Biological spectrum with some other ecological attributes of the flora and vegetation of the Asir Mountain of South West, Saudi Arabia

Based on the current available information on the flora and vegetation of the Asir mountain of SW Saudi Arabia, spectra on life form and some other ecological attributes were analyzed and reviewed in different sub-ecosystem of the investigated area. The floristic list of Asir Mountain of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consists of 189 species belonging to 74 families, 65 dicotyledons (dicots), 4 monocotyledons (monocots), while gymnosperms and pteridophytes were represented by one family each. Asteraceae was the dominating family in the study area. According to the Raunkiaerian life form therophytes (36.5%) followed by hemicryptophytes (15%) and geophytes (12.5%) were dominant in the area. Chaemophytes 6.5%, mesophanerophytes 3%, megaphanerophytes 2%, nanophaneorophytes 13% and climbers 1.5% contribution in the establishment of vegetation structure in the study area. In leaf size spectra, the analysis revealed that microphylls (38.5%) followed by nanophylls (24%), leptophylls (13.5%), mesophylls (12%), macrophylls (3%) and megaphylls (1%) construct the vegetation belt of the area. The biological spectrum of the high altitude was characterized by phanerophytes mainly representing nanophanerophytic followed by hemicryptophytic and geophytic species. These were increasing with the rise in elevation while the megaphanerophytic species were decreasing. The vegetation cover in general and the tree layer in particular were observed very rare and sparse. The grassland vegetation is characterized by the largest percentage of hemicryptophytes. In this region, the vegetation expression was predominantly evergreen, although the tree flora has considerable elements of deciduous species. The dominance of phanerophytes appears to be due to high rainfall, temperature and low biotic pressure. However, the population of therophytic species was increasing in highly grazed and eroded areas.Keywords: Biological spectrum, Asir mountain, leaf size, life form, biotic and abiotic factorsAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(34), pp. 5550-5559, 23 August, 201

FACEBOOK AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: EFL LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCES (A QUALITATIVE STUDY)

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the EFL learners’ practices and understand their experiences with SNSs (social networking sites) as a tool for English language learning. The study results were obtained from a survey of 144 undergraduate Jordanian EFL learners in the English and Translation Departments at Yarmouk University in Jordan. In the quantitative phase of the study, the research questions focused on the actual practices and strategies of EFL students on SNSs. This study was guided by the following research questions: To what extent do Jordanian EFL learners use Facebook as a tool for language learning? And what language learning practices do Jordanian EFL learners engage in on Facebook? The results revealed that most participants felt comfortable using Facebook in English language learning. However, less than half of them used Facebook on a regular basis to learn English. In addition, they tended to read and observe discussions in English rather than participate in them or produce language output. The results also revealed that learners’ practices or behaviors in the SNS environment changed depending on certain factors, such as the context, audience, sense of belonging, self – confidence, and the learners’ needs and interests. The results of the study brought to light some implications in the context of formal and informal language learning. The study might raise learner, teacher, and educator awareness about SNSs as a tool for language learning, particularly for countries with limited resources. The results also showed the need for a theoretical and pedagogical framework for the teaching and learning process that identifies the best practices and ways to avoid any harm in a SNS environment. Integrating SNSs in language teaching and learning is a topic that requires further study. Using SNSs inside and outside the classroom to practice different language skills is an important topic for future research.  Article visualizations

Data Applicability of Heritage and New Hardware for Launch Vehicle System Reliability Models

Many launch vehicle systems are designed and developed using heritage and new hardware. In most cases, the heritage hardware undergoes modifications to fit new functional system requirements, impacting the failure rates and, ultimately, the reliability data. New hardware, which lacks historical data, is often compared to like systems when estimating failure rates. Some qualification of applicability for the data source to the current system should be made. Accurately characterizing the reliability data applicability and quality under these circumstances is crucial to developing model estimations that support confident decisions on design changes and trade studies. This presentation will demonstrate a data-source classification method that ranks reliability data according to applicability and quality criteria to a new launch vehicle. This method accounts for similarities/dissimilarities in source and applicability, as well as operating environments like vibrations, acoustic regime, and shock. This classification approach will be followed by uncertainty-importance routines to assess the need for additional data to reduce uncertainty

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: JORDANIAN EFL LEARNERS’ PRACTICES AND EXPERIENCES

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the EFL learners’ practices and understand their experiences with SNSs (social networking sites) as a tool for English language learning. The study was conducted in richer information and a deeper insight was gained through a qualitative case study. In the qualitative phase, 12 participants were purposefully selected and interviewed in order to explain further the statistical results, develop a rich descriptive picture of their lived experiences using social networking to improve their English language learning, and identify the factors and barriers that influence their practices. This study was guided by the following research question: How do these Facebook practices affect their language learning experiences? The results revealed that most participants felt comfortable using Facebook in English language learning. However, less than half of them used Facebook on a regular basis to learn English. In addition, they tended to read and observe discussions in English rather than participate in them or produce language output. The results also revealed that learners’ practices or behaviors in the SNS environment changed depending on certain factors, such as the context, audience, sense of belonging, self – confidence, and the learners’ needs and interests.  Article visualizations

High-cycle variable amplitude fatigue experiments and design framework for bridge welds with high-frequency mechanical impact treatment

