Popular Science Research Articles

Использование средств новых медиа в процессе популяризации психолого-педагогической науки

The article analyzes the use of new media in the process of popularizing psychological and pedagogical sci-ence to improve the quality of continuing pedagogical education. The purpose of popular science materials for subjects of the process of lifelong education (schoolchildren and students, teachers of preschool and general education, teachers and researchers of higher education), associated with their pre-professional or profession-al development, is revealed. The specifics of new media are analyzed, types of content and requirements for the development of popular science content are determined, channels for distributing popular science content are revealed based on the goals of popularizing science. It is shown that the use of new media is an integral component for the popularization of psychological and pedagogical science in the system of continuous peda-gogical education. The following methods were used: the method of theoretical analysis of scientific sources, the survey method (questionnaire).

Evaluation of popular science tourism in Guangzhou HEMC based on PLS-SEM

Science popularization is not only a prerequisite for national development, but also an effective means of enhancing citizens' personal quality. All sectors of society, represented by colleges and universities, bear the responsibility of promoting popular science. The integration of popular science and tourism in popular science tourism serves to advance both the field of popular science and the tourism industry simultaneously. The Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center (HEMC) possesses abundant resources for science popularization and has the potential to develop popular science tourism, yet its current development in this area remains insufficient. This study utilizes Guangzhou HEMC as a case study and modifies the American Customer Satisfaction Index model by incorporating relevant questions pertaining to popular science tourism. A total of 280 valid questionnaires were collected through surveying, which were then analyzed to measure tourist satisfaction using the Tourist Satisfaction Index. The partial least squares structural equation model was employed for analysis, and on the basis of calculation results, the IPA map was constructed. The research revealed that tourists' satisfaction with popular science tourism at Guangzhou HEMC was suboptimal. Among the factors correlating to satisfaction, expectations, quality, and price are all important factors to consider when making a purchase decision; however, prioritizing expectations and quality can lead to greater satisfaction in the long run. Therefore, there is still ample room for improvement in the popular science tourism of HEMC Guangzhou. This can be achieved by intensifying publicity efforts, enhancing infrastructure, improving the quality and safety of catering services, strengthening the introduction and construction of popular science content, as well as appropriately reducing the price of popular science products and services.

Science communication on X (formerly Twitter): A picture is worth a thousand characters?

X (formerly Twitter), a microblogging social media platform, is being used by scientists and researchers to disseminate their research findings and promote the visibility of their work to the public. Tweets can be posted with text messages, images, hyperlinks, or a combination of these features. Importantly, for the majority of users, the text must be limited to 280 characters. In this perspective, this study aimed to observe if adding an image is able to increase outreach for scientific communication on X. Therefore, the characteristics of tweets posted with the hashtag #SciComm (short for science communication) for a period of one year (28 May 2020 to 28 May 2021) were analyzed with the X analytics tool Symplur Signals. The conducted analysis revealed that when a science communication (#SciComm-containing) tweet is accompanied by an image added by the user, there is on average a 529% increase in the number of retweets, and adding a hyperlink is similarly effective in increasing the number of retweets. However, combining both an image and hyperlink in the same tweet did not yield an additive effect. Hence, for increased visibility, researchers may consider adding images or hyperlinks (e.g., to research publications or popular science articles) while communicating science to the public on X.

Stability Analysis of a Delayed Rumor Propagation Model with Nonlinear Incidence Incorporating Impulsive Vaccination.

The presence of information asymmetry can hinder the public's ability to make well-informed decisions, resulting in unwarranted suspicion and the widespread dissemination of rumors. Therefore, it is crucial to provide individuals with consistent and dependable scientific education. Regular popular science education is considered a periodic impulsive intervention to mitigate the impact of information asymmetry and promote a more informed and discerning public. Drawing on these findings, this paper proposes a susceptible-hesitant-infected-refuting-recovered (SHIDR) rumor-spreading model to explain the spread of rumors. The model incorporates elements such as time delay, nonlinear incidence, and refuting individuals. Firstly, by applying the comparison theorem of an impulsive differential equation, we calculate two thresholds for rumor propagation. Additionally, we analyze the conditions of global attractiveness of the rumor-free periodic solution. Furthermore, we consider the condition for the rumor's permanence. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to validate the accuracy of our findings. The results suggest that increasing the proportion of impulsive vaccination, reducing the impulsive period, or prolonging the delay time can effectively suppress rumors.

