Empirical Assessment of ICT Impact on Teaching and Learning in High Schools: A Study in the Context of Balkh, Afghanistan

This study comprehensively explores ICT integration in Balkh’s high schools, covering infrastructure, teaching methodologies, student outcomes, integration challenges, and preparedness. Surveys were administered to 230 participants, including teachers and students. Descriptive statistics revealed a generally positive perception of ICT infrastructure and technology usage but identified areas for improvement. ANOVA results highlighted significant disparities in the impact of multimedia, interactive tools, and technology-assisted learning, providing nuanced insights. Regression analysis unveiled a unique correlation between teachers’ observations of academic performance and ICT integration. Chi-square tests showed a substantive association between students’ perceptions of ICT impact and learning outcomes. Addressing integration challenges, technological barriers emerged as a concern, signaling the need for targeted interventions. Positive indicators in teacher preparedness, access to technological resources, and administrative support emphasized the role of ongoing professional development. These findings offer empirically grounded insights for evidence-based decisions. While acknowledging promising strides in ICT integration, the study advocates for strategic interventions to overcome challenges. It contributes a nuanced understanding of ICT dynamics, guiding informed decision-making for educators, administrators, and policy-makers. The research emphasizes optimizing ICT integration in Balkh’s high schools for effective learning through technology

Iranian Identity and Imperial State Formation ca. 1720–1750

The study argues that in the eighteenth century, for the first time since the fall of the Sāsānids in late antiquity, the ideology of the imperial state in Iran came to be dominated by discourses on Iranian identity. A collective Iranian identity emerged among the Shi’i elites which was rooted in a sense of territorial belonging to the imperial realm of Iran and a sectarian differentiation of the Shi’i self from the Sunni other. This identity permeated the ideologies of various leaders who sought to topple the Hotakids and establish their own state. Foremost among the Hotakids’ opponents, Ṭahmāsp II Ṣafavi portrayed himself as the saviour of Iran and Iranians, establishing a decentralised state with the aid of Nāder, his vassal and commander-in-chief. Nāder utilised his military victories to undermine Ṭahmāsp’s ideology by presenting himself as Iran’s true saviour, eventually usurping the crown from the Ṣafavids altogether. Nāder Shāh’s discourse on collective identity gave him a special role as the custodian of his fellow Iranians, legitimating his centralisation of administrative powers over what he referred to as the ‘Iranian state’. The centralisation of revenues facilitated the establishment of an effective military, enabling Nāder to conquer neighbouring realms to form an empire in pursuit, supposedly, of Iranian interests. Thus, for its subjects in Iran, the Nāderid state legitimated its political, military, and administrative policies in reference to a collective Iranian identity. As Nāder incorporated Sunni peoples and lands beyond Iran’s frontiers into his empire, he revised his ideological discourse on Iranian identity to eschew Shi’i-Sunni sectarianism while developing a complimentary discourse on universal sovereignty. Nonetheless, the contrast between Iran and non-Iran endured and was reflected in the administrative structure of the empire: While Iranian territories were placed under increasingly centralised administration, control over the empire’s non-Iranian lands was devolved to local vassals. Those vassals, whether shāhs or sultans, were made to pay tribute to Nāder, the shāhanshāh. The imperial conquests of the Nāderid state, purportedly in service of Iranian interests, did not necessarily endear it to the Iranian elite. They saw their powers heavily restricted by the Nāderid state’s centralisation programme while a growing number of non-Iranian Sunnis were given access to the same positions as their Iranian counterparts, particularly in the imperial army. This formed the ideological and institutional basis for many of Iran’s elites to question Nāder’s Iranianness, and by extension, the legitimacy of his state. From the mid-1740s many Iranians rose up in numerous rebellions which eventually led to the collapse of Nāder’s imperial state and his assassination in 174

Evaluation Of Safety Awareness And Perception Of Wayfinding Tools Among Students And Staff In Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia

This dissertation examines safety awareness and perception of wayfinding tools among students and staff in Engineering Campus, Universit Sains Malaysia (USM). That focus is to investigate the understanding of students and staff about location of evacuation plans, emergency buttons, emergency exit sign, assembly area and evacuation route. A conducted survey with 185 respondents shows that the level of safety awareness and perception of wayfinding tools among students and staff in Engineering Campus, USM are good based on findings of this study. More precisely, a significant percentage of respondents know the sound of an emergency alarm (78.95%), know where to find the evacuation plan/map (74.2%), know where the emergency exits (90.9%) and know the assembly area to escape (91.85%). In terms of demographic differences, results from Mann Whitney U Test revealed that there is no significance difference in safety awareness and perception on wayfinding tools between males and females. Besides, experience in evacuation or safety education and training influences safety awareness and perception of wayfinding tools among student and staff in Engineering Campus, USM. This is because with experience and training in safety/evacuation, people will be more aware about safety and wayfinding tools compare to not experience people. Additionally, results from Kruskall-Wallis Test also show that no significance difference between age group and the level of educational background. The results of this study can assist university management in creating suitable strategies, design solutions, training, and educational campaigns for efficient and secure transfers. Moreover, the outcome is also a valuable resource in developing and verifying mathematical and theoretical models aiming to study students and staff’ evacuation in an emergency situation

Preparation and Quality Control of the [153Sm]-Samarium Maltolate Complex as a Lanthanide Mobilization Product in Rats

