bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RBD11, a bioengineered Rab11-binding module for visualizing and analyzing endogenous Rab11
Authors: Osaki Futaba , Matsui Takahide , Hiragi Shu , Homma Yuta , Fukuda Mitsunori
Published: March 2021

The small GTPase Rab11 (herein referring to the Rab11A and Rab11B isoforms) plays pivotal roles in diverse physiological phenomena, including the recycling of membrane proteins, cytokinesis, neurite outgrowth and epithelial morphogenesis. One effective method of analyzing the function of endogenous Rab11 is to overexpress a Rab11-binding domain from one of its effectors, for example, the C-terminal domain of Rab11-FIP2 (Rab11-FIP2-C), as a dominant-negative construct. However, the drawback of this method is the broader Rab-binding specificity of the effector domain, because Rab11-FIP2-C binds to Rabs other than Rab11, for example, to Rab14 and Rab25. In this study, we bioengineered an artificial Rab11-specific binding domain, named RBD11. Expression of RBD11 allowed visualization of endogenous Rab11 without affecting its localization or function, whereas expression of a tandem RBD11, named 2×RBD11, inhibited epithelial morphogenesis and induced a multi-lumen phenotype characteristic of Rab11-deficient cysts. We also developed two tools for temporally and reversibly analyzing Rab11-dependent membrane trafficking – tetracycline-inducible 2×RBD11 and an artificially oligomerized domain (FM)-tagged RBD11.
Impact of acne on quality of life in young Pakistani adults and its relationship with severity: A multicenter study
Authors: Naveed Shaheen , Masood Sadia , Rahman Atiya , Awan Safia , Tabassum Saadia
Published: March 2021

Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the effect of acne vulgaris on quality of life of young adults and to assess the correlation between acne severity and impairment of quality of life (QOLI).

Methods: In this multi-center cross-sectional study, 163 young adults with acne vulgaris were assessed for severity and quality of life impairment between December 2016 and May 2017 at three tertiary care hospitals. Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) was used to assess the quality of life while the severity of acne measured by Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). Data were collected on standardized forms, with CADI, GAGS scores, and sociodemographic data and analyzed using SPSS version 9. The quantitative variables were presented as means, median and qualitative variables expressed as frequency and percentages. P-value ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. 

Results: Out of 163 patients enrolled in this study, the mean age was 21.6 ± 4.9 years and 124 were females and 39 males. In mild QOLI, 56 (87.5%) cases were affected with mild, 11 (13.4%) with moderate and 1 (1.5%) case had severe acne. While, in moderate QOLI, 8(12.5%) cases were of mild, 60 (73.2%) were moderate and 6 (35.3%) cases affected with severe acne. The severe impairment of QOL noted in 11 (13.4%) moderate and 10 (58.8%) severe acne cases. The relationship between sex was statistically significant, (P<0.001). The result showed significant correlation between severity of acne vulgaris and the quality of life impairment of these patients (P<0.001).

Conclusion: This study showed significant correlation between acne vulgaris and quality of life impairment. Cardiff acne disability index has proven to be a reliable tool to assess the quality of life. It is recommended to be used routinely in dermatology clinics to provide tailored treatment to individuals because mild disease may be disproportionately distressing for patients.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2819

How to cite this:Naveed S, Masood S, Rahman A, Awan S, Tabassum S. Impact of acne on quality of life in young Pakistani adults and its relationship with severity: A multicenter study. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(3):727-732. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2819

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Corticosteroid Injections in Posterior Ankle Impingement Syndrome: A Survey of Professional and Elite Student Ballet Dancers
Authors: Opdam Kim Theresia Maria , van Loon Justin , Zwiers Ruben , Kuijer Petrus Paulus Franciscus Maria , van Dijk Cornelis Niek
Published: March 2021

Posterior ankle impingement syndrome (PAIS) involves pain at the posterior as- pect of the ankle, due in dancers largely to repetitive hyperplantarflexion. In daily practice, corticosteroid injection is often used to relieve the pain of PAIS, but little has been recorded with regard
to its effectiveness. The primary objective of this study was to determine the ef- fect on pain of corticosteroid injections in professional and elite student ballet dancers with PAIS. The secondary ob- jectives were to evaluate the prevalence of PAIS, the duration of the effect of injection,
patient satisfaction with the effect of injection, time to return to class and performance, and ability to dance after injection. All members of the Dutch National Ballet and the National Ballet Academy Amsterdam received a self-administered questionnaire focused on the use and effect of corticosteroid
injections in the treatment of PAIS. The response rate was 61% (77 of 126). Of the included dancers, 38% (29 of 77) had suffered from PAIS, and 38% (11 of 29) had received at least one injection. The numeric rating scale (NRS) was used to assess the severity of pain before and 2 and 6 weeks
after injections. The median NRS pain before injection was 9.0 (IQR 8.0-9.5), 3.0 (IQR 0.5-6.5) 2 weeks after injection, and 3.0 (IQR 0.5-6.0) 6 weeks after injection. Overall median NRS satisfaction with the effect of injection was 7.0 (IQR 0-10), and satisfaction with the duration of the
effect was 5.0 (IQR 2.0-10). It is concluded that there is a high prevalence of PAIS in ballet dancers and corticosteroid injections are regularly used for pain reduction with good results.
The Impact of Facility Layout on Service Worker Behavior: An Empirical Study of Nurses in the Emergency Department
Authors: Meng Lesley , Batt Robert J. , Terwiesch Christian
Published: March 2021

