Communication Activities Research Articles

The Reaction Object Construction in the Leech and Short’s model: A new strategy of discourse presentation in the nineteenth-century novel

ABSTRACT Discourse presentation in the history of English has recently caught the attention of a number of studies. This paper aims to contribute to this area of research by making the case of the Reaction Object Construction or ROC (e.g. He shouted his excitement to come back) as another option used by narrators to frame and evaluate the speech/thought they represent in nineteenth-century sentimental novels. On the basis of data from the British Sentimental Novel Corpus, it will be argued that the ROC constitutes an emerging fully fledged subcategory within the Leech and Short’s model of discourse presentation constructions. The ROC fits in within their category Narrative Report of Speech/Thought Acts (NRS/TAs); the difference between the ROC and a prototypical NRS/TA is that the ROC is closer to the original act of communication that is being reported as it always conveys via a descriptive verb and an emotional object the illocutionary force (attitude) of the speaker’s utterance. The more than 500 ROC examples attested also confirm the tight connection between the ROC and the British sentimental novel, and reveal an array of meaningful stylistic, and socio-pragmatic motivations in the use of the nineteenth-century ROC.

THE PHENOMENON OF AGGRESSION IN LANGUAGE: THE PROBLEM OF TERMINOLOGY

The article highlights the main approaches to describing aggression in language. The polyphonic status of speech aggression is associated with the interdisciplinarity of this phenomenon and is explained by the widespread spread of aggression in modern speech practice. The purpose of this article is to present and compare the approaches available in language to the study of aggression and the definition of aggression within the framework of a linguocognitive approach. The directions of scientific linguistic thought in the study of aggression are described and its typological differences are established, which serve as the basis for conceptual approaches to classifying its types. The typology of verbal aggression in the works of Russian researchers in the following areas is considered: 1) speech act, 2) form of speech behaviour, 3) communicative strategy, 4) speech (communicative) action. It is established that verbal aggression includes not only the known means of its verbalisation, but also all possible conditions of the communicative space, the specifics of the discourse in which it is represented, the state and status of communicants. This is due to a comprehensive approach to understanding verbal aggression, which consists in harming the addressee or the object of speech. Choosing an aggressive form of speech behaviour, the speaker performs two functions: adaptation or protection. These functions of human aggression determine its existence in different types of discourse, determine the forms of its verbalisation.

Law, Culture and Language: Challenges in Legal Term Translation from the Perspective of Comparative Legal Culture

As a cross-cultural communication activity, legal translation inevitably involves law, culture and language. The accurate translation of legal terms plays a crucial role in facilitating the exchange between different legal cultures. Cultural factors, including language, legal systems, legal institutional structures and legal mindsets, have a major impact on legal translation. Failure to capture the discrepancies between different legal cultures causes errors in the translation of legal terms. To achieve optimal translation effects, translators not only need to possess a high level of language proficiency but also have a deep understanding of different legal systems and cultures. From the perspective of comparative legal culture, this paper analyzes how cultural factors influence the translation of legal terminology between Chinese and English and proposes corresponding translation strategies. When there are equivalent concepts in both the source and target legal systems, translators should employ corresponding legal equivalents in the translation. In cases where such equivalents are absent, translators may employ paraphrasing techniques or coin new terms to convey the intended meaning.

DKK1+ tumor cells inhibited the infiltration of CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells contributing to worse immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma

Intra-tumor immune infiltration plays a pivotal role in the interaction with tumor cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its phenotype and related spatial structure remained elusive. To address these limitations, we conducted a comprehensive study combining spatial data (38,191 spots from eight samples) and single-cell data (56,022 cells from 20 samples). Our analysis revealed two distinct infiltration patterns: immune exclusion and immune activation. Plasma cells emerged as the primary cell type within intra-tumor immune clusters. Notably, we observed the co-location of CCL19+ fibroblasts with plasma cells, which secrete chemokines and promote T-cell activation and leukocyte migration. Conversely, in immune-exclusion samples, this co-location was primarily observed in the adjacent normal area. This co-localization correlated with T cell infiltration and the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures, validated by multiplex immunofluorescence conducted on twenty HCC samples. Both CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells were associated with favorable survival outcomes. In an immunotherapy cohort, HCC patients who responded favorably exhibited higher infiltration of CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells. Additionally, we observed the accumulation of DKK1+ tumor cells within the tumor area in immune-exclusion samples, particularly at the tumor boundary, which inhibited the infiltration of CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells into the tumor area. Furthermore, in immune-exclusion samples, the SPP1 signaling pathway demonstrated the highest activity in communication between tumor and immune clusters, and CCL19-CCR7 played a pivotal role in the self-communication of immune clusters. This study elucidates immune exclusion and immune activation patterns in HCC and identifies relevant factors contributing to immune resistance.

