bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data Fusion of Two Hyperspectral Imaging Systems with Complementary Spectral Sensing Ranges for Blueberry Bruising Detection
Authors: Fan Shuxiang , Li Changying , Huang Wenqian , Chen Liping
Published: December 2018

Currently, the detection of blueberry internal bruising focuses mostly on single hyperspectral imaging (HSI) systems. Attempts to fuse different HSI systems with complementary spectral ranges are still lacking. A push broom based HSI system and a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) based HSI system with different sensing ranges and detectors were investigated to jointly detect blueberry internal bruising in the lab. The mean reflectance spectrum of each berry sample was extracted from the data obtained by two HSI systems respectively. The spectral data from the two spectroscopic techniques were analyzed separately using feature selection method, partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and support vector machine (SVM), and then fused with three data fusion strategies at the data level, feature level, and decision level. The three data fusion strategies achieved better classification results than using each HSI system alone. The decision level fusion integrating classification results from the two instruments with selected relevant features achieved more promising results, suggesting that the two HSI systems with complementary spectral ranges, combined with feature selection and data fusion strategies, could be used synergistically to improve blueberry internal bruising detection. This study was the first step in demonstrating the feasibility of the fusion of two HSI systems with complementary spectral ranges for detecting blueberry bruising, which could lead to a multispectral imaging system with a few selected wavelengths and an appropriate detector for bruising detection on the packing line.
A Tunable Plasmonic Refractive Index Sensor with Nanoring-Strip Graphene Arrays
Authors: Cen Chunlian , Lin Hang , Huang Jing , Liang Cuiping , Chen Xifang , Tang Yongjian , Yi Zao , Ye Xin , Liu Jiangwei , Yi Yougen , Xiao Shuyuan
Published: December 2018

In the present study, we design a tunable plasmonic refractive index sensor with nanoring-strip graphene arrays. The calculations prove that the nanoring-strip have two transmission dips. By changing the strip length L of the present structure, we find that the nanoring-strip graphene arrays have a wide range of resonances (resonance wavelength increases from 17.73 μm to 28.15 μm). When changing the sensing medium refractive index nmed, the sensitivity of mode A and B can reach 2.97 μm/RIU and 5.20 μm/RIU. By changing the doping level ng, we notice that the transmission characteristics can be tuned flexibly. Finally, the proposed sensor also shows good angle tolerance for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) polarizations. The proposed nanoring-strip graphene arrays along with the numerical results could open a new avenue to realize various tunable plasmon devices and have a great application prospect in biosensing, detection, and imaging.
Dimensionamento ótimo e análise dos modos de colapso de vigas alveolares de aço
Authors: Alves Elcio Cassimiro , Lubke Gabriela
Published: December 2018

As vigas de aço com aberturas na alma são elementos estruturais obtidos a partir do corte de um determinado perfil e soldando as partes na sequência. Como resultado deste processo, obtém-se um novo elemento com a sua capacidade de resistência aumentada em relação a original. Essas aberturas, juntamente com o aumento da altura útil do perfil, tornam-se esse tipo de viga suscetível a novas formas de colapso. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar a formulação, bem como o sistema desenvolvido para o dimensionamento otimizado de vigas alveolares de aço. O sistema foi desenvolvido na plataforma do Matlab. Exemplos numéricos são apresentados para validar a formulação. Uma análise comparativa é feita para mostrar a diferentes soluções para os diferentes padrões de vigas alveolares bem como apontar a melhor solução e uma análise nos modos de colapso preponderante para os problemas analisados é apresentado. Os resultados apontam que uma solução mellhor pode ser obtida quando as técnicas de otimização são aplicadas para o problema
Lexico-grammatical Analysis of AdaOkere Agbasimalo’s The Forest Dames
Authors: C. Kadiri Goodluck , Uzoma Asadu Emmanuela , Ekwueme Joekin
Published: December 2018

The importance of language in literary discourse can never be over-emphasized. Halliday and Matthiessen (2014), in broad terms, contend that language is used to carry out interpersonal functions in speech and writing. Hence, literary writers use language creatively to communicate their intended messages to their readers. This study, therefore, explores the lexico-grammatical assessment of AdaOkere Agbasimalo’s The Forest Dames. The study aimed at identifying the prevalent linguistic tools deployed in the novel by the author, as a style index, for plot and theme developments. Also, to discuss logically how these tools contribute to project meanings in the novel. The study adopts Leech and Short’s checklist of linguistic and stylistic categories as its analytical tool. Data were extracted randomly from the novel and analyzed qualitatively at levels of lexis and structure using the checklist. The findings revealed that the authors deployed more of the major parts of speech; military registers; code mixing and switching and pidginized word/expressions to express the theme of hostility and futility of war. Also, at the grammatical level, sentences according to structure and function; inverted and elliptical sentences; adverbial and adjectival clauses were also used to expresses various themes and to develop the plots of the novel logically. It was concluded that Agbasimalo is a writer who used English creatively to express the consequences of Nigerian civil war on women and children. Conversely, it was suggested that scholars should conduct further studies on other aspects not covered in this research.
The Effects of Film Subtitles on English Listening Comprehension and Vocabulary
Authors: Napikul Supakorn , Cedar Payung , Roongrattanakool Dusadee
Published: December 2018

