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Soil microorganisms and their activities are essential for maintaining soil health and fertility. Microorganisms can be negatively affected by application of herbicides. Although effects of herbicides on microorganisms are widely studied, there is a lack of information for chloroacetamide herbicide dimethachlor. Thus, dimethachlor and well known linuron were applied to silty-loam luvisol and their effects on microorganisms were evaluated during112 days long laboratory assay. Dimethachlor and linuron were applied in doses 1.0 kg ha−1 and 0.8 kg ha−1 corresponding to 3.33 mg kg−1 and 2.66 mg kg−1 respectively. Also 100-fold doses were used for magnification of impacts. Linuron in 100-fold dose caused minor increase of respiration, temporal increase of soil microbial biomass, decrease of soil dehydrogenase activity, and altered microbial community. Dimethachlor in 100-fold dose significantly increased respiration; microbial biomass and decreased soil enzymatic activities. Microbial composition changed significantly, Proteobacteria abundance, particularly Pseudomonas and Achromobacter genera increased from 7 to 28th day. In-silico prediction of microbial gene expression by PICRUSt2 software revealed increased expression of genes related to xenobiotic degradation pathways. Evaluated characteristics of microbial community and activity were not affected by herbicides in recommended doses and the responsible use of both herbicides will not harm soil microbial community.

The aim of this study was to determine the influences and impacts of the socioeconomic status (SES) of families on university students and their studies during anti-pandemic measures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Another aspect of the study was to investigate the various educational elements used during the course of distance teaching. This research was performed on a sample of 1280 respondents. Statistically significant differences in the case of SES grades were observed only with the following variables: (i) difficulty factor for the combined education form, (ii) age, and (iii) the duration of the teaching practice (p

European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) is an important maize pest which is treated mainly by synthetic pesticides with many negative effects for ecosystem and human health. Soil borne entomopathogenic fungi of species belonging to Beauveria genus may provide an alternative strategy for biological control of this pest. In this article, we report results of virulence testing of 46 soil isolates of Beauveria spp. against O. nubilalis in relation to isolates origin and haplotype. All strains were collected from soil using Galleria mellonella bait method. Conidia suspension with concentration 10⁷ conidia in ml was used for virulence test against 4th instar larvae of O. nubilalis at temperature 25°C. After 14 days, mortality of larvae was in the range 34%–96%. Median lethal time LT50 was estimated to 5.5–21.3 days. Mortality was not in relation to habitat or any other environmental parameter of sites where isolates came from. Differences among species were insignificant. Isolates were divided into 8 genetic lineages and 14 haplotypes using sequencing of ITS and Bloc nuclear regions. None of the lineages showed higher mortality than others. Despite more or less virulent isolates being found in each lineage, the three most virulent isolates belonged to the same lineage Beauveria bassiana A3. The four most virulent isolates were compared to commercial isolate GHA to assess medium lethal concentration. LC50 were estimated in range 7.5 × 10⁴ to 9.5 × 10⁵. Three of the four isolates showed equal or greater efficiency than strain GHA.

One of the requirements of Education 4.0 is that students and practitioners should be involved in the creation of the content of study plans. Therefore, in the present research we focused on identifying the further educational needs of kindergarten teachers. Teachers’ educational needs were divided into four dimensions: ‘content knowledge’, ‘diagnostic knowledge’, ‘didactical knowledge’, and ‘classroom management knowledge’. In parallel, we discovered how teachers assess the level of their own teaching competencies. Based on the obtained data, we identified that teachers have the greatest need for further education in the dimension of ‘diagnostic knowledge’ and that the need for their further education in this dimension did not depend on the length of practice. In the other three dimensions, a declining trend in teachers’ educational needs has been recorded with an increasing length of practice, declining significantly in three of the four dimensions examined. The study points to the need to create in-service courses for kindergarten teachers to deepen their ‘diagnostic knowledge’ and thus ensure the sustainability of the quality of pre-school education for children. Teachers‘ self-assessment of their own teaching competencies corresponds to their educational needs, which supports the relevance of the findings on the further educational needs of kindergarten teachers. This study aimed to obtain relevant data on which the improvement of the higher education of future kindergarten teachers might be based. At the same time, this would allow the analysis and tailoring of the content of professional development courses to the needs of in-service kindergarten teachers.

