Search

This study aimed to implement an effective Lesson Study model during primary school pre-service teachers' training in Burkina Faso. The stakeholders were trainee teachers, full-time trainers, INFPE officials, and some former JICA short-trainees who were promoters of the implementation of Lesson Study in in-service teacher training. Several tools were designed and used for the data collection. As a result, two possibilities were identified. The first is to introduce the approach in General Pedagogy to better define its theoretical contours and practical implementation through the didactic subjects taught. Second, while some want to use Lesson Study in certain key subjects, such as science and mathematics, most actors recommend transversal use in all subjects. Therefore, some recommendations have been set for the effective implementation of the Lesson Study model during the pre-service training of primary school teachers.

Teachers play an important role in helping students improve their learning and achieve the intended curriculum outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to look at teachers’ knowledge, understanding, and perceptions of any educational innovation. The present study aims to examine knowledge, understanding and perceptions of Rwandan science teachers with respect to the competence-based curriculum (CBC) introduced in 2015. The 2015 curriculum framework included features like the rationale for its adoption, the concept of competence, different competences to be developed by learners upon CBC implementation, principles guiding CBC implementation, and cross-cutting issues to be addressed by CBC implementation. This research is a multiple case study that adopted a qualitative approach with interpretivism paradigm. Twelve science teachers from three secondary schools, selected based on their differing teaching experience, participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The data were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed some satisfactory knowledge, understanding and perceptions of science teachers. Further, knowledge and understanding gaps as well as negative perceptions of CBC were identified. Towards the effective and efficient implementation of the CBC, this research suggests appropriate training and establishment of the school community of practices for improving teachers’ experience of the CBC.

To quantify the biases introduced during human gut microbiome studies, analyzing an artificial mock community as the reference microbiome is indispensable. However, there are still limited resources for a mock community which well represents the human gut microbiome. Here, we constructed a novel mock community comprising the type strains of 18 major bacterial species in the human gut and assessed the influence of experimental and bioinformatics procedures on the 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We found that DNA extraction methods greatly affected the DNA yields and taxonomic composition of sequenced reads, and that some of the commonly used primers for 16S rRNA genes were prone to underestimate the abundance of some gut commensal taxa such as Erysipelotrichia, Verrucomicrobiota and Methanobacteriota. Binning of the assembled contigs of shotgun metagenomic sequences by MetaBAT2 produced phylogenetically consistent, less-contaminated bins with varied completeness. The ensemble approach of multiple binning tools by MetaWRAP can improve completeness but sometimes increases the contamination rate. Our benchmark study provides an important foundation for the interpretation of human gut microbiome data by providing means for standardization among gut microbiome data obtained with different methodologies and will facilitate further development of analytical methods.

This research is to start from the history of primary pre-service teacher training in Burkina Faso in order to give an updated reading of the system of pre-service teacher training for primary schools. We will examine a certain number of contents to provide a good understanding of this sub-sector of education. Thus, understanding the pre-service training of primary school teachers based on the training curriculum, the discovery of teaching programs, the training scenario for trainee teachers in INFPE (Institut National de Formation des Personnels de lʼEducation= National Institute for the Training of Education Personnel), the process of course scheduling during pre-service training, the organization of teaching and evaluation, the trainer pole with the condition of lecturers, the current situation of trainers and their certification background in the INFPE are some of the concerns that we intend to refl ect upon. Finally, we will have a look at the collaboration in pre-service training with the content of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) interventions in pre-service training in Burkina Faso and the current challenges of the trainers at the INFPE.

In this study, based on the Global Lesson Study (GLS) program, a mathematics lesson study was conducted between teachers in Japan and Singapore, with Singapore as the host school. During the GLS process, the childrenʼs ideas̶diff ered greatly between the two countries̶were shared, and the lesson plans were improved to move toward integrated learning, which could not have been conceived during the in-school research discussions in Singapore, and then, the improvements were refl ected in the lessons. This suggests that GLS is eff ective in improving the teaching of Mathematics.

In this study, based on the Global Lesson Study (GLS) program, an mathematics lesson study was conducted between teachers in Japan and Singapore, with Japan as the host school. In the process of the GLS, it was confi rmed that the GLS functions as a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and that it is eff ective to implement the GLS in a two-year cycle when it is implemented among in-service teachers. As an “Extension”, we proposed the following two points: (1) the possibility of action research by combining survey research and classroom practice, and (2) the possibility of a “GLS package” in the context of international educational cooperation.

