The role of cultural schemata in inferential reading comprehension: an investigation in the Iranian EFL context

Reading is an important skill in many foreign language teaching situations and is valuable for both teachers and EFL students because it provides great opportunity for EFL learners to be exposed to the target language and improve their language proficiency by receiving appropriate input. For this purpose, 67 BA students, majoring in English language and literature at Hakim Sabzevari University were the participants. There were two groups of participants, one group served as the experimental group and the other as the control group. The students’ schema in experimental group was activated by giving them prior knowledge (background knowledge) while the participants in control group received no treatment. The results of the t-test showed that the means of experimental and control group on the three tests were significantly different. Thus, it can be concluded that, providing related cultural background about the text has a significant effect on inferential reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners since readers are expected to attain the writers intended meaning by linking their existing information with what they read. Therefore, according to study’s reports it can be stated that conducting readers’ cross-cultural background knowledge is in fact a powerful instructional strategy to EFL reading comprehension. As an implication of the study, administrators can use certain programs to train language teachers on the appropriate methods of activating students’ schema before reading cultural texts

A bio-inspired computational language for kinesin nanomotor

Kinesin nanomotor is a tiny vehicle that transports molecular cargoes within the cells. Many kinesin nanomotors can attach to a single cargo and coordinate their behaviors to transport the cargo. This behavioral coordination of kinesin nanomotors can be defined through a communicational language that kinesin nanomotors follow to transport the cargo. This paper proposes a computational language for kinesin nanomotor which is inspired by the nanomotor's natural behavior. In this technique, we have used behavioral Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA) model of kinesin nanomotor which indicated internal intelligent and autonomous decision-making process of the nanomotor in response to its cell. In addition, the behavioral responses of kinesin nanomotor to its cell, behavioral DFA model of the nanomotor, were mapped to a computational regular language for the nanomotor. The proposed computational language for kinesin nanomotor was acceptable by the behavioral DFA model and also in good agreement with the natural behavior of the nanomotor. The development of such computational languages among intelligent and autonomous nanoparticles in nature paves the way for constructing potential bio-inspired nanorobotic systems as well as designing of some computational languages for their controlling

Enhancing biology students' academic achievement in reading comprehension through an innovative strategy in university context: “REVOLUTION” strategy

This paper has arisen from diligent studies on the reading comprehension ability of biology students in the university EFL context. The purpose of the paper is to enhance biology students’ academic achievement in reading comprehension through an innovative strategy inspired from the word “REVOLUTION”. The strategy is introduced in the present paper and it is developed and implemented for the first time in reading comprehension instruction. To collect the relevant data, a questionnaire, interviews, reading comprehension texts and tests were used. Participants were 67 EFL learners studying plant biology at two universities in Iran. They were assigned into two groups of experimental and control. In the experimental group, the REVOLUTION strategy was used as a treatment in teaching reading comprehension, while in the control group, the teacher read out the text and asked students to listen, the teacher was supposed to answer the students' important questions. The main findings of the study showed that when the teacher applied the REVOLUTION strategy, the students had a much better performance on the reading comprehension tests. The conclusion to be drawn from this study is that the implementation of this strategy can be useful in improving the reading comprehension of university students, it enhances learners’ academic achievement in reading comprehension and also helps them to understand academic texts easily and effectively

Template-free hierarchical trimetallic oxide photocatalyst derived from organically modified ZnCuCo layered double hydroxide

