Expression Of Agreement Research Articles

We agree completely with the reviewer, but … ”: Stance in author rebuttal letters for journal manuscript reviews

Authors’ rebuttal letters (ARLs) in response to journal reviewers critically affect whether a paper is accepted or rejected. However, the genre is traditionally “occluded” from the public view, and its linguistic or rhetorical features are seldom examined in the literature. Using Hyland’s (2005) model, this study analyzes stance markers, i.e., expressions of the speaker’s attitudes towards or commitment concerning a proposition, in 50 ARLs from five high-impact Nature Portfolio journals, which started publishing ARLs as supplements to manuscripts in 2020. The analysis shows that authors’ stance deployment differs markedly between different sections of the ARL, i.e., Opening Statement, Point-by-Point Response, Additional Changes, and Closing Remarks. Attitude markers, boosters, and self-mentions are more frequent in ARLs than in research articles, serving to advocate the paper, highlight improvements, and show gratitude towards reviewers. Only 6 % ARLs fully accommodate all reviewer suggestions. When rejecting a criticism, authors rarely express total disagreement with reviewers, choosing instead to hedge the No Revision claims, use expressions of agreement and gratitude as buffers, and boost positive aspects of the paper. Findings of this study may be of interest to those who seek a better understanding of the language of ARLs, including ESP teachers and novice researchers.

EFL Students’ Difficulties in Answering Listening TOEFL of Short Dialogue Test

This study investigates the most difficult parts in listening comprehension test faced by undergraduate students from Universitas Teuku Umar. The subject was 30 students who have taken the TOEFL test more than three times. The study used descriptive qualitative research. The data were taken from students’ TOEFL score and interview. This study focused on 13 aspects of short dialogues (synonym, similar sound, Who, What and Where, Passive, Negative Expression, Double Negative, Negative with Comparative, “Almost Negative”, Expression of Surprise, Expression of Agreement, Uncertainty and Suggestion, Wishes and Untrue Condition, Idiomatic Expression) which adopted from Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test. The result found that the most difficult aspects in listening comprehension of short dialogue test were similar sound, uncertainty and suggestion, idiom words, and synonym. It was revealed that the most difficult aspect in listening Part A (short dialogue) is similar sound that was proven from students’ incorrect answer (97%), only 3% of them answered correctly, followed by Uncertainty and Suggestion (94%) and idiom words (94%), only 2% of students answered correctly from each of the aspect, and synonym (90%), 3% of them chose the right answers. The result of interview found that most of them got unfamiliar with the sound, lack of practice and low motivation in learning a foreign language. It can be stated that the most difficult aspect in listening short dialogue is similar sound and the factors that cause them hard to answer short dialogue part come from external (unfamiliar sound) and internal problems (lack of practice and low motivation). Keywords: Listening Comprehension, Short Dialogue Problems, TOEFL Test.

Morphology-syntax mismatches in agreement systems: The case of Jóola Fóoñi

The present study examines the agreement system of Jóola Fóoñi (Atlantic, Niger-Congo). In Niger-Congo languages, noun forms divide into subsets according to their agreement patterns. The morphological paradigm of the agreement targets is generally analysed as a reflex of agreement triggered by nominal controllers. For Jóola Fóoñi this view is not correct since (i) the range of subsets of noun forms and the range of values on the agreement targets do not match and (ii) inflection for a subset of class values is associated with its own semantic and syntactic properties, independent of agreement configurations with nouns. In Jóola Fóoñi the classification of noun forms based on their agreement properties and the cells of the inflectional paradigm of adnominal and pronominal agreement targets are related but independent components of the grammar. Of the 15 class-values that structure the inflectional paradigm of adnominals and pronouns involved in the expression of agreement with heads or antecedents, only 13 class-values function as agreement values with nominal controllers; the other 2 class-values only appear on agreement targets. The inflectional paradigm characterising agreeing adnominals and pronouns is heterogeneous in several respects. (i) Of the 15 class-values in the inflectional paradigm, only 12 allow non-contextual uses without a nominal controller, each associated with a particular meaning. (ii) Non-contextual uses of the 5 class-values expressing time, manner and different conceptualizations of space display adverbial syntax, while the other class-values show pronominal syntax. (iii) Of the 5 class-values associated with adverbial syntax, the 3 locative classes differ from the classes associated with time and manner with respect to relativisation. We propose that the forms inflected for class that express place, time or manner in their non-contextual use have become adverbs, and the locative relativisers have been reanalysed as locative relative pronouns.

