The interactive use of a video database in teacher education: Creating a knowledge base for teaching through a learning community

This study explores how pre-service student teachers acquired knowledge of good teaching practices through the interactive use of a video database and an online discussion forum, where the student teachers shared their teaching videos and received comments or suggestions from members of a learning community. A small group of student teachers was involved in this collaborative learning community during their teaching practicum in their third and fourth years of study. Content analysis of the sharing in the discussion forum and individual student teacher reflections provides insight into the use of a collaborative learning community to create a knowledge base for teaching. Suggestions regarding how this new technology can support teacher education are discussed.     

Alkaline biosolids and EDTA for phytoremediation of an acidic loamy soil spiked with cadmium

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the growth of Brassica juncea and Cd phytoextraction in a mimicked Cd contaminated acidic loamy soil amended with alkaline biosolids, prepared from sewage sludge and coal fly ash, in the presence and absence of EDTA at 2 mmol kg(-1). The acidic loamy soil was spiked with 0, 5, 20, 50 and 100 mg Cd kg(-1) in the form of CdCO(3) and then amended with 4% alkaline biosolids (w/w). Alkaline biosolids and 0.12% CaCO(3) amendments resulted in a higher biomass than unamended soil spiked with 20 mg kg(-1) Cd where plants did not survive and of the two amendments, alkaline biosolids amendment had higher plant dry weight yield and phytoextraction of Cd. Adding 2 mmol kg(-1) EDTA to alkaline biosolids amended soil significantly increased the solubility of Cd ions by 9- to 29-fold, but plant Cd accumulation decreased by a factor of 24-48%. The results indicate that alkaline biosolids amendment is an effective approach for assisting growth of B. juncea and phytoextraction of Cd from the contaminated acidic loamy soil, but further application of chelating agents did not enhance the phytoextraction efficiency of Cd.     

New Approaches to Evaluate the Performance of Firefighter Protective Clothing Materials

This paper presents new proposals in the evaluation and determination of the optimum materials suitable for use in the design and development of firefighter protective clothing by simultaneously addressing the conflicting factors of thermal protection [heat transfer index (HTI), radiant heat transfer index (RHTI) and thermal threshold index (TTI)] and anti-heat stress [water vapor resistance (WVR) and total heat loss (THL)]. To achieve this, this paper proposes new indices for the materials, two types of “total performance” indices, which are defined as the sum and the product of the competing factors of thermal protection and anti-heat stress. The results showed that the candidate materials of firefighter protective clothing were easily rated when the new indices were applied. Of five candidate materials viz. A, B, B₁, B₂ and C, the B sample, with values for HTI₂₄?=?13.2?±?0.2 s, RHTI₂₄?=?18.0?±?0.8 s, TTI?=?1132?±?33 J/m², WVR?=?17.5?±?0.3 m² Pa/W and THL?=?266.2?±?4.1 W/m², was found to exhibit the best total performance. However, the methods proposed to the scientific community in this paper have so far been validated on a limited data set only, and will require further validation by a wider group of researchers and with more samples. Lastly, comments on ISO 11999-3:2015 were also made for the further improvement and development of technical standards.     

Realization of high thermoelectric performance in p-type unfilled ternary skutterudites FeSb2+xTe1−x via band structure modification and significant point defect scattering

FeSb₂Te, a ternary derivative of binary CoSb₃, displays anomalous electrical and thermal transport properties because of considerable modifications in the band structure induced by Fe and significant mixed valence state (namely Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺) scattering of phonons. The substitution of Te for Sb generates more holes without notably affecting the band structure, while markedly improving the electrical conductivity and retaining a high Seebeck coefficient due to the enhanced density of states, thereby leading to dramatically increased power factors. Furthermore, the heat carrying phonons are strongly scattered with increasing x value because of the formation of solid solutions between two end members: □FeSb₂Te and □FeSb₃ (where □ can be viewed as a vacancy). Consequently, high thermoelectric figures of merit were achieved in the FeSb_2+xTe_1?x compounds, with the largest ZT value reaching ～0.65 for the sample with x = 0.2. This is the highest value among all p-type unfilled skutterudites and is comparable with some filled compositions. Prospects for further improving the performance of p-type FeSb₂Te-based skutterudites are discussed.     

Comparison of in Silico,Electrochemical, in Vitro and in Vivo Metabolism of a Homologous Series of (Radio)fluorinated σ1 Receptor Ligands Designed for Positron Emission Tomography

