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Allelopathic Actions of Laurus nobilis on Seed Germination and Growth of Some Crop and Weed Species
Get PDFAllelopathy is a biochemical process that plants excrete several types of substances which have allelopathic effects on seed germination and seedling growth of other plants. This experiment was conducted to examine allelopathic effects of bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) aqueous shoot extract on seed germination and seedling growth of rapeseed (Brassica napus), wheat (Triticum aestivum), mung bean (Vigna radiata) and corn (Zea mays). The study was performed in sanitized petri dishes for seven days at 22C0. The experimental design was arranged for completely randomized design (CRD). In terms of concentrations, (0%, 2.5, 5%, 7.5% and 10%) were chosen for this experiment. The results showed that big concentrations (7.5% and 10%) aqueous shoot extracts of Laurus nobilis had significant inhibitory effect on seed germination while the least concentration (%2.5) caused the lowest significant influence in seed germination parameter. Other study parameters such as shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight were significantly affected at concentrations (7.5 and 10%). The results illustrated that the two dicots, B. napus and V. radiata turned out to be the most sensitive studied plants to the application of B. nobilis aqueous shoot extracts. The findings of this experiment suggest that common bay laurel can be recommended to use as an alternative herbicide in the future
The Effects of Movie-Enriched Extensive Reading on TOEFL IBT Vocabulary Expansion and TOEFL IBT Speaking Section Score
Get PDFA wealth of research has been conducted to compare extensive and intensive reading thanks to their increasing popularity in educational settings globally. However, only a limited number of studies have been conducted to measure the effects of movie-enriched extensive reading activities. To this aim, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of movie enriched extensive reading on freshman students` TOEFL IBT vocabulary expansion and TOEFL IBT speaking section scores. In this regard, 40 students studying at an international private university in Erbil, Iraq was divided into two groups using a stratified random sampling method. Control group students (N=20) read and analyzed six graded readers by employing intensive reading, whereas experimental group students (N=20) actively participated in reading prominent novels and watching movie versions of them. A mixed methods design was employed to gather qualitative and quantitative data, respectively, so they were utilized to make better interpretations. Quantitative data were collected through 2 vocabulary and speaking exams related to TOEFL IBT as pre-test and post-test. Additionally, qualitative data were collected through interviews. Results of the independent samples t-test revealed that experimental group students` speaking and vocabulary scores increased significantly, whereas they were not significant enough in the control group. Moreover, students` attitudes towards reading novels and watching movies changed positively based on the interview transcripts. In light of the findings, this study may have some implications for researchers, educators, and authorities seeking opportunities to integrate extensive reading into the curriculum
Buckling and shape control of prestressable trusses using optimum number of actuators
Get PDFThis paper describes a method to control the nodal displacement of prestressable truss structures within the desired domains. At the same time, the stress in all members is unleashed to take any value between the allowable tensile stress and critical buckling stress. The shape and stresses are controlled by actuating the most active members. The technique considers the members’ initial crookedness, residual stresses, and slenderness ratio (S). Furthermore, the method is premeditated so that the members with an S between 200 and 300 can carry only tension before and after adjustment (i.e., the maximum compressive stress for the members with an S between 200 and 300 is zero). In addition, the derived equations are coupled with an optimization function that relies on five optimization algorithms (interior-point, trust-region-reflective, Sequential quadratic programming (SQP), SQP-legacy, and active-set). The algorithms identify and then exclude inactive actuators in the subsequent iterations. The technique is applied to several examples, and its results are compared with a quoted method in the literature
Integrating mobile assisted language learning (MALL) into EFL classes at a tertiary level
Get PDFMobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) practices have gained increasing popularity thanks to the advancements in mobile technologies. Accordingly, a growing number of initiatives have been taken to integrate it into language learning process. However, a gap in the literature has been observed to measure the effects of MALL on students’ writing competence at a tertiary level in Iraq. To this aim, it was sought to pinpoint the influence of MALL on 60 Language Preparatory School students’ writing competence at TISHK International University by employing snowball sampling technique within 12 weeks in 2021-2022 Academic Year. The study was conducted in an Academic Writing course that required the students to write an essay weekly. The data were collected via exams, a questionnaire, an interview and a survey which were analyzed either by SPSS 23. or MAXQDA software applications in this mixed methods design study. Control group students received a traditional instruction, while experimental group students were trained based on the procedure of MALL. The findings unearthed that MALL practices increased students’ marks dramatically, boosted students’ motivation and increased students’ overall attitudes towards learning English. The findings of this study can have some implications for the educators who consider the implementation of MALL practices at educational institutions
Regulatory NK cells in autoimmune disease
