Practical Means Research Articles

Understanding Intercultural Competence in Moroccan EFL Education: Perspectives and Practices

In an era of increasingly diverse educational landscapes, understanding how EFL teachers perceive intercultural competence is crucial for fostering inclusive and effective language learning environments. This mixed-methods study unveils the varied range of perspectives among Moroccan EFL educators affiliated with different Moroccan educational institutions. The sample ensured gender balance and exhibited a range of teaching experiences, spanning from 3 to 15 years. Additionally, the participants covered various teaching levels, contributing to the study's demographic diversity. The quantitative findings reveal strong agreement on its importance (Mean Score: 4.42) and active integration into teaching practices (Mean Score: 4.58), with a positive impact on student achievement (Mean Score: 4.62). Notably, the slight variability in training perceptions (Variance: 0.075) underscores the need for tailored support. Complementing these, qualitative insights delve into individual experiences and challenges, emphasizing the importance of personalized training. This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of intercultural competence in Moroccan EFL education, providing valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers aiming to enhance language learning experiences in diverse cultural contexts. In the wake of overwhelming agreement regarding the pivotal role of intercultural competence, this study champions the call for targeted professional development opportunities. Therefore, by tailoring interventions to address specific needs related to training and resources, we envision a future where educators feel not only empowered but also well-equipped to adeptly traverse the complexities of diverse cultural terrains, fostering a shared commitment to excellence in education.

Isolation of a potential rock phosphate solubilizing Aspergillus sp. towards development of biofertilizer

Phosphorus (P) is one of the key bio elements that limits agricultural production. Although Sri Lanka is endowed with rock phosphate deposits, practical means to utilize this resource are limited. Phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF) play an important role in enhancing the bioavailability of soil phosphorus to plants. In this study, fungi from eight soil samples in Kaikawala, Sri Lanka, were isolated using spread plate method and analyzed for its phosphate solubility capacity. One fungal isolate with significant halo zones on Pikovskaya’s agar (PVK) plates, containing 0.5% tricalcium phosphate, was identified. After purification, the isolate was transferred to three media setups: PVK with 0.5% apatite (ERP) as the phosphate source, PVK with 0.5% tricalcium phosphate as a positive control, and PVK without P source as a negative control and analyzed for the solubilization index (SI). DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacers with 5.8S region of ribosomal DNA (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) was analyzed with universal primer pair ITS4-F/ITS5-R to determine the identity of the species. Fungal isolate PSF01 showed a phosphate solubilizing activity on both PVK media, ERP (1.07 ± 0.03 cm SI) and tricalcium phosphate (1.07 ± 0.01 cm), with similar effects (p > 0.05). However, the SI in the negative control was 1.00 ± 0.00 cm without halo zone (p < 0.05). The fungal strain is fast growing with initially white but quickly changing to black colonies after producing conidial spores on potato dextrose agar with distinctive conidial heads and pale-yellow lower surface characterized as Aspergillus. Sanger DNA sequencing identified the fungus as Aspergillus niger (99%) and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA11 software using reference data obtained from NCBI GenBank data to identify the isolated PSF01. Consequently, our preliminary studies demonstrate the importance of examining more soil samples to identify PSF for sustainable agricultural applications in the future.

Exploring Elinor Ostrom's principles for collaborative group working within a user-led project: lessons from a collaboration between researchers and a user-led organisation

