SPATIAL ABILITY AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: A REVIEW OF CORRELATIONAL STUDIES

Out of the four approaches in researches on spatial thinking in undergraduate science curricula, viz. correlation studies, studies on training of spatial ability, focused studies and dynamic spatial representations studies; this paper reviews the correlational studies of spatial ability and science education. Spatial ability plays vital roles in participation and success of an individual in science. Researchers have found positive correlations ranging from 0.1 – 0.6 among spatial abilities and performance in different branches of science.  Article visualizations

SPATIAL ABILITIES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

This paper is an attempt to summarize the researches on spatial ability in order to understand the viewpoints of different psychological approaches viz psychometric approach, developmental approach, differential approach and information processing approach and their contributions to the knowledge of spatial ability.  Article visualizations

A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF INDIAN SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED SPATIAL ABILITY

The present phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of Indian school students, in attempting to answer the question: “What is it like for a student to experience the spatial ability phenomenon in learning school science?” The study included 12 interviewees and 12 focus group participants at Jamia Senior Secondary School run under Jamia Millia Islamia administration. Data sources included interview transcripts; think aloud transcripts, focus group transcripts, researcher journal entries, performance data, observation data, and spatial ability test (MRT) data. This paper provides the holistic, structural description of the spatial phenomenon that emerged from the descriptions of the participants’ experience, as well as an expository on invariant themes that were elicited from the data. Educational implications are also discussed.  Article visualizations

SPATIAL ABILITY AND CHILDHOOD TOYS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ENQUIRY FROM CHILDREN'S PERSPECTIVE

The present phenomenological study explores how school students see their childhood toys as facilitator or inhibitor of spatial ability in learning science in the school. Specifically, the aim was to elicit, describe, and analyze the background, perspectives and experiences of the students that contributed in developing their spatial ability. For this purpose, twenty-four students of Grade X who have compulsory science were selected. Upon identifying two groups of high spatial performers and low spatial performers, qualitative techniques were used to gather data. The tools and techniques included personal in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, observations, and think aloud task performances. Data was analyzed through the data explicitation processes suggested by Giorgi, providing textural and structural descriptions from every participant. Quality of engagement with childhood toys emerged as a major themes that marked out the differences between both the groups. This may help stakeholders such as educators, teachers, parents, students, and curriculum developers in understanding the lasting role of childhood toys on development of spatial abilities which influence the learning of school science.  Article visualizations

FUTURE OF SPATIAL ABILITY RESEARCHES AND EDUCATION: A REVIEW

The present paper deals with the future trends of researches in the area of spatial ability and its implication on education. Researches on spatial ability are predicted to continue with two concurrent themes: its association with intelligence and the influence of technology and computer in redefining and molding spatial ability. Current technologies like 3D Imaging, virtual reality, simulations are redefining and molding spatial ability.  Article visualizations

Three-Dimensional Graph Drawing Procedures for Functions of Two and Several Variables

Many functions depend on more than one independent variable. For instance, the volume of a right circular cylinder is a function of its radius and its height, so it is a function V(r, h) of two variables r and h. Real valued functions of several independent real variables are defined similarly to functions in the single-variable case. In this article, we define functions of more than one independent variable and discuss ways to graph them. But their graph is impossible in the two-dimensional system and the MATLAB program is the language that guarantees computer implementation at a high level in mathematics, easily presenting calculations, images, graphs, and writing programs in its environment. For achieving this goal, we first explained the plot3 procedure in the three-dimensional coordinate system to draw the graph of two dependent subordinates on the MATLAB program environment, followed by the surf procedure as well as the mesh procedure. Then we explained the procedures mentioned in the polar coordinates. We have provided examples to better understand each procedure

Public Health Service Management is Characterized by 3 Pillars of Innovation

Traditional political science and public administration literature have long held the belief that the innovation in public service management is primarily contingent on the level of financial resources available. However, recent developments in China challenge this assumption, as they raise questions about why certain regions, despite having limited financial resources, are selected as pilot areas for "treatment first" reforms, and why some of these less affluent regions demonstrate superior implementation of specific pilot measures compared to their wealthier counterparts in the eastern regions. This article introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the innovation in public service management, positing a three-pronged approach that considers the interplay of finance, supply-side factors, and demand-side dynamics. It argues that the innovation in public service management within a given region is the result of a complex interaction among these three key elements. Drawing on empirical data, this article conducts a comparative analysis of the factors influencing "treatment first" reforms in four distinct regions of China: Wuhan, Shanxi, Chongqing, and Hunan. By exploring the unique dynamics at play in each of these regions, the study sheds light on the nuanced relationship between finance, public service supply, and demand. Additionally, it elucidates how these factors jointly determine the success and trajectory of public service management innovation in different locales, challenging conventional wisdom and providing valuable insights into the contemporary governance landscape in China

Recurrent parent genome recovery in different populations with the introgression of Sub1 gene from a cross between MR219 and Swarna-Sub1

Recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery is the most important step of marker assisted backcross breeding. This breeding approach is used to develop new varieties by inserting a particular gene of interest into the background of a modern variety, and removing undesirable segments linked with the target allele, which can survive after many generations of backcrossing. The marker assisted backcrossing technique is the most effective way to minimize the limitation of conventional breeding, and recover the parental genome within 2–3 generations. MR219, A modern rice variety of Malaysia (susceptible to submergence) was crossed with a high-yielding submergence tolerant variety Swarna-Sub1 (donor) to produce a new submergence tolerant rice variety. Foreground selection for the sub1 gene was done using tightly linked markers. Estimation of RPG recovery was conducted in earlier generations with previously screened polymorphic SSR markers. A total of 385 SSR markers were tested to identify the polymorphism between the parents and 88 of them found to be polymorphic. Background analysis revealed 65.55–77.8 and 78.79–95.5 % recovery in BC1F1 and BC2F1 generations, respectively. In the BC2F2 generation the average RPG recovery was 95.37 % and that for the selected plant was 96.3 %. This study revealed the usefulness of marker assisted backcrossing for the quick recovery of a parental genome in a backcrossing population

Dynamic Profiling of β-Coronavirus 3CL M^proProtease Ligand-Binding Sites

Data availability statement: The trajectories of Mpro simulations and models of the metastable states can be downloaded from 10.5281/zenodo.4782284.β-coronavirus (CoVs) alone has been responsible for three major global outbreaks in the 21st century. The current crisis has led to an urgent requirement to develop therapeutics. Even though a number of vaccines are available, alternative strategies targeting essential viral components are required as a backup against the emergence of lethal viral variants. One such target is the main protease (Mpro) that plays an indispensable role in viral replication. The availability of over 270 Mpro X-ray structures in complex with inhibitors provides unique insights into ligand–protein interactions. Herein, we provide a comprehensive comparison of all nonredundant ligand-binding sites available for SARS-CoV2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV Mpro. Extensive adaptive sampling has been used to investigate structural conservation of ligand-binding sites using Markov state models (MSMs) and compare conformational dynamics employing convolutional variational auto-encoder-based deep learning. Our results indicate that not all ligand-binding sites are dynamically conserved despite high sequence and structural conservation across β-CoV homologs. This highlights the complexity in targeting all three Mpro enzymes with a single pan inhibitor.There was no funding for this wor