An attempt of this study was to find out which type of subtitles is likely to be more effective in developing EFL tenth-grade students’ listening comprehension and vocabulary of a feature film: bimodal subtitling (English subtitles with English dialogues), standard subtitling (Thai subtitles with English dialogues), and English dialogues without subtitles. The data of this study was elicited from three groups of students in tenth-grade, 21 students per group, with similar English learning achievement level. Students in each group were assigned to watch an English dialogue movie with assigned subtitles, one type of subtitles per one group. They were tested on listening comprehension, content and vocabulary after they finished watching the movie. After all the students had finished taking the test, four persons from each group were randomly selected to be interviewed. The findings showed that Thai subtitles affect tenth-grade students’ listening comprehension more than English subtitles and not having any subtitles at all. The average scores for content and vocabulary showed that Thai subtitles affect students’ listening comprehension of content and vocabulary more than English subtitles and having no subtitles whatsoever.
The Comparative Effect of Audio-taped Homework/Feedback and Written Homework/Feedback on EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate
Authors: Ghasemi Zeinab
Published: December 2018

Willingness to communicate emerges as a concept to account for an individual’s personality orientation and readiness toward talking and entering into discourse with a specific person and a particular time (McCroskey & Baer 1985; McCroskey & Richmond 1991). This is also valued in language learning as a crucial goal and achievement. Moreover an indispensable tool for stepping forward in the subject is a form of learnt activities reactivation during out-of-class time, which is called homework (Paudel, 2012). This is considered as a vehicle through which language learners reach the planned academic achievements faster (Amiryousefi, 2016). Two well-known subcategories of homework are seen as audio-taped and written ones. The use of audio homework comments (through MP3 files) versus written homework comments have become highly focused. Thus, the present study aimed at exploring the comparative effect of audio-taped and written homework/feedback on EFL learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC). The current study included 40 female intermediate language learners, learning English at a private institution. They were divided into two twenty-member experimental groups as Audio-taped homework/feedback and written. The participants mean age was about 18. Both groups received equal treatments, however the way they were asked for homework and the way to correct the handed in assignments were completely different (audi-taped ones were supposed to hand in their homework by recording their voice and also the teacher used the same technique making comments, but in written group the participants and the teacher were both required to have written homework and comments respectively). The results obviously indicated the considerable development of willingness to communicate through the application of audio-taped homework/feedback.
An In-Between Identity: Azouz Begag in Shantytown Kid
Authors: Mohamed Radi
Published: December 2018

The main purpose of this study is to examine the double identity in Begag’s le Gone du Chaâba. Taken between two completely different cultures, the beur writer exploited the language to translate and transmit this duality. Le Gone du Chaâba is a 1986 novel by Azouz Begag, a French-born author of Algerian parentage, who offers an autobiographical glimpse of his childhood in and around Lyon. Set in the 1960’s, the novel presents Azouz navigating his experience between the slum where his family lives and the various French schools he attends. The text traces the issues of children of immigrants who essentially live between four language varieties: a cherished, formal Arabic, a version of Arabic or Berber spoken at home (rarely studied in written form), a “proper” French learned in school, and slang French spoken with friends. This study will explore the language issues as they appear in Begag’s le Gone du Chaâba, where they contribute to the process of identity formation for the child Azouz. In this novel the narrator presents himself as the voice of an individual who negotiates a place in an environment in the course of creation.
Accounting Theory Lenses to Analyze Literature: An Exploration through Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Authors: Gélinas Patrice , Gélinas Camilia , Baillargeon Lisa
Published: December 2018

The present study is the first of its kind to suggest that accounting theory lenses can be a powerful tool to understand literary works, such as a diegesis. Using Shakespeare’s Macbeth as exploratory setting, we propose a metaphorical abstraction process to translate and analyze characters and currencies. We then illustrate the effectiveness of an accounting theoretical framework to analyze a sample of play events which allude to its finality. The main contribution of this paper is to illustrate how the work of literature and accounting theorists can be mutually illuminating.
The Prevalence and Frequency of Authorial Identity among Undergraduate Students in Fiji
Authors: Singh Jasbir Karneil , Daniel Ben K.
Published: December 2018

