The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between critical thinking, epistemological beliefs, and learning strategies with the academic performance of high school first-grade male and female students in Yazd. For this purpose, from among all first-grade students, as many as 250 students (130 females and 120 males) were selected by using multistage cluster sampling. The data needed were then collected through using California Critical Thinking Skills Test, Schommer's Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire, Biggs’ Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire. The findings indicated that there is a positive significant relationship between critical thinking and academic performance and achievement. Moreover, four factors of epistemological beliefs include knowledge structure, knowledge stability, learning ability, and learning speed; these four factors have a positive significant relationship with the students’ academic performance. The other variable of the present study is learning strategies including deep and surface strategies. The findings of the present study indicated that there is a positive significant relationship between deep learning strategy and academic achievement. However, no significant relationship was observed between surface learning strategy and academic performance. Furthermore, the findings obtained from the multiple regression analysis indicated that except for the surface learning strategy, all other predictor variables (i.e. critical thinking, structure, stability, ability, speed, and deep learning strategy) explained and predicted the academic performance. To sum up, it can be claimed that critical thinking, epistemological beliefs, and deep learning strategy affect the students’ academic progress and achievement.
Background: Osteoporosis is an extra-articular complication of rheumatoid arthritis that results in increased risk of fractures and associated morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Objective: To evaluate changes in bone mineral density in a sample of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients on biological (anti tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha) and non-biological agent disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study enrolled 60 RA patients diagnosed by rheumatologist according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (2010 ACR/EULAR) classification criteria for RA. Thirty patient on biological agent (anti TNF alpha) and 30 patient on non-biological agent (D
... Show MoreAn experiment was carried out in the vegetables field of Horticulture Department / College of Agriculture / Baghdad University , for the three seasons : spring and Autumn of 2005 , and spring of 2007 , to study the type of gene action in some traits of vegetative , flowery growth , yield and its components in summer squash crosses (4 x 3 = cross 1 , 3 x 7 = cross 2 , 3 x 4 = cross 3 , 3 x 5 = cross 4 , 5 x 1= cross 5 , 5 x 2 = cross 6). The study followed generation mean analysis method which included to each cross (P1 , P2 , F1 , F2 , Bc1P1 , Bc1P2) , and those populations obtained by hybridization during the first and second seasons. Experimental comparison was performed in the second (Two crosses only) and third seasons , (four crosses)
... Show MoreBackground: Saliva is one of the most important etiological host factors in relation to dental caries. It affects the carious process by its organic and inorganic constituents; in addition to its physiological functions as (flow rate, pH and buffer capacity). The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of major elements (calcium and phosphorus) and trace elements (ferrous iron, nickel, chromium and aluminum) in saliva among a group of adolescent girls, and to explore the relation of these elements, flow rate and pH with dental caries. Material & Methods: The study group consisted of 25 girls with an age of 13-15 years old. Dental caries was diagnosed by both clinical and radiographical examinations following the criteria of
... Show MoreBackground: The PMMA polymer denture base materials are low mechanical properties, adaptation of the denture base to underlying tissue is important for retention and stability of denture. The aim of the study was toevaluate the effect of mixtureZrO2-Al2O3 nanoparticles on impact strength, transverse strength, hardness, roughness, denture base adaptation of heat cured acrylic resin denture base material. Materials and methods: One hundred (100) specimens were prepared, the specimens were divided into five groups (20 specimens to each) according to the test type, each group was subdivided in to two subgroups (control and experimental) each subgroup consist of 10 specimens, the experimental group included mixture of 2% (ZrO2-Al2O3ratio2:1) b
... Show MoreThe photodynamic inactivation against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using two different lasers, 532 nm diode pumped solid state laser (DPSS) in combination with safranin O and 650 nm diode laser in combination with methylene blue was investigated in the present work. A hundred swab samples were collected from patients with burn and wound infections admitted to two hospitals in Baghdad (Specialized Burns Hospital in Medical City and Al Imamein Al Jwadein Medical City Hospital) from December 2015 to February 2016 Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed by using Kirby- Bauer method. The irradiation experiments included four groups; a control group, a photosensitizer only group, a laser irradiation only group and a laser irr
... Show MoreA case–control study (80 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus [HBV] infection and 96 controls) was performed to evaluate the association of an IL12A gene variant (rs582537 A/C/G) with HBV infection. Allele G showed a signifcantly lower frequency in patients compared to controls (31.2 vs. 46.9%; probability [p]=0.009; corrected p [pc]=0.027) and was associated with a lower risk of HBV infection (odds ratio [OR]=0.49; 95% confdence interval [CI]=0.29–0.83). A similar lower risk was associated with genotypes CG (17.5 vs. 29.2; OR=0.25; 95% CI=0.08–0.81; p=0.02) and GG (10.0 vs. 16.7; OR=0.25; 95% CI=0.07–0.91; p=0.036), but the pc value was not signifcant (0.12 and 0.126, respec‑ tively). Serum IL35 levels showed signifcant difere
... Show MoreIn this work, some of new 2-benzylidenehydrazinecarbothioamide derivatives have been prepared by condensation of thiosemicarbazide and different substituted aromatic benzaldehydes in presence of glacial acetic acid to give compounds (1-6), these compounds have characterized by its physical properties and spectroscopic methods. This work also included theoretical study to prove the ability of these compounds as corrosion inhibitors; The program package of Gaussian 09W with its graphical user interface GaussView 5.0 had used for this purpose; the methods of Density Functional Theory (DFT) with basis set of 6-311G (d,p) / hybrid function of B3LYP and semiempirical method of PM3 have been used, the study included theoretical simulation
... Show MoreThis study was achieved to investigate the accumulation of some heavy metals included: Cadmium, Lead and Nickel in the tissues (gill, intestine, liver, muscles and skin) of Silurus triostegus Heckel, 1843 (Siluriformes, Siluridae) and its larval stage of the nematode Contracaecum sp. (Rhabditida, Anisakidae). As well as to assess the infection patterns of Contracaecum among S. triostegus specimens which were purchased fresh from the local market in Baghdad. One hundred and nine nematodes specimens in larval stage were recovered from the fish host; the overall prevalence of Contracaecum sp. was 38.6%. The sex of the host was not significantly (P ˃ 0.05) associated with the infection of this nematode. Results showed that the ov
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