Prevalence of eating disorders over the 2000-2018 period: a systematic literature review.
M. Galmiche, P. Déchelotte, G. Lambert
et al.
BACKGROUND Eating disorders (EDs) lead to multiple psychiatric and somatic complications and thus constitute a major public health concern. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to give an exhaustive view of the studies reporting the prevalence of the different EDs or total EDs and to study their evolution. METHODS A literature search following PRISMA Guidelines and limited to studies in English or French published between 2000 and 2018 was performed and relevant studies were included in this systematic review on the prevalence of EDs. The literature search revealed 94 studies with accurate ED diagnosis and 27 with broad ED diagnosis. RESULTS In 94 studies with accurate ED diagnosis, the weighted means (ranges) of lifetime ED were 8.4% (3.3-18.6%) for women and 2.2% (0.8-6.5%) for men. The weighted means (ranges) of 12-month ED prevalence were 2.2% (0.8-13.1%) for women and 0.7% (0.3-0.9%) for men. The weighted means (ranges) of point prevalence were 5.7% (0.9-13.5%) for women and 2.2% (0.2-7.3%) for men. According to continents, the weighted means (ranges) of point prevalence were 4.6% (2.0-13.5%) in America, 2.2% (0.2-13.1%) in Europe, and 3.5% (0.6-7.8%) in Asia.In addition to the former, 27 other studies reported the prevalence of EDs as broad categories resulting in weighted means (ranges) of total point prevalence of any EDs of 19.4% (6.5-36.0%) for women and 13.8% (3.6-27.1%) for men. CONCLUSIONS Despite the complexity of integrating all ED prevalence data, the most recent studies confirm that EDs are highly prevalent worldwide, especially in women. Moreover, the weighted means of point ED prevalence increased over the study period from 3.5% for the 2000-2006 period to 7.8% for the 2013-2018 period. This highlights a real challenge for public health and healthcare providers.
Transfer learning for medical image classification: a literature review
Hee E. Kim, A. Cosa-Linan, Nandhini Santhanam
et al.
Background Transfer learning (TL) with convolutional neural networks aims to improve performances on a new task by leveraging the knowledge of similar tasks learned in advance. It has made a major contribution to medical image analysis as it overcomes the data scarcity problem as well as it saves time and hardware resources. However, transfer learning has been arbitrarily configured in the majority of studies. This review paper attempts to provide guidance for selecting a model and TL approaches for the medical image classification task. Methods 425 peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from two databases, PubMed and Web of Science, published in English, up until December 31, 2020. Articles were assessed by two independent reviewers, with the aid of a third reviewer in the case of discrepancies. We followed the PRISMA guidelines for the paper selection and 121 studies were regarded as eligible for the scope of this review. We investigated articles focused on selecting backbone models and TL approaches including feature extractor, feature extractor hybrid, fine-tuning and fine-tuning from scratch. Results The majority of studies (n = 57) empirically evaluated multiple models followed by deep models (n = 33) and shallow (n = 24) models. Inception, one of the deep models, was the most employed in literature (n = 26). With respect to the TL, the majority of studies (n = 46) empirically benchmarked multiple approaches to identify the optimal configuration. The rest of the studies applied only a single approach for which feature extractor (n = 38) and fine-tuning from scratch (n = 27) were the two most favored approaches. Only a few studies applied feature extractor hybrid (n = 7) and fine-tuning (n = 3) with pretrained models. Conclusion The investigated studies demonstrated the efficacy of transfer learning despite the data scarcity. We encourage data scientists and practitioners to use deep models (e.g. ResNet or Inception) as feature extractors, which can save computational costs and time without degrading the predictive power.
780 sitasi
en
Medicine, Computer Science
Exploring Applications of ChatGPT to English Language Teaching: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations
Ilka Kostka, R. Toncelli
By utilizing a massive corpus of textual data, large language models can generate unique human-like outputs to questions and interact with users in a natural conversational way. ChatGPT is one such platform, and since it emerged into the public consciousness in November 2022, it has generated both excitement and concern among educators. A growing body of scholarship has considered the pedagogical use of ChatGPT and its ability to enhance teachers’ roles (e.g., Kohnke et al., 2023; Rudolph et al., 2023). Scholars have also raised concerns about ChatGPT’s impact on academic integrity and scholarly publishing (Teng, 2023). Nonetheless, AI has existed for some time (Holmes & Tuomi, 2022) and, rather than a beginning of the end of education, it may guide educators into an era of pedagogical innovation (Heaven, 2023). In this paper, we explore the role of ChatGPT in English Language Teaching (ELT). We first provide background information about ChatGPT and its functions. We then draw from literature to describe current thinking on its benefits and challenges then describe how we have experimented with ChatGPT at our own university. We conclude by discussing implications for using ChatGPT in ELT and offering recommendations for future directions in teaching and research.
