This study investigated the relative predictive power of vocabulary depth and reading fluency on the reading comprehension of advanced Korean EFL learners in college. By doing so, the scope of paradigmatic relations, as part of vocabulary depth, was extended to encompass associative vocabulary as well as synonyms and antonyms, and reading fluency at the discourse level was considered. For this study, 139 college students were tested on a range of vocabulary depth tests, as well as reading comprehension and text-level reading fluency. The findings revealed that although both vocabulary depth and reading fluency are significant contributors to reading comprehension abilities, the predictability of vocabulary depth was larger than that of reading fluency. In addition, associative vocabulary not only revealed additional predictive power for reading comprehension on top of reading fluency, synonyms and antonyms, but also showed stronger predictability compared to synonyms and antonyms. These results highlight that both vocabulary depth, especially the knowledge of how words are related together, and text-level reading fluency play a crucial role in boosting the reading comprehension abilities of even advanced L2 readers.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) has been utilized for prototype manufacturing of functional metal components for years now. During this period the surface quality, mechanical properties, detail resolution and easiness of the process have been improved to the level suitable for direct production of complex metallic components for various applications. The paper will present the latest DMLS technology utilizing EOSINT M270 laser sintering machine and EOSTYLE support generation software for direct and rapid production of complex shaped metallic components for various purposes. The focus of the presentation will be in rapid manufacturing of customized biomedical implants and surgical devices of the latest stainless steel, titanium and cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys. In addition to biomedical applications, other application areas where complex metallic parts with stringent requirements are being needed will be presented.