ANALYZING THE PROBLEMS FACED BY MONOLINGUALS AND BILINGUALS DEVELOPING “GENITIVE CASE” IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The objective of the present study was to find out whether the monolinguals and bilinguals learning English as a foreign language in Iran commit similar or different errors in learning the different types of the genitive case. A total number of 120 male and female English learners at three levels of English proficiency took part in the study. Out of these participants, 60 were monolinguals whose native language was Persian and 60 were bilinguals who spoke Turkish as the first language and Persian as the second one. They were selected randomly from different Iranian EFL learning institutes. To collect the learners’ errors, a genitive test based on possible errors due to interference from Turkish and Persian language was designed and administered. To ensure the reliability of the test, the internal consistency of ‘Chronbach’s Alpha’ was employed. The errors of the two groups (Monolinguals & Bilinguals) were identified and classified according to the different types of genitive case. Then, the sources of the errors were established by the principles of ‘error analysis’. The results indicated that both groups committed similar errors, though to a varying degree. The sources of errors seem to be attributed to transfer from both Turkish and Persian language. Another finding is that, the similarities between languages, either between Persian and English or between Turkish and English did not prevent their speakers from committing errors; in conclusion, the idea of positive transfer due to similarities between native and target language needs to be treated cautiously. This study confirms the effect of the negative transfer from both the mother tongue and the second language on the target language  Article visualizations

Estimation of coliform contamination rate and impact of environmental factor on bacterial quality of tube well water supplies in Khorramdarreh County, Iran

In this study, the presence of fecal coliforms in tube wells of Khorramdarreh County, Iran, and impact of environmental factors on quantity and quality of these organisms were evaluated. In a cross-sectional survey, 76 tube well water samples from March to September 2010 were tested to determine presence of fecal coliforms, by measuring the most probable number (MPN), and identification of three enteric bacteria namely, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp. and Salmonella sp. Out of 76 wells, 24 (31.57%) and 25 (32.89%) wells showed presence of fecal coliforms, during rainy and dry seasons, respectively. In contrast to seasonal changes, depth of the wells showed significant correlation with type of isolated bacterial indices (P = 0.0005). On the other hand, depth of the well and seasonal variations did not show any significant correlation with fecal coliform contamination rate. The level of bacterial contamination of tube wells, in terms of presence of fecal coliforms is alarming. This was only an indicative study, and therefore, appropriate studies are required to determine the extent, risk factors and nature of the problem.Keywords: Fecal coliforms, tube well, E.coli, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp

Epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis in the Middle East and north Africa: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis in the Middle East and north Africa is poorly understood. We aimed to provide a comprehensive epidemiological assessment of C trachomatis infection in the Middle East and north Africa. METHODS: We did a systematic review of C trachomatis infection as well as a meta-analysis and meta-regression of C trachomatis prevalence. We searched PubMed and Embase, as well as regional and national databases up to March 13, 2019, using broad search terms with no language or year restrictions. Any document or report including biological measures for C trachomatis prevalence or incidence was eligible for inclusion. We extracted all measures of current (genital or rectal), recent, and ever infection with C trachomatis. We estimated pooled average prevalence in different populations using random-effects meta-analysis. Factors associated with prevalence and sources of between-study heterogeneity were determined using meta-regression. FINDINGS: We identified a total of 1531 citations, of which 255 reports contributed to 552 C trachomatis prevalence measures from 20 countries. No incidence measures were identified. Pooled prevalence of current genital infection was 3·0% (95% CI 2·3-3·8) in general populations, 2·8% (1·0-5·2) in intermediate-risk populations, 13·2% (7·2-20·7) in female sex workers, 11·3% (9·0-13·7) in infertility clinic attendees, 12·4% (7·9-17·7) in women with miscarriage, 12·4% (9·4-15·7) in symptomatic women, and 17·4% (12·5-22·8) in symptomatic men. Pooled prevalence of current rectal infection was 7·7% (4·2-12·0) in men who have sex with men. Substantial between-study heterogeneity was found. Multivariable meta-regression explained 29·0% of variation. Population type was most strongly associated with prevalence. Additional associations were found with assay type, sample size, country, and sex, but not with sampling methodology or response rate (about 90% of studies used convenience sampling and >75% had unclear response rate). There was no evidence for temporal variation in prevalence between 1982 and 2018. INTERPRETATION: C trachomatis prevalence in the Middle East and north Africa is similar to other regions, but higher than expected given its sexually conservative norms. High prevalence in infertility clinic attendees and in women with miscarriage suggests a potential role for C trachomatis in poor reproductive health outcomes in this region. FUNDING: National Priorities Research Program from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation)

