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Focusing on metadiscourse markers during EFL writing classes has garnered research attention, yet few studies were conducted on online expository writing. This study explores the effect of metadiscourse markers instruction on expository writing of 80 male and female EFL learners in the school context, selected through convenience sampling and an interview followed with a smaller number of participants. Initially, the eighty participants were assigned to experimental (n=40) and control (n=40) groups after checking homogeneity in terms of English proficiency level. The participants in the experimental group received explicit instruction of markers, whereas the control group received the conventional curriculum-based writing instruction that included similar material/topics, except for the explicit focus on metadiscourse markers, all through a uniform digital platform mandated in the state-run schools. The frequency/use of metadiscourse markers in the writing assignments of the participants per session and the total was noted, and then a corpus of 80 collected essays was analyzed by a trained rater and researcher to both analyze whether metadiscourse markers instruction had any significant effect on expository writings and to determine which metadiscourse markers showed up in the texts written by students more. Finally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with eight EFL instructors to explore their attitudes. Statistical test of Analysis of Covariance showed a significant effect of metadiscourse markers instruction on EFL learners’ expository writing. Another finding was that participants employed interactional metadiscourse markers frequently. Implications for policy-makers, students, and teachers indicate that free access to online writing resources improves learning perceptions/outcomes.

The internet has been instrumental in the development and facilitation of online payment systems. However, its associated fraudulent activities on eplatforms cannot be overlooked. As a result, there has been a growing interest in the application of machine learning (ML) algorithms for fraud detection on financial e-platforms. The goal of this research is to identify common types of fraud on financial e-platform, highlight different machine learning algorithms employed in fraud detection, and derive the best machine learning algorithms for fraud detection on e-platforms. To achieve this goal, the research followed a nine steps systematic review approach to retrieve Journals and conference publications from science direct, Google Scholar and IEEE Xplore between 2018 and 2023. Out of 2,071 articles identified and screened, 44 publications (23 articles and 21 conference proceedings) satisfied the inclusion criteria for further analysis. The random forest algorithm turned out to be the best ML algorithm because it ranked first in the frequency of usage analysis and ranked first in the performance analysis with an average accuracy of 96.67%. Overall, this review has identified the kinds of fraud on financial e-platforms, and proclaimed the best and least ML algorithm for fraud detection on financial e-platform. This can help guide future research and inform the development of more effective fraud detection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to reveal the teaching of intonation and Tajweed courses by some interactive applications for the students of Imam Abdul Rahman bin Al-Faisal University (IAU) during Corona pandemic. The study used descriptive approach, consisted of (210) female students, and they were selected by random sampling, and the questionnaires were distributed to the sample members in two stages (paper-electronic). The use of (permanent) with an arithmetic mean (4.29), and the theme as a whole related to the purpose of using interactive applications came with the degree of use (always) and with an arithmetic average (4.55), and the theme as a whole related to the problems and challenges facing the use of interactive applications came with the degree of use (always) and with an arithmetic average. (2.70), and the theme as a whole related to ways of activating and developing the use of interactive applications in supporting and supporting intonation and Tajweed decisions, with the degree of use (mostly) and with an arithmetic average (4.06). The results also demonstrated that there were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the average responses of the study members about the use of interactive applications in teaching intonation and Tajweed courses from the female students' point of view attributed to the study group. By teaching standardized Tajweed courses to Saudi universities, emphasizing holding seminars and workshops, and issuing introductory brochures targeting all university staff, including students, administrators and faculty members, to learn about the importance of interactive applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on metadiscourse markers during EFL writing classes has garnered research attention, yet few studies were conducted on online expository writing. This study explores the effect of metadiscourse markers instruction on expository writing of 80 male and female EFL learners in the school context, selected through convenience sampling and an interview followed with a smaller number of participants. Initially, the eighty participants were assigned to experimental (n=40) and control (n=40) groups after checking homogeneity in terms of English proficiency level. The participants in the experimental group received explicit instruction of markers, whereas the control group received the conventional curriculum-based writing instruction that included similar material/topics, except for the explicit focus on metadiscourse markers, all through a uniform digital platform mandated in the state-run schools. The frequency/use of metadiscourse markers in the writing assignments of the participants per session and the total was noted, and then a corpus of 80 collected essays was analyzed by a trained rater and researcher to both analyze whether metadiscourse markers instruction had any significant effect on expository writings and to determine which metadiscourse markers showed up in the texts written by students more. Finally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with eight EFL instructors to explore their attitudes. Statistical test of Analysis of