The effect of mathematical education based on TPACK model on changing teachers' beliefs

Background and Objectives: Teachers 'beliefs and ideological structures are one of the main axes of educational research in order to achieve reforms in teachers' teaching methods. There have been several experimental studies on the beliefs of math teachers that have helped to conceptualize and define beliefs and convictions. In a study titled "Developing Teachers 'Beliefs Through Online Education: A One-Year Experience of Teachers' and Scientific Teachers 'Beliefs in Learning and Teaching" by Wong, Wong showed that teachers' beliefs in using online education are influenced by the years of teaching. Skemp, In his study introduced two types of beliefs about mathematics: instrumental mathematics and relational mathematics. Mohammadi and Mosalaei, in a study entitled "Assessing the Beliefs of Selected Math Teachers in the Country Based on Their Demographic-Cognitive Characteristics" showed that teachers' beliefs about the process of updating their professional competencies in teaching increased; Their responsibility for their professional behavior increases. With the advent of new technologies, math teachers have also turned their attention to using a new framework to integrate technology knowledge with pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge. The main aim of the current study was examining the effect of mathematical education on the basis of the content-pedagogical and technological model (TPACK) on changing the beliefs of high school teachers regarding the rate of application of mathematical education software in the teaching process. Methods: The researcher used a semi-experimental two-way pre-test and post-test method to observe the changing beliefs of teachers before and after the implementation of a workshop training in software. The statistical population of this study is all high school math teachers of North Khorasan rovince. Based on Cochran's formula, 73 of them were selected by cluster sampling and were divided into two groups: control (n=33) and experiment (n=40). The standard questionnaire used in this research was made by Zambak (2014), based on the theoretical framework. Data were analyzed by SPSS software and covariance analysis was used to test the research hypothesis. Findings: The results of statistical analysis of this study showed that the holding of a mathematical training workshop using GeoGebra in the form of a "content-pedagogical and technological model (TPACK)" has had a positive impact on the beliefs of high school math teachers about using modern technologies in education. The study's findings also show that some math teachers, while adopting technology as a useful teaching tool for classrooms; But they are concerned about misplaced technology interference in the understanding of a mathematical subject and, therefore, are not encouraged to use technology in their classroom, and allow it only as an informal educational activity. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the development of knowledge and change of math teachers' beliefs about using up-to-date technologies in mathematics teaching based on school facilities and limitations of educational organizations in different provinces of the country is very important. It is suggested that the decision makers in this field, by discovering and identifying talented teachers in different parts of the country, offer short-term and long-term training to enhance their ability to improve the overall level of mathematics teachers in the country.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2020 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================

Application of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on wound healing after caesarean section in high-risk patients

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is ahumanplasma product enriched by platelets, growth factors, and fibrinogen with high hemostatic and healing properties. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of autologous PRP on wound healing in high-risk women undergoing cesarean sections. Patients and Methods: In this balanced, randomized, and controlled trial, 140 patients were admitted to Arash women�s hospital, Tehran, Iran from May of 2013 to November of 2014 for elective cesarean surgery. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups. The intervention group received PRP after surgery, whereas the control group received the usual care. All patients were evaluated at baseline, five days, and eight weeks after the cesarean section. The primary endpoint used the REEDA scale for assessing the changes in wound healing. The secondary outcome measures used were the Vancouver scar scale (VSS) and the visual analog scale (VAS). All scale scores were analyzed using a repeated measures test for variance. Results: At the end of study, the PRP group showed a greater reduction in the edema ecchymosed discharge approximation (REEDA) score compared to the control group (85.5 reduction in the PRP group; 72 in the control group) (P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, the PRP group had a significantly greater reduction in the VANscore, beginning on the fifth day after the cesarean section (-0.7, 38 reduction in PRP group;-0.8, 33 in control group) (P < 0.001), and this trend was stable at the end of the eighth week (-0.6, 54 reduction in PRP group;-0.3, 18 in control group). Furthermore, patients treated with PRP experienced a 93 reduction in the VAS score at the end of follow-up, but the control group only observed a 79 reduction (P < 0.001). Conclusions: It seems that applying PRP is an effective therapeutic approach for wound healing, and faster wound healing is expected due to the presence of more platelets and growth factors. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Investigation of the Relationship between Serum Leptin levels and Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy

Background: Worldwide, half of women suffer from nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy which generally continues to the 20th week of pregnancy. Although pathogeneses of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy as well as hyperemesis gravid arum are still unknown, some believe that nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is likely related to maternal serum leptin level. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between leptin and pregnancy nausea and vomiting. Methods: In this case-control study, 45 pregnant women at first and second trimesters were selected through convenient sampling. Mothers’ blood samples were taken in the 6th, 12th, 15th, and 20th weeks of pregnancy. The participants were devised into healthy, without nausea, (24) and with nausea and vomiting groups (21). The relationship among the variables was analyzed using independent t-test, Pearson correlation, regression tests, and Lambda statistic (P value <0.05). Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.47±5.55 years, and Body Mass Index (BMI) was found to be 5.458±26.57. There was no significant difference between groups in this regard. Based on results, changes in maternal serum leptin had significant correlation with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (p<0.04), meaning that the mean of leptin changes in patients with nausea and vomiting was significantly lower. Moreover, serum leptin at first and second trimesters of pregnancy did not have significant correlation with nausea and vomiting (p=0.5 and 0.3, respectively). Conclusion: With regard to leptin peak level at second trimester of pregnancy, leptin changes at first and second trimesters can be a good index to predict the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Thus, further domestic studies are required in this respect

