Scientific Activities Research Articles

The development of an analytical model for science classroom creativity in China

ABSTRACT Background Fostering students’ creativity is a key feature of education. While Chinese students score well on international measures of science attainment, their performance on measures of science creativity is less impressive. Purpose To develop an analytical model for science classroom creativity in China and examine its likely applicability, given Chinese culture and other factors. With suitable modifications, our model may apply elsewhere, too. Design and methods We critically evaluated three established creativity models and developed a new analytical model for science classroom creativity in China by synthesising components from the three models and additional development in light of a literature review on science education practices. Results Our model for science classroom creativity in China has four components: ‘creative students’ (who possess or are developing creative characteristics, including scientific knowledge, divergent thinking, and intrinsic motivation); the ‘creative process’ (students’ engagement in scientific inquiry activities within classrooms, facilitated by the guidance of science teachers); ‘teachers’ attitudes to creativity’ (teachers’ perceptions of creative students and teachers’ feedback on creative ideas); a ‘creative environment’ (the physical and the socio-cultural environments within which teaching and learning take place). Conclusion In Chinese science classrooms, some students typically have adequate but not challenging scientific knowledge and a lack of divergent thinking and intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the inappropriate understanding and practice of scientific inquiry among some Chinese science teachers, coupled with their limited pedagogical content knowledge, can impede the creative process. This challenge might be further compounded by teachers’ partial understanding of creative students and negative feedback towards creative ideas. Moreover, the lack of a suitable physical environment and sufficient time prevent students from engaging in authentic scientific inquiry. Finally, the socio-cultural environment in which harmony, encouraged by collectivism and Confucianism, may not encourage difference, and cultural factors concerning ‘Face’ may discourage students from developing their creativity.

The Design and Usability of Virtual Reality Content Using Eyes for Students with Severe Disabilities

The purposes of this study were to develop the design of virtual reality content using eyes and to investigate the usability of the virtual reality content for nonverbal students with severe disabilities. A 360-degree video in which a narrator introduces scientific activities (momentum, earthquake, gravity, robot dance) and experiences them at Chungnam Science Education Center was produced. Next, the virtual reality content for the video were designed for users to manipulate image buttons with their eyes so that users can select and experience images. Users can select and view images of scientific activity by staring and blinking using the HTC-VIVE Pro Eye, which combines eye tracking technology. The virtual reality content using eyes were designed and developed in accordance with the guidelines for supporting self-determination of students with severe disabilities. In order to investigate the usability of the VR content, 37 special education teachers who had special teacher certificates and had experience in teaching students with severe disabilities answered questions after using the VR content. The teachers evaluated as "neutral" in some usability evaluation categories (e.g., Self-determination, Ease of manipulation, Ease of Understanding, Effectiveness, Efficiency of class preparation, Efficiency in teaching, Appropriateness of content organization). When developing VR contents for students with severe disabilities, developers can design visual images in order for students with severe disabilities to understand easily and establish user interface in users’ eye conditions and operational capabilities. VR contents can be designed in relation to subject areas so that teachers can use them as educational materials.

Teacher-child Discourse in Vietnamese Preschool Classrooms: An Exploratory Case Study of Teachers’ Questions and Statements in the Planned Science Activity

AbstractThe quality of teacher-child discourse affects children’s development and learning. Our study aims to explore teacher-child discourse during planned science activities (PSAs) in Vietnamese preschools. This research is essential to understanding the reasons behind Vietnamese children’s low level of scientific skills and to exploring the dynamics of discourse in an Asian context. We conducted a case study to describe and understand the teacher-child discourse during PSAs. The study involved eight PSA sessions in four classes of three to four-year-old in Da Nang, Vietnam. We found that teachers tended to make statements more often than ask questions. When they did ask, they preferred using closed questions that did not require much of a response from children. Open questions were used sparingly, even though they are crucial for promoting children’s cognitive thinking and literacy. Teachers also made use of rhetorical questions that did not require any answer. This has led to mostly non-interactive classes where students remain passive learners. To improve the quality of teacher-child discourse, we suggest providing teacher training on encouraging children to participate and asking more engaging questions.

