A Study of Fear and Stage Fright in English Oral Communication among Academics in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Although most academics in the humanities and social sciences use referencematerials in English in organizing their lectures conducted in Sinhala, they suffer a greatdeal of fear and stage fright while speaking English at private or official meetings and atpublic forums. Some have even completed their postgraduate studies through themedium of English but their oral communication remains very poor as a result of theirlanguage anxiety.The objective of the present paper is to discuss the major causes of suchlanguage anxiety which, in effect, are the major findings of a survey conducted by theresearcher in relation to a group of such academics from the Humanities and SocialSciences in the University of Ruhuna. The methodology comprised interviews, a formalquestionnaire, and discussions with about seventy academics from the Faculty ofHumanities and Social Sciences in the University of Ruhuna. The findings revealseveral conditions which affect negatively in their communication in their workingmilieu: the standards imposed by the elite in the stratified society of Sri Lanka upon thequality of the English spoken in public, the negative attitudes the fellow academics holdtowards English oral communication, lack of support from the environment where theyhave to practice their English, lack of confidence they suffer as personalities whiletrying to speak English, lack of integrative and instrumental motivation caused by theprofessional needs of their duties, and their own complacency and lethargy caused bythe professional security they enjoy without any competency in oral communication inEnglish. All these barriers and difficulties create an environment where the academicsin Humanities and Social Sciences suffer from fear and stage fright in oral Englishcommunication and as a result the competency level of their oral communication inEnglish remains poor.Key words: English, Oral communication, Educatio

MEASURING BURNOUT OF HUMAN SERVICE WORKERS: TESTING THE COPENHAGEN BURNOUT INVENTORY IN SRI LANKAN CONTEXT

Measuring of directly unobservable or latent variables has been a serious concern among researchers engaged in quantitative research in the fields like social sciences, and humanities. This is mainly because of the challenges in quantifying the data related to latent variables. Purpose of this article was to test the reliability of the English version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) developed in Denmark during the PUMA (Danish acronym for Project on Burnout, Motivation and Job Satisfaction) Project in Sri Lankan context with a sample of 180 pre service ESL teachers. The data analysis shows how certain items in the CBI work in a different cultural setting. The overall conclusion was that the English version of the CBI is a reliable tool to measure burnout status of pre service ESL teachers in Sri Lanka.  Article visualizations

The first documentation of the immune response to cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani in Sri Lanka.

Introduction and Objectives: The predominant form of leishmaniasis seen in Sri Lanka is cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania donovani, a species commonly causing visceral disease. The objective of this study was to explore the human host immune response to CL in Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive comparative study was carried out on nine CL patients referred to the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, during 2011-2013. mRNA was extracted from the skin biopsy samples and reverse transcribed to cDNA and tested for Th1 and Th2 cytokines by using specific primers for IFN-γ, IL-2 (Th1 cytokines) and IL-4, IL-10 (Th2 cytokines). The results were compared with different characteristics of the lesion (number, duration, size and type of lesion). Results: This study revealed that the majority of CL patients (5/9) elicited a Th1 response whereas a Th2 response was not detected in any of the patients. Of the Th1 cytokine positive patients, majority had single lesions, with a shorter duration and smaller sized lesions which were of the plaque type. Of those which exhibited a negative Th1 response, the majority were larger lesions with a longer duration and were of the papular-nodular type. Conclusions: The study suggests that the predominant immune response to CL caused by L. donovani in Sri Lanka, is a Th1 type of response which may explain the localization of L. donovani which is usually a viscerotropic species, to skin tissue. Limitations of study: This study was done only in nine patients due to resource limitations. A continuation of this study is indicated to validate these results.</p

RNA pathogenesis via Toll-like receptor-activated inflammation in expanded repeat neurodegenerative diseases

