Jumping from the highest graded readers to ungraded novels: four case studies

This study follows a small group of learners in the UK to the end of a graded reading program using the Cambridge Readers and investigates whether this particular graded reading series provides a bridge to reading unsimplified novels for pleasure. The participants’ reading comprehension, reading rates, vocabulary text coverage, and overall affect were measured and used for comparison between two of the highest level Cambridge Readers and two ungraded novels. The four books were also analysed to investigate the potential ‘gap’ in vocabulary coverage between graded and ungraded fiction. The overall results revealed that learners can progress from a graded reading program using the Cambridge Readers to reading unsimplified novels for pleasure, but are likely to experience a reduction in vocabulary coverage from over 98% to around 95%. It was also found that the gap between graded and unsimplified novels may not be as big as previously thought

Jumping from the highest graded readers to ungraded novels: Four case studies

This study follows a small group of learners in the UK to the end of a graded reading program using the Cambridge Readers and investigates whether this particular graded reading series provides a bridge to reading unsimplified novels for pleasure. The participants’ reading comprehension, reading rates, vocabulary text coverage, and overall affect were measured and used for comparison between two of the highest level Cambridge Readers and two ungraded novels. The four books were also analysed to investigate the potential ‘gap’ in vocabulary coverage between graded and ungraded fiction. The overall results revealed that learners can progress from a graded reading program using the Cambridge Readers to reading unsimplified novels for pleasure, but are likely to experience a reduction in vocabulary coverage from over 98% to around 95%. It was also found that the gap between graded and unsimplified novels may not be as big as previously thought

Changes in foliar nutrient content and resorption in Fraxinus excelsior L., Ulmus minor Mill. and Clematis vitalba L. after prevention of floods

This paper focuses on the impact of flood on tree mineral nutrition through measurement of resorption (i.e. transfer of nutrients from leaves to perennial organs). Nutrient (N, P, K, Mg, Ca) concentrations in leaves of three representative species, Fraxinus excelsior L., Ulmus minor Mill. and Clematis vitalba L. were measured before and after abscission on flooded and unflooded hardwood forests of the upper Rhine plain. The nutrient concentrations in the soils, which were measured in the top layer of the study sites, were higher in the flooded sites for P but slightly lower for N and K, and identical at both types of site for Ca and Mg. The summer foliage concentrations were higher for N and P in the flooded areas, and probably related to the flooding process, which contributes to regular nutrient inputs in the flooded forest, causes high fluctuations of water level and increases bioavailability of certain nutrients. Resorption occurred for all nutrients in the three species, and was higher for N, P and K (40-70 %) than for Ca and Mg (0-45 %), but not significantly different at the two sites. This paper stresses the variability of the test species response (nutrient content and resorption) to the soil and flood water nutrient sources, and tries to specify parameters which control resorption, i.e. soil fertility, tree species or flood stress. © 1999 Inra/Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS

Impact of river management history on the community structure, species composition and nutrient status in the Rhine alluvial hardwood forest

The present-day Rhine alluvial hardwood forest (Querco-Ulmetum minoris, Issler 24) in the upper Rhine valley (France/Germany) is comprised of three vegetation units, one still flooded by calm waters (F) and the two others unflooded, one for 30 years (UF30) (after the river canalisation) and the other for about 130 years (UF130) (after river straightening and embankment work in the middle nineteenth century). In the three stands, species composition, structure and diversity of vegetation and nutrient content of mature leaf, leaf litter and soil have been studied. Fungi (Macromycetae) were only studied in two stands (F and UF130). The intensity of nutrient recycling was exemplified by comparing the chemical composition of rainwater, flood, throughfall, mature leaf, leaf litter, soil and groundwater in two of these stands (F and UF30). The elimination of floods has caused a change in floristic composition, tree density and plant diversity. Tree density was higher in the two unflooded stands and was related to a large increase in sapling (< 6 cm dbh) density more than to a change of stem (> 6 cm dbh) density. Sapling density increased 2 times and three times in the UF30 and the UF130 respectively, whereas the stem density increased only 12% in the first stand and decreased 29% in the second one. The saprophytic macromycete communities have been supplemented with mycorrhizal species

Impact of river management history on the community structure, species composition and nutrient status in the Rhine alluvial hardwood forest

The present-day Rhine alluvial hardwood forest (Querco-Ulmetum minoris, Issler 24) in the upper Rhine valley (France/Germany) is comprised of three vegetation units, one still flooded by calm waters (F) and the two others unflooded, one for 30 years (UF30) (after the river canalisation) and the other for about 130 years (UF130) (after river straightening and embankment work in the middle nineteenth century). In the three stands, species composition, structure and diversity of vegetation and nutrient content of mature leaf, leaf litter and soil have been studied. Fungi (Macromycetae) were only studied in two stands (F and UF130). The intensity of nutrient recycling was exemplified by comparing the chemical composition of rainwater, flood, throughfall, mature leaf, leaf litter, soil and groundwater in two of these stands (F and UF30). The elimination of floods has caused a change in floristic composition, tree density and plant diversity. Tree density was higher in the two unflooded stands and was related to a large increase in sapling (< 6 cm dbh) density more than to a change of stem (> 6 cm dbh) density. Sapling density increased 2 times and three times in the UF30 and the UF130 respectively, whereas the stem density increased only 12% in the first stand and decreased 29% in the second one. The saprophytic macromycete communities have been supplemented with mycorrhizal species

