Reading Comprehension Strategies of Literature Texts Employed by English Language & Literature Majors at An-Najah National University

Reading Comprehension Strategies of Literature Texts Employed by English Language & Literature Majors at An-Najah National University

Khuloud Ahmad Isma'el Al-Asmar This study aimed at examining the reading comprehension strategies that are employed by the English majors at An-Najah National University while reading literature texts. The population of the study consisted of all third year students registered in "Eighteenth Century Literature" course at AN-Najah National University. The sample of the study consisted of (57) students: (13) males, (44) females. This investigation into the thoughtful process of comprehension aimed at exploring the way students comprehend literary texts. the type of strategies that are used and contribute more to comprehension, types of problems they encounter, and the effect of gender and specialization in school on the usage of strategies. In addition, the research aimed at investigating the effect of participation in the Think-aloud Protocol. gender and specialization in school on comprehension of literary texts. To answer these questions, the Think-aloud Protocol experiment was carried out on individual basis. Students' thinking-aloud was recorded by a tape-recorder. Protocols were analyzed using the Strategy Model Sheet developed by the researcher. The results were also analyzed with respect to participants' gender and specialization at school. A Cloze test was also used to assess the students' attainment in the reading comprehension strategies. The test was validated, and the reliability coefficient was (0.75), using test-retest technique. A Two-way Univariate (T-Test) Analysis of variance was employed in analyzing the data obtained, using the program of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). In the light of the findings of the study, it was recommended that English majors should be given the opportunity to choose between two major specializations -- literature or language. It was also recommended that English Department hold a compulsory reading course for those who want to go through with English literature as a major specialization. It was also recommended that a language laboratory should be established by the university administration. The researcher also recommended that other studies be carried out to assess the reading comprehension strategies taught at preliminary stages at school, detect the effect of achievement level on the reading comprehension process and detect the effect of students' specialization and their use of strategies. Khuloud Ahmad Isma'el Al-Asmar Supervisor Dr. Suzanne Arafat 2000 Zajel / An-Najah National University

Removal of Iron from Aqueous Solution Using Walnut and Pomegranate Leaves

Removal of Iron from Aqueous Solution Using Walnut and Pomegranate Leaves

Anees A. Abou-Attayeb It has been suggested that life in any form would probably be ii11E1ossible without the E) rescilce of iroil, but irolt becomes toxic wlie11 its collcelltratlon becomes hlgller flail 0.3 pp111 111 drinking water. Thus finding ways of removing boll or at least reducing    its concentration is of great importance. Removal of iron from aqueous solutions by twenty different plant leaves known in Palestine was investigated. Effect of several factors on iron removal by two types of leaves, walnut and pomegranate leaves, (whic11 were found to be the most suitable types for iron removal among the types which were studied), has been thoroughly investigated. These factors included concentration of iron ions, amount of walnut or pomegranate leaves, pH, agitation, crushing and drying leaves, leaf extract, complexing agent and competing ions. Iron uptake by walnut and pomegranate leaves was found to be pH dependent. Maximum iron uptake, by the two types, was found at pH 2.50. The rate and amount of iron ion removal increased largely by increasing the initial concentration of iron ions and amount of leaves in solution . Agitation affected the removal process slightly. The rate of iron ion uptake oil walnut and pomegranate leaves has been found to be affected by the presence o1' complexing agents. Such agents have adverse effects on the iron 1011 uptake by leaves. Presence of foreign ions along with iron ion in water has different effects on the uptake of iron by pomegranate and walnut leaves. Cu, Zn, Ni and As reduced the uptake of iron by pomegranate leaves. Only As ion reduced iron uptake by walnut leaves. Some foreign ions like Ca and Mn increased the rate and amount of iron uptake by pomegranate leaves. Zn, Cu, Na and Ca ions increased iron uptake by walnut leaves, Na ions did not have any effect on the iron uptake by pomegranate leaves, Ni ion had no effect on iron uptake by walnut leaves. The most efficient form of walnut and pomegranate leaves for removing iron from aqueous solution was to use the ground form of leaves. The capacity of various forms of walnut and pomegranate leaves for removing iron ions increased in the order: nornnal leaves < crushed leaves < ground leaves. Naturally-dried walnut and pomegranate leaves had the higher capability, for iron removal from water, than both oven-dried and green-leaves. It was   found that iron removal depended on leaf type. The ability of different types of leaves to reduce the concentration of iron ions in solution followed the following decreasing order Walnut =- Ponregrancite -> Eucalyptus > Palestine Pistachio > Apple , Mpanese Allecllar - Olives - Oak = Carob > Vine > Oil-Palm - Fig tree == Sisso > Alnnoncl =Lemon > Apricot > Prickly pear > Jz jobe-tree > Cypress =° Willow leaves. Adsorbed iron was found to be released from walnut and pomegranate leaves by changing pH, adding competing ions or using a complexing agent. Using a compexing agent was found to be the most efficient way for releasing iron ions from leaves. The results of the present work fit well with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the parameters were calculated. Also, Langmuir adsorption isotherm was satisfied incase of walnut leaves only. The interaction between iron ions and leaves was found to be first order with respect to iron ions. A mechanism based on the assumption that adsorption was the main controlling factor for the removal process was suggested. Anees A. Abou-Attayeb Supervisors Prof. Badi Dauod Dr. Mohammed Ai. Al-Subu 1999  Zajel / An-Najah National University

