The Importance and Role of Students' Activities in the Educational Learning Process

The study aimed at clarifying the importance of students' activities and its role in the educational learning process through identifying the concept of students' activities and its functions and the basic standards for choosing such activities. It also aimed to explain the kinds of those activities and the difficulties that face it, in addition to the procedures taken to overcome such obstacles. The descriptive survey method was used and all what was written about such activities from the references, magazines, periodicals and internet. The findings of study showed the importance of students' activities and its role in forming a stable and perfect personality for the students' as such activities are a main part of the learning process that contributed effectively in revealing the students' abilities, tendencies and refining their hobbies. In addition, the students' activities contributed in achieving a group of functions psychological, educational, social and recreational. Moreover, the students' activities are varied cultural, social, sports, art, professional and scientific. The importance of the school activity is originated from its educational value which is clarified enough through the achieved objectives of the educational process. In the light of the findings of the study, the researches came up with some recommendations. They are as follows:   Preparing guides for students' activities explaining its importance, kinds, standards, and how it is practiced. Including special topics in students' activities to be within the programs of preparing and training teachers.  Directing towards the sources of different activities to give the students' a chance for suggesting activities as the philosophy of school activities is based on students. Finding suitable ways for taking into consideration the activities in the evaluation of the teacher and the student, as well. Key Words : Students' Activities, Educational learning process, Functions of students' activities

INFLUENCE OF NANO-AG ADDITION ON PHASE FORMATION AND EXCESS CONDUCTIVITY ANALYSIS OF (CU0.5TL0.5)-1223 SUPERCONDUCTING PHASE

Ceramic superconducting samples of type (nano-Ag)xCu0.5Tl0.5Ba2Ca2Cu3O10-δ, 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 3.0 wt.%, were successfully synthesized via single step solid-state reaction technique at 850 ºC and under ambient pressure. The samples were characterized by XRD and SEM. Obtained data revealed that the highest grains connectivity volume fraction was detected for the sample with x = 0.15 wt.%. The electrical properties of the prepared samples was examined using the electrical resistivity measurements, and the results proved that the highest superconducting transition temperature Tc was observed at x = 0.15 wt.%. Furthermore, the fluctuation conductivity Δσ(T), above Tc, was analyzed as a function of reduced temperature, t=(T-T_c^mf)/(T_c^mf ), using Aslamazov and Larkin (AL) theory and its modified form given by Lawrence-Doniach (LD) model. Excess conductivity analysis showed crossover between two dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) with decreasing temperature for all samples. The highest crossover temperature T2D-3D was observed for x = 1.5 wt.%, which showed the smallest coherence length along c-axis ξ(0), Fermi velocity vF, Fermi energy EF and interlayer coupling ν in these samples

Role of serum tumour necrosis factor alpha and its soluble receptors in predicting acute renal allograft rejection

Tumour necosis factor alpha (TNF-?) is known to be involved in pathogenesis of acute renal allograft rejection. However, measurement of cytokine serum levels alone are not a reliable index of acute rejection episodes. TNF-?induces the release of soluble receptors (TNF-SR55 and TNF-SR75) that have an inhibitory activity and catabolized by the kidney.Twenty nine transplant recepients were studied and compared to ten healthy controls. TNF-?, TNF-SR55 and TNF-SR75 were measured before and after renal transplantation. The mean pre-transplantation values were 26.3 9.7 pg/ml, 28.2 8.3 and 42.5 11.1 ng/ml respectively. According to post-transplant course patients were divided into 3 groups. Group I (stable transplant group: no= 17): The mean level of TNF-?value was 7.5 4.6 pg/ml, TNF-SR55 6.4 4.7 and TNF-SR75 12.5 8 ng/ml (p NS). Group II (acute allograft rejection group: no = 8): The mean values were 37.2 16.2 pg/ml, 16.9 9.6 and 30.9 13.4 ng/ml respectively (p< 0.05). Group III cyclosporine (CS) nephrotoxicity group: no= 4): The mean level of TNF-? was 9.9 2.1 pg/ml with a highly significant increase in its receptor values (9.4 1.0 & 21.2 6.8 ng/ml; vs 5.5 1.2 & 12.4 4.8 ng/ml respectively (P< 0.01). To improve the predictive value of this cytokine and its receptors,we calculated the ratios of TNF-a to both receptors (SR55-SR75). During acute rejection episode, the ratio values tocontrol were 2.4 0.6 vs 1.4 0.7 and 1.3 0.5 vs 0.7 0.4 respectively (P< 0.01). However, these ratios did not change significantly from control group during CS nephrotoxicity 1.5 0.5 vs 2.0 0.7 and 0.5 0.3 vs 0.9 0.2 respectively (p>0.05). Thus, TNF-? and its soluble receptor levels might be of diagnostic value in renal allograft rejecion.In conclusion: 1) TNF-? and its soluble receptors are highly increased during hemodialysis. 2) There is no significant difference between healthy controls and patients with stable grafts. 3)There is highly significant increase of TNF-? and its receptors during acute rejection episodes and the day (R-2) prerejection in contrast to internal controls. 4) There is insignificant decrease of TNF-? during CS nephrotoxicity with highly significant increase of TNF-SR55, TNF-SR75 when compared to internal controls. 5) The ratios of TNF-?to SR55 & SR75 showed highly significant increase during acute rejection episodes and insignificant decrease during CS nephrotoxicity when compared to internal controls