Development of lanthanide detoxification agents and protocols is of great importance in management of overdoses. Due to safety of maltol as a detoxifying agent in metal overloads, it can be used as a lanthanide detoxifying agent. In order to demonstrate the biodistribution of final complex, [153Sm]-samarium maltolate was prepared using Sm-153 chloride (radiochemical purity >99.9%; ITLC and specific activity). The stability of the labeled compound was determined in the final solution up to 24h as well as the partition coefficient. Biodistribution studies of Sm-153 chloride, [153Sm]-samarium maltolate were carried out in wild-type rats comparing the critical organ uptakes. Comparative study for Sm3+ cation and the labeled compound was conducted up to 48 h, demonstrating a more rapid wash out for the labeled compound. The effective and biological half lives of 2.3 h and 2.46h were calculated for the complex. The data suggest the detoxification property of maltol formulation for lanthanide overdoses

Prevention of Enamel Adjacent to Bracket Demineralization Following Carbon Dioxide Laser Radiation and Titanium Tetra Fluoride Solution Treatment: An In Vitro Study

 Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the caries-preventive potential of carbon dioxide (CO2) laser application in conjunction with the use of titanium tetra fluoride solution on the enamel adjacent to bracket.Methods: Seventy-five freshly extracted bovine incisors were used. In order to attach the brackets, the area of examination was covered with adhesive tape to limit acid etching of the entire enamel surface. Metal orthodontic brackets for upper central were bonded to all the teeth following the manufacturer’s instruction. Then all the teeth were painted with 2 layers of acid-resistant nail varnish on all surfaces except the boxes area cervical to the brackets. The teeth were then randomly divided into five groups (n = 15): control group (C); laser group (L); titanium group (T); laser-titanium group (LT) and titanium-laser group (TL). The laser-titanium group was first irradiated with CO2 laser (same as the L group) then TiF4 solution was applied on the enamel (same as the T group). Samples in the TL group were first treated with TiF4 solution (same as the T group) and then irradiated with CO2 laser on the surface (same as the L group). Then, the teeth were immersed in pH-cycling solutions. After that, the amount of calcium released into the two solutions (de- and re-mineralization) was measured with an atomic absorption spectroscopy. The data were analyzed by one-way Analysis of var-iance (ANOVA) and Tukey test.Results: Calcium loss in LT, TL and T groups were significantly lower than those in the L and C groups (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The application of Titanium tetra fluoride 4% solution on enamel can inhibit as much as 87% of subsequent caries like lesion progression

A survey of reservoir hosts in two foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kerman province, southeast of Iran

In the Old World, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is zoonoses and natural vertebrate hosts of CL parasites are mammals. This study was carried out on natural infection rates of Leishmania parasites in reservoir hosts in one new focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) and in suspected reservoir in an old focus of ACL in Iran. The sampling of rodents using Sherman traps was carried out and PCR technique was used for detection and identification of Leishmania species in Bahreman district, Kerman province, southeast of Iran. In addition, the smears were taken from suspicious lesions in stray dogs in the city of Kerman, the center of Kerman province. Simultaneously, pieces of lesion (1 9 191 cm) were taken for further histopathological examination. Overall, 25 rodents were collected and identified, including Meriones libycus and Rhombomys opimus. Amastigotes were observed in 33 % of the R. opimus by microscopic examination and indentified as Leishmania major by PCR technique. Four suspicious dogs out of 391 stray dogs showed no Leishmania species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first isolation and identification of L. major from R. opimus in Kerman province, where ZCL has been present in recent years. Therefore, R. opimus is considered as the main animal reservoir host in Bahreman ZCL focus. In ACL focus such as the city of Kerman, dogs had no role in CL infection as reservoir host

Pescado Enterprise : Automatic Fish Scale Remover / Fareez Azeem Badrulhisam ...[et al.]

One of our company's key performance indicator (KPI) is to ensure that customer satisfaction is the highest quality possible. Another KPI is the assurance of the safety of our customers when they use our company's product. These two KPl's are the main focus of our company and will continue to be so until another area that a KPI is needed. Our company's policy is always to put the customers' needs above everything which will cover the two KPl's mentioned earlier, customer satisfaction and also their safety

M.A.M.A.A.M Enterprise : Herbal Soap / Muhammad Amir Kamaruddin ...[et al.]

Our target market is to sell the herbal soap product to the customer especially to the local market in Sarawak. They have been identified as people with needs or wants that can be met with the products from our company

Development Of TEG Peltier Device For Heat Harvesting From 1.5 HP Split Unit Air Conditioning System

In today’s world, recycling energy would be alternative in achieving green environment. Air conditioning shows the biggest energy consumption worldwide. Commonly air conditioning used to maintain indoor temperature. In Malaysia, split unit air conditioning system are famous for small area application. However, the heat release by condensing unit are wasted to the environment. Therefore, one peltier device using thermoelectric generator (TEG) module were develop in this experiment. The aim of this paper are to present the development of peltier device to harvest heat from condensing unit, hence convert it to electricity. The peltier device were sandwich among copper plate sizing 120mm x 60mm x 2mm. The copper plate were brazed at the discharge pipe of compressor and the other side of copper plate were attach to the heat sink where flow through by condensing water from evaporator. Six peltier were arrange respectively between copper plates. 3 case were monitor depended on the ΔT of cooling coil and condenser temperature. The maximum ΔT were observed at case 1, and simultaneously monitored voltage output for each peltier. The maximum 1.61V were collected from the split unit air conditioner after 30 minutes of operation with around 9-10 °C of ΔT. The application of TEG to harvest heat and turn into electricity shows the promising alternative for heat recovery. The current generated may useful for small scale used of electricity for household usage