Educational research: Reviewing the literature

As educators, we are often concerned with maximising learning experiences and in exploring or understanding the factors that may contribute to successful educational endeavours. Much of this may transcend into educational research, in which the literature review will be the essential component in clarifying what is already known about the topicand in documenting any unanswered questions to take the research forward. This process will often scope concepts and theories, research methods and strategies, significant controversies, and inconsistencies in findings related to the area. The literature review is the informative, evaluative and critical synthesis of a particular topic and provides readers with a clear picture of the subject and its associated range of perspectives and opposing views. In most cases, they are invaluable to readers because they collect evidence from a variety of sources that is evaluated and synthesised into a readable format.This paper provides a narrative overview of the concepts and practices of literature searching for new educational researchers within physical sciences. A guidance checklist to searching the literature and a list of suggested publication outlets is also listed

Epistemological beliefs and intellectual development in the physical sciences

Much research has been documented on the stage of students‟ intellectual and epistemological development during their studies and upon course completion. To a large extent, the literature suggests that promoting students through the intellectual framework is a desirable feat. Indeed, students graduating from university at the more developed stages of intellectual and epistemological sophistication are better equipped to synthesise, evaluate, organise and cross reference knowledge into different domains.In this review, modes of epistemological beliefs will be discussed as sources of valuable information to departments about the quality and nature of students‟ perceptions of learning and teaching. The results of recent research in epistemological and intellectual development will also be discussed; this perhaps being a mechanism to inform learning and teaching practices within the physical sciences

RUTIN RESTORE BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND BETATROPHIN LEVEL IN STZ-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with long-term damage, dysfunction, of various organs. Study aims to assessrole of rutin on experimentally induced diabetes. Methods: 50 adult male albino rats divided into 5 groups. Group I (control group, rats were orally administered with 1 ml saline daily). Group II (DMSO group, rats were orally administered with 0.2 % DMSO for 60 d orally). Group III (positive control, animals were injected intraperitoneally with 60 mg/kg b. wtstreptozotocin followed by intraperitoneal injection with 120 mg/kg b. wt of Nicotinamide after 15 min). Group IV (therapeutic group, diabetic rats treated with 100 mg/kg b. wt of rutin for 60 d orally). Group V (standard group, diabetic animals treated with 100 mg/kg b. wt of metformin for 60 d orally). At the end of the experimental period blood serum and plasma, liver, kidney and pancreatic tissues were collected. Results: Diabetic rats showed a significant increase in plasma glucose, serum urea, creatinine, cholesterol and triglyceride. Also, induced oxidative stress as pointed out an increase in MDA level, decrease in GSH level, GST and CAT activities in compared to control group. Also, showed an increase in plasma and tissues levels of betatrophin. Oral administration of rutin cause decrease in elevated biochemical and oxidative stress parameters. Also, decrease betatrophin level when compared with diabetic rats. Our results were confirmed by histopathological examination of different tissues. Conclusion: This study suggests thatrutinexihibitsantihyperglycemic and antioxidant activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Synthesis, structural characterization and nematicidal studies of some new N2O2 Schiff base metal complexes

ABSTRACT. Cobalt(II), copper(II), yttrium(III), zirconium(IV), lanthanum(III) and uranium(VI) complexes of 1,4-di(2-hydroxybenzylidene)thiosemicarbazide (H2L) were prepared and characterized. The proposed structures were determined from their elemental analyses, molar conductivities, magnetic moment, IR, Proton NMR, UV-Vis., mass spectra, X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses measurements. The high conductance data supply evidence for the electrolytic nature of the complexes. The changes in the selected bands in IR of Schiff base ligand upon coordination showed that Schiff base exhibits as a neutral tetradentate manner with oxygen and nitrogen donor sites. The complexes are thermally steady at room temperature and break up to two or three steps. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of complexes have been determined by using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzeger methods at n=1 and n≠1 and values suggest more ordered activated complex formation. The calculated bond length and force constant, F(U=O), in the uranyl complex are 1.744 Å and 664.886 Nm-1. The nematicidal activity of free Schiff base and all complexes were investigated and showed a low inhibition percentage (%I) of complexes compared with H2L.                     KEY WORDS: Schiff base, IR, Thermal, XRD, Nematicidal activity   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(2), 315-335. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i2.

