THE INFLUENCE AND ROLE OF NATO IN THE CREATION OF THE STATE OF KOSOVO

THE INFLUENCE AND ROLE OF NATO IN THE CREATION OF THE STATE OF KOSOVO

Author(s): Hatixhe BAJRAMI / Language(s): English / Issue: 19-20/2023

Keywords: the state; international organizations; the state of Kosovo; NATO

This paper aims to examine the role and the contribution made by international organizations with significant influence such as the UN, the EU, and NATO, in creating the state of Kosovo with special emphasis on NATO- s. NATO directly opened the way for Kosovo to freedom and enabled the creation of the state thus fulfilling the aspirations of the innocent Albanian people who unfortunately for years were mistreated and barbarically violated by the Serbian aggressor. This Alliance as a guarantor of peace and security doesn`t have an impact only before the bombings, which took place ten weeks in Kosovo, but it had an extraordinary effect even after the end of the bombings in Kosovo, including the return of refugees, the process of state-building of the state of Kosovo and the democratization of the country. NATO as an alliance once again proved its importance and it had a great impact on the liberation of a country where human rights were violated, and massacres, thefts, and rapes were carried out by the Serbian aggressor. Kosovo Albanians suffered for more than a decade from the abuses, discriminations, and degradation caused by Milosevic and Serbia. Albanians have experienced genocide and unprecedented violence which for years has been kept as a hidden issue and has been proclaimed before the international community as an internal issue. The Kosovar people have continuously shown positive will and energy to avoid obstacles, not being scared by the constant threats from the Serbian aggressor while building a railway for a safe future as a complete state.

CORPORATE CRIME AND STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES

CORPORATE CRIME AND STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES

Author(s): Hidayatulloh Hidayatulloh / Language(s): English / Issue: 19-20/2023

Keywords: corporate crime; state-owned enterprises; Indonesian law; state finance

Corporate crime is a legal issue concerning many countries, including Indonesia, which regulates it in the New Criminal Code Number 1 of 2023. However, corporate crime regulations experience challenges in their application in State-Owned Enterprises. This paper aims to examine how Indonesian law, especially the New Criminal Code, accommodates corporate criminal provisions for state-owned enterprises. Using a juridical normative approach, it analyzes several criminal law instruments related to corporate crime in Indonesia. In conclusion, Criminal Code Number 1 of 2023 has regulated corporate crime and criminal sanctions. However, written law experiences obstacles and dilemmas when imposing corporate criminal sanctions on State-Owned Enterprises because the company's financial status is part of the state financial regime from the perspective of Indonesian law. Imposing fines for violations of State-Owned Enterprises could harm the state that fully or controls most of the company's shares.

THE EFFECT OF THE NEW EU REGULATION 2016/679 (GDPR) ON THE NEW LAW ON PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

THE EFFECT OF THE NEW EU REGULATION 2016/679 (GDPR) ON THE NEW LAW ON PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Author(s): Imer ALIU / Language(s): English / Issue: 19-20/2023

Keywords: EU; data; effect

The new Law on Personal Data Protection in North Macedonia from 2020 transposes the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 so-called GDPR, applicable as of 25 May 2018. This paper offers comprehensive coverage of increasingly important area of data protection legislation and is written at a time when the scale and impact of data processing on society is becoming ever more important. This paper is an overview of the key rules, concepts and definitions and an in-depth analysis of the national data protection legislation in North Macedonia. By analysing the Law on Personal Data Protection in North Macedonia, compeering with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and the reality based on the facts that emerge from this research, I hope that this paper creates a useful material for the data protection corpus, a field that deserves to be explored with a considerable attention in the future.

