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Objective Stuttering is one of the speech disorders that appears in childhood. Many studies emphasize early interventions for its treatment. Circumstances such as a lack of therapists and the COVID-19 pandemic have limited the access to face-to-face therapy. Studies show some problems with this type of treatment. A detailed understanding of these problems in a cultural context can help increase the quality of providing telepractice. This study was conducted to discover the telepractice treatment of stuttering in preschool children. Materials & Methods This qualitative study was conducted in Iran from November 2020 to February 2022 using the grounded theory method. In this study, in-depth, free, and individual interviews were conducted with 9 therapists and 5 parents of children who stutter. The data were analyzed using the Corbin and Strauss method, version 2015. Results After analyzing the data of this study, 6 main categories, 17 subcategories, and 63 primary categories were extracted. The main categories include “hesitation in choosing telepractice”, “characteristics of family and clients”, “technology and the knowledge to apply it”, “therapist skills for telepractice”, “payment system for telepractice fees”, and “efficiency of telepractice”. Conclusion In this study, “efficiency of telepractice” was chosen as the central concept that all participants were concerned about in some way. According to this model, “hesitation in choosing telepractice”, “characteristics of family and clients”, and “technology and the knowledge to apply it” as the context have effects on the processes that are taking place in relation to the telepractice in preschool children who stutter. These processes include “therapist skills for telepractice” and “ payment system for telepractice fees”. In the end, all these things increase the efficiency of telepractice.

Titanium and its alloys have been utilized as the preferred material for dental implants due to its mechanical and biological performance leading to high clinical success rates. Nonetheless, ceramic-based dental implants have been developed as the demands for non-metallic dental restorations have increased. The advent of bioceramics has increased the possibility of resolution in regenerative processes challenges for dentistry applications. In this regard, silicon nitride (Si3N4) as a non-oxide ceramic has the potential for oral applications which is ground in its bactericidal properties. The present work aimed to shed light on Si3N4 ceramic being used for future dental applications. As a concluding remark, the bactericidal and immunomodulatory properties of Si3N4 together with its radiolucency are inferred as a suitable contender in oral cavity and dental applications.

ABSTRACTIn small series, third-party fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been successful in decolonizing the gut from clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Less is known about the short- and long-term effects of FMT on larger panels of ARGs. We analyzed 226 pre- and post-treatment stool samples from a randomized placebo-controlled trial of FMT in 100 patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation or receiving anti-leukemia induction chemotherapy for 47 ARGs. These patients have heavy antibiotic exposure and a high incidence of colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms. Samples from each patient spanned a period of up to 9 months, allowing us to describe both short- and long-term effects of FMT on ARGs, while the randomized design allowed us to distinguish between spontaneous changes vs. FMT effect. We find an overall bimodal pattern. In the first phase (days to weeks after FMT), low-level transfer of ARGs largely associated with commensal healthy donor microbiota occurs. This phase is followed by long-term resistance to new ARGs as stable communities with colonization resistance are formed after FMT. The clinical implications of these findings are likely context-dependent and require further research. In the setting of cancer and intensive therapy, long-term ARG decolonization could translate into fewer downstream infections.

ABSTRACT: Increased lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant status can result in reduced reproductive activity and fertility in aged male broiler breeders. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of curcumin supplements (natural or nanoparticles) on the sperm characteristics, antioxidant system, fertility, and hatchability of aged roosters (54–64 wk), and to estimate the relative bioavailability value (RBV) of nano-curcumin on the measured parameters including the hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST), motility, viability, sperm count, volume, the concentration of testosterone, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), diameter of the spermatogenic tube (DST), epithelium thickness (EpiTh), spermatogonia count (SPcount), fertility, hatchability, and relative weight of testis (RW-testis). A total of 30 roosters were individually caged and randomly assigned to 5 treatments comprising control (without curcumin as the basal diet), basal diet + 15 mg/kg curcumin (CUR15), basal diet + 30 mg/kg curcumin (CUR30), basal diet + 15 mg/kg nano-curcumin (Nano15), and basal diet + 30 mg/kg nano-curcumin (Nano30) for 10 wk. The slope ratio method was used to estimate the bioavailability of nano-curcumin by regressing each response on supplemental curcumin intake. Increasing dietary curcumin (P < 0.001) elicited a linear response to all studied traits. The RBV for volume, viability, motility, HOST, RW-testis, and GPx were estimated as 135 (CI: 115–156%), 143 (CI: 114–173%), 159 (CI: 122–196%), 132 (CI: 107–157%), 195 (CI: 126–264%), 176 (CI: 103–249%), and 178% (28–328%), respectively. Our findings revealed that curcumin nanoparticles enhance the reproductive efficiency of aged breeder roosters. In addition, the curcumin nanoparticles RBV exceeded that of natural curcumin, suggesting that lower concentrations of curcumin nanoparticles could have a significant effect on reproductive characteristics.