PurposeThe authors aim to determine the effects of Global Lesson Study (GLS) – a two-year, one-cycle program defined as “international cooperative lesson study through international exchange among teachers using ICT” – on intercultural competence for lesson study based on pre- and post-survey conducted for Japanese teachers.Design/methodology/approachIn accordance with the GLS program, mathematics lesson studies on mathematics between Japanese and Singaporean elementary school teachers were conducted over a two-year period. Questionnaire surveys on intercultural competence for lesson study was conducted using 7-point Likert scale and descriptive questions with Japanese teachers (N = 5). Analysis of Wilcoxon's signed rank test and correlation analysis were conducted.FindingsFollowings are identified as the effects of GLS for Japanese teachers: (1) Japanese participants felt improvement of their competence in areas of attitude, internal outcomes and outward impact. (2) Participating in a GLS led to the improvement of Japanese teachers' qualities and abilities for subject teaching related to mathematics education. (3) Improvement of intercultural competence for lesson study was related to each other, and GLS led to improvement of these competences. (4) It was meaningful to have a two-year period to assimilate and adjust to independent experience of the host and guest.Originality/valueThe GLS led to teacher empowerment among this sample, not only as cooperative research, but also at the individual level of teachers where participants continued to develop lessons based on the GLS learning after study completion. This has important implications for the implementation and dissemination of the GLS.

The comprehensiveness of teacher professional identity (TPI) studies conducted by African and Asian researchers highlights the importance of valid TPI indicators across Africa and Asia. Questionnaire TPI indicators are important to obtain valid direct comparisons between teachers in Africa and Asia. The process of developing a questionnaire served as an avenue for researchers from Asian and African regions to learn about TPI pointers from each other. This study used the Delphi technique to achieve consensus on valid TPI indicators across African and Asian regions. Fourteen researchers from the Asia-Africa University Dialogue Network for Educational Development (AAD) were selected using purposive sampling. TPI in this study is defined as a multifaceted concept comprising contextual and personal factors that differ across national borders. The indicators in the questionnaire represented personal, social and institutional factors perceived by teachers and outlined in the literature. In the Delphi study process, the researchers used three rounds to validate the initial 40-item TPI questionnaire. Subsequent analysis of the results indicated high importance and consensus among experts. Owing to its standardized procedure, the TPI questionnaire makes it possible to collect and compare the TPI dimensions from the different socio-economic contexts in which teachers work in Africa and Asia. The findings of this study guide African and Asian researchers on the common understanding of TPI characteristics prevalent across African and Asian regions. Research protocols for fostering quality research toward addressing challenges faced by the teacher education sector in African and Asian countries is also implied.

SMARCA4-deficient thoracic sarcomatoid tumor is a rare malignancy indicating some characteristics of a smoking-related disease. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of aggressive thoracic tumor with loss of immunochemical SMARCA4 expression and detail the results of our treatment regimen. The patient was a 58-year-old male and clinicopathologically diagnosed with a SMARCA4-deficient thoracic sarcomatoid tumor. Pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and pemetrexed resulted in significant response. This combination therapy showed potential for first-line systemic treatment of SMARCA4-deficient thoracic sarcomatoid tumors.

In order to prepare Rwandan citizens for a competitive world, a competence-based curriculum (CBC) has been implemented since 2016. The problem addressed by this study is “under which conditions wil...

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study was to develop Global Lesson Study (GLS) defined as an international collaborative lesson study through international exchange of teachers using ICT. Its purpose is to nurture teachers from different countries with intercultural competence to conduct lesson study.Design/methodology/approachWe developed an initial program for GLS in the subject of mathematics education between elementary school teachers in Japan and Singapore. The qualitative analysis of activities at each stage of the Pilot GLS was conducted from two perspectives: (1) intercultural competence for lesson study and (2) teacher's competency for subject instruction.FindingsThrough GLS, a new lesson was created that was only possible with discussions from teachers from different locations. It was clarified that GLS was not only useful for training teachers with intercultural competence for lesson study but also has led to the improvement of teacher's competency for subject instruction in mathematics.Originality/valueThe GLS is a new attempt in the sense of developing a high-quality lesson study method for creating new lessons as well as improving qualities and abilities of teachers through international exchange.