THE PARTS OF NOTARIAL ACT AND THE TEHNIQUE OF THEIR DRAFTING

THE PARTS OF NOTARIAL ACT AND THE TEHNIQUE OF THEIR DRAFTING

Author(s): Irma Bajrami / Language(s): English / Issue: 19-20/2023

Keywords: notarial service; notary; notarial act; parts of a notarial act

Since the independence of the Republic of North Macedonia in 1991, arose the need for the legal circulation of goods and services. In order to facilitate legal transactions due to their diversity, in 1996, for the first time, we brought the relevant law for notaries. They operate within different branches based on the law. Public power was entrusted to them since November 1997, in which case in 1998 we also have the appearance of the first notaries.The notary is established as an independent, independent service in which works of the type of public authorizations are carried out on the basis of the law at the request of citizens, state bodies, legal entities and other interested institutions, which positively affected the comprehensive functioning of legal system, and especially influenced the establishment and increase of legal security. In the framework of public authorizations, the most important is the drafting of the Notarial Act. It includes a document on which the opinion of a person is expressed in writing, regardless of the material with which it is written or on which it is expressed and the type of signs with which they are written. The notarial act is an act which, in a strictly defined form and procedure, is drawn up in its entirety by a notary within his official powers. Therefore, this type of notarial act, in addition to the official one, also has the material authenticity of a public document (the so-called full probative value of a public document), because it confirms the content of the legal transaction. This achieves a higher degree of legal certainty in legal transactions, regulates public registers, etc. The emphasis of his work is on the objective by advising the parties and trying to ensure the prescribed requirements of the form. Compliance with the rules for the form and content of the notarial act as well as the drafting procedure of this act provides a good guarantee that the legal work will be valid and that the parties will achieve the intended legal consequences. The contribution of legal certainty is the legislator's commitment to a notarial act that is considered a public document, which in certain cases can also be an executive document.

CRIMINAL LIABILITY AS A CONDITION FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE CRIMINAL OFFENSE

CRIMINAL LIABILITY AS A CONDITION FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE CRIMINAL OFFENSE

Author(s): Jetmire Zeqiri,Agim Beqiri / Language(s): English / Issue: 19-20/2023

Keywords: forensic expertise; mental capacity; insanity; legal criterion; diminished mental capacity; medical measures

Criminal liability arises from the moment the criminal offense is committed and ends or ceases when the legal relationship between the subjects, the state and the defendant ceases. In terms of criminal responsibility it is very important that it is only individual. Criminal liability ends when the prescribed period of serving the sentence expires, by applying educational measures, due to the change of circumstances, with the prescription of the criminal offense, amnesty and pardon. The institute of insanity presents sufficient interest, as much as unclear points. The uncertainty that characterizes the field, the fact that different thesis and orientations are radically at odds with each other, necessarily requires reflection, grounding and continuous proposals from the doctrine and practice as well. There are numerous uncertainties, especially those dealing with the impeachment of insane subjects and their final legal treatment. In terms of risks, we are dealing with an area where criminal law, inevitably, interacts with other disciplines (psychiatry), due to which lawyers must be careful not to infringe balances already established from both criminal and forensic sciences in solving cases of exemption from criminal liability because of a mental disorder.

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION RESEARCH IN CLASSROOMS – A TOOL TO TAILOR-MADE LANGUAGE TEACHING STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION RESEARCH IN CLASSROOMS – A TOOL TO TAILOR-MADE LANGUAGE TEACHING STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES

Author(s): Behare KASAMI / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: SLA; theories; teaching; strategies

SLA refers to the process by which individuals learn a second language, and understanding its principles and theories can greatly inform and enhance language teaching practices. It is already known that individuals have different style, motivation and needs when learning a second language. Consequently, factors such as prior knowledge, motivation, learning strategies, cultural background, and individual differences should also be considered when designing language instruction to create an inclusive and effective learning environment for SLA students. It is hardly possible to design a particular curriculum for every student individually, especially in bigger classrooms, however gathering data on the above factors would surely help in employing instructional strategies that would provide a well-rounded learning experience for all students. Hence, this research examines SLA research studies and their use to the improvement of teaching strategies, student experience in SL classes and higher results in different aspects of second language acquisition. Analysis of research papers within the expansive domain of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) yields substantial insights; nonetheless, only a fraction is selected to capture the essence of their advantages and the application of their findings.

FEMINISTIC ANALYSIS OF KHALED HOSSEINI’S NOVEL A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

FEMINISTIC ANALYSIS OF KHALED HOSSEINI’S NOVEL A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

Author(s): Besa JERLIU / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: patriarchal society; oppression; suppression; discrimination; women’s status; struggle; Taliban regime

The aim of this paper is to analyze the elements of feminism in Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. This paper analyzes the impact of oppression toward women, which, of course, is not something new in our society. Women's oppression has existed for a very long time, especially in countries with a strict patriarchal society like Afghanistan. The author portrays the oppression of women through the two characters in the novel, Mariam and Laila. The method used in this paper is based on a qualitative research of the study. Close reading is used to better understand the characters of Mariam and Leila and the oppression they suffer throughout the novel. Moreover, learning about the experiences of Afghan women as portrayed in this novel is important for various reasons: first, depicting pictures of Afghan women in the Western media as oppressed, weak victims of war who need to be supported and protected serves to remove the continuous struggles of Afghan women during thirty years of civil war.

