Use of automated coding methods to assess motivational behaviour in education

Teachers’ motivational behaviour is related to important student outcomes. Assessing teachers’ motivational behaviour has been helpful to improve teaching quality and enhance student outcomes. However, researchers in educational psychology have relied on self-report or observer ratings. These methods face limitations on accurately and reliably assessing teachers’ motivational behaviour; thus restricting the pace and scale of conducting research. One potential method to overcome these restrictions is automated coding methods. These methods are capable of analysing behaviour at a large scale with less time and at low costs. In this thesis, I conducted three studies to examine the applications of an automated coding method to assess teacher motivational behaviours. First, I systematically reviewed the applications of automated coding methods used to analyse helping professionals’ interpersonal interactions using their verbal behaviour. The findings showed that automated coding methods were used in psychotherapy to predict the codes of a well-developed behavioural coding measure, in medical settings to predict conversation patterns or topics, and in education to predict simple concepts, such as the number of open/closed questions or class activity type (e.g., group work or teacher lecturing). In certain circumstances, these models achieved near human level performance. However, few studies adhered to best-practice machine learning guidelines. Second, I developed a dictionary of teachers’ motivational phrases and used it to automatically assess teachers’ motivating and de-motivating behaviours. Results showed that the dictionary ratings of teacher need support achieved a strong correlation with observer ratings of need support (rfull dictionary = .73). Third, I developed a classification of teachers’ motivational behaviour that would enable more advanced automated coding of teacher behaviours at each utterance level. In this study, I created a classification that includes 57 teacher motivating and de-motivating behaviours that are consistent with self-determination theory. Automatically assessing teachers’ motivational behaviour with automatic coding methods can provide accurate, fast pace, and large scale analysis of teacher motivational behaviour. This could allow for immediate feedback and also development of theoretical frameworks. The findings in this thesis can lead to the improvement of student motivation and other consequent student outcomes

Green Victimology

Green or ecological victimology is a branch of Green criminology which emerged with a critical origin of the criminal justice system to oppose the classic victimology in 1990s. While classic victimology considers human as victim, the green one, by going beyond this approach, holds that human and nature and its components including water, air, soil, earth, trees, plants, animals, and certainly future generations could be green victims. As a result, there are two of philosophical and legal approaches which might be applied. The philosophical one which discusses intrinsic value asks if the environment could be recognized as a victim or not. There are two answers; being anthropocentric, nature is regarded as a human right, meaning that only human could be green victims. However, the nature-oriented approach puts human and nature in the same level and believes that nature could also be green victim. In addition to the philosophical approach, there is the legal approach which, apart from the philosophical point of view, identifies green victims by the means of law. This study attempts to identify the green victims and explain the range of legal protections for green victims and the challenges which are ahead

ASCCC Fractal and Its Application in Antenna Miniaturization

In this chapter, ASCCC fractal is defined. The name “ASCCC” is based on the process that the fractal is built. It is made by adding and subtracting circles to the circumference of a circle. Then the necessary formulas to build up the first and higher orders of ASCCC fractal are derived. By calculating the perimeter of each order, it is shown that the ASCCC fractal has a great capability in antenna miniaturization. Based on first-order ASCCC fractal, a systematic approach is designed to miniaturize an antipodal dipole at any arbitrary frequency. Then the proposed method is applied at band LTE13 (746–787 MHz), which is controversy for mobile antenna, because it causes the size of a common antenna to become very large for a handheld mobile. It is illustrated that not only the ASCCC fractal is successful in miniaturization of dipole antenna, but also it is very good at improving the antenna’s efficiency in comparison with its counterparts like Koch dipole/monopole

Victimization of Mountainous Fields: Facets and Challenges

AbstractMountain regions are environmentally valuable, as they are home to almost twenty percent of the world’s population and many species of animals and plants. Although there is not a special criminal law concerning the protection of mountains, one can find three international conventions about them. Various international instruments have emphasized their importance. Iran is also a mountainous country. As mountains cover more than half of its area, this fact makes the protection of mountain regions one of the necessities in Iranian criminal and environmental law. But, what are the challenges of Iranian laws in relation to the protection of the mountains? According to the findings of this research, done in descriptive-analytical method and based on documentary research, there is no specific protection for mountains in the Iranian legal system. However, there are three types of crimes against these regions in that system: damages to the mountain areas in environmentally protected lands, damages to the mountains with historical and cultural identity, and illegal converting of the mountainous fields. Iranian criminal law also faces some challenges in relation to the protection of mountains, including the ambiguity of the definition of the mountain, lack of detailed criminalization, lack of intrinsic appreciation, lack of criminal responsibility in mining activities, neglecting the geoparks and inattention to the special parts of the mountainous fields

