Post Reading Research Articles

IMPROVING THE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY THROUGH SQ3R STRATEGY

The study is aimed at improving the students’ reading comprehension ability in reading English class using SQ3R strategy, which refers to a reading technique covering a five step system developed by Francis P Robinson. Each of the steps stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review . The study employed Classroom Action Research design. The subjects of the study were four of third semester students of the English Department of Palangka Raya State Islamic College of 2009/ 2010 academic year. The study was carried out in two cycles by following the four steps of action research: planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. Each cycle consisted of one meeting focusing pre-reading, whilst reading and post reading. The data of the study are taken from the results of observation checklists, field notes, and the students’ reading score. The result of the study showed that SQ3R strategy could improve the students’ reading comprehension ability. It could be seen from the improvement of the students’ reading scores. The students were actively involved in reading class and they were highly motivated to attend the SQ3R reading class.

Metacognition and Reading: Investigating Intervention and Comprehension of EFL Freshmen in Turkey

This study investigated the impact of a metacognitive reading strategy training programme (METARESTRAP) on metacognitive reading strategies and reading comprehension. The quasi-experimental study was conducted with 93 freshmen in the English Language Teaching Department of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University. After pre and post reading tests and a metacognitive reading strategy questionnaire were administered, the six-week METARESTRAP was implemented. The results demonstrated that METARESTRAP significantly fostered reading comprehension skills by providing awareness of metacognition along with declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge about metacognitive reading strategies. It can be concluded that METARESTRAP worked well specifically for matching- type cohesion, coherence, text structure, and global meaning questions along with multiple- choice-type main idea, opinion, detail, and reference questions.

Efficacy of Progressive Core Strengthening Exercise on Functional Endurance Tests and Hypertrophy of Multifidus, Transverses Abdominis in Healthy Female Subjects with Low Core Endurance

Objective: Aim of the present study was to find out the efficacy of core strengthening training on hypertrophy of core group of muscles (i.e) transverses abdominis (TA) and multifidus (MF) and on trunk flexor as well as extensor endurance tests in normal healthy low core endurance females. Methodology: Study Design: Single blind randomized control trail. Sample size: Convenient sample of 20 female college students with low core endurance. They divided into two groups. Intervention: Experimental group received six weeks progressive core stabilization exercise while control group received no treatment. Out come measurement: Pre and post reading of right and left side cross sectional area (CSA) of MF at L4 and L5 level and TA using ultra sound image. Flexor and extensor trunk isometric tests were too taken for functional improvement. Statistics: Related t- test were used to compare means within the group and unrelated t-tests were used to compare means between two unrelated groups. The significance level was set at p≤0.05. Results: Prior to the intervention there was no significant difference in CSA between the groups. After 6 weeks there was no significant improvement in control group. In experimental group, after six weeks on and average 35.41% improvement in CSA with MF L4 left being most improved site (53.50%) and TA left being least improved site (9.01%). All improvements are statistically highly significant with p<0.001. When the experimental group post values were compared with control group post values all MF CSA values were statistically highly significant (p<0.001) but TA CSA were not. Conclusion: The present study results supports that 6 weeks progressive core stabilization can be used as prehabilitation to prevent LBP in normal healthy female students.

KWL-Plus Effectiveness on Improving Reading Comprehension of Tenth Graders of Jordanian Male Students

The main purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of the KWL-Plus strategy on the performance of the Jordanian Tenth Grade male students in reading comprehension. To achieve this aim, the sample of the study was selected from a private school and a public school. They participants were divided into an experiment group and a control group. All the public school students represented the experimental group. Whereas, the private school students represented the control group. The experimental group was taught reading with the KWL-Plus strategy, while the control group was taught with the conventional reading strategies. To collect the data, pre and post reading comprehension tests were administered. The pre-test was conducted prior to the application of the strategy, and the post-test was given to the students in the two groups after the application of the strategy. Data were analyzed by using mean scores, standard deviation, t-test and covariance. The findings indicated that the experimental group of the public school scored higher on the reading comprehension post-tests than their peers did in the control group. The researcher concluded that the strategy was effective in improving the reading comprehension performance and recommended that the strategy should be integrated into the English curriculum of the Jordanian schools.

