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Both internationalization of higher education and use of English as a global language (EGL) coexist, for the latter is a vital tool to attain the former and vice versa. Although the former came into existence in non-native English-speaking countries in Europe, and the latter became the major medium of instruction at universities with the de facto 'extraterritorial' lingua franca, research into international students' issues has mainly been conducted in English-speaking countries. This paper, therefore, aims to explore such value and use of EGL in a higher education internationalization context in Bulgaria. With the qualitative research approach, two themes emerge, answering two research questions. The results collected from 13 students from European and former Soviet backgrounds offer insights into linguistic, cultural, and psychological challenges international students tend to encounter as well as determinants that impact their adjustment.

This paper investigates two hypotheses: 1) EFL undergraduate students have positive attitudes towards the use of the phonetics website; and 2) teacher power can greatly influence their positive attitudes toward speaking English intelligibly. Research outcomes derive from questionnaire (n=79), crosschecked with interview data (n=47), revealing their alignments. The first hypothesis was confirmed at a high level; the second was partially supported. Teacher power appeared to be distracted by power relations in interactions between native and nonnative English speakers and among non-native English speakers themselves. The study offers two insightful directions for EFL teachers.

This paper examined the hypothesis that Thai EFL students' positive attitudes toward their non-native English accented speech could be promoted by the use of University of Iowa's "Sounds of American English" website, known as the "number 1 phonetics website". Fifty-two undergraduate students in the field of sciences participated in the investigation, which took place at two different stages. The findings of both stages mirrored non-native-like identity they perceptually obtained and native-like identity they socially aspired to possess. The findings of the second stage confirmed the hypothesis to some extent because of their synchronous feelings of slightly decreased embarrassment and increased pride and offer two insightful directions for EFL teachers. Firstly, irrespective of students' actual English accented speech, there is a need to promote their positive attitudes toward their own accent at an early age. Secondly, helping them understand that speaking intelligibly is more important than sounding like a native speaker.

This paper results from a pilot study in a Thai academic context testing two hypotheses. First, blended e-learning required by an institution can motivate learners extrinsically to learn EFL. Second, blended e-learning can enhance learners' positive attitudes toward learning EFL. The hypotheses were constructed based on an implication that Thai students generally needed extrinsic motivation in learning driven by their authoritative teachers and past relevant studies that showed positive results. Although the quantitative outcomes support the hypotheses, they are not generalizable. Additionally, required blended e-learning may not be the best teaching tool for this group of EFL learners, for they tend to identify themselves better with social media, especially Facebook.

This paper reports on the way in which Facebook Group used as a learning management system can enhance Thai students' effective language learning (positive attitude and motivation) in a private university in the vicinity of Bangkok. These two variables are seen to influence learners' achievement in language learning, and they also interdependently influence one another. The qualitative outcomes deriving from ten participants revealed positive impacts of the Facebook Group usage on their attitude towards, and motivation in, learning English as a specific purpose in a Thai context because they commonly found themselves relevant to the Facebook Group as regular users of Facebook. Partly, the Facebook Group could give them senses of convenience, simplicity and relaxation and reduce cultural power distance between the instructor and them. Out of the exploratory parameter, the Facebook Group could be an online tool to facilitate English learning through error corrections. Positive results offered some insightful suggestions and implications for teachers of English as a foreign language. A specific limitation of this study is also discussed.

Due to EFL undergraduate students' ineffective learning strategies, which mirror lack of autonomy, this paper is a pilot study into how use of Cambridge Dictionaries Online can affect undergraduate students' autonomy or self-reliance in a Thai EFL context. The link was selectively integrated in a writing classroom as a tool to improve their English during writing assignments because it appears to be more comprehensive than others. Seventy three students participated in the study and completed a questionnaire based on arguments that new generations or young learners can relate themselves to the link viewed as learning technology and in turn possess positive attitude toward and motivation in learning English autonomously. Although the quantitative results are positive to some extent, they offer some directions for EFL teachers to guide their students in moving toward autonomy. Limitation and recommendations for future study are provided.

In this paper, I will report qualitative research findings on how undergraduate students at a small-sized university in Thailand perceive Facebook group usage in a writing class. The findings suggest that the Facebook group can be used as blended learning (a hybrid instructional model) and learning management system (posting announcements and comments relevant to the class and their writing assignments) for the students to learn with, not to learn from, as facilitated by the instructor. The reasons were that they positively viewed the Facebook group usage as a practical, trendy and beneficial teaching tool, which helped to motivate them to learn English virtually and enhance their positive attitudes towards learning the language. When they encounter virtual communication apprehension, the Facebook group usage appeared to be a booster neutralizing their positive attitudes towards virtual interactions. Such positive results may derive from the fact that the students grew up as digital natives and the Millennial Generation using Facebook, the prominent social network site, as parts of their daily life. Teachers of English, who may be seen as digital immigrants or digital immigrant accent, may need to consider use of learning technologies in their writing class.

