Previous language attitude studies indicated that in many countries all over the world, English l... more Previous language attitude studies indicated that in many countries all over the world, English language learners perceived native accents either American or British, more positively than the non-native accents such as the Japanese, Korean, and Austrian accents. However, in Malaysia it is still unclear which accent Malaysian learners of English tend to perceive more positively (Pillai 2009). The verbal-guise technique and accent recognition item were adopted as indirect and direct instruments in gathering data to obtain data to clarify the inquiry. The sample includes 120 Malaysian university students and they were immersed in several speech accent situations to elicit feedback on their perceptions. Essentially two research questions are addressed: 1) What are Malaysian university students' attitudes toward native and non-native English accents? 2) How familiar are students with accents? The results indicated that the students had a bias towards in-group accent, meaning that they evaluated non-native lecturers' accents more positively. These results supported the 'social identity theory' consistent with many previous language attitude studies of this nature. The Malaysian students were seen to be able to distinguish between native and non-native accents although there was much confusion between British and American accents.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1995
OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the safety and efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol versus ... more OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the safety and efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol versus intracervical prostaglandin E 2 gel (dinoprostone) for preinduction cervical ripening and induction of labor. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred seventy-six patients with indications for induction of labor and unfavorable cervices were randomly assigned to receive either intravaginal misoprostol or intracervical dinoprostone. Twenty-five micrograms of misoprostol were placed in the posterior vaginal fornix every 3 hours, with a potential maximum of eight doses. Prostaglandin E 2 in gel form, 0,5 mg, was placed in the endocervix every 6 hours, with a maximum of three doses. Further medication was withheld with the occurrence of spontaneous rupture of membranes, entry into active phase of labor, or a "prolonged contraction response." RESULTS: Among those evaluated, 138 received misoprostol and 137 received dinoprostone. The average interval from start of induction to vaginal delivery was shorter in the misoprostol group (1323.0 + 844.4 minutes) than in the dinoprostone group (1532.4 __ 706.5 minutes) (p < 0.05). Need for oxytocin augmentation of labor occurred more commonly in the dinoprostone group (72.6%) than in the misoprostol group (45.7%) (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in the routes of delivery. Twenty-eight of the misoprostol-treated patients (20.3%) and thirty-eight of the dinoprostone-treated patients (27.7%) required abdominal delivery. Complications such as uterine tachysystole and thick meconium passage occurred with similar frequency in the two treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravaginal administration of misoprostol appears to be as effective as intracervical dinoprostone for cervical ripening and labor induction. Complications associated with prostaglandin administration were not statistically different between the two treatment groups. The cost of misoprostol ($0.36/100 p,g) i s much less than that of dinoprostone ($75/0.5 mg).
Previous language attitude studies indicated that in many countries all over the world, English l... more Previous language attitude studies indicated that in many countries all over the world, English language learners perceived native accents either American or British, more positively than the non-native accents such as the Japanese, Korean, and Austrian accents. However, in Malaysia it is still unclear which accent Malaysian learners of English tend to perceive more positively (Pillai 2009). The verbal-guise technique and accent recognition item were adopted as indirect and direct instruments in gathering data to obtain data to clarify the inquiry. The sample includes 120 Malaysian university students and they were immersed in several speech accent situations to elicit feedback on their perceptions. Essentially two research questions are addressed: 1) What are Malaysian university students' attitudes toward native and non-native English accents? 2) How familiar are students with accents? The results indicated that the students had a bias towards in-group accent, meaning that they evaluated non-native lecturers' accents more positively. These results supported the 'social identity theory' consistent with many previous language attitude studies of this nature. The Malaysian students were seen to be able to distinguish between native and non-native accents although there was much confusion between British and American accents.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1995
OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the safety and efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol versus ... more OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the safety and efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol versus intracervical prostaglandin E 2 gel (dinoprostone) for preinduction cervical ripening and induction of labor. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred seventy-six patients with indications for induction of labor and unfavorable cervices were randomly assigned to receive either intravaginal misoprostol or intracervical dinoprostone. Twenty-five micrograms of misoprostol were placed in the posterior vaginal fornix every 3 hours, with a potential maximum of eight doses. Prostaglandin E 2 in gel form, 0,5 mg, was placed in the endocervix every 6 hours, with a maximum of three doses. Further medication was withheld with the occurrence of spontaneous rupture of membranes, entry into active phase of labor, or a "prolonged contraction response." RESULTS: Among those evaluated, 138 received misoprostol and 137 received dinoprostone. The average interval from start of induction to vaginal delivery was shorter in the misoprostol group (1323.0 + 844.4 minutes) than in the dinoprostone group (1532.4 __ 706.5 minutes) (p < 0.05). Need for oxytocin augmentation of labor occurred more commonly in the dinoprostone group (72.6%) than in the misoprostol group (45.7%) (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in the routes of delivery. Twenty-eight of the misoprostol-treated patients (20.3%) and thirty-eight of the dinoprostone-treated patients (27.7%) required abdominal delivery. Complications such as uterine tachysystole and thick meconium passage occurred with similar frequency in the two treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravaginal administration of misoprostol appears to be as effective as intracervical dinoprostone for cervical ripening and labor induction. Complications associated with prostaglandin administration were not statistically different between the two treatment groups. The cost of misoprostol ($0.36/100 p,g) i s much less than that of dinoprostone ($75/0.5 mg).
Uploads
Papers by zainab ahmed