Covariance showed a significant effect of metadiscourse markers instruction on EFL learners' expository writing. Another finding was that participants employed interactional metadiscourse markers frequently. Implications for policy-makers, students, and teachers indicate that free access to online writing resources improves learning perceptions/outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Language & Law / Revista de Llengua i Dret is the property of Revista de Llengua i Dret and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, an attempt is made to emphasize the progressiveness in learning English in conditions of pandemic crisis with the help of modern technologies, which undoubtedly in the past two years have played a crucial role in this educational process. The success of learning the English language with the application of modern technologies, in which the main place is occupied by distance learning with the use of electronic devices, depends on several other factors. The equipment of higher education institutions with modern technologies forms the basis of distance learning, but it is also very important that teachers and assistants are ready to be actively involved in the electronic learning system with direct assistance to students, whether they are in the classroom or out. The leading place in the study of English in the conditions of pandemic was the use of modern technological systems that enabled direct connection and interactivity of a large number of immediate users with a high degree of operability. Among them, the most common are: Google Classroom, Zoom, Schoology and Edmodo, The Moodle as well as Google Meet and WhatsApp. However, recent research conducted during 2021 shows that the most used platform internationally is WhatsApp. In decision making about which e-learning platform to be used the most influential factors were accessibility and affordability while the unstable network is the biggest obstacle to the use of platforms in online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data has brought unprecedented opportunities and challenges, prompting global firms to grow big data analytics (BDA) investments, especially in a turbulent business environment. However, there is insufficient empirical evidence in scholarly research on whether and how using BDA functions of various types creates business value. The current study divides BDA into inside-out and outside-in types and explores whether and how firms can create value by using functions of these two types of BDA. Then, the knowledge-based view (KBV) is applied as a theoretical foundation to investigate the independent and combined impacts of inside-out and outside-in BDA usage on firms' sales performance. Furthermore, we build a quantile regression model to analyze the heterogeneity of independent and combined impacts among firms with different performance levels. The empirical study is based on a unique dataset collected on one of the largest electronic platforms (e-platforms) in China from 785 firms in 35 weeks. The results of the benchmark model based on two-way fixed effects show that both inside-out and outside-in BDA usage, as well as their interactions, are positively related to the sales performance of firms on e-platforms. The heterogeneity analysis indicates that inside-out (outside-in) BDA functions have a greater degree of impact on firms with lower (higher) sales performance. Through the theoretical and empirical analysis of the complex performance impacts of BDA usage, this study enriches the understanding of value creation in using multiple BDA functions and extends the theoretical account of KBV in the field of BDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With the outbreak of COVID-19 and its containment measures, blood centers faced a huge challenge in balancing blood demand and supply and devising a preparedness plan to withstand the uncertain situation. This study assesses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood transfusion services and discusses the appropriate mitigation strategies adopted. Methods: We analyzed our center's blood transfusion services during the first half-period of the pandemic (Y3) and non-pandemic years 2018(Y1) and 2019(Y2) in two-quarters Q1 (pre-lockdown), from January to March and Q2 (post-lockdown), from April to June. The blood donation variables, the packed red blood cells (PRBCs) demand and the utilization pattern were compared between pandemic (Y3) and non-pandemic years (Y1 and Y2) in each quarter. The mitigation strategy adopted at every step of the transfusion service is highlighted. Results: During post-lockdown (Q2) of the pandemic year (Y3), the blood donation was majorly by repeat donors (83%) from the in-house site (82.5%). Furthermore, the proportion of outdoor donation, deferral, blood collection, demand and issue demonstrated a significant drop of 50%, 32.6%, 33%, 31.8% and 32.3%, respectively, in comparison to Q2 of the non-pandemic years (Y1 and Y2), with a statistically significant difference for surgical and hemorrhagic indications (p

Patient safety culture is a key component of the organizational culture and a critical measure of the quality of healthcare. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into the problems concerning patient safety culture, based on the analysis of data, collected after interviewing healthcare specialists working in surgical and nonsurgical units in selected Bulgarian hospitals. This was a cross-sectional online study using a web-platform and the Bulgarian Version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. It was conducted among healthcare workers (n = 620) in 2021. The B-HSOPSC incudes 42 scales grouped in 12 different domains. We compared the percentage of positive ratings and outcome dimensions between surgical and other hospital departments with the nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test, χ2 tests, Fisher's Exact Test, and OR. The results showed that there are no statistically significant differences between the ratings on Patient Safety Culture given by the surgical and the nonsurgical staff except for the dimension "Hospital management support for patient safety". Results from the study highlighted that the most important aspect of hospital patient safety is the shortage of medical staff in both surgical and nonsurgical hospital units. Communication, work shift organization, handoffs and transitions between shifts