SeaDataCloud Data Products for the European marginal seas and the Global Ocean

Data products, based on in situ temperature and salinity observations from SeaDataNet infrastructure, have been released within the framework of SeaDataCloud (SDC) project. The data from different data providers are integrated and harmonized thanks to standardized quality assurance and quality control methodologies conducted at various stages of the data value chain. The data ingested within SeaDataNet are earlier validated by data providers who assign corresponding quality flags, but a Quality Assurance Strategy has been implemented and progressively refined to guarantee the consistency of the database content and high quality derived products. Two versions of aggregated datasets for the European marginal seas have been published and used to compute regional high resolution climatologies. External datasets, the World Ocean Database from NOAA and the CORA dataset from the Copernicus Marine Service in situ Thematic Assembly Center, have been integrated with SDC data collections to maximize data coverage and minimize the mapping error. The products are available through the SDC catalogue accompanied by Product Information Documents containing the specifications about product’s generation, characteristics and usability. Digital Object Identifiers are assigned to products and relative documentation to foster transparency of the production chain, acknowledging all actors involved from data providers to information producers

A new Global Ocean Climatology

Global Ocean climatologies are fundamental for our understanding of climate variability and trends, essential for the initialization and validation of numerical models. The thesis aims to compute a new global ocean monthly climatology of basic physical climate state variables such as temperature, salinity, density and dissolved oxygen from in-situ based historical datasets collected in the World Ocean Database 2018. The novelty of these climatologies stems from the implementation of a new quality control procedure, called "Nonlinear Quality Control" (NQC) thereafter. NQC is applied to the database that is used to compute the climatology and the improvements in the analysis discussed. The climatologies presented in the thesis are processed by a statistical interpolation tool, the Data Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) that is applied to the global domain for the first time. Two different versions of temperature and salinity climatologies are estimated based on the different temporal coverage of the data: a long-term average (1900 to 2017) using multiple platforms, and a shorter time estimate (2003 to 2017) using data from ocean drifting platforms such as profiling floats. Sensitivity experiments are carried out to choose the key parameters of DIVA. The computed climatologies show consistency with well-known reference climatologies such as World Ocean Atlas 2018 and World Argo Global Hydrographic Climatology

SeaDataCloud Brunt–Väisälä Frequency profiles for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

The SDC_GLO_CLIM_N2 product contains seasonally averaged Brunt–Väisälä squared frequency profiles using the density profiles computed in Global Ocean In-situ Density climatology (SDC_GLO_CLIM_Dens). The SDC_GLO_CLIM_Dens uses the Profiling Floats (PFL) from 2003 to 2017 checked with a Nonlinear Quality procedure. Computed BVF profiles have been averaged seasonally into 5x5 degree boxes for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The resultant profiles are compared with the reference literature Emery et al. (1984) and the results appear consistent

SeaDataCloud Density Climatology for the Global Ocean

The SDC_GLO_CLIM_Dens product contains global monthly climatological estimates of in situ density using Temperature and Salinity from profiling floats contained in the World Ocean Data 18 (WOD18) database. The profiles were first quality controlled with a Nonlinear Quality control procedure developed by Shahzadi (2020). The climatology considers observations from 0 to 2000 m for the time period 2003-2017. Density profiles were computed using UNESCO 1983 (EOS 80) equation from in situ temperature, salinity and pressure measurements by the profiling floats (PFL). Only profiles with both T, S values were used. The gridded fields are computed using DIVAnd (Data Interpolating Variational Analysis) version 2.3.1

Identification of Challenges for Social Inclusion of Illiterate Deaf Adults

Purpose: This qualitative case study investigates the profound challenges hindering the social inclusion of illiterate deaf adults within Gujranwala city. Methodology: A sample of eight illiterate deaf adults and sixteen family members was meticulously selected through snowball sampling. Data collection utilized a tailored semi-structured interview schedule, validated by experts, and conducted in sign language. Findings: Thematic analysis revealed a multitude of challenges, including communication barriers, unfamiliarity with standardized sign language, low self-confidence, limited awareness of civil and legal rights, attitudinal barriers, shyness, and hesitance. These challenges collectively undermine the social inclusion of illiterate deaf adults. Implications: The study underscores the pressing need for adult education initiatives tailored to their unique needs to facilitate their independent integration into society

Educational Experiences of Students with Hearing Impairment Studying in Special Education Institutions across Punjab

