bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study Comparing Coronary Stenting in Smaller Vessels Versus Large Vessels
Authors: Oruganti Harish , Garre Indrani , Vanaparty Bharathi , Yerram Sreekanth
Published: May 2018

Background: Smaller vessel PTCA account to approximately on third of all PTCA worldwide. With increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus and aging, this proportion can increase considerably. This is a region of interest for us because Indians, in particular, are known to have smaller coronaries. There are limited studies in coronary vessels < 2.5 are available. Most of the previous studies defined small vessel as < 3 or 2.75 mm.

Methods and Results: This is an observational single center study where we analyzed 650 patients, 52 in the small vessel group(< 2.5 mm) and 598 in large vessel group(≥ 2.5 mm) with similar mean age between the both the groups (57.5±11.4 vs 57.9±11.1 yrs). Hypertension and smoking are more in large vessel group (74.7% vs 61.9, p=0.004; 22.1% vs 13.4%, p=0.007), whereas no difference for presence of diabetes (54.2% vs 54.3%) or type of CAD (CSA – chronic stable angina – 70.3% vs 76.1%, p=0.2). Large vessel group patients had more LV dysfunction (40.3% vs 24.6%, p=0.000).

Mean Pre reference diameter was 1.9±0.5mm in small vessel group versus 2.9±0.5mm in large vessel group. Mean minimum lesion diameter in small vessel group is 0.8±0.3 mm versus 1.3±1.9 mm in large vessel group. Mean pre-lesion length is 16.7±3.5 mm in small vessel group versus 18.3±8.3mm in large vessel group. Mean stent size is 2.33mm in small vessel group versus 3.04mm in large vessel group. Mean stent length is 17.27mm in small vessel group versus 21.8mm in large vessel group. The success of PCI in small vessel group was 96% (not able to deliver stent in one patient and in one patient there was a non-flow limiting distal stent dissection) and 98% in large vessel group.

In one year follow-up, 5 (3.5%) patients from small vessel group and 34 (4.5%) patients from large vessel group had MACCE which is not statistically significant (p=0.6)

Conclusions: Small vessel (really small means less than 2.5 mm) PCI, not only acute but also one-year results are good with MACCE rate of 3.5% and comparable to large vessel PCI.
Gender Variation in Octogenarians and Nonagenarian Patients Undergoing PCI
Authors: Kumar E. , Prasad K. , Prasad A.
Published: May 2018

Background: The aging of the population worldwide will result in increasing numbers of elderly patients, among whom heart disease is the leading cause of death. Changes in cardiovascular physiology with normal aging and prevalence of comorbidities are different between both sex. This results in differences in the effects of common cardiac problems as well as the response to their treatments. Clinical trials in octogenarians and nonagenarians PCI results are limited. The present study aims to analyze the gender variations in respect to the success of PCI in this elderly population.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of patients aged ≥ 80 yrs. with cardiovascular disease undergoing PCI. The prevalence of variables like age distribution, type of presentation, and pattern of angiographic profile, requirement of pre-dilation before stenting and success of PCI has been compared between male and female population. Student “t” test is used for comparison.

Results: The study population consists of 174 patients with female to male ratio of 1:3.7. The mean age is 82.4 ± 2.9 yrs in males and 82.2±2.9 yrs. in females. The minimum age is 80 and maximum is 99 yrs. 74(54%) male patients and 20 (54.1%)) female patients presented with chronic stable angina. Incidence of single vessel disease among male population is 97 (70.8%) and female population is 23 (62.1%) (p value=0.3). Rest of them are multi vessel disease. Pre-dilatation is required in 89% male patients and 86% female patients (95% CI = 0.09 to 0.14, P-Value = 0.7). LAD, LCX and RCA angioplasties are comparable between the both groups. Three LMCA PCI in females and 3 SVG PCI in males were done. Successful PCI done in 132 (96.4%) male patients and 35 (94.6%) female patients (p=0.7; CI-0.09 to 0.06).

Conclusion: Clinical and demographic features including success of PCI are similar in both female and males in octogenarians and nonagenarians who are undergoing PCI for CAD.
Harnessing Cardiac Energetics in the Treatment of Heart Failure
Authors: Pradhan Akshyay
Published: May 2018

Background: The prevalence of heart failure in India is not clearly known, in developed societies it is about 1 per cent of the elderly population (above 65 years) and is responsible for 20 per cent of all hospital admissions in this age group. Clinical trials that included ACEI, ARBs, beta-blockers and aldosterone antagonists have demonstrated substantial reduction in mortality in patients with systolic heart failure, but still the mortality remains high.

Aim: To recognize the altered energetics that play an important role in the mechanism of heart failure, role of cardiac metabolism and metabolic agents such as trimetazidine in the treatment of heart failure.

