Search

With a purpose of enhancing the current literature surrounding breakout room use, and focusing on teachers' experiences, this study assessed the viability of using breakout rooms in online classes. It employed a mixed methods research design to shed light on the use of breakout rooms during and after the COVID pandemic. From a survey of 113 teachers, employed in a Bilingual Chinese school, it was clear that respondents felt they needed further training to maximize the effectiveness of their use of this function (96%). They were of the opinion that groupwork is one of the most effective ways of increasing student participation and speaking time. This opinion was seconded both by the school's educational technologist, who was interviewed in detail and asked to reflect on the survey, and the literature more generally. Beyond this, there was a significant correlation between the opinions of Primary and Secondary teachers, while discursive responses also supported this data. At both levels, breakout rooms were generally used for group presentations, group and pair discussions, differentiated learning and group research.

The purpose of this study was to identify the main problems elementary teachers face when teaching online. 13 elementary teachers were interviewed and asked to list the main problems they face when teaching online. Their answers were grouped into the following groups: Assessing students; Behaviour; Communication; Engaging students; Incorporating social-emotional learning; Instructions, modelling, demonstrating; Motivating students; Organisation; Parents over or under support; Planning and delivering lessons; Supporting students; and Technology issues. Then, 554 elementary teachers were surveyed using Microsoft Forms. The findings indicated that the four main problems teachers face when teaching online are related to assessing students, engaging students, parents over or under support and technology. When teacher votes were grouped by country, the findings correlated cross-culturally at 0.92 correlation, indicating a correlation of significance. A secondary aim of the study was to find whether teachers felt as competent in the online teaching environment as they do in the traditional classroom. The survey showed that 55% of teachers did not feel as competent.

Foraging behavior requires weighing costs of time to decide when to leave one reward patch to search for another. Computational and animal studies suggest that striatal dopamine is key to this process; however, the specific role of dopamine in foraging behavior in humans is not well characterized. We use positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to directly measure dopamine synthesis capacity and D1 and D2/3 receptor availability in 57 healthy adults who complete a computerized foraging task. Using voxelwise data and principal component analysis to identify patterns of variation across PET measures, we show that striatal D1 and D2/3 receptor availability and a pattern of mesolimbic and anterior cingulate cortex dopamine function are important for adjusting the threshold for leaving a patch to explore, with specific sensitivity to changes in travel time. These findings suggest a key role for dopamine in trading reward benefits against temporal costs to modulate behavioral adaptions to changes in the reward environment critical for foraging.

Solving arithmetic word problems has been a challenge for primary students due to difficulties in understanding the problem structure and relating the quantities in the problem to each other. This paper reports on an action research study to enhance students' subtraction word problem-solving skills. The authors observed that their students had difficulties in representing the situations in word problems and solving the problems correctly. They designed, implemented, and analyzed an intervention to scaffold their students' subtraction word problem-solving skills. As part of the intervention, a digital subtraction game was developed and used with second and third-grade students. The game involves three different representations: a discrete visual model, a bar model, and a number sentence. The students played the game and solved additional problems to strengthen their skills for representing and solving subtraction word problems. Twenty-four 2nd grade students in China and two 3rd grade students in Turkey participated in the study. Data sources included a pre-test, a post-test, student worksheets, and teachers' filed notes. Data analysis showed an increase in students' subtraction word problem-solving performance. They also effectively used a variety of representations to represent problem situations. The design and implementation processes of the intervention are discussed in the paper. We share suggestions for future implementation.

This study introduces a learning activity that was designed based on two student-centered approaches to education: inquiry-based learning and multi-disciplinary education. Twenty-four second grade students participated in the study. The activity integrates geography, English, and technology and offers students opportunities for inquiry-based thinking. The goal of the activity is for students to find out what the seven continents are, where they are in the world, and create their own little maps. The students collaboratively explore world maps both in hand and on the interactive board. The extension activity is the area of differentiation and acts as differentiation by outcome. Data analysis revealed that all students met the learning goals. The main area for improvement on this would be to have the students mark their work by looking at a real map of the world instead of a completed version of their worksheet; this would make the assessment more authentic.

The samples from lunar farside have great significance for the study of the Moon, and even the solar system. Chang’e-6 landed successfully on the southern mare of the Apollo basin and returned ~2 kg of samples from lunar farside. To provide a better understanding for the background of the returned samples, we conducted detailed crater size-frequency distribution (CSFD) measurements in the Chang’e-6 landing region, the southern mare of the Apollo basin. The southern mare is divided into the western mare (W region) and the eastern mare (E region), and then subdivided into five subunits (W1, W2, W3, W4, W5) and three units (E1, E2, E3), respectively, according to the elevation, TiO2, and FeO abundances. Within the W2 and W5 region, more detailed subunits were separated out. The results show that the southern mare surface was active during two epochs, the Imbrian period and the Eratosthenian period. The basalt eruption lasted for ~1.7 Ga, from 3.28 Ga of the eastern mare to 1.54 Ga of the western mare. The W region is younger than the E region, while the three units of the E region have an age of ~3.2 Ga. The ages of the western mare basalts range from 2.98 Ga to 1.54 Ga, lasting for 1.4 Ga. It is worth noting that the age of the basalt at the Chang’e-6 sampling site is ~1.68 Ga, indicating the samples returned may include components with this very young age.