Plant microbiomes are responsible for the growth, health, nutrition, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. Moreover, some plant microbiome members, especially the Enterobacteriaceae family, can act as human pathogens. In recent years, metagenomic analysis of amplified 16S rRNA gene sequenced on Illumina second generation sequencers became the most widely used method for bacterial microbiome studies. The 16S r RNA gene of the bacterium is phylogenetically similar to the 16S genes of chloroplasts and mitochondria since they have common prokaryotic ancestors. Thus, plant microbiome analysis is affected by unwanted non-target chloroplast and mitochondrial sequences. The solution to this contamination uses specially designed primer pairs that exclude chloroplasts and mitochondria and provide undistorted information. In this study, we analyzed chloroplast excluding primer 799R (reverse complement of 799F) which contains 4 mismatches of nucleotides against the chloroplast sequence modified for use with Illumina sequencers. We used primer 799R with universal bacterial forward primers 341F and 515F and compared the results obtained with 799R to the results obtained with the universal 806R primer. Microbiomes of 12 samples from 4 distinct parts of the tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicon L.) leaves, fruits, roots, and rhizosphere, were amplified using all combinations of these primers. The combination of universal forward primers 515F or 341F with the universal bacterial primer 806R amplified 60-85% of chloroplast sequences in samples of plant tissue. The 799R primer effectively reduced the number of chloroplast sequences to less than 1%. However, some sequences derived from mitochondria remained, with a higher proportion using the 341F primer (66-72%) than 515F (21-28%). The ability to describe microbial population diversity using 799R was similar to 806R, although there is a clear difference in the proportions of amplified microorganism groups using these primers. Analysis revealed the highest frequency of Enterobacteriaceae when primer pair 515F+799R was used. Based on the results, the combination of primers 515F+799R was the most appropriate, met all parameters, and can be recommended for routine analysis of plant microbiomes using second generation sequencers.

Algebraic thinking, combinatorial thinking and reasoning skills are considered as playing central roles within teaching and learning in the field of mathematics, particularly in solving complex open-ended mathematical problems Specific relations between these three abilities, manifested in the solving of an open-ended ill-structured problem aimed at mathematical modeling, were investigated. We analyzed solutions received from 33 groups totaling 131 students, who solved a complex assignment within the mathematical contest Mathematics B-day 2018. Such relations were more obvious when solving a complex problem, compared to more structured closed subtasks. Algebraic generalization is an important prerequisite to prove mathematically and to solve combinatorial problem at higher levels, i.e., using expressions and formulas, therefore a special focus should be put on this ability in upper-secondary mathematics education. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland., Slovak Research and Development AgencySlovak Research and Development Agency [APVV-15-0368]; Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic; VEGAVedecka grantova agentura MSVVaS SR a SAV (VEGA) [1/0815/18]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech RepublicMinistry of Education, Youth & Sports - Czech Republic [RO60201015025], Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT: RO60201015025; Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu Slovenskej republiky; Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja, APVV: APVV-15-0368; Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV, VEGA: 1/0815/18

Computational thinking is a highly appreciated skill by mathematicians. It was forecasted that, in the next few years, half of the jobs in science, mathematics, technology and engineering (abbreviated as STEM, including arts as STEAM) will use some kind of computation. It is therefore necessary to enhance the learning of mathematics by collaborative problem-solving activities focused on both learning mathematics and developing computational thinking. The problems in science offer a reasonable context in which to investigate the common overarching concepts (e.g., measuring the length). An interdisciplinary STEAM collaborative problem-solving activity was designed and piloted with 27 lower secondary students aged 13.07 &plusmn, 1.21 years. Different levels of willingness to use the technology were observed and the factors influencing it were identified. We found that strong background knowledge implies high demands when controlling the used device. On the other hand, when a nice and user-friendly application was used, students did not need to perceive any control over it. After the intervention, the students&rsquo, views on the tablet changed and they reported more STEAM-related functions of the device.