Results: Progression of heart failure leads to metabolic changes causing change in relative substrate utilization of fatty acids (60 to 90%) and glucose (10 to 40%) leading to a substantial reduction of ATP synthesis in the failing myocardium. Trimetazidine which is the most studied among the metabolic agents has shown to prefer glucose oxidation to fatty acid, significantly improving ATP synthesis by +33%. Randomized trials of trimetazidine have shown improvement in ejection fraction, 7 –23%, NYHA class, hospitalization and mortality reduction by 30%.

Conclusion: Metabolic management offers fresh insights and among the metabolic agents available trimetazidine is the most documented. Trimetazidine has shown to improve cardiac function without affecting the heart rate or blood pressure. The mortality benefit and improvement in hospitalization frequency suggested need to be confirmed in larger randomized studies.
Impact of Comorbidities on Quality Of Life in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Irukulla Monica , Vaghmare Rama , Joseph Deepa , Ahmed Syed , Jonnadula Jyothi , Valiyaveettil Deepthi
Published: May 2018

Introduction: Comorbidities are common among cancer patients and with an aging population are becoming more prevalent. These can potentially affect the stage at diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of people with cancer. Despite the intimate relationship between comorbidity and cancer, there is limited consensus on how to record, interpret or manage comorbidities in the context of cancer. Addressing the impact of comorbid conditions in cancer patients warrants improvement in the evidence base from which to make treatment decisions for those with comorbidities.

Methods: In this prospective study, 64 patients with breast cancer, underwent QOL assessment using FACT –B questionnaire at three time points- pre-radiation and three and six months post radiation.

Results: 29(46%) patients had comorbidities of which 23 (35%) had cardiovascular comorbidities and 6 had other comorbidities. The co-morbidities were negatively associated with multiple domains of quality of life, including physical functioning, general health, bodily pain. Patients with diabetes and hypertension had significantly lower scores in physical functioning in comparison to patients without diabetes and hypertension, but improved after treatment. In majority of patients the overall scores were less in patients with co-morbidities compared to patients without any co-morbidity.

Conclusion: Comorbidities can significantly affect the quality of life in patients with comorbidities. Hence greater research into the QOL issues for better patient care and symptom management especially during the transitioning phase from active care to follow up will help clinicians improve the quality of care and interdisciplinary co-ordination.
Modalities for Detection of LV Dysfunction
Authors: Patnaik A. , Christopher Johann
Published: May 2018

The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessed by trans-thoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) remains the most common parameter of LV performance that is used in clinical practice. Three-dimensional / volumetric methods are more accurate, but are cumbersome to be performed in every case. The measures of myocardial contractility are more sensitive, reliable and with lesser inter observer variability but their place in daily practice is limited. Two-dimensional echocardiogram has the advantages of easy availability, low cost, portability, lack of radiation and non-invasive nature. Radionuclide studies, SPECT, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI are available only in a few centers and have more specific indication to be performed. The choice of a modality depends on the information sought by the clinician and the availability of expertise. Additional cost, radiation and limited access are important limitations of these special imaging modalities. The invasive methods which were popular a few decades back are by and large relegated to academic exercise.
Functional Threshold Power in Cyclists: Validity of the Concept and Physiological Responses
Authors: Borszcz Fernando , Tramontin Artur , Bossi Arthur , Carminatti Lorival , Costa Vitor
Published: May 2018

Functional threshold power is defined as the highest power output a cyclist can maintain in a quasi-steady state for approximately 60 min (FTP60). In order to improve practicality for regular evaluations, FTP60 could theoretically be determined as 95% of the mean power output in a 20-min time trial (FTP20). This study tested this assumption and the validity of FTP20 and FTP60 against the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). Twenty-three trained male cyclists performed an incremental test to exhaustion, 20- and 60-min time trials, and a time to exhaustion at FTP20. Power output, heart rate and oxygen uptake representing FTP20, FTP60 and IAT were not different (p>0.05), and large to very large correlations were found (r=0.61 to 0.88). Bland-Altman plots between FTP20, FTP60 and IAT showed small bias (–1 to –5 W), but large limits of agreement ([–40 to 32 W] to [–62 to 60 W]). Time to exhaustion at FTP20 was 50.9±15.7 min. In conclusion, FTP20 and FTP60 should not be used interchangeably on an individual basis and their validity against IAT should be interpreted with caution.
Near-field refrigeration and tunable heat exchange through four-wave mixing
Authors: Khandekar Chinmay , Messina Riccardo , Rodriguez Alejandro W.
Published: May 2018

