Natural Scientists Research Articles

Investigation of Pre-service Teachers' Conceptions of the Nature of Science Based on the LDA Model.

This study used the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model to analyze pre-service teachers’ views on the nature of science (NOS). This approach can be used to automate the classification of documents, and at the same time, the researcher does not need to deduce with a NOS framework prior to evaluation. Participants were 155 pre-service teachers studying at the Shandong Normal University in China. To gather our data, we used an open questionnaire, namely, the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire—Form C (VNOS-C). LDA topic modeling was used to classify the document, which was divided into 12 topics. By comparing the LDA topic modeling results with the theoretical framework behind the VNOS-C questionnaire, we categorized these 12 topics into eight descriptive aspects of the NOS: The Empirical Nature of Scientific Knowledge, Observation, Inference, and Theoretical Entities in Science, Scientific Theories and Laws, The Theory-Laden Nature of Scientific Knowledge, The Social and Cultural Embeddedness of Scientific Knowledge, The Myth of The Scientific Method, The Tentative Nature of Scientific Knowledge, and The Nature of Scientific Theory. The results show that pre-service teachers usually hold naive or mixed views of the NOS. In addition, each aspect of NOS is not independent of each other but interrelated and influencing each other. In the future, more consideration can be given to the relationship between each aspect of NOS.

Preface

Agriculture Faculty of Sriwijaya University has organized Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System (SAC-SAFSE) on September 29th, 2021 in Palembang, Indonesia. The objective of SAC-SAFSE presented the latest state of the arts related to Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System.As we all might have also seen in the last decade that there has been a quickening of the pace of research and scholarship among both social and natural scientists, as well as among policymakers and activists. To this end, with the support of by Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Sriwijaya, Indonesia and co-organized by Kasetsart University, Thailand; SEARCA Southeast Asia; and Murray State University, USA, organize Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System. The SAC-SAFSE was held to bring together social and natural scientists, and environmental activists to discuss results from ongoing research projects, to find ways to enhance the exchange of knowledge among disciplines, and to establish global partnership both in research and business. We also would like to underline that the SAC-SAFSE would be an annual agenda of Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Sriwijaya. Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System (SAC-SAFSE) 2021 was implemented virtually, this is because the cov-19 pandemic is still spreading. The conference was perform using zoom. The Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System (SAC-SAFSE) event is virtually implemented using Zoom breakout room with a model that all invited speakers and presenters are given time to present their material for 10 minutes followed by question and answer session, through chat forums and Q&A forums provided by the Zoom application and also direct questioning system. Overall, the conference took 10 hours, initially from registration into closing ceremony. The participation of the keynote speakers, invited speakers, and participants were originally from inside and outside countries such as Malaysian, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Japan, US, and various regions in Indonesia Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System (SAC-SAFSE) 2021 was supported by stable internet network system and a zoom application. It met several technical obstacles encountered by the participants, such as difficulty to present their PPT and video. The virtual conference has weakness due to less interaction between participants.The Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System (SAC-SAFSE) 2021 committee received 94 manuscripts and a total of 91 papers were presented and discussed. The papers were authored by researchers Indonesia, Malaysian, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Japan, US. All papers have been reviewed to be given critical comments and improvements by a panel of reviewers as purpose enhancing quality of the papers. There were 69 papers were selected and eligible to be published in the proceeding as results of review process.We sincerely express our gratitude to the international/national advisory committee, presenters, participants, contributors of Sriwijaya Conference on Sustainable Environment, Agriculture and Farming System (SAC-SAFSE) 2021. High appreciation to the whole committee team for their excellence in managed and organized all parts of this conference even though should face some obstacles due to pandemic condition. The hard works by the Organizing Committee are also highly appreciated. We also express our sincere gratitude to all sponsors, i.e. BNI and BKS Barat. Last but not the least, we are thankful to IOP EES Conference Series for producing the proceeding.Palembang, 29th September 2021Dean of Agriculture Faculty Universitas SriwijayaDr. Ir. A. Muslim, M.AgrList of titles Advisory Committee, Scientific Committee, Local Committee, Editors are available in this Pdf.

Positioning Van Leeuwenhoek's microscopes in 17th-century microscopic practice.