Abstract 266: Effects Of Carotid Body Tumor Resection On Blood Pressure

Introduction: Removal of carotid body (CB) improves rodent models of HTN and HF, presumably via withdrawal of chemoreflex-induced sympathetic activation. CB tumor (CBT) resection abolishes the chemoreflex in humans and is associated with opposing effects on sympathetic regulation by accompanying damage of the baroreflex. The net effect of CBT removal on BP in subjects with pre-existent HTN is unknown. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 134 patients with uni- or bilateral CBT resection between 1990-2012. Twenty subjects met HTN entry criteria (BP≥140/90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive drugs) but two were excluded from analyses because of inadequate data. BP changes were assessed by a) acute ΔSBP: the change from the average SBP for the 3 months preceding surgery to the first reading after 30 days from the procedure, and b) chronic: the slope of the regression of SBP on time over the entire follow up, expressed as ΔSBP/year. BP changes were adjusted with covariate analyses. Covariates for acute ΔSBP were: the interval between pre and post BP readings and the change in therapy during this interval (assessed by a score of medications based on equipotency). Covariates for chronic ΔSBP were: total duration of follow-up, number of SBP readings and change in therapy during the entire period of study. Results: Age and duration of HTN were 56±4 and 10±4 years, respectively. There was a significant relationship between acute ΔSBP and the chronic slopes (r=0.47, p&lt;0.05) indicating that initial BP responses to CBT removal tend to be sustained. The univariate relationship showed that for every change of 0.4 mmHg in acute ΔSBP, there was a concomitant 1 mmHg/yr change in the chronic slope. Thirteen subjects (72%) had concordant reductions of ΔSBP and slope of any magnitude. In 6 subjects (33%), acute ΔSBP was ≥ -10 mmHg (corresponding to concomitant slopes ≥ 5.9 mmHg/yr). Conclusions: This is the first study to show that CBT removal is associated with a sustained reduction of BP in a subset of patients with comorbid HTN. Also, concomitant baroreceptor damage by CBT removal most likely leads to underestimation of the depressor effect of chemoreflex disruption. Development of a targeted removal of CB chemoreflex may conceivably have a role in the therapy of human hypertension.

The Effect of Speed Reading Strategies on Developing Reading Comprehension among the 2nd Secondary Students in English Language

This study aimed to find the effect of speed reading strategies on developing reading comprehension among second secondary literary stream students in English language. The sample of the study consists of (42) students assigned into two groups who were chosen randomly from schools, a controlled group (21) students, and an experimental (21) students trained on speed reading strategies during the academic year 2013/2014. The study used a training material, pre and post reading comprehension tests were administrated (Rababa’h, 1991). T. test results revealed that there were significant differences at (? ? 0.05) among the students’ means in favor of the experimental group. In the light of the results, it is recommended that teachers should train students extensively on the use of speed reading strategies.

The Relationship between English Language Arts Teachers’ Use of Instructional Strategies and Young Adolescents’ Reading Motivation, Engagement, and Preference

Conducted at 10 schools in four communities, this study investigated relationships of young adolescents’ reading motivation, reading preference, and reading engagement as influenced by their English Language Arts teachers’ use of instructional strategies. Students in eight sixth grade (N=196) and nine seventh grade (N=218) classes completed a post Reading Behavior Survey and the Motivation to Read Questionnaire (MRQ) and a Class Strategies Checklist at the beginning and end of the academic year. The 17 teachers also completed a pre/post Strategies Checklist and a Survey. Mean MRQ difference scores were averaged by ELA class group. Scores in nine MRQ dimensions revealed a decline except for Challenge with a slight positive increase for seventh graders. These results confirm prior research findings that as adolescents move along in grade level their reading motivation decreases. However, 11 of the 17 class groups indicated some positive change in one or more MRQ dimensions with five classes revealing positive reading motivation growth in four dimensions. Enjoyable reading activities noted by all students involved receptive and expressive oral language. Such preference may have been due to large class populations of Hispanic, subsidized lunch, and limited English proficient students who found that oral language interaction helped them understand and enjoy the readings. The most preferred reading activity during out-of-school time was that of a social nature involving text messaging. Both this current and prior research suggest that successful teachers motivate their students through classroom interaction, challenging literacy activities and discussion about what was read.

