This paper reviews studies of peer feedback from the novel perspective of the providers of that feedback. The possible learning benefits of providing peer feedback in online learning have not been ...extensively studied. The goal of this study was therefore to explore the process of providing online peer feedback as a learning activity for the provider. We concluded that (1) providing online peer feedback has several potential learning benefits for the provider; (2) when providing online peer feedback, students use different cognitive processes; (3) the cognitive processes and the potential learning benefits can be realised when students use specific elements in the feedback they provide.
•We explore providing online peer feedback as a learning activity.•In providing online peer feedback, a student has different potential learning benefits.•In providing online peer feedback, a student uses different cognitive processes.•Learning from giving online peer feedback is related to the use of specific elements in the feedback.•We present a process model for providing online peer feedback.
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•Facebook higher in autonomy, relatedness and competence than f2f.•The 2 groups differ in learning outcomes.•The differences in learning outcomes relate to relatedness, autonomy and ...competence.•Within the groups no relations between learning outcomes and SDT variables.•Relatedness is the strongest predictor of learning, autonomy the weakest.
This article aims to explain differences between a group learning English on a Facebook page and a face-to-face group in terms of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT focuses on three main variables, which improve self-determination and motivation outside but also inside the classroom: autonomy, competence and relatedness. The main research question was: how can we explain differences between a face-to-face group (FTF) and a Facebook group learning a foreign language in terms of autonomy, competence and relatedness? The results indicate that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of learning outcomes as well as in the three SDT variables. Students in the Facebook group felt more autonomous, competent and related. All three SDT variables correlated with learning outcomes. There was, however, almost no relationship among the SDT variables with learning outcomes within the two groups. The strongest predictor of the difference in learning outcomes proved to be relatedness, followed by competence.
This paper presents an evaluation case study that describes the experiences of 15 students and 2 teachers using a video-based learning environment, DiViDU, to facilitate students’ daily reflection ...activities in a composition course and a ballet course. To support dance students’ reflection processes streaming video was applied as follows: video editing and viewing for facilitating students in describing their practice; writing online self-assessments about the experiences captured on video to support students in evaluating their practice; online peer-feedback activities concerning the recorded practice for facilitating students in learning from multiple perspectives. In the composition course eight students reflected on their choreographic work, which was performed by their peer students. In the ballet course seven students reflected on themselves practicing the ballet technique. Data about the streaming video facilitation were collected after the completion of the reflection assignments using semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that students in both courses considered steaming video as effective for carrying out self-evaluations. The usefulness of video and online peer-feedback for other reflection processes differed among the courses in students’ view. The teachers considered streaming video generally useful for all the reflection processes of their students; however they also indicated some shortcomings.
The focus of this study is to explore the advances that Social Network Analysis (SNA) can bring, in combination with other methods, when studying Networked Learning/Computer-Supported Collaborative ...Learning (NL/CSCL). We present a general overview of how SNA is applied in NL/CSCL research; we then go on to illustrate how this research method can be integrated with existing studies on NL/CSCL, using an example from our own data, as a way to synthesize and extend our understanding of teaching and learning processes in NLCs. The example study reports empirical work using content analysis (CA), critical event recall (CER) and social network analysis (SNA). The aim is to use these methods to study the nature of the interaction patterns within a networked learning community (NLC), and the way its members share and construct knowledge. The paper also examines some of the current findings of SNA analysis work elsewhere in the literature, and discusses future prospects for SNA. This paper is part of a continuing international study that is investigating NL/CSCL among a community of learners engaged in a master's program in e-learning.
In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is an adverse event associated with high mortality. Because of the impact of IHCA more data is needed on incidence, outcomes and associated factors that are present ...prior to cardiac arrest. The aim was to assess one-year survival, patient-centred outcomes after IHCA and their associated pre-arrest factors.
A multicentre prospective cohort study in 25 hospitals between January 1st 2017 and May 31st 2018. Patients ≥ 18 years receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for IHCA were included. Data were collected using Utstein and COSCA-criteria, supplemented by pre-arrest Modified Rankin Scale (MRS, functional status) and morbidity through the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Main outcomes were survival, health-related quality of life (HRQoL, EuroQoL) and functional status (MRS) after one-year.
