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Education in Japan and other Asian countries advocates the traditional passive style of learning where students learn through rote memorization in a teacher-centered environment. However, this is now changing due to globalization with Japan's Ministry of Education promoting learning strategies to involve students in the learning process actively. Many studies involving students as partners have stated that students feel more at ease when they learn with and from their peers and that working in groups makes them learn significantly better and allows them to put into practice what they have taught to others or learned from others. This case study on the Student-Teacher Experience activity aims to present the concept of students as partners to enhance active learning in Japan and its possible application in other countries and fields of study with a similar learning environment as Japan. The activity allowed students to actively engage in class and enhanced learning.

Soil particle size fractions play a critical role in determining soil health attributes, including soil aeration, water infiltration and retention capacity, nutrients, and organic matter dynamics. Traditional soil mapping methods rely predominantly on ground-based surveys and laboratory analysis which are reported to be timeconsuming and expensive. To address these challenges, there has been a global shift towards digital soil mapping (DSM) techniques that utilize remote sensing data. This review, conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guideline, aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current state of soil texture prediction using remote sensing data. In particular, the review extract and synthesizes the satellite images used, identify the derived environmental covariates and their relative importance, and assesses the prediction models/algorithms used in the prediction of soil texture. Synthesis and analysis of 70 articles show that clay content is the most predicted of the three soil particle fractions accounting for 37% of the reviewed studies predominantly from topsoil layer (74.29%). Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 are reported as the most frequently used satellite images. Among the covariates derived from these images, NDVI (80.4%) and SAVI (60.8%) are by far the most derived band ratios (indices). Red (37.3%), NIR (35.3%), Green (33.3%), Blue (33.3%), and SW2 (29.4%) bands were the five most incorporated as covariates for soil texture prediction amongst individual satellite bands. Regarding the DSM algorithms, Random Forest (RF) appeared in most reviewed articles followed by Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Quantile Regression Forest (QRF). The comparative model performance analysis showed that RF and Artificial neural network (ANN) had a good trade-off across validation metrics indicating their best performance in the prediction of both clay, sand, and silt. The RF performance showed a decreasing trend with increasing depth interval for clay and sand prediction and inconsistent for silt prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a highly levansucrase-producing strain was isolated, identified as Bacillus lichniformans MJ8, and registered with the accession number OM672244.1 in the NCBI database. The SacB gene responsible for levansucrase production was transferred from this bacterium into Escherichia coli. It was found that the gene contains 1449 bp nucleotides, encoding 482 amino acids. The gene has been given the accession number ON811641.1 in the NCBI gene bank. The transformation was achieved by a cloning the SacB gene to plasmid pTG19-T, which was transferred to Escherichia coli DH5α. The Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), with pet-28a (+) vector, was used to express the gene. One mM IPTG is induces the cloned gene to produce SacB protein. The levansucrase activity was 14.31 U/ml after transformation. The study also included the identification and characterization of levan produced by the bacteria using HPLC and FTIR techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Specific autoantibodies are considered as an important marker in autoimmune rheumatic diseases and are of great value for the diagnosis and prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. A total of eighteen autoantibodies were analyzed for their positivity in SLE patients and we evaluated the clinical relevance of the five most frequent autoantibodies: anti-dsDNA, anti-nucleosome, anti-histone, anti-Ro60, and anti-Ro52 on disease activity and renal affection in SLE Egyptian patients. Results Immunological profile and correlation of the five autoantibodies with disease activity and histopathological pattern of renal involvement were analyzed for 190 SLE patients. Lupus nephritis (LN) patients showed much worse constitutional and mucocutaneous manifestations than patients without nephritis. Autoantibody profile showed a significant increased frequency of anti-dsDNA, anti-nucleosome, anti-histone, anti-Ro-60, and anti-Ro52 antibodies in LN patients. The impact of the co-positivity of the autoantibodies on the renal function was obvious. Moreover, the disease activity increased by the increased frequency of autoantibodies positivity in LN patients. ROC curve analysis showed that anti-nucleosome had the highest sensitivity; 93% followed by anti-dsDNA 83.3% then anti-histone 73.8%, but anti-Ro60 and anti-Ro52 showed a humble sensitivity. Furthermore, the highest frequency of positivity for the five autoantibodies was found in class-III and class-IV LN patients. Conclusion Detection of anti-dsDNA, anti-nucleosome, anti-histone, and anti-Ro60 in SLE patients may be important for predicting disease progression and kidney affection. Moreover, anti-nucleosome and anti-dsDNA show high sensitivity and specificity for lupus nephritis, thus patients with four to five positive autoantibody panels should be kept under close monitoring as they may warrant considering aggressive therapy to control their disease and prevent renal damage.

