Developing Language Proficiency in Online Courses through Tabletop Role Playing Games

This study explores the degree to which common tasks of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) align with the speaking functions of the intermediate and advanced levels of the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Guidelines. By aligning TTRPG gameplay with ACTFL oral proficiency functions, teachers may help online language learners engage in group discussions that improve their speaking skills

Age-dependent induction of immunity and subsequent survival costs in males and females of a temperate damselfly

BACKGROUND: To understand variation in resistance to parasites within host populations, researchers have examined conditions under which immunity is induced and/or is costly. Both host sex and age have been found to influence immune expression and subsequently are likely factors influencing the costs of resistance. The purpose of this study was to examine immune expression and associated survival costs for two age groups (newly emerged and sexually mature individuals) of the damselfly, Enallagma boreale Selys. Survival was assessed for experimentally challenged and control damselflies, housed initially at 22°C and then subjected to low temperatures (15°C) associated with reduced foraging activity and food deprivation. Experimental conditions emulated natural local variation in bouts of good weather followed by inclement weather (successions of days with hourly mean temperatures around 15°C and/or rainy weather). RESULTS: At least one of three immune traits was induced to higher levels for both newly emerged and mature E. boreale challenged by Lippopolysaccharide (LPS) relative to saline-injected controls, when housed at 22°C. The immune traits assayed included haemocyte concentration, Phenoloxidase activity and antibacterial activity and their induction varied among ages and between males and females. For matures, those injected with LPS had lowered survivorship compared to saline-injected controls that were housed initially at 22°C and subsequently at 15°C. Newly emerged LPS-injected damselflies did not show reduced survivorship relative to newly-emerged controls, despite showing immune induction. CONCLUSION: Reduced longevity following induction of immunity was observed for reproductively mature damselflies, but not for newly emerged damselflies. Costs of resistance depend only partly on the immune trait induced and more on the age (but not sex) of the host. In four years, we often observed bouts of inclement weather following good days and these bouts occurred primarily during the emergence periods, but also during the flight periods, of E. boreale. The duration of these bouts appear sufficient to compromise survival of mature damselflies that responded immunologically to LPS challenge. We further suggest the environmental conditions likely experienced by different ages of damselflies, following resistance expression, has influenced optimal immune investment by individuals in different age classes and the likelihood of detecting costs of resistance

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for cancer pain in adults.

Background Cancer-related pain is complex and multi-dimensional but the mainstay of cancer pain management has predominately used a biomedical approach. There is a need for non-pharmacological and innovative approaches. Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS) may have a role for a significant number of patients but the effectiveness of TENS is currently unknown. Objectives The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of TENS for cancer-related pain in adults. Search strategy We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, AMED and PEDRO databases (11/04/08). Selection criteria Only randomised controlled trials (RCTS) investigating the use of TENS for the management of cancer-related pain in adults were included. Data collection and analysis The search strategy identified 37 possible published studies which were divided between two pairs of review authors that decided on study selection. A study eligibility form was used to screen each abstract and where study eligibility could not be determined from the abstract, the full paper was obtained and assessed by one pair of review authors. A standardised data extraction sheet was used to collect information on the studies and the quality of the studies was assessed independently by two review authors using the validated five-point Oxford Quality Scale. Final scores were discussed and agreed between all four review authors. The small sample sizes and differences in patient study populations of the two included studies prevented meta-analysis. Main results Only two RCTs met the eligibility criteria (64 participants). These studies were heterogenous with respect to study population, sample size, study design, methodological quality, mode of TENS, treatment duration, method of administration and outcome measures used. In one RCT, there were no significant differences between TENS and placebo in women with chronic pain secondary to breast cancer treatment. In the other RCT, there were no significant differences between acupuncture-type TENS and sham in palliative care patients; this study was underpowered. Authors' conclusions The results of this systematic review are inconclusive due to a lack of suitable RCTs. Large multi-centre RCTs are required to assess the value of TENS in the management of cancer-related pain in adults

Developing a Badge System for a Community ESL Class Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks

Teaching multilingual, multilevel language classes presents many challenges including helping students learn level-appropriate language. This learner-centred approach is complicated in a multilevel classroom where the teacher cannot always focus on each student’s needs. As a result, learner motivation and attendance are frequent problems. This article details the adaptation of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) into a badge system to help learners in a community English as a Second Language (ESL) program set and track personalized language learning goals. The authors explain the purposes of badges, including motivation and assessment, and describe how to create a CLB-based badge system for curriculum and assessment purposes. The authors also share feedback from students and instructors in the community ESL program about the badge-based curriculum.L'enseignement dans des classes multilingues et à multiniveaux présente de nombreux défis, y compris la nécessité d'aider les étudiants à apprendre et à pratiquer la langue de manière adaptée à leur niveau. Cette approche centrée sur l'étudiant est compliquée dans une classe à niveaux multiples, où l'enseignant ne peut pas toujours se concentrer sur les besoins de chaque étudiant. Par conséquent, la motivation et l'assiduité des étudiants sont un problème fréquent. Cet article détaille l'adaptation des Niveaux de Compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) à un système de badges, pour aider les étudiants dans un programme communautaire d'anglais langue seconde (ALS) à définir et à suivre des objectifs d'apprentissage linguistique personnalisés. Les auteurs expliquent les objectifs des badges, y compris la motivation et l'évaluation, et décrivent comment créer un système de badges basé sur le NCLC en l’incorporant à leur curriculum et leur système d’évaluation. Les auteurs partagent également les commentaires des étudiants et des instructeurs du programme communautaire d'anglais langue seconde vis-à-vis le curriculum basé sur les badges