FeS2 nanocrystals with the diameter of more than several dozen nanometers exhibit well-defined optical extinction peaks in a near-infrared region. These peaks, which are not exhibited from bulk FeS2, have been ascribed to the localized surface plasmon resonance without solid evidence. However, this interpretation could be doubtful considering the low carrier density of semiconducting FeS2. In this study, we theoretically demonstrated that the near-infrared extinction peaks from the FeS2 nanocubes are ascribed to Mie resonances, which act as a dielectric optical nanoantenna. Also, we experimentally demonstrated that the Mie resonances of FeS2 nanocubes have a large optical absorption component. Consequently, these nanocubes caused a larger temperature increase with a higher photothermal conversion efficiency by a near-infrared laser irradiation, as compared with small FeS2 nanoclusters not exhibiting Mie resonances. Such results suggest that the optical absorption originating from the indirect interband tr...

Background Thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A (THSD7A) is a target antigen in idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN). Patients with THSD7A-associated MN are known to have a high possibility of developing malignancy. However, there are few case reports on THSD7A-associated MN with malignancy, and details of its characteristics have not been clarified thoroughly. Here, we report the case of a 77-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with THSD7A-associated MN after resection of rectal cancer. Case presentation A 77-year-old man who had developed bilateral peripheral edema, persistent proteinuria, and nephrotic syndrome was admitted to our hospital. He was diagnosed with MN based on a renal biopsy 3 years after resection of rectal cancer, and positive staining for THSD7A in both kidney and rectal cancer tissues suggested that these two diseases were related. Furthermore, THSD7A staining of metastatic lymph nodes revealed deposition of THSD7A in the secondary lymph follicles and sinus. Recurrence of rectal cancer was suspected; however, tumor recurrence was not observed on chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT) and colonoscopy. There was no lymph node enlargement. The patient was kept on observation with supportive therapy. Consequently, although nephrotic syndrome persisted, obvious recurrence and metastasis of the primary tumor were not observed. Conclusion This is the first case in which pathological examination results suggested that THSD7A-associated MN was caused by rectal cancer. Based on the reports of THSD7A-associated MN with malignancy and the pathogenesis of MN, lymph node metastasis may be a risk for cancer-related MN.

Prussian blue (PB) is a well-known porous metal–organic framework (MOF) material, whose redox chemistry on indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes has been studied extensively. However, the molecular interfacing of PB nanocrystals has not yet been explored in such detail. In this study, electrochemical interfacing of PB nanocrystals with a thin film containing a redox-active Ru complex (Ru-NP) was investigated. Spontaneous growth of preferentially oriented PB nanocrystals was observed on an ITO electrode modified with a Ru-NP primer film, which was subsequently characterized by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Blocking and rectification of electron transport (ET) were observed between PB and the Ru complex, and this behavior was governed by the energy gap between the Ru complex and PB nanocrystals as well as the thickness of the Ru-containing primer layer film. ET rectification at the ITO‖(Ru-NP)3/PB heterojunction was supported by a potential-step chronoamperometry (PSCA) analysis of the i–t curves. Owing to the large difference between the forward and backward ET rates at the ITO‖(Ru-NP)3/PB heterojunction, a large hysteresis loop was observed during electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) measurements, indicating dynamic ion transfer gating in the PB nanopores through the rectified electron transport between the Ru-NP layer and the ITO electrode at the ITO‖(Ru-NP)3/PB heterojunction.

We found the utilization of porphyrin-based metal-organic network films composed of tetra(catechol-substituted)porphyrin (cPor) and Fe ions for robust wrapping materials of graphene oxide (GO), which can keep the dispersion state under the chemical reduction of GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in water. The tetra(catechol-substituted)porphyrin (cPor) was designed for soft-wrapping methods because the aromatic porphyrin moieties can be strongly adsorbed onto the surface of GO or rGO via both π-π interactions and the catechol-Fe coordination network formation. The GO sheets covered with the cPor-Fe films were reduced chemically in water under retention of the wrapped nanostructure of the cPor-Fe/GO sheets. The obtained rGO composites after chemical reduction are characterized by using UV-vis absorption, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra, as well as thermogravimetric analysis and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). XPS and EDX spectra showed the presence of Fe species, which originates from the coordinated Fe-catechol nodes in the wrapped cPor-Fe films. The wrapped rGO sheets could be easily handled in water because of their high solubility therein and exhibits electric conductivity. In dynamic light scattering analysis, the average diameter of rGO composites before and after reduction changed slightly from 419 ± 309 to 663 ± 697 nm, indicating that the chemical reduction is not significantly influenced by the size of the rGO composite or the solubility. It is expected that the soft wrapping cPor-Fe/rGO should employ the applications to prepare functional materials such as modified electrodes, catalysts, energy-storage materials, and electronic devices.