This paper looks into the effect of use of international English on non-native students' dignity in Australian academic and social contexts. The study was undertaken through in-depth interviews with 28 participants from 13 countries. The results partly revealed that there was neither speech convergence nor culture convergence between non-native and native speakers. When native speakers linguistically converged towards non-native speakers, it appeared to backfire as mocking behavior. There was an expectation that host tutors, lecturers and classmates would adjust their speech to a level accommodating non-native speakers, but they did not. Failure to effectively converge linguistically and culturally led to failure in intergroup communication. The failure concomitantly affected participants' self-worth, motivation and identity in a way that diminished their dignity and motivation, impinging on their identity.

This article explores non-native English-speaking students' emotional security and dignity responses to their English language proficiency in an Australian context. Confidence is a source of emotional security bolstering dignity. Without it, students lack emotional security, diminishing their dignity when communicating with culturally different others. Emotional security and dignity have a synergistic relationship, in that lack of confidence emotionally threatens one's face, identity and dignity. The study offers insights that help us to understand how international students' psychological well-being is affected by English performance. (Contains 2 figures.)

The mica-based glass-ceramics were prepared in the SiO2-Al2O3-MgO-MgF2-SrCO3-CaCO3-CaF2-P2O5 glass system. There were four mica-based glass-ceramics produced in this study according to the pigment added (CeO2 or Pr-ZrSiO4/Fe-ZrSiO4) and crystallization time (5-35 min). Four dental glass-ceramics, which were leucite-based, lithium disilicate-based and two zirconia reinforced lithium silicate ceramics, were also tested. The phase identification of mica-based glass-ceramics was performed using an X-ray diffractometer. The fracture toughness (KIC) was determined using the fractographic analysis approach. The one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the significant differences among the obtained KIC values at a=0.05. The results from the phase analysis showed that the mica glass-ceramics consisted of calcium-mica, fluorapatite and strontiumapatite. The KIC of mica-based glass-ceramics ranged between 1.36 to 1.53 MPa•m1/2 which were superior to only that of a leucite-based glass-ceramic. The shade and translucency of mica-based glass-ceramics appeared to be acceptable for dental application when compared with other dental glass-ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm trunk (OPT) an abundant agriculture waste was evaluated as an alternative lignocellulosic biomass resource for bioethanol production. Sulfite-based SPORL pretreatment (Sulfite Pretreatment to Overcome Recalcitrance of Lignocellulose) was applied to the OPT to enhance its enzymatic saccharification. The pretreatment conditions were optimized through a designed experiment within the ranges of temperature 170–190ºC, time for 30 min, 2–6% sulfite, and initial H 2 SO 4 concentrations 3–7% (w/w). The overall saccharides (hexoses and pentoses) recovery of SPORL pretreated was 62.5%. SPORL pretreatment removed 38.8% lignin from the OPT as lignosulfonate in the liquor with great potential for co-product development, and 93.9% xylose was dissolved, which were the main reasons why the SPORL pretreatment could enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of the OPT. The results indicated that over 92% of the cellulose in the pretreated OPT with 7% H 2 SO 4 and 6% Na 2 SO 3 at 190ºC was enzymatically hydrolyzed to glucose within 48 h with a cellulase loading of 15 FPU/g cellulose, and overall glucose yield was 66%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old oil palm trunk (OPT) is available in large quantity in Southeast Asia and a potential lignocellulosic biomass resource for bioethanol production. Dilute acid (DA) pretreatment was applied to the old oil palm trunk for enzymatic saccharification. The pretreatment conditions were investigated through a fractional factorial experiment design. The pretreated substrates were analyzed for chemical composition, and their enzymatic digestibility was investigated and compared. The results indicated that the DA pretreatment was able to improve enzymatic hydrolysis by removing hemicelluloses from OPT. Mild pretreatment preserved more hemicellulose and cellulose in pretreated OPT, but severe pretreatment was necessary to achieve satisfactory enzymatic hydrolysis of OPT. For example, the DA pretreatment with 3% H 2 SO 4 at 180 °C for 40 min could achieve an 80% enzymatic hydrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a classroom research project undertaken at a small-sized private university situated in Bangkok. The study involves quantitative research approach. Its primary objectives are to examine confidence and attitude levels of Thai undergraduate students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at three different stages, before and after interventions in a listening and speaking in English class with the notions of Hofstede's power distance and Skinner's positive reinforcement. Research results reveal positive impacts on students' levels of confidence in oral English communication and attitudes towards teaching and learning of English to some degrees. The results also offer implications for EFL teachers in not only the Thai context but also in Japanese