Adsorption and Thermodynamic Study of Direct Blue 71 Dye on to natural Flint Clay from Aqueous Solution

The remove of direct blue (DB71) anionic dye on flint clay in aqueous solution was investigated by using a batch system for various dye concentrations. The contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, and temperature was studied under batch adsorption technique. The data of adsorption equilibrium fit with isotherm Langmuar and Freiundlich ,when the correlation coefficient used to elucidate the best fitting isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters such as, ?Hº ,?Sº and ?Gº. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the sorption of the dyes onto Flint clay was endothermic and spontaneous

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION REVISITED: THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING EFL IN NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

Learning a new language is a challenging process. It requires learners to devote time and effort to communicate effectively in the target language. One of the main issues in teaching English is not having enough exposure to the language as it is spoken in the real world. That is a major reason why teaching English in a non-English speaking environment can be challenging. Students need to be exposed to native-like resources to develop their language skills. One of the most significant skills to develop is pronunciation. The present paper explores some of the teaching and learning strategies that can be used by foreign language teachers to improve their students’ pronunciation skills. Keywords: EFL, English pronunciation, authentic learning, English teaching.  Article visualizations

Isolated Renal Sarcoidosis: a Rare Cause for Granulomatous Interstitial Nephritis

Introduction: Granulomatous interstitial nephritis (GIN) is a rare histological diagnosis that can be the first manifestation of systemic disease. It has been associated with medications, infections, sarcoidosis, crystal deposits, paraproteinemia and Wegnere's granulomatosis. It can also be seen in an idiopathic form. Case report: A 37 year-old female patient presented to our nephrology service with lethargy and weight loss of three months duration. Her past medical history and clinical examination were not remarkable. She had impaired renal function tests and hypercalcemia associated with elevated angiotensin converting enzyme levels and sonographically normal kidneys. Extensive investigations revealed no other organ involvement and no evidence of infection or malignancy. Renal biopsy showed extensive interstitial non-necrotizing granulomata. Accordingly, she was diagnosed as a case of isolated renal sarcoidosis and started on steroid therapy. Within one month of treatment, she recovered normal renal function. Steroids were successfully tapered after another six months, and she shows no evidence of recurrence 24 months after steroid withdrawal. Conclusion: The possibility of isolated renal sarcoidosis should be considered in any case of impaired kidney function and hypercalcemia even in the absence of systemic manifestation. The finding of non-caseating interstitial granulomata in renal biopsy supports this diagnosis. Keywords: granulomatous interstitial nephritis, non-caseating granuloma, renal insufficiency, renal sarcoidosis

A 2X2 MIMO Patch Antenna for Multi-Band Applications

In this paper, a Multiple Input Multiple Output (2x2MIMO)  patch antenna for  multiband applications has been proposed. It has been designed using groups of rings nearby the stepped cut at four corners of the patch and a separation in mid slot. This modification is proposed in order to increase the resonant frequencies and reduce the mutual coupling. The proposed 2x2 MIMO patch antenna is simulated using Computer Simulation Technology (CST), fabricated and tested. With such small geometrical dimensions, the proposed antenna is suitable for LTE (1.8 GHz), WiFi (2.4 GHz), and WiMax (3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz and 5.5 GHz) application

Automatic Optic Disc Abnormality Detection in Fundus Images: A Deep Learning Approach

Optic disc (OD) is a key structure in retinal images. It serves as an indicator to detect various diseases such as glaucoma and changes related to new vessel formation on the OD in diabetic retinopathy (DR) or retinal vein occlusion. OD is also essential to locate structures such as the macula and the main vascular arcade. Most existing methods for OD localization are rule-based, either exploiting the OD appearance properties or the spatial relationship between the OD and the main vascular arcade. The detection of OD abnormalities has been performed through the detection of lesions such as hemorrhaeges or through measuring cup to disc ratio. Thus these methods result in complex and inflexible image analysis algorithms limiting their applicability to large image sets obtained either in epidemiological studies or in screening for retinal or optic nerve diseases. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end supervised model for OD abnormality detection. The most informative features of the OD are learned directly from retinal images and are adapted to the dataset at hand. Our experimental results validated the effectiveness of this current approach and showed its potential application

Autozygome-guided exome sequencing in retinal dystrophy patients reveals pathogenetic mutations and novel candidate disease genes

Retinal dystrophy (RD) is a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases caused by loss of photoreceptor function and contributes significantly to the etiology of blindness globally but especially in the industrialized world. The extreme locus and allelic heterogeneity of these disorders poses a major diagnostic challenge and often impedes the ability to provide a molecular diagnosis that can inform counseling and gene-specific treatment strategies. In a large cohort of nearly 150 RD families, we used genomic approaches in the form of autozygome-guided mutation analysis and exome sequencing to identify the likely causative genetic lesion in the majority of cases. Additionally, our study revealed six novel candidate disease genes (C21orf2, EMC1, KIAA1549, GPR125, ACBD5, and DTHD1), two of which (ACBD5 and DTHD1) were observed in the context of syndromic forms of RD that are described for the first time

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Toward an Understanding of Social Media Use in English Teaching and Learning: English Language beyond Traditional Classrooms

The attention on using social media for educational purposes has increased as research shows that these platforms are effective teaching and learning tools. The present study examined language teachers’ experiences in using social media in the teaching and learning of English. Data were collected through a survey and in-depth interviews with 50 second and foreign language teachers. Data were analyzed using multiple cycles of coding and ongoing dialogic engagement. Analysis of the data revealed that the participants used social media to support their classroom instruction and to teach English culture. They also perceived social media platforms as tools that can be used to assess student learning and language development and differentiate classroom instruction. In terms of benefits, the participants indicated that social media increase student motivation and engagement, enhance teaching practices, and help to build a learning community among students. The study also identified some challenges associated with social media integration, such as a lack of support and training, low self-efficacy among teachers, and misgivings about the use of social media in the classroom. The study provides a clear picture of the current use of social media for educational purposes. It bridges the gap between policymakers’ expectations and teachers’ current technology use and reinforces the effort to institute more fruitful education reform Keywords: English teaching and learning, ESL Pedagogy, educational technology DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-35-05 Publication date: December 31st 202