Postmodern narrative in Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five

This article explores Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) as a postmodern critique of modern literary modes. As a novel recapitulating within itself a postmodern relative perspective of reality, it elucidates one aspect of postmodernism, that of literary experimentation. Vonnegut experiments with the narrator,setting and characters of the novel to provide a fictional critique of the literary exhaustion prevailing in modern literary modes. Experimentation is thus remedial replenishment for such exhaustion through authorial metafictional intrusion into the text. Accordingly, the article uses Patricia Waugh, Gérard Genette and Mikhail Bakhtin’s narrative theory to examine the experimental technique in the novel. What makes the majority of metafictional style unique is not only its presence in the novel, but also its conflated depiction of the American individual’s suffering after the Second World War.For this later style, the self-justifying manner in the novel extrapolates textual dialogic relations to accentuate the author’s critical voice. Such voice originates in the main narrative point of view in the text and is known as focalization

Convenient synthesis of EDOT-based dyes by CH-activation and their application as dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells

Precursors to three new 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) incorportaing dyes have been synthesised via a one-pot C–H activation route using N,N-dimethylaniline as a donor group. We have extended this methodology to provide a convenient one-pot route to dye EDOT-Ph. The electrochemical and optical properties of the new dyes have been correlated with IV and EQE data for 1 cm2 dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices prepared using these dyes. The device data show that dye performance is strongly affected by the amount of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) co-sorbent used. The best performance is for EDOT-Ph (η = 4.0%) at 10 mM CDCA compared to (η = 6.0% and η = 5.8%) for N719 and D205 control cells

Attenuation performance of polymer composites incorporating NZF filler for electromagnetic interference shielding at microwave frequencies

Polymer composites have been thoroughly explored for future electromagnetic interference (EMI) applications owing to their unique combination of electrical, mechanical, and optical properties. The composition, morphology, and surface characteristics of the filler material play critical roles in regulating the composite activity. We studied the formation, synthesis and EM attenuation properties of nickel zinc ferrite (NZF) + Polycaprolactone (PCL) microcomposites that were prepared via the conventional mixed oxide (CMO) technique. Compared with other preparation routes, CMO may provide the advantages of a simple process and the ability for mass production and controlled product formation. A rectangular waveguide connected to a vector network analyser coaxial cable was employed to measure the scattering parameters [S] for use in determining the attenuation values of NZF+PCL substrates for a variety of NZF% values. Measurement tests showed a simultaneous increment in the attenuation value with the filler percentage. NZF+PCL samples of 1-mm thickness were able to attenuate microwave frequencies by up to ~3.33 dB, where the highest attenuation magnitude of 8.599 dB over a large area was attributed to the 12.5% NZF filler content at 12 GHz. Thus, a low transmission of waves resulted from the high shielding effectiveness (SE) values that showed a maximum 6.86 dB EM interference. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to analyse the average particle size (1.45 μm) of the filler powder

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18–49, 50–69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population

The Impact of the First Language Transfer on English Language Syntax for Arab ESL Students at Private Language Center in Mid-Size University Town

This study investigated the Impact of the First Language Transfer on English Language Syntax for Arab ESL Students at Private Language Center in Mid-Size University Town. The research population was 12 participants from Spring International Language Center through Intensive English Program and 7 participants from Adult Education center. The writing samples and interview were the main two instruments to analyze the data. I used constructive Analysis (CA), Error Analysis (EA), and coding to analyze the writing samples and the interview. The study focused on the syntax transfer between Arabic L1 and English L2, so Adjective/noun order, Subject/verb order, Number/numbered order, multi-adjectives order and others were the main syntax examples or challenges of the data collection and analysis The analysis of the writing samples and the interviews found out that L1 played a crucial role in influencing learners’ errors. In different words, the lack of English Proficiency and literal translation were the main causes of the negative or interlingual transfer. Consequently, the study results showed that all the errors made by the participants were interlingual. This meant that L1 transfer frequently affected the writing errors in L2. The data analysis of the participants’ frequent errors might have been influenced by CA-informed instruction students had and the levels of the students. The teaching implications of this study that teachers of ESL or EFL should be familiar with the errors causes that face students when they learn English. This coul be through conducting studies or research using CA and EA techniques or approaches. At the end, such adoption of those techniques can help to minimize the errors in general and writing skill in particular

Experimental Narrative Structure and the Advent of New Humanism in Cormac McCarthy's the Road

