bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Re-Evaluation of Backward Design in Goal Setting, Assessment and Instruction Planning in International Baccalaureate
Authors: Kang Hyeon-Suk , Na Kang-Ye
Published: February 2021

Much research in the field of International Baccalaureate (IB) education has focused on the strengths and weaknesses of this innovative system of education. In contrast, this chapter aims to return the discussion to the more fundamental aspects of IB by considering more deeply the issue of “backward design” and its relevance to the IB in the Korean and Asian contexts. The backward design consists of a) setting goals for learning, b) designing evaluation criteria to assess mastery of the course materials, and c) planning of the instruction in order to attain the learning goals.
Assessing Young Language Learners
Authors: Ramirez Erika
Published: February 2021

In Chile, as in other countries that have been following an international trend the past decades, the age children start learning English has lowered. So, it has become imperative that teachers acquire the proper knowledge to instruct these young learners. However, it is common to find in language classrooms across the country teachers who do not have such training. This reality creates challenges in areas such as assessment, materials design, and professional development. This chapter presents a study that explores how Chilean teachers of English without previous experience or training in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) assess children in primary schools. Through an online survey, data was collected from 56 participants from the central zone of the country. The findings of this study are in line with those of previous studies conducted in different countries over the world, which suggests that the main issues regarding TEYL are cross-cultural.
Source-Based Writing in Secondary School
Authors: Kavytska Tamara , Shovkovyi Vyacheslav , Osidak Viktoriia
Published: February 2021

This chapter examines the instructional intervention aimed at enhancing source-based compare-contrast writing in the secondary school students. Conceptually, it relies on the schema theory as a cognitive basis for integrated reading-writing instruction. The theory asserts that writing and reading both generate meaning using similar cognitive processes and types of knowledge: meta-knowledge of reading and writing strategies in relation to communicative goals, domain and textual knowledge, procedural knowledge that involves integrating writing and processing information while reading the text. Methodologically, the instruction is based on read-write cycle and was carried out in a secondary public school of Kyiv, with the 10th-grade students being the participant (n=22). The general hypothesis about a positive impact of read-write cycle instruction is partially confirmed in the research, which is an indication of the necessity to give further insight into the issue.
Honorable Mismatch
Authors: Jordan Kelly C.
Published: February 2021

The non-toleration requirement of military school honor codes requiring cadets to report their peers for honor violations is developmentally inappropriate for adolescents in terms of the state of their brain development and emotional maturity because it makes neurological and psychological demands on teens attending military prep schools—many not of their own choosing—that are beyond their developmental and emotional capabilities in several areas. This requirement extends beyond the ken of either the scope of the mission of military prep schools or the neurological and psychological developmental abilities of the adolescent students attending them. Research also shows that it is largely ineffective in reducing honor offenses. To enhance the effectiveness, schools can modify the self-policing aspect by replacing the non-toleration requirement with something more developmentally appropriate while still meaningful, adopt an honor continuum that allows for growth, and implement an honor development approach that contains positive reinforcement and encourages continuous development.
The Modern American Military Education Model
Authors: Jordan Kelly C.
Published: February 2021

This chapter describes an approach to formation at military schools for the 21st century that is both explicit and intentional, posing it for consideration as the Modern American Military Education Model (MAMEM). This chapter does not spell out the implementation of the proposed MAMEM specifically; rather, it is meant to inform the reader about the philosophy and components of the proposed MAMEM, the process of formation associated with it, and to provide examples of ways that schools associated with the Association of Military Colleges and Schools in the United States (AMCSUS) have implemented a version of it to support their varied missions and achieve their disparate educational objectives. In aggregate, the intention is to show how the proposed MAMEM provides a coherent philosophy of education by intention, atmosphere, and implication that forms, informs, and transforms cadets effectively, satisfying Chesterton's demanding criteria for qualification as an excellent form of education.
How Military Schools Reconcile Compliance, Authority, and Authenticity in Adolescent Leadership
Authors: Jordan Kelly C.
Published: February 2021

Adults and adolescents are different, as are adolescent girls and teenage boys, but it is unclear if or how these differences impact their ideas about leadership. Adults prioritize compliance, obedience, and conformity, while adolescents advocate autonomy, independence, and ingenuity. Adolescent girls prefer a relational, inclusive, collaborative leadership style with a spiritual generative culture that values consensus, while teenage boys prefer an action-oriented and hierarchical leadership style with an empowered dynamic culture that rewards initiative and innovation. Authentic leadership is effective at accommodating the expectations and needs of adults, adolescent girls, and teenage boys, and it generates its own unique empowered generative culture that benefits all constituencies. Military school objectives, adolescents' preferred leadership characteristics, and authentic leadership are quite congruent with one another, and this potent combination makes military schools particularly effective in their main purpose of developing effective authentic adolescent leaders.
Soft Skills and Leader Development at a Senior Military College
Authors: Antonia Keith Paul
Published: February 2021

