The usefulness of the debate between focus on form and focus on forms

This article was published in the BRAC University Journal [© 2016 Published by BRAC University]The literature review includes 13 articles and 2 chapters from 2 books titled Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching, and Learning, and Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching published in the last ten years focusing on the efficacy of Focus on form (FonF) or the communicative use of grammar in comparison with Focus on forms (FonFS) or the explicit use of grammar in language classrooms. The first section discusses researchers’ views on the employment of FonF vs. FonFS addressing issues like when FonF arises, points in favor of and against FonF in relation to FonFS, and different variables affecting the success of FonF. The second section discusses different views of learners regarding classroom use of FonF and FonFS with a separate subsection on the views held by the US and Colombian FL learners as they represent two contrasting preferences in terms of the adoption of FonF and FonFS. The third and final section deals with teachers’ views regarding the efficacy of FonF and FonFS followed by the difference in view among the US and Colombian FL teachers and how FonFS can be synthesized into FonF. The findings reveal that there is no universal efficacy of either FonF or FonFS; it is rather the context which decides on the efficacy of these two. Moreover, it is to be noted that a choice between FonF or FonFS is not mutually exclusive and one can be incorporated into the other.Publishe

Faster, Lighter, More Accurate: A Deep Learning Ensemble for Content Moderation

To address the increasing need for efficient and accurate content moderation, we propose an efficient and lightweight deep classification ensemble structure. Our approach is based on a combination of simple visual features, designed for high-accuracy classification of violent content with low false positives. Our ensemble architecture utilizes a set of lightweight models with narrowed-down color features, and we apply it to both images and videos. We evaluated our approach using a large dataset of explosion and blast contents and compared its performance to popular deep learning models such as ResNet-50. Our evaluation results demonstrate significant improvements in prediction accuracy, while benefiting from 7.64x faster inference and lower computation cost. While our approach is tailored to explosion detection, it can be applied to other similar content moderation and violence detection use cases as well. Based on our experiments, we propose a "think small, think many" philosophy in classification scenarios. We argue that transforming a single, large, monolithic deep model into a verification-based step model ensemble of multiple small, simple, and lightweight models with narrowed-down visual features can possibly lead to predictions with higher accuracy.Comment: 6 pages, 22nd IEEE International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications (IEEE ICMLA'23), December 15-17, 2023, Jacksonville Riverfront, Florida, USA. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2103.1035

Blue Biotechnology, Renewable Energy, Unconventional Resources and Products as Emerging Frontiers at Sea

Blue biotechnology, renewable energy and unconventional marine living resources are considered as emerging frontiers for enhancing ocean-based blue economy in Bangladesh. Blue biotechnology can help both fisheries and aquaculture industry by producing fish varieties that can become quicker, more beneficial, and greater with tastier flesh, by developing gene transfer technology to be used to develop the growth of fish or by using of monoclonal antibodies and DNA probes to new diagnostic strategies for pathogens. Transformation of marine bioresources (main, co-product and by-products) into food, medicine, animal feed and related bio-based items i.e. cosmetics, nutritional supplements, enzymes, agrichemicals etc could help in meet the Bangladesh future challenges for the 21st century. Given that majority of conventional living resources is facing over-exploitation, non-conventional marine living resources, specifically mollusk (squids, oyster, mussel), seaweeds, marine echinoderms, marine micro algae and others can be utilized as a source of new fishery products that could straightforwardly consumed as nutritionally balanced marine food. In terms of non-living resource, renewable energy comes from hydro power, solar, biogas and wind, however, tide and wave energy have good potential. Towards sustainable utilization of these sector-specific resources there are several challenges, such as little knowledge about their current status, limited focus by policy makers. To escape this situation, marine policy relatives must have to include the marine fisheries, mariculture, marine food, health, natural resources and industrial application. Research activities can create information to advise the policy and strategy, which thus stimulates future development by informing how the marine environment can be monitored and managed reasonably and realize its role in giving ecological facilities to the country as well as the world

Introducing Bangladeshi writing in English: emergence to the present

In postcolonial literary criticism, Bangladeshi writing in English has not received the scholarly attention or the recognition it deserves. However, there is an irony here because colonial Bengal was perhaps the first among the British colonies to embrace English education and its people had early working experiences with the British. Moreover, this literary tradition claims some of the earliest writers of literature written in English outside the British and American canons. In the present time, it has gained renewed vibrancy as writers both in Bangladesh and in the diaspora, especially in the UK, have produced English works both in the original and in translation. Considering the rich background, sophistication and huge potential of Bangladeshi writing in English, in this article we will provide a historical overview and the varying strands of this literary tradition. As editors of this special journal issue, we will also attempt a general outline of the articles included in it and consider the main themes they explicate

