Gender, Passage Content and Text Types in Reading Comprehension Among ESL Learners

This study examined the comprehension performance among ESL learners. The aim was to examine whether gender, passage content and text types affect reading comprehension of upper secondary school students in Malaysia. The study also investigated gender differences of students’ reading habits. Their favourite reading topics, reading materials and reading comprehension performances (in terms of passage content and text types) were also explored in relation to gender. The samples comprised 162 Upper Six students. Four reading passages of different contents and text types – female-oriented narrative text, male-oriented narrative text, female-expository narrative text and maleexpository text, were used. They completed reading comprehension tasks (written recall tasks and multiple-choice questions) after reading each of the passages. Both reading comprehension tasks were analyzed to investigate if there were gender differences in reading comprehension performance with respect to passage content and text types. The written recall tasks were also analyzed in order to seek if there were gender differences in terms of quantity of ideas and types of ideas recalled. The respondents were also asked to complete a questionnaire

Autonomous response of a third-order digital filter with two’s complement arithmetic realized in cascade form

In this letter, results on the autonomous response of a third-order digital filter with two’s complement arithmetic realized as a first-order subsystem cascaded by a second-order subsystem are reported. The behavior of the second-order subsystem depends on the pole location and the initial condition of the first-order subsystem, because the transient behavior is affected by the first-order subsystem and this transient response can be viewed as an excitation of the original initial state to another state. New results on the set of necessary and sufficient conditions relating the trajectory equations, the behaviors of the symbolic sequences, and the sets of the initial conditions are derived. The effects of the pole location and the initial condition of first-order subsystem on the overall system are discussed. Some interesting differences between the autonomous response of second-order subsystem and the response due to the exponentially decaying input are reported. Some simulation results are given to illustrate the analytical results

Diurnal fluctuation in the number of hypocretin/orexin and histamine producing: Implication for understanding and treating neuronal loss.

The loss of specific neuronal phenotypes, as determined by immunohistochemistry, has become a powerful tool for identifying the nature and cause of neurological diseases. Here we show that the number of neurons identified and quantified using this method misses a substantial percentage of extant neurons in a phenotype specific manner. In mice, 24% more hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) neurons are seen in the night compared to the day, and an additional 17% are seen after inhibiting microtubule polymerization with colchicine. We see no such difference between the number of MCH (melanin concentrating hormone) neurons in dark, light or colchicine conditions, despite MCH and Hcrt both being hypothalamic peptide transmitters. Although the size of Hcrt neurons did not differ between light and dark, the size of MCH neurons was increased by 15% in the light phase. The number of neurons containing histidine decarboxylase (HDC), the histamine synthesizing enzyme, was 34% greater in the dark than in the light, but, like Hcrt, cell size did not differ. We did not find a significant difference in the number or the size of neurons expressing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme, in the horizontal diagonal band (HBD) during the dark and light conditions. As expected, colchicine treatment did not increase the number of these neurons. Understanding the function and dynamics of transmitter production within "non-visible" phenotypically defined cells has fundamental implications for our understanding of brain plasticity

Berry's phase for coherent states of Landau levels

The Berry phases for coherent states and squeezed coherent states of Landau levels are calculated. Coherent states of Landau levels are interpreted as a result of a magnetic flux moved adiabatically from infinity to a finite place on the plane. The Abelian Berry phase for coherent states of Landau levels is an analog of the Aharonov- Bohm effect. Moreover, the non-Abelian Berry phase is calculated for the adiabatic evolution of the magnetic field B.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Isochronal annealing studies of n-type 6H-SiC with positron lifetime spectroscopy

n-type 6H silicon carbide has been studied using positron lifetime spectroscopy with isochronal annealing temperatures of 400, 650, 900, 1200, and 1400 °C. In the as-grown sample, we have identified the VSi vacancy, the VCVSi divacancy, and probably the VC vacancy. The silicon vacancy and the carbon vacancy were found to anneal out in the temperature range 400-650 °C. The VCVSi divacancy was found to persist at an annealing temperature of 1400 °C.published_or_final_versio

Anomalous Light Scattering by Topological PT{\mathcal{PT}}-symmetric Particle Arrays

Robust topological edge modes may evolve into complex-frequency modes when a physical system becomes non-Hermitian. We show that, while having negligible forward optical extinction cross section, a conjugate pair of such complex topological edge modes in a non-Hermitian $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric system can give rise to an anomalous sideway scattering when they are simultaneously excited by a plane wave. We propose a realization of such scattering state in a linear array of subwavelength resonators coated with gain media. The prediction is based on an analytical two-band model and verified by rigorous numerical simulation using multiple-multipole scattering theory. The result suggests an extreme situation where leakage of classical information is unnoticeable to the transmitter and the receiver when such a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric unit is inserted into the communication channel.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Preferences in musical elements in ringtone selection: comparison between music and non-music undergraduate student

Research into mobile phones is growing rapidly in terms of their usage, technology development, environmental and psychological effects, and so forth. The last decade has shown an increased interest in research into ringtones in identity, marketing, and environmental study. However, there is a lack of investigation into music elements, and preferences in ringtone still lack attention. The present study investigates the differences in ringtone preference by looking into various music metadata. This research took on a case study approach on undergraduate students from a local university. A survey was employed to investigate which musical elements were of most concern and which were left at the margin of attention when selecting a ringtone. Data collected were analyzed and the difference between preferences of music and non-music major undergraduate student in musical metadata was delineated

No Family Company Without Family: The Professionalization of a Chinese Family Business in Hong Kong

No Family Company Without Family: The Professionalization of a Chinese Family Business in Hong Kon