Summarization Strategy Training and Reading Comprehension of Iranian ESP Learners

The present paper examines the possible outcomes of the effectiveness of a main idea strategy, summarization strategy, and the explicitness of the training on improving comprehension of English textual materials of Iranian ESP learners. In total, 70 university ESP students in Iran joined this study and assigned to two homogeneous groups of experimental and control. Data was collected in a Pretest and Posttest design. Pretest showed that control and experimental groups were not different regarding their reading comprehension. But statistical results demonstrate a significant difference between the pre- and post- tests in that the experimental group outperformed the control group in post reading comprehension test. Findings indicate that the explicit instruction on summarizing strategy can effectively contribute to enhancing the ability and aptitude of ESP learners in comprehending reading and can help them build up a constructive attitude toward English reading in Iranian context.

Cultural heritage training in the US military.

Cultural competence is a vital component of many missions in today’s military. Cultural competence enables one to further a mission, save resources, and save lives. Conversely, a lack of cultural competence may bring about challenges to mission completion, requirement for more resources, waste of resources, and destruction of lives. Cultural competence involves many components. One particular component is cultural heritage awareness and protection of cultural property. This study sought to assess current understanding of cultural property protection and determine the effectiveness of a training aimed at increasing cultural property protection awareness, knowledge, and comfort within the military setting. It was hypothesized that participants would vary in their level of awareness, knowledge, and comfort of cultural property protection, and that all would show a significant improvement in knowledge scores post training. Factors such as deployment experience were examined for potential correlation with measures such as awareness. A 14 question pre-read survey was developed to assess participants’ demographics, awareness, knowledge, and comfort with cultural property protection. Awareness included value, laws, and procedures while knowledge examined “know how” such as how to bed down in a protected structure or communicate information about the structure. Comfort assessed one’s comfort with engaging in the knowledge based tasks. A 24 question post read survey was administered to assess awareness, knowledge, and comfort, and to solicit additional feedback on the manual itself. The survey utilized a 1–5 rating scale with 1 representing no awareness, knowledge, or comfort and 5 representing absolute awareness, knowledge, and comfort with different aspects of cultural property protection. Cultural property protection value was highest pre and post training while knowledge regarding recovery of property was rated lowest pre and post training. Results are encouraging for the pursuit of cultural property education. Further studies should include knowledge assessment versus self rating as well as tracking of incidents and outcomes in the field. Implications for mission readiness and success are discussed.

Effect of anterior chest wall myofascial release on thoracic expansion in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Background: Cerebral Palsy is primarily disorder of development of movement and posture attributed to damage to fetal brain. Children with spastic cerebral palsy are found with decreased chest mobility. Myofascial Release (MFR) is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and accompanying pain and restriction of motion. Hence some intervention is required to improve chest expansion. So this study was conducted in an effort to improve the chest expansion using MFR techniques to the respiratory muscles. Methods: 12 spastic cerebral palsy children of both genders satisfying inclusion criteria were included for the study. The chest measurements were taken at three levels at axilla, 3 fingers below xiphoid process, and subcostally. These readings were documented as pre-test score. Myofascial release was given to the pectoralis major, intercostals, rectus abdominis and the diaphragm, with the subject in supine position. Post treatment data was taken and statistical analysis was performed. Results: The difference of the pre and post readings of the expansion at the axilla, xiphoid and subcostal shows a mean difference of 0.15, 0.15, 0.20 respectively which is significant statistically, P value being &lt;0.05. Conclusion: The result shows that the chest expansion increased significantly at all the three levels. The expansion improved maximally at the nipple level.

