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The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education has brought dramatic modifications in the paradigms and methods practiced in the developed countries. In recent years, the exploitation of ICTs in teaching and learning has been expanded in developing countries too. This study has made an attempt to explore the opportunities and challenges of using ICTs in English language teaching (ELT) in higher education in Nepal, a developing country in Asia. The English language teachers and students from two different colleges were the informants in this study, and interview and focus group discussion were used as the research methods. The study concluded that ICTs were useful for the participants in their teaching and learning activities mainly for accessing learning resources, preparing and presenting their lessons, and for conducting collaborative learning activities. However, it was found that the informants were not satisfied with their utilization of ICTs in teaching and learning of English. Access to ICT tools, and the skills needed to use ICTs were the main problems for them in the integration of ICTs in ELT. Therefore, these constraints need to be minimized to improve the integration of ICTs in ELT in higher education in Nepal.

The practice of integrating pedagogical approaches using multimedia technologies has become one of the common interests in education in recent years. The technology-based approaches such as computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and electronic literacy approach (ELA) are spreading widely in English language teaching (ELT) at present. The research reported in this article studied the characteristics of CSCL tasks in the context of ELT in higher secondary school education in Nepal. Nonparticipant observation of the CSCL tasks assigned to the students in the English class in two different schools, and semi-structured interviews with the students were used as research tools. It was found in the study that the CSCL tasks were useful for enhancing some cognitive skills of the students, though many of the CSCL tasks assigned were more exam-oriented and the teachers gave limited attention to enhance students' higher order thinking skills. This shows that the integration of technology-aided new modes of learning do not in themselves foster higher-order learning; that goal requires deliberate curricular and pedagogical efforts of educators. This study offers new insights for the teachers, students, educators and all others who are interested in technology-based education.

The pinyon pines, Pinus edulis (two-needle pinyon pine) and Pinus monophylla (single-leaf pinyon pine) are conspicuous trees in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the Great Basin. The purpose of this study is to examine the volatile phytochemicals in the leaf essential oils of P. edulis and P. monophylla, including enantiomeric distribution of the chiral monoterpenoids. Leaves (needles) of P. edulis and P. monophylla were collected in Utah and the essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation. Gas chromatographic analysis revealed the major components to be α-pinene (13.1-36.5% and 27.8-29.0%, respectively), β-pinene (6.2-34.8% and 11.2-23.4%), β-phellandrene (9.5-20.2% and 11.9-14.7%), and α-terpineol (3.8-6.8% and 6.2-9.2%). Enantioselective gas chromatography showed (–)-β-pinene (> 95%), (–)-β-phellandrene (> 98%), and (–)-α-terpineol (53.6-93.0%) to be the dominant enantiomers while α-pinene showed some variability (39.5-88.9% (+)-α-pinene). The enantiomeric distributions of chiral terpenoids are presented for these essential oils for the first time and adds to our understanding of Pinus essential oils. However, additional research is needed to investigate the enantiomeric distributions of chiral terpenoids of Pinus essential oils more fully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objective: Wyethia amplexicaulis (shiny mule's ears) and Wyethia helianthoides (white-head mule's ears) are conspicuous forbs growing in open hillsides and prairies at mid to upper elevations in the Intermountain West region of the United States. There have been no previous reports on the essential oil compositions of any Wyethia species, so the objective of this study is to examine the chemical compositions, including enantiomeric distribution of chiral terpenoids, of W. amplexicaulis and W. helianthoides from southern Idaho. Methods: Three individual samples of W. amplexicaulis and W. helianthoides were collected, and the essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Likens-Nickerson apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, and enantioselective GC-MS. Results: The essential oils were obtained in yields of 0.090% to 0.136% and 1.489% to 1.771% for W. amplexicaulis and W. helianthoides, respectively. The three W. helianthoides samples showed high similarity with (−)-germacrene D (16.5%-21.5%), (E)-β-ocimene (10.0%-14.3%), myrcene (8.6%-12.4%), α-pinene (6.3%-7.3%, ≥ 95% (+)-α-pinene), 15-copaenol (4.3%-6.0%), and carotol (3.5%-5.9%) as the major components. The W. amplexicaulis essential oils, on the other hand, showed variation. Two samples were rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, mostly myrcene (22.4% and 32.2%), while the third sample was dominated by oxygenated sesquiterpenoids, 15-copaenol (11.4%), carotol (10.0%), silphiperolan-7β-ol (8.2%), and caryophyllene oxide (5.8%). This is the first investigation of Wyethia essential oils. Conclusions: There are 11 recognized Wyethia species, so additional research is needed to understand the volatile phytochemicals present in this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of our interest in the volatile phytoconstituents of aromatic plants of the Great Basin, we have obtained essential oils of Ambrosia acanthicarpa (three samples), Artemisia ludoviciana (12 samples), and Gutierrezia sarothrae (six samples) from the Owyhee Mountains of southwestern Idaho. Gas chromatographic analyses (GC-MS, GC-FID, and chiral GC-MS) were carried out on each essential oil sample. The essential oils of A. acanthicarpa were dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons, including α-pinene (36.7–45.1%), myrcene (21.6–25.5%), and β-phellandrene (4.9–7.0%). Monoterpene hydrocarbons also dominated the essential oils of G. sarothrae, with β-pinene (0.5–18.4%), α-phellandrene (2.2–11.8%), limonene (1.4–25.4%), and (Z)-β-ocimene (18.8–39.4%) as major components. The essential oils of A. ludoviciana showed wide variation in composition, but the relatively abundant compounds were camphor (0.1–61.9%, average 14.1%), 1,8-cineole (0.1–50.8%, average 11.1%), (E)-nerolidol (0.0–41.0%, average 6.8%), and artemisia ketone (0.0–46.1%, average 5.1%). This is the first report on the essential oil composition of A. acanthicarpa and the first report on the enantiomeric distribution in an Ambrosia species. The essential oil compositions of A. ludoviciana and G. sarothrae showed wide variation in composition in this study and compared with previous studies, likely due to subspecies variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oils from the leaves and twigs of Juniperus horizontalis and Juniperus scopulorum, growing in southwestern Idaho, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC(FID)). The major components in the essential oil of J horizontalis were α-pinene, 16.9%, predominantly (+)-α-pinene; sabinene, 37.1%, exclusively (+)-sabinene; myrcene, 5.0%; and terpinene-4-ol, predominantly (+)-terpinen-4-ol. The essential oil of J scopulorum was rich in sabinene, 29.8%, exclusively (+)-sabinene; terpinene-4-ol, 13.2%, nearly racemic; α-elemol, 9.7%; and 8α-acetoxyelemol, 6.4%. In addition, 12 commercial Juniperus communis fruit essential oils were analyzed by chiral GC-MS. α-Pinene showed considerable variation in enantiomeric distribution, depending on geographical location. The dominant enantiomer of sabinene in J communis essential oils was (+)-sabinene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]