A GIMMICK FOR MIMIC: THE ELT STUDENT-TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS DRAMA COURSE

As a part of interaction-based meaningful activities, the use of drama techniques in education has gained popularity so far. The purpose of this study is to tackle the question whether the drama course together with the in-class applications contribute to the attitudes of prospective English language teachers. In that, the study is composed of the quantitative analysis of the attitudes of the prospective teachers from third graders at English Language Teaching (hereafter ELT) department. The data is gathered through the use of a 25-question-attitude scale (Topoğlu & Erden, 2012) which has been administered to all participants, in sum composed of 37 sophomore students. The results have indicated positive attitudes towards drama course held in ELT department within the scope of desire to increase in course duration, continuity of the course for future benefits, the development of personal, interactional and social skills, and the improvement of the creativity skill

Flexible modeling of next-generation displays using a differentiable toolkit

We introduce an open-source toolkit for simulating optics and visual perception. The toolkit offers differentiable functions that ease the optimization process in design. In addition, this toolkit supports applications spanning from calculating holograms for holographic displays to foveation in computer graphics. We believe this toolkit offers a gateway to remove overheads in scientific research related to next-generation displays

Towards a continuum from know-how to show-how for developing EFL student-teachers’ assessment literacy

It mushrooms as an unerring fact that that assessment literacy has been a focus of interest as one of the major professional requirements of a teacher. Correlatively, there are some manifold standards for assessment and measures for assessment literacy. This study, hereat, aims to unearth the prospective English as a Foreign Language (henceforth EFL) teachers’ levels of assessment literacy. In this context, the Assessment Literacy Survey developed by Volante and Fazio (2007) together with the student questionnaire of the European Network of Language Testing and Assessment (ENLTA) which was developed in 2004 are exploited to collect data. The participants are thirty-six senior students from the department of English Language Teaching (henceforth ELT) at a state university in Turkey. Fundamentally, the pre-service teachers’ utilization of the assessment approaches, and their understanding of underlying principles are at the major axis. As a result, it is reported that prospective EFL teachers are aware of the concept of assessment literacy though they perceive themselves as not adequately qualified. At the very same, practicum courses in which they enroll do not satisfactorily meet their expectations in developing their assessment skills. Similarly, they have a judicious amount of practical knowledge on different types of assessment approaches although they are mindful of the fact that in-class practices are to be laced with various kinds of assessment applications. Some practical recommendations and implications for teacher education are also listed in tow. &nbsp

TEACHING THE CEFR ORIENTED PRACTICES EFFECTIVELY IN THE M.A. PROGRAM OF AN ELT DEPARTMENT IN TURKEY

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (hereafter CEFR) and the related documents are the current realities of ELT professionals, mainly in Europe, as part of the practices in their field of study. Although it is labeled as “common” and “European”, the CEFR is an internationally recognized framework worldwide. In this sense, this study aims to uncover whether the CEFR and the other related European documents such as the European Language Portfolio (hereafter ELP), as a course in M.A. classes, have reflected certain degree of effectiveness in relation to students’ expectations. Herein, students’ self-reflection forms and achievement test-retest scores were analyzed. Accordingly, the mixed method laced with both qualitative and quantitative data was implemented. The learners’ test-retest scores as achievement criteria constituted the quantitative part of the study. On the other hand, the qualitative part was composed of the learners’ self-reflection forms for the course and discussion-based self-assessment reports. The results of the study revealed the fact that the CEFR as an M.A course was internalized better on condition that the lecture was followed by self-study, self-reflection, discussion-based self-assessment as a part of review process and test-retest practices respectively, when applied whole and complete

HoloHDR: Multi-color Holograms Improve Dynamic Range

Holographic displays generate Three-Dimensional (3D) images by displaying single-color holograms time-sequentially, each lit by a single-color light source. However, representing each color one by one limits peak brightness and dynamic range in holographic displays. This paper introduces a new driving scheme, HoloHDR, for realizing higher dynamic range images in holographic displays. Unlike the conventional driving scheme, in HoloHDR, three light sources illuminate each displayed hologram simultaneously at various brightness levels. In this way, HoloHDR reconstructs a multiplanar three-dimensional target scene using consecutive multi-color holograms and persistence of vision. We co-optimize multi-color holograms and required brightness levels from each light source using a gradient descent-based optimizer with a combination of application-specific loss terms. We experimentally demonstrate that HoloHDR can increase the brightness levels in holographic displays up to three times with support for a broader dynamic range, unlocking new potentials for perceptual realism in holographic displays.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure

A Case of Acute Disseminated Encephalomiyelitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is a demyelinating central nervous system disease which is characterized by multifocal lesions of the white matter. Vaccination as well as some viruses, bacteria and other infectious agents are thought to be responsible for the etiology of the disease. A seven year old male patient developed fever, headache, vomit, abstractedness following an episode of mumps and otitis media. The diagnosis was made according to some laboratory findings and clinical follow up. The patient recovered dramatically after treatment with intravenous immunglobuline and corticosteroids. This case reveals an importance because it is a rare cental nervous system disease which can be threated easily