and among different hospital units, as well as communication with line managers were rated as satisfactory in Bulgarian hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A patient safety culture (PSC) is a complex phenomenon, representing an essential part of the organizational culture and refers to the shared values, conceptions and beliefs which contribute to the formation and encouragement of safe behavioural models in a health organization. With this study, the authors wanted to delineate the attitude of hospital staff in Bulgaria regarding PSC and to document to whether attitudes differ between physicians and other healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Introduction: Medical education has been adversely affected during COVID-19 pandemic. Imparting medical education through e-platforms exclusively was a novel experience both for students and teachers. Even though online classes have been ongoing since almost a year and half, not much data on perception and experience about e-learning among medical students is available from India. Aim: To evaluate perceptions, experiences and challenges faced by medical students regarding e-learning during lockdown period owing to COVID-19 along with their future preferences. Materials and Methods: The present study was a questionnaire based cross-sectional survey regarding use of e-learning during COVID-19 pandemic among 340 MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) and Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSc-NUR) students. It was conducted in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College and Hospital Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India from May-July 2021. Students perceptions' of e-learning were assessed using the validated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model and responses were measured on 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative data was expressed by mean and standard deviation and significant level of differences between means were tested by Student's t-test (unpaired). Proportions were compared by Chisquare test or Fisher's-exact test. Results: Out of 400 students, 340 responded of which 225 were females. Of the total 340 students, 97.9% (n=333) respondents, had an idea of e-learning and more than half (n=188; 55.3%) had used any type of e-learning platform prior to onset of COVID-19. More number of MBBS students had used e-learning than BSc-NUR students (55% v/s 41%; p=0.033). Cell phone was the most common device (n=324; 95.3%) used. The quick sharing of material (n=258; 76%) and flexibility (n=233; 68.5%) were top rated benefits of e-learning. The key disadvantages were suboptimal practical training (n=222; 65.3%) and lack of face-to-face interactions (n=146; 43%). Majority of students voted for traditional learning (n=156; 45.9%) closely followed by blended learning (n=140; 41.2%). Conclusion: The students had an overall positive attitude towards e-learning and wanted to continue e-learning alongside traditional teaching i.e., blended learning. Exploration of merits and barriers to e-learning during pandemic can act as a guide to implement blended learning in medical curriculum for enhanced teaching/learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Medical education has been adversely affected during Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Imparting medical education through e-platforms exclusively was a novel experience both for students and teachers. Even though online classes have been ongoing since almost one and half year, not much data on perception and experience about e-learning among medical students is available from India. Aim: To evaluate perceptions, experiences and challenges faced by medical students regarding e-learning during lockdown period owing to COVID-19 along with their future preferences. Materials and Methods: The present study was a questionnaire based cross-sectional survey regarding use of e-learning during COVID-19 pandemic among 340 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSc-NUR) students. It was conducted in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College and Hospital Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India from May 2021 to July 2021. Students perceptions’ of e-learning were assessed using the validated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model and responses were measured on 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative data was expressed by mean and standard deviation and significant level of differences between means were tested by Student’s t-test (unpaired). Proportions were compared by Chi-square test or Fisher’s-exact test. A p-value of

Copyright of Umm Al-Qura University Journal of Educational & Psychological Sciences is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented public health and economic crises around the world. The protection of human health and life has become the most important challenge. Disrupted supply chains resulted in shortages in the supply of essential medical equipment and personal protective equipment. The quick response to this situation was the use of 3D printers for the production of this type of article, especially for the medical service. The initial experience presented in this article (the review of solutions and initiatives based on cooperation in the field of 3D printing during the first wave of the pandemic) showed the challenges faced by organizations engaged in 3D printing during the pandemic. The performed identification and compilation of the difficulties that occurred during cooperation in crisis conditions allowed the author of this article to present an original proposal to minimize the most important of these problems. The main purpose of the article is to present the concept of a cooperation model based on an internet platform in the field of 3D printing during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will allow to increase the efficiency of management of activities necessary in crisis conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The education system worldwide has been greatly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic 2019–2020, which has led to the temporary closure of both primary and higher education sectors, posing an uncertainty among the system and other concerned fraternities. Citing the potential disruption of learning activities, the UNESCO recommended the use of distance learning