Get PDFNK cells are defined as the major components of the immunological network which exerts defense against tumors and viral infections as well as regulation of innate and adaptive immunity, shaped through interaction with other cells like T cells. According to the surface markers, NK cells can be divided into CD56dim NK and CD56bright NK subsets. CD56bright NK cells usually are known as regulatory NK cells. Once the immune system loses its self-tolerance, autoimmune diseases develop. NK cells and their subsets can be altered during autoimmune diseases, indicative of their prominent regulatory roles and even pathological and protective functions in autoimmune disorders. In this regard, activation of CD56bright NK cells can suppress activated autologous CD4+ T cells and subsequently prevent the initiation of autoimmunity. In this review article, we summarize the roles of regulatory NK cells in autoimmune disease occurrence which needs more research to uncover their exact related mechanism. It seems that targeting NK cells can be a promising therapeutic platform against autoimmune diseases
Integration of web 2.0 tools in EFL classes: Barriers and solutions
Get PDFTechnology is in the center of all disciplines including education thanks to the rapid development of information and communication technologies. Accordingly, the influence of Web 2.0 tools has increased exponentially in education. However, a gap in literature has been observed to define the barriers and get sensible resolutions from the educators as a career saving endeavor. In this regard, this study was carried out to highlight the barriers to the integration of Web 2.0 tools in EFL classes and provide rational solutions. Thirty English teachers who have been working actively at different educational institutions abroad were chosen via convenience sampling method in this qualitative study. The participants were the members of a knowledge sharing page on Facebook for English teachers. The data were collected within 6 weeks via a comprehensive questionnaire and interview which were analyzed by Microsoft Excel and NVivo. The collected data revealed that teachers encountered problems related to lack of time, competence, infrastructure and support. They expressed that reserving a certain amount of time for training, receiving the support of the parents, administrators and colleagues, assigning mentors for novice teachers and teaching how to use time in the activities wisely can be of greatest importance to remove these barriers completely
Piperine: A Mini Review on its Pharmacological Profile and Synthetic Derivatives
Get PDFPiperine, known for its vast biological profile, is obtained from black pepper (Piper nigrum, Family: Piperaceae) which is one of the most commonly used spice in major parts of the world and is known for its pungent taste. Piperine is also found to act as an important bioenhancer by increasing the bioavailability of drug molecules and reducing their dosing frequency and dosage. This review article aims at providing various biological activities exhibited by piperine and its numerous synthetic derivatives in order to get some potential lead molecule for future drug discovery
Parkinson’s Disease Detection by Processing Different ANN Architecture Using Vocal Dataset
Get PDFParkinson’s Disease (PD) is a long-standing neurodegenerative condition of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system and origins full or partial damage in behavior, speech, motor reflexes, mental processing, and other energetic functions. Doctors use different types of datasets such as speech, movement and images from the people to diagnose the disease. In this paper, the speech dataset is collected from people with and without PD to detect the disease. The voice recording samples are analyzed and the feature vectors are extracted from the voice samples. A supervised ANN Multi-Layer Perceptron with a backpropagation algorithm is presented to accurately diagnose and distinguish between healthy and PD individuals. Different Architecture with diverse neuron numbers in the hidden layers are tested to utilize the model and the result of each architecture is compared to select the best ANN architecture for PD recognition. So far, our model score is the highest which is 93% for the testing dataset
The Opinions of The TOEFL Test-Takers About Writing Tasks: A Case Study in Tishk International University Continuing Education Center
Get PDFTOEFL test was developed by Educational Testing Services (ETS) for academic purposes, and the non-native speakers of English were targeted. They can apply to many universities in the world with the scores they get from this exam. It consists of four sections: reading, listening, speaking, writing. As being one of the two productive skills, writing has some challenging dimensions in this test. Even though people may have improved their English to advanced levels, they still need extra studies and help in writing in this test. There are some difficulties of learning to write academically in this test, and the test-takers complain about some points. This study was conducted to draw attention to the points from which the test-takers suffer. 10 participants answered the questionnaire, and 3 of them were interviewed. These people participated in TOEFL courses of 50 hours during 6 weeks in Tishk International University
Flashbacks of Present English Mentors on Their Previous Mentoring Program Experiences
Get PDFMentoring programs have received increasing attention in educational institutions since their contributions were acknowledged. Mentoring programs have been employed to pass on knowledge from mentors to mentees with a well-developed annual plan. These programs are prevalent in many different fields apart from education. There are numerous studies to measure the effects of mentoring on mentees. However, a gap in literature has been noticed to get the perceptions of present mentors who used to complete their mentoring programs as mentees. In this regard, 40 current mentors who are responsible for training teacher candidates in 15 countries used the flashback technique to illustrate their previous experiences as mentees. In this qualitative study, the data were collected through a questionnaire and an interview within 8 weeks. The former was conducted via Quizizz application, while the latter was carried out via Microsoft Teams virtual meetings. Both platforms were chosen for their convenience. The findings revealed that present mentors had mostly positive views on the programs. However, they stated that further efforts are required on shared responsibilities, the tone of criticism and reserving time to socialize. The findings of the study can have some implications for future mentoring programs around the world