A path analysis study of school culture and teachers' organisational commitment

In this study, the direct and indirect relations between school culture and the organisational commitment of primary school teachers were analyzed. the subjects of the research consisted of primary school teachers who worked at a district in istanbul in the academic year 2007-2008. the sampling group was defined by the cluster sampling method. in total 200 teachers participated. two scales were used to collect data, the organisational commitment scale (ocs) and the school culture scale (scs). linear regression and path analysis were used to explain the influence of school culture on organisational commitment, and lisrel 7 was used as a structural equation model. the findings indicated that although there was a positive correlation between school culture and organisational commitment, the direct effect of school culture on organisational commitment was not meaningful

Do the effects of vitamin d supplementation on muscle strength differ according to age?

Introduction: Vitamin D plays an important role in musculoskeletal health and its use improves muscle strength. However, the effect of vitamin D use on muscle strength in women of different ages is yet to be investigated. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D use on muscle strength in women of different age groups and determine the differences of muscle strength gain between age groups. Materials and Method: Sixty-three women with calcidiol levels<30 ng/mL were randomly assigned and stratified by their age group as follows: Group I (aged 40–49 years), Group II (aged 50–59 years) and Group III (aged 60–69 years). Calcidiol levels, body mass index, fat free mass, percent fat, grip strength, arm curl, chair stand and isokinetic concentric flexor and extensor peak torque and power at 60°•s−1 and 180°•s−1 were assessed at baseline and six months after oral cholecalciferol supplementation. Results: Vitamin D supplementation caused significant improvement in body mass index, arm curl, grip strength and knee flexor and extensor peak torque and power at 60°•s−1 and 180°•s−1 in all groups (p<0.05). Knee flexor power at 60°•s−1 and extensor power at 180°•s−1 were significantly higher in group I than in group III (p<0.025). Conclusion: Muscle strength in response to vitamin D supplementation increased in all age groups, and isokinetic muscle power was the highest in the youngest age group studied. © 2018, Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved

Half-metallic silicon nanowires: First-principles calculations

From first-principles calculations, we predict that specific transition metal (TM) atom-adsorbed silicon nanowires have a half-metallic ground state. They are insulators for one spin direction, but show metallic properties for the opposite spin direction. At high coverage of TM atoms, ferromagnetic silicon nanowires become metallic for both spin directions with high magnetic moment and may have also significant spin polarization at the Fermi level. The spin-dependent electronic properties can be engineered by changing the type of adsorbed TM atoms, as well as the diameter of the nanowire. Present results are not only of scientific interest, but also can initiate new research on spintronic applications of silicon nanowires. © 2007 The American Physical Society

Mass flows, turbidity currents and other hydrodynamic consequences of small and moderate earthquakes in the Sea of Marmara

Earthquake-induced submarine slope destabilization is known to cause mass wasting and turbidity currents, but the hydrodynamic processes associated with these events remain poorly understood. Instrumental records are rare, and this notably limits our ability to interpret marine paleoseismological sedimentary records. An instrumented frame comprising a pressure recorder and a Doppler recording current meter deployed at the seafloor in the Sea of Marmara Central Basin recorded the consequences of a Mw 5.8 earthquake occurring on 26 September 2019 and of a Mw 4.7 foreshock 2 d before. The smaller event caused sediment resuspension and weak current (&lt;4 cm s−1) in the water column. The larger event triggered a complex response involving a debris flow and turbidity currents with variable velocities and orientations, which may have resulted from multiple slope failures. A long delay of 10 h is observed between the earthquake and the passing of the strongest turbidity current. The distance traveled by the sediment particles during the event is estimated to have extended over several kilometers, which could account for a local deposit on a sediment fan at the outlet of a canyon (where the instrument was located), but the sedimentation event did not likely cover the whole basin floor. We show that after a moderate earthquake, delayed turbidity current initiation may occur, possibly by ignition of a cloud of resuspended sediment.</p

The Conundrum of Low Achievement and Feedback for Learning

The literature on improving student engagement with assessment and feedback has a tendency to treat all students as if they are the same. Students with lower levels of attainment are generally underrepresented within empirical studies and their feedback behaviours are less well understood. The recent drive to improve student assessment and feedback literacy and the move from ‘feedback’ being information about a task to being a process of understanding and using performance information is a larger conceptual leap for some students than others. In this paper, we consider issues surrounding the transition to new modes of feedback, focusing on what is needed for those who find study difficult and persistently are disappointed by their levels of attainment, to benefit from and take advantage of our feedback pedagogies. We examine literature advocating strategies such as increasing agency, using praise, developing feedback literacy and cultivating a growth mind-set. We argue that students who underachieve may benefit from strong relationships with educators and peers; exposure to feedback rich, low stakes environments, which permit repeated integrations of practice and feedback and building feedback literacy through peer assessment activities

Molecular Characterization of a Strawberry FaASR Gene in Relation to Fruit Ripening

BACKGROUND: ABA-, stress- and ripening-induced (ASR) proteins have been reported to act as a downstream component involved in ABA signal transduction. Although much attention has been paid to the roles of ASR in plant development and stress responses, the mechanisms by which ABA regulate fruit ripening at the molecular level are not fully understood. In the present work, a strawberry ASR gene was isolated and characterized (FaASR), and a polyclonal antibody against FaASR protein was prepared. Furthermore, the effects of ABA, applied to two different developmental stages of strawberry, on fruit ripening and the expression of FaASR at transcriptional and translational levels were investigated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: FaASR, localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus, contained 193 amino acids and shared common features with other plant ASRs. It also functioned as a transcriptional activator in yeast with trans-activation activity in the N-terminus. During strawberry fruit development, endogenous ABA content, levels of FaASR mRNA and protein increased significantly at the initiation of ripening at a white (W) fruit developmental stage. More importantly, application of exogenous ABA to large green (LG) fruit and W fruit markedly increased endogenous ABA content, accelerated fruit ripening, and greatly enhanced the expression of FaASR transcripts and the accumulation of FaASR protein simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that FaASR may be involved in strawberry fruit ripening. The observed increase in endogenous ABA content, and enhanced FaASR expression at transcriptional and translational levels in response to ABA treatment might partially contribute to the acceleration of strawberry fruit ripening

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]