Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Needs Analysis of English Preparatory School Instructors Towards Professional Skills in Higher Education

Many factors affect providing high-quality English education and rendering it sustainable. One of these factors is undoubtedly ensuring the professional development of the English language instructors. An important way to guarantee professional development is through needs analysis. Needs analysis is of utmost significance in determining the professional skills that English preparatory instructors require to develop and taking the necessary steps. In this regard, the aim of the study is to determine the professional skills that these instructors need to develop in higher education. Qualitative research method was used in the research to unearth the opinions, thoughts, views and feelings of instructors on professional skills to be improved. Since the research covered only one unit of a higher education institution, a holistic single case design was preferred. Participants included English preparatory school instructors, administrators, students, and senior members of the Faculty of Education. Convenience and criterion sampling techniques were used in the selection of the participants. In the study in which interview technique was used, an interview form was implemented in order to ascertain the professional skills. The data collection process was carried out over the course of eight weeks. Descriptive analysis and content analysis techniques were used in data analysis. While the opinions of the English preparatory school stakeholders were shared via verbatim quotation technique during the descriptive analysis process, the professional skills that English preparatory instructors require to improve were determined via the content analysis of the participants’ relevant opinions. As a result of the research, professional skills that these instructors need to enhance were identified.
Thermal Analysis of Organic and Nanoencapsulated Electrospun Phase Change Materials

Latent heat stored in phase change materials (PCM) can greatly improve energy efficiency in indoor heating/cooling applications. This study presents the materials and methods for the formation and characterization of a PCM layer for a latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) application. Four commercially available PCMs comprising the classes of organic paraffins and organic non-paraffins were selected for thermal storage application. Pure organic PCM and PCM in water emulsions were experimentally investigated. PCM electrospun microfibers were produced by a co-axial electrospinning technique, where solutions of Polycaprolactone (PCL) 9% w/v and 12% w/v in dichloromethane (DCM) were used as the fiber shell materials. PCM emulsified with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and Polyvinylalcohol 10% w/v (PVA) constituted the core of the fibers. The thermal behavior of the PCM, PCM emulsions, and PCM electrospun fibers were analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A commercial organic paraffin with a phase change temperature of 18 °C (RT 18) in its pure and emulsified forms was found to be a suitable PCM candidate for LHTES. The PVA-PCM electrospun fiber matrix of the organic paraffin RT18 with a PCL concentration of 12% w/v showed the most promising results leading to an encapsulation efficiency of 67%.
Social citizenship competences of primary school students: does socio-ethnic diversity in the classroom matter?

ABSTRACT In our current diverse society, young people need a wide scope of social citizenship competences to coexist with and understand the otherness of others. Schools are one of the social practices in which students develop these social citizenship competences. This study aims to identify how socio-ethnic diversity in the classroom is related to the social citizenship competences of sixth grade primary school students. To measure students’ social citizenship competences, a video-based situational judgement test (skills) and the Citizenship Competences Questionnaire (knowledge, attitudes and reflection) were administered to 791 students in 54 classes in Flanders (the northern part of Belgium). Socio-ethnic classroom diversity variables were measured by means of a student and parent background questionnaire. A regression analysis with a two-level design at student and classroom level was conducted for each of the social citizenship scales. The results indicate that differences in students’ social citizenship competences are mainly explained by student-level variables. Variables measuring socio-ethnic diversity in the classroom showed that students in more social and ethnic diverse classrooms had more positive attitudes towards dealing with differences, whereas no significant relation with other social citizenship scales was found.
Networked Teaching: Overcoming the Barriers to Teaching Experiential Learning in Large Classes

As student enrolments grow and student diversity increases in many areas of higher education, faculty face challenges to support and ensure individual student learning and development. At the same time, active and experiential approaches to learning are recognized for their potential to develop autonomy and critical thinking, among other valuable skills. However, such approaches are challenging to implement at scale and alter the educator’s role from a directive one to a more facilitating role. This article reports on a questionnaire with 66 business academics at a large Australian metropolitan university that examined teaching experiences at scale and identified perceived barriers and enablers of experiential learning in large classes. Academics reported their lived experiences of teaching at scale and revealed the need to recognize teaching practice as a highly networked and distributed activity. In experiential learning, and particularly in large classes, the locus of control for learning shifts to the student, leading to feelings of disorientation and disempowerment. We make several recommendations for teaching development, faculty, and future research.
Energy balance and greenhouse gas emissions in an agroforestry system - a case study from Eastern Germany