Hiring managers in organizations seek college graduates who possess certain “soft skills” that enable them to be of value immediately upon entering the workforce. In response, many institutions of higher education are using and expanding high impact educational practices to not only improve knowledge acquisition and retention, but also to develop the soft skills that help make students “employable” after college. In U.S. senior military college corps of cadets, soft skills development is nothing new: it has always been part and parcel of their intensive and highly effective leader development programs. Although these programs exist primarily to produce leaders for the military—a public good—graduates contribute to the public good in other sectors of American society as well. This chapter depicts how cadets are transformed into highly effective leaders for the military, and how they contribute in other ways to the good of American society.
Current State of Learning Analytics
Authors: Sun Wenting , Pinkwart Niels , Li Tongji
Published: February 2021

Applying learning analytics (LAs) to actual teaching scenarios is a huge challenge. One of the problems that is required to be solved is how to combine LAs with pedagogy. Activity theory (AT) provides a conceptional tool for social human activities including objects and tools. Combining AT and pedagogical strategies as an analysis framework, this chapter analyzes LA application scenarios in seven components: subject, objective, community, tools, rules, division of labor, and outcomes. And learning theories present an in-depth analysis of rules. Conclusion shows in the LA application: teachers and students are main subjects; knowledge mastery is a common object; researchers and administrators play important roles while teachers have no specific teaching guidance to follow; presentation strategies of content are abundant; LAs integrate with multiple assessments; behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism embodied at different degrees; measurement of LAs application are diverse; not only learners, but characteristics of tasks need to be further studied.
Ethics in Predictive Learning Analytics
Authors: Joseph-Richard Paul , Uhomoibhi James Onohuome
Published: February 2021

Most universities collect large amounts of students' data to enhance teaching, understand student behaviour, and predict their success. However, such practices raise privacy and ethical issues due to sensitive data harvesting practices. Despite the recognised importance of this topic, few empirical studies address how students perceive the ethical issues related to predictive learning analytics (PLA). To redress this, interview data collected from 42 undergraduate and postgraduate students in a Northern Irish university were thematically analysed. Findings suggest that there are at least three distinct groups of students having varying assumptions about ethics in PLA. They are (1) naïve and trusting, (2) cautious and compromising, and (3) enlightened and demanding, and all of them tend to narrowly focus only on the issue of informed consent. An empirically supported argument for the need for PLA researchers to recognise the within-group variations in student populations and to educate all types of students in issues related to ethics is presented.
Learning Analytics and Education Data Mining in Higher Education
Authors: ElAtia Samira , Ipperciel Donald
Published: February 2021

In this chapter, the authors propose an overview on the use of learning analytics (LA) and educational data mining (EDM) in addressing issues related to its uses and applications in higher education. They aim to provide meaningful and substantial answers to how both LA and EDM can advance higher education from a large scale, big data educational research perspective. They present various tasks and applications that already exist in the field of EDM and LA in higher education. They categorize them based on their purposes, their uses, and their impact on various stakeholders. They conclude the chapter by critically analyzing various forecasts regarding the impact that EDM will have on future educational setting, especially in light of the current situation that shifted education worldwide into some form of eLearning models. They also discuss and raise issues regarding fundamentals consideration on ethics and privacy in using EDM and LA in higher education.
Social Learning Analytics
Authors: Bülbül Mustafa Şahin
Published: February 2021

Despite the idea that learning is individual, the YouTube channel has been examined to explain how learning is controlled in social networks. What kind of mechanism does the YouTube channel, which deeply influences the education world, work with and what does this structure tell the educators? What do data such as the number of views and comments on YouTube mean? Also, what kind of a model can be established between the video proposition system and our individual and social learning? This study has been prepared to shed light on the questions mentioned.
Wearable Reconfigurable Antenna
Authors: V Reji , Manimegalai C. T.
Published: February 2021

Printed antennas are designed for various applications in recent years. The latest development of antennas are wearable antennas; these wearable antennas are playing a major role in the energy harvesting mechanisms, patient monitoring systems, and military applications. In this chapter a reconfigurable wearable antenna is proposed. Reconfigurable wearable antennas are able to operate in both modes on body and off body. These antennas are reconfigured from one frequency to another frequency depending upon the requirement. Three types of reconfigurable antenna modes are designed and analyzed in the chapter. Frequency reconfiguration with off body mode and on body mode, frequency reconfiguration between inside receiver and outside interrogator, and frequency reconfiguration with different substrate conditions. The choice of frequency bands are WBAN and other wireless application bands. Different switches are used to control the frequencies.
Bandwidth Analysis of Dual-Feed Slotted Antenna Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Lala Archana , Lala Kunal , Singh Vinod Kumar
Published: February 2021

In this chapter, artificial neural network is used for the estimation of bandwidth of a dual feed microstrip antenna. The MLPFFBP-ANN and RBF-ANN are used to implement the neural network model. The simulated values for training and testing the neural network are obtained by simulating the antenna on IE3D software. The results obtained by using ANNs and IE3D simulation are compared and are found quite acceptable, and also it is concluded that RBF network is more accurate and fast as compared to back propagation algorithm of MLPFFBP. The anticipated is applicable to operate in triple band from 2.208GHz-5.35GHz, 2.358GHz-2.736GHz, and 3.815GHz-5.143GHz. The antenna is also fabricated with FR-4 glass epoxy material. The experimental results, simulated results of IE3D, and simulated results of neural network are compared.
Mentoring Teams as a Model of Supporting Distance Teaching
Authors: Kralj Lidija
Published: February 2021