TYPES OF PHRASES (WITH EXERCISES)

TYPES OF PHRASES (WITH EXERCISES)

Author(s): Dervish Alimi / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY IN BRAVE NEW WORLD

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY IN BRAVE NEW WORLD

Author(s): Fatbardha DOKO / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: Feelies; Society; Reservation; Scientific; Soma; Utopia

Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley is well known novel of the modern English literature. It belongs to the dystopian genre of writing, which means that it portrays an undesirable or frightening society. Written between two world wars and influenced by the scientific advances of that era, it prophesied the use of science by totalitarian state to keep the society under control. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the brave new world society and its reflection in our modern society. Using various sources, mainly books, articles and essays from other authors, this study gives an analysis of the society which Huxley portrayed in his novel. It tells about the characters, structure of the society, its development and current affairs. As a conclusion, this paper shows that the society in Brave New World, judged by contemporary standards of human rights, is a totalitarian one and that the humans live in an oppressive regime where their individual rights are suppressed and punished.

AVOIDANCE OF PHRASAL VERBS BY ALBANIAN EFL STUDENTS

AVOIDANCE OF PHRASAL VERBS BY ALBANIAN EFL STUDENTS

Author(s): Jehona REXHEPI-ILJAZI,Agron ILJAZI / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: phrasal verbs; avoidance; EFL students; L1 interference

Phrasal verbs are considered as a difficult and problematic area of study by both teachers and students of English as a foreign language. Students' identification and understanding of phrasal verbs can be limited due to the low level of exposure to them. Nonetheless, phrasal verbs take up a large number of the English vocabulary and ensure language fluency among students. Therefore, many researchers have studied students’ tendency to avoid using phrasal verbs when they can choose a one-word verb that is less complex. The complexity of phrasal verbs, especially of those with idiomatic meanings, makes it harder for students to understand them. Researchers and teachers of different nationalities have found that EFL students prefer using one-word equivalents and in most cases avoid using a phrasal verb with the same meaning. An overview of important studies presents different factors and reasons why this phenomenon of avoidance takes place. Moreover, this paper reveals findings of a study of phrasal verbs involving Albanian high school students who are foreign language learners of English. This study aimed at identifying any avoidance of phrasal verbs among these students when they were given other options through the use of tests. Moreover, proper instruction of phrasal verbs proved to be crucial in determining students’ avoidance of phrasal verbs. Consequently, the findings of the study revealed students' tendency to avoid phrasal verbs which was attributed to students’ insufficient exposure and instruction on phrasal verbs, as well as the lack of these verbs in the students’ first language.

RELIGIOUS MOTIFS IN THE FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE

RELIGIOUS MOTIFS IN THE FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE

Author(s): Milena Mileva Blažić,Arburim Iseni / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: Oscar Wilde; fairy tales; motifs; fairy; Virgil’s Wheel

Wilde’s fairy tales are the subject of much research, not only from the standpoint of religious and other motifs, but the present article needed to focus on the religious elements in fairy tales. Motifs, motif fragments and blind motifs from world religions, e.g. Apollo, Armenian, copper ring (Giges), bazaar, bengal fire, whipping with thorns, dervish, divan, priest with slanted eyes, Egypt, eunuchs, gong, India, Isis and Osiris, Orient, kaftan, Koran, leopard (leopard paws), lion skins, Idol, Mecca, Nile, Nubians, opium, pavilion, pyramids, pagan creatures, Roman candle, Samarkand, Syrians, elephant, silver crescent, slave, temple, tiger (tiger paws), turban, cave, Jews, etc.