To compare the effect of stretching and core strengthening exercises on Primary Dysmenohrrea in Young females

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as difficulty in menstrual flow in the absence of any pelvic pathology. It is the most common gynaecological problem among adolescent females. Incidence of primary dysmenorrhea was reported to be between 50% and 90% in different societies. Several studies have shown that the reduction of dysmenorrhea in women, who regularly exercise may be due to effects of hormonal changes on uterine epithelial tissues or an increase in endorphin levels. It appears that exercise has analgesic effects that act in a non-specific way. Study aim: To compare the effect of stretching and core strengthening exercises on primary dysmenorrhea. Material and Methods: The present experimental study included 105 girls of age 19-25 years with primary dysmenorrhea were selected from lovely professional university and government college, Phagwara.The students were non Athlete and Volunteered for the study, the participants were randomly divided into 3 groups,2 Experimental gp (1 st exp gp n=35,2 nd exp gp,n=35) and control gp (n=35). In the Intervention group the subjects were requested to complete active stretching and core strengthening protocol for 8 weeks (4 days per week, 2 times a day,10 min) at home. In the Pre-test & post test all the subjects were examined for pain intensity (NPRS), pain duration and use of sedatives tablets during menstruation cycle and side bridge test. Results:. Pain intensity is decreased significantly in both experimental groups that is in Gp1 (p=.0001) and Gp2 (p=.0001) with NPRS and PDQ in Gp 1(p=.0001) and in Gp2 (p=.0001) after post readings of 4 weeks (p1) and of 8 weeks (p2) but the results of control group is non significant Conclusion: The present result suggested that active stretching and core strengthening both can be safely used as an alternative therapy for pain relief in dysmenorrhoea and this action is not mediated through progesterone. Because we are dealing with a functional problem that is not a disease state, so can truly focus on a holistic approach.

The use of three phases technique to improve students participation and reading comprehension in narrative text

This article is about the use of three phases technique to improve students’ participation and reading comprehension in narrative text. In order to achieve the objectives of this research, the writer adopted and action research design. The subject of this research was class 8G of SMP N 30 Semarang in the academic year 2012/2013 which consist of 37 students. There were two cycles with four phases in each cycle. They were planning, acting, observing and reflecting. The instrument for collecting data, the writer used observation checklist, field notes, test, questionnaire and documentation. The result of this study showed that three phases technique could improve students’ participation and reading comprehension in narrative text. Three phases technique namely pre reading, while reading and post reading can lead the students be more active and enthusiastic during teaching and learning process. By using three phases technique, students easily understand the content of the text and also they were active asking and giving their argument about narrative text.

Teaching Reading to EFL Students to Make Them Better Readers

This study tries to offer basic reading strategies that have to be mastered to comprehend the text adequately. It discuses reading strategies at pre-reading, while reading, post reading. In traditional teaching reading procedure teachers just read the reading passages and answer the comprehension questions with the whole class. By using this method, they think that reading lesson is thought effectively. This kind of reading lesson is not effective way of teaching reading. To teach reading effectively, teachers should teach and make students use reading strategies and to choose the right one to understand the text. By doing this, reading lessons become effective. And also using reading strategies make the reading lessons more effective than those which do not use reading strategies. To support this thought, a pre-test was applied among four reading classes to form two homogeneous groups. During five weeks, the testing group was taught reading with reading strategies but the control group was thought without these reading strategies. With the control group only traditional way was used. After a five-week-study, a post-test was applied to evaluate the results. A t-test was used to compare the results of both groups and a statistically significant difference was found. Keywords: Reading Strategies, Methods of Teaching Reading

Using a Blog to Facilitate Extensive Reading: An Exploratory Study

Research shows that extensive reading (ER) has many benefits for language acquisition. The challenge today is making ER appealing to the digital generation. For a possible solution, it is pertinent to look to the social media embraced by today’s youths. This study was conducted to explore the use of the blog as a space for sharing peer-selected reading material to enhance reading motivation among English Language learners. The research questions that guided this study are whether the blog is a viable tool to facilitate ER, and how students perceive the use of this Web 2.0 tool for ER. The sample comprised two groups of students in a private university in Malaysia: 12 undergraduate students in a remedial language class and 18 students enrolled in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. A blog was set up for each group of participants to post reading materials of their choice for blog members to read over a period of 8 weeks. A questionnaire was administered at the end of the study together with focus group interviews. The qualitative approach enabled insights into process and attitudes. It was found that the students were positive about the use of the blog for reading beyond the classroom but required tangible rewards and complementary activities to reinforce their motivation to participate. Most significantly, the results of this study indicate that the blog is a viable tool for facilitating ER.

