Identifying Gaps in Academic Writing of ESL students

There is growing evidence that the lack of competence of university ESL students in academic writing affects their overall academic performance. Olivas and Li (2006) connected low second-language proficiency levels in English to poor academic performance of international students studying at both university and college levels in the United States. Although, many ESL students at university have a general understanding of grammar rules, not many are able to write academically at levels expected of them. This is further exacerbated by a lack of awareness of students’ own ability in academic writing. The paper reports on a case study conducted to identify critical gaps in academic writing standards among ESL students in a foundation studies programme. The study employed a pragmatic case study approach, drawing on qualitative methods as deemed appropriate. In this project, four essential criteria for developing good academic writing skills were investigated; attitudes towards academic writing tasks, planning, writing paragraphs and essays, and evaluating one’s own writing. The study examined the challenges faced by students (n=206) in academic writing and identified common grammatical, structural and syntactic errors made in writing tasks. Data from the study show that most students enjoyed writing tasks and drafting essays and working with peers to brainstorm ideas and opinions for their drafts. A majority of respondents agreed that they were well aware of referencing systems and the need to substantiate their ideas with supportive evidence. However many respondents were unable to evaluate their own work and admitted that often their evaluation did not match that of their instructors. The project aims to propose interventions and techniques to support student academic writing practices in the foundation year

Meissner response of a bulk superconductor with an embedded sheet of reduced penetration depth

We calculate the change in susceptibility resulting from a thin sheet with reduced penetration depth embedded perpendicular to the surface of an isotropic superconductor, in a geometry applicable to scanning Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy, by numerically solving Maxwell's and London's equations using the finite element method. The predicted stripes in susceptibility agree well in shape with the observations of Kalisky et al. of enhanced susceptibility above twin planes in the underdoped pnictide superconductor Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 (Ba-122). By comparing the predicted stripe amplitudes with experiment and using the London relation between penetration depth and superfluid density, we estimate the enhanced Cooper pair density on the twin planes, and the barrier force for a vortex to cross a twin plane. Fits to the observed temperature dependence of the stripe amplitude suggest that the twin planes have a higher critical temperature than the bulk, although stripes are not observed above the bulk critical temperature.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

Independent Complementary Distance Pattern Uniform Graphs

AgraphG =(V,E) is called to be Smarandachely uniform k-graph for an integer k ≥ 1ifthereexistsM1,M2, ·· ·,Mk ⊂ V (G) such that fMi (u) ={d(u, v):v ∈ Mi} for ∀u ∈ V (G)−Mi is independent of the choice of u ∈ V (G)−Mi and integer i, 1 ≤ i ≤ k. Each such set Mi, 1 ≤ i ≤ k is called a CDPU set [6, 7]. Particularly, for k = 1, a Smarandachely uniform 1-graph is abbreviated to a complementary distance pattern uniform graph, i.e., CDPU graphs. This paper studies independent CDPU graphs

Possibility of converting indigenous Salvadora persica L. seed oil into biodiesel in Pakistan

In this research study, biodiesel has been successfully produced from vegetable seed oil of an indigenous plant Salvadora persica L. that meets the international biodiesel standard (ASTM D6751). The biodiesel yield was 1.57 g/5 g (31.4% by weight) and the in-situ transesterification ester content conversion was 97.7%. The produced biodiesel density was 0.894 g/mL, its kinematic viscosity 5.51 mm2/s, HHV 35.26 MJ/kg, flash point 210°C, cetane no. 61, and sulfur content 0.0844%. Thermal analysis of the biodiesel showed that 97% weight loss was achieved at 595°C with total oxidation of the biodiesel. The production energy efficiency was 0.46% with a lab scale setup, assuming the volume fraction ratio (volume of the sample/total volume of the equipment used). The results revealed that single-step in-situ transesterification method is suitable for the production of biodiesel from S. persica seed oil

An Improved Algorithm for Optimal Solution of Unbalanced Transportation Problems

Unbalanced transportation problems are particular kind of transportation problems, but an optimal solution is hard to find for unbalanced transportation problems. Still there is a need for minimizing the transportation cost. Unbalanced–TP deals with two different cases, (i) Excess of accessibility  (ii) Deficiency in accessibility  here in this paper both the cases for getting better optimal solution are discussed. Proposed algorithm is based on dummy rows and dummy columns, by taking the absolute differences (penalty) of Initial & Last cost cells of each row/column in transportation cost-matrix, where the objective function is to find an optimal solution. This method is easy to understand and apply than the other existing methods using Initial Basic Feasible Solution–IBFS. Therefore, the proposed method is very helpful to get optimal solution for unbalanced transportation problems. Keywords:Initial Basic Feasible Solution–IBFS, Unbalanced Transportation Problems, Dummy Rows & Dummy Columns, Optimal Solution. DOI: 10.7176/MTM/10-8-02 Publication date: December 31st 202

Micropropagation of Dysophylla myosuroides (Roth.) Benth. In. Wall. through leaf culture

A method was developed through leaf as explant of Dysophylla myosuroides (Roth.) Benth. for multiple shoot regeneration. The effect of Auxins (IAA, NAA, IBA) and Cytokinins (BA) were studied on shoot regeneration in clulture. On MS half strength medium light green compact calli were formed with 0.1 mg l-1 NAA. The cultures produced 62.57 + 0.04 shoots on half strength medium with 0.5 mg l-1 BA and 0.01 mg l-1 NAA and also maximum mean length (0.52 + 0.02) of shoots were achieved. In vitro produced shoots rooted on half strength MS medium with 1 mg l-1 IBA. The in vitro regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized in paper cups containing vermiculate, then transferred to green house. Hardened plants were transplanted in to sand and soil (1 : 1)

Postdegree intentions of female international undergraduate students studying in Malaysia: A qualitative study

Higher education has been positively linked with increased opportunity for women, including enhanced employability, increased migration, enriched cultural capital, and improved language skills. With the number of international students rising, understanding postdegree intentions is increasingly important for institutions, policy makers, and administrators. This qualitative study explored the postdegree intentions of female international undergraduate students at the Malaysian campus of an Australian university. In-depth interviews were conducted with students from a range of degree programs and data was studied using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that postdegree intentions were substantially influenced by other people and policies; a common aspiration was to balance career and family; postdegree intentions were not solely career-focused; and the students anticipated discrimination and inequality but were determined to successfully navigate these

Fingerprints of changes in annual and seasonal precipitation from CMIP5 models over land and ocean

By comparing annual and seasonal changes in precipitation over land and ocean since 1950 simulated by the CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5) climate models in which natural and anthropogenic forcings have been included, we find that clear global-scale and regional-scale changes due to human influence are expected to have occurred over both land and ocean. These include moistening over northern high latitude land and ocean throughout all seasons and over the northern subtropical oceans during boreal winter. However we show that this signal of human influence is less distinct when considered over the relatively small area of land for which there are adequate observations to make assessments of multi-decadal scale trends. These results imply that extensive and significant changes in precipitation over the land and ocean may have already happened, even though, inadequacies in observations in some parts of the world make it difficult to identify conclusively such a human fingerprint on the global water cycle. In some regions and seasons, due to aliasing of different kinds of variability as a result of sub sampling by the sparse and changing observational coverage, observed trends appear to have been increased, underscoring the difficulties of interpreting the apparent magnitude of observed changes in precipitation