The Effectiveness of Using L1 in Second Language Classrooms: A Controversial Issue

This paper aims to uncover the hidden debate about the efficacy and inefficacy of using mother tongue in second language classroom. Teaching English as a second language is not an easy task to be undertaken. There are many approaches that postulate the optimal strategy for better teaching. As such, numerous researchers in the fields of language teaching and learning hold a belief that the use of L1 in L2 classrooms helps to facilitate learning. However, a significant number of researchers contend that the use of L1 in L2 classroom hinders learning and deprives learners from the exposure to the second language. As such, this paper tries to shed light on both views and to give evidence that using L1 in L2 classroom has a negative impact on L2 learners

Enhancing Water and Oil Repellency of Teflon Surface By Imparting Micro-Rough Structures Using Simple One-Step

In this work, an easy one-step and inexpensive technique of mechanical wet sanding was used to impart micro structures into the Teflon surface that promotes super repellent properties toward water and the two moderate low surface tension organic liquids. Sandpapers with a wide range of grit sizes 60-1000, with associated particle sizes of 256-10 µm, were used to obtain physical modification of the Teflon surface. The roughened Teflon surface with the sandpaper of 400 grit size showed super repellency toward water, glycerol, and ethylene glycol with CAs as high as 158°, 150°, and 142°, respectively, as well as the low sliding angle of less than 2°, 5°, and 15°, respectively. The obtained results and the effect of roughness were explained in terms of both fundamental wetting models of Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter. The effect of a decrease in liquid surface tension on the length scale of imparted geometries and consequent wetting state was also concluded. Finally, the work of adhesion for the tested liquids while on the roughened Teflon surfaces were also determined using both Young-Dupre relation and the liquid’s SAs

IDPs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI): Intractable Return and Absence of Social Integration Policy

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-03-25, rev-recd 2020-02-11, accepted 2020-04-02, pub-electronic 2020-05-27, pub-print 2021-06Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedAbstract: This paper examines the protracted nature of displacement in the Iraqi context and places emphasis on the need for a social integration policy to bridge the deep cleavages of Iraqi society. Methodologically, the paper utilizes qualitative data by conducting focus‐group discussions with IDPs and semi‐structured individual interviews in KRI. In terms of return possibilities, while return in many ways is perceived to be not practical and to involve future risks, research findings show that a community‐based distinction needs to be made between IDPs from minority backgrounds and IDPs who belong to demographic majorities in the homeland locations. A second distinction is a geographic and political one as findings indicate that IDPs who take refuge in KRI, though remain largely dissatisfied with displacement conditions, are willing to stay in KRI longer in the hope of further security and reconstruction process in the violence‐affected areas. With respect to social integration policy, the paper outlines institutional, political and cultural explanations for a virtually absolute absence of social integration policy on national and regional levels. The paper suggests that the proposed social integration policy can capitalize practical implications of Social Contact Theory (SCT) in enhancing the integration of IDPs in the host communities

The Legal Protection and Regulation of Sponsorship Rights in English Football

Sponsorship is a form of promotional communication with the basic goal to persuade. Researchers have offered a series of benefits for the sponsor that can be achieved through selecting the ideal property, including, obtaining brand exposure, achieving brand recall, enhancing brand image, and communicating a brand theme in the hope of obtaining sales. However, differentiating the brand from competitors is a distinctive tactic essential for realising a competitive advantage. To assist with brand differentiating, corporate sponsors negotiate for exclusivity within a product or service category. Product category exclusivity acts to eliminate corporations within a sponsor’s product or service category from the sponsored subject. Therefore, sponsors pay a premium price to achieve such a restricted promotional position. However, instances of competing sponsorship interests within a football event or league have become common as broadcasters, footballers and stadiums owners all pursue corporate support. Where these separate actors in the same sports marketplace have not collaborate effectively to limit sponsor category conflicts, a sponsoring brand may find it difficult to establish unique image association within the football domain apart from category competitors. This questions the level of exclusivity football associations and related enterprises grant to their official sponsors. The purpose of the research is to raise the issue and debate the practice of selling multiple sponsorship rights within a particular product or service category in football competitions. Ambush marketing has emerged as an effective weapon in the arsenal of marketing department seeking to associate their brands with sporting events. The research analyses the most effective and common strategies of ambush marketing in English football, and examines the legal mechanisms available in the United Kingdom to prevent the likelihood of suffering damage to official sponsors by third party ambush tactics. The research concludes with the extent to which the legal system in the United Kingdom could help to protect the exclusive rights of the sponsor in English Football

International exchange rate fluctuations and their impact on Algeria balance of payments: Analytical and Empirical Study

      تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى إبراز أثر تغيرات أسعار الصرف الدولية على ميزان المدفوعات الجزائري ، بحیث تم من خلالها التطرق إلى تطور سعر صرف الدينار الجزائري  وتحلیل واقع میزان المدفوعات وقد إعتمدت الدراسة على الأدوات القياسية، وأظهرت النتائج أن تحسن رصيد ميزان المدفوعات، وإرتفاع حجم إحتياطي الصرف وتراجع المديونية الخارجية، كانت نتيجة إرتفاع أسعار النفط، كما أن نسبة كبيرة من مداخيل الجزائر بالعملة الصعبة تضيع نتيجة إختلاف العملات المتعامل بها بين الصادرات والواردات.      من خلال هذه الدراسة خلصنا إلى القول أن تنويع الواردات خارج منطقة الأورو يحد من خسائر الصرف الناتجة عن تحويل الدولار مقابل اليورو، كما أن تنويع الصادرات الجزائرية خارج المحروقات أمر ضروري لتجنب الأزمات النفطية النابعة من إنخفاض أسعار النفط.This study aims to highlight the impact of changes in international exchange on the balance of payments of Algeria in the period between (2004-2014), so through which to address the evolution of the Algerian dinar exchange and analysis of the price of the reality of the balance of payments The study relied on Standard tools, and the results showed that the improvement in the balance the balance of payments, and the high volume of exchange reserves and declining external debt, the result of high oil prices, as a large proportion of Algeria earned hard currency lost as a result of variation traded currencies between exports and imports.      Through this study, we concluded by saying that the diversification of imports outside the Euro-zone limits arising on translation of US dollar against the euro exchange losses, and the diversification of Algerian exports outside hydrocarbons is essential to avoid the oil crises stemming from the decline in oil prices

Effect of Video Game on School Achievement in School Age Children in Erbil/City

Background and objectives: Playing video games is associated with poor academic achievement, Student who got their game systems directly spent less time on homework and, four months later, they got lower reading and writing scores, their teachers were more likely to report academic difficulties. The aim of study is to identify the effect of play video game on school achievement. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out at five primary school in Erbil city 50 students was taken as a case group compared with 200 students as control group started from 15 September to 15 November 2020. A Questionnaire format was used as a tool for data collection and consists, demographic information of the students, parents and some Items about students game, Official permission has been obtained from College of Nursing / Hawler Medical University, Ministry of Education and primary schools. Data was analyzed through using frequency, percentage and chi-square by using SPSS, 22. Results: The study reveal that 58% of participants were age group between 12-14 years old, 74% of them were boys among playing group, 18% of father were graduated from college, 60% of played children were from middle socioeconomic status, 16% of game players have missed school, 66% of played students were missed homework, about 10% of the students have a good school achievement among who played video games and more than half (58%) among non-play students. There is highly significant association between parent educational levels with their children school achievement. Conclusions: Playing video game was negatively associated with poor school achievement. The study recommended the parent to limit the time of playing less than one hour daily, also limit the number and type of game especially fighting game and replaced with educational game.

A Proposed Framework for Applying the National Standards of Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Sudan from the Teaching Staff’s Perspective - Faculties of Business Administration

