Causal relationships between integrative motivation, self-efficacy, strategy use and English language achievement

Due to students' poor level of English achievement in Iran and the fact that some language institutes attribute this problem to students' lack of motivation, this study aimed to investigate the effect of motivation on students' English achievement. In this research motivation is considered in relation to certain individual difference variables which may have important effects on motivation and L2 learning but no attention has been given to them in Iranian English learning context. Hence, this study intended to investigate the causal interrelations between the variables namely, attitudes toward the learning situation, integrativeness, motivation, strategy use, self-efficacy, and English language achievement. To this end, an adapted form of Gardner's (2001a) socioeducational model of second/foreign language learning was used. Research participants were 240 intermediate EFL learners at the Iran Language Institute. The participants were administered the Attitude Motivation Test Battery [AMTB], the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire [SEQ], and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning [SILL]. Results yielded by Structural Equation Modeling showed that motivation had a direct significant influence on English achievement. However, the effect of motivation on English achievement was stronger when it was affected by attitudes toward the learning situation, integrativeness, and self-efficacy. Thus, to improve students' English achievement in Iranian EFL context, it is necessary to consider not only motivation but also self-efficacy and attitudes, on which students' motivation depend

Penggunaan strategi komunikasi dalam rutin perundingan makna

Sifat kerjasama dalam komunikasi antara pelajar dan penutur natif dilihat dapat membantu meningkatkan kecekapan komunikatif pelajar. Kecekapan komunikatif merupakan pendekatan yang memberi fokus kepada interaksi dan komunikasi. Kajian ini merupakan sebuah kajian kualitatif yang menganalisis data yang diperolehi daripada interaksi pelajar bersama penutur natif bahasa Sepanyol. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk melihat penggunaan strategi komunikasi (SK) dalam rutin perundingan makna oleh pelajar bahasa Sepanyol dalam komunikasi mediasi komputer secara sinkronis semasa perbualan bersama penutur natif berlangsung. Sebanyak 12 jenis SK yang dikaji dalam kajian ini. Seramai 60 orang pelajar elektif bahasa Sepanyol dari tiga buah universiti iaitu Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia dan Universiti Putra Malaysia dipilih sebagai responden kajian. Responden terdiri daripada pelajar Tahap I, Tahap II dan Tahap III. Data utama kajian ialah teks perbualan pelajar bersama penutur natif dalam laman sembang atas talian. Perbualan ini merupakan perbualan bebas yang berlangsung selama dua jam bagi setiap sesi. Jumlah keseluruhan masa perbualan adalah selama 120 jam. Tujuan penggunaan SK adalah untuk meningkatkan kefasihan dan kelangsungan perbualan tanpa terlalu menitikberatkan ketepatan dalam konteks bahasa sasaran. Model Zhao (2010) dan Model Smith (2003) dijadikan panduan untuk melihat kepada fasa rutin perundingan makna. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelajar tanpa mengira tahap kecekapan bahasa menggunakan SK tertentu dalam setiap fasa rutin perundingan makna. Penggunaan SK yang sesuai dalam rutin perundingan membantu pelajar untuk menjayakan komunikasi. Implikasi kajian ini menunjukkan para pelajar dapat meningkatkan kecekapan komunikatif mereka dalam bahasa asing yang dipelajari

The Intelligibility of English in Global Contexts: Concepts, Methods, Findings and Implications

Intelligibility is considered key to successful and effective human communication. The intelligibility of the English used by its non-native speakers is the subject of much research enquiry, and as English continues to strengthen its foothold in international settings as the global lingua franca, the issue of mutual intelligibility has never been of greater importance. The paper begins by examining intelligibility as conceptualized by scholars in the fields of World Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF). While WE scholars approach the subject by investigating the international intelligibility of the new varieties of English, particularly to other non-native speakers of the language, ELF researchers seek to uncover how speakers negotiate and co-construct intelligibility in interaction, and the kinds of accommodation strategies employed in the process. Although the underlying assumptions and the methodologies associated with the 2 fields are not always congruent, the findings contribute towards developing a clearer picture of the subject of intelligibility in global communication. The paper ends by considering the pedagogical implications of the findings of intelligibility studies in WE and ELF

Self-Repair Practices in Pharmacist-Patient Interaction and their Role in Preventing Misunderstanding and Maintaining Medication Safety

Effective communication between pharmacists and patients can prevent medication errors as it enhances patients’ understanding of their medication and increases their adherence. As misunderstanding may occur in any type of interaction and lead to communication breakdown, repair practices that speakers adopt to enhance understanding in interaction are an especially important area of research in Conversation Analysis (CA). As such, this study aims to identify and explain the self-repair practices used by pharmacists to increase patient understanding in spoken interaction. The study was conducted at the University of Malaya Medical Centre from November to December 2014. Four pharmacists and 27 patients were recruited to participate in an intervention study. A detailed sequential analysis of interaction data revealed the pharmacists’ use of replacement, clarification, verbatim repeat, and repetition with an elaboration designed to increase the clarity and accuracy of the intended message and improve patient understanding. Self-repair practices may have an essential role in increasing medication safety in the healthcare setting

the first year of experience

Strategic @ERSTalk-@WHO alliance to address tobacco use by training health professionals on brief advice resulted in establishing smoking cessation in real care settings with quit rates higher than the literature and high propensity for wider dissemination http://ow.ly/lWDF30krq5V.publishersversionpublishe

Screening for eukaryotic signal transduction and Mycobacterium isocitrate lyase inhibitor from actinomycetes and fungi of dipterocarp rain forests at Imabak Valey, Sabah, Malaysia