Expressing an authoritative voice is an essential part of academic writing at university. However, the performance of the authorial self in writing is complex yet fundamental to academic success as a large part of academic assessment involves writing to the academy. More specifically, the performance of the authorial self can be complex for English as a Second Language (ESL) student-writers. This research investigated the extent to which ESL first-year students at the Fiji National University perform their authorial voice using interactional metadiscourse in their academic writing. The study employed a quantitative analysis of corpus produced by 16 Fijian ESL undergraduate students enrolled in an EAP course. The research found that the ESL authorial voice was predominantly expressed through boosters and attitude markers, with relatively little usage of other interactional metadiscoursal elements such as hedges, engagement markers and self-mentions. Further, the research showed that this particular cohort expressed their authorial voice and identity through boosted arguments and avoiding language that directly mentions the authorial self. The study concludes that the ESL authorial self for this cohort manifests itself in a selected range of selected interactional metadiscoursal elements, requiring the need to raise the awareness of self-reflective expressions for ESL students. The study also encourages further exploration of ESL authorial identity construction in academic writing at undergraduate level and beyond.
Approaching Hysteria and Abjection through Freudian Reading of Toni Morrison’s Paradise
Authors: Abed Maha Yasir , Janoory Lajiman Bin
Published: December 2018

This paper examines the representation of hysteria in Toni Morrison’s Paradise. The study will mainly focus on the psychological traits of the female protagonists. Such traits provide amble instance of the influence of hysteria on the protagonists’ conscious behavior. For this reason, the primary conceptual formwork will be psychoanalysis. Accordingly, Sigmund Freud’s concept of hysteria will be applied to interpret the hysteric symptoms which result from harmful sexual experiences like rape, molestation and violation in a male dominated society. In this regard, the protagonist’s suffering from hysteric symptoms, like fear, silence, nightmare, and many other symptoms are going to be scrutinized in order to identify the influence of hysteria on the protagonist’s reaction. Freud asserts that sexual experience or molestation that occur within childhood is the main source of hysteria which appear later. Thus, this paper will illustrate the causes that lead the protagonist to be hysteric from Freudian perspective and emergence of self- actualization to gain subjectivity and independence.
The Descriptions of Phrasal Verbs in Language Reference Materials
Authors: Kamarudin Rafidah , Zamin Ainul Azmin Md
Published: December 2018

Multi-word units like phrasal verbs (PVs) are very common in English, indicating their usefulness in everyday settings. Despite the importance of PVs in both written and spoken discourse, it was reported that language learners generally have great difficulties in understanding and using this linguistic form due to various factors. However, studies examining the treatment of PVs in language reference materials, which may also contribute to learners’ difficulties in understanding PVs are still lacking. Thus, the present study investigates how language reference materials, in particular those commonly prescribed to Malaysian school learners, address and describe this very common and important linguistic feature. Secondary school prescribed textbooks and two learner dictionaries were examined. All sections in the textbooks and dictionaries entries that discuss the selected common PVs were analyzed. Descriptive analysis was conducted to examine how this particular language form is described by looking at the selection of PVs, as well as information provided with respect to PVs. Results of the present study have revealed a number of useful findings with regard to the selection and description of PVs in both reference materials which to date, have not been found in any other studies in Malaysia, to inform relevant parties for further actions.
Legitimate Resistance through the Aesthetic
Authors: Taleb Hala Abu , Rabiyeh Al
Published: December 2018

Within the pragmatics of our conflicting world, few can deny peoples’ right of resistance. It is true that those few are often the most powerful and thus the most influential when it comes to the international community and what qualifies as legitimate or illegitimate resistance. Nevertheless, resistance, in all its forms continues to disturb and challenge monolithic discourses and one-dimensional perspectives. Among today’s nations who directly suffer from such facts, Arabs and Muslims can simply top the list. Subjugated to almost daily international deformations and national manipulations, the “resistance” of these people heads the world’s news, often as violent fighting of violent nations. If resistance defines a nation and its actions then defining resistance itself is a form of national consciousness and identity politics. That is how Arabs and Muslims should think of their resistance and its manifestations. We need to carry it on via shrewd strategies which maintain it civilized for the sake of our self-identification and keep it legitimate for the sake of our national cause. As we strive through our resistance, our unfortunate current image as terrorist and backwards should be an aim for reform rather than a justification for further dark connotations.
Variations in how Students describe ‘Friendship’ An Application of Appraisal Theory
Authors: Alhuthali Mohammed
Published: December 2018