ABSTRACT Following a cradle-to-farm-gate approach, we determined the input of fossil energy and greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) for conventional and agroforestry land use on a farm in a low profit region of Germany. On the basis of a calculation model with a recurring crop rotation of maize, rye, oat, and a catch crop mixture, it was found that a short rotation alley cropping system (SRACS) with a 10% (A10) and a 40% (A40) tree area for bioenergy production consumed 7% and 32% less fossil energy than the conventionally managed site (C). Simultaneously, the net energy gains and energy efficiency of the plant production process were increased by up to 8 and 53%, respectively. Likewise, the operational GGE accumulated to 3.1 Mg ha−1 yr−1 under C farming and could be reduced by 9% and 36% in A10 and A40, respectively. Overall, a multidimensional land use indicator comparison proved that under specific site conditions agroforestry land use can increase the energy output per unit of land area, while the energy input and GGE per metric ton of biomass yield were considerably lower than in C farming. Nominal range sensitivity analysis revealed that the energetic and ecological performance of the system was highly sensitive to the size and productivity of the tree area as well as to the use of fertilisers. Our findings suggest that SRACS may fundamentally improve the environmental and energetic performance of the cultivation process on marginal land, without leading to substantial losses in agricultural livestock production area.
Opinions of Graduate Students of Social Studies Education About Qualitative Research Method

The purpose of the study is to determine the opinions of graduate students from social studies education regarding the qualitative research method. The study was conducted in accordance with the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs. The sample group of the study was composed of 25 postgraduate students including 11 females and 14 males studying in the Department of Social Studies Education in Division of Turkish Language and Social Sciences Education of Educational Sciences Institute, in Firat University in the spring semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. The sample group was determined with criterion sampling, one of the purposeful sampling methods. The data of the study were obtained through interview method by using semi-structured interview form. Content analysis method was used in the analysis of the data obtained in the study and the qualitative data analysis program was employed to assess the data. It was determined as a result of the study that the graduate students expressed the qualitative research method as sensitivity to the natural environment, in-depth examination of a social phenomenon, and revealing perception and experiences. Since the qualitative research experience positively affect the knowledge and skills of the graduate students towards the study, they should be included more in the research environment and process. In addition, during the qualitative research process, graduate students should be encouraged and directed to academic activities.
The Effects of Argumentation-Based Teaching on Primary School Students’ Academic Achievement, Science Attitudes and Argumentative Tendencies

This research aims to analyze the effects of argumentation-based teaching (ABT) on the 4th-grade students’ academic achievement, argumentative tendencies and attitude towards science. The universe of the research was 4th-grade students studying in Yigilca district of Duzce province in the 2017-2018 academic year, in Turkey. The sample of the research consists of 37 4th grade students studying in two different classes. The pretest-posttest matched control group design was used which is one of semi-experimental design techniques. While activities related to ABT were administered to the experimental group, the existing curriculum was applied for the control group. The data of the research were collected using three tools: science achievement test (AT), science attitude scale (SAS), and argumentativeness scale (AS). All data collection tools were administered to experiment and control groups as pre-test and post-test to determine if there was a difference after the application. The findings revealed that the academic achievement of the students was significantly influenced by the activities related to ABT. However, there was no significant difference between experimental and control groups in terms of argumentative tendencies and their attitude towards science.
Tropical deforestation reduces plant mating quality by shifting the functional composition of pollinator communities

Deforestation can impact the quality of pollen received by target plants (i.e. delivery of incompatible pollen, self‐pollen or pollen from closely related individuals). Such reductions in plant mating quality may be direct, when deforestation reduces plant population size and the availability of pollen donors, or indirect, when decreased mating quality results, for example, from shifts in the composition of the pollinator community. As most flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for reproduction, there is a need to understand the direct and indirect links between deforestation, pollinator community composition and plant mating quality. We quantified the direct, pollen donor‐mediated and indirect, pollinator‐mediated effects of deforestation on mating quality in Heliconia tortuosa, a tropical herb pollinated by low‐ and high‐mobility hummingbirds. We used a confirmatory path analysis to test the hypothesis that deforestation (amount of forest cover and forest patch size) influenced mating quality (haplotype diversity of pollen pools, outcrossing and biparental inbreeding) directly and indirectly through functional shifts in the composition of pollinator communities (proportion of high‐mobility hummingbirds). We found that deforestation triggered functional shifts in the composition of pollinator communities, as the proportion of high‐mobility hummingbirds increased significantly with the amount of forest cover and forest patch size. The composition of the pollinator community affected mating quality, as the haplotype diversity of pollen pools increased significantly with the proportion of high‐mobility hummingbirds, while biparental inbreeding decreased significantly. Although we did not detect any significant direct, pollen donor‐mediated effects of deforestation on mating quality, reductions in the amount of forest cover and forest patch size resulted in functional shifts that filtered out high‐mobility hummingbirds from the pollinator community, thereby reducing mating quality indirectly. Synthesis. Deforestation primarily influenced plant mating quality through a cascading effect mediated by functional shifts in the composition of the pollinator community. Our results indicate that plant mating quality strongly depends on the composition of local pollinator communities. Functional shifts that filter out highly mobile and effective pollinators may reduce the transfer of genetically diverse pollen loads from unrelated plants. Such shifts may have pronounced effects on plant population dynamics and disrupt genetic connectivity.
Organic fertilizer enhances rice growth in severe saline–alkali soil by increasing soil bacterial diversity

