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This study examines the motivational self concepts of seventy-three Emirati Arab adolescents from the United Arab Emirates who are studying in English-medium schools and learning an additional foreign language (L3). Using the L2 Motivational Self System framework, this study specifically explores gender differences in participants' ideal and ought-to motivational selves, as well as their desire to be multilingual, while also taking years of study and language ability into account. The results of the study indicate that while male and female participants' ideal L3 self concepts differ significantly in terms of motivational intensity, their ought-to L3 selves differ to a much lesser extent. Female participants also appear to be more motivated to be multilingual. Gender differences are mostly absent with respect to participants' English self concepts and both genders appear to be more extrinsically motivated to learn the language. The findings also indicate that participants' English self concepts do not, in general, significantly correlate with their L3 self concepts. This study not only adds to the growing body of research on language learning motivation within the framework of multiple future self concepts, but also sheds light on multilingual motivation in the Gulf context as it concerns school-going adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Younger EFL teachers do not use literature as frequently in their lessons. • Older EFL teachers encountered literature more often as learners. • Enjoyment of reading in both the L1 and L2 show declines among younger EFL teachers. • The majority of teacher participants agreed that literature benefitted language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a mixed-methods study regarding the extent to which the extramural English (EE), external attributions, self-efficacy (concerning EFL reading, speaking, writing, and listening skills), and gender of 42 students, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in a Norwegian upper-secondary school, predicted their EFL learning outcomes. Data on participants' EE (receptive and productive), external attributions, and self-efficacy were collected through a questionnaire and language diaries, while their learning outcomes were measured through a language proficiency test, mock exam, in-depth project, and receptive and productive vocabulary tests. The data revealed several interesting findings, including participants' receptive EE statistically significantly and negatively predicting their productive vocabulary test scores, whereas their writing self-efficacy and attributions to specifically literature, TV, and film statistically significantly and positively predicted them. Moreover, neither receptive nor productive EE was found to mediate the relationship between self-efficacy, external attributions, and learning outcomes. • Receptive extramural English statistically significantly and negatively predicted productive vocabulary knowledge. • Writing self-efficacy and attributions to literature, TV, and film positively correlated with productive vocabulary knowledge. • Self-efficacy and external attributions were the most consistent predictors of learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing students' literacy skills and intercultural competence via literary works has become a key component of foreign language (FL) curricula at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels in many countries. In FL classrooms, the use of textual literature can also sometimes be complemented by multimodal literature like graphic novels and picture books, which are useful in enhancing the ability of students to interpret, synthesize, and analyze information from multiple media simultaneously. This article reports the findings from an online questionnaire-based study involving 265 university students in France who were studying English as an FL alongside their degree programs. The study explored their reported literary reading response, literary competence when reading textual and multimodal literature, aesthetic competence, and the extent to which their aesthetic competence and literary response predicted their literary competence. The findings indicated that participants' literary response drew strongly from Story-Driven Reading while their literary competence was significantly lower for textual literature than for multimodal literature. Moreover, their literary competence was statistically significantly predicted by certain components of their literary response and, to some extent, their aesthetic competence. • Participants' literary response drew most strongly on Story-Driven Reading. • Multimodal literary competence was positively predicted by aesthetic competence. • Literary preferences correlated weakly with participants' literary competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Skin is one of the main targets for reactive oxygen species; thus, reactive oxygen species-induced damage and protein and lipid modifications occur, and skin can undergo a wide array of diseases, from photosensitivity to cancer. In this study, human dermal fibroblasts exposed to hydrogen peroxide (0–1000 μmol/L) exhibited a marked increase in both protein carbonyls and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, which are indices of protein and lipid oxidation, respectively. An amount of 25 μmol/L ferulic acid ethyl ester, a well-known nutritional antioxidant, significantly counteracted both protein and lipid oxidation and reduced the loss in cell viability elicited by 500 μmol/L of hydrogen peroxide. A common way for cells to react to oxidative stress is up-regulation of vitagenes. To the vitagene family belong the heat shock proteins heme oxygenase-1 and heat shock protein-70, which are involved in the cellular defense against oxidative stress by different mechanisms. The administration of 25 μmol/L ferulic acid ethyl ester significantly decreased hydrogen peroxide-induced protein and lipid oxidation. Dermal fibroblasts exposed to 25 μmol/L ferulic acid ethyl ester in the presence of 500 μmol/L hydrogen peroxide showed an increased level of both heme oxygenase-1 and heat shock protein-70 compared with dermal fibroblasts treated with hydrogen peroxide alone. These findings provide evidence for the protective role of vitagenes in free radical-induced skin damage and