We modify and extend a recently proposed four-wave mixing scheme [C. Khandekar and A. Rodriguez, Opt. Express 25(19), 23164 (2017)] for achieving near-field thermal upconversion and energy transfer, to demonstrate efficient thermal refrigeration at low intensities ∼ 109W/m2 over a wide range of gap sizes (from tens to hundreds of nanometers) and operational temperatures (from tens to hundreds of Kelvins). We further exploit the scheme to achieve magnitude and directional tunability of near-field heat exchange between bodies held at different temperatures.
Coherent transport structures in magnetized plasmas. I. Theory
Authors: Di Giannatale G. , Falessi M. V. , Grasso D. , Pegoraro F. , Schep T. J.
Published: May 2018

In a pair of linked articles (called Papers I and II, respectively), we apply the concept of Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs) borrowed from the study of dynamical systems to magnetic field configurations in order to separate regions where field lines have a different kind of behaviour. In the present article, Paper I, after recalling the definition and the properties of the LCSs, we show how this conceptual framework can be applied to the study of particle transport in a magnetized plasma. Furthermore, we introduce a simplified model that allows us to consider explicitly the case where the magnetic configuration evolves in time on time scales comparable to the particle transit time through the configuration. In contrast with previous works on this topic, this analysis requires that a system that is aperiodic in time be investigated.
Coherent transport structures in magnetized plasmas. II. Numerical results
Authors: Di Giannatale G. , Falessi M. V. , Grasso D. , Pegoraro F. , Schep T. J.
Published: May 2018

In a pair of linked articles (called Papers I and II, respectively), we apply the concept of Lagrangian Coherent Structures borrowed from the study of Dynamical Systems to chaotic magnetic field configurations in order to separate regions where field lines have different kinds of behavior. In the present article, Paper II, by means of a numerical procedure, we investigate the Lagrangian Coherent Structures in the case of a two-dimensional magnetic configuration with two island chains that are generated by magnetic reconnection and evolve nonlinearly in time. The comparison with previous results, obtained by assuming a fixed magnetic field configuration, allows us to explore the dependence of transport barriers on the particle velocity.
Effects of gas reservoir configuration and pore radius on shale gas nanoflow: A molecular dynamics study
Authors: Tian Huiquan , Guo Guang-Jun , Geng Ming , Zhang Zhengcai , Zhang Mingmin , Gao Kai
Published: May 2018

We calculated methane transport through cylindrical graphite nanopores in cyclical steady-state flows using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. First, two typical gas reservoir configurations were evaluated: open (OS) and closed (CS) systems in which pores connect to the gas reservoir without/with a graphite wall parallel to the gas flow. We found that the OS configuration, which is commonly used to study nanoflows, exhibited obvious size effects. Smaller gas reservoir cross-sectional areas were associated with faster gas flows. Because Knudsen diffusion and slip flow in pores are interrupted in a gas reservoir that does not have walls as constraints, OSs cannot be relied upon in cyclical nanoflow simulations. Although CSs eliminated size effects, they introduced surface roughness effects that stem from the junction surface between the gas reservoir and the pore. To obtain a convergent nanoflow, the length of a side of the gas reservoir cross-section should be at least 2 nm larger than the pore diameter. Second, we obtained methane flux data for various pore radii (0.5–2.5 nm) in CSs and found that they could be described accurately using the Javadpour formula. This is the first direct molecular simulation evidence to validate this formula. Finally, the radial density and flow-velocity distributions of methane in CS pores were analyzed in detail. We tested pores with a radius between 0.5 nm and 2.5 nm and determined that the maximum ratio (∼34%) of slip flow to overall flow occurred in the pore with a radius of 1.25 nm. This study will aid in the design of gas reservoir configurations for nanoflow simulations and is helpful in understanding shale gas nanoflows.
Graphene-on-silicon nitride waveguide photodetector with interdigital contacts
Authors: Gao Yun , Tao Li , Tsang Hon Ki , Shu Chester
Published: May 2018

Graphene photodetectors have attracted research attention because of their potential high speed and broad spectral bandwidth. However, their low responsivity and quantum efficiency compared with germanium or III–V material based photodetectors limit their practical use. Here, we demonstrate a chemical vapor deposited graphene photodetector integrated on a silicon nitride waveguide. Interdigital metal contacts are used to reduce the channel spacing down to ∼200 nm. At zero bias, a metal-graphene junction is used for photodetection, which is beneficial for an electro-optic bandwidth of ∼33 GHz in the 1550 nm wavelength band. At a bias of 1 V, a photoconductive responsivity of ∼2.36 A/W at 1550 nm was observed. The high speed and high responsivity make the device promising for photodetection in the telecommunication C-band. A diffusion model is applied to study the carrier transition process in the graphene channel. By adopting this model, the high performance of the device is explained. The main limitation in the responsivity of graphene photodetectors is also analyzed.
Spectral triples on the Jiang-Su algebra
Authors: Bassi Jacopo , Dąbrowski Ludwik
Published: May 2018

