Review of Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective; Authors: Carol Griffiths, Adem Soruç; Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020; ISBN: 978-3-030-52900-0; Pages: 220

Book Review: Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective. Authors: Carol Griffiths, Adem Soruç. Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 978-3-030-52900-0. Pages: 220

Review of Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective; Authors: Carol Griffiths, Adem Soruç; Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020; ISBN: 978-3-030-52900-0; Pages: 220

Book Review: Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective. Authors: Carol Griffiths, Adem Soruç. Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 978-3-030-52900-0. Pages: 220

Desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa intercultural en los cursos acordes con la metodología Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenidos y Lenguas impartidos en la lengua francesa a través del andamiaje docente

The increasing popularity of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) courses has attracted the attention of Chinese language educators. Many scholars have examined its functions of facilitating the development of content and language. However, intercultural communicative competence (ICC), as a core aspect of CLIL’s 4Cs (communication, content, cognition, and culture) framework, has been hardly analysed. Moreover, most studies on CLIL courses have been conducted in English-medium contexts, with scant attention paid to CLIL programs delivered in languages other than English. Drawing from sociocultural theory, this study aims to investigate how Chinese students develop ICC through teacher scaffolding in French-medium CLIL courses and their views on facilitating ICC in CLIL courses. The study collected data from a six-week classroom observation of twenty Chinese French-major undergraduates and interviews with seven of these students. The findings revealed that teacher scaffolding, i.e. explaining academic language, drawing on previous knowledge and linguistic scaffolding, helped to develop the participants' ICC. This research addresses the gap in understanding how teacher scaffolding can facilitate students' ICC development in a French-medium CLIL course, providing pedagogical guidance for CLIL teachers on how to promote ICC. FUNDING INFORMATION. The study was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China (1103-413000094) and Major Projects of China National Language Commission (ZDA145-2).La creciente popularidad de los cursos en metodología Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenidos y Lenguas Extranjeras (AICLE) ha llamado mucho la atención de los pedagogos del idioma chino. Muchos estudiosos han examinado sus funciones relativas a facilitar el desarrollo del contenido y el lenguaje. Sin embargo, como aspecto fundamental del marco de enseñanza de las 4Cs (comunicación, contenido, cognición y cultura) de AICLE, la competencia comunicativa intercultural (CCI) ha sido poco analizada. Además, la mayoría de los estudios en los cursos de AICLE han sido realizados en contextos de la lengua inglesa, con poca atención prestada a los programas de AICLE impartidos en idiomas distintos del inglés. Basándose en la teoría sociocultural, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo investigar cómo los estudiantes chinos desarrollan la CCI a través del andamiaje de los docentes en los cursos acordes con la metodología AICLE impartidos en francés, y sus puntos de vista sobre la facilitación de la CCI en dichos cursos. Este estudio recopiló los datos a partir de una observación de seis semanas en un aula con veinte estudiantes universitarios de la Filología Francesa, y de las entrevistas con siete de ellos. Los resultados revelaron que el andamiaje de los docentes, por ejemplo, el idioma académico explicativo, basándose en el uso de conocimientos previos y el andamiaje lingüístico, ayudaron a desarrollar la CCI de los participantes. Esta investigación aborda el vacío de la comprensión de cómo el andamiaje de los docentes puede facilitar el desarrollo de la CCI de los alumnos en un curso en metodología AICLE impartido en la lengua francesa, proporcionando orientación pedagógica para los docentes de AICLE sobre cómo promover la CCI

Experimental investigation of freeze injury temperatures in trees and their contributing factors based on electrical impedance spectroscopy