Problem definition: We study the impact of service facility layout on how service workers organize their tasks. We focus on the hospital emergency department (ED) as a service setting in which nurses (servers) have discretion over how they interact with patients (customers) in a facility that introduces significant heterogeneity in necessary walking distance. Academic/practical relevance: Prior studies on facility layout in operations have largely focused on the direct effect of transit times on reduced productivity. We extend this work to show how skilled service workers such as nurses adapt their work behavior to enhance their productivity in response to facility layout constraints. Methodology: To study this empirically, we utilize a unique data set consisting of infrared nurse location tracking data, patient electronic medical record data, bedside patient call data, and the architectural floor plan of a large academic ED. Results: Nurses working in a busy ED appear to reduce their walking distance by batching their tasks to distant patient rooms. Although the patients in these rooms receive the same amount of care time, this behavior results in longer wait times between nurse visits and more nurse call button activations, but it does not compromise the overall quality of care delivered. Nurse call button use is linked with poor patient satisfaction and interrupts nurse workflow. Managerial implications: These findings show that even in services, facility layout can lead to servers using task timing discretion in ways that help the server but lead to a additional waiting time for the customer. We propose countering the negative effects of distance-based task batching through proactive nurse rounding and operational transparency.
WE PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR TEACHING THE FUTURE GENERATION
Authors: Widyantoro Agus
Published: March 2021

Lecturers in universities preparing for future teachers often teach materials which they think are up-to-date. However, is it true that what they teach may be useful for their students in their teaching in the future. Students may graduate in four to five years and they may not get jobs as soon as they leave universities. When they get a job as teachers, it might be five to six years after they graduate. At that time in schools, a new curriculum may be introduced, new theories on language teaching may emerge, and new problems may be faced. What they got from their lecturers in universities may not be relevant for solving the new problems. So, they need new knowledge or even new skills. This paper tries to explore the ways lecturers can do to prepare their students to face the ‘real’ challenges in their time of teaching.
SEKOLAH PANTAI AS THE EXPOSURE OF CREATING HOLISTIC FUN ENGLISH EXPERIENCE IN PACITAN EAST JAVA
Authors: Apriyanti Chusna
Published: March 2021

This paper aims to know the implementation of fun English learning through Sekolah Pantai in Pacitan East Java and the obstacles in implementing fun English learning to the children. The vision of this program is for every child in Indonesia has the opportunity to learn, to have healthy start, and to feel supported and secure living in a clean environment that is prepared for natural disasters. The researcher uses descriptive qualitative research design. The data are collected through observation and interview to the children and the volunteers of Sekolah Pantai. The result shows that all of the programs use English language with small portion of Indonesian language completed with theoretical input, group work as well as active sports games or garden work. English is included implicitly in four basic activities: ocean conservation, open class for kids, environmental workshop day with eco-ambassadors from high schools, and supporting local teachers through seminar and workshop to create fun English learning at schools. The volunteers use methods of teaching through arts, music, dance, storytelling, and other ways to share knowledge and integrate soft skills into the practical learning. However, there are some obstacles appeared during the program, such as: the children’ anxiety in communicating using English language, distrust from the public schools that need effort to make them believe to the programs, distrust from the society because of the native speakers volunteer, time management in conducting parallel activity for the students in private schools.
THE ANALYSIS OF CAUSAL FACTOR ON STUDENT SPEAKING ANXIETY
Authors: Subandowo Dedy
Published: March 2021

This article examines the analysis of causal factor on student speaking anxiety. This study is to explain what factors affecting the students speaking anxiety. Moreover, the research data are taken from the second semester students of English Education Study Program, Muhammadiyah University of Metro. This is a descriptive qualitative study and some instruments such as documentation, interview, observation are used in order to collect the data. The data is then analyzed by some steps, like data collection in which writer gathers all of the data that will be used to complete the research. After collecting the data, the writer sorts the data by summarizing and choosing the specific category, displaying the data, verifying the data analysis, and making a conclusion from the finding data. The result of this research shows the students speaking anxiety causal factors in the second semester. Most of the students feel anxious when speaking English in the class. Eventually, some suggestions are discussed in order to help students reduce anxiety and become more confident to speak English in oral language classrooms.
THE COMPARISON OF USING MIND MAPPING AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING TECHNIQUE TOWARD STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION IN REPORT TEXT AT THE ELEVENTH GRADE AT SMA N 1 TRIMURJO IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016
Authors: Gustianing Defy , Hariz Hadiyan Muhammad
Published: March 2021

