Science Essence Journal

Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis of 21st Century Mathematics Teaching Predicament among Secondary Mathematics Teachers in Secondary Educational Service Area Office Lopburi

2024-02-01T02:06:01+00:00

This study aimed to anlyze the second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the 21^st century mathematics teaching predicament (MTP) among secondary mathematics teachers in Secondary Educational Service Area Office Lopburi (SEAOL). The study uses a quantitative research approach and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to examine teaching, learning and knowledge theory. In the first semester of 2022, sixty secondary school mathematics instructors were chosen by multi-stage random selection from the SEAOL. A 0.94-confidence questionnaire was used to study mathematics teaching predicament. The data were analyzed using second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the AMOS program. The results of the study showed that the 21^st century MTP model had a good fit with the data (= 11.852, df = 10, = 1.185, p-value = 0.295, GFI = 0.952, TLI = 0.963, CFI = 0.982, NFI = 0.906 and RMSEA = 0.056) with technological capability, knowledge of content, variety of teaching methods, requirements for using technology, school technology support, the narrative teaching method, and the use of technological tools to influence mathematics teaching predicament, with influence values of 0.85, 0.73, 0.67, 0.63, 0.31, 0.08, and 0.00, respectively. The research showed how each element affected these secondary school math instructors. The least influential factor was the use of technology. The results showed that, to improve education, educators should develop and apply new technology in the classroom.

The Effect of Space Environments on the Material Degradations: The Current Understanding and Proposed Synergistic Effects

2024-03-18T04:04:47+00:00

The objective of this research was to study the effect of micrometeoroids (MM) and space debris (SD), atomic oxygen (AO) and vacuum on space material degradation. The synergistic effect was also proposed inferences based on the comprehensive findings of prior researches. The research was carried out in four steps including article review design, conducting review, collecting and analyzing information and article structuring and writing. The results showed that MM and SD impacted on somewhere of spacecraft, leading to delamination, crack, or fracture. Outgassing is a key degradation existing in vacuum environments, especially on polymeric-based materials. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) performed the lowest outgassing rate comparative to Polybenzimidazole (PBI) and Polyimide (PI). AO generates from dissociation of oxygen gas in low earth orbit (LEO). Thermal AO broke apart the covalent bonds and formed volatile products. Additionally, AO reacted to some metals, causing several kinds of metal oxides. The second effect was erosion caused by hyperthermal AO. Erosion yields of polymers were higher than metals because of mechanical and chemical properties differentiation. The synergistic effect among two environmental conditions would further contribute to the degradation of space materials. In this review article, the mutual effect of MM and SD, outgassing and AO was proposed. MM and SD would impact on space material and originate the delamination and/or abrasion on the surface. Hyperthermal AO would erode and reveal material’s surface and then, enlarge the damaged surface area. Thermal AO accelerated oxidation reaction and volatile products. Moreover, vacuum would enhance outgassing and release many types of gases. The proposed mechanism should be validated in the future.

Molecular cloning and tissue expression analysis of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene from Macrobrachium rosenbergii in response to pathogen infections

2024-04-05T04:28:18+00:00

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a cytokine that plays essential roles in various physiological pathways, including inflammation and immune responses to microbial infections. Therefore, in this study, we isolated and characterized the full-length TNF gene in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (MrTNF) and investigated the expression of MrTNF against Aeromonas hydrophila and Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) infections. The full-length cDNA of MrTNF had 1830 base pairs (bp), consisting of a 5’ untranslated region (5’-UTR) of 396 bp and a 3’-UTR of 54 bp. MrTNF contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 1380 bp, encoding 459 amino acid residues. The structural analysis of MrTNF revealed a transmembrane domain from positions 21 to 43 and a conserved TNF domain from positions 324 to 446. The MrTNF protein exhibited a high identity of 91.88% compared with MnTNF from Macrobrachium nipponense. The phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that MrTNF was closely related to MnTNF from M. nipponense. The expression level of MrTNF mRNA in healthy prawns exhibited high expression in the intestine, muscle, and stomach. MrTNF was significantly up-regulated in hemocytes, muscle, intestine, and stomach upon A. hydrophila infection. Furthermore, MrTNF in muscle, gills, and hepatopancreas was significantly up-regulated upon MrNV challenge. Molecular docking study indicated that MrTNF may interact with the protruding (P)-domain of MrNV triggering a response in the innate immune system of prawns after viral infection. These findings suggest that MrTNF plays a crucial role in the innate immune system of freshwater crustaceans, particularly in response to Gram-negative bacteria and viral infections.