and Korean contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a qualitative research into EFL undergraduate students' intercultural experiences with a focus on feelings of security and dignity in a Thai context. Thirty-eight students voluntarily participated in the study and their encounters revealed that they had to go through processes of constructing and negotiating their multiple identities in three different stages. The identities they constructed and negotiated associated with not only English inability they perceived but also their negative and positive emotions they felt before, during and after interactions. Their Thai cultural background deeply embedded in their being, such as reluctance to impose (kreng-jai) upon interactions and fear of face-loss, appeared to influence the processes. Being refused, majoring in Business English, expectation in effective communication and unintelligibility were key situational features attacking their face leading the students to intercultural conflicts and lack of security and dignity. Their foreign interlocutors' friendliness, willingness to interact and language accommodation were key situational features restoring their face. The study offers useful insights for EFL teachers and learners as well as implications for the present context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present era of globalization has witnessed the influence of use of global English between non-native and native speakers giving rise to a variety of accented speech. In this paper, it is argued that when these two groups interact through the medium of English, there is a sense of power attached to non-native interlocutors' ability to communicate with culturally different others. Their sense of power appears to be influenced by their intrapersonal and interpersonal perceptions of the ability to speak English like a native, which mirrors how they want to present their face or identity when they socially and academically interact with culturally different others. Their intrapersonal and interpersonal perceptions of failure to communicate in English will in turn affect their psychological wellbeing. The argument is based on an empirical study, which was undertaken in an Australian context. Fifteen international postgraduate students from non-native English and culturally diverse backgrounds voluntarily participated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the result of a study into the effects of English as an international language on the sense of security of overseas students in an Australian academic and social context. The 27 volunteer non-native English-speaking background participants were from China, the Czech Republic, Colombia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Sweden, Thailand and Vietnam. The study involved interviews with the participants about their experiences of unintelligibility when they communicated with people from different cultures, producing World Englishes shock and repetition shock. While some students reported positive attitudes, the most common negative emotion was insecurity, resulting from feelings of frustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how learning English affects Asian students' sense of dignity in an Australian social environment, and how they deal with negative encounters at school, at work and at public places. The research methodology used was in-depth interviews with seven postgraduate international students from six different countries in Asia and a convenient snowball sampling. Regardless of the non-native students' English proficiency test results, they all encountered language and cultural obstacles during their transition to the Australian social environment. Their prior motivation and attitudes vis-à-vis English language learning in their homeland positively impacted on their responses to those obstacles. Such obstacles affected their well-being and sense of dignity negatively because mastering English is seen as an accomplishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), loading and positioning of tri-folded grafts into a cartridge is generally conducted with forceps or a hook, risking graft tear or trauma. We demonstrate the feasibility of loading tri-folded grafts into a cartridge with no touch to the endothelium required beyond the tri-folding process., Methods: A corneoscleral rim with a prestripped DMEK graft is placed into a petri dish. After the graft is tri-folded with forceps and removed from its stromal attachment, the graft is gently wicked into the tip of a saline-filled Alcon B IOL cartridge connected to IV extension tubing and a 3 cc syringe, drawn into the cartridge by positioning it adjacent to the graft tip. The remainder of the graft is aspirated with the addition of saline. The cartridge orientation is reversed for graft injection. In this retrospective analysis, we analyzed surgical videos for preparation times, and assessed postoperative visual acuity, pachymetry, and endothelial cell density., Results: Thirteen cases underwent this approach. Median preparation time from stain to cartridge eye contact was 8.5 minutes, and time from graft injection to final centration and bubbling was 2.9 minutes. Corneal thickness decreased from a median of 623 microns preoperatively to 566 μm at 1 month (P = 0.038). Visual acuity improved by 1 month by a median of 0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (P = 0.016). Endothelial cell density decreased by 32.4% at 1 month compared with baseline., Conclusions: Endothelium-in DMEK grafts may be loaded into a plastic cartridge using a skill set similar to aspiration of a scroll.