This study explores the link between cognition and emotion using concepts from functional linguistics. Appraisal Theory argues that all emotions are first articulated (actively or passively) before they are experienced. As with many essentially constructionist approaches, this process is influenced both by circumstances and previous experience. This study specifically tests if positive and negative framings of the concept of friendship use different linguistic formulations. If so, this provides some evidence both for the underlying theoretical assumption and the value of functional linguistics as a tool to understand the process. Appraisal Theory has roots in both Psychology and Functional Linguistics and this study aims to bring these two strands together so as to link the analytic framework from Functional Linguistics to the conceptual framework in the Psychological formulation. In conclusion, it was found that negative formulations used more complex language, offered alternative formulations and used words to indicate both the focus and to modulate the force of any statement. In the context of the study, it was suggested that positive images of friendship reflected their expectations of the behaviour of close family members.
The Role of Self-assessment Guide on Improving Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing: The Portfolio Approach
Authors: Sahebkheir Farnaz
Published: December 2018

Writing skill is one of the most difficult skills to be taught. Teachers try to find new ways to teach it especially via student-centered approaches. Self-assessment portfolio can be one of these learner-centered methods for improving learners writing skill. This study aims to investigate the effect of self-assessment portfolio on Iranian EFL students’ writing production. Two groups were selected through a KET test and they were randomly assigned as a control and an experimental group. The experimental group had to use a self-assessment guide and completed their writing tasks. They reflected and critically analyzed their own writing using the Self-assessment Guide. While the control group did not receive the self-assessment guide and they just received teacher written error correction for their writing tasks. They either did not analyze their written product critically. The experimental group outperformed the control group and the differences were statistically significant. Students in the experimental group engaged in constant critical thinking and developed a strong sense of responsibility for their learning. It can be concluded that teachers should engage their students in self-assessment portfolio to encourage more critical thinking and self-regulation.
Flipside Theory: Emerging Perspectives in Literary Criticism
Authors: Nwadike Chinedu , Onunkwo Chibuzo
Published: December 2018

Literary theories have arisen to address some perceived needs in the critical appreciation of literature but flipside theory is a novelty that fills a gap in literary theory. By means of a critical look at some literary theories particularly Formalism, Marxism, structuralism, post-structuralism, psychoanalysis, and feminism but also Queer theory, New Criticism, New Historicism, postcolonialism, and reader-response, this essay establishes that a gap exists, which is the lack of a literary theory that laser-focuses on depictions of victims of social existence (people who simply for reasons of where and when they are born, where they reside and other unforeseen circumstances are pushed to the margins). Flipside criticism investigates whether such people are depicted as main characters in works of literature, and if so, how they impact society in very decisive ways such as causing the rise or fall of some important people, groups or social dynamics while still characterized as flipside society rather than developed to flipview society. While flipside literary criticism can be done on any work of literature, only works that distinctively provide this kind of plot can lay claim to being flipside works. This essay also distinguishes flipside theory from others that multitask such as Marxism, which explores the economy and class conflict between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, and feminism, which explores depictions of women (the rich and the poor alike) and issues of sex and gender. In addition, flipside theory underscores the point that society is equally constituted by both flipview society and flipside society like two sides of a coin.
A Comparative Study on the Current TESL Curriculum: Identifying a Match for Industry Revolution (IR) 4.0
Authors: Majid Faizah Abd
Published: December 2018

This paper examines TESL curriculum and how the curriculum relates to the training of the super skills needed in Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0). Specifically, a comparative study on several TESL programmes offered in several public universities in Malaysia will provide the common trend among the universities and specific strengths of each university. Focus of comparison includes the programme outcomes (PO), discipline core courses offered, methods of delivery and assessment. The comparisons are made to shed some lights on how universities are providing relevant training for the pre-service English language teachers in meeting the demand of Industry Revolution 4.0. In addressing the relevance of the curriculum, a discussion on the super skills needed for IR 4.0, IR characteristics and components will be briefly provided. Findings that address the strengths and rooms for improvement in the current TESL programme curriculum in meeting the need of IR 4.0 could benefit policy makers, curriculum developer and TESL trainers.
Helping Students to Write Better through Reading and Writing Connections Strategy
Authors: Erlina - , Hayati Rita , Jaya Hariswan Putra
Published: December 2018

One of the causes of students’ difficulties in writing is related to the lack of knowledge on how to write. This might be caused by the lack of awareness that a piece of writing might have its own pattern or organization of ideas depending on the topic. Therefore, students need to be exposed with different kinds readings materials in order to develop their awareness on how writing is developed into differrent kinds of patterns of ideas. This study is intended to help students improve their writing achievement especially in writing an essay by integrating the reading and writing activitivities. The students involved in an integrated reading and writing activity in order to help the students develop their writing skills. This study involved 16 students of English Education Study Program who took the writing 3 course. Therefore, convinient sampling method is applied. The results of this study showed that there was an improvement in the students’ writing achievement in means from 63.3 in pretest to 79.8 in the post test. The results of the paired-sample t-test also confirmed that there is a significant difference in students’ essay writing achievement before and after they were taught by using reading and writing connections strategy. Organization of ideas, focus and detail, and voice are the aspects which were mostly developed after the treatment. Therefore, it can be concluded that reading and writing connections strategy is effective in improving students’ essay writing achievement.
Problems Related to the Teaching of English Pronunciation in Pre-service Institutions: A Study at the Wesley College of Education, Kumasi, Ghana
Authors: Asante-Nimako Davida Aba Mensima
Published: December 2018