Fatigue enhancement by way of high-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment can enable effective design and construction of steel bridges. However, bridges may experience high and varying mean stresses, the effects of which are not covered today by any design recommendation or in the literature on HFMI-treated joints. In this study, fatigue experiments were conducted with realistic in-service bridge loading, which revealed the same high fatigue performance as for constant amplitude loading. The effect of mean stress in spectrum loading was quantified and a method to account for it in an equivalent manner is proposed. A design framework has been developed for design and engineering purposes

Mean Stress Effect in High-Frequency Mechanical Impact (HFMI)-Treated Steel Road Bridges

High-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) is a post-weld treatment method which substantially enhances the fatigue strength of steel weldments. As such, the method enables a more efficient design of bridges, where fatigue is often the governing limit state. Road bridges are typically trafficked by a large variety of lorries which generate load cycles with varying mean stresses and stress ranges. Unlike conventional welded details, the fatigue strength of HFMI-treated welds is known to be dependent on mean stress in addition to the stress range. The possibility of considering the mean stress effect via Eurocode’s fatigue load models (FLM3 and FLM4) was investigated in this paper. Moreover, a design method to take the mean stress effect into account was proposed by the authors in previous work. However, the proposed design method was calibrated using limited traffic measurements in Sweden, and as such, may not be representative of the Swedish or European traffic. In this paper, larger data pools consisting of more than 873,000 and 446,000 lorries from Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively, were used to examine the validity of the previous calibration in both countries. The comparison revealed no significant difference between the data pools with regards to the mean stress effect. Additionally, the previous calibration provided the most conservative mean stress effect and was considered adequately representative for both countries. The proposed design method was further validated using four composite case study bridges. It was also found that the mean stress effect was mainly influenced by the self-weight, while variation in the mean stress due to traffic had a minor influence on the total mean stress effect. Furthermore, it was found that the mean stress effect could not be accurately or conservatively predicted using FLM3 or FLM4

THE APPLICATION OF METACOGNITION, COGNITIVISM, AND CONSTRUCTIVISM IN TEACHING WRITING SKILLS

Writing performance competence is not a process in which teachers transmit knowledge to students, but one in which students construct their writing performance competence on their own initiative. This article proposes a novel approach to the investigation of student writing ability. It applies theories of Cognitivism, Constructivism, metacognition, and self-regulated learning to understand how beginning writers develop the ability to participate in the communicative practices of academic written communication and develop rhetorical consciousness. This paper advocates both teaching with metacognition and teaching for metacognition. To teach with metacognition, an EFL writing instructor should reflect upon his or her own teaching, and possess both metacognitive strategic knowledge and executive management strategies. When instructors teach for metacognition, students can learn about what the strategies are, how to use the strategies, when and why to apply the strategies, and as a result, learn to regulate their cognitive and constructivism activities.  Article visualizations

Efficacy of diphtheria and tetanus vaccination in Gaza, Palestine.

This study evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus in different age groups in Gaza, Palestine. Blood samples were collected from 180 children aged< 12 years, 90 males and 90 females. Using ELISA methods, the efficacy of vaccination was estimated at 87.8% for diphtheria and 98.3% for tetanus. Mean serum titres varied significantly by age group: for diphtheria 0.24 IU/mL at age 2–4 years, 0.63 IU/mL at 7–8 years and 0.46 IU/mL at 11–12 years, and for tetanus 1.01 IU/mL, 2.63 IU/mL and 1.20 IU/mL respectively. The relatively low antibody titres, especially for diphtheria, suggest the need for a booster dose

EFFECT OF THE REMOVAL OF SULPHUR AND VOLATILE MATTER ON THE TRUE DENSITY OF PETROLEUM COKE

The true density of petroleum coke is a factor of its structure and properties. As the removal of volatile matter and sulphur from the coke is accompanied by significant changes in its structure and microporosity, changes in its density are to be expected. In this paper, the effects of the removal of volatile matter and sulphur on the true density of petroleum coke were investigated. The density was found to increase significantly with the evaporation of the volatile matter as a result of the thermal treatment of the coke at a temperature of 1200 K. Removal of part of the sulphur in the coke led also to a significant increase in the value of its true density. Temperatures greater than 1600 K were necessary for effective sulphur removal

Cultivation of the oyster mushroom (pleurotus ostreatus (jacq.) p. kumm.) in two different agroecological zones of Pakistan

The current study describes the possibility of small-scale production facility for Pleurotus ostreatus under two different agro-ecological regions (Peshawar and Swat of Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa of Pakistan). Different growth parameters such as spawn running time, number of crops, stalk height, stalk diameter, cap size, fresh weight, number of production days and the interval in days between the time of bag opening and the time of starting fruiting bodies formation have shown promising results in both areas. Mean comparison of the two locations indicated that, 4 of the 7 parameters including stalk height, stalk diameter, cap size and fresh weight had greater values at Peshawar when compared with Swat. In contrast, the spawn running time, that is, mycelium growth took much longer time (84 days) at Swat compared with Peshawar (44 days). Formation of fruiting bodies at Swat was found later (7 days) than that of Peshawar (4 days). Similarly, the production period (70 days) at Swat exhibited much longer in contrast to Peshawar (49 days). The study concluded that mild winter temperatures of Peshawar region and low summer temperatures in Swat were found most conducive times of the year for growth and yield of Pleurotus ostreatus.Keywords: Pleurotus ostreatus, agro-ecological zones, growth parameters, production