BackgroundSome research has been undertaken into the mechanisms that shape successful participatory approaches in the context of efforts to improve health and social care. However, greater attention needs to be directed to how partnerships between researchers and user-led organisations (ULOs) might best be formed, practiced, managed, and assessed. We explored whether political economist Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel prize winning analysis of common pool resource management—specifically eight principles to enhance collaborative group working as derived from her empirical research—could be usefully applied within a user-led project aiming to co-design new services to support more inclusive involvement of Disabled people in decision-making processes in policy and practice.MethodsParticipant observation and participatory methods over a 16-month period comprising observational notes of online user-led meetings (26 h), online study team meetings (20 h), online Joint Interpretive Forum meetings (8 h), and semi-structured one-to-one interviews with project participants (44 h) at two time points (months 6 and 10).ResultsInitially it proved difficult to establish working practices informed by Ostrom’s principles for collaborative group working within the user-led project. Several attempts were made to put a structure in place that met the needs of both the research study and the aims of the user-led project, but this was not straightforward. An important shift saw a move away from directly applying the principles to the working practices of the group and instead applying them to specific tasks the group were undertaking. This was a helpful realisation which enabled the principles to become—for most but not all participants—a useful facilitation device in the latter stages of the project. Eventually we applied the principles in a way that was useful and enabled collaboration between researchers and a ULO (albeit in unexpected ways).ConclusionsOur joint reflections emphasise the importance of being reflexive and responsive when seeking to apply theories of collaboration (the principles) within user-led work. At an early stage, it is important to agree shared definitions and understanding of what ‘user-led’ means in practice. It is crucial to actively adapt and translate the principles in ways that make them more accessible and applicable within groups where prior knowledge of their origins is both unlikely and unnecessary.

The Meaning of Physical Education Practice in Students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study seeks to describe the perspective of students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and physical education (PE) teachers concerning physical activity practice in high school. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study based on an interpretative framework was conducted with secondary school students with ADHD, and their teachers of physical education. In-depth interviews and researchers’ field notes were used to collect the data. Purposive sampling and inductive thematic analysis were applied. Results: Results show that ADHD is not experienced as limiting the practice of PA and PE by students, except in motor activities that require concentration such as tactical games. On the contrary, PA and PE helps them feel better. Teachers have not had to make extensive methodological modifications in their teaching styles with students with ADHD in relation to other situations or incidents. Conclusions: Students with ADHD do not seem to show significant difficulties in PE lessons or in the practice of extracurricular PA. PE teachers do not need to make significant adaptations with these students.

Teacher STEAM Education Supported by Professional Learning Communities: A Meaningful Practice of Teacher Professional Development

Teacher STEAM Education Supported by Professional Learning Communities: A Meaningful Practice of Teacher Professional Development

The empathy imperative in whole person care - for patients and physicians

Clinical empathy is associated with improved patient satisfaction, treatment compliance, and better health. At the same time, empirical evidence shows that strong empathic connections between physicians and patients increase job satisfaction and decrease malpractice complaints. Plus, doctors with higher levels of empathy also experience less stress, cynicism, and burnout. Empathy in healthcare should be the norm. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Physicians encounter emotionally taxing situations—illness, trauma, suffering, and dying—on a frequent or ongoing basis. Which might explain why they may miss or dismiss signs of patient distress. But there’s a growing body of evidence that points to overwork and a lack of self-care as a major problem. In fact, relative to the general population, doctors suffer from higher rates of compassion fatigue, burnout, depression, and suicide. The long hours, administrative workload, and financial imperatives of today’s medical practice means that many physicians struggle to prioritize self-care, including a lack of sleep, exercise, and healthy eating habits. All of this was further exacerbated by the pressure of the recent COVID pandemic. Yet physicians are not permitted to appear vulnerable or weak because doing so is inconsistent with the culture of medicine.This session will explore why empathy and self-empathy are both imperative to whole person care - for physicians and their patients. And will suggest several strategies and practices to combat empathy fatigue.

A MINHOCA AGREDIDA E A ROSA DESPEDAÇADA: A NATURALIZAÇÃO DO ABUSO E DA VIOLÊNCIA CONTRA A MULHER NOS DISCURSOS DAS CANÇÕES INFANTIS

In Pecheutian Matrix Discourse Theory, innate theories are not defended. Language is not a matter of heredity: it is something to be learned. Language is not only logical or biological and, therefore, one cannot ignore the pathological, historical and cultural problems it presents. However, we are subjects of/in language, crossed by the unconscious. Thus, in this work we seek to analyze some discourses that, in their fragmentation, circulate in children's songs, reorganizing social practices from an early age. Songs that echo, resonate in history, imposing ways of behavior on children, segmenting the male and female binary. A social memory that structures, reestablishes and also represents the reality and its force field of social relations for change or its conservation. The worm, the rose, the worm and the harpsichord discursive meanings of social practices.

