Sources of Science Teaching Self-Efficacy for Preservice Elementary Teachers in Science Content Courses

Self-efficacy beliefs play a major role in determining teachers’ science teaching practices and have been a topic of great interest in the area of preservice science teacher education. This qualitative study investigated factors that influenced preservice elementary teachers’ science teaching self-efficacy beliefs in a physical science content course. The primary data sources included Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B (STEBI-B) responses, two semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts. Analysis of STEBI-B data was used to select 18 participants with varying levels of self-efficacy beliefs: low, medium, and high. Four categories representing course-related factors contributing towards participants’ science teaching self-efficacy beliefs were found: (1) enhanced science conceptual understandings, (2) active learning experiences, (3) teaching strategies, and (4) instructor as a role model. While some course elements such as hands-on learning experiences and inquiry-based teaching strategies seemed to impact all groups positively, the low-group participants were particularly benefited from the ways in which science concepts were presented and the pace at which learning progressed. One implication from this study is that science educators could include elements within science content courses to potentially support preservice teachers with varied initial levels of science teaching self-efficacy

Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Science Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Science Content Knowledge

Self-efficacy beliefs that relate to teachers’ motivation and performance have been an important area of concern for preservice teacher education. Research suggests high-quality science coursework has the potential to shape preservice teachers’ science self-efficacy beliefs. However, there are few studies examining the relationship between science self-efficacy beliefs and science content knowledge. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to investigate changes in preservice teachers’ science self-efficacy beliefs and science content knowledge and the relationship between the two variables as they co-evolve in a specialized science content course. Results from pre- and post-course administrations of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B (Bleicher, 2004) and a physical science concept test along with semistructured interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts served as data sources for the study. The 18 participants belonged to three groups representing low, medium, and high initial levels of self-efficacy beliefs. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance design was used to test the significance of differences between the pre- and post-surveys across time. Results indicated statistically significant gains in participants’ science self-efficacy beliefs and science conceptual understandings. Additionally, a positive moderate relationship between gains in science conceptual understandings and gains in personal science teaching efficacy beliefs was found. Qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses indicated positive shifts in their science teacher self-image, and they credited their experiences in the course as sources of new levels of confidence to teach science. The study includes implications for preservice teacher education programs, science teacher education, and research

A case report of scar endometriosis with bladder endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition which occurs in 10-15% women of reproductive age group. It can occur in pelvic and extra pelvic regions like urinary tract, abdominal wall, nervous tract, gastrointestinal tract, nose, lungs, umbilicus and sciatic nerve tract.  Previous abdominal wall surgery can lead to scar endometriosis based on implantation theory which is very rare and this is hormone dependent. Here we are presenting a case of recurrent scar endometriosis along with bladder endometriosis which is extremely rare. The common cause for scar endometriosis is caesarean section and hysterotomy. Rarely it can occur following laparoscopy and amniocentesis. The diagnosis is based on the symptoms which are cyclical. USG and MRI can help in the pre-operative diagnosis and FNAC can confirm the diagnosis. Management of scar endometriosis is mainly wide excision of the lesion. Medical management can only be temporary. COCs, progesterone, dienogest and GnRH analogues are the drugs for medical management. Recurrence of scar endometriosis is also rare and association with bladder endometriosis is still rare. Malignant changes are almost less than 1%. This patient had scar endometriosis, bladder endometriosis and adenomyosis, fimbrial endometriosis and ovarian endometrioma. All were excised and post-operative suppression with GnRH was given for 3 months and LNG-IUS was inserted for prevention of recurrence as well as for management of adenomyosis