In trees, injuries resulting from subfreezing temperatures can cause damage to the cellular biofilm system, metabolic functions, and fibrous reticulum, and even cell death. Investigating the occurrence of freezing damage and its contributing factors could help understand the mechanisms underlying freezing injury and prevent the subsequent damage in trees. To achieve this, a laboratory experiment was conducted using cut wood samples from Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc) and Simon poplar (Populus simonii Carr.), and the effects of environmental freezing factors, including freezing temperatures, freezing duration, and cooling rate, on the temperature at which freezing injuries occur were examined using the electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. The semi-lethal temperature (LT50), as an indicator of freezing injury in wood tissue, was theoretically deduced based on the measured extracellular resistance (re) using EIS. The contributory factors to changes in LT50 were determined and their relationship was established. The results revealed that all freezing factors exhibited significant effects on electrical impedance characteristics (re, ri, and τ), significantly influencing the LT50 of the wood. Random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) models were used to assess the contribution of the freezing factors and moisture content (MC). Among the factors examined, freezing duration had the greatest impact on LT50, followed by the MC, whereas the contribution of the cooling rate was minimal. The model accuracies were 0.89 and 0.86 for Korean pine and Simon poplar, respectively. The findings of our study illustrate that the occurrence of freezing injury in trees is primarily influenced by the duration of freezing at specific subzero temperatures. Slow cooling combined with prolonged freezing at low subzero temperatures leads to earlier and more severe freezing damage

Exploring the Intersection of Complex Aesthetics and Generative AI for Promoting Cultural Creativity in Rural China after the Post-Pandemic Era

This paper explores using generative AI and aesthetics to promote cultural creativity in rural China amidst COVID-19's impact. Through literature reviews, case studies, surveys, and text analysis, it examines art and technology applications in rural contexts and identifies key challenges. The study finds artworks often fail to resonate locally, while reliance on external artists limits sustainability. Hence, nurturing grassroots "artist villagers" through AI is proposed. Our approach involves training machine learning on subjective aesthetics to generate culturally relevant content. Interactive AI media can also boost tourism while preserving heritage. This pioneering research puts forth original perspectives on the intersection of AI and aesthetics to invigorate rural culture. It advocates holistic integration of technology and emphasizes AI's potential as a creative enabler versus replacement. Ultimately, it lays the groundwork for further exploration of leveraging AI innovations to empower rural communities. This timely study contributes to growing interest in emerging technologies to address critical issues facing rural China.Comment: Accepted by 2023 the 1st International Conference on AI-generated Content (AIGC2023

Genetic types and provenance indication of clastic amphibole in the South Yellow Sea

The main focus of studying sediment sources in marine areas is to determine the properties of clastic minerals originating from different rivers. Variations in the characteristics of clastic minerals occur due to differences in the types of source rocks within the watershed. Determining the source rock of clastic minerals in the marine area can improve the accuracy of provenance analysis. Electron probe microanalysis of 258 amphibole grains from six surface stations in the South Yellow Sea (SYS) was conducted to calculate the numerical and characteristic values of cations in the crystal structure. The results showed that amphibole in the SYS is mainly magnesiohornblende (52.2% ~ 81.4%) in the calcic amphibole subgroup, followed by tschermakite. The source rock types of amphibole are mainly different types of magmatic (ultrabasic, basic, and intermediate acidic) and metamorphic rocks. Amphibole derived from intermediate-acid intrusive rocks accounts for a large proportion (>40%). The genetic analysis of clastic amphibole in the SYS showed that most of the medium-acid invading amphibole belong to crust-mantle type, followed by mantle type. Most of the amphibole from metamorphic origins are of medium-low pressure type (± 80%). Combined with electron probe analysis of amphibole from the Huanghe River (the Yellow River, HH) and Changjiang River (the Yangtze River, CJ), the amphibole in the SYS exhibits characteristics inherited from these two rivers. The northern sea area has a strong resemblance to the sediments from the HH, while the southern area is more influenced by sediments supply from the CJ. The central area represents a mixed zone with a higher sediment supply from the HH. The clastic amphibole deduces the type of source rock in different watersheds, serving as a crucial link between the source rock, watershed, and marine area, providing a basis for provenance analysis

