Elementary school students’ perceptions about nature of scientific knowledge and some pseudoscientific ideas

In early childhood, people develop some beliefs that can affect the whole lives. Developing pseudoscientific beliefs can cause differences on child’s nature of scientific knowledge. Giving importance on prevent gaining pseudoscientific knowledge may help qualified lifelong learning abilities. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the elementary school students’ nature of scientific knowledge and views about some common pseudoscientific ideas. Also some variables’ impacts on data collection tool scores were searched, too. The study was conducted on 2014-2015 educational year with 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade elementary school students. In the study, Nature of Scientific Knowledge Scale (NSKS) and eight statements were used to collect data. The aim of these eight statements was to figure out students’ pseudoscientific ideas about evolution and nature of science. SPSS 20.00 programme was used to analyze data. It was found that girls’ total scale scores were found higher than boys’ total scores.  Girls’ amoral, parsimonious, testable and unified sub-dimension scores were also found higher than boys’ scores. 7th grade students showed higher total scale scores than the other grade students. Also, it was seen that 7th grade students have more sophisticated knowledge about evolution than the nature of science features. At the end of the study the findings were discussed according to literature and some suggestions were given

Fragility Analysis of Atmospheric Storage Tanks by Observational and Analytical Data

In this research, seismic fragility analysis of storage tanks is carried out with a large damage database from past earthquakes and analytical studies. At the fragility analysis, a new damage state has been defined. Peak ground acceleration is employed as an intensity measure. Epistemic and aleatory uncertainties are considered. At the observational fragility analysis, logit, probit and cumulative lognormal model and maximum likelihood method are utilized. In this research, Finite Element Analysis is also performed. As a result, new seismic fragility curves for storage tanks obtained and compared with the existing tank fragility curves in the literature

Second Life Ortamında Altı Şapka Düşünme Tekniğinin Dil Öğretimi Sürecine Katkısı

The use of 3D virtual worlds for instruction allows educators to design synchronous instruction to students around the world. In such learning environments, students being in virtual bodies and assuming roles in virtual identities perform instructional tasks successfully which are more challenging to realize in a traditional classroom. The aim of this study is to explain the roles of the teacher, students and the social environment, and to discuss the consequences of the instruction in terms of the instructional method and the effect of the three dimensional virtual environment during a foreign language activity. The study group was chosen among students attending two Anatolian High Schools in Izmir in 2010-2011 Fall semester. The activity was conducted with 12 students, six of whom are from each school. The research method is the case study, one of the qualitative research methodologies. The data was collected through interviews, observation and dairy, and the content analysis was performed. This study presents how to design an instructional foreign language activity by using six thinking hats technique in Second Life environment. Owing to the six thinking hats technique used in Second Life, students go through an active thinking process, and search the ways to find strong evidence in order to support their ideasÖğretimde üç boyutlu sanal dünyaların kullanılması eğitimcilere dünyanın farklı bölgelerinde yaşayan öğrenciler için eşzamanlı gerçekleşebilecek öğretim sunma olanağı sağlar. Bu ortamda öğrenciler sanal bir kimlik ve beden içerisine girerek gerçek hayatta sınıf ortamında gerçekleşmesi daha zor olan öğretimsel etkinlikleri başarıyla yürütebilirler. Bu araştırmada, Second Life ortamında altı şapkalı düşünme tekniğini kullanarak tasarlanan yabancı dilde öğretim etkinliğinde, öğrenci, öğretmen ve sosyal çevre açısından ortaya çıkan rolleri ortaya çıkartmak amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma grubu, 2010 - 2011 öğretim yılı güz döneminde İzmir’de bulunan iki anadolu lisesinde öğrenim görmekte olan öğrenciler arasından belirlenmiştir. Her okuldan altışar öğrencinin katılımıyla toplam 12 öğrenci ile etkinlik gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanın yöntemi nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışmasıdır. Görüşme, gözlem ve günlük tutma yoluyla veri toplanarak içerik analizi yapılmıştır. Bu araştırmada, Second Life ortamında altı şapkalı düşünme tekniğinin yabancı dil öğretimi için nasıl tasarlandığı ayrıntılı olarak sunulmuştur. Second Life ortamında kullanılan altı şapkalı düşünme tekniği sayesinde, öğrenciler kendilerine verilen şapka türüne göre aktif olarak düşünme süreci yaşamışlar ve bir düşünceyi savunmak için güçlü kanıtlar elde etmenin yollarını araştırmışlardır

