Software application for computer aided vocabulary learning in a blended learning environment

This study focuses on the effect of computer-aided vocabulary learning software called \u27ArabCAVL on students\u27 vocabulary acquisition. It was hypothesized that students who use the ArabCAVL software in blended learning environment will surpass students who use traditional vocabulary learning strategies in face-to-face learning environment even though both groups were using the same framework for introducing vocabulary. Pre-test and post-test were used for assessing the previously mentioned factors, while a questionnaire with open-ended questions was used to elicit students\u27 attitudes toward using the software. Despite the fact that both the Nation (2001) framework and the ArabCAVL software showed a significant increase in students\u27 vocabulary recognition and usage, the results of the treatment group exposed to ArabCAVL software were clearly higher than those of the control group. Finally, the results supported the previously mentioned hypothesis, and it was shown that students had a positive attitude toward the software

Amorphous Mo₅O₁₄-Type/Carbon Nanocomposite with Enhanced Electrochemical Capability for Lithium-Ion Batteries

An amorphous MomO3m−1/carbon nanocomposite (m ≈ 5) is fabricated from a citrate–gel precursor heated at moderate temperature (500 °C) in inert (argon) atmosphere. The as-prepared Mo5O14-type/C material is compared to α-MoO3 synthesized from the same precursor in air. The morphology and microstructure of the as-prepared samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman scattering (RS) spectroscopy. Thermal gravimetry and elemental analysis indicate the presence of 25.8 ± 0.2% of carbon in the composite. The SEM images show that Mo5O14 is immersed inside a honeycomb-like carbon matrix providing high surface area. The RS spectrum of Mo5O14/C demonstrates an oxygen deficiency in the molybdenum oxide and the presence of a partially graphitized carbon. Outstanding improvement in electrochemical performance is obtained for the Mo5O14 encapsulated by carbon in comparison with the carbon-free MoO3. View Full-Tex

Structural and Electrochemical Properties of the High Ni Content Spinel LiNiMnO4

This work presents a contribution to the study of a new Ni-rich spinel cathode material, LiNiMnO4, for Li-ion batteries operating in the 5-V region. The LiNiMnO4 compound was synthesized by a sol-gel method assisted by ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) as a chelator. Structural analyses carried out by Rietveld refinements and Raman spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy reveal that the product is a composite (LNM@NMO), including non-stoichiometric LiNiMnO4-δ spinel and a secondary Ni6MnO8 cubic phase. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge profiles show similar features to those of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 bare. A comparison of the electrochemical performances of 4-V spinel LiMn2O4 and 5-V spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with those of LNM@NMO composite demonstrates the long-term cycling stability of this new Ni-rich spinel cathode. Due to the presence of the secondary phase, the LNM@NMO electrode exhibits an initial specific capacity as low as 57 mAh g−1 but shows an excellent electrochemical stability at 1C rate for 1000 cycles with a capacity decay of 2.7 × 10−3 mAh g−1 per cycle

Overview On Surgical Management Of Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder syndrome is a persistent and incapacitating disorder that has profound medical, psychological, and social implications, greatly impacting the wellbeing of countless individuals globally. A significant number of individuals experience urine urgency, which can be extremely bothersome. The primary indicator of overactive bladder (OAB) is a sense of urgency, often accompanied by increased urine frequency and nocturia. After ruling out other medical conditions with similar symptoms, the initial approach to managing OAB is providing guidance on fluid consumption and bladder training. If needed, antimuscarinic medicines may be added as a supplement. If patients have significant distress from OAB symptoms even after maximizing medicinal treatment, they may choose to undergo invasive procedures. There is currently a limited understanding of the hierarchical structure of central nervous system control. However, the use of functional imaging is starting to reveal the difficulties that need to be addressed in this area. Current research is exploring the use of botulinum neurotoxin-A injection, oral β3-adrenergic agonists, and innovative methods for nerve stimulation as potential therapies. The inherent subjectivity of urine urgency, the absence of animal models, and the complex pathophysiology of overactive bladder (OAB) pose substantial obstacles to achieving effective clinical therapy

Nanostructured Molybdenum-Oxide Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries: An Outstanding Increase in Capacity

This work aimed at synthesizing MoO3 and MoO2 by a facile and cost-effective method using extract of orange peel as a biological chelating and reducing agent for ammonium molybdate. Calcination of the precursor in air at 450 °C yielded the stochiometric MoO3 phase, while calcination in vacuum produced the reduced form MoO2 as evidenced by X-ray powder diffraction, Raman scattering spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images showed different morphologies and sizes of MoOx particles. MoO3 formed platelet particles that were larger than those observed for MoO2. MoO3 showed stable thermal behavior until approximately 800 °C, whereas MoO2 showed weight gain at approximately 400 °C due to the fact of re-oxidation and oxygen uptake and, hence, conversion to stoichiometric MoO3. Electrochemically, traditional performance was observed for MoO3, which exhibited a high initial capacity with steady and continuous capacity fading upon cycling. On the contrary, MoO2 showed completely different electrochemical behavior with less initial capacity but an outstanding increase in capacity upon cycling, which reached 1600 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles. This outstanding electrochemical performance of MoO2 may be attributed to its higher surface area and better electrical conductivity as observed in surface area and impedance investigations

Evaluation of the amyloid beta-GFP fusion protein as a model of amyloid beta peptides-mediated aggregation: A study of DNAJB6 chaperone

