Hasil untuk "English literature"

Zulfikar Ali Ansari, K. Kiran Kumar, Shahin Fatima et al.

Abstract Accurate and interpretable disease prediction is one of the major challenges faced in healthcare, especially for breast, heart, and lung cancers. This study proposes a highly structured, leakage-safe benchmarking framework for comparing conventional tabular Machine Learning (ML) models for multi-disease prediction, which is not a new ML model. Six conventional ML models, namely support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), XGBoost, decision tree (DT), and k-nearest neighbors (KNN), were evaluated using nested cross-validation for proper model selection and performance on three benchmarking datasets. To improve the interpretability of the models, the authors incorporated Explainable AI (XAI) techniques, namely local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME) for better instance-level interpretability and permutation feature importance (PFI) for better global interpretability. The results indicate high discriminative ability of the models, with random forest and XGBoost models achieving the best classification accuracy. SVM and logistic regression models also achieved the best results for ROC-AUC metric under outer-fold validation. The novelty of the paper is not the architecture of the ML models but the fact that the authors propose a highly structured, leakage-safe preprocessing pipeline, nested validation, statistically sound multi-model comparisons, and robust local–global interpretability aggregation, all of which are incorporated into a single benchmarking template.

Kathryn Fortnum, George Thomas, Kiara Too et al.

Abstract Background Rates of type 2 diabetes in children and young people are rising worldwide; however, the role of lifestyle factors in the management of type 2 diabetes are less clear for this age group. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine associations between lifestyle factors (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, diet/nutrition), and effects of lifestyle modification interventions, on (1) primary type 2 diabetes indicators (i.e., HbA1c) and (2) secondary (i.e., insulin-related variables; anthropometry; cholesterol; triglycerides; cardiac, liver and kidney health/function; blood pressure; mental health and quality of life; fitness and strength) indicators in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes. Methods Seven databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus) were searched from inception to February 2025 for primary peer-reviewed articles, written in English. Articles must have evaluated one-or-more lifestyle factors and primary or secondary diabetes indicators in children and adolescents (< 18 years) with type 2 diabetes. Both observational and experimental studies were included. Study quality was assessed using the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Data synthesis was guided by the Cochrane Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines. Results Twenty six articles were eligible (63% were conducted in the USA); 15 experimental, targeting combined diet and physical activity (n = 9, duration 16wks-12mo), physical activity alone (n = 3, duration 12-16wks), and diet alone (n = 3, duration 9-34wks). The remaining studies were observational and evaluated combined diet and physical activity (n = 2), physical activity (n = 4), sedentary behaviour (n = 1), sleep (n = 1), and diet/nutrition (n = 5). Increased engagement in a combination of physical activity and healthy diet, and improved sleep quality, were associated with lower HbA1c. An unclear or no relationship existed between physical activity or diet/nutrition alone with HbA1c, and secondary indicators. Evidence was provided for the positive impact of diet on HbA1c, and for physical activity on anthropometric variables. Conclusions Compared to the body of literature available in adults, evidence for the role of lifestyle factors in children and young people is limited. Lifestyle factors show promise for managing disease burden in children and adolescents, but outcomes remain unclear as existing research is heterogeneous.

Adina-Mihaela Lupulescu, Alexandra Petruța Savu, Ştefana Bucur et al.

Hard-to-treat areas in psoriasis vulgaris, i.e., the scalp, nails, genital area, palms, and soles, are less commonly diagnosed and treated. Our understanding of the complex etiopathogenesis and treatment of psoriasis vulgaris has advanced considerably in recent years. After performing an English literature search, the present article is a comprehensive review based on several relevant articles. The articles included met the following criteria: they mentioned the “hard-to-treat areas, special sites, difficult-to-treat areas” or the specific body location of psoriasis, and they reported the psoriasis prevalence and/or patients’ quality of life. Despite the extensive information about psoriasis, there are still many limitations and challenges regarding the appropriate approach to psoriasis in these special locations. But emerging directions such as precise severity scores, new biomarkers for disease monitoring, and treatment decisions or forthcoming therapies represent solutions to improve the lives of those affected. Although they affect a small area, the impact on the quality of everyday life is significant, causing physical and mental disability. In this review, we try to highlight the need for more information about hard-to-treat areas, including their prevalence, a more rapid diagnosis, and a correct classification based on their real severity and their specific treatment before a significant impact on patients’ quality of life occurs. By presenting these challenges, we hope to contribute to efforts at improving disease control.

