Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF PRESERVICE TEACHERS ABOUT DESIGNING MATERIALS FOR PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY COURSES

DOI: 10.19171/uefad.657739 The use of instructional materials in physics and chemistry courses makes the content more understandable. These subjects, which students often find difficult, require a blend of both cognitive and psychomotor skills. The current study aims to reveal the difficulties that candidate teachers experience in preparing and using instructional materials for physics and chemistry courses at high school. To this aim, candidate physics and chemistry teachers receiving pedagogical training at Bursa Uludag University Faculty of Education were asked to prepare and present sample instructional materials over a 10week period. At the end of this period, they were asked to make self-evaluations for finding relevant materials, preparing materials, and using them effectively. Selfevaluation forms consisted of nine open-ended questions. The participants were asked to evaluate their proficiency in designing original materials, designing and conducting experiments, determining topics for projects, preparing posters, power-point presentations and worksheets. The participants’ responses were analyzed by determining the code, category and themes by using the content analysis. Findings reveal that the candidate teachers generally had more difficulty in designing and preparing activities/ experiments. Article History:
A strengths-based approach to chronic pain

ABSTRACT Nonpharmacological approaches to chronic pain are being increasingly sought out by therapists and health-care providers. Cognitive approaches to reduce pain catastrophizing have shown some efficacy; however, interventions used to increase well-being have not been investigated. In this study, we examined a strengths-based approach to reduce chronic pain and enhance pain self-efficacy, the belief that one has the capacity to function despite pain. In study 1, we administered a survey (N = 491) in order to identify the strengths most associated with pain self-efficacy. In study 2, participants (N = 122) were randomized into one of four experimental conditions based on the findings of Study 1, including a group who wrote about zest as well as several comparison groups. Results from Study 2 indicated that zest remained the most promising strength to target. In Study 3 (N = 81), in a pre-registered trial, we replicated the main findings of Study 2, showing that focusing on the strength of zest effectively increases pain self-efficacy as well as the capacity to function despite pain after a two-week follow-up. These studies show that a strength-based intervention can increase pain self-efficacy and the capacity to function despite pain.
Inhibitory effect of PPARγ on NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Rationale: Stimulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by metabolic byproducts is known to result in inflammatory responses and metabolic diseases. However, how the host controls aberrant NLRP3 inflammasome activation remains unclear. PPARγ, a known regulator of energy metabolism, plays an anti-inflammatory role through the inhibition of NF-κB activation and additionally attenuates NLRP3-dependent IL-1β and IL-18 production. Therefore, we hypothesized that PPARγ serves as an endogenous modulator that attenuates NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. Methods: Mouse peritoneal macrophages with exposure to a PPARγ agonist at different stages and the NLRP3 inflammasome-reconstituted system in HEK293T cells were used to investigate the additional anti-inflammatory effect of PPARγ on NLRP3 inflammasome regulation. Circulating mononuclear cells of obese patients with weight-loss surgery were used to identify the in vivo correlation between PPARγ and the NLRP3 inflammasome. Results: Exposure to the PPARγ agonist, rosiglitazone, during the second signal of NLRP3 inflammasome activation attenuated caspase-1 and IL-1β maturation. Moreover, PPARγ interfered with NLRP3 inflammasome formation by decreasing NLRP3-ASC and NLRP3-NLRP3 interactions as well as NLRP3-dependent ASC oligomerization, which is mediated through interaction between the PPARγ DNA-binding domain and the nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat domains of NLRP3. Furthermore, PPARγ was required to limit metabolic damage-associated molecular pattern-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mouse macrophages. Finally, the mature caspase-1/PPARγ ratio was reduced in circulating mononuclear cells of obese patients after weight-loss surgery, which we define as an “NLRP3 accelerating index”. Conclusions: These results revealed an additional anti-inflammatory role for PPARγ in suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation through interaction with NLRP3. Thus, our study highlights that PPARγ agonism may be a therapeutic option for targeting NLRP3-related metabolic diseases.
Forest Cover Mapping Based on a Combination of Aerial Images and Sentinel-2 Satellite Data Compared to National Forest Inventory Data