Purpose: This qualitative research looks into the nuanced educational experiences of students with hearing impairment within special education institutions across the nine divisions of Punjab. Design/Methodology/Approach: This research employed a qualitative study design with a focus on thematic analysis. The study population consisted of students with hearing impairment, and a purposive sample of 36 participants was selected for in-depth interviews. Findings: Through in-depth interviews with 36 participants, we unearthed prevailing circumstances revealing a landscape characterized by traditional teaching approaches, limited use of technology, and disparities between special education centers and schools. Elementary-level students encounter greater challenges, as secondary-level students prepare for board exams, driving heightened teacher scrutiny. Likewise students studying in special education centres face greater challenges than in schools. Implications/Originality/Value: These findings underscore the need for a more inclusive and technologically enriched educational framework, accompanied by personalized support services. By addressing these disparities and providing tailored education, we can empower students with hearing impairment to thrive academically and holistically

SeaDataCloud Dissolved Oxygen and Apparent Oxygen Utilization Climatology for the Global Ocean

The SDC_GLO_CLIM_O2_AOU product contains two different seasonal climatology for dissolved Oxygen and Apparent Oxygen Utilization, SDC_GLO_CLIM_O2 and SDC_GLO_CLIM_AOU respectively based on data from the World Ocean Database (WOD). Only basic quality control flags from the WOD are used. The first climatology, SDC_GLO_CLIM_O2, considers Dissolved Oxygen profiles collocated with temperature and salinity from CTD, Profiling Floats (PFL), Ocean Station Data (OSD) covering the time period from 2003 to 2017. The Apparent Oxygen Utilization climatology, SDC_GLO_CLIM_AOU, has been computed as a difference between dissolved oxygen concentration and its equilibrium saturation concentration. The gridded fields have been obtained using DIVAnd (Data Interpolating Variational Analysis) version 2.3.1

An Analysis of Semantic Prosody in News Headlines

This research article aims to investigate the phenomenon of semantic prosody in news headlines. Semantic prosody refers to the consistent positive or negative associations of a word or phrase in a given context. In the context of news headlines, semantic prosody plays an important role in shaping readers’ perceptions and attitudes towards news topics. The study analyzes a corpus of news headlines from different online news sources, including CNN, BBC, Reuters, and The New York Times. The mixed-method approach is utilized to explore the frequency and patterns of semantic prosody in news headlines. In the milieu of findings, the proposed study sheds light on the linguistic strategies employed by news writers to influence readers’ attitudes and opinions. To justify the impact of semantic prosody on reader’s perception and engagement with news headlines, references entailed in this research are drawn from recent studies and research published between 2021 and 2023 that includes works by scholars such as Xie et al. (2021), Wang and Huang (2022), and Zhang and Wang (2023), among others

QURAN AS THE BEST TOOL OF COMMUNICATION: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED VERSES OF QURAN

The purpose of this article is to look into the role of the Quran as a tool of communication by doing critical discourse analysis of the selected verses of the Quran. The Holy Quran is not just a religious book rather it is a complete code of life. In the Holy Quran Allah has clearly manifested for a man how to spend life and how to communicate with one another. For finding the teachings of the Holy Quran for effective communication Fairclough’s Three Dimensional Model (2015) is used as a model for doing critical discourse analysis. The results of the study reveal that the Holy Quran is the best tool of communication. Allah has clearly given the principles for effective communication in the Holy Quran and has ordered the human beings to follow these principles of communication so that they can develop relationships with one another and make the society as a one unit

CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY ISSUES IN ESL LEARNING TO PAKISTANI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: WORLD ENGLISH PERSPECTIVE

The current article deals with the difficulties related to the cultural and linguistic diversity in ESL instructions in the Pakistani Universities. Using a framework that focuses on the influences on learning, the educational experiences of learners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are examined. We know that diversity is influencing everything and education is not out of that frame. The ESL teachers must be familiar with the current and upcoming changes in the socio-cultural firmament and linguistic patterns. In order to positively influence the academic success and learning processes of English second language learners, they must be educated, skilled in various areas of language coaching, as well as aware of the sociopolitical issues surrounding them and their own personal sociocultural consciousness (Greenfield, 2013). However, it is now strongly advised that more focus be given to cultural material besides other forms of diversity, cultural diversity is a crucial aspect of the acquisition process (Abu-Alyan, 2011). This essay focuses on how variation and its challenges are evident in the speech, learners’ level, cultural, and educational institutions themselves in ESL learning nations. Diversity does not exist without challenges. It resulted in the issues of modification, verbal placement, agreement, and pronoun placement for which teachers can play a good role to use multiple strategies to overcome these errors of ESL learners in Pakistan