The lesson subject of “Lecture on Human in International Education” has been newly offered to the graduate students from 2012 academic year when the implementation of the current curriculum of International Education Course started. It locates in the course curriculum as constructing the basis for the curriculum. Its aim is at providing students with the opportunity to construct their perspective of culture and human development. The authors of this paper shared the lecture based on their research interests and experiences of international education as well as international educational development. The aim of this study is to make proposal to the way of this lesson in future based on its outcomes through reflecting on and confirming the fouryear’s implementation of this lesson from 2012 to 2015 academic year by “Supporting” and “Meeting” as key words. Briefly saying, what is addressed in this lesson is how human could be grabbed, and could link and meet with, relate to, cooperated with, contribute to and support others with different cultural, historical, social and economic backgrounds in the international environment.

The chemical functionalization of nano-carbon materials such as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and graphene by metal complexes has attracted much attention due to the multitude of potential applications in efficient energy-conversion and -storage devices. The solubilization and single-chirality separation of SWNTs by surface modifications is a useful approach to manipulate SWNTs in the liquid phase. In this study, several Ru and Fe complexes containing two terminal quadruple hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) ureidopyrimidinedione (UPy) groups were synthesized (Ru-1, Ru-UPy, and Fe-UPy) to form H-bonded supramolecular polymers by self-association. In order to control the solubility of these complexes in nonpolar solvents, Ru-UPy and Fe-UPy were endowed with long alkyl side chain groups in the coordinated 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine ligand, while Ru-1 and Ru-2 do not contain such long alkyl chain groups. AFM measurements revealed that Ru-1, Ru-UPy, and Fe-UPy form a fiber-like network morphology on HOPG surfaces, arising from the H-bonded aggregation. However, only Ru-UPy and Fe-UPy are able to solubilize SWNTs effectively upon simple sonication in chlorobenzene. After the solubilization of a CoMoCAT® SWNT in chlorobenzene using Ru-UPy or Fe-UPy, UV-Vis-NIR spectra showed sharp peaks at 996 and 1150 nm, which were attributed to (6, 5) and (7, 6)-SWNTs. The Raman spectra of the solubilized SWNTs revealed peaks that were attributed to the radial breathing mode (RBM), which suggests an enrichment of semiconducting SWNTs, i.e., Ru-UPy and Fe-UPy are able to selectively solubilize semiconducting SWNTs. Cyclic voltammograms of films of SWNTs covered with Ru-UPy or Fe-UPy on ITO electrodes showed a well-defined adsorbed Ru(ii/iii) or Fe(ii/iii) wave. Upon addition of acid, the redox response from the adsorbed H-bonded Ru-UPy and Fe-UPy disappeared and only SWNTs were left on the ITO electrode. Moreover, the Ru-UPy/SWNT and Fe-UPy/SWNT hybrids exhibited non-linear I-V characteristics.