Organoleptic Study of Deacidified and Deodourised Palm Oil

Deficiency of vitamin A has long been identified as a serious and preventable nutritional disorder, associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity amongst children. The present study was conducted with the objectives (i) to perform organoleptic testing of food products cooked in Deacidified and Deodourised Palm oil (DDPO), by sensory evaluation method and (ii) to compare the characteristics of these food products with the same products cooled in routinely used oil. Eleven commonly used weaning food items were prepared with routinely used oil (Group a). The same recipes were also prepared with DDPO (Group B). A food testing panel conducted with sensory evaluation for assessing the acceptability of the various food items. It was observed that with respect to all characteristics there was no significant difference in the recipes made with the two types of oil. Results indicated that DDPO can be used in India for preparation of weaning foods which are routinely given to young children

Screening of salt tolerant endophytic bacteria with plant growth promoting characters isolated from Acanthus ilicifolius L., a species of mangrove ecosystem located at Corangi wildlife sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh

Mangroves harbour many beneficial microorganisms in their rhizosphere, phyllosphere and endophytically, which forms an ideal ecological habitation for isolating halotolerant endophytic bacteria with unique characteristics. Endophytes can produce numerous bioactive secondary metabolites and phytohormones, which may be directly or in some way beneficial to the host plant.   The present study aimed to identify novel endophytes capable of producing plant growth-promoting substances. The mangrove plants Acanthus ilicifolius L. at Corangi Wildlife Sanctuary were selected, and their leaves and roots were collected for endophyte isolation. Eight isolates from the leaves and roots were collected, purified and preserved. All these isolates were subjected to morphological, phenotypical and biochemical studies. Isolates were grown best at 3% NaCl nutrient agar and could tolerate salinity upto 8%NaCl. Most of them could grow upto 42°C. The majority were gram’s positive, motile, aerobic, rod-shaped and some were gram’s negative, rod-shaped organisms. Many of the endophytic organisms had the ability to synthesize Indole-3-acetic acid(IAA) varied from 0.7 µg/ml (AIL1) to 51.0 µg/ml (AIL2) and the highest phosphate solubilizing ability was recorded with AIR3 (3.71 ppm) followed by AIR4 (3.00 ppm) and lowest was recorded by AIL4 (1.80 ppm). Among total isolates, AIL2 (51µg/ml) showed promising potential in producing IAA and had phosphate solubilization ability. Based on 16S ribosomal RNA molecular method the isolate AIL2 was identified as Bacillus altitudinis. This is the first to report that B.altitudinis strain AIL2 isolated from A.ilicifolius L. could produce IAA, which can be used as a bioinoculant in agriculture and allied sector

Aggressive angiomyxoma

Angiomyxoma is a rare slow-growing, benign low-grade tumor occurring in women of reproductive age group which is known for its recurrence. The symptoms are variable. Mrs. K. aged 33 years, reached our outpatient department (OPD) with complaints of painless swelling on the right labial region which she was feeling uncomfortable while sitting. Mass was found to be mobile with no evidence of inflammatory change. The location of the mass made us think about, Bartholin’s cyst and hence surgical excision of the mass was done. The whole mass was found to be lying below the fat in the right labial region and wide excision was completed. The histopathology of the mass was reported as angiomyxoma. Angiomyxoma arises from the mesenchymal tissue and it is locally invasive with high recurrence rate. It is more common in females. Mostly seen in the vulvovaginal, pelvic cavity and perineum. The lesion can reach huge size. It has to be differentiated from gynecologic malignancies, cyst, abscess and hernia. Histology along with immune-histochemistry can confirm the lesion. Wide excision is the mode of treatment. Incomplete excision can lead to relapse. Relapse can happen in 35-72% of the cases. Local recurrence may occur between 2 months to 15 years following initial diagnosis. Hence, follow up is essential. Angiomyxoma is a very rare condition and only around 250 cases have been reported in the world literature. It has to be differentiated from other benign conditions. Diagnosed by non-invasive techniques like ultrasound sonography (USG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). Wide excision is the treatment of choice. Long term follow up is needed as recurrences are high

Isolation, screening, and characterization of plant growth enhancing endophytic bacteria from halophytic Heliotropium curassavicum L. collected from salt stress areas of Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh

Farmers use excessive chemical fertilizers to boost crop productivity to meet growing agricultural demands. However, this practice is costly and environmentally hazardous. Sustainable increase in crop yield can be achieved through alternatives like microbial-based fertilizers. In the quest to identify plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria, the present study was carried out and selected unexplored halophytic plant Heliotropium curassavicum L. Thirteen endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from both aerial and root portions of H.curassavicum. These isolates were tested for salt tolerance, enzyme production, and synthesis of growth-promoting secondary metabolites, like Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and phosphate solubilization . Most of the isolates belonged to the Bacillus family, exhibiting varying Gram staining and biochemical reactions. The majority are Gram-positive bacteria, non-motile, spore formers, and exist in two cells or chains. All isolates could tolerate up to 10% NaCl concentration and a temperature of 42°C. Based on phenotypic, bio-chemical characteristics, isolate HCR3 showed promising properties in synthesizing IAA and phosphate solubilization abilities. The isolate HCR3 grew well upto 10% NaCl concentration and also 42°C temperature. Based on molecular characterization by using 16S rRNA gene-based analysis HCR3 isolate was identified and belonged to the Genus Pseudomonas with the highest similarity index with Pseudomonas khazarica sp. HCR3 showed IAA production of 37µg ml-1, had a phosphate solubilization ability of 3.5 ppm, and recorded protease activity on gelatin medium. The findings highlight the potential of HCR3 and other strains from halophytic H. curassavicum L. to enhance plant growth through secondary bioactive metabolites, offering eco-friendly solutions for sustainable agriculture

A Review on Predictive Analysis for Diabetic Blood Glucose and Reductionof over fitting inDiabetes using Deep Learning Neural Network

In this research, a prediction system is developed for the illness of diabetes and dropout strategy is made use to minimize the issues of overfitting. The key idea is arbitrarily drop unit from neural network during preparing. Expectation of blood glucose levels Measured by continuous glucose observing gadgets, by utilizing clinical information. The certain rate of a patients in the data set take as a training data and test on the left-over portion of the patients, i.e., the machine need not re-calibrate on other patients in the data set

Expression of transforming growth factor ? and its correlation with lipodystrophy in oral submucous fibrosis: an immunohistochemical study

Objective: In our routine review of Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) biopsies, we observed decreased adipose tissue even though most are from buccal mucosa. Pathogenesis of OSMF has demonstrated the role of Transforming Growth Factor ? (TGF ?), in causing fibrosis. This study aims to correlate the role of TGF ? with loss of adipose tissue in OSMF. Study Design: From our archives, 84 OSMF cases (24 early and 60 advanced OSMF) were screened for adipose tissue. Immunoexpression of TGF ? in these cases were investigated. Results: Adipose tissue was seen in 67% of early OSMF and in 13% of advanced cases. Early cases showed more intense TGF ? staining of epithelium, fibroblast, macrophages and inflammatory cells than the advanced cases. Conclusion: These findings suggest that TGF ? plays a key role in causing lipodystrophy in OSMF and is secreted more during early course of the disease than in advanced stage

Study of the weights of human heart and liver in relation with age, gender and body height

Background: Normal weight of organ is one of the most important indicators to discern between normal and abnormal in the departments of Anatomy, Pathology also as in clinical medicine. Objective of the study was to examine the normal adult internal organ weights and their relationship with age, gender, body height.Methods: The present study included 100 autopsy cases from the mortuary of Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad from May 2012 to September 2013. The subjects were selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria to avoid variations arising out of pathology. The ages ranged from 10 to 60 years and out of which 29 were females and 71 were males. The organs studied were heart and liver.Results: The weight of organs with mean+standard deviation (SD) was represented for males and females respectively; heart 294+48 / 287+44gms, liver 1404 + 191/ 1283+ 169gms.Conclusions: A positive relationship was found between organ weight with age and body height in both males and females. Organ weights in males were comparatively higher than females