A total of 713 patients were included, 64.5% was male, median age was 63 years (IQR 52–72) and 72.8% had a non-shockable rhythm, 394 (55.3%) achieved ROSC, 231 (32.4%) survived to hospital discharge and 198 (27.8%) survived one year after cardiac arrest. Higher pre-arrest MRS, age and CCI were associated with mortality. At one year, patients rated HRQoL 72/100 points on the EQ-VAS and 69.7% was functionally independent.
One-year survival after IHCA in this study is 27.8%, which is relatively high compared to previous studies. Survival is associated with a patient’s pre-arrest functional status and morbidity. HRQoL appears acceptable, however functional rehabilitation warrants attention. These findings provide a comprehensive insight in in-hospital cardiac arrest prognosis.
The archaeal minichromosome maintenance (MCM) has DNA helicase activity, which is stimulated by GINS in several archaea. In the eukaryotic replicative helicase complex, Cdc45 forms a complex with MCM ...and GINS, named as CMG (Cdc45-MCM-GINS). Cdc45 shares sequence similarity with bacterial RecJ. A Cdc45/RecJ-like protein from Thermococcus kodakarensis shows a bacterial RecJ-like exonuclease activity, which is stimulated by GINS in vitro. Therefore, this archaeal Cdc45/RecJ is designated as GAN, from GINS-associated nuclease. In this study, we identified the CMG-like complex in T. kodakarensis cells. The GAN·GINS complex stimulated the MCM helicase, but MCM did not affect the nuclease activity of GAN in vitro. The gene disruption analysis showed that GAN was non-essential for its viability but the Δgan mutant did not grow at 93°C. Furthermore, the Δgan mutant showed a clear retardation in growth as compared with the parent cells under optimal conditions at 85°C. These deficiencies were recovered by introducing the gan gene encoding the nuclease deficient GAN protein back to the genome. These results suggest that the replicative helicase complex without GAN may become unstable and ineffective in replication fork progression. The nuclease activity of GAN is not related to the growth defects of the Δgan mutant cells.
is a hyperthermophilic archaeon that harbors a complete set of genes for chitin degradation to fructose 6-phosphate. However, wild-type
KOD1 does not display growth on chitin. In this study, we ...developed a
strain that can grow on chitin via genetic and adaptive engineering. First, a chitinase overproduction strain (KC01) was constructed by replacing the chitinase gene promoter with a strong promoter from the cell surface glycoprotein gene, resulting in increased degradation of swollen chitin and accumulation of
-,
'-diacetylchitobiose in the medium. To enhance
-,
'-diacetylchitobiose assimilation in KC01, genes encoding diacetylchitobiose deacetylase, exo-β-d-glucosaminidase, and glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase were also overexpressed to obtain strain KC04. To strengthen the glycolytic flux of KC04, the gene encoding Tgr (transcriptional repressor of glycolytic genes) was disrupted to obtain strain KC04Δt. In both KC04 and KC04Δt strains, degradation of swollen chitin was further enhanced. In the culture broth of these strains, the accumulation of glucosamine was observed. KC04Δt was repeatedly inoculated in a swollen-chitin-containing medium for 13 cultures. This adaptive engineering strategy resulted in the isolation of a strain (KC04ΔtM1) that showed almost complete degradation of 0.4% (wt/vol) swollen chitin after 90 h. The strain produced high levels of acetate and ammonium in the culture medium, and, moreover, molecular hydrogen was generated. This strongly suggests that strain KC04ΔtM1 has acquired the ability to convert chitin to fructose 6-phosphate via deacetylation and deamination and further convert fructose 6-phosphate to acetate via glycolysis coupled to hydrogen generation.