The Neoproterozoic Gharib Granitoid Complex (GGC), in the North Eastern Desert (NED) of Egypt, is characterized by the occurrence of varieties of granitoids. Monzogranite, the most abundant granite variety, contains abundant magmatic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) of mafic to intermediate composition. The MMEs are more mafic than their host and marked by a greater amount of amphibole and biotite. They are finer grained and have porphyritic/poikilitic textures. The sharp, crenulated, and fine-grained quenched contacts of the elongated, rounded, and ellipsoid form of the MMEs with their felsic host indicate rapid cooling during a magma mixing/mingling event. Micro-textural evidence supports the mechanical transfer of minerals that crystallized in felsic magma to the mafic melt (e.g., feldspar phenocrysts cross-cutting the MME-host boundaries, stubby apatite, quartz ocelli, and poikilitic outermost rims of K-feldspar phenocrysts), supercooling/quenching process (e.g., acicular apatite and elongated hornblende and biotite crystals), and disequilibrium growth (e.g., hornblende-biotite clots replaced early crystallized clinopyroxene), which also favour a magma mingling/mixing origin. Linear to curvilinear chemical variations of the MMEs and the host monzogranites on Harker diagrams, highly similar trace element contents, and Sr-Nd isotopic systematics together with mineral-chemical features also support mixing/mingling as the main process in magma genesis and strongly suggest that the MMEs were supercooled hybrid globules within cooler, partially crystallized host felsic magma. The crust-like geochemical signatures (i.e., SiO2 content, metaluminous nature, and lack of upper crustal xenoliths and typical peraluminous minerals), along with low [MMEs: (87Sr/86Sr)initial = 0.70136–0.70373; monzogranites: (87Sr/86Sr)initial = 0.70202–0.70320)] along with zircon and apatite U-Pb age data indicate the possible involvement of juvenile lower continental crust (LCC) of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) in their genesis. The medium- to high-K calc-alkaline affinity, the LILE enrichment, and the HFSE depletion along with low Nb/La ratios and positive eNd(t) (MMEs = +4.01 - +5.62, monzogranites = +2.29 - +6.03) indicate the contribution of depleted lithospheric mantle in the magma genesis, whereas the low δEu and fairly high δCe values, stable La/Sm, and variable Sr/Th ratios in apatites from the monzogranites and MMEs indicate the contribution of volatile/fluids from the remnants of the oceanic slab in facilitating melting in the source region. The genesis of the monzogranites and MMEs started with asthenosphere upwelling, followed by melting of the remnants of lithospheric mantle, and underplating of mantle magma, which led to partial melting of the LCC. Multi-element modelling postulates that the low degree mixing between partially crystallized mantle magma and LCC-derived felsic melt (Fmix ∼ 0.1) could produce the parent magma for the monzogranites. Further mixing/mingling of the crystal-charged monzogranite parent magma with new pulses of mafic melts (Fmix ∼ 0.25) developed a hybrid zone and formed the hybrid MMEs. Thus, the final episode of the ANS evolution was associated with a complex post-collisional interplay between asthenosphere, lithospheric mantle, and the LCC caused by the removal of delaminated lithospheric root and dense lower crust following the collision between East and West Gondwana in the Neoproterozoic time.

Although molecular rectifiers were proposed over four decades ago 1,2 , until recently reported rectification ratios (RR) were rather moderate 2–11 (RR ~ 101). This ceiling was convincingly broken using a eutectic GaIn top contact 12 to probe molecular monolayers of coupled ferrocene groups (RR ~ 105), as well as using scanning tunnelling microscopy-break junctions 13–16 and mechanically controlled break junctions 17 to probe single molecules (RR ~ 102–103). Here, we demonstrate a device based on a molecular monolayer in which the RR can be switched by more than three orders of magnitude (between RR ~ 100 and RR ≥ 103) in response to humidity. As the relative humidity is toggled between 5% and 60%, the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of a monolayer of di-nuclear Ru-complex molecules reversibly change from symmetric to strongly asymmetric (diode-like). Key to this behaviour is the presence of two localized molecular orbitals in series, which are nearly degenerate in dry circumstances but become misaligned under high humidity conditions, due to the displacement of counter ions (PF6 –). This asymmetric gating of the two relevant localized molecular orbital levels results in humidity-controlled diode-like behaviour. The rectification ratio of a molecular junction made of a self-assembled monolayer of di-nuclear ruthenium-complex molecules can be varied by more than three orders of magnitude by controlling relative humidity.

We synthesized three types of binuclear Ru complexes (1-3) that contain pyrene anchors for the adsorption of 1-3 onto nanocarbon materials via non-covalent π-π interactions, in order to investigate their adsorption onto and their desorption from highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The adsorption saturation for 1 (6.22 pmol/cm2), 2 (2.83 pmol/cm2), and 3 (3.53 pmol/cm2) on HOPG was obtained from Langmuir isotherms. The desorption rate from HOPG electrodes decreased in the order 3 (2.4 ×10-5 s-1) > 2 (1.4 ×10-5 s-1) >> 1 (1.8×10-6 s-1). These results indicate that the number of pyrene anchors and their position of substitution in such complexes strongly affect the desorption behavior. However, neither the free energy of adsorption (ΔGads), nor the heterogeneous electron-transfer rate (kET) showed any significant differences among 1-3, albeit that the surface morphologies of the modified HOPG substrates showed domain structures that were characteristic for each Ru complex. In the case of 3, the average...