The objectives of this research are to know whether there is a difference result of reading comprehension by using mind mapping and knowledge mapping technique or not and to know which one is more effective technique between mind mapping and knowledge mapping technique.This research is a quantitative research.The design of this research is pre test-post test control group design which employs two groups. Experimentgroup is treated by mind mapping technique and control class is treated by knowledge mapping technique. Then, the total population is 123 students at the eleventh grade of SMA N 1 Trimurjo. The researcher takes 40 students, 20 students as experiment and20 as control. In taking the sample, the researcher used total cluster random sampling.The result of ttest is 2,91 and ttable  is 2,02 (on criterion 1) and 2,70 (on criterion 2). It means that tcount>ttable. So, there is a difference result of reading comprehension by using mind mapping and knowledge mapping technique and reading comprehension by using mind mapping technique is more effective than knowledge mapping technique.
THE RELIGIOUS VALUES IN TEACHING WRITING PERSUASIVE TEXT
Authors: Sartika Dewi , Rachmanita Rachmanita
Published: March 2021

Writing is sometimes neglected taught by the teacher due to the limitation of the time provided. Besides, in teaching writing, teacher tends to avoid the religious values in teaching writing persuasive text in order to build students’ character. However, students are required to master writing in order to express the idea or information in communication. Therefore, this  study  is an attempt to study the religious values in teaching writing persuasive text. The population of this study was  all of the eleventh graders of SMA Negeri 1 Kandis  Ogan Ilir. The samples were chosen by purposive sampling method.  As a result, two classes consisting of thirty students  in each classes were selected as the samples. The qualitative approach was used in this study and  observation  is the main instrument used to get the  data about the process of teaching writing persuasive text. The observation done from the beginning to ending of  teaching and learning process of writing persuasive text. Based on the observation, it was indicated  that the students were interested in learning writing persuasive text and got some religious values to build their characters. In addition, the students were eager to write persuasive text because of interesting materials. They could explore their idea freely by writing the main information and writing information explaining the religious values in writing persuasive text. By teaching writing persuasive text including the religious values, hopefully the teacher of English can select the material and content of the subject matter which infused the religious values during the classroom.
COPS STRATEGY: A STRATEGY TO TEACH WRITING SKILL
Authors: Novia Fitri
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to find out whether or not there was a significant difference in writing achievement between students who were taught through COPS strategy and that of those who were not. The sample of the study was 71 students of SMP N 1 Sungai Pinang Ogan Ilir. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample. Written test was used to collect the data which consisted of five topics. T-test was used to analyze the data. Based on the result, it was found that the t-obtained (6.450) was higher than t-table (1.950) and the àvalue (0.000) was lower than Pvalue (0.05), the null hypothesis (Ho) was rejected and alternative hypothesis (Ha) was accepted. It meant that there was a significant difference in writing achievement between students who were taught by through COPS Strategy and that of those were not. Thus, COPS strategy can be used to teach writing skill.
THE USE OF SLANG AMONG AMERICAN YOUTHS AS RELATED TO THE RISE OF HIP HOP CULTURE: A SOCIOLINGUISTICS ANALYSIS
Authors: Putri Niken Fatma , Fauzia Fauzia
Published: March 2021

This article entitled “The Use of Slang among American Youths as Related to The rise of Hip Hop Culture: A Sociolinguistics Analysis”. This research focuses on the types of slang commonly used by American youths and the influence of hip hop on slang use among American youths.This research belongs to descriptive qualitative research as a method.  The subject of this research is rap song lyrics, utterances in slang in America YouTube video and Ellen Show: On Fleek Episode as well as the Urban Dictionary slangs. Then, the objects of this research are the use of slang. The researcher collected the data through the utterances in the rap song lyrics,  movie and video, and also slangs in Urban Dictionary.The results of this analysis show that the type of slang used among American youths are divided into two types. They are based on use and word formation. Meanwhile the use of slang among American youths is related to the rise of hip hop culture influence which brought by some of rap song. The slang contained in rap song lyrics are spread easily by the massive consumption of social media and enlighten highly by the report of conventional media.
THE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY ON THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS’ INTEREST AND MOTIVATION TOWARD PEER ASSISTED LEARNING PROGRAM (PALP) OF ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AHMAD DAHLAN UNIVERSITY IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017
Authors: Rahmi Novi Sri , Triyoga Arilia
Published: March 2021