Researchers, parents, and policymakers from previous generations have recently expressed concern about the inevitable exposure of youngsters to digital media and its potentially detrimental effects on their development. Private speech is the overt audible self-talk people produce when engaged with challenging problem-solving tasks and is believed to aid in second language acquisition as reported (Vygotsky in Thought and language, MIT Press, 1962); (Winsler in Private Speech, Executive Functioning, and the Development of Verbal Self-Regulation, 2009). This qualitative case study explored private speech production in three young adolescents (two 11-year-olds and one 10-year-old) while completing an English as a foreign language task (Bingo! game) individually and collaboratively in physical and digital modes. Patterns of participants' private speech markers emerged from a thematic analysis of the transcribed oral interactions during eight sessions. The frequency of occurrence of the participants' private speech markers was reported and interpreted based on the emergent typology to compare collaborative and individual task completion in physical and digital modes. Regardless of the individual or collaborative nature of the task, private speech use decreased during the digital version of the game. However, collaborative tasks evoked more private speech from the participants regardless of modality. The findings of the study suggest digital media usage is likely to hinder private speech production for self-regulatory purposes in young adolescents, even in collaboration with peers.

Online grammar checkers have increasingly been used in writing instruction to detect and remove English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' grammatical errors. This study investigated the effects of the automated writing evaluation software "Grammarly" on Iranian EFL learners' article errors which are common in EFL writing. Ninety Iranian students majoring in English language and literature were selected through convenience sampling. They were divided into three groups, with one receiving "Grammarly" and teacher feedback (experimental group 1), one receiving "Grammarly" feedback (experimental group 2), and one receiving teacher feedback (control group). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. In addition, one-way ANOVA, frequency analysis, and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data from pretests/posttests, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the "Grammarly" and teacher feedback group outperformed the other groups in the post-test. This study recommends that EFL teachers consider incorporating online grammar checkers into their EFL writing courses as writing assistant tools.

Mobile-based extramural English (EE) activities, including watching movies, playing digital games, and listening to music outside the classroom, have played an important role in increasing learners' interest in English as a foreign language (EFL). This mixed-method design study aimed to investigate the role of EE activities in the vocabulary development of intermediate EFL learners. The study included a group of 60 learners, including 30 male and 30 female students from two language institutes. A pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest were used. The experimental group utilized WhatsApp to receive electronic vocabulary instruction four days per week for two months as part of the EE activities. In contrast, the control group received classroom instruction using the conventional approach typically employed in EFL contexts for teaching the same textbook vocabulary. A semi-structured interview was conducted to investigate the participants' beliefs regarding their preference for EE-based activities. The results of the EG group revealed that EE-based activities significantly impacted the students' vocabulary learning (p < 0.001). The findings also revealed no significant differences in vocabulary knowledge between male and female students after using EE activities (p = 0.34). The themes that emerged from the qualitative phase suggested that participants preferred EE-based activities as they can result in less mental stress, more vocabulary learning, improved conversation, and improved pronunciation and grammar. Also, the participants preferred various mobile-based EE activities, including watching movies, listening to music, playing multiple games, watching cartoons, and focusing on movie subtitles, which resulted in their vocabulary development. The findings call for language educators to integrate more virtual and online-based EE activities to supplement traditional vocabulary teaching practices.

Mobile technologies and factors influencing English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' willingness to integrate them into their learning processes are significant. This study aims at investigating the role of facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness as factors in predicting Iranian EFL learners' perceptions toward mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). Accordingly, data were collected from 223 Iranian EFL learners who had their English language courses in the two major educational contexts (i.e., public schools and private institutes). Considering the first phase of the study, a statistically significant relationship was found between the three hypothesized factors (i.e., facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness) and learners' perceptions toward MALL. Furthermore, the facilitating conditions were associated with learners' perceived ease of use. Regarding the second phase of the study, the analysis of the path coefficients indicated a significant predictive power of perceived usefulness on perceptions toward MALL. Also indicated in this study is the significant effect of facilitating conditions on learners' perceived ease of use. The results are discussed in the light of the literature, and suggestions for further research are provided.

