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This study examines learners' experiences and the use of language learning applications ("apps") as a primary source of "second or additional language learning" ("L2") instruction and assessment in higher education. It purviews the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features that support technology-enhanced language learning experiences. Principles of pedagogy, heutagogy, and self-determination theory are used to inform the appropriate design and application of AI to support language learning. We examine the congruence between learner's goals with perceived outcomes following a 4-week language learning intervention using an app. A survey of n = 151 adult learners across two Canadian universities revealed: (a) apps are perceived as an engaging, convenient, and structured approach to early stages of L2 learning and (b) the integration of AI for conversation-based simulations or speech recognition would enable more adaptive, personalized L2 learning experiences. The authors discuss implications for future developments and AI uptake for language learning apps.

This letter to the editor aims to address claims made by Bailey et al. [2023. Appeasement: Replacing Stockholm syndrome as a definition of a survival strategy. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 14(1), 2161038] about the history of the concept of appeasement in relation to mammalian survival responses as well as the fawn response, by offering a brief overview and analysis of the literature.

Late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) is the most frequent neurodegenerative disease, and the APOE ε4 allele is the most prominent risk factor for LOAD. Four human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines MLUi007-J, MLUi008-B, MLUi009-A, and MLUi010-B were generated from LOAD patients and healthy matched donors by reprogramming of B-lymphoblastoid cells (B-LCLs) with episomal plasmids. The application of B-LCLs holds a great promise to model LOAD and other diseases because they can easily be generated from primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Our qualitative analysis focuses on prosocial depictions of mental health issues in entertaining video games, with the theoretical lens of Critical Disability Studies. The inquiry of four video games in our sample focuses on a. how the depictions of the mental health issues were constructed in the games’ production process and b. how these issues are represented in the products’ structures. The method of document analysis allowed us to reconstruct how and to which end game designers and mental health experts collaborated during the production process towards implementing the mental health issues. Employing methods of game studies, we analyzed the depiction of the main playable character, the interaction design and the gameplay. In conclusion, the four indie video games can be played with or without a deeper insight into the mental health issue. The way the mental health issues are constructed in the video games shows that they are mainly illustrative for an individualized, medical model of mental health. Gameplay was mostly linear, and there was little room for interactivity in terms of choices or self-guided exploration. This can be traced back to the production process, as the game designers mainly relied on the advice of medical professionals and/or the introspection of individuals with a lived experience of the mental health issue. Although the analyzed video games are commendable for their efforts to engage with mental health issues in a prosocial and playful way, their usefulness for fostering a comprehensive mental health education is limited.

In diesem Artikel wird der digitale Wandel an Schulen zum Ausgangspunkt genommen, um die Konsequenzen des Einsatzes von digitalen Lernwerkzeugen für die Interaktionsstrukturen im schulischen Unterricht aus einer praxeologischen Perspektive zu reflektieren. Es wird für die Entwicklung von digitalen Lernwerkzeugen argumentiert, welche Partizipation und Kollaboration im Unterricht fördern und das strukturierende Lehrerhandeln unterstützen. Als Fallbeispiel dient die Web-App TRAVIS GO und ihr Entwicklungsprozess, in welchen Lehrpersonen aus den Sekundarstufen I und II als Co-Researcher eingebunden waren. TRAVIS GO ist eine App zur kollaborativen Re- und Dekonstruktion von audiovisuellen Medienprodukten. Im didaktischen Design von TRAVIS GO wurden die Anforderungen an problemlösendes, forschendes Lernen und kooperatives Arbeiten erfüllt und die Möglichkeit zum strukturierenden Lehrerhandeln gegeben. TRAVIS GO wird mit Fokus auf die programmseitig angebotenen Möglichkeiten zur Partizipation erstmals systematisch beschrieben und mit den Erfahrungen von Lehrpersonen im Unterrichtseinsatz zusammengebracht, welche im Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekt im Rahmen einer empirischen Bildungsforschung gewonnen wurden.

In diesem Beitrag stellen wir dar, wie Schüler*innen der Sekundarstufe II (3. Schuljahr) sich im Fach Englisch vertieft mit der Darstellung von Feminismus in selbst ausgewählten Musikvideos auseinandergesetzt haben. Da dies eine detaillierte Analyse von Text-, Bild- und Musik-Elementen beinhaltete, wurde dafür eine speziell für den Unterricht entwickelte Web-App eingesetzt (TRAVIS GO). Der Beitrag zeigt didaktische Zugänge zur Umsetzung des Themas auf, und geht dabei spezifisch auf die Funktionalitäten von TRAVIS GO für die Analyse moderner Medien im Fremdsprachenunterricht ein. Ziel dabei ist die kritische Diskussion eines zentralen gesellschaftlichen Themas anhand authentischer Materialien, wobei sprachliches, ästhetisch-kulturelles und mediales Lernen verbunden werden.

This study examines learners' experiences and the use of language learning applications ("apps") as a primary source of second or additional language learning ("L2") instruction and assessment in higher education. It purviews the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features that support technology-enhanced language learning experiences. Principles of pedagogy, heutagogy, and self-determination theory are used to inform the appropriate design and application of AI to support language learning. We examine the congruence between learner's goals with perceived outcomes following a 4-week language learning intervention using an app. A survey of n = 151 adult learners across two Canadian universities revealed: (a) apps are perceived as an engaging, convenient, and structured approach to early stages of L2 learning and (b) the integration of AI for conversation-based simulations or speech recognition would enable more adaptive, personalized L2 learning experiences. The authors discuss implications for future developments and AI uptake for language learning apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: One potential pathomechanism how low nephron number leads to hypertension in later life is altered salt handling. We therefore evaluated changes in electrolyte and water content in wildtype (wt) and GDNF+/- mice with a 30% reduction of nephron number. Methods: 32 GDNF+/- and 36 wt mice were fed with low salt (LSD, 0.03%, normal drinking water) or high salt (HSD, 4%, 0.9% drinking water) diet for 4 weeks. Blood pressure was continuously measured by telemetry in a subgroup. At the end of the experiment and after standardized ashing processes electrolyte- and water contents of the skin and the total body were determined. Results: We found higher blood pressure in high salt treated GDNF+/-compared to wt mice. Of interest, we could not confirm an increase in total-body sodium as predicted by prevailing explanations, but found increased total body and skin chloride that interestingly correlated with relative kidney weight. Conclusion: We hereby firstly report significant total body and skin chloride retention in salt sensitive hypertension of GDNF+/-mice with genetically determined lower nephron number. Thus, in contrast to the prevailing opinion our data argue for the involvement of non-volume related mechanisms.