The aims of this research are to describe the students’ interest toward PALP, the students’ motivation toward PALP, and to describe the social factors affects to students’ interest and motivation.The type of the research is descriptive research. The research subject was the second semester of PBI students in Ahmad Dahlan University in the academic year 2016/ 2017. There were 10 groups of PALP as the sample. The researcher used questionnaire, observation sheet and interview guide to gather the data. In analyzing the data the researcher used quantitative method.Based on the research, it is found that; first the students’ interest toward PALP is in high category based on impression (75% were agree), confidence (82% were agree in a group of PALP, 85 % were agree in the class), learning atmosphere (84% were agree), excitement (81% were agree), new knowledge (73% were agree) and language skill (78% were agree). Secondly, the students’ motivation toward PALP is in high category based on mentees’ individual competency in PALP based on how often they are expressing opinion (79% were agree), responding the question (80% were agree), and asking question (61% were agree). And the third, there were four social factors affecting students’ interest and motivation. The social factor were positive learning atmosphere (84% were agree), the second was friend (80% were agree). The third was mentor (72% were agree).  The last was the place (55% were agree). The job, gender and distance factor did not affect students’ interest and motivation toward PALP.
REQUESTING SPEECH ACT OF UTTERANCES IN OCEAN’S ELEVEN BY STEVEN SODERBERGH: A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS
Authors: Hasanah Nurul , Sarage Japen
Published: March 2021

The term sentence and utterance are made different in terms that the former refers to syntactic structure, while the latter points out the actual function of such a structure in real communication. The same things apply to the terms request and requesting. The first term suggests the structural characteristics of sentence asking people to do something while the second term indicates the real sentence causing people to do something. The first deals with formal grammar while the second deals with pragmatics the actual use of language in communication.This article attempts to see requesting in its possible different syntactic forms as parts of speech acts in Ocean’sEleven by Steven Soderbergh. A pragmatic approach is applied since it uses context as a part of linguistic analysis involving the speaker, addressee, time, location, and genre in the conversation. A syntactic form of a sentence only cannot represent the real meaning of intention.The analysis of speech act of the conversation in the film brings us to an understanding that pragmatics encourage us to comprehend different kinds of setting to achieve requesting as a part of language use. Pragmatics as a branch of linguistics reveals mutual understanding between the speaker and the hearer.
The necessity of effective teaching of English at all levels of education in Nigeria
Authors: Unubi Sunday Abraham
Published: March 2021

Since language is dynamic, and teaching is a dynamic tool of instructing and training someone (the learner) for desired change in their lives, behaviors, experiences, and statuses, it also requires a dynamic and an experienced mind to carry it out. In its methodology, the study adopted both the primary and secondary sources of data gathering technique. Observational examination of both teachers and learners of the English language constituted the primary source while extant material dealing with the teaching and learning of English comprised the secondary data. The observation mainly bordered on phonetics and phonology, that is, how some Nigerian teachers of English realize or articulate some sounds and words of English, which in turn has impacted negatively on the learner. These sounds and words are divided into two groups – A and B, and group A is further divided into vowel and consonant sounds. We also presented the charts of the vowels and consonants of English to guide us in our analysis. The result of this investigation showed that mother tongue interference is the main factor responsible, and that teachers need to do extra work on themselves for satisfactory and positive learning outcomes on the learners, which is a direct consequence of effective teaching.
Language aspects in English for tourism class
Authors: Wijayati Rifky Dora , Khafidhoh Khafidhoh
Published: March 2021

English for Tourism (EfT) class for higher education is a means of response to Industrial Revolution 4.0 era. Besides, it is also a collaborative field between English language and Tourism. For the subject, In English Education Department which mostly focuses on language instruction, the lecturers are expected to formulate the comprehensible materials to facilitate the instructional process. Thus, several related aspects should be considered in formulating the instructional design, including developing the materials. Then, the instruments to gain the data about the needs analysis are also important factors to make sure that the instructional design really meets the needs. As the research focuses on the language aspect in EfT class, specific expressions will be the answers for the big question which becomes the starting point of this research. It will be the basis in formulating the appropriate materials for the instruction.
The contributions of smartphone applications in supporting junior high school students’ learning activities
Authors: Dewi Anggun Fitriana , Sumardi Sumardi , Ngadiso Ngadiso
Published: March 2021

In the last few decades, the development of mobile phone is rapidly growing and brings many changes in human life. Mobile phones nowadays extend their capabilities into all aspects in human life, including teaching and learning process. Therefore, this research aims at knowing what smartphone applications are frequently used by the students and investigating the contributions of those applications in students’ learning activities. This research uses a qualitative case study in order to obtain a deep analysis. The subjects of this research are twenty students of junior high school in Kebumen who are chosen based on some criteria. Additionally, the data of this research were obtained using questionnaire and interview. Based on the finding, the smartphone applications which are most frequently used by the students to support their learning activities are social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter), Google chrome, music player, offline dictionary, YouTube, and English exercise application from play store. Last but not least, all the students agree that smartphone applications give positive contributions to their learning process. The contributions of those applications in the students’ learning activities are helping the students in finding more sources of authentic English materials; finding more exercise in grammar, reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills; improving students’ vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking skill.
What's cooking?
Authors: Hart Karen
Published: March 2021

