Realities of mobile learning technologies in foreign language classes

While it is common to assume that our current undergraduates are digital native who are naturally proficient and expect the use of technology, the research base that supports those assumptions is limited. This is especially true of students in foreign language classes. Much of the national research that has been conducted has not focused on specific subsets of students. It is important to address this paucity of research, as instructors, textbook publishers, and other stakeholders must make informed decisions regarding the design and development of curriculum and instructional materials. This article reports a study conducted in exploration of the ownership and use of mobile devices by students in foreign language courses. The study used survey methodology and focus group protocols to investigate what technological devices students have and use for personal and academic activities. Salient findings include the reaffirmation of the need to maintain appropriate pedagogy in light of the latest and greatest technological developments, distinctions between the use of technology for content consumption versus content production, and a distinct preference for a separation between personal and academic activities among digital natives

The Fungus Aspergillus aculeatus Enhances Salt-Stress Tolerance, Metabolite Accumulation, and Improves Forage Quality in Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is an important forage grass with high yield and superior quality in temperate regions which is widely used in parks, sport field, and other places. However, perennial ryegrass is moderately tolerant to salinity stress compared to other commercial cultivars and salt stress reduces their growth and productivity. Aspergillus aculeatus has been documented to participate in alleviating damage induced by salinity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying A. aculeatus-mediated salt tolerance, and forage quality of perennial ryegrass exposed to 0, 200, and 400 mM NaCl concentrations. Physiological markers and forage quality of perennial ryegrass to salt stress were evaluated based on the growth rate, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes activity, lipid peroxidation, ionic homeostasis, the nutritional value of forage, and metabolites. Plants inoculated with A. aculeatus exhibited higher relative growth rate (RGR), turf and forage quality under salt stress than un-inoculated plants. Moreover, in inoculated plants, the fungus remarkably improved plant photosynthetic efficiency, reduced the antioxidant enzymes activity (POD and CAT), and attenuated lipid peroxidation (decreased H2O2 and MDA accumulation) induced by salinity, compared to un-inoculated plants. Furthermore, the fungus also acts as an important role in maintaining the lower Na/K ratio and metabolites and lower the amino acids (Alanine, Proline, GABA, and Asparagine), and soluble sugars (Glucose and Fructose) for inoculated plants than un-inoculated ones. Our results suggest that A. aculeatus may be involved in modulating perennial ryegrass tolerance to salinity in various ways

Chiral Resolution of Naptalam Using D-tartaric acid and Functionalized Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract. Chiral resolution of naptalam using various functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mediated thin-lay chromatography was studied. D-tartaric acid was used as chiral selectors and cyclohexane-alcohol solvent mixture was used as developers. The results indicated that under the condition of V(cyclohexane):V(n-butanol)=30:70, the sizes of spots were even, and there is no phenomenon of tail and the effect of resolution was the best. The results indicated that chiral naptalam can be resoluted well by thin-lay chromatography impregnated with various functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes such as MWCNTs, aligned MWCNTs, amino functionalized MWCNTs and carboxylated MWCNTs. And the relative RF value of amino functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes impregnated thin-lay chromatography was significantly higher than that of other types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes impregnated thin-lay chromatography. The relative RF value of amino multi-walled carbon nanotubes mediated thin-lay chromatography was 4.32

Comparison of a solvent mixture assisted dilute acid and alkali pretreatment in sugar production from hybrid Pennisetum

Abstract(#br)The effects of an acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) mixture on dilute H 2 SO 4 and NaOH pretreatment for enzymatic saccharification of hybrid Pennisetum (HP) were investigated. The results showed that ABE assisted the removal of xylan and lignin during H 2 SO 4 and NaOH pretreatment, respectively. The glucose yield of HP increased from 33.6% to 52.9% with the assistance of a relatively higher concentration of ABE mixture (ABE4) during H 2 SO 4 pretreatment, and during NaOH pretreatment, a lower concentration of ABE (ABE2) increased the glucose yield from 64.6% to 80.2%. The hydrolysis yield increases were related to the compositional change and surface characteristics of the pretreated materials. As observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ABE4 resulted in a greater lignin content on the surface of materials than that produced by ABE2 during NaOH pretreatment, which possibly increased the non-productive adsorption of cellulase, thus decreasing the hydrolysis yield. The results suggested that an ABE mixture could be used as an auxiliary agent for further increasing of the digestibility of acid- and alkali-pretreated lignocellulosic materials. However, the digestibility was different depending on the concentrations of ABE during acid and alkali pretreatments

Studying the Differences of Bacterial Metabolome and Microbiome in the Colon between Landrace and Meihua Piglets

This study was conducted to compare the microbiome and metabolome differences in the colon lumen from two pig breeds with different genetic backgrounds. Fourteen weaned piglets at 30 days of age, including seven Landrace piglets (a lean-type pig breed with a fast growth rate) and seven Meihua piglets (a fatty-type Chinese local pig breed with a slow growth rate), were fed the same diets for 35 days. Untargeted metabolomics analyses showed that a total of 401 metabolites differed between Landrace and Meihua. Seventy of these 401 metabolites were conclusively identified. Landrace accumulated more short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and secondary bile acids in the colon lumen. Moreover, expression of the SCFAs transporter (solute carrier family 5 member 8, SLC5A8) and receptor (G protein-coupled receptor 41, GPR41) in the colon mucosa was higher, while the bile acids receptor (farnesoid X receptor, FXR) had lower expression in Landrace compared to Meihua. The relative abundances of 8 genera and 16 species of bacteria differed significantly between Landrace and Meihua, and were closely related to the colonic concentrations of bile acids or SCFAs based on Pearson's correlation analysis. Collectively, our results demonstrate for the first time that there were differences in the colonic microbiome and metabolome between Meihua and Landrace piglets, with the most profound disparity in production of SCFAs and secondary bile acids