In this chapter, the author describes how the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education organized support for the education system during the COVID-19 pandemic building upon education reform and using the mentoring teams as the main resource for learning content creation and teachers' support network. One of the most significant activities during educational reform was the establishment of virtual classrooms whose main characteristics were continuous professional development support in the online environment for learning, communication and collaboration, quick access to the new and relevant information, and establishment of the learning community of practice. The hybrid model of continuous professional development combined with mentoring teams who were already experts in remote work and online collaboration and communication contributed to the swift and effective establishment of distance learning. This chapter provides information from the teacher perspective giving ideas and examples that can be used in future professional development and collaborative teamwork.
From Traditional to Distance Learning
Authors: Bartolotti Lucia
Published: February 2021

In winter 2020, Coronavirus silently spread from a Chinese metropolis globally. Schools closed and emergency distance teaching was enforced wherever possible. This chapter examines this phenomenon as it took place in an Italian upper secondary school and applies the rules of gamification as a key to understanding the process and the interconnections of all the agents that played a role. The theoretical background includes Werbach and Hunter's game theory, the SAMR model of Ruben Puentedura, and the findings of social and emotional learning (SEL), with the aim to analyze not only the technical transformations with their consequences on teaching practices, but also the emotional impact the pandemic had on teachers and pupils. The results of the first national surveys about the effect of the lockdown months are taken into consideration to validate the author's experience, as well as articles and studies from sources such as UNESCO, OECD, and the Economic World Forum. The description of what happened as if it were a proper game may shed some light into the complexity of this experience.
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, Ubiquitous Learning, and Seamless Learning
Authors: Nussli Natalie , Oh Kevin
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this chapter is to develop a one-stop checklist that assists educators in providing online teaching grounded in the principles of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), ubiquitous learning (u-learning), and seamless learning. The authors explore how these paradigms inform the intentional design of learner-centered approaches in online learning environments and what an integrated approach could look like. This chapter will be relevant for faculty in higher education aiming to offer online curricula that emphasize active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal-directed learning.
Effects of Virtual Reality Learning Platforms on Usability and Presence
Authors: Çoban Murat
Published: February 2021

The effectiveness of the learning process in the virtual reality (VR) environment and the presence and immersion components of the VR environment are among the most important variables for students to feel as if they are part of the 3D environment and function in the environment. The objective of this chapter is to determine and compare the presence and usability levels of primary school students participating in VR environments with different immersion characteristics (immersive and non-immersive). According to the findings, there was no significant difference between immersive and non-immersive VR environments in terms of presence and usability. It was also determined that the level of presence of students in both groups did not vary depending on usability. The results are regarded to be useful to educators, researchers, and instructional designers who want to integrate VR technology into their educational environments.
Prosumers Building the Virtual World
Authors: Fontanella Mario , Pacchiega Claudio
Published: February 2021

With the development of new digital technologies, the internet, and mass media, including social media, it is now possible to produce, consume, and exchange information and virtual creations in a simple and practically instantaneous way. As predicted by philosophers and sociologists in the 1980s, a culture of “prosumers” has been developed in communities where there is no longer a clear distinction between content producers and content users and where there is a continuous exchange of knowledge that enriches the whole community. The teaching of “digital creativity” can also take advantage of the fact that young people and adults are particularly attracted to these fields, which they perceive akin to their playful activities and which are normally used in an often sterile and useless way in their free time. The didactic sense of these experiences is that we try to build a cooperative group environment in which to experiment, learn, and exchange knowledge equally among all the participants.
Human Perfection and Contemporary Enhancement Technologies
Authors: Parra-Sáez Jesús
Published: February 2021

Human perfection has been one of the main objectives of the human species since the appearance of Homo sapiens, but contemporary biomedical technologies represent a promise to achieve it in the near future. In view of the new possibilities offered by new technologies, a scientific-philosophical theoretical debate has emerged between those who are in favor of its use on humanity for non-therapeutic purposes (posthumanists) and those who reject it (bioconservatives). In this chapter, the so-called “enhancement technologies,” the problems derived from their use with the aim of radically altering human abilities, and some of the most recent practical cases that have transcended the theoretical debate about their legitimacy are analyzed.
According to Zoltan Istvan
Authors: Istvan Zoltan
Published: February 2021

Radical science and technology are changing everything around us. The area of transhumanism is growing dramatically in size and impact - and the impact on our species is enormous. In just a decade, many things can change how we live our lives. The upcoming innovation will be amazing. Transhumanists believe that we must protect ourselves from our natural genes, unless they bind us to remain forever as animals. We believe that our outdated instincts can easily tempt us to know right from wrong, practical from impractical. If you look closely, the human body and its biology constantly highlights our many imperfections. Transhumanism seeks to improve the human body through science and technology - that is, to help people develop. This is a strange cultural and philosophical position for a movement. And yet, change is exactly what transhumanism aspires to.
Cable-Driven Robots in Physical Rehabilitation
Authors: Gonçalves Rogério Sales , Alves Thiago , Carbone Giuseppe , Ceccarelli Marco
Published: February 2021

