bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Observations of Particles at their Formation Sizes in Beijing, China
Authors: Jayaratne Rohan , Pushpawela Buddhi , He Congrong , Gao Jian , Hui Li , Morawska Lidia
Published: March 2017

Abstract. New particle formation (NPF) has been observed in many highly polluted environments of South-East Asia, including Beijing, where the extent of its contribution to intense haze events is still an open question. Estimated characteristics of NPF events, such as their starting times and formation and growth rates of particles, are very different when the measurements are restricted to particles in larger size ranges. In order to understand the very first steps of particle formation, we used a neutral cluster and air ion spectrometer (NAIS) to investigate particle characteristics at sizes exactly where atmospheric nucleation and cluster activity occurs. Observations over a continuous three-month period in Beijing showed 26 NPF events. These events generally coincided with periods with relatively clean air when the wind direction was from the less-industrialized north. No NPF were observed when the daily mean PM2.5 concentration exceeded 43 µg m-3, which was the upper threshold for particle formation in Beijing. The fraction of particles that are charged in the size range 2–42 nm was normally about 15%. However, this fraction increased to 20–30% during haze events and decreased to below 10 % during NPF events. With the NAIS, we determined the starting times of NPF very precisely to a greater accuracy than has been possible in Beijing before and provided a temporal distribution of NPF events with a maximum at about 8.30 am. Particle formation rates varied between 10–36 cm-3 s-1. Particle growth rates were estimated to be in the range 0.5–9.0 nm h-1. These results are more reliable than previous studies in Beijing as the measurements were conducted for the first time at the exact sizes where clusters form into particles and provide useful insight into the formation of haze events.
Efficiently modelling urban heat storage: an interface conduction scheme in an urban land surface model (aTEB v2.0)
Authors: Lipson Mathew J. , Hart Melissa A. , Thatcher Marcus
Published: March 2017

Abstract. Intercomparison studies of models simulating the partitioning of energy over urban land surfaces have shown that the heat storage term is often poorly represented. In this study, two implicit discrete schemes representing heat conduction through urban materials are compared. We show that a well-established method of representing conduction systematically underestimates the magnitude of heat storage compared with exact solutions of one-dimensional heat transfer. We propose an alternative method of similar complexity that is better able to match exact solutions at typically employed resolutions. The proposed interface conduction scheme is implemented in an urban land surface model and its impact assessed over a 15-month observation period for a site in Melbourne, Australia, resulting in improved overall model performance for a variety of common material parameter choices and aerodynamic heat transfer parameterisations. The proposed scheme has the potential to benefit land surface models where computational constraints require a high level of discretisation in time and space, for example at neighbourhood/city scales, and where realistic material properties are preferred, for example in studies investigating impacts of urban planning changes.
Event-based stochastic point rainfall resampling for statistical replication and climate projection of historical rainfall series
Authors: Thorndahl Søren , Andersen Aske Korup , Larsen Anders Badsberg
Published: March 2017

Abstract. Continuous and long rainfall series are a necessity in rural and urban hydrology for analysis and design purposes. Local historical point rainfall series often cover several decades which makes it possible to estimate rainfall means at different time scales, and to assess return periods of extreme events. Due to climate change, however, these series are most likely not representative for future rainfall. There is therefore a demand for climate projected long rainfall series, which can represent a specific region and rainfall pattern as well as fulfill requirements of long rainfall series which includes climate changes projected to a specific future period. This paper presents a framework for resampling of historical point rainfall series in order to generate synthetic rainfall series, which has the same statistical properties as an original series. Using a number of key target predictions for the future climate, such as winter and summer precipitation, representation of extreme events, the resampled historical series are projected to represent rainfall properties in a future climate. Climate projected rainfall series are simulated by brute force randomization of model parameters which leads to a large number of projected series. In order to evaluate and select the rainfall series with matching statistical properties as the key target projections, an extensive evaluation procedure is developed.
An engineering model for 3D turbulent wind inflow based on a limited set of random variables
Authors: Fluck Manuel , Crawford Curran
Published: March 2017

Abstract. Emerging stochastic analysis methods are of potentially great benefit for wind turbine power output and loads analysis. Instead of requiring multiple (e.g. ten-minute) deterministic simulations, a stochastic approach can enable quick assessment of a turbine's long term performance (e.g. 20 year fatigue and extreme loads) from a single stochastic simulation. However, even though the wind inflow is often described as a stochastic process, the common spectral formulation requires a large number of random variables to be considered. This is a major issue for stochastic methods, which suffer from the curse of dimensionality leading to a steep performance drop with an increasing number of random variables contained in the governing equations. In this paper a novel engineering wind model is developed which reduces the number of random variables by 4–5 orders of magnitude compared to typical models while retaining proper spatial correlation of wind speed sample points across a wind turbine rotor. The new model can then be used as input to direct stochastic simulations models under development. A comparison of the new method to results from the commercial code TurbSim and a custom implementation of the standard spectral model shows that for a 3D wind field the most important properties (cross-correlation, covariance, auto- and cross-spectrum) are conserved adequately by the proposed method.
Intervención educativa para enfermería: cuidado espiritual durante la enfermedad crónica
Authors: Vargas-Escobar Lina María
Published: March 2017

