Typologies of didactical strategies and teachers’ pedagogical beliefs : a theoretical review

Didactical strategies are one of the most influential vehicles that directly contribute to transforming knowledge. Varying types of didactical approaches are being adopted and implemented in the preparation of future teachers in the initial teacher education set up. The current conceptual paper is based on rigorous literature review on the typologies of didactical strategies adopted in the initial teacher education. The purpose of this conceptual and theoretical study is to evaluate and contrast varying didactical approaches while navigating through literature. The study also aims at exploring the interrelationship of didactical approaches with teacher cognitions i.e., teacher pedagogical beliefs. The methodology of this study based on the selection of six types of didactical strategies by Van De Grift (2007) and to compare and contrast them with other typologies available in literature and to explore the interrelationship with teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. The study concludes that the varying typologies of didactical strategies are being adopted and implemented in the ITE set up and these strategies have strong relationship with teacher’s pedagogical beliefs. The study recommends that the teachers’ cognitions i.e., teachers’ pedagogical beliefs may be included in the curriculum when preparing future teachers in the initial teacher education setting. These findings are substantial for policy makers, curriculum developers, head teachers, and other stakeholders in the initial teacher education

Recompensa, um motorista para a criatividade; papel mediador das avaliações de recompensa entre auto eficácia e desempenho criativo

The purpose of this dyadic study was to explore the insight that trigger the creative performance. For such purpose self-efficacy and rewards in shape of challenge and threat appraisal were used. A Survey was conducted to collect the data from the public and private sector organizations related to technical education in Punjab. Sample was the faculty member working on positions of instructors, senior instructor and lectures. A total of 302 respondents were analyzed. The results of the analysis show that there is significant relationship among self-efficacy and creative performance. The mediation analysis also shows that challenge appraisal of rewards for creativity and threat appraisal of reward also worked as mediator. Consequently, we reached at the point that having high level of self-efficacy, individuals in technical education organizations appraises the reward as a challenge and perform creatively. And on the other side having low level of self-efficacy, but appraising the Reward as a threat, tends to impact negatively on creative performance.El propósito de este estudio diádico fue explorar la información que desencadena el rendimiento creativo. Para tal fin se utilizaron la autoeficacia y las recompensas en forma de desafío y evaluación de amenazas. Se realizó una encuesta para recopilar los datos de las organizaciones del sector público y privado relacionadas con la educación técnica en Punjab. La muestra fue el miembro de la facultad que trabaja en posiciones de instructores, instructor senior y conferencias. Se analizaron un total de 302 encuestados. Los resultados del análisis muestran que existe una relación significativa entre la autoeficacia y el rendimiento creativo. El análisis de la mediación también muestra que la evaluación desafiante de las recompensas por la creatividad y la evaluación de la amenaza de recompensa también funcionó como mediador. En consecuencia, llegamos al punto en que, al tener un alto nivel de autoeficacia, los individuos en las organizaciones de educación técnica valoran la recompensa como un desafío y se desempeñan de manera creativa. Por otro lado, tiene un bajo nivel de autoeficacia, pero evaluar la recompensa como una amenaza, tiende a tener un impacto negativo en el rendimiento creativo.O objetivo deste estudo diádico foi explorar a percepção que aciona o desempenho criativo. Para esse propósito, a auto-eficácia e as recompensas em forma de desafio e avaliação de ameaça foram usadas. Uma pesquisa foi realizada para coletar os dados das organizações do setor público e privado relacionadas à educação técnica em Punjab. Amostra foi o membro do corpo docente trabalhando em posições de instrutores, instrutor sênior e palestras. Um total de 302 respondentes foi analisado. Os resultados da análise mostram que existe uma relação significativa entre autoeficácia e desempenho criativo. A análise da mediação também mostra que a avaliação de recompensas de recompensas por criatividade e avaliação de ameaças de recompensa também funcionou como mediador. Consequentemente, chegamos ao ponto em que, tendo alto nível de autoeficácia, indivíduos em organizações de educação técnica avaliam a recompensa como um desafio e realizam de forma criativa. Por outro lado, ter baixo nível de autoeficácia, mas avaliar a recompensa como uma ameaça, tende a impactar negativamente no desempenho criativo