This chapter deals with cable-driven robots when applied in physical rehabilitation. In general, neurorehabilitation is limited to physical therapy that is delivered by clinicians and potentially augmented by robotic tools to facilitate neurorehabilitation and to reduce the consequences of central nervous system injury. Among the robotic tools for rehabilitation can be considered the cable-driven manipulators. First, this chapter presents the upper and lower human limbs movements. The main rehabilitation robots are presented as exoskeletons and cable-driven manipulators. After, the cable-driven manipulators theory is introduced focusing on considerations for robot design in rehabilitation and control with safe human-machine interaction. Experimental examples with different cable-driven robot's structures are presented so that this chapter suggests that these structures can be used as a complement to conventional therapies and not as a substitute. Finally, this chapter presents the clinical evidence in cable-driven robots when applied in physical rehabilitation.
Design of a Contact Assistive Robot for the Disabled, Elderly, and Infirm People
Authors: Mushiri Tawanda , Mombeyarara Panashe Adrian , Marisa Thanks
Published: February 2021

The use of a wheelchair for normal routines or rehabilitation has various physiological and psychological implications. The use of contact assistive robots in developing countries is limited mainly due to their expensive nature. The benefits of exoskeleton use include health improvement, increased self-dependency, and self-sustenance. The chapter offers a solution through the design of a cheap contact assistive robot for the disabled. The design procedure includes the integration of acquired knowledge on gait training and existing exoskeletons acquired from intense research, visits to rehabilitation centers, and use of computer-aided software for design and simulations. A fully functioning scaled prototype was made that demonstrated the operating principle of the actual design. The design provides a successful baseline for further development of exoskeletons suitable and cheaper for developing countries with an initial estimated total material cost of USD$9000.
3D Printing in Healthcare
Authors: Wickramasinghe Nilmini
Published: February 2021

3D printing has developed as a modification of an old injection printer. Today, it is rapidly expanding offering novel possibilities as well as new exciting applications for various sectors including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. This chapter presents key application areas within the healthcare sector. In medicine, 3D printing is revolutionizing the way operations are carried out, disrupting prosthesis and implant markets as well as dentistry. The relatively new field of bioprinting has come to be because of advances with this technology. As will be discussed, numerous applications of 3D printing in healthcare relate to personalized medicine. For instance, implants or prostheses are 3D printed for a specific user's body, optimizing the technology to work for an individual, not an average user as with most mass-produced products. In addition, 3D printing has applications on the nanoscale with printing of drugs and other smaller items. Hence, 3D printing represents a disruptive technology for healthcare delivery.
Importance of 3D Printing Technology in Medical Fields
Authors: Barua Ranjit , Datta Sudipto , Roychowdhury Amit , Datta Pallab
Published: February 2021

Three-dimensional or 3D printing technology is a growing interest in medical fields like tissue engineering, dental, drug delivery, prosthetics, and implants. It is also known as the additive manufacturing (AM) process because the objects are done by extruding or depositing the material layer by layer, and the material may be like biomaterials, plastics, living cells, or powder ceramics. Specially in the medical field, this new technology has importance rewards in contrast with conventional technologies, such as the capability to fabricate patient-explicit difficult components, desire scaffolds for tissue engineering, and proper material consumption. In this chapter, different types of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques are described that are applied in the medical field, especially in community health and precision medicine.
A Constrained Static Scheduling Strategy in Edge Computing for Industrial Cloud Systems
Authors: Ma Yuliang , Han Yinghua , Wang Jinkuan , Zhao Qiang
Published: February 2021

With the development of industrial internet, attention has been paid for edge computing due to the low latency. However, some problems remain about the task scheduling and resource management. In this paper, an edge computing supported industrial cloud system is investigated. According to the system, a constrained static scheduling strategy is proposed to over the deficiency of dynamic scheduling. The strategy is divided into the following steps. Firstly, the queue theory is introduced to calculate the expectations of task completion time. Thereupon, the task scheduling and resource management problems are formulated and turned into an integer non-linear programming (INLP) problem. Then, tasks that can be scheduled statically are selected based on the expectation of task completion and constrains of various aspects of task. Finally, a multi-elites-based co-evolutionary genetic algorithm (MEB-CGA) is proposed to solve the INLP problem. Simulation result shows that the MEB-CGA significantly outperforms the scheduling quality of greedy algorithm.
Optimization of Cyber Defense Exercises Using Balanced Software Development Methodology
Authors: Ošlejšek Radek , Pitner Tomáš
Published: February 2021