The Role Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Developing English Language Learner's Communication Skills
Rusmiyanto Rusmiyanto, Nining Huriati, Nining Fitriani
et al.
In today's globalized world, the increasing need for English language ability has highlighted the necessity of good language acquisition and communication abilities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a viable aid in the field of education, including language acquisition, as technology advances. This study does a literature review to investigate the function of AI in the development of communication skills in English language learners. The goal of this research is to look at the existing research and literature on the use of AI-based technologies in English language learning environments. The essay opens with an overview of artificial intelligence and its possible uses in education. It then looks into the various methods in which AI might help English language learners strengthen their communication skills, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The findings of this literature review suggest that AI has the potential to significantly enhance English language learners' communication skills by providing personalized and interactive learning experiences. However, further research is needed to explore the long-term effects and optimal integration of AI in language learning environments. In conclusion, this article highlights the transformative role of AI in English language education and its potential to address the diverse needs of language learners. By understanding the current state of research and exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in language learning, educators and policymakers can make informed decisions to harness the benefits of AI technology and maximize its impact on developing effective communication skills among English language learners.
Learners' Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review.
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani, Narjes Banou Sabouri
Listening is one of the most important skills in English language learning. When students listen to English language, they face a lot of listening difficulties. Students have critical difficulties in listening comprehension because universities and schools pay more attention to writing, reading, and vocabulary. Listening is not an important part of many course books and most teachers do not pay attention to this important skill in their classes. In this paper, the researchers reviewed the terms listening, listening comprehension, listening comprehension strategies, and listening difficulties. The review of literature indicated that when teachers are aware of students’ learning difficulties they can help them develop effective listening strategies and finally solve their difficulties in listening and improve their listening comprehension abilities.
Grey literature in systematic reviews: a cross-sectional study of the contribution of non-English reports, unpublished studies and dissertations to the results of meta-analyses in child-relevant reviews
L. Hartling, R. Featherstone, Megan Nuspl
et al.
BackgroundSystematic reviews (SRs) are an important source of information about healthcare interventions. A key component of a well-conducted SR is a comprehensive literature search. There is limited evidence on the contribution of non-English reports, unpublished studies, and dissertations and their impact on results of meta-analyses.MethodsOur sample included SRs from three Cochrane Review Groups: Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI), Infectious Diseases (ID), Developmental Psychosocial and Learning Problems (DPLP) (n = 129). Outcomes included: 1) proportion of reviews that searched for and included each study type; 2) proportion of relevant studies represented by each study type; and 3) impact on results and conclusions of the primary meta-analysis for each study type.ResultsMost SRs searched for non-English studies; however, these were included in only 12% of reviews and represented less than 5% of included studies. There was a change in results in only four reviews (total sample = 129); in two cases the change did not have an impact on the statistical or clinical significance of results. Most SRs searched for unpublished studies but the majority did not include these (only 6%) and they represented 2% of included studies. In most cases the impact of including unpublished studies was small; a substantial impact was observed in one case that relied solely on unpublished data. Few reviews in ARI (9%) and ID (3%) searched for dissertations compared to 65% in DPLP. Overall, dissertations were included in only nine SRs and represented less than 2% of included studies. In the majority of cases the change in results was negligible or small; in the case where a large change was noted, the estimate was more conservative without dissertations.ConclusionsThe majority of SRs searched for non-English and unpublished studies; however, these represented a small proportion of included studies and rarely impacted the results and conclusions of the review. Inclusion of these study types may have an impact in situations where there are few relevant studies, or where there are questionable vested interests in the published literature. We found substantial variation in whether SRs searched for dissertations; in most reviews that included dissertations, these had little impact on results.
A Systematic Review on the Toxicology of European Union-Approved Triazole Fungicides in Cell Lines and Mammalian Models
Constantina-Bianca Vulpe, Adina-Daniela Iachimov-Datcu, Andrijana Pujicic
et al.
