Cognitive preferences of secondary science teachers in India: The example of uttar pradesh

Earlier studies on cognitive preferences have concentrated on students, whereas the subjects here are teachers of science. The study seeks to compare how cognitive preferences differ in groups of secondary school teachers identified by type of curriculum taught (traditional vs. enquiry-oriented), gender, length of teaching experience, and educational qualification.The Combined Cognitive Preference Inventory compiled by Pinchas Tamir was applied to 103 subjects drawn by random cluster sampling from urban schools. Inferential statistical analysis was employed, with a matched group design. With few exceptions the overall pattern of cognitive preferences that emerged for all the groups is Recall-Principles-Application-Questioning. These results do not confirm anticipated differences, and bring home the fact that teachers' congnitive preferences remain constant. The implications for implementation of innovative curricula and teacher education are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Frühere Studien über kognitive Präferenzen konzentrierten sich auf Studenten, während Thema dieses Artikels Lehrer im wissenschaftlichen Bereich sind. Die Studie will einen Vergleich anstellen, wie kognitive Präferenzen sich nach Gruppen von Sekundarschullehrern unterscheiden, die nach verschiedenen Kriterien wie Art des unterrichteten Curriculums (traditionell gegen Frageorientierte), Geschlecht, Länge der Berufserfahrung und Qualifikationen bestimmt wurden.Das von Pinchas Tamir aufgestellte zusammengefaßte Inventar der kognitiven Präferenzen wurde bei 103 Lehrern an städtischen Schulen durch Zufallsstichprobenerhebung angewandt. Eine zu Schlußfolgerungen führende statistische Analyse wurde erstellt, und zwar mit einem matched group design (parallelisiertes Gruppendesign). Das sich mit wenigen Ausnahmen für alle Gruppen ergebende Grundmuster der kognitiven Präferenzen ist Erinnerung-Grundsätze-Anwendung-Fragestellung. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen die angenommenen Unterschiede nicht, und sie lassen erkennen, daß die kognitiven Präferenzen der Lehrer konstant bleiben. Die Auswirkungen auf die Einführung innovativer Curricula und auf die Lehrerausbildung werden diskutiert.

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Résumé Les études effectuées sur les préférences cognitives étaient focalisées au départ sur les apprenants, tandis que les questions étudiées ici portent sur les enseignants de science. La présente étude tente d'établir une comparaison entre les préférences cognitives des différents groupes d'enseignants du secondaire qui ont été identifiés d'après le type de programme enseigné (programme traditionnel contre programme orienté vers la recherche), le sexe, la longueur de l'expérience didactique et les qualifications pédagogiques.L'inventaire des préférences connitives combinées compilé par Pinchas Tamir a été appliqué à 103 matières sélectionnées au hasard à partir d'un échantillonnage d'écoles urbaines. On a employé l'analyse statistique déductive, avec un plan de groupe correspondant. Mises à part quelques exceptions, la structure générale des préférences cognitives qui s'est dégagée pour tous les groupes est la suivante: Rappel-Principes-Application-Interrogation. Ces résultats ne corroborent pas les différences anticipées et font comprendre le fait que les préférences cognitives des enseignants sont constantes. On examine les implications de ces résultats pour la mise en oeuvre de programmes d'étude novateurs et la formation des formateurs.

     

Effect of Metformin on Hormonal and Biochemical Profile in PCOS Before and After Therapy

Insulin resistance and the resultant hyperinsulinemia exacerbate the reproductive abnormalities of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome by increasing ovarian androgen productions and decreasing serum sex hormone binding globulin. The present study was conducted to estimate serum insulin and testosterone level in 44 PCOS cases and 32 control patients. Simultaneously the role of metformin (an insulin sensitizing agent) in modulating insulin resistance and serum androgen level was also analyzed. A significant rise in serum insulin and testosterone (P < 0.001) was observed in cases in comparison to control. Fasting Plasma Glucose to insulin ratio, a marker of insulin resistance revealed a significant fall in PCOS group. Follow up of cases with metformin for 3 months revealed a significant fall in serum insulin (P < 0.05) with improvement in insulin resistance along with a nonsignificant fall in testosterone level. Serum insulin registered a significant positive correlation (P < 0.05) with serum testosterone revealing its etiological association. Thus administration of drugs ameliorating insulin levels is expected to provide new therapeutic modality for PCOS.     