The judicious selection of pairs of benzimidazole-ligated ruthenium complexes allowed the construction of a rechargeable proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET)-type redox battery. A series of ruthenium(II) and -(III) complexes were synthesized that contain substituted benzimidazoles that engage in PCET reactions. The formation of intramolecular Ru–C cyclometalation bonds stabilized the resulting ruthenium(III) complexes, in which pKa values of the imino N–H protons on the benzimidazoles are usually lower than those for the corresponding ruthenium(II) complexes. As a proof-of-concept study for a solution redox battery based on such PCET reactions, the charging/discharging cycles of several pairs of ruthenium complexes were examined by chronopotentiometry in an H-type device with half-cells separated by a Nafion membrane in unbuffered CH3CN/H2O (1/1, v/v) containing 0.1 M NaCl. During the charging/discharging cycles, the pH value of the solution gradually changed accompanied by a change of the open-circuit...

We demonstrate the simultaneous formation and spatial patterning of ZnO nanocrystals on an indium–tin oxide (ITO) surface upon local heating using a laser (1064 nm) and subsequent formation of microbubbles. Laser irradiation of an ITO surface in aqueous [Zn(NH3)4]2+ solution (1.0 × 10–2 M at pH 12.0) under an optical microscope produced ZnO nanocrystals, the presence of which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and Raman microspectroscopy. Scanning the focused laser beam over the ITO surface generated a spatial ZnO pattern (height: ∼60 nm, width: ∼1 μm) in the absence of a template or mask. The Marangoni convection generated in the vicinity of the microbubbles resulted in a rapid concentration/accumulation of [Zn(NH3)4]2+ around the microbubbles, which led to the formation of ZnO at the solid–bubble–solution three-phase contact line around the bubbles and thus afforded ZnO nanocrystals on the ITO surface upon local heating with a laser.

Many Papua New Guineans students at all level of the national education system comment that they always found mathematics a difficult subject to understand. The learning difficulties are experienced by many school students under the current mathematics curriculum. This report is based on a sample mathematics test conducted with a sample population from grade 6, 7 and 8 and teacher training college students. The items were taken from grade four according to PNG mathematics curriculum. Most of the results obtained were surprisingly unsatisfactory from both the sample primary participating students and the Teacher training college students. The findings indicated common areas of misconception in addition and subtraction of fraction, comparing decimals numbers, addition & subtraction of 2-digit from 3-digit numbers and knowledge geometry questions by school, gender and across different grade level. The similar type of misconception were also noticed from the teacher training college students. The significant of this report is to inform educators, curriculum planners, teachers and universities the general misconception of teaching and learning in Primary Education in PNG so that focus and framework of the teaching and learning in mathematics in primary education could be restructured regarding students learning difficulties which are revealed in this report.

"Education for sustainable development (ESD)" has been globally promoted with the rise of our concern of socio-ecological risk standing on the outcomes from United Nations Decade of ESD (UNDESD) from 2005 to 2014. The aim of ESD is to raise the good adults or citizens, who have the will, attitude and skills to contribute to build a sustainable society. On the basis of the idea of ESD and collaborating with teachers of three schools in a rural area of Zambia, we conduct our practical study on the development of site-specific environmental education program. It is the three-year research from FY 2013 to FY 2015 of Japan (April 2013-March 2015). Our research purpose is "What EE program would be possible and acceptable to the teachers of schools in a rural area of Zambia?" Then the research questions are "how to link the environmental elements of life in this area with learning activities in the EE program?" and "How does the developed EE program relates to the idea of ESD?" We developed the EE program with lesson plans focusing on water as well as its supplementary materials including environmental quality data (annual change in air temperature and water quality), the booklet entitled as "Story of Mukuyu". In this paper, the structure of our developed environmental education program as well as its relation to the learning in the ESD are primarily described.

