Effect of Metacognitive Skills Training on Metacognitive Awareness, Self-Efficacy and Academic Achievement of University Students

Aims: Metacognition deals with active monitoring and adjusting the results and cognitive processes to gain the purpose. Academic self-efficacy is dependent on students’ perception of learning and is an important factor in the success of students reasoning. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of metacognitive skills training on metacognitive awareness, self-efficacy and academic achievement in university students. Materials & Methods: This semi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest controlled approach was conducted in all students of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2014. 50 participants were selected by cluster sampling and were randomly divided into 2 intervention and control groups. Metacognitive awareness of reading strategies inventory (MARSI) and General Self-efficacy Scale were used for data gathering. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA test. Findings: There were significant difference between the score of the pretest and posttest of the intervention group in both self-efficacy and metacognition awareness. In addition, there were significant differences between posttest scores of intervention and control groups in self-efficacy (p<0.001; F=42.46) and cognitive awareness (p<0.001; F=190.99), but there was no significant difference (p=0.072; F=3.39) in academic achievement between the intervention and control groups’ posttest scores. Conclusion: Metacognitive training affects metacognitive awareness and self-efficacy but it is not founded for academic achievement

Improved battery life for context awareness application in smart-phones

The new smart-phones with new operating system and portable sensors support the basis for context awareness systems and applications for handling user activity and user privacy. Nowadays, individuals need new services and real time information anywhere and anytime. Context awareness is an emerging service, which could be able to improve the user experiences in current situation. Context awareness can be considered as location, calendar, user activity and etc. The review of the literature proves that context awareness in mobile phone can be useful and studied as unavoidable service in next generation of smart-phone applications. In this paper, a short review about context awareness in mobile phone is studied, furthermore, we critically analyzed related works of context awareness in smart-phones. The review shows that the most important context in mobile phone is location, which is mostly obtained by using Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor in mobile phones but GPS can significantly increases battery consumption in mobile phones. In this regard, a framework as Improved Battery life in Context Awareness System (IBCS) is proposed to improve battery life and reduce cost of using GPS in context awareness applications based on smart-phones. The review argues the weakness and strength of these studies, and aims to (a) indicate the most important context in mobile phone, (b) reduce the battery consumption of GPS sensor in mobile phone

Precipitation and flow behavior of AISI 630 stainless steel deformed at elevated temperatures

Hot compression tests were performed on the samples of AISI 630 stainless steel in the temperature range of 900-1050 C and at strain rates of 10–3- 1 s21. Single peak stress flow behavior was observed at all deformation conditions. An irregular relationship was found between the peak point of flow curves and processing condition, i.e., temperature and strain rate. The stress relaxation tests at the temperature range of 900-1050 C revealed that dynamic precipitation (DP) of carbides in the matrix and grain boundaries causes the considered irregularities in the peak stres

Human platelet antigen 1-6, 9 and 15 in the Iranian population: An anthropological genetic analysis

Human platelet antigens (HPAs) are membranous glycoproteins considered as alloantigens due to their polymorphisms. HPA-incompatibility in multiple pregnancies or blood transfusion can induce the development of alloantibodies leading to thrombocytopenia. The frequency of HPAs varies among populations, so that deep knowledge of HPA frequencies will help us to reduce those incompatibilities. Herein, we studied the allele and genotype frequencies of HPA1-6, HPA9, and HPA15 among the Iranians with intra- and inter-populations analyses on 36 worldwide populations with diverse ethnicities. The analysis shows that the HPA2 and HPA5 have the greatest differences in genotype distribution between the Iranians and other nations, although similar to other populations, the sole allele found in HPA4, 6, and 9 is �a�. Despite other HPAs, the most frequent allele in HPA15 is �b�, which is also abundant in HPA3. Hierarchical clustering indicates the highest degree of global similarity in HPA genotype frequency among Iranian, Argentinian, Brazilian, and German Turkish populations. Our findings can be applied to decrease the risk of alloimmunizations and platelet disorders, especially in neonates. © 2020, The Author(s)