Objetivos: evaluar la efectividad de la intervención educativa Cuidado espiritual de enfermería: integralidad del ser humano en el cuidado en personal de enfermería que trabaja con personas con enfermedad crónica. Materiales y método: se diseñó una intervención educativa para fortalecer la percepción de la espiritualidad y el cuidado espiritual del personal de enfermería. Se planteó un diseño cuasi experimental, con grupo control y experimental y evaluación pre y posprueba. Participaron enfermeras y auxiliares de enfermería de tres instituciones clínicas, seleccionadas en un muestreo no probabilístico, por conveniencia y asignación 1:1 para el grupo experimental (n = 112) y el control (n = 110). Resultados: la intervención modificó significativamente la percepción final total de la espiritualidad y el cuidado espiritual (p ≤ 0,016), con un tamaño del efecto d = 0,4 y una p = 0,84. Fue efectiva en modificar significativamente la percepción de la espiritualidad y el cuidado espiritual total (p ≤ 0,001), así como las subescalas de percepción de la espiritualidad, cuidado espiritual y cuidado personalizado (p ≤ 0,001); sin embargo, la subescala percepción del cuidado espiritual final no presentó diferencias significativas al comparar los grupos (p ≤ 0,024). grupos (p ≤ 0,024). Conclusiones: la intervención fue efectiva en modificar la percepción de la espiritualidad y el cuidado espiritual. Debe comprobarse su efectividad en entornos diferentes al de este estudio y se evidencia la necesidad de capacitar al personal de enfermería en esta temática a fin de que este cuidado se implemente en la práctica en el cuidado de personas en situaciones de enfermedad crónica.
Validación del Brief Pain Inventory en personas con enfermedad renal crónica
Authors: Mota Sousa Luis Manuel , Marques-Vieira Cristina María Alves , Pedro Severino Sandy Silva , Pozo-Rosado Juan LUis , Guerrero José Helena María
Published: March 2017

Objetivo: comprobar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión portuguesa del Brief Pain Inventory, en personas con enfermedad renal crónica sometidas a hemodiálisis. Método: estudio metodológico. La muestra seleccionada está compuesta por 171 personas con enfermedad renal crónica que presentan dolor durante al menos 24 horas y realizan hemodiálisis en dos clínicas de la región de Lisboa, Portugal. Los datos se recogieron entre mayo y junio del 2015. Se evaluaron las siguientes propiedades psicométricas: validez (constructo, convergente y discriminante), confiabilidad (α de Cronbach) y estabilidad (test-retest). Resultados: se obtuvo información que apoya adecuadamente una estructura bifactorial (interferencia del dolor y grado de severidad del dolor), con confiabilidad (α = 0,90 y α = 0,80, respectivamente) y estabilidad. Las medidas registradas están correlacionadas de forma positiva con el afecto negativo, y de forma negativa, con las medidas de calidad de vida, que sustentan la validez concurrente. Se comprobó la existencia de apoyo para la validez predictiva. Conclusiones: las medidas del “grado de severidad del dolor” e “interferencia del dolor” que se obtuvieron a través del Brief Pain Inventory son válidas y reproducibles en personas con enfermedad renal crónica que presentaron dolor en las últimas 24 horas, cuando se utiliza el cuestionario y la entrevista.
Changing antibiotic prescribing in General Practice – The results of the SIMPle process evaluation
Authors: Duane Sinead , Domegan Christine , Callan Aoife , Galvin Sandra , Cormican Martin , Murphy Andrew W. , Vellinga Akke
Published: March 2017

Objective: The Supporting the Improvement and Management of Prescribing for Urinary Tract Infections (SIMPle) study, a cluster randomized trial, sought to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing for Urinary Tract Infections in General Practices located in the west of Ireland. This paper presents the process evaluation and intends to provide insights into the antibiotic prescribing behaviour of the General Practitioners (GPs) during the intervention. The paper discusses how the social marketing intervention developed as part of SIMPle resulted in GPs prescribing more first line antibiotics, the aim of the trial. However it also offers insights into why antibiotic prescriptions increased during the intervention period.Methods: Fifteen GP interviews and summative intervention components including monitoring practice participation and information provided to the study team. Thematic analysis was used to analyze transcripts.Results: GPs recognized the value of consultation coding to produce practice specific audit and feedback reports including current antibiotic prescribing and providing evidence which motivated change.Conclusions: The SIMPle study was successfully integrated into routine care. By simplifying GPs’ access to up to date evidence on their prescribing behaviors, GPs can be positively influenced beyond the context of an intervention.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for English Language and Literature Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1
Authors: Ding Alice
Published: March 2017

