The Turkish Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Physics Problem-Solving Abilities

The purpose of this study was to identify the the factors that influenced pre-service teachers' perceptions of their abilities to solve structured physics problems. 1185 pre-service teachers from different disciplines, enrolled in physics courses in one Turkish University from 2008 to 2017 participated in a descriptive survey. The factors influencing the pre-service r physics problem-solving abilities, ranking from most to least, were as follows:  personal characteristics; quality of secondary or university physics teaching; secondary school physics education, and physics learning environment.  The study implies the need for: (i) equal opportunities; (ii) knowledge integration; and (iii) learning affordances, which are relevant not only to Turkey but also to worldwide physics education

Effects of Home-school Partnerships on the Academic Performance of Urban and Rural Junior Secondary School Students

The analyses of factors in the disparity between urban and rural compulsory education are beneficial for developing a more balanced and high-quality education, improving social mobility of rural youngsters, and halting intergenerational transmission of poverty among rural families. It is well acknowledged that family capital is the most significant contributing factor in the academic performance gap between urban and rural students, outweighing school resources, particularly the quality of teachers. This study is a discourse on the two forms of home-school partnership, namely, the family-school communication and parental voluntary participation in school activities as well as their effects on the academic achievements of urban and rural middle school students

Sports and Alzheimer’s Disease: The Role of Physical Activity in Cognition Health

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an advancing neurodegenerative condition distinguished by a gradual deterioration of cognitive functions, including memory impairment and diminished functional capabilities. The issue presents a substantial global public health concern, as there is a growing prevalence of affected persons annually. In the pursuit of innovative strategies to delay or mitigate the beginning of AD, scholars have turned their attention to the exploration of physical activity as a potentially fruitful area of study. This review aims to investigate the correlation between engagement in sports activities and the development of AD. It will analyze the potential advantages of physical exercise on cognitive well-being and discuss the significance of these findings for strategies related to the prevention and treatment of the disease. We integrate data derived from epidemiological investigations, clinical trials, and neuroscientific inquiries, thereby emphasizing the existing body of knowledge in this pivotal domain

Development an Achievement Test on the Subject of “Basic Compounds in the Structure of Living Things”

The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable achievement test on the subject of ‘Basic Compounds in the Structure of Living Things’. During the preparation of the draft form of the test, a 32 item-question pool was created by the researchers in the light of the relevant literature. Then, these questions were presented to expert opinion in terms of language, intelligibility and content. This draft test with 32 multiple choice questions, was applied to 252 students studying at three different high schools. Item difficulty and item discrimination indices were calculated for the data obtained. After the item analysis, seven questions were removed from the test. Thus, the average item difficulty of the 25-question achievement test was calculated as 0.44, and the average item discrimination was 0.44. The KR-20 reliability coefficient of the test was calculated as 0.75. This result shows that the test is of medium difficulty and excellent discriminative reliability. In addition, according to the revised Bloom taxonomy, seven of the questions in the test are at the level of remembering, fifteen at the level of understanding, two at the level of application and one at the level of evaluation

Clinical Characteristics and Detection of Polymerase Epsilon Mutant Endometrial Carcinoma

Polymerase Epsilon (POLE)-mutant endometrial cancer accounts for 7%-12% of endometrial cancer molecular types, and most of these patients are early-stage endometrioid carcinoma. Although POLE-mutant endometrial cancer has some unfavorable pathological features such as being poorly differentiated, the overall prognosis is good, and postoperative adjuvant treatment may be considered for de-escalation. POLE-mutant endometrial cancer is relatively less sensitive to postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but because of its ultra-high tumor mutation load, recurrent or advanced patients are expected to benefit from programmed cell death receptor 1 (PCDR1) blockade therapy. This review will discuss the clinical features of POLE-mutated endometrial carcinoma and the progress made in the detection of POLE gene mutations

A Comparison of Genetic versus Non-Genetic Contribution of Serotonin to Suicide

Suicide is a complex and multifaceted public health issue that has been intensively studied to identify its contributing factors. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter essential for affective regulation and mood control, has been linked to suicidal propensity. Understanding the relative contribution of serotonin’s genetic versus non-genetic influences is essential for the development of effective preventive measures, given that the etiology of suicide involves both genetic and non-genetic factors. This review seeks to compare the influence of genetic and non-genetic factors on the association between serotonin and suicide risk. Examining serotonin-related gene polymorphisms, with a focus on the serotonin transporter gene, the serotonin receptor 1A, and the serotonin receptor 2A, genetic contributions are investigated. This review emphasizes the complex interplay between genetic and non-genetic contributions to serotonin’s role in suicide by synthesizing existing literature. Understanding these complex interactions can provide a comprehensive framework for targeted interventions and individualized methods of suicide prevention and mental health promotion. Future research should incorporate large-scale genetic studies, genetic and non-genetic interaction analyses, and longitudinal designs in order to further elucidate the complex relationship between serotonin and suicide risk

Tree-Mining: Understanding Applications and Challenges

Tree-mining is an essential system of techniques and software technologies for multi-level and multi-angled operations in databases. Pertaining to the purview of this manuscript, several applications of various sub-techniques of tree mining have been explored. The current write-up is aimed at investigating the major applications and challenges of different types and techniques of tree mining, as there have been patchy and scanty investigations so far in this context. To accomplish these tasks, the author has reviewed some of the latest and most pertinent research articles of the last two decades to investigate the titled aspects of this technique

Practical Validation of the ICAP Theory in China: Holistic Module Learning in the Shandong 271 Education Group

ICAP is one of the most impactful theories in the international community of cognitive and learning science. ICAP research focuses on active learning and student engagement with high applicability and guiding value. In the context of the reform of curricula and instruction in China, this article seeks to pinpoint the commonalities between the ICAP theory and the rationale underlying the holistic module learning model prevalent in schools at Shandong 217 Education Group to verify the practicality of applying the theory to Chinese education

3D Printing Model Optimization

The instantiation of 3D models has become much more convenient attributable to the development of 3D printing technology, but processing digital geometry now faces new difficulties. The model optimization inspired by 3D printing is summarized in this paper from the two processes of model creation and printing in order to be able to print out models that have accomplished some defined functionalities

Evaluation of Science Teachers’ Exam and High School Entrance Exam Science Questions Based on the Revised Bloom Taxonomy

This study aims to evaluate exam questions set by science teachers for eighth grade students and science questions from a central high school entrance exam (HSEE) according to the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT). In this study, document analysis technique was employed, as one of the recognized methods of qualitative research. The HSEE science questions and the teacher-prepared exam questions were evaluated separately in the dimensions of knowledge and cognitive process, and the frequency and percentage distribution of the questions were examined according to the RBT. The science teachers’ exam questions were found to be the most suitable for factual knowledge in the RBT knowledge dimension, and the most appropriate for the remembering and understanding levels of the cognitive process dimension. It was determined that the HSEE science questions were the most suitable for conceptual and procedural types of knowledge in the RBT knowledge dimension, and for the understanding and analyzing levels in the cognitive process dimension. Both the questions prepared by teachers and the HSEE science questions were not homogeneously distributed in terms of the RBT. It was determined that while the science teachers’ exam questions were at the lower level of the cognitive process, the HSEE science questions were at a level higher than those prepared by the teachers