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Background: Given the advancement of mobile and sensing technology, the incorporation of augmented reality (AR) in context-aware ubiquitous learning (CAUL) has offered significant benefits to oral communication development in foreign language learning. Although a great number of studies have been dedicated in this field, only a little research was conducted to formulate a facilitation framework aligning with established learning theories or pedagogies. Objectives: This review thereby examined the facilitation tenets conducive to the best practice of AR-based CAUL projects for oral communication enhancement and further established a AR-guided CAUL framework. Methods: The researchers systematically reviewed 17 related empirical AR studies from Web of Science from 2000 to 2021 and synthesized the results with focused second language acquisition theories. Results and Conclusions: Three practical tenets were identified, including facilitating learner-centred pedagogies with personal and contextual learning supports, incorporating constructivist learning design, and encouraging collaborative learning and higher-order cognitive skills. Furthermore, in accordance with the synthesized results, a facilitation framework combining situated learning, learning-by-doing, and social constructivist design was developed to engage students in a learning, applying, and reflecting process in formal and informal learning contexts. Major Takeaways: For the best practice of oral communication through AR, this review study offers practical facilitation tenets and theoretical framework which are in alignment with research-proven theories. It is expected that the framework could provide frontline educational practitioners with guidance to foster students' learning outcomes and interactions.

With the advancement of mobile technology, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has significant potential regarding its practical applications and benefits in foreign language learning. Nevertheless, little research was conducted to examine factors regarding the facilitation of oral communication through MALL based on established theories or models. The purpose of this review is to investigate the main constituents conducive to the intended outcomes based on an adapted model from Beatty (2010) and further provide guidelines for enthusiastic stakeholders in the field. Twenty-eight empirical studies were collected and categorized according to four key variables of the design model and analyzed qualitatively, with the key findings identified as follows. Due to the technical affordance of mobile technology, it is found that a student-centered self-regulated learning context is created, where students construct knowledge through self-instruction, self-evaluation, and self-correction. Furthermore, a speaking strategy-driven collaborative-based learning design enhances students' oral proficiency through strong social connections, interactions, and communication. Finally, given the pedagogical design and practices, high-level cognitive thinking is thereby promoted, with promising affective learning outcomes. In light of the findings, guidelines for educational practitioners, learners, and system designers are provided for pedagogical and practical application in the future.

Commercialization of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting technology is hindered by the slower kinetics of oxygen evolution in the currently available photoanodes. Light absorption, charge-separation, and charge-transfer efficiencies determine the kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at semiconductor photoanode surfaces. All these parameters can be maximized by nanotexturing the photoanode surface through morphological (cones, pyramids, grids, etc.) control and crystallographic (facets) orientation. The primary objective of texturing on conducting substrates is to improve the photoconversion efficiency in PEC devices through an increased surface area and light absorption. Laser-assisted ablation and melt-fusion additive techniques allow for rapid iteration of morphological architecture designs for optimized light absorption properties. This work reviews various ultrafast laser techniques employed for fabricating nanotextured surfaces and their impact on PEC performance. Compared with conventional electrode fabrication techniques, laser-based surface nanotexturing techniques provide a cost-effective, rapid design, and validation method for the research and development of photoelectrochemical water splitting technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia (PE) remains one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. However, the exact pathophysiology of PE is still unclear. The recent widely accepted notion that successful pregnancy relies on maternal immunological adaptation is of utmost importance. Moreover, salt-inducible kinase 3 (SIK3) is an AMP-activated protein kinase-related kinase, and it has reported a novel regulator of energy and inflammation, and its expression related with some diseases. To explore whether SIK3 expression correlated with PE, we analyzed SIK3 gene expression and its association with PE through GEO datasets. We identified that SIK3 was significantly downregulated in PE across four datasets (p < 0.05), suggesting that SIK3 participated in the pathogenesis of PE. We initially demonstrated the significant downregulation of SIK3 in trophoblast cells of PE. SIK3 downregulation was positively correlated with the increased number of CD204(+) cells in in vivo and in vitro experiments. The increased number of CD204(+) cells could inhibit the migration and invasion of trophoblast cells. We then clarified the potential mechanism of PE with SIK3 downregulation: M2 skewing was triggered by trophoblast cells derived via the CCL24/CCR3 axis, leading to an increase in CD204(+) cells, a decrease in phagocytosis, and the production of IL-10 at the maternal–fetal interface of the placenta with PE. IL-10 further contributed to a reduction in the migration and invasion of trophoblast cells. It also established a feedback loop wherein trophoblast cells increased CCL24 production to maintain M2 dominance in the placental environments of PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]