Using Learning Style Instruments to Enhance Student Learning

The emergence of numerous learning style models over the past 25 years has brought increasing attention to the idea that students learn in diverse ways and that one approach to teaching does not work for every student or even most students. We have reviewed five learning style instruments (the Kolb Learning Style Indicator, the Gregorc Style Delineator, the Felder–Silverman Index of Learning Styles, the VARK Questionnaire, and the Dunn and Dunn Productivity Environmental Preference Survey) in this article in order to describe the learning style modes or dimensions measured in the instruments; find the common measures and the differences; report on research on instrument validity, reliability, and possible improvement in student performance; suggest classroom activities that work with the different student learning styles; and recommend selection of models under several conditions. We also review one additional learning style instrument, the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory, as a complementary approach to using one or more of the first five learning style instruments.     

Drug effects and avoidance-extinction in rats: A test of the drug novelty hypothesis using ethanol

The “drug novelty hypothesis” was tested directly by giving rats experience with intraperitoneal injections of ethanol on days prior to avoidance training. This preavoidance experience with ethanol was found to eliminate the prolonged extinction of avoidance responding observed after a single exposure to ethanol. It is suggested that these findings confirm the novelty hypothesis in an active avoidance situation. Possible mechanisms of the drug novelty effect were discussed.     

Notable and Emerging Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Virus: A Quick Glance

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), is a highly contagious pathogenic coronavirus to emerge and spread in human populations. Although substantial exertions have been laid to avert spread of COVID-19 by therapeutic and preventive countermeasures, but emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants as a result of mutations make the infection more ominous. New viral confers a higher nasopharyngeal viral load, increased viral transmissibility, higher infectiousness, immune escape, increased resistance to monoclonal/polyclonal antibodies from convalescence sera/vaccine, and an enhanced virulence. Thus, it is pertinent to monitor evolving mutations and genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 as it is decisive for understanding the viral variants. In this review we provide an overview of colloquial nomenclature and the genetic characteristics of different SARS-CoV-2 variants in the context of mutational changes of the circulating strains, transmissibility potential, virulence and infectivity.     

Practical realization of dual S arm antenna for beam steering applications

A dual S shaped micro strip antenna with a realistic feed is proposed for generation of tilted beam radiation pattern pertaining for beam steering applications. To achieve this, four feeding points are located at a distance of 5.6 mm from the antenna centre. These feeding points when excited one by one generate four tilted beams in four different space quadrants, thus yielding a beam steerable antenna. Importantly, since the proposed antenna is symmetrical in the structure, all the four tilted beams have the same radiation pattern characteristics. A further enhancement of the antenna bandwidth is also achieved using 100-μm capacitive coupling between the feed and the antenna strip.     

A Spiral Task as a Model for In-service Teacher Education

The spiral approach has long been used by curriculum designers to deepen students’ knowledge of scientific and mathematical concepts and to bring students to higher levels of abstraction. The benefits of a spiral approach, however, can also be extended to teacher education. This paper describes a spiral activity employed by the Kidumatica program not only to raise the level of teachers’ content knowledge, but also to promote discussion and collaboration among teachers teaching at different grade levels. The activity was designed to take a single problem situation and develop it in ways appropriate to the different grade levels. At each stage, the teachers are encouraged to discuss teaching approaches required by the students at each grade level and the relationships between the different stages of the development.     

The potential of Accelerated Learning Programmes (ALPs) for conflict-ridden countries and regions: Lessons learned from an experience in Iraq

International Review of Education - Accelerated learning programmes (ALPs) provide a fast-track second-chance opportunity to complete formal education, enabling disadvantaged children and youth to...     

Comparison of Mass Versus Activity of Creatine Kinase MB and Its Utility in the Early Diagnosis of Re-infarction

Currently employed markers for the detection of acute coronary syndrome are Troponin T, CK (Creatine Kinase) and CKMB activity. CKMB activity measured by immunoinhibition method can give falsely elevated results due to the presence of atypical CK and CKBB and at times lead to the mis-diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Hence, CKMB mass (CKMB) measured by electrochemiluminence sandwich principle was employed. In this cross-sectional study 183 samples of 61 patients were analyzed within 6 h of diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and followed up to 72 h. The correlation coefficient between CKMB activity and CKMBM at 4–6 h was 0.744, while at 12–24 h it was 0.909 and at 48–72 h it was 0.337. Thus there was good association between the two methods at 12–24 h but, statistically for method comparison studies and for replacing one method by another, the two methods need to be in agreement with one another. In this study the two methods are not in agreement with one another and thus analytically not replaceable. Another finding was obtained that CKMBM reached cut off levels prior to CKMB enzyme activity and hence, CKMBM is clinically better than CKMB activity to detect reinfarction.     

The Globalization of Cricket: The Rise of the Non-West

The article argues that international cricket has not followed the path of other transnational sporting events which, typically, are dominated by developed countries. It is a game which the non-Western countries have begun to dominate not just on the field but, more importantly, in shaping the economics and politics of the game. The article suggests that this change, that is atypical of international sport, has come about because of processes within the globalization phenomenon particularly. These are the rise of a transnational community which can support its team across frontiers, the spread of technology that provides real time coverage of the sport; and the decline of the sport in its host country, thereby allowing alternative centres of power to emerge, especially in decision making.     

Negation and Validation of Self via the Media: Israeli Gay Men s (Dis)Engagement Patterns with Their Representations

Forty-five Israeli gay men unfolded their life stories in order to delve into their media reception patterns. Overall, they prefer to disengage themselves from a discourse that symbolically annihilates them or negatively constructs their representations. Absence from the mediated reality as well as social invisibility are perceived to reduce ontologically the gay individual. On the other hand, these narrators exhibited intentional consumption of texts that refer to gay issues and figures. The gay individual who regularly senses that his self is being negated attributes great value to images that can validate his existence, and hence allocates resources in their consumption. Both patterns of reception complement each other and shed light on the complex dialectics between marginally situated, muted co-culture members and the public sphere.