The Effect of Counseling and Sleep Mask Application in Coronary Intensive Care Patients on Sleep Quality and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective:Patients in the coronary intensive care unit most of them have sleep problems. Intensive care nurses should regularly review patients’ sleep patterns and identify strategies that promote sleep. Intensive care nurses are in a unique position to provide direct support to cardiac patients regarding physiological and psycho-social risk factors. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of eye mask application and anxiety reduction counseling on sleep quality and anxiety in the coronary intensive care unit.Materials and Methods:This is a single-center prospective randomized controlled clinical study. 50 patients in the intervention group were allowed to wear eye masks during sleep at night and counseling was provided to reduce their anxiety. 50 patients in the control group received routine cardiological treatment. Research data were evaluated with the Richards-Campbell Sleep Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the “Numeric Rating Scale”. Data were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS (22.0).Results:Sleep quality score (intervention group: 316.40±148.42, control group: 291.80±149.29) differed between the groups, but it was not statistically significant (t=0.826, p=0.411). However, the difference between the anxiety scores (intervention group: 11.44±8.74, control group: 15.38±10.49) was statistically significant (t=-2.040, p=0.044).Conclusion:Eye mask application supported the sleep of the patients in the coronary intensive care unit and was recommended for patients who wanted to use an eye mask. Nurses were advised to answer and support their patients' questions through counseling

Value of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Pretreatment in Experimental Sepsis Model in Rats

Background and Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the actions of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on the changes of endothelin-1 (ET-1) level, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) alpha, and oxidative stress parameters such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in experimental sepsis model in rats. Materials and Methods. Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups: sham (group 1), sepsis (group 2), and sepsis + CAPE (group 3), n = 8 each. CAPE was administered (10 mu mol/kg) intraperitoneally to group 3 before sepsis induction. Serum ET-1, serum TNF-alpha, tissue SOD activity, and tissue MDA levels were measured in all groups. Results. Pretreatment with CAPE decreased ET-1, TNFalpha, and MDA levels in sepsis induced rats. Additionally SOD activities were higher in rats pretreated with CAPE after sepsis induction. Conclusion. Our results demonstrate that CAPE may have a beneficial effect on ET and TNF-alpha levels and oxidative stress parameters induced by sepsis in experimental rat models. Therefore treatment with CAPE can be used to avoid devastating effects of sepsis

Comparison of side effects of oxytetracycline and talc pleurodesis: an experimental study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chemical pleurodesis is widely recommended in the treatment of refractory pleural effusion or pulmonary air leak of different etiologies. Although several agents have been used, many questions have remained unanswered about their toxicity. Talc is the most commonly used agent for the treatment, with rare, serious complications reported. Oxytetracycline pleurodesis in clinical practice has been described in a few studies, but literature reveals no experimental studies using this agent. We performed a prospective, randomized, observer-blinded, controlled study to evaluate the changes in lung histology and systemic response to pleurodesis with oxytetracycline and talc in acute and subacute phases in a rat model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-two male albino Wistar rats were divided into three groups and 3 subgroups with 7 animals in each. Group 1 was given oxytetracycline, 35 mg/kg; Group 2 was given talc slurry, 60 mg/kg in 0.5 mL saline solution, and Group 3 was given only 0.5 mL saline intrapleurally. In subgroups "a" the nimls were sacrificed at the postoperative 72^ndhour and, in subgroups "b", on the postoperative day 7. The surfaces were graded by microscopic examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Oxytetracycline produced alveolar collapse, hemorrhage, edema, inflammation at the postoperative 72^ndhour and hemorrhage on the postoperative day 7, while talc produced significant edema, inflammation, proliferation, fibrosis at the postoperative 72^ndhour and hemorrhage, edema, inflammation, proliferation, and fibrosis on the postoperative day 7 (p < 0,0042). Talc produced significant edema compared to oxytetracycline on the postoperative day 7. On contralateral side, oxytetracycline and talc produced significant hemorrhage on the postoperative day 7 (p < 0.0042).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Both agents were shown to produce pulmonary lesions. In acute phase, the pulmonary side effects of oxytetracycline were more pronounced, whereas the side effects of talc were prolonged to subacute phase. We propose that the occasional side effects in humans may be related to these changes as were observed in our rat model, and like talc, oxytetracycline must be used cautiously in patients with limited respiratory function.</p

Perceptually guided Computer-Generated Holography

Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) promises to deliver genuine, high-quality visuals at any depth. We argue that combining CGH and perceptually guided graphics can soon lead to practical holographic display systems that deliver perceptually realistic images. We propose a new CGH method called metameric varifocal holograms. Our CGH method generates images only at a user’s focus plane while displayed images are statistically correct and indistinguishable from actual targets across peripheral vision (metamers). Thus, a user observing our holograms is set to perceive a high quality visual at their gaze location. At the same time, the integrity of the image follows a statistically correct trend in the remaining peripheral parts. We demonstrate our differentiable CGH optimization pipeline on modern GPUs, and we support our findings with a display prototype. Our method will pave the way towards realistic visuals free from classical CGH problems, such as speckle noise or poor visual quality