Understanding the In-class Behavior Patterns of Japanese University Students in EFL Classes: A Foreign English Teacher’s Perspective

This article identifies and examines the in-class behavior patterns of Japanese university students in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes at the tertiary level. In any classroom setting, teachers may feel dissatisfaction when their expectations of learners’ in-class behaviors are incongruent with those actually displayed by the learners. For foreign EFL teachers teaching in Japanese universities, this incongruency can reveal itself in the form of a teacher-perceived lack of activity and initiative demonstrated by their learners. In order to overcome these feelings of dissatisfaction with Japanese university learners’ behaviors in university EFL settings, it is necessary to identify what these in-class behavior patterns are and understand why they exist. Upon recognizing and understanding the type of in-class behavior patterns and the related attitudes brought forth by learners into the Japanese university EFL classroom, teachers can then formulate and implement more learner-inclusive expectations and pedagogical practices that are more suitable for their teaching environment

SOCIOLINGUISTIC PHENOMENON OF CODE MIXING IN HONG KONG: FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Code mixing is an interesting sociolinguistic phenomenon in Hong Kong, where people integrate English words into their host language (Cantonese) for more effective communication. This paper first reviewed the previous research findings on code mixing and then discussed the results of a recent study on the usage of code mixing between English and Cantonese in Hong Kong particularly from the perspective of the marketing communications. The research results revealed various reasons of applying code mixing in marketing communications, including awareness, impression, referential usage, pun/joke, original quotation, emphasis, convenience, euphemism, and cyberspace convention. At the end of the paper, sociolinguistic implications are discussed

Teacher-orientated Pedagogical Practices for Reducing Demotivation in English Language Learning Contexts in Japan

　Teachers often contemplate and ask questions about what they can do to motivate learners. Their primary focus may be on matters related to lesson design, teaching methods and styles, or motivational strategies. It is also necessary and of considerable value to consider what should not be done or avoided in learning contexts, hence research studies on learner demotivation examine such an issue. An analysis and review of existing studies on demotivational factors among L2 learners in Japan reveal a range of pedagogical practices that demotivate learners. Awareness of these demotivational factors and influences can significantly assist educators in knowing what they can change within themselves and their classrooms to foster a better, more enriching educational experience for their learners. By following the pareto principle, educators can quickly identify teacher-orientated causes of demotivation in learners and effectively apply practical pedagogical solutions to improve upon these factors

Social-Psychological Interventions in Education

One of the primary objectives of educators at all levels is to facilitate the personal and academic development of learners in a successful manner. Helping students achieve positive experiences and outcomes as a result of their own effort and decision making can lead to the development of independent, knowledgeable, and skilled members of society. Educators possess a powerful platform in which they are able to communicate influential ideas and messages to their students, some of which could be lifelong-lasting and determine the trajectory of where one is headed towards in life.Therefore, the direct and indirect messages conveyed by educators to their students can significantly impact their students’ futures, regardless of whether one is fully cognizant of the message at the time of delivery. A good teacher wants their students to achieve the greatest heights possible, within their own self-determination, and this paper describes how the use of social-psychological interventions in education can aid in raising student development and achievement in educational settings

Loss of Yeast Peroxiredoxin Tsa1p Induces Genome Instability through Activation of the DNA Damage Checkpoint and Elevation of dNTP Levels

Peroxiredoxins are a family of antioxidant enzymes critically involved in cellular defense and signaling. Particularly, yeast peroxiredoxin Tsa1p is thought to play a role in the maintenance of genome integrity, but the underlying mechanism is not understood. In this study, we took a genetic approach to investigate the cause of genome instability in tsa1Δ cells. Strong genetic interactions of TSA1 with DNA damage checkpoint components DUN1, SML1, and CRT1 were found when mutant cells were analyzed for either sensitivity to DNA damage or rate of spontaneous base substitutions. An elevation in intracellular dNTP production was observed in tsa1Δ cells. This was associated with constitutive activation of the DNA damage checkpoint as indicated by phosphorylation of Rad9/Rad53p, reduced steady-state amount of Sml1p, and induction of RNR and HUG1 genes. In addition, defects in the DNA damage checkpoint did not modulate intracellular level of reactive oxygen species, but suppressed the mutator phenotype of tsa1Δ cells. On the contrary, overexpression of RNR1 exacerbated this phenotype by increasing dNTP levels. Taken together, our findings uncover a new role of TSA1 in preventing the overproduction of dNTPs, which is a root cause of genome instability

Fostering equitable access to higher education in Hong Kong : a study of the tertiary financial assistance scheme

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

A Practical Simulation Flow for Singing Capacitor based Acoustic Noise Analysis

Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are widely used in modern electronics. Due to the piezoelectric effect of the ceramic material, however, MLCCs subjected to electrical noise may vibrate and generate acoustic noise, as \u27singing\u27. Acoustic noise can be annoying for users, especially within mobile devices, so it becomes important to perform acoustic noise analysis before a product is released. In this paper, a practical simulation flow for singing capacitor based acoustic noise is presented. The simulation flow and analysis method are developed on Ansys Sherlock and Mechanical. In Ansys Sherlock, local library and Approved Vendor List (AVL) files were used to build the model efficiently. After the PCB and all parts were set correctly, the model was imported to Ansys Mechanical for further modal analysis and harmonic analysis. Using the proposed simulation flow the simulation model could be easily created, and the inherent vibration properties and frequency response of the structure could be estimated

The Bipolar II depression questionnaire:A self-report Tool for detecting Bipolar II depression

Bipolar II (BP-II) depression is often misdiagnosed as unipolar (UP) depression, resulting in suboptimal treatment. Tools for differentiating between these two types of depression are lacking. This study aimed to develop a simple, self-report screening instrument to help distinguish BP-II depression from UP depressive disorder. A prototype BP-II depression questionnaire (BPIIDQ-P) was constructed following a literature review, panel discussions and a field trial. Consecutively assessed patients with a diagnosis of depressive disorder or BP with depressive episodes completed the BPIIDQ-P at a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Hong Kong between October and December 2013. Data were analyzed using discriminant analysis and logistic regression. Of the 298 subjects recruited, 65 (21.8%) were males and 233 (78.2%) females. There were 112 (37.6%) subjects with BP depression [BP-I = 42 (14.1%), BP-II = 70 (23.5%)] and 182 (62.4%) with UP depression. Based on family history, age at onset, postpartum depression, episodic course, attacks of anxiety, hypersomnia, social phobia and agoraphobia, the 8-item BPIIDQ-8 was constructed. The BPIIDQ-8 differentiated subjects with BP-II from those with UP depression with a sensitivity/specificity of 0.75/0.63 for the whole sample and 0.77/0.72 for a female subgroup with a history of childbirth. The BPIIDQ-8 can differentiate BP-II from UP depression at the secondary care level with satisfactory to good reliability and validity. It has good potential as a screening tool for BP-II depression in primary care settings. Recall bias, the relatively small sample size, and the high proportion of females in the BP-II sample limit the generalization of the results