RELATIONSHIP AMONG BRAIN HEMISPHERIC DOMINANCE, ATTITUDE TOWARDS L1 AND L2, GENDER, AND LEARNING SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES

Oral skills are important components of language competence. To have good and acceptable listening and speaking, one must have good pronunciation, which encompasses segmental and suprasegmental features. Despite extensive studies on the role of segmental features and related issues in listening and speaking, there is paucity of research on the role of suprasegmental features in the same domain. Conducting studies which aim at shedding light on the issues related to learning suprasegmental features can help language teachers and learners in the process of teaching/learning English as a foreign language. To this end, this study was designed to investigate the relationship among brain hemispheric dominance, gender, attitudes towards L1 and L2, and learning suprasegmental features in Iranian EFL learners. First, 200 Intermediate EFL learners were selected from different English language teaching institutes in Hamedan and Isfahan, two provinces in Iran, as the sample. Prior to the main stage of the study, Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was used to homogenize the proficiency level of all the participants. Then, the participants were asked to complete the Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire to determine their dominant hemisphere. They were also required to answer two questionnaires regarding their attitudes towards L1 and L2. Finally, the participants took suprasegmental features test. The results of the independent samples t-tests indicated left-brained language learners’ superiority in observing and learning suprasegmental features. It was also found that females are better than males in producing suprasegmental features. Furthermore, the results of Pearson Product Moment Correlations indicated that there is significant relationship between attitude towards L2 and learning suprasegmental features. However, no significant relationship was found between attitude towards L1 and learning English suprasegmental features. The findings of this study can provide English learners, teachers and developers of instructional materials with some theoretical and pedagogical implications which are discussed in the paper

Association between percentage of TCD4 and TCD8 lymphocytes with iron status in female adolescents

Background: Iron deficiency impairs the proliferation and function of T lymphocytes. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between serum iron with percentage of TCD4 and TCD8 lymphocytes in peripheral blood of female high school students in Hamadan. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 355 female high school students with an age range of 15-18 years were enrolled from January 2016 to March 2017. After approval by the ethics committee of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, taking written consent of parents, and completion of a questionnaire involving demographic information, serum iron profile, the percentage of TCD4 and TCD8 cells, and TCD4/TCD8 ratio were measured using standard methods. The results were analyzed by SPSS software, version 13. Results: The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was 16.1% in 355 female high school students of Hamadan. There was no correlation between transferrin saturation with percentage of TCD4 lymphocytes and TCD4/TCD8 ratio in the two groups of students with and without iron deficiency (P>0.05). However, a significant correlation was found between Tfs with percentage of TCD8 lymphocytes in the group of patients with iron deficiency anemia (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study indicated an increased percentage of TCD8 lymphocytes with reduced Tfs in patients with iron deficiency anemia. In addition to reduced Tfs, other factors may be associated with the alterations in percentage of TCD4 and TCD8 lymphocytes and TCD4/TCD8 ratio

Operation of a Fuzzy Controlled Half-Bridge DC-Converter as a Welding Current-Source

 A new Fuzzy controlled welding machine (FCWM) current source is introduced in this paper and the results of the new control method are explained. The Fuzzy controller is applied to the welding machine to improve some problems of welding process. The new intelligent controller guaranties a constant current during welding to improve welding quality. It also provides some features such as hot-start and anti-stuck function and a standby mode for energy saving. The effectiveness of this intelligent welding machine was proven by the experimental results and durable test.  The results show that designed FCWM can be used in mobile welding industries