167 research outputs found

    Teaching Story without Struggle: Using Graded Readers and Their Audio Packs in the EFL Classroom

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    In recent years the support for extensive reading (ER) in English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) programs has been compelling. When practicing extensive reading, the learner reads a wide variety of texts for pleasure and achieves a general understanding of the content while deciphering unknown words through context. This approach contrasts with intensive reading, a more traditional approach based on a slow, careful reading of a text, with goals of complete comprehension and the identification of specific details and information

    Underwriting Apophenia and Cryptids: Are Cycles Statistical Figments of our Imagination?

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    This paper re-examines the evidence in favour of the existence of underwriting cycles in property and casualty insurance and their economical significance. Using a meta-analysis of published papers in the area of insurance economics, we show that the evidence supporting the existence of underwriting cycles is misleading. There is, in fact, little evidence in favour of insurance cycles with a linear autoregressive character. This means that any cyclicality in firm profitability in the property and casualty insurance industry is not predictable in a classical econometric framework. It follows that pricing in the property and casualty insurance industry is not incompatible with that of a competitive market

    Chronic pain and sex differences:Women accept and move, while men feel blue

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    Purpose The aim of this study is to explore differences between male and female patients entering a rehabilitation program at a pain clinic in order to gain a greater understanding of different approaches to be used in rehabilitation. Method 1371 patients referred to a specialty pain rehabilitation clinic, completed sociodemographic and pain related questionnaires. They rated their pain acceptance (CPAQ-8), their kinesiophobia (TSK), the impact of pain in their life (MPI), anxiety and depression levels (HAD) and quality of life scales: the SF-36, LiSat-11, and the EQ-5D. Because of the large sample size of the study, the significance level was set at the p amp;lt;= .01. Results Analysis by t-test showed that when both sexes experience the same pain severity, women report significantly higher activity level, pain acceptance and social support while men report higher kinesiophobia, mood disturbances and lower activity level. Conclusion Pain acceptance (CPAQ-8) and kinesiophobia (TSK) showed the clearest differences between men and women. Pain acceptance and kinesiophobia are behaviorally defined and have the potential to be changed.Funding Agencies|Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR); Vardal Foundation; RehSAM; AFA insurance, Sweden; Swedish Association for Survivors of Accident and Injury (RTP); Renee Eanders Foundation</p

    Unprecedented strongly panchromic absorption from proton switchable iridium(III) azoimidazolate complexes

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    Two novel heteroleptic iridium(III) complexes bearing an aryldiazoimidazole ligand are reported. These complexes differ structurally with respect to the protonation state of the imidazole ring, but can be independently accessed by varying the synthetic conditions. Their structures have been unequivocally confirmed by X-ray crystal structure analysis, with surprising differences in the structural parameters of the two complexes. The strongly absorbing nature of the free diazoimidazole ligand is enhanced in these iridium complexes, with the protonated cationic complex demonstrating extraordinarily strong panchromic absorption up to 700 nm. The absorption profile of the deprotonated neutral complex is blue-shifted by about 100 nm and thus the interconversion between the two complexes as a function of the acidity/basicity of the environment can be readily monitored by absorption spectroscopy. Theoretical calculations reveal the origins of these markedly different absorption properties. Finally, the protonated analogue has been targeted as an acceptor material for organic photovoltaic (OPV) applications and preliminary results are reported.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

    Green-emitting iridium(III) complexes containing sulfone-functionalized cyclometallating 2-phenylpyridine ligands

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    A series of [Ir(C^N)2(bpy)][PF6] complexes in which the cyclometallating ligands contain fluoro, sulfane or sulfone groups is reported. The conjugate acids of the C^N ligands in the complexes are 2-(4-fluorophenyl)pyridine (H1), 2-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)pyridine (H3), 2-(4-tbutylsulfanylphenyl)pyridine (H4), 2-(4-tbutylsulfonylphenyl)pyridine (H5), 2-(4-ndodecylsulfanylphenyl)pyridine (H6), 2-(4-ndodecylsulfonylphenyl)pyridine (H7). The single crystal structures of H3 and H5 are described. [Ir(C^N)2(bpy)][PF6] with C^N = 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 were prepared from the appropriate [Ir2(C^N)4Cl2] dimer and bpy; the structure of [Ir2(3)4Cl2]·2CH2Cl2 was determined. [Ir(6)2(bpy)][PF6] was prepared by nucleophilic substitution starting from [Ir(1)2(bpy)][PF6]. The [Ir(C^N)2(bpy)][PF6] complexes have been characterized by NMR, IR, absorption and emission spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods. The single crystal structures of enantiomerically pure Δ-[Ir(1)2(bpy)][PF6] and of rac-4{[Ir(1)2(bpy)][PF6]}·Et2O·2CH2Cl2 are described, and the differences in inter-cation packing in the structures compared. [Ir(1)2(bpy)][PF6], [Ir(4)2(bpy)][PF6] and [Ir(6)2(bpy)][PF6] (fluoro and sulfane substituents) are yellow emitters (λmaxem between 557 and 577 nm), and the room temperature solution emission spectra are broad. The sulfone derivatives [Ir(3)2(bpy)][PF6], [Ir(5)2(bpy)][PF6] and [Ir(7)2(bpy)][PF6] are green emitters and the emission spectra are structured (λmaxem = 493 and 523 to 525 nm). High photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of 64–74% are observed for the sulfone complexes in degassed solutions. The emission lifetimes for the three complexes containing sulfone substituents are an order of magnitude longer (2.33 to 3.36 μs) than the remaining complexes (0.224 to 0.528 μs). Emission spectra of powdered solid samples have also been recorded; the broad emission bands have values of λmaxem in the range 532 to 558 nm, and PLQYs for the powdered compounds are substantially lower (≤23%) than in solution. Trends in the redox potentials for the [Ir(C^N)2(bpy)][PF6] complexes are in accord with the observed emission behaviour

    4'-Functionalized 2,2':6',2''-terpyridines as the N^N domain in [Ir(C^N)2(N^N)][PF6] complexes

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    The cyclometallated iridium(III) complexes [Ir(ppy)2(NˆN)][PF6] (Hppy = 2-phenylpyridine) with NˆN = 4′-chloro-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (1), 4′-methoxy-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (2), 4′-ethoxy-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (3), 4′-methylthio-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (4), 4′-phenylthio-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (5) and 4′-dimethylamino-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (6) are reported including the single crystal structures of 2{[Ir(ppy)2(1)][PF6]}·0.6Et2O·CH2Cl2, [Ir(ppy)2(5)][PF6]·0.5CH2Cl2 and [Ir(ppy)2(6)][PF6]. The single crystal structure of [Ir(ppy)2(3)]Cl·2H2O·MeCN is also reported. In each complex, the 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (tpy) ligand binds to the metal centre in a bidentate fashion with the non-coordinated pyridine ring folded into the coordination sphere and engaging in a pyridine–phenyl π-stacking interaction. Solution NMR spectra are consistent with hindered rotation of the non-coordinated pyridine ring at 298 K, with intra-cation CH…N(pyridine) hydrogen bond formation between adjacent [ppy]– and tpy ligands. Trends in the electrochemical HOMO–LUMO gaps and emission maxima of the complexes (in CH2Cl2 solution) are consistent with the electron-withdrawing or releasing properties of the 4′-tpy substituent; in degassed solution, [Ir(ppy)2(6)][PF6] has a quantum yield of 24.8% and emission lifetime of 441 ns, while the other complexes exhibit significantly lower quantum yields and shorter lifetimes
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