A Machine Learning SDN-Enabled Big Data Model for IoMT System

[EN] In recent times, health applications have been gaining rapid popularity in smart cities using the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Many real-time solutions are giving benefits to both patients and professionals for remote data accessibility and suitable actions. However, timely medical decisions and efficient management of big data using IoT-based resources are the burning research challenges. Additionally, the distributed nature of data processing in many proposed solutions explicitly increases the threats of information leakages and damages the network integrity. Such solutions impose overhead on medical sensors and decrease the stability of the real-time transmission systems. Therefore, this paper presents a machine-learning model with SDN-enabled security to predict the consumption of network resources and improve the delivery of sensors data. Additionally, it offers centralized-based software define network (SDN) architecture to overcome the network threats among deployed sensors with nominal management cost. Firstly, it offers an unsupervised machine learning technique and decreases the communication overheads for IoT networks. Secondly, it predicts the link status using dynamic metrics and refines its strategies using SDN architecture. In the end, a security algorithm is utilized by the SDN controller that efficiently manages the consumption of the IoT nodes and protects it from unidentified occurrences. The proposed model is verified using simulations and improves system performance in terms of network throughput by 13%, data drop ratio by 39%, data delay by 11%, and faulty packets by 46% compared to HUNA and CMMA schemes.Haseeb, K.; Ahmad, I.; Iqbal Awan, I.; Lloret, J.; Bosch Roig, I. (2021). A Machine Learning SDN-Enabled Big Data Model for IoMT System. Electronics. 10(18):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10182228S113101

Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies on some novel s-substituted aliphatic analogues of 5-{1-[(4- chlorophenyl) sulfonyl]-3-piperidinyl}-1, 3, 4-oxadiazol-2-yl sulfide

Purpose: To study the structure-activity relationships of synthetic multifunctional sulfides through evaluation of lipoxygenase and anti-bacterial activities.Methods: S-substituted derivatives of the parent compound 5-(1-(4- chlorophenylsulfonyl) piperidin-3- yl)-1, 3, 4-oxadiazole-2-thiol were synthesized through reaction with different saturated and unsaturated alkyl halides in DMF medium, with NaH catalyst. Spectral characterization of each derivative was carried out with respect to IR, 1H - NMR, 13C - NMR and EI - MS. The lipoxygenase inhibitory and antibacterial activities of the derivatives were determined using standard procedures.Results: Compound 5e exhibited higher lipoxygenase inhibitory potential than the standard (Baicalein®), with % inhibition of 94.71 ± 0.45 and IC50 of 20.72 ± 0.34 μmoles/L. Compound 5b showed significant antibacterial potential against all the bacterial strains with % inhibition ranging from 62.04 ± 2.78, 69.49 ± 0.41, 63.38 ± 1.97 and 59.70 ± 3.70 to 78.32 ± 0.41, while MIC ranged from 8.18 ± 2.00, 10.60 ± 1.83, 10.84 ± 3.00, 9.81 ± 1.86 and 11.73 ± 5.00 μmoles/L for S. typhi, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis and S. aureus, respectively. Compounds 5d, 5e and 5g showed good antibacterial activity against S. typhi and B. subtilis bacterial strains.Conclusion: The results suggest that compound 5e bearing n-pentyl group is a potent lipoxygenase inhibitor, while compound 5b with n-propyl substitution is a strong antibacterial agent. In addition, compounds 5d, 5e and 5g bearing n-butyl, n-pentyl and n-octyl groups, respectively, are good antibacterial agents against S. typhi and B. subtilis.Keywords: Sulfides, Antibacterial activity, Lipoxygenase activity, Spectral analysi

The impact of psychological distance to climate change and urban informality on adaptation planning

Climate change adaptation planning involves adjusting to the impacts of climate change and taking action to mitigate its adverse effects. Psychological distance, the separation between one's self-perception and actual events, can play a significant role in an individual's readiness to adapt to climate change impacts. This study aims to investigate the socioeconomic factors associated with psychological distance to climate change in formal and informal settlements of Lahore, Pakistan. Using a literature review, data indicators were selected and grouped into the psychological distance dimensions of spatial, temporal, social, and hypothetical. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the study area, resulting in a total of 400 responses. Descriptive statistics and sampled paired t-tests were used to measure differences between responses from formal and informal communities, and multivariate regression models were developed to identify socioeconomic factors associated with psychological distance to climate change. The results of the study indicate a significant difference between formal and informal settlements in spatial distance and hypothetical dimensions. Additionally, household size, average household income, number of children, and past experiences with extreme weather conditions were found to be significant factors. The study recommends that these factors be taken into account when engaging with the public, communicating risks, and devising relevant policies for effective adaptation planning

Antifungal and antispasmodic activities of the extracts of Euphorbia granulata

The dichloromethane and methanolic extracts of the plant Euphorbia granulata were investigated for their antifungal, antibacterial, phytotoxic, brine-shrimp cytotoxic, antioxidant, spasmolytic (antispasmodic) and acetylcholinestrase inhibitory activities. The dichloromethane extract showed strong inhibition against Microsporum canis (90%) and against Aspergillus flavus (50%). Both the extracts inhibited the spontaneous contractions in rabbit jejunum preparations with EC50 value of 0.17 and 1.3 mg/mL, respectively and also relaxed the K+-induced contractions with EC50 0.2 and 2.8 mg/mL, respectively, suggesting a calcium channel blocking activity. However, the extracts did not show antibacterial, phytotoxic, brine-shrimp cytotoxic, antioxidant and acetylcholinestrase inhibitory activities