BAC Modification through Serial or Simultaneous Use of CRE/Lox Technology

Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes (BACs) are vital tools in mouse genomic analyses because of their ability to propagate large inserts. The size of these constructs, however, prevents the use of conventional molecular biology techniques for modification and manipulation. Techniques such as recombineering and Cre/Lox methodologies have thus become heavily relied upon for such purposes. In this work, we investigate the applicability of Lox variant sites for serial and/or simultaneous manipulations of BACs. We show that Lox spacer mutants are very specific, and inverted repeat variants reduce Lox reaction rates through reducing the affinity of Cre for the site, while retaining some functionality. Employing these methods, we produced serial modifications encompassing four independent changes which generated a mouse HoxB BAC with fluorescent reporter proteins inserted into four adjacent Hox genes. We also generated specific, simultaneous deletions using combinations of spacer variants and inverted repeat variants. These techniques will facilitate BAC manipulations and open a new repertoire of methods for BAC and genome manipulation

Inter-annual variation in prevalence and intensity of mite parasitism relates to appearance and expression of damselfly resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insects can resist parasites using the costly process of melanotic encapsulation. This form of physiological resistance has been studied under laboratory conditions, but the abiotic and biotic factors affecting resistance in natural insect populations are not well understood. Mite parasitism of damselflies was studied in a temperate damselfly population over seven seasons to determine if melanotic encapsulation of mite feeding tubes was related to degree of parasitism, host sex, host size, emergence timing, duration of the emergence period, and average daily air temperature.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although parasite prevalence in newly emerged damselflies was > 77% each year, hosts did not resist mites in the early years of study. Resistance began the year that there was a dramatic increase in the number of mites on newly emerged damselflies. Resistance continued to be correlated with mite prevalence and intensity throughout the seven-year study. However, the percentage of hosts resisting only ranged from 0-13% among years and resistance was not sex-biased and was not correlated with host size. Resistance also was not correlated with air temperature or with timing or duration of damselfly emergence.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Resistance in host damselflies was weakly and variably expressed over the study period. Factors such as temperature, which have been identified in laboratory studies as contributing to resistance by similar hosts, can be irrelevant in natural populations. This lack of temperature effect may be due to the narrow range in temperatures observed at host emergence among years. Degree of mite parasitism predicted both the appearance and continued expression of resistance among parasitized damselflies.</p

Reinventing PowerPoint: A New Look at an Old Tool

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful, yet often underutilized, orchestration tool for learning. While its most common use may be no more powerful or effective than an overhead projector, the multimedia capabilities of the software open up powerful means to connect with diverse learners in the classroom. In this piece, we explore how PowerPoint can be used in ways that connect with Universal Design for Learning principles and make teacher and student presentations more engaging and effective. We offer several concrete examples of “thinking outside the slide” to leverage the unique potential of PowerPoint in the classroom

EC-FORC: A New Cyclic Voltammetry Based Method for Examining Phase Transitions and Predicting Equilibrium

We propose a new, cyclic-voltammetry based experimental technique that can not only differentiate between discontinuous and continuous phase transitions in an adsorbate layer, but also quite accurately recover equilibrium behavior from dynamic analysis of systems with a continuous phase transition. The Electrochemical first-order reversal curve (EC-FORC) diagram for a discontinuous phase transition (nucleation and growth), such as occurs in underpotential deposition, is characterized by a negative region, while such a region does not exist for a continuous phase transition, such as occurs in the electrosorption of Br on Ag(100). Moreover, for systems with a continuous phase transition, the minima of the individual EC-FORCs trace the equilibrium curve, even at very high scan rates. Since obtaining experimental data for the EC-FORC method would require only a simple reprogramming of the potentiostat used in conventional cyclic-voltammetry experiments, we believe that this method has significant potential for easy, rapid, in-situ analysis of systems undergoing electrochemical deposition.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 211th ECS Meetin

Self-amplification of coherent spontaneous emission in a cherenkov free-electron maser

Ultrashort pulses of microwave radiation have been produced in a dielectric-lined Cherenkov free-electron maser (FEM) amplifier. An intense initial seed pulse, due to coherent spontaneous emission (CSE), arises at the leading edge of the electron pulse. There is evidence to show that 3-4 cycle spikes are produced through the amplification of these seed pulses. A strong dependence of the start-up power on the rise time of the electron pulse has been found. The experimental results are verified by a theoretical analysis. Our study shows that amplification in a FEM amplifier is always initiated by CSE arising from the edge of the electron pulse when the rise time is comparable to the electromagnetic wave period