Enhancing Students’ Mobile-Assisted Language Learning through Self-Assessment in a Chinese College EFL Context

The rapid development of mobile communication technology, high penetration of mobile devices as well as the increasing number of mobile English learning applications all together facilitate the feasibility and popularity of mobile-assisted English learning among Chinese college students. Self-assessment is always recommended as a powerful strategy to enhance learning by helping learners regulate their study and improve their motivation and engagement, so it may also offer the potential to evaluate students’ mobile autonomous learning in the new era. This study investigates the current condition of Chinese college students’ mobile-assisted English learning, and which self-assessment strategies are employed during the process. Data collected from the questionnaire, which surveyed about 300 undergraduates from 7 Chinese public and private universities, show the popularity of mobile-assisted English learning among Chinese undergraduates. However, in terms of self-assessment strategies, the results are less optimistic, for only about half of the respondents use it with a medium to high frequency. The reasons, analyzed through a follow-up interview, mainly lie in the lack of strong will and motivation, the loneliness of learning alone and the difficulty in finding the perfect application. Suggestions for strengthening self-assessment include improving knowledge of what self-assessment is and its benefits, planning one’s study properly, improving collaboration with classmates, involving teachers as supporters and paying more attention to subsequent reflection

Synthetic engineering of a new biocatalyst encapsulating [NiFe]-hydrogenases for enhanced hydrogen production

Hydrogenases are microbial metalloenzymes capable of catalyzing the reversible interconversion between molecular hydrogen and protons with high efficiency, and have great potential in the development of new electrocatalysts for renewable...</jats:p

Reprogramming bacterial protein organelles as a nanoreactor for hydrogen production

Compartmentalization is a ubiquitous building principle in cells, which permits segregation of biological elements and reactions. The carboxysome is a specialized bacterial organelle that encapsulates enzymes into a virus-like protein shell and plays essential roles in photosynthetic carbon fixation. The naturally designed architecture, semi-permeability, and catalytic improvement of carboxysomes have inspired rational design and engineering of new nanomaterials to incorporate desired enzymes into the protein shell for enhanced catalytic performance. Here, we build large, intact carboxysome shells (over 90 nm in diameter) in the industrial microorganism Escherichia coli by expressing a set of carboxysome protein-encoding genes. We develop strategies for enzyme activation, shell self-assembly, and cargo encapsulation to construct a robust nanoreactor that incorporates catalytically active [FeFe]-hydrogenases and functional partners within the empty shell for the production of hydrogen. We show that shell encapsulation and the internal microenvironment of the new catalyst facilitate hydrogen production of the encapsulated oxygen-sensitive hydrogenases. The study provides insights into the assembly and formation of carboxysomes and paves the way for engineering carboxysome shell-based nanoreactors to recruit specific enzymes for diverse catalytic reactions

Loess Strata Distribution Characteristics and Paleoclimate Spatial Pattern during the Last Interglacial in the Luohe River Basin

Paleoclimate studies of loess in China have focused mostly on the time series of a single borehole or profile. However, research on loess strata and regional paleoenvironmental patterns could facilitate a deeper understanding of loess as a paleoenvironmental indicator and provide new insights into interpreting loess in sedimentary records of the paleoclimate. In this study, we determined the spatial pattern and regional characteristics of the paleoclimate during the Last Interglacial period in the Luohe River Basin, Shaanxi Province, China. We selected four representative boreholes in the study area (ZK04, ZK18, ZK13, and ZK19) from different landforms and zones, distributed from the northwest to the southeast, as well as three classic profiles (JB, JD, and LC). From north to south, comparative analyses were conducted of the loess strata, magnetic susceptibility, and grain size, and we analyzed the distribution characteristics of loess and paleosols in different geomorphological regions. The results showed that both the thickness and the sedimentation rate of loess in this river basin decreased from north to south. There were few paleosol horizons in the northern Liangmao area, but numerous such horizons in the southern plateau, and the degree of paleosol development increased from north to south. The magnetic susceptibility increased, whereas the particle composition tended to become thinner from north to south. The climate fluctuations of the Last Glacial recorded by the loess and paleosols in different regions were inconsistent

The study of clinicopathologic features of cervical squamous carcinoma with invasive micropapillary like pattern and phenotype

Invasive micropapillary carcinoma has been reported in the adenocarcinoma of many organs including cervix, and many studies have proved it has more invasive biological behavior. This study, for the first time, reports cervical squamous carcinoma with invasive micropapillary like pattern and phenotype (IMLPP) and further investigates its clinicopathologic features. Cervical squamous carcinoma with IMLPP was selected by histological characteristics and immunohistochemical staining. All patients’ clinical information and pathological parameters were collected. Based on histological characteristics and immunohistochemical staining results, 24 cases, out of 104 cases of cervical squamous carcinoma, were identified as having invasive micropapillary like pattern. The staining of all 24 cases with EMA and MUC-1 showed the feature of “reverse polarity like”. Meanwhile, patient age at diagnosis (P=0.011), maximum invasion depth (P=0.001), maximum diameter (P=0.015), lymphvascular space invasion (P<0.001), pelvic lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), metastasis (P=0.020), death (P=0.025) and FIGO stages (P=0.001) were related to the existence of IMLPP, independently of the proportion of IMLPP to the whole tumor in size. Univariate and multivariate disease-free survival analyses (follow-up time >12 months) showed significant statistical difference between cervical squamous carcinoma with or without IMLPP (P=0.016, P=0.043). Results from our study suggested that IMLPP may be associated with aggressive biological behavior in cervical squamous carcinoma. Therefore, pathologists should pay attention to the existence of it, no matter its proportion with relation to the whole tumor, and bring it to the attention of clinicians

Distribution Characteristics and Formation Mechanisms of Highly Mineralized Groundwater in the Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia

As the largest artesian irrigation area in northern China, the Hetao Plain is also one of the major grain-producing areas in China. Meanwhile, there is a large amount of highly mineralized groundwater resulting in the soil salinization and desertification in this region. In addition, this study also uses the traditional hydro-geochemical methods to investigate the spatial evolution characteristics and formation mechanisms of highly mineralized groundwater. The results indicate that there is a large amount of highly mineralized groundwater (salinity > 3 g/L) in the shallow aquifer over the Hetao Plain. As far as the spatial patterns are concerned, there are significant spatial differences. In accordance with the structural, paleogeographic, landform, and hydrogeological conditions, the highly mineralized groundwater in the Hetao Plain can be divided into five zones, namely, the front fan depression, the north bank of the Yellow River, Xishanzui, Hasuhai in the Hubao Plain, and Dalad banner on the south bank of the Yellow River. Among them, the highly mineralized groundwater of Xishanzui exhibits the largest value of the salinity > 10 g/L. The main cations are Mg2+ and Na+, while the main anions are Cl− and SO42−. Moreover, the groundwater in the highly mineralized area contains a large amount of I−. According to the analysis of Piper, Gibbs diagrams of groundwater, the proportion coefficients of various components and the indication of isotope, it can be seen that most of the chemical ions in groundwater in the highly mineralized zone come from evaporation-concentration, which are mainly affected by climate, sedimentary environment, hydrogeological conditions and hydrology. The source of high mineralization in Xishanzui are different from other high mineralization regions, and the highly mineralized groundwater in Xishanzui is formed by the infestation of deep underground salt brine. These results can provide scientific basis for the rational allocation of regional water resources and the promotion of water resources development and utilization