هدفت هذه الدراسة بشكل رئيسي إلى توضيح أهمية وجود المعايير الوطنية ودورها في تحقيق الجودة، وكذلك محاولة وضع إطار يمكن من خلاله التطبيق الفعلي للمعايير الوطنية بما يضمن تحقيق الجودة بمؤسسات التعليم العالي. وقد تمّ اتباع المنهج الوصفي التحليلي لتحقيق أهداف الدراسة، حيث تمّ بناء أداة الدراسة والمتمثلة في تصميم استبيان تضمن العوامل أو المتغيرات الرئيسية والفرعية التي لها دور في تصميم نماذج محددة تساعد على تطبيق المعايير الوطنية من قبل أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية بالجامعات السودانية، وقد تضمن الاستبيان متغيراً تابعاً يتمثل في التطبيق الفعال للمعايير الوطنية لضمان جودة مؤسسات التعليم العالي، وأربعة متغيرات رئيسية (مستقلة) هي: دليل المعايير الوطنية لضمان جودة التعليم في مؤسسات التعليم العالي في السودان، ومعيار ضمان الجودة، ومعيار التعليم والتعلم، و معيار النشر والبحث العلمي. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى العديد من النتائج من أهمها: وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في مدى الإلمام بالمعايير الوطنية لضمان جودة التعليم في السودان تبعاً لمتغير الدرجة العلمية لأعضاء هيئة التدريس، ووجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في مدى الالتزام بتطبيق معايير ضمان جودة التعليم في السودان تبعاً للدرجة العلمية لأعضاء هيئة التدريس، ووجود توافق تام بين المعايير الوطنية لضمان الجودة في السودان مع المعايير الدولية للاعتماد الخارجي، كما وجدت فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في أن عدم وجود نماذج محددة يؤثر سلباً على التطبيق الفعال للمعايير الوطنية لضمان جودة التعليم في السودان وفقاً لمتغير الدرجة العلمية لأعضاء الهيئة التدريسية. الكلمات المفتاحية: الجودة، البرنامج، المعايير، الجامعة، إدارة الجودة الشاملة.This study aimed to clarify the importance of having national standards and their role in achieving quality, as well as establishing a framework for the actual application of national standards in quality assurance so as to achieve quality in higher education institutions. The researchers  followed a descriptive analytical method to achieve the objectives of the study and developed a questionnaire covering primary and secondary variables that have a role in the design of specific models to help in applying the national standards by the Sudanese universities. The questionnaire included one dependent variable; the effective application of national standards of quality assurance in higher education institutions, and the four main variables (independent) are: the national standards of quality assurance in higher education in Sudan, the standard of quality assurance, the standard of teaching and learning and the standard of scientific research and publication. The study revealed a number of conclusions: there were statistically significant differences in the extent of familiarity with the  national quality assurance standards in Sudan according to the academic rank of the  faculty members; there were also significant differences in the extent of compliance with the  national quality assurance standards in Sudan according to the academic rank of the faculty members; there was full agreement between the national standards for quality assurance in Sudan and the international standards for quality assurance; and  there were statistically significant differences in that the absence of specific models would have a negative impact on effective application of national standards of quality assurance in higher education in Sudan, according to the academic rank of the faculty members. Keywords: Quality, The program, Standards, University, Total quality management

Systematic review of Ethiopian medicinal plants used for their anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Plant materials are used worldwide as complementary and alternative therapeutics for the treatment of various illnesses. In Ethiopia, folk medicines are utilized across a wide range of cultures and settings. Ethiopia has numerous plant species of which around 12% are endemic, making it a rich source of medicinal plants that are potentially important for human wellbeing. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to assess Ethiopian medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory or wound healing activities, in an attempt to compile the information required for further investigation of their potential role in the management of lymphoedema. Methods: A systematic review protocol was developed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. The protocol for this review was registered on PROSPERO with registration number CRD42019127471. This review considers all controlled in vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory and wound healing studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of Ethiopian medicinal plants. The search strategy included all articles containing descriptors such as Ethiopia, medicinal plants, herbal products, care, management, lymphoedema, lymphedema, swelling, podoconiosis, elephantiasis, wound, wound healing, inflammation, and anti-inflammatory that were published up to June 28, 2019. Outcomes were measured as the percentage of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cell inhibition, as the percentage of carrageenan-induced oedema (anti-inflammation) inhibition, and the percentage of cell migration and proliferation (wound healing). For quality assessment of individual animal studies, the Risk of Bias tool for animal intervention studies (SYRCLE’s RoB tool) criteria was used. For quality assessment of individual in vitro studies, the OECD guidelines and the WHO Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) handbook were used. Results: A total of 46 articles on anti-inflammatory and 17 articles on wound healing properties were reviewed. For the in vivo studies, Swiss albino mice and Wistar rats were used, and the concentration of plant extracts or fractions administered to the lab animals varied considerably. Acetone extract of Vernonia amygdalina showed the fastest anti-inflammatory activity at lower concentrations in carrageenan-induced paw oedema. Conclusion: Lawsonia inermis, Azadirachta indica, Achyranthes aspera, and Cuminum cyminum are the most studied plant species in terms of anti-inflammatory activity, while Lawsonia inermis and Azadirachta indica are the most studied for wound healing. The most common in vivo techniques used for the anti-inflammatory and the wound healing assays were carrageenan-induced paw oedema, and excision and incision wound models, respectively

Morphology control of tungsten nanorods grown by glancing angle RF magnetron sputtering under variable argon pressure and flow rate

Morphologically novel tungsten nanorods (WNRs) with the co-existence of two crystalline phases, α-W (thermodynamically stable) and β-W, were fabricated by glancing angle RF magnetron sputtering technique under various Ar pressures and flow rates. For these nanorods, a significant variation in their morphology and surface roughness was observed. These structures could be useful in a wide range of applications such as field emission, robust superhydrophobic coatings, energy, and medicine