Green and Sustainable Iranian Traditional Architecture and Structure

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION First of all we need to concentrate on architecture in all over the world, soon we will figure out that there is a gap between scientific fields and professional executives in architecture. In Iran for many years architects have performed traditional works in traditional way, they believe traditional architecture is suitable for all aspect of country members like their behavior, culture and also their beliefs. Nowadays there is a real contestation among architects, Lots of them try to design and create a way to produce a model which society wants but with the focus on modernity. Sustainable architecture can provides different advantages, but the main goal of sustainable architecture is reducing energy. Therefore, problems and precautions in design and construction have never changed totally, although a lot of development and progress has been seen in materials and technology. When "sustainable design and construction strategies for Iran" are under scrutiny, then it is possible to observe how traditional buildings and settlements in this region design and construction could be integrated in today's design practices. [1] By paying attention on Iranian traditional architecture we could confirm that its fact suit buildings in best way in sustainability and in correspondence to the local cultural, behavior, topographical and climatic conditions which have the least conflict effect on environment as well as design compatible with nature by obeying its rules. Therefore, being in a harmonic architecture with the regions, "the old habitable states and cities have been serving both as a residential complex and as an answer for material, spiritual and cultural needs of indigenous people.&quot

Evaluation of steel frame structures with the response of seismic isolators

As science keeps evolving over time, new solutions are being put forward for reducing structural damage. One such solution is the use of seismic isolation systems. Seismic isolation systems reduce the response of structures to the force of earthquakes by reducing the input (force) acceleration when the natural period of the structure increases. Therefore, the use of seismic isolation systems is recommended in the analysis of diverse structures. This study was carried out on seismically isolated buildings with 8, 10, and 12 regular steel floors, modeled by a non-linear isolator in two-, or three-second periods. The differences in data and the responses of the buildings were compared with fixed-base buildings with 8, 10, and 12 floors

Evaluation of Steel Frame Structures with the Response of Seismic Isolators

As science keeps evolving over time, new solutions are being put forward for reducing structural damage. One such solution is the use of seismic isolation systems. Seismic isolation systems reduce the response of structures to the force of earthquakes by reducing the input (force) acceleration when the natural period of the structure increases. Therefore, the use of seismic isolation systems is recommended in the analysis of diverse structures. This study was carried out on seismically isolated buildings with 8, 10, and 12 regular steel floors, modeled by a non-linear isolator in two-, or three-second periods. The differences in data and the responses of the buildings were compared with fixed-base buildings with 8, 10, and 12 floors

Flat-space holography and stress tensor of Kerr black hole

We propose a stress tensor for the Kerr black hole written in the Boyer–Lindquist coordinate. To achieve this, we use the dictionary of the Flat/CCFT correspondence and take the flat-space limit from the quasi-local stress tensor of the four-dimensional Kerr–AdS black hole. The proposed stress tensor yields the correct values for the mass and angular momentum of the Kerr black hole at spatial infinity. We also calculate some components of the energy momentum tensor of the three dimensional CCFT and show that they are consistent with the holographic calculation of the Kerr black hole. The calculation we present in this paper is another confirmation for the Flat/CCFT proposal

Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone-Resistance (qnr) Genes in Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli Collected from Several Hospitals of Qazvin and Zanjan Provinces, Iran

Objectives: Escherichia coli is regarded as the most important etiological agent of urinary tract infections. Fluoroquinolones are routinely used in the treatment of these infections;however, in recentyears, a growing rate of resistanceto thesedrugs has been reported globally. The aims of this study were to detect plasmid-mediated qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS genes among the quinolone-nonsusceptible E. coli isolates and to investigate their clonal relatedness in Qazvin and Zanjan Provinces, Iran. Methods: A total of 200 clinical isolates of E. coli were collected from hospitalized patients. The bacterial isolates were identified through standard laboratory protocols and further confirmed using API 20E test strips. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the standard disk diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing were used for detecting qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS genes and the clonal relatedness of qnr-positive isolates was evaluated by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR (ERIC-PCR) method. Results: In total, 136 (68%) isolates were nonsusceptible to quinolone compounds, among which 45 (33.1%) and 71 (52.2%) isolates showed high- and low-level quinolone resistance, respectively. Of the 136 isolates, four (2.9%) isolates were positive for the qnrS1 gene. The results from ERIC-PCR revealed that two (50%) cases of qnr-positive isolates were related genetically. Conclusion: Our study results were indicative of the presence of low frequency of qnr genes among the clinical isolates of E. coli in Qazvin and Zanjan Provinces, which emphasizes the need for establishing tactful policies associated with infection-control measures in our hospital settings

Stress tensor correlators of CCFT2\hbox {CCFT}_2 CCFT 2 using flat-space holography

Abstract We use the correspondence between three-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes and two-dimensional contracted conformal field theories (CCFTs) to derive the stress tensor correlators of $$\hbox {CCFT}_2$$ CCFT 2 . On the gravity side we use the metric formulation instead of the Chern–Simons formulation of three-dimensional gravity. This method can also be used for the four-dimensional case, where there is no Chern–Simons formulation for the bulk theory