Reflections on English-Medium Instruction in Turkish Higher Education Institutions, Educational Quality and Insights from International Experience

This chapter will approach the concept of English-medium instruction (EMI) in Turkish higher education from the perspective of quality assurance and enhancement of teaching and learning in the academic programmes. Following the market driven global higher education trends, Turkey’s signatory commitment to the Bologna Declaration in 2001 indicated its intention to provide a transparent, comparable and accountable higher education environment to enable student and staff mobility, which has increased the country’s focus both on quality and EMI matters. Increasing acceptance of English as a global academic lingua franca and worldwide implementations of it as the instructional language at undergraduate and graduate levels in higher education institutions have brought challenges worldwide as well as in Turkey. While existing studies present valuable insights into the issue focusing on various aspects of EMI in higher education, they are largely inconclusive and/or lack the rigor to make generalised conclusions. Thus, rather than elaborating on the challenges that EMI has caused in Turkish academia, this chapter will focus on how challenges can become opportunities to enhance the quality of education in Turkish higher education institutions for both academics and students by providing recommendations derived from international experiences

Evaluation of the Light-Sensitive Cytotoxicity of Hypericum perforatum Extracts, Fractions, and Pure Compounds

Hypericum perforatum (Hp) is known for possessing antidepressant and antiviral activities. Despite its use as an alternative to conventional antidepressants, the identification of the cytotoxic chemicals derived from this herb is incomplete. In this study, the cytotoxicity of Hp extracts prepared in solvents ranging in polarity, fractions of one extract, and purified compounds were examined in three cell lines. All extracts exhibited significant cytotoxicity; those prepared in ethanol (no hyperforin, 3.6 μM hypericin, and 134.6 μM flavonoids) showed between 7.7 and 77.4% cell survival (p \u3c 0.0001 and 0.01), whereas the chloroform and hexane extracts (hyperforin, hypericin, and flavonoids not detected) showed approximately 9.0 (p \u3c 0.0001) and 4.0% (p \u3c 0.0001) survival. Light-sensitive toxicity was observed primarily with the ethanol extracts sequentially extracted following removal of material extracted in either chloroform or hexane. The absence of light-sensitive toxicity with the Hp extracts suggests that the hypericins were not playing a prominent role in the toxicity of the extracts

Aspen biology, community classification, and management in the Blue Mountains

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is a valuable species that is declining in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. This publication is a compilation of over 20 years of aspen management experience by USDA Forest Service workers in the Blue Mountains. It includes a summary of aspen biology and occurrence in the Blue Mountains, and a discussion of aspen conservation and management techniques such as fencing, conifer removal, and artificial propagation. Local data on bird use of aspen stands, insects and diseases in aspen, and genetic studies of aspen are also included. An aspen community classification developed from over 200 sample plots is presented, with plant species composition and cover, environment and soils, and management considerations

Perceiving discrimination against one's gender group has different implications for well-being in women and men

Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested theoretical predictions concerning the effects of perceived discrimination against ones gender on psychological well-being in women and men. Results were highly supportive of the Rejection-Identification Model, with perceptions of discrimination harming psychological well-being among women but not among men. The results also support the Rejection-Identification Model's prediction that women partially cope with the negative well-being consequences of perceived discrimination by increasing identification with women as a group, In contrast, perceived discrimination was unrelated to group identification among men. The authors found no support for the hypothesis that perceptions of discrimination have self-protective properties among the disadvantaged. Results are consistent with the contention that the differential effects of perceived discrimination among women and men are due to differences in the groups' relative positions within the social structure.This research was supported by a General Research Fund grant from the University of Kansas to the second author. We thank Carol Miller and several anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions

Engaging with terminology in the multilingual classroom:Teachers’ practices for bridging the gap between L1 lectures and English reading

In some academic settings where English is not the first language it is nonetheless common for reading to be assigned in English, and the expectation is often that students will acquire subject terminology incidentally in the first language as well as in English as a result of listening and reading. It is then a prerequisite that students notice and engage with terminology in both languages. To this end, teachers’ classroom practices for making students attend to and engage with terms are crucial for furthering students’ vocabulary competence in two languages. Using transcribed video recordings of eight undergraduate lectures from two universities in such a setting, this paper provides a comprehensive picture of what teachers ‘do’ with terminology during a lecture, i.e., how terms are allowed to feature in the classroom discourse. It is established, for example, that teachers nearly always employ some sort of emphatic practice when using a term in a lecture. However, the repertoire of such practices is limited. Further, teachers rarely adapt their repertoires to cater to the special needs arguably required in these settings, or to exploit the affordances of multilingual environments