Aspiring and Deprecating Female Influencers: Communicative Capitalism and the Positioning of Women Entrepreneurs

Given the relative ease of joining an e-commerce market via social media platforms, expectations have risen about the role of communication technology and social networks in advancing gender equality in economic participation. South Korean women influencers, in particular, are selling various items using their popularity on social networks. They represent themselves as successful, passionate, gorgeous businesswomen with glamorous lifestyles. These individual influencers exemplify neoliberal ideals, branding and marketing themselves as independent and autonomous creators able to fashion their own destinies in the endless competition of the market. Recently however, heated deinfluencing trends against them have grown in strength and intensity, deprecating these women as nonprofessional, mass-deceptive online vendors. It has become common to describe them with the derogatory term “palyi people.” Against this backdrop, the current study questions the ability of digitalized online technology to empower women coming along with the ideas of neoliberalism and postfeminism. Using the concept of communicative capitalism, this study will analyze the images and texts created and circulated within the social media sphere by six popular female influencers and their followers. Through this data, this study aims to grasp how the free communicative activities of female influencers and their followers on social media negatively position women entrepreneurs in the techno-cultural era.

El Desarrollo de la habilidad oral en estudiantes de Telesecundaria

Learning a second language is nowadays a necessity. It enables people from different mother tongues to establish a common ground for communicating. Particularly, for teenager students whose first language is Spanish, it has been a recurrent difficulty to articulate an understandable and purposefully oral speech in English as a lingua franca. Therefore, it was necessary to analyse the nature of the factors that hinder Telesecundaria students speaking skill development through a descriptive case study. 19 second grade students were surveyed, interviewed and observed to describe their opinions about the influence it had the socio-affective elements present in classroom learning environment where speaking activities are performed. Results revealed that a supporting learning environment enhanced students speaking skill development. Such environment required teachers to provide communicative activities and authentic teaching materials through which students can practice controlled speech. Such kind of discourse allowed students to experience low anxiety levels. Furthermore, a classroom environment that promotes trust and support will allow students to feel confident to speak in public in English. In conclusion, a supportive learning environment characterized by controlled speaking tasks that employs real-life material will allow Telesecundaria students to develop their speaking skills.

Motions in Pictures: From Habermas’s Informal Political Sphere to Formal Politics in the Films Footloose, Land and Freedom and The Beguiled

This article analyses three historical fiction films, Footloose, Land and Freedom and The Beguiled, to help illuminate aspects of politics and political theory. We study them to explore the relationship between Habermas’s concepts of the lifeworld and political spheres, which analysts have critiqued as opaque. Drawing on Habermas’s theory of communicative action, we debate prevailing understandings of the implications of his work for deliberative democracy via an exploration of the films. By expanding the definition of the term ‘motion’ (otherwise known as ‘draft resolution’), we relate this concept to these Habermasian themes. Thus, this paper analyses feature film case studies as they incorporate motions into fictionalised accounts. We suggest that focusing on these movies’ motions, embedded in unfolding narratives, can help reconceive Habermas’s work to illustrate fluidity in how people and ideas may move between informal and more formal spheres. Ultimately, by showcasing the importance of motions in political participation, via these movies, we advance the idea that motions may be seen as part of a ladder of involvement, providing further opportunities for encouraging participation.

Developing a smartphone web app to help DWI offenders and their families

IntroductionDriving while intoxicated (DWI) results in significant morbidity and mortality. Ignition interlock devices (IID) decrease the risk of drinking and driving while installed, but DWI rates increase after the IID is removed. Efforts are needed to maintain change after the IID is removed; engaging concerned family members (CFMs) is an untested strategy. Smartphones may provide a promising platform to support DWI offenders with IIDs and their CFMs; the purpose of the present study was to develop such a smartphone-web app. MethodsFormative work occurred in two sequential phases. Phase 1 included key informant interviews with DWI offenders and CFMs, development of one app module, and usability testing. Phase 2 included focus groups with DWI offenders and CFMs, development of three more app modules, and usability testing. The Bangor System Usability Scale was used to rate app usability and navigability. ResultsResults of key informants and focus groups indicated that offenders and CFMs lacked information and were frustrated by the IID, experienced financial burden from the DWI and IID, viewed supportive communication and positive shared activities as important, and were positive about the app. Four modules were developed, Life with Interlock, Supporting Changes in Drinking, Doing Things Together, and Effective Communication. Usability testing indicated that the B-SMART modules were easy to use and informative. ConclusionsCareful formative work resulted in an app responsive to the concerns of DWI offenders with IIDs and their CFMs. Controlled research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of the app.

