Bar-Ilan University

About: Bar-Ilan University is a education organization based out in Ramat Gan, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 12835 authors who have published 34964 publications receiving 995648 citations. The organization is also known as: Bar Ilan University & BIU.

Neuropsychological outcome of children with intrauterine growth restriction: a 9-year prospective study.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE. The aim was to evaluate the effect of late-onset intrauterine growth restriction on the neuropsychological profile and on academic achievements at 9 years of age using a large-scale prospective paradigm. STUDY DESIGN. We followed up 123 infants diagnosed with late-onset intrauterine growth restriction yearly for 9 years. They were matched with 63 children for gestation age and multiple socioeconomic factors and evaluated by an extensive neuropsychological battery to assess intelligence quotient, academic achievements, learning and memory, visuomotor skills, visuospatial integration, attention, language, executive functions, and creativity. RESULTS. Children with intrauterine growth restriction had lower intelligence quotient and more frequent neuropsychological difficulties. Difficulties in executive functioning, inflexibility-creativity, and language, indicative of frontal lobe dysfunction, were typically affected by intrauterine growth restriction and were rarely identified in the control group. Learning difficulties accompanied by lower academic achievements were more prevalent in the intrauterine growth restriction group, particularly when anthropometric catch-up was incomplete. CONCLUSIONS. The longitudinal findings reaffirm that functional coherence depends on preestablished structural growth and reorganization of the central nervous system. The neuropsychological profile at 9 years of age indicates that late-onset intrauterine growth restriction compromises frontal network functioning.

Cascading failures in interdependent lattice networks: the critical role of the length of dependency links.

Abstract: We study the cascading failures in a system composed of two interdependent square lattice networks $A$ and $B$ placed on the same Cartesian plane, where each node in network $A$ depends on a node in network $B$ randomly chosen within a certain distance $r$ from the corresponding node in network $A$ and vice versa. Our results suggest that percolation for small $r$ below ${r}_{\mathrm{max} }\ensuremath{\approx}8$ (lattice units) is a second-order transition, and for larger $r$ is a first-order transition. For $rl{r}_{\mathrm{max} }$, the critical threshold increases linearly with $r$ from 0.593 at $r=0$ and reaches a maximum, 0.738 for $r={r}_{\mathrm{max} }$, and then gradually decreases to 0.683 for $r=\ensuremath{\infty}$. Our analytical considerations are in good agreement with simulations. Our study suggests that interdependent infrastructures embedded in Euclidean space become most vulnerable when the distance between interdependent nodes is in the intermediate range, which is much smaller than the size of the system.

Quantum dot sensitized solar cells with improved efficiency prepared using electrophoretic deposition.

Abstract: Quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSC) may benefit from the ability to tune the quantum dot optical properties and band gap through the manipulation of their size and composition. Moreover, the inorganic nanocrystals may provide increased stability compared to organic sensitizers. We report the facile fabrication of QDSSC by electrophoretic deposition of CdSe QDs onto conducting electrodes coated with mesoporous TiO2. Unlike prior chemical linker-based methods, no pretreatment of the TiO2 was needed, and deposition times as short as 2 h were sufficient for effective coating. Cross-sectional chemical analysis shows that the Cd content is nearly constant across the entire TiO2 layer. The dependence of the deposition on size was studied and successfully applied to CdSe dots with diameters between 2.5 and 5.5 nm as well as larger CdSe quantum rods. The photovoltaic characteristics of the devices are greatly improved compared with those achieved for cells prepared with a linker approach, reaching efficienc...

How Can Self-Regulated Learning Be Supported in Mathematical E-Learning Environments?.

Abstract: This study compares two E-learning environments: E-learning supported with IMPROVE self-metacognitive questioning (EL+IMP), and E-learning without explicit support of self-regulation (EL). The effects were compared between mathematical problem-solving and self-regulated learning (SRL). Participants were 65 ninth-grade students who studied linear function in Israeli junior high schools. Results showed that EL+IMP students significantly outperformed the EL students in problem-solving procedural and transfer tasks regarding mathematical explanations. We also found that the EL+IMP students outperformed their counterparts in using self-monitoring strategies during problem solving. This study discusses both the practical and theoretical implications of supporting SRL in mathematical E-learning environments.