Teachers’ Use Of Technology In Punjab’s Schools: A Comparative Case Study Of A Public, A Private, And A Partnership School

This research studied teachers’ use of technology in Punjab’s schools. The research questions were: (1) “How are public, private, and partnership schools using technology for teaching purposes?” (2) “What is teachers’ and school administrators’ attitude towards the use of technology for teaching and learning?” (3) “What factors influence their attitude?” (4) “How is their attitude affecting the schools’ teaching and students’ learning?” (5) “What can be done to effectively train the stakeholders in using technology meaningfully for the teaching and learning process?”This qualitative research employed comparative case-study method to study three different types of schools in Punjab province of Pakistan. A public, a private, and a public-private partnership school’s teachers and school leaders were research participants. Semi-structured interviews and relevant official documents provided the data for this study.Findings depicted major weaknesses in Punjab’s teacher training, recruitment and professional development domains. Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors were highlighted by teachers and school leaders to identify those factors’ impact on participants’ attitude and execution of learning with technology. Teacher’s willingness to learn and improve was one of the salient positive results of this study. However, there was not enough evidence of eagerness from national government, provincial government, school owners, or policy makers, to bring about major changes to incorporate a culture that is conducive to meaningful use of technology.The original contribution of this study to the body of knowledge is by depicting the struggle and occasional success of a monolingual (for example, Urdu speaking) teacher trying to make meaningful use of technology, where most of the support is being provided in a foreign language (English). This study highlighted technological, linguistic, gender, cultural, and economic barriers faced by a predominantly female teaching staff while working in the participant schools. Non-meaningful use of technology due to lack of proper training was also studied and potentially rectified using information dissemination workshops.</div

Mendelian Randomization to compare estimated risk with observed risk for gene polymorphisms associated with ischemic stroke.

<p>The mean difference (ΔX) was calculated from a meta-analysis relating MTHFR C677T genotype with homocysteine variation in healthy South Asians. The expected OR was calculated using the following formula: <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0057305#pone.0057305-Casas1" target="_blank">[16]</a> where 1.68 was the OR associated with 2.90 µmol/L mean difference in homocysteine levels between stroke cases and controls.</p

Meta-analysis, forest plot and pooled ORs of risk from studies investigating MTHFR C677T polymorphism (TT vs CC) -stroke, homocysteine-stroke and homocysteine-MTHFR C677T.

<p>Meta-analysis, forest plot and pooled ORs of risk from studies investigating MTHFR C677T polymorphism (TT vs CC) -stroke, homocysteine-stroke and homocysteine-MTHFR C677T.</p

PRISMA statement flow diagram illustrating search strategy and studies included in the meta-analysis.

<p>*Articles excluded because they did not meet inclusion criteria and were missing genotype data.</p

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation for the Level of Conjugation in Carbazole-Based Precursors and Their Mono‑, Di‑, and Polynuclear Pt(II) Complexes

