The Impact of Training Metacognitive Strategies on Reading Comprehension among ESL Learner’s

The present study investigates the impact of training metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension and has been conducted among students from University Putra Malaysia. Forty eight subjects majoring in English including both males and females participated in the study. They have been chosen from first level of reading and divided into two groups, namely, experimental and control group. To carry out the process, initially, a standard test of reading comprehension was given to both experimental and control groups in order to compare their reading abilities. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in their reading abilities and therefore the classification of the students was reasonable. Subsequently, twelve-week training on metacognitive strategies was given to the experimental group, and after the training sessions their performance was measured through reading comprehension tests, metacognitive strategy questionnaire, and semi-structural interview. The results showed that participants’ ability in the two strategies of monitoring and assessment increased after receiving explicit instruction of metacognitive strategy. However, only the experimental group had positive view toward these strategies and believe that the effective learning of these strategies can enhance their reading ability. The findings in this study make contribution to the body of knowledge and not only provide a clear insight of the effectiveness of metacognitive strategies in the process of reading, but also support the belief that explicit instruction of metacognitive strategies will enhance learners reading ability. Keywords: metacognitive strategies, reading comprehension, explicit instruction

A case of Anthracis bacteremia and Meningoencephalitis

سیاه زخم یک باکتری مشترک بین انسان و حیوان است و عامل آن باسیلوس آنتراسیس می باشد. موارد انسانی بیماری در اثر تماس با حیوان آلوده ایجاد می شود و اغلب (95) بصورت فرم جلدی است که 20-10 موارد درمان نشده آن منجر به مرگ می شود. شکل های نادرتر بیماری نوع گوارشی و استنشاقی است. مننژیت معمولا به دنبال یکی از سه فرم ذکر شده ایجاد می شود و کمتر از 5 موارد آنتراکس را تشکیل می دهند. فرم جلدی بیماری با درمان، بهبودی کامل دارد و در صورت عدم درمان می تواند ایجاد باکتریمی و مننژیت کند. خانم 38 ساله ای از عشایر چادرنشین یک هفته پیش از مراجعه دچار ضایعه جلدی روی دست راست شده بود که زخم تدریجا نکروزه و سیاه رنگ و متورم شده بود. پس با اضافه شدن تب و لرز و Confusion به اورژانس آورده شد. در هنگام مراجعه بیمار در وضعیت کومای عمیق، درجه حرارت بدن 38.5 درجه سانتی گراد و روی دست راست ضایعه سیاه رنگی به اندازه cm 4×3 همراه با ادم اطراف بود. CT اسکن مغز التهاب نسج مغز و خونریزی ساب آ‌راکنوئید را نشان داد. پس از اسمیر و کشت زخم و همچنین کشت خون بیمار تحت درمان با دگزامتازون و پنی سیلین قرار گرفت. در پونکسیون نخاع (Lumber puncture) انجام شده، مایع CSF خونی بود. بیمار 10 ساعت پس از پذیرش با تشخیص مننگوانسفالیت آنتراکس ناشی از فرم پوستی درمان نشده فوت کرد. در آزمایش اسمیر، کشت زخم و کشت خون باسیل گرم مثبت آنتراکس مشاهده شد، این شکل بیماری براساس گزارشات نادر است

Stationary entanglement of photons and atoms in a high-finesse resonator

We predict that the collective excitations of an atomic array become entangled with the light of a high-finesse cavity mode when they are suitably coupled. This entanglement is of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen type, it is robust against cavity losses and is a stationary property of the coupled system. It is generated when the atomic array is aligned along the cavity axis and driven transversally by a laser, when coherent scattering of photons into the cavity mode is suppressed because of phase-mismatching. We identify the parameter regimes under which entanglement is found and show that these are compatible with existing experimental setups.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Analysis and Control of Fiber-Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (FREEs)

While rigid robots are extensively used in various applications, they are limited in the tasks they can perform and can be unsafe in close human-robot interactions. Soft robots on the other hand surpass the capabilities of rigid robots in several ways, such as compatibility with the work environments, degrees of freedom, manufacturing costs, and safe interactions with the environment. This thesis studies the behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (FREEs) as a particular type of soft pneumatic actuator that can be used in soft manipulators. A dynamic lumped-parameter model is created to simulate the motion of a single FREE under various operating conditions and to inform the design of a controller. The proposed PID controller determines the response of the FREE to a defined step input or a trajectory following polynomial function, using rotation angle to control the orientation of the end-effector. Additionally, Finite Element Analysis method is employed, incorporating the inherently nonlinear material properties of FREEs, to precisely evaluate various parameters and configurations of FREEs. This tool is also used to determine the workspace of multiple FREEs in a module, which is essentially a building block of a soft robotic arm. Both of these models provided a great understanding of a FREE\u27s behavior in various working conditions. This understanding led to employing a group of FREEs in a module to explore new applications, Although, the finite element model was not able to fully and accurately predict the system response in all cases. It did however provide a basis of understanding for the trends in FREEs’ behavior in single and module configurations, and demonstrated the necessity of improving the fabrication process of FREEs. Results of the two models point to the importance of the manufacturing process in minimizing variations in FREE behavior. Overall, the developed models in this project efficiently predict the behavior of FREEs and they can potentially be used for future studies of FREEs and similar soft actuators

The Role of Reading Strategies in the Process of Reading

In recent years, reading strategies have become essential factors in literacy education. Existing literature has indicated that in the process of comprehension reading strategies have received particular attention. Furthermore, understanding the role of reading strategies in the process of reading and teaching could be beneficial for the students. The current study discussed the importance of reading strategies and indicated the potentials for future researches in reading strategies