The Positive Effect of Technology-Integrated Teaching on Students’ Grammar Learning

The primary aim of this study is to examine and assess the impact of technology-integrated education on students’ acquisition of grammatical skills. In this context, thirty students participated in this study; the stratified sampling method allocated 15 intermediate-level students to the control group, while another 15 students were assigned to the experimental groups. To assess the grammar proficiency of both groups at the start of the study, a pre-test was administered. The control group received traditional grammatical education centered around books, while the experimental group received grammar education utilizing mobile phones, smart boards, and technological applications. Although the pre-test analyses conducted at the start of the study did not reveal any notable distinction between the two groups, the post-test analyses using SPSS-7 and t-statistics calculations indicated a significant difference of .001 between the two groups. The control group experienced a 12.17% gain in grammatical level, while the experimental group showed a higher increase of 27.25%. Upon concluding the study, during the interview analysis conducted with the students, they expressed that technology-integrated grammar education is beneficial due to its flexibility, immediate feedback, and inclusion of video clips, quizzes, and sample essays pertaining to grammar

Biological activity, chemical composition, and molecular docking of Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) DC

There is a significant effort to explore the potential pharmacological activity of natural products derived from plant extracts. The goal is to generate new compounds that could be used for therapeutic purposes. Eugenia punicifolia is a shrub that grows widely all over the world. As a natural cure for diabetes, fever, flu and inflammation, leaves of this medicinal plant are often used in decoction or aqueous infusion. The goal of the study was to record the molecular docking, antioxidant, chemical composition, and alpha-glucosidase inhibition of E. punicifolia. A number of parameters were evaluated in order to confirm its efficacy, including Total Phenolic Content (TPC), TFC (Total Flavonoid Content), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), DPPH radical scavenging activity, inhibition of α-glucosidase, chemical composition, and molecular docking. The leaf ethanolic exhibited robust antioxidant activity with respect to radical scavenging activity, TPC (Total phenolic content), reducing power, TFC (Total Flavonoid Content), and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity at concentrations of 26.7 µg/mL, 18.9 mmol/g, 11.9 mg GAE/g, 13.5 mg QE/g, and 18.9 µg/mL, respectively. In the ethanolic leaf extract, Z-8-Methyl-9-tetradecenoic acid (28.6%) was the main component. The five compounds (− 121.208 kcal/mol, − 120.465 kcal/mol, − 105.572 kcal/mol, − 104.497 kcal/mol, and − 102.256 kcal/mol) were selected as the top lead compounds, respectively. The lead compounds that were found had drug-like properties and were suitable for oral administration. In addition, it was noted that they exhibited non-toxic features and favorable ADME-Tox characteristics, except for compound 6, which displayed toxicity. The leaves exhibited potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical sectors

Reaping the Fruits of Technology-Integrated Grammar Instruction in EFL Classes at the Tertiary Level Through Web 2.0 Tools

Thanks to their advantages, technology-integrated tools have risen in English classes, especially in the last two decades. In this respect, a paucity of research has been conducted to measure the influence of web-enhanced tools in improving linguistic skills. However, a gap in the literature has been observed about the effects of technology-integrated instruction on EFL learners’ grammar performance at the tertiary level in the Iraq context. In light of this, the present study aimed to explore the influence of Web 2.0 tool-oriented instruction in developing grammar on 40 EFL learners, chosen by systematic sampling method, studying at the language preparatory school of a private university in Erbil, Iraq, in the 2023-2024 academic year. The study lasted nine months and adopted the principles of a mixed-methods research design study. Control group students were exposed to traditional instruction, while experimental group students’ lessons were enriched with web 2.0 tools via various websites on English language learning. The findings, analyzed by SPSS 26 and MAXQDA, revealed that experimental group students increased their grammatical competence, intrinsic motivation, self-confidence, and overall attitudes toward learning English more significantly than the control group students. In line with these findings, this study has certain pedagogical implications for integrating Web 2.0 tools into grammar lessons