Chitin is a linear homopolymer of β-1,4-linked
-acetylglucosamine and is the second most abundant biomass next to cellulose. Compared to the wealth of research focused on the microbial degradation and conversion of cellulose, studies addressing microbial chitin utilization are still limited. In this study, using the hyperthermophilic archaeon
as a host, we have constructed a strain that displays chitin-dependent hydrogen generation. The apparent hydrogen yield per unit of sugar consumed was slightly higher with swollen chitin than with starch. As gene manipulation in
is relatively simple, the strain constructed in this study can also be used as a parent strain for the development and expansion of chitin-dependent biorefinery, in addition to its capacity to produce hydrogen.
RecJ was originally identified in Escherichia coli and plays an important role in the DNA repair and recombination pathways. Thermococcus kodakarensis, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, has two RecJ-like ...nucleases. These proteins are designated as GAN (GINS-associated nuclease) and HAN (Hef-associated nuclease), based on the protein they interact with. GAN is probably a counterpart of Cdc45 in the eukaryotic CMG replicative helicase complex. HAN is considered mainly to function with Hef for restoration of the stalled replication fork. In this study, we characterized HAN to clarify its functions in Thermococcus cells. HAN showed single-strand specific 3' to 5' exonuclease activity, which was stimulated in the presence of Hef. A gene disruption analysis revealed that HAN was non-essential for viability, but the ΔganΔhan double mutant did not grow under optimal conditions at 85 °C. This deficiency was not fully recovered by introducing the mutant han gene, encoding the nuclease-deficient HAN protein, back into the genome. These results suggest that the unstable replicative helicase complex without GAN performs ineffective fork progression, and thus the stalled fork repair system including HAN becomes more important. The nuclease activity of HAN is required for the function of this protein in T. kodakarensis.
Introduction
Nowadays, one of the most important questions in teaching and learning involves increasing the degree of students’ engagement in learning. According to Astin’s Theory of Student ...engagement, the best learning environment is one in which it is possible to increase students’ engagement. The current study investigates the influences that using these networks for educational purposes may have on learners’ engagement, motivation, and learning.
Results
By a detailed comparison of a control group using face to face education and an experimental group using the social network Facebook, this study found significant differences between the two groups in terms of learning, engagement and motivation. The Facebook group showed higher outcomes in the TOEFL post-test than the face to face group with no differences in the pre-test. The Facebook group report significantly higher levels of engagement and motivation after the course than the face to face group.
Conclusion
Engagement was related to learning outcomes in the Facebook group, but not in the face to face group. Also the results of the Facebook group supported Astin’s theory (the fourth principle: ‘Development is proportional to quantity and quality of involvement’ and fifth principle ‘The effectiveness of any educational practice is directly related to the ability of that practice to increase student engagement’). No correlation between engagement and motivation was found. The discussion focuses on the role of engagement in learning.
The hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis can utilize sugars or pyruvate for growth. In the absence of elemental sulfur, the electrons via oxidation of these substrates are accepted by ...protons, generating molecular hydrogen (H2). The hydrogenase responsible for this reaction is a membrane-bound NiFe-hydrogenase (Mbh). In this study, we have examined several possibilities to increase the protein levels of Mbh in T. kodakarensis by genetic engineering. Highest levels of intracellular Mbh levels were achieved when the promoter of the entire mbh operon (TK2080-TK2093) was exchanged to a strong constitutive promoter from the glutamate dehydrogenase gene (TK1431) (strain MHG1). When MHG1 was cultivated under continuous culture conditions using pyruvate-based medium, a nearly 25% higher specific hydrogen production rate (SHPR) of 35.3 mmol H2 g-dcw(-1) h(-1) was observed at a dilution rate of 0.31 h(-1). We also combined mbh overexpression using an even stronger constitutive promoter from the cell surface glycoprotein gene (TK0895) with disruption of the genes encoding the cytosolic hydrogenase (Hyh) and an alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT), both of which are involved in hydrogen consumption (strain MAH1). At a dilution rate of 0.30 h(-1), the SHPR was 36.2 mmol H2 g-dcw(-1) h(-1), corresponding to a 28% increase compared to that of the host T. kodakarensis strain. Increasing the dilution rate to 0.83 h(-1) or 1.07 h(-1) resulted in a SHPR of 120 mmol H2 g-dcw(-1) h(-1), which is one of the highest production rates observed in microbial fermentation.