Cyber defense exercises (CDXs) represent an effective way to train cybersecurity experts. However, their development is lengthy and expensive. The reason lies in current practice where the CDX life cycle is not sufficiently mapped and formalized, and then exercises are developed ad-hoc. However, the CDX development shares many aspects with software development, especially with ERP systems. This paper presents a generic CDX development method that has been derived from existing CDX life cycles using the SPEM standard meta-model. The analysis of the method revealed bottlenecks in the CDX development process. Observations made from the analysis and discussed in the paper indicate that the organization of CDXs can be significantly optimized by applying a balanced mixed approach with agile preparation and plan-driven disciplined evaluation.
Team Characteristics Moderating Effect on Software Project Completion Time
Authors: Dayyala Niharika , Walstrom Kent A. , Bagchi Kallol K.
Published: February 2021

This study highlights the importance of human factors in software projects developed in capability maturity model (CMM) level software development environments. While software process initiatives help streamline the development process, people factors can influence project outcomes. Using data procured from the International Software Benchmarking Standard Group, the effects of team turnover, team heterogeneity, and team member work experience were examined as they moderate project elapsed time for software projects developed in CMM level software development environments. Team member work experience and team functional heterogeneity were found to have significant moderating effects on project elapsed time to completion. The turnover of members on the team did not have a significant moderating effect on project elapsed time to completion. Previous studies have examined the benefits of raising the level of maturity as identified by the capability maturity model. This study identifies the importance of human factors as they moderate project success.
Measuring Relative Effectiveness of Service Quality Factors Affecting Quality of Higher Education in India
Authors: Kaler Anshuman
Published: February 2021

The existing competitive environment in the education sector in India has forced higher education institutes to adopt ‘students as a customer' approach in educational delivery. The extant literature supports seven dimensions of service quality namely input quality, curriculum, academic facilities, industry interaction, interaction quality, support facilities, and nonacademic processes. The objective of the study was to measure the relative effectiveness of service quality factors as perceived by the Indian students. Focus group interviews were conducted with a group of technical and management students. Stratified judgmental sampling was used for the data collection. In the current study, it was observed that the factor of program quality plays a more dominant role than the factor of quality of life in determining the service quality in institutes of higher education. It is further observed that in the sub-dimension of program quality, the factor of curriculum and academic facilities are relatively more dominant than the factor of input quality.
Intersemiotic Translation of Subliminal Messages in Brand Logos
Authors: Damaskinidis George , Kostopoulou Loukia
Published: February 2021

Subliminal messages play a vital role in attracting the consumer's attention in the world of brands. Visual subliminal messages are designed to be unnoticeable at a conscious level, bypassing the conscious mind and submitting messages directly to the subconscious mind. Although consumers may not actually attempt to decode the semiotic elements of a logo, its interpretation is an intersemiotic act. In this interplay between a logo's visual and verbal aspects, intersemiotic translation provides a useful theoretical framework to investigate subliminal advertising messages. The ability to persuade consumers is a powerful tool in marketing, and subliminal persuasion can affect markets and control consumer behavior. The authors explore consumers' awareness of subliminal messages by focusing on semiotics, symbolism, and persuasion as key issues in the translation of advertisements. Participants were exposed to logos of international brands, and through a structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, they were asked to identify their form, color, logo, brand name, or slogan.
Cognitive Theories of Concepts and Wittgenstein's Rule-Following
Authors: Cruciani Marco , Gagliardi Francesco
Published: February 2021

In this article, the authors try to answer the following questions: How can an object/instance seen for the first time extend a category or update a concept? How is it possible to determine the reference of a concept that represents a behaviour? In the first case, the authors discuss the learning of inferential linguistic competence used to update a concept through an approach based on prototype theory. In the second case, the authors discuss the learning of referential linguistic competence used to determine the reference of a concept (i.e., determination of an actual behaviour) through an approach based on embodied cognition. The authors show how combining prototype-based and embodied categorization in Wittgenstein's rule-following praxis (the individual and community dimension), linguistic learning of a concept (inferential competence), and determination of its reference (referential competence) can be traced back to the same model.
Green Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide by Using Reducing Sugars
Authors: Rashid Affa Rozana Abdul , Rosli Husna
Published: February 2021

Graphene is a promising candidate for a broad range application in many fields and it has attracted a lot of attention from the researchers due to its unique properties. The involvement of toxic chemicals in synthesisation process is quite worrying as they release toxic gases and cause an explosion. Hence, this research reports a facile and safer method where the improved Hummer’s method was used to synthesize graphene oxide. Chemical reagent reduction method was implemented to synthesize reduced graphene oxide where glucose, fructose and sucrose were used as the reducing agents. The structural and optical properties of GO and rGO was determined by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer. The FTIR analysis of the films showed the existence of a large amount of oxygen-containing functional groups in GO compared to G-rGO, F-rGO and S-rGO. Furthermore, the UV-Vis analysis of GO showed the presence of an absorption peak at 230 nm and also a shoulder at 301 nm. The reduction of GO by sucrose caused a red shift from 230 nm to 260 nm while the reduction of GO by glucose and fructose caused a redshift to 268 nm. By referring to Tauc’s plot method, it was observed that the optical band gaps of GO, G-rGO, F-rGO and S-rGO were 4.26 eV, 3.32 eV, 3.38 eV and 3.66 eV, respectively.
A Review on Thermal Evaporation Method to Synthesis Zinc Oxide as Photocatalytic Material
Authors: Hamid Najiha , Suhaimi Syahida , Othman Muhammad Zamir , Ismail Wan Zakiah Wan
Published: February 2021