The northeast region of China is an important grain‐growing area. However, severe soil salinization in the region impairs plant production. In the present study, organic fertilizer application (composted poultry manure) was evaluated as a potential strategy for remediating saline–alkali soil and promoting rice growth. Following continuous organic fertilizer application for 4 years, the contents of basic cations, including sodium (Na+) and chlorine cations (Cl−), decreased significantly (p < .05) (soil Na + decreased from 24.3 mg kg−1 to 21.8 mg kg−1 and soil Cl‐ decreased from 570.4 mg kg−1 to 38.5 mg kg−1), while soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN) and available potassium (AK) were markedly increased (especially for soil AK, which increased from 85.8 mg kg−1 to 141.7 mg kg−1) compared to the treatment without organic fertilizer application. In addition, the relative abundance of plant growth‐promoting bacteria such as Thiobacillius, Methylobacter, Rhodoferax, Lysobacter and Flavobacterium increased significantly, whereas halophilic genera (Nitriliruptor, Mongoliicoccus, Litoribacter, Halomonas and Aliidiomarina) decreased markedly. Bacterial diversity also increased significantly, with data analysis suggesting that such shifts translated into more abundant plant‐growth‐related gene functions. According to structural equation modelling results, soil bacterial diversity was a key factor driving the maintenance of healthy plant growth in saline–alkali soil. These results suggested that organic fertilizers could improve the physicochemical properties of saline–alkali soil by altering interactions between rice plants and bacteria, for example, via the recruitment of specific beneficial microbial communities to increase their salinity–alkali stress tolerance, and, in turn, promote their growth.
Salt Marsh Hydrogeology: A Review

Groundwater–surface water exchange in salt marsh ecosystems mediates nearshore salt, nutrient, and carbon budgets with implications for biological productivity and global climate. Despite their importance, a synthesis of salt marsh groundwater studies is lacking. In this review, we summarize drivers mediating salt marsh hydrogeology, review field and modeling techniques, and discuss patterns of exchange. New data from a Delaware seepage meter study are reported which highlight small-scale spatial variability in exchange rates. A synthesis of the salt marsh hydrogeology literature reveals a positive relationship between tidal range and submarine groundwater discharge but not porewater exchange, highlighting the multidimensional drivers of marsh hydrogeology. Field studies are heavily biased towards microtidal systems of the US East Coast, with little global information available. A preliminary estimate of marsh porewater exchange along the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Bights is 8–30 × 1013 L y−1, equivalent to recirculating the entire volume of seawater overlying the shelf through tidal marsh sediments in ~30–90 years. This review concludes with a discussion of critical questions to address that will decrease uncertainty in global budget estimates and enhance our capacity to predict future responses to global climate change.
The bat-and-ball problem: a word-problem debiasing approach

Abstract Three experiments explored the effects of word problem cueing on debiasing versions of the bat-and-ball problem. In the experimental condition order, participants solved a simpler isomorphic version of the problem prior to solving a standard version that, critically, had the same item-and-dollar amounts. Conversely, in the control condition order, participants solved the standard version prior to solving the isomorph. Across the first 2 experiments, participants cued with the isomorph were more likely to correctly solve the standard version of the problem. In the third experiment, this cueing effect was not replicated, but importantly cued participants were more likely to correctly solve the standard version of the problem with other item-and-dollar amounts, indicating near transfer. Far transfer was evident in faster response times to other problems in the Cognitive Reflection Test following practice. Along with providing converging evidence for the cueing account, these results are consistent with recent attentional debiasing findings.
Fast invasives fastly become faster: Invasive plants align largely with the fast side of the plant economics spectrum

