A Comparative Study of Ostensible Invitations in English and Persian

The present study was carried out with the purpose of describing the defining features of Persian genuine and ostensible invitations in terms of pragmatics. The data were collected based on the spontaneous Persian invitations. 120 EFL (English as a Foreign Language) graduate and undergraduate students participated in this study. Then, the results were compared with genuine and ostensible invitations in English. The framework of data collection and analysis was the work of Isaacs and Clark (1990). Our results indicated that Persian ostensible invitations in some cases were more complex than the English ones. The features presented for ostensible invitations in English were not sufficient to distinguish the ostensible invitations from the genuine invitations in Persian. In some cases, invitations meeting the criteria for being genuine in English can be classified as ostensible by Persian speakers. Persian speakers use a considerable number of ostensible invitations in their daily activities as a manifestation of ritual politeness (ta'arof). A chi-square was carried out to analyze the data and determine whether Persian native speakers benefit from the same strategies in their extending invitations as their English counterparts do. The results of the data analysis revealed that the ways of extending invitations in Persian are similar to those of English. But the difference was only a matter of degree.  On the other hand, the relationship between ostensible and genuine invitations in Persian and English regarding seven strategies defined by Isaacs and Clark (1990) was not significant.  This is to say that in some strategies there were meaningful relationships between two types of invitations but in some strategies there were no such relationships.Key words: Ostensible invitation; English; Persian; Pragmatic

The effect of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells in colorectal cancer

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are self-renewing multipotent cells that can be isolated from various organs including Wharton’s jelly of umbilical cord (WJMSCs). WJMSCs play a fundamental role in field of regenerative medicine and hold therapeutic potential for various diseases including gene therapy of different cancers. WJMSCs were evaluated for their potential behavior in cancer conditions by culturing them in the plasma obtained from colorectal cancer patients. The cancer plasma was tested LDH release, paracrine factors (p53, p38, BAX and BCl2) and oxidative stress. Cell viability, death and proliferation was assessed by crystal violet staining, LDH release and MTT assay respectively. Assessment of cancer plasma expressed high LDH release, low expression of pro-apoptotic gene BAX, high expression of survival gene BCl2 p38 kinase and tumor suppressor gene p53. In oxidative stress, GSH and SOD were increased in CRC. In CAT, it was highly expressed in CRC. Furthermore, increased level of MDA was expressed in cancers’ plasma. It was observed that cells cultured in plasma of cancer demonstrate less viability, low proliferation rate, high LDH release, low expression of BAX and p38 kinase, whereas, high expression of BCL2 and p53. In oxidative stress, low GSH, SOD, CAT and high MDA was observed in CRC. When WJMSCs cultured in plasma from colorectal cancer patients these cells show reduced viability, proliferation and increased apoptosis. For the future, certain measures should be taken to improve viability of WJMSCs in cancer conditions. 

Complexity-dependent modulations of beta oscillations for verbal and nonverbal movements

Purpose The planning and execution of motor behaviors require coordination of neurons that are established through synchronization of neural activity. Movements are typically preceded by event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the beta range (15–30 Hz) primarily localized in the motor cortex, while movement onset is associated with event-related synchronization (ERS). It is hypothesized that ERD is important for movement preparation and execution, and ERS serves to inhibit movement and update the motor plan. The primary objective of this study was to determine to what extent movement-related oscillatory brain patterns (ERD and ERS) during verbal and nonverbal tasks may be affected differentially by variations in task complexity. Method Seventeen right-handed adult participants (nine women, eight men; Mage = 25.8 years, SD = 5.13) completed a sequential button press and verbal task. The final analyses included data for 15 participants for the nonverbal task and 13 for the verbal task. Both tasks consisted of two complexity levels: simple and complex sequences. Magnetoencephalography was used to record modulations in beta band brain oscillations during task performance. Results Both the verbal and button press tasks were characterized by significant premovement ERD and postmovement ERS. However, only simple sequences showed a distinct transient synchronization during the premovement phase of the task. Differences between the two tasks were reflected in both latency and peak amplitude of ERD and ERS, as well as in lateralization of oscillations. Conclusions Both verbal and nonverbal movements showed a significant desynchronization of beta oscillations during the movement preparation and holding phase and a resynchronization upon movement termination. Importantly, the premovement phase for simple but not complex tasks was characterized by a transient partial synchronization. In addition, the data revealed significant differences between the two tasks in terms of lateralization of oscillatory modulations. Our findings suggest that, while data from the general motor control research can inform our understanding of speech motor control, significant differences exist between the two motor systems that caution against overgeneralization of underlying neural control processes

White matter microstructural differences underlying beta oscillations during speech in adults who stutter