Effect of the AgO2 doping on the superconducting material of YAgxBa2Cu3O7-δ, Y3AgxBa5Cu8O18- δ and Y7AgxBa11Cu18O40-δ

2024-02-22T14:24:15+00:00

The Y123, Y358, and Y7-11-18, and AgO₂ composite was predominantly synthesized through a solid-state reaction. As the Ag content increased, both the critical temperature and the superconducting compound exhibited enhancement. The non-superconducting compound segregated into two distinct groups: BaCuO₂ (Im-3m) and Ba₂Cu₃O₆ (Pccm). While Ag doping did not impact the c lattice parameter value, it did alter the a and b lattice parameters in Y358 and Y7-11-18. Y123 demonstrated the most stable anisotropic parameters. Additionally, Ag doping did not influence the increase in oxygen content. Among the samples, Y123 exhibited the highest Cu³⁺/Cu²⁺ ratio, while Y7-11-18 displayed the most deficient parameters, contributing to a higher critical temperature. The heat reaction for all samples indicated an endothermic reaction, resulting in a decrease in the samples' melting point. Furthermore, compared to undoped samples, Ag doping enhanced the surface homogeneity.

Antimicrobial Activities against Pathogenic Bacteria of Marine Actinobacteria Isolated from Mangrove Sediments at Klong Khon Mangrove Forest, Thailand

2024-04-23T02:22:11+00:00

The mangrove ecosystem is a complex structure that harbors a wide range of microbial communities, including marine actinobacteria that have significant potential for producing bioactive compounds with various biological functions. The investigation of mangrove-associated actinobacteria for antibacterial compounds reveals them as promising candidates for new antibacterial medications and presents opportunities for other biotechnological applications. The objective of this study was to examine the antibacterial properties of culturable marine actinobacteria from mangrove sediments of Klong Khon Mangrove Forest, Thailand. Fifteen actinobacteria were recovered and evaluated the antimicrobial activity using perpendicular streak method. Eight isolates showed the ability to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus TISTR 687 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 27853, with the inhibition zone ranging from 13.5±1.50 to 45.0±2.65 mm. Isolates KK20-01, KK20-27 and KK20-31 had the highest antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria B. cereus TISTR 687 and S. aureus ATCC 27853, and were chosen to assess the antibacterial efficacy of the cell-free supernatant using the agar well diffusion method. All three isolates exhibited the capacity to suppress the growth of B. cereus TISTR 687, and were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, which were found to be most closely related to Streptomyces olivaceus NRRL B-3009^T (99.93% similarity), Streptomyces daghestanicus NRRL B-5418^T (100% similarity) and Streptomyces parvulus NBRC13193^T (99.42% similarity), respectively. Therefore, the sediments in the Klong Khon Mangrove Forest provided a rich source of streptomycetes exhibiting antibacterial properties. This demonstrates a great opportunity to carry out further investigation, considering the potential of marine actinobacteria to produce unique biologically active compounds

Application of Self-prepared AFB Stain Kit in Forensic Medicine for Tuberculosis Diagnosis

