Comprehensive screening and selection of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) germplasm for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage and during plant ontogeny

The okra germplasm was screened for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage and during plant ontogeny. Substantial variation existed in okra for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage. An 80 mmol/L NaCl concentration was suitable for discriminating tolerant and non-tolerant okra genotypes. The pooled ranking of the genotypes, based on individual rankings for each trait (root and shoot length, germination percentage, and relative Na⁺ and K⁺) in individual NaCl concentrations, was effective for selecting tolerant genotypes. Genotypes selected at the seedling stage maintained their tolerance to NaCl during plant ontogeny, suggesting that screening of the germplasm entries and advanced breeding materials for salt tolerance at the seedling stage is effective. Among 39 okra genotypes, five were identified as the most tolerant genotypes and showed potential for use in breeding programs that focus on the development of salt-tolerant, high-yield okra cultivars.     

儿童与父母冲突--亲子互动研究的一个重要课题

目前亲子互动研究成为一个非常重要的课题。父母冲突作为考察亲子互动关系的一个重要变量,逐渐成为研究者关注的重要问题。尽管20世纪70年代以来,国外已从某些角度揭示了父母冲突与儿童发展的关系,并在一定程度上探讨了父母冲突对儿童的影响。但我国目前还没有系统的儿童与父母冲突的研究。因此,从我国的具体情况入手探讨亲子冲突对丰富和发展儿童心理学的基本理论,全面了解并有效促进儿童发展具有重要的理论和实践意义。     

The INSPIRE Project: Using the ‘Unknown’ to Co-construct a Training Course on Humanistic Counselling in Afghanistan

This article details a collaborative project between the University of Strathclyde (UK) and the University of Herat (Afghanistan). The aim was to co-construct a model of training, based on humanistic approaches, in order to enhance counselling services in Afghanistan and to establish counselling training at the University of Herat. Two groups of participants received 120 h training each. In February 2014 a selected group received a further training for trainers. Strengths and limitations of this project are explored as well as its impact on the Afghan community and further developments for counselling in this context.     

Communicating Science to Impact Learning? A Phenomenological Inquiry into 4th and 5th Graders’ Perceptions of Science Information Sources

Rooted in science education and science communication studies, this study examines 4th and 5th grade students’ perceptions of science information sources (SIS) and their use in communicating science to students. It combines situated learning theory with uses and gratifications theory in a qualitative phenomenological analysis. Data were gathered through classroom observations and interviews in four Turkish elementary schools. Focus group interviews with 47 students and individual interviews with 17 teachers and 10 parents were conducted. Participants identified a wide range of SIS, including TV, magazines, newspapers, internet, peers, teachers, families, science centers/museums, science exhibitions, textbooks, science books, and science camps. Students reported using various SIS in school-based and non-school contexts to satisfy their cognitive, affective, personal, and social integrative needs. SIS were used for science courses, homework/project assignments, examination/test preparations, and individual science-related research. Students assessed SIS in terms of the perceived accessibility of the sources, the quality of the content, and the content presentation. In particular, some sources such as teachers, families, TV, science magazines, textbooks, and science centers/museums (“directive sources”) predictably led students to other sources such as teachers, families, internet, and science books (“directed sources”). A small number of sources crossed context boundaries, being useful in both school and out. Results shed light on the connection between science education and science communication in terms of promoting science learning.     

When empathy hurts: Modelling university students’ word of mouth behaviour in public vs. private universities in Syria

This study examines and compares word of mouth (WOM) behaviour among university students in Syria. To date, little is known about this important phenomenon which is surprising given the deregulated education market in Syria that allows for private universities to compete for students alongside public universities. Using a mixed methods research design and structural equation modelling, our results show faculty individualised attention and student satisfaction were found to be positively related to university image. Further, student satisfaction and university image were found to be direct sources of students’ positive WOM behaviour. We found a moderating effect of university ownership type on university image. Interestingly, we identified six themes showing how support staff empathy could be seen as a source of low student satisfaction. These were defined as deception/credibility/soft‐soapers/suspiciousness: when support staff coax something out of students; confusion/role conflict: resulting from the diverse roles played by support staff while interacting with students; unfairness: when a student notices discrimination in the level of empathy between their peers; privacy: when support staff empathy can be perceived as a kind of intrusion; self‐congratulatory: when a support staff member shows off or praises their empathy; and support staff/student ratio: when this ratio is seen to be small, the empathy effect reverses.     

