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While ecocriticism has become a respected field in literary theory and in the broader landscape of aesthetic philosophy, it could benefit from an enhanced ethical-political framework which social ecology – an underrated critical theory developed by Murray Bookchin – could provide. This essay attempts to tease out the potentials for such a framework, integrating the insights of social ecology, ecocriticism, Critical Realism, and John Dewey's aesthetic concepts into a layered idea-set used for the study of all kinds of aesthetic objects, from popular art to the gallery arts. Its key principles are the emergence of aesthetic objects (including formal artworks) out of congealed human experience, the relation between organism and environment in assessing meaning, the breakdown of implicit or overt hierarchies within a work, and the idea of the artist and art-critic as a "gardener".

Pyrylium salts based on a cationic oxygen heterocycle are a key class of chromophores. However, synthesis of these salts generally requires use of harsh acids, copious organic solvents, and in many cases, hazardous conditions. This work provides a two-pot synthesis for substituted triphenyl pyrylium salts wherein chalcone intermediates are first prepared and then mild methanesulfonic acid is used in combination with a dehydrating agent to drive pyrylium cyclization. Purification is achieved through a simple, aqueous workup involving counterion metathesis which avoids the need for environmentally unfriendly organic solvents. This mild, green approach has been applied to synthesize a collection of known pyryliums as well as a new family of red-shifted pyrylium chromophores bearing p -pyrrolidinylphenyl substituents. The synthesis of the latter group demonstrates that unlike other current methods, our approach offers enhanced functional group tolerance as well as finer control over substituent placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental nature of second language acquisition research has resulted in various and at times seemingly contradictory theories, methods and approaches. In 2005, Rod Ellis published his Principles of Instructed Language Learning, which he considered to be a set of teaching generalisations that could stimulate debate and reflection among teachers in the post-methods era (Richards Rodgers, 2014). The purpose of this study was to investigate Elliss principles in terms of their perceived relevance and applicability in an adult EFL learning environment. In order to achieve this aim, a mixed methods research approach was utilised. Separate questionnaires were administered to seventy-one students and eight teachers employed in the English Language Department of a Training Institute in Doha, Qatar. Additionally, thirteen students participated in two single sex focus group sessions. The results revealed consensus between students and teachers regarding the importance they placed on some principles, but not others, particularly the contentious issue of meaning vs. form. Furthermore, while both groups emphasised the importance of interaction, many students nonetheless felt uneasy interacting in English with other Arabic speakers. A further key finding was that neither party clearly understood the concept of the learners built-in syllabus. The principal conclusion is that the best way to deal with the aforementioned anomalies involves experimentation with task-based approaches as these allow for a focus on meaning, opportunities for interaction, and a retrospective focus on form via corrective feedback, which takes into account the learners built-in syllabus.