sara yazdani

Memory dysfunction is one the most common challenges of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Memory has a major role in daily life and influences social communication of individuals. The aim of this research was to investigate the function of nonverbal episodic memory in Persian speaker patients with MS. In this cross-sectional study, 46 patients (13 males and 33 females) with definite relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 46 age, gender, and educationally-matched healthy controls were selected using convenient sampling based on inclusion criteria. The patients were divided into two groups (n=23 per group) according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores; 0-4 and 4-6. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to screen cognitive function and the Benson Figure test was used to evaluate the non-verbal episodic memory function. Compared to healthy controls, both MS groups were found to be significantly impaired in accuracy and placement of structures of visuospatial abilities (copy trial), visual memory (immediate recall), and maintaining and retrieving visuospatial sources (delayed recall) (P< 0.05). Acquired brain injury in MS is associated with dysfunction of nonverbal episodic memory. In other words, MS would adversely influences patient’s performance in all stages of the visuospatial test (copy, immediate, and delayed recall). Moreover, EDSS could be regarded as a predictor for individual differences in MS patients in all stages of nonverbal episodic memory.

To examine cognitive functioning in children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The authors
examined the neuropsychological profile of 37 children with a diagnosis of clinically definite MS and assessed the
associations between cognitive function and clinical features. Of 37 children and adolescents evaluated, 35%
demonstrated significant cognitive impairment. Cognitive functioning was strongly related to several clinical variables,
including current Expanded Disability Status Scale, total number of relapses, and total disease length. The consequences
of MS adversely affected academic functioning in over a third of the children. Cognitive deficits occur in
children with multiple sclerosis. Comprehensive treatment planning should involve recognition that they may require
academic accommodations for their education.

Due to broad spectrum antimicrobial activity of Levofloxacin, it has been used widely around the world. Recently levofloxacin-resistance reports have been published. This study was done to evaluate resistance to levofloxacin in positive urine and blood cultures in Persian Gulf hospital in Bushehr, during 2015-16.
In this cross- sectional study all positive urine and blood cultures were enrolled, if the amount of the isolated pathogen colony counts were more than 105. Culture samples were divided into 3 groups including sensitive, intermediate and resistant; based on bacterial growth around discs. SPSS version 18.0 was used as the statistical analysis program, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Cultures belonged to 150 patients including 61 (%40.7) male and 89 (%59.3) female subjects with mean age of 42.98 ± 29.25 years were studied. Culture samples were consisted of urine (% 50.7) and blood cultures (% 49.3). E.coli was the most common pathogen (% 46) and Klebsiella (% 16.7) was the second pathogen in all cultures. Regarding sensitivity to levofloxacin, 119 (% 79.3) samples were sensitive, 22 (% 14.7) culture had intermediate sensitivity and 9 (%6) samples were resistant to levofloxacin. The only resistant pathogen was E.coli.
This study showed that Levofloxacin has good activity
against many pathogens except for E.coli infections that showed some resistance. However , it can still be a good choice in treatment of most infections.

Teaching children with autism is a challenging task for educators and parents, as the children display marked deficits in language and social behaviors. One of the major goals of an intervention program for children with autism is to provide them a method of functional communication and ample opportunities to practice these skills. For some children with autism, a communication system that uses alternative and augmentative forms of expression may be necessary. Children with autism (N = 8) between the ages of 9 and 12 years were selected from special schools in Mumbai for this experimental research. The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Makaton Vocabulary Language Program, a system of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), on development of language and social behavior of children with autism. The subjects received 12 sessions of language intervention using AAC. Language assessment tool for autistic children (LATCA) and social behavior rating scale (SBRS) were used as instruments for measurement. While the researcher administered LATCA, the classroom teachers used the SBRS as a checklist for social behavior. The comparison of their pre and post test mean scores showed a significant change in language and social behavior. Use of AAC had a positive effect on development of receptive and expressive language. AAC usage was also found effective in enhancing social behavior of children with autism.