The self-made nature of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's discoveries and microscopes tends to obscure the rich and dynamic 17th-century culture of microscopy that preceded his work. Rather than being limited by available magnifications, 17th-century microscopy was shaped by philosophical paradigms, visual and preparation techniques, and observation conditions. Taking into account new insights into his lens making methods, a comparison of Van Leeuwenhoek's methodology with 17th-century predecessors reveals, on the one hand, how his work was rooted in existing traditions, while on the other hand it makes us appreciate his innovations better. Van Leeuwenhoek elegantly turned the viewing practice associated with high-magnification microscopy into a convincing narrative. In doing so, he reaffirmed the central role of the microscope in the 17th-century inquiry of nature. This allowed him to open up new vistas and become the founder of microbiology.

UDMURT NAMES OF GODS, GHOSTS AND HOLIDAYS IN J. G. GEORGI'S 18th CENTURY ETHNOGRAPHICAL HANDBOOK (Part 2)

German origin natural scientist Johann Gottlieb Georgi participated in the Orenburg Expedition, organized by the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg. Between 1770 and 1774 he travelled in the Middle and Lower Volga Region, the Orenburg area, Bashkiria, the neighbourhood of Lake Baikal and reached as far as the Russian-Chinese-Mongolian border. He summarized his experiences of the journey in his book titled Bemerkungen einer Reise im Russischen Reich im Jahre 1772-1774 . A few years later he published an extended version of the Bemerkungen , titled Beschreibung aller Nationen des Russischen Reichs , a richly illustrated volume describing in detail the customs and religious life of 80 peoples in Russia. One of these is the Udmurts. Georgi tells us about the living circumstances, clothing, wedding and burying customs of the Udmurts and describes very thoroughly their gods, ghosts, holidays, sacrifices, also providing us with the Udmurt names for them. He writes about the main gods ( Inmar, Kildisin, Mu-Kildisin, Šundi mumi ), the evil god ( Šajtan ), the guardian spirits and the evil spirits ( Voršud, Vu murt, Palas murt, Ubir, Albaste ). He also describes the sacrificial places ( keremet and lud, kuala, mudor ), writes about the sacrificial ( vöś, vöśan ) ceremony and about the mediators ( tuno, uťis, vedin ) between earth and heaven. He also mentions some special events like the spring sowing and the summertime and autumn harvests.

Religija u diskursu savremenih znanstvenika – horizonti evolucionizma / Religion in the Discourse of Contemporary Scientists - The Horizons of Evolutionism

Religion has become a major extra-scientific interest of contemporary natural scientists. The topic permeates the discourse of some of the best known names in comtemporary science, including R. Dawkins, J. Lennox, F. Collins, and S. Gould. These scientists’ attitudes towards religion range from the view that science and religion are mutually exclusive and in conflict through the view that they are discrete fields without overlap to the view that they have to respect each other, engage in dialogue, and cooperate. One may discern in these approaches a number of discursive types: conflictual, integrative, dialogical, pluriperspectival, and discrete. These discourses unfold within the horizons of the epistemological constellations of evolutionism, creationism, intelligent design, and BioLogos. This paper has two main parts. The first part includes a treatment of key issues for understanding the relationship of science to religion: the question of evolutionism and, consequently, the theory of evolution, its scientific status, and its reception by theistic scientists; the attempt to establish a universal natural scientific epistemology and responses to it; and questions of the stochatic nature of the creation of the world and the origin of life. The second part includes consideration of the issue of theistic evolutionism and its major characteristics, followed by an exposition of the views of Christianity or more precisely of the Catholic Church regarding the theory of evolution and an investigation of certain echoes of its theistic reception.

PHARMACOGNOSTIC STANDARDIZATION OF ANACYCLUS PYRETHRUM LINN AND ITS BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