We construct spectral triples on a class of particular inductive limits of matrix-valued function algebras. In the special case of the Jiang-Su algebra, we employ a particular AF-embedding.
The representation of women in three medical texts
Authors: Harres Annette
Published: May 2018

The theoretical framework of this paper is based on the literature on language and ideology as well as language and gender, focussing on the reflection of gender ideologies in medical texts. Three medical texts were analysed with regard to the linguistic representation of women. While one text is taken from a gynaecological textbook, the other two texts are representative of popular medical books. The main objective of the study was to determine how ideologies of gender are reflected in the authors’ choice of lexis, and the syntactic relations in the texts. The findings indicated that the use of language mirrors the ideological orientation of the authors, and that medical discourse is characterised to a large degree by sexist language.
The female radical
Authors: Chin Ng Bee , Burridge Kate
Published: May 2018

The paper discusses the sexist portrayal of women in Mandarin Chinese. It begins with a study of asymmetries in the lexicon; e.g. naming conventions, address terms, abuse terms, etc. which exemplify the marginalisation of Chinese women. The focus of the paper is on the stereotyped depiction of women in the written script through an analysis of characters with the female radical. Our analyses indicate that 90% of words which co-occur with the female radical are either semantically negative or convey images of women steeped in damaging stereotypes. These sexist portrayals are further reinforced by the pervasive Yin-Yang cosmology, an ideology which has enormous impact on the Chinese way of life. We argue that despite popular belief, the Yin-Yang cosmology actively serves to maintain and fortify the gender imbalance. We also discuss the omission of language and gender issues from the agenda of past and current discourses on language reforms. Finally we advocate that language reform is a crucial impetus to ideological change.
The construction of gender in early writing
Authors: Kamler Barbara
Published: May 2018

This longitudinal case study explores issues of gender by examining the writing development of two children, a girl and a boy, who learned to write in process writing classrooms in Australia. Participant observation was used to study the children writing in their Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 classrooms. The systemic functional grammar developed by Halliday (1985) and the models of genre and register proposed by Martin (1984, 1986) provided the theoretical framework and the means for analysing the children’s written texts. The findings reveal that even with free topic choice; a) the majority of texts were of one genre, the Observation genre, where the writer reconstructs and evaluates personal experience with family and friends; b) a significant pattern of gender differences occurred within this genre whereby experience was reconstructed by the girl as a passive observer of experience and by the boy as an active participant in the world. A number of implications for classroom practice and future research are suggested.
Gender differences in spoken interaction in same sex dyadic conversations in Australian English
Authors: Thwaite Anne
Published: May 2018

This paper is a quantitative study of gender differences in a corpus of spontaneous spoken discourse of approximately 2000 clauses. Subjects were same sex pairs of speakers of Australian English, from a sample that was homogeneous in all respects except gender. Grammatical analyses derive from the work of Halliday, with conversational analyses developed by Berry (1981a,b,c) and Martin (1992). Results show that statistically significant gender differences occurred in the phonological, lexicogrammatical and semantic strata of the language. A Systemic Functional model was found to be most useful in capturing these differences, and in relating them in a holistic picture of this type of language variation.
Spoken discourse studies in Australia
Authors: Clyne Michael , Slade Diana
Published: May 2018

The following brief survey attempts to discuss the scope, research bases, methodologies, outcomes and applications of studies of spoken discourse in Australia. The survey is not exhaustive but aims to capture the diversity of research work being carried out in different areas of spoken discourse studies in Australia. One feature which stands out in the range of studies is that research into spoken discourse in Australia is motivated by social and communicative needs and opportunities for such investigations.
The use of turn-taking resources in a Khmer-Australian English conversation
Authors: Astbury Valerie E.
Published: May 2018

This research investigates the turn-taking system used in an English conversation across different cultural backgrounds: between an Anglo-Australian female and a Khmer-background female. Throughout the data there is evidence of both speakers’ orientation to the rules of turn-taking as described by Sacks, Schegloff and Jefferson (1974). The normative speaker reveals nonnative speakerlike features in her grammar, but on an interactive level the turn-taking system is working smoothly and without hitches. Both speakers have the skills to interactionally coordinate speaker transitions in a systematic and orderly way, following the rules and using the resources described by Sacks et al. It is particularly striking that in this conversation, the nonnative speaker’s language reveals many nonnative features, but the turn-taking system operates on a native speaker level.
Specific-purpose language performance tests
Authors: Lumley Tom , Brown Annie
Published: May 2018

Oral performance tests designed to assess candidates’ ability to function in a particular professional role typically involve role plays which simulate aspects of professional interaction between a candidate, in his/her professional role, and an interlocutor, in the role of client or consumer of the professional services. The validity of such tests is dependent both on the incorporation of appropriate content and on the extent to which the interaction between candidate and interlocutor simulates authentic professional interaction. Materials for such role plays are commonly produced according to specifications developed by language testers following consultation with professional informants, but there has been little investigation of how well tasks reflect their purpose (i.e. the aims/intentions of the professional experts). Test interlocutors, generally language teachers, normally undergo some form of training in the test administration procedure, but there has been little analysis of how well their behaviour reflects client behaviour.