Abstract 818: Refining and assessing quality for next generation sequencing of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.

Abstract With increasing acceptance of the use of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) for next generation sequencing (NGS), researchers and clinicians need to choose whether to analyze FFPE or cryopreserved (CRYO) tissue. In many clinical situations normal tissue would be available from blood, FFPE normal and tumor tissues from pathology archives, while fresh or CRYO tumor would require an invasive biopsy. Options include analysis of either CRYO or FFPE tumor coupled with either CRYO or FFPE normal tissue. Alternately, analyses could incude both CRYO and FFPE normal tissue to detect the impact of FFPE on NGS results, or could defer analysis of normal tissue with identification of novel mutations by comparisons of variants in tumor with SNP databases. Little data are available directly comparing results or tradeoffs resulting from these choices, prompting this study comparing NGS analysis of matched samples of normal CRYO and FFPE and tumor CRYO and FFPE. Appropriate kits from Qiagen were used to extract DNA from sections of CRYO and FFPE tissues of bladder cancers obtained from our institution's biorepository with informed consent. Libraries were constructed using Agilent library kits and targeted with SureSelect Kinome reagents. Libraries were sequenced by 100 bp paired end Illumina sequencing on a HiSeq. Our analysis pipeline used BWA for alignment and conducted subsequent analyses in GeneSpring NGS 12.1, including inspecting tile quality, removing duplicates, filtering on base quality, post alignment read (alignment score 95 and mapping quality 40 or above), and read status (mate near required). Comparing a representative specimen of tumor CRYO with tumor FFPE, targeted sequencing library preparations yielded 19.9 and 12.8 million reads for CRYO and FFPE respectively. For this analysis filtering by tile quality was not required. Uniquely mapped reads to human genome were 92% of CRYO and 86% of FFPE. Out of the total reads that aligned, 73.5% of CRYO and 74.3% of FFPE reads aligned without error. Post all filters, 39% of CRYO and 44% of FFPE reads were available for variant calling. Comparing variant calls from reference sequence to novel variants, there were no differences comparing normal CRYO vs normal FFPE, or tumor CRYO vs tumor FFPE. Comparing tumor with normal samples there were 30 variants for CRYO samples, 25 for FFPE samples, and 23 when CRYO normal was compared with FFPE tumor. In comparing normal vs tumor, 22 variants calls were the same for all comparisons of tissue types. Results will be presented for a more detailed analyses of multiple samples Overall we found high concordance between results from the CRYO and FFPE samples. Our results support use of FFPE for NGS of clinical samples and highlights potential contribution of including sequencing a normal cryropreserved specimen to ensure analysis quality. Citation Format: Umar Farooq, Michael J. Gooch, Linda Burian, Prashant Singh, Shirin Karimi, Lorrie A. Perpetua, Mary M. Sanders, Richard B. Everson. Refining and assessing quality for next generation sequencing of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 818. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-818

Interactive Theoretical Model of Text Processing Reflected in Reading Comprehension: An Experimental Study

Basing on the interactive model of comprehension and learning, this study investigated the teaching of text structure among EFL Iranian students and its effects on their reading comprehension. It was designed with the assumption that readers who already have the knowledge of the organizational patterns of text will be aware of text structure and will use it as a strategy to comprehension. Therefore the use of text structure, or the structure strategy, will enhance their comprehension and learning from text. Fifty six students of intermediate level, divided into two groups of control and experimental, participated in this study. Students attempted a pre and a post reading comprehension tests before and after the training procedure which involved an extra treatment on rhetorical structures for the experimental group. The performance of these two groups was compared using t-test. Study results revealed that experimental students who employed text structure had significantly higher performance on the multiple choice reading comprehension questions than those who did not receive any training on text structure. This indicates that the knowledge of text structure may have facilitated their comprehension and learning from text. Therefore, the explicit teaching of expository text structure knowledge and the effective use of structure strategy could be inserted in the instructional program of second/foreign language learners.