Joshua Wang

Purpose Overemphasizing or distorting a study’s findings through spin compromises the interpretation of research both within the academic community and among the public more broadly. However, large-scale analyses of the use of positive words as rhetorical spin in psychiatry have not yet been conducted. Methods Titles and abstracts from articles published in 26 top-quartile general psychiatry journals between 2005 and 2024 were analyzed. PubMed searches identified the annual number of articles containing at least one positive, neutral, or negative word from a predefined list associated with rhetorical spin. Separate analyses compared authorship teams with and without at least one affiliation from countries where English is the primary national language (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States). Results Positive words were used more frequently over time (τ=0.947, two-sided P<0.00001), with a 1.97-fold increase in the proportion of abstracts containing positive rhetoric from 2005 (9.80%) to 2024 (19.27%). Authorship teams from English-speaking countries were significantly more likely to employ positive rhetoric (χ2=213.63, df=1, P<0.00001). Authors increasingly described their studies as “novel,” “unique,” “promising,” and “robust.” Conclusion Despite heightened awareness of its negative impact on scientific integrity, the use of rhetorical spin continues to grow within psychiatry. Greater efforts are necessary to promote intellectually humble and accurate reporting of research findings in psychiatric literature.

Zulkifli Zulkifli, Gamal Kartono, Misgiya Misgiya et al.

As a testament to the past Malay glory, there are monumental architectures in Medan (North Sumatra, Indonesia), Langkat (North Sumatra, Indonesia) and Batubara Regencies (North Sumatra, Indonesia) that have become Malay icons. The city of Medan and several areas in North Sumatra are known as tourist destinations since the early 20th century. The tourism has strong potential but it has not been supported by representative souvenir products. This article discusses the preservation of Malay identity through research into the manufacture of miniatures as souvenirs. The aim is to explore the potential of Malay architectural forms to be explored in the production of miniature souvenirs to revitalize North Sumatra’s Malay identity. The replicated research methods are survey, creation (creative experiment), and conservation methods in the socio-cultural approach. Research data was collected from various sources and analyzed using an interactive model. The results of the study explain that the potential identity of Malay architecture can be mapped based on its type (function) and structure. Its exploratory potential, both technically and aesthetically, lies in the dynamic visualization of roof forms and architectural facades. As it is researched based on the iconic Malay architectural figures, the miniature products are exclusive in the form of unique souvenirs with a strong Malay identity.

Novera Putri Kirana, Alies Poetri Lintangsari, Ive Emaliana

Inclusive Education has been an emerging initiative in Indonesia, yet, the implementation of it in English Language Teaching is less explored. English Language Education Department, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya has initiated a course called Introduction to Inclusive Education to prepare students with inclusive teaching competencies. This course has been implemented for 2 years, a course evaluation needs to be carried out to evaluate and improve the course quality. This present study reports the evaluation of the aforementioned course with the Framework of Outcome Based Education from the students’ perspective. Inviting 129 students enrolled in the course, this research revealed that most of students agreed that this course has met their expectation toward the offered competencies (M=3,25), positive perception toward course activities (M=3,12), positive perception toward the benefits of course materials (M=3,19), and positive perception toward tutor performance (M=3.2). Surprisingly, despite the students' agreement on the usefulness of the courses, they also acknowledged that the course materials are pretty difficult (M=3,15). The result of this course evaluation shed a light on the importance of adjusting the materials to be more achievable by the students so they have confidence in implementing inclusive teaching practices.     

Clémence Fourton

David Renaud, Sabine Scholl-Bürgi, Daniela Karall et al.

