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The effect of scaffolding-based digital instructional media on higher-order thinking skills
No full textHigher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are widely recognized as an essential for addressing the challenges of modern life. As a result, numerous educational systems prioritize the development of students' HOTS. While previous studies have explored the impact of scaffolding on HOTS through either paper-based methods or gamified approaches, this experimental study seeks to examine the effects of scaffolding-based digital instructional media delivered via web-based instruction—specifically, the platform Madmatics—on students' HOTS. The participants in this study consisted of 64 junior high school students, with 32 students utilizing the scaffolding-based digital media for mathematics learning, while the remaining 32 students engaged in traditional paper-and-pencil exercises in a regular classroom setting. The findings reveal that students exposed to scaffolding-based digital instructional media demonstrated significantly greater improvements in HOTS compared to those in the conventional learning environment. Three key factors may explain this enhancement: the scaffolding guided students through problem-solving tasks, the media provided immediate feedback and explanations to facilitate learning, and the digital platform increased student engagement and motivation to solve mathematical problems
A type II toxin–antitoxin system is responsible for the cell death at low temperature in Pseudomonas syringae Lz4W lacking RNase R
Get PDFRNase R (encoded by the rnr gene) is a highly processive 3′ → 5′ exoribonuclease essential for the growth of the psychrotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae Lz4W at low temperature. The cell death of a rnr deletion mutant at low temperature has been previously attributed to processing defects in 16S rRNA, defective ribosomal assembly, and inefficient protein synthesis. We recently showed that RNase R is required to protect P. syringae Lz4W from DNA damage and oxidative stress, independent of its exoribonuclease activity. Here, we show that the processing defect in 16S rRNA does not cause cell death of the rnr mutant of P. syringae at low temperature. Our results demonstrate that the rnr mutant of P. syringae Lz4W, complemented with a RNase R deficient in exoribonuclease function (RNase RD284A), is defective in 16S rRNA processing but can grow at 4 °C. This suggested that the processing defect in ribosomal RNAs is not a cause of the cold sensitivity of the rnr mutant. We further show that the rnr mutant accumulates copies of the indigenous plasmid pLz4W that bears a type II toxin–antitoxin (TA) system (P. syringae antitoxin–P. syringae toxin). This phenotype was rescued by overexpressing antitoxin psA in the rnr mutant, suggesting that activation of the type II TA system leads to cold sensitivity of the rnr mutant of P. syringae Lz4W. Here, we report a previously unknown functional relationship between the cold sensitivity of the rnr mutant and a type II TA system in P. syringae Lz4W
Transboundary movements of porbeagle sharks support need for continued cooperative research and management approaches
Get PDFDistribution of species across jurisdictional and physical boundaries poses a challenge to management and research, and these transboundary species tend to suffer more-severe population declines from fisheries exploitation. Large pelagic sharks like the porbeagle shark, Lamna nasus, are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures due to their life history characteristics and their highly migratory behaviour. However, limited knowledge of their precise spatio-temporal movements is particularly challenging for management in situations where jurisdictional boundaries change over small spatial scales. We used satellite tags to demonstrate that porbeagle sharks tagged in the northern Northeast (NE) Atlantic (n = 3), display inter-individual variation in behaviour. Tagged sharks undertook rapid horizontal movements (up to 100 km per day) while transiting through multiple physical habitats and management jurisdictions in a matter of days along different paths. The spatial scale of these movements is important now that the population is deemed in recovery and a new catch advice for porbeagle sharks has been issued by ICES for the first time since 2009 in the NE Atlantic. These movement data highlight the value of existing, and need for continued, regional collaboration to inform sustainable fisheries and conservation management. This is achieved by maximising research impact through cross border funding mechanisms to fill knowledge gaps of species’ life-history and ecology, and, in turn, improve respective outcomes for vulnerable and highly mobile shark species
A Study on Particulate Release when Machining Nano-structured Polymeric Composites
Get PDFThis paper presents a quantitative assessment of particles released when machining nanostructured composite materials. Two different nanocomposite materials (graphene/epoxy and halloysite nanoclay/polyester) were micro machined using carbide end mills under various cutting conditions. A portable particulate monitor (Turnkey Dustmate, laser light scattering monitor) was used at different locations at a distance from the machining zone (starting from 10 cm to 1 m) to measure the released PM10, PM2.5, PM1 concentrations (diameter <10, <2.5 and <1 µm, respectively, with a lower limit of 0.5 µm). DustMate results showed that concentrations across the three size categories were well below workplace exposure limits
Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Birth Satisfaction Scale–Revised in Portuguese postpartum women
Get PDFObjectiveThis study aims to develop a Portuguese-language version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) for clinical and research use in Portugal (PT-BSS-R). The factor structure, its invariance across depression levels, and the internal consistency of the PT-BSS-R were analysed.MethodA sample of 1373 Portuguese-speaking postpartum women completed a sociodemographic and clinical form, the PT-BSS-R, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale through an online survey tool. Four competing models were tested through confirmatory factor analyses and bifactor model-based psychometric indices were calculated. The internal consistency and the divergent/convergent validity are analysed.ResultsThe psychometric properties of PT-BSS-R were found to be generally excellent. Both the original correlated three-factor model and the bifactor model exhibited a good fit to the data. Results from the bifactor model support the use of both the BSS-R total score and the subscale scores. Exemplary invariance findings were observed between groups stratified on the basis of depression screening. PT-BSS-R has demonstrated both divergent and convergent validity as well as internal consistency.ConclusionPT-BSS-R is a psychometrically robust measure of birth satisfaction appropriate for clinical and research use in Portugal