HIV/AIDS research in India: A bibliometric study

This article looks at the growth over time of Indian AIDS research output based on bibliographic data from PubMed and Web of Science. Authorship distribution was examined using Lotka's law. Bradford's law of scattering was used to identify core journals. The study identifies active institutions and statewide distributions of Indian AIDS research output. The yearly analysis of data shows that there is a rapid growth of literature from 1992 onwards. Still, in an international sense, relative productivity of India is low and requires more focused research and development.     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternanthera sessilis</Emphasis> on Liver Function in Carbon Tetra Chloride Induced Hepatotoxicity in Wister Rat Model

Alternanthera sessilis commonly known as ‘sessile joy weed’ or ‘dwarf copperleaf’ is found throughout the hotter parts of India up to an altitude of 1200 m². In Assam, the plant has been traditionally used in the treatment of jaundice along with other ailments. The study focuses primarily on the evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of the plant with special references to its putative protective role in carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury on Wister albino rat. The in vivo hepatoprotective activity of the methanolic extract at the dose of 250 mg/kg body weight was highly effective in controlling SGPT, SGOT, ALP, serum cholesterol and serum bilirubin level as compared to silymarin. The said extract also significantly lowered the lipid profile caused by CCl₄. The activity shown by methanolic extract of the whole plant of A. sessilis is of considered importance and thus justified its use in controlling hepatic diseases in traditional treatment system.     

Role of Lipids in Retinal Vascular and Macular Disorders

Retinal diseases are significant by increasing problem in every part of the world. While excellent treatment has emerged for various retinal diseases, treatment for early disease is lacking due to an incomplete understanding of all molecular events. With aging, there is a striking accumulation of neutral lipids in Bruch’s membrane. These neutral lipids leads to the creation of a lipid wall at the same locations where drusen and basal linear deposit, pathognomonic lesions of Age-related macular degeneration, subsequently form. High lipid levels are also known to cause endothelial dysfunction, an important factor in the pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy. Various studies suggest that 20 % of Retinal Vascular Occlusion is connected to hyperlipidemia. Biochemical studies have implicated mutation in gene encoding ABCA4, a lipid transporter in pathogenesis of Stargardt disease. This article reviews how systemic and local production of lipids might contribute to the pathogenesis of above retinal disorders.     

Promoting higher order thinking skills using inquiry-based learning

Active learning pedagogies play an important role in enhancing higher order cognitive skills among the student community. In this work, a laboratory course for first year engineering chemistry is designed and executed using an inquiry-based learning pedagogical approach. The goal of this module is to promote higher order thinking skills in chemistry. Laboratory exercises are designed based on Bloom's taxonomy and a just-in-time facilitation approach is used. A pre-laboratory discussion outlining the theory of the experiment and its relevance is carried out to enable the students to analyse real-life problems. The performance of the students is assessed based on their ability to perform the experiment, design new experiments and correlate practical utility of the course module with real life. The novelty of the present approach lies in the fact that the learning outcomes of the existing experiments are achieved through establishing a relationship with real-world problems.     

A model for understanding collaborative information behavior in context: A study of two healthcare teams

Collaborative information behavior is an essential aspect of organizational work; however, we have very limited understanding of this behavior. Most models of information behavior focus on the individual seeker of information. In this paper, we report the results from two empirical studies that investigate aspects of collaborative information behavior in organizational settings. From these studies, we found that collaborative information behavior differs from individual information behavior with respect to how individuals interact with each other, the complexity of the information need, and the role of information technology. There are specific triggers for transitioning from individual to collaborative information behavior, including lack of domain expertise. The information retrieval technologies used affect collaborative information behavior by acting as important supporting mechanisms. From these results and prior work, we develop a model of collaborative information behavior along the axes of participant behavior, situational elements, and contextual triggers. We also present characteristics of collaborative information system including search, chat, and sharing. We discuss implications for the design of collaborative information retrieval systems and directions for future work.     

Capping drugs: Development of prodrugs

It is clear from the foregoing, that the development of prodrugs promises to be a very effective method for treatment of diseases in the future. This approach has several advantages over conventional drug administration. Site specificity is central to the prodrug development strategy. Even though at present prodrugs are not prevalent in clinical use, in future there will be prodrugs for every known drug to make them effective in treatment. Drug discovery and prodrug development appear to be complementary for the generation of target specific medicines of future. At present the research in this area is at a nascent stage due to lack of information regarding all the enzymes or receptors most suitable for targeting purposes. As the unravelling of the microbiological details of the affected targets become clear, prodrug development will surely decrease side/toxic effects of drugs and also trigger development of more potent primary drugs.