Согласие/несогласие по-белорусски: Рецензия на учебно-методическое пособие А. П. Латушко «Беларускія выразы згоды і нязгоды» (Мінск, БДУ, 2020. 135 с.)

The review is a response to the publication of the teaching aid by A. P. Latushko “Belarusian phrases of Agreement and Disagreement”. The author presents inseparable phrases of agreement and disagreement as elements of the composition of a communicative act in the form of a dictionary with a theoretical preface. The relevance of this teaching aid is seen in the systematization of speech manifestations of one of the communicative categories based on Belarusian fiction. Using the method of continuous sampling, A. P. Latushko extracted more than 130 inseparable expressions of agreement and more than 150 expressions of disagreement (the inaccuracy of the quantity is due to the inevitable presence of phonetic, lexical, spelling, grammatical variants, for example, chort z vami/taboy), which actually represent one phrase, as well as optional introductory, insertion elements, modal words and particles (<Nu> vos? і dobra, slauna, tsudouna, tsudounen´ka; <Sto zh>, paglyadzim; <Ne,><vy/ty< (pa) chladzi (tse) and so on.). The material presented in the peer-reviewed scientific and methodological work of A. P. Latushko confirms the thesis that in fact we communicate not with ideal units of the language system, but with real units of speech – a confirmation of the popular linguistic theory, which is sometimes called the Russian analogue of the theory of speech acts – the theory of speech genres, the foundations of which were laid by M. M. Bakhtin, and deeply and in detail investigated by professor V. V. Dementyev. The teaching aid presents a successful attempt to acquaint the reader with the speech implementation of the linguistic category of agreement and disagreement in the Belarusian language based on 1100 contexts of Belarussian drama and prose.

The use of digital means of expressing emotions by students in conditions of remote interaction with the teacher

Introduction. The widespread dissemination of distance learning offers the challenge of rethinking the usual approaches to the educational process to teachers and psychologists. The significance of the influence of the emotional component in the process of interaction between the teacher and students does not cause doubts. Meanwhile, it raises many questions to preserve the emotional side of the interaction of participants in distance learning. The purpose of the study is to identify the specifics of the use of educational digital means of expressing emotions under remote interaction with the teacher. Materials and methods. The selection of the study includes the students of the Ural State Pedagogical University in the amount of 75 people (focus group – 31, interviews – 44). At the first stage of the study, the Focus Group method and the interview method were applied to obtain the information on the specifics of the use of educational digital means of expressing emotions in a digital environment. The method of high-quality content analysis was used to obtain data, since the encoding categories were formed as a result of an analysis of empirical material. The multidimensional scale method in the Statistica 10 program was used to process the data obtained. Research results. Mathematical and statistical analysis of the pre-composed matrix of pairwise differences according to the method of multidimensional scaling gave a 2-scale solution. The results of the 1st scale show that on one pole, the following responses of students were close in distance: "The fact of expression of emotions with VC" (-1.19), "Expression of agreement with the assessment" (-1.10), "will not ask about the reasons of assessment"(-1.00), "expression of disagreement with an assessment" (-0.99), "Message to the teacher about what happened" (-0.94). On the opposite pole of the 1st scale, the following answers were grouped up: "Do not use MEE in the EPC situations" (1.30), "do not show emotions to the EPC" (1.15), "will take active actions to identify causes of problems" (1.14), "Restraint of the expression of emotions with the VC" (1.00), "the desire to know the cause of such an assessment" (0.87). On the negative pole of the 2nd scale, the responses of the students were distributed as follows: "Use the EPC in EPCs in situations associated with activities" (-1.11), "will not express emotions in a situation where they were highly evaluated than expected" (- 1.06), "Written speech to express emotions" (-0.95), "pictures / memes" (-0.94), "Formatting text (size, color, font format, etc.)" (-0, 88). Answers on the opposite pole of the 2nd scale: "Do not express emotions with VC" (1.21), "writing the text with uppercase (capital) letters" (1.13), "Smiley (Emodi)" (0.93), "Means of expression: smiles, punctuation marks, words" (0.90), "Desire to change the rating" (0.88), "Direct expression of emotions" (0.82), "Expression of emotions by means of gesticulation" (0.80). Comparison of the criteria selected by the method of multidimensional scaling to each other form 4 spaces within the framework of which all the options for respondents were distributed as follows: "Openness in the interaction" / "closedness in interaction", "orientation to activity in interaction" / "Orientation to attitudes in interaction". Conclusion. In the process of the study, eight positions were identified as sustainable systems of relationships of students to certain parties of the educational process, determining the use of digital means of expressing emotions: "rationalization", "formalization", "control", "denial", "adoption", "inclusion", " immediateness", "acting". The results obtained can be used as a basis for creating methodological recommendations to educators to form new competencies in the field of pedagogical interaction with students in a digital environment, based on the degree of openness / closedness of students in communications, as well as from what they are more oriented to the process of interaction with the teacher is to maintain / express a relationship or activities.