Effectiveness of an online management platform (Joint Cloud) versus standard process for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: study protocol for a prospective randomised controlled trial

IntroductionOsteoarthritis (OA) is one of the main causes of mobility impairment in the elderly worldwide. Therefore, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is often performed and is one of the most successful...

Культурное пространство Холодной войны: образ врага в советской и американской публицистике

The subject field of the article is the historical-imagological spectrum and comparative perspective. The main actors that influenced the dynamics of the representation of the enemy/other image in the political discourse of the Cold War are investigated. The main type ofsources were journalistic materials presented by Soviet and American literature of various levels, from newspaper publications to voluminous popular science publications. Conclusions are drawn about the ambivalence of cultural space, the coexistence of both stable imagological landmarks and constructs, and their adjustments, counter “drifts” of dehumanization or rehumanization emanating from the opposing sides and caused by the stages of the Cold War.

Entro(Poe)tics: Darkness, Decay, and the Heat Death of the Universe

Abstract This article examines Edgar Allan Poe’s engagements with nineteenth-century thermodynamic theory via his broader literary explorations of a principle of cosmic deterioration. Focusing especially on the untimely apparitions of entropy and universal heat death in “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) and “Mask of the Red Death” (1842), it argues that these apparitions derive from Poe’s creative responses to two primary sources. The first is Epicurean atomism, the most important exposition of which Poe found in Lucretius’s De rerum natura, as mediated by the agonistic interpretations of English natural philosophers Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802) and John Mason Good (1764–1827). The second is the energetic conception historian of science Stephen Brush calls “the wave theory of heat,” which Poe absorbed from contemporary experimental natural philosophers and popularizers of science, including Dionysius Lardner (1793–1859) and John W. Draper (1811–1882). These sources enabled Poe to conceptualize the universe as a system in which irreversible change occurs due to inevitable loss in the transmission or transformation of energy. Poe gave proleptic, poetic expression to this concept in his writings, leading to their haunting echoes in later formulations of, and responses to, entropy and universal heat death.

Digital Medical Information Services Delivered by Pharmaceutical Companies via WeChat: Qualitative Analytical Study.

Social media has become one of the primary information sources for medical professionals and patients. Pharmaceutical companies are committed to using various social media platforms to provide stakeholders with digital medical information services (DMISs), which remain experimental and immature. In China, WeChat tops the list of popular social media platforms. To date, little is known about the service model of DMISs delivered by pharmaceutical companies via WeChat. This study aims to explore the emerging service model of DMISs delivered by pharmaceutical companies via WeChat in China. This study applied a qualitative research design combining case study and documentary analysis to explore the DMISs of 6 leading pharmaceutical companies in China. Materials were collected from their official WeChat platforms. Thematic analysis was conducted on the data. The DMISs of 6 pharmaceutical companies were investigated. Themes emerged regarding 2 essential information services delivered by pharmaceutical companies via WeChat: business operation services and DMISs (ie, public information services, professional services, science and education services, and e-commerce services). Business operation services mainly function to assist or facilitate the company's operations and development trends for general visitors. Public-oriented information services are realized through health science popularization, academic frontiers, product information, and road maps to hospitals and pharmacies. Internet hospital and pharmacy services are the main patient-oriented professional services. Medical staff-oriented science and education services commonly include continuing education, clinical assistance, academic research, and journal searching. Public-oriented e-commerce services include health products and health insurance. Pharmaceutical companies in China use WeChat to provide stakeholders with diversified DMISs, which remain in the exploratory stage. The service model of DMISs requires more distinct innovations to provide personalized digital health and patient-centric services. Moreover, specific regulations on the DMISs of pharmaceutical companies need to be established to guard public health interests.

