Feedback and Response to Feedback in Teaching Writing to Learners of Arabic or any Second Language: A field report on a pedagogical model1

Most foreign language teachers would probably agree that feedback on their students’ written work is essential, but what that feedback should look like, and how it contributes to the development of second language writing skills is not always clear. This paper presents a pedagogical model for providing feedback and encouraging students’ uptake of feedback for future written work. Developed in Arabic language content courses at the University of Maryland, the model combines feedback on the content of a response paper with feedback on linguistic form. Students are required to engage with the themes of the course in their written work, to solve problems with accuracy noted in their previous papers, and to incorporate new language suggested by the teacher, or noticed in the texts of the course. They then submit a writing improvement report that presents evidence from successive response papers to illustrate how their writing has improved over time. The model can be employed to develop writing skills in any foreign language, and is easily adapted for lower, pre-content levels

Nutrient enrichment induces a shift in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) metabolism in oligotrophic freshwater sediments

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) turnover in aquatic environments is modulated by the presence of other key macronutrients, including nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The ratio of these nutrients directly affects the rates of microbial growth and nutrient processing in the natural environment. The aim of this study was to investigate how labile DOC metabolism responds to changes in nutrient stoichiometry using 14C tracers in conjunction with untargeted analysis of the primary metabolome in upland peat river sediments. N addition led to an increase in 14C-glucose uptake, indicating that the sediments were likely to be primarily N limited. The mineralisation of glucose to 14CO2 reduced following N addition, indicating that nutrient addition induced shifts in internal carbon (C) partitioning and microbial C use efficiency (CUE). This is directly supported by the metabolomic profile data which identified significant differences in 22 known metabolites (34% of the total) and 30 unknown metabolites (16% of the total) upon the addition of either N or P. 14C-glucose addition increased the production of organic acids known to be involved in mineral P dissolution (e.g. gluconic acid, malic acid). Conversely, when N was not added, the addition of glucose led to the production of the sugar alcohols, mannitol and sorbitol, which are well known microbial C storage compounds. P addition resulted in increased levels of several amino acids (e.g. alanine, glycine) which may reflect greater rates of microbial growth or the P requirement for coenzymes required for amino acid synthesis. We conclude that inorganic nutrient enrichment in addition to labile C inputs has the potential to substantially alter in-stream biogeochemical cycling in oligotrophic freshwaters

Microbial use of low molecular weight DOM in filtered and unfiltered freshwater:Role of ultra-small microorganisms and implications for water quality monitoring

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a central role in regulating productivity and nutrient cycling in freshwaters. It is therefore vital that we can representatively sample and preserve DOM in freshwaters for subsequent analysis. Here we investigated the effect of filtration, temperature (5 and 25 °C) and acidification (HCl) on the persistence of low molecular weight (MW) dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON) and orthophosphate in oligotrophic and eutrophic freshwater environments. Our results showed the rapid loss of isotopically-labelled glucose and amino acids from both filtered (0.22 and 0.45 μm) and unfiltered waters. We ascribe this substrate depletion in filtered samples to the activity of ultra-small (< 0.45 μm) microorganisms (bacteria and archaea) present in the water. As expected, the rate of C, N and P loss was much greater at higher temperatures and was repressed by the addition of HCl. Based on our results and an evaluation of the protocols used in recently published studies, we conclude that current techniques used to sample water for low MW DOM characterisation are frequently inadequate and lack proper validation. In contrast to the high degree of analytical precision and rigorous statistical analysis of most studies, we argue that insufficient consideration is still given to the presence of ultra-small microorganisms and potential changes that can occur in the low MW fraction of DOM prior to analysis

Understanding factors affecting patient and public engagement and recruitment to digital health interventions: a systematic review of qualitative studies