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a metal oxide material that is interested in research due to its possibility of bandgap tailoring, doping with various types of materials as well as being able to form many structures from zero-dimensional to three-dimensional structures. All these properties allow ZnO to be used in broad applications. Several research studies have been reported on the synthesis of ZnO nanostructures by the physical vapour deposition (PVD) technique. One of the potential PVD technique is thermal evaporation process. Generally, the technique is used to grow thin-film but researchers have found a potential to be used in the growth of nanostructures due to the ability to provide high crystallinity with homogeneous and uniform nanostructures. This analysis will therefore explore more about the thermal evaporation synthesized ZnO nanostructures and the application as photocatalyst material in wastewater treatment.
The Anti-Inflammatory Immune Response in Early Trichinella spiralis Intestinal Infection Depends on Serine Protease Inhibitor–Mediated Alternative Activation of Macrophages
Authors: Xu Ning , Bai Xue , Liu Yan , Yang Yaming , Tang Bin , Shi Hai Ning , Vallee Isabelle , Boireau Pascal , Liu Xiaolei , Liu Mingyuan
Published: February 2021

Trichinella spiralis is recognized for its ability to regulate host immune responses via excretory/secretory (ES) products. Serine protease inhibitors (serpins) play an important role in ES product-mediated immunoregulatory effects during T. spiralis infection. In this study, the immunoregulatory properties of a serpin derived from T. spiralis (Ts-serpin) were explored in BALB/c mice. The results showed that naturally occurring Ts-serpin was detected in the stichosomes of muscle larvae and adult worms. Moreover, enhancing (by injection of a soluble-expressed recombinant Ts-serpin [rTs-serpin]) or blocking (by passive immunization with anti–rTs-serpin serum) the effects of Ts-serpin changed the levels of cytokines related to inflammation induced by T. spiralis infection in the serum, mesenteric lymph nodes, and peritoneal cavity, which then led to a change in the adult worm burden in early T. spiralis infection. Moreover, the phenotypic changes in peritoneal macrophages were found to be related to Ts-serpin–mediated immunoregulation. Furthermore, a STAT6 activation mechanism independent of IL-4Rα has been found to regulate protein-mediated alternative activation of bone marrow–derived macrophages and mimic the immunoregulatory role of Ts-serpin in T. spiralis infection. Finally, the anti-inflammatory properties of rTs-serpin and bone marrow–derived macrophage alternative activation by rTs-serpin were demonstrated using a trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid–induced inflammatory bowel disease model. In summary, a protein-triggered anti-inflammatory mechanism was found to favor the survival of T. spiralis in the early stage of infection and help to elucidate the immunoregulatory effects of T. spiralis on the host immune response.
Factors Associated with Schistosoma mansoni Infestation in Northeast Brazil: A Need to Revisit Individual and Community Risk Factors
Authors: Bezerra Danielle V. F. , Queiroz José W. , Câmara Victor A. V. , Maciel Bruna L. L. , Nascimento Eliana L. T. , Jerônimo Selma M. B.
Published: February 2021

In Brazil, schistosomiasis continues to be an important health issue. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with Schistosoma mansoni infestation. A cross-sectional study was performed to assess factors associated with S. mansoni endemicity in a municipality in Northeast Brazil with a history of reporting schistosomiasis. Participants were divided into four groups: 1) new S. mansoni cases (n = 44), 2) past history of S. mansoni treatment (n = 78), 3) immediate neighbors (n = 158), and 4) nearby controls (n = 35). Multiple comparisons analysis was performed. Subjects had a mean of 6.6 ± 3.9 years of education, and no difference was observed regarding family income (one-way analysis of variance, P = 0.215). A total of 95.9% of the individuals had rudimentary cesspit as sanitary wastewater. The mean body mass index was 28.3 ± 5.1, with 41.0% and 24.1% overweight and obesity, respectively. Of note, 28.9% of adults had hypertension. Hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin were higher in the recent S. mansoni treated group (Wilks’ lambda, P < 0.001). Male gender was more prevalent in new S. mansoni cases (likelihood ratio, P < 0.001), close proximity to water collections was a risk for S. mansoni infestation (likelihood ratio, P < 0.001), and a better hematological status was observed in individuals recently treated with praziquantel. This study indicates the need to maintain surveillance for S. mansoni in low-transmission areas and the need to establish community-based interventions to control transmission.
The Barolo Palace: Medieval Astronomy in the Streets of Buenos Aires
Authors: Gangui Alejandro
Published: February 2021