Ultrazvučne značajke maternice i jajnika za vrijeme estrusa i njihov odnos sa stopom gravidnosti u mliječnih krava

It was hypothesized that the accumulation of fluids in the uterine lumen reduces fertility in dairy cows. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was an evaluation of the ultrasound characteristics of the reproductive tract, including the accumulation of fluids in the uterine lumen during estrus, and the effect of these findings on pregnancy rates in dairy cows. The study was conducted on 486 lactating Holstein cows detected to be in estrous, on a large commercial dairy herd in Shiraz, Iran. Transrectal ultrasound was performed at the time of artificial insemination. Reproductive tract characteristics, comprising follicle diameters, the presence of corpus luteum in ovaries, the thickness, folding and edema of the uterus, and intrauterine fluid, were visualized and scored by ultrasonography. The cows were followed after insemination and their pregnancy rate determined. The effect of ultrasound findings were investigated in relation to pregnancy rates. The data were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. The results indicated that the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in cows with follicle size >14 mm (38.8%) compared with ≤14 mm (27.3%), after adjusting for the parity of the animals, days in milk and mean daily milk production (OR = 1.84, P = 0.005). No association between pregnancy rate and other ultrasound characteristics of the reproductive tract during estrus was observed in this study (P>0.05). In conclusion, follicle size is positively associated with the pregnancy rate of dairy cows in estrus. However, other ultrasound findings of the uterus, including intrauterine fluid, did not show any association with pregnancy rates.Pretpostavlja se da nakupljanje tekućine u materničnoj šupljini smanjuje plodnost u mliječnih krava. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja stoga bio procijeniti ultrazvučne značajke reproduktivnog sustava, uključujući nakupljanje tekućine u maternici za vrijeme estrusa, te njihov utjecaj na stopu gravidnost u mliječnih krava. Istraživanje je provedeno na 486 holštajnskih krava uzgajanih u velikom komercijalnom stadu, u Shirazu, Iran. Sve krave su bile u laktaciji i s otkrivenim estrusom. Transrektalni ultrazvuk učinjen je u vrijeme umjetnog osjemenjivanja. Značajke reproduktivnog sustava, koje su obuhvatile promjer folikula, prisutnost žutog tijela u jajnicima, debljinu, nabor i edem maternice te intrauterinu tekućinu, promatrane su i procijenjene ultrazvučno. Krave su nakon osjemenjivanja praćene te im je određena stopa gravidnosti. Analiziran je utjecaj pokazatelja određenih ultrazvukom na stopu gravidnosti. Podaci su obrađeni logističkom regresijskom analizom. Rezultati su pokazali da je stopa gravidnosti, nakon prilagođavanja pariteta životinja te dnevne količine mlijeka i srednje dnevne količine proizvodnje (OR = 1,84, P = 0,005), bila znakovito veća u krava s folikulima većima od 14 mm (38,8 %) u usporedbi s onima od 14 mm i manjima (27,3 %). Nije uočena povezanost između stope gravidnosti i drugih ultrazvučnih značajki reproduktivnog sustava za vrijeme estrusa praćenog u ovom istraživanju (P>0,05). Zaključeno je da je veličina folikula pozitivno povezana s stopom gravidnosti mliječnih krava u estrusu. Kakogod, drugi ultrazvučni nalazi maternice, uključujući intrauterinu tekućinu, nisu pokazali povezanost sa stopom gravidnosti

The Prevalence of Occult Celiac Disease among Patients with Functional Dyspepsia: A Study from the Western Region of Iran

Objective. The prevalence of Celiac Disease (CD) is high in Iran, and evaluation of CD is not part of the routine screening procedure for dyspeptic patients; therefore, cases of occult CD may be missed. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of occult CD among dyspeptic patients who presented at a gastroenterology clinic in the Western region of Iran. Methods. In this descriptive, cross-sectional prospective study, patients who had a history of at least 12 weeks of upper abdominal discomfort were eligible to participate in the study during a 14-month recruitment period. Patients with a clinical or paraclinical data in favor of organic causes were excluded from the study. Enrolled patients were screened for IgA antiendomysium antibody (EMA) and IgA antitissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG). Those who screened positive for EMA/tTG received a confirmatory diagnostic biopsy for Marsh classification of CD. Results. From 225 potential participants with dyspepsia, 55 patients were excluded due to having explainable organic causes. The study sample included 170 patients with “functional dyspepsia.” Mean age of participants was 31 years and 55.8% were female. Twelve patients (7%) had positive tests (EMA/tTG), of which 10 were female (83.4%). According to Rome II criteria, all twelve patients with positive tests had “dysmotility type dyspepsia.” Based on Marsh classification, six patients were consistent with “Marsh I,” four with “Marsh II,” and two with the “Marsh III” classification. Conclusions. In this study, the prevalence of CD in dyspeptic patients was high. As a result, this study suggests that screening by serology tests (EMA/tTG) is justifiable for the detection of CD among functional dyspeptic patients in the tertiary centers in our country