Correction: The local medicinal plant knowledge in Kashmir Western Himalaya: a way to foster ecological transition via community-centred health seeking strategies

Following publication of the original article, it was brought to the journal’s attention that afliation 5 was incorrectly detailed. Afliation 5 has since been corrected in the article to the following: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Te authors thank you for reading this erratum and apologize for any inconvenience caused

Nanotechnology-mediated delivery of resveratrol as promising strategy to improve therapeutic efficacy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): progress and promises

Introduction Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents unique challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Resveratrol exhibits potential as a therapeutic intervention against TNBC by regulating various pathways such as the PI3K/AKT, RAS/RAF/ERK, PKCδ, and AMPK, leading to apoptosis through ROS-mediated CHOP activationand the expression of DR4 and DR5. However, the clinical efficacy of resveratrol is limited due to its poor biopharmaceutical characteristics and low bioavailability at the tumor site. Nanotechnology offers a promising approach to improving the biopharmaceutical characteristics of resveratrol to achieve clinical efficacy in different cancers. The small dimension (<200 nm) of nanotechnology-mediated drug delivery system is helpful to improve the bioavailability, internalization into the TNBC cell, ligand-specific targeted delivery of loaded resveratrol to tumor site including reversal of MDR (multi-drug resistance) condition. Areas covered This manuscript provides a comprehensive discussion on the structure-activity relationship (SAR), underlying anticancer mechanism, evidence of anticancer activity in in-vitro/in-vivo investigations, and the significance of nanotechnology-mediated delivery of resveratrol in TNBC. Expert opinion Advanced nano-formulations of resveratrol such as oxidized mesoporous carbon nanoparticles, macrophage-derived vesicular system, functionalized gold nanoparticles, etc. have increased the accumulation of loaded therapeutics at the tumor-site, and avoid off-target drug release. In conclusion, nano-resveratrol as a strategy may provide improved tumor-specific image-guided treatment options for TNBC utilizing theranostic approach

The Role of Climate Change-oriented News in Cultivating Students’ Reading Skills and Raising Environmental Awareness

Climate change is a term that takes precedence in the 21st century by humanity due to its negative impacts on the environment in various forms. Similarly, reading is a fundamental skill to grasp information and behave in a more civilised way. Accordingly, online news is the readily available source to be informed about the latest news. Although many studies have been conducted about climate change, reading, and news, a gap in the literature has been observed in merging them into one study with an interdisciplinary approach. To this aim, this study investigates the influence of reading climate change-oriented news on university students’ reading comprehension and raising their ecological awareness simultaneously at a private university in Erbil, Iraq, in the 2023–2024 academic year. Having chosen 34 first-year students through the stratified random sampling method in this mixed methods study, experimental group students read news from news websites, brainstormed, and took relevant exams created by Chat GPT spanning 10 weeks. On the other hand, control group students kept reading the passages in their coursebooks. The findings via reading exams, questionnaires, and interviews, unearthed that reading climate change-oriented news enhanced experimental group students’ reading performance significantly, raised their ecological awareness, and prompted them to persuade others in their community to be more proactive, thereby reversing the catastrophic effects of climate change with a feasible plan. The finding of the study may have some implications for all concerned parties to put the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals into practice at educational institutions

Foregrounded Aspects in Dylan Thomas' Especially When the October Wind: A Stylistic Analysis

In Thomas' poetry, vivid imagery and linguistic features are crucial to understand literary value and appreciation of his poems. The study concentrates on one the most important poems, Especially When the October Wind for a detailed analysis. The study is important as it combines both foregrounding theory and the Checklist. The study seeks to find out how and why various linguistic features are available in the poem as well as the most frequent foregrounding aspects. Regarding this, the study employs qualitative descriptive analysis depending on stylistic analysis and foregrounding theory supplemented by Leech and Short's Checklist (2007). Eventually, the findings reveal that Thomas has used linguistic elements and foregrounding features systematically and coherently to convey significance and theme as well as relate content and form. Finally, the study ends with a conclusion and a list of references