High-performance photocatalysts have considerable potential to address energy and environmental issues. In this study, dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS) modified ZnCuCo layered double hydroxide (DBS-ZnCuCo LDH) microspheres were synthesized through the facile template-free hydrothermal method. Subsequently, ZnCuCo mixedmetal oxides (MMOs) with morphological features of the DBS modified LDH, enhanced surface area, increased light absorption and effective charge separation were prepared by the calcination of the as-synthesized LDH at 650 degrees C. Structural, morphological, and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnCuCo and DBS-ZnCuCo LDHs and the corresponding MMOs (ZnCuCo MMO1 and ZnCuCo MMO2) were investigated. SEM and TEM images revealed that DBS-ZnCuCo LDH and ZnCuCo MMO2 possess 3D flower-like hierarchical morphologies with interlaced petal-like nanosheets. Although ZnCuCo LDH was inactive for photocatalytic H-2 production under visible light irradiation, ZnCuCo MMO2 exhibited a high H2 production rate (3700 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)), benefiting from the synergy of the ZnO, CuO, and Co3O4. Furthermore, 95% sulfamethazine (SMZ) degradation was obtained after 60 min of photocatalysis, which is considerably higher than the degradation efficiency of ZnCuCo LDH (24%) and ZnCuCo MMO1 (58%). Based on the photoelectrochemical tests, Z-scheme and double charge transfer mechanisms were proposed to explain the enhanced photocatalytic H-2 production and degradation of SMZ. Scavenging tests revealed that O-2(center dot-) radicals were the main reactive species in the photodegradation of SMZ. A possible degradation pathway was proposed based on the detection of intermediate products.Peer reviewe

Photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic and hydrogen production using diatom-templated 3D WO3-x@mesoporous carbon nanohybrid under visible light irradiation

Synthesis of highly efficient 3D photocatalysts offers unique abilities for hydrogen production and chemical conversion to find a solution for energy shortage and environmental pollution issues. However, current strategies for production of ordered nanohybrid photocatalysts usually involve complex procedures and the use of expensive templates, which limit their practical applications. In this work, 3D WO3-x@mesoporous carbon photocatalyst was fabricated through one-pot evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process using Cyclotella sp. as natural template. During heat-treatment, the precursor of carbon could partially reduce tungsten oxide under N-2 atmosphere leading to the embedding of WO3-x in conductive mesoporous carbon structure. The diatom templated WO3-x@mesoporous carbon (DTWO3-x@MC) nanohybrid exhibited high surface area (195.37 m(2) g(-1)) and narrowed band gap (2.67 eV). Integration of tungsten oxide with mesoporous carbon and formation of oxygen vacancies enhanced the absorption of visible light using DT-WO3-x@MC and limited the recombination of electron-hole pairs. 98.7% of cefazolin (CFZ) degradation efficiency and 85.5% of total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency were observed within 90 and 180 min under visible light irradiation, respectively. Scavenger quenching tests and electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis demonstrated that O-2(center dot-) played a main role in photocatalysis. CFZ degradation pathway was proposed via identification of conversion intermediates using GC-MS analysis. Photocatalytic hydrogen production rates of the pure WO3 and the DT-WO3-x@MC nanohybrid were determined as 746 and 1851 mmol g(-1) h(-1), respectively. This study presented a way to develop a high-performance and stable photocatalyst using diatom frustules as natural template which works under practical conditions for environmental remediation and energy production. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Pollutants degradation and power generation by photocatalytic fuel cells: A comprehensive review

Abstract Wastewater contains organic compounds (fatty acids, amino acids, and carbohydrates) that have a significant amount of chemical energy. In this regard, the use of wastewater for recovering energy by some appropriate energy conversion technologies can be considered as an appropriate approach to simultaneously achieve the reduction of environmental contamination and increasing supply of energy. The Photocatalytic Fuel Cell (PFC) can provide a new approach in developing technology for simultaneous organic pollutants removal from wastewaters and power generation, but it also has disadvantages, such as requires higher voltage, more cost and complexity. To present a comprehensive vision of the current state of the art, and progress the treatment efficiency and agitate new studies in these fields, this review discussed the study covering PFC aspects, with a focus on the comparison of pollutant degradation, power generation, different photoanode and photocathode materials as well as the application of the Fenton process in PFCs

Evaluating the effects of ERP systems on performance and management accounting in organizations

Coordination of operation and information in order to elevate the efficiency is one of the processes in organizations and often has been accompanied with resorting to IT in a large scale. Organizations have implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems due to problems posed by separated systems. The aim of this research is to study whether ERP systems cause increasing performance efficiency and changing management practices in organization. In addition, the role of management accountants have been examined to find out that whether they are gaining new roles within organization and whether their work content has changed after the ERP implementation. The research is conducted with a survey questionnaire. The sample consists of 50 knowledgeable persons in organizations that have implemented ERP systems. Results indicated that ERP systems have had an impact on organization performance, accountants and management accounting. These systems provide more real-time and accurate information to budgets and techniques, and organizations have also introduced advanced management accounting techniques after the implementation. As regards the time use of accountants, the results exhibit that the respondents have used less time on their routine work after the ERP implementation. This extra time is devoted on interpreting data and performance evaluation and other tasks. Finally, accountants in the study consider that the implementation of ERP systems has made skills such as, IT skills and knowledge of other functional areas more important

