French and Spanish Teacher Experiences in Teaching Middle and High School Students in One North Carolina School District: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study examined French and Spanish teacher experiences teaching middle and high school students in one North Carolina school district. The themes derived from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Educator Questionnaire show several areas of concerns world language teachers face in the nation: large class sizes, lack of opportunities to enhance best practices and technology integration, teacher isolation, inadequate instructional material, limited resources, and limited funding. This dissertation was designed to analyze the experiences of middle and high school teachers of French, Spanish, and Spanish for Native Speakers. The researcher conducted a digital survey using the ACTFL instrument and personal interviews among middle and high school world language teachers. The appropriate research method to study the topic of world language teacher experiences was the explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. The collection of both quantitative and qualitative data provided a more comprehensive study of world language teacher experiences in teaching middle and high school students. Through the course of the study, the researcher found key findings in regard to French and Spanish teachers’ experiences. An analysis of the data revealed six salient themes: student motivation, technology tools for teaching and motivating students, world language standards, professional learning communities, resources, and support. Recommendations for world language teachers, school and district leaders were also discussed to help with the areas of concern that world language teachers have experienced

Large-scale mitochondrial DNA analysis of native honey bee Apis mellifera populations reveals a new African subgroup private to the South West Indian Ocean islands

Background: The South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) archipelagos and Madagascar constitute a hotspot of biodiversity with a high rate of endemism. In this area, the endemic subspecies A. m. unicolor has been described in Madagascar. It belongs to the African lineage, one of the four described evolutionary lineages in honey bees. Despite a long beekeeping tradition and several recorded European introductions, few studies have been carried out on the diversity and proportion of honey bee subspecies. In order to identify and define which evolutionary lineages and potential sub-lineages are present in the SWIO, the COI-COII intergenic region and the ND2 gene of the mtDNA were sequenced in honey bee colonies from three archipelagos. An extensive sampling (n = 1184 colonies) was done in the Mascarene (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), Seychelles (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue) and Comoros (Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan, Mayotte) archipelagos. Islands genetic diversity was compared to newly sampled populations from Madagascar, continental African and European populations. Results: African lineage haplotypes were found in all islands (except for Rodrigues). Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles had 100% of A lineage, 95.5% in La Réunion and 56.1% in Mauritius. Among all African colonies detected in the SWIO, 98.1% (n = 633) of COI-COII haplotypes described the presence of the subspecies A. M. unicolor. Both genetic markers revealed i) a new private AI mitochondrial group shared by the SWIO archipelagos and Madagascar distant from continental populations; ii) the private African haplotypes for each island suggested diversity radiation in the archipelagos; iii) the detection of the Comoros archipelago as a possible contact area between insular and continental African populations. The exotic European C and M lineages were only detected in the Mascarene archipelago, but striking differences of proportion were observed among islands. Merely 4.6% of European colonies were found in La Réunion whereas Mauritius cumulated 44%. Here, among the 84 observed COI-COII haplotypes, 50 were newly described including 13 which were private to the SWIO archipelagos and Madagascar. Similarly, 24 of the 34 found ND2 haplotypes were novel which included six haplotypes particular to the SWIO populations. Conclusion: A new African subgroup was described in the SWIO region with mitochondrial genetic evidence that A. m. unicolor is the indigenous subspecies of the archipelagos surrounding Madagascar. (Résumé d'auteur

Criblage d’activités biologiques de plantes endémiques ou indigènes de La Réunion - Recherche de molécules antivirales ciblant le virus du chikungunya

