Investigation of Photocatalysis by Mesoporous Titanium Dioxide Supported on Glass Fibers as an Integrated Technology for Water Remediation

The photocatalytic efficiency of an innovative UV-light catalyst consisting of a mesoporous TiO2 coating on glass fibers was investigated for the degradation of pharmaceuticals (PhACs) in wastewater effluents. Photocatalytic activity of the synthesized material was tested, for the first time, on a secondary wastewater effluent spiked with nine PhACs and the results were compared with the photolysis used as a benchmark treatment. Replicate experiments were performed in a flow reactor equipped with a UV radiation source emitting at 254 nm. Interestingly, the novel photocatalyst led to the increase of the degradation of carbamazepine and trimethoprim (about 2.2 times faster than the photolysis). Several transformation products (TPs) resulting from both the spiked PhACs and the compounds naturally occurring in the secondary wastewater effluent were identified through UPLC-QTOF/MS/MS. Some of them, produced mainly from carbamazepine and trimethoprim, were still present at the end of the photolytic treatment, while they were completely or partially removed by the photocatalytic treatment.

ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF DIFFERENT WINTER RYE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

The aim of the study was to compare the production and economic effects of different winter rye depending on their production technologies. The study was carried out based on the results obtained from a field experiment conducted in two growing seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020). These experiments were conducted in Wielichowo Agricultural Experimental Station, belonging to the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – the State Research Institute in Puławy (Poland). The result of the study was the determination of economic efficiency indicators for two cultivars of winter rye varieties according to production technology The technologies differed in terms of the degree of consumption of means of production. The studies showed a significant influence of production technology intensity on the yields of winter rye cultivars. Intensive technology resulted in a significant increase in grain yield. The tested cultivars yielded higher under intensive production technology. The cultivation of winter rye according to intensive technology compared to integrated technology resulted in a significant increase in grain yield . The grain yield increase for the KWS Vinetto cultivar was 0.13 t/ha, while for the Dańkowskie Granat cultivar 0.20 t/ha. Research showed that the level of production intensity determined the amount of direct costs as well as the profitability of production in a given technology. The compared technologies ensured the profitability of winter rye grain production. Both production technologies ensured the profitability of production of the tested cultivars of winter rye. The most profitable direct profitability index was characteristic for the population cultivar Dańkowskie Granat grown under the integrated technology.

The Development of a Smart Reminder System to Promote Adherence to Technology-Based Intervention and Assessment

The overarching aim of the National Institute on Aging funded Adherence Promotion with Person-centered Technology (APPT) Project is to promote adherence to technology-based solutions designed to enhance the early detection and treatment of cognitive decline. The goal is to build and evaluate adaptive, tailored, and integrated technology-based adherence support systems for mobile software platforms that assess and train cognitive skill. The symposium describes the various steps of the development process of the APPT smart adherence support system. N. Charness will present an overview of the APPT project, its aims, and the clinical trials designed to assess the effectiveness of the APPT smart reminder system compared to typical reminder systems. S. Chakraborty will present detailed analyses of past cognitive intervention data to inform understanding of who is likely at risk for poor adherence and how adherence lapses might be predicted in advance to provide just-in-time adherence support. D. Carr will present an exploration of motivating factors for participants to engage in research, and these motivations will be tapped to help develop motivational messages for the APPT adherence support system to be used in the two planned clinical trials. M. Dieciuc will provide additional insights into motivations for engaging in home-based cognitive assessment and training derived from a focus group study. Finally, S. Zhang will describe the results of an initial pilot study examining the effectiveness of motivational reminder messages that match vs. mismatch participants’ own motivations. All results inform the design of the APPT system to maximize adherence.

Developing an Android-Based English Reading Material for the Eighth Grade Students in Mtsn Karangasem

This study intended to develop an android-based application for English reading material learning for the eighth-grade students in MTsN Karangasem. This study used the design and development design model proposed by Richey & Klein (2014) which consisted of three major steps namely; 1) Design, 2) Development, 3) Evaluation. The subjects of this study were the eighth grade students of MTsN Karangasem, the English teacher in MTsN Karangasem, and integrated technology experts. The instruments used in this study were questionnaire, interview guide, and product evaluation sheets. The data were collected and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results showed that the students’ motivation to learn English was lack and need more learning resources or materials to learn reading comprehension. The eighth-grade students need a smartphone application that provides reading material learnt in the class. The material developed in this study was limited to Recount Text material. The quality of the application got a high score from experts, which categorized in the excellent category. The use of the effective application with meaningful learning activities

Factors Influencing the Acceptance and Adoption of Online Learning in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Educational systems worldwide have been forced into shifting to online learning during COVID-19 pandemic. This decision faced diverse challenges, especially in underdeveloped countries that still use traditional teaching methods, with minimal or no integrated technology, and no guidance in the literature. This study explores factors, challenges, and adaptation initiatives that might underlie the success and failure of abrupt shifting and accepting online learning systems. To explore the acceptance of online learning under these extreme circumstances, the reactions of Kuwait educational institutions to COVID-19 were collected and analyzed. A framework was utilized, and a questionnaire developed to enable quantitative analysis of these data. In total, 4,024 responses were gathered from instructors and students with acceptable reliability. Findings from the statistical analysis unveiled specific acceptance facts relevant to the crisis within its environment. This study establishes the utility of this framework for researchers to synthesize users’ acceptance of online learning systems.

Professional Teachers using Technological Pedagogical Mathematics Knowledge, are Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers Ready?

In today’s information age, the informatization of education requires teachers to become a new type of teacher with information capabilities. The subject teaching knowledge of integrated technology is the knowledge basis for the professionalization of teachers in the information age. This research aims to analyze Pre-service teachers’ perception of Technological, Pedagogical, and Mathematical knowledge. This research adopts the case study method, using Questionnaires for data collection tools. The sample of this research is 84 pre-service teachers from Guangxi Normal University, China. The respondents are undergraduate and master students that are chosen randomly. The instrument used is 20 questionnaire items on pre-service teachers’ perception of their TPMK ability. The data was processed by using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The research result shows that pre-service teachers have a good Technological Pedagogical Mathematical Knowledge ability but their Technological knowledge is still lacking. Teacher education programs should provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to develop TPMK to integrate technology into teaching effectively.