Sequential assembly of layers containing redox-active dinuclear Ru complexes that differ in their redox potential on ITO substrates afforded a series of layered structures with different potential gradients. The Ru complexes Ru-NP and Ru-CP contain tetrapodal phosphonate anchors and bridging 2,3,5,6-tetra(2-pyridyl)pyrazine or 1,2,4,5-tetra(2-pyridyl)benzene ligands, respectively. Oxidation potentials of E 1/2 = +0.83 and +1.04 V vs. Fc + /Fc ( Ru-NP ) and E 1/2 = −0.37 and 0.09 V ( Ru-CP ) were observed for the Ru(II)-Ru(II)/Ru(II)-Ru(III) and Ru(II)-Ru(III)/Ru(III)-Ru(III) couples. As the Ru-NP and Ru-CP units contain several accessible redox-active electronic states, electron transfer (ET) blockage and mediation occurred at the Ru-NP / Ru-CP heterojunction on account of the large potential gradient. An examination of the electrochemical behavior of the multilayer diblock ITO||( Ru-CP ) n |( Ru-NP ) n ( n = 1–5) heterofilms revealed that in ITO||( Ru-CP ) 4 |( Ru-NP ) 4 , the Ru(III)-Ru(III)/Ru(III)-Ru(IV) couple is involved in the electron mediation pathway on the Ru-NP / Ru-CP heterojunction. In the case of the multilayer triblock ITO||( Ru-NP ) n |( Ru-CP ) n |( Ru-NP ) n ( n = 4) heterofilms, two catalytic peaks were observed, indicating that the inner and outer Ru-NP / Ru-CP junctions display two different catalytic ET processes. In the alternating Ru-NP / Ru-CP multilayer heterofilms, the ET mediation processes are governed by the sequence order of the Ru-NP / Ru-CP heterojunction attached to the ITO electrode. In multilayer homo- and heterofilms, the dependence of the ET distance on the layer number is discussed on the basis of potential-step chronoamperometry (PSCA) results. In the multilayer Ru-NP and Ru-CP homofilms, relatively low β values were observed, while in the multilayer heterofilms, the ET rate of the catalytic wave was not affected by the number of layers, as the energy gap between the Ru-NP / Ru-CP units is the rate-determining factor. Therefore, the molecular sequence in such multilayer heterofilms, composed of layers containing Ru-NP or Ru-CP complexes, plays an important role.

Surface modifications of carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene or carbon nanotubes, through noncovalent π-π interactions between π-conjugated carbon surfaces and pyrene anchors have received much attention on account of the applications of these materials in organic electronic and sensor devices. Despite the rapidly expanding use of pyrene anchors, little is known about the number of pyrene groups required in order to achieve a stable attachment of molecules on nanocarbon surfaces. So far, systematic studies on such surface modifications through adsorption isotherms and desorption behavior of molecules still remain scarce. In this study, we have investigated the effect of the number of pyrene anchors in redox-active Ru complexes on their adsorption on carbon nanomaterials through noncovalent π-π interactions. The Ru(II/III) couple was used as a redox marker in order to determine the surface coverage on nanocarbon surfaces such as highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The amount of surface coverage as well as the kinetic stability of the Ru complexes was thereby observed to be directly proportional to the number of pyrene groups present in the ligands. The desorption rate from HOPG electrode increased in the order Ru-1 with eight pyrene groups (k = 2.0 × 10(-5) s(-1))Ru-2 with four pyrenes (4.1 × 10(-5) s(-1))Ru-3 with two pyrenes (6.8 × 10(-5) s(-1)) ≪ Ru-4 with one pyrene (4.1 × 10(-3) s(-1)). Furthermore, the electrochemical polymerization of the Ru complex with four pyrene groups proceeded more efficiently compared to complexes with one or two pyrene groups. As a consequence, compounds having more than two and/or optimally four pyrene groups revealed a stable adsorption on the nanocarbon surfaces. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate between the Ru complex, Ru-2, and the carbon nanomaterials increased in the order SWCNTs (kET = 1.3 s(-1))MWCNTs (ϕ = 5-9 nm) (kET = 4.0 s(-1))MWCNTs (ϕ = 110-170 nm) (kET = 14.9 s(-1))HOPG (kET = 110 s(-1)).