Effects of air pollution on neonatal prematurity in guangzhou of china: a time-series study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Over the last decade, a few studies have investigated the possible adverse effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth. However, the correlation between them still remains unclear, due to insufficient evidences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The correlation between air pollution and preterm birth in Guangzhou city was examined by using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) extended Poisson regression model in which we controlled the confounding factors such as meteorological factors, time trends, weather and day of the week (DOW). We also adjusted the co linearity of air pollutants by using Principal Component Analysis. The meteorological data and air pollution data were obtained from the Meteorological Bureau and the Environmental Monitoring Centre, while the medical records of newborns were collected from the perinatal health database of all obstetric institutions in Guangzhou, China in 2007.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 2007, the average daily concentrations of NO₂, PM₁₀and SO₂in Guangzhou, were 61.04, 82.51 and 51.67 μg/m³respectively, where each day an average of 21.47 preterm babies were delivered. Pearson correlation analysis suggested a negative correlation between the concentrations of NO₂, PM₁₀, SO_2,and temperature as well as relative humidity. As for the time-series GAM analysis, the results of single air pollutant model suggested that the cumulative effects of NO₂, PM₁₀and SO₂reached its peak on day 3, day 4 and day 3 respectively. An increase of 100 μg/m³of air pollutants corresponded to relative risks (RRs) of 1.0542 (95%CI: 1.0080 ~1.1003), 1.0688 (95%CI: 1.0074 ~1.1301) and 1.1298 (95%CI: 1.0480 ~1.2116) respectively. After adjusting co linearity by using the Principal Component Analysis, the GAM model of the three air pollutants suggested that an increase of 100 μg/m³of air pollutants corresponded to RRs of 1.0185 (95%CI: 1.0056~1.0313), 1.0215 (95%CI: 1.0066 ~1.0365) and 1.0326 (95%CI: 1.0101 ~1.0552) on day 0; and RRs of the three air pollutants, at their strongest cumulative effects, were 1.0219 (95%CI: 1.0053~1.0386), 1.0274 (95%CI: 1.0066~1.0482) and 1.0388 (95%CI: 1.0096 ~1.0681) respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicates that the daily concentrations of air pollutants such as NO₂, PM₁₀and SO₂have a positive correlation with the preterm births in Guangzhou, China.</p

Distinct and Overlapping Effector Functions of Expanded Human CD4+, CD8α+ and CD4-CD8α- Invariant Natural Killer T Cells

CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells have diverse immune stimulatory/regulatory activities through their ability to release cytokines and to kill or transactivate other cells. Activation of iNKT cells can protect against multiple diseases in mice but clinical trials in humans have had limited impact. Clinical studies to date have targeted polyclonal mixtures of iNKT cells and we proposed that their subset compositions will influence therapeutic outcomes. We sorted and expanded iNKT cells from healthy donors and compared the phenotypes, cytotoxic activities and cytokine profiles of the CD4+, CD8α+ and CD4−CD8α− double-negative (DN) subsets. CD4+ iNKT cells expanded more readily than CD8α+ and DN iNKT cells upon mitogen stimulation. CD8α+ and DN iNKT cells most frequently expressed CD56, CD161 and NKG2D and most potently killed CD1d+ cell lines and primary leukemia cells. All iNKT subsets released Th1 (IFN-γ and TNF-α) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13) cytokines. Relative amounts followed a CD8α>DN>CD4 pattern for Th1 and CD4>DN>CD8α for Th2. All iNKT subsets could simultaneously produce IFN-γ and IL-4, but single-positivity for IFN-γ or IL-4 was strikingly rare in CD4+ and CD8α+ fractions, respectively. Only CD4+ iNKT cells produced IL-9 and IL-10; DN cells released IL-17; and none produced IL-22. All iNKT subsets upregulated CD40L upon glycolipid stimulation and induced IL-10 and IL-12 secretion by dendritic cells. Thus, subset composition of iNKT cells is a major determinant of function. Use of enriched CD8α+, DN or CD4+ iNKT cells may optimally harness the immunoregulatory properties of iNKT cells for treatment of disease

Online Chinese Teaching and Learning in 2020 - 2020中文线上教学

This edited monograph includes 21 papers written by 41 contributors from 9 countries on four continents, sharing their teaching practices, strategies, reflections, and/or findings from their research on online Chinese teaching and learning in 2020. Its introductory chapter authored by the editor, Dr. Shijuan Liu (刘士娟), provides a comprehensive overview of the history of online Chinese teaching and learning and thoughtful analysis of associated terms (e.g., distance education), in addition to summarization of the 21 wonderful papers in this volume. Readers can also gain a solid understanding of many Chinese language programs mentioned in the monograph, as well as the general situation of Chinese language education, and measures taken in responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in several countries, including India and South Africa. This monograph offers practical implications and historic references to the field of Chinese language education and online teaching and learning globally. It serves as a timely and significant addition to the published book edited by the same scholar, Teaching the Chinese Language Remotely: Global Cases and Perspectives, which includes 15 chapters in English from 21 authors in 10 countries on five continents. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0