Sulfonylurea herbicides are widely used for weed control in agriculture, and they are suspected to alter microbial communities and activities in the soil. This study investigates the impact of two sulfonylurea herbicides chlorsulfuron and sulfosulfuron on microbial community and activity in two different soils taken from two sites in west part of the Slovak Republic. The soil from the Malanta site was silt-loam luvisol with pH(H2O) 5.78 while the soil from the Stefanov site was sandy-loam regosol with pH(H2O) 8.25. These soils were not treated by sulfonylurea herbicides at least for 2 years prior to the study. In laboratory assay, the herbicides were applied to soil in their maximal recommended doses 26 and 25 g per hectare of chlorsulfuron and sulfosulfuron, respectively. Their effect was evaluated on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 28th, 56th, and 112th day after application to soil. Illumina high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and ITS region was used to monitor changes on prokaryotic and fungal community composition. Enzymatic activity was evaluated using 11 substrates. Physiological profile of microbial community was analyzed using Biolog© ecoplates. Significant changes in enzymatic activity caused by the application of herbicides were found during the first 28 days. The application of herbicides altered the activity of cellobiohydrolase, arylsulphatase, dehydrogenase, phosphatase, and FDA hydrolase. Chlorsulfuron caused a more varying response of enzymatic activity than sulfosulfuron, and observed changes were not the same for both soils. In Malanta soil, chlorsulfuron decreased dehydrogenase activity while it was increased in the Stefanov soil. Phosphatase activity was decreased in both soils on 7th and 14th day. There were only minor changes in prokaryotic or fungal community or physiological profiles regarding pesticide application. Differences between soils and incubation time explained most of the variability in these parameters. Diversity indices, physiological parameters, and enzymatic activity decreased over time. The results have shown that chlorsulfuron and sulfosulfuron can affect the function and activity of the soil microbial community without significant change in its composition.

In this paper three orchestrations of the pupils’ investigation concerning the concept of density are described. Three different groups of children (pre-school children, pupil of grade 2 and grade 4) were inquired about the differences of densities regarding the various kinds of candies. The substantial environment allowed an experienced teacher to tailor the investigations according to the needs, particularly the knowledge about density and statistical literacy of participating children.

The phylogenetic structure of 109 soil-borne entomopathogenic Beauveria isolates acquired using the Galleria mellonella bait method from different habitat types in Slovakia was determined by sequence analysis of their ITS and Bloc loci. Three Beauveria species were identified; Beauveria bassiana, B. pseudobassiana and B. brongniartii, represented by 51.4%, 43.1% and 5.5% of acquired isolates, respectively, which were resolved into 15, 1 and 1 distinguishable haplotypes. Correlation analysis with the habitat type and individual habitat characteristics showed strong preferences of the most prevalent haplotypes for agricultural (B. bassiana A1) and forest habitats (B. pseudobassiana) which has possible implications for conservative biocontrol strategies.

Metacognitive knowledge and mathematical intelligence were tested in a group of 280 pupils of grade 7 age 12&ndash, 13 years in the Czech Republic. Metacognitive knowledge was tested by the tool MAESTRA5-6+. Mathematical intelligence is understood as an important criterion of a learner&rsquo, s ability to solve mathematical problems and defined as the specific sensitivity to the six particular phenomena: causality, patterns, existence and uniqueness of solution, geometric imagination, functional thinking, and perception of infinity. The main objective of the research is to explore relationships and links between metacognitive knowledge and mathematical intelligence of the learners and discover the scope of impacts of their metacognitive knowledge on the school success rate. Based on the collected answers and nearly zero correlation (r = 0.016) between the researched domains, a two-dimensional model considering the correlations between metacognitive knowledge and mathematical intelligence was designed. The developed model enables to describe an impact of the domains on the learner&rsquo, s school performance within the selected school subjects, and concurrently, it emphasizes their importance within the educational practice as such.

