The Interrelationship Between Chinese English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Immediacy and Clarity With Learners' Boredom.

Since boredom significantly contributes to diminished motivation among learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), there is a need to identify factors that influence boredom. Amidst various elements that can precipitate students' boredom, educational-related concepts have garnered particular attention, with the learning environment emerging as a chief focal point due to its consequential importance to learners. Specifically, the role of teachers' clarity and immediacy in manipulating learners' performance, enthusiasm, and involvement has been widely recognized. Consequently, in this study, we scrutinized the impact of EFL teachers' immediacy and clarity in mitigating learners' boredom. To this end, we collected data from 383 Chinese students through the administration of three scales measuring their perceptions of teacher clarity, teacher immediacy, and learners' boredom. We identified significant associations between teachers' clarity and immediacy and learners' boredom. In Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis, both teacher immediacy and clarity were robust predictors of students' boredom, with about 48% of the variance in students' boredom accounted for by teachers' immediacy, and 53% of this variance attributed to teachers' clarity. We elaborate upon the implications of these findings in our discussion.

Modeling and Reliability Analysis of MEMS Gyroscope Rotor Parameters under Vibrational Stress.

Vibrational environments can cause drift or changes in Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) gyroscope rotor parameters, potentially impacting their performance. To improve the effective use of MEMS gyroscopes, this study introduced a method for evaluating the reliability of parameter degradation under vibration. We analyzed the working principle of MEMS gyroscope rotors and investigated how vibration affects their parameters. Focusing on zero bias and scale factor as key performance indicators, we developed an accelerated degradation model using the distributional assumption method. We then collected degradation data for these parameters under various vibration conditions. Using the Copula function, we established a reliability assessment approach to evaluate the degradation of the MEMS gyroscope rotor's zero bias and scale factor under vibration, enabling the determination of reliability for these parameters. Experimental findings confirmed that increasing stress levels lead to reduced failure times and increased failure rates for MEMS gyroscope rotors, with significant changes observed in the zero bias parameter. Our evaluation method effectively characterizes changes in the reliability of the MEMS gyroscope rotor's scale factor and zero bias over time, providing valuable information for practical applications of MEMS gyroscopes.

Biological differences between normal and cancer-associated fibroblasts in breast cancer.

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) constitute the primary constituents of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and exert significant influences on cancer progression. However, adequate comprehension of CAF profiles in breast cancer, as well as the precise mechanisms underlying their promotion of cancer, remains lacking. Objectives: To discerns the biological differences between normal fibroblasts (NFs) and CAFs in breast cancer and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods: Three pairs of CAFs and NFs were isolated from breast cancer patients of diverse subtypes who had not undergone prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Morphological characteristics of CAFs and NFs were assessed through optical and electron microscopy, their biological attributes were examined using cell counting kits and transwell assays, and their impact on breast cancer cells was simulated using a coculture system. Furthermore, the miRNA profiles of CAFs and NFs were sequenced via an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Results: CAFs exhibited higher growth rate and motility than NFs and a stronger potential to promote the malignancy of breast cancer cells. RNA sequencing of both NFs and CAFs revealed differentially expressed miRNAs with notable variability among distinct patients within their NFs and CAFs, while the enrichment of the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs within both GO terms and KEGG pathways demonstrated significant similarity across patients with different profiles. Conclusion: CAFs have greater malignancy and higher potential to influence the growth, migration, invasion and chemoresistance of cocultured breast cancer cells than NFs. In addition, the miRNAs that are differentially expressed in CAFs when compared to NFs display substantial variability across patients with distinct breast cancer subtypes, while the enrichment of target genes regulated by these miRNAs, within GO terms and KEGG pathways, remains remarkably consistent among patients with varying profiles.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts in breast cancer: Challenges and opportunities.

The tumor microenvironment is proposed to contribute substantially to the progression of cancers, including breast cancer. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant components of the tumor microenvironment. Studies have revealed that CAFs in breast cancer originate from several types of cells and promote breast cancer malignancy by secreting factors, generating exosomes, releasing nutrients, reshaping the extracellular matrix, and suppressing the function of immune cells. CAFs are also becoming therapeutic targets for breast cancer due to their specific distribution in tumors and their unique biomarkers. Agents interrupting the effect of CAFs on surrounding cells have been developed and applied in clinical trials. Here, we reviewed studies examining the heterogeneity of CAFs in breast cancer and expression patterns of CAF markers in different subtypes of breast cancer. We hope that summarizing CAF-related studies from a historical perspective will help to accelerate the development of CAF-targeted therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.