This essay focuses on metadiscourse, a name for elements of texts that convey meanings other than  those  that  are  primarily  referential.    The  essay  provides  some  theoretical  background  to the  study  of  metadiscourse,  briefly  reviews  a  taxonomy  of  metadiscourse,  and  explores  four reasons why the study of metadiscourse is interesting and important: (a) Such study shows how ...

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate vitamin D levels using a reliable method in patients with regional and generalized musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in comparison to healthy controls. METHODS A consecutive prospective case control cohort was recruited. Patients with generalized MSK pain, for example, fibromyalgia (FM), and regional MSK pain, for example, nonspecific low back pain (LBP) and...

OBJECTIVE To compare the static postural balance between women suffering from chronic low back pain and healthy subjects, by moving the center of pressure. METHODS The study included 15 women with low back pain (LBP group) and 15 healthy women (healthy group). They were instructed to remain in standing on the force platform for 30 seconds. We analyzed the area and the speed of displacement of...

Abstract Using prototypes to engage stakeholders during front-end design activities is crucial for successful outcomes. Compared prototyping that used iterative refinement back-end engineering activities, informs problem definition, requirements and specifications development, concept generation, other understudied. To identify patterns in strategies engaging the front end, we conducted semi-st...