BackgroundNumerous types of digital health interventions (DHIs) are available to patients and the public but many factors affect their ability to engage and enrol in them. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesise the qualitative literature on barriers and facilitators to engagement and recruitment to DHIs to inform future implementation efforts.MethodsPubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and the ACM Digital Library were searched for English language qualitative studies from 2000 – 2015 that discussed factors affecting engagement and enrolment in a range of DHIs (e.g. ‘telemedicine’, ‘mobile applications’, ‘personal health record’, ‘social networking’). Text mining and additional search strategies were used to identify 1,448 records. Two reviewers independently carried out paper screening, quality assessment, data extraction and analysis. Data was analysed using framework synthesis, informed by Normalization Process Theory, and Burden of Treatment Theory helped conceptualise the interpretation of results.ResultsNineteen publications were included in the review. Four overarching themes that affect patient and public engagement and enrolment in DHIs emerged; 1) personal agency and motivation; 2) personal life and values; 3) the engagement and recruitment approach; and 4) the quality of the DHI. The review also summarises engagement and recruitment strategies used. A preliminary DIgital Health EnGagement MOdel (DIEGO) was developed to highlight the key processes involved. Existing knowledge gaps are identified and a number of recommendations made for future research. Study limitations include English language publications and exclusion of grey literature.ConclusionThis review summarises and highlights the complexity of digital health engagement and recruitment processes and outlines issues that need to be addressed before patients and the public commit to digital health and it can be implemented effectively. More work is needed to create successful engagement strategies and better quality digital solutions that are personalised where possible and to gain clinical accreditation and endorsement when appropriate. More investment is also needed to improve computer literacy and ensure technologies are accessible and affordable for those who wish to sign up to them.Systematic review registrationInternational Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD4201502984

Microbial uptake kinetics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) compound groups from river water and sediments

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents a key component of carbon (C) cycling in freshwater ecosystems. While the behaviour of bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aquatic ecosystems is well studied, comparatively little is known about the turnover of specific DOC compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the persistence of 14C-labelled low molecular weight (LMW) DOC at a wide range of concentrations (0.1 µM to 10 mM), in sediments and waters from oligotrophic and mesotrophic rivers within the same catchment. Overall, rates of DOC loss varied between compound groups (amino acids > sugars = organic acids > phenolics). Sediment-based microbial communities contributed to higher DOC loss from river waters, which was attributed, in part, to its greater microbial biomass. At higher DOC compound concentrations, DOC loss was greater in mesotrophic rivers in comparison to oligotrophic headwaters. A lag-phase in substrate use within sediments provided evidence of microbial growth and adaptation, ascribed here to the lack of inorganic nutrient limitation on microbial C processing in mesotrophic communities. We conclude that the higher microbial biomass and available inorganic nutrients in sediments enables the rapid processing of LMW DOC, particularly during high C enrichment events and in N and P-rich mesotrophic environments

Land cover and nutrient enrichment regulates low-molecular weight dissolved organic matter turnover in freshwater ecosystems

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of carbon-containing compounds. The low-molecular weight (LMW) fraction constitutes thousands of different compounds and represents a substantial proportion of DOM in aquatic ecosystems. The turnover rates of this LMW DOM can be extremely high. Due to the challenges of measuring this pool at a molecular scale, comparatively little is known of the fate of LMW DOM compounds in lotic systems. This study addresses this knowledge gap, investigating the microbial processing of LMW DOM across 45 sites representing a range of physicochemical gradients and dominant land covers in the United Kingdom. Radioisotope tracers representing LMW dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (glucose), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) (amino acid mixture), dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) (glucose-6-phosphate), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP, measured as orthophosphate) were used to measure the microbial uptake of different DOM compounds in river waters. The amount of DOM biodegradation varied between different components (DON ≥ DOC > DOP), with the rate of turnover of all three increasing along a gradient of N and P enrichment across the range of sites. Conversely, the uptake of SRP decreased along this same gradient. This was ascribed to preferential utilization of DOP over SRP. Dominant land cover had a significant effect on DOM use as a resource, due to its control of nutrient enrichment within the catchments. We conclude that nutrient enrichment of river waters will lead to further DOM removal from the water column, increased microbial growth, and a decrease in stream oxygen saturation, exacerbating the effects of eutrophication in rivers

Environmental DNA provides higher resolution assessment of riverine biodiversity and ecosystem function via spatio-temporal nestedness and turnover partitioning.