Invasive plants generally align with the fast side of the plant's trait economics spectrum, characterized by fast nutrient acquisition, growth and reproduction. However, there are numerous and notable exceptions, including woody invasives. The generalization that invasives are fast is driven by the high occurrence of invasive ruderal species colonizing nutrient‐rich disturbed habitats, a consequence of anthropogenic disturbance usually going hand‐in‐hand with biological introductions. Successful invasive plans have shown a remarkable ability to rapidly adapt to the new regions where they are introduced. These changes predominantly involve increased resource acquisition, growth and reproduction, aligning them even further with the fast side of the plant economics spectrum. Common garden experiments with invasive model systems provide valuable insights about the speed and direction of adaptive responses to different climates, helping us to predict general plant responses to global change. Synthesis. Invasive plant species commonly present fast nutrient acquisition, growth and reproduction, but this general pattern is mostly driven by ruderal species. Still, common garden experiments comparing populations from distant world regions show a clear trend for already fast invasive plants to rapidly adapt towards even faster traits in their non‐native regions.
Does Facilitating Human–Place Bonds Alleviate the Negative Effects of Incivilities on Health?

The present study has two purposes—methodological and theoretical. The methodological purpose is to examine a method for the analysis of perceived incivilities and health in urban neighbourhoods. The current study investigates the direct and indirect relationships between the two variables. The theoretical purpose is to measure neighbourhood incivility as a second-order latent variable that represents physical and social incivilities, and investigates place identity and place attachment as mediators in the relationship between incivilities and health. Previous research has focused on a single dimension of incivility. By contrast, the current study considers a multidimensional form of incivility. This quantitative study comprises 265 residents from an urban neighbourhood in Penang, Malaysia. The results of the structural equation modelling suggest that perceptions towards neighbourhood play a mediating role in the relationship between incivility and health. The mediation roles of place identity and place attachment in the relationship between incivilities and health are also supported. Thus, facilitating human–place bonds alleviates the negative effects of incivilities on health in the study neighbourhood. Residents are less attached to neighbourhoods that are perceived as socially and physically deteriorated. Thus, reducing incivilities and improving place attachment may enhance neighbourhood health.
Mathematical Literacy Skills of Fifth Grade Elementary School Students: A Case Study in Pekanbaru

This study aims to identify and describe the mathematical literacy skills of fifth grade elementary school students. This study was conducted in one of the primary school in Pekanbaru from January to March 2020. The type of research used was a case study. The subject of this research was 37 fifth grade elementary school students. The instrument was arranged referring to the questions issued by PISA. After the instrument were validated by two experts and tested on students, the next step was used to retrieve data. The data collected is then grouped and categorized according to the device that has been created. The results of the data processing showed that most of the subjects had not been able to answer the questions at level 4 or above, while for the answered level it was broken down as follows; the mathematical literacy achievement of fifth grade elementary school students that reached level 1 were 38%, in level 2 there were 54%, and in level 3 there were 8%. From these data results, it appears that in general the fifth-grade elementary school students have a very low level in mathematical literacy skills, meaning that the learning technique they have gained so far has not been able to build mathematical literacy skills.
Direct growth of monolayer 1T–2H MoS2 heterostructures using KCl-assisted CVD process

Accessing the metastable phases in a controlled fashion can further expand the applications of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Although top-down approaches based on ion intercalation exfoliation have shown to be an effective route to transform 2H phase into 1T and/or 1T′ polytype phases, a bottom-up growth strategy could be more suitable for device integration. Herein, we show that by assisting the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) growth with a specific alkali metal halide (AMH), it possible to induce the direct synthesis of 1T phase domains coexisting with 2H phase structure in micrometer-sized MoS2 monolayer flakes. The photoluminescence emission and structural properties of three different AMH (NaCl, KBr and KCl) MoS2 crystals are compared. Both NaCl and KBr assisted MoS2 monolayers displayed the semiconducting 2H-phase. On the other hand, we demonstrate that KCl promotes the formation of a 1T–2H phase mixture. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and resonant Raman studies performed on KCl–MoS2 monolayers show the emergence of a second chemical state and 1T Raman bands compared to the rest of the samples. High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope imaging revealed important changes in the atomic arrangement between 2H and 1T domains, providing clear evidence of the presence of the 1T metastable phase in the lattice. Moreover, the growth 1T domains can also be controlled by modifying the deposition temperature. Our experiments show that the introduction of KCl during the APCVD growth result in stable 1T-MoS2 domains, providing a simple and reproducible route towards the polymorphism phase engineering of layered TMDs using a direct bottom-up approach.