Corneal Biomechanical Properties in Varying Severities of Myopia

Purpose: To investigate corneal biomechanical response parameters in varying degrees of myopia and their correlation with corneal geometrical parameters and axial length. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 172 eyes of 172 subjects, the severity degree of myopia was categorized into mild, moderate, severe, and extreme myopia. Cycloplegic refraction, corneal tomography using Pentacam HR, corneal biomechanical assessment using Corvis ST and Ocular Response Analyser (ORA), and ocular biometry using IOLMaster 700 were performed for all subjects. A general linear model was used to compare biomechanical parameters in various degrees of myopia, while central corneal thickness (CCT) and biomechanically corrected intraocular pressure (bIOP) were considered as covariates. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between corneal biomechanical parameters with spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AXL), bIOP, mean keratometry (Mean KR), and CCT. Results: Corneal biomechanical parameters assessed by Corvis ST that showed significant differences among the groups were second applanation length (AL2, p = 0.035), highest concavity radius (HCR, p < 0.001), deformation amplitude (DA, p < 0.001), peak distance (PD, p = 0.022), integrated inverse radius (IR, p < 0.001) and DA ratio (DAR, p = 0.004), while there were no significant differences in the means of pressure-derived parameters of ORA between groups. Multiple regression analysis showed all parameters of Corvis ST have significant relationships with level of myopia (SE, AXL, Mean KR), except AL1 and AL2. Significant biomechanical parameters showed progressive reduction in corneal stiffness with increasing myopia (either with greater negative SE or greater AXL), independent of IOP and CCT. Also, corneal hysteresis (CH) or ability to dissipate energy from the ORA decreased with increasing level of myopia. Conclusions: Dynamic corneal response assessed by Corvis ST shows evidence of biomechanical changes consistent with decreasing stiffness with increasing levels of myopia in multiple parameters. The strongest correlations were with highest concavity parameters where the sclera influence is maximal. © Copyright © 2021 Sedaghat, Momeni-Moghaddam, Azimi, Fakhimi, Ziaei, Danesh, Roberts, Monfared and Jamali

Thin accretion disk signatures of slowly rotating black holes in Ho\v{r}ava gravity

In the present work, we consider the possibility of observationally testing Ho\v{r}ava gravity by using the accretion disk properties around slowly rotating black holes of the Kehagias-Sfetsos solution in asymptotically flat spacetimes. The energy flux, temperature distribution, the emission spectrum as well as the energy conversion efficiency are obtained, and compared to the standard slowly rotating general relativistic Kerr solution. Comparing the mass accretion in a slowly rotating Kehagias-Sfetsos geometry in Ho\v{r}ava gravity with the one of a slowly rotating Kerr black hole, we verify that the intensity of the flux emerging from the disk surface is greater for the slowly rotating Kehagias-Sfetsos solution than for rotating black holes with the same geometrical mass and accretion rate. We also present the conversion efficiency of the accreting mass into radiation, and show that the rotating Kehagias-Sfetsos solution provides a much more efficient engine for the transformation of the accreting mass into radiation than the Kerr black holes. Thus, distinct signatures appear in the electromagnetic spectrum, leading to the possibility of directly testing Ho\v{r}ava gravity models by using astrophysical observations of the emission spectra from accretion disks.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures. V2: 13 pages, clarifications and discussion added; version accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Interacting Dark Energy in Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz Cosmology

In the usual Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz cosmological models, the scalar field is responsible for dark matter. Using an additional scalar field, Saridakis \cite{sari} has formulated Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz cosmology with an effective dark energy sector. In the paper \cite{sari} the scalar fields do not interact with each other, here we extend this work to the interacting case, where matter scalar field $\phi$ interact with dark energy scalar field $\sigma$. We will show that in contrast with \cite{sari}, where $\sigma$-filed is absent, we can obtain $w_d ^{\rm eff}<-1$, that is we result to an effective dark energy presenting phantom behaviour. This behaviour is pure effect of the interaction.Comment: 10 pages, no figur

Pharmacological Effects of Asiatic acid in Glioblastoma Cells under Hypoxia

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Despite current treatment options including surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin, the median survival rate remains low (<16 months). Combined with increasing drug resistance and the inability of some compounds to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), novel compounds are being sought for the treatment of this disease. Here, we aimed to examine the pharmacological effect of Asiatic acid (AA) in glioblastoma under hypoxia. To investigate the effects of AA on cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis and wound healing, SVG p12 fetal glia and U87-MG grade IV glioblastoma cells were cultured under normoxic (21% O2) and hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. In normoxia, AA reduced cell viability in U87-MG cells in a time and concentration-dependent manner. A significant decrease in viability, compared to cisplatin, was observed following 2hrs of AA treatment with no significant changes in cell proliferation or cell cycle progression observed. Under hypoxia, a significantly greater number of cells underwent apoptosis in comparison to cisplatin. While cisplatin showed a reduction in wound healing in normoxia, a significantly greater reduction was observed following AA treatment. An overall reduction in wound healing was observed under hypoxia. The results of this study show that AA has cytotoxic effects on glioma cell lines and has the potential to become an alternative treatment for glioblastoma