The science-specific home learning environment of elementary school children – how are science experiences and science talk associated with the children’s science achievement?

ABSTRACT Background The home learning environment (HLE) is central to children’s development. Activities in the HLE are assumed to mediate the effects of distal factors such as family socio-economic status (SES) and parental beliefs and attitudes on children’s development. However, little is known about the science-specific HLE and the relationship between different parent-child science activities and elementary school children’s science learning. Purpose This study aims to investigate a) how different science activities in the HLE relate to children’s science achievement and b) how they mediate the associations of family SES and parents’ beliefs and attitudes on children’s science achievement. Sample Data from the German subsample of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 was analyzed, including 3,437 4th-grade children (Mage = 10.39 years, 50% boys). Design and methods The study has a cross-sectional design. We used structure equation modeling (SEM) to examine associations and test for indirect effects. Results We identified two different patterns of science activities in the HLE: science experiences (e.g. reading science books, experimenting) and science talk. SEM revealed that science talk was associated with children’s science achievement, whereas science experiences were not. Further, science talk mediated associations of family SES and parental beliefs and attitudes on the children’s science achievement. Conclusions Our results might indicate that discursive elements in science activities, such as parent-child science talk, are crucial for children’s science learning, whereas a mere provision of science experiences may not adequately foster the children. We suggest that future research should focus on analyzing the quality of parent-child interactions in different science activities to understand possible learning processes in these activities better. Overall, although effect sizes were small, our results emphasize the crucial role of the HLE for elementary school children’s science learning.

‘Citizen Scientists’ on Citizen Science

AbstractCitizen science, also known as participatory or community science, involves the participation of non-professionally trained individuals in scientific research. This article, part of a series of articles aiming to map and theorise the postdigital dimensions of citizen science, presents diverse narratives from individuals actively engaged in citizen science endeavors. The authors were invited to share their experiences, motivations, challenges, and opportunities in their own words. Their perspectives are organized into three categories: (1) citizen science as a mediator between professional and amateur science, (2) citizen science for diverse publics and community action, and (3) citizen science from the margins. These narratives illuminate citizen science as not just a theoretical construct, but a dynamic methodological prism, revealing the complex entanglement of the postdigital realm and citizen science through innovative sociotechnical methods and approaches. Each contribution highlights the rich possibilities and challenges arising from the intertwining of community researchers and technology in the pursuit of knowledge, meaning, and action. This tapestry of experiences invites further exploration of the evolving landscape of postdigital citizen science.

Q: If Students Have Different Learning Styles, What Kinds of Science Activities Are Best for Reaching All Students?

Q: If Students Have Different Learning Styles, What Kinds of Science Activities Are Best for Reaching All Students?

Evaluation of Innovation Capacity and its Impact on Sales in Ecuador's Manufacturing Sector: An Econometric Analysis

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity for innovation and its impact on sales in manufacturing companies in Ecuador. This study used data from the Survey of Science, Technology, and Innovation Activities in Ecuador. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were also performed. These results align with economic theories and indicate a positive association between certain innovation and sales indicators. Insufficient R&D investment negatively affects the innovation status of companies of various sizes in Ecuador. This study suggests that businesses ought to foster a culture of innovation, facilitate collaboration and strategic partnerships, and increase their financial resources for innovation and sales to achieve growth, survival, and sustainability in the current market. Received: 20 March 2024 / Accepted: 19 June 2024 / Published: 02 July 2024

Autonomous Small Body Science Operations Using Reinforcement Learning

This work studies the feasibility of using reinforcement learning for small body science operations subject to resource constraints. Two mission scenarios are considered. In the first scenario, a spacecraft autonomously maneuvers between waypoints about a small body while performing science activities, such as mapping and imaging, and periodically downlinking data and managing on-board resources like battery charge, data buffer storage, and fuel usage. In the second scenario, the spacecraft periodically performs navigation updates to improve its state estimate, ensuring that the collected science is within the specified requirements. A Markov decision process formulation of the mission scenarios is formulated, and reinforcement learning is applied to solve the problem. A range of noisy observation types are tested, demonstrating that a fully observable formulation of the problem trained on direct observations of the state is robust to noisy measurements or a filtered state estimate. A decision-making agent is then trained to manage the state estimate by choosing when to take measurements, demonstrating that near-equivalent policies, in comparison to nominal problem formulation, can be trained with an optional navigation update. Finally, a demonstration is performed in which a ground station outage is simulated. The decision-making agent is shown to be robust to this outage, rapidly adjusting its plan to continue nominal operations.

Programme science in action: lessons from an observational study of HIV prevention programming for key populations in Lusaka, Zambia.

Optimizing uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for individuals at risk of HIV acquisition has been challenging despite clear scientific evidence and normative guidelines, particularly for key populations (KPs) such as men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSWs), transgender (TG) people and persons who inject drugs (PWID). Applying an iterative Programme Science cycle, building on the effective programme coverage framework, we describe the approach used by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) to scale up PrEP delivery and address inequities in PrEP access for KP in Lusaka, Zambia. In 2019, CIDRZ partnered with 10 local KP civil society organizations (CSOs) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) to offer HIV services within KP-designated community safe spaces. KP CSO partners led KP mobilization, managed safe spaces and delivered peer support; MOH organized clinicians and clinical commodities; and CIDRZ provided technical oversight. In December 2021, we introduced a community-based intervention focused on PrEP delivery in venues where KP socialize. We collected routine programme data from September 2019 to June 2023 using programme-specific tools and the national electronic health record. We estimated the before-after effects of our intervention on PrEP uptake, continuation and equity for KP using descriptive statistics and interrupted time series regression, and used mixed-effects regression to estimate marginal probabilities of PrEP continuity. Most (25,658) of the 38,307 (67.0%) Key Population Investment Fund beneficiaries were reached with HIV prevention services at community-based venues. In total, 23,527 (61.4%) received HIV testing services, with 15,508 (65.9%) testing HIV negative and found PrEP eligible, and 15,241 (98.3%) initiating PrEP. Across all programme quarters and KP types, PrEP uptake was >90%. After introducing venue-based PrEP delivery, PrEP uptake (98.7% after vs. 96.5% before, p<0.001) and the number of initiations (p=0.014) increased significantly. The proportion of KP with ≥1 PrEP continuation visit within 6 months of initiation was unchanged post-intervention (46.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 45.7%, 47.6%) versus pre-intervention (47.2%, 95% CI: 45.4%, 49.1%). Applying Programme Science principles, we demonstrate how decentralizing HIV prevention services to KP venues and safe spaces in partnership with KP CSOs enabled successful community-based PrEP delivery beyond the reach of traditional facility-based services.

Віктор Володимирович Бобін — видатний представник анатомічної школи України. До 100-річчя з дня народження його сина професора Володимира Вікторовича Бобіна.

The article presents not only official data about Viktor Volodymyrovych Bobin, professor of the Department of Normal Anatomy of the Crimean Medical Institute, but also shows his scientific activities in his native city Kharkiv in 1919-1922. Works on anthropology are also highlighted, in particular the scientist’s monograph "Artificially deformed skulls found during excavations in the Crimea" (1957). The article is devoted to the 100th anniversary of the birth of his son, Professor of the Department of Normal Human Anatomy of the Kharkiv National Medical University, Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences of National Progress, Honorary Academician of the International Academy of Integrative Anthropology, Doctor of Medical Sciences Volodymyr Viktorovych Bobin. Key words: anatomy, anthropology, normal anatomy, history of medicine, medical dynasty, Viktor Bobin

ABU NASR FORABI AND ERICH FROMM'S COMPARATIVISTIC VIEWS ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR

The historical experience of the East and the West, the traditions of intense philosophical debates, the traditions of philosophical debates, values are extremely important. Using Erich Fromm and Farobi's scientific activities, rich, cultural and spiritual heritage, it is important to use them to build a civil society in our country, to improve spiritual life, and first of all, to educate the young generation into a well-rounded generation. studying the cultural heritage and high spiritual values of our people deeply and comprehensively, inculcating them in the mind of every person living in our Republic, especially educating the young generation to be spiritually mature and selfless people is one of the most urgent problems today. To improve the spiritual and professional potential of the leading personnel by studying and applying the works of Erich Fromm and Farobiy, to educate them in the spirit of patriotism, hard work and patriotism. In particular, the spiritual heritage of scholars is of incomparable importance in protecting young people from vices alien to the way of life and spirituality of our people.

Changes of the trace metals in ice core during 1915‒2016 in coastal eastern Antarctica

Antarctic trace metal records provide important information for grasping the influence of human activities on the environment over the last centuries. The CA2016-75 ice core is located along the East Antarctic Zhongshan Station–Dome A, enhances the record of metals research in the East Antarctic region, and its high-resolution supplies data support for the study of high-frequency climatic drivers and the effect of human activities on the Antarctic environment. A thorough dataset on seven trace metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ba and Pb) in a coastal ice core in eastern Antarctica during the previous 102 years (1915–2016) is presented in this study. Pb has the lowest concentration (9.51 ± 20.95 pg g−1), and Ba has the highest concentration (36.57 ± 51.35 ng g−1). Notable variations are observed between the pre-1968 AD and post-1968 AD phases for Mn, Zn and Ba. The abrupt, remarkable increase in the concentrations coincided with the change of metal smelting production in the southern hemisphere. In addition to this, it may also be related to local Antarctic scientific research activities. Al and Fe, the primary crustal elements, are essentially obtained from soil dust; Cu shows high crustal enrichment factors (EFc, >10), indicating that it is notably affected by anthropogenic activities. Moreover, the anthropogenic activities in the Southern Hemisphere have had an impact on lead deposition in Antarctica. This study not only enriches the trace metal historical record along the Zhongshan Station–Dome A but also provides a high-resolution ice core record, which is very crucial for the reconstruction of trace metal concentration changes in the last 100 years.

The Relationship between Intellectual Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence with Students' Communication Skills

The research aims to: (1) the relationship between intellectual intelligence and students' communication skills; (2) the relationship between emotional intelligence and students' communication skills; (3) the relationship between intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence with students' communication skills. The research method is quantitative with a correlational design. The data analysis technique uses descriptive statistical analysis, normality test, linearity and hypothesis test. The results of the study show: (1) There is a positive and significant relationship between intellectual intelligence and students' communication skills at the Faculty of Education, State University of Gorontalo with a coefficient value of 0.604 or 60.4%. (2) There is a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and students' communication skills at the Faculty of Education, State University of Gorontalo with a coefficient value of 0.665 or 66.5%. (3) There is a positive and significant relationship between intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence together with students' communication skills at the Faculty of Education, State University of Gorontalo with a coefficient value of 0.728 or 72.8%. For this reason, it is suggested: (1) The Faculty of Education is expected to further improve the intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence of students through scientific forum activities that can improve students' communication skills so that they become capital when working later; (2) Students, further improve their intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence and can improve their communication skills well so that good communication relationships are created.

A Consistent, Exhaustive Taxonomy of Inventive Activities

A classification of scientific and technological activities is put forth here, based on taxonomy of Inventive Activities' features. In the end, a description of Research &amp; Innovation ensues that is consistent and more complete than current ones. Then, the gauging of R &amp; I activities may result more meaningful and precise.

Preface

From 22nd to 24th December 2023, the 2023 3rd International Conference on Computational Modeling, Simulation and Data Analysis (CMSDA 2023) was held in Sanya, China via virtual form. The Conference attracted about 150 researchers, engineers, teachers and students worldwide working in or interested in the fields related to computational modeling, simulation and data analysis. The general objectives of the CMSDA 2023 were: To generate an adequate academic and scientific forum to present the work and experiences of researchers/teachers/students, contributing, in this way, to the production of new knowledge in the fields of computational modeling and data analysis. To create a path of establishing certain relationships for the speakers, authors and listeners, and providing opportunities for collaboration among the universities and institutions, in order to promote scientific research activities and develop relevant technologies. The subject areas in which the accepted papers were presented cover but are but not limited to: Perceptual Issues in Visualization and Modeling; Mathematical and Numerical Methods in Simulation and Modeling; Parallel and Distributed Computing Simulation; Big Data Visual Analysis; Data Analysis Algorithms and Systems, etc. We have invited renowned professors at home and abroad in these academic fields who shared with the attendees the latest innovations and research results in the domains of computational modeling, data mining and analysis. The Conference mainly featured keynote speeches by renowned experts and presentations of peer-reviewed papers by the authors. Among them, Prof. Daowen Qiu (Sun Yat-Sen University, China) shared his research on Distributed Quantum Algorithm for Simon’s Problem. Limited by today’s physical devices, quantum circuits are usually noisy and difficult to be designed deeply. The novel computing architecture of distributed quantum computing is expected to reduce the noise and depth of quantum circuits. And in his study, he presented the Simon’s problem in distributed scenarios and designed a distributed quantum algorithm to solve the problem. The algorithm proposed by him has the advantage of not only exponential acceleration compared with the classical distributed computing, but also square acceleration compared with the best distributed quantum algorithm proposed before. The Conference Proceedings was made so fruitful with all the excellent contributions collected from both domestic and international channels including the wonderful presentations in the Conference. It is a pleasure to thank the organizers, sponsors and all the participants and contributors for making the Conference possible and interesting. And our appreciation also to the members of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for providing us help in publishing this paper volume. The Committee of CMSDA 2023 List of Committee Member is available in this pdf.

A bibliometric analysis of publications on emergency medicine in Türkiye.

Publications and literature related to emergency medicine (EM) have been consistently increasing. There are 4048 studies in total in the EM journals published until the present day in Türkiye in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Our aim is to define the bibliometric features of scientific studies published in EM journals in Türkiye, to gain insights into the trends of the literature. We retrospectively analyzed the bibliometric data of scientific studies published in EM journals in Türkiye until today on the WoS database related to the EM field. The bibliometrix package of R statistical software was used in the bibliometric analyses in the study. A total of 4048 scientific studies from Türkiye indexed on the WoS database from 10,263 authors in four different journals were analyzed. Among these, 3681 (90.9%) were articles, 188 (4.7%) were reviews, 97 (2.4%) were editorial material, 60 (1.5%) were letters, and 5 (0.1%) were corrections. Average number of citations per study was 3.6, with the most cited study having 2016 citations. The most frequent title's words were emergency, patient, and acute. This study shows that there is an increasing trend in the number of EM publications and citations in Türkiye with the first most cited study having 2016 citations, and the top contributing countries were Türkiye, Iran, and India. The results of this study may be useful in understanding the historical and prospective development of EM, including the identification of general information about its publications, differentiation of the top-cited ones, and presentation of a bibliometric analysis of scientific activity to date.

ОПЫТ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ПИЛОТНОГО ПРОЕКТА «ГРОДНЕНСКАЯ УНИВЕРСИТЕТСКАЯ КЛИНИКА» В АСПЕКТЕ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ НАУЧНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ

The development and prompt implementation of advanced medical methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention, based on the latest achievements of science and technology is a healthcare focus area for any state. The purpose of this publication is to summarize the experience of the pilot project “Grodno University Clinic” implementation regarding the efficiency of scientific activities. 12 indices of the University clinic innovative development were included in the model for final results activities of the clinic’s departments. Significant growth in innovation has been achieved, 25 employees of the clinic participate in the educational process of the medical university, 15 theses are being carried out by the clinic staff and teaching staff, and 6 patents have been jointly received. 11 initiative research projects are planned and carried out at the clinic. In addition, funded projects are being implemented, the implementation of which made it possible to attract 209,850 BYN in 2022. Scientific and practical conference “Innovative achievements in the work of Grodno University Clinic” is held annually as a part of the “Perspective plan for the development of the health care institution “Grodno University Clinic” implementation regarding the increase of the efficiency of scientific activities and personnel of the highest scientific qualifications. The clinic conducts clinical trials of medicines and medical products; income for 2022 amounted to 523.88K BYN. The experience of this project implementation makes it possible to draw the following conclusions. The presented interim results of pilot project “Grodno University Clinic” implementation regarding the efficiency of scientific activities allow us to assess positively this initiative transformation of the model for organizing the functioning of a multidisciplinary medical healthcare institution. The marked tendencies in the dynamics of the main indices reflect the efficiency of scientific research in the applied healthcare areas of high priority. The positive influence on innovation impacted by this favorable environment under a new integration project of science and practice for national healthcare is shown. Further research on the role and place of university clinics in the Republic of Belarus under their contribution and influence on the training of highly qualified scientific staff for healthcare, the development and implementation of import-substituting and export-oriented innovative methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention in practical medicine are considered to be relevant.

Understanding the patients' concept of the alliance-One step back to take two steps forward.

Current health care systems emphasize consensual collaboration between clinicians and patients to reduce symptoms and improve well-being (e.g., World Health Organization, 2023). The alliance is the internationally best-studied collaborative process characteristic in psychotherapy research. Recent empirical studies on the alliance have tripled in comparison to the entire 20th century. This increase in empirical data illustrates the cumulative outstanding scientific activities in this field (e.g., Wampold & Flückiger, 2023). The reasons for the international popularity of the pantheoretical alliance concept may lie in the practical experience of many practitioners that a balanced collaborative quality is a central ethical and conceptual premise for treatment progress (Horvath, 2018). The aim of a "Viewpoint" article is to provide thought-provoking notes on the current state of research, innovations, weaknesses in the field, and current debates. This article is limited to three aspects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Actions speak louder than words: the case for responsible scientific activism in an era of planetary emergency.

The world's understanding of the climate and ecological crises rests on science. However, scientists' conventional methods of engagement, such as producing ever more data and findings, writing papers and giving advice to governments, have not been sufficiently effective at persuading politicians to act on the climate and ecological emergency. To date, governments' decisions (such as continuing with vast subsidies for fossil fuels) clearly show that powerful vested interests have been much more influential than the amassed scientific knowledge and advice. We argue that in the face of this inaction, scientists can have the maximum amount of influence by lending their support to social movements pressing for action, joining as active participants and considering civil disobedience. Scientists seeking to halt continued environmental destruction also need to work through our institutions. Too many scientific organizations, from national academies of science to learned societies and universities, have not taken practical action on climate; for example, many still partner with fossil fuel and other compromised interests. We therefore also outline a vision for how scientists can reform our scientific institutions to become powerful agents for change.

Integrating Farmers’ Perspectives into Earth System Model Development: Interviews with End Users in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, to Guide Actionable Science

Abstract This paper analyzes findings from semistructured interviews and focus groups with 31 farmers in the Willamette Valley in which farmers were asked about their needs for climate data and about the usability of a range of outputs from the Community Earth System Model, version 2 (CESM2), for their soil management practices. Findings indicate that climate and soils data generated from CESM and other Earth system models (ESMs), despite their coarse spatial scale resolutions, can inform farmers’ long-term decisions, but that the data would be more usable if the outputs were provided in a format that allowed farmers to choose the variables and thresholds relevant to their particular needs and if ESMs incorporated farmer practices including residue removal, cover cropping, and tillage levels into the model operations so that farmers could better understand the impacts of their decisions. Findings also suggest that although there is a significant gap in the spatial resolution at which these global ESMs generate data and the spatial resolution needed by farmers to make most decisions, farmers are adept at making scalar adjustments to apply coarse-resolution data to the specifics of their own farm’s microclimate. Thus, our findings suggest that, to support agricultural decision-making, development priorities for ESMs should include developing better representations of agricultural management practices within the models and creating interactive data dashboards or platforms.