Therapists' Expressions of Agreement in Therapeutic Conversations With Chinese Children With ASD: Strategies, Sequential Positions and Functions.

Based on conversations between 10 Chinese children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and five therapists in the context of Naturalistic Intervention, this study investigated the therapists’ agreement expressions in this typical setting. The study found that (1) the therapists mainly used four agreement strategies: acknowledgment, positive evaluation, repetition and blending. These four strategies could be used individually or in combination. The first three strategies and their combinations were used frequently during the therapeutic conversation. (2) With the major occurrences in the post-expansion position, the agreement expressions in the therapeutic conversation mainly performed three functions, namely, creating a supportive therapeutic relationship, serving as positive reinforcers and implementing interventions pertinent to communication skills. (3) This study proposed that the therapists’ preferred use of agreement expressions in the intervention process could be explained by the features of Naturalistic Intervention.

Serotonin and Melatonin Biosynthesis in Plants: Genome-Wide Identification of the Genes and Their Expression Reveal a Conserved Role in Stress and Development.

Serotonin (Ser) and melatonin (Mel) serve as master regulators of plant growth and development by influencing diverse cellular processes. The enzymes namely, tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) and tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H) catalyse the formation of Ser from tryptophan. Subsequently, serotonin N-acetyl transferase (SNAT) and acetyl-serotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) form Mel from Ser. Plant genomes harbour multiple genes for each of these four enzymes, all of which have not been identified. Therefore, to delineate information regarding these four gene families, we carried out a genome-wide analysis of the genes involved in Ser and Mel biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, tomato, rice and sorghum. Phylogenetic analysis unravelled distinct evolutionary relationships among these genes from different plants. Interestingly, no gene family except ASMTs showed monocot- or dicot-specific clustering of respective proteins. Further, we observed tissue-specific, developmental and stress/hormone-mediated variations in the expression of the four gene families. The light/dark cycle also affected their expression in agreement with our quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Importantly, we found that miRNAs (miR6249a and miR-1846e) regulated the expression of Ser and Mel biosynthesis under light and stress by influencing the expression of OsTDC5 and OsASMT18, respectively. Thus, this study may provide opportunities for functional characterization of suitable target genes of the Ser and Mel pathway to decipher their exact roles in plant physiology.