Lightweight conductive graphene/thermoplastic polyurethane foams with ultrahigh compressibility for piezoresistive sensing

Lightweight conductive porous graphene/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foams with ultrahigh compressibility were successfully fabricated by using the thermal induced phase separation (TISP) technique. The density and porosity of the foams were calculated to be about 0.11 g cm−3 and 90% owing to the porous structure. Compared with pure TPU foams, the addition of graphene could effectively increase the thickness of the cell wall and hinder the formation of small holes, leading to a robust porous structure with excellent compression property. Meanwhile, the cell walls with small holes and a dendritic structure were observed due to the flexibility of graphene, endowing the foam with special positive piezoresistive behaviors and peculiar response patterns with a deflection point during the cyclic compression. This could effectively enhance the identifiability of external compression strain when used as piezoresistive sensors. In addition, larger compression sensitivity was achieved at a higher compression rate. Due to high porosity and good elasticity of TPU, the conductive foams demonstrated good compressibility and stable piezoresistive sensing signals at a strain of up to 90%. During the cyclic piezoresistive sensing test under different compression strains, the conductive foam exhibited good recoverability and reproducibility after the stabilization of cyclic loading. All these suggest that the fabricated conductive foam possesses great potential to be used as lightweight, flexible, highly sensitive, and stable piezoresistive sensors

The effect of environment on intestinal microbial diversity of Panthera animals may exceed genetic relationship

Intestinal microbes are important symbiotes in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals, which are affected by food, environment, climate, genetics, and other factors. The gut microbiota of felines has been partially studied, but a comprehensive comparison of the gut microbiota of Panthera species was less reported. In this study, we compared the gut microbial composition and diversity of five species of Panthera (Panthera tigris, Panthera leo, Panthera onca, Panthera pardus, and Panthera uncia) by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) amplicon sequencing. The results showed that Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum among all the Panthera species, followed by Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Gemmatimonadetes, and Euryarchaeota. There were significant differences in observed species of fecal microbiota among different Panthera animals (P < 0.05), indicating that there is species specificity among Panthera fecal microbiota. When the samples were further grouped according to sampling locations, the comparison of the alpha diversity index between groups and beta diversity analysis showed that there were significant differences in the fecal microflora of animals from different sampling locations. Cluster analysis showed that fecal microbes of animals from the same sampling location were clustered, while gut microbes of animals of the same species, but from different sampling locations, were separated. These results indicate that environment may have more influence on mammals’ fecal microbial diversity than genetic relationships

Leaf nutrient traits of planted forests demonstrate a heightened sensitivity to environmental changes compared to natural forests

Leaf nutrient content (nitrogen, phosphorus) and their stoichiometric ratio (N/P) as key functional traits can reflect plant survival strategies and predict ecosystem productivity responses to environmental changes. Previous research on leaf nutrient traits has primarily focused on the species level with limited spatial scale, making it challenging to quantify the variability and influencing factors of forest leaf nutrient traits on a macro scale. This study, based on field surveys and literature collected from 2005 to 2020 on 384 planted forests and 541 natural forests in China, investigates the differences in leaf nutrient traits between forest types (planted forests, natural forests) and their driving factors. Results show that leaf nutrient traits (leaf nitrogen content (LN), leaf phosphorus content (LP), and leaf N/P ratio) of planted forests are significantly higher than those of natural forests (P< 0.05). The impact of climatic and soil factors on the variability of leaf nutrient traits in planted forests is greater than that in natural forests. With increasing forest age, natural forests significantly increase in leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content, with a significant decrease in N/P ratio (P< 0.05). Climatic factors are key environmental factors dominating the spatial variability of leaf nutrient traits. They not only directly affect leaf nutrient traits of planted and natural forest communities but also indirectly through regulation of soil nutrients and stand factors, with their direct effects being more significant than their indirect effects