Наследие и библиография А. А. Еленкина

A. A. Elenkin’s contribution to the development of botany in Russia is multifaceted: as a scientist, organizer, editor, and popularizer of science. The most important aspect of Eleinkin’s heritage is the establishment of the foundations for the development of cryptogamic botany in Russia. The presented bibliography of 472 publications, including 201 critical reviews at the end of the list, is based on a generalization of previously published bibliographies, a detailed list of works by A. A. Elenkin until January 1, 1939, various publications and reprints. The titles and references to most publications have been verified from primary sources. Elenkin published 17 monographs with a volume of almost 5 000 pages, 87 works on algae and algology, 96 on lichens and lichenology, 55 publications on fungi and phytopathology, and 16 on mosses, 18 popular scientific publications, including 6 monographs, 1 article on microbiology, 1 on entomology. The article provides a complete bibliography of A. A. Elenkin and selected thematic lists in electronic supplements.

From Star Trek to The Hunger Games: emblem gestures in science fiction and their uptake in popular culture

Abstract Research on emblems to date has not drawn on corpus methods that use public data. In this paper, we use corpus methods to explore the use of original fictional gestures in the real world. We look at two examples from popular science fiction, the Vulcan salute from Star Trek and the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games. First, a Twitter corpus of the Vulcan salute emoji shows that it is used to represent Star Trek fandom and wider nerd culture, alongside its use as a greeting. Second, a global news corpus shows the three-finger salute has come to be used as a pro-democracy protest gesture across political and cultural boundaries in South East Asia. These corpus studies show different trajectories for the two gestures, with the three-finger salute escaping the confines of its fictional world, while the Vulcan salute has come to stand in as a reference to the media it originated from. We conclude with a reflection on the opportunities, challenges, and limitations of bringing corpus methods to gesture studies.

Effect evaluation of rubella knowledge attitudes and practices (KAP) intervention on parents of 0 to 2 year old children in Chongqing, China.

To evaluate the effect of rubella elimination publicity and communication project intervention activities on rubella related knowledge attitudes and practices (KAP) on parents of 0 to 2 year old children in Chongqing, and to provide basis for the formulation of rubella elimination strategies and measures. We choose 7 townships (streets) of parents of 0 to 2 year old children who live for more than 6 months in Chongqing to investigate the status of rubella knowledge, attitude and practice. Parents' cognition and behavior related to rubella, congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) and rubella component vaccine (RCV) were analyzed and evaluated before and after intervention. 420 people were surveyed before and after the intervention. The awareness rate of rubella prevention knowledge of parents after intervention was significantly higher than that before intervention, with statistical significance (P < .05). After intervention, parents' support rate of "rubella antibody test before pregnancy" and "RCV vaccination for children" were 89.52% and 72.14%, respectively, which were higher than those of parents before intervention (84.05% and 27.38%, P < .05). The RCV timely vaccination rate of children after intervention was 92.78%, which was higher than that of children before intervention (83.90%, P < .05). Targeted publicity and communication methods should be adopted for urban and rural areas to create a good publicity atmosphere, popularize rubella and CRS related popular science knowledge, and improve the RCV timely vaccination rate of school-age children and high-risk population.

In the Beginning Was the Wort: A New Natural Theology of Meaning for Ecological Catastrophe

This paper builds upon a recent corpus of popular science that has elevated previously unsung members of the biosphere—“worts.” It argues that the corpus constitutes a new natural theology, a search for meaning in the biosphere, and suggests a theological underpinning to what its authors intuit: that worts give meaning. To do this, the paper draws on Eduardo Kohn’s How Forests Think (2013) and its examination of meaning as a ubiquitous feature of the multispecies ecosystem. Following on from Kohn, two key arguments are made. First, Kohn’s posthuman anthropology is compatible with a Thomist treatment of organisms in terms of their distinct, life-orientated telos. Second, the current context of potential human extinction puts a life-orientated telos in a new light, reviving the validity of teleological thinking. Sharing the fate of nonhuman subjects, rather than treating them as scientific objects, authors and readers of the new natural theology find meaning among worts.