We report the synthesis of a mixed-valence ruthenium complex, bearing pyrene moieties on one side of the ligands as anchor groups. Composites consisting of mixed-valence ruthenium complexes and SWNTs were prepared by noncovalent π-π interactions between the SWNT surface and the pyrene anchors of the Ru complex. In these composites, the long axis of the Ru complexes was aligned in parallel to the principal direction of the SWNT. The optimized conformation of these complexes on the SWNT surface was calculated by molecular mechanics. The composites were examined by UV/Vis absorption and FT-IR spectroscopy, XPS, and SEM analysis. Furthermore, their electrochemical properties were evaluated. Cyclic voltammograms of the composites showed reversible oxidation waves at peak oxidation potentials (Epox ) = 0.86 and 1.08 V versus Fc(+) /Fc, which were assigned to the Ru(II) -Ru(II) /Ru(II) -Ru(III) and the Ru(II) -Ru(III) /Ru(III) -Ru(III) oxidation events of the dinuclear ruthenium complex, respectively. Based on these observations, we concluded that the electrochemical properties and mixed-valence state of the dinuclear ruthenium complexes were preserved upon attachment to the SWNT surface.

In recent years, dust storms coming from western neighboring countries are drastically increased dust storms and affecting western and eastern part of Iran. This phenomenon is caused a lot of environmental and socio-economic problems. Sistan is a region located in southeast Iran with extensive wind erosion. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis of airborne and soil dust samples from Sistan shows that the dust mineralogy is dominated mainly by quartz (30-40%), calcite (18-23%), muscovite (10-17%), plagioclase (9-12%), chlorite (~6%) and enstatite (~3%), with minor components of dolomite, microcline, halite and gypsum. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses of all the samples indicate that the most important oxide compositions of the airborne and soil dust are SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, Na2O, MgO and Fe2O3, exhibiting similar percentages for both stations and soil samples. However Khuzestan Province is located in southwest Iran with sandy deserts. XRD result from Khuzestan show that mineralogical composition of these dust particles can be divided into three groups: (1) Carbonate group (calcite mineral), (2) Silicate group (quartz mineral) and (3) Clay group (Kaoline mineral). The most important minor phase is Gypsum. SEM studies indicate that these particles were found in rounded, irregular, prismatic and rhombic shapes. XRF and ICP analyses of the samples show that the most important oxide compositions of airborne dusts are SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO and MgO. This research can be help to find the impact of geological units on the wind erosion lands for finding dust storm sources in the states of western and eastern parts of Iran.

Middle Earth, including Iran, Iraq, China and Syria has been recognized as one of the most important primary sources of dust. Intensive investigations have been conducted to study the chemical composition, sources and deposition of Middle Earth particles. However, analysis of individual Middle Earth particles show that about one fifth of all the particles are mineral aggregates, and at least one fourth of the particles contain sulfur. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to quantify the phase and the clay mineral compositions of Middle Earth samples. Phases in the Middle Earth sample collected during the 20 March 2002 dust storm episode included clay minerals, noncrystalline materials, quartz, calcite, plagioclase, potassium feldspar, pyrite, hornblende, and gypsum in descending order. Clay minerals are mainly illite/smectite mixed layers (78%), followed by illite (9%), kaolinite (6%), and chlorite (7%). Particulate matter (PM) less than 10 mm are enriched with clay minerals and deficient with quartz by mass compared with the total suspended particulates collected during an Middle Earth episode. The PM less than 10 mm collected during the two severe dust storm episodes is characterized by the absence of dolomite, high quartz/clay ratio, and dominance of illite/smectite mixed layers in clay minerals.

Earthquakes in Pakistan are generated along the active fault system due to neo-tectonic process, emerged from the colliding plate boundaries of the Indian, Eurasian and Arabian plates. Based on this progression many active seismic zones in Pakistan, e.g., the Hindu Kush-Karakoram and Indus-Kohistan seismic zones emerged. Consequently, the 8th October 2005 earthquake occurred along the Indus-Kohistan active seismic zone that killed more than 80000 people. The subsequent studies revealed that he causative faults for earthquakes are mainly active thrust faults with a strike slip component and purely the strike slip faults. Based on the seismic hazard zones, prepared after 8th October 2005 earthquake, Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan has been up-graded from Zone 2 to Zone 3 having “g” factor between 0.1-0.3 with moderate to severe damage.