Attitudes of An-Najah National University Students towards English as a Foreign Language

Attitudes of An-Najah National University Students towards English as a Foreign Language

Reema Nizar Bustami The present study aimed at determining the attitudes of An-Najah National University students towards English as a foreign language and determining the effect of students' gender, college, academic year, place of residence, and fathers' and mothers' level of education on their attitudes towards English as a foreign language. A questionnaire has been developed, reviewed and tested. The population of this study is the Bachelor students of An-Najah National University. The size of the proposed population is 8165 students. They are distributed between eleven colleges. The sample is taken as a stratified random sample with a size of approximately 11% of the population (893 students). To analyze the results of the questionnaire, different statistical techniques have been used. These include means and percentages to determine the student's attitudes, one way analysis of variance and scheffe's Post Hoc test to determine the effect of the study variables on the attitudes of students, and independent t-test to determine the effect of the study variables on the attitudes of the students. Reema Nizar Bustami Supervisor Dr. Fawaz Aqel 1999 Zajel / An-Najah National University

Role of Plant Growth Regulators in the Interaction Between Botrytis Cinerea and it's Host Plants

Role of Plant Growth Regulators in the Interaction Between Botrytis Cinerea and it's Host Plants

Khaled Mohammed Ibrahiem Hardan The role of plant growth regulators in the interaction between Botrytis cinerea and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) plants was studied in vitro and in vivo. Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) significantly decreased mycelium growth rate on PDA amended with 125 ~g/ml. On the other hand, it significantly increased grey mould disease severity on tomato at concentrations more than 600 [g/ml. NAA had no effect in the disease severity on bean plants at the same concentration, and also decreased the disease on tomato and bean detached leaves at 300 gg/ml. Gibberellic acid (GA3) had no effect the mycelium growth rate on PDA, whereas it increased disease severity on tomato and bean plants at 500 gg/ml. Ethephon (Et) did not significantly affect mycelium growth rate on PDA, while it significantly increased the disease severity at 500 gg/ml in both hosts. Methyl jasmonate (MeJa) significantly decreased mycelium growth rate on PDA at 150 gg/ml, increased disease severity at high concentrations (more than 300 gg/ml) in tomato plants, while it decreased the disease severity in bean plants at the same concentration. The ethylene inhibitor aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) significantly decreased mycelium growth in vitro at 200 gg/ml, and it decreased disease severity on tomato and bean plants at 300 [Lg/ml. Abscisic acid (ABA) significantly decreased mycelium growth in vitro at 200 gg/ml, while at low concentrations up to 150 [tg/ml it increased the disease in vivo. Ethylene was produced by the fungus B. cinerea growing on shaking PDB-amended with 10 mM methionine. Ethylene production reached a peak of 2000 gl/g/h after 4 days of incubation. However there is a high variability in ethylene production between the strains. Khaled Mohammed Ibrahiem Hardan Supervisors Prof. Mohammed S. Ali- Shtayeh Dr. Radwan Barakat July 2000 Zajel / An-Najah National University