Production of barite and boroncarbide doped radiation shielding polymer composite panels

Developments in nuclear technology in the last century have lead to the use of radiation in different areas of human activity. These are not just the energetics but also food, agriculture, medicine, industry and science. Thus, radiation has become an inevitable phenomenon in our lives. Since we cannot isolate radiation from our life, the radiation protection methods should be available. As alternatives to conventional radiation prevention methods, such as lead and heavy concrete shielding, more functional materials need to become the focus of research. The development of the least harmful to the environment, easily applicable, flexible radiation shields has become very important. In this study, silicon matrix composite panels, doped with different ratios of barite and boron carbide, were produced and characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Gamma and neutron radiation shielding properties of these materials were investigated. The results have been compared with the lead as the standard shielding material

Transformación digital para una gestión de proyectos eficiente a distancia

The global crisis forced more than half of humanity into social isolation, causing Digital Transformation (DT) and Industrialization 4.0 to accelerate in organizations. We have reached a tipping point as this process will continue beyond the end of confinement.In this presentation we will review how to materialize digital project management best practices to overcome the challenges of the changing ecosystem, optimizing our management of remote human capital effectively.In a first part, we will analyze, from a theoretical perspective, how digital transformation helps in the management of the triple constraint in situations of distancing and optimizes the effort needed in process groups to obtain an efficient organization.In a second stage we will look at the cases of the company ARPL and the institution SENACE. On the one hand, we will explore how this engineering company of the cement company UNACEM controls the budgeted hours; on the other hand, we will see how this public institution, attached to the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, meets the deadlines established by the national regulation without exceeding its resource capacity.La crisis mundial obligó a más de la mitad de la humanidad a un aislamiento social, provocando que la transformación digital (TD) y la Industrialización 4.0 se vean aceleradas en las organizaciones. Hemos llegado a un punto de inflexión ya que este proceso continuará más allá del fin del confinamiento.En esta presentación revisaremos cómo materializar las buenas prácticas digitales de gestión de proyectos para superar los retos del cambiante ecosistema, optimizando nuestro manejo del capital humano a distancia de manera efectiva.En una primera parte, analizaremos, desde una perspectiva teórica, cómo la transformación digital ayuda en el manejo de la triple restricción en situaciones de distanciamiento y optimiza el esfuerzo necesario en los grupos de procesos para obtener una organización eficiente.En una segunda etapa veremos los casos de la empresa ARPL y de la institución SENACE. Por un lado, se explorará cómo esta empresa de ingeniería de la cementera UNACEM controla las horas presupuestadas; por otro lado, veremos cómo esta institución pública, adscrita al Ministerio del Ambiente de Perú, cumple con los plazos establecidos por la regulación nacional sin exceder su capacidad de recursos

Preparation, characterization and antibacterial properties of silver nitrate doped modified nanofiber membranes