The purpose of the study was to find out the problems related to the teaching of English pronunciation in the pre-service training institutions. Wesley College of Education, Kumasi, Ghana, was used as a case study. Out of the problems, deductions were made to make recommendations. Three tutors of English and twenty students were purposively sampled for the study. Through the use of interviews, three key findings, realized from the research include the following: First, the mode of correcting students’ mispronunciation. The manner in which some tutors correct students’ mispronunciation was found to be very discouraging to the students; second, the less attention given to English ‘pronunciation’ as one of the aspects of English language teaching/learning was a concern; In any case, though pronunciation was not conspicuously part of the English course outline, it did not imply that there was no form of pronunciation teaching. Thus, during the teaching learning process pronunciation teaching go on directly or indirectly. In terms, of other subject areas other than English language, pronunciation teaching hardly happens. More importantly, another vital problem found was the poor foundation at the basic level of education. The student teachers should in-turn have a better grounding in English pronunciation to teach the pupils in the basic schools in Ghana. Unfortunately, the ill tradition of unintelligible pronunciation goes on, which the researcher terms it the ‘dark cycle’. The views of students and tutors were gathered through recording and transcription of interviews. The research generally reveals the need for language teachers and curriculum planners to factor in pronunciation as a vital aspect of building up students; especially, student- teachers who will complete soon and go and teach younger ones, ensuring the avoidance of ‘dark cycle’ as the researcher’s term, explained in the ‘key words’.
The Impact of Slavery in Toni Morrison’s Beloved: From the Communal to the Individual
Authors: Mohammed Mahameed
Published: December 2018

Slavery is a condition of extreme physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual deprivation, a kind of hellish life. This paper aims at exploring how the culture of white racism sanctioned not only official systems of discrimination but a complex code of speech, behavior, and social practices designed to make white supremacy not only legitimate but natural and inevitable. In her masterpiece, Beloved (1987), Toni Morrison portrays the dehumanizing effects of slavery on the past and memory of her heroine. Morrison has dedicated her literary career to ensuring that black experience under, and as a result of, slavery would not be left to interpretations solely at the dictates of whites. This study shows how Toni Morrison has succeeded in revealing the physical and psychological damage inflicted on African American people by the brutal inhumanity that constituted American slavery. The paper, in this context, investigates how the memory and the past of the heroine act as destroyers of her motherly existence.
Field Variable and Experiential Meaning in Flora Nwapa’s One Is Enough
Authors: Dadjo Servais D. Y.
Published: December 2018

This paper deals with Field Variable and Experiential Meaning in Flora Nwapa’s One Is Enough. The theory that underpins this study is systemic functional linguistics, which is one of the approaches proposed by scholars such as linguists M.A.K Halliday, S. Eggins, J. R. Martin, R. Fowler, J. D. Benson to mention but a very few, for the study of language and its function(s). In this system, the study of language involves three functional labels: experiential, interpersonal and textual meanings. The study of these different functional labels helps to have a deeper understanding of a text. This study aims at describing and analysing linguistic features which connote experiential meaning in One Is Enough so as to uncover the deep messages conveyed through the novel and provide a new interpretation of it. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used in this study. Thus, two extracts have been selected from One Is Enough and systemic functional linguistic theories have been applied to each of them. The linguistic description and analysis of One Is Enough has revealed that women are the most active, talkative and most mentally involved in the different issues discussed in the selected Texts. The results also indicate to what extent children are important in African families. The discussion and interpretation of these results has enabled the researcher to contend that the deep messages conveyed through One Is Enough mainly concern the importance of children and consequences of childlessness in African societies.
When Juliet Turns Black: Social Scapegoating in Alice Childress’s Wedding Band
Authors: Saleh Asmaa Mehdi
Published: December 2018

Since its production William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been considered too modern for its time because of its portrayal of ill-fated characters whose tragedy is not triggered by any personal flaw of their own, but by family feuds and social scapegoating. In contemporary times, the playwrights still focus on similar stories of unattainable love and tragic romantic figures, who fall prey to the familial and social pressures. In her Wedding Band (1973), Alice Childress presents her black and white Romeo and Juliet who are modern victims of the omnipresent racism in their society. The play confirms that racism is not only practised by whites against blacks but also displayed by blacks against whites. In Wedding Band, Childress presents images of angry women united by their suffering and need of sisterly solidarity. Their anger is a positive rather than negative factor as it frees the heroine from the ties that make her an outcast in her own community. This paper discusses the destiny of two lovers who face refusal from their family and society and the subsequent anger of the female characters whether in favour or against this romantic relation.
The Effect of Using Blackboard on English Majors’ Writing Proficiency and Attitudes
Authors: Kassem Mohamed Ali Mohamed
Published: December 2018