highlight the potential protective use of nutritional antioxidants, such as ferulic acid and its derivatives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Central Asian republics represent an interesting yet little-studied space for researching the interplay between language learning motivation (LLM), multiculturalism, and multilingualism given their cultural and linguistic diversity and official promotion of multilingualism and positive multicultural attitudes through language learning initiatives in schools and universities. This article reports on a questionnaire study that investigated the LLM of 235 university students in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, including their integrativeness and international posture. The students were learning Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish, with a majority of them learning two or more languages concurrently. The study also explored their views regarding the benefits of being multilingual and the extent to which their level of multilingualism, both formally and natively acquired, affected their multicultural attitudes and levels of prejudice towards outgroups. The findings revealed statistically significant gender differences in how the participants viewed the benefits of being multilingual, as well as statistically significant relationships between their levels of natively acquired multilingualism and their multicultural attitudes and levels of prejudice towards outgroups. International posture and integrativeness, meanwhile, were found to be distinct concepts with little overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the extent to which 517 teachers of English, French, German, and Spanish in Norwegian and Russian schools reported drawing on their and their students' multilingualism as a resource and boosting their students' awareness of multilingualism through the implementation of multilingual teaching practices. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the participants' reported implementation of multilingual teaching practices based on whether they taught English, French, German, or Spanish. Statistically significant differences were also found based on how many languages the participants taught. Country-specific differences were mostly absent. [Display omitted] • Multilingual teaching practices were implemented more frequently in Spanish and German than in English or French. • Participants teaching English implemented multilingual teaching practices the least frequently. • Multilingual teaching practices correlated positively with the ability to teach language aspects and skills. • The teaching of more than one language led to more frequent implementation of multilingual teaching practices. • Differences in multilingual teaching practices between the participants based on context were largely absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deformation bands and structurally-related diagenetic heterogeneities, here named Structural Diagenetic Heterogeneities (SDH), have been recognized to affect subsurface fluid flow on a range of scales and potentially promoting reservoir compartmentalization, influencing flow buffering, and sealing during production. Their impact on reservoir hydraulic properties depends on many factors, such as their permeability contrast with respect to the undeformed reservoir rock, their anisotropy, thickness, geometry as well as their physical connectivity and arrangement in the subsurface. We used the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for detection and analysis of the assemblage of deformation bands – carbonate nodules, in high-porosity arkose sandstone in Northern Apennines of Italy. 2D GPR surveys allowed the description of the SDH spatial organization, their geometry, and their continuity in the subsurface. Petrophysical (air-permeability) and mechanical (uniaxial compressive strength) properties of host rock, deformation bands, and calcite-cement nodules were evaluated along a 30-m thick stratigraphic log to characterize the permeability and strength variations of those features. The assemblage "deformation bands – nodules" degrade porosity and permeability and produce a strengthening effect of the rock volume, imparting a strong mechanical and petrophysical heterogeneity to the pristine rock. Different textural, petrophysical, and geomechanical properties between deformation bands, nodules, and host rock result in different GPR response (permittivity). Thus, GPR response could be used to extend outcrop data (petrophysical and geomechanical) of SDH to 3D subsurface volumes in a way to reconstruct realistic and detailed outcrop analogs of faulted aquifers and reservoirs in porous sandstones. Image 1 • GPR effectively detects deformation bands and diagenetic heterogeneities in sandstones. • Deformation bands and cement nodules show high compressive strength and low permeabilities. • GPR response correlates with petrophysical and geomechanical rock properties. • An improved reservoir analog is obtained from integrating outcrop-based and GPR data. • Deformation bands and nodules impart anisotropy to the host rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of 4 and 5 nitro-1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl benzenesulfonamide derivatives (compounds 1–8) was synthesized by reaction of benzenesulfonamide derivatives with 4 and 3-nitrophthalic anhydrides. These new sulfonamides were investigated as inhibitors of the zinc metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) and more specifically against the human (h) cytosolic isoforms hCA I and II and the transmembrane, tumor-associated hCA IX and XII. Most of the novel compounds were medium potency-weak hCA I inhibitors (K is in the range of 295–10,000nM), but were more effective hCA II inhibitors (K is of 1.7–887nM). The tumor-associated hCA IX was also inhibited, with K is in the micromolar range, whereas against hCA XII the inhibition constants were in the range of 90–3746nM. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) with this series of sulfonamides is straightforward, with the main features leading to good activity for each isoforms being established. The high sequence hCA alignment homology and molecular docking studies was performed in order to rationalize the activities reported and binding mode to different hCA as inhibitors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]