160 research outputs found
Teachers’ Professional Development for Inclusive Education, A perspective from Saudi (Mixed Methods Study)
This study explores teachers’ attitudes toward the availability of professional development for inclusive education in primary schools in Saudi Arabia. Teachers’ professional development is essential for implementing inclusive education and raising the quality of outcomes of the educational services. A sequential exploratory mixed methods approach was adopted in this research using questionnaires and interviews as tools of collecting the data. 331 teachers participated in the quantitative part of the research by completing the study survey and Nine teachers participated in the qualitative part of the research by being interviewed. Finding of this research revealed a lack of continues professional development programmes and training. It was reported that pre-service training was perceived as mostly theoretical with short course in practice which is in turn lead teachers to struggle with students in the schools. Similarly, in service training was perceived as insufficient
A review of Smart Contract Blockchain Based on Multi-Criteria Analysis: Challenges and Motivations
A smart contract is a digital program of transaction protocol (rules of
contract) based on the consensus architecture of blockchain. Smart contracts
with Blockchain are modern technologies that have gained enormous attention in
scientific and practical applications. A smart contract is the central aspect
of a blockchain that facilitates blockchain as a platform outside the
cryptocurrency spectrum. The development of blockchain technology, with a focus
on smart contracts, has advanced significantly in recent years. However
research on the smart contract idea has weaknesses in the implementation
sectors based on a decentralized network that shares an identical state. This
paper extensively reviews smart contracts based on multi criteria analysis
challenges and motivations. Therefore, implementing blockchain in
multi-criteria research is required to increase the efficiency of interaction
between users via supporting information exchange with high trust. Implementing
blockchain in the multi-criteria analysis is necessary to increase the
efficiency of interaction between users via supporting information exchange and
with high confidence, detecting malfunctioning, helping users with performance
issues, reaching a consensus, deploying distributed solutions and allocating
plans, tasks and joint missions. The smart contract with decision-making
performance, planning and execution improves the implementation based on
efficiency, sustainability and management.
Furthermore the uncertainty and supply chain performance lead to improved
users confidence in offering new solutions in exchange for problems in smart
contacts. Evaluation includes code analysis and performance while development
performance can be under development.Comment: Revie
Explore the risk perception and evaluate the effectiveness of competency-based intervention (CBI) on knowledge and lifestyle changes among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Characteristics and anticancer properties of Sunitinib malate-loaded poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles against human colon cancer HT-29 cells lines
Purpose: To develop poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) -based nanoparticles (NPs) for the delivery of sunitinib malate (STM) to colon cancer cells.Methods: Three different formulations (F1 – F3) were developed by nano-precipitation technique using various concentrations of PLGA. The NPs were evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, drug entrapment, and drug loading, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, in vitro drug release and anticancer studies were carried out on the formulations.Results: Among the three NPs, optimized NP (F3) of STM was chosen for in vitro anti-cancer study against H-29 human colon cancer cells lines based on its particle size (132.9 nm), PDI (0.115), zeta potential (-38.12 mV), entrapment efficiency (52.42 %), drug loading (5.24 %), and drug release (91.26 % in 48 h). A significant anti-cancer activity of the optimized NPs was observed, relative to free STM.Conclusion: These findings suggest that STM-loaded NPs possess significant anti-cancer activity against human colon cancer HT-29 cells lines.Keywords: Sunitinib malate, Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid, Nanoparticles, Colon cance
Optical and structural investigation of a 10 μm InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice on GaAs
We report on a 10 μm InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a GaAs substrate using an interfacial misfit (IMF) array and investigate the optical and structural properties in comparison with a T2SL grown on a GaSb substrate. The reference T2SL on GaSb is of high structural quality as evidenced in the high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurement. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the HRXRD peak of the T2SL on GaAs is 5 times larger than that on GaSb. The long-wave infrared (LWIR) emission spectra were analyzed, and the observed transitions were in good agreement with the calculated emission energies. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity maxima (Imax) of ∼10 μm at 77 K is significantly reduced by a factor of 8.5 on the GaAs substrate. The peak fitting analysis of the PL profile indicates the formation of sub-monolayer features at the interfaces. PL mapping highlights the non-uniformity of the T2SL on GaAs which corroborates with Nomarski imaging, suggesting an increase in defect density
Identification of Significant \u3cem\u3eE\u3c/em\u3e0 Strength in the 2\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e → 2\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e Transitions of \u3csup\u3e58,60,62\u3c/sup\u3eNi
The E0 transition strength in the 22+ → 21+ transitions of 58,60,62Ni have been determined for the first time following a series of measurements at the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Kentucky (UK). The CAESAR Compton-suppressed HPGe array and the Super-e solenoid at ANU were used to measure the δ(E2/M1) mixing ratio and internal conversion coefficient of each transition following inelastic proton scattering. Level half-lives, δ(E2/M1) mixing ratios and γ-ray branching ratios were measured at UK following inelastic neutron scattering. The new spectroscopic information was used to determine the E0 strengths. These are the first 2+ → 2+ E0 transition strengths measured in nuclei with spherical ground states and the E0 component is found to be unexpectedly large; in fact, these are amongst the largest E0 transition strengths in medium and heavy nuclei reported to date
Identification of significant strength in the transitions of Ni
The transition strength in the transitions of
Ni have been determined for the first time following a series of
measurements at the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of
Kentucky (UK). The CAESAR Compton-suppressed HPGe array and the Super-e
solenoid at ANU were used to measure the mixing ratio and
internal conversion coefficient of each transition following inelastic proton
scattering. Level half-lives, mixing ratios and -ray
branching ratios were measured at UK following inelastic neutron scattering.
