University students' academic vocabulary development through mobile-assisted learning: Exploring the impacts on receptive and productive knowledge.

This study explored the effectiveness of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning through digital flashcards on receptive and productive aspects of academic vocabulary knowledge among Iranian EFL university students. In a quasi-experimental design, 86 participants were divided into three groups: a digital flashcard group (DFs), a traditional paper flashcard (PFs) group, and a control group using word lists, to assess the impact of these methods on vocabulary acquisition over five weeks. The findings revealed that students utilizing DFs exhibited significant improvements in both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge compared to those using PFs and the control method. Notably, the increase in receptive vocabulary was more substantial than in productive vocabulary, highlighting the differential effects of DFs on various aspects of vocabulary learning. This finding underscores the need for targeted strategies to enhance productive aspects of academic vocabulary specifically. The study supports the integration of DFs into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs to leverage their potential in boosting vocabulary acquisition effectively. However, the lesser gains in productive vocabulary suggest the necessity for complementary instructional methods, which focus on more active vocabulary learning tasks. Based on these findings, the study argues that mobile-assisted vocabulary learning should be considered a practical strategy for supporting academic vocabulary development among university students.

Assessing the design of road traffic death information systems in Iran: A participatory systems approach.

AIM: To describe and analyze the information architecture and information pathways of the road traffic death recording, registration and reporting system in Guilan Province, northernIran. METHODS: We used Business Process Mapping, a qualitative approach. This participatory and iterative approach consists of a document review, key informant interviews, development of a process map and a participatory workshop with key stakeholders to illuminate and validate the findings. We classified the tasks performed in the system into three phases: (1) Identification and recording; (2) Notification and registration, and (3) Production of statistics. RESULTS: We identified 13 stakeholders, with operating and influencing roles in the process of identification, registration and production of statistics about road traffic deaths in Guilan province. The three main sources of road traffic death statistics are the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the National Organization for Civil Registration and the Forensic Medicine Organization. Our results reveal a highly fragmented system with minimal cross-sectoral data exchange. Each stakeholder operates in a silo resulting in delays and redundancies in the operating system. In the absence of an effective communication among stakeholders, the information exchange was dependent on the family of the deceased. These fragmented information silos alter the compilation of cause of death statistics and result in under-reporting and discrepancies in road traffic deaths figures. CONCLUSIONS: Designing a comprehensive road traffic information system that provides accurate and timely information requires an understanding of the information flow and the entangled web of different stakeholders operating in the system. Participatory systems approaches such as process mapping can assist in capturing the complexity of the system and the integration process by facilitating stakeholders' engagement and ownership in improving the design of the system.

In-vitro digestion models: a critical review for human and fish and a protocol for in-vitro digestion in fish.

Digestive systems in human, animals, and fish are biological reactors and membranes to digest food and extract nutrients. Therefore, static and dynamic models of in-vitro digestion systems are developed to study e.g. novel food and feed before in-vivo studies. Such models are well developed for human, but not to the same extent for animals and fish. On the other hand, recent advances in aquaculture nutrition have created several potential fish meal replacements, and the assessment of their nutrient digestibility is critical in the application as a fish meal replacement. Using an in-vitro method, the assessment of an ingredient digestibility could be faster and less expensive compared to using an in-vivo experiment. An in-vitro method has been widely used to assess food nutrient digestibility for humans; however, its application for fish is still in the early stages. Both the human and fish as monogastric vertebrates share similar gastrointestinal systems; thus, the concept from the application for humans could be applied for fish. This review aims to improve the in-vitro digestion protocol for fish by adapting the concept from then study for humans, summarizing the current available in-vitro digestion model developed for human and fish in-vitro digestion study, identifying challenges specifically for fish required to be tackled and suggesting an engineering approach to adapt the human in-vitro gastrointestinal model to fish. Protocols to conduct in-vitro digestion study for fish are then proposed.

Effectiveness of a Peer-Led Behavioral Intervention Program on Tobacco Use-Related Knowledge, Attitude, Normative Beliefs, and Intention to Smoke among Adolescents at Iranian Public High Schools.

BACKGROUND: Theory-based tobacco use prevention programs in schools were implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this peer-led intervention on tobacco use-related knowledge, attitude, normative beliefs, and intention to tobacco use of school children aged 14-17 years old. METHODS: A school-based cluster randomized controlled intervention study was conducted among 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade high school children in Sanandaj City, Iran. 4-h integrated tobacco use prevention program comprising of four structured modules was developed and delivered to the intervention group by trained peer educator. Outcome measures comprised changes in students' smoking-related knowledge, attitude, normative beliefs, and intention to tobacco use from baseline to 6-month follow-up through validated anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: The present study showed an intervention effect on tobacco use-related knowledge, normative beliefs, and intention to tobacco use but not attitude. The results indicated that there was significant decrease in intention to tobacco use (P ≤ 0.013) observed after 6-month postintervention. The intervention module was also effective in improving smoking knowledge (P ≤ 0.001), normative beliefs with regard to perceived prevalence of cigarette smoking and water-pipe use among adults and adolescents (P ≤ 0.001) in intervention group 6-month postintervention. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in the peer-led education program to tobacco use prevention may have improvement in knowledge, normative beliefs, and intention to tobacco use. An implementation of the peer-led behavioral intervention components in the school setting may have a beneficial effect on public health by decreasing intention to tobacco use among nonsmoker adolescents.

Metabolic and NH4 excretion rate of fresh water species, Chondrostoma regium in response to environmental stressors, different scenarios for temperature and pH.

Changes in water temperature and pH levels have substantial adverse effects on aquatic organisms, hence causing physiological constraint on their well-being. To understand the physiological responses of Chondrostoma regium to temperature or pH changes, standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), absolute and factorial aerobic scope (AS&FAS) as well as the specific rate of ammonia excretion (Jamm) were measured at following temperatures: acute low (3.5-4.5 °C), 24 h low (5.5-6.5 °C), 7 d low (5.5-6.5 °C), acute high (30-31 °C), 24 h high (29-30 °C), 7 d high (28-29 °C), and different pH treatments: acute low (4.3-4.4), 24 h low (4.3-4.4), 7 d low (6.3-6.4), acute high (9.8-9.9), 24 h high (9.8-9.9), 7 d high (8.8-8.9). A control group was also assigned to optimum temperature = 22-23 °C and pH = 7.8-7.9. These experimental ranges for each treatment were obtained based on critical thermal and pH thresholds, i.e., 1.9 to 31.7 °C and 2.7 to 11.1, respectively. SMR was enhanced significantly (P < 0.05) following pH treatments, except for 24 h low pH treatment. Results showed significant (P < 0.05) changes in both SMR and MMR at low and high temperature treatments. The AS was elevated following pH treatments except for acute low pH treatment in which AS significantly was declined (P < 0.05). Low temperature treatments resulted in lower AS while no significant changes in AS were observed in high temperatures. In all treatments, FAS value did not differ significantly from control, except for acute and 24 h low treatments of both temperature and pH. All high pH and temperature treatments showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in Jamm. Histopathological results of gills indicated hyperplasia and fusion of secondary lamella and kidneys histopathology revealed necrosis and loss of tubular lumen in the most treatments. Results indicated that increases in water temperature or pH are more stressful than the lower ranges of them, suggesting higher capability of fish to adjust to the low levels of temperature or pH.