This study presents the results of a sequential explanatory mixed-method approach to investigate the Iranian English language non-gainers of a computerized dynamic reading comprehension test (CDRT) by utilizing a learning style survey. Using an interventionist approach, the researchers used the CDRT software to explore English learners' perceptual learning-style preferences of non-gainers in CDRT. The study participants were selected from among 24 advanced English language learners attending a reading course at a language institute in Iran. The results of Learning Potential Score (LPS) formula categorized six of the participants as non-gainers of CDRT. They were asked to fill out a learning style survey individually and participate in an interview to express their attitudes toward using the software. The findings revealed some common tendencies regarding field-independency, impulsivity/reflectivity, and metaphoric/literal style preferences supported in learners' interviews. In this study, learners' style preferences potentially played an important role in reporting learners' performance; therefore, it is suggested to consider students' learning styles in making decisions about their abilities and disabilities in CDRT.

This study investigates the effects of teacher-focused feedback (TF) and automatic writing evaluation (AWE) on global writing performance as well as syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical diversity, and fluency (CALF) of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' narrative and argumentative writings. The participants were randomly assigned to TF and AWE groups. During the treatment, the teacher delivered instruction on the narrative and argumentative genres, followed by the participants' engagement in writing texts and getting feedback either from the teacher or AWE. The results revealed improvements in overall writing performance (formal aspects) as well as CALF measures. While there was no significant difference between the two groups in their overall writing performance, AWE yielded better scores in lexical diversity and syntactic complexity, and the TF group outperformed in fluency. Moreover, an interaction was found between feedback types (TF vs. AWE) and text genres in CALF measures. The narrative writings were characterized by higher lexical diversity, syntactic accuracy, and fluency, and the argumentative genre, yielded higher scores in syntactic complexity. The results suggest that both human and machine assessments were beneficial in improving written products in EFL contexts. Also, engaging students in writing various genres is likely to result in improvement in different CALF aspects.

Student response systems (SRS) have been used to provide teachers with immediate feedback on learners' performance to understand their weaknesses and strengths. This exploratory study is aimed at focusing on both distractive and facilitative aspects of using SRS in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes to assess learners' understanding of grammar lessons. Eighty university students majored in English language and literature attended a grammar course accompanied by Kahoot, a free online game-based application as an SRS. Students' perspectives about positive and negative aspects of the application were explored prior and subsequent to its implementation through open-ended surveys and interviews. In addition, their classes were observed for more in-depth information. The results revealed that despite its positive features, most of the students were not willing to take part in this game-based application. They mentioned the Internet connection problems, the high pace of the game, its competitive nature and the lack of detailed explanation after the game as the main reasons for their unwillingness toward using this application in the classroom, which made most of the learners demotivated and distracted. The implications for teachers are also discussed.

As a part of a more extensive computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) project delivered through a dedicated website, www.lingeli.com, this study explores EFL learners' perspectives on an online listening comprehension dynamic assessment software focusing on inferential listening skills while trying to minimize the guessing effect. The study participants were 94 Iranian EFL learners selected through convenience sampling to participate in a 1-month dynamic assessment targeting EFL learners listening comprehension using the developed software. The researchers involved half of the study participants in semi-structured interviews held in their native language (Persian) to shed light on the pros and cons of the software. Six major themes emerged from the interviews' content analysis, encapsulating participant'' generally positive perceptions and some negative perspectives about the software. They perceived the CDA software as novel and interesting, stress-relieving, supportive, convenient, and cost-effective in terms of time and money, and removing the time and location limitations. In contrast, a few others assumed it was time-consuming and stressful, with limited learning and ignoring the benefits of social aspects of teaching. The study's findings recommend that learners' perspectives be considered when developing future CDA listening comprehension software to increase the validity of CDA projects by addressing their drawbacks and fully implementing the CDA test's potential to enhance EFL learners' listening comprehension abilities.