Most studies on single ventricle (SV) circulation take a physiological or anatomical approach. Although there is a tight coupling between cardiac contractility and metabolism, the metabolic perspective on this patient population is very recent. Early findings point to major metabolic disturbances, with both impaired glucose and fatty acid oxidation in the cardiomyocytes. Additionally, Fontan patients have systemic metabolic derangements such as abnormal glucose metabolism and hypocholesterolemia. Our literature review compares the metabolism of patients with a SV circulation after Fontan palliation with that of patients with a healthy biventricular (BV) heart, or different subtypes of a failing BV heart, by Pubmed review of the literature on cardiac metabolism, Fontan failure, heart failure (HF), ketosis, metabolism published in English from 1939 to 2023. Early evidence demonstrates that SV circulation is not only a hemodynamic burden requiring staged palliation, but also a metabolic issue with alterations similar to what is known for HF in a BV circulation. Alterations of fatty acid and glucose oxidation were found, resulting in metabolic instability and impaired energy production. As reported for patients with BV HF, stimulating ketone oxidation may be an effective treatment strategy for HF in these patients. Few but promising clinical trials have been conducted thus far to evaluate therapeutic ketosis with HF using a variety of instruments, including ketogenic diet, ketone esters, and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. An initial trial on a small cohort demonstrated favorable outcomes for Fontan patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors. Therapeutic ketosis is worth considering in the treatment of Fontan patients, as ketones positively affect not only the myocardial energy metabolism, but also the global Fontan physiopathology. Induced ketosis seems promising as a concerted therapeutic strategy.

Na'imah Na'imah

Language is one of the most important aspects of early childhood., and mastery of English in early childhood is not so easy to apply to children, so it is necessary to use appropriate and fun methods. The purpose of this study is to introduce children's English vocabulary from the phonological aspect through the singing method. This research was conducted with a descriptive qualitative approach. The research was conducted in Canden Hamlet, Jetis, Bantul, Yogyakarta. Samples were taken from 15 early childhood children aged 4-6 years. Data collection techniques were carried out through observation, documentation, and interviews. The results showed that; (1) Improving the linguistic ability of young children, it can be done through the introduction of English vocabulary; (2) Introducing the English alphabet, the names of fruits, the names of animals, various colors, and so on, the most interesting is done by the singing method; (3) To develop linguistic skills by introducing English Vocabularies, it is effective to be taught from an early age.

Martha Nandari Santoso

In this changing era, which is characterized by the interconnected world, and the increasing mobility of people, the need to be able to communicate inter-culturally is evident. To be successful in intercultural communication, one does not only need to be linguistically competent but also culturally knowledgeable and sensitive. Bearing in mind these cultural needs, this paper details the scavenger hunt technique as a tool for enhancing culture learning and intercultural communication practice. Although this technique applies to students of any major, this study was specifically implemented to a group of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in Indonesia. Participants of this study were nine (9) male and twenty (20) female students of The English Language Education Program at a private university in Central Java, Indonesia. The students did the scavenger hunt in a group of four or five during their three-day trip to a multicultural setting in Indonesia: Bali island, and documented the activities in vlogs. The students’ vlogs which were data of this study were analyzed by using a qualitative content analysis approach. The findings showed that the scavenger hunt task resulted in the students' learning on cultural knowledge, intercultural communication, intercultural adaptation, information technology, and soft skills. During the three-day program, the students could also use English in a meaningful way. The study presented the strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations of this study, as well as some ideas for further research. Keywords: culture learning, intercultural communication, EFL,scavenger hunt.

Faiz Muhammad Brohi, Ahmed Ali Brohi, Ghulam Ali Buriro

This aim and purpose of this article is to analyse spiritual aspects in Rumi’s Mathnawi (Spiritual couplets). His Mathnawi gives plenty of stories which are based on spiritual message. He also highlights good and evil whereas the readers know the consequences of evil results become evil. Rumi gives allegorical interpretations of allegorical stories how to find the right path. Mathnawi expresses about the connection of humans with God through any special person and such special person has some attributes and elements. In this research, the qualitative research is applied i.e textual analysis and close reading. The research is expected to fill the gap in the research about Rumi and Mathnawi from the dimension of Spiritualism, as most of the earlier researches are done on Rumi and Mathnawi from mystic point of view.

Behrooz Ghoorchaei, Mansoor Tavakoli

Among alternative assessment options, portfolios have received considerable attention in the field of education, but there has been little research exploring students’ perceptions of the portfolio approach or its impact on the learning of writing (Lam, 2013). Therefore, this study aimed at investigating students’ perceptions about the effect of portfolio assessment as a process-oriented assessment mechanism on Iranian EFL students’ English writing and its sub-skills of focus, elaboration, organization, conventions, and vocabulary. Moreover, the study dealt with students’ perceptions about the use of portfolio assessment in EFL writing. Thirty university students were chosen as the participants.  They received the treatment i.e. portfolio assessment in an essay writing course. Students’ views and reflections about portfolio assessment were elicited via “Portfolio contribution questionnaire” and individual semi-structured interviews. The results showed that most of the students perceived improvement in overall writing and the sub-skills of focus, elaboration, and organization. Furthermore, students had a positive attitude to the implementation of portfolios. The results have some implications for teaching and assessment of writing in the EFL context.