Effects of speech tracking method using hearing aids for hearing disorder in older people.

Speech tracking is defined as a complex act or task of listening in which the learner tracks the speech heard and repeats it as accurately as possible while paying attention to incoming contextual information. This ability involves auditory input, speech output, repetition, and divided attention. In this small-scale study, we aimed to use a speech-tracking method to train older adults with hearing loss and examine its effects on hearing loss from multiple perspectives, including hearing handicap, frailty, and neuropsychological testing. Auditory rehabilitation was provided to older patients who purchased hearing aids at the clinic and wanted to engage in rehabilitation. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, Nursing Home Hearing Handicap Index, speech-tracking rate, Token Test, Communication Activities of Daily Living, Kihon Checklist, Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, symbol search, and word recall were used for assessments before and after rehabilitation using the speech-tracking method. Changes in scores of each assessment item and sub-item were examined using Wilcoxon's signed-rank test, and changes per question were examined using the sign test. The speech tracking rate (p<0.001), Token Test score (p<0.001), and Mini-Mental State Examination score (p=0.035) improved significantly after the training. Notably, the speech-tracking rate improved for 31 of the 33 participants, with a maximum increase of 19.6 phrases per minute. The combination of a hearing aid and the speech-tracking method improved auditory comprehension.

The study of newly-qualified teachers’ psychological well-being and personal reflection

Introduction. The article examines the peculiarities of psychological well-being and satisfaction with the profession of novice teachers in connection with personal reflection. The purpose of the study is to reveal the specifics of psychological well-being and personal reflection of teachers at the initial stage of professional development. Materials and Methods. The study follows a systematic approach and the concept of psychological well-being (K Riff). In order to achieve the purpose of the research, the authors used theoretical (analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization) and empirical (tests) methods, as well as methods of statistical information processing. To collect relevant data, the methods were presented by means of a Google form via an online resource. The research sample consisted of 162 newly-qualified teachers from Omsk and the Omsk region whose work experience ranged between 6 months and 5 years. Results. The authors of the article obtained the following results: - analyzed and summarized Russian and international research investigations on issues of psychological well-being, the level of development of reflection and novice teachers satisfaction with their profession; - the empirical results of the study are presented, which reflect the priority indicators of psychological well-being, the level and types of personal reflection, the level of satisfaction with the professional development of newly-qualified teachers; the specifics of psychological well-being and personal reflection of teachers are revealed, the types of teachers at the initial stage of professional development are described. Conclusions. The specifics of psychological well-being and personal reflection of novice teachers are determined by difficulties in managing the environment, building interaction with colleagues and self-acceptance, readiness for personal growth and autonomy, and there is also insufficient development of reflection skills, in particular, reflection on communication and real activity, which affects satisfaction with professional activities. The types of novice teachers have been identified depending on the specifics of psychological well-being, the level of development and type of personal reflection, and satisfaction with profession.

A Communicational Ontology Inspired by Peter Singer

ABSTRACT The article states that the communicational world consists of four types of entities: 1) those that can suffer but cannot be held responsible for their communicative behavior (e.g. babies and some animals), 2) those that can suffer and can be held responsible for their communicative actions (journalists, teachers, entertainers), 3) those entities that cannot suffer but can be held responsible for their communicative behavior (media organizations, communication technologies, journalism as an institution), and 4) those entities that need to be acted on to minimize the suffering of others (climate, journalism, and potentially all entities). This “theory of moral-communicational status” explains what underlies the needs and obligations of all entities. In particular, it implies that animals should be better taken into account in communication and media ethics.