Analysing the Second Semester Students’ Ability in Toefl Listening Comprehension

The aim of this research is to find out the second semester students’ ability in TOEFL Listening Comprehension at Sekolah Tinggi Bahasa Asing Cipto Hadi Pranoto. The method applied is the descriptive qualitative research. It revealed that the students’ ability to Longman Introductory Course Book by Deborah Phillips for TOEFL Test show the level of difficulties in Part A (short conversation) is 75 % comprising from 55 % moderate, in skill 1(restatement), skill 2 (expression of negative sentence), skill 3 (suggestion) and skill 6 (the expressions of agreement), 18 % easy in skill 5 (identifying occupation, location). However the problematic aspect in Part A is 2 % difficult to comprehend skill 4, passive statements, in Part B proves that the students’ comprehension of skill 7 (anticipating questions) is 20 % easy, and skill 8 (anticipating topics or main ideas) is 2 % moderate, in Part C shows that 11 % considered moderate to comprehend skill 11 (anticipating topics or main ideas), and 11 % easy to comprehend skill 10 (anticipating question). However, the problematic aspect in Part C is 2 % difficult to comprehend skill 12 (the order of the answer).

Analysing the Second Semester Students’ Ability in Toefl Listening Comprehension

The aim of this research is to find out the second semester students’ ability in TOEFL Listening Comprehension at Sekolah Tinggi Bahasa Asing Cipto Hadi Pranoto. The method applied is the descriptive qualitative research. It revealed that the students’ ability to Longman Introductory Course Book by Deborah Phillips for TOEFL Test show the level of difficulties in Part A (short conversation) is 75 % comprising from 55 % moderate, in skill 1(restatement), skill 2 (expression of negative sentence), skill 3 (suggestion) and skill 6 (the expressions of agreement), 18 % easy in skill 5 (identifying occupation, location). However the problematic aspect in Part A is 2 % difficult to comprehend skill 4, passive statements, in Part B proves that the students’ comprehension of skill 7 (anticipating questions) is 20 % easy, and skill 8 (anticipating topics or main ideas) is 2 % moderate, in Part C shows that 11 % considered moderate to comprehend skill 11 (anticipating topics or main ideas), and 11 % easy to comprehend skill 10 (anticipating question). However, the problematic aspect in Part C is 2 % difficult to comprehend skill 12 (the order of the answer).

Space Oddities: The Acquisition of Agreement Verbs by L2 Learners of Sign Language of the Netherlands

AbstractThis article reports the results of the first longitudinal study that systematically investigates the acquisition of verb agreement by hearing learners of a sign language. During a 2‐year period, 14 novel learners of Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT) with a spoken language background performed an elicitation task 15 times. Seven deaf native signers and NGT teachers performed the same task to serve as a benchmark group. The results obtained show that for some learners, the verb agreement system of NGT was difficult to master, despite numerous examples in the input. As compared to the benchmark group, learners tended to omit agreement markers on verbs that could be modified, did not always correctly use established locations associated with discourse referents, and made characteristic errors with respect to properties that are important in the expression of agreement (movement and orientation). The outcomes of the study are of value to practitioners in the field, as they are informative with regard to the nature of the learning process during the first stages of learning a sign language.

EXPRESSIVE SPEECH ACTS IN THE STATUSES OF THE FACEBOOK USERS

This research is conducted based on two purposes; they are to identify the types of expressive speech act found in the statuses of the Facebook users, and to explain the modes of expressive utterance used in the statuses. Therefore, the data source is the social network that is Facebook and the data are the statuses of the Facebook users. The data are collected by using observational method, followed by non-participant observational technique and taking-note technique. The data analysis is based on pragmatic identity method proposed by Sudaryanto (2015) which is also supported by the theory of the types of expressive speech act by Ronan (2015), and theory about the modes of utterance from Alwi, et al (2000). The analysis result shows that there are fourteen types of expressive speech act in the statuses. They are the expression of agreement, disagreement, apology, gratitude, sorrow (sadness), exclamation (complaint), volition (hope), anger, disappointment, encouragement, satire, annoyance, pride, and congratulation. Meanwhile, the modes of expressive speech act that are used consist of declarative mode, interrogative mode, and exclamative mode. The importance of this research is to reveal or show that there is something else the Facebook users want to say behind their statuses. Sometimes, they do not really state what they mean in their statuses. They use indirect way and there lies the use of expressive speech act which can be stated in different way.

