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Learning French as a foreign language presents unique challenges that may sometimes reduce students' motivation and academic performance. This study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive and metacognitive strategies, mental vitality, and academic buoyancy among French language students. A mixed-method approach (quantitative and qualitative) was employed in two phases. In the quantitative phase, data were collected using standardized questionnaires on academic buoyancy, mental vitality, and cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The statistical population included all 61 French language students at Hakim Sabzevari University, who participated in the study through a census sampling method. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 French language professors from Iranian universities to explore their perspectives and experiences regarding academic buoyancy and its influencing factors. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, while qualitative data were examined through inductive content analysis. The quantitative findings revealed that the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, along with mental vitality, positively influenced students' academic buoyancy. Furthermore, qualitative results indicated that various factors, including social variables, family, educational emotions, learner goal-setting, learning strategies, cognitive functions, communication skills, cognitive and emotional skills, academic behavioral motivators, educational content, teacher-related personal variables, teaching skills and techniques, and the teacher's motivational approach, significantly impact students' academic buoyancy.
 

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This study investigated the structural model of the effect of perception and attitude on social responsibility, organizational identity, and organizational citizenship behavior in sports and youth departments. The methodology was a descriptive survey that was conducted in the field. The statistical population was all employees of sports and youth departments of Khorasan Razavi province (180 people). The sampling method was counting. The research tool was Barrantes's‎ (2012) research questionnaire. Twelve professors of sports management confirmed the face and content validity of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the whole questionnaire was 0.83, which indicates the appropriate reliability of the measurement tool. A structural equation modeling approach with PLS 2 software was used to analyze the data. Based on the results, the perception of social responsibilities has a positive and significant effect on social responsibility, organizational identity, and organizational citizenship behavior. Also, the attitude towards social responsibilities positively affects organizational identity, which has a positive and significant effect on employee citizenship behavior. According to the results, performing social responsibility and creating a positive perception and attitude towards it in employees can effectively strengthen the organizational identity of employees and their organizational citizenship behavior.

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Nowadays, language is not only considered as the most important communication tool, but also it is known as the central core of culture and what forms it. The relationship between language and culture and their mutual effects on making contact between language users and different cultures are of great importance and have attracted the attention of many researchers. Regarding the significant, fundamental role of culture in having intercultural communication and focusing on the mutual relationship between language and culture in the communication of the Iranian and the French, the current research tries to find the answer to this basic question whether perceiving the cultural differences guaranty making successful intercultural contacts or not. The research overall hypothesis states that lack of awareness or insufficient awareness of these differences in communications may result in misunderstanding and even miscommunication. To answer the research question, first, the relationship between language and culture and then the transmission of culture through language will be expressed and explained. Accordingly, various theoretical frameworks, including Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, will be taken into consideration. The basic theoretical framework of this research is Austin’s speech act theory; thus, the introduction to this theory would be a part of this research. To illustrate the fundamental role of knowing and realizing the cultural components in making effective contacts, we will investigate and analyze one of the most influential cultural variables in intercultural communication that is the verbal interaction in both Persian and French cultures, with focus on Austin’s speech act theory. Based on this theoretical framework, we consider speech act as the verbal communication unit and will explore some samples of common and prevalent speech acts in the verbal interaction between Iranian and French. Mostly, these linguistic forms have the oral and verbal aspects and arise from individuals’ cultural and social communication. Exploring each of these speech acts, we will try to show the incentives and methods to use them as well as their differences in both the verbal environments of Persian and French and; therefore, we will study the semantic, practical, and cultural aspects of the selected samples.
The results of this research showed the necessity of paying attention to the cultural differences in making effective contacts and preventing «miscommunication». Familiarity with the differences and similarities between speech acts in Persian and French languages will help the language users make successful contacts and prevent many misunderstandings and misinterpretations, while having contact with different cultures.
 
 
 

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In this paper, genetic programming is applied for quality improvement of noisy speech signal. Therefore, a system including both spectral subtraction and genetic programming is implemented for speech enhancement. In the proposed method, first noise is reduced by spectral subtraction. In the next step, genetic programming trees are trained for more enhancement of noisy signal by mapping the signal obtained by spectral subtraction to clean data. The proposed hybrid method improves signal to noise ratio about 2 to 6.5 dB. Comparison of genetic programming, multi-layer perceptron neural network, spectral subtraction, and the proposed hybrid method for speech enhancement indicates that the combination of spectral subtraction and genetic programming presents much better quality for enhanced signal compared to the other methods studied in this paper.