Developmental language disorder and neurodiversity: Surfacing contradictions, tensions and unanswered questions.

Neurodiversity is increasingly discussed in relation to autism research and practice. However, there is a lack of scholarship concerning the neurodevelopmental condition of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and the neurodiversity movement. While this movement may hold opportunities for the DLD community, the application of the concept of neurodiversity to DLD research and practice needs consideration, as DLD and autism have very different levels of public and professional awareness and understanding. In this article, we discuss what the concept of neurodiversity and the associated neurodiversity movement could mean for DLD research and practice. We aim to critique some assumptions that may arise from the application of neurodiversity principles (or assumed principles) to the field of DLD. This is a discussion paper, drawing on the personal experiences and reflections of the author team. We make the case for why DLD should be included in discussions about neurodivergence and outline considerations for doing so, and why some issues and applications may be particular to DLD. We outline points of similarity and contrast with autism in relation to our understanding of neurodiversity. We consider the issues around diagnosis and terminology and urge practitioners to continue to diagnose DLD using currently agreed terminology, so as not to undermine recent awareness efforts. We note that a neurodiversity-informed perspective challenges us to offer interventions that operate at the level of our environments, not just at the level of an individual. Indeed, neurodiversity offers a platform to argue for better rights and more inclusive spaces in mental health settings, education and work for children and adults with DLD. DLD should be considered from a neurodiversity-informed perspective, and it is our hope that this will lead to neurodiversity-affirming practice that will afford young people with DLD better understanding from members of the public and the professionals who work with them. Further work is needed to better support children, young people and adults with DLD to have a voice in the neurodiversity movement. What is already known on the subject Neurodiversity approaches are increasingly being taken up in research and practice in relation to autism, meaning that our understanding of autism and how autistic people are supported is increasingly drawing on the principles of neurodiversity. However, autism is not the only neurodivergent population. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is another neurodevelopmental condition; however, relative to autism, DLD has lower awareness amongst professionals and the public. There has been no scholarship that has examined DLD through the lens of neurodiversity, or considered the application of neurodiversity-affirming approaches to DLD. What this paper adds to existing knowledge In this paper, we examine what the neurodiversity movement means for DLD research and practice. In particular, we consider what neurodiversity in the field of autism might teach us about the application of neurodiversity in the field of DLD, and highlight where we believe there are important differences between the two populations. We reflect on what neurodiversity means for intervention, diagnosis, terminology and championing the need for accessibility, especially with regard to mental health support, education and employment. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Neurodiversity highlights the need to consider interventions at the level of an individual's environment (e.g., how can we make this space more inclusive?) as well as interventions operating at the level of the individual themselves (e.g., interventions focusing on an individual's language skills). We challenge the notion that neurodiversity-affirming approaches mean not diagnosing DLD or changing DLD's terminology: we argue that this is not in the spirit of the original neurodiversity movement, but also that for a condition with such low public awareness, these actions could do more harm than good for families affected by DLD. We call for more in-depth scholarship and discussion around the application of neurodiversity approaches to DLD and argue that the neurodiversity movement offers an important opportunity to raise better awareness and understanding of DLD in multiple sectors, including (but not limited to) mental health, education and employment.

Carbon Nanotubes Facilitate Silk Hierarchical Assembly by Dry Drawing

Biologically derived hierarchical structural materials not only boast energy‐efficient processing but also exhibit impressive mechanical performance. Silk stands as the gold standard in hierarchical fiber production, leveraging a unique combination of advantages. Nevertheless, the artificial replication of silk poses technical challenges related to precision processing and comprehensive molecular control. To address such issues, this study investigates the hierarchical assembly of solid regenerated silk in an air atmosphere, facilitated by the incorporation of carbon nanotube (CNT) seeding. Results obtained highlight that this CNT seeding facilitates multiscale structure development in response to post‐spin tensile stress. Such CNT bridged structure assembly bypasses some natural processing control variables (pH, ions) and the necessary solvent immersed state for conventional silk post‐drawing. Combining secondary electron hyperspectral imaging and 3D synchrotron X‐ray ptychotomography, this study reports silk protein conversion from a disordered as‐spun state to a longitudinal orientated semi‐crystalline nano structure during drawing. The development of microscale structure during the drawing process is attributed to the presence of CNTs, yielding mechanical properties comparable to, and frequently surpassing, those exhibited by native fibers. These findings collectively propose a framework for exploring novel processing routes and offer a practical means controlling self‐assembly in silk materials.