Triazole fungicides are widely used in agriculture but may pose risks to human health through occupational, accidental, or environmental exposure. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the toxicity of ten European Union-approved triazole fungicides in rodent models and cell lines. A total of 70 studies were included, reporting quantitative in vivo oral, dermal, or inhalation toxicity in mammals or quantitative in vitro cytotoxicity in human or mammalian cell lines; the exclusion criteria comprised publications not in English or not accessible. Literature searches were conducted in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Pesticide Properties DataBase (PPDB), and risk of bias in included studies was assessed using ToxRTool. Due to heterogeneity in study designs, reporting formats, and endpoints, data were synthesized descriptively. Quantitative endpoints included LD<sub>50</sub>/LC<sub>50</sub> values for in vivo studies and LOEC, IC<sub>50</sub>, LC<sub>50</sub>, and EC<sub>50</sub> values for in vitro studies, while mechanistic endpoints highlighted apoptosis, oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Difenoconazole and tebuconazole were the most extensively studied compounds, whereas several triazoles had limited data. The limitations included heterogeneity of data and incomplete reporting, which restrict cross-study comparisons. Overall, the findings provide a comprehensive overview of potential human health hazards associated with EU-approved triazole fungicides and highlight critical knowledge gaps. The review was registered in Open Science Framework.
Therapeutics. Pharmacology, Toxicology. Poisons
Why Female Smokers Have Poorer Long-Term Health Outcomes than Male Smokers: The Role of Cigarette Smoking During Pregnancy
Li Yang, Li Yang, Yunchun Zhou
et al.
Objectives: Women’s health status is better than men but the opposite is true for female smokers who usually have poorer long-health outcomes than male smokers. The objectives of this study were to thoroughly reviewed and analyzed relevant literature and to propose a hypothesis that may explain this paradox phenomenon.Methods: We conducted a search of literature from three English databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar) from inception to 13 November 2023. A combination of key words and/or subject headings in English was applied, including relevant terms for cigarette smoking, sex/gender, pregnancy, and health indicators. We then performed analysis of the searched literature.Results: Based on this review/analysis of literature, we proposed a hypothesis that may explain this paradox phenomenon: female smokers have worse long-term health outcomes than male smokers because some of them smoke during pregnancy, and the adverse effects of cigarette smoking during pregnancy is much stronger than cigarette smoking during non-pregnancy periods.Conclusion: Approval of our pregnancy-amplification theory could provide additional evidence on the adverse effect on women’s long-term health outcomes for cigarette smoking during pregnancy.
Public aspects of medicine
EXPLORING Z GENERATION ATTITUDES TOWARD VARIETIES OF ENGLISH(ES)
Laela Rohadatul Aisy, Ribut Wahyudi
English, one of the most dominant languages, has undergone transformations and divergences that have created a variety of variations in different parts of the world. The fact is that English has more than 160 acknowledged variations of accents across the globe. Each variation from standard English to a distinctive local reflects its unique culture and history. This study aims to investigate Generation Z's attitudes towards variations of Englishes of their English as foreign language communication experiences. This research adopted qualitative research benefiting from Saraceni's (2010) Space, Culture, Ideology and Psychology (SCIP) model to understand variety of English(es). Four English literature students were selected as respondents when they were still in their 7th semester and aged 21-22 at an Islamic university (under Ministry of Religious Affairs) in East Java, Indonesia. The results revealed that the dominance of American English is still the benchmark in most participants' preferences. A number of competing and interconnected factors such as habits, motivations, and practices with the influence of family, social, educational, and environmental factors shape their preferences on English(es) varieties. The participants showed positive, contradictory attitudes (positive and negative) to negative attitude towards the varieties of Englishes.
Language and Literature, Philology. Linguistics
Hands-On Data Gathering
Claudia Mejía de la Pava, Silvia Manessi
Data collection is a fundamental aspect of linguistic and sociolinguistic research methodologies, and while many scholars may choose to gather their own data, others tend to rely solely on data that are readily available. There are various different methods of elicitation, including conducting interviews, questionnaires or leading focus groups to gather data, either as the main source of information or to complement existing material, which will most likely enhance both the quality of the research as well enriching the researcher’s personal experience.
This paper aims to elucidate the experience gained by two researchers who implemented different data-collection methodologies during their research projects, to gather suitable data and conduct their analysis of the English language – one written the other oral – in two diverse, yet specialized, settings. They introduce their subjects of study and the communities in which the studies took place in order to help the reader get acquainted with the context, and then proceed to describe the processes they carried out. Their aim is to offer a retrospective on the decisions made, the evolution of their data-gathering approaches to determine the suitability of the focal methodologies, and the results.
The aim of the paper is to contribute to the literature and applied linguistics research fields by disseminating empirical information on the collection of data within different communities of practice, so that it might be used, as a brief guide, to encourage and assist fellow researchers should they decide to embark in their own data collection projects.