Closest Conjunct Agreement

Closest conjunct agreement is of great theoretical interest in terms of what it reveals about the structure of coordination; the locality of agreement relations; and the interaction between syntax, semantics, and morphology in the expression of agreement. We highlight recent approaches to the phenomenon, including typologically diverse case studies and experimentally elicited results, and point out crystallized generalizations as well as directions for future research, including the absence of last conjunct agreement, the absence of closest conjunct case, differences between conjunction and disjunction, and the role of linear adjacency in morphological realization.

Developing shared values for strategies and policies on Primary Care Centres in Tuscany Region, Italy

Introduction comprising context and problem statement : In Italy, Tuscany Region implemented since 2010 Primary Care Centres PCCs - in Italy known as “Case della Salute”- Health Homes in order to provide the population with a single point of access to primary care services, promoting integration and coordination of care. The present contribution describes the consensus building process promoted by Tuscany Region in order to renew the PCC policy based on shared values among the different stakeholders. Description of policy context and objective : After a first pilot implementation, in 2016 the Tuscan Regional Health Authority established a regional act providing guidelines for the PCC model. This act focused mainly on the structural characteristics of PCCs, such as the number and type of professionals involved, opening hours, technological tools and equipment. The Tuscan Regional Health Authority promoted also to monitor the effective implementation of PCCs in terms of their structural mapping and impact evaluation. After two years, a research monitoring report pointed out a great variability in the implementation of PCCs model in the local context. Particularly there was evidence of the lack of a common vision on functions and core domains of PCCs among policy makers, professionals and citizens. Therefore, during 2017 a consensus conference has been organised with the aim of reviewing of regional guidelines and relaunching them through a participating process involving the different stakeholders. Targeted population : The consensus conference involved more than one hundred stakeholders regional and local health managers, policy makers, GPs, nurses, social workers, specialists, community organisations and citizens in a process that included residential meetings, group works and web sharing of ideas and expression of agreement on specific themes through structured questionnaires. Highlights innovation, Impact and outcomes : This experience is innovative for two key aspects: 1 the participative method adopted for renewing the regional policy on PCC, 2 the shift of PCC paradigm from a structural approach to a focus on PCC objectives and its specific interventions addressing the local community. The consensus building process highlighted the following shared values : - identification of the three key functions of PCCs, such as health promotion and prevention for and with community, chronic care management, and social and health integration; - integration of PCCs interventions in the district health planning; - valorisation of the role of PCCs to welcome the needs of individuals, families and community and orient them to the best healthcare answers; - implementation of multi-professional teams within PCCs working together and promoting integrated care. Comments on transferability : The results of the consensus conference has been used for the elaboration of a new regional act containing the updated guidelines for PCCs. Both its process and results can be transferred in other contexts. Conclusions comprising key findings, discussion and lessons learned : The consensus building process promoted by Tuscany Region allowed to all stakeholders to active participate in the development of share values constituting a stronger base in which the new policy on PCCs may be anchored. It was useful to strength their awareness and commitment in the implementation of the new organisational model of PCCs.