Reviewer Acknowledgements for English Language and Literature Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2017.
Richard’s Physical Deformity, the Cause or Excuse behind His Wickedness: A Critical Analysis of Shakespeare’s Richard III
Authors: Akhtar Samina , Rauf Muhammad , Ikram Saima , Rehman Seema
Published: March 2017

This study is an attempt to explore the intrinsic behavior of Richard, the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s renowned historical play Richard III. This paper interprets deformity is a cause or excuse behind Richard’s wickedness that leads him towards his appalling disaster. It further evaluates the internal conflicts of Richard’s mind, his lust for the throne and riches, and his ferocity to attain his lustful desires. The paper investigates whether Richard used his physical malformation as a defending tool or it is mere hindrance in his goodness. It also throws light on how Richard defends his wicked nature by blaming his deformity. The researcher critically studies the psyche of the genius but evil character through social and psychological perspective. The finding of the paper suggests that deformity reflects Richard’s inward naturefull of evil and vices and turns to be the real cause behind his abysmal calamity. Richard’s malicious disability is the clear example of his inward evil.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Librarian Involvement in Grant Projects
Authors: Brandenburg Marci D. , Cordell Sigrid Anderson , Joque Justin , MacEachern Mark P. , Song Jean
Published: March 2017

Librarians are excellent research collaborators, although librarian participation is not usually considered, thereby making access to research funds difficult. The University of Michigan Library became involved in the university’s novel funding program, MCubed, which supported innovative interdisciplinary research on campus, primarily by funding student assistants to work on research projects. This article discusses three different MCubed projects that all benefited from librarian involvement. These projects spanned across many areas from translational research to systematic reviews to digital humanities. Librarian roles ranged from mentoring and project management to literature searching.
Measuring Perceptual (In) Congruence between Information Service Providers and Users
Authors: Boyce Crystal
Published: March 2017

Library quality is no longer evaluated solely on the value of its collections, as user perceptions of service quality play an increasingly important role in defining overall library value. This paper presents a retooling of the LibQUAL+ survey instrument, blending the gap measurement model with perceptual congruence model studies from information systems management research. The new survey instrument redefines service desk assessment by taking into consideration the perspectives of both service users and of service providers, to help service providers gain a more robust sense of service quality.
Modeling the Rice Land Suitability Using GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Approach in Sindh, Pakistan
Authors: Anila Naz  , Haroon Rasheed
Published: March 2017

The objective of this research was to evaluate rice land suitability in Sindh, Pakistan, by designing GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) spatial model to aggregate interdisciplinary aspects including factors of soil physical and chemical properties, ground water quality, soil pH, agro-ecological zones, canal command area and temperature. A constraint map of water bodies was also utilized in this model. On the basis of these parameters,standardized raster maps were created, and then Pair-Wise Comparison Matrix (PWCM) of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was developed to calculate significant weights by means of Principal Eigen vector by Saaty’s method, with accepted Consistency Ratio (CR) of 0.10. Furthermore, Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) employing Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) aggregated all the suitability maps to yield rice land suitability map. Final output map of this work demonstrated 30.2% increase in area suitable for rice cultivation with an increased production of 14,716,592.17 tonnes as compared to existing rice practices in Sindh. This increase in the area and production of the potential land shows the capability of our novel model and offers an opportunity to improve cultivation by providing the much required information at local level that could benefit farmers, vision scientists and decision makers to select appropriate cropping site and agricultural planning making the best use of available data.
Business Development Frameworks for Establishing Innovative Born-Global Firms in Nigeria and Sub-Sahara Africa
Authors: Ezepue Patrick Oseloka , Ochinanwata Nonso
Published: March 2017

This conceptual paper explores different approaches for establishing born-global firms (BGFs) in developed and developing countries, with a special focus on Nigeria and Sub-Sahara Africa. It reviews the key constructs and frameworks that underpin new business development in born-global firms. Examples of these constructs are business development, dynamic capabilities, innovation, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and organisational learning. The research is important because of the relative lack of BGFs (Google, Amazon, Alibaba, and Facebook, for example) in Sub-Sahara Africa, compared to other parts of the world. Moreover, the frameworks for BGF new business development can be applied in subtly different ways in developed and developing country contexts. For example, BGFs in developed countries focus on niche products and services with breakthrough innovation, whilst those in developing countries, because of limited resources and capabilities, focus on underserved and mass markets, which do not require high level resources and capabilities. Realistic hypothetical examples of BGFs which directly underpin Nigerian and Sub-Sahara African higher education and economic development are used to illustrate the BGF business development constructs.
Attitudes of Jordanian Students Towards Using Group Work in EFL Classrooms
Authors: Ababneh Sana'
Published: March 2017