Thomas Bewick — Engraver, Publisher, Innovator

The article is devoted to the problem of revising assessment of the work of the outstanding British engraver and publisher Thomas Bewick. Traditionally, it is considered in the context of the general history of engraving development, mostly not connected with either animalistics or scientific editions. In this regard, T. Bewick’s works of artistic significance belong to natural-scientific illustrations and are used in popular science editions. The erroneous assessment of his works is associated with a widespread stereotype in which scientific illustration is considered as something of low artistic value. The purpose of this research is to study the genesis of T. Bewick’s creativity by analyzing his main works. Of particular interest is the research of the artistic features of woodcut technique, which, thanks to T. Bewick, has found a new life. It is traced the evolution of the engraver’s work from his early period to mature one. The complexity of Bewick’s talent is noted not only as an engraver of book illustrations, but also as an engraver of bookplates. The characteristic of the technique of cutting a design into hardwood cut across is given, the innovative methods thanks to which Bewick has brought this type of an engraving to a new level of book illustration are revealed. Based on the memoirs of Bewick, the author traces the history of the creation of his main books — “A General History of the Quadrupeds” and “A History of British Birds”. It is noted that illustrations by G. Buffon and H. White served as additional sources for “A History of British Birds” despite the use of his own sketches. The author analyses the illustrations and engravings from these books, which are kept in the collections of the Research and Scientific Department of Rare Books (Museum of Book) of the Russian State Library. The structural features of the brief descriptions of “A General History of the Quadrupeds” are considered. Particular attention is paid to the style of the vignettes, which present an integral part of Bewick’s creative credo. Such features of Bewick’s illustrations as realism, as well as the depiction of humorous genre scenes and jokes are revealed. The author notes that at a late stage of Bewick’s art work he rarely uses black cross-hatching, using instead combinations of the wide fields and carefully engraved white spots. The most essential features of Bewick’s engraving are revealed: the principle of “white line”, hatching with crossed and parallel lines, creation of halftones with very thin strokes and tiny dots. It is emphasized that although Bewick’s illustrations have been published in popular scientific publications, they have influenced the development of scientific illustration through their highly artistic execution. It is concluded that woodcut technique allowed to simulate the volume of an image by means of a white stroke.

Popularyzacja wiedzy medycznej w społeczeństwie polskim w latach 1956–1970 (na przykładzie publikacji popularnonaukowych)

Promotion of medical knowledge in the polish society in the period from 1956 to 1970 (on the example of popular science publications) The period from 1956 to 1970 saw the promotion of medical knowledge in the Polish society. Popularisation by the written word was of particular significance at the time. Readers would be given access to popular-science publications promoting knowledge from various fields of medicine. They were authored by both practitioners well known in the medical circles and by individuals without rich scientific achievements. Some of those publications were written with clear language, in a way accessible to the uneducated readership, and provided fundamental information on the causes of diseases, prevention and treatment. It needs to be underscored that many popular-science medical books were published by thousands by the Państwowy Zakład Wydawnictw Lekarskich Publishing House. These books are now valuable sources of information on the activities taken for health education of the Polish society in the Gomułka Period.

Функции чужой речи в научном дискурсе: результаты корпусного исследования

The aim of the study is to determine the functions that quoted and reported speech can perform in scientific discourse. The paper presents the results of analysing quoted and reported speech in written genres of scientific communication using the material of the Russian National Corpus. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the pragmatic functions of entering quoted and reported speech into a scientific text have been identified. As a result, it has been found that the main functions of quoted and reported speech in scientific discourse include the informative, argumentative, nominative and constructive functions. Among the described functions, the dominant position is occupied by the informative and the argumentative functions, which is due to the key tasks that a scientific work is designed to solve as a tool for communication and transmission of scientific knowledge. In addition to the main functions, the expressive one has been also highlighted, which may be characteristic of verbatim quotations that preserve the stylistic originality and distinctness of the original text. Similarities in the functioning of quoted and reported speech in scientific, popular science and news types of discourse, as well as significant differences between the functions of quoted and reported speech in scientific texts and in literary texts have been revealed.