Research Highlights: This study developed the first remote sensing-based forest cover map of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in a very high level of detail. Background and Objectives: As available global or pan-European forest maps have a low level of detail and the forest definition is not considered, administrative data are often oversimplified or out of date. Consequently, there is an important need for spatio-temporally explicit forest maps. The main objective of the present study was to generate a forest cover map of Baden-Württemberg, taking the German forest definition into account. Furthermore, we compared the results to NFI data; incongruences were categorized and quantified. Materials and Methods: We used a multisensory approach involving both aerial images and Sentinel-2 data. The applied methods are almost completely automated and therefore suitable for area-wide forest mapping. Results: According to our results, approximately 37.12% of the state is covered by forest, which agrees very well with the results of the NFI report (37.26% ± 0.44%). We showed that the forest cover map could be derived by aerial images and Sentinel-2 data including various data acquisition conditions and settings. Comparisons between the forest cover map and 34,429 NFI plots resulted in a spatial agreement of 95.21% overall. We identified four reasons for incongruences: (a) edge effects at forest borders (2.08%), (b) different forest definitions since NFI does not specify minimum tree height (2.04%), (c) land cover does not match land use (0.66%) and (d) errors in the forest cover layer (0.01%). Conclusions: The introduced approach is a valuable technique for mapping forest cover in a high level of detail. The developed forest cover map is frequently updated and thus can be used for monitoring purposes and for assisting a wide range of forest science, biodiversity or climate change-related studies.
Exploring Nursing Students’ Perceptions of their Learning Experience in a Gerontological Nursing Course with a Technology-Mediated Learning Environment

ABSTRACT This was a multi-method study employing pre- and post-course questionnaires and focus groups to explore nursing students’ learning experiences with a technology-mediated learning approach guided by the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model in the course Gerontological Nursing. 144 undergraduate nursing students completed the questionnaires. The findings suggest that the students perceived a significant improvement in their cognitive skills, class atmosphere, and educational practices at the end of the course when compared to the baseline. However, no significant increase was found in their perceived engagement in technology-mediated activities. Five themes emerged from three focus groups involving 17 students: Beneficial to my learning, Feeling less stressed, Motivating me to learn, Feeling more engaged, and Encountering some technical barriers and suggestions for improvement. Students’ perceptions of using technologies for teaching and learning were mostly positive. Digitalised teaching materials should be interactive and locally relevant to improve students’ learning experience and engagement.
Particulate Backscattering in the Global Ocean: A Comparison of Independent Assessments

How well do we know the particulate backscattering coefficient (bbp) in the global ocean? Satellite lidar bbp has never been validated globally and few studies have compared lidar bbp to bbp derived from reflectances (via ocean color) or in situ observations. Here, we validate lidar bbp with autonomous biogeochemical Argo floats using a decorrelation analysis to identify relevant spatiotemporal matchup scales inspired by geographical variability in the Rossby radius of deformation. We compare lidar, float, and ocean color bbp at the same locations and times to assess performance. Lidar bbp outperforms ocean color, with a median percent error of 18% compared to 24% in the best case and a relative bias of −11% compared to −21%, respectively. Phytoplankton carbon calculated from ocean color and lidar exhibits basin‐scale differences that can reach ±50%.
Effects of Earthing up and Pruning Systems on Growth and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon.)

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) is an important crop cultivated and consumed worldwide. It provides wide variety of nutrients with many health-related benefits like, protection against cancer, maintains blood pressure and reduces blood glucose level in people with diabetes. Despite the importance of tomato, its growth and yield is limited by choice of cultural practices mainly earthing up and pruning system. There is also limited knowledge on the effect of integrating pruning and earthing up on tomato growth and yield. This study investigated the effect of integration of pruning and earthing up on the growth and yield of tomato. A split-plot experimental design, arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design, with three replications was used. The study investigated two factors i.e. pruning system in the main plot (single stem, double stem, and triple stem) and earthing up in sub-plots. (0 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm. The findings of the study revealed that earthing up and pruning system had a significant (p ˂ .05) effect on plant height and stem girth diameter at 45, 52, and 59 days after transplanting. The single stem pruning system and earthing up to 30 cm gave the tallest plant height with an average plant height of 69.80 cm in cultivation 1 and 71.50 cm Original Research Article Keter et al.; AJAHR, 7(3): 18-30, 2020; Article no.AJAHR. 62815 19 in cultivation 2. Single stem pruning system and earthing up to 30 cm gave the largest stem girth diameter with mean stem girth diameter of 2.16 cm in cultivation 1 and 2.25 cm in cultivation 2. Triple stem pruning system, earthing up to 30 cm recorded the highest number of marketable fruits with 64500 fruits/hectare in cultivation 1 and 64333 fruits/hectare in cultivation 2. To improve tomato growth and development which consequently improves marketable yields, farmers are encouraged to consider triple stem pruning system with earthing up to level 30 cm.
Adolescent Religious Motivation: A Self-Determination Theory Approach

