Evaluation of English language teaching undergraduate programs in terms of document analysis

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate English Language Teaching (ELT) Undergraduate Programs in Turkey. In the scope of the evaluation study, the English Language Teaching Undergraduate programs of six universities-three state, three private-in Istanbul are selected via convenient sampling method. The qualitative study is based on document analysis through which the data is collected, sorted out and analyzed in five main categories. All the available documents are analyzed in five main components of the program which are the students, the lecturers, the courses, the practicum, and the educational opportunities. All the available documents are collected from the open-access web-cites of the programs and the administrative offices and lecturers in the departments. The strengths and the weaknesses of each program are determined and comparatively analyzed in terms of state and private universities. According to the findings obtained from comparative document analysis, the perception levels of the students and the professional and constitutional experience of academicians are determined to be the strengths of state university ELT programs whereas the number of students, enrolled in the programs, the contribution of the academicians to the field of educational research, the teaching practice courses, the practicum, and the seminars, conferences and events as educational opportunities are the strengths of private university ELT programs. Evaluating the current state of the ELT Undergraduate Programs in terms of the strengths and weaknesses, the present study hopefully contributes to program development in the field of EFL teacher education. © 2016 IJCI & the Authors. Published by International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction (IJCI). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Keywords: EFL teacher education, program evaluation, document analysi

Perception of ‘English’ and Motivation in Learning English

This study aims to present high school students’ perception of “English” through the impressions and images and the effect of these perceptions on their motivation in learning English. This qualitative study is based on the data about students’ metaphors and the focus group interview to determine their effect on the students’ motivation. The research group for metaphors consists of 128 high school students from four different grades. 79 metaphors were collected and grouped under 12 categories. In addition, two different focus group interviews are held with 7 students having negative and positive perspectives to determine the effect of these perceptions on students’ motivation in learning English. According to the analysis of the data from focus group interviews, students mostly perceive “English” as a target language to learn rather than a foreign language, spoken by a definite society or belonging to a culture. The results of metaphor study also indicate that the students regarding “English” positively tend to have a higher participation and motivation in comparison to the students having negative perceptions

A panchromatic boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel distyryl-substituted boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) dye displays interesting properties as a sensitizer in DSSC systems, opening the way to further exploration of structure-efficiency correlation within this class of dyes

Does the hyper IgM phenotype affect prognosis in ataxia telangiectasia?

Objective: To evaluate the characteristics of the patients who were followed-up with the diagnosis of ataxia telangiectasia (AT) and to assess the relationship between the hyper IgM (HIGM) phenotype and their prognosis. Materials and Methods: From 2007 to 2019, the study included 68 patients aged 3-35 years who were followed-up with the diagnosis of AT. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and immunological characteristics and follow-up results. Results: There were 36 girls and 32 boys with a median follow-up of 10 years (1-12 years). The most common complaints upon admission were unsteady walk in 87%, infection in 6%, presence of a family history in 6%, and intracranial mass in 1%. The marriage was consanguineous in 85% of the parents. Ataxia was seen in 100% of the patients, telangiectasia in 97%, and immune deficiency in 88%. Bronchiectasis was observed in 23.5% of the patients, chronic diarrhea in 19%, lymphoproliferation in 15%, malignancy in 10%, autoimmunity in 10%, liver failure in 6%, and granulomatous skin lesions in 6%. Thirteen patients (19%) died during follow-up. The HIGM phenotype was identified in 31% of the patients. Recurrent upper and lower respiratory tract infections (p=0.004 and p<0.0001, respectively), liver failure (p=0.005), and autoimmune diseases (p=0.023) were significantly higher in the HIGM (+) group than the HIGM (-) group. Life expectancy was shorter in the HIGM (+) group with 14 ± 0.73 years (CI 95% 12.55-15.44) compared to the HIGM (-) group with 18 ± 1.64 years (CI 95% 14.77-21.22) (p=0.054). Conclusion: During the early childhood period and before the characteristic findings of AT develop, the patients might present at a hospital with infections, autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation, or malignancy. Physical examination, high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and immunological testing provide important data for the correct diagnosis. The HIGM phenotype aggravates the clinical course of the disease resulting in fatalities at an earlier age and at a higher rate

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background: Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with diferences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confrm this fnding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods: Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results: This analysis confrmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical signifcance. There was a signifcant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefcients were signifcant at p<0.01. Conclusion: A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed. Keywords: Bipolar disorder, Suicide, Sunlight, Solar insolation, Psychiatry, Circadian, Seasonal variatio

Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about &gt; 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.</p

Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about &gt; 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.</p

Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about &gt; 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.</p

Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about &gt; 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.</p