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Les études abordant la question des compétences culturelles sont aujourd’hui de pleine actualité et sont souvent reprises pour analyser différents aspects de ces compétences au sein de l’enseignement-apprentissage des langues-cultures étrangères ; ces études ont donc leur utilité dans la mise en évidence de la diversité de ces compétences sous les différentes appellations et applications parmi lesquelles nous avons choisi de mettre en lumière la compétence transculturelle. Il n’existe pas de commun accord quant à la définition du concept de la compétence transculturelle et à sa place à l’égard d’autres compétences culturelles. Cet article tente de répondre à la question comment définir précisément la notion de compétence transculturelle, comment l’interpréter et la promouvoir. Cette étude a donc pour objectif de proposer une conception de la compétence transculturelle. La manière dont la compétence transculturelle peut être acquise et développée sera également discutée et abordée dans le cadre d’une recherche de terrain auprès des étudiants de licence en langue et littérature françaises de l’Université Hakim Sabzevari. Nous avons décidé d’emprunter le dispositif de la pensée en réseaux pour la mise en application et le développement de cette compétence. Quant au choix de la modalité de la collecte des données, nous avons eu recours aux entretiens semi-directifs afin de vérifier l’impact de la mise en œuvre du dispositif sur le développement de la compétence transculturelle sur le public examiné. L’analyse des résultats obtenus par les entretiens montrent les traits distinctifs de la compétence transculturelle due à la mise en place du dispositif choisi..
 

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Fruit cracking is a predominant physiological disorder of lemon that limits its productivity. The present study aimed to compare the physiological and biochemical traits of cracked and normal fruits of lemon, to understand the cause of fruit cracking and find a viable solution for this disorder. This study was conducted on five-year-old uniform healthy trees grown at fruit research farm, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, during 2017-2018. Fruits of lemon cracked in different patterns and the cracking peaked due to sudden rainfall and high humidity after a dry spell during the two consecutive years of study. The peel thickness, peel percent and chlorophyll content of the cracked peel was significantly low as compared to the normal ones. Activity of peroxidase and two cell wall degrading enzymes, namely, cellulase and polygalacturonase were higher in cracked peels. Juice content and ascorbic content were low in cracked fruit juice as compared to normal ones. Meanwhile, calcium, potassium and boron content were higher in the normal peel and lower in the cracked peel. A significant positive correlation of fruit cracking incidence with proline, peroxidase, cellulase and polygalacturonase was established, whereas a negative significant correlation was established between fruit cracking percent and peel thickness, calcium, potassium, boron, juice percent and ascorbic acid content. Nutrient deficiency and higher activities of cellulase and polygalacturonase in peel of cracked fruits emerged as the cause of fruit cracking incidence in lemon. Hence, foliar application of calcium, potassium, and boron are recommendable as a remedial measure for prevention of fruit cracking in lemon.

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Elevated temperature negatively affects the production of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) especially under North Indian plains where the temperature is above 40°C during summers. In the present study, the effect of exogenous application of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) viz. Salicylic Acid (SA) and 24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) on biochemical parameters and antioxidant system of bell pepper cv. Royal Wonder was evaluated. PGRs were applied exogenously 30, 60 and 90 Days After Transplantation (DAT). All the concentrations of PGRs i.e SA (0.10, 0.20, and 0.50 mM) and EBR (0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 µM) were effective in ameliorating the heat shock-induced effects, which enhanced thermotolerance in terms of increased proline content, soluble proteins, total phenols, total soluble sugars and starch content, improved antioxidant system (CAT, APX, POX, SOD and GR) with reduced lipid peroxidation and cellulase enzyme activity at high temperature, and, ultimately, improving total fruit yield. Application of 0.20 mM SA improved thermotolerance most efficiently at all growth stages, specifically when spray was done at 30 and 60 DAT. It resulted in a significant enhancement in biochemical parameters and antioxidant enzyme system as compared to the untreated control.