This article reports the findings of a case study on the implementation of Blackboard Learning Management System in the Department of English, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. The study aims at exploring the effects of using Blackboard, an interactive computer-mediated learning environment, on English majors’ writing proficiency and examining their attitudes towards the use of Blackboard. Three indicators were used, namely, accuracy, fluency and complexity to estimate students’ writing proficiency. The Profile of Larsen-Freeman (2006) was employed to assess students’ writing proficiency. Students’ attitudes were measured through a questionnaire that is divided into three domains: (a) demographic and personal information, (b) implementation strategies of Blackboard and (c) students’ attitudes towards Blackboard. Results of the study revealed a significant positive effect of using Blackboard on developing English majors’ writing proficiency. In addition, students showed a positive attitude towards the use of Blackboard.
A Study on the Way in which Words Are Organized in Iranian EFL Learners’ Mental Lexicon
Authors: Sharifi Sedigheh , Sabet Masoud Khalili , Tahriri Abdorreza
Published: December 2018

Vocabulary learning in both L1 and L2 is considered important to master a language. Individuals need to learn the words in order to express ideas and to communicate. As a result, research into word knowledge is important as it provides useful information considering the way in which words are learned and organized in individuals’ mind; however different studies have been conducted in this regard, there is a long way to fully understand individuals’ mental lexicon. So, word association tests are used to examine the word knowledge, to study vocabulary learning process, and how it occurs in the language learners’ mind. Similarly, the aim of this paper is to investigate the way in which words are stored and organized in Iranian EFL learners’ mental lexicon through a word association test. To this end, a word association test was designed including eight prompt words from different word classes and was administered to 50 Iranian EFL learners. They were randomly selected and included 22 males and 28 females from Razi University and an institute in Kermanshah, Iran. After administering the test, to analyze the data, learners’ responses were classified and the frequency of each classification of word association was calculated and chi-square tests were run to compare responses. Results reveal that the participants displayed different patterns in their responses as syntagmatic and paradigmatic classification. Most of them made more syntagmatic responses than paradigmatic ones. As a result, it can be concluded that more participants make mental links with syntagmatic compared to others who make links with paradigmatic and there are significant differences between male and female learners in the use of syntagmatic and paradigmatic responses; on the other hand, it appears that there is no significant differences in learners’ word association regarding age. This study has useful implications for both EFL teachers and learners by helping them understand and improve the lexical acquisition process.
An Analysis of Errors in Online English Writing made by Thai EFL Authors
Authors: Kongkaew Sukanda , Cedar Payung
Published: December 2018

English writing produced by Thai EFL authors inevitably contains errors of various types. Errors can lead to not only wrong interpretations but also unfavorable criticism. This study is an endeavor to examine errors of English writing made by Thai EFL authors on the Tourism Authority of Thailand Website and to suggest revisions to each error found. To do this, the information on tourist destinations in five provinces in the lower north of Thailand, namely, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phetchabun, Uttaradit, and Tak, was collected. The gathered data consisted of 230 pieces of the information which contained 2,559 sentences. The data were analyzed by applying the framework of Dulay, Burt, & Krashen’s surface structure taxonomy (1982). The results revealed that almost half of all the considered sentences (44.78%) contained errors. Based on the framework, errors of omission were found to be the most frequent, followed by those of misformation, addition, and misordering, respectively. Interestingly, the results also showed that the mechanical errors, not in the list of the framework, occurred with the highest frequency. Based upon research findings, online English writing made by Thai EFL authors need more proofreading, especially on the types of errors committed at the highest frequency according to or beyond the framework. However, in focusing on high frequency errors, it is to be noted that miscellaneous occurred the least yet should not be ignored in the correcting process.
On the Associations among Critical Thinking, Reflective Thinking, and Emotions: a Case of Iranian EFL Teachers
Authors: Heydarnejad Tahereh , Ebrahimi Mohammad Reza , Najjari Hossein
Published: December 2018

The systematic process of gaining knowledge and skills through study and instructions which is called education is of an extreme importance for human being. Education can bring money, equality, independence, and ultimately a prosperous individual which in turn makes a prosperous society at least by economic growth for nations; not to mention that it paves the way for creating a safer world. In this almost mainstreamed trend of being fascinated by education, ‘thinking’ is said to be the Cinderella skill. In the current study, critical thinking, reflective thinking and also emotions were studied to uncover the probable interplay among them. The results of the analysis of questionnaires (Watson-Glaser’s Critical Thinking Appraisal, Reflective Thinking Questionnaire, Emotions Questionnaire for Teachers) filled by 160 EFL teachers in Iran showed a significant relationship among them and almost all Critical Thinking subcomponents were predicting the other two variables. The findings of the study will help further the knowledge in educating in a broader view, and in the field of English Language teaching in a more narrow sense.
Topology Optimization Enabled High Performance and Easy‐to‐Fabricate Hybrid Photonic Crystals
Authors: Zhang Tianyu , Li Weibai , Jia Baohua , Huang Xiaodong
Published: November 2024