Revisiting ECOWAS-Eurozone exports in the light of asymmetry

This article evaluates the asymmetric impact of exchange rate volatility on the exports of nine ECOWAS countries to the Eurozone. By comparing Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Nonlinear ARDL (NARDL) models, the study concludes that the effect of volatility on ECOWAS-Eurozone exports (EEE) is asymmetric. The study also investigates the impact of foreign income and prices on the EEE and categorises the goods and services that make up the EEE for each country based on their coefficients. The results show that exchange rate volatility has an asymmetric effect on the EEE, which comprise both substitute and inferior goods. The study recommends that ECOWAS authorities avoid using proportional policies to address increased and decreased volatility, as their impact on trade is asymmetric. The long-run coefficients of income for Nigeria, Togo, and Benin are -1.29, -4.67, and -2.64 respectively, indicating that their exports are dominated by inferior goods. The long-run coefficients of foreign price for Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso are 5.32, 7.87, and 1.91 respectively, suggesting that their exports are mainly substitute goods. The authors confirm long-run asymmetry for three out of nine countries and short-run asymmetry for five countries. Only three countries have an asymmetric trade-volatility relationship in both the short and long run. The study suggests that Nigeria, Togo, and Benin diversify their economies, as their exports to the Eurozone are dominated by inferior goods and services. Additionally, the study recommends that the governments of Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso provide support, as their goods and services are substitutes

Estrogen Receptor Alpha Binders for Hormone-Dependent Forms of Breast Cancer: e-QSAR and Molecular Docking Supported by X-ray Resolved Structures

Cancer, a life-disturbing and lethal disease with a high global impact, causes significant economic, social, and health challenges. Breast cancer refers to the abnormal growth of cells originating from breast tissues. Hormone-dependent forms of breast cancer, such as those influenced by estrogen, prompt the exploration of estrogen receptors as targets for potential therapeutic interventions. In this study, we conducted e-QSAR molecular docking and molecular dynamics analyses on a diverse set of inhibitors targeting estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α). The e-QSAR model is based on a genetic algorithm combined with multilinear regression analysis. The newly developed model possesses a balance between predictive accuracy and mechanistic insights adhering to the OECD guidelines. The e-QSAR model pointed out that sp2-hybridized carbon and nitrogen atoms are important atoms governing binding profiles. In addition, a specific combination of H-bond donors and acceptors with carbon, nitrogen, and ring sulfur atoms also plays a crucial role. The results are supported by molecular docking, MD simulations, and X-ray-resolved structures. The novel results could be useful for future drug development for ER-α

Assessing the Role of Board Structure on the Nexus between Green Innovations, Green Taxation, and Cosmetic Accounting Practice in Nigeria

Nigeria is a foremost oil producer in Africa, and thus faces substantial environmental issues like pollution and climate change. Therefore, since green taxation and green innovation emphasize inventing new technologies, mitigating environmental damage, and stimulating sustainability, understanding and encouraging green taxation and green innovation might aid in reducing these environmental challenges and protect natural resources. This study therefore explored the influence of board structure on the link between green taxation, green innovation, and cosmetic accounting practices of firms. This study adopted auxiliary data from the World Bank, OECD, and Nigerian corporations’ annual reports. The analysis included 792 firm-year observations from 2014 to 2021. A logistic regression analysis was performed. This study documented that firms costume their income to avoid paying environmental taxes or to generate a more constructive image of their green practices. Similarly, it was found that green innovations attract firms to engage in cosmetic accounting practice in Nigeria. However, firms’ effective board mechanisms have been found to prevent the likelihood of cosmetic accounting practices. Finally, it was established that green taxes and green innovations could prevent firms from engaging in cosmetic accounting practices in companies with effective board mechanisms. This study is the first to explore the influence of governance structure on the nexus between green taxation and cosmetic accounting practices of firms. The findings of this study provide valuable information to regulatory authorities, policymakers, and companies seeking to promote sustainable growth and green protection