The Impact of Educational Games at Professional English Lessons in Iraqi Schools

The purpose of this study we present the most helpful material in the field of teaching foreign languages is to analyze the results of using professional English courses with educational games in Iraqi schools, indicates, it’s a tools used in the teaching second language. In this work, we aim to explore the effects of education games on improving and developing learners’ . The participants are fifth grade from two different elementary schools. This is a deliberate selection on the part of the researcher. One hundred and thirty-eight students were selected randomly from the fifth grade class. After testing the tool with two groups; experimental and control group, researchers concluded that educational games are more beneficial than more conventional methods. Playing educational games significantly affects the motivation of Iraqi students, according to the results of this study, and they are also helpful in increasing students' exposure to vocabulary and providing students with meaningful practice of language.

The Principle of Accountability in Human Rights-Based Approaches to Development: Towards a New Understanding

Abstract Human rights-based approaches to development (HRBADs) have been pointed out as the most accomplished form of integration of human rights in development. Despite the growing talks among development practitioners on the need for human rights-based approaches to development policies and practices, it remains unclear what exactly the human right principle of accountability at the heart of these approaches consists of. This article seeks to unravel some of the difficulties. What does the principle of accountability mean? Who is accountable and to whom? What does it mean for current development practice? Reflecting on these questions, this article critically delves into policy, guidance, operational documents, evaluations, and other analyses by a selected number of bilateral development agencies. This desk-based research is in some cases backed by semi-structured interviews designed to provide a review of the current approaches to applying the principle of accountability. The article sheds light on how the principle of accountability is understood and applied by those agencies, and notes challenges and inconsistencies. It argues that the principle of accountability should be made fit for purpose so as not to become mere political rhetoric without practical meaning in development practice. It is thus contended that development agencies and state donors should move beyond understanding the principle of accountability as one that is grounded in internal accountability mechanisms and systems of evaluation and aim for holding all stakeholders, including themselves, accountable to the rights-holders of their development programmes and projects.

Integration of digital lean principles and line balancing in apparel manufacturing

Purpose: The integration of digitalization into the apparel manufacturing sector has become a strategic imperative, providing companies with a unique competitive edge. This study explores the application of ITEX PMD, an Internet of Things (IoT) data collection device, and evaluates the ITEX digital line balancing program within the context of digital lean management. By leveraging real-time data tracking, big data utilization, and advanced data analysis techniques, companies aim to enhance flexibility, agility, and operational efficiency in their manufacturing processes. Design/methodology/approach: This research delves into operational definitions for men's hoody sweatshirts, detailing the types of machines used, specifying standard task times, and elucidating the precedence relations of operations. The study utilizes ITEX PMD as a real-time production data collection device, generating periodic line reports through the associated software program. Findings: The ITEX digital line balancing program shows promise in assisting shop floor managers to optimize sewing lines with efficiency and seamlessness, contributing to overall operational excellence. The program provides another layer of visibility into the factory, reducing non-value-added activities, and improving efficiency. The ITEX Soft algorithm facilitates an ideal assembly line layout, ensuring a balanced workload among workstations, aligned with the continuous flow principle in the sewing line. Originality/value: This shop floor and software solution not only enhance visibility but also offer a practical means to reduce non-value-added activities, thereby improving overall efficiency. The ITEX Soft algorithm emerges as a valuable tool, contributing to a more balanced workload among workstations and optimizing assembly line layout. This study sheds light on the potential of digital lean principles in reshaping manufacturing processes and fostering operational excellence in the apparel industry.

Quantum technology: just a hype, or is it the future?