Son yıllarda, fonksiyonelleştirilmiş, elektro lif çekimi yöntemi ile hazırlanmış nanofiber membranlar ileantibakteriyel malzeme üretimi oldukça dikkat çekmektedir. Modifiye edilmiş nanofiber membranlarınüretiminde polimerik materyaller ile nanopartiküllerin kombinasyonu gerçekleştirilmektedir. Ag, Cu, Ce,ZnO ve TiO2 gibi birçok nanopartikülün kullanımı artmış ve antibakteriyel aktiviteleri üzerine çalışmalarıhız kazanmıştır. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmada, elektro lif çekimi tekniği kullanılarak poliviniliden florür(PVDF) destek tabakası üzerine gümüş nitrat ilavesi ile modifiye nanofiber membranlar hazırlanmıştır.Kitosan (CS), polivinil alkol (PVA), polivinil prolidon (PVP) ve TiO2 gibi kimyasallar bu membranlarınhazırlanmasında kullanılmıştır. Modifiye nanofiber membranların karakterizasyonu ise taramalıelektron mikroskobu (SEM), enerji dağılım X-ışınları spektroskopisi (EDS) ve atomik güç mikroskobu(AFM) teknikleri kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Karakterizasyon teknikleri, hazırlanan nanofibermembranların nano yapıda olduklarını kanıtlamıştır. Farklı miktarlarda AgNO3 içeren modifiyenanofiber membranların antibakteriyel özellikleri, seçilen E. coli (25922), S. aureus (ATCC 25923, ATCC6538) ve P. aeruginosa (ATCC 35032) bakterilerine karşı iki farklı metot kullanılarak (Agar disk difüzyonve yayma plak) test edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, modifiye nanofiber membranların antibakteriyelaktiviteleri, gümüş iyonlarının ilavesi ile tüm bakterilere karşı artmıştır.In recent years, production of antibacterial material using functionalized nanofiber membranes prepared by electro-spinning method has attracted much attention. In the production of modified nanofiber membranes, the combination of polymeric materials with nanoparticles has been performed. The use of many nanoparticles such as Ag, Cu, Ce, ZnO and TiO2 has increased and studies on their antibacterial activities have accelerated. Therefore, in this study, modified nanofiber membranes were prepared by adding silver nitrate on the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support layer using electrospinning technique. Chitosan (CS), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyvinyl prolidone (PVP) and TiO2 were used to prepare these membranes. Characterization of the modified nanofiber membranes was also performed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The characterization techniques have proven that the prepared nanofiber membranes are nano-structured. The antibacterial properties of modified nanofiber membranes containing different amounts of AgNO3 were tested against selected E. coli (25922), S. aureus (ATCC 25923, ATCC 6538) and P. aeruginosa (ATCC 35032) bacteria by using two different methods (Agar disc diffusion and Baird Parker agar plate). As a result, the antibacterial activities of modified nanofiber membranes increased against all bacteria with the addition of silver ions

Foreign language education in the Second Life: Student-teacher and context interaction