This study explores the multidimensional security and privacy issues in mobile banking within Qatar through semistructured interviews with seven key industry participants, including representatives from the Qatari Central Bank, cybersecurity specialists, bankers, a mobile banking technology provider, and an academic expert in digital security. Using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke's framework, the study identifies key themes: regulatory challenges, technological vulnerabilities, user behavior and education, and future trends in mobile banking security. The findings reveal the necessity for continuous enhancement of regulatory frameworks, adoption of advanced technological solutions, comprehensive user education programs, and a balanced approach to security and user experience. The study provides valuable insights into the current landscape and future directions for mobile banking security in Qatar, highlighting the importance of a proactive, collaborative approach to safeguarding against cyber threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Education in Japan and other Asian countries advocates the stereotypical passive learning style where students are limited in their breadth of knowledge dismissing anything not imparted by their teachers. With globalized education, professions are becoming very competitive, embracing student-centeredness compelling them to introduce active learning activities. A study funded by Japan’s Ministry of Education conducted a needs analysis, proposed a solution, and implemented an active learning approach. Since the latter is still new in the Japanese teaching-learning environment, this current study aimed at assessing the willingness of undergraduate students of dental medicine to participate in active learning activities rather than the typical passive-style teaching-learning educational process. Methods Three active implementation-learning activities, namely International Group Discussions (IGD), Student-Teacher Experience (STE) and Role Play Activities (RPA) were included in the Dental English course in a classroom setting at a dental school in Japan. Students had to choose between participating in the activity or taking the final examination. Two hundred and three third-year undergraduate dental students participated over a 5-year period from October 2013 to March 2017. For IGD, the researchers assigned students to a topic and grouped them with visiting international exchange students. For STE, researchers gave students teacher-prepared presentation slides on basic dental topics, which they presented in front of their classmates. For RPA, students had to do prepared role-play and impromptu role play. Peer and teacher feedbacks of the activities were given to all students. At the end of the course, the students evaluated the active learning activities and wrote their comments in a free entry survey. Results All 203 students participated in the active learning activities confirming the changing learning needs of Japanese students in this dental school. The most common comment was that the class was interesting, fun, an easy-to-understand way to learn dental terms, and a safe way to express themselves in the English language. Conclusion The majority of Japanese students preferred the active learning style. The study revealed that students reported greater engagement and better learning with proper guidance and time to prepare for the activities.

Optimization of dry deposition velocity calculation has been of great interest. Every time, determining the value of the concentration boundary layer (CBL) thickness led to a waste of numerical calculation time, which appears as a huge time in large-scale climate models. The goal of this study is to optimize the numerical calculation time in the three-layer deposition model for smooth surfaces through the development of a MATLAB code that can parameterize the appropriate concentration boundary layer height (y+cbl) and internal integral calculation intervals for each particle diameter Dp (0.01–100 µm) and friction velocity u* (0.01–100 m/s). The particle concentration, as a solution to the particle flux equation, is obtained and modeled numerically by performing the left Riemann sum using MATLAB software. On the other hand, the number of subdivisions N of the Riemann sum was also parameterized for each Dp and u* in order to lessen the numerical calculation time. From a numerical point of view, the new parameterizations were tested by several computers; about 78% on the average of the computation time was saved when compared with the original algorithm. In other words, on average, about 1.2 s/calculation was gained, which is valuable in climate models simulations when millions of dry deposition calculations are needed.

Copyright of Journal of Soil Sciences & Agricultural Engineering is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The fabrication of a novel bis(tert‐butylaminomethyl)pyridine pincer ligand‐based ionophore in a carbon paste electrode (CPE) matrix for Al3+ ions was investigated. With a Nernstian slope of 20.05±0.27 mV decade−1 and a low detection limit of 1.0×10−7 mol L−1, the electrode demonstrated an excellent response for the Al3+ ion over a broad concentration range from 1.0×10−7 to 1.0×10−1 mol L−1. The formula for the graphite paste that produced the greatest results was 69.44 % graphite, 27.78 % tricresyl phosphate (TCP) binder, and 2.78 % ionophore. This pincer ligand‐based electrode worked well with aqueous Al3+ solutions that had pH values between 2.5 and 5.5. It may be used for at least 4 months without any detectable potentials digression and has a reasonably quick response time (5 s). The suggested graphitic paste electrode demonstrated strong Al3+ ion selectivity over a broad range of other cations. The isothermal coefficient of the electrode, which was determined to be 0.2884×10−3 V °C−1, was calculated by looking at the impact of test solution temperature on electrode potentials. The suggested electrode was also applied to non‐aqueous media with an aqueous‐non‐aqueous volume ratio of up to 75 : 25. The data acquired using this CPE as an indicator electrode for the potentiometric measurement of Al3+ ions in several actual samples was equivalent to that attained using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zagazig Journal of Agricultural Research is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)