93 research outputs found
Southern Thailand: from conflict to negotiations?
No full textSummary: In this Analysis, University of Leeds professor Duncan McCargo argues that the recent Malaysian-backed Southern Thai peace initiative has now run into some serious problems. He argues that despite its various shortcomings the initiative is still worthy of support, since it has gained far more traction that any previous attempts to address the decade-long insurgency. Thailand needs to maintain focus on the southern conflict despite its current preoccupation with a national-level political crisis that threatens to topple the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
Key findings
The conflict in Southern Thailand is one of Asia’s most serious insurgencies, with over 6,000 dead over the last 10 years.
The Malaysian government sponsored negotiations represents the best hope for reaching a political settlement and bringing peace to the region.
However, both sides need to show greater commitment to the negotiations, introducing new structures and procedures
From-omics to personalized medicine in nephrology: Integration is the key
No full textLarge-scale gene, protein and metabolite measurements ('omics') have driven the resolution of biology to an unprecedented high definition. Passing from reductionism to a system-oriented perspective, medical research will take advantage of these high-throughput technologies unveiling their full potential. Integration is the key to decoding the underlying principles that govern the complex functions of living systems. Extensive computational support and statistical modelling is needed to manage and connect the-omic data sets but this, in turn, is speeding up the hypothesis generation in biology enormously and yielding a deep insight into the pathophysiology. This systems biology approach will transform diagnostic and therapeutic strategies with the discovery of novel biomarkers that will enable a predictive and preventive medicine leading to personalized medicine. © 2013 The Author
A longitudinal investigation of Pakistani university students' motivation for learning English
No full textThis study was designed to investigate what factors influence the motivation of engineering university students in province Sindh of Pakistan to learn English. In particular the study attempted to examine the shifting role of integrative motivation in Pakistan by looking at motivational change in these students over the period from the start to the end of the English language course at the university.
To investigate these factors, I adopted a longitudinal quantitative and qualitative approach. The data were collected from the whole cohort of students who enrolled to take the English language course at university (N=541). They completed questionnaires at two points (1) at the start of the English language course and (2) at the end of the English language course. In order to have further illustrative insights some students (N=15) were interviewed at the beginning and at the end of the English language course. The questionnaires and interview tools used in this study attempted to measure students’ responses on 7 motivational factors (1) Instrumental Motivation (2) Integrative Motivation (3) Parental Encouragement (4) English course specific motivational components (5) English Teacher specific motivational components (6) English class and use anxiety and (7) Identity and English learning. The background questions explored students’ views on English learning experiences before coming to the university and students’ perceptions of their English learning at university after English language course.
The results indicate that of the multiple factors that motivate students to learn English, the first among them is integrative motivation to become part of Pakistani community and the Engineering community whose members speak English. The instrumental motivation is for passing exams, raising status in society or to be successful engineer. The perceptions show that parents, grandparents and English teachers play a vital role in this process. The longitudinal nature of the study allowed a picture of motivation that changes with the passage of time to emerge. At the beginning of English language course the students were not confident about their English from their past experience, but were nonetheless motivated to learn English. The students’ attitude to the University English course is positive because they find the tasks in it relevant and interesting. At the end of the English language course the students felt that their confidence had increased and their anxiety had decreased. The background data show that the students come from a range of backgrounds including public and private English and vernacular medium schools and urban and rural areas of Sindh and because of this they have different learning experiences and levels of success with English. At the end of the course, all of them felt positive about learning English in order to become part of the professional community of Engineers, both in Pakistan and internationally.
