Enseñanza del lenguaje a través de la literatura: un estudio basado en ELT

The present study aims to: firstly, highlight the effectiveness of using literature in ELT classes in an interesting and innovative manner in Pakistan; secondly, to help language teachers develop a thoughtful and principled approach to using literature in the language classroom; thirdly, to provide teachers with the tools for developing their own classroom materials and for using these materials in a way that is relevant to their learners’ needs. This paper explores the text of ‘Good Bye Mr. Chips’, a famous novel by James Hilton (1934) for teaching at the Intermediate level. For the analysis of data, insights are taken from the works of Dubin & Olshtain (1977), Collie & Slater (1987) and Robinette. B. W (1978). It was found that activities like role plays and a lot of pair work and group work not only caused reduction in anxiety level of students but also increased their level of interest and enthusiasm. It also concluded that for facilitating language teaching and learning, the formation of a variety of activities based on learners’ needs from carefully and properly selected texts is unavoidable. Future researchers can exploit similar literary texts following the same frameworks for language teaching purposes.El presente estudio tiene como objetivo: en primer lugar, destacar la eficacia del uso de la literatura en las clases de ELT de una manera interesante e innovadora en Pakistán; en segundo lugar, ayudar a los profesores de idiomas a desarrollar un enfoque reflexivo y basado en principios para utilizar la literatura en el aula de idiomas; tercero, proporcionar a los maestros las herramientas para desarrollar sus propios materiales de clase y para usar estos materiales de una manera que sea relevante para las necesidades de sus alumnos. Este artículo explora el texto de “Good Bye Mr. Chips”, una famosa novela de James Hilton (1934) para la enseñanza a nivel intermedio. Para el análisis de los datos, se toman ideas de los trabajos de Dubin y Olshtain (1977), Collie y Slater (1987) y Robinette. B. W (1978). Se descubrió que actividades como juegos de roles y mucho trabajo en pareja y en grupo no solo redujeron el nivel de ansiedad de los estudiantes sino que también aumentaron su nivel de interés y entusiasmo. También concluyó que para facilitar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de idiomas, es inevitable la formación de una variedad de actividades basadas en las necesidades de los alumnos a partir de textos cuidadosamente seleccionados. Los futuros investigadores pueden explotar textos literarios similares siguiendo los mismos marcos para la enseñanza de idiomas

Effectiveness of 17-Alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone in the Prevention of Preterm Labour

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of 17-Alpha- Hydroxyprogesterone in preventing preterm labour. Study Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Combined Military Hospital, Sakardu Pakistan, from Jun to Dec 2019. Methodology: A total of 208 patients (104 in each group) were recruited in this study. Group-A 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (250mg) intramuscular injection was given weekly from 20-36 weeks of gestation or delivery, whichever occurred first. GroupB (Control Group) received no treatment except routine antenatal care but was treated actively with tocolytic drugs and corticosteroids if they presented with preterm labour. Results: Mean age of the patients was 26.1±4.9 and 25.7±4.5 in Group-A and B, respectively. In Group-A (17-alphahydroxyprogesterone), the mean gestational age at delivery was 36.8±3.8; in Group-B (control), the mean gestational age was 35.7±1.3. Treatment was efficacious in 82 patients (78.8%) in Group-A and 65(62.5%) in Group-B. The difference was statistically significant between the two groups (p=0.009). Conclusion: 17 Alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone caproate preventive therapy likely plays an important role in reducing the risk of recurrent preterm birth

MWCNT/Silica aerogel: Preparation, characterization and applications in heterogeneous catalysis and decolorization of aqueous dye solutions

2.3 x 10-3 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotube incorporated silica aerogel (MWCNT/Silica aerogel) was synthesized by ambient pressure drying. The as-synthesized MWCNT reinforced silica aerogel was characterized by XRD, SEM, N2-adsorption– desorption, etc. The MWCNT/Silica aerogel catalyzed a multicomponent reaction for synthesizing medicinally important benzylpyrazolyl coumarin derivative. And, in another application, the efficient decolorization of Eriochrome Black T and Methylene Blue from their respective aqueous solutions over MWCNT/Silica aerogel was also investigated using UV spectrophotometer. A comparison has also been made with decolorizing activities of silica gel and activated charcoal

3D-QSPR Method of Computational Technique Applied on Red Reactive Dyes by Using CoMFA Strategy

Cellulose fiber is a tremendous natural resource that has broad application in various productions including the textile industry. The dyes, which are commonly used for cellulose printing, are “reactive dyes” because of their high wet fastness and brilliant colors. The interaction of various dyes with the cellulose fiber depends upon the physiochemical properties that are governed by specific features of the dye molecule. The binding pattern of the reactive dye with cellulose fiber is called the ligand-receptor concept. In the current study, the three dimensional quantitative structure property relationship (3D-QSPR) technique was applied to understand the red reactive dyes interactions with the cellulose by the Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) method. This method was successfully utilized to predict a reliable model. The predicted model gives satisfactory statistical results and in the light of these, it was further analyzed. Additionally, the graphical outcomes (contour maps) help us to understand the modification pattern and to correlate the structural changes with respect to the absorptivity. Furthermore, the final selected model has potential to assist in understanding the charachteristics of the external test set. The study could be helpful to design new reactive dyes with better affinity and selectivity for the cellulose fiber

Carbapenem Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacteriaceae, and Acinetobacter baumannii , Prevalence, Biochemical Identification and Clinical Characteristics in Karachi, Pakistan