Screening for Anticancer Activity of Palestinian Plants

Walid Mahmoud Hassan Khaleeliah One hundred and fifteen ethanolic extracts prepared from 96 plant species from Palestine were evaluated for anticancer activity against two prostate cancer cell lines, PC-3 and LNCaP; and one breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, using cell proliferation MTT assay and a 96-microwell plate-reader. The results demonstrated that the studied plants differ significantly in their activity against test cancer cell lines. The most active plant species against test cancer cell linesinclude Cyclamen persicum Mill, Lycium europeum, Ecballium elaterium L., Euphorbia hierosolymitana, Capparis spinosa, Ononis sicula Guss., Anthemis tunictoria L, I erbascum sinuatum, and Nerium oleander L. For PC-3 cell line the most active plants include Cyclamen persicum Mill, Lycium europeum L., Ecballium elaterium (L.) Rick, Euphorbia hierosolymitana Boiss, Anthemis tunictoria L., Verbascum sinuatum L. and Nerium oleander L. For LNCaP cell line the most active plants include Cyclamen persicum Mill, Verbascum sinuatum L., and Capparis spinosa L. For MCF-7 cell line the most active plant species include Cyclamen persicum Mill, Lycium europeumL., lsuphorhia hierosolymiiana Boiss, and Ononis sicula Guss. Another important observation was the stimulation of PC-3 cell line by some plants, for instance Crataegus aronial, Ziziphus spina-christi, Salvia fruiticosa, Retema raetam, and Parietaria diffusa. These plant species were used in folkloric medicine for many diseases and disorders. Significantly, stimulation of LNCaP and MCF-7 cell lines was observed also with Quercus calliprines and Chrysanthemum coronarium, which are used as popular remedies. Therefore, care must be taken with respect to the great number of plant extracts that show stimulation of cancer cells. The results demonstrated that Ether and Acetone fractions were the most active against the test cell lines. In addition Diethyl Ether dissolved terpeniods and some alkaloids, some of diterpenes and sesquiterpenes compounds act as anticancer drugs. Test cancer cell lines differed significantly in relation to their susceptibility to different plant extracts used. The most susceptible test cell line was PC-3, whereas the least susceptible one was LNCaP. Walid Mahmoud Hassan Khaleeliah Supervisor Prof. Mohammed S. Ali –Shtayeh 2001  Zajel / An-Najah National University

Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus in the Population of the Northern Part of Palestine

Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus in the Population of the Northern Part of Palestine

