bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Language revolution behind the cultural curtain
Authors: PROSHINA ZOYA G. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper focuses on the innovative, revolutionary features of the World Englishes paradigm that shook the education world in the late 20th century. I speak about key concepts that are salient to the paradigm, such as pluricentricity, diversity, functionality, and equality as articulated by Kachru, such as inclusivity and variability, as well as the controversies emerging in and related to education, for example, the struggle between prescriptive and descriptive approaches, and norms and usage. With reference to Expanding Circle contexts such as China and Russia, I emphasize the cultural underpinnings that create the greatest challenge for intervarietal communicators, as measured in terms of Smith's (; 1992) notion of interpretability. Such challenges help explain the significant role assigned to intercultural communication studies in tertiary education curricula in these countries. Revealing cultural identity when speaking in English as a communicative mediating tool is not an easy task for individuals and requires a special training. No easier is the listening and negotiating of other cultural meanings, all of which sets new perspectives for researchers and educators, while also encouraging cooperation between them.
English on Korean television
Authors: LEE JAMIE SHINHEE 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis study discusses verbal humor in entertainment media and examines polarizing representations of English on Korean television. English is a source of stress as well as a medium of humor. Language anxiety about English speaking skills is frequently focalized and viewed as a personal challenge by Korean celebrities, but they often transform their linguistic ‘complex’ into humorous talk. This study argues that using English, possibly the most revered and yet the most feared language in Korea, in humor is sociolinguistically significant, embodying attitudinal, emotional, and experiential ambivalence about English in globalization‐minded contemporary Korea. The findings of the study suggest that generation‐conscious ageism regarding English proficiency typically characterizes senior citizens as sociolinguistically underperforming, which sometimes forces them to be in a vulnerable position both in familial and social contexts. Increasing use of English on Korean television divides bilingual viewers and monolingual viewers and whether one can be entertained and humored by television programs may become another English‐related stratification variable in Korea.
Linguistic chutzpah and the Speak Good Singlish movement
Authors: WEE LIONEL 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses the Speak Good Singlish Movement, which was started as a response to the Speak Good English Movement, the latter having been initiated by the Singapore government. The Speak Good Singlish Movement represents a good example of linguistic chutzpah, where speakers demonstrate confidence in their language choices while also having the metalinguistic awareness and sophistication needed to articulate rationales for these choices. The paper argues that linguistic chutzpah is especially important in relation to the global spread of English, where speakers are often confronted with the need to make decisions about language while not being able to rely on traditional sources of authority (such as the speech community or prescriptive grammars). Under such circumstances, speakers need to be able to adopt confident stances about their language choices, even while knowing that these choices may be met with criticism. To make this point, the paper also describes two cases involving anxieties about appropriate language use.
New reflections on the evolutionary dynamics of world Englishes
Authors: SCHNEIDER EDGAR W. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThe ongoing expansion and diversification of English, especially in the Expanding Circle, calls for a comparative analysis of these processes and a deepened theoretical understanding of this dynamism. A key question asked in this paper is whether or to what extent the ‘Dynamic Model’ of the evolution of Postcolonial Englishes is able to explain these processes and can be applied to Extending Circle countries as well. A decade after its first influential publication, reactions to the model are surveyed systematically, including some new applications, modifications, approaches at testing it, and some criticism. Applying the comparative‐descriptive framework of this model and some of its constituent components, the progress of English is outlined in China, Korea, and (less broadly) Japan, the ASEAN, Thailand, Namibia, and Rwanda. Furthermore, it is argued that a similar dynamism is driving the widespread emergence of hybrid mixes between local languages and English and phenomena of ‘poststructuralist diffusion,’ English being adopted by whatever means, in fragments and unconstrained of norm concerns, driven by strongly utilitarian considerations. A tabular summary assessment compares these processes with constituents of the Dynamic Model and finds that despite some similarities it is not well suited to grasp the vibrant developments of the Expanding Circle. Instead, the notion of ‘transnational attraction’ is defined and proposed as an appropriate conceptual framework.
Singapore English and styling the Ah Beng
Authors: BROWN DAVID WEST , JIE TEO SHI 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper explores stylized renderings of Singapore English as such ‘verbal art’ is used by Singaporean youth in popular online forums. In order to analyze these stylizations, this study uses corpora collected from two forums frequented by Singaporean students. The data suggests that posters often use stylized representations to perform or to ventriloquize the identity of an Ah Beng (a kind of hustler or gangster). Implicated in such performances are sometimes complex negotiations of class, gender, and ethnicity. The relationship among the linguistic features central to our study and the social meanings signaled by those features suggest the value of approaches that emphasize the range of pragmatic and metapragmatic meanings or indexicalities that accrue to features in modeling variation in Singapore English.
Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis
Authors: LAMBERT JAMES 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTIn the late 1930s two British commentators, A.F. Kindersley and R.C. Goffin, published articles on various linguistic features (semantic, grammatical, orthographical, and phonological) of the English language as used in India. These two glossaries offer a valuable insight into late‐Raj Indian English. In order to assess the extent of change over the intervening 70‐plus years, a comparison of the content of those glossaries to present‐day Indian English has been made. The overall picture is one of surprising stability, especially given the strong resistance by educationalists and others who have long stigmatised local variations as ‘errors’. This stability over time suggests a long‐standing endonormativity that has hitherto not been recognised. Many of the features discussed have even longer stable histories, suggesting an even lengthier endonormativity. This type of diachronic investigation may have similar implications for many other varieties of English.
English in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: MAHBOOB AHMAR , ELYAS TARIQ 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the history, politics and discourses around the (teaching of) English language in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In addition to discussing the issues and debates around English language, this paper also looks at whether and how English has been localised to suit the local needs and practices. Based on an analysis of English language textbooks used in KSA, the paper shows that Saudi English mostly follows and ascribes to the grammatical norms of standard Englishes. The paper does identify some deviations in the grammar of English in these textbooks; however, these are within the range of features of varieties of Englishes found in other Inner, Outer and Expanding circle varieties of Englishes. The paper then identifies a number of discursive and multimodal features of Saudi English that are much more locally oriented and reflect local cultural norms and practices. The findings of this paper suggest that English in Saudi Arabia is in the process of being nativised and that this Saudi English reflects recognisably local cultural, religious and social values and beliefs.
Acute effect of dietary fatty acid composition on postprandial metabolism in women
Authors: Clevenger Hui C. , Kozimor Amanda L. , Paton Chad M. , Cooper Jamie A. 
Published: February 2014

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
We wanted to determine the effect of three high‐fat meals enriched with different fatty acids [monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) or saturated fatty acids (SFAs)] on diet‐induced thermogenesis and substrate oxidation in premenopausal women of normal weight.
What is the main finding and its importance?
We found that a PUFA‐rich high‐fat meal led to a greater diet‐induced thermogenesis in normal‐weight premenopausal women compared with SFA‐ or MUFA‐rich high‐fat meals. The greater diet‐induced thermogenesis for PUFA‐rich meals could contribute to differences in long‐term overall energy balance, and thus, weight maintenance. Substrate utilization was not different between treatments.
The composition of fatty acids in a diet may differentially affect metabolism, thus playing a role in the development of obesity. Our aim was to study the effects of three high‐fat (HF) meals with different degrees of saturation on diet‐induced thermogenesis (DIT) and substrate oxidation in premenopausal women of normal weight. Fifteen healthy, normal‐weight women, aged 18–35 years, participated in a randomized cross‐over study, in which they consumed isocaloric HF meals (70% of energy from fat) rich in saturated fat (SFA; 40% of total energy), monounsaturated fat (MUFA; 42% of total energy) or polyunsaturated fat (PUFA; 42% of total energy). Indirect calorimetry was used to measure respiratory gases for a 5 h postprandial period. The data collected were used to determine respiratory exchange ratio for assessing substrate oxidation, as well as energy expenditure for the determination of DIT. The area under the curve for DIT following the PUFA‐rich HF meal was greater than that of the SFA‐ or MUFA‐rich HF meals [10.0 ± 0.7, 8.6 ± 0.8 and 8.9 ± 1.2 kcal (5 h)−1 (P = 0.02) for PUFA, MUFA and SFA, respectively]. No significant difference was found in respiratory exchange ratio (0.86 ± 0.01, 0.85 ± 0.01 and 0.85 ± 0.01 for PUFA‐, MUFA‐ and SFA‐rich HF meals, respectively) or substrate utilization following the three different HF meals (12.2 ± 1.0, 11.2 ± 0.5 and 11.6 ± 0.9 g for cumulative postprandial carbohydrate oxidation following the PUFA‐, MUFA‐ and SFA‐rich HF meals, respectively; and 3.8 ± 0.4, 4.1 ± 0.2 and 4.1 ± 0.3 g for cumulative fat oxidation of the PUFA‐, MUFA‐ and SFA‐rich HF meals, respectively). In conclusion, acute ingestion of a PUFA‐rich HF meal induced a greater DIT in normal‐weight women compared with SFA‐ or MUFA‐rich HF meals. No significant differences were found for substrate utilization.