Bu çalışma üç boyutlu sanal ortamlardan biri olan ?Second Life? ortamında farklı öğretimsel yöntemler kullanılarak düzenlenen yabancı dil eğitiminde öğrenci, öğretmen ve ortam etkileşimine etki eden faktörleri ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamıştır. Araştırmanın öğrenci boyutunda katılımcılarını, 2010-2011 eğitim-öğretim yılının güz yarıyılında iki farklı orta öğretim okulunda 10. sınıfına devam eden toplam 12 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Bu öğrenciler, gönüllü öğrenciler arasından İngilizce dersi notları ve İngilizce ders öğretmenlerinin görüşleri alınarak belirlenmiştir. Araştırmanın öğretmen boyutunda katılımcılarını ise öğrencilerin daha önceden tanımadıkları iki İngilizce öğretmeni oluşturmuştur. Bu öğretmenlerin ortamdaki rolleri ise öğrencilere rehberlik etmek ve etkinliklerin uygulanmasını sağlamaktır._x000B_Çalışmanın yapısı gereği nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması benimsenmiştir. Öğrencilerin, İngilizce konuşmalarına yönelik üç farklı öğretimsel yöntem kullanılmıştır; inovasyon ile sunum yapma, altı şapkalı düşünme tekniği ile tartışma yapma ve rol oynama yöntemi ile diyalog kurma. Second Life ortamında bu yöntemlerin kullanılmasıyla yürütülen etkinliklerde öğrenci, öğretmen, sosyal ortam ve Second Life (medya) etkileşimini ortaya çıkartmak için öğrencilerle belli aralıklarla üç tane, öğretmenlerle ise çalışmanın sonunda bir yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme yapılmıştır. Veri toplama araçları olarak görüşme, Second Life ekran kayıtları ve gözlem formları kullanılmıştır. Görüşmeler bilgisayar ortamında dijital hale getirildikten sonra, tüm veriler içerik analizi yöntemi ile çözümlenmiş ve uygun tablolar ile şemalar oluşturularak yorumlanmıştır._x000B_Araştırma bulgularına göre; farklı öğretimsel yöntemler kullanılarak Second Life sanal ortamında düzenlenen yabancı dil eğitiminin öğrencilerin sosyal ortam içinde akranlarından öğrenmelerine, yabancı dil konuşma deneyimi yaşayıp kendilerine güvenlerinin ve öz-yeterlilik seviyelerinin artmasına ve toplum baskısından kurtulmalarına yarar sağladığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Ayrıca, Second Life sanal ortamı üç boyutlu gerçeğe yakın tasarımı ile öğrencilerin ilgilerini ve derse karşı motivasyonlarını arttırırken, avatarlar ile temsil edilme olanağı sayesinde ise öğrenciler arasındaki iletişimin etkili olmasını sağlamıştır. Bunun yanı sıra Second Life öğretim ortamında gerçekleşen araştırmada ortaya çıkan sınırlılıklar ayrıntılı olarak ele alınmış ve bu konuyla ilgili çalışma yapmayı düşünen araştırmacılara önerilerde bulunulmuştur The current study aims to determine factors affecting the interaction between student, teacher and environment which occurs in Second Life, one of the 3D virtual environments, used for foreign language education by employing three teaching methods. The sample is composed of 12 students attending 10th grade in two different secondary schools in the first term of the 2011-2012 academic year and 2 teachers of English to whom the students are not familiar at all. The participant students were chosen among the volunteers by considering the English course grades and teachers? opinions. The role of the teachers in this educational environment is to guide the students and apply the activities._x000B_Because of the nature of the study, case study which is one of the qualitative research methods is adopted. Three different teaching methods were employed for improving English speaking skills of the students. These methods are as follows: making a presentation using innovation, making a discussion using Six Thinking Hats and making dialogues using role-play. During the activities used in these methods, three semi-structured interviews were applied to the students periodically in order to reveal the interaction which occurred between the student and teacher in social environment and in Second Life (media) and a semi-structured interview was employed with the teachers at the end of the study. Therefore, data was collected via interviews, Second Life screen records and survey forms. After the interviews were digitalized, all data were analyzed by using content-analysis method and interpreted by appropriate tables and schemes._x000B_The results indicated that Second Life virtual media contributed to students? peer learning in a social environment organized for foreign language education in such a virtual environment, increasing their self-confidence and self-sufficiency owing to the the real experience of speaking a foreign language and helped them to get rid of social oppression. Besides, the Second Life virtual media with its real-like 3D design promoted interest and motivation of the students in course. At the end of the study, the limitations occurring during the study in Second Life teaching media are presented in detail and some suggestions are introduced for researchers who wish to study on this issue

Foreign Language Teaching Through The Six Thinking Hats Technique in Second Life

The use of 3D virtual worlds for instruction allows educators to design synchronous instruction to students around the world. In such learning environments, students being in virtual bodies and assuming roles in virtual identities perform instructional tasks successfully which are more challenging to realize in a traditional classroom. The aim of this study is to explain the roles of the teacher, students and the social environment, and to discuss the consequences of the instruction in terms of the instructional method and the effect of the three dimensional virtual environment during a foreign language activity. The study group was chosen among students attending two Anatolian High Schools in Izmir in 2010-2011 Fall semester. The activity was conducted with 12 students, six of whom are from each school. The research method is the case study, one of the qualitative research methodologies. The data was collected through interviews, observation and dairy, and the content analysis was performed. This study presents how to design an instructional foreign language activity by using six thinking hats technique in Second Life environment. Owing to the six thinking hats technique used in Second Life, students go through an active thinking process, and search the ways to find strong evidence in order to support their ideas