Effects Of Web-Based Interactive Modules On Engineering Students’ Learning Motivations

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of a newly developed modules, Interactive Web-Based Visualization Tools for Gluing Undergraduate Fuel Cell Systems Courses system (IGLU), on learning motivations of engineering students using two samples (n1=144 and n2=135) from senior engineering classes. The multivariate analysis results revealed that the participants had a significant increase in their learning motivation after the treatment with the IGLU modules. This result was cross-validated with the two samples, in which the motivation mean posttest scores are significantly higher than the mean pretest scores, systematically (Sample 1: the mean score is increased by 2.09 [.32, 3.87] points, p = .021; Sample 2: the mean score is increased by 1.38 [.14, 2.61] points, p = .029). With the use of instructional technology prevailing in current university courses, the education initiative of the IGLU system and the assessment of its impact on student learning motivation provide us information to improve the modules to serve a more diverse student body. It will greatly help the development of engineering educational curriculum. With regards to the statistical inference, it is desirable to conduct further studies with a quasi-experiment control group design to assess the program effect focusing on student learning and its associations with student learning motivations and learning styles

Distributional dynamics of a vulnerable species in response to past and future climate change: a window for conservation prospects

Background The ongoing change in climate is predicted to exert unprecedented effects on Earth’s biodiversity at all levels of organization. Biological conservation is important to prevent biodiversity loss, especially for species facing a high risk of extinction. Understanding the past responses of species to climate change is helpful for revealing response mechanisms, which will contribute to the development of effective conservation strategies in the future. Methods In this study, we modelled the distributional dynamics of a ‘Vulnerable’ species, Pseudolarix amabilis, in response to late Quaternary glacial-interglacial cycles and future 2080 climate change using an ecological niche model (MaxEnt). We also performed migration vector analysis to reveal the potential migration of the population over time. Results Historical modelling indicates that the range dynamics of P. amabilis is highly sensitive to climate change and that its long-distance dispersal ability and potential for evolutionary adaption are limited. Compared to the current climatically suitable areas for this species, future modelling showed significant migration northward towards future potential climatically suitable areas. Discussion In combination with the predicted future distribution, the mechanism revealed by the historical response suggests that this species will not be able to fully occupy the future expanded areas of suitable climate or adapt to the unsuitable climate across the future contraction regions. As a result, we suggest assisted migration as an effective supplementary means of conserving this vulnerable species in the face of the unprecedentedly rapid climate change of the 21st century. As a study case, this work highlights the significance of introducing historical perspectives while researching species conservation, especially for currently vulnerable or endangered taxa that once had a wider distribution in geological time

Maps showing the fossil locality at Jiahua village, Tiantai County, Zhejiang, East China.

<p>The maps are created by CorelDRAW X8 (<a href="http://www.coreldraw.com/en/product/graphic-design-software/" target="_blank">http://www.coreldraw.com/en/product/graphic-design-software/</a>).</p

Late Miocene <i>Pseudolarix amabilis</i> bract-scale complex from Zhejiang, East China

<div><p>Previously, the identification of fossil <i>Pseudolarix</i> at the species level has been based on the morphology of the bract-scale complex of the seed cone. The morphological consistence of fossils through most of the Cenozoic with extant <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i> has led them to be considered conspecific, suggesting that <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i> is an extraordinary example of morphological stasis. However, the lack of cuticular evidence, especially for the leaf-homologous bract, reduces the accuracy of fossil identification based on morphology, thus weakening the evidence for morphological stasis in <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i>. For the first time, we provide cuticular evidence of the bract-scale of fossil <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i> based on the bract-scale complex from the late Miocene Shengxian Formation, Zhejiang, East China, which improves the identification accuracy and reinforces the concept of morphological stasis in this species. Second, we preliminarily reveal the niche stability of <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i>, which corresponds to its morphological stasis. Finally, we infer that the late Miocene forest containing <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i> in Zhejiang was an evergreen sclerophyllous broad-leaved or mixed mesophytic forest, which combined with the evergreen broad-leaved forest suggested by previous megafossil studies, indicates the occurrence of vertical vegetation zonation.</p></div

Ovuliferous scale epidermis of fossil and living <i>Pseudolarix amabilis</i>.

<p>(A–C, H) Abaxial fossil cuticle. (A) Cuticle of the upper half of the ovuliferous scale showing the arrangement of epidermal cells and stomata. (B) Outer surface of the cuticle showing the sunken stomatal apparatus. (C) Inner surface of the cuticle showing the cuticular projection resulting from the sunken stomatal apparatus. (D-G, I) Abaxial epidermis of extant species for comparison. (D) Epidermis of the upper half of the ovuliferous scale. (E) Outer surface of the sunken stomatal apparatus. (F) Cuticular projection on the inner surface of the cuticle. (G) Cuticle with epidermal cells attached with arrowhead 1 pointing to the stoma, arrowhead 2 pointing to the epidermal cell, and arrowhead 3 pointing to the cuticle. (H) Cuticle of the auriculate parts of the fossil ovuliferous scale with the approximate isodiametric polygon epidermis cells indicated by an arrowhead. (I) Cuticle at the base of the auriculate parts of the extant ovuliferous scale. Scale bars: (A, D, G, I), 40 μm; (B, C, E, F), 10 μm; (H), 100 μm.</p

The MAT requirements of <i>Pseudolarix amabilis</i> through geological time^a.

<p>The MAT requirements of <i>Pseudolarix amabilis</i> through geological time<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180979#t001fn001" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p

MAT requirements for the survival of <i>Pseudolarix amabilis</i> compared with global climate over the Cenozoic.

<p>(A) Global benthic δ¹⁸O record (modified from Zachos et al. [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180979#pone.0180979.ref007" target="_blank">7</a>]). (B) MAT requirements of <i>P</i>. <i>amabilis</i> at different time slices during the Cenozoic (for details, see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180979#pone.0180979.t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>). The dashed line shows the linear trend in the median required MAT values.</p

The worldwide distribution of fossil and living <i>Pseudolarix</i>.

<p>Fossil records are updated based on LePage and Basinger [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180979#pone.0180979.ref005" target="_blank">5</a>]; for updated fossil records, see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180979#pone.0180979.s001" target="_blank">S1 Table</a>. Living distribution data are accessed through Chinese Virtual Herbarium (CVH) Data Portal (<a href="http://www.cvh.ac.cn/" target="_blank">http://www.cvh.ac.cn/</a>) (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180979#pone.0180979.s002" target="_blank">S2 Table</a>). The map is generated by ArcGis v. 9.3 (<a href="http://www.arcgis.com/home/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.arcgis.com/home/index.html</a>).</p

Reconstruction of fossil <i>Pseudolarix amabilis</i>.

<p>(A) Abaxial surface of the bract-scale complex. (B) Adaxial surface of the ovuliferous scale. Panels (A, B) were drawn by Aili Li. Scale bars: (A, B), 1 cm.</p

Rediscovery and phylogenetic relationships of the scolopendromorph centipede Mimops orientalis Kraepelin, 1903 (Chilopoda): a monotypic species of Mimopidae endemic to China, for more than one century

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