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present set of studies was to develop a short and valid measure of religious motivation based on self-determination theory and demonstrate the role of religious motivation on youth outcomes. Participants were from five studies of religious adolescents and their parents from across the U.S (total N = 2982). Using confirmatory factor analyses we created a 12-item Religious Internalization Scale (RIS-12) capturing three forms of religious motivation: external, introjected, and identified. Relations between religious motivation and youth outcomes were assessed using structural equation modeling. In general, identified religious motivation positively predicted adaptive outcomes (e.g., prosocial behaviors, psychological well-being, and positive traits) and negatively predicted maladaptive outcomes (e.g., antisocial and health-risk behaviors, mental illness, and negative traits), whereas the inverse was largely true for external religious motivation. Introjected religious motivation was a poor predictor of outcomes. Further, identified religious motivation often remained predictive of outcomes when controlling for religious involvement. Lastly, in several cases, identified religious motivation and religious involvement interacted when predicting youth outcomes such that higher identified religious motivation strengthened links between religious involvement and outcomes. These findings validate the RIS-12 as a self-determination theory measure of religious motivation and elucidate the important role of identified religious motivation during adolescence.
Preparation and Characterization of Oxidized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Glycine Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

In this work, oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and glycine functionalized MWCNTs were synthesized and characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. UV-Vis spectroscopic study shows a characteristic peak at 276 nm for oxidized MWCNTs, and the red shift was observed for glycine-functionalized MWCNTs at 296 nm. The appearance of another peak at around ∼350 nm is attributed to the formation of glycine-functionalized MWCNTs. FT-IR spectral study confirms that glycine molecules have bonded to MWCNTs. EPR study reveals that the line shape is a Gaussian line shape and the electron spin concentration decreases with increasing concentration of glycine, which indicates that the unpaired electrons undergo a reduction process in the glycine-functionalized MWCNTs. The g-value indicates that the systems are isotropic in nature. The surface morphology of the samples was observed from SEM images. The EDX analysis shows the high purity of both oxidized and glycine-functionalized MWCNTs.
An Examination of Relationship between Career Maturity and Multiple Factors by Feature Selection

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between career maturity and a branch of factors among senior school students. The sample data were collected from a total of 189 students. The linear relationship between career maturity and 72 factors were tested by using feature selection methods. LASSO and forward stepwise were compared based on crossvalidation. The results showed that LASSO was a feasible method to select the significant factors, and 12 of the total 72 factors were found to be important in predicting career maturity.
A test platform for the detection and readout chain for the Athena X-IFU

We present a test platform for the Athena X-IFU detection chain, shared between IRAP and CNES. This test bench, housed in a commercial two-stage ADR cryostat provided by Entropy GmbH, will serve as the first demonstration of the representative end-to-end readout chain for the X-IFU, using prototypes of the future flight electronics and currently available subsystems. The focal plane array (FPA), placed at the 50 mK cold stage of the ADR, includes a 1024-pixel array of transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter spectrometers provided by NASA/GSFC, superconducting amplifiers (SQUIDs) from VTT, as well as superconducting readout electronics for frequency domain multiplexing (FDM), provided by SRON. The detection chain then continues with the prototype room temperature electronics for the X-IFU: the Warm Front-End Electronics (WFEE, provided by APC) and the Digital Readout Electronics (DRE, provided by IRAP). The test bench yields critical feedback on current subsystem designs and electronic interfaces, and in the future will also be used for refining the X-IFU calibration plan as well as laboratory astrophysics experiments relevant to future X-IFU science. In this presentation, we describe the characterization of the cryostat, various design trades for the FPA and readout chain, and recent results from our current setup.
Audit committee’s attributes, overlapping memberships on the audit committee and corporate risk disclosure: Evidence from Jordan

This paper aims to contribute to the literature by examining whether audit committees' attributes affect risk disclosure practiced by Jordanian listed companies. Selecting a sample of 94 Jordanian companies listed on Amman Stock Exchange, the authors carried out a manual content analysis on annual reports to determine the level of risk disclosure. Random effect model was employed in the analysis. Empirical results show that the audit committee size had a positive effect on the level of risk disclosure. However, there was no evidence that the frequency of the audit committee meetings, expertise or overlapping of the audit committee membership were significantly related to the risk disclosure. The findings are important for standard setters to improve their comprehension about the influence of audit committee in disclosing risk information and reconsider the effective monitoring role played by audit committee.
An Adaptive Cutoff Frequency Selection Approach for Fast Fourier Transform Method and Its Application into Short-Term Traffic Flow Forecasting