ENGLISH ADJECTIVES ENDING IN SUFFIX -AL AND THEIR ALBANIAN CORRESPONDENTS (CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS)

ENGLISH ADJECTIVES ENDING IN SUFFIX -AL AND THEIR ALBANIAN CORRESPONDENTS (CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS)

Author(s): Remzije Nuhiu,Shpend ADEMI,Albulena Zulbeari / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: English; Albanian; adjective; suffix -al; differences; similarities

This research paper presents a better understanding of the adjectives with the suffix -al, which will be given the similarities and differences between the adjectives in English and Albanian language The present papers deal with adjectives with prefixes and suffixes in general, while the dominant explanation in this paper is in-depth because there is only the suffix –al that will be studied the most. In this paper, examples of adjectives with suffix –al are taken from the novel The Great Gatsby by Francis S. Fitzgerald. Also, the same examples are found in the Albanian translation (by Stavri Pone) where a comparative analysis of this type of adjective from English to Albanian is made. The adjectives with the suffix -al are analyzed and the following conclusion is reached: out of a total of 15 examples with the suffix -al excerpted from the novel The Great Gatsby, the following equivalents were found when translated into Albanian; 40% of the adjectives are translated with the suffix –al/e, 40% are translated with suffix –ik/e, and 20% are translated with the suffix -shëm. The similarity of these English adjectives and their translation into Albanian is that the suffix -al with 40% when translated into Albanian stays as a suffix. In 40% of cases adjectives take the suffix ik/e, while in the rest of the cases adjectives take the suffix -shëm. Unlike most differences that English adjectives undergo when translated into Albanian, the ones used in this paper do not differ much in terms of suffixes. So suffixes stay as such with the only difference that into Albanian they change the type of suffixes. Consequently, this paper should be useful for Albanian students of English as a foreign language, as well as for Albanian teachers and researchers of English as a foreign language.

FUTURE TENSE IN ALBANIAN, TENSE OR MOOD OF VERB-COMPARATIVE APPROACH

FUTURE TENSE IN ALBANIAN, TENSE OR MOOD OF VERB-COMPARATIVE APPROACH

Author(s): Sejdi Gashi / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: future tense of the verb; mood of the verb; verb system; grammatical category; modality

In this paper, we have chosen future tense of the verb in Albanian as the object of study (connections between tense and mood, respectively, modality) as well as the frequency of use of this verb tense. Our goal in this paper is to research models of construction of the future tense of the verb, the -function as well as the role that this tense plays within the perspective of the speaker. The study was conducted through quantitative research of the use of the future tense to different categories of text and reading literature. The research is conducted on two levels: with statistical measurements, which aim at providing ¬an overview of distribution within the text of the forms of future tense in the Albanian language. This distribution is viewed upon two planes that of relations with other tenses - that is, the frequency of use of future tenses in general, versus other tenses in the Albanian language, and that of relations of tenses of the future among themselves - that is, the frequency of use of a future tense versus another. The results will be further compared with the different text categories and analyzed as such, aiming at finding motivation behind the uses within these categories. In this paper, among others, we have also aimed at analyzing different types of texts¬, always with the purpose of taking note and studying the future tense of the verb, the forms of construction as well as the meanings that this verb tense can have. The following are the types of texts we have ¬studied: a newspaper text, a literary text, a text from the field of jurisprudence and a history text.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN, IMPORTANCE AND STAGES

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN, IMPORTANCE AND STAGES

Author(s): Shadan Ramadani / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: Language; child; early learning; pedagogy

The question arises as to why in a study we should start treating the early development of the child and at the same time the development before his birth, in the same way that Bernhard Müßgens started the first lesson in the field of teaching-receiving. When it comes to the child’s language development, a phenomenon that is an important prerequisite for their success at school, for start we must find the reason that why does this problem appear and how can we cope with them.Given the very heterogeneous conditions at the beginning of learning and also starting from the point of view of the beginning of this integration procedure in our country, the necessary knowledge about language development is essential. We must bear in mind that in the first grade we are dealing with children of different developmental levels. By the beginning of the first grade, the range of what we can call normal development includes a period of time of 3 years. But there are also children whose development did not proceed normally and who in fact have been subjected to disorders that have affected in one form or another individual area of development.