Visible light‐active pure and lanthanum‐doped copper oxide nanostructures for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and hydrogen production

Clean water and renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important in the current era, as well as a future challenge, and one of the potential solutions is photocatalysis. In the current study, a simple one-step hydrothermal technique is employed to fabricate the pure and La-doped CuO (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) photocatalysts. The influence of varying La concentration on structure, morphology, and optical properties is determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. SEM showed that synthesized nanostructures are irregularly spherical and transform into needle-like nanostructures on increasing La concentration. XRD revealed the monoclinic phase with a crystallite size of 15–23 nm. The UV–visible spectrum exhibited a decrease in the band gap of La-doped CuO needle-like nanostructures from UV to visible light. The composition and purity of synthesized nanostructures are evaluated via the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum which revealed that needle-like nanostructures are pure without any impurity traces. The synthesized nanostructures were used as a photocatalyst against methylene blue dye to examine their photocatalytic activity. The synthesized CuO-3La photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance of dye degradation and hydrogen production 95.3 μmol h−1 g−1 with more than 97% cyclic stability. Therefore, the synthesized La-doped CuO nanostructures are potential candidates for photocatalytic water splitting and hydrogen evolution

Predictors of Mortality in Pulmonary Haemorrhage during SLE: A Single Centre Study Over Eleven Years

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary haemorrhage (PH) is a serious complication during Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). AIM: The aim was to present data on 12 patients of SLE with classic symptoms and signs of PH admitted throughout eleven years. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out at King Abdul Aziz Specialist hospital in Taif-a tertiary care hospital in the western region of Saudi Arabia. The data was analysed from the case files of SLE patients who had episodes of PH throughout 11 years (January 2007 to December 2017). RESULTS: Twelve patients (10 females and 2 males) were found to have diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage during their SLE in the study period. Of 12 patients with confirmed pulmonary haemorrhage (hemoptysis, hypoxemia, new infiltrates on chest radiography, fall in haemoglobin and hemorrhagic returns of bronchoalveolar lavage with hemosiderin-laden macrophages) 4 patients had PH as the first presentation of SLE and 8 patients developed this complication during the disease. All patients presented with shortness of breath and hemoptysis. The most common extra-pulmonary involvement in the study cohort was renal (83%), which ranged from clinical nephritis, nephrotic syndrome to acute renal failure. All patients were managed in intensive care of the hospital, and of 12 patients, 9 (75%) required mechanical ventilation. All patients were uniformly treated with pulse Methylprednisolone; 9 received Cyclophosphamide, 6 received IVIG, and 4 received Plasmapheresis. Only 3 patients (25%) survived despite maximum possible support during their mean hospital stay of 18 ± 5 days. CONCLUSION: The requirement of mechanical ventilation and the association of renal and neuropsychiatric complications predicted mortality in patients with pulmonary haemorrhage

Investigation of MPPT Techniques Under Uniform and Non-Uniform Solar Irradiation Condition-A Retrospection

A significant growth in solar photovoltaic (PV) installation has observed during the last decade in standalone and grid-connected power generation systems. The solar PV system has a non-linear output characteristic because of weather intermittency, which tends to have a substantial effect on overall PV system output. Hence, to optimize the output of a PV system, different maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques have been used. But, the confusion lies while selecting an appropriate MPPT, as every method has its own merits and demerits. Therefore, a proper review of these techniques is essential. A “Google Scholar” survey of the last five years (2015-2020) was conducted. It has found that overall seventy-one review articles are published on different MPPT techniques; out of those seventy-one, only four are on uniform solar irradiance, seven on non-uniform and none on hybrid optimization MPPT techniques. Most of them have discussed the limited number of MPPT techniques, and none of them has discussed the online and offline under uniform and hybrid MPPT techniques under non-uniform solar irradiance conditions all together in one. Unfortunately, very few attempts have made in this regard. Therefore, a comprehensive review paper on this topic is need of time, in which almost all the well-known MPPT techniques should be encapsulated in one paper. This article focuses on classifications of online, offline, and hybrid optimization MPPT algorithms, under the uniform and non-uniform irradiance conditions. It summarizes various MPPT methods along with their mathematical expression, operating principle, and block diagram/flow charts. This research will provide a valuable pathway to researchers, energy engineers, and strategists for future research and implementation in the field of maximum power point tracking optimization