Pragmatic Annotation for a Multi-Layered Analysis of Speech Acts: A Methodological Proposal

Within the recently-coined sub-field of corpus pragmatics, one of the areas of interest is the study of speech acts and, specifically, how it can profit from the adoption of this methodological approach. However, the acknowledged lack of correspondence between speech acts and linguistic forms makes basic form-based corpus searches unreliable in retrieving speech acts from a corpus. In fact, function-to-form corpus research can prove much more fruitful in carrying out this kind of study, but it usually requires time-consuming manual annotation, which in turn means that there have been few attempts to employ this methodology. As a contribution in this new direction, this study will showcase a function-to-form approach to investigating speech acts of agreement and disagreement in spoken Catalan. Through this example, this paper aims to show the benefits of designing, compiling, transcribing and, especially, annotating one’s own corpus for the study of speech acts. In order to annotate data for the study of speech acts, a complex and multi-layered annotation system was designed and manually applied, so that all the different aspects that play a relevant role in the expression of agreement and disagreement could be covered. In addition to discussing the findings from this study, it is argued that the possibilities of exploitation provided by the resulting annotated corpus far outweigh the time cost and open the door to in-depth analyses of speech acts and politeness in naturally occurring spoken data.

Reduced frequency of murine cytomegalovirus retinitis in C57BL/6 mice correlates with low levels of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 expression within the eye during corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression

AIDS-related human cytomegalovirus retinitis remains a leading cause of blindness worldwide. We compared two C57BL/6 mouse models of experimental murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) retinitis for intraocular expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3, host proteins that are inducible negative feedback regulators of cytokine signaling. These mouse models differed in method of immune suppression, one by retrovirus-induced immune suppression (MAIDS) and the other by corticosteroid-induced immune suppression. Following subretinal injection of MCMV to induce retinitis, intraocular SOCS1 and SOCS3 were only mildly stimulated, and often without significance, within MCMV-infected eyes during the progression of MCMV retinitis in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice, contrary to MCMV-infected eyes of mice with MAIDS that showed significant high stimulation of SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression in agreement with previous findings. Frequency and severity of retinitis as well as amounts of intraocular infectious MCMV in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice were also unexpectedly lower than values previously reported for MAIDS animals during MCMV retinitis. These data reveal a major difference between two mouse models of experimental MCMV retinitis and suggest a possible link between the amplitude of SOCS1 and SOCS3 stimulation and severity of disease in these models.

Verbal Communication Behaviors: How Male and Female University Students Interact in Gendered Talks

With the existence of language and gender studies emphasizing the male and female dichotomy in interactional strategies, this study aimed to investigate the verbal communication behaviors of language classroom mixed-gender and same-gender group conversations involving the same interlocutors. The transcribed data obtained from the three fifteen-minute recorded group interactions indicated that questions and expressions of agreement were the typical behaviors employed by the interlocutors. The results showed that aside from the gender of the interlocutor and the gender composition of the group, the nature of talk and the group size influence the use of particular behaviors. The findings have implications on providing a locally-acquired data on classroom peer talks in the field of language and gender.

Quantitative analysis of gene expression changes in response to genotoxic compounds

Techniques that quantify molecular endpoints sufficiently sensitive to identify and classify potentially toxic compounds have wide potential for high-throughput in vitro screening. Expression of three genes, RAD51C, TP53 and cystatin A (CSTA), in HEPG2 cells was measured by Q-PCR amplification. In parallel, we developed alternative assays for the same 3 gene signature based on an acridinium-ester chemiluminescent reporter molecule.HEPG2 cells were challenged with eighteen different compounds (n=18) chosen to represent compounds that are genotoxic (n=8), non-genotoxic non-carcinogenic (n=2) or have a less well defined mechanism of action with respect to genotoxicity (n=8). At least one of the three genes displayed dysregulated expression in the majority of compounds tested by Q-PCR and ten compounds changed the CSTA expression significantly.Acridinium-ester labelled probes for the three genes were synthesised and tested. Analytical sensitivity was characterised and suggested a limit of detection generally better than 0.1fmol but often 10–50 attomol. A linear amplification step was optimised and this quantitative method detected statistically significant increases in RAD51C and CSTA expression in agreement with the Q-PCR results, demonstrating the potential of this technology. The broad agreement of the amplified chemiluminescent method and Q-PCR in measuring gene expression suggests wider potential application for this chemiluminescent technology.

In vivo multiplexed molecular imaging of esophageal cancer via spectral endoscopy of topically applied SERS nanoparticles.