The imaging of σ₁ receptors in the brain by fluorinated radiotracers will be used for the validation of σ₁ receptors as drug targets as well as for differential diagnosis of diseases in the central nervous system. The biotransformation of four homologous fluorinated PET tracers 1′‐benzyl‐3‐(ω‐fluoromethyl to ω‐fluorobutyl)‐3H‐spiro[2]benzofuran‐1,4′‐piperidine] ([¹⁸F] 1 – 4 ) was investigated. In silico studies using fast metabolizer (FAME) software, electrochemical oxidations, in vitro studies with rat liver microsomes, and in vivo metabolism studies after application of the PET tracers [¹⁸F] 1 – 4 to mice were performed. Combined liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) analysis allowed structural identification of non‐radioactive metabolites. Radio‐HPLC and radio‐TLC provided information about the presence of unchanged parent radiotracers and their radiometabolites. Radiometabolites were not found in the brain after application of [¹⁸F] 2 – 4 , but liver, plasma, and urine samples contained several radiometabolites. Less than 2 % of the injected dose of [¹⁸F] 4 reached the brain, rendering [¹⁸F] 4 less appropriate as a PET tracer than [¹⁸F] 2 and [¹⁸F] 3 . Compounds [¹⁸F] 2 and [¹⁸F] 3 possess the most promising properties for imaging of σ₁ receptors in the brain. High σ₁ affinity (K_i=0.59 nm ), low lipophilicity (logD_7.4=2.57), high brain penetration (4.6 % of injected dose after 30 min), and the absence of radiometabolites in the brain favor the fluoroethyl derivative [¹⁸F] 2 slightly over the fluoropropyl derivative [¹⁸F] 3 for human use.     

On the Design of High‐Efficiency Thermoelectric Clathrates through a Systematic Cross‐Substitution of Framework Elements

Type I clathrates have recently been identified as prospective thermoelectric materials for power generation purposes due to their very low lattice thermal conductivity values. The maximum thermoelectric figure of merit of almost all type I clathrates is, however, less than 1 and occurs at, or above, 1000 K, making them unfavorable especially for intermediate temperature applications. In this report, the Zintl–Klemm rule is demonstrated to be valid for Ni, Cu, and Zn transition metal substitution in the framework of type I clathrates and offers many degrees of freedom for material modification, design, and optimization. The cross‐substitution of framework elements introduces ionized impurities and lattice defects into these materials, which optimize the scattering of charge carriers by the substitution‐induced ionized impurities and the scattering of heat‐carrying lattice phonons by point defects, respectively, leading to an enhanced power factor, reduced lattice thermal conductivity, and therefore improved thermoelectric figure of merit. Most importantly, the bandgap of these materials can be tuned between 0.1 and 0.5 eV by adjusting the cross‐substitution ratio of framework elements, making it possible to design clathrates with excellent thermoelectric properties between 500 and 1000 K.     

123I和99Tcm标记的吲哚类σ2受体放射性示踪剂的设计、稳定化合物的合成及体外生物评价

设计了~(123)I和~(99)Tc~m标记的吲哚类σ_2受体肿瘤放射性示踪剂,合成了其稳定化合物 (Indole-I和Indole-MAMA-Re) 和标记前体(Indole-MAMA).体外受体结合分析结果表明,化合物Indole-I对σ1和σ_2受体的抑制常数K_i值分别为(0.574±0.355) μmol/L和(0.162±0.030) μmol/L(n=3),Indole-MAMA-Re对σ1和σ_2受体的抑制常数K_i值分别为(3.75±2.22) μmol/L和(7.83±4.87) μmol/L(n=3).成功制备了~(99)Tc~m-Indole-MAMA,纯化后经高效液相色谱法(HPLC)分析其放化纯大于90%.今后可在本文化合物的基础上通过结构优化,设计合成对σ_2受体具有高亲和力和选择性的吲哚类SPECT肿瘤显像剂.     

The Utilization of the Immune System in Lung Cancer Treatment: Beyond Chemotherapy

Lung cancer is ranked first worldwide as one of the main cancers in terms of prevalence and mortality rate. The development of effective treatment strategies against lung cancer is therefore of paramount importance. Traditionally, chemotherapy was employed in the treatment of various cancers. However, the non-specific nature of the actions of chemotherapeutic drugs and the potential for tumors to develop resistance to these drugs may render chemotherapy a less favorable option for cancer treatment. Immunotherapy provides an alternative strategy for this purpose. It involves the utilization of the immune system and the immune effector cells to elicit an immune response to the tumors, thereby eliminating them. Strategies include the administration of pro-inflammatory cytokines for immune stimulation, the removal of immunological checkpoints using monoclonal antibodies, and the use of cancer vaccines to enhance immunity against tumors. This article summarizes the above strategies, highlights the reasons why immunotherapy is superior to chemotherapy for the purpose of tumor removal, and reviews the recent clinical studies comparing the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing immunotherapy and chemotherapy. The article also describes advances in immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of lung cancer.     

3-D breast anthropometry of plus-sized women in South Africa

Exploratory retail studies in South Africa indicate that plus-sized women experience problems and dissatisfaction with poorly fitting bras. The lack of 3-D anthropometric studies for the plus-size women's bra market initiated this research. 3-D body torso measurements were collected from a convenience sample of 176 plus-sized women in South Africa. 3-D breast measurements extracted from the TC(2) NX12-3-D body scanner 'breast module' software were compared with traditional tape measurements. Regression equations show that the two methods of measurement were highly correlated although, on average, the bra cup size determining factor 'bust minus underbust' obtained from the 3-D method is approximately 11% smaller than that of the manual method. It was concluded that the total bust volume correlated with the quadrant volume (r = 0.81), cup length, bust length and bust prominence, should be selected as the overall measure of bust size and not the traditional bust girth and the underbust measurement. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This study contributes new data and adds to the knowledge base of anthropometry and consumer ergonomics on bra fit and support, published in this, the Ergonomics Journal, by Chen et al. (2010) on bra fit and White et al. (2009) on breast support during overground running.