Intermittent and continuous high‐intensity exercise training induce similar acute but different chronic muscle adaptations
Authors: Cochran Andrew J. R. , Percival Michael E. , Tricarico Steven , Little Jonathan P. , Cermak Naomi , Gillen Jenna B. , Tarnopolsky Mark A. , Gibala Martin J. 
Published: February 2014

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
How important is the interval in high‐intensity interval training (HIIT)?
What is the main finding and its importance?
The intermittent nature of HIIT is important for maximizing skeletal muscle adaptations to this type of exercise, at least when a relatively small total volume of work is performed in an ‘all‐out’ manner. The protein signalling responses to an acute bout of HIIT were generally not predictive of training‐induced outcomes. Nonetheless, a single session of exercise lasting <10 min including warm‐up, performed three times per week for 6 weeks, was sufficient to improve maximal aerobic capacity.
High‐intensity interval training (HIIT) performed in an ‘all‐out’ manner (e.g. repeated Wingate tests) is a time‐efficient strategy to induce skeletal muscle remodelling towards a more oxidative phenotype. A fundamental question that remains unclear, however, is whether the intermittent or ‘pulsed’ nature of the stimulus is critical to the adaptive response. In study 1, we examined whether the activation of signalling cascades linked to mitochondrial biogenesis was dependent on the manner in which an acute high‐intensity exercise stimulus was applied. Subjects performed either four 30 s Wingate tests interspersed with 4 min of rest (INT) or a bout of continuous exercise (CONT) that was matched for total work (67 ± 7 kJ) and which required ∼4 min to complete as fast as possible. Both protocols elicited similar increases in markers of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase activation, as well as Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma coactivator 1‐alpha (PGC‐1α) mRNA expression (main effects for time, P ≤ 0.05). In study 2, we determined whether 6 weeks of the CONT protocol (3 days per week) would increase skeletal muscle mitochondrial content to a similar extent to what we have previously reported after 6 weeks of INT. Despite similar acute signalling responses to the CONT and INT protocols, training with CONT did not increase the maximal activity or protein content of a range of mitochondrial markers. However, peak oxygen uptake was higher after CONT training (from 45.7 ± 5.4 to 48.3 ± 6.5 ml kg−1 min−1; P < 0.05) and 250 kJ time trial performance was improved (from 26:32 ± 4:48 to 23:55 ± 4:16 min:s; P < 0.001) in our recreationally active participants. We conclude that the intermittent nature of the stimulus is important for maximizing skeletal muscle adaptations to low‐volume, all‐out HIIT. Despite the lack of skeletal muscle mitochondrial adaptations, our data show that a training programme based on a brief bout of high‐intensity exercise, which lasted <10 min per session including warm‐up, and performed three times per week for 6 weeks, improved peak oxygen uptake in young healthy subjects.
Introducing a rat model of prenatal androgen‐induced polycystic ovary syndrome in adulthood
Authors: Tehrani Fahimeh Ramezani , Noroozzadeh Mahsa , Zahediasl Saleh , Piryaei Abbas , Azizi Fereidoun 
Published: February 2014

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Would it be possible to produce a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), in which the fetuses are exposed to testosterone for a short time and exhibit both endocrine and ovarian disturbances similar to PCOS, while maintaining normal reproductive system morphology in adulthood?
What is the main finding and its importance?
Prenatal exposure to a single dose of testosterone during the critical period of fetal development facilitates the production of a functional rat model of PCOS with minimal morphological disorders in adulthood. Production of a functional rat model that resembles many features of PCOS may contribute to a better understanding of this syndrome.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women, with a prevalence of 8–12% during the reproductive years. In the present study, using prenatal exposure to a single dose of testosterone during the critical period of fetal development, we aimed to introduce an enhanced rat model that would exhibit both endocrine and ovarian disturbances similar to PCOS, while maintaining normal reproductive system morphology in adulthood. Ten pregnant rats were injected s.c. with 5 mg free testosterone on gestational day 20, while control rats received only solvent. The development and function of the reproductive system in female offspring were examined in adulthood. Prenatally androgenized offspring had irregular oestrous cycles compared with control animals, and their anogenital and anovaginal distances were increased compared with control rats (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in the lengths of the vagina and clitoris or the number of nipples between the two groups. Levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone and the luteinizing hormone/follicle‐stimulating hormone ratio were increased in prenatally androgenized offspring compared with control animals (P < 0.05). The numbers of preantral and antral follicles in the ovaries of prenatally androgenized offspring were also increased compared with control rats (P = 0.07 and P < 0.01, respectively). The number of corpora lutea was decreased in prenatally androgenized offspring compared with control rats. Cystic follicles were observed in the ovaries of prenatally androgenized offspring. Prenatal exposure to a single dose of testosterone during the critical period of fetal development could facilitate the development a functional rat model of PCOS in adulthood, with minimal morphological disorders in the reproductive system.