This paper reports on an investigation into the role which expert professional informants can play in providing post hoc content validation of tasks used in this kind of occupation-specific test, focusing on both the content of the tasks and the behaviour of the interlocutors. The study draws on data from the oral interaction component of an occupation-specific test, the Occupational English Test (McNamara 1996), a 4-skills test for overseas-trained health professionals (with attention in this study to nurses). The study involved a two-day workshop where representatives of the nursing profession, in conjunction with the researchers, analysed both written test materials and audiotaped test data, contributing to an analysis of the realism of the tasks and the features of interlocutor behaviour.
Test interpretation, test use, and pedagogical implications
Authors: Chalhoub-Deville Micheline
Published: May 2018

Test score interpretation and use are the staple of construct validity. As such, in addition to the concern with measurement accuracy, it is imperative that the meaning of test scores and their intended use(s) be also documented. Along these lines, qualitative speech analyses are undertaken in the present paper to help in the interpretation of the dimensions underlying student performance on oral tasks. Results of these analyses yield rich information that explicate the meaning of the dimensions by delineating their specific features as manifested in the speech samples. Also discussed in the paper are the ramifications of these results for pedagogical use. Insights that linguistic accuracy and communicative skills in general, and their specific features specifically, provide for instructional material and activities are addressed. Furthermore, a case is made for curricular improvements to help learners develop well-rounded L2 abilities and to improve their use of the language for real-life communication. Finally, with regard to assessment, it is argued that generic assessment criteria do not reflect the critical features operating in a given context, and assessment practitioners are urged to study their contexts of use and to tailor their criteria according to the particulars of those contexts.
Investigating washback in Japanese EFL classrooms
Authors: Watanabe Yoshinori
Published: May 2018

In Japan it has long been considered that university entrance exams have a negative impact on teaching and learning of English in schools. Recent research, however, suggests that the relationship between testing and teaching is not so simple and requires finegrained ethnographic research in order to fully understand its complexities. This paper argues the case for the necessity of conducting empirical research before any conclusions about the presence or absence of washback can be drawn. An example of this type of research is offered and the processes involved in investigating washback in the Japanese context are described in such a way as to provide a model for future research in this area.
Teaching telephone closings in Japanese
Authors: Hanamura Naoko
Published: May 2018

This paper aims to examine the ways in which communicative approach is reflected in the content of Japanese language textbooks used for the tertiary level in Australia. It does this by comparing examples of telephone closings in Japanese with the features and mechanisms of actual telephone closings in Japanese based on Conversation Analysis, using naturally occurring data. The textbooks examined were found to ignore the potential to reflect cultural differences in telephone conversations between languages. First of all, compared to conversational openings, telephone closings were largely disregarded or overlooked. Secondly, a lack of variations in settings and terminal expressions were noticed, and thirdly there was a gap between the picture presented by the textbooks and actual conversations in the ways in which participants negotiate closings. Taking the importance of exposing learners to authentic materials into consideration, implications for ways of incorporating authentic telephone closings into textbooks and teaching are also suggested.
Referential choice in foreigner talk and in learners’ speech in Japanese
Authors: Kawaguchi Satomi
Published: May 2018

This study of referential choice by Japanese native speakers and learners of Japanese has revealed some significant features in three different types of speech: 1) NS (native speaker)-NS interaction; 2) FT (foreigner talk) and; 3) NNSs’ (non-native speakers’) speech production. The study revealed that both NS in FT and NNS simplified their referential choices. It demonstrates, moreover, that the development of referential choice by NNS correlates with their acquisition of syntax. This experiment was conducted to determine the underlying mechanism for referential choice. The results indicate that potential ambiguity and attention/focus shift affected the referential choices for both NS and NNS of Japanese. Excessive use of both full NPs and ellipsis were observed in NNS speech; by contrast only excessive use of full NPs was observed in FT. This may be explained in terms of the different underlying mechanisms for referential choice used by NS and NNS: different cognitive orientations in the use of two principles of speech production: 1) the clarity principle; and 2) the information economy principle (Williams 1988). Furthermore, the development of use of full NP and ellipsis by NNS varied according to their level of syntactic development.
A study of Japanese back channels
Authors: Lee Duck-Young , Mukai Chiharu
Published: May 2018