Karen Hart finds out how Katharine Tate changed career path from being a primary teacher to founding The Food Teacher, an innovative company offering nutrition expertise to nurseries, schools, organisations and families.
Seeing yourself on the page
Authors: Best Emily
Published: March 2021

Diversity in children's books has improved but still has a long way to go. The under-representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic characters means that many young readers struggle to connect with story lines.
For safety's sake
Authors: Lawson Deborah
Published: March 2021

Early years workers on the frontline should receive the Covid vaccine as soon as possible if we want to reduce transmission rates and help our communities to return to some kind of normality, says Deborah Lawson.
TAMOXIFEN
Authors: Rees Sharon
Published: March 2021

In this column, Sharon Rees aims to refresh knowledge and interest in some of the commonly used drugs in a series of tweets. This month she is talking about #tamoxifen
Treatment of testicular cancer
Authors: Noakes Amy
Published: March 2021

Health professionals in primary care can offer advice to men on the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer, in addition to encouraging them to seek help as required
Linguistic Politeness and Greeting Rituals in German-speaking Switzerland
Authors: Rash Felicity
Published: March 2021

This paper describes the results of research into linguistic politeness in German-speaking Switzerland (GSS) and into one type of politeness in particular, namely the speech acts of greeting and leave-taking denoted by the German verb grüssen.[1] German-speaking Swiss people adhere to strict conventions of polite behaviour which have been eroded over time in the English-speaking world. My research shows that speakers of Swiss German, both young and old, and from all walks of life, believe that it is important to retain their traditional politeness rituals, and that greetings formulae are especially important. Very few germanophone Swiss that people conform to polite greeting practices out of self-interest (as one of my informants suggested), rather they believe that politeness is important for social cohesion and a sign of respect and affection for one's fellow human beings.
Undoing Gender Stereotypes in Hindi
Authors: Pande Anjali
Published: March 2021

The basic prerequisite for using any language is the willingness of the speaker to follow the rules of the game. Socially defined norms of language use then tend to set the limits within which one can express oneself using this language. Whether these norms set the speaker free or whether they act as constraints in a free expression of Self, is a question that will be raised in this article. Using examples from Hindi, the paper highlights the role of such norms of language use in perpetuating gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes get constructed as part of a broader process of social differentiation but the site of this construction is to a large extent the normal everyday discourse. A normal classroom discussion amongst university students in New Delhi thus shows how deep rooted such stereotypes are and how effectively they get perpetuated through language and linguistic norms in Indian society. The basic premise in this paper is that meanings are context-specific, they are not fixed and they get created in discourse. But since language use is one thread in social fabric, it serves as an instrument to construct and perpetuate gender stereotypes. The paper is more of an essay on issues that became obvious about gender stereotypes during two classroom discussions. It should not therefore be taken as a study into the deeper aspects of gender representation in Hindi.
Deference and subordination: Gender roles and other variables in addressing and referring to husbands by Yoruba women
Authors: Salami L. Oladipo
Published: March 2021

The Yoruba society, like many patriarchal traditions, tends to espouse male supremacy - an ideology that is reflected, often, in many of the cultural values and beliefs of the people. The use of address terms in Yoruba constitutes an aspect of linguistic practices where there is inequality in the use of language between male and male, female and female as well as between male and female. The study reported in this paper focuses on the use of first names (FN), teknonyms (TKM) and pet names (PN) as address forms by Yoruba-speaking women in the city of Ile-Ife in interaction with their husbands. It describes the pattern of use according to a number of social factors including age, level of educational attainment, region of origin and speech context. The paper demonstrates that while these factors are important determinants of address usage by Yoruba women, gender role-expectation (child-rearing) and the relations of power between Yoruba women and men interact in some crucial way in the women's language behaviour. This is particularly so because of the social changes that have been taking place within the Yoruba culture over the last three decades or so.
On Idiom Parts and their Contexts
Authors: Soehn Jan-Philipp
Published: March 2021

This article examines idiomatic expressions as sources of both regularity and irregularity in language. Some morphological, lexical, syntactical, and semantical characteristics of idioms are discussed. It is shown how a lexical licensing mechanism, which is formulated within a formal grammar framework, can deal with the data. After that, this proposal is extended to the phenomenon of negative polarity.
Phraseologie und Fremdsprachenlernen. Zur Problematik einer angemessenen phraseodidaktischen Umsetzung
Authors: Jesenšek Vida
Published: March 2021

In this paper the author strives for the more intensive inclusion of phraseological learning content in the teaching of foreign languages. Arguments, due to which at all levels of teaching languages should systematically provide for acquiring and respectively developing the passive and active phraseology competence, are as follow: the commonness and range of phraseological methods of expression, empirically proved acquisition of phraseological competence in the very early phase of mastering the native language and a relatively high degree of inter-language accordance of phraseological structure. In the planning of language education and the training of language teachers many consecutive changes will be necessary. Among others it will be necessary to synchronically plan teaching of the native and foreign languages, bring into force phraseology as a compulsory subject in higher education programs for the training foreign language teachers, and materially and professionally enable more intensive development of special phraseological learning material.
Eine Kontrastive Phonetische Analyse Niederdeutscher Langvokale
Authors: Gackstatter Marja , Niebuhr Oliver
Published: March 2021