This paper presents the design and numerical investigation of a novel, tunable, and highly efficient metal–insulator-metal (MIM) plasmonic device specifically designed for near-infrared (NIR) applications. The device leverages strategically placed stub resonators within a MIM waveguide. We introduce two small perturbations, a triangle and a rectangle, to achieve remarkable functional versatility. Comprehensive numerical analysis, employing the finite element method (FEM) and validated by the transmission line method (TLM), demonstrates the working principle and excellent agreement between the approaches. Our simulation-driven approach, utilizing a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for accelerated optimization, was crucial in achieving performance levels difficult or costly to reach through purely experimental methods. The GA enabled efficient exploration of a vast parameter space, iterative refinement of device configurations, and fine-tuning of geometric characteristics. This meticulous optimization allows us to control complex interactions within the simulated structure. The proposed device offers diverse functionalities based on adjusted geometrical parameters, including: A. Flat-top band-pass filtering: Achieving a maximum transmission efficiency of 95.8 % within a compact footprint of 420 nm × 540 nm. B. Dual-band band-pass filtering: Maintaining a high transmission efficiency of 88.4 % within a slightly larger size of 450 nm × 540 nm. C. Triple-band notch filtering: Exhibiting minimum transmission (below 1 %) at specific resonance wavelengths for targeted signal suppression. D. Plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) effect: Offering potential applications in various optical functionalities. And, E. Perfect absorption: Achieving a maximum absorption efficiency of 99.62 %, paving the way for efficient light harvesting and manipulation. This multifunctional plasmonic device excels in its combination of compactness, tunability, and diverse NIR functionalities. It holds promise for miniaturized optical components, integrated photonic circuits, and advanced light-matter interactions. Our findings contribute significantly to the advancement of compact, efficient, and readily manufacturable photonic technologies.

The main concerns for agricultural production nowadays are excessive crop cultivation, water scarcity, and poor soil quality. It is possible to amend agronomic soil with activated biochar (BC) to achieve high water-fertilizer availability and Camelina crop production under rainfed conditions by using an efficient and environmentally safe technology. A split plot experiment was arranged on a randomized complete block design with nine treatments and three replications. The main and second factors were supplementary irrigation (SI) and BC, respectively, with SI comprising of no irrigation (control), irrigation at the flowering stage and seed-filling stage, while BC included control (BC0), 5 (BC5), and 10 (BC10) t ha−1. The number of lateral branches and seeds in the silique, seed yield (2751.8 kg ha−1), 1000-seed weight (1.16 g) and oil yield (991.50 kg ha−1) were highest in response to irrigation at the flowering stage and the application of BC10. The gas chromatography analysis showed that the highest amount of unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, linolenic, eicosadienoic and palmitic acids) was obtained in response to BC10 and irrigation at the seed-filling stage. Finally, the results showed that BC10 and the application of SI at the flowering stage increased the seed and oil yield, and unsaturated fatty acid content in Camelina. This study demonstrates that BC amendments can improve plant performance and preserve the environment, with significant implications for the alleviation of drought and sustainable Camelina production in arid regions. The study provides a practical way to produce Camelina in rainfed areas, which can benefit farmers economically.

The dosing interval for effective recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-mediated gene therapy of cystic fibrosis lung disease remains unknown. Here, we assessed the durability of rAAV2.5T-fCFTRΔR-mediated transgene expression and neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses in lungs of adult wild-type ferrets. Within the first 3 months following rAAV2.5T-fCFTRΔR delivery to the lung, CFTRΔR transgene expression declined ∼5.6-fold and then remained stable to 5 months at ∼26% the level of endogenous CFTR. rAAV NAbs in the plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) peaked at 21 days, coinciding with peak ELISpot T cell responses to AAV capsid peptides, after which both responses declined and remained stable at 4–5 months post dosing. Administration of reporter vector rAAV2.5T-gLuc (gaussia luciferase) at 5 months following rAAV2.5T-fCFTRΔR dosing gave rise to similar levels of gLuc expression in the BALF as observed in age-matched reporter-only controls, demonstrating that residual BALF NAbs were functionally insignificant. Notably, the second vector administration led to a 2.6-fold greater ELISpot T cell response and ∼2.3-fold decline in fCFTRΔR mRNA and vector genomes derived from the initial rAAV2.5T-fCFTRΔR administration, suggesting selective destruction of transduced cells from the first vector dose. These findings provide insights into humoral and cellular immune response to rAAV that may be useful for optimizing gene therapy to the cystic fibrosis lung.