This study presents findings from an analysis of the conversational data involving the Japanese back channel with special attention to the comparison of back channel behaviour between Japanese native speakers and Japanese learners at an advanced level. While the analysis is based on four aspects of the back channel (i.e. form, frequency, location and function), the study reveals that native speakers and Japanese learners show significant differences particularly in the locational and functional aspects. There were also trends that the native speaker tends to use back channels in a way of supporting and encouraging the learner to participate in the conversation.
Returning to the homeland
Authors: Noguchi Sachiko
Published: May 2018

Research on the issues of the learners of Japanese outside Japan has increased with the expansion of Japanese language teaching worldwide, but research on those who teach them has received less attention. This paper focuses on one of the issues which Japanese instructors overseas face, in particular, that of native speakers. An individual’s competence in his/her first language in a foreign environment changes over time. The changes become more obvious when first language speakers find themselves in their own country after spending some considerable time overseas. In this study the speakers of the first language were thirteen native speaker instructors teaching at tertiary institutions in Australia. They were interviewed while on a visit to Japan regarding their communication skills in Japan both at the linguistic and non-linguistic levels. The results of the study show a wide range of changes observed; some features are common to many of these instructors while other changes are not. Changes in reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are reported. Associated aspects include skills for determining politeness levels. Non-linguistic features include socio-cultural aspects of Japanese society such as gift-giving customs, and appropriate dress. These changes in communication skills were detected and evaluated by the speakers themselves based on their own encounters while in Japan. The implications for their role as language instructors outside Japan are also discussed.
Computer assisted group project activities in a beginners’ Japanese foreign language class
Authors: Machida Sayuki
Published: May 2018

This study examined the implementation of computer assisted group project activities in a beginners’ Japanese foreign language course. Questions to be investigated were whether or not the implementation of the activities facilitated the beginners’ learning and what other factors affected their learning through the project. Data on (a) the learners’ motivation toward Japanese learning and language learning using the computer, (b) their perceptions of their achievement, and (c) their reflections on the project-based activities, were collected by questionnaire surveys and through the subjects’ journals and reports. The analysis of the participants’ feedback demonstrated that the computer assisted group project activities were overall received positively and provided some, if not all, learners with an alternative approach for learning Japanese as a foreign language. Generally the more smoothly the group work went, the more the learners appear to have achieved through the activities. Three factors appeared to be crucial for the success of the activities: (1) self-directed learning; (2) group dynamics; and, (3) computer-related skills. These outcomes are rather encouraging for the use of projectbased activities as part of the course syllabus.
Chat-Line interaction and negative feedback
Authors: Iwasaki Junko , Oliver Rhonda
Published: May 2018

In recent years researchers have investigated the use of Internet applications for language and cultural learning. While this new technology seems to have provided an educational breakthrough, relatively little linguistic research has been conducted particularly in relation to second language acquisition. Therefore the efficacy of the Internet applications not just for cultural studies or the expansion of knowledge, but also for second/foreign language acquisition remains uncertain. This study explores communicative interactions between native speakers (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs) of Japanese. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was chosen as the setting for this study, because of the resemblance of chat line interactions to verbal exchanges. The linguistic focus in this study was specifically on one form of corrective feedback, namely implicit negative feedback (NF), which provides information to language learners about what is unacceptable in target language (e.g. Long, 1996). It has been claimed that NF plays an important facilitative role in language development. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether NSs provide NF to their NNS interlocutors in interactions during chat line conversations, and whether the NNS’s used this feedback in their subsequent production. The participants were NNSs and NSs of Japanese, formed into 12 gender-matched dyads. Each pair had free on-line “conversation” in three separate sessions. The results show that the proportion of NSs’ NF to the number of NNSs’ non-target-like turns was . lower than that found in the previous studies based on face to face verbal interactions. Even so NF was provided, and it was used – however it remains unclear as to whether or not on-line interactions elicit sufficient NF for acquisition to occur.
A hypertext approach to foreign language reading
Authors: Son Jeong-Bae
Published: May 2018

This article reports the results of a study conducted to examine the use of three different reading text formats: paper-based format (PF), computerbased non-hypertext format (NHF), and computer-based hypertext format (HF). It investigates foreign language learners’ reactions to the three text formats, focusing particularly on the usefulness of hyperlinks in computermediated text to provide readers with optional assistance during independent reading. Data collected from an interview with a group of Korean as a foreign language (KFL) students are presented and discussed. The results of this study show that the students considered the use of hyperlinks to be helpful and useful for their learning and suggest that it is important to look at the way in which reading materials and supporting information are presented when designing or selecting computer-assisted language learning (CALL) programs.
What learners use and how they react
Authors: Hoven Debra
Published: May 2018