Problems and Functional Disabilities Among Patients with Cervical Disc and Relationship with Low Back Pain

Background: cervical disc disorder is associated with many  problems and functional disabilities which affect quality of life for patients. Neck pain is as common as low back pain which are considered from associated problems with cervical disc. Aim: This study was conducted to assess problems and functional disabilities among patients with cervical disc and relationship with low back pain. Design and Setting: A descriptive exploratory correlational study design was used and data were collected from Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department and it's affiliated out patient clinic of Tanta Main University Hospital. Sample: Purposive sampling of (90) patients from previous mentioned setting during follow-up period. Tools: Three tools were used for data collection: Tool (I); Sociodemographic and Medical data of the patients, Tool (II); Neck Disability Index scale to examine the degree of disability resulted from cervical disc and its effect on daily activities. Tool (III); Roland-Morris Low Back Pain and Disability Questionnaire to assess pain-related disability resulting from low back pain.  Results: As a result of this study, the majority (66.7%) of the patients had complete level of neck disability and (82.2%) of them had high level of disability due to low back pain. Moreover the majority of the patients (67.6%) had high level of disability due to low back pain associated with complete neck disability due to cervical disc. Significant positive correlation was noted between total score of neck disability index and total score of roland-morrislow back pain and disability.Conclusion and Recommendation: These results indicate that majority of the patients had complete level of neck disability and high level of disability due to low back pain. Significant positive correlation was noted between total score of neck disability index and total score of roland-morrislow back pain and disability. Further research must be done in many settings to evaluate whether disability prevention or interventions can improve functional disabilities. Keywords: Cervical disc, functional disability, Low Back Pain. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/61-05 Publication date: April 30th 201

The Contribution of Professional Learning Community of Pedagogical Instructors, Training Teachers and Teaching Students within a Clinical Model for Teacher Education to Their Professional Development

The purpose of the present study is to examine the contribution of professional learning community of pedagogical instructors, training teachers, and teaching students in clinical model for teacher education to their professional development. The prior is carried out through examining a variety of categories: namely, collaborative learning, personal responsibility, collective responsibility, reflective pedagogical discourse and action research, knowledge development and learning processes. Thirty-three members of the learning community constituted the study community. The research tool is a multiple-choice questionnaire that was developed for the requirements of the research and personal feedback on open-ended questions. The quantitative data collected by the questionnaire indicated that the learning community of the clinical model for teacher education contributed greatly to the professional development of all participants regardless of field of knowledge, role in the training process, and the curricular activities offered by colleges and schools. The findings revealed a negative relationship between the field of teacher education among the participants on the one hand, and professional development on the other hand

The impact of task complexity on EFL learners' writing production across gender

The current study investigates the impact of task complexity on EFL learners' writing production across gender. Task complexity is the inherent cognitive demands of the tasks imposed on the learners by the structure of the tasks. It was investigated along the resource-dispersing variables of Pre-task planning time, post-task editing time and prior knowledge across the task difficulty variable of same gender. It also tries to intertwine the concepts of Task Complexity (i.e. TBLT) and sociolinguistics (i.e. gender issues). The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of task complexity on gender differences of EFL learners' writing production which has been measured in terms of CAF i.e. complexity, accuracy and fluency. This can provide useful information in field of foreign language acquisition for language planners, curricula designers, and teachers. It is believed that it can contribute to improving EFL undergraduate students’ ability to a level of writing competence that is more likely to be satisfactory. The findings of the study suggest that variations of certain types of task complexity (in the design of pedagogic tasks) will have particular effects on attentional resources. Subsequently, the researcher believes that directing these attentional resources may have positive effects on learners’ language production and the ability to learn the target language. Besides, study concluded that there is statistically significant difference between males and females in terms of writing production along task complexity

Modulatory Effect of Monochromatic Blue Light on Heat Stress Response in Commercial Broilers

