Developing experiment based science teaching skills : a lifelong learning opportunity for teachers in a rural area of Turkey

Modular Mobile Education: Science Experiments (MOBILIM) is an innovative pilot project for the vocational training of science teachers in rural regions of central Turkey supported by the European Commission in the frames of the Leonardo da Vinci programme. In this project, a mobile science laboratory (MSL) was established in order to cope with the great disparities in opportunities between science teaching in urban and rural areas. Teacher training both in what concerns practical competencies and subject knowledge is one of the main reasons for these disparities in the standards of science teaching. Teacher training via MOBILIM is based on hands-on and demonstration practical activities. At the end of the MSL based phase a two-day conference was organized to provide an opportunity for discussion with and among teachers and also to make it possible to exchange ideas and experiences with European partners of the project. Results indicate that in order to improve teachers’ practice in the classroom, experimental vocational education via mobile laboratories is advisable and allow good results. The majority of the teachers were pleased with the participation in both the training phase and the subsequent project conference. All of the teachers involved want to become a better and more active teaching force. There is a high expectation to carry on with similar courses in the future

Origin of the exchange bias training effects in magnetically coupled soft/hard synthetic bilayers at low temperature

WOS: 000347711600015Hysteresis loops of the nanoscale magnetic layer Co90Fe10 and Ni81Fe19 and bilayer Co90Fe10/Ni81Fe19 and Ni81Fe19/Co90Fe10 films were measured as a function of external dc magnetic Field and the thickness dependence of these Films were plotted as a function of temperature. Time evolution of the minor/middle/major hysteresis loops of 5/5 nm-thick Ni81Fe19/Co90Fe10 monolayer have been observed at 10 K. The spin valve, exchange bias training and Barkhausen effects for magnetic layer and bilayer films have been analysed at various temperatures, thicknesses and different orientations according to the substrate. The exchange-bias training effects have been observed only in positive magnetization region. Origin of the exchange-bias training effects and asymmetric hysteresis loops are related to the relaxation mechanism of a pinning layer in magnetically coupled soft/hard bilayers. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reservedResearch foundation of Nigde University [FEB2012/03]This study was supported by Research foundation of Nigde University (Grant no. FEB2012/03

Novel acid mono azo dye compound: Synthesis, characterization, vibrational, optical and theoretical investigations of 2-[(E)-(8-hydroxyquinolin-5-yl)-diazenyl]-4,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid

Novel acid mono azo dye, 2-[(E)-(8-hydroxyquinolin-5yl)-diazenyl]-4,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid (HQD), was synthesized by coupling diazonium salt solution of 2-amino-4,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid (DMA) with 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ). This dye was characterized by UV-vis, IR & Raman, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopic techniques and elemental analysis. The normal coordinate analysis of HQD was also performed to assign each band in vibrational spectra. DFT (B3LYP and B3PW91) calculations were employed to optimize the geometry, to interpret NMR spectra, to calculate and to determine the stable tautomeric structure of the compound. Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis was performed to investigate intramolecular interactions. The vibrational spectral data obtained from solid phase IR & Raman spectra were assigned based on the results of the theoretical calculations. UV-vis spectroscopic technique was employed to obtain the optical band gap of HQD. The analysis of the optical absorption data revealed the existence of direct and indirect transitions in the optical band gaps. The optical band gaps of HQD have been found 1.95 and 1.90 eV for direct and indirect transitions, respectively. Published by Elsevier B.V