„WUTHERING HEIGHTS“ – EMILY BRONTË EFFECTIVE NARRATORS OF THE TRAGIS EVENTS

„MAJAT ME STUHI“ – EMILI BRONTË RRËFIMTARËT EFIKAS TË NGJARJEVE TRAGJIKE

Author(s): Suzana Ibraimi Memeti / Language(s): English / Issue: 20-21/2023

Keywords: Brontë sisters; “Wuthering Heights”; novel; literary critic; narrator

Although many literary critics have tried to prove that there is only one Brontë and that is Emily Brontë, who was a genius among the other two sisters, many readers are of the opinion that the three sisters, Emily, Charlotte, and Anne have written novels of the same type but with varying success. This assumption is natural and reasonable, because life gave them the same inclination to write, while they, as sisters, were closely related to each other at home and in the family. For the student and the critic, the case of these three sisters is challenging, because life seldom gives the same tendency to the three who were of the same blood and of the same generation, and who wrote novels of the same form, but relying in three different experiences (Long, 514-515). The novel "Wuthering Heights" is a kind of tragedy in the framework of realism, a work which, through concretely and convincingly presented characters of a place and time, speaks about the all-human and eternal theme: about the conflict of the free energy of the human being with conventions and codes and material interests that prevent it. The composition of this novel is its best artistic feature. To write the novel, Emily starts from the end of the events. Looking back, she unfolds the events first through the testimony of the witnesses and then through the narrator. Thus, none of the narrators is a tool of the novel's technique, but they give the impression that they are living people with different qualities and characters.

Perceptual and acoustic assessment of a child’s speech before and after laryngeal web surgery

Perceptual and acoustic assessment of a child’s speech before and after laryngeal web surgery

Author(s): Gordana Varošanec Škarić,Iva Bašić,Siniša Stevanović / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: laryngeal web; prosody; timbre; acoustic analysis; voice;

The aim of this paper was to point to the importance of early diagnostics and surgery in patients with laryngeal web in order to achieve normal breathing, as well as to stress the need for an interdisciplinary approach to observing the quality of voice and prosodic features at an early age. The subject under consideration was a 6.5-year-old girl who had previously been diagnosed with irregular breathing (R06). An endoscopic exam revealed a laryngeal web between the vocal folds and the fact that the posterior intercartilaginous section of the glottis of the child’s larynx was in order (normal). The child’s speech had been recorded in the acoustic studio, both before and after the vocal-fold surgery (six and twelve months later). Due to severe dysphonia, difficulties with breathing, and frequent noisy breathing (stridor), we recorded only the phonation of the vowel [a], as well as spontaneous speech before the surgery. In addition, there was intense glottic and supraglottic strain before the surgery, which in phonetics corresponds to the term laryngeal and supralaryngeal strain and pathologically creaky whispery phonation (according to VPA protocol). This strain was visible in the area of the chest, neck, and head, as well as audible in the voice quality. Acoustic analysis showed that the average F0 for the vowel [a] was remarkably high (442 Hz), and the pathological values were established using the following measures: local jitter (1.68%), local shimmer (0.7 dB), and the harmonic to noise ratio (17.6 dB). In contrast, six months after the surgery, the pitch for [a] was half the value of the preoperative one (220.5 Hz, p < 0.001), and the local jitter for all vowels (0.30-0.47%) and the harmonic to noise ratio (22.46 dB, p = 0.05) was within the normal range. There was also significant improvement in the F0 values, standard deviation of F0, and minimum and maximum F0 values. The average and median F0 values in spontaneous speech were also lower postoperatively. The voice quality showed a more balanced timbre (LTASS), particularly after one year. Some other prosodic features also showed improvement.

Perspectives of mothers on the quality of life of children with epidermolysis bullosa and their parent

Perspectives of mothers on the quality of life of children with epidermolysis bullosa and their parent

Author(s): Darija Geček,Marko Buljevac / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: epidermolysis bullosa; children with epidermolysis bullosa; parents of children with epidermolysis bullosa; quality of life; domains of quality of life;

The aim of the study was to gain insight into some domains of the quality of life of children with epidermolysis bullosa and their parents from perspectives of mothers. Semi-structured interview was used as method for data collection with six mothers of children with epidermolysis bullosa. Thematic analysis was a method of analysing data. The results show that the quality of life of parents of children with epidermolysis bullosa is determined by parents´ good health, job satisfaction and received support from different sources, as well as the family’s financial well-being and their limited possibilities of participating in leisure activities. The quality of life of children with epidermolysis bullosa is determined by the children’s affiliation to the community, poorer health condition of children, children’s abilities to perform certain everyday activities, as well as appropriate support from the formal support system. It is clear that this rare disease affects the quality of life of all family members. Families of children with epidermolysis bullosa need informational, practical, emotional, and financial support from informal and formal support system, especially from highly specialized and well networked professionals.