The biological investigation and detection of esophageal cancers could be facilitated with an endoscopic technology to screen for the molecular changes that precede and accompany the onset of cancer. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles (NPs) have the potential to improve cancer detection and investigation through the sensitive and multiplexed detection of cell-surface biomarkers. Here, we demonstrate that the topical application and endoscopic imaging of a multiplexed cocktail of receptor-targeted SERS NPs enables the rapid detection of tumors in an orthotopic rat model of esophageal cancer. Antibody-conjugated SERS NPs were topically applied on the lumenal surface of the rat esophagus to target EGFR and HER2, and a miniature spectral endoscope featuring rotational scanning and axial pull-back was employed to comprehensively image the NPs bound on the lumen of the esophagus. Ratiometric analyses of specific vs. nonspecific binding enabled the visualization of tumor locations and the quantification of biomarker expression in agreement with immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry validation data.

Kinetic study of 4-nitrophenol photocatalytic degradation over a Zn2+ doped TiO2 catalyst prepared through an environmentally friendly aqueous sol–gel process

• Kinetic study of 4-NP photocatalytic degradation under artificial light was performed. • A pseudo-first order kinetic model was adjusted on the experimental data. • Apparent reaction rate constant and global apparent activation energy were estimated. • A mechanism was proposed to describe the reaction at a molecular scale. • Statistical validations of the pseudo-first order model was successfully performed. A kinetic study of the photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) under UV–visible light (330 nm < λ < 800 nm) has been performed via a rigorous chemical engineering approach over a Zn 2+ doped TiO 2 catalyst prepared through an environmentally friendly aqueous sol–gel process. The experiments have been performed at three temperatures to enable the global activation energy to be estimated. The influence of the illumination intensity has also been considered. The possibility of internal and external diffusion limitations has been studied and the results obtained demonstrated that there is no diffusional limitation during the photocatalytic degradation of the 4-NP using the selected catalyst. Therefore, the apparent specific reaction rate measured corresponds to the actual reaction rate of the chemical reaction. Parameter adjustments show that the kinetic model that provides the best fit to the experimental data corresponds to a first order reaction. A sequence of elementary steps has been considered and a pseudo-steady state approach based upon the stationary state hypothesis for reaction intermediates has been applied to obtain a kinetic rate expression in agreement with the experimental data. The mean values of the reaction rate constant found at 283 K, 288 K and 293 K are respectively equal to k ‾ 1 = 0.094 ± 0.003 m 3 h −1 kg catalyst - 1 ; k ‾ 2 = 0.119 ± 0.004 m 3 h −1 kg catalyst - 1 and k ‾ 3 = 0.150 ± 0.023 m 3 h −1 kg catalyst - 1 and the global activation energy of the degradation reaction was evaluated as 40 kJ mol −1 . A phenomenological kinetic mechanism is proposed to describe the reaction at a molecular scale. Finally, statistical validations and residuals analysis have been performed to confirm that the first order model is suitable to represent the 4-NP photocatalytic degradation over time. Such studies are essential to design a reactor for water pollutant degradation on an industrial scale.

DISCOURSE MARKERS IN TRANSLATING: CO-OCCURRENCE WITH EXPRESSIONS OF AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT

The present paper is based on a wider research study (Válková 2012) aimed at language means used to regulate discourse, or, more specifi cally, signposting the discourse and creating “some space for social interaction” (Povolná 2005: 49). In my view, discourse markers (henceforth DMs) fall under the heading of interpersonal signposts, which are to be distinguished from textual signposts that give the interpretative clues to various textshaping processes (cf. Figure 1 below). The study demonstrates the possibilities of using parallel English-Czech and Czech-English corpora to reveal quantitative differences in the ways the chosen English DMs co-occur with expressions of agreement and disagreement (narrowed in this analysis to yes and no) and gives evidence of the qualitative preferences of Czech equivalents along the syntagmatic axis.