Hlungwani, Madala Crous

Literature shows that anticausatives have been well investigated in European languages such as English, German, and Greek. However, this is not the case with African languages, particularly Bantu languages such as Xitsonga. The available evidence suggests that there remain unanswered questions about anticausatives across languages. This article, therefore, is an attempt to reduce this knowledge gap by providing a perspective that seems to have been overlooked in previous studies, namely how anticausatives and passives can interact and complement each other in a single construction. In Xitsonga, anticausatives are marked by the presence of neuter-passive morpheme -ek- on the verb, for example, -hlanhl-a ‘smash to pieces’ > -hlanhl-ek-ile ‘smashed to pieces’, while the passives are marked by the morpheme -iw-, for example, -hlanhl-iw-ile ‘smashed to pieces’. The anticausatives in this paper occur as the main clause while the passives occur as the subordinate hikuva ‘because’ reason clause. The main concern of the present paper is to determine the modification of the passive of the subordinate clause by the PPs denoting agents, instruments, and causers/causing events. On the whole, this paper finds that Xitsonga passives of the subordinate intransitive clause may be modified by PPs denoting agents, instruments (pure-instruments), and causers (instrument-causers) when the verb in such a clause is a motion verb with a reduplicated stem, or a weather verb, and when the passive morpheme co-occurs with the causative morpheme.

Antonio García Gómez, Fátima Garrido Pozo

Abstract: Social networks have been evolving throughout time not just as a tool to socialize or interact, but as a fundamental system that helps people develop their lives. Among social network users, adolescents are, without any doubt, those who are more dependent on technology in general terms and social media in particular. They not only use it to connect to each other, but also to update and to evaluate what they hear, read and do both on- and offline. This research uses Facebook posts from British and Spanish male and female teenagers in order to explore these teenagers’ practices of social networking. More precisely, the main aim of the current study is not only to analyse similarities and differences in the ways male and female teenagers communicate online, but also to uncover the different linguistic strategies they use to relate to others. The analysis gives evidence that there is a fine line in the use of positive and negative politeness strategies according to gender when negotiating conversational topics online.   Título en español: “Revisión de las fronteras entre Lengua y Género: La performatividad de género en redes sociales”. Resumen: Las redes sociales han evolucionado a lo largo del tiempo. De este modo, han dejado de ser utilizadas exclusivamente como una herramienta de socialización e interacción y han pasado a entenderse como un sistema fundamental que ayuda a las personas a desarrollar sus propias vidas. Entre los usuarios de redes sociales, los adolescentes son, sin lugar a dudas, aquellos que son más dependientes de las nuevas tecnologías en general y de las redes sociales en concreto. No sólo las utilizan para estar en contacto con otras personas, sino que también las usan para estar al día y evaluar aquello que oyen, leen y hacen tanto en línea como fuera de línea. La presente investigación utiliza mensajes publicados en el muro de Facebook por adolescentes británic@s y español@s con el objeto de explorar sus prácticas en esta red social. En concreto, este estudio tiene como objetivo no sólo analizar las diferencias y similitudes en la(s) forma(s) que est@s adolescentes se comunican en línea, sino también descubrir las diferentes estrategias lingüísticas que usan para relacionarse con otros usuarios. El análisis prueba que hay una delgada línea en el uso de las estrategias de cortesía positiva y negativa en lo que respecta al género de los usuarios mientras tratan distintos temas en línea.

Setyoningsih Setyoningsih

This study aims to identify and analyze the cultural conflicts between the main characters in the novel Not Without my Daughter (NW). The analysis was carried out through the following process. The first procedure related to problems of classification i.e. cross cultural conflicts. The next phase of data analysis related to the colletion data of cross cultural conflicts in NW. The last phase is presentation the result of the analysis that had been conducted in this research. Having analyzed the data, the researcher concludes  that cultural conflicts occured in NW because of  stereotype, prejudice, and ethnocentrism. Cultural conflicts can be prevented if we increase our awareness of our own attitudes and learn to be sensitive to cross-cultural differences. However, if we develop intercultural sensitivity, it does not mean that we need to lose our cultural identities-but rather that we recognize cultural influences within ourselves and within others.

