Research on Learning Strategies in Arabic Language Education

The learning of Arabic language like any other foreign language contains four main aspects; reading, writing, speaking and understanding while listening.[i] This learning process can be enhanced if the most appropriate Learning Strategy is used. In this paper the most appropriate Learning Strategy of Arabic Language is suggested. The course outlines for Arabic language are thoroughly studied and several professors and experts of Arabic Language from Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Sudan are interviewed. The author, who himself has vast experience in teaching Arabic language, also had the opportunity to sit in the Arabic language classes to observe various strategies and methodologies adopted by different professors while teaching Arabic. In this paper the time spent on teaching Arabic to the students is also discussed. The appropriate size of the class room i.e, the number of students in Arabic language class also matters in improving the quality of Arabic among the students. The matter of teaching Arabic in Arabic only or in the native language of the students will also be touched in here. As the time has changed and the world is moving ahead on a fast pace, it seems necessary to apply the “Direct Method” while teaching Arabic or any foreign language.[ii] This paper will shed light on what is meant by “Direct Method”. The idea of making the student sit and memorize the dry rules of grammar has become obsolete. The idea of telling the student what part of the phrase is subject or predicate, or what is object and what is a noun or verb, may come later. The idea of memorizing the bulk of new vocabulary in the beginning can also be postponed. Hence a paradigm shift is needed here while talking about the Methodology of Teaching Arabic Language, under the heading of “Direct Method”.   [i]     Muhammad Abdul Khaliq, Professor of Arabic and co-author of 'al-Arabia baina Yadaik'. The author of this research paper had a personal interview with him on 21.03.2014, in the Institute of Arabic Language, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [ii]    This method is adopted roughly by some great scholars of Arabic language like Dr. V. Abdur Rahim who taught Arabic language for decades in the Islamic University of Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The author was fortunate to meet with him many times and get benefitted from his experience. See for details: Abdurrahim, V. (1999), Arabic Course for English-Speaking Students, Leicester: UK Islamic Academy. See also: Abdullah, F. Ibrahim. (1999), Iqra Arabic Reader. Chicago: Iqra International Educational Foundation. Moreover see: Fawzan, Abdurrahman and others. (2004), Al-Arabia Baina Yadaik, Riyadh: Ministry of Education.

Involvement of Cytoplasmic Dynein Light Chains in Apoptotic Process: A Differential Gene Expression Study Using In-Vivo and In-Silico Approaches

Cytoplasmic dynein is a multi-subunit complex that transports cargos along microtubules towards their minus end. Dyneins are very essential for vesicular transport, maintenance of golgi apparatus, spindle formation and cellular homeostasis. They are tightly regulated by the interactions of individual dynein subunits and accessory proteins that are implicated in a wide range of dynein-driven transport events. Malfunctioning of dynein light chains has been associated with a variety of human diseases. Current study is comprised of four projects with the major emphasis on characterization of differentially expressed genes in wild-type verses Tcte3-3 disrupted mice, involved in male germ cell apoptosis. In the first study, basic aim was to explore and evaluate mouse Tcte3 paralogs through Bioinformatics and experimental approaches. Significant changes were observed among Tcte3 paralogs using multiple sequence alignment and restrictions maps analysis. Furthermore, we monitored the expression of Tcte3 paralogs in brain and testis tissues of wild-type and Tcte3-3 disrupted mice. Our findings suggested that observed Tcte3 paralogs exhibited tissue specific expression. Next, we employed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR approaches and performed detailed in-silico analysis of microarray data extracted from NCBI gene ontology omnibus (GEO) to isolate candidate hits influenced by Tcte3-3 disruption. Our findings elucidated several co-expressed partners of Tcte3 including Anxa5 and Pebp1, whose functional coherence may help in better understanding of apoptotic induction. In another study, to evaluate the gene expression profile of testis and brain tissues, Tcte3-3 knockout mice were characterized by differential gene expression profiling technique using cDNA microarray technology (Illumina Beadchip microarray). Isolated data were analyzed and converted into biologically meaningful form by integrative transcriptomics and proteomics approaches. Furthermore, based on the differential gene expression; gene ontology analysis, pathway analysis and protein-protein interaction mapping analyses were performed. Microarray results were further validated by qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, molecular docking and dynamics simulation analyses. Overall, differential microarray study of Tcte3-3 disrupted mice coupled with detailed Bioinformatics analyses provided an updated information and overall insight into Tcte3 mediated gene regulation thus offering useful clues to counteract or prevent its detrimental consequences. Our results highlighted several differentially expressed genes overrepresented in Gene Ontology categories. Furthermore, molecular interaction and reaction pathways involved in male germ cell apoptosis, cell cycle, lipid metabolism and molecular movement were displayed. As Tcte3 is essential for spermatogenesis, our study revealed valuable resources for the exploration of Tcte3-linked functions in male reproduction. Finally, we analyzed functional conservation of three dynein light chains by exploring their molecular structures to find common interaction networks. We proposed involvement of dynein light chains in apoptotic process via their consistent interactions with common binding partners. Based on this notion, we monitored that Tcte3 and Tctex1 exhibited a similar binding pattern against the previously reported interaction partners of DYNLL1. Taken together, our in-silico and supporting experimental data revealed several novel interaction partners of Tcte3, Tctex1 and Dynll1 with overlapping roles in intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Together, with the exploitation of Tcte3 mediated functions, this study may serve as a valuable resource in understanding complex mechanism of apoptosis. Collectively, our study may contribute towards better understanding of tissue-specific transcriptional control of genes involved in apoptosis by addressing the cooperative influence of diverse regulatory partners, pivotal in unraveling the mechanisms leading to tissue-wise regulation of biological processes.