This paper addresses itself to the outcomes of a field study which was carried out to identify Jordanian EFL students' attitudes towards using group work in EFL classrooms. The study sample consisted of 179 students enrolled in English 101, an elementary language skills course taught at Al- Huson University College, Al -Balqa' Applied University, Jordan. A questionnaire was used to investigate the subjects' attitudes. The findings show that approximately two-thirds of the participants are either very extrovert or somewhat extrovert, i.e. they have positive attitudes towards participating in group work in EFL classes. In contrast, only a third are either somewhat introvert or very introvert, i.e., they do not like to take part in group work in EFL classes. Moreover, the data show that neither the subjects' gender nor their secondary school stream (vocational, scientific, or literary) has any significant effect on their preferences.
A Contrastive Study of Cohesion in Arabic and English Religious Discourse
Authors: Huneety Anas , Mashaqba Bassil , Shehadeh .Y. Al-Shboul Sabri , Tayseer Alshdaifat Abdallah
Published: March 2017

This paper aims to analyze the use of cohesion in Arabic and English religious spoken texts. Twelve texts, delivered by some of the most eloquent Imams, were analyzed in light of the model proposed by Halliday & Hasan (1976). The study reveals that lexical cohesion is the most dominant type of cohesion in Arabic religious discourse, whereas it is grammatical cohesion which dominates English religious discourse. Although both languages prefer the use of reference, conjunctions and lexical repetition, Arabic uses lexical repetition, collocation and personal pronouns more often than English. A major contribution of the present study is that it captures new cohesive devises employed in Arabic religious discourse other than proposed by Halliday & Hasan (1976): rhyming patterns and parallelism.
Pronouns and Ideology in Newspaper Discourse
Authors: Kareem Ali Marwah , Althea Christopher Anne , Zarirruddin Fikri B. Nordin Munif
Published: March 2017

It is a fact that the role of pronouns, especially personal pronouns, in representing socio-political ideologies is not new as it has been studied extensively in relation to political discourse. However, this role needs to be examined in the newspaper discourse. Consequently, the current paper intends to examine personal and possessive pronouns used in newspaper articles to represent socio-political ideologies. Such a study requires a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse excerpts from news articles in Iraqi English newspaper, known as the Kurdish Globe (henceforth, KG), on the event of American military forces’ (henceforth, AMFs’) withdrawal from Iraq. Using a qualitative content analysis, the excerpts are categorized thematically in relation to the ideological values found in them. It is revealed that the KG newspaper made use of direct quotation of American politicians’ statements which contain plural personal and possessive pronouns when referring to their actions. This has served two aspects; firstly, it showed its objectivity in conveying the news event using quotations of newsworthy value. Secondly, it enhanced its socio-political ideologies through the direct quotations of American politicians whose government has a powerful authority over Iraq. On the one hand, the KG newspaper used personal and possessive pronouns associated with the positive representation of the U.S. government and its forces to show its trust in them. On the other hand, personal and possessive pronouns related to the Iraqi politicians were associated with negative representation to enhance its distrust in the Iraqi government.
An Investigation of Language Impairment in Persian-Speaking Autistic Children
Authors: JamaliNesari Shahram , Kamari Elahe
Published: March 2017

Abnormalities of language and other forms of communication are among the significant characteristics of autistic children. The goal of the present research is to investigate and compare linguistic properties of Persian-speaking autistic children with their normal counterparts. To this aim, 10 autistic children with age 3-6 years were compared with 10 typically developing children matched on non-verbal IQ and gender. In a 30 minutes free-play session, the speech of each child was recorded and then was analyzed for the phonetic, phonological and morpho-syntactic properties. The findings of the present research showed that there was a statistically significant difference between autistic and normal children in consonant deletion, consonant substitution, the use of stress on inappropriate syllable, atypical intonation, incorrect use of grammatical tense, incorrect use of preposition, inappropriate use of plural nouns and the use of complex sentences (p<0/05), While their differences were not statistically significant in sound epenthesis, metathesis, subject-verb agreement, having difficulty with making the verbs negative, and using demonstratives (p>0/05). The results of this research showed that autistic children in compare to normal ones have more problems in phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic features of speech. Therefore, appropriate treatment programs are required to tackle these problems.
Individual Differences and L2 Motivation: The case of EFL Learners
Authors: Badrkoohi Azam , Maftoon Parviz
Published: March 2017

With the growing understanding of the process of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), more and more emphasis has been put on the learner factors that affect the success or otherwise of SLA. These factors have come to be studied under the general title of “Individual Differences” (ID) (Dörnyei & Ryan, 2015). These factors determine not only the success of an individual second language learner but also the inter-individual variation in second language acquisition. This study is an attempt to shed more light on the relationships among L2 motivation, visual learning style, mental imagery, ideal L2 self, and L2 learning experience in the Iranian context. Exploratory factor analysis was run to ascertain the validity of the questionnaire which was used for data collection. The results revealed that visual learning had its highest correlation with L2 motivation. On the other hand, it had only small to moderate correlations with ideal L2 self, mental imagery, and L2 learning experience. In addition, from among the variables investigated in this study, L2 motivation had the largest correlation with L2 learning experience. Furthermore, the ideal L2 self had the second highest positive correlation with L2 motivation. Finally, mental imagery had the lowest correlation with L2 motivation. The implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed accordingly.
Violence Patterns in Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969): Critical Reading
Authors: Bani-Khair Baker , Alshboul Nayef M. H. , Al-Khawaldeh Nisreen , Al-Khawaldeh Imad , Ababneh Mohammad
Published: March 2017