The aims of this PhD work were to identify plants and/or molecules with cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or antiviral (chikungunya virus , CHIKV) activities in order to find therapeutic alternatives towards oxidative stress and inflammation, mechanisms involved in chronic noncommunicable diseases (diabetes, obesity ...), and chikungunya disease, reemerging vector-borne disease. The first part of this work presents the results obtained from a biological screening carried out on a selection of eighteen endemic and indigenous plants of La Réunion. The targeted activities were cytotoxicity on a human cell line (THP-1), antioxidant activities evaluated using an in cellulo hemolysis assay and four chemical tests (TEAC / DPPH / FRAP / ORAC) together with an evaluation of the content of phenolic compounds (FOLIN test) and anti-inflammatory activity tested in murine macrophages (RAW cells-BlueTM). The results allowed to highlight activities of different extracts in particular : cytotoxic for Carissa spinarum, antioxidant for Dryopteris wallichiana and Agarista buxifolia and anti-inflammatory for Stillingia lineata and Indigofera ammoxylum.The second part of this work is devoted to the phytochemical study of Stillingia lineata, an indigenous species of La Réunion chosen because of the results obtained in this preliminary biological screening and those carried out in Phytochik programme. Bioassay-guided fractionation performed on Vero cells (green monkey kidney cells Cercopithecus aethiops) infected with CHIKV led to the isolation of three rare macrocycle-type diterpenes called tonantzitlolone and a new pimarane. The 4'-acetoxytonantzitlolone was identified as a candidate molecule against CHIKV (EC50 = 7 μM). Structure-activity relationships have been defined, the presence of an oxygenated group on the side chain of tonantzitlolones seems to play an important role in the antiviral response of the diterpene skeleton.Ce travail de thèse s'attache à identifier des plantes et/ou molécules à activités cytotoxique, antioxydante, anti-inflammatoire et antivirale ciblant le virus du chikungunya (CHIKV) dans le but de trouver des alternatives thérapeutiques vis-à-vis du stress oxydatif et de l'inflammation, mécanismes impliqués dans les maladies chroniques non transmissibles (diabète, obésité…), et de la maladie du chikungunya, maladie vectorielle réémergente. La première partie de ces travaux présente les résultats obtenus lors d'un criblage d'activités biologiques réalisé sur une sélection de dix-huit plantes endémiques et indigènes de La Réunion. Les activités ciblées ont été les activités cytotoxiques sur une lignée cellulaire humaine (cellules THP-1), les activités antioxydantes évaluées par un test in cellulo d'hémolyse et par quatre tests chimiques (TEAC/DPPH/FRAP/ORAC) ainsi qu'une évaluation de la teneur en composés phénoliques (test FOLIN) et les activités anti-inflammatoires testées sur des macrophages murins (cellules RAW-BlueTM). Les résultats obtenus ont permis de mettre, plus particulièrement, en évidence les activités de différents extraits : cytotoxique pour Carissa spinarum, antioxydantes pour Agarista buxifolia et Dryopteris wallichiana et anti-inflammatoire pour Stillingia lineata et Indigofera ammoxylum. La deuxième partie du travail est consacrée à l'étude phytochimique d'une espèce indigène de La Réunion, Stillingia lineata, choisie en raison des résultats obtenus lors de ce criblage biologique préliminaire et de ceux du programme Phytochik. Un fractionnement bioguidé par un test antiviral, réalisé sur des cellules Vero (cellules rénales de singe vert Cercopithecus aethiops) contaminées par le CHIKV, a conduit à l'isolement de trois macrocycles diterpéniques rares de type tonantzitlolone dont l'un présente une structure non caractérisée jusque-là, et d'un pimarane de structure nouvelle. La 4'-acétoxytonantzitlolone a été identifiée comme molécule candidate contre le CHIKV (CE50 = 7 μM). Des relations structure-activité ont pu être définies ; la présence d'un groupement oxygéné sur la chaîne latérale des tonantzitlolones semble jouer un rôle important sur la réponse antivirale de ces squelettes diterpéniques

Assessing the Impact of Anger State on the Three Attentional Networks With the ANT-I

Anger is a negative and highly aroused emotion. Previous research has revealed that a high level of arousal can induce the participant in a physical preparation and self-awareness. The aim of this research was to study the influence of anger on the attentional network using the Attention Network Test-Interactions (ANT-I). This test has been developed in order to assess 3 attentional networks: alerting, orienting, and executive control. Here, participants were induced in anger using the autobiographic recall procedure or in a neutral mood before the realization of the ANT-I. As expected, the results showed a better alerting score for the angry group. The possible origin of this alerting gain related to the high level of arousal is discussed. The results obtained should enlighten the interaction between emotion and the functioning of the attentional system. They also may be relevant for applied fields related to anger. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)

Bacterial diversity on stainless steel surfaces of egg processing companies and potential of selected isolates to spoil liquid whole egg products

