Genome-wide analysis of FRF gene family and functional identification of HvFRF9 under drought stress in barley

FHY3 and its homologous protein FAR1 are the founding members of FRS family. They exhibited diverse and powerful physiological functions during evolution, and participated in the response to multiple abiotic stresses. FRF genes are considered to be truncated FRS family proteins. They competed with FRS for DNA binding sites to regulate gene expression. However, only few studies are available on FRF genes in plants participating in the regulation of abiotic stress. With wide adaptability and high stress-resistance, barley is an excellent candidate for the identification of stress-resistance-related genes. In this study, 22 HvFRFs were detected in barley using bioinformatic analysis from whole genome. According to evolution and conserved motif analysis, the 22 HvFRFs could be divided into subfamilies I and II. Most promoters of subfamily I members contained abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate response elements; however, a large number promoters of subfamily II contained gibberellin and salicylic acid response elements. HvFRF9, one of the members of subfamily II, exhibited a expression advantage in different tissues, and it was most significantly upregulated under drought stress. In-situ PCR revealed that HvFRF9 is mainly expressed in the root epidermal cells, as well as xylem and phloem of roots and leaves, indicating that HvFRF9 may be related to absorption and transportation of water and nutrients. The results of subcellular localization indicated that HvFRF9 was mainly expressed in the nuclei of tobacco epidermal cells and protoplast of arabidopsis. Further, transgenic arabidopsis plants with HvFRF9 overexpression were generated to verify the role of HvFRF9 in drought resistance. Under drought stress, leaf chlorosis and wilting, MDA and O2− contents were significantly lower, meanwhile, fresh weight, root length, PRO content, and SOD, CAT and POD activities were significantly higher in HvFRF9-overexpressing arabidopsis plants than in wild-type plants. Therefore, overexpression of HvFRF9 could significantly enhance the drought resistance in arabidopsis. These results suggested that HvFRF9 may play a key role in drought resistance in barley by increasing the absorption and transportation of water and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. This study provided a theoretical basis for drought resistance in barley and provided new genes for drought resistance breeding

A Taxonomy of ESL Writing Strategies

This paper is only a portion of a larger project. It reports a model of ESL writing strategies which is synthesised from the previous studies on ESL writing strategies. The categories used to frame ESL writing strategies are generated from theories related to ESL writing. The significance and limitations of the taxonomy have been discussed in the paper

An exploratory study of Chinese University students english textual competence

This paper argues that the textual competence is one of the important abilities for English learners to organize their spoken or written discourse effectively. However, the investigation found that Chinese university students were weak in textual competence in English reading. It concludes that English teachers had better to be conscious of what communicative competence includes and the training of students’ textual competence should be reinforced in communicative English classroom

An Investigation of Three Chinese Students' English Writing Strategies

The purpose of this study is to investigate the writing processes of second language (L2) writers, specifically examining the writing strategies of three Chinese post-graduate students in an Australian higher education institution. The study was prompted by the paucity of second language writing strategies of Chinese students in an authentic context. Data collected from a semi-structured interview, questionnaire, retrospective post-writing discussion, and written drafts of papers were analysed. The findings indicated that the three participants employed rhetorical strategies, metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies in their writing practice. This study supports Silva's finding that L2 writing process is strategically, rhetorically, linguistically different from first language (L1) writing process (1993). Data demonstrated that metacognitive, cognitive, and social/affective strategies except rhetorical strategies (organisation of paragraphs) transferred across languages positively

An investigation of the writing strategies three Chinese post-graduate students report using while writing academic papers in English