A Critical Approach to Developing Culturally Relevant Leadership Curricula for Muslim Students

The secular and materialistic values imported to Muslim countries through globalisation and the uncritical application of Western models and theories are changing societies from being Muslim towards a materialistic and secular one where economic value is the most critical factor that drives people’s behaviour and decisions. The real challenge for Muslim countries, then, is to develop and implement higher education curricula that reflect Islamic and cultural values while incorporating global knowledge developed by Western and other scholars. This chapter aims to achieve this balance by proposing a theoretical model that can be used for developing culturally relevant and critically reflective leadership curricula. The model is derived from Habermas’ account of critical theory and offers a critical and holistic approach to leadership teaching. It adopts an intercultural and interdisciplinary approach to learning and aims to start a dialogue between Western and indigenous sources of knowledge. The model also proposes the content and teaching practices recommended by leadership scholars and leadership development literature internationally to provide students with a balanced and pluralistic learning experience that addresses both the spiritual and the intellectual aspects of knowledge

Effects of photophoresis on the evolution of transitional circumstellar disks

Although known for almost a century, the photophoretic force has only recently been considered in astrophysical context for the first time. In our work, we have examined the effect of photophoresis, acting together with stellar gravity, radiation pressure, and gas drag, on the evolution of solids in transitional circumstellar disks. We have applied our calculations to four different systems: the disks of HR 4796A and HD 141569A, which are several Myr old AB-type stars, and two hypothetical systems that correspond to the solar nebula after disk dispersal has progressed sufficiently for the disk to become optically thin. Our results suggest that solid objects migrate inward or outward, until they reach a certain size-dependent stability distance from the star. The larger the bodies, the closer to the star they tend to accumulate. Photophoresis increases the stability radii, moving objects to larger distances. What is more, photophoresis may cause formation of a belt of objects, but only in a certain range of sizes and only around low-luminosity stars. The effects of photophoresis are noticeable in the size range from several micrometers to several centimeters (for older transitional disks) or even several meters (for younger, more gaseous, ones). We argue that due to gas damping, rotation does not substantially inhibit photophoresis.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication on 1 October 200

Not Quite Right: Representations of Eastern Europeans in ECJ Discourse

Although the increasing responsiveness of the Court of Justice of the European Union (the ‘ECJ’) jurisprudence to western Member States’ concerns regarding Central and Eastern European (‘CEE’) nationals’ mobility has garnered academic attention, ECJ discourse has not been scrutinised for how it approaches the CEE region or CEE movers. Applying postcolonial theory, this article seeks to fill this gap and to explore whether there are any indications that ECJ discourse is in line with the historical western-centric inferiorisation of the CEE region. A critical discourse analysis of a set of ECJ judgments and corresponding Advocate General opinions pertaining to CEE nationals illustrates not only how the ECJ adopts numerous discursive strategies to maintain its authority, but also how it tends to prioritise values of the western Member States, while overlooking interests of CEE movers. Its one-sided approach is further reinforced by referring to irrelevant facts and negative assumptions to create an image of CEE nationals as socially and economically inferior to westerners, as not belonging to the proper EU polity and as not quite deserving of EU law’s protections. By silencing CEE nationals’ voices, while disregarding the background of east/west socio-economic and political power differentials and precariousness experienced by many CEE workers in the west, such racialising discourse normalises ethnicity- and class-based stereotypes. These findings also help to contextualise both EU and western policies targeting CEE movers and evidence of their unequal outcomes in the west, and are in line with today’s nuanced expressions of racisms. By illustrating the ECJ’s role in addressing values pertinent to mobile CEE individuals, this study facilitates a fuller appreciation of the ECJ’s power in shaping and reflecting western-centric EU identity and policies. Engaging with such issues will not only allow us to better appreciate—and question—the ECJ’s legitimacy, but might also facilitate a better understanding of power dynamics within the EU. This study also makes significant theoretical and methodological contributions. It expands (and complicates) the application of postcolonial theory to contemporary intra-EU processes, while illustrating the usefulness of applying critical discourse analysis to exploring differentiation, exclusion, subordination and power within legal language

A randomized, prospective study of adjunctive Ampicillin in preterm labor

Acute amniotic fluid infection has emerged as a possible cause of many heretofore unexplained preterm births. Our purpose was to determine the effect of ampicillin in the prolongation of pregnancies receiving tocolysis for preterm labor. A blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted to study ampicillin in women hospitalized for preterm labor between 24 and 37 weeks&apos; gestation. A total of 60 patients with intact membranes and without chorioamnionitis who were receiving magnesium sulfate were screened. Thirty women with preterm labor received ampicillin, and 30 received placebos. The primary end point was prolongation of gestation. There was no difference in age of delivery (37.6&amp;plusmn;9.7 days vs 36.08&amp;plusmn;3.9 days, P=0.085) and no difference in retardation of delivery (4.7&amp;plusmn;3.1 vs 4.1&amp;plusmn;2.1, P=0.39). The mean degree of preterm delivery were 0.62&amp;plusmn;1.93 and 1.8&amp;plusmn;3.3 weeks in ampicillin and placebo groups, respectively (not significant, P&amp;gt;0.1). Conclusions: Ampicillin had no effect on interval to delivery or duration of pregnancy in women treated for preterm labor. So rotine clinical use of ampicillin during tocolysis should not be recommended