Antibiotic resistant pathogens are affecting the community and healthcare institutions all over the world. Pakistan is a developing country and resistance to drugs is the main issue and is of great importance. Current study is focused on isolation and identification of bacterial pathogens, i.e. member of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii for the evaluation of prevalence, distribution of sensitivity and antibiogram of different antibiotics and carbapenem resistance isolates with phenotypic detection of resistant gene. Total 200 samples of different sources were collected and tested for bacterial pathogens. Out of 200 samples, 83 (41.5%) were found positive for different bacterial pathogens while 117 (58.5%) were negative. Among these 83 positive samples, Urine 43 (51.8%), Pus 22 (26.5%), Blood 8 (9.8%), Tissue 3 (3.6%), wound swab 2 (2.4%), Sputum 3 (3.6%) and HVS 2 (2.4%). E. coli 37 (44.6%), Klebsiella species 23 (27.7%), Proteus vulgaris 8 (9.6%), Ps. aeruginosa 4 (4.8%), Acinetobacter baumannii 4 (4.8%), C. freundii 2 (2.4%), S. typhi 2 (2.4%), P. mirabilis 1 (1.2%), M. morganii 1 (1.2%) and member of Enterobacteriaceae 1 (1.2%) were identified. Out of 83 (41.5%) positive samples there are 17 samples which showed resistance against Imipenem (IPM) and were further processed by phenotypic method Modified Hodge Test MHT. After Modified Hoge Test (MHT) among all these 17 samples there were only 07 (39%) positive and the remaining 11 (61%) were negative, its mean there was no gene involve in 11 samples

Cushing syndrome in children: Pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

A rare condition called Cushing disease causes increased morbidity or mortality. Therapeutic methods such as anti-cortisol medications, bilateral adrenalectomy, or radiation procedures may therefore be required to prevent long-term dangers of hypercortisolism, such as hirsutism, moon face, facial plethora, and obesity. Endogenous hypercortisolism increases the risk of cardiovascular metabolic symptoms, osteoporosis, respiratory diseases, psychological difficulties, and infections while also having a high rate of morbidity or mortality. Significant fetal and mental complications during pregnancy are linked to Cushing syndrome. Early detection and treatment are essential. Except in the late trimester, surgery is the preferred method of treatment for Cushing syndrome during pregnancy, with medication therapy as a backup. Cushing syndrome is an endocrine illness that presents differently from other endocrine disorders, making it difficult for doctors to control

Exploration of phenolic acid derivatives as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and receptor binding domain: potential candidates for anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapy

Severe acute respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological virus of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) which has been a public health concern due to its high morbidity and high mortality. Hence, the search for drugs that incapacitate the virus via inhibition of vital proteins in its life cycle is ongoing due to the paucity of drugs in clinical use against the virus. Consequently, this study was aimed at evaluating the potentials of natural phenolics against the Main protease (Mpro) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) using molecular modeling techniques including molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. To this end, thirty-five naturally occurring phenolics were identified and subjected to molecular docking simulation against the proteins. The results showed the compounds including rosmarinic acid, cynarine, and chlorogenic acid among many others possessed high binding affinities for both proteins as evident from their docking scores, with some possessing lower docking scores compared to the standard compound (Remdesivir). Further subjection of the hit compounds to drug-likeness, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity profiling revealed chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, and chicoric acid as the compounds with desirable profiles and toxicity properties, while the study of their electronic properties via density functional theory calculations revealed rosmarinic acid as the most reactive and least stable among the sets of lead compounds that were identified in the study. Molecular dynamics simulation of the complexes formed after docking revealed the stability of the complexes. Ultimately, further experimental procedures are needed to validate the findings of this study

IMPACT OF AQUATIC MACROPHYTES ON CRUSTACEAN ZOOPLANKTON POPULATION IN A VEGETATED POND AT ALIGARH, INDIA

.Of five aquatic macrophytes recorded, water hycinth Ecchorina crassipes (43.09 %) was the most dominant species followed by Typha angustata (26.02 %).The highest total number of crustacean zooplankton was recorded during June (247 No./L) while the highest macrophytes abundance was recorded during July (48 No/m 2 ). Among three crustacean groups recorded, Cladocera constituted the highest percentage (54 %) and the highest number of specie

FACTORS AFFECTING UTILIZATION OF ANTENATAL CARE AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING PRIVATE SECTOR OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT

This study aimed to evaluate the factors influencing women to avail antenatal care among women attending outpatient department (OPD), of private sector hospitals in Hyderabad. This was an interview-based survey conducted during a period of six months (from1stJuly 2019 to 31st December 2019) at OPD of private sector Hospital in Hyderabad. All the pregnant women and their female companions attending the antenatal OPD were included. Those women who regretted being part of the study were excluded. Participants of the study were interviewed regarding the knowledge and factors affecting utilization of antenatal care among women attending OPD as defined in a pre-set questionnaire. All the data was recorded in self-made proforma and analyzed by using SPSS version 20. A total of 500 pregnant women were interviewed regarding awareness of antenatal care. The study participants were grouped according to their age, 3% were 15-20 years of age, 30.9% were 21-30 years of age, 34.5% were 31-40 years of age and 31.5% were more than 41 years of age. Out of those who did not avail antenatal care, 8.5% were not allowed due to family restrictions, 47.3% reported ignorance, 9.7% lived far away from the facility, 24.2% could not afford it and 10.3% had other reasons of not availing antenatal care. The study concluded that the main reason for not utilizing antenatal care was ignorance by the women as well as their family members; affordability was also an important factors in a considerable number of participants