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Motivational orientation and creativity of students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing courses have recently garnered increased attention in South Korea and around the world. In an effort to advance research in these areas, this study examined relationships involving motivational orientation (intrinsic goal orientation and self-efficacy), creativity, and writing performance. A group of university EFL students (n = 41) in South Korea participated in this study. They were asked to complete questionnaires of intrinsic goal orientation and self-efficacy, take the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, and complete a series of writing tasks including a persuasive essay as part of their performance assessment of a writing class, which served as the context of this study. Results showed no significant relationship between motivational orientation and creativity. However, an interaction effect between intrinsic goal orientation and self-efficacy on student writing performance was found. Results are discussed and recommendations are made based on pedagogical implications of these findings.

The purpose of study was to investigate university students' attitudes towards English language learning apps and examine whether there is any significant difference in their attitudes depending on their personal variables such as their gender, major, grade, nationality, and so on. This study also explored students' perceptions of English language learning apps that they have used. Participants were college students living in Korea and China. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and an interview. Results showed that both Korean and Chinese students generally held positive attitudes towards English language learning apps, although Chinese students showed more positive attitudes than Koreans. The main reasons that they liked to use English language learning apps were their convenience, ubiquity, and rich resources. On the other hands, it was revealed that the lack of communication and feedback was the main problem of using such apps. Both Korean and Chinese students stated that it was an effective way to use English language learning apps to practice pronunciation, vocabulary, listening, and reading skills. Findings of this research suggest that English language learning apps should be developed to inspire users/students' learning interest and foster learner autonomy.

To establish the dissolution mechanism of palladium (Pd) in the FetO–SiO2–CaO–Al2O3–MgOsat slag system, the Pd solubility was measured at 1873 K (1600 °C) and oxygen partial pressure ranging from p O 2 = 1.0 × 10 - 8 atm to p O 2 = 1.0 × 10 - 6 atm . In the current slag system, the Pd solubility increases with increasing content of CaO and FeO, and decreases with increasing content of SiO2 and Al2O3. This solubility behavior is quantified by employing the modified Vee ratio, defined as (CaO+FeO)/(SiO2+Al2O3), the theoretical optical basicity and the activity of CaO in the slag. Thermodynamic analysis reveals that Pd stabilizes in the form of the ( PdO 2 3 - ) palladate complex ion in the present aluminosilicate melts. Based on this, the Pd dissolution reaction in the current slag system is proposed as follows: Pd (l) + 1 4 O 2 (g) + 3 2 O 2 - = (PdO 2 3 -) Combining the results from the present experiment and previous findings suggests that a well-designed slag system can effectively minimize Pd loss during the pyrometallurgical processing of industrial wastes containing Pd. By adjusting the modified Vee ratio, in which CaO and FeO promote Pd solubility in the slag, whereas SiO2 increases slag viscosity, it is possible to achieve optimal conditions. Therefore, we recommend implementing such an optimized slag system for pyrometallurgical treatment of Pd-containing industrial wastes, ensuring minimal Pd loss and maximizing resource recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous studies have simply confirmed recurrence of acute cystitis negatively affects a patient's psychological state. This study was performed to assess the impact of the recurrence of urinary tract infections on anxiety and depression and further assess whether there is a correlation between the number of recurrences and the degree of anxiety and depression. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with recurrent cystitis who visited a tertiary care center between April 2018 and June 2022. For eligible patients, depression and anxiety were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Among the clinical characteristics, factors that independently affected the degree of depression and anxiety were analyzed. Additionally, the relationship between the level of anxiety, depression, and the number of recurrent cystitis was assessed. Results: A total of 112 female patients with recurrent cystitis were enrolled in this study. The proportion of patients with depression (moderate, 8%; severe, 0%) was relatively low compared with that of patients with anxiety (moderate, 22.3%; severe, 68.8%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that more recurrent episodes were significantly associated with higher anxiety scores (P<0.001). It was confirmed that longer disease duration is associated with higher depression scores (P=0.031). Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the number of recurrences and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores (r=0.362, P<0.001 and r=0.248, P=0.009, respectively). Conclusions: Our study reveals that recurrent cystitis notably increases patients' anxiety, correlating with the frequency of recurrences. Disease duration is also linked to depression. These findings emphasize the importance of preventing urinary tract infection recurrences to reduce psychological complications. To reinforce these results, larger cohort studies are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the quantity and quality of the mother-toddler conflicts in two contexts. Forty mother-toddler pairs participated in the study in South Korea. Conflict episodes were identified and coded during free play and cleanup context. The results of this study were as follows. Mother-toddler conflict lasted longer in cleanup context than in free play context. The initiator of the conflict was mainly the toddler rather than the mother in both contexts. Conflict mostly occurred because of rules or activity/play methods. In free play context, activity/play methods or rules were, and in cleanup context, rules were the main cause of the conflict. The strategies mothers and children used most often were aggravation, justification, and mitigation in order, but mothers used mitigation strategy the most, and children used aggravation strategy the most. This tendency was more pronounced in cleanup context than in free play context. When the conflict was compromised to a resolution, the mother played a central role in both contexts. This study provides implications for reducing the amount of conflict between mothers and children and improving interaction with the toddler by considering the context of conflict., Author(s): Hee Jin Kim [sup.1] , Hyun Ju Kim [sup.2] , Hae Kyoung Kim [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.255649.9, 0000 0001 2171 7754, Department of Early Childhood Education, College of [...]

As student creativity is increasingly emphasized in English as a Foreign Language education, it is necessary to consider instructional techniques to encourage it. This study examines the effectiveness of two instructional techniques on creative writing performance of English as a Foreign Language students in a South Korean university. These techniques are variations of brainstorming known as mind mapping and SCAMPER. Survey data from the participants (n = 39) were analysed to determine which technique resulted in higher levels of perceived creative output (essays). Additionally, a creativity rubric was developed and used to assign analytic scores to the essays to examine the relative benefits of the two techniques for high and low creative ability students. Results show that SCAMPER produced statistically significantly higher levels of perceived creative output. The essays written using SCAMPER generally received higher creativity scores than those written using mind mapping, though this difference was not statistically significant. Finally, results suggest that both techniques may help to narrow the performance gap between high and low creative ability students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aims to investigate the diagnostic significance of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in assessing bone marrow (BM) involvement through a comparison of PET/CT findings with BM biopsy in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma. Materials and Methods The medical records of 193 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorized as having early-stage (PET-ES) or advanced-stage (PET-AS) disease based on PET/CT results. The BM involvement was classified into three groups according to BM biopsy: gross BM involvement, minimal BM involvement (defined as the presence of a limited number of Epstein-Barr virus-positive cells in BM), and no involvement. Calculations of the accuracy of PET/CT in detecting BM involvement and analysis of the clinical outcomes (progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]) according to the BM biopsy status were performed. Results PET/CT exhibited a sensitivity of 64.7% and a specificity of 96.0% in detecting gross BM involvement. For detecting any (both gross and minimal) BM involvement, the sensitivity was 30.4%, while the specificity was 99.0%. Only one patient (0.7%) demonstrated gross BM involvement among the PET-ES group. Survival outcomes of the PET-ES group with minimal BM involvement (3-year PFS, 55.6%; OS, 77.0%) were closer to those of the PET-ES group with no BM involvement (3-year PFS, 62.2%; OS, 80.6%) than to those of the PET-AS group (3-year PFS, 20.1%; OS, 29.9%). Conclusion PET/CT exhibits high specificity, but moderate and low sensitivity in detecting gross and minimal BM involvement, respectively. The clinical significance of minimal BM involvement for patients in the PET-ES group may be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]