Synthesis of N-Doped Magnetic WO3–x@Mesoporous Carbon Using a Diatom Template and Plasma Modification : Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activities

Synthesis of three-dimensional photocatalysts offers great potential for chemical conversion and hydrogen generation as appropriate solutions for environmental protection and energy shortage challenges. In this study, the magnetic WO3–x@mesoporous carbon (M-WO3–x@MC) was synthesized through the evaporation-induced self-assembly method applying diatom frustules as a natural template. Then, plasma modification was used to prepare the N-doped M-WO3–x@MC (NM-WO3–x@MC) with enhanced photocatalytic activity and durable performance. The WO3–x was embedded in the conductive MC, which was also partially reduced by the carbon precursor within the heat-treatment procedure. The obtained M-WO3–x@MC was treated by the plasma under an N2 atmosphere for the production of the final photocatalyst containing both the N-doped WO3–x and MC. As a result, the NM-WO3–x@MC had larger surface area (208.4 m2 g–1), narrower band gap (2.3 eV), more visible light harvesting, and confined electron–hole pairs recombination. The H2 generation rates of net WO3 nanorods and NM-WO3–x@MC nanocomposite were estimated as 532 and 2765 μmol g–1 h–1, respectively. Additionally, more than 90% of antibiotics (cephalexin, cefazolin and cephradine) degradation and 76% of total organic carbon elimination were obtained after 120 and 240 min of photocatalytic process under visible light irradiation. Eventually, more than eight intermediates were detected for each antibiotic degradation using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometer method, and based on the obtained results, the possible degradation pathways were suggested.Peer reviewe

Evaluating the effects of ERP systems on performance and management accounting in organizations

Coordination of operation and information in order to elevate the efficiency is one of the processes in organizations and often has been accompanied with resorting to IT in a large scale. Organizations have implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems due to problems posed by separated systems. The aim of this research is to study whether ERP systems cause increasing performance efficiency and changing management practices in organization. In addition, the role of management accountants have been examined to find out that whether they are gaining new roles within organization and whether their work content has changed after the ERP implementation. The research is conducted with a survey questionnaire. The sample consists of 50 knowledgeable persons in organizations that have implemented ERP systems. Results indicated that ERP systems have had an impact on organization performance, accountants and management accounting. These systems provide more real-time and accurate information to budgets and techniques, and organizations have also introduced advanced management accounting techniques after the implementation. As regards the time use of accountants, the results exhibit that the respondents have used less time on their routine work after the ERP implementation. This extra time is devoted on interpreting data and performance evaluation and other tasks. Finally, accountants in the study consider that the implementation of ERP systems has made skills such as, IT skills and knowledge of other functional areas more important

Reading Failure among Iranian EFL Learners: Study of Underlying Problems

Reading comprehension is the most important in the four skills particularly when English is taught as a foreign language or as a second language (Carrell, Devine, & Eskey, 1988). The present study used a mixed method design to investigate the major comprehension problems encountered by Iranian EFL advanced learners through reading comprehension process. Participants were 63 students from an institute in Mashhad, Iran. First, the participants took reading comprehension tests, the purpose of which was to determine their level of reading comprehension. After a comparison between their scores and the mean score of the whole group and also the teacher’s determination during a specified term, good comprehenders and poor comprehenders were identified. Second, they were asked to fulfill a questionnaire about their difficulties through the process of reading comprehension. Good comprehenders faced problems such as difficulty of the content (82.35%) and unknown vocabulary (64.70%). Poor comprehenders had problems such as unknown vocabulary (100%) and shortage of time (89.13%). Thus, it can be concluded that helping students in overcoming these kinds of problems for enhancing their reading comprehension will be beneficial for them