Introduction Hyland (2005) defines metadiscourse as a “cover term for the self-reflective expression used to negotiate interactional meanings in a text, assisting the writer (or speaker) to express a viewpoint and engage with reader as members of a particular community” (p. 37). Hyland has admitted that these rhetorical features convey the relation between the writer, text and reader which is more than a pure exchange of information. In this vein, newspapers are important means of information exchange. Readers of any social level in communities have access to it and on the other hand, unlike TV and radio, it would not oblige its users to confine themselves to a specific time or place. Therefore, the role of newspapers in reflecting the news is really significant. In spite of the importance of newspaper discourse, it has not been successful in absorbing researchers’ attention to study on language devices like metadiscourse markers in this type of texts.
Theoretical Framework In analyzing the data of this study, Hyland’s (2005, p. 49) framework was utilized since it is a more elaborated and convincing model for metadiscourse categorization and it has been used in most of the recent studies. Hyland (2005) divided the metadiscourse markers into two broad categories: interactive and interactional, each of which is divided into five sub-categories. The interactive metadiscourse group contains: (1) Transition: expresses relations between main clauses, e.g. in addition, thus, and, (2) Frame marker: refers to discourse acts, sequences or stages, e.g. finally, my purpose is, (3) Endophoric markers: refers to information in the parts of the text, e.g. noted above, see figure, (4) Evidential: refers to information from other text, e.g. according to X, Z states, (5) Code gloss: elaborates propositional meanings, e.g. e.g. such as. The second group of metadiscourse markers includes: (1) Hedge: expresses writer’s uncertainty, e.g. might, perhaps, (2) Booster: expresses writer’s certainty, e.g. in fact, definitely, (3) Attitude marker: expresses writer’s attitude, e.g. unfortunately, surprisingly, (4) Self-mention: Explicit reference to author(s), e.g. I, we, (5) Engagement marker: explicitly build relation with a reader, e.g. consider, note.
Methodology The data of the present study were collected from the leading and most widely read newspapers in the U.S. and Iran by means of random sampling. Random sampling is a contributing factor to overcome the diversity of writers’ styles. The English news articles were retrieved from an online newspaper archive, while the Persian ones were collected from Astan-e-Qods- Razavi library archive. The data sampling was based on easy accessibility, popularity and mass circulation of news articles. To normalize the present study to a common basis to compare the frequency of occurrence, this research employed 100 words approach. In fact, all of these articles were published on 12 September in 2001. All news articles were examined to determine and classify metadiscourse markers manually. Furthermore, to analyze the data statistically, SPSS 18 software was applied. To find out whether there is any difference between the metadiscourse distribution in both English and Persian news and to explore the meaning beyond this difference, the chi-square test was employed.
Results and Discussion The findings revealed that all types of metadiscourse markers were present in both sets of data, but that there were similarities and differences between the two groups regarding their distribution and frequency. In general, interactive metadiscourse markers were employed the most in news reports, in comparison to interactional metadiscourse markers, according to chi- square test results. As for the subcategories of interactive metadiscourse, transitions and evidentials were meaningfully the most frequent markers in English and Persian news reports. Regarding the subtypes of interactional metadiscourse, hedges, attitude markers and boosters were statistically employed the most in both sets of data in terms of frequency of occurrence. Moreover, attitude markers, hedges, boosters and evidentials were used in both groups of news articles to display the hidden ideology for achieving power, but engagement markers and self-mentions were only present in English news reports to show the totalitarian ideology.
Conclusion This study tried to investigate the role of metadiscourse markers about 9/11 news articles published in 2001 in the U.S. and Iran. This comparative study might provide pedagogical implications. It would be practical to train journalism students about using metadiscourse markers appropriately in order to achieve more success in reporting the world’s events. Hence, journalists by exerting metadiscourse markers not only would be able to deepen their readers’ understanding, but also might ensure to conduct them to grasp the content completely and ideally.