A novel biocompatible composite was fabricated by the functionalization of magnetic chitosan with the melamine phosphate (MP) ionic compound to serve as a recoverable and bifunctional catalyst, aiming at the diversity-oriented generation of biological tetrahydropyrazolopyridine and pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives. This involved a meticulously orchestrated reaction, exploiting the in situ generated pyrazole alongside aromatic aldehydes, ammonium acetate, and (thio) barbituric acid. The present work manifests outstanding advantages, offering a novel and great method for the optimal synthesis of two valuable heterocyclic series especially five new derivatives. The resulting novel biocompatible composite was comprehensively characterized through a range of analytical techniques, including FT-IR, NH3 and CO2-TPD, XRD, TEM, FE-SEM, VSM, EDX, elemental CHNS analysis, ICP-MS, and NMR spectroscopy. Notably, the study represents a critical step in the preparation of advanced materials from accessible and cost-effective precursors.

This paper investigates the asymmetric impact of oil prices on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stock markets using a regime-switching cointegration approach with data from April 2012 to April 2022. we postulate that investors consider ups and downs in the stock market index instead of price-earnings ratios in their decision-making process. Our results indicate that investors exhibit more optimism during economic upturns, corresponding to positive oil shocks, than pessimism during economic downturns. The study offers several contributions to the literature: (i) Diagnostic tests affirm that constructing the model based on stock market index movements rather than P/E ratios results in superior performance. (ii) As expected for oil-dependent nations, our model attributes more significant deterministic influence to the oil market and closely tracks the stock market. (iii) The results demonstrate that positive oil shocks exert a more pronounced long-term asymmetric influence on GCC stock markets than adverse shocks. (iv) Dynamic multiplier analysis reveals that oil shocks persist longer in Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar's markets than in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. (v) The stock market in the United Arab Emirates exhibits greater independence from oil price fluctuations, responding modestly, while Qatar and Bahrain markets are more sensitive.

Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. (Apiaceae) is a native plant that has been traditionally consumed in Iran’s food and pharmaceutical industries. Overharvesting of the taxon, especially at the beginning of the growing season, due to its considerable medicinal and economic value, is believed to be the main reason for the extirpating of this plant. The consequences of the severe anthropogenic impacts on the genetic diversity of populations are poorly known. In order to investigate the level of genetic variation and patterns of the genetic structure of K. odoratissima, we developed novel microsatellite markers using the 454 Roche next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform for the first time. Out of 1,165 microsatellite markers bioinformatically confirmed, twenty-five were tested, of which 23 were used to screen genetic variation across 12 natural populations. Our results showed that the average number of alleles per locus and the polymorphic information content (PIC) were 10.87 (range 7 to 27), and 0.81 (range 0.67 to 0.94), respectively. The mean observed and expected heterozygosities (± SD) across all populations were 0.80 ± 0.31 and 0.72 ± 0.14, respectively. The average pairwise FST among the populations was 0.37 (range 0.04 to 0.81). Bayesian and distance-based clustering, and principal coordinate analyses revealed at least four major genetic clusters. Although high level of structure can be explained by landscape topography and geographic distance, presence of admixed populations can be associated to seed or pollen dispersal. Contrary to expectations, the high level of genetic variation and lack of inbreeding suggest that overexploitation has not yet significantly purged the allelic variability within the natural populations in protected areas.

Introduction Dysphagia is a common issue in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and is known to negatively impact their quality of life. To evaluate the impact of dysphagia on the quality of life of HNC patients, the M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) questionnaire was developed.

By employing Chen and Kuo's (2012) framework, this study comparatively investigated the rhetorical differences/similarities existing in the Literature Review chapters of Master of Arts (MA) theses authored by international and Iraqi MA students in the field of applied linguistics. The results showed that almost half of the international LR chapters had Introduction -- Body -- Conclusion progression, but this structure was rare in Iraqi ones. Move 1 (Establishing one part of the territory) was conventional whereas Move 2 and Move 3 were both optional in the corpus. Analysis of steps showed that international students used the step of Related research reviewing more than Iraqi counterparts for the realization of Move 1. International students justified the significance of their study by the step of Gap indication whereas Iraqi students resorted to the step of Concluding one part of the research. Move 3 was commonly occurred by the use of Indicating research aims step in the two sets of LR chapters. Generally, the findings show that, in writing LR chapters, Iraqi MA students attempted to be familiar with their area of research interest rather than to cast their critical approaches to the current status of the established research in the literature. These findings call for a genre-based pedagogy in academic writing to sharpen the awareness of Iraqi MA students of the functions of each move and step in LR chapters in applied linguistics.