An exploratory study of co-authorships among Iranian scientists in experimental sciences

This paper investigates the factors that made international co-authorship between scientists in Iran and elsewhere possible. A questionnaire was sent out to Iranian scientists in fields of physics, chemistry, and biology who had co-authored an internationally published journal article during 2003. The main foreign co-author in each of the articles was identified and questions regarding this co-author and the collaborative event were asked. The results show that not all co-authored articles were the results of collaborative projects. Also, the main collaborative motives behind the co-authorships were identified and described. Among these, we could mention sharing laboratory devices, accessing knowledge, and increase the efficiency of the study at hand. It is clear that emigrated Iranian scientists play an important role as collaborators and probably also as links to the international scientific community as a whole. Cultural factors mix with scientific and work related one

Determination of Genetic Relatedness among Selected Rice Cultivars Using Microsatellite Markers for Cultivars Improvement through Marker Assisted Breeding

Rice is grown in diverse environmental conditions. In this study, genetic variation among thirteen Iranian and thirteen Malaysian rice cultivars was determined using Microsatellite markers. Microsatellites are polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based and dbla ceelcuoobeoy xoed (DNA) markers which are abundant, co-dominant and widely used in various organisms. This study consisted of two parts, the first part was DNA extraction, which consisted of comparing between four different DNA extraction methods, namely the Dellaporta and CTAB as conventional methods also, Promega and Axyprep as commercial protocols kits. Comparison was also made on the effect of different leaf age as well as leaf position on different quality and yield of DNA obtained. The results of the study showed significant difference (P<0.05) between different extraction methods in relation to optical density OD 260/280 nm and DNA yield from each method. The Dellaporta method (OD260/280=2±0.07nm and DNA yield 2073±196 ng) gave the best results. The positions of different leafs (from top to bottom leaf number 4 to 1) and the ages of leafs (2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks) were also monitored for optimum DNA extraction. The results of the Duncan test showed that there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between leaf positions for 2 to 4 weeks old leaf. However, the age of leaves in young and fresh stages of tissue showed significant difference (P<0.05) in ratio of OD260/280 2±0.03 and DNA yield (1373±70 ng). The results (based on method of extraction, leaf age and position) were used for subsequent DNA extraction of the 26 rice cultivars. The second part consisted of molecular work using twenty one microsatellite primer pairs which were selected from the Gene Bank. The estimation of genetic diversity among two rice groups (Iranian and Malaysian cultivars) were done with the assistance of two softwares UVIdoc (ver.98) and POPGENE (ver.1.31). A total of 21 loci (75 alleles) were observed, of which 20 loci (95.24 %) were polymorphic, except RM338. Microsatellite loci RM1 and RM271 showed the highest polymorphism (between 94 to 136 bp in size). The Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) value was (0.578±0.170). The dendogram constructed based on genetic distance values (UPGMA) grouped the cultivars into five clusters. All of the Iranian rice cultivars were placed in cluster I and III while Malaysian rice cultivars were in clusters IV and V. However cluster II consisted of both Iranian and Malaysian rice cultivars. The results of genetic diversity among selected cultivars in this study can be used for screening of the high grain quality rice accession for backcrossing and breeding programs

Through the Eyes of a Consultant: Leadership Succession Planning in an International School Setting

Research has shown that school leadership significantly influences institutional success and student achievement. Yet, studies indicate that in many school systems around the world, there is an absence of thoughtful and methodical leadership succession planning. The problem of practice addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan is the lack of an equitable, systematic, and transparent approach to leadership succession planning in an international school in Country A. Using this school as the basis for this study, systems theory (Senge, Hamilton & Kania, 2015) guides a “whole-system” discussion for developing and implementing an equitable, systematic, and transparent succession planning framework. Through the lens of systems theory (Senge et al., 2015) attention has been given to how teachers within the organization can be afforded the opportunities and structures needed to build their leadership capacities to fulfill a “grow your own” (Rothwell, 2002) philosophy, as well as the institutional standards and practices of the school, which would then transform the organization as a whole. Two change theories, the Change Path Model (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016) and Kotter’s Eight-Stage Process (Kotter, 1996), have been utilized in considering how to propel the school forward from its current position, which is lacking a coherent leadership succession planning framework, to an ideal future state, where through the employment of research, available data, and theory the implementation and application of a comprehensive leadership succession planning framework is institutionalized. The transformational and transformative leadership approaches have been adopted to help in understanding leadership’s role in creating the systems and structures necessary for teachers to develop their leadership capacities, as well as instituting an equitable and transparent appointment structure within the school. This study offers a unique perspective, as it is researched and written by an external change agent, to be offered to the current school administration for enactment. The information presented in this Organizational Improvement Plan, although focusing on a single international school located in Country A, can have implications for all international schools, as it provides a tangible, research-informed, and thorough process by which an international school can develop a leadership succession framework and build a talent pool from within the staff to draw from when required