The influence of age on the timber properties and grading of Scots pine and larch in Ireland
Get PDFScots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and larch (Larix spp.) are two species that could contribute to diversifying Ireland’s timber supply. However, there is little knowledge about their properties as well as their variation with age. The aim of this study is to investigate the structural properties (modulus of elasticity, strength and density) of Irish-grown Scots pine and larch and the effect of cambial age on timber grading. Structural-sized pieces were used for this purpose, and the timber properties, knots and ring width were measured on 158 and 250 pieces of Scots pine and larch, respectively. Characteristic values of the properties and indicative yields for different strength classes were calculated. The age effect was assessed using an empirical approach, and a novel modelling approach that disaggregates the timber properties at the annual growth ring level. Yields above 90 per cent of C20 were achieved for Scots pine, whereas larch achieved a 100 per cent yield of C24 strength class. The effect of cambial age in the grading properties indicated that older boards increased the characteristic values of a timber population. In Scots pine, the empirical approach showed that the yields increased by up to 26 per cent when using pieces up to 50 years old compared with pieces up to 30 years old. In larch, the use of pieces up to 40 years old increased the yields by up to 16 per cent compared with using pieces up to 30 years old. The results of the modelling approach were consistent with the values obtained in the empirical analysis and can help to make informed decisions regarding rotation lengths for the production of structural timber. Our results found that cambial ages of 40 years in Scots pine produce high yields of structural timber, whereas 30 years are enough for larch
Temporal analysis and predictive modeling of ambient air quality in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia: A chemometric approach
Get PDFOne of the most important environmental problems facing the globe today is air pollution. The centre area for the local populace is the Hulu Langat district, which borders Kuala Lumpur, the capital. The purpose of this study is to look at how the ambient air quality varies in Hulu Langat, Selangor. The Air Quality Division of the Malaysian Department of Environment provided five years' worth of secondary data on the air quality at Hulu Langat. The database included five primary air pollutant characteristics sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM10), in addition to data from the Air Pollutant Index (API). Chemometric analysis was used to examine the results. According to the results, SO2, NO2 and PM10 had the greatest correlations with API readings. A statistical process known as statistical control (SPC) showed that certain PM10 values were over national recommendations and control limits. The artificial neural network method's air quality prediction model demonstrated good accuracy with real data (R2 = 0.9). The results of this investigation indicated a strong correlation between the Hulu Langat air quality data. In order to achieve sustainable environmental practices in the future, it is imperative to engage in extensive collaboration across environmental departments and relevant authorities and engage in continuous monitoring of air quality
An Entity Ontology-Based Knowledge Graph Embedding Approach to News Credibility Assessment
Get PDFFake news is a prevalent issue in modern society, leading to misinformation and societal harm. News credibility assessment is a crucial approach for evaluating the accuracy and authenticity of news. It plays a significant role in enhancing public awareness and understanding of news, while also effectively mitigating the dissemination of fake news. However, news credibility assessment meets challenges when processing large-scale and constantly growing data, due to insufficient and unreliable labels and standards, and diversity and semantic ambiguity of news contents. Recently, machine learning models have been well developed to address these issues, but suffer from limited effectiveness. A unified framework is also required for them to represent various entities and relationships involved in news stories. This paper proposes an Entity Ontology-Based Knowledge Graph Network (EKNet) to leverage knowledge graphs and entity frameworks for news credibility assessment. The model utilizes the information from knowledge graphs by combining entities and relationships from news and knowledge graphs. Experimental results show that the EKNet has advantages in evaluating news credibility over existing methods. Specifically, compared to several strong baselines, the model demonstrates a significant performance improvement in scores across various tasks. Which indicates that using the EKNet to address the challenges in news credibility assessment is highly effective and can conduct better performance for the problem of fake news in the social media environment
Man shall not live by bread alone? Freedom of worship, COVID-19 and the Courts
Get PDFThis article discusses the application of the proportionality test which the Court of Session in Scotland and the European Court of Human Rights carried out when reviewing the limitations to worship and public gatherings imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article concludes that judges should not use the proportionality standard of review as an avenue to circumvent their duty of neutrality towards religious dogmas
Wideband Endfire Antenna Array for 5G mmWave Mobile Terminals
Get PDFIn this paper, a compact endfire antenna array with low-profile, small clearance, and wideband operation is proposed for millimeter-wave (mmWave) fifth-generation (5G) mobile terminals. The wideband operation is achieved by exciting two identical bow-tie dipoles inserted on both sides of a multilayer substrate fed by an asymmetric open-end stripline to slotline transition. The antenna performance is significantly improved by introducing a set of vertical metallic vias. The proposed antenna element can achieve 29 % from 24.2 GHz to 32.4 GHz with a peak realized gain that varies from 3.5 dBi to 4.5 dBi. A linear 4-element antenna array is arranged and fabricated to verify the proposed antenna beamforming capabilities. The simulated and measured bandwidth achieves a wide range of 34.4 % (24-34 GHz) to support 26, 28, and 30 GHz 5G mmWave bands with an isolation level better than 20 dB and a peak realized gain over the interested bands ranging from 7.56 to 8.14 dBi. The simulated array scanning angle is ± 68 • at 28 GHz within 3-dB gain deterioration. Furthermore, the simulated spherical coverage has met the requirements of 3GPP standards which make the proposed antenna array a promising candidate to be integrated within mmWave 5G mobile devices. INDEX TERMS 5G, antenna array, beamforming, endfire, mmWave bands, mobile terminal, wideband
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