In a novel approach, monochromatic blue light was used to investigate its modulatory effect on heat stress biomarkers in two commercial broiler strains (Ross 308 and Cobb 500). At 21 days old, birds were divided into four groups including one group housed in white light, a second group exposed to blue light, a 3rd group exposed to white light + heat stress, and a 4th group exposed to blue light + heat stress. Heat treatment at 33°C lasted for five h for four successive days. Exposure to blue light during heat stress reduced MDA concentration and enhanced SOD and CAT enzyme activities as well as modulated their gene expression. Blue light also reduced the degenerative changes that occurred in the liver tissue as a result of heat stress. It regulated, though variably, liver HSP70, HSP90, HSF1, and HSF3 gene expression among Ross and Cobb chickens. Moreover, the Cobb strain showed better performance than Ross manifested by a significant reduction of rectal temperature in the case of H + B. Furthermore, a significant linear relationship was found between the lowered rectal temperature and the expression of all HSP genes. Generally, the performance of both strains by most assessed parameters under heat stress is improved when using blue light

Growing and laying performance of two different-plumage color Japanese quail varieties supplemented with corn silk in their diet

The current study aimed to investigate the dietary supplementation effect of corn silk (CS) on performance and blood chemistry of brown and whitefeathered quails during the grower and layer periods. Japanese quails of brown and white-feathered color (180 birds/variety at 2 wks old) were randomly allotted into three groups with 3 replicates each (n = 20 birds/ replicate). Corn silk powder (CS) was supplemented to the basal diet at 0, 1, and 2% of the diet for each quail variety for 1-month growing period, then continued for another 6-wk laying period to assess the egg production and egg quality characteristics. CS supplementation at 1% and 2% for brown and white-feathered quails respectively improved their growth performance (body weight and weight gain), carcass yield, and intestinal villi length with increasing feed consumption but without changes in feed conversion ratio. In both quail varieties, CS addition had a hypolipidemic effect, confirmed by lowering serum triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHO), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) while increased high density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations (P < 0.05) with a clear response observed in white quails than the brown ones. Besides, CS supplementation increased (P = 0.002) hen day egg production in brown feathered quails, while reducing it in the white-feathered quails compared with the CS-free diet. The increased egg production was not significantly (P > 0.05) correlated with lower content of TG and CHO, while significantly increased the antioxidant content in both quail varieties (P < 0.05). Moreover, CS dietary supplementation significantly enhanced (P = 0.003) the yolk color, especially in brown-feathered quail. In conclusion, CS can be safely supplemented to the Japanese quail diet (1% and 2% for brown-feathered and white-feathered quails respectively) to improve growth performance, and egg quality characteristics

Cap-Assisted Technique versus Conventional Methods for Esophageal Food Bolus Extraction: A Comparative Study

Background/Aims Food bolus impaction is the most common form of esophageal foreign body impaction observed in adults. Clinical guidelines recommend using the push technique or retrieval methods in such cases. The push technique can cause injuries in certain clinical situations. Notably, conventional retrieval methods are time and effort consuming. Cap-assisted endoscopic extraction of an impacted food bolus is an easy and effective technique; however, more data are needed for its validation. This study compared the capassisted extraction technique with conventional methods. Methods This prospective observational multicenter study compared the success and en bloc removal rates, total procedure time, and adverse events in both techniques.. Results The study included 303 patients who underwent food bolus extraction. The push technique was used in 87 patients (28.7%) and a retrieval procedure in 216 patients (71.3%). Cap-assisted extraction was performed in 106 patients and retrieval using conventional methods in 110 patients. The cap-assisted technique was associated with a higher rate of en bloc removal (80.2% vs. 15%, p<0.01), shorter procedure time (6.9±3.5 min vs. 15.7±4.1 min, p<0.001), and fewer adverse events (0/106 vs. 9/110, p<0.001). Conclusions Cap-assisted extraction showed no adverse events, higher efficacy, and a shorter procedure time compared with conventional retrieval procedures

In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficacy of condensed tannins extracted from the seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) against Haemonchus contortus infection

This study was designed to examine in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficacy of condensed tannins (CT) extracted from seeds of Medicago sativa on Haemonchus contortus in sheep. CT's in vitro anthelmintic effect was assessed at a 300 μg/ml concentration compared with albendazole (reference drug) at 10 μg/ml. The results showed that CT had a nematocidal effect on H. contortus, and the cuticle of the adult worm appeared to be its initial target. For the in vivo experiment, nine 3-month-old helminths-free lambs were distributed into three groups. Group 1 (n=3) was challenged only as infected untreated controls; Group 2 (n=3) was treated with condensed tannin, and Group 3 (n=3) was treated with albendazole. Fecal and blood samples were collected every 3 days until the end of the experiment; for fecal egg count (FEC) and anti- H. contortus IgG titers determination, respectively. The lambs treated with the CT in G2 exhibited a pronounced decrease of mean FEC with great FECR% detected from the first-week post-treatment (PT) until the end of the experiment compared with G1 animals. The antibody levels gradually increased in G2 following the 2nd dose of CT treatment compared to other groups. A brilliant consistent relation between the elevation of IgG response and reduction of FEC was observed following the second booster dosing of the CT in G2. In conclusion, the CT evoked strongly in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activity against H. contortus and could be used as a natural alternative treatment of high potency against haemonchosis in sheep