Ammar Wasef S. Al-Refa'i A total of 3030 blood samples were collected from Palestinian subjects and tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg). These include: blood donors (1659), pregnant women (564), staff and students (309) and family members of HbsAg positive subjects (498). The prevalence rates of HbsAg were 3.4% in healthy blood donors, 3.9% in pregnant women and 4.9% in staff and students. The incidence rate of 10.6% was found among family members of HbsAg positive carriers. These results indicate that Palestine is situated in an area with intermediate endemicity for HBV infection. The observed differences in the prevalence of HbsAg positive carriers in terms of age and sex did not reach the level of statistical significance. Statistically significant difference were observed in the prevalence rates of HbsAg positive carriers in terms of history of contact with a jaundiced person, history of blood transfusion, haemodialysis, hygiene, socioeconomic status, place of residence and family size. A significant difference in the prevalence of HbsAg carrier status between children of HbsAg positive mothers and those of HbsAg negative mothers was observed and infection appears to be acquired mostly in the postnatal period. The spread between siblings implying other possible modes of transmission of HBV beside sex and blood transfusion. The seroprevalence of HBV markers (HbeAg, anti-Hbe, anti-HBc, anti-HBs) were investigated in all HbsAg positive subjects (147), and the subject were grouped into three patterns based on their serological markers. The prevalence rates for HbeAg positive pattern was 19.7% for anti-Hbe positive pattern was 44.2% and for HbeAg/anti-Hbe negative pattern was 36.1%. Elevated ALT levels were found mainly in association with more than 50% HbeAg positive subjects. Seroconversion of HBV markers was investigated after 12 months from the first testing date. Based on the detection of anti-HBs, complete recovery was observed in 8.8% of HbsAg positive subjects.  Seroconversion rate from HBsAg to anti-HBs, on follow up, was dependent on the presence or absence of HbeAg. The persistance of HbsAg was found much lower in HbeAg negative subjects. Of 339 HbsAg alone was detected in 1.2% of these subjects. This finding strongly indicates that testing for HbsAg alone may fail to detect all HBV infections. Ammar Wasef S. Al-Refa'i Supervisors Dr. Yahya R. Fadi  Dr. Nael S. Abu-Hasan 1996 Zajel / An-Najah National University

Short - Term Variations in the Abundance of Zooplankton near Coral Reef and Open Water in the Northern Part of Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea

Short - Term Variations in the Abundance of Zooplankton near Coral Reef and Open Water in the Northern Part of Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea

Raid M Rizik The processes taking place when open-oceanic waters bearing pelagic organisms encounter shallow coastal habitats are virtually unknown. Such processes could potentially be a principal trophic path for benthic (coral-reef) and epibenthic (fish) communities, particularly in oligotrophic regions. This proposed to investigate the processes involved in the coupling between the Open Ocean and coastal habitats in the Gulf of Aqaba. Specifically, we propose to test hypotheses relating high-freguency (minutes, hours, days) fluctuations in zooplankton abundance, ocean currents, animal behavior, and trophic interactions on an ecosystem level. Zooplankton abundance and grazing in short term variation (minutes to weeks) were measured along the Gulf of Aqaba reef and at a near-by, open water site during October 10 and December 2.1999. Role of currents, behavior and localized predation of zooplankton in the generation of the observed variations were also studied. In our experiments zooplankton samples were obtained by filtering the pumped water through 100 m mesh net from the reef and open water sites to compare the temporal variations in the abundance of zooplankton and behavior at the tow above sites. Also two current meters equipped with a temperature sensor were deployed at the reef and away sites to record the average speed, direction and temperature of the current. Our results clearly show that: Zooplankton were less abundant at the reef, compared with the away site because of the zooplankton predation at the reef from the corals and fish. A general increase in zooplankton abundance at the two study sites in the diurnal (during day time )and nocturnal (during night time)samples, from the start of our sampling to its ends coincided with the ennsuing fall mixing and seasonal eutrophication in the northern Gulf of Aqaba. A covariation of zooplankton abundance between the two sites on the scales of both the entire period and on hourly samples within a days. A bundance of zooplankton in a diel cycle was seen at the two sites, with nearly a doubling of zooplankton biomass during night. No correlation was found between the abundance of zooplankton and the component of the currents because of the behavior primarily active swimming of zooplankton in the vertical water column. This study supports earlier reports on the important of zooplankton advection to the nutrition of coral reefs. Grazing at the reef together with physical advection seems to affect temporal variations of the zooplankton at our study sites. Raid M Rizik Supervisors Prof. Ziad Abdeen Prof. Ali Z. Abu Zuhri January 2001    Zajel / An-Najah National University