Functionality and social support as aspects of quality of life in elderly stroke patients

Functionality and social support as aspects of quality of life in elderly stroke patients

Author(s): Mirjana Telebuh,Želimir Bertić,Gordana Grozdek Čovčić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: functionality; social support; quality of life; stroke; elderly;

Functionality in activities of daily living and social support are often used as indicators of quality of life, especially in research involving gerontological and geriatric populations that assesses the functional independence of the patient and their need to rely on help from others. The effects of a stroke can significantly reduce the quality of life of the elderly. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to examine the relationship between functionality and social support and the quality of life of elderly stroke patients. This study included 50 stroke patients over the age of 65 years. All the participants lived at home in Zagreb. The participants’ quality of life was measured using The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire), which determines quality of life based on four domains (Physical, Psychological, Social relationships, and Environment). Functionality was measured using the Functional Independence Measure, while social support was measured using the Social Support Scale. The correlation between functionality and quality of life was statistically significant with respect to physical health (r = 0.77, p < 0.00), as well as psychological health (r = 0.53, p < 0.00). The correlation between social support and quality of life was also significant with respect to social support from friends in the Social relationships domain (r = 0.40, p < 0.00) and in the Environment domain (r = 0.45, p < 0.00), as well as in the overall social support in Social relationships (r = 0.29, p < 0.04) and Environment domains (r = 0.35, p < 0.01). A higher level of functionality indicates a higher quality of life in the Physical and Psychological domains, as well as in the overall quality of life of elderly stroke patients. Strong social support from friends can encourage and help elderly stroke patients to integrate into their social environment more successfully, thus potentially increasing their quality of life. The results of this study imply that functionality and social support can be important factors in the quality of life in elderly stroke patients.

Reading comprehension processes: a review based on theoretical models and research methodology

Reading comprehension processes: a review based on theoretical models and research methodology

Author(s): Antonija Blaži Ostojić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: reading comprehension; theory; methodology; language processing;

Reading comprehension is a complex, multifaceted process in which a number of components are appropriately and often simultaneously activated. The importance of different background subprocesses, its complex nature, as well as the interconnection of various components has been demonstrated by various ‘models of reading and reading comprehension’. Based on these models, assessment methods and materials for reading comprehension are developed. However, the models and assessment materials developed so far are mostly derived from research on languages with nontransparent orthography (e.g., English). Therefore, the question arises regarding the extent to which they can or should be applied in languages with shallow, transparent orthography (e.g., Croatian) that have clear and consistent relationships between letters and sounds, as opposed to languages with deep orthography. The main aim of this study was to present a brief review of prominent reading comprehension models and their interconnections through specific levels of language processing (single word, sentence, discourse), as well as to discuss the methodological aspects of assessing reading comprehension processes arising from the presented theoretical models. Motivated by the fact that there is a lack of studies on models and assessment materials in languages with transparent orthography, the application of existing models and assessment methods will be discussed in the context of transparent orthography languages. This study provides comprehensive insights, based on theory, on the key elements to consider when developing an assessment method/tool for reading comprehension, both for research or diagnostic purposes.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing: when a stroke is not a stroke, and how comprehensive speech and language therapy assessment and intervention can help to set the alarm

A wolf in sheep’s clothing: when a stroke is not a stroke, and how comprehensive speech and language therapy assessment and intervention can help to set the alarm

Author(s): Rita Gonçalves,Cristiana Lopes Martins,Arminda Lopes / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: case report; aphasia; dysphagia; rehabilitation; progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy; speech therapy; HIV; stroke;

A 70-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2001 and did not undergo antiretroviral therapy, was admitted two months after the onset of left cortical-subcortical ischemic stroke, with involvement of the corona radiata and the left thalamus. As a consequence of this vascular event, he suffered aphasia, severe dysarthria, dysphagia, and right hemiparesis. The patient took part in a rehabilitation program at a rehabilitation centre for neurological diseases with a specialised interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. He underwent speech therapy intervention with a frequency of 2-3 hours per day. Despite the intensity of the program, there was a decline in his clinical and functional status during hospitalisation, with decreased capacity to swallow and communicate (either because of the exacerbation of the aphasia, or due to the worsening of dysarthria and apraxic features). Due to this global deterioration, additional imaging, as well as serological and aetiological examination was performed, which led to a diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in the context of HIV1 infection. Antiretroviral therapy was administered to reverse the symptoms. This case illustrates the relevance of clinical disclosure for the establishment of appropriate functional prognoses and discharge planning. It also shows that the initial clinical features can be misleading and can lead to concealment of the real aetiology, as well as delays in appropriate treatment, especially in multipathology patients.