Rapidly assessing biodiversity is essential for environmental monitoring; however, traditional approaches are limited in the scope needed for most ecological systems. Environmental DNA (eDNA) based assessment offers enhanced scope for assessing biodiversity, while also increasing sampling efficiency and reducing processing time, compared to traditional methods. Here we investigated the effects of landuse and seasonality on headwater community richness and functional diversity, via spatio-temporal dynamics, using both eDNA and traditional sampling. We found that eDNA provided greater resolution in assessing biodiversity dynamics in time and space, compared to traditional sampling. Community richness was seasonally linked, peaking in spring and summer, with temporal turnover having a greater effect on community composition compared to localized nestedness. Overall, our assessment of ecosystem function shows that community formation is driven by regional resource availability, implying regional management requirements should be considered. Our findings show that eDNA based ecological assessment is a powerful, rapid and effective assessment strategy that enables complex spatio-temporal studies of community diversity and ecosystem function, previously infeasible using traditional methods

Barriers and facilitators to patient and public engagement and recruitment to digital health interventions: protocol of a systematic review of qualitative studies

Introduction: Patients and the public are beginning to use digital health tools to assist in managing chronic illness, support independent living and self-care, and remain connected to health and care providers. However, engaging with and enrolling in digital health interventions, such as telehealth systems, mobile health applications, patient portals and personal health records, in order to use them varies considerably. Many factors affect people's ability to engage with and sign up to digital health platforms.Objectives: The primary aim is to identify the barriers and facilitators patients and the public experience to engagement and recruitment to digital health interventions. The secondary aim is to identify engagement and enrolment strategies, leading if possible to a taxonomy of such approaches, and a conceptual framework of digital health engagement and recruitment processes.Methods: A systematic review of qualitative studies will be conducted by searching six databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and the ACM Digital Library for papers published between 2000 and 2015. Titles and abstracts along with full-text papers will be screened by two independent reviewers against predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A data extraction form will be used to provide details of the included studies. Quality assessment will be conducted using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion with an independent third reviewer. Analysis will be guided by framework synthesis and informed by normalization process theory and burden of treatment theory, to aid conceptualisation of digital health engagement and recruitment processes.Discussion: This systematic review of qualitative studies will explore factors affecting engagement and enrolment in digital health interventions. It will advance our understanding of readiness for digital health by examining the complex factors that affect patients’ and the public's ability to take part

Peste des petits ruminants virus transmission scaling and husbandry practices that contribute to increased transmission risk: an investigation among sheep, goats, and cattle in Northern Tanzania

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes an infectious disease of high morbidity and mortality among sheep and goats which impacts millions of livestock keepers globally. PPRV transmission risk varies by production system, but a deeper understanding of how transmission scales in these systems and which husbandry practices impact risk is needed. To investigate transmission scaling and husbandry practice-associated risk, this study combined 395 household questionnaires with over 7115 cross-sectional serosurvey samples collected in Tanzania among agropastoral and pastoral households managing sheep, goats, or cattle (most managed all three, n = 284, 71.9%). Although self-reported compound-level herd size was significantly larger in pastoral than agropastoral households, the data show no evidence that household herd force of infection (FOI, per capita infection rate of susceptible hosts) increased with herd size. Seroprevalence and FOI patterns observed at the sub-village level showed significant spatial variation in FOI. Univariate analyses showed that household herd FOI was significantly higher when households reported seasonal grazing camp attendance, cattle or goat introduction to the compound, death, sale, or giving away of animals in the past 12 months, when cattle were grazed separately from sheep and goats, and when the household also managed dogs or donkeys. Multivariable analyses revealed that species, production system type, and goat or sheep introduction or seasonal grazing camp attendance, cattle or goat death or sales, or goats given away in the past 12 months significantly increased odds of seroconversion, whereas managing pigs or cattle attending seasonal grazing camps had significantly lower odds of seroconversion. Further research should investigate specific husbandry practices across production systems in other countries and in systems that include additional atypical host species to broaden understanding of PPRV transmission