Учебный план УВО

My doctoral dissertation, an in-depth case study of the Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh, accentuates the interests and engagements of Indigenous peoples (Adibasi people) in the decisionmaking process in resource extractive industries through an environmental justice framework. My primary aim is to observe how and to what extent Indigenous peoples’ interests are reflected in official environmental decision-making processes versus how they frame their own claims in a mining conflict situation. I employ extensive qualitative research in the project area to demonstrate how Adibasi communities articulate and implement their claims through raising their voices and ultimately stimulating a movement that stopped the development of a ‘perilous’ open-pit mining project. The resistance movement began more than a decade ago in 2006, but Adibasis, other farming communities and activists are still bearing the spirit of the movement, which they shared in the interviews I conducted. This research analyzes their motivations for fighting a multinational corporation and identifies how their movement articulates with national and transnational activists’ conceptions of environmental justice in the global South. I explore how these ideals play out in practice on the ground, in a context where the development is highly contested, and disparities of power are prevalent. I anticipate that this empirical research will attract other ethnographic research on the environment, Indigenous peoples, resource extractive industries and sustainable economic development in the global South

Scenario of Antibiotic Resistance in Developing Countries

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging global concern. It is an increasing threat to public health sectors throughout the world. This devastating problem has drawn attention to researchers and stakeholders after a substantial economic loss for decades resulting from the ineffectiveness of antibiotics to cure infectious diseases in humans and animals. The spectrum of antibiotic resistance varies between developed and developing countries due to having variations in treatment approaches. Antibiotic therapy in the developed countries is usually rational and targeted to specific bacteria, whereas in the developing countries, most of the cases, the use of antibiotics is indiscriminate to the disease etiology. In developing countries, many people are not aware of using antimicrobials. They usually get suggestions from drug sellers and quacks who do not have the authorization to prescribe a drug. If registered doctors and veterinarians are asked to prescribe, then dose, course, and withdrawal period might be maintained adequately. Antibiotic resistance transmission mechanisms between agricultural production systems, environment, and humans in developing countries are very complex. Recent research makes a window to find out the global situation of antibiotic use and resistance pattern. The antibiotic resistance scenario in selected developing countries has been summarized in this chapter based on published literature (Table 1). This chapter describes the judicial use of antibiotics and discussed maintaining proper antibiotic dose, course, drug withdrawal period, especially on food-producing animals. The book contains a few recommendations, suggested by the national multi-sectoral surveillance committee to avoid antibiotic resistance organisms in livestock and humans in the developing countries

Climate Change Impacts on a Tropical Fishery Ecosystem: Implications and Societal Responses

The present study aimed to map out the current threats and anticipated impacts of climate change on the most important hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) fishery and the associated fishing communities based on fieldwork in six coastal fishing communities. To collect empirical data, individual interviews, focus group discussions, oral history, and key informant interviews were conducted. To supplement the empirical findings, time-series data of cyclones and sea-borne depressions in the Bay of Bengal were also analyzed. Analysis of secondary data regarding climate change-induced events and regional studies suggested that the biophysical conditions of the Bay of Bengal are likely to be aggravated in the future, potentially causing more frequent extreme events and affecting the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities in Bangladesh. The fisher respondents revealed that the main target hilsa shad fishery is particularly vulnerable to climate change in terms of alterations to migration patterns and breeding and growth performance. The fishers reported constant climate-related risks because they live in seafront locations, exposed to extreme events, and their occupation entails risky sea fishing. Fishers claimed that they often need return to the coast due to unsuitable weather conditions related to cyclones and frequent tropical depressions, which can cause financial losses or even causalities. Such events negatively affect fishers’ livelihoods, and wellbeing. To cope with the impacts of climate change the fishers have adopted various strategies at both sea fishing and household levels. However, these strategies only support the fishers in terms of immediate survival; they are not enough for long-term resilience. To improve the resilience of the hilsa fishers, the study argues for the implementation the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines (SSF Guidelines), which call for longer-term development goals, including in the immediate relief phase, and rehabilitation, reconstruction, and recovery to reduce vulnerabilities to climate and anthropogenic risks