A Classification System for Teachers’ Motivational Behaviours Recommended in Self-Determination Theory Interventions

Teachers’ behaviour is a key factor that influences students’ motivation. Many theoretical models have tried to explain this influence, with one of the most thoroughly researched being self-determination theory (SDT). We used a Delphi method to create a classification of teacher behaviours consistent with SDT. This is useful because SDT-based interventions have been widely used to improve educational outcomes. However, these interventions contain many components. Reliably classifying and labelling those components is essential for implementation, reproducibility, and evidence synthesis. We used an international expert panel (N = 34) to develop this classification system. We started by identifying behaviours from existing literature, then refined labels, descriptions, and examples using the Delphi panel’s input. Next, the panel of experts iteratively rated the relevance of each behaviour to SDT, the psychological need that each behaviour influenced, and its likely effect on motivation. To create a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of behaviours, experts nominated overlapping behaviours that were redundant, and suggested new ones missing from the classification. After three rounds, the expert panel agreed upon 57 teacher motivational behaviours that were consistent with SDT. For most behaviours (77%), experts reached consensus on both the most relevant psychological need and influence on motivation. Our classification system provides a comprehensive list of teacher motivational behaviours and consistent terminology in how those behaviours are labelled. Researchers and practitioners designing interventions could use these behaviours to design interventions, to reproduce interventions, to assess whether these behaviours moderate intervention effects, and could focus new research on areas where experts disagree

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus Infection by Quantitative Chemiluminescent in Tabriz (North West of Iran), 2010-2011

Background: Hepatitis B is considered as one of the most common infectious diseases. The contamination of this virus has caused hygienic problems all over the world. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are most important consequences of this disease. The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of infection in Tabriz North West of Iran.Materials and Methods: This study is carried out, on partial and short time basis between 2010 and 2011, on test results of 21421 examined individuals whom have visited clinics in Tabriz. HBsAg of the samples was analyzed with chemiluminescence apparatus and finally, SPSS software was used to conduct the statistical examination of the results.Results: Among 21421 examined individuals (5021 cases in 2010 and 16400 cases in 2011), 594 samples (2.77%) were reported positive and 20827 samples (97.23%) were reported negative.Conclusion: According to the results, gender was not a determining factor affecting the susceptibility of patients. Our country is endemic to this disease, so diagnostic and preventive methods are crucial, more over comprehensive national vaccination can help to noticeably reduce the infectious cases caused by the disease

Evaluation of N-Nitrosamine Formation in Routine Potato Cooking

Background: Nitrosamine is amongst carcinogen chemical compounds, which can enter the human body through consumption of food. Potatoes are a root vegetable consumed by many people around the world, however their potential for nitrosamine formation during cooking processes needs to be considered for public health matters. Objectives: In this study we evaluated the effect of conventional potato cooking method on N-nitrosamine compound formation. Materials and Methods: The amounts of four nitrosamines, namely N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP) and N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) were determined in four different potato-baking methods. Sixty potato samples were randomly collected from Hamadan city. Fried potato samples were roasted at 180°C and boiled potato samples were scalded at 120°C. Nitrosamine levels were measured using gas chromatography coupled with electronic ionization detector (GC-EID), and spectrophotometry was used for measuring nitrite. Results: Fried samples that were measured by the gas chromatography method had the highest average levels of nitrosamine compounds; NDMA, 5.09 ng kg-1, and NDEA, 8.66 ng kg-1. Low levels of nitrosamine compounds were associated with raw potatoes, in which no nitrosamine compound was detected. Based on the analysis of the potato samples by spectrophotometry, the highest levels of nitrite was found in raw potatoes with a mean of 2.43 mg kg-1 and the lowest levels of nitrite were detected in boiled potatoes with an average of 1.172 mg kg-1. Conclusions: Nitrosamine was formed with conventional potato baking methods with the most nitrosamine formation found on the surface fried samples. Nitrites amount in baked potatoes decreased. Generally, the amount of nitrosamine in baked potato samples was lower than acceptable limits. Keywords: Nitrosamines; Nitrites; Gas Chromatograph