Photonic crystals (PtCs) can confine and guide electromagnetic waves within specific frequency ranges, forming the foundation for promising optical applications. To numerically design PtCs with broad bandgaps, materials with high dielectric constants are favored. However, fabricating these high dielectric constant materials into microstructures is extremely challenging and it suffers from limitation of low fabricating resolution. To address this problem, this paper proposes hybrid microstructures composed of an easy‐to‐fabricate core and a high dielectric constant coating layer, which leverages the strength of both materials. This paper establishes a topology optimization algorithm to generate these PtCs with maximized bandgaps. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in generating optimized unit cells for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) modes. The hybrid PtCs offer unprecedented opportunities for the fabrication of optical devices, encouraging further research on multimaterial optical systems and advanced optimization methods to explore photonic bandgap materials beyond those offered by the current photonic technology.
CAnDOIT: Causal Discovery with Observational and Interventional Data from Time Series
Authors: Castri Luca , Mghames Sariah , Hanheide Marc , Bellotto Nicola
Published: November 2024

The study of cause and effect is of the utmost importance in many branches of science, but also for many practical applications of intelligent systems. In particular, identifying causal relationships in situations that include hidden factors is a major challenge for methods that rely solely on observational data for building causal models. This article proposes CAnDOIT, a causal discovery method to reconstruct causal models using both observational and interventional time‐series data. The use of interventional data in the causal analysis is crucial for real‐world applications, such as robotics, where the scenario is highly complex and observational data alone are often insufficient to uncover the correct causal structure. Validation of the method is performed initially on randomly generated synthetic models and subsequently on a well‐known benchmark for causal structure learning in a robotic manipulation environment. The experiments demonstrate that the approach can effectively handle data from interventions and exploit them to enhance the accuracy of the causal analysis. A Python implementation of CAnDOIT is developed and is publicly available on GitHub: https://github.com/lcastri/causalflow.
Metasurfaces‐Enabled Advanced Multidimensional Imaging: Principle and Applications
Authors: Liu Qi , Liu Yongliang , Liu Wenwei , Cheng Hua , Chen Shuqi
Published: November 2024

The efficient acquisition of multidimensional information—spatial, polarization, frequency, and phase of optical fields, is a key research focus. Metasurfaces, which are emerging as planar arrays of artificial nanostructures, offer significant advantages in advanced imaging due to their exceptional ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves through subwavelength optical resonators. Meanwhile, the rapidly developing computational imaging algorithms have also greatly enhanced the performance of metasurfaces in multi‐dimensional imaging. In this review, we focus on the research progress in metasurface‐empowered multidimensional imaging, including advanced spatial imaging, compact polarization imaging, high‐resolution spectral imaging, single‐shot phase imaging, and edge imaging. Their basic principles and imaging results will also be presented. Furthermore, a summary of several current challenges and anticipation in various future directions within this field will also be provided.
Frailty as an independent predictor for midterm adverse outcomes in the elderly undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: A longitudinal cohort study
Authors: The Nguyen Quyen , Van Nguyen Tri , Viet Phuong Nguyen Thuy , Minh Tran Huy , Ngoc Dang Son , Ngoc Hoan Nguyen Bang , Hoang Pham Hai , Tien Tran Trung , Ngoc Tran Dang , Truong Nguyen Vien , Van Nguyen Tan
Published: November 2024

Background

Frailty is associated with poor health outcomes in elderly population. However, its effect on midterm outcomes in elderly patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unknown.

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the association between frailty, as classified by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and midterm adverse outcomes in elderly STEMI patients after primary PCI.

Methods

In this prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study, frailty status of 426 STEMI patients aged ≥60 years undergoing primary PCI was determined using the nine‐point CFS 2 weeks before the occurrence of STEMI. Patients scoring at least four points on the CFS were considered frail. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death or readmission. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular death, cardiovascular readmission, heart failure‐related death or readmission, and myocardial reinfarction. Follow‐up data were collected through medical record reviews and/or telephone interviews.

Results

Of 426 elderly patients, 116 were frail. The median follow‐up period was 15 months (interquartile range 5–19 months). Primary outcome events occurred in 87 (75.0%) frail and 75 (24.2%) nonfrail patients. The adjusted hazard ratio was 3.278 after model selection using the Bayesian Model Averaging approach (95% confidence interval 2.372–4.531). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard survival analysis showed that frailty was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of all secondary outcome events after adjusting for TIMI, PAMI, and CADILLAC risk scores.