Taking up anecdotal evidence, our general research aim is to investigate and to quantify the phonetic characteristics of Low German in different Northern German regions on the basis of detailed acoustic and auditory analyses. In the initial pilot study presented here, we focus on phonologically long vowels. The analyses are based on a sample of long-vowel tokens, which were produced by 18 Northern German speakers in spontaneous translations of the 'Wenker' sentences. The speakers had comparable dialectal competences, but came from different regions of Northern Germany, i. e. Schleswig, Holstein, Dithmarschen, Ostfriedland, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, or Nordbrandenburg. The selected vowel tokens occurred in contexts that were phonetically controlled in terms of both consonantal coarticulation and prosodic structure. The acoustic analysis included measuring durations, formant frequencies (F1-F3) and intonation characteristics (pitch-accent F0 patterns). The auditory analysis was made by narrow phonetic transcriptions. The results of the two analyses agree in showing clear regional differences. They concern the distributions of the long vowels within the vowel space (i.e. the vowel qualities, their stabilities and phonetic distances to each other) as well as the pitch-accent intonation patterns that co-occur with the long vowels. Differences in vowel duration were not found. Nordbrandenburg and Schleswig are characterized by a wide spectrum of monophthongal long-vowel qualities. In contrast, the long vowels in Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Ostfriesland show less diverse quality differences in the vowel centre. However, overall the phonetic diversity is still there in terms of diphthongizations that start or end at very different qualities. The long vowels of Dithmarschen combine the two characteristics, i.e. diphthongal qualities with relatively large differences in the vowel centre. As regards the intonation patterns across the vowels, we found that Dithmarschen and Holstein are both characterized by rising-falling pitch-accent peaks, but with different alignments relative to the vowel boundaries. The pitch-accent intonations of our speakers from Ostfriesland also rose and fell across the vowel. However, unlike in all other regions they additionally showed a striking F0 shape with a long high plateau in between the rising and falling movements. Our results are discussed with regard to the current claims about the dialectal organization of Northern Germany.
The Linguistics of Social Networking: A Study of Writing Conventions on Facebook
Authors: Pérez-Sabater Carmen
Published: March 2021

Scholarly research on computer-mediated communication discourse has mainly centred upon the linguistic characteristics of emails, focusing on the formal and informal features and the orality involved in this form of communication. This paper presents a new insight into the study of computer-mediated communication (CMC) by analysing a fairly recent genre of computer-mediated communication, comments posted on the new social networking websites. The research undertaken examines the comments published on the official Facebook sites of some universities to observe the level of formality/informality of online communication in English. The distinction between online writings by native and non-native speakers of English has been considered as well. The study focuses on the formulae of etiquette and protocol used for salutation, opening, pre-closing and closing as an indicator of the degree of orality and informality in online writing. Data reveal that, in the specific context of the university, the use of Facebook is not conventionalised, as the comments posted on Facebook present important stylistic variations. Moreover, in most instances non-native speakers of English display more formal traits than native speakers when communicating electronically on social networking sites in the academic world.
A Study on Noun Suffixes: Accounting for the Vernacularisation of English in Late Medieval Medical Texts
Authors: Crespo Begoña
Published: March 2021

This paper seeks to contribute to the study of the vernacularisation process in late Middle English by measuring up to what an extent concrete and abstract noun suffixes (in line with Dalton-Puffer 1996) attach to either Germanic or Romance bases in the medical texts extracted from the MEMT (Middle English Medical Texts) corpus. The findings obtained have been further described according to text type or genre and to target audience/readership. The description of these suffixes in relation to all the parameters already mentioned has confirmed the predominance of abstract suffixes of Romance origin although Germanic abstract suffixes are also abundant. More hybrid formations have been found with Germanic noun suffixes than with Romance ones which might be indicative of their versatility towards vernacularisation.
Akzent auf die Standardsprachen: Regionale Spuren in "Français fédéral" und "Schweizerhochdeutsch"
Authors: Kolly Marie-José
Published: March 2021