Effect of telenursing on aging perception of Iranian older adults

Background and purpose: The perception of aging is one of the independent predictors of functional disability and mortality in the aged ones, this study was conducted to compare the follow-up of a training program with the use of two in-person and telenursing methods on the perception of aging of the elderly, covered by the comprehensive health centers in Ahvaz city.

Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study involved systematic random sampling conducted on 60 elderly persons (aged 60–75 years) who were referred to in Ahvaz. A training program was conducted for all elderly persons for 3 weeks (three sessions per week), which was accompanied with 2 months of six follow-ups for the telephonic follow-up group (Tele-nursing), and two follow-ups for in-person follow-up group. The data were collected with the use of demographic form, Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT), and The Brief Aging Perceptions Questionnaire (B-APQ). Elderly completed the questionnaire at the beginning of the study and 8 weeks later. The data were subsequently analyzed with SPSS software; and P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.

Results: Based on the results, the mean score of perception of aging increased in the study groups after the intervention. This increase was statistically significant only in the intervention group.

Discussion and Conclusion: The telephonic follow-up was more effective on Increasing the perception of aging compared with the in-person follow-up. Therefore, using this method is recommended for the elderly.     

Renovation of Adult Education by the New Media

In most developing countries, that are confronted, as we know, with so many complex problems, no one can deny that the most important are those of education and training.     

Students＇ mental health： Personal and university determinants

The present study was to examine the effects of personal and university bounded factors in students mental health in north of Fars province, Iran. The effects of these factors on university students＇ psychopathology within a survey design were investigated among 300 participants--94 males and 206 females, who were selected through random sampling method and the degrees of their mental health, were measured by SCL-90-R checklist. Overall findings supported that gender, marital status, socioeconomic status as personal factors, and type of university as within university factor would influence students＇ mental health. So males, married, and students with moderate and high socioeconomic status had more significant better mental health situation than females, singles and those with low socioeconomic status. Finally, ethnicity, dormitory and non-dormitory residence, native or non-native being, discipline, school and faculty, and academic performance variables were not effective on students＇ mental health significantly. Here, it was suggested an explanatory triangle model for university students＇ mental health explanation with respect to gendered and socio-cultural contexts and their implications in clinical and educational settings.     

Investigating the potential of using acoustic frequency on the degradation of linear alkylbenzen sulfonates from aqueous solution

The effectiveness of using acoustical (sonochemical) reactor for degradation of linear alkylbenzen sulfonate (LAS) from aqueous solution was investigated. LASs are anionic surfactants,found in relatively high amounts in domestic and industrial wastewaters. In this study,experiments on LAS solution were performed using methylene blue active substances (MBAS) method. The effectiveness of acoustical processor reactor for LAS degradation is evaluated with emphasis on the effect of treatment time and initial LAS concentration. Experiments were performed at initial concentrations of 0.2,0.5,0.8 and 1.0 mg/L,acoustic fre-quency of 130 kHz,applied power of 500 W and temperature of 18 °C～20 °C. At the conditions involved,LAS degradation was found to increase with increasing sonochemical time. In addition,as the concentration increased,the LAS degradation rate de-creased in the acoustical processor reactor.     

Characterization and Classification of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Several Species Using Surface Markers for Cell Therapy Purposes

Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent cells capable of replicating as undifferentiated cells, and have the potential of differentiating into mesenchymal tissue lineages such as osteocytes, adipocytes and chondrocytes. Such lineages can then be used in cell therapy. The aim of present study was to characterize bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells in four different species, including: sheep, goat, human and mouse. Human bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells were purchased, those of sheep and goat were isolated from fetal bone marrow, and those of mouse were collected by washing bone cavity of femur and tibia with DMEM/F12. Using flow-cytometry, they were characterized by CD surface antigens. Furthermore, cells of third passage were examined for their osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential by oil red and alizarin red staining respectively. According to the results, CD markers studied in the four groups of mesenchymal stem cells showed a different expression. Goat and sheep expressed CD44 and CD166, and weakly expressed CD34, CD45, CD105 and CD90. Similarly, human and mouse mesenchymal cells expressed CD44, CD166, CD105 and CD90 whereas the expression of CD34 and CD45 was negative. In conclusion, although all mesenchymal stem cells display plastic adherence and tri-lineage differentiation, not all express the same panel of surface antigens described for human mesenchymal stem cells. Additional panel of CD markers are necessary to characterize regenerative potential and possible application of these stem cells in regenerative medicine and implantology.