Hedging is a linguistic phenomenon used to convey interpersonal messages in spoken interaction. It is a communicative strategy which enables speakers to soften the force of utterances or moderate the assertive force of  utterances. It is resulted from different features such as uncertainty, doubt, tentativeness, ambiguity, neutrality, mitigation, and subjectivity. Hedging is used widely in  TV debates to make utterances more acceptable to the interlocutors. Hedges are expressions used to communicate the speaker's  weak commitment to information conveyed. The utterances in debates are often hedged because in an unhedged form  might sound threatening to the addressees, and, therefore, be likely to be rejected.

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Melatonin, a hormone synthesized mainly by the pineal gland, has been found in extra-pineal organs as well. It’s known as an organizer of circadian rhythms and more recently as an anti-oxidant. In addition to its role in maintaining immunity, pathophysiology of cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and as an anti-cancer agent, evidence has demonstrated that melatonin exerts a positive impact on male and female fertility primarily through oxygen scavenging effects. In In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) programs, supplementation of melatonin may be associated with better outcomes in terms of sperm quality, oocyte quality, embryo quality and pregnancy rates. This review summarizes various actions of melatonin on the body focusing on ma

Background: Chronic cigarette smoking is one of the major risk factors for coronary artery disease. However, it has additional cardiac adverse effects independent of coronary atherosclerosis. Patient and Methods: After informed consent and perm- ission from the review board of the hospital, 80 healthy subjects who were classified as smokers or non-smokers were included in the study. They were examined by standard echocardiography protocol which was followed by two-dimensional speckle tracking to assess the functions of the right ventricle. Results: The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) was significantly reduced in smokers as compared to non-smokers (P < 0.05). The tricuspid flow peak late diastolic velocity (A wave) was sig

Metadiscourse markers are means for organizing a writer’s information and create a connection with her/his readers. When students write, they usually focus on one type of these markers that is the interactive markers and belittling the use of the other type which is the interactional markers. That is to say, they emphasize on presenting and organizing their information only. Therefore, this study is conducted to bridge this gap. The researchers have selected 18 thesis abstracts. Nine of them are written by Iraqi students of English and the rest by American students. The aims of the study are to examine the types and sub-types of metadiscourse markers used by American and Iraqi students; investigate comparatively the impact of the metad

Leinamycin is a thiol dependent DNA alkylating agent which shows very potent activity against various cancer cell lines. This natural compound forms guanine adducts (N7) in DNA which are converted into a basic sites and simultaneously generates Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), to produce DNA strand breaks in human cancer cells. In present study, eight different strains isolated from Iraqi soils were taxonomically assigned as Streptomyces.atroolivaceous. Remarkably the strain named as THS-44 was distinguished in productivity in comparison with other strains; the amount of leinamycin was 50.98 mg/l. In this study, we assessed the cytotoxic activity of leinamycin against RD and ANM3 cancer cell line in compare with REF cell line as a normal cont

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune inflammatory pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of OLP, using CD34 stain to highlight the blood vessels for measuring the microvessel density (MVD) as well as to evaluate the relation of this marker with the degree of inflammation Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining technique was used to evaluate angiogenesis using CD34 in 46 paraffin blocks 10 of them obtained from normal mucosa and 36 from cases diagnosed as lichen planus , 20 of them diagnosed as Reticular type while 16 as erosive type. Severity of inflammation was divided into mild, moderate and severe accordi

Background: Saliva is one of the most important etiological host factors in relation to dental caries. It affects the carious process by its organic and inorganic constituents; in addition to its physiological functions as (flow rate, pH and buffer capacity). The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of major elements (calcium and phosphorus) and trace elements (ferrous iron, nickel, chromium and aluminum) in saliva among a group of adolescent girls, and to explore the relation of these elements, flow rate and pH with dental caries. Material & Methods: The study group consisted of 25 girls with an age of 13-15 years old. Dental caries was diagnosed by both clinical and radiographical examinations following the criteria of