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation and aggregation of extracellular amyloid β (Aβ) peptides and intracellular aggregation of hyper-phosphorylated tau protein. Recent evidence indicates that accumulation and aggregation of intracellular amyloid β peptides may also play a role in disease pathogenesis. This would suggest that intracellular Heat Shock Proteins (HSP) that maintain cellular protein homeostasis might be candidates for disease amelioration. We recently found that DNAJB6, a member of DNAJ family of heat shock proteins, effectively prevented the aggregation of short aggregation-prone peptides containing large poly glutamines (associated with CAG repeat diseases) both in vitro and in cells. Moreover, recent in vitro data showed that DNAJB6 can delay the aggregation of Aβ42 peptides. In this study, we investigated the ability of DNAJB6 to prevent the aggregation of extracellular and intracellular Aβ peptides using transfection of HEK293 cells with Aβ-GFP fusion construct and performing western blotting and immunofluorescence techniques. We found that DNAJB6 indeed suppresses Aβ-GFP aggregation, but not seeded aggregation initiated by extracellular Aβ peptides. Unexpectedly and unlike what we found for peptide-mediated aggregation, DNAJB6 required interaction with HSP70 to prevent the aggregation of the Aβ-GFP fusion protein and its J-domain was crucial for its anti-aggregation effect. In addition, other DNAJ proteins as well as HSPA1a overexpression also suppressed Aβ-GFP aggregation efficiently. Our findings suggest that Aβ aggregation differs from poly Q peptide induced aggregation in terms of chaperone handling and sheds doubt on the usage of Aβ-GFP fusion construct for studying Aβ peptide aggregation in cells

An Ontology Development Methodology Based on Ontology-Driven Conceptual Modeling and Natural Language Processing: Tourism Case Study

Ontologies provide a powerful method for representing, reusing, and sharing domain knowledge. They are extensively used in a wide range of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, knowledge engineering, biomedical informatics, and many more. For several reasons, developing domain ontologies is a challenging task. One of these reasons is that it is a complicated and time-consuming process. Multiple ontology development methodologies have already been proposed. However, there is room for improvement in terms of covering more activities during development (such as enrichment) and enhancing others (such as conceptualization). In this research, an enhanced ontology development methodology (ON-ODM) is proposed. Ontology-driven conceptual modeling (ODCM) and natural language processing (NLP) serve as the foundation of the proposed methodology. ODCM is defined as the utilization of ontological ideas from various areas to build engineering artifacts that improve conceptual modeling. NLP refers to the scientific discipline that employs computer techniques to analyze human language. The proposed ON-ODM is applied to build a tourism ontology that will be beneficial for a variety of applications, including e-tourism. The produced ontology is evaluated based on competency questions (CQs) and quality metrics. It is verified that the ontology answers SPARQL queries covering all CQ groups specified by domain experts. Quality metrics are used to compare the produced ontology with four existing tourism ontologies. For instance, according to the metrics related to conciseness, the produced ontology received a first place ranking when compared to the others, whereas it received a second place ranking regarding understandability. These results show that utilizing ODCM and NLP could facilitate and improve the development process, respectively

Improving Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Seed Yield through Selection under Infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. sesami

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), the Queen of oilseeds, is infected with different pathogens, restricting its yield. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. sesami is the most destructive disease of sesame worldwide, causing economic losses. This work aimed to develop new high-yielding strains, resistant and/or tolerant to Fusarium. Two cycles of pedigree selection were achieved under infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. sesami. Two populations in the F2 (600 plants each) were used. The selection criteria were five single traits and another three restricted by yield. The restricted selection was better in preserving variability than the single trait selection. The observed genetic gain in percentage from the mid-parent in the F4-generation was significant for the eight selection criteria. Single trait selection proved to be an effective method for improving the selection criterion, but it caused deleterious effects on the other correlated traits in most cases. The seed yield increased by 30.67% and 20.31% from the better parent in the first and second populations, respectively. The infection% was significantly reduced by 24.04% in the first, and 9.3% in the second, population. The selection index improved seed yield, and its attributes can be recommended

Optimization and enhancement of textile reactive Remazol black B decolorization and detoxification by environmentally isolated pH tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa KY284155

Abstract Azo dyes are complex derivatives of diazene used in food and textile manufacture. They are highly recalcitrant compounds, and account for severe environmental and health problems. Different strains of Pseudomonas species were isolated from textile wastewater effluents. The bioconversion of Remazol black B (a commonly used water soluble dye) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was observed in static conditions. The bio-decolorization process was optimized by a multi factorial Plackett–Burman experimental design. Decolorization of 200 mg L−1 reached 100% in 32 h. Interestingly, the presence of yeast extract, magnesium and iron in the culture media, highly accelerated the rate of decolorization. Moreover, one of our isolates, P. aeruginosa KY284155, was kept high degradation rates at high pH (pH = 9), which represents the pH of most textile wastewater effluents, and was able to tolerate high concentration of dye up to 500 mg L−1. In bacteria, azo-dye degradation is often initiated by reductive azo compound cleavage catalyzed by azo-reductases. Three genes encoding azo-reductases, paazoR1, paazoR2 and paazoR3, could be identified in the genome of the isolated P. aeruginosa stain (B1). Bioinformatics analyses of the paazoR1, paazoR2 and paazoR3 genes reveal their prevalence and conservation in other P. aeruginosa strains. Chemical oxygen demand dramatically decreased and phyto-detoxification of the azo dye was accomplished by photocatalytic post treatment of the biodegradation products. We suggest applying combined biological photocatalytic post treatment for azo dyes on large scale, for effective, cheap decolorization and detoxification of azo-dyes, rendering them safe enough to be discharged in the environment