This paper focuses on the issue of violence in Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969) through explaining some of the cultural and historical implications of violence in the 1960s such as Vietnam War, the Mexican war and also the explosion of the feminist movement and some other important social and political upheavals that shaped the cultural context of the 1960s in America. It also sheds light on Sam Peckinpah’s approach of violence screen and stylizing violence and the representations of violence as a tormenting and brutalizing reality that matches the spirit of the age in addition to the social, political, and colonial conflicts of the 1960s. Violence and the implications of violence in The Wild Bunch whether social , cultural, psychological, or humanistic have been discussed in brief in order to show the critical approach of the film as being a rich and didactic film to watch, especially in terms of its rich cultural and historical contexts.
The Subaltern Cannot Speak: A Study of Adiga Arvinda’s The White Tiger
Authors: Pourqoli Golchin , Pouralifard Akram
Published: March 2017

This study examines the claims about Adiga Arvinda’s anti-protagonist’s, Balram Hawaie’s status as representive voice of subaltern, in his controversial novel, the White Tiger (2008), which also gave way to much debate over its ‘authenticity’. By alluding to postcolonial thinkers such as Edward Said, Ghandi, Spivak, and also Giorgio Agamben’s notion of inclusive exclusion, the essay focuses on the evidence from the novel to indicate that there is no space from which the subaltern of the novel can be heard. The research utilizes the precepts of postcolonial criticism to examine the possibility of considering any room for the voice of the subaltern in The White Tiger for being heard. Through a close reading of the text, also, the study addresses the alterations in the character of the protagonist which ostracize him from the league of the subaltern.
Analysing Resistance of Stereotyped Sexuality via ‘Gender Performance’ in The Silk Fan and Under the Blanket
Authors: Soleha binti Mohd Noor Nurul , Termizi Arbaayah Ali
Published: March 2017

Existing studies had shown that gender stereotyping is still evident in contemporary Malaysian English literature particularly in novels. By using the concepts of ‘gender performance’ and ‘performativity’ introduced by Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble (1990), the current study aims to prove that there is an act of resistance among the new generations/contemporary Malaysian writers against the gender norms placed on sexuality. These writers resisted the norms by performing “gender trouble” through the construction of their characters’ gender identity. Two short stories are selected from 25 Malaysian Short Stories: Best of Silverfish New Writing 2001 – 2005 as the scope of the study to answer these questions; (a) what are the stereotyped ‘gender performances’ of the characters’ sexuality in the two selected short stories?, and (b) how do contemporary Malaysian writers resist stereotyped sexuality using ‘gender performance’ in their writings? The study found that the selected characters from the short story The Silk Fan and Under the Blanket, do perform “gender trouble” in resisting gender expectations on their sexuality. Thus, based on the results of this study, it is hoped that the misconceptions on gender and the conventional way of thinking about sexuality and gender in Malaysian society can be somewhat liberated.
Analysing Speech Acts in Buhari’s Address at the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly
Authors: Sourou Koutchadé Innocent
Published: March 2017

This article aims at examining the language of a political speech through the linguistic theory of pragmatics. The focus of the study is, specifically, to identify speech acts used in Buhari’s address at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.  Such an analysis is meant to emphasize the way the Nigerian president conveyed his intentions and his country’s priorities in line with the general theme of the Assembly. The paper has adopted Searle’s (1969) speech act theory. The identification of illocutionary acts in the speech through a tabulated statistics shows that there are 52.56% of representative acts, 19.23% of directive acts, 16.66% of expressive acts, 11.53% of commissive acts and  00% of declaration acts. The findings reveal the dominance of representative illocutionary acts showing that Buhari has mainly expressed his beliefs regarding the theme of the assembly and the priorities of his country. Directive acts are used to make suggestions whereas commissives are used to point out the challenges to be taken up by Buhari and his audience and expressives reflect his psychological state while addressing the world leaders. The paper concludes that this study of speech acts has made it easy to comprehend the message of the Nigerian president in his address.
Supervisory Feedback Efficiency: Developing a Framework Based on Iranian EFL Teachers’ and Supervisors’ Perceptions
Authors: Mehrpour Saeed , Agheshteh Hessam
Published: March 2017

