objectives: self-assessment, as one type of alternative assessment, with the increased attention to learner-centered curricula, needs analysis, and learner autonomy has gained popularity in recent years. the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of self-assessment on javanroodian foreign language (kordestan) learners’ oral performance ability. methods: the assessment program involved ...

Mirrors are used to reflect two orthogonal views of a small aquarium into the lens of a single video camera, thus creating distortionfree, three-dimensional images. Zooplankton motion is quantified with computer software that categorizes different zooplankton behaviors and measures parameters such as distance, duration, angle of movement, and overall swimming speed. Using this system, we have f...

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a common health problem throughout the world and a major cause of disability among the work force. Assessment of exposure level to MSD risk factors can be an appropriate base for planning and implementing interventional ergonomic programs in the workplace. This study was conducted among workers of an Iranian rubber factory with the objectives of (a) determin...

Research on humor in organizations has rarely considered the social context in which humor occurs. One such social setting that most of us experience on a daily basis concerns the team context. Building on recent theorizing about the humor-performance link in teams, this study seeks to increase our understanding of the function and effects of humor in team interaction settings. We examined beha...

BACKGROUND Few prospective cohort studies of distal upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders have been performed. Past studies have provided somewhat conflicting evidence for occupational risk factors and have largely reported data without adjustments for many personal and psychosocial factors. METHODS/DESIGN A multi-center prospective cohort study was incepted to quantify risk factors for d...

OBJECTIVE To determine how modifications of key chair design aspects, such as seat height, posterior seat tilt, backrest recline, seat compressibility, and armrest placement, affect how older adults rise from a chair and the seating comfort they experience. DESIGN Cross-sectional comparison. SETTING Congregate housing facility and university laboratory. SUBJECTS Two groups of volunteers, ...

Videotaping is currently recognized as the most reliable method of predator identification at active bird nests but it is relatively expensive and labour intensive. While the number of published studies has increased over the past 10 years, the mean sample size is not increasing. Thirty-one case studies (n 5 events) reported 6 70 (median 22) predation events by 2 14 (6) species of predators. Th...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A number of different types of flower-visiting animals coexist in any given habitat. What evolutionary and ecological factors influence the subset of these that a given plant relies on for its pollination? Addressing this question requires a mechanistic understanding of the importance of different potential pollinators in terms of visitation rate (pollinator 'quantity') and ...

Grooming in small felids has received little attention compared with grooming in rodents, bovids and primates where grooming is also common. This study set out to describe the general pattern, time budget and degree of cephalocaudal sequencing of self-oral grooming in the domestic cat. In 11 cats confined for the purposes of videotaping, sleeping and resting accounted for 50% of the time budget...