Conclusions

Frailty, as defined by the CFS, was independently associated with midterm adverse outcomes in elderly patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI.
Influence of different drilling forces on drill bit wear in automated drilling of concrete with industrial robots
Authors: Ortner Maximilian , Reichenbach Sara , Braun Matthias , Pantscharowitsch Marc , Kromoser Benjamin
Published: November 2024

This article investigates the effect of different drilling forces on drill bit wear and their effects on drilling time within the context of the development of a drilling robot for on‐site construction applications. The study explores variations in three force levels (80, 120, 160 N), three directional orientations (upwards, downwards, horizontal), four drill bit diameters (8, 10, 12, 16 mm), and two concrete strength types (C25/30, C70/85). The findings indicate that while there is little divergence in drill bit wear across force levels, the influence of concrete strength is undeniable. Furthermore, drilling time increases, by 7 % to 11 % after 37.5 m drilling depth and up to 68% after 150 m depending on the drilling configuration. In conclusion, the study reveals a notable discrepancy between the progressive increase in drilling time and the relatively stable progression of drill bit wear, particularly in achieving code‐compliant boreholes.
Frequency and clinical associations of common mental disorders in adults with high‐grade glioma—A multicenter study
Authors: Singer Susanne , Schranz Melanie , Hippler Melina , Kuchen Robert , Weiß Lucas Carolin , Meixensberger Jürgen , Fehrenbach Michael Karl , Keric Naureen , Mitsdoerffer Meike , Gempt Jens , Coburger Jan , Kessler Almuth Friederike , Wehinger Jens , Misch Martin , Onken Julia , Rapp Marion , Voß Martin , Nadji‐Ohl Minou , Mehlitz Marcus , Tatagiba Marcos , Tabatabai Ghazaleh , Renovanz Mirjam
Published: November 2024

Background

One third of adults with cancer suffer from common mental disorders in addition to their malignant disease. However, it is unknown whether this proportion is the same in patients who have brain tumors and which factors modulate the risk for psychiatric comorbidity.

Methods

In a multicenter study, patients with high‐grade glioma at 13 neurooncology clinics were enrolled consecutively and interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (SCID) to diagnose common mental disorders. Predictors of psychiatric comorbidity were investigated using binary logistic regression.

Results

Six hundred ninety‐one patients were interviewed. The proportion of patients who had mental disorders was 31% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28%–35%). There was evidence for an association of psychiatric comorbidity with the following factors: younger age (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1–3.4; p = .04), stable disease versus complete remission (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1–2.8; p = .04), lower income (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.0–2.8; p = .04), living alone (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0–2.6; p = .05), fatigue (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1–2.4; p = .03), and impaired cognitive functioning (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.5–3.6; p < .01). There was no evidence for independent effects of gender, histology, affected lobe, time since diagnosis, or employment status.

Conclusions

Approximately one third of adult patients with high‐grade glioma may suffer from a clinically relevant common mental disorder, without notable disparity between the genders. In particular, clinicians should pay attention to possible comorbidities for cases in which patients exhibit compromised subjective cognitive function, are younger than 50 years, maintain a state of stable disease, or live alone.
High‐Gain Triple‐Band T‐Shaped Dielectric Resonator Based Hybrid Two‐Element MIMO Antenna for 5G New Radio, Wi‐Fi 6, V2X, and C‐Band Applications With a Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Rai Jayant Kumar , Pandey Sachindra , Ranjan Pinku , Chowdhury Rakesh , Sharma Anand , Das Gourab
Published: November 2024

In this article, a rectangular dielectric resonator (DR) based multiple input multiple output (MIMO) hybrid antenna with a machine learning (ML) optimization approach for 5G New Radio (NR), WiMAX, WLAN, Wi‐Fi 6, Vehicle to Everything (V2X), and C‐band uplink applications are presented. The proposed antenna provides a triple band. It covers n1, n2, and n39 5G NR at a lower frequency (1.59–2.26 GHz), n48 5G NR at the middle frequency (3.1–3.87 GHz), and n46, n47, n96, WiMAX, WLAN, and C‐band uplink at higher frequency (5.25–6.91 GHz). It achieved more than 20% impedance bandwidth and 20 dB isolation in all frequency bands. The maximum gain of the proposed antenna is 15 dBi. The calculated MIMO parameters are within the accepted range. It is optimized through various ML algorithms, including random forest (RF), K‐nearest neighbor (KNN), artificial neural network (ANN), extreme gradient boosting (XGB) and decision tree (DT). The RF ML algorithm gives 98.09% accuracy compared to other ML algorithms for S parameter prediction.