Believing that providing EFL teachers with effective supervisory feedback during the post-observation conference is essential, researchers in the current study report on the views of Iranian EFL teachers and supervisors as to what constitutes effective supervisory feedback. Having conducted a qualitative content analysis of the data obtained from interviews with teachers and supervisors, researchers came up with a framework of the constituent elements of effective supervisory feedback, which includes 1) adopting a more creative approach 2) using above-the-utterance mitigation 3) gauging the teachers’ ZPD 4) being socioculturally sensitive 5) assessing the teachers’ beliefs and attitudes and 6) developing public relations. The results showed the teachers’ overall dissatisfaction with the present supervisory feedback. The paper concludes by suggestions to include supervisory training courses in the existing teacher development programs to better empower supervisors in their dealing with EFL supervisees throughout the country.
The Role of Translation in Developing ESP Learners’ Reading Comprehension Skills- A Case Study of Medical Students at Najran University-KSA
Authors: Hamid Rushwan Ismail Mohammed
Published: March 2017

Reading comprehension is developed through successful interaction between the reader and the text. This interaction is the major factor that plays the crucial role in comprehension. ESP has a strong and palpable presence in the curricula of Saud universities due to a range of considerations. It  is  used  in  different  domains  such  as  medicine,  engineering, and  allied health. It  is well  known, that  any  use  of  L1  in  English  language  instruction  has  always  been a  matter of hot debate. This study  aims  to  shed  some fresh light on the importance of  translation as a pedagogical tool  in  developing  reading  comprehension  skills  of  ESP  medical learners  at  Najran  University- KSA. Undeniably, the  students  experience bewilderment and  great  difficulties  in  grasping  the  enormous  quantity of  medical  terms  and  texts  as  a  result  of  their  extreme  weakness  in English. The level of most Saudi students in English is very low and their knowledge of vocabulary is extremely limited. Studying medical terminology is the foundation for studying any health-related field. Medicine has a language of its own, and mastering it is a complex task. So, regarding ESP medical courses, the students resort to machine translation, because they cannot absorb the medical texts and terms properly. There are so many shortcomings with respect to machine translation  This  study  investigates the effect of using translation  in  ESP  medical  classes  with  the  objective  of  helping  students  in  comprehending  terminologies  and  texts. It also aims at motivating them and meeting their learning needs. Moreover, the study aims to help  students  concentrate on the  standardized  terminology  and  avoid  the  imperfections  of  machine  translation.
Effect of Technology Enhanced Language Learning on Vocabulary Acquisition of EFL Learners
Authors: Hassan Taj Imtiaz , Ali Fatimah , Aslam Sipra Muhammad , Ahmad Waqar
Published: March 2017

The aim of the present study was to understand the reasons of MA TEFL students’ silence and unwillingness to participate in class discussions as perceived by their professors. A qualitative method was conducted to understand the issue from teachers’ perspectives at three different Iranian universities (Alzahra University, Tehran University and Azad University). Qualitative data were collected through observational check-list, field notes and semi-structured interviews with 12 professors to reflect their understanding of students’ silence and the ways of involving them in class activities. Then, thematic analysis was run to answer the related research questions. The results of professors’ perspective through thematic analysis have mirrored four different reasons including affective, lingu-cognitive, sociocultural and pedagogical reasons. Some further strategies were proposed by the professors for breaking the wall of silence. The study ended with a number of pedagogical implications.
The Sequence of Acquisition of Personal Pronoun Case and Person Reference among 6 Year Old Children in Two Selected Malaysian Kindergartens
Authors: Abd Samad Arshad , Iman Arshad Nurul
Published: March 2017

Pronoun case and person reference refer to the position of the pronoun in the sentence and the person the pronoun refers to respectively.  Examining the acquisition of pronoun case and person reference among young children can be insightful as, besides their obvious relevance to language development, both these constructs can have implications on other aspects of child development.  Attention given by children to these various constructs may indicate the importance children place on the concept of ego and self as well as on social relations.  The sequence of acquisition of personal pronouns among these children is therefore an important phenomenon to be examined as it can reflect linguistic and socio-cognitive development.  This largely descriptive study examines the sequence of acquisition of the English pronouns among forty 6 year old Malaysian children learning ESL in two kindergartens.  The children in the study were presented with 33 drawings to assess their familiarity with case and person reference expressed through English personal pronouns.  They were required to select the correct pronoun from three pronouns that were used to describe each drawing.  This paper reports on the accuracy rates for each pronoun and assumes that high accuracy rates indicate a more complete acquisition of the pronoun.  Error forms by the children were also be identified and examined.  Data obtained were compared to acquisition sequences in the literature and general implications related to the acquisition of personal pronouns among children in an ESL setting in Malaysia will be discussed.
Image of Oriental Turkmen Female Travelees in the Nineteenth Century Western Travel Writing
Authors: Gholi Ahmad , Ahmadi Mosaabad Masoud
Published: March 2017