This suggests that the English language course at University has an equalizing effect and the students’ confidence in the English course and positive expectation to achieve their task of learning English raised their awareness of the progress they were making in learning English
The Social Media and English Language
No full textOMG! LOL! TTYL! ROFL! are the commonly used words in mainstream lately which only proves the astounding popularity of social media these days. There is no doubt in saying that social media has caused a huge effect on English language with words like “Tweet” and “Selfie” making its way down in to English dictionary, it is evident that social media has made quite an impact on English language. Social networks are impulsive and drive us to write faster and with the limit such that of Twitter the limited characters barricade force us to write short which in result lead many in using incorrect abbreviated words and poor grammar. The focus being more on transferring the content, than the container. But on the other hand, it urges a common user to express his/her thoughts in front of a wide and diverse audience. So, there remains a need to further investigate the effects of social media on English language whether it has more positive effects or negative. Keywords: social media, English language, technology, poor grammar, future of Englis
Expansion of anti-AFP Th1 and Tc1 responses in hepatocellular carcinoma occur in different stages of disease
No full textCopyright @ 2010 Cancer Research UK. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/.Background: α-Fetoprotein (AFP) is a tumour-associated antigen in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is a target for immunotherapy. However, there is little information on the pattern of CD4 (Th1) and CD8 (Tc1) T-cell response to AFP in patients with HCC and their association with the clinical characteristics of patients.
Methods: We therefore analysed CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses to a panel of AFP-derived peptides in a total of 31 HCC patients and 14 controls, using an intracellular cytokine assay for IFN-γ.
Results: Anti-AFP Tc1 responses were detected in 28.5% of controls, as well as in 25% of HCC patients with Okuda I (early tumour stage) and in 31.6% of HCC patients with stage II or III (late tumour stages). An anti-AFP Th1 response was detected only in HCC patients (58.3% with Okuda stage I tumours and 15.8% with Okuda stage II or III tumours). Anti-AFP Th1 response was mainly detected in HCC patients who had normal or mildly elevated serum AFP concentrations (P=0.00188), whereas there was no significant difference between serum AFP concentrations in these patients and the presence of an anti-AFP Tc1 response. A Th1 response was detected in 44% of HCC patients with a Child–Pugh A score (early stage of cirrhosis), whereas this was detected in only 15% with a B or C score (late-stage cirrhosis). In contrast, a Tc1 response was detected in 17% of HCC patients with a Child–Pugh A score and in 46% with a B or C score.
Conclusion: These results suggest that anti-AFP Th1 responses are more likely to be present in patients who are in an early stage of disease (for both tumour stage and liver cirrhosis), whereas anti-AFP Tc1 responses are more likely to be present in patients with late-stage liver cirrhosis. Therefore, these data provide valuable information for the design of vaccination strategies against HCC.Association for International Cancer Research and Polkemmet Fund, London
Clinic
To teach is to get nervous: Teacher anxiety as a multifaceted occurrence in pedagogical practices
No full textAnxiety is a multifaceted phenomenon that necessitates a systematic approach to its examination by delving deeper into the experiences of those who encounter it. The study used a mixed method design to address teacher anxiety by employing questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations based on Horwitz’s (1996) Foreign Language Teacher Anxiety Scale (FLTAS). First, the questionnaire was used to collect data. Second, interviews were conducted. Third, the observation phase took place. The study participants were 240 English language teachers (110 female and 130 male) with 2 to 5 years of experience at the tertiary level. Quantitative results indicate a great degree of teacher anxiety. Male teachers, on average, report a higher anxiety level than female counterparts on the FLTAS. As 0.000975 is lower than 0.05, the p-value indicates that there is a statistically significant difference in mean scores between female and male teachers’ anxiety. Interviews revealed that English teachers experienced anxiety for various reasons, including unprepared lessons and a lack of language proficiency, fear of negative evaluation, a sense of unpreparedness for class, anxiety about making mistakes, the challenges faced by language teachers in managing the classroom, and uncertainty about language skills. An analysis of classroom observations from 10 classes yielded that most teachers harboured apprehension about being observed, struggled to manage a large number of students in their English classes, ranging from 150 to 250 students, spoke at a rapid pace, and frequently employed the technique of avoiding student inquiries during the teaching process. The current research concludes with future recommendations to minimise teacher anxiety in teaching practices by engaging them in pre and post-professional training
Investigating Effects of Online Learning Management Tools on English Language Learning Among Undergraduate Students During COVID-19, at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shaheed Benazir Abad