The basal ganglia-thalamocortical (BGTC) loop may underlie speech deficits in developmental stuttering. In this study, we investigated the relationship between abnormal cortical neural oscillations and structural integrity alterations in adults who stutter (AWS) using a novel magnetoencephalography (MEG) guided tractography approach. Beta oscillations were analyzed using sensorimotor speech MEG, and white matter pathways were examined using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and probabilistic tractography in 11 AWS and 11 fluent speakers. TBSS analysis revealed overlap between cortical regions of increased beta suppression localized to the mouth motor area and a reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the AWS group. MEG-guided tractography showed reduced FA within the BGTC loop from left putamen to subject-specific MEG peak. This is the first study to provide evidence that structural abnormalities may be associated with functional deficits in stuttering and reflect a network deficit within the BGTC loop that includes areas of the left ventral premotor cortex and putamen

Detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies or DNA sequences from ostensibly healthy Iranian mothers and their neonates

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains the most common cause of viral intrauterine infection. The objective of this research was to determine the prevalence of at-risk pregnancies for congenital cytomegalovirus transmission in a randomly selected pregnant women and their newborns. Enzyme Link Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were utilized to screen the sera of mothers (n = 100) and consecutive umbilical cord blood samples from their newborn (n = 100). Of the 100 mother's sera analyzed, 100 (100%) and 3 (3%) were positive for cytomegalovirus IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Of the 100 cord serum specimens analyzed, 99 (99%) and 2 (2%) were positive for cytomegalovirus IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Cytomegalovirus DNA was detected in 4 out of 100 (4%) cord blood samples of newborns. From four CMV DNA positive cases, Case 1 had no IgM in cord serum, but had IgM in mother's sera. Cases 2 and 4 were positive for IgM in both mother's sera and cord serum. Case 3 had no detectable CMV IgM in sera and cord serum. As many as 66 and 100% of CMV IgM-positive women in this study also had CMV IgM and CMV DNA in their delivery cord blood samples, respectively suggesting an increased risk of congenital CMV infection in those pregnancies. A paired women sera/cord blood CMV IgM-negative was found to be positive for CMV DNA. The data may also suggest the utility of PCR in place of CMV IgM as a diagnostic method for congenital CMV infection

Accent modification as a raciolinguistic ideology: a commentary in response to Burda et al. (2022)

In this commentary, we collectively examine a recent article titled “Effectiveness of Intense Accent Modification Training with Refugees from Burma” by Burda et al. (2022). Whilst our response is aimed at revealing the theoretical and methodological shortcomings of Burda et al., it will also expose the raciolinguistic ideologies in accent modification and highlight the need for careful ethical considerations on vulnerable populations, such as refugees and asylum seekers

Teachers’ Perceptions of Using Technology in Teaching EFL

No longer are students’ experiences with new languages limited to their textbooks or immediate environment. With the pervasiveness of the internet and the increased awareness of the importance of having technology in a classroom, both teachers and students all over the world are being provided with technological tools that will further accelerate their ability to acquire or teach a second or foreign language. Technology integration in the classroom has become an important aspect of successful teaching. It has triggered many researchers to investigate different aspects of such integration. In addition, it could be an effective teaching tool when used to engage all students in the learning process. The results of the study show that teachers have positive attitudes toward the use of technology, particularly computer. The focal point of the project was to promote students’ communicative competence and autonomy via the implementation of technological tools. This study aimed at investigating the perceptions of EFL teachers about the use of technology in their classes and factors affecting technology implementation in Iranian Language Institutes. Descriptive statistics and sample t-test were used to analyze the questionnaire data. Results obtained from both the quantitative and qualitative data revealed teachers’ perceptions about integrating technology in their classes, incentives for teachers who use technology, types of technology used, facilitating and inhibiting factors affecting technology implementation, and the different attitudes of male and female teachers toward using technology. According to the results, teachers had positive attitudes regarding the use of technology, in particular computer, in their classrooms.

Microstructural white matter changes underlying speech deficits in Parkinson’s disease

Speech impairments are one of the common symptoms of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about the underlying neuroanatomical structural deficits specifically in the basal gangliathalamocortical (BGTC) loop in the speech deficits of PD. Here we investigated white matter differences in PD using probabilistic tractography. Diffusion tensor imaging data were downloaded from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative database. We included three groups of participants: 20 PD individuals with speech deficits, 20 PD individuals without speech deficits, and 20 age- and gender matched control participants. Overall, PD individuals with speech deficits had higher mean diffusivity in the BGTC pathway in the left hemisphere compared with PD individuals without speech deficits. The present study exhibits that there may be a distinct pathophysiological profile of white matter for speech deficits in PD