One of crucial issues which Western travel writers in their journeys to the Orient specifically in the height of colonialism in the nineteenth has addressed is Oriental women. Entrapped and conditioned by their cultural baggage and operating on the basis of Orientalist discourse, they have mostly presented a reductive image of their Oriental female travelees as exotic, seductive, sensual, secluded, and suppressed, in lieu of entering into a cultural dialogue and painting their picture sympathetically and respectfully. To convey their lasciviousness, they have expatiated on Oriental harems and to display their oppression foregrounded their veil and ill-treatment by their allegedly insensitive and callus menfolks. In the same period in the context of the Great Game the politically oriented Western travel writers in particular the British ones set out on a voyage to Central Asia where they encountered ethnic Turkmen. Besides gathering intelligence, the travel writers devoted considerable pages to their Turkmen female travelees as well. But their images in these travel books have not been subject to rigorous scholarly scrutiny. In this regard, the current articles in two sections seeks to redress this neglect by shedding light on how these travel writers portrayed their Turkmen female travelees in seemingly unorientalist fashion in the first part and how explicitly in Orientalist tradition in the second part.
The Comprehension of Synonyms by Saudi EFL Learners: Acquisition and Pedagogical Implications
Authors: Alanazi Majed
Published: March 2017

This study investigates 40 Saudi EFL learners’ receptive knowledge of synonyms in English. It also tests whether the participants’ English proficiency level plays a role in their comprehension of English synonyms. To achieve this, the researcher designed a multiple-choice test to measure Saudi EFL learners’ ability to recognise the correct English synonym in contextualised sentences. In order to test whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their comprehension of English synonyms, the participants were divided on the basis of their scores on the Oxford Placement Test into two groups: 20 Advanced Learners (ALs) and 20 Intermediate Learners (ILs). Twenty native speakers of English (NSs) acted as the control group. The native speakers’ answers on the multiple-choice test were considered as the accurate answers. The answers provided by the ALs and ILs were compared to those provided by the NSs to determine whether the answers of the former approximate those of the latter. A Chi-square test was employed to determine whether the differences between the three groups, ALs, ILs and NSs on the multiple-choice test were statistically significant. The results reveal that the answers supplied by the ILs differed statistically from those of NSs on all items on the multiple-choice test, whereas those provided by the ALs differed significantly from those of the NSs on eight items. The results also show that participants’ English proficiency level may not have played a role in their ability to recognise the correct synonym on all items on the test. The researcher argued that the main sources of error were interference habits from the participants’ first language (L1), lack of awareness of the semantic differences between the synonyms in English and lack of familiarity with English collocations. The study concluded with some pedagogical implications for ESL/EFL teachers in the context of teaching English synonyms to L2 students.
Language Maintenance and Core Values among Second Generation Arabs in the USA
Authors: Turjoman Mona
Published: March 2017

This sociolinguistics study investigated the maintenance of the Arabic language among three migrant Arab Muslim families, who have been living in the USA for at least ten years, particularly among the children. Each family has children between the ages of 10 to 15 and they attend American public schools. Arabic is essential in the religious rituals of the Muslim society. Yet living in an English-speaking environment makes it challenging for these families to maintain fluency in Arabic and English. The families live in Muncie, Indiana where the only means of formal teaching of Arabic is through a Sunday school held in the Mosque and parental attempts to teach them at home. Data were collected by using semi-structured interviews and participant observation over a six-month period and analyzed according to Smolicz’s (1981) Core Value theory. The findings of the study indicated that all three families are aware of the challenges of maintaining the Arabic language and therefore emphasize the use of Arabic at home, to supplement the Arabic lessons in the Sunday school.
The impact of human development on individual health: a causal mediation analysis examining pathways through education and body mass index
Authors: Wang Aolin , Arah Onyebuchi A.
Published: March 2017

Background

The macro environment we live in projects what we can achieve and how we behave, and in turn, shapes our health in complex ways. Policymaking will benefit from insights into the mechanisms underlying how national socioeconomic context affects health. This study examined the impact of human development on individual health and the possible mediating roles of education and body mass index (BMI).

Methods

We analyzed World Health Survey data on 109,448 participants aged 25 or older from 42 low- and middle-income countries with augmented human development index (HDI) in 1990. We used principal components method to create a health score based on measures from eight health state domains, used years of schooling as education indicator and calculated BMI from self-reported height and weight. We used causal mediation analysis technique with random intercepts to account for the multilevel structure.

Results

Below a reference HDI level of 0.48, HDI was negatively associated with good health (total effect at HDI of 0.23:b =  − 3.44, 95% CI [−6.39–−0.49] for males andb =  − 5.16, 95% CI [−9.24,–−1.08] for females) but was positively associated with good health above this reference level (total effect at HDI of 0.75:b = 4.16, 95% CI [−0.33–8.66] for males andb = 6.62, 95% CI [0.85–12.38] for females). We found a small positive effect of HDI on health via education across reference HDI levels (branging from 0.24 to 0.29 for males and 0.40 to 0.49 for females) but not via pathways involving BMI only.