2024-05-01T00:43:16+00:00

Tuberculosis (TB), a highly contagious and severe disease, is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis of the Acid Fast Bacillus (AFB). During autopsies, bodies suspected of being infected with Tuberculosis will have lung biopsies taken and sent for examination at the forensic histopathology laboratory. The Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining technique is used to diagnose TB from tissue slides; however, it is not commonly used in the workflow of forensic histopathology laboratories. Consequently, when tissue samples are dispatched for TB diagnosis, it requires analysis at an external agency. This incurs supplementary expenses and extends the time for result reporting. In this research, we prepared a self-prepared AFB stain kit for AFB stain following the ZN staining technique, but modified it without heating in the lung tissue slide staining step. Our objective was to compare the diagnostic efficacy of self-prepared AFB stain kit with the conventional AFB stain kit. The effectiveness of both AFB stain kits was assessed by three experts. All data were analyzed by covariance (ANCOVA). The P value is more than 0.05, which is considered not statistically significant for all various aspects that have been examined. This indicates that both AFB stain kits, without heating in the staining step, showed no difference in the results and can be used for TB diagnosis in forensic histopathology laboratories.

Fabrication and Characterization of TiO2/GO/ZnO Composites Coated Cotton Fabric for Improved Hydrophobic Property

2024-05-29T01:13:06+00:00

This research focused on the hydrophobic properties of improving the cotton fabric coated with TiO₂/GO/ZnO composites (TNPsGZ composites) powder using the dip-dry-cure method. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that TNPsGZ composites contained peaks associated with titanium dioxide (TiO₂), graphene oxide (GO), zinc oxide (ZnO) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The optical microscopic photographs demonstrated the TNPsGZ composite layer on the surface of the cotton fabric. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images confirmed that the TNPsGZ composites were evenly distributed on the surface of the cotton fabric. FT-IR spectra of the coated-TNPsGZ cotton fabric revealed the presence of C=O bond, C-O bond, O-H bond, C1-O-C4 cellulose bond and C=O bond of PVP. The coated-TNPsGZ cotton fabric significantly outperforms the pristine cotton fabric in terms of hydrophobic properties. As the results of this research, the contact angle of the coated-TNPsGZ cotton fabric ranged from 70° to 85° while the pristine cotton fabric showed 0°.

Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea) Seed Oil: A Potential Antioxidant for Emulgel Applications

2024-05-28T07:12:00+00:00

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), a valuable legume, is used to improve soil quality, boost crop yields, and reduce pests. Its abundant seeds hold promise for cosmetic applications due to their content of beneficial compounds. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and fatty acid profile of sunn hemp seed oil. The oil was extracted using five different solvents: hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone, and ethanol. The ethanol extract exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, measured by its ability to scavenge free radicals (DPPH assay), with a 50% scavenging concentration (SC₅₀) of 53.69 ± 0.02%. This ethanol extract was chosen to formulate an emulgel using a cold process technique. Different seed oil concentrations were tested. Evaluations of the prepared emulgels revealed that the one containing 1% seed oil extract displayed the most desirable properties, demonstrating good physical and chemical stability. The results suggested that sunn hemp seed oil might possess an ability to be used as an active ingredient in the emulgel formula. Further s.tudies about other formulation and clinical efficacy of formulated products should be considered.

The Status of Mathematics Education in Terms of Mathematical Modeling to Solve Real World Problems by Thai Teachers and the Science and Mathematics Program of Twelfth Grade Students

2024-06-13T07:19:53+00:00

The purpose of this study is to investigate the status of mathematics education in terms of mathematical modeling for problem solving in real-life situations among teachers and students of science and mathematics program in twelfth grade. The sample group included 92 twelfth grade science-mathematics program students selected by stratified random sampling. And 10 mathematics teachers were selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments include; (1) The questionnaire on beliefs about mathematical modeling, (2) The test of students' ability to engage in mathematical modeling. (3) The interview questionnaire on teaching and learning for teachers. The statistics used in the study include mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient. The results of the study are: (1) students and teachers have high levels of beliefs regarding mathematical modeling, (2) the relationship of beliefs for each question among students was found that the highest positive the Pearson correlation value is 0.65, (3) the relationship of beliefs for each question among teachers was found that the highest positive the Pearson correlation value is 1.0, (4) Students lack experience in mathematical modeling of real-world problems, so they were unable to construct a mathematical model to solve a real-world problem. The results of this research will guide teachers and researchers in the design and development of teaching and learning activities that improve students' mathematical modeling skills.