Durch ihren fremdsprachlichen Akzent gibt eine Sprecherin ihre Herkunft, ihre Muttersprache preis. So werden die meisten Deutschschweizer beim Sprechen einer Fremdsprache als solche erkannt. Kann aber aufgrund dieses "Deutschschweizer" Akzents auch erkannt werden, aus welchem Dialektgebiet ein Sprecher stammt? Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt eine empirische Studie zur Perzeption dialektaler Akzente vor. Er beschäftigt sich mit dialektalen Akzenten im Standarddeutschen und im Französischen und zeigt mit quantitativen Methoden auf, dass dialektal bedingte Akzentunterschiede von native speakers durchaus wahrgenommen und lokalisiert werden können. Darüber hinaus und als Basis für die Auswertung des empirischen Teils leistet die vorliegende Arbeit eine Beschreibung und Kategorisierung der dialektalen Lautlandschaft der Schweiz sowie einen Ansatz zur Beschreibung der Aussprache des Französischen durch Schweizer Dialektsprecher.
Is Spanish Becoming more Gender Fair? A Historical Perspective on the Interpretation of Gender-specific and Gender-neutral Expressions
Authors: Nissen Uwe Kjær
Published: March 2021

During the last three decades, many recommendations for a gender fair Spanish language have been proposed, but, generally speaking, it has been the substitution of the so-called 'masculine generic' (e.g. los profesores 'the teachers [masc.]') by gender neutral (e.g. el pro¬fesorado 'the staff of teachers) or explicit references (e.g. los profesores y (las) profesoras 'the teachers [masc. and fem., resp.]') which has been favoured. Two important assumptions are implicit in these recommendations. First, the sentences containing the masculine forms would lead to associations primarily to men (thus leaving women 'invisible'), whereas sentences containing either the gender-neutral forms or the gender-explicit references would evoke a generic association. Second, the associations between form and mental representation are considered inalterable and unlikely to change over time. This paper intends to interrogate these assumptions by means of two questionnaire investigations that were carried out in Spain in 1995 and 2005 in which native speakers of Spanish were asked to complete specific filler sentences. The results of both investigations demonstrate that there is no clear-cut correspondence between certain linguistic forms and the mental (gender-) representations evoked in peoples' minds. For example, a masculine form is not automatically connected with a male image. The investigation also shows that some associations significantly change over time; for example, a clear male bias of the masculine form in the first study seems to have vanished within a time span of ten years. With respect to another aim of the gender fair recommendations - namely to make women more visible in public discourse – the investigations show that this, indeed, is best achieved by explicitly referring to women. Interestingly, this result appears to be stable over time. Altogether, it seems justifiable to conclude that the assumptions underlying the recommendations for a gender fair language can be challenged. At any rate, it is important to point out that these assumptions are subject to change over time - at least within politically influenced language matters – and perhaps faster than has been expected.
How Can Semantic Annotation Help Us to Analyse the Discourse of Climate Change in Online User Comments?
Authors: Collins Luke
Published: March 2021

User comments in response to newspaper articles published online offer a unique resource for studying online discourse. The number of comments that articles often elicit poses many methodological challenges and analyses of online user comments have inevitably been cursory when limited to a manual content or thematic analysis. Corpus analysis tools can systematically identify features such as keywords in large datasets. This article reports on the semantic annotation feature of the corpus analysis tool WMatrix which also allows us to identify key semantic domains. Building on this feature, I introduce a novel method of sampling key comments through an examination of user comment threads taken from The Guardian website on the topic of climate change.
Minimum achievable height of a single-module LED low-beam projection
headlamp
Authors: Lee Jun Ho , Han Seok Gi , Jin Min Ji
Published: March 2021

Since the first full LED headlamp was introduced in 2007, technology
has evolved to now provide enhanced performance, improved security,
and memorable aesthetics. Further miniaturization has been
continuously pursued to allow more advanced design options, but LED
headlamp height has been stalled at around 40–60 mm for some years.
Recently a total internal reflection-based low-beam module achieved an
optical opening down to 20 mm. However, the small opening came with a
housing envelope height that was larger than 40–60 mm. Conventional
LED single modules are still more attractive in terms of cost and
overall compactness, especially for low-cost, low-beam headlamps. A
demanding question remains about the minimum achievable limit of a
single-module LED low-beam projection headlamp consisting of an LED
source, an elliptical reflector, a cutoff baffle, and a projection
lens. Here, we answer that question using an analytical approach
rather than attempt to base it on current applied design trials or
parametric studies. First, we analytically investigated the baseline
optical properties of an LED low-beam module in terms of geometrical
optics and photometrical luminance transfer. During the analysis, we
employed the ratio of the focal distances (

m

) of the elliptical reflectors as a
design variable to efficiently consider geometrical similarities. Then
we confirmed and extended the analytical results by numerical
simulation, using ray-tracing software. Based on the results from the
analytical and numerical analysis with low-beam regulations, we
finally determined a suitable range of

m

(0.15–0.17), which satisfied the
regulations, and found the best achievable height of a single module
when

m
∼

0.15

is 46 mm. The precise number will
differ depending on the geometrical and ray-emitting properties of the
LED applied, but our study provides a valid general framework for
designing LED-based low-beam headlamps.
Feedforward-based free-space optical communication
Authors: Bhatnagar Manav R. , Nebhen Jamel
Published: March 2021