No full textThe aim of this study is to investigate an ‘effects of Online Learning Management Tools on English Language learning among undergraduate students at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University. This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of teachers and the effects of online LMS on English language learners about online learning management tools. A mix-method and explanatory design was selected to achieve the objective of this study. This study applied mix method approach to collect data. The data was gathered in a descriptive form with respect to the scope and nature of the issue. The quantitative data used Qualtrics, and then the data was analyzed with SPSS statistical software package. In a qualitative phase, the semi-structured interviews were conducted from the participants through google meet application and data was analyzed through thematic analysis. This study concludes that, an idea of LMS is important in these day which actually reduces the distance communication problem among the specific participants. Different contents can be added such as video, audio, text documents and special types of class announcement. There are certain technical as well as student’s personal reasons that create gap in online learning; such as network problems which most often disconnect the teachers and students to completely convey and understand the lecture. Keywords: Online learning, management system, google classroom, English language learning, Covid-19. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-31-11 Publication date: November 30th 202
Investigating Challenges Faced by English Language Teachers in Implementing Outcome Based Education (OBE) system in Engineering Universities of Sindh
No full textOutcome Based Education (OBE) is learner-centered system which ensures learners learning at each stage to enable learners know what is expected to learn at the end of course. Pakistan is full signatory member of Washington Accord, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has implemented OBE system in its member institutions to promote quality and meet worldwide standards of professional engineers. In this regards, this present study aims to investigate the challenges faced by English language teachers in implementing OBE model in English language courses in engineering universities of Sindh. Following qualitative approach to meet the objectives of the study 16 documents containing 80 statements were analyzed following semi-structured interviews from same 16 English language teachers from whom the documents were collected. The teachers’ understanding was examined through provided documents which showed insufficient understanding to implement OBE. The challenges of teachers were recorded through semi-structured interviews highlighting challenges to adopt OBE including assessment, evaluation, pedagogical, lack of OBE training and lack of administrative support. This study can be helpful to cope with problems faced by English language teachers who are teaching English language courses in engineering universities on implementing OBE system
Exploring Cultural Layers: Code-Mixing in Bepsi Sidhwa’s “Ice-Candy-Man”
No full textThis study delves into the nature and significance of underlying causes of code mixing in Bepsi Sidhwa’s novel “Ice-Candy-Man”. It reveals a notable prevalence of code mixing in English novel, rather than diminishing native dialects, the author highlights importance of non-native variety of Englishes i.e., Pakistani English. It acknowledges instances where English language may inadequately serve communication needs of the local population. It also involves in mixing of translations into other native languages, serving to supplement vocabulary gaps for conveying ideological concepts not easily expressed in English. Importantly, such borrowings are not intended to denigrate code-mixed English but rather to highlight its role in enriching expression. The objectives of this study are to identify and categorize various types of code-mixing utilized in Sidhwa’s “Ice-Candy-Man” and ascertain frequency and context of each category of code-mixing words employed within the narrative to represent cultural and social values. It focuses on the conceptual frameworks established by Kachru (1983) and Modiano’s model of English (1999). Speech Act Theory Austin (1963) has been used as fundamental theoretical framework. A total number of codemixing words is 461, that is 3,8 % of the total amount of words in the novel. They were identified by thematic affiliation, scope of use, and by structural and grammatical characteristics. Each group was assessed in terms of frequency. Mixing words are identified in different categories, including anthroponymes and toponymes; possessive and addressive words, religious and routine words, clothing and food names, verbs and phrases, expressive interjections and invectives, they are used in performative, locutionary, assertive and expressive acts. It concludes that the incorporation of local words serves to emphasize the value of native languages and prompts considerations about the status of English as a lingua franca
Investigating the Perceptions of Pakistani English Language Learners on Language Learning Anxiety in EFL Classroom
No full textThis quantitative study aims to investigate the perceptions of English Language Learners on Language learning Anxiety in EFL classroom. Participants of the study were 145 Intermediate level students of different public colleges of Hyderabad, Sindh who are learning English as a foreign language. The data was collected through the modified form of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz et al., (1986). Findings of this study reveal the causes of foreign language anxiety from the learners’ perceptions such as communication apprehension was identified as the main cause of anxiety followed by the learners’ self-perceived proficiency, fear of being negatively evaluated and nervousness as other sources of anxiety. However, their motivational intensity is higher to learn English. Based on the findings of the study, many of the suggestions are recommended for language teacher however it is also considered that language anxiety is a multi-faceted and complicated in nature which needs further exploration.Keywords: Perceptions, Pakistani language learners, EFL classroo
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