AbstractEveryone is talking about quantum technology (QT) – but what does this buzzword, with its origins in the photonics industry, actually mean in practice? As an experienced company in the QT sector, Toptica Eagleyard shares some key insights on its pivotal role in the industry in an interview, and reports on what QT has to do with the ‘valley of tears’ and ‘coming home’.

“Finding peace in God” – faith practices of provincial catholic students in Hanoi

Hanoi is one of the major educational centers of Vietnam. Every year, about 500,000 – 600,000 students come to Hanoi to study at colleges and universities, including provincial Catholic students. They mostly come from the northern provinces of Vietnam where Catholics live in tightly-organized, one could almost say closed, communities organized around the daily practice of their faith. For each individual, the way they express and practice their faith in the city shows that they are searching for the practical meaning that religion brings to their lives in this very different environment. Based on anthropological research and sociological surveys with a target group of provincial Catholic students in Hanoi, this study describes how they construct emergent religious identities in order to cope with unprecedented challenges to their understandings of morality and Catholic personhood. This article focuses on understanding the shift in faith practice of provincial Catholic students in Hanoi, the debates within the student community around the core issues of faith and sin, the general tolerance for behaviors -their own and others- that would not be possible in village life. Above all, it descibes, how they reach God in ways compatible with these challenging new expetiences.

Efficacy of tDCS to enhance virtual reality exposure therapy response in acrophobia: A randomized controlled trial

[Background]Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has been recognized as an effective treatment for specific phobias and has the potential to overcome the limitations of traditional exposure therapy. The pursuit of non-invasive brain stimulation provides a practical means of augmenting VRET. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, stimulates the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), with the potential to enhance the effects of exposure therapy. Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine whether tDCS enhanced the effects of VRET in acrophobia. [Method]This study recruited 64 college students with significant fear of height (based on the Acrophobia Questionnaire, AQ). Finally, 61 participants were randomly allocated to the tDCS active-stimulated group (n = 30) or the sham-stimulated group (n = 31). After stimulation, VRET was conducted, and clinical indices were recorded. The AQ was used as the first primary outcome, and Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) and the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire (HIQ) were used as secondary outcomes. [Result]There was a significant reduction in psychometric and behavioral anxiety measurements from pre to post treatment as indicated by main effects for the factor time (AQ-Anxiety: F (2.60) = 139.55, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.83; AQ-Avoidance: F (2.60) = 53.73, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.69; HIQ: F (2.60) = 128.12, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.81; STAI-Y-S: F (2.60) = 15.44, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.34; BAI: F (2.60) = 73.81, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.71). Compared with the sham-stimulated group, the reduction of AQ-Anxiety and SUDS in the first exposure trial (F (2,60) = 8.56, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.23; t = 2.34, p = 0.024, d = 0.61) was significantly faster in the active group. At follow-up, there was also a further reduction in AQ anxiety and avoidance (Anxiety: M = 56.51 ± 27.19; main effect time F (1,60) = 25.16, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.35; Avoidance: M = 12.57 ± 7.97; main effect time F (1,60) = 31.40, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.45) without interaction time*group (Anxiety: F (1.60) = 0.12, p = 0.740, η2 = 0.00; Avoidance: F (1.60) = 0.64, p = 0.430, η2 = 0.02). [Conclusion]Results could be explained tDCS could accelerate the effects of VRET on acrophobia by stimulating mPFC, indicating that tDCS may be used as an enhancement technique for exposure therapy for specific phobias.

Redox Gating for Colossal Carrier Modulation and Unique Phase Control.

Redox gating, a novel approach distinct from conventional electrolyte gating, combines reversible redox functionalities with common ionic electrolyte moieties to engineer charge transport, enabling power-efficient electronic phase control. This study achieves a colossal sheet carrier density modulation beyond 1016 cm-2, sustainable over thousands of cycles, all within the sub-volt regime for functional oxide thin films. The key advantage of this method lies in the controlled injection of a large quantity of carriers from the electrolyte into the channel material without the deleterious effects associated with traditional electrolyte gating processes such as the production of ionic defects or intercalated species. The redox gating approach offers a simple and practical means of decoupling electrical and structural phase transitions, enabling the isostructural metal-insulator transition and improved device endurance. The versatility of redox gating extends across multiple materials, irrespective of their crystallinity, crystallographic orientation, or carrier type (n- or p-type). This inclusivity encompasses functional heterostructures and low-dimensional quantum materials composed of sustainable elements, highlighting the broad applicability and potential of the technique in electronic devices.