A diversity of actinomycetes and fungi was isolated from various sites during the Imbak Valley Scientific Expedition 2000. A total of 144 soil samples were collected under trees that have been identified to species or genus level. Imbak Valley is a lowland dipterocarp forest, which is interestingly dominated by Dryobalanops beccarii. Isolation of Streptomyces and non-Streptomyces actinomycetes on HV medium and other specific isolation media for non-Streptomyces yielded 203 isolates from 89 soil samples. Morphological characterisation of the isolated actinomycetes was carried out based on aerial mycelium colour, substrate mycelium colour and diffusible pigment production on oatmeal medium. Nine strains of fungi were isolated from the six soil samples plated on PDA medium. All actinomycetes isolates were grown under aerobic condition in liquid culture and extracted with acetone, and used for screening against proteins involved eukaryotic signal transduction. Yeast MAPK kinase and MAP kinase phosphatase were some of the targeted proteins used in this research. MKK1P386 and MKK1P386-MSG5 mutant yeasts were used to screen for these inhibitors, as these yeast kinase and phosphatase have homologous proteins in the MAP kinase signal transduction pathway in human. No inhibitors in the extracts were found in these screenings. Type 1 protein serine/ threonine phosphatase (GLC7) in yeast was used to screen inhibitors against PP1 inhibitors and no inhibitor was found. None of the fungal extracts showed any inhibitory activities in all the screening systems. No Ras/Raf inhibitor was found in the in vivo Ras/Raf interaction with the yeast two-hybrid screening system, which used to screen for inhibitor against Ras/ Raf protein interaction inhibitor. There were 11 actinomycetes extracts that showed toxicity against yeast strain LZ (transformant of Ras/ Raf). H7667, a Streptomycete toxic to yeast is further screened for inhibitors of the GSK3-beta pathway. H7763, a Streptomyces species that showed positive in the primary screen for inhibitor of isocitrate lyase (ICL) which is not itaconic acid (known ICL inhibitor). H7240 showed the strongest susceptibility towards the resin in which the concentration of 5g/l of resin is sufficient to produce growth inhibition of the bacteria

Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode

Background: Major depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, yet epidemiologic data are not available for many countries, particularly low- to middle-income countries. In this paper, we present data on the prevalence, impairment and demographic correlates of depression from 18 high and low-to middle-income countries in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Methods: Major depressive episodes (MDE) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DMS-IV) were evaluated in face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Data from 18 countries were analyzed in this report (n = 89,037). All countries surveyed representative, population-based samples of adults. Results: The average lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of DSM-IV MDE were 14.6% and 5.5% in the ten high-income and 11.1% and 5.9% in the eight low- to middle-income countries. The average age of onset ascertained retrospectively was 25.7 in the high-income and 24.0 in low- to middle-income countries. Functional impairment was associated with recency of MDE. The female: male ratio was about 2: 1. In high-income countries, younger age was associated with higher 12-month prevalence; by contrast, in several low-to middle-income countries, older age was associated with greater likelihood of MDE. The strongest demographic correlate in high-income countries was being separated from a partner, and in low- to middle-income countries, was being divorced or widowed. Conclusions: MDE is a significant public-health concern across all regions of the world and is strongly linked to social conditions. Future research is needed to investigate the combination of demographic risk factors that are most strongly associated with MDE in the specific countries included in the WMH.(NIH/NIMH) United States National Institute of Mental Health[R01MH070884]John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationPfizer FoundationUSA Public Health Service[R13-MH066849]USA Public Health Service[R01-MH069864]USA Public Health Service[R01 DA016558](NIH) Fogarty International Center[FIRCA R03-TW006481]PAHO Pan American Health OrganizationEli Lilly & Company FoundationOrtho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.GlaxoSmithKlineSanofi-AventisBristol-Myers SquibbState of Brazil Research Foundation (FAPESP)[03/00204-3]Ministry of Social ProtectionEuropean Commission[QLG5-1999-01042]European Commission[SANCO 2004123]Piedmont Region (Italy)Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain[FIS 00/0028]Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia[SAF 2000-158-CE]Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya, SpainInstituto de Salud Carlos III[CIBER CB06/02/0046]Instituto de Salud Carlos III[RETICS RD06/0011 REM-TAP]Government of IndiaWHOMinistry of HealthIsrael National Institute for Health Policy and Health Services ResearchNational Insurance Institute of IsraelJapan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare[H13-Shogai-023]Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare[H14-Tokubetsu-026]Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare[H16-Kokoro-013]Lebanese Ministry of Public HealthWHO (Lebanon)(NIH) Fogarty International, anonymous private donations to IDRAAC, LebanonJanssen CilagEli LillyRocheNovartisNational Institute of Psychiatry Ramon de la Fuente[INPRFMDIES 4280]CNPq National Council on Science and Technology[CONACyT-G30544-H]PanAmerican Health Organization (PAHO)New Zealand Ministry of Health, Alcohol Advisory CouncilHealth Research Council(NIH/NIMH) USA National Institute of Mental Health[R01-MH059575](NIH/NIMH) USA National Institute of Mental Health[RO1-MH61905]National Institute of Drug AbuseSouth African Department of HealthUniversity of MichiganNational Institute of Mental Health (NIH/NIMH)[U01-MH60220]National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)[044708]John W. Alden TrustsAnalysis Group Inc.Eli Lilly CompanyEPI-QJohnson & Johnson PharmaceuticalsOrtho-McNeil Janssen Scientific AffairsPfizer Inc.Shire USA, Inc