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Objectives: Using baseline survey data, the study examined self-efficacy of 381 lower-income parents who had opportunities to build financial assets for their children by opening college savings accounts in a human service agency. Methods: Of the study sample, 62% of the parents decided to open accounts while 38% did not. Structural equation modeling for multiple group models was performed. Results: There were few demographic differences between the groups. The measurement model was invariant across parents who decided or did not decide to open accounts, fitting the data for both account openers and nonopeners, χ2(450, n = 381) = 804.60, p < .001, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .070(.063—.073), Non-Normed Fit Index [NNFI] = 0.93, Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.93). Conclusions: Results lend some support to institutional perspective on saving. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

"The book includes a discussion of language shift and maintenance factors, including societal bilingualism, migration, socioeconomic factors, institutional support, prestige, and threats, but also examines nationalist groups' involvement in native language maintenance and the construction of national identity. It also includes an analysis of how these factors presented themselves in Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Some of the key factors explaining the differences between the countries include societal bilingualism and prestige, but also the role of nationalist groups associating the vernacular with national identity, and in some cases simultaneously presenting English as a threat to this identity"--

This paper analyses the different styles of governance in various parts of the world which is also reflected in their respective sports programs. While the democratic Western countries lead in this arena in an inspiring democratic way, the autocratic countries like China and Russia have scintillating sports output but it is done in their characteristic autocratic way. Variegated systems are perhaps good for sports in general and people in all countries are used to their respective systems and it perhaps works for them that way.

Fungal high-redox-potential laccases (HRPLs) are multicopper oxidases with a relaxed substrate specificity that is highly dependent on their binding affinity and redox potential of the T1Cu site (ET1). In this study, we combined computational design with directed evolution to tailor an HRPL variant with increased ET1 and activity toward high-redox-potential mediators as well as enhanced stability. Laccase mutant libraries were screened in vitro using synthetic high-redox-potential mediators with different oxidation routes and chemical natures, while computer-aided evolution experiments were run in parallel to guide benchtop mutagenesis, without compromising protein stability. Through this strategy, the ET1 of the evolved HRPL increased from 740 to 790 mV, with a concomitant improvement in thermal and acidic pH stability. The kinetic constants for high-redox-potential mediators were markedly improved and were then successfully tested within laccase mediator systems (LMSs). Two hydrophobic substitutions surrounding the T1Cu site appeared to underlie these effects, and they were rationalized at the atomic level. Together, this study represents a proof-of-concept of the joint elevation of the ET1, redox mediator activity, and stability in an HRPL, making this versatile biocatalyst a promising candidate for future LMS applications and for the development of bioelectrochemical devices. ; This work was supported by the European Union project Bioenergy-FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN-607793, the COST Action [CM1303 Systems Biocatalysis],the Swedish Energy Agency (44707-1), the Knowledge Foundation (20170168), and the Spanish Government [BIO2016-79106-R-Lignolution and CTQ2016-79138-R].

Abstract
This paper examines the pivotal role of ideologies in a case of language shift from Targia to Libyan Arabic among Libyan Tuaregs in the south–western region of Libya. I argue that foundational ideologies, the opposed and hierarchical linguistic relationship between Arabic and Targia, a southern Amazigh variety, and ideological elision, the process of shifting the meanings associated with Classical and Modern Standard Arabic (CA, MSA) to Libyan Arabic (LA) (e.g., religious piety), eventually have driven the changes in the linguistic behavior of the Tuareg people towards the attachment to Libyan Arabic and at the expense of Targia. The data is drawn from a fieldwork conducted on two Libyan Tuareg communities, Ghat and Barkat. The former is a multi-ethnic town while the latter is a village composed of only Tuaregs. The sample is comprised of 221 participants (114 from Brakat and 107 from Ghat), balanced by gender and divided into three age groups. A combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed for data collection and analysis. The statistical analysis showed that age group has the most significant effect on the reported use of Targia, followed by type of community and the interactive effect of both variables.