This paper attempts to study the experimental narrative structure to explore postmodern new humanism in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. The study focuses on three inextricable narrative elements: the characters, narrative descriptions, and the novel's spatial setting. It will demonstrate how McCarthy's uses postmodern narrative experimentation to accentuate the necessity of halting the danger lurking behind the sustainable safety of the natural environment. Therefore, the study first examines the nameless characters of the novels as an exemplification of people who are devoid of their identity and sense of belonging due to natural catastrophes. Second, it identifies the narrative descriptions of the devastated environment ensuing gigantic disasters that obliterate the vast majority of the human civilisation. Third, it looks into the conditions of the remaining survivors as the embodiment of the remains of the human civilisation, and these survivors will be explored as the literary paradigm of new humanism living in a post-apocalyptic society leading a new primitive life from scratch. In this sense, the study gaps lie in exploring such new humanism as an archetype of postmodern civilisation surviving the destructive events and their related ethical dilemmas. As such, the study applies a qualitative methodology by following a textual analysis of the novel's characters, narrative descriptions, and spatial setting. Here, narratology will be applied as the theoretical background for interpreting these elements with regard to the post-apocalypse and its new humanistic insights. Thus, the study's main results are the exploration of the novel's apocalyptic events as narrative paradigms of new humanism and McCarthy's use of postmodern experimental narrative structure

Theoretical Insights of History, Morality, and Society as the Literary Trio of the Author-Reader Relationship.

This paper attempts to examine the relationship between the author and the reader by polarizing history, morality, and society as a selected triad of theoretical interpretation. The study mainly focuses on the theoretical insights of these relationships in order to give proper clues for delving deep into the technical and thematic peculiarities of different literary genres. Therefore, it follows a qualitative approach to some fictional works, particularly novels, to demonstrate how the authorial perspective intersects with the reader’s ability to grasp the latent textual messages projected by authors in the course of the plots. The relationship between the author and the reader will be limited to three related topics, namely, history, morality, and society. As for history, the study sheds light on the postcolonial attributes of literature to reveal the function of liberal humanism in bridging the gap between the colonized people and the colonizers. Morality, on the other hand, will be discussed to explore the relative view of morality by authors and how the reader might conceptualize it according to his/her cultural background. Lastly, the discussion of society will be limited to the social customs and norms approached by authors to deliver a comprehensive depiction of the social reality in which the reader lives his/her true life

Developing a Strategy to Recover Condensate Water from Air Conditioners in Palestine

As the need for water is increasing in Palestine, and the available water resources are barely sufficient to meet the demands of the current quality of life and the economy, air conditioner condensate water could be explored as an alternative water source. The objective of this study is to better understand the potential for recovery of condensate water from air conditioning systems in two Palestinian cities. In addition, this study aims to evaluate this water source in terms of quality and quantity. Generally, it was found that the condensate water has good quality, which conforms to the Palestinian standards for reused water for irrigation, except for turbidity, biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements. Reflecting the heavy metal occurrence in the collected condensate water, no particular risk was recognized for drinking water or reused irrigation standards, except for manganese occurrence of 0.19 mg/L in one sample. From a single unit capacity, high quantities of water were observed of approximately 259 L and 453 L per month in Ramallah and Jericho cities, respectively. These figures should draw the attention of decision and policy makers to put in place strict technical guidelines to be followed for potential reuse of condensate water at the local level

The Role of Post-Bronchoscopy Sputum Examination in Screening for Active Tuberculosis

Early diagnosis is a fundamental component of global tuberculosis control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of post-bronchoscopy sputum (PBS) testing as part of a tuberculosis diagnostic work-up. All new residents in the State of Qatar undergo a tuberculosis (TB) screening program. Those with abnormal chest radiology, negative sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smears, and nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) for M. tuberculosis, undergo an additional bronchoscopic evaluation for TB. We prospectively enrolled individuals who were going to undergo bronchoscopy to provide two PBS samples for AFB smears and mycobacterial cultures between 18 September 2018 and 12 March 2021. A total of 495 individuals, with a median age of 31 years, were included. The majority of the patients were males (329, 66.5%). The most frequent country of origin was India (131, 26.5%) followed by the Philippines (123, 24.8%). The addition of PBS to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) testing allowed microbiological confirmation of tuberculosis in an additional 13 patients (3.9%), resulting in improved sensitivity (from 77.9% to 81.9%), negative predictive value (from 69.2% to 73.2%), and negative likelihood ratio (from 0.22 to 0.18). Where resources are available, the incorporation of routine PBS examination as part of tuberculosis diagnostic work-up can enhance the diagnostic yield