Self‐assessed performance improves statistical fusion of image labels
Authors: Bryan Frederick W. , Xu Zhoubing , Asman Andrew J. , Allen Wade M. , Reich Daniel S. , Landman Bennett A. 
Published: February 2014

Purpose:Expert manual labeling is the gold standard for image segmentation, but this process is difficult, time‐consuming, and prone to inter‐individual differences. While fully automated methods have successfully targeted many anatomies, automated methods have not yet been developed for numerous essential structures (e.g., the internal structure of the spinal cord as seen on magnetic resonance imaging). Collaborative labeling is a new paradigm that offers a robust alternative that may realize both the throughput of automation and the guidance of experts. Yet, distributing manual labeling expertise across individuals and sites introduces potential human factors concerns (e.g., training, software usability) and statistical considerations (e.g., fusion of information, assessment of confidence, bias) that must be further explored. During the labeling process, it is simple to ask raters to self‐assess the confidence of their labels, but this is rarely done and has not been previously quantitatively studied. Herein, the authors explore the utility of self‐assessment in relation to automated assessment of rater performance in the context of statistical fusion.Methods:The authors conducted a study of 66 volumes manually labeled by 75 minimally trained human raters recruited from the university undergraduate population. Raters were given 15 min of training during which they were shown examples of correct segmentation, and the online segmentation tool was demonstrated. The volumes were labeled 2D slice‐wise, and the slices were unordered. A self‐assessed quality metric was produced by raters for each slice by marking a confidence bar superimposed on the slice. Volumes produced by both voting and statistical fusion algorithms were compared against a set of expert segmentations of the same volumes.Results:Labels for 8825 distinct slices were obtained. Simple majority voting resulted in statistically poorer performance than voting weighted by self‐assessed performance. Statistical fusion resulted in statistically indistinguishable performance from self‐assessed weighted voting. The authors developed a new theoretical basis for using self‐assessed performance in the framework of statistical fusion and demonstrated that the combined sources of information (both statistical assessment and self‐assessment) yielded statistically significant improvement over the methods considered separately.Conclusions:The authors present the first systematic characterization of self‐assessed performance in manual labeling. The authors demonstrate that self‐assessment and statistical fusion yield similar, but complementary, benefits for label fusion. Finally, the authors present a new theoretical basis for combining self‐assessments with statistical label fusion.
Toward an organ based dose prescription method for the improved accuracy of murine dose in orthovoltage x‐ray irradiators
Authors: Belley Matthew D. , Wang Chu , Nguyen Giao , Gunasingha Rathnayaka , Chao Nelson J. , Chen Benny J. , Dewhirst Mark W. , Yoshizumi Terry T. 
Published: February 2014

Purpose:Accurate dosimetry is essential when irradiating mice to ensure that functional and molecular endpoints are well understood for the radiation dose delivered. Conventional methods of prescribing dose in mice involve the use of a single dose rate measurement and assume a uniform average dose throughout all organs of the entire mouse. Here, the authors report the individual average organ dose values for the irradiation of a 12, 23, and 33 g mouse on a 320 kVp x‐ray irradiator and calculate the resulting error from using conventional dose prescription methods.Methods:Organ doses were simulated in the Geant4 application for tomographic emission toolkit using the MOBY mouse whole‐body phantom. Dosimetry was performed for three beams utilizing filters A (1.65 mm Al), B (2.0 mm Al), and C (0.1 mm Cu + 2.5 mm Al), respectively. In addition, simulated x‐ray spectra were validated with physical half‐value layer measurements.Results:Average doses in soft‐tissue organs were found to vary by as much as 23%–32% depending on the filter. Compared to filters A and B, filter C provided the hardest beam and had the lowest variation in soft‐tissue average organ doses across all mouse sizes, with a difference of 23% for the median mouse size of 23 g.Conclusions:This work suggests a new dose prescription method in small animal dosimetry: it presents a departure from the conventional approach of assigninga single dose value for irradiation of mice to a more comprehensive approach of characterizing individual organ doses to minimize the error and uncertainty. In human radiation therapy, clinical treatment planning establishes the target dose as well as the dose distribution, however, this has generally not been done in small animal research. These results suggest that organ dose errors will be minimized by calibrating the dose rates for all filters, and using different dose rates for different organs.