AimsTo assess the bacterial diversity in the French egg processing industry and to explore the adhesion and spoilage potential of selected bacteria.Methods and ResultsSterile stainless steel chips were suspended for 2 months inside the pipelines of seven egg processing companies, before and after the pasteurizer, at warm and cold seasons. After exposure, the bacterial diversity was assessed by 16S rDNA sequencing. The 231 collected isolates were mainly facultative anaerobic Gram positive bacteria, such as Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Bacillus and Kocuria. Sixty‐five representative isolates were further characterized in vitro regarding the potential for adhesion and egg product spoilage. A high diversity was observed from one genus to another. Kocuria and Rothia isolates showed significantly higher adhesion than the isolates of the other genera. Only the isolates belonging to the genera Bacillus and Lysinibacillus, associated with high enzymatic activities on a solid egg‐based medium, were able to induce spoilage of liquid whole egg.ConclusionsBacteria collected on stainless steel surfaces placed in egg processing industries could be associated to liquid egg product spoilage.Significance and Impact of the StudyThis study provides new insights on the bacterial contamination in egg processing companies and represents a first step for the effective control of undesirable bacteria in liquid egg products

Identifying eroded Messinian deposits on the Maltese Islands by gypsum Sr isotopes

International audienceEvaporite sediments are known to have formed during the Messinian high salinity crisis that has been recognized in many Mediterranean areas. This event was however never identified on the Maltese Islands. In this study, a Sr isotopic characterization of gypsum, found as secondary minerals in the Oligocene-Miocene formations of Malta and Gozo is performed. The 87Sr/86Sr values are discussed on the basis of comparison with the surrounding rock Sr isotopic signature. The data outline two distinguishable 87Sr/86Sr ratios for gypsum according to their facies. Most of crack-infilling mineral data suggest a downward fluid circulation in the Miocene sediment associated with interaction in the currently outcropping limestones. Some gypsum crystals found as crystallized spherules show significantly lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios, close to those defined in the literature for Messinian evaporate sediments. Taken together, this may suggest that an evaporate formation of Messinian age had in the past covered the present-day sedimentary sequence in Malta and Gozo

Reconstructing fluid-flow events in Lower-Triassic sandstones of the eastern Paris Basin by elemental tracing and isotopic dating of nanometric illite crystals

International audienceLower- to Middle-Triassic sandstones from eastern Paris Basin were buried to a maximum depth of 2500 m at a paleo-temperature of about 100 °C. They contain extensive amounts of authigenic platy and filamentous illite particles similar to those reported in reservoirs generally buried at 3000 to 5000 m and subjected to temperatures of 120 to 150 °C. To evaluate this unexpected occurrence, such sandstones were collected from drill cores between 1825 and 2000 m depth, and nanometric-sized sub-fractions were separated. The illite crystals were identified by XRD, observed by SEM and TEM, analyzed for their major, trace, rare-earth elements and oxygen isotope compositions, and dated by K-Ar and Rb-Sr.Illite particles display varied growth features in the rock pore space and on authigenic quartz and adularia that they postdate. TEM-EDS crystal-chemical in situ data show that the illite lath/fiber and platelet morphologies correspond at least to two populations with varied interlayer charges: between 0.7 and 0.9 in the former and between 0.8 and 1.0 in the latter, the Fe/Fe+Mg ratio being higher in the platelets. Except for the deeper conglomerate, the PAAS-normalized REE patterns of the illite crystals are bell-shaped, enriched in middle REEs. Ca-carbonates and Ca-phosphates were detected together with illite in the separates. These soluble components yield 87Sr/86Sr ratios that are not strictly in chemical equilibrium with the illite crystals, suggesting successive fluids flows with different chemical compositions. The K-Ar data of finer <0.05 μm illite separates confirm two crystallization events at 179.4 ± 4.5 and 149.4 ± 2.5 Ma during the Early and Late Jurassic. The slightly coarser fractions contain also earlier crystallized or detrital K-bearing minerals characterized by lower δ18O values. The δ18O of the finest authigenic illite separates tends to decrease slightly with depth, from 18.2 (± 0.2) to 16.3 (± 0.2) ‰, suggesting different but contemporaneous crystallization conditions deeper in the section.The illite platelets and filaments crystallized in changing physical-chemical crystallization conditions induced by fluids flows through the host-rock pore system. These flow events were probably driven by repetitive rifting episodes of the North Atlantic Ocean, although located several hundreds kilometers away from eastern Paris Basin, and/or by fracturing events in the nearby basement of the Vosges Massif. Complex relationships between geodynamical events, thermal anomalies, and advective fluids confirm that remote tectonic activities can impact quiescent basins, even if located far from tectono-thermal activities, by discrete and long-distance fluid flows

Unraveling the mysteries of honeybee in the Mascarene Islands

Exam paper for second semester 2017, N.D. Extraction Metallurg