371 Post-Procedural Reading of ERCP Spot Films by Radiologists: Has it Improved in the Era of Electronic Medical Records?

ERCP has evolved to a predominantly therapeutic procedure, where decisions regarding interventions need to be made immediately. Over time, radiology support during ERCP has declined. Radiologists are now rarely present during the procedure and typically ‘post read' saved spot films that cannot guide decision-making during this dynamic test. We and others previously reported in the era of paper charts that radiologist post-reads of ERCP films were subject to significant errors. With the advent of electronic medical records (EMR), radiologists have access to the endoscopy reports (ER) if the ER is online before the radiologist reads the films. This study was undertaken to evaluate discrepancies between endoscopists' dynamic reading of fluoroscopic images and spot films and radiologists' post reading (RR) of spot films and to compare results between the paper record (PR) and EMR eras.

A simple but sound approach for processing crystal growth kinetic data

The effects of common data smoothing techniques, on the estimating of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the crystal growth process, were discussed in the light of birth and spread model. Adoption of the moving average, and filtration caused a noticeable misunderstanding of the real ruling growth mechanism, especially, during the early period of the crystal growth. In this work, a MATLAB routine was developed with standard, and reliable method to treat the prolonged concentration-time data sets, as obtained from continuous recording of refractometric °Brix readings of pure sucrose solutions in laboratory batch crystallization process. The method consists of finding the median of the residence time for every °Brix concentration, with and without interference of previous and post readings. In addition to 30% reduction in the evaluated interfacial free energies, up to 5-folds of increase in the estimates of the overall kinetic coefficients were reported using the common smoothing techniques instead of the proposed routine.

P.20 CLINICAL AND MANOMETRIC EFFECT OF ENDOSCOPIC ESOPHAGEAL INJECTION OF BOTULIN TOXIN IN DIFFUSE ESOPHAGEAL SPASM IN ELDERLY PATIENTS

in both symptomatic and asymptomatic twins, but there was no differences between the groups in pre or post-prandial acid reflux episode frequency or total post-prandial acid exposure (symptomatic twins median 11 (range 0-1051)s, asymptomatic twins 4(0-487)s (p=0.4). Moreover preprandial LOS pressure of 13 (4-29) mmHg fell to 8 (2-13)after the meal (p= 0.0001). No difference was found in basal and post prandial lower esophageal sphincter pressure readings between asymptomatic and symptomatic twins (p=0.2). Conclusions: There was no difference in pre and post prandial TLOSR and in LOS pressure in twins discordant for GORD symptoms. # A. Oesophagus 1. GERD

Speaking the Unspeakable: Personal blogs in Egypt

ust before going to bed one Friday night in early January 2007, Maat decided she had had enough of thinking, she wanted to write. Taking up the computer, she opted to present her manifesto in bright colors—yellows, oranges and red—on the dark blue background of her blog, Two Pairs of Eyes, which she shares with best friend Nephthys. The choice was not arbitrary, but rather helped her shape an emerging idea. Setting out her title, she hit ‘Caps Lock’ for the spoken emphasis text lacks: “ONE is made up of FRACTIONS.” In her chirpy tone, threaded with the seriousness of a young woman trying to make sense of life, she wrote: "About 15 years ago I was totally convinced that there are no shades of black and white. Black is just black, white can only be white. It happened some time within those last 15 years that I’ve noticed that some black pants for example don’t actually have the exact same shade of black as my black shirt!... Nothing is all black or all white. Nothing is one color. How can it be if this one color has all those different shades in it? No one is all good or all bad. No one is flawless but no one is all devilish either." A dramatic, rallying cry for the blog’s favorite visitors, the post read like the proclamation of a young Egyptian woman demanding not to be judged at face value. “Don’t come up to me and tell me you know me,” she continued, “unless you’ve heard me talk for hours, seen me crying, heard me laughing from the heart, seen me talking to myself…” It was almost an invitation.