Dilparić Branislava M.

The paper reports findings from one of the two differently-designed surveys conducted among groups of both native speakers of English and native speakers of Serbian with a common general objective to obtain a picture of better candidates for a role of the whole (to be analyzed into its constituent elements) in the contrastive study on the lexical field a house and its parts in English and Serbian. The specific objective of the survey presented here, however, was to build up the target picture with some of the features of the ideal example of the house category, such as the shape of the house, the key materials its principal structural elements (foundations, walls, a roof) are made of, the number of residential units in the house and the type of the household that occupies it, the number of the house levels, the minimum of its interior spatial components and their functions, the types of systemic parts in the house, the status and position of the house relative to surround­ing buildings, etc. Also, taking into consideration that the demographic profiles of the survey participants reflected various cultural backgrounds (which significantly influence the formation of mental images of a typical sample of the category), the survey aimed to compare the similarities and differences between the 'English' and the 'Serbian' typical house, that is the features assigned to a typical house by most of the surveyed representa­tives of Anglo-American and by those of Serbian culture. Judging exclusively by the features observed and the results obtained, the study concludes that the 'English' and the 'Serbian' typical house look very similar in many aspect and that the two different cultures are not as distant as they may seem.

Dal Santo, Regina Maria

The idea of happiness in sermons in the long eighteenth century is examined, in particular the idea of moral reformation promoted by the Latitudinarian movement, which obtained relevant importance in the Church of England after the Restoration. The analysis focuses on Archbishop John Tillotson’s Sermons as they exemplify the Church’s position on Man’s relationship with God and happiness. His sermons describe Man as a traveller whose destination is happiness. They underline the role of reason and conscience in promoting human obedience to divine law, while insisting on self-love and its force to move the individual to moral reformation. Tillotson clearly addresses the malleable nature of Man, the part that can be educated to religion and to the promotion of sincerity and charitable activities. Seeking for happiness therefore endorses the improvement in the mores of society and potentially helps Man to gain God’s favour, which was considered lost after the Great Plague and the Great Fire of 1666. 

Bigliazzi, Silvia

James E Stahl, Jennifer E Kreke, Fawaz Ali Abdul Malek et al.

The ability to preserve organs prior to transplant is essential to the organ allocation process.The purpose of this study is to describe the functional relationship between cold-ischemia time (CIT) and primary nonfunction (PNF), patient and graft survival in liver transplant.To identify relevant articles Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane database, including the non-English literature identified in these databases, was searched from 1966 to April 2008. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted the data. CIT was analyzed both as a continuous variable and stratified by clinically relevant intervals. Nondichotomous variables were weighted by sample size. Percent variables were weighted by the inverse of the binomial variance.Twenty-six studies met criteria. Functionally, PNF% = -6.678281+0.9134701*CIT Mean+0.1250879*(CIT Mean-9.89535)2-0.0067663*(CIT Mean-9.89535)3, r2 = .625, , p<.0001. Mean patient survival: 93% (1 month), 88% (3 months), 83% (6 months) and 83% (12 months). Mean graft survival: 85.9% (1 month), 80.5% (3 months), 78.1% (6 months) and 76.8% (12 months). Maximum patient and graft survival occurred with CITs between 7.5-12.5 hrs at each survival interval. PNF was also significantly correlated with ICU time, % first time grafts and % immunologic mismatches.The results of this work imply that CIT may be the most important pre-transplant information needed in the decision to accept an organ.

Martínez Azorín, María José

This paper stresses the importance of self-evaluation in the second language class today, and in particular, the advantages of having students keep a regular journal. Taking the methodological framework offered by the Communicative Approach to Language Teaching as a starting point, this essay discusses the dynamic interdependance of purpose, methodology and evaluation within the curriculum. In this sense, formative or ongoing evaluation becomes one of the most practical assessment techniques for controlling our students' progress as well as the effectiveness of our teaching program. Self-evaluation has a number of additional advantages related both to the affective implication of students in introspecting about their learning processes and to students' participation in class management. The essay goes on to discuss the characteristics of a particular self-assessment technique: journals.