Everyday nuclear histories and futures in the Middle East, 1945–1948

This article examines nuclear imaginaries in the Arabic-speaking Middle East. It situates people from the Arab world into nuclear thought, looking at how the atomic age rapidly became part of everyday lives. Embracing the idea that reality and fiction are not only deeply intertwined but also co-constitutive, it analyses everyday engagements with the nuclear condition in the aftermath of the bombing of Japan, across a wide range of sources. The article argues that these semi-fictional historical sources—memoirs, pseudo-scientific predictions, speculative reports published in newspapers, popular science books and even rumours—capture an affective moment at the beginning of the atomic age, which was marked by hysteria, widespread speculation and exaggeration. Discussions on nuclear weapons, precisely because the extent of their destruction seems unimaginable, blur the boundaries between ‘real’ and ‘fictional’, offering a unique opportunity to reflect on stories of world politics and on the tensions within historical International Relations.

Керамические материалы на выставке археологического наследия Южного Приаралья из фондов Государственного музея искусств Республики Каракалпакстан им. И.В. Савицкого

Analysis of the archaeological exhibition organised by I.V. Savitsky State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, sheds light on the chronological framework of the archaeological heritage of the Southern Aral Sea Region. For the first time, the thematic exposition reveals the degree of available information on Ancient Khorezm monuments in terms of the ceramic production development and its relevance for studying the history of material culture. The exhibition acquires special significance in the context of the popularisation of historical science as a way to preserve the historical and cultural heritage in modern society. The display of the collections is a natural result of the work of several generations of the Khorezm archaeological and ethnographic expedition archaeologists, as well as the actual Karakalpak school of archeology. The exhibition of archaeological collections stirs interest in further research, promotes the popularisation of science, and stimulates the tourism industry development. It is a token of appreciation of sorts to the academic community, discoverers of the history of ancient and medieval culture, the creators of the Karakalpak school of archeology.

Representation of male and female family roles in Soviet magazines &#x0D; of the late 1960-ies – 1970-ies

The social institution of the family as an environment for the formation and evolution of gender roles is of particular interest for the study of Soviet society. The government controlled the private sphere of public life even in the late USSR. The media were an important social institution that influenced the construction of ideas about gender and reproduced images of desired models of family relations and the gender structure of society. Gender analysis can be used to identify popular stereotypes about masculinity and femininity, as well as gender family roles in the late USSR. In this paper, the author analyzes the materials of Soviet magazines and newspapers published from the late 1960-ies to the 1970-ies: the magazine for parents and teachers «Family and School», the popular science magazine «Health», the advertising magazine «New goods», the children’s magazines «Murzilka» and «Funny Pictures». These publications are aimed at different readership. This allows us to get a more complete picture of the real and desired models of masculinity and femininity in late Soviet society. As a result of the study, conclusions are drawn about significant discrepancies between the declared equality of women and men in Soviet society and the real gender structure. The representation of stereotypical models of family relations indicates contradictions in the peculiarities of male and female gender socialization, as well as in the gender differentiation of family and household functions of men and women.

Interaction of geotechnics with society through education

The Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and the University of Brasília (UnB), in partnership with the company Eletrobras Furnas, have developed research and, based on this, extension projects aimed at education in a broad sense, in which they seek to disseminate and popularise technical-scientific knowledge. This paper aims to present and evaluate educational actions carried out in the area of soil science and geotechnics applied to engineering, geography, and the environment. To do so, the educational experiences developed within the scope of two extension projects are shared. Beside that, the relevance of publishing books and primer, with language adapted to lay society, within the scope of research projects, is analyzed. The results collected regarding the effectiveness of the extension actions as a tool for learning point to a positive evaluation by the students. Furthermore, social networks are an important tool for scientific dissemination and have the potential to disseminate knowledge more widely than in a classroom course. By comparing the number of citations in Google Scholar of the books and booklets with the papers arising from these projects, one can observe the reach of this type of publication, although its purpose is the popularisation of science, with reach in places not considered in the technical-scientific publication metrics. Finally, for effective scientific development, it is necessary to have public policies, effective interaction between universities, research centres and schools, and the participation of professional associations, funding and evaluation agencies, Education Departments and the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.

Tourists’ Perceptions of Popular Science Education in Tianshan Tianchi National Geopark in Xinjiang

Tourists’ Perceptions of Popular Science Education in Tianshan Tianchi National Geopark in Xinjiang