The evolution of the Moon is driven by both endogenic (e.g., magmatism) and exogenic processes (e.g., impact). The lunar surface can be divided into 3 first-order tectonic units based on differences in geochemistry, crustal thickness, topography, and distribution of structures. However, the interpreted boundaries demarcated by different features varied widely. As research progresses, the understanding of the lunar structure is continuously improving, and new types of structures are constantly being discovered. The previous structural classification system needs to be updated. According to the major geological events and dynamic evolution, the evolutionary history of the Moon can be divided into 3 stages and 1 pivotal event. The first stage (4.52 to 4.3 Ga) is the evolution of the magmatic ocean, and it was dominated by endogenic processes. The formation of South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin (~4.3 Ga) is the pivotal event of crustal evolution and indicates that the lunar crust had cooled and consolidated to sufficient rigidity to preserve structures. Both endogenic and exogenic processes were active in the second stage (4.3 to 3.0 Ga), which results in numerous impact basins, mare basalt flooding, and different types of associated structures. The last stage (3.0 Ga to the present) is late neotectonic activity, which has weak modification of the tectonic framework. Response of tectonic framework and structure to lunar major geological events had been organized and discussed in this paper, and key scientific issues are summarized. This study can provide reference and support for implementation of subsequent lunar exploration projects.

Tectonic features on the Moon can reflect the state of stress during the formation of the structure, and sinuous rilles can provide further insight into the tectonic-thermal evolution of the Moon. Manual visual interpretation is the primary method for extracting these linear structures due to their complex morphology. However, extracting these features from the vast amount of lunar remote sensing data requires significant time and effort from researchers, especially for small-scale tectonic features, such as wrinkle ridges, lobate scarps, and high-relief ridges. In order to enhance the efficiency of linear structure detection, this paper conducts research on the automatic detection method of linear structures using sinuous rilles as an example case. In this paper, a multimodal semantic segmentation method, “Sinuous Rille Network (SR-Net)”, for detecting sinuous rilles is proposed based on DeepLabv3+. This method combines advanced techniques such as ECA-ResNet and dynamic feature fusion. Compared to other networks, such as PSPNet, ResUNet, and DeepLabv3+, SR-Net demonstrates superior precision (95.20%) and recall (92.18%) on the multimodal sinuous rille test set. The trained SR-Net was applied in detecting lunar sinuous rilles within the range of 60°S to 60°N latitude. A new catalogue of sinuous rilles was generated based on the results of the detection process. The methodology proposed in this paper is not confined to the detection of sinuous rilles; with further improvements, it can be extended to the detection of other linear structures.

Societal Impact Statement Fermented “hard” cider is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity. While there is a long history of cultivating apple trees with fruit quality characteristics intended specifically for cider production, there is a dearth of cider‐specific apple production in many emerging cider producing regions, such as North America. To help bolster the emerging cider industry and identify topics that warrant further research, this review article describes the biochemistry and physiology of apple fruit quality from a cider producing perspective. Summary The United States and Western Europe have a long history of alcoholic “hard” cider production made from the fermented juice of apples (Malus spp.), especially in regions where cultivation of European grapevines (Vitis vinifera) for wine was climatically limited. While all apples contain fermentable sugars, in many regions, cultivars were selected, named, and propagated specifically for fermentation. This review highlights fruit quality attributes that are important for cider production and that are distinct from fresh‐market apple fruit and wine grapes. Polyphenol profiles, yeast assimilable nitrogen composition, carbohydrates, organic acids, pectin, and volatile aroma compounds are discussed as they relate to cider quality.