First eigenvalue of the Laplace operator and mean curvature

The main theorem of this paper states a relation between the first nonzero eigenvalue of Laplace operator and the squared norm of mean curvature in irreducible compact homogeneous manifolds under spatial conditions. This statement has some results that states in the remainder of paper.Основна теорема цієї статті встановлює зв'язок між першим ненульовим власним значенням оператора Лапласа та нормою середньої кривини у квадраті у незвідних компактних однорідних мно-говидах під дією просторових умов. Одержано також деякі інші результати

Preparation and characterization of new hybrid organic/inorganic systems derived from calcium (aminoalkyl)-phosphonates and -phosphonocarboxylates

We have studied the phenomenon of calcium complexation by lab synthesized amphiphilic (α-aminoalkyl)-phosphonocarboxylic or -phosphonic acids. The electrical conductivity of aqueous solutions of sodium salts of all these acids was measured versus the volume of a calcium salt solution added. It appeared that calcium complexes are formed in a Ca/P atomic ratio close to 1. Calcium phosphonocarboxylates and calcium phosphonates were also precipitated by mixing aqueous solutions of disodium salts of phosphorus amphiphiles and calcium nitrate solutions. Before chemical analysis, these complexes were calcined to remove the organic part. In the mineralized products, calcium and phosphate were assayed: the Ca/P atomic ratio was equal to 1. X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy showed that they are made entirely of β pyrophosphate (Ca2P2O7), a result in agreement with previous chemical analysis. The chemical formula of the starting calcium complexes could be written as CaL·2H2O (L= ligand). The SEM micrographs of these complexes show plate-like structures. XRD patterns are characteristic of layered structures. These facts suggest that calcium complexes are composed of alternating bimolecular layers of calcium alkylphosphonocarboxylates or calcium alkylphosphonates, the chains being tilted and partially interdigitated

A Transcript Analysis of the Graduates of Two Postsecondary Institutions in North Dakota: A General Education Profile

This study examined general education at a university and a community college in North Dakota in regard to purpose, structure, content, core, breadth, and coherence. The purpose of the study was to determine actual general education course-taking patterns by all graduates of the institutions and by differentiated majors. The research methodology was a case study and a profile of actual course-taking patterns as recorded on the transcripts of the 1990 baccalaureate degree graduates of the university and the 1989 and 1990 associate degree graduates at the community college. The profiles of general education coursework at the two institutions were similar. The stated purposes of general education were not directly linked to the general education structure or approved courses. Assessment was not defined. The structure of general education at the two institutions was distributional and spread among four disciplinary fields with some parameters in terms of departments and course selections. The content of the general education coursework completed was largely introductory. Although 50 percent of the total general education enrollments occurred in twenty-seven courses at the university and fourteen courses at the community college, there was an extremely limited pattern of common experiences for all graduates, particularly at the university. Fifty percent of the graduates completed only three courses in common at the university and seven courses in common at the community college. The core of common coursework was greater when differentiated by major; however, the common courses were closely related to the major and not balanced by discipline. Breadth of general education occurred to some degree in social sciences, humanities, and mathematics, but was limited in all other areas. Coursework coherence, measured by sequencing courses according to grade level, demonstrated 50 percent coherence at the community college for freshmen and sophomores but for only seniors at the university.Recommendations from this study included the need to conduct a general education case study at all institutions in the state higher education system, include general education transfer coursework in such a study, review institutional general education policies and practices considering the reported data, and develop general education assessment procedures