The new spectroscopic information was used to determine the strengths.
These are the first transition strengths measured in
nuclei with spherical ground states and the component is found to be
unexpectedly large; in fact, these are amongst the largest transition
strengths in medium and heavy nuclei reported to date
The radiative width of the Hoyle state from -ray spectroscopy
The cascading 3.21 MeV and 4.44 MeV electric quadrupole transitions have been
observed from the Hoyle state at 7.65 MeV excitation energy in C,
excited by the C(p,p) reaction at 10.7 MeV proton energy.
From the proton-- triple coincidence data, a value of
was obtained for the
radiative branching ratio. Using our results, together with
from Eriksen et al., Phys. Rev. C 102, 024320
and the currently adopted values, the radiative width of the
Hoyle state is determined as eV. This
value is about 34% higher than the currently adopted value and will impact on
models of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Improved precision on the experimental E0 decay branching ratio of the Hoyle state
Stellar carbon synthesis occurs exclusively via the process, in
which three particles fuse to form C in the excited Hoyle
state, followed by electromagnetic decay to the ground state. The Hoyle state
is above the threshold, and the rate of stellar carbon production
depends on the radiative width of this state. The radiative width cannot be
measured directly, and must instead be deduced by combining three separately
measured quantities. One of these quantities is the decay branching ratio
of the Hoyle state, and the current \% uncertainty on the radiative width
stems mainly from the uncertainty on this ratio. The branching ratio was
deduced from a series of pair conversion measurements of the and
transitions depopulating the Hoyle state and state in C,
respectively. The excited states were populated by the C
reaction at 10.5 MeV beam energy, and the pairs were detected with the
electron-positron pair spectrometer, Super-e, at the Australian National
University. The deduced branching ratio required knowledge of the proton
population of the two states, as well as the alignment of the state in
the reaction. For this purpose, proton scattering and -ray angular
distribution experiments were also performed. An branching ratio of
was deduced in the current work,
and an adopted value of is
recommended based on a weighted average of previous literature values and the
new result. The new recommended value for the branching ratio is about 14%
larger than the previous adopted value of
, while the uncertainty has been
reduced from 9% to 5%.Comment: Accepted for publication as a Regular Article in Phys. Rev. C on July
29 202
Does advancing male age influence the expression levels and localisation patterns of phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) in human sperm?
Socio-economic factors have led to an increasing trend for couples to delay parenthood. However, advancing age exerts detrimental effects upon gametes which can have serious consequences upon embryo viability. While such effects are well documented for the oocyte, relatively little is known with regard to the sperm. One fundamental role of sperm is to activate the oocyte at fertilisation, a process initiated by phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ), a sperm-specific protein. While PLCζ deficiency can lead to oocyte activation deficiency and infertility, it is currently unknown whether the expression or function of PLCζ is compromised by advancing male age. Here, we evaluate sperm motility and the proportion of sperm expressing PLCζ in 71 males (22–54 years; 44 fertile controls and 27 infertile patients), along with total levels and localisation patterns of PLCζ within the sperm head. Three different statistical approaches were deployed with male age considered both as a categorical and a continuous factor. While progressive motility was negatively correlated with male age, all three statistical models concurred that no PLCζ–related parameter was associated with male age, suggesting that advancing male age is unlikely to cause problems in terms of the sperm’s fundamental ability to activate an oocyt
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