The South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin is the oldest and largest visible impact structure on the Moon, making it a high priority science site for exploration missions. The 492 km diameter Apollo peak-ring basin is one of the youngest and largest basins within the SPA basin. We selected three regions of interest (ROIs) in the Apollo basin for which the landing and operational hazards are minimized and evaluated their science and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) potential. We examined topography, slope, crater density, rock abundance, geologic mapping, mineralogy, and inferred subsurface stratigraphy within each ROI. The results show that the terrain is safe for landing without precision landing (within a few hundred meters). The mare materials have high ISRU potential with relatively high FeO (∼16–20 wt%) and TiO _2 (∼3–10 wt%) contents. Two robotic exploration mission architectures were examined for their scientific potential: (1) lander and rover with a dedicated payload suite and (2) the same architecture with sample return capability. In situ observations can address six of seven National Research Council concepts (1–3, 5–7) and Campaigns 1 and 5 of the European Space Agency’s Strategy for Science at the Moon.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mixed dementia (MxD) comprise the majority of dementia cases in the growing global aging population. MxD describes the coexistence of AD pathology with vascular pathology, including cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). Cardiovascular disease increases risk for AD and MxD, but mechanistic synergisms between the coexisting pathologies affecting dementia risk, progression and the ultimate clinical manifestations remain elusive. To explore the additive or synergistic interactions between AD and chronic hypertension, we developed a rat model of MxD, produced by breeding APPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenes into the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) background, resulting in the SHRSP/FAD model and three control groups (FAD, SHRSP and non-hypertensive WKY rats, n = 8-11, both sexes, 16-18 months of age). After behavioral testing, rats were euthanized, and tissue assessed for vascular, neuroinflammatory and AD pathology. Hypertension was preserved in the SHRSP/FAD cross. Results showed that SHRSP increased FAD-dependent neuroinflammation (microglia and astrocytes) and tau pathology, but plaque pathology changes were subtle, including fewer plaques with compact cores and slightly reduced plaque burden. Evidence for vascular pathology included a change in the distribution of astrocytic end-foot protein aquaporin-4, normally distributed in microvessels, but in SHRSP/FAD rats largely dissociated from vessels, appearing disorganized or redistributed into neuropil. Other evidence of SVD-like pathology included increased collagen IV staining in cerebral vessels and PECAM1 levels. We identified a plasma biomarker in SHRSP/FAD rats that was the only group to show increased Aqp-4 in plasma exosomes. Evidence of neuron damage in SHRSP/FAD rats included increased caspase-cleaved actin, loss of myelin and reduced calbindin staining in neurons. Further, there were mitochondrial deficits specific to SHRSP/FAD, notably the loss of complex II, accompanying FAD-dependent loss of mitochondrial complex I. Cognitive deficits exhibited by FAD rats were not exacerbated by the introduction of the SHRSP phenotype, nor was the hyperactivity phenotype associated with SHRSP altered by the FAD transgene. This novel rat model of MxD, encompassing an amyloidogenic transgene with a hypertensive phenotype, exhibits several features associated with human vascular or "mixed" dementia and may be a useful tool in delineating the pathophysiology of MxD and development of therapeutics.

Solving arithmetic word problems has been a challenge for primary students due to difficulties in understanding the problem structure and relating the quantities in the problem to each other. This paper reports on an action research study to enhance students’ subtraction word problem-solving skills. The authors observed that their students had difficulties in representing the situations in word problems and solving the problems correctly. They designed, implemented, and analyzed an intervention to scaffold their students’ subtraction word problem-solving skills. As part of the intervention, a digital subtraction game was developed and used with second and third-grade students. The game involves three different representations: a discrete visual model, a bar model, and a number sentence. The students played the game and solved additional problems to strengthen their skills for representing and solving subtraction word problems. Twenty-four 2nd grade students in China and two 3rd grade students in Turkey participated in the study. Data sources included a pre-test, a post-test, student worksheets, and teachers’ filed notes. Data analysis showed an increase in students’ subtraction word problem-solving performance. They also effectively used a variety of representations to represent problem situations. The design and implementation processes of the intervention are discussed in the paper. We share suggestions for future implementation.

Lunar grabens are the largest tensional linear structures on the Moon. In this paper, 17 grabens were selected to investigate the dips and displacement–length ratios (γ) of graben-bounding faults. Several topographic profiles were generated from selected grabens to measure their rim elevation, width and depth through SLDEM2015 (+LOLA) data. The differences in rim elevation (∆h) and width (∆W) between two topographic profiles on each graben were calculated, yielding 146 sets of data. We plotted ∆h vs. ∆W for each and calculated the dip angle (α) of graben-bounding faults. A dip of 39.9° was obtained using the standard linear regression method. In order to improve accuracy, large error data were removed based on error analysis. The results, 49.4° and 52.5°, were derived by the standard linear regression and average methods, respectively. Based on the depth and length of grabens, the γ value of the graben-bounding normal fault is also studied in this paper. The γ value is 3.6 × 10−3 for lunar normal faults according to the study of grabens and the Rupes Recta normal fault. After obtaining the values of α and γ, the increase in lunar radius indicated by the formation of grabens was estimated. We suggest that the lunar radius has increased by approximately 130 m after the formation of grabens. This study could aid in the understanding of normal fault growth and provide important constraints on the thermal evolution of the Moon.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation is a hallmark of plant abiotic stress response. ROS play a dual role in plants by acting as signaling molecules at low levels and damaging molecules at high levels. Accumulation of ROS in stressed plants can damage metabolites, enzymes, lipids, and DNA, causing a reduction of plant growth and yield. The ability of cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) to catalytically scavenge ROS in vivo provides a unique tool to understand and bioengineer plant abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we present a protocol to synthesize and characterize poly (acrylic) acid coated nanoceria (PNC), interface the nanoparticles with plants via leaf lamina infiltration, and monitor their distribution and ROS scavenging in vivo using confocal microscopy. Current molecular tools for manipulating ROS accumulation in plants are limited to model species and require laborious transformation methods. This protocol for in vivo ROS scavenging has the potential to be applied to wild type plants with broad leaves and leaf structure like Arabidopsis thaliana.