programs and open educational platforms that schools and teachers can use to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education. With the challenge of fighting the pandemic in one hand and preventing the hampering of education on the other hand, India has called to continue the educational process making an effective use of technology and other available options. The paper is aimed to review such e-platform and initiatives set up in the government portals itself long before any idea of the dawn of current pandemic which can offer a great bundle of resourcefulness for the faculties to monitor continuous learning experience in this pandemic time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the benefits of using the online resources at a medical University in the process of teaching English for Professional Purposes to undergraduates and English for Academic Purposes to PhD students. This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of integrating different e-platforms in the context of teaching medical and dental English online. The authors demonstrate their experience in applying Kahoot! and combining it with other digital learning platforms (e.g., massive open online courses at FutureLearn, Coursera, etc.) and communication tools (such as Remind, Google Classroom, Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Cisco Webex). This integration provides a feasible ground for delivering lectures and practical sessions during the COVID-19 lockdown. The proposed array of e-platforms and tools is capable of enhancing the terminological competence of specialists in the field of medicine and health care, as well as the communication skills necessary for successful international communication and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being in a constant struggle of trying to keep our students' interest during the English class at a time when they are bombarded with technological distractions from every platform - television programmes, smart devices, computers, laptops etc. - requires a teacher's resourcefulness and creativity, and investment of his/her time and money in materials and technology in order to keep up with the pace at which students operate on a daily basis, including in class. This paper takes a closer look at the employment of technology during the English class with students in Business Administration from the North University Center of Baia Mare, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. It is a case study regarding the extent to which the use of technology aids the teaching-learning process. It also tries to find the right balance between traditional teaching-learning tools and the employment of modern technology in class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Study the optimal e-tailing channel structure and service contracting problem. • Uncover effects of channel influences on the e-platform channel system. • Explore novel contracting mechanisms to achieve robust systems optimization. • Derive implementable algorithms to determin the optimal contracting details. • Drill deep in the topic the considerations of three extensions. Today, many e-tailers sell through e-platforms. Some of them sell products through both their own direct-online (DO) sales channel and e-platforms, while some give up their own DO sales channel and sell solely through e-platforms. Motivated by the popularity of e-platforms, we explore in this paper the optimal channel selection and e-platform service contracting problem. We build analytical models to explore "when" an e-tailer should choose "which" channel structure. Based on the commonly-observed industrial practices, in the basic models, we derive the optimal e-platform service contract which is a revenue-sharing plus fixed fee (RSF) service contract. We establish the conditions under which the e-tailer's optimal channel selection choice will also be optimal for the e-platform systems. To test robustness of the research findings, three extensions are examined. For the extended model with a separate manufacturer, as well as the extended analysis with a social welfare optimization objective, we reveal that all the findings in the basic models remain valid. However, when the e-tailer decides both product pricing and quality, we uncover that the RSF service contract fails to achieve robust systems optimization. We hence show how the use of a cost-sharing RSF service contract can help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With the outbreak of COVID-19 and its containment measures, blood centers faced a huge challenge in balancing blood demand and supply and devising a preparedness plan to withstand the uncertain situation. This study assesses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood transfusion services and discusses the appropriate mitigation strategies adopted., Methods: We analyzed our center's blood transfusion services during the first half-period of the pandemic (Y3) and non-pandemic years 2018(Y1) and 2019(Y2) in two-quarters Q1 (pre-lockdown), from January to March and Q2 (post-lockdown), from April to June. The blood donation variables, the packed red blood cells (PRBCs) demand and the utilization pattern were compared between pandemic (Y3) and non-pandemic years (Y1 and Y2) in each quarter. The mitigation strategy adopted at every step of the transfusion service is highlighted., Results: During post-lockdown (Q2) of the pandemic year (Y3), the blood donation was majorly by repeat donors (83%) from the in-house site (82.5%). Furthermore, the proportion of outdoor donation, deferral, blood collection, demand and issue demonstrated a significant drop of 50%, 32.6%, 33%, 31.8% and 32.3%, respectively, in comparison to Q2 of the non-pandemic years (Y1 and Y2), with a statistically significant difference for surgical and hemorrhagic indications ( p  < 0.05). Coping strategies, such as blood donor education and motivation using e-platforms emphasizing eligibility during the pandemic, staggering of donor in-flow, postponement of elective surgeries and donor and staff' COVID-19 safety assurance, were followed., Conclusion: The timely adoption of coping strategies played a crucial role in the better handling of shortcomings at our center's blood transfusion services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: None of the authors have any conflict of interest., (© 2021 Associação Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U.)