Spectroscopic, thermal analyses, XRD spectra and nematicidal activity study of some new N2O2 tetradentate Schiff base metal ions complexes

ABSTRACT. A series of metal complexes [Co(HL)2(H2O)2]Cl2.5H2O (A), [Cu(HL)2](CH3COO)2.2H2O (B), [Y(HL)2]Cl3.2H2O (C), [ZrO(HL)2H2O]Cl2.H2O (D), [La(HL)2(H2O)2]Cl3.5H2O (E) and [UO2(HL)2](CH3COO)2 (F) were prepared. The structures of the compounds in solid state were detected by micro analytical, Fourier transform IR, 1H NMR, UV-Vis, mass, X-ray diffraction spectra, molar conductivity, magnetic susceptibility measurements and TG/DTG analysis. The IR spectral data point out that the ligand behaves as tridentate in nature with Cu(II), Y(III), U(VI) and bidentate with Co(II), Zr(IV) and La(III) metal ions. The conductivity values showed that the complexes found as electrolytes and the XRD models of the complexes indicated crystalline nature. The thermodynamic parameters of compounds have been detected using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzeger methods at n = 1 and n ≠ 1 and values point out more ordered activated complex formation. The nematicidal efficacy of compounds was assessed.                     KEY WORDS: Schiff base, Spectroscopic analysis, Thermal analysis, XRD, Nematicidal   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(2), 381-397. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i2.1

Biochemical Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity Against Some Human or Phyto-Pathogens of New Diazonium Heterocyclic Metal Complexes

String of vanadium (IV), zirconium (IV), palladium (II), platinum (IV) and uranium (VI) chelates of 2-cyano-2-[(2- nitrophenyl)hydrazono]thioacetamide (Cnphta) were prepared and characterized by physicochemical, spectroscopic and thermal analyses. The formulae of the isolated solid complexes were assigned as [VO- (Cnphta)2(H2O)]SO4 ·5H2O (1), [ZrO(Cnphta)2(H2O)]Cl2 ·4H2O (2), [Pd(Cnphta)2]Cl2 (3), [Pt(Cnphta)2Cl2]Cl2 (4) and [UO2(Cnphta)2](NO3)2 ·5H2O (5). The infrared assignments clearly showed that Cnphta ligand coordinated as a bidentate feature through the hydrazono nitrogen and the thioacetamide nitrogen for V(IV), Zr(IV) and U(VI) but displayed different behavior for Pd(II) and Pt(IV). Results of the molar conductivities measurements showed that the metal complexes were electrolytes in contrast with Cnphta ligand. The interpretation, mathematical analysis and evaluation of kinetic parameters were also carried out. In addition, the studied ligand and its new chelates were tested for their antimicrobial activity against some human or phytopathogenic microorganisms. The new metal complexes explicated promising antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria especially Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Regarding the antifungal activity, all metal complexes were able to inhibit the mycelium growth of both tested pathogenic fungi. In particular Zr(IV) and Pt(IV) complexes showed the highest significant fungicidal effect against A. fumigatus similar to positive contro

7,7′,8,8′-Tetra­meth­oxy-4,4′-dimethyl-3,5′-bichromene-2,2′-dione

In the title mol­ecule, C24H22O8, the mean planes of the two coumarin units are inclined to each other at a dihedral angle of 79.93 (3)°. The attached meth­oxy groups form torsion angles of 7.65 (19) and 78.36 (14)° with respect to one coumarin unit, and angles of 9.01 (16) and 99.08 (11)° with respect to the other coumarin unit. In the crystal structure, weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect pairs of mol­ecules to form dimers, generating R 2 2(16) and R 2 2(18) rings; the dimers are linked by further weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming extended chains. Additional stabil­ization is provided by weak C—H⋯π inter­actions

Attitudes and intellectual development of further education science students

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