Due to a lack of effective writing strategies and inhibition of English language proficiency, university students in China are found to produce little and shallow content in their English academic writing. Similar problems are also embodied in the academic writing of Chinese overseas students who struggle to survive in the target academic community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the writing processes of second language (L2) writers, specifically examining the writing strategies of three Chinese post-graduate students in an Australian higher education institution. The study was prompted by the paucity of research in the writing strategies used by Chinese students in English academic writing in an authentic context. Although it was too small in scale to generalise in the field of L2 writing, the study will stimulate research in L2 writing theory and practice. Based on a review of theories related to L2 writing and research in Chinese and English writing strategies, the writing strategies used by three Chinese post-graduate students while writing academic papers in English were investigated. Their understandings of English and Chinese writing processes, the issue of transfer of Chinese writing into English writing and cultural influence of native language on L2 writing were explored as well. Qualitative hermeneutic multi-case study methods were employed to provide a richer description of the writing strategies used by the three students to develop a deeper understanding of the L2 writing process. Data were provided by three Chinese post-graduate student writers in Public Health who were observed undertaking different tasks. Ally, a Masters student, was observed completing one of the assignments for a course. Susan and Roger, both doctoral students, were observed working on a second stage proposal and a journal paper respectively. Data collected from semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, retrospective post-writing discussions and papers were categorised and analysed using topical structure analysis and cohesion analysis. The findings suggest that writing in a second language is a complicated idiosyncratic developmental process influenced by cognitive development, social/educational experience, the writer's first language (L1) and second language (L2) proficiency and cultural factors as well. These proficient writers were found to utilise a broad range of writing strategies while writing academic papers in English. This study in some degree supports Silva's (1993) finding that the L2 writing process is strategically, rhetorically, and linguistically different from the L1 writing process. Most of the metacognitve, cognitive, communicative and social/affective strategies except rhetorical strategies (operationally defined in this study as organisation of text or paragraphs) were found to transfer across languages positively. These student writers were noticed to have difficulties in acculturating into the target academic discourse community because of their background of reader-responsibility which is regarded as a crucial feature in Eastern rhetoric and is distinguished from writer-responsibility in English rhetoric (Hinds, 1987, 1990)

A Proposal for a Taxonomy of ESL Writing Strategies

Writing strategies are usually considered to separate successful from less successful writers (Arndt, 1987; Beare, 2000; Raimes, 1985; Victori, 1995; Zamel, 1982). However, the recognition and classification of English as Second Language (ESL) writing strategies are found to be vague and confusing in the field of ESL writing research. Invoking the theories of contrastive rhetoric, cognitive development, communication and social constructionism, this paper proposes five categories used to code extensive ESL writing strategies. A taxonomy of ESL writing strategies is established based on synthesizing the previous studies on ESL writing strategies. The significance and limitations of the taxonomy have been discussed in the paper

An investigation of writing strategies three Chinese post-graduate students use while writing academic papers in English

The purpose of this study is to investigate the writing processes of second language (L2) writers, specifically examining the writing strategies of three Chinese post-graduate students in an Australian higher education institution. The study was prompted by the paucity of second language writing strategies of Chinese students in an authentic context. Qualitative hermeneutic methods were employed to provide a richer description of writing strategies these student writers used for the deeper understanding of L2 writing process. Data were provided by three post-graduate student writers in Public Health who were observed for different tasks. Data collected from semi-structured interview, questionnaire, retrospective post-writing discussion and papers were categorised and analysed with methods of topic structural analysis and cohesion analysis. The findings indicate that writing in a second language is a complicated idiosyncratic developmental process. These proficient writers were found to utilise a broad range of writing strategies while writing academic papers in English. This study supported Silva’s finding (1993) that L2 writing process is strategically, rhetorically, linguistically different from first language writing process. Metacognitve, cognitive, communicative and social/affective strategies except rhetorical strategies (organisation of paragraphs) were found to transfer across languages positively. These student writers were noticed to have difficulties in acculturating into the target academic community with a background of reader-responsible culture

Second language writing strategies : a study of three Chinese post-graduate students

That many overseas university students whose first language is not English lack adequate proficiency in formal academic English has become an issue of growing concern. This timely study examines the writing strategies used by three Chinese post-graduate students while writing academic papers in English. Similarities and differences between the L2 and L1 writing processes are explored and a major hindrance to acculturating into the target academic discourse community is found to be a background of reader-responsibility which is regarded as a crucial feature in Eastern rhetoric and is distinguished from writer-responsibility in English rhetoric