Cultivating Intercultural Attitudes among EIL learners: A Case Study of Undergraduates
Muhammad Waqar Ali, Muhammad Iqbal, Sareer Badshah
Teaching of English as an international language (EIL) necessitates promoting intercultural communicative competence (ICC) to enable the individual to survive and progress in multicultural societies. It thereby requires them to develop intercultural attitudes—one of the essential components of ICC. The current paper strives to fathom their intercultural attitudes before and after the intervention, and to measure the impact of the treatment on their intercultural attitudes. Based on the material designed for promoting intercultural competence, a semester-long course was carried out as the intervention. Unlike the control group, the treatment group was exposed to the treatment. A self-report survey was administered to both groups before and after the treatment. Though both groups reported improvement in their attitudes, the mean differences and effect size values for the cumulative scale and subscales indicate a substantial difference between the attitudes of the two groups; it thereby may be inferred that the treatment proved to be effective in cultivating intercultural attitudes. Furthermore, female participants slightly surpassed the male participants in certain attitudes, but the difference infinitesimal.
English literature, Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar
Benefits of Using Early Warning Scores - A Systematic Review
Ariana-Anamaria CORDOȘ
The Early Warning Scores (EWSs) are tools for bedside evaluation based on five physiological parameters: systolic pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, body temperature and AVPU (alert, voice, pain, unresponsive) score. EWSs have been used in many hospital departments, including general wards, intensive care units, or emergency rooms. Several iterations of EWSs have been developed with varying levels of sensitivity and specificity for use in different populations. The aim of this research was to understand the benefits of using these tools. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. This study included literature published in PubMed under the MeSH term “early warning score”. The search was performed on 12th July 2023. No restrictions on the types of articles were imposed. Considering the language limitations of the study investigators, only studies available in English were retained. A total of 392 items were retained. The articles’ titles and abstracts were screened to investigate whether the benefits of using early warning scores were the topic. It resulted in 286 relevant articles. Two major strength categories have been identified: the patient oriented outcome and the healthcare personnel oriented benefits. The patient oriented outcome indicators that these tools can predict are: transfers to the intensive care unit, sepsis, in hospital cardiac arrest, mortality, or disease specific clinical deterioration. Multiple healthcare personnel oriented strengths of these tools have been identified, including their simplicity and ability to standardize communication and reduce staff work burden, especially if they are continuously electronically recorded. The research highlights the importance of the integration of data-driven models into personalized care and represents an opportunity to inform biomedical and health informatics research on designing and evaluating EWS-based clinical interventions.
Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics
Silence, Abuse, and Madness: Picasso in Jeanette Winterson's Art & Lies
Claudia Martori
In Art & Lies (1994), Jeanette Winterson presents three characters who are alter egos of Handel, Picasso, and Sappho. This article focusses on Picasso as an alter ego not only of Pablo Picasso but also of the character itself, whose birth name is Sophia, and of Pablo Picasso’s lovers, who were silenced, abused, and driven to madness like Winterson’s Picasso. The main aspects taken into account are the fact that the character is silenced by her family and that she is sexually abused by her brother in order to understand that her journey towards becoming the madwoman in the attic is induced by the harmful context that she is surrounded by in the same way that occurred to Pablo Picasso’s lovers and to Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre.
A Review of the Literature on the Integration of Technology into the Learning and Teaching of English Language Skills
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani
Technologies have dramatically changed the way people gather information, carry out research, and communicate with others worldwide. Technology has removed the distance obstacles and has made it possible for higher education to effectively teach anyone. Technology integration is being increasingly used in instruction to improve teaching and learning. This rapid development of technology integration has presented a better pattern to find the new teaching models. Consequently, it has a key role in learning and teaching language skills. The integration of technology to create a context to teach and learn English skills has a lot of advantages. The fundamental aim of this paper is to review the issues related to technology integration in the learning and teaching of language skills. In this paper, the researcher defines the term technology integration, expresses the reason of integrating technology, explains the role of technologies in promoting learning, elaborates teachers’ roles and learners’ roles, reviews previous studies on the benefits of technology in the learning and teaching of language skills, indicates the situation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Iran, and finally mentions the recommendations for the successful integration of technology. The review of literature revealed that the integration of technology into the classrooms considerably improves the learning and teaching of English language skills.