Conclusion

Human development has a non-linear effect on individual health, but the impact appears to be mainly through pathways other than education and BMI.
Lectotypification of Mimosa pubescens Vent. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae)
Authors: Kodela Phillip Gerhard , Wilson Peter G
Published: March 2017

A lectotype is here designated for Mimosa pubescens Vent., the basionym of the Australian species Acacia pubescens (Vent.) R.Br.
Drug-induced parkinsonism: A case report
Authors: Morabito Brianna D. , Paulison Barbara
Published: March 2017

Drug-induced parkinsonism is defined as the appearance of parkinsonism on treatment with pharmaceutical agents. Symptoms typically manifest within a few days, and 90% of cases emerge within 3 months. The patient was a 68-year-old white man with a past psychiatric history significant for bipolar I versus cyclothymic disorder. The patient presented with pressured speech, flight of ideas, distractibility, delusions, and disorganized thinking. He was started on risperidone and, due to a subclinical response, was cross-tapered from risperidone to olanzapine, and divalproex was started. The patient was then given paliperidone 234 mg long-acting injection (LAI) and a second loading dose of 156 mg 1 week later. The patient's cognitive and functional status subsequently declined, all neuroleptics were discontinued, and he was diagnosed with drug-induced parkinsonism. After a complicated hospital course the patient died approximately 5 months after the administration of paliperidone LAI. Although there are several confounding factors, due to the temporal relationship of events it is likely that paliperidone LAI was a contributing factor for the development of severe parkinsonism. Practitioners should be cognizant of the potential long-term consequences of paliperidone LAI.
Consumer satisfaction with National Alliance on Mental Illness written medicine information
Authors: Colvard Michelle D. , Jackson Marie-Thérèse , Oliveira Rosana , Scholtes Karin , Burghart Steve , Gutíerrez Cynthia A. , Moore Troy A. , Saldaña Shannon N. , VandenBerg Amy
Published: March 2017

Introduction:

Written medicine information (WMI) is a collection of facts for a specific medication, and it helps facilitate patient understanding of medication therapy. The primary objective of this study was to assess consumer satisfaction with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) WMI. A secondary objective was to assess health care professional satisfaction.

Methods:

National Alliance on Mental Illness WMI and surveys were offered to consumers, health care professionals, and trainees at 3 treatment centers with psychiatric services. All adults who received medication counseling were eligible for inclusion. Survey responses were evaluated using descriptive statistics.

Results:

Most consumers (82.4%) and providers (74.5%) reported overall satisfaction with NAMI WMI. Consumers were least satisfied with information on how to manage unwanted effects, drug-drug interactions, and readability (9.5%, 14.9%, 41.9% dissatisfaction).

Discussion:

Evaluation and feedback from consumers and health care professionals may influence decisions to refine NAMI WMI to meet consumer needs.
An invertebrate STING from shrimp activates an innate immune defense against bacterial infection
Authors: Li Haoyang , Wang Sheng , Lǚ Kai , Yin Bin , Xiao Bang , Li Sedong , He Jianguo , Li Chaozheng
Published: February 2017

It has been proposed that invertebrate stimulators of interferon genes (STINGs) do not take part in the innate immune response to infection. Herein, we identified a new STING homolog from pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (LvSTING). Some amino acids crucial for recognizing cyclic dinucleotides in mammals are highly conserved in LvSTING. Moreover, LvSTING expression can be robustly induced by challenge with the Gram‐negative bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Silencing of LvSTING contributes to decreased expression of the antimicrobial peptide PEN4 and renders shrimp more susceptible to V. parahaemolyticus infection, while coinjection with the recombinant LvSTING protein can rescue PEN4 expression in vivo and confer shrimp with more resistance to infection. Taken together, these results suggest that LvSTING is involved in the innate immune response to bacterial infection.
The competing endogenousRNAnetwork ofCYP4Z1 and pseudogeneCYP4Z2P exerts an anti‐apoptotic function in breast cancer
Authors: Li Cheng , Zheng Lufeng , Xin Yu , Tan Zhoulin , Zhang Yan , Meng Xia , Wang Zhigang , Xi Tao
Published: February 2017

The competing endogenousRNAnetwork (ceRNET) is involved in tumorigenesis and has become a hot spot of research. The ceRNETbetweenCYP4Z1 and the pseudogeneCYP4Z2P promotes angiogenesis and mediates tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. Nevertheless, the effects of this ceRNETon cell apoptosis and related mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we found that downregulation ofCYP4Z1 or theCYP4Z2P 3′‐UTRpromotes cell apoptosis, mirroring the functions of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Furthermore, the ceRNETbetweenCYP4Z1 and pseudogeneCYP4Z2P modulateshTERTexpression by operating as a sub‐ceRNETforhTERT. Our data demonstrate that the ceRNETbetweenCYP4Z1 and pseudogeneCYP4Z2P acts as a sub‐ceRNETforhTERTand, thus, inhibits breast cancer apoptosis.