A series of trimethylsilyl-protected monoalkynes (Me₃SiCC–R) and bis-alkynes (Me₃ SiCC–R–CCSiMe₃) incorporating carbazole spacer groups (R = carbazole-2-yl, carbazole-3-yl, carbazole-2,7-diyl, <i>N</i>-(2-ethylhexyl)­carbazole-2,7-diyl, carbazole-3,6-diyl, <i>N</i>-(2-ethylhexyl)­carbazole-3,6-diyl), together with the corresponding terminal monoalkynes (H–CC–R) and bis-alkynes (H–CC–R–CC–H), have been synthesized and characterized. The CuI-catalyzed dehydrohalogenation reaction between <i>trans</i>-[(Ph)­(Et₃P)₂PtCl], <i>trans</i>-[(Et₃P)₂PtCl₂], and <i>trans</i>-[(P^<i>n</i>Bu₃)₂PtCl₂] and the terminal alkynes in ^<i>i</i>Pr₂NH/CH₂Cl₂ affords a series of Pt­(II) mono- and diynes, while the dehydrohalogenation polycondensation reactions with <i>trans</i>-[(P^<i>n</i>Bu₃)₂PtCl₂] under similar reaction conditions yields four Pt­(II) poly-ynes of the form <i>trans</i>-[(P^<i>n</i>Bu₃)₂Pt–CC–R–CC−]_<i>n</i>. The acetylide-functionalized carbazole ligands and the mono-, di-, and polynuclear Pt­(II) σ-acetylide complexes have been characterized spectroscopically, with a subset analyzed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The Pt­(II) mono-, di-, and poly-ynes incorporating the carbazole spacers are soluble in common organic solvents, and solution absorption spectra show a consistent red-shift between the 2- and 2,7- as well as 3- and 3,6-carbazole complexes. Computational modeling is used to explain the observed spectral shifts, which are related to the enhanced electronic delocalization in the latter systems. These results also indicate that the inclusion of carbazole-2,7-diyl units into rigid-rod organometallic polymers should enhance electronic transport along the chains

New Multi-Ferrocenyl- and Multi-Ferricenyl- Materials via Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly and via Charge-Driven Electro-Crystallization

Three new tetra-ferrocenylethynylpyridinyl copper complexes, L₄(CuI)₄ (<b>3</b>), L₄(CuBr)₂ (<b>4</b>), and L₄(CuCl)₂ (<b>5</b>) have been prepared from the reaction of ferrocenyl­ethynyl­pyridine (L)­(<b>2</b>) with copper halides CuX (with X = I^–, Br^–, Cl^–).The ligand <b>2</b> and the complexes <b>3</b>–<b>5</b> have been fully characterized by spectroscopic methods. The structures of <b>2</b>–<b>4</b> have been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. <b>2</b> forms a dimer in the crystalline-state through C–H··N hydrogen bonds. <b>4</b> and <b>5</b> are dimers and <b>3</b> a tetramer, in all cases linked through Cu–X··Cu bridging interactions. Cyclic voltammetry in dichloroethane showed chemically reversible multiferrocenyl oxidation signals with evidence for product electro-crystallization. The oxidation products were isolated by electrodeposition onto a Pt disc electrode and investigated by scanning electron microscopy which confirmed the spontaneous formation of crystalline oxidation products with distinctive morphologies. Energy dispersive X-ray elemental analysis shows the presence of hexafluorophosphate (counterion) with the P:Fe ratio of 1:1, 0.5:1, and 1:1 for the electrocrystallized products <b>3</b>, <b>4</b>, and <b>5</b>, respectively, suggesting the formulas [<b>3</b>]⁴⁺(PF₆^–)₄, [<b>4</b>]²⁺(PF₆^–)₂, and [<b>5</b>]⁴⁺(PF₆^–)₄ for the electro-crystallized products

Long-Range Intramolecular Electronic Communication in Bis(ferrocenylethynyl) Complexes Incorporating Conjugated Heterocyclic Spacers: Synthesis, Crystallography, and Electrochemistry

A new series of bis­(ferrocenylethynyl) complexes, <b>3</b>–<b>7</b>, and a mono­(ferrocenylethynyl) complex, <b>8</b>, have been synthesized incorporating conjugated heterocyclic spacer groups, with the ethynyl group facilitating an effective long-range intramolecular interaction. The complexes were characterized by NMR, IR, and UV–vis spectroscopy as well as X-ray crystallography. The redox properties of these complexes were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry. Although there is a large separation of ∼14 Å between the two redox centers, Δ<i>E</i>_1/2 values in this series of complexes ranged from 50 to 110 mV. The appearance of intervalance charge-transfer bands in the UV–vis–near-IR region for the monocationic complexes further confirmed effective intramolecular electronic communication. Computational studies are presented that show the degree of delocalization across the Fc–CC–CC–Fc (Fc = C₅H₅FeC₅H₄) highest occupied molecular orbital