Historical measurements are usually used to build assimilation models in sequential data assimilation (S-DA) systems. However, they are always disturbed by local noises. Simultaneously, the accuracy of assimilation model construction and assimilation forecasting results will be affected. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) method can be used to acquire de-noised historical traffic flow measurements to reduce the influence of local noises on constructed assimilation models and improve the accuracy of assimilation results. In the practical signal de-noising applications, the FFT method is commonly used to de-noise the noisy signal with known noise frequency. However, knowing the noise frequency is difficult. Thus, a proper cutoff frequency should be chosen to separate high-frequency information caused by noises from the low-frequency part of useful signals under the unknown noise frequency. If the cutoff frequency is too high, too much noisy information will be treated as useful information. Conversely, if the cutoff frequency is too low, part of the useful information will be lost. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive cutoff frequency selection (A-CFS) method based on cross-validation. The proposed method can determine a proper cutoff frequency and ensure the quality of de-noised outputs for a given dataset using the FFT method without noise frequency information. Experimental results of real-world traffic flow data measurements in a sub-area of a highway near Birmingham, England, demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed A-CFS method in noisy information separation using the FFT method. The differences between true and predicted traffic flow values are evaluated using the mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage (MAPE) values. Compared to the results of the two commonly used de-noising methods, i.e., discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) methods, the short-term traffic flow forecasting results of the proposed A-CFS method are much more reliable. In terms of the MAE value, the average relative improvements of the assimilation model built using the proposed method are 19.26%, 3.47%, and 4.25%, compared to the model built using raw data, DWT method, and EEMD method, respectively; the corresponding average relative improvements in RMSE are 19.05%, 5.36%, and 3.02%, respectively; lastly, the corresponding average relative improvements in MAPE are 18.88%, 2.83%, and 2.28%, respectively. The test results show that the proposed method is effective in separating noises from historical measurements and can improve the accuracy of assimilation model construction and assimilation forecasting results.
Capital Investment in Tourism: A Global Investigation

ABSTRACT This study contributes to the literature by establishing the linkages between new institutional economics, public finance theory, and tourism economics, to explore the motives of capital investment into the tourism industry. We apply panel data techniques across a global sample of 150 countries, running from 2003 through 2017, encompassing 53 Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Economies (LMEs), 44 Upper-Middle-Income Economies (UMEs), and 53 High-Income Economies (HIEs). The findings are threefold. First, government tourism expenditure, economic growth, urbanisation, working or young population rate, and UNESCO heritage sites are found to be the leading drivers of tourism investment, whereas inflation and unemployment negate this development. Second, government expenditure could have stronger effects in LMEs and UMEs, while UNESCO heritage sites are a more crucial factor for UMEs and HIEs. Finally, it is proved that institutional quality improvements significantly boost capital tourism investment in LMEs.
Water quality and plankton dynamics in two small dams in Zimbabwe

Two small dams on the Munwahuku River was investigated in relation to the influence of hydrology on their water chemistry over the period January 2000–August 2001. The water level of the upper dam fluctuated more than that of the lower dam and their theoretical water retention times were nine days and 3.6 days, respectively. Seasonal fluctuations in conductivity, TDS, TSS and transparency were due to effects of the first rains, while increases in BOD and COD suggested increased organic matter at low water levels. There were no dramatic seasonal variations in pH, alkalinity or nutrients, although total nitrogen was higher in the upper dam. The N:P ratios ranged from 0.57–3.75 in the upper dam and 0.92–14 in the lower dam and generally reflect the high levels of phosphorus in the dams. This could make them susceptible to colonisation by Cyanophyta. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between the dams in total phosphorus, reactive phosphorus, nitrites and chlorophyll a. Small differences observed in the water quality of the two dams could be due to short water residence times. Extremes in water quality conditions were experienced during the dry season, when water levels were low, and during the rainy season when levels were higher. Peaks in phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance occurred during summer in both dams, and differences observed between the plankton community of the period January–October 2000 and that of November 2000–August 2001 were unexpected. The changes in the plankton communities, especially in the lower dam, were remarkable. There were no significant differences in plankton abundances between the dams. Phytoplankton dynamics were weakly associated with environmental factors in both dams and, apart from predation by fish and grazing by zooplankton, washouts during the rainy season and unstable stratification regimes were considered to be contributory factors. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that temperature and water transparency (also linked with suspended solids) were important variables in zooplankton dynamics in both dams. Hydrological factors, such as water retention time, floods and water levels, are key determinants of plankton communities in small dams.