We propose to use 1-bit feedforward information at the free-space
optical (FSO) receiver to improve its error performance. We
concentrate upon

M

-ary pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)
signaling and design an error-optimal PAM constellation for providing
efficient 1-bit feedforward information to the receiver. A maximum
likelihood detector is derived, and the symbol error rate of the
considered FSO system is analytically obtained in closed form by using
a union-bound approach. It is shown by using the analysis and
simulation that 1-bit feedforward can significantly improve the
performance of PAM in FSO systems.
Non-diffracting beam generated from a photonic integrated circuit based axicon-like lens
Authors: Maharjan Rijan , Bohora Sanket , Bhattarai Pravin , Crowe Iain , Curry Richard J. , Hogg Richard , Childs David , Dhakal Ashim
Published: March 2021

We demonstrate an on-chip silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device to generate a non-diffracting beam of ≈850 µm length from a diffractive axicon-like lens etched using a low resolution (200 nm feature size, 250 nm gap) deep-ultraviolet lithographic fabrication. The device consists of circular gratings with seven stages of 1x2 multimode interferometers. We present a technique to apodize the gratings azimuthally by breaking up the circles into arcs which successfully increased the penetration depth in the gratings from ≈5 µm to ≈60 µm. We characterize the device’s performance by coupling 1300±50 nm swept source laser in to the chip from the axicon and measuring the out-coupled light from a grating coupler. Further, we also present the implementation of balanced homodyne detection method for the spectral characterization of the device and show that the position of the output lobe of the axicon does not change significantly with wavelength.
Gyroelectric guided modes with transverse optical spin
Authors: Gong Su-Hyun , Park Q-Han
Published: March 2021

The transverse nature of light leads to longitudinal optical spin. Here, the unprecedented transverse optical spin of propagating waves and guided modes in a gyroelectric medium is clarified. We identify the propagation modes in a bulk gyroelectric medium and their polarization in terms of optical spin. The anisotropic permittivity of a gyroelectric medium results in two propagation modes, slow and fast, in which the optical spin varies according to the propagation direction. When the magnetization direction of the gyroelectric medium and the propagation direction of the light are not parallel, these modes possess both the longitudinal and transverse components of optical spin. We also confirm that a gyroelectric slab waveguide induces transverse optical spin in the guided light. We investigate the transport behavior of transverse optical spin in a gyroelectric slab using numerical calculations with a modified 3D finite difference time domain method. These new gyroelectric guided modes offer a novel approach to the manipulation of optical spin on a nanoscale.
Microresonator devices lithographically introduced at the optical fiber surface
Authors: Toropov N. , Zaki S. , Vartanyan T. , Sumetsky M.
Published: March 2021

We present a simple lithographic method for fabrication of microresonator devices at the optical fiber surface. First, we undress the predetermined surface areas of a fiber segment from the polymer coating with a focused

C
O

2

laser beam. Next, using the remaining coating as a mask, we etch the fiber in a hydrofluoric acid solution. Finally, we completely undress the fiber segment from coating to create a chain of silica bottle microresonators with nanoscale radius variation [surface nanoscale axial photonics (SNAP) microresonators]. We demonstrate the developed method by fabrication of a chain of five 1 mm long and 30 nm high microresonators at the surface of a 125 µm diameter optical fiber and a single 0.5 mm long and 291 nm high microresonator at the surface of a 38 µm diameter fiber. As another application, we fabricate a rectangular 5 mm long SNAP microresonator at the surface of a 38 µm diameter fiber and investigate its performance as a miniature delay line. The propagation of a 100 ps pulse with 1 ns delay, 0.035c velocity, and negligible dispersion is demonstrated. In contrast to previously developed approaches in SNAP technology, the developed method allows the introduction of much larger fiber radius variation ranging from nanoscale to microscale.
Thermally activated resonant grating using a vanadium dioxide waveguide
Authors: Koussi E. K. , Verrier I. , Kämpfe T. , Reynaud S. , Bourquard F. , Jamon D. , Bruhier H. , Jourlin Y. , Parriaux O.
Published: March 2021

In this work, we report on the design of a one-dimensional subwavelength resonant grating comprised of a fused silica substrate and a bi-layer waveguide, consisting of a solgel synthetized anatase TiO2 layer followed by a thin VO2 layer that is applied using pulsed laser deposition and rapid thermal annealing. A TE waveguide mode is excited under normal incidence in the VO2/TiO2 bi-layer via a positive photoresist based grating printed on top, leading to high resonant reflection at room temperature. Increasing the temperature to about 68°C causes the VO2 to undergo a dielectric to metallic transition accompanied by optical modifications in the IR region, canceling the resonance effect. This thermally triggered absorber/emitter tunable configuration enabling the on and off switching of optical resonant excitation in a reversible manner is proposed for passive Q-switching self-protecting devices for high power lasers in the IR wavelength range. Modeling of the optimized temperature dependent resonant waveguide and preliminary experimental results are presented.