Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties of combination ofCurcumin fromCurcuma longa, Linn, and partially purified product fromAbroma augusta, Linn. in streptozotocin induced diabetes

Dietary spice components ofCurcuma longa andAbroma augusta have been screened for their protective effect against reactive oxygen species induced lipid peroxidation. They have been found to be efficient antioxidant when administered in combination. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of oral administration (300mg/Kg) of the aqueous extract of turmeric whose active ingredient isCurcumin andAbromine powder as a hypoglycemic agent mixed with diet. The effect of this aqueous extract on blood glucose, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the antioxidant defense system in rat tissues like liver, lung, kidney and brain was studied for 8 weeks in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The administration of an aqueous extract of turmeric and abromine powder resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose and an increase in total haemoglobin. The aqueous extract also resulted in decreased free radical formation in the tissues studied. The decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and increase in reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) clearly showed the antioxidant property of the mixture. It is suggested that these changes initially counteract the oxidative stress in diabetes however, a gradual decrease in the antioxidative process may be one of the factors which results in chronic diabetes. These results indicate that the mixture of the two plants have shown antidiabetic activity and also reduced oxidative stress in diabetes. A combination ofAbroma augusta and Curcuma longa also restored the other general parameters in diabetic animals. The results were statistically analyzed and indicated that combination of herbal extracts showed better efficacy as compared to individual herbal plant extracts used.     

Impact of light intensity on flowering time and plant quality of Antirrhinum majus L.cultivar Chimes White

Shades of different light intensities (29%, 43%, 54%, 60% or 68%) along with control (no shade) were studied to observe their effects on the flowering time and plant quality. A hyperbolic relationship was observed between different light intensities under shade, and time to flowering. The total number of flower buds showed a curvilinear relationship with light intensities. Growth parameters related to the plant characteristics such as plant height, leaf area and plant fresh weight were improved under shading treatments at the expense of flowering time and number of flower buds. However, both linear and polynomial models applied assumed that cultivar Chimes White was equally sensitive to light intensity throughout development.     

Evaluating students experiences using a virtual learning environment: satisfaction and preferences

Educational technology research and development - Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are web-based software systems that enable students to interact with their teachers and classmates, access...     

Factors affecting the adoption of e-learning systems in Qatar and USA: Extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2)

This study examines the major factors that may hinder or enable the adoption of e-learning systems by university students in developing (Qatar) as well as developed (USA) countries. To this end, we used extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) with Trust as an external variable. By means of an online survey, data were collected from 833 university students from a university in Qatar and another from USA. Structural equation modelling was employed as the main method of analysis in this study. The results show that performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, habit and trust are significant predictors of behavioural intention (BI) in both samples. However, contrary to our expectation, the relationship between price value and BI is insignificant. Our results also show that effort expectancy and social influence lead to an increase in students’ adoption of e-learning systems in developing countries but not in developed countries. Moreover, facilitating conditions increase e-learning adoption in developed countries which is not the case in developing countries. Overall, the proposed model achieves an acceptable fit and explains its variance for 68% of the Qatari sample and 63% of the USA sample. These results and their implications to both theory and practice are described.     

Parental perceptions of life context variables for involvement in their young children's education

The purpose of this study was to discover Turkish parents’ perceptions of life context variables, including personal knowledge and skills and personal time and energy for involvement activities in their young children's education. The scales used in this study were based on parents’ self-report, and included: (1) Parental Perceptions of Personal Knowledge and Skills for Involvement Activities and (2) Parental Perceptions of Personal Time and Energy for Involvement Activities. Moreover, a demographic survey was developed and used as the second instrument in this study. The results suggested that parents as a group tend to have positive perceptions of life context variables for involvement in their young children's education and their income is the strongest predictor of these perceptions.     

Modeling of a Sn-Based HTM-Free Perovskite Solar Cell Using a One-Dimensional Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator Tool

Tin(Sn)-based perovskite solar cells(PSCs) have received increasing attention in the domain of photovoltaics due to their environmentally friendly nature.In this paper,numerical modeling and simulation of hole transport material(HTM)-free PSC based on methyl ammonium tin triiodide(CH₃NH₃SnI₃) was performed using a one-dimensional solar cell capacitance simulator(SCAPS-1D) software.The effect of perovskite thickness,interface defect density,temperature,and electro...     

An assessment of the academic and social integration as perceived by the students in the University of Papua New Guinea

This study assesses the current and ideal levelsof academic and social integration within the University of PapuaNew Guinea as perceived by the students. In order to reducestudent attrition through developing an appropriate attritionpolicy and improving services, a comprehensive picture of thecurrent and ideal academic and social integration climate in theUniversity of Papua New Guinea was necessary. Previousattrition/retention research has not adequately described thevarying degrees of group differences in students' integrationprocess. Using the Tinto model and research instruments thatoperationalised the model, an institutional academic and socialintegration assessment instrument was developed for measuring theperceived current and ideal integration climate. Respondent'sperceived ideal ratings for 24 items representing five dimensionsof academic and social integration were higher than for thecurrent ratings. Significant differences were found between thecurrent and ideal perceptions of student groups in respect of a)students' informal contact with faculty; b) faculty concern forstudents' development and teaching and c) extra curricularactivities. Differences were found between the perceived ratingsof student groups on the basis of year of studies. Implicationsfor policy directives and discriminatory service delivery arealso discussed.     

Challenges of remote assessment in higher education in the context of COVID-19: a case study of Middle East College

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 incident, higher education institutions have faced different challenges in their teaching-learning...     

The rates and correlates of the exposure of Palestinian adolescents to family violence: toward an integrative-holistic approach

OBJECTIVES: First, to examine the rates of Palestinian adolescents' exposure to (i.e., witnessing and experiencing) different patterns of psychological aggression and physical violence in their families of origin; and second, to examine the correlation between this exposure and sociodemographic characteristics, parents' psychological adjustment problems, and family exposure to political stressors. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among a sample of 1,185 Palestinian secondary school students. RESULTS: The study reveals very alarming rates of witnessing interparental and parent-to-sibling aggression and violence, and high rates of experiencing aggression and violence by parents and siblings during childhood and adolescence. In addition, these rates were found to be intercorrelated, and correlated significantly with several sociodemographic characteristics such as parents' levels of education, place of residence, family size, religious affiliation, family income, and housing conditions, as well as with parents' psychological adjustment problems and with family exposure to political stressors. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study reveal strong evidence that emphasizes the importance of studying violence in the family from an integrative, comprehensive, and ecological perspective that incorporates intrapersonal traits, family stress theory, family resources theory, social learning theory, and sociological and environmental factors, to explain the risk factors and predictors of violence in the family.     

Technological self-efficacy among school leaders in Oman: A preliminary study

There is more need today for school leaders to be up-to-date with technology and its various uses in education. Enhancing self-efficacy in the use of technologyis an expected role of educational leadership preparation programmes. This study investigated technological self-efficacy of a group of educators in leadership positions while participating in a leadership preparation programme at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. The findings show that these educators had high technological self-efficacy. There were also significant, positive relationships between technological self-efficacy variables, academic achievement and age. Age was negatively correlated with general learning self-efficacy and also with one indicator of academic achievement. In the qualitative analysis, the study used the framework of the Theory of Margin (TM) to identify the factors affecting technology self-efficacy. Results indicate that, while participants with a high power-load margin (PLM) reported a higher number of internal and external powers, those with a lower PLM reported a higher number of internal and external loads.