182 sitasi
en
Computer Science
Review of the Literature on Stress and Wellbeing of International Students in English-Speaking Countries
Eman S. Alharbi, Andrew P. Smith
This review aims to address the major sources of stress experienced by international students, the role of individual differences, the chronology of their stress levels and wellbeing over time, and gaps in the existing literature. Two electronic databases (PubMed and Psych Info) were searched for English peer-reviewed articles using eight search terms. Thirty-eight studies were included in this paper and divided into themes and sub-themes including sources of stress, individual differences and mental health including stress, depression and wellbeing. The findings highlight major stressors and show mixed results in some areas due to the lack of homogenous samples based on country of origin or ethnicity and sometimes context differences concerning the country or university social dynamics. Limitations were identified in the methodology, and several recommendations for future research are included.
Self-Repair in Elicited Narrative Production in Speakers of Russian as the First (L1), Second (L2), and Heritage (HL) Language
Natalia Bogdanova-Beglarian, Kristina Zaides, Tatiana Verkhovtceva
et al.
The current study investigates self-repairs in the speech of three groups of Russian speakers: monolingual controls (<i>N</i> = 12) residing in the Russian Federation, for whom Russian is their first dominant language (L1); bilingual Russian–Hebrew speaking participants (<i>N</i> = 12), who acquired Russian as their Heritage Language (HL) in contact with the dominant Societal Hebrew in Israel; and bilingual Russian–Chinese speakers (<i>N</i> = 12) residing in the Russian Federation at the time of testing, for whom Russian is their second language (L2). Picture-elicited narratives were coded for instances of self-repairs, split into Conceptualizer Repairs (C-repairs)—which imply pragmatic, semantic, or lexical changes—and Formulator Repairs (F-repairs), correcting different types of errors. In addition, self-repair initiators—such as cut-offs, hesitation pauses, and discourse markers—were annotated before each instance of self-repair. The results indicate that L2 speakers, in general, use self-repairs more frequently than L1 and HL speakers. L1 speakers hardly produced F-repairs, while HL and L2 speakers resorted to both C- and F-repairs. L1 speakers mainly used C-repairs for appropriacy, whereas HL and L2 speakers used C-repairs for rephrasing and lexical item change. As for F-repairs, HL speakers tended to change pronunciation and morphology, while L2 speakers implemented more morphological repairs. Lexical initiators of self-repairs were more common in L1 speech; however, in the L2 group we saw much more frequent cut-offs of repaired speech fragments. As such, varying self-repair strategies were employed by different speaker groups, shedding light on the underlying processes of language production. There was also evidence of cross-linguistic transfer of non-lexical self-repair initiators: HL speakers resorted to prolongations as initiators in HL-Russian (a strategy that is common in their dominant language, Hebrew), whereas L1 speakers used vocalized and silent pauses more frequently.
English Pronunciation Instruction: A Literature Review
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani
185 sitasi
en
Computer Science, Psychology
English Learners in K–12 Mathematics Education: A Review of the Literature
Zandra de Araujo, S. Roberts, Craig J. Willey
et al.
Alongside the increased presence of students classified as English learners (ELs) in mathematics classrooms exists a persistent pattern of the marginalization of ELs. Educators have sought research to identify how to provide ELs with high-quality mathematics education. Over the past two decades, education researchers have responded with increased attention to issues related to the teaching and learning of mathematics with ELs. In this review we analyzed literature published between 2000 and 2015 on mathematics teaching and learning with K–12 ELs. We identified 75 peer-reviewed, empirical studies related to the teaching and learning of mathematics with ELs in Grades K–12 and categorized the studies by focus (Learning, Teaching, and Teacher Education). We synthesize the results of these studies through the lens of a sociocultural perspective on language in mathematics. We then discuss avenues for future research and calls to action based on the extant body of literature.
The Effects of Using Blended Learning in Teaching and Learning English: A Review of Literature
A. Hashemi
Teachers' Beliefs in English Language Teaching and Learning: A Review of the Literature.
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani, Narjes Banou Sabouri
Beliefs form part of the process of understanding how teachers shape their work which is significant to the comprehending of their teaching methods and their decisions in the classroom. Teachers’ beliefs have been an interesting topic for researchers due to the input they provide for the improvement of English language teaching and learning. Teachers’ beliefs have a deep impact on their classroom principles. The realization of this relationship is very important for teachers to prepare and implement their new syllabus. Teachers’ beliefs affect what they accomplish in their classroom, their attitudes, and their learner’ beliefs. They guide teachers to adopt their teaching strategies for coping with their teaching challenges, shape language learners’ learning environment, their motivation and their language ability. In this study, the researchers define the term belief, explain the nature of teachers’ beliefs, express sources of teachers’ beliefs, and finally mention some previous studies on teachers’ beliefs. The review of related literature revealed that investigating teachers’ beliefs will help them change their methods to teaching and learning over time in order to bring about more improvement for language learners.