One of the objectives of teaching English in primary schools in Kenya is to enable the learners to communicate fluently, independently and accurately in English Language in every day life. (Kenya Institute of Education Primary syllabus vol, 2002). This means that at the end of Primary Education course, all pupils are expected to have acquired a sufficient command of English in spoken and written forms to enable them to communicate fluently, follow subject courses and textbook, and read for pleasure and for information. Being an integral subject in the curriculum, a declining standard of performance in English at primary level should worry many teachers and stakeholders in education sector, because when primary children join secondary schools with poor English language they will continue with poor knowledge of the language. Even though some researchers and linguistics (Ngonga 2002, and Bett 2008) have dedicated a considerable amount of time to unravel the cause of poor performance in English language, there is an urgent need for us to reflect on the causes and possible remedies to avert this situation. They noted that some of the factors as attitudes, lack of adequate resources, the growth of "sheng"as well as use of mother tongue. Sheng was originally a slang language that blended Kiswahili and English, created by the children of Nairobi City living in Eastland area. Gradually this language incorporated other ethnic Kenyan languages. The interference of "Sheng" a street slang continues to havoc on the English language acquisition in primary and secondary schools and the children face a lot of problem with spoken English. At the beginning, "sheng" was confined to urban centres but it slowly infiltrated rural areas. // The process of language acquisition entails learners to practice all the four skills in all contexts so as to grasp how to manipulate it. Spoken English has been overridden by "sheng" as most learners are comfortable using it than English. The use of sheng must be discouraged at all costs. For these reasons, the Kenya Government introduced schools radio lessons to enhance the teaching and learning of English language by reinforcing the teachers work, and to help them develop efficient communication skills in English language. It was also hoped that the use of radio lessons would help to improve students spoken and written English and also to set up a uniform standard of English in all schools in Kenya. Therefore, all primary schools were expected to incorporate radio lessons in teaching and learning English language. // However, despite all the government effort to improve English language proficiency in primary schools through a policy of school radio Broadcast to schools pupils graduating from primary schools cannot communicate effectively in English language. It was therefore necessary to find out the extent of implementation of school radio program government policy in primary schools.

This book offers a cross-cultural comparison of French and British cosmetics advertisements and explores how the discourse of beauty advertising represents ideas about femininity in French and English language contexts. As the global beauty industry expands and consumers become more critical of the claims made, the topic of cosmetics advertising discourse is examined using Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis. One common theme underlying most cosmetics advertising discourse is that the female body always requires 'work' to fix its 'problems': flat skin, dry hair, and so on. The author uses themes of language and gender, media and identity, and advertising across cultures to expose exactly what is going on in the language of cosmetics advertising and to offer a first step towards challenging these ideas and thinking about alternatives

Among the countries where language has complicated educational policy, South Africa is probably unique. The white or "European" minority of the population is not only separated from the African, Coloured and Asiatic, it is divided within itself between Afrikaner and English. This creates unusual problems. Afrikaans is a new language which has developed during the past century, and its use is limited almost exclusively to the Afrikaners (the Boers), while English, of course, is not only an international language but also the principal lingua franca of the rest of the African continent. Consequently, even leaving aside the numerous native dialects which cannot be ignored in determining educational policies, political leaders have been faced with the problem of encouraging the wider use of Afrikaans without eliminating the general use of English.

The term modeling is used in so many different research fields that the as-sumption that they are all conceptually connected seems quite hard to defend. Therefore, any research on modeling in digital humanities probably has to work inductively, to collect examples of all these different practices, in order to de-termine which have essential communalities. The formal modeling of research data in the humanities, up to now most often just discussed under a technical perspective, seems to be a good starting point for this endeavor.

The Philippine cutflower industry has evolved from a garden hobby to commercial enterprise only in the early 1980s. The production of fresh cutflowers is intended primarily to cater to the domestic market. As the preference and buying capacity of high and middle class consumers have changed and improved, domestic requirement has grown so fast in tandem with institutional demand brought about by the growing tourism industry. At present, only a limited quantity of locally produced cutflowers is traded in the international market. The country's proximity to major international markets coupled with a favorable agro-climatic conditions and low-labor costs serve as potential basis for an export-oriented development of the industry. Under the DA's Key Commercial Crops Development Program (KCCDP), cutflowers are among the commodities that require more government investments on marketing strategy or promotion, product development/awareness and extensive research to boost their competitiveness in the medium-term. As an emerging export winner, DOST has included ornamental horticulture as one of the priority commodities for science and technology agenda (STAND). Both government initiatives were conceived to address the industry's limitations in terms of production/propagation, pest management, and postharvest handling. This study aims to present an industry profile with focus on domestic production, consumption, external trade, problems/constraints, and market prospects; review past researches on ornamentals, technologies generated/adopted, and the extent of participation of the private and public sectors; identify research and technology gaps for the ornamental industry; identify strengths and weaknesses in the institutional structure of research and extension interface, including physical and manpower investments and research complementation efforts; and suggest recommendations and R&D agenda for the ornamental industry to be used by DA-BAR in research planning and prioritization.