Transcriptome analysis of Ochratoxin a (OTA) producing Aspergillus westerdijkiae fc-1 under varying osmotic pressure

ABSTRACT Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by the Aspergillus species which can contaminate various food products. This study analysed the transcriptome of the Aspergillus westerdijkiae fc-1 strain under NaCl concentrations of 0, 20, and 100 g/L using RNA-Seq technology to examine gene transcriptional changes linked to osmotic stress and OTA production. Significant changes were observed in metabolic-pathways associated with carbohydrates, cellular communication, and hydrolase activity under 20 g/L NaCl. The HOG1 gene, associated with osmotic pressure regulation was down-regulated by 78.06%. In contrast, OTA biosynthesis genes otaA, otaB, and otaC were up-regulated by 3.26 fold, 1.99 fold, and 2.06 fold, respectively. Conversely, the otaD gene was down-regulated by 43.50%. At 100 g/L NaCl, pathways related to ion transport, peptide metabolism, ribosomal function, and transmembrane transporter protein activities were significantly up-regulated. The HOG1 gene was up-regulated by 28.32% and OTA biosynthesis genes otaA, otaB, otaC, and otaD showed up-regulation of 27.06%, 36.80%, 19.59%, and 5.72 fold, respectively. The study highlights the role of metabolic pathways in osmotic stress regulation and the correlations between HOG1 expression and OTA biosynthesis genes, providing insights for developing strategies to prevent OTA contamination in food.

A Study of Factors That Affect Chinese Tertiary EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate in Class

Classroom interaction characterizes communicative language teaching. Effective classroom interaction promotes second language acquisition (SLA) and serves as an important means of using the language especially for students in a foreign language context. Willingness to communicate (WTC) has received constant attention since its application to the SLA field in the 1990s. Students’ WTC ensures the quantity and quality of classroom interaction. By analyzing the data from an end-of-year questionnaire in an ordinary Chinese college English class, the present study aims to examine Chinese non-English major students’ general attitudes towards classroom communication activities and two major categories of factors, namely Teacher Factors and Task Factors, that influence students’ WTC in English classes from students’ perspective. The results show that the factors affecting WTC in college English classrooms are multidimensional, with Teacher’ s Emotions (being patient, encouraging, guiding, positive, happy, lively, passionate, trust), Teacher’ s Professional qualities (content selection, class organization, pronunciation, wait-time) and Task Content (usefulness, degree of difficulty, interest) having relatively greater effects. At the end of the paper, direction for future research is given. Second/foreign language teachers are advised to conduct further classroom research and actively regulate these factors for a more interactive English class and thus improve students’ class participation and learning efficiency.

The role of communication in the successful implementation of the Slovenian NCCP

Abstract Issue Cancer remains a significant global public health challenge, necessitating comprehensive strategies for effective control and management. Slovenian National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) addresses this challenge by prioritizing proactive communication with various stakeholders engaged in cancer care planning, delivery and advocacy. The communication strategy within this programme plays a pivotal role in its successful implementation. Description of the problem Active engagement and collaboration among stakeholders is crucial for achieving the programme’s objectives. NCCP seeks to address this challenge through various communication activities by fostering dialogue, sharing best practices, and facilitating networking opportunities among oncology professionals throughout Slovenia. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen partnerships with sectors beyond health and prioritizes engagement with cancer patient advocacy groups. Results The programme has devised a long-term communication strategy, guiding annual communication plans to engage stakeholders and foster support for its objectives. Notable communication activities in the period 2022-2024 include: organizing annual meetings for different oncology stakeholders including cancer patient associations, hosting impactful professional events, conducting visits to regional cancer hospitals, distributing e-newsletters and managing a NCCP website. Initial outcomes indicate strengthened communication and collaboration among professionals and institutions in the field of oncology nationwide. Engagement with patient advocacy groups has facilitated discussions on topics important to patients. Lessons Effective communication with diverse stakeholders is crucial for comprehensive cancer control. Collaborating across sectors enhances the impact of cancer control initiatives. Enhanced networking fosters innovation and synergy among oncology professionals, positioning Slovenia for greater success in cancer control. Key messages • Slovenia’s NCCP prioritizes proactive communication, fostering collaboration among stakeholders. Annual events, newsletter, and partnerships strengthen awareness and drive comprehensive cancer control. • Long-term communication strategy of Slovenia’s NCCP drives stakeholder engagement, and supports strategic objectives. This proactive approach strengthens comprehensive cancer control efforts.

Misunderstandings and Difficulties in Making Sense of the Action

Traditionally, intelligibility is associated with rationality. It is also associated with the meaning and understanding of the agent’s actions when interacting in a context. What is proposed in this work is an analysis – at the moment in which the agent is interacting – of what happens when intelligibility and meaning are decoupled. It causes a person’s actions to be misunderstood or misinterpreted by others. It is even possible that the same person will not understand, later, why she has acted the way she has. The explanation proposed is that this link is broken when the action process, made up of the three stages of action, is not developed correctly. This results in misunderstandings that, because they are directly related to the action, I have called misunderstandings within agency. The analysis of this kind of misunderstanding could be essential to understanding the conflicts that arise in the communicative act and mutual understanding.