Previously, we hypothesized that an RNA-based pathogenic pathway has a causal role in the dominantly inherited unstable expanded repeat neurodegenerative diseases. In support of this hypothesis we, and others, have characterized rCAG.rCUG100 repeat double-strand RNA (dsRNA) as a previously unidentified agent capable of causing pathogenesis in a Drosophila model of neurodegenerative disease. Dicer, Toll, and autophagy pathways have distinct roles in this Drosophila dsRNA pathology. Dicer dependence is accompanied by cleavage of rCAG.rCUG100 repeat dsRNA down to r(CAG)7 21-mers. Among the “molecular hallmarks” of this pathway that have been identified in Drosophila, some [i.e., r(CAG)7 and elevated tumor necrosis factor] correlate with observations in affected people (e.g., Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or in related animal models (i.e., autophagy). The Toll pathway is activated in the presence of repeat-containing dsRNA and toxicity is also dependent on this pathway. How might the endogenously expressed dsRNA mediate Toll-dependent toxicity in neuronal cells? Endogenous RNAs are normally shielded from Toll pathway activation as part of the mechanism to distinguish “self” from “non-self” RNAs. This typically involves post-transcriptional modification of the RNA. Therefore, it is likely that rCAG.rCUG100 repeat dsRNA has a characteristic property that interferes with or evades this normal mechanism of shielding. We predict that repeat expansion leads to an alteration in RNA structure and/or form that perturbs RNA modification, causing the unshielded repeat RNA (in the form of its Dicer-cleaved products) to be recognized by Toll-like receptors (TLRs), with consequent activation of the Toll pathway leading to loss of cell function and then ultimately cell death. We hypothesize that the proximal cause of expanded repeat neurodegenerative diseases is the TLR recognition (and resultant innate inflammatory response) of repeat RNA as “non-self” due to their paucity of “self” modification.Robert I. Richards, Saumya E. Samaraweera, Clare L. van Eyk, Louise V. O’Keefe and Catherine M. Sute

Millimeter wave radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the high quality GaAs/AlGaAs 2D electron system under bichromatic excitation

Millimeter wave radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations are examined in the GaAs/AlGaAs 2D electron system under bichromatic excitation in order to study the evolution of the oscillatory diagonal magnetoresistance, R-xx as the millimeter wave intensity is changed systematically for various frequency combinations. The results indicate that at low magnetic fields, the lower frequency millimeter wave excitation sets the observed R-xx response, as the higher frequency millimeter wave component determines the R-xx response at higher magnetic fields. The observations are qualitatively explained in terms of the order of the involved transitions. The results are also modeled using the radiation-driven electron orbit theory

The MRI central vein marker: differentiating PPMS from RRMS and ischaemic SVD

© 2018 The Author(s). Objective To determine whether the assessment of brain white matter lesion (WML) central veins differentiate patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) from relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and ischemic small vessel disease (SVD) using 3T MRI. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 71 patients with PPMS, RRMS, and SVD were imaged using a T2∗-weighted sequence. Two blinded raters identified the total number of WMLs, proportion of WMLs in periventricular, deep white matter (DWM) and juxtacortical regions, and proportion of WMLs with central veins in all patient groups. The proportions were compared between disease groups, including effect sizes. MS or SVD was categorized using a threshold of =40% WMLs with central veins as indicative of MS. Interrater and intrarater reproducibility was calculated. Results The mean proportion of WMLs with central veins was 68.4% in PPMS, 74.3% in RRMS, and 4.7% in SVD. The difference in proportions between PPMS and SVD groups was significant (p &lt; 0.0005; effect size: 3.8) but not significant between MS subtypes (p = 0.3; effect size: 0.29). Distribution of WMLs was similar across both MS groups, but despite SVD patients having more DWM lesions than PPMS patients, proportions of WMLs with central veins remained low (2.75% in SVD; 62.5% in PPMS). Interrater and intrarater reproducibility comparing proportions of WMLs with central veins across all patients was 0.86 and 0.90, respectively. Level of agreement between the proportion of WML central veins and established diagnosis was 0.84 and 0.82 for each rater. Conclusions WML central veins could be used to differentiate PPMS from SVD but not between MS subtypes

Perturbation of the Akt/Gsk3-beta signalling pathway is common to Drosophila expressing expanded untranslated CAG, CUG and AUUCU repeat RNAs