The low efficiency of using appropriate strategies to solve problems in the classroom environment is not due to the lack of knowledge of how to classify concepts, but rather due to the failure to apply this knowledge strategically. Therefore, it is necessary to find a balance between them, i.e., to let the pupils discuss the problems while supporting the teacher&rsquo, s intervention. The aim of the presented study was to examine the influence of a teacher&rsquo, s progressiveness on the level of metacognitive knowledge of the pupil. Altogether, 47 teachers and 278 pupils at grade 5 were participating in the study. It is shown that the approach of teachers to innovation itself has an influence on the pupil. When comparing all five groups of innovators, the difference among the categories of teachers was significant ( p = 0.044 ) with the low effect ( d c o h e n = 0.3 ) . When considering only the two almost antagonistic poles of teachers, the innovators and the late majority according to Roger&rsquo, s innovation diffusion theory, this influence was very strong ( p = 0.009 ) and with medium effect ( d c o h e n = 0.725 ). Our research shows that it is necessary to address the teacher&rsquo, s innovativeness, affecting the level of metacognitive knowledge of the pupil as an important prediction tool determining school success.

The implementation of e-learning methods and their efficiency in the process of teaching English for specific purposes, particularly media and journalism, is a rather new phenomenon in Central Europe. The experiment conducted within this study was focused on the efficiency of e-learning and blended-learning modes. We created three groups of students with diverse modes of online education used in each group. The first group (18 students) was educated through the purely e-learning way, the second group (20 students) was taught through the classical face-to-face method, and the third group (18 students) through the blended-learning approach. The online education mode included interactive webinars with a native speaker who was providing live feedback on students’ assignments. Within the study programme of media/journalism the blended-learning mode seems to be the most efficient. Comparing the results of pre-tests to post-tests enabled us to specify the language skills which were improved in the three test groups. Scores of the students in all the four investigated areas (i.e. reading, speaking, listening and vocabulary) increased significantly in the blended-learning group. The vocabulary was the most improved language skill observed in both groups, meaning the e-learning as well as classic group. On the other hand, the online method resulted to an observable improvement in students’ performance as far as for the listening and speaking skills as it might simulate their future workplace.

Let us start with an important statement: Mathematics and Science teachers do a good, and often an outstanding, job in teaching young people the basic knowledge of their respective fields! It is not the intent of this book to criticize what they do or how they do it. Keeping that in mind, and noting the fact that the teaching content of these fields intersects and overlaps, we observed – and this took us by surprise – that there is hardly any collaboration or consultancy between mathematics and science teachers (or textbook authors). Mathematics teachers often use science contexts in tasks, and science teachers often use mathematics, however they are usually working independently. Science context is often arbitrarily chosen, mathematics used with little regard towards learning. Looking through existing teaching and learning materials, we quickly discovered that these materials, too, were mostly designed by either science, or mathematics educators, and that they do not offer active support or lots of opportunities for collaboration. Being an international team of mathematics and science teacher educators, we set out to improve the situation. We developed materials that are useful for both mathematics and science teachers, materials that are designed to increase the competences in both subjects at the same time, allowing for interdisciplinary learning and for collaboration between science and mathematics teachers, ranging from common lesson planning to team teaching. These materials have been piloted and tested by students, teachers and teacher educators in several countries, as well as reviewed by two education specialists. Based on this feedback, the materials were then revised and brought into their final form. The materials in this book, containing lesson descriptions, work sheets etc., can be used as they are by mathematics and science teachers. They however also can be taken apart and set together in a new and different way, or bits and pieces of them can be used in teaching, as the teachers see fit. They also can be used in teacher training, making science and mathematics teacher trainees aware that working together – now and in their later careers – can improve their experience and the learning of their future students. We hope that with this book we encourage teachers to actively seek collaboration, so regardless whether you are a science or a mathematics teacher, go ahead and join forces with a colleague from the other field!