Analysis of an Output-Oriented Teaching Method in College English under the Second Language Acquisition Theory

In the context of economic globalization, English has become increasingly essential for students’ communication and professional activities, necessitating higher proficiency in speaking and listening. The theory of second language acquisition posits that college English teaching can purposefully guide students’ learning and facilitate unconscious language acquisition. By integrating an output-oriented teaching method, students are provided with opportunities to practice and apply English, thereby addressing the traditional issue of “separation of learning and use.” This paper examines the application value of the output-oriented teaching method in college English under the second language acquisition theory and proposes several strategies to enhance college English classroom teaching. The goal is to develop students’ linguistic competence and improve their practical English skills.

The Effect of Peer Interaction Enhancement on Sixth-Grade Jordanian EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension and Grammatical Knowledge

This study explored the impact of peer interaction enhancement on sixth-grade Jordanian EFL students' reading comprehension and grammatical knowledge. Sixty female EFL students from two Al Mowaqqer schools were divided randomly into an experimental group and a control group. It employed a quasi-experimental design, over a ten-week duration, one experimental group underwent a peer interaction enhancement intervention, while the other group served as the control group, adhering to conventional teaching methods as outlined in the instructions of Action Pack 6 Teachers' Book. The experimental group used a structured approach involving peer interaction techniques for reading comprehension lessons and grammatical structures. The study utilized two pre-post tests on reading comprehension and grammatical knowledge for data collection Descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that peer interaction enhancement improves students' reading comprehension and grammatical knowledge through communicative activities and corrective feedback.

An Introduction to Semantic Communication and Semantic-Aware Networking Standardization for 6G

Recent developments of networking technologies have witnessed a growing interest on human-oriented services such as Tactile Internet and VR/AR/XR, most of which are data-hungry and computationally expensive. Semantic communication and semantic-ware networking (SAN) are promising solutions to meet the above need and support emerging smart applications and services based on the network and user generated data. In this paper, we provide an overview of the ongoing standardization activity of semantic communication and semantic-aware networking at IMT-2030 (6G) standard promotion group, including the overview of the concepts, key functional components, reference architectures, and use cases.

Adaptive Event-Triggered Consensus Control of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems via Output Feedback Methodology: An Application to Energy Efficient Consensus of AUVs

For dealing with the energy consumption in multi-agent systems (MASs), an event-triggered (ET) methodology is promising, which relies on the activation of communication devices only when communication of data is needed. This paper explores the leaderless consensus for nonlinear MASs using an adaptive ET approach via an output feedback methodology. This adaptive ET scheme is preferred as it can adapt to the environment through setting a communication threshold. The proposed approach renders the observed states of agents by use of nonlinear observers in an output feedback control dilemma, making it more practical. Simple Luenberger observers are developed to avoid the problem of always measuring agents’ states. The strategy of adaptive ET-based control is employed to minimize resource use and information transmission. Design conditions for the observer-based adaptive ET consensus control of nonlinear MASs have been derived via a Lyapunov function, containing state estimation error, consensus error, adaptation term, and nonlinearity bounds. In contrast to the existing methods, the present approach applies a more practical output feedback schema, uses adaptive ET proficiency, and deals with nonlinear agents. An example of a formation of autonomous underwater vehicles achieving the basic consensus realization between displacement and velocity is included to illustrate the viability of the resultant approach.

Features of consumer behaviour in the sphere of fast food catering on the Moscow market

The article presents the results of the empirical research of consumer behaviour features in the sphere of fast food catering in the Moscow market. The research method is a questionnaire survey with the use of digital technologies. The article reveals the loyalty of consumers to the visited fast food establishments; their motivation to visit new such places is determined; the awareness of consumers about the opening of new fast food establishments is studied; their preferences regarding the use of meal delivery services of these places and staying at them are revealed. The conclusions are formulated that direct visit to fast food restaurants remains a popular social practice among a significant part of consumers; digital meal delivery services of these places is actively used by consumers; visiting fast food establishments and ordering meal delivery there are typical for representatives of low-, middle-, and high-income audience segments; the communication activity of new fast food restaurants being opened is insufficient; the audience’s expectations from visiting these places and ordering food from them are not limited to the satisfaction of basic needs. The results of the research can be useful for the development of marketing strategies and advertising campaigns in the sphere of fast food catering as well as for the adjustment of business strategies of the restaurants.