This paper outlines the findings of a two-year evaluation of learner use of software tools in a multimedia software package for teaching Indonesian listening comprehension and culture. This software package was introduced into the Introductory language program to help address the need of total beginners for exposure to native speakers using daily language in ordinary ways, on common, everyday topics. The package is designed to introduce, develop, and reinforce appropriate learning strategies at the same time. Data on learner perceptions of the ease of use, and appropriateness of the software interface were investigated, in order to improve our understandings of the perceptions and reactions of novices compared to experienced users of multimedia software packages. This investigation includes an analysis of the differences in strategy use between high, medium and low proficiency learners, and their use of the software Help tools such as grammar reference notes, language laboratory simulation, replay facility, and mid-task answer checking.
Does overt learner participation equal better L2 acquisition?
Authors: Lando John
Published: May 2018

The present study examines the relationship between learner participation and accuracy improvement in the use of some features of standard Italian, which were taught over a period of intensive grammatical instruction in a tertiary classroom setting. The subjects of the study are 60 tertiary learners of L2 Italian from a variety of Italian dialect backgrounds, aged 18-25, receiving instruction focused on the use of the past tense system. The incidence of learner overtly vocal participation is measured by monitoring the number of verbalised exchanges of each participant over the 15 hours of instruction. Less overtly vocal participation is monitored by teacher observation of student interaction. Data relating to both vocal and less vocal participation are compared to the improvement percentages in the accurate use of the taught features. While the results of the investigation do not support unambiguously the hypothesis that measurable, verbalised participation during instruction relates to higher accuracy achievement, they bring to the foreground the crucial role of less overtly vocal manifestations of learner participation. This calls for a re-definition of the notion of learner participation and has pedagogical implications for a common assumption held by the L2 teaching profession.
Virtual immersion
Authors: Tudini Vincenza
Published: May 2018

Most studies in the field of synchronous Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) deal with interactions between language learners, while interactions between native speakers (NS) and learners have not been explored to the same extent, particularly to ascertain whether chatting with NS can provide a pedagogically sound bridge to conversation. Through the analysis of interactions within a NS Italian chatline, this paper considers whether the chatline environment can act as a bridge to conversational Italian by providing the same opportunities for second language acquisition reputedly offered by face-to-face interaction. Italian NS chatline discourse is analysed for its conversational ‘flavour’ by considering variety of Italian, range of topics, questions, discourse markers, feedback tokens and negotiations. The findings of this study suggest that NS chat discourse can provide learners with exposure to colloquial and regional varieties of Italian, which are generally unavailable in language textbooks. Furthermore, NS chatline discourse offers learners a type of informal conversational practice which also includes negotiation of meaning, thus confirming its role in promoting language learning.
Learners’ perceptions of a web-enhanced learning environment
Authors: Strambi Antonella
Published: May 2018

This article presents the results of a longitudinal study on the perceptions of a Web-enhanced learning environment by a group of beginning-level students of Italian. A Website was specially designed and implemented as a complement to the existing syllabus, in order to enhance interactivity, variety, and authenticity of materials and tasks, as well as flexibility and learner control. The aim of the study is to ascertain whether the introduction of computing technology can promote learners’ positive attitudes, as suggested in much of the current literature on Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from a variety of sources confirm that the introduction of computing technology can contribute to learners’ positive perceptions of the opportunities offered by their learning environment. However, a few drawbacks are also identified which suggest that the introduction of Web-enhanced learning in itself cannot be expected to promote and sustain learners’ positive attitudes and motivation in the long term, and that more research is needed to explore effective ways of using Web-based materials, particularly at introductory levels of competence in the target language.
Keeping it all in the family
Authors: Parkinson Amber , Hajek John
Published: May 2018

Although the Italian system of address pronouns is relatively complex, scant attention is paid to the issue in L2 manuals designed for English-speaking learners of Italian. After showing that Italian L2 manuals are not necessarily accurate in the limited detail they provide, we examine specifically the frequent claim that so-called informal tu is always used within the family. Results of a large quantitative survey conducted with native speakers of Italian in Italy and Australia show the situation to be much more complicated. Alongside tu, the more formal Lei, and the often ignored Voi, are also used, according to the interlocutor in question. Close genetic relation and proximity of age, operating independently of each other, are clear predictors of reciprocal use of tu. Otherwise, non-reciprocal use of Lei-tu and Voi-tu and even the more formal reciprocal use of Lei are not unknown in a family setting. Observations are made as to how these patterns group, along with a number of other observations about pronoun use. Finally, pedagogical suggestions that might allow English-speaking learners of Italian to understand address pronouns in Italian better and use them more accurately are also provided.
Auxiliary verbs, dictionaries and the late evolution of the Italian language
Authors: Kinder John J.
Published: May 2018

