USING MIND MAPPING TO IMPROVE ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING SCORE OF ELEVENTH GRADERS

This study used a classroom action research design. It aimed at identifying the improvement of argumentative essay scores of eleventh graders of Elyon Christian School Surabaya in the 2013/2014 academic year through mind mapping. Besides that, it was also conducted to describe the process of teaching writing using mind mapping to the eleventh graders. The data was obtained by giving pre-test, cycle process and post-test. The result showed that there were improvements in the students‘ argumentative essay scores. It can be seen at the average scores of the pre-test (62. 5) and post-test (85. 5). The research process took six weeks for completion, or twelve classroom meetings. It was also found that the students followed the teaching-learning process well and they showed their interest in the lesson. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that the eleventh graders of Elyon Christian School Surabaya improved their argumentative essay writing score through the mind mapping technique

Narrating Demons, Transformative Texts: Rereading Genius in Mid-Century Modern Fictional Memoir

(print) xv, 76 p. ; 23 cmThe culture of genius at mid-century -- Of love and death in modern culture : rereading Doctor Faustus with Freud in mind -- Deus sive natura : avatars of the creative reader in Lolita -- Visionary contact in the interzone : on the Beat state in Naked lunchItem embargoed for five year

Sector level cost of equity in African financial markets

This paper assesses the effectiveness of Liu (2006) metrics in measuring illiquidity within a multifactor CAPM pricing model. Costs of equity are estimated using this model for the major sectors within Africa’s larger equity markets: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. In all countries, the cost of equity is found to be highest in the financial sector and lowest in the blue chip stocks of Tunisia, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa. At an aggregate level, Nigeria and Zambia have the highest cost of capital

Difference in the action spectra for UVR8 monomerisation and HY5 transcript accumulation in Arabidopsis

The photoreceptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) activates photomorphogenic responses when plants are exposed to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light. However, whereas the absorption spectrum of UVR8 peaks at 280 nm, action spectra for several photomorphogenic UV-B responses show maximal photon effectiveness at 290–300 nm. To investigate this apparent discrepancy we measured the effectiveness of UV wavelengths in initiating two responses in Arabidopsis: photoconversion of homodimeric UVR8 into the monomeric form, which is active in signaling, and accumulation of transcripts of the ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) transcription factor, which has a key role in UVR8-mediated responses. When purified UVR8 or Arabidopsis leaf extracts were exposed to UV light monomerisation was maximal at approximately 280 nm, which correlates with the UVR8 absorption spectrum. When intact plants were exposed to UV, monomerisation was most strongly initiated at approximately 290 nm, and this shift in maximal effectiveness could be explained by strong absorption or reflectance at 280 nm by leaf tissue. Notably, the action spectrum for accumulation of HY5 transcripts in the same leaf tissue samples used to assay UVR8 dimer/monomer status peaked at approximately 300 nm. Possible reasons for the difference in maximal photon effectiveness of UVR8 monomerisation and HY5 transcript accumulation in leaf tissue are discussed

A case series of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for reducing symptom interference in functional neurological disorders

There is limited high-quality evidence supporting psychological treatments for functional neurological disorders (FNDs), and what evidence exists suggests that the impact of such treatments could be improved. One way to increase effectiveness is to utilize approaches that can have impact across heterogeneous FND presentations. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) targets a transdiagnostic process called psychological flexibility and is used effectively to integrate multidisciplinary treatments in other clinical contexts. Here, we present a consecutive case series (N = 8) of a relatively brief (6 to 10 sessions) ACT intervention, delivered face to face by a clinical psychologist in an outpatient neuropsychology service. Treatment aimed to reduce symptom interference and improve mood via improvements in psychological flexibility. Service users presented with a range of FND symptoms (e.g., syncope, limb paralysis, and paraesthesia). Following treatment, 5 participants showed reliable improvements in symptom interference (Work and Social Adjustment Scale), 2 to the extent of clinical significance; 4 had reliable improvements in mood (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—10), and 2 within the range of clinical significance. There were no reliable deteriorations in symptom interference or mood. Marked variation was apparent on the measure of psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II), with 4 reliable improvements, 3 within the range of clinical significance, and also 2 reliable deteriorations. These promising results suggest that further investigation of an ACT approach to FND is warranted. Future studies should include measures of psychological flexibility with greater comprehensibility

Risk of new-onset Long Covid following reinfection with SARS-CoV-2: community-based cohort study

Background: Little is known about the risk of Long Covid following reinfection with SARS-CoV-2. We estimated the likelihood of new-onset, self-reported Long Covid after a second SARS-CoV-2 infection, and compared to a first infection. // Methods: We included UK COVID-19 Infection Survey participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 1 November 2021 and 8 October 2022. The primary outcome was self-reported Long Covid 12 to 20 weeks after each infection. Separate analyses were performed for those <16 years and ≥16 years. We estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for new-onset Long Covid using logistic regression, comparing second to first infections, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and calendar date of infection, plus vaccination status in those ≥16 years. // Results: Overall, Long Covid was reported by those ≥16 years after 4.0% and 2.4% of first and second infections, respectively; the corresponding estimates among those <16 years were 1.0% and 0.6%. The aOR for Long Covid after second compared to first infections was 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.63–0.81) for those ≥16 years and 0.93 (0.57–1.53) for those <16 years. // Conclusions: The risk of new-onset Long Covid after a second SARS-CoV-2 infection is lower than that after a first infection for those ≥16 years, though there is no evidence of a difference in risk for those <16 years. However, there remains some risk of new-onset Long Covid after a second infection, with around 1 in 40 of those ≥16 years and 1 in 165 of those <16 years reporting Long Covid after a second infection

Estimating energetic intake for marine mammal bioenergetic models

This work was primarily funded under an award from Office of Naval Research: N000142012392, and with support from the Marine Mammal Commission project: “A priority setting exercise to identify key unanswered questions in marine mammal bioenergetics”. Funding from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee supported fish energy analyses - award C180241-1285.Bioenergetics is the study of how animals achieve energetic balance. Energetic balance results from the energetic expenditure of an individual and the energy they extract from their environment. Ingested energy depends on several extrinsic (e.g prey species, nutritional value and composition, prey density and availability) and intrinsic factors (e.g. foraging effort, success at catching prey, digestive processes and associated energy losses, and digestive capacity). While the focus in bioenergetic modelling is often on the energetic costs an animal incurs, the robust estimation of an individual’s energy intake is equally critical for producing meaningful predictions. Here, we review the components and processes that affect energy intake from ingested gross energy to biologically useful net energy (NE). The current state of knowledge of each parameter is reviewed, shedding light on research gaps to advance this field. The review highlighted that the foraging behaviour of many marine mammals is relatively well studied via biologging tags, with estimates of success rate typically assumed for most species. However, actual prey capture success rates are often only assumed, although we note studies that provide approaches for its estimation using current techniques. A comprehensive collation of the nutritional content of marine mammal prey species revealed a robust foundation from which prey quality (comprising prey species, size and energy density) can be assessed, though data remain unavailable for many prey species. Empirical information on various energy losses following ingestion of prey was unbalanced among marine mammal species, with considerably more literature available for pinnipeds. An increased understanding and accurate estimate of each of the components that comprise a species NE intake are an integral part of bioenergetics. Such models provide a key tool to investigate the effects of disturbance on marine mammals at an individual and population level and to support effective conservation and management.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe