Scientific Research Articles

A Theoretical Model for Measuring Upper Primary School Learners’ Scientific Reasoning Abilities in Science

One agenda of science instruction in primary schools is to develop learners’ scientific reasoning abilities and to equip them with the necessary twenty-first-century skills. Few studies have been conducted to develop measurement tools that aspire to assess primary school learners’ scientific reasoning. Most of these studies lack a theoretical model backing the development of these assessment tools. This paper introduces the model for measuring scientific reasoning (MMSR) as a theoretical model for guiding the development of assessment tools in the context of measuring upper primary school learners’ scientific reasoning. We first conceptualise scientific reasoning using a review of the literature and then present evidence to justify and validate this model for use in measuring primary school learners’ scientific reasoning abilities. Furthermore, using research in history and philosophy of science and science education, the MMSR model supports the development of assessment tools measuring learners’ patterns of scientific reasoning and also considering the nature of science across different contextual settings.

Revitalizing E-waste: Eco-friendly electrochemical sensor for Hg(II) detection enhanced by oxygen vacancy in metal oxide nanostructures based on recycled LCD

In the current work, an innovative eco-friendly sensor using ceria integrated cobalt oxide nanosheets immobilized on LCD monitor (Ce@Co-EcoR) recycled from E-waste is presented. The Ce@Co-EcoR nanocomposite was thoroughly investigated using appropriate characterization techniques. This nanostructured electrode was employed to construct an electrochemical sensor to detect mercury. It showed a very low detection limit of 2.8 ppb, a wide detection ranges from 16 to 620 ppb, and a good sensitivity of 158.28 μA cm2.ppm−1. The sensor applicability was verified by performing interference, repeatability, stability studies. It was also applied to control the purity of sea water. This work underscores the potential of incorporating recycled materials onto sensor technology, not only to control environmental pollution, but also to promote sustainable practices in scientific innovation.

Multilingual memory albums in Wisconsin and the Duchy of Schleswig

Memory albums, sometimes known as poetry albums or autograph books (German Stammbuch; Danish stambog), have existed in some form for centuries, and by the 19th century, the practice was common among many members of society and were often kept by school-aged children or young adults. Such albums are considered to have been kept for the purposes of group affiliation and for collecting personal memories for the future. Because of this, they are a useful source in historical sociolinguistic research, particularly regarding the reconstruction of social networks and understanding community of practice. By focusing on memory albums created during the same time period in two distinct locations by bi- or multilingual social groups, this chapter aims to shed light on differences and similarities of the communities of practice taking part in memory album creation; one in Wisconsin, the other in the Duchy of Schleswig. Results from this chapter show that for each location, a dominant language is apparent, and similarities arise according to the sex of the album owner.

Optimizing GNN Architectures Through Nonlinear Activation Functions for Potent Molecular Property Prediction

Accurate predictions of molecular properties are crucial for advancements in drug discovery and materials science. However, this task is complex and requires effective representations of molecular structures. Recently, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have emerged as powerful tools for this purpose, demonstrating significant potential in modeling molecular data. Despite advancements in GNN predictive performance, existing methods lack clarity on how architectural choices, particularly activation functions, affect training dynamics and inference stages in interpreting the predicted results. To address this gap, this paper introduces a novel activation function called the Sine Linear Unit (SLU), aimed at enhancing the predictive capabilities of GNNs in the context of molecular property prediction. To demonstrate the effectiveness of SLU within GNN architecture, we conduct experiments on diverse molecular datasets encompassing various regression and classification tasks. Our findings indicate that SLU consistently outperforms traditional activation functions on hydration free energy (FreeSolv), inhibitory binding of human β secretase (BACE), and blood brain barrier penetration (BBBP), achieving the superior performance in each task, with one exception on the GCN model using the QM9 data set. These results underscore SLU’s potential to significantly improve prediction accuracy, making it a valuable addition to the field of molecular modeling.

Mixed Methods Research Centering on Minoritized Students in Higher Education: A Literature Review

AbstractThe increasing diversity among higher education students urges researchers to expand research methodologies beyond traditional quantitative approaches. A growing number of higher education researchers have employed mixed methods research (MMR) approaches in studies centering on minoritized student populations. In this review, we identified and analyzed 72 empirical MMR studies published between 2007 and 2023, describing the characteristics of the research design and focusing on the MMR design strategies employed by the authors. The review details specific MMR strategies, including methods for engaging participants, integrating quantitative and qualitative data, and advancing the research agenda that centers minoritized students. Based on the review, we discuss methodological considerations and offer recommendations for higher education professionals to advance more thoughtfully conscious, student-centered modes of knowledge production focusing on minoritized populations.

The Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics at 160

The Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics at 160

Public perceptions of ocean science as insight into discovery science

This article examines the complex relationship between humans and the ocean, focusing on public perceptions and the role of discovery in ocean science. For this, we use the term ‘discovery’ in two ways: publics ‘discovering’ ocean science and ‘discovery’ as the epistemic foundation of ocean science. Through textual analysis, we show how scientific discovery is intertwined with exploration in national-level ocean literacy policy documents. We then denote a practical and methodological distinction between discovery and basic science in ocean science. To link this back to ocean literacy, we employ Free-Choice Learning examples situated in the U.S. and Taiwan that adopt Personal Meaning Mapping to highlight how adolescents ‘discover’ the ocean and recognize the prevalence of discovery in ocean science. We conclude that although discovery is essential to ocean science, it is inseparable from a legacy of harm (i.e., exploitation, colonialism, and environmental degradation) which makes it — and other discovery sciences — an ongoing challenge to communicate.

Promoting the Higgs boson as `discovery science' news: exploring the boundary spanner functions of CERN communication professionals'

The announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN marked a groundbreaking achievement in Mode 1 'discovery science'. We combined analyses of CERN strategic documents and organisational structures with ethnographic observations of, and interviews with, communication professionals. Our findings show that promotion of this 'Mode 1' discovery, in combination with the potential for longer-term 'Mode 2' innovation, was a strategic priority for CERN, but highlighted operational challenges for coordination between scientists and journalists. We conclude that CERN communication professionals played an essential boundary spanning role, brokering solutions and maintaining relations across borders and between relevant constituencies.

Engaging with discovery science: expanding the conversation within the science communication community

Many of us who engage with or communicate about discovery science — sometimes called curiosity-driven research or basic research — have grown increasingly concerned in recent years by the disproportionate attention to applied science, medicine, and technology, seemingly at the expense of basic science. This concern led to the creation of a joint U.S. Department of Energy-Kavli Foundation initiative, the Science Public Engagement Partnership (SciPEP) to catalyze and advance scholarship and practice specifically about communicating discovery science. This special issue is one outcome of that effort. In this issue, readers will find scholarship, practice, and thought leadership that explore the many different communication modes for sharing discovery science employed by scientists, their institutions, and the communicators who work with them. The issue also suggests ways to support basic scientists in identifying and clarifying their goals and audiences depending on what and with whom they are communicating.

The Formation and the Development of the Újházhely Residential Area in Hajdúnánás

In Hungary, it was the land reform of 1945 which caused one of the most significant changes in the land policy. This measure, aimed at allocating land to landless peasants, utilized a total of 3,220,000 ha, which were distributed among 642,000 beneficiaries. As a result, each beneficiary received an average of 2,9 ha of agricultural land, on which they could make a living, albeit under difficult conditions. Historical research has examined this phenomenon, allowing us to understand its effects on Hungarian agriculture and the peasants. It is a less known fact, that not only agricultural lands but also – according to the previous works – in approximately 2800 settlements 300,000–450,000 building sites were distributed. As a result, new farmstead centers, settlements and residential areas emerged. This topic is a less researched area of the history of the Hungarian countryside, even though it caused many changes in the society of these settlements. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of these phenomena, the aim of my presentation is to illustrate this process using the example of Hajdúnánás, a small town located in northern Hajdú-Bihar County. This includes the occupation of agricultural lands, payment of expenses (such as contributions and redemption fees), the distribution of building sites, and the settlement and development of the Újházhely residential area. For this research, I utilized historical sources including electoral registers, house tax records, maps, statistical data, archival sources, legal documents, and interviews.

The Hopes and Fears Lab: enabling dialogue on discovery science

In this Practice Insight, we consider challenges associated with dialogue-based public engagement with discovery science, related to a focus on application, the need for short-term policy impact, and the lack of conceptual attention to dialogue. We consider potential responses to these through our initial evaluation of The Hopes and Fears Lab engagement project. We suggest the potential value of foregrounding emotional connections with science for both researchers and members of the public, and the need for as much attention to be paid to the preparatory work and settings for dialogue as to the dialogue itself.

Higher education in Nordic countries: analyzing the construction of policy futures

AbstractIn this special issue, we analyze how societies in different countries have responded and continue to respond to the fact that the future is and has always been unpredictable and unforeseeable. The starting point for these studies is the recognition that the world situation is more complex than ever before due to current and foreseeable global challenges. The most serious of these threats and challenges are climate crises, natural disasters, and habitat degradation. To address the growing uncertainties arising from these challenges, societies around the world are placing increasing expectations on higher education and science, and are adopting proactive measures, such as various foresight techniques, to improve their preparedness and long-term resilience. In this special issue, we aim to provide fresh perspectives on foresight and preparedness for the future, especially in the Nordic context in the fields of higher education and scientific research. The special issue focuses on four Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden—while maintaining a global perspective on the changes occurring around them.

A three-pronged new development model for overcoming the middle-technology trap in China

This article addresses a critical issue facing developing countries: overcoming the “middle-technology trap” to achieve sustainable economic growth. It posits that transitioning to an innovation-driven economic growth model is pivotal for surmounting this trap and is an essential prerequisite for high-quality development. This study introduces a strategic approach through a new development model, emphasizing the synergy among three core systems: basic scientific research, applied technology, and financial support. This “three-pronged” collaboration model is argued to foster sustainable innovation-driven growth, essential for leaping over the “middle-income trap” towards high-quality development. By analyzing the historical trajectories of the Soviet Union and the United States, the article delineates the critical role of the proposed model in fostering an innovation economy. The Soviet Union’s failure and the United States’ success are examined through the lens of their respective approaches to integrating basic scientific research, applied technology, and financial systems. The analysis underscores the necessity of a balanced and interactive relationship among these systems for technological innovation, industrial development, and sustainable economic growth. The article concludes that for China to overcome the “middle-technology trap” and achieve long-term prosperity, it should embrace this “three-pronged” new development model, ensuring continuous scientific exploration, technological innovation, and productivity enhancement.

EarthCODE – ESA’s Earth Science Collaborative Open Development Environment

Abstract. Earth Observations (EO) have become crucial for advancing climate and Earth System research, enabling significant scientific discoveries. Advanced EO missions, such as ESA’s Earth Explorers and the EU's Copernicus Programme, provide vast data volumes and continuous and global observations with cutting-edge technology, a vital resource for understanding processes and interactions within Earth's sub-systems, offering critical evidence of climate change impacts on society and ecosystems. Open access to such data products has been instrumental in facilitating global scientific collaboration and innovation. Reproducibility in Earth Science is essential for validating discoveries, enabling the scientific community to trust and build upon each other’s work. Open data, coupled with open-source software, is key to achieving this reproducibility, ensuring transparency, and facilitating peer review. Addressing scientific challenges requires collaborative efforts supported by fit-for-purpose technology to enable new insights and ensuring they are FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable), trustable and up to date, supporting long-term climate studies and action-driven science. Several initiatives within ESA’s Earth Observation Programme are fostering FAIR and Open Science. EarthCODE is one such initiative, focusing on implementing ESA’s vision of EO Open Science and Innovation by adopting FAIR and Open principles in Earth Science activities funded by ESA’s FutureEO Programme. EarthCODE leverages existing European platform solutions for effective cloud-based analyses of EO data and higher-level geospatial products. It aims to ensure the persistence of end-to-end scientific workflows and provide means for managing open research data, including data, code, and documentation. EarthCODE aims to make Earth Science research more reproducible, transparent, and collaborative, driving progress in understanding and addressing global environmental challenges.

Enhanced Synthesis of Sulfonyl Fluorides and Sulfamoyl Fluorides Using Fluorosulfonyl-Containing Radical Reagents

Sulfonyl fluorides and sulfamoyl fluorides, as the most significant species among sulfur(VI) fluorides, have garnered considerable attention in various fields, including organic synthesis, materials science, chemical biology, and drug discovery. Fluorosulfonyl-containing radical reagents have unique reactivity and exhibit notable advantages in constructing complex organic molecules, achieving selective functional group transformations. This short review provides a detailed introduction to the diverse applications of fluorosulfonyl-containing radical reagents in organic synthesis, such as C-H bond functionalizations, difunctionalization of olefins, and tandem reactions, highlighting their crucial role in synthesizing complex organic molecules.

Application of Sulfonyl Fluorides in Organic Transformation

ulfonyl fluorides, due to their balanced potential reactivity and stability as well as their compatibility with biological systems, have become important synthetic intermediates and building blocks in the fields of organic synthesis, drug discovery, and materials science. Especially after the report of sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) chemistry by Sharpless and others, research on sulfonyl fluoride compounds and related compounds has increased significantly.This review summarizes the applications of sulfonyl fluorides in organic synthesis over the past decade, different types of organic reactions including C–X bond formation (including C–C, C–N, C–F bond formation etc.), S–C bond formation, S–N bond formation, S–O bond formation, multicomponent “one-pot” synthesis, and cyclization were discussed.

Boltzmann sampling with quantum annealers via fast Stein correction

Despite the attempts to apply a quantum annealer to Boltzmann sampling, it is still impossible to perform accurate sampling at arbitrary temperatures. Conventional distribution correction methods such as importance sampling and resampling cannot be applied, because the analytical expression of sampling distribution is unknown for a quantum annealer. Stein correction [Q. Liu and J. Lee, in , Proceedings of Machine Learning Research (PMLR, 2017), Vol. 54, pp. 952–961] can correct the samples by weighting without the knowledge of the sampling distribution, but the naive implementation requires the solution of a large-scale quadratic program, hampering usage in practical problems. In this article, a fast and approximate method based on a random feature map and exponentiated gradient updates is developed to compute the sample weights and is used to correct the samples generated by D-Wave quantum annealers. In benchmarking problems, it is observed that the residual error of thermal average calculations is reduced significantly. If combined with our method, quantum annealers may emerge as a viable alternative to long-established Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Electronic structure simulations in the cloud computing environment.

The transformative impact of modern computational paradigms and technologies, such as high-performance computing (HPC), quantum computing, and cloud computing, has opened up profound new opportunities for scientific simulations. Scalable computational chemistry is one beneficiary of this technological progress. The main focus of this paper is on the performance of various quantum chemical formulations, ranging from low-order methods to high-accuracy approaches, implemented in different computational chemistry packages and libraries, such as NWChem, NWChemEx, Scalable Predictive Methods for Excitations and Correlated Phenomena, ExaChem, and Fermi-Löwdin orbital self-interaction correction on Azure Quantum Elements, Microsoft's cloud services platform for scientific discovery. We pay particular attention to the intricate workflows for performing complex chemistry simulations, associated data curation, and mechanisms for accuracy assessment, which is demonstrated with the Arrows automated workflow for high throughput simulations. Finally, we provide a perspective on the role of cloud computing in supporting the mission of leadership computational facilities.

David Ish-Horowicz FRS (1948-2024): outstanding scientific discovery, with a unique touch of selfless humanity.

David Ish-Horowicz FRS (1948-2024): outstanding scientific discovery, with a unique touch of selfless humanity.

The anomalous Mr Hubert H.D. Griffith (1877–1958), Australian field naturalist, collector and benefactor

ABSTRACT Hubert H.D. Griffith was a significant but neglected contributor in the scientific discovery of Australia’s natural heritage. Although his interests were forged in his youth in Tasmania, his return to Adelaide as a young man heralded an energetic engagement with leading scientific societies and figures over nearly two decades at the beginning of the twentieth century. His interests were wide, spanning insects, birds, plants and photography. In particular, he supported J.M. Black in his preparation of the Flora of South Australia. Griffith’s impressive collections of beetles and plants have been consulted by taxonomists for more than a century and are now preserved in various state and national museums and herbaria in Australia. One genus (Griffithia) and 14 species of beetles and an important southern Australian seagrass, Amphibolis griffithii, are named after him in recognition of his contributions to science. A longtime and respected citizen of Adelaide, another enduring legacy of Hubert and his wife May (née Scott) is the Griffith Hospital, a private rehabilitation hospital they endowed in the 1950s, which continues to provide valued services to the South Australian community.