Cultural heritage relating to the sky in the form of sundials, old observatories and the like, are commonly found in many cities in the Old World, but rarely in the New. This paper examines astronomical heritage embodied in the Barolo Palace in Buenos Aires. While references to Dante Alighieri and his poetry are scattered in streets, buildings and monuments around the Western world, in the city of Buenos Aires, the only street carrying Dante’s name is less than three blocks long and, appropriately, is a continuation of Virgilio street. A couple of Italian immigrants—a wealthy businessman, Luis Barolo, and an imaginative architect, Mario Palanti—foresaw this situation nearly a century ago, and did not save any efforts or money with the aim of getting Dante and his cosmology an appropriate monumental recognition, in reinforced concrete. The Barolo Palace is a unique combination of both astronomy and the worldview displayed in the Divine Comedy, Dante’s poetic masterpiece. It is known that the Palace’s design was inspired by the great poet, but the details are not recorded; this paper relies on Dante’s text to consider whether it may add to our understanding of the building. Although the links of the Palace’s main architectural structure with the three realms of the Comedy have been studied in the past, its unique astronomical flavor has not been sufficiently emphasized. The word of God, as interpreted by the Fathers of the Church in Sacred Scripture, Aristotle’s physics and Ptolemy’s astronomy, all beautifully converge in Dante’s verses, and the Barolo Palace reflects this.
Educación, deporte y socialización en Costa Rica 1933-1949
Authors: Urbina Gaitán Chester Rodolfo
Published: February 2021

Este artículo aborda dos objetivos: estudiar el papel del Estado costarricense en la promoción del deporte ‒excepto el fútbol‒ por medio del sistema educativo entre los años de 1933 a 1949, y, valorar el papel de las prácticas deportivas en la socialización de niños y jóvenes de Costa Rica durante el mismo período de estudio. La pobreza de la hacienda pública, las crisis económicas, el alto índice de deserción, la polarización política y la Guerra Civil de 1948, influyeron en la escasez de instalaciones deportivas adecuadas y el suficiente número de maestros de educación física en Costa Rica entre 1933 y 1949. Esto hizo que la enseñanza y práctica del atletismo, boxeo, ciclismo, natación, gimnasia, softball, beisbol, baloncesto y voleibol solo estuviera al alcance de niños y jóvenes que estudiaban en los principales centros educativos del Valle Central. Por otra parte, algunos de los implementos para practicar estos deportes no estaban al alcance de los estudiantes proveniente de los sectores populares, por lo que no fueron parte importante de su socialización. Los objetivos propuestos se abordarán a través de la revisión de los principales periódicos de circulación nacional de la época.
“Cultura do queimado e do futebol” nas aulas de Educação Física: análise de uma experiência
Authors: Rodrigues Joana Helena Santos , Santos Letícia Agripina Batista , Silva Beatriz Barreto e , Mezzaroba Cristiano
Published: February 2021

O presente artigo tem a intenção de apresentar uma experiência de observação nas aulas de Educação Física (EF), ocorrida numa escola de rede pública estadual localizada na cidade de São Cristóvão (Sergipe, Brasil), procurando identificar conteúdos hegemônicos, de modo que se pôde chegar àquilo que denominamos como “Cultura do queimado e do futebol”, aqui entendidas como práticas hegemônicas observadas nas aulas de EF, analisando-as em relação às suas limitações e potencialidades quanto às experiências da cultura corporal de movimento nas aulas deste componente curricular para os anos finais do ensino fundamental. Analisamos criticamente esses dois conteúdos e identificamos como práticas escolares podem restringir as possibilidades de acesso, conhecimento e experiência prática no contexto formativo. A presente pesquisa demonstrou que apesar de perceber um movimento de ruptura com uma perspectiva de hegemonia esportiva, ainda é possível verificar a existência de aulas de EF que se limitam a determinadas práticas corporais, não oportunizando ao aluno a experimentação das diversas possibilidades da cultura corporal de movimento. Diante disso, como acadêmicas(os) em formação, temos o desafio de promovermos mudanças significativas nesta realidade que, por ser um construto cultural, é passível de modificações e ressignificações.
Rendimiento en el lanzamiento del martillo en atletas de la provincia de Chimborazo
Authors: Santillán Obregón Rodrigo Roberto , Obregón Vite Grace Amparo , Santillán Altamirano Humberto Rodrigo , Vásquez Cáceres Marcelo Geovanny
Published: February 2021

Introducción: El rendimiento técnico se relaciona con la eficacia de un sistema deportivo, el cual requiere de un estudio constante que sirva de base para la toma de decisiones relacionadas con el proceso de dirección. Objetivo: determinar la evolución del rendimiento en el lanzamiento del martillo en atletas de la Provincia de Chimborazo. Método: Investigación descriptiva-analítica, estudiando a la población de lanzadores del martillo de la provincia de Chimborazo (28 atletas: ambos géneros) en todas las categorías de formación existentes (Menores, Pre-juvenil, Juvenil y Senior), evaluando en tres momentos del macrociclo la marca máxima alcanzada (periodo marzo-agosto 2012) mediante un test de lanzamiento. Resultados: La evaluación de los lanzamientos durante el macrociclo fue satisfactoria, existiendo un incremento paulatino en los resultados en las tres pruebas aplicadas, siendo significativo el rendimiento en la categoría Menores (p=0,000), la categoría Pre-juvenil (p=0,000) y la categoría Juvenil (p=0,007). Conclusiones: Se verificó un incremento significativo de las marcas, superándose la distancia final en relación a la primera evaluación.
Notas de Jurisprudencia.-Tribunal Supremo.
Authors: Gamero Casado Eduardo
Published: February 2021