The use of be as an auxiliary verb with intransitive verbs has declined in all the Romance languages over the past five centuries. Today, Spanish and Portuguese use only have, in Catalan and Romanian be occurs in marginal contexts, and in French, be is used with approximately 40 verbs. Italian is a notable exception, since be is still used as the auxiliary of nearly 300 intransitive verbs, as well as with all transitives in the passive and with all reflexives. This well-known fact is a notorious source of difficulty for language teachers and students, partly because there have been few adequate descriptions or even taxonomies of the semantic classes of intransitive verbs which take be. This paper reports an attempt to describe the selection of auxiliary verbs in Italian in terms of contemporary dictionaries of Italian. The paper offers a description of auxiliary selection based on the Auxiliary Selection Hierarchy proposed by Sorace (2000), using some recent monolingual dictionaries as sources. This raises some issues about the use of dictionaries as source material for grammatical descriptions.
What is evaluated, and how, in academic research writing?
Authors: Hood Susan
Published: May 2018

This study explores the ways in which academic writers employ expressions of attitude in the construction of evaluative stance in the introductory sections of research papers. The study draws on the theoretical base of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday, 1994; Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004), and in particular on Appraisal theory as a modelling of interpersonal meaning at the level of discourse semantics (Martin, 1992, 2000; Martin & Rose, 2003; Martin & White, in press). Attitude is explored from two perspectives: how it is expressed in the discourse, and what it is employed to evaluate. In addressing the second issue, the focus is on the general field (subject matter being constructed in the text) rather than on specific entities. The study is also concerned therefore with how different fields are identified in the texts, and how they relate one to another. The research contributes some significant dimensions to the modelling of attitudinal meanings in the register. Analyses reveal that the register of academic research writing is characteristically constructive of two fields, the knowledge domain being investigated and the research activity conducted in relation to that domain; that these fields are in a relationship of projection one to the other; and that each field is evaluated in quite different ways. The findings contribute at a theoretical level to an explanation of the apparent contradiction between the dual demands of persuasion and ‘objectivity’ in the register, and at a practical level provide a new dimension to frameworks for deconstructing and negotiating evaluative stance with novice academic research writers.
Grammatical complexity in letters written by people with acquired brain impairment
Authors: Mortensen Lynne
Published: May 2018

This study investigated written language in the form of personal and formal letters written by 10 people who sustained a stroke and 10 people who sustained traumatic brain injury, and compared their performance with 15 non brain-damaged people. In order to explore the writing skills of these individuals from a socio-cultural perspective, a functional linguistic theory, Systemic Functional Linguistics, was adopted as the framework for analysis. Features of grammatical complexity were examined to ascertain the differential demands of the two text types on the writers’ language resources, and the impact of stroke and traumatic brain injury on participants’ writing abilities. Results of the analysis revealed patterns of both strength and deficit in the groups with acquired brain impairment. Variation as a feature of ‘disordered’ and ‘normal’ performance is highlighted and clinical implications discussed.
Video materials in English language teaching
Authors: Allan Margaret
Published: May 2018

Most materials available to users of video in English Language Teaching were designed neither for the ELT classroom nor for video: they originated as TV programmes or as films produced for a native speaker audience. An analysis of the characteristics of video and its possible roles at different stages in a language programme underlies the design of a set of video sequences, Video English, intended specifically for classroom use, within the framework of a methodology which puts the emphasis on communicative competence. Similar principles are exemplified in a discussion of another published series, Television English, which is based on BBC archive material. In conclusion some findings of research into non-verbal communication are considered in relation to the use of video materials in the language classroom.
Stalling in speech
Authors: Tolerton Alan
Published: May 2018

This paper examines some aspects of Stalling in the spontaneous speech production of two learners of English. The major purpose is to provide some control data for further examination of their (and others’) L2 speech production. Some data from previous published studies of hesitation in native speakers are provided, to serve as a rough guide to the native-speaker norm, if there is one. Both subjects are found to hesitate most frequently and for the longest time before the first word of clauses. This is consistent with the norm found for native speakers. No particularly long or frequent Stalling was found in any environment within the clause, except where there was an accompanying syntactic disruption, that is, Repair.
Second language learners in special education
Authors: Goldsmith Peggy W.
Published: May 2018

During 1984, New South Wales Department of Education conducted a survey of ethnic-specific needs of students of non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) in schools for specific purposes (SSPs), which are special education schools.

This paper indicates the results and outcomes of that survey. The percentage of students of NESBs in responding schools was 15.4%. The distribution of languages other than English spoken in homes of NESB students in SSPs is similar to that of the general population. The issues seen to be of greatest importance for schools with NESB pupils were assistance in communicating with non-English parents, and a knowledge of and contact with ethnic welfare/support agencies.

A literature search revealed little in the way of studies on language provision for students of NESB in SSPs in the USA, Canada, Britain or in Australia.

Assessment for placement in special education has always posed a difficulty in regard to students whose dominant language is not English. A move towards the use of Adaptive Behaviour Scales is a possible change in assessment procedures. where the level of language development will constitute just one factor among a number of others.

The commencement of English as a second language programme and a bilingual programme are seen as innovatory in this field of education.