Integration of LiFi, BPL, and Fiber Optic Technologies in Smart Grid Backbone Networks: A Proposal for Exploiting the LiFi LED Street Lighting Networks of Power Utilities and Smart Cities

This paper presents a proposal for extending an existing terabit-class backbone network architecture to enable the use of LiFi technology by power utilities and smart cities. The proposed architecture provides a practical means of integrating three smart grid communication technologies—fiber optics, BPL networks and LiFi LED street lighting networks—across the transmission and distribution power grids of smart cities. In addition to expanding the backbone communications network architecture, the paper provides a comprehensive overview of LiFi technology and analyzes the concept of LiFi LED street lighting networks in a smart city. The analytical investigation of the operation and performance of LiFi LED street lighting networks focuses on the following aspects: (i) typical LED street lighting configurations and default configuration parameter values encountered in smart sustainable cities; (ii) the applied LiFi channel model and corresponding default model parameters; (iii) SNR computations and LiFi channel classifications for a variety of scenarios; and (iv) available LiFi LED street lighting network architectures for integrating LiFi LED street lighting networks with the backbone network. The paper also discusses the potential benefits of LiFi LED street lighting networks for power utilities, smart cities and individuals.

Narrative analysis of seniors’ travel sharing: Self-shaping images and narrative patterns

Active ageing is a widely recognized notion that highlights seniors’ positive value and vitality, dissolving stereotypes by acknowledging heterogeneity. Currently, as an increasing number of senior visitors share trips, senior tourism has emerged as a practical means to foster a positive image of ageing. However, what images of ageing are conveyed and the process by which tourism stories are presented is unclear. To bridge the gap in seniors’ travel sharing, this study employed a narrative analysis method based on semistructured interviews with 49 Chinese senior visitors. Drawing upon selection, optimization, and compensation theory, the study identifies three narrative patterns: sliced-plain, staged, and introspective, and three image types: the plain immersion visitor, the active ageing image maker, and the relationship connector. By introducing seniors as research subjects, results revealed the logic and changing views of ageing behind seniors’ travel sharing. The understanding of heterogeneity and self-image construction among senior visitors was deepened. These findings also offer tourism destinations guidance on targeted marketing for senior visitors.

Polyoxometalate-Modified g-C3N4 Composites with High Work Function for Triboelectric Nanogenerators.

Designing friction materials with high electron storage capacity, high work function, low cost, and high stability is an important method to improve the output performance of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Here, we report two kinds of friction materials based on Keggin-type polyoxometalates (POMs)-modified graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4), namely, g-C3N4@PMo12 and g-C3N4@PW12, and form TENG with commercial indium tin oxide/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (ITO/PET) electrodes. The performance test shows that the g-C3N4@PMo12 TENG device exhibits a high output voltage of about 78 V, a current of about 657 nA, and a transfer charge of about 15 nC, which is more than 3 times higher than that of unmodified TENG. This performance improvement is attributed to the fact that POM loaded on the surface of g-C3N4 can be used as a shallow electron trap to increase the electron storage capacity through electron interaction and to increase the charge density on the surface of the material by increasing the work function of the composite. This work not only broadens the choices of TENG friction materials but also offers a practical means of enhancing TENG's output performance.

Toddlers, Tech and Talk: What does research literature tell us?

The second article in this series about the Toddlers, Tech and Talk project reviews the academic literature around young children's use of technology in the home. Dr Sandra El Gemayel, research associate at Manchester Metropolitan University, Rosie Flewitt, professor of early childhood communication at Manchester Metropolitan University and Dr. Lorna Arnott, senior lecturer and director of Early Years at The Strathclyde Institute of Education, discuss the current guidelines for children's use of digital tech and what ‘screen time’ means in practice, as well as share tips for how parents can be encouraged to help mediate children's tech use.