SUMARIO:

I. ACTO ADMINISTRATIVO

II. ADMINISTRACIÓN LOCAL

III. ADMINISTRACIÓN PÚBLICA

IV. BIENES PÚBLICOS

VI. CONTRATOS

VIII.CULTURA, EDUCACIÓN, PATRIMONIO HISTÓRICO

IX. DERECHO ADMINISTRATIVO ECONÓMICO

X. DERECHO ADMINISTRATIVO SANCIONADOR

XI. DERECHOS FUNDAMENTALES Y LIBERTADES

XIII. FUENTES

XIV. HACIENDA PÚBLICA

XV. JURISDICCIÓN CONTENCIOSO-ADMINISTRATIVA

XVI. MEDIO AMBIENTE

XVIII. PERSONAL

XIX. PROCEDIMIENTO ADMINISTRATIVO

XX. RESPONSABILIDAD PATRIMONIAL.
Notas de Jurisprudencia.-Tribunal Superior de Andalucía
Authors: Rivero Ysern José Luis
Published: February 2021

SUMARIO:

III. BIENES PÚBLICOS

IX. DERECHO ADMINISTRATIVO ECONÓMICO

XIV. HACIENDA PÚBLICA. TEAR.

XVIII. PERSONAL
La Inicitiva Legislativa Popular supera el trámite de la toma en Consideración
Authors: Vázquez Alonso Víctor Javier
Published: February 2021

El Parlamento Andaluz, con la intención de revitalizar la institución, modificó el régimen de la iniciativa legislativa popular a través de la aprobación de la Ley 8/2011, de 5 de diciembre, de modificación de la Ley 5/1988, de 17 de octubre, de Iniciativa Legislativa Popular y de los Ayuntamientos (BOPA núm. 795, de 1 de diciembre de 2011), una modificación que ha coincidido con el incremento de estas iniciativas, mas no con el éxito de las mismas. En cualquier caso, como hemos podido ver con otras instituciones de derecho parlamentario, era de esperar que la radical transformación acaecida en el sistema de partidos andaluz, tuviera también consecuencias en la dinámica de esta institución, y, en definitiva, que se dieran las circunstancias para que alguna de las iniciativas planteadas supere el hasta ahora inquebrantable techo de la toma en consideración. Pues bien, ese momento ha llegado con la toma en consideración, favorable en este caso, de la ILP relativa a aplicación del sistema de concurso, consistente únicamente en la valoración de méritos, que regirá en la convocatoria de procesos selectivos para la definitiva estabilización del empleo público temporal en la Junta de Andalucía, de funcionarios interinos en la Administración General, Administración de Justicia y Administración Educativa, así como del personal eventual de la Administración Sanitaria, a tenor del artículo 61.6 del Real Decreto Legislativo 5/2015, de 30 de octubre, por el que se aprueba el Texto Refundido de la Ley del Estatuto Básico del Empleado Público.
Reseña de las Disposiciones de las Comunidades Europeas
Authors: Millán Moro Lucia
Published: February 2021

SUMARIO:

I. ASUNTOS GENERALES, FINANCIEROS E INSTITUCIONALES. 

II. UNIÓN ADUANERA, LIBRE CIRCULACIÓN DE MERCANCÍAS Y POLÍTICA COMERCIAL

III. POLÍTICA AGRÍCOLA

IV. POLÍTICA PESQUERA

V. LIBRE CIRCULACION DE LOS TRABAJADORES, POLÍTICA SOCIAL Y DE EMPLEO

VI. DERECHO DE ESTABLECIMIENTO Y LIBRE PRESTACIÓN DE SERVICIOS

VII. POLÍTICA DE TRANSPORTES

VIII. POLÍTICA DE LA COMPETENCIA

IX. FISCALIDAD

X. POLÍTICA ECONOMICA Y MONETARIA Y LIBRE CIRCULACIÓN DE CAPITALES

XI. RELACIONES EXTERIORES Y COOPERACIÓN AL DESARROLLO

XII. ENERGÍA

XIII. POLÍTICA INDUSTRIAL Y MERCADO INTERIOR

XIV. POLÍTICA REGIONAL, COORDINACIÓN DE LOS INSTRUMENTOS ESTRUCTURALES Y REDES TRANSEUROPEAS

XV. PROTECCIÓN DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE, DEL CONSUMIDOR Y DE LA SALUD

XVI. INFORMACIÓN, EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA Y DEPORTE, POLÍTICA DE LA JUVENTUD

XVII. CIENCIA, INVESTIGACIÓN Y DESARROLLO TECNOLÓGICO Y ESPACIO, PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL E INDUSTRIAL.

XVIII. DERECHO DE EMPRESAS

XIX. CIUDADANÍA DE LA UNIÓN Y PROTECCIÓN DE DERECHOS FUNDAMENTALES

XX. POLÍTICA EXTERIOR Y DE SEGURIDAD COMÚN

XXI. ESPACIO DE LIBERTAD, SEGURIDAD Y JUSTICIA