were subjected to hybrid control for flexion, extension, axial rotation; and lateral bending. RESULTS: The greatest decreases in range of motion (ROM) at the L3-4 level occurred for axial rotation and lateral bending in the IntDyWL model and for flexion and extension in the DecDyWL model. The greatest decreases in disc stress occurred for extension and lateral bending in the IntDyWL model and for flexion in the DecDyWL model. The greatest decreases in facet contact force occurred for extension and lateral bending in the DecDyNL model and for axial rotation in the DecDyWL model. The greatest increases in ROMs at L2-3 level occurred for flexion, axial rotation and lateral bending in IntDyWL model and for extension in the DecDyNL model. The greatest increases in disc stress occurred for flexion, axial rotation and lateral bending in the IntDyWL model and for extension in the DecDyNL model. The greatest increases in facet contact force occurred for extension and lateral bending in the DecDyNL model and for axial rotation in the IntDyWL model. CONCLUSIONS: The results reveals that removing the Dynesys system cord pretension attenuates the ROMs, disc stress, and facet joint contact forces at adjacent levels during flexion and axial rotation. Removing cord pretension together with softening spacers abates stress shielding for adjacent segment during four different moments, and it provides enough security while not jeopardizes the stability of spine during axial rotation

Understanding the Bloggers’ Continuance Usage: Integrating Flow into the Expectation-Confirmation Theory Information System Model

Blogs are very popular nowadays. Many big website portals, such as Yahoo Blog, PC home Blog, try to offer different functions and personal services to attract the potential users to be their Blog member, because this will bring more advertising income. For the portals, how to obtain users to continue use is very important to survival. Most previous articles focused on investigating system function and information quality issues on Blogs, but these technologies are very steady already. There are fewer studies to discuss the users’ flow experience on using Blogs. The aim of this study investigated whether the users’ flow experience affected the Bloggers’ satisfaction and intention to continue using. 303 Bloggers were surveyed online. The research findings indicated that confirmation, perceived usefulness, flow, challenge, and arousal were positively affected to the Bloggers’ satisfaction in using that Blog; perceived usefulness, satisfaction, flow were also positively influenced to the Bloggers’ intention to continue using. In addition, the findings point out that the flow factors which we extend into ECTIS model weak positively influence satisfaction. The higher satisfaction users have, the more are continuance intention users get. Recommendations are given on how to make the Bloggers continue using Blogs for the service providers

THE ANTECEDENTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL\u27S COMMITMENTS TOWARD CONTINUOUSLY USING SOCIAL NETWORK SITE

The Social network sites (SNS) has been rapid diffusion around the world. With the increasing importance of SNS, continuance intention also becomes a popular issue in the SNS context. SNS providers have to maintain better relationships with users and make individuals continue to use their sites. Based on this phenomenon, the objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of the continuance intention of SNS through examining the effects of commitments. Specifically, followed Meyer and Allen’s three-component model of commitment, we develop a theoretical model to understand the factors that influence normative, affective and continued commitment and investigate the effects of commitments on continuance intention in the SNS context. Through a survey-based empirical investigation, we anticipate the results to enhance our existing knowledge on continuance intention in the SNS context

Investment Strategy Analysis using Support Vector Machines

Investment strategy is the key point of investors who can make profits or otherwise. Investors always focus on their viewpoints subjectively, which may make them fall into the logic puzzle. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the technical analysis of financial markets with an emerging neural network model, Support Vector Machine (SVM), to solve the problem of investment strategy in Taiwan Futures Market (TAIFEX). The evaluation of investment strategy is the most essential task of investment analysis. However, the evaluation is usually time-consuming and laborious for investment experts. An effective and efficient decision support tool could significantly alleviate his/her burden and improve decision quality. The experimental results from a real-case study demonstrate its salient features of generalization and usability compared with original technical analysis

The study on SFLAB GanedenBC30 viability on baking products during storage

AbstractFor understanding Bacillus coagulans, GanedenBC30 was used in different ways to added in raw dough and examine their viability after baking. Eight different baking products: (1) chrysanthemum cookies, (2) egg pastry cakes, (3) mooncakes, (4) muffins, (5) polo breads, (6) soda cookies, (7) sponge cakes, and (8) toasts were made from 0.5% GanedenBC30 added to their dough in two ways: (a) flour powder or (b) egg yolk. Then the (a) pH value, (b) titratable acidity, (c) GanedenBC30 counts, and (d) viability GanedenBC30 of eight different baking products were determined after storing at 4oC for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 days, or 25oC for 0, 3, 6 days. The eight types of raw dough had relatively lower pH values and rise after baking. The titratable acidity of the eight types of dough was relatively higher, and declined after baking. However, the pH value and titratable acidity of the eight baking products remained the same after 9 days at 4oC. On the other hand, the GanedenBC30 counts in the eight baking products were less than their raw dough GanedenBC30 levels. For storage at both 4 and 25oC, the results show the GanedenBC30 viability of baking products decreased with storage days. The dough made by flour powder and baking showed higher GanedenBC30 viability than by egg yolk. GanedenBC30 are good candidates for baking product use, both in lactic acid production and probiotic preparations

Preclinical Repurposing of Sitagliptin as a Drug Candidate for Colorectal Cancer by Targeting CD24/CTNNB1/SOX4-Centered Signaling Hub

Despite significant advances in treatment modalities, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a poorly understood and highly lethal malignancy worldwide. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the tumor microenvironment (TME) have been shown to play critical roles in initiating and promoting CRC progression, metastasis, and treatment resistance. Therefore, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms contributing to the generation and maintenance of CSCs is crucial to developing CSC-specific therapeutics and improving the current standard of care for CRC patients. To this end, we used a bioinformatics approach to identify increased CD24/SOX4 expression in CRC samples associated with poor prognosis. We also discovered a novel population of tumor-infiltrating CD24+ cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), suggesting that the CD24/SOX4-centered signaling hub could be a potential therapeutic target. Pathway networking analysis revealed a connection between the CD24/SOX4-centered signaling, β-catenin, and DPP4. Emerging evidence indicates that DPP4 plays a role in CRC initiation and progression, implicating its involvement in generating CSCs. Based on these bioinformatics data, we investigated whether sitagliptin, a DPP4 inhibitor and diabetic drug, could be repurposed to inhibit colon CSCs. Using a molecular docking approach, we demonstrated that sitagliptin targeted CD24/SOX4-centered signaling molecules with high affinity. In vitro experimental data showed that sitagliptin treatment suppressed CRC tumorigenic properties and worked in synergy with 5FU and this study thus provided preclinical evidence to support the alternative use of sitagliptin for treating CRC