Recent evidence supports a role for RNA as a common pathogenic agent in both the ‘polyglutamine’ and ‘untranslated’ dominant expanded repeat disorders. One feature of all repeat sequences currently associated with disease is their predicted ability to form a hairpin secondary structure at the RNA level. In order to investigate mechanisms by which hairpin-forming repeat RNAs could induce neurodegeneration, we have looked for alterations in gene transcript levels as hallmarks of the cellular response to toxic hairpin repeat RNAs. Three disease-associated repeat sequences—CAG, CUG and AUUCU—were specifically expressed in the neurons of Drosophila and resultant common transcriptional changes assessed by microarray analyses. Transcripts that encode several components of the Akt/Gsk3-β signalling pathway were altered as a consequence of expression of these repeat RNAs, indicating that this pathway is a component of the neuronal response to these pathogenic RNAs and may represent an important common therapeutic target in this class of diseases.Clare L. van Eyk, Louise V. O'Keefe, Kynan T. Lawlor, Saumya E. Samaraweera, Catherine J. McLeod, Gareth R. Price, Deon J. Venter and Robert I. Richard

Codevelopment of COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidelines in lower-middle-income countries: the 'SPRINT' principles

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has required the rapid development of comprehensive guidelines to direct health service organisation and delivery. However, most guidelines are based on resources found in high-income settings, with fewer examples that can be implemented in resource-constrained settings. This study describes the process of adapting and developing role-specific guidelines for comprehensive COVID-19 infection prevention and control in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods We used a collaborative autoethnographic approach to explore the process of developing COVID-19 guidelines. In this approach, multiple researchers contributed their reflections, conducted joint analysis through dialogue, reflection and with consideration of experiential knowledge and multidisciplinary perspectives to identify and synthesise enablers, challenges and key lessons learnt. Results We describe the guideline development process in the Philippines and the adaptation process in Sri Lanka. We offer key enablers identified through this work, including flexible leadership that aimed to empower the team to bring their expertise to the process; shared responsibility through equitable ownership; an interdisciplinary team; and collaboration with local experts. We then elaborate on challenges including interpreting other guidelines to the country context; tensions between the ideal compared with the feasible and user-friendly; adapting and updating with evolving information; and coping with pandemic-related challenges. Based on key lessons learnt, we synthesise a novel set of principles for developing guidelines during a public health emergency. The SPRINT principles are grounded in situational awareness, prioritisation and balance, which are responsive to change, created by an interdisciplinary team navigating shared responsibility and transparency. Conclusions Guideline development during a pandemic requires a robust and time sensitive paradigm. We summarise the learning in the ‘SPRINT principles’ for adapting guidelines in an epidemic context in LMICs. We emphasise that these principles must be grounded in a collaborative or codesign process and add value to existing national responses

Utility of WIfI foot assessment tool in a Sri Lankan setting; an initial experience

Introduction: Potential for limb salvage and wound healing in a lower limb ulcer depends on degreeof ischemia, wound grade and superadded foot infection.Objectives: Our objective was to assess the feasibility of applying WIfI classification system to stratifypatients presenting with limb ulceration according to risk of undergoing amputation and benefit ofrevascularization.Methods: Fifty four consecutive patients with ulcerated limbs presenting over two months to theUniversity unit at the National Hospital were staged according to the Society for Vascular Surgery(SVS)Wound, Ischemia, and Foot Infection (WIfI) classification system.Results: The median age was 64 (39-93), and 42 (79%) patients were males. Diabetes (87%),hypertension (53%), ischemic heart disease (14%), cerebrovascular disease (13%), chronic renal disease(13%) were identified risk factors. Smoking was reported among 35%. Median Anterior TibialArtery(ATA), Posterior Tibial Artery(PTA), Toe pressures, Ankle Brachial Index, Pole test values ofthe affected side lower limbs were 114.5mmHg, 107.5mmHg, 41mmHg, 0.87 and 85cm respectively.Values for the contralateral limb were 140mmHg, 120mmHg, 74mmHg, 1.0 and 85cm respectively.84% of ATA and 90 % of PTA pulses were not palpable on the affected side. Grades of ischemia were;none (23.3%), mild (27.9%), moderate (18.6%), severe (30.2%), grades of infection were none (20.9%),mild (37.2%), moderate (39.5%), severe (2.3%), and wound grades were 0(0%), 1(20%.9), 2(39.5%),3(39.5%). Estimated risk of amputation were high (65.1%), moderate (11.6%), low (11.6%), very low(11.6%) and estimated benefit of revascularization were high (46.5%) moderate (23.3%), low (7.0%),very low (23.3%).Conclusions: Application of WIfI system was useful to prioritize patients with eminent limb loss forurgent intervention. Toe pressure assessment for diabetic foot ulcer stratification should become acommon practice