Despite the long history of traditionally used and clinically potential plant Anacyclus pyrethrum (Akarkara; family – Asteraceae) root parts, the plant has never been investigated systematically for the scientific phytochemical and biological studies till date. Thus, present investigation was envisaged to perform experiments to study phytochemical and biological activities. The various extracts and fractions were subjected to phytochemical screening. The complete profile of pharmacognostic standards of plant was established as per standardized procedures. The results revealed that the plant contain alkaloids, anthraquinone glycosides, carbohydrates, tannins and flavonoids. The thin layer chromatography of petroleum ether-, chloroform and methanol extracts showed presence of three-, seven- and five spots. Quantitatively maximum phenolic content was found in ethyl acetate fraction (6.48 % w/w) followed by methanol extract (2.40 % w/w). Various extracts and fractions of plant were screened for antioxidant activity by DPPH method, and the results revealed that maximum activity was shown by ethyl acetate fractions as compared to other test samples. In antimicrobial studies, the zone of inhibition in mm was determined by cup plate method. Amongst various test samples, only the ethyl acetate fraction showed maximum antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 7443, Staphylococcus epidermides MTCC 1133, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2449 and Escherichia coli MTCC 1235 followed by methanol extract whereas other test samples were devoid of antibacterial activity. In antifungal study, ethyl acetate fraction exhibited maximum antibacterial and antifungal activity against Candida albicans MTCC 1637 and Aspergillus niger MTCC 1235, followed by methanol extract, whereas other test samples were devoid of antifungal activity. The research findings of the present investigations suggest that phenolic compounds might be responsible for the biological profile of plant. Further, it can be concluded that a complete monograph of plant has been established. These findings are very important for natural product scientists before performing any research work on plant.

The Experience of European Researchers in China: A Comparative Capital Advantage Perspective

This paper unfolds a “black box” concerning European researchers working in China, an emerging phenomenon as an outcome of European and Chinese international research collaboration. China’s rapid economic growth has created plentiful career opportunities in research and innovation, attracting mainly returning Chinese but also non-Chinese researchers. While emerging research has brought attention to the individual experiences of the latter group, this work has been hampered by a lack of conceptual frameworks, as well as empirical knowledge regarding these migrants’ motivations, job satisfaction, and career prospects. This article attempts to bridge this research gap by focusing on European researchers working in Chinese universities. It develops a novel analytical framework that integrates insights from the push–pull framework and Bourdieu’s conceptualization of capital and applies this framework in a qualitative investigation of China-based European researchers. This analysis shows, first, that significant capital gains exist for natural scientists, as opposed to social scientists, in China, as the former operates in a more internationalized, better-funded, and less politically controlled environment. Second, it demonstrates that European researchers’ migration journeys in China remain predominantly temporary, as their initial advantages tend to fade away over time. Finally, this article finds that European researchers’ reasons for leaving China are connected to challenges beyond the workplace, yet their stay in China becomes an important step in increasing their competitiveness in the global academic labor market.

Building a research network to better understand climate governance in the Great Lakes

Climate-driven disturbances threaten the sustainability of coastal communities in the Great Lakes Basin. Because such disturbances are unpredictable, their magnitude, number and intensity are changing, and they occur at varying temporal and spatial scales. Consequently, communities struggle to respond in effective ways. The expected intensification of climate-driven disturbances will require that community capacity and governance structures match the spatial and temporal scales of these disturbances, as the most sustainable social and economic systems will be those that can respond at similar frequencies to key natural system drivers. The Climate Governance Variability in the Great Lakes Research Coordination Network (CGVG-RCN) was recently established to address questions about the relationship between climate-driven disturbances and community response. The objective of this short communication is to introduce the ideas behind the CGVG-RCN, outline its goals, and facilitate engagements and collaboration with social and natural scientists interested in social-ecological systems in the Great Lakes Basin.

SPECIAL FEATURE: KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES—ROBERT DAMELIO AND CARL BINDER

SPECIAL FEATURE: KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES—ROBERT DAMELIO AND CARL BINDER

Cover Image

COVER PHOTO: Lighthouse Reef, Palau, Micronesia, in a healthy state in 2012 prior to a super typhoon which reduced coral cover to zero percent. In their study published in The Scientific Naturalist section of this issue, Doropoulos et al. (Article e3621; doi:10.1002/ecy.3621) document the recovery of corals at Lighthouse Reef over a seven-year period through the growth of cryptic recruits that were dormant in the reef matrix. Photo credit: George Roff.

SCIENCE AND SPECIFICITY: INTERDISCIPLINARY TEACHING BETWEEN THEOLOGY, RELIGION, AND THE NATURAL SCIENCES

AbstractConsideration of the work of natural scientists by theologians extends the innate interdisciplinarity of theological study. Here, I focus on interdisciplinarity as it bears upon undergraduate and postgraduate education and supervision. Much research in theology and science today asks how some more specific area of science bears upon some specific aspect of theology, in contrast to earlier attention to methodology, and how theology‐as‐such might relate to science‐as‐such. This paradigm, described as “Science‐Engaged Theology,” is showing itself in teaching, with both benefits (capturing the imagination of students) and challenges (the work of learning about the details of scientific research). Criticisms raised about Science‐Engaged Theology in research also suggest goals for education. These include encouraging students to ask whether science does bear upon their theological topic, after all, and the suggestion that a move beyond methodology should not leave the theologian uncritical of the theological freight associated with the assumptions and paradigms that shape natural science, either explicitly or implicitly.

Sustainability assessment of short food supply chains (SFSC): developing and testing a rapid assessment tool in one African and three European city regions

Recent literature demonstrates the contribution of short food supply chains (SFSC) to regional economies and sustainable food systems, and acknowledges their role as drivers for sustainable development. Moreover, different types of SFSC have been supported by urban food policies (UFP) over the few last years and actors from the food chain became part of new institutional settings for urban food policies. However, evidence from the sustainability impact assessment (SIA) of these SFSC in urban contexts is limited. Our paper presents an approach for the development of an SIA framework for different SFSC types. In addition, a practical application of the tool in four metropolitan regions (Berlin, London, Ljubljana and Nairobi) is tested. The conceptual development of the SIA framework is based on an in-depth analysis of existing SIA frameworks and methods for assessing the sustainability of agriculture, food chains and food systems and adapted to the specific needs of analysing SFSC in metropolitan regions. The operational value and utility of the framework and the tool were tested with social and natural scientists and local stakeholders. The assessment results demonstrate that SFSC seems to be more sustainable than the baseline (long global food chains) in the social dimension, but also feature specific strengths and weaknesses concerning their economic and environmental sustainability. This might give an indication for regional adjusted strategies and food chain innovations that improve the sustainability performance may be required. We found the tool useful for framing the dialogue between food chain actors, consumers and policy, because it makes benefits and trade-offs of the chain types operating in an urban–rural context more visible and communicable.

Астрометрия и геодезия как одна наука. История и предназначение звездных каталогов

According to the resolution of the International Astronomical Union, since 1999 the main reference for spherical coordinates has become the international celestial reference frame ICRF, compiled from observations of quasars and point-like radio galaxies. This decision abolishes the observations necessary for compiling the traditional spherical coordinate system represented by the fundamental catalogs of the FK series. It is useful to recall the principles of astronomers of the 18th–20th centuries who had organized the determination of the absolute coordinates of stars at the state observatories, required for compiling the next fundamental catalog. This will allow natural scientists who study movements by measured coordinates of celestial objects, firstly astronomers and geodesists, to compare the opportunities provided by optical fundamental catalogs and the reference system of radio coordinates for solving the problems of their branch of science. Let us turn to historical experience, which shows that the establishment of main optical coordinate systems was not a volitional decision but was affirmed in the process of searching for the most effective method for solving both fundamental problems and satisfying current needs of each historical era.

Mercury Stories: Understanding Sustainability Through a Volatile Element

<i>Mercury Stories: Understanding Sustainability Through a Volatile Element</i>

Методологический редукционизм и идея прогресса в социально-гуманитарных науках: интерналистская перспектива

In this paper, we consider the internalistic foundations of progress in the social sciences and humanities. Our working hypothesis is that a linear (cumulative) understanding of progress in the humanities and social sciences expresses itself in a tendency towards methodological reductionism (naturalization within episte­mology of social sciences and humanities), which, in turn, is opposed to a non­linear (pluralistic) approach that proclaims a theoretical variety and pluralism of methodological attitudes. This trend is determined by the desire to strengthen the epistemic foundations of social sciences and humanities through the recep­tion of concepts and approaches of other, “more successful” natural sciences or mathematical approaches from related fields in social sciences. Depending on how exactly the reception takes place and with which disciplines ties are built up, we distinguish three strategies for the development of naturalization. The first is a substitution strategy in which the social sciences and humanities not only borrow directly from natural sciences approaches, but also abandon their own specific research subject. The second strategy is an adaptation strategy. In this case, we are not talking about methodological substitution in its pure form, but about the possibility of partial reception of certain natural science theories and methods (or the reception of mathematical methods from related areas of social knowledge – for example, from the area of economic analysis) in accordance with the goals and objectives of social and humanitarian research (that is, the so­cial sciences and humanities retain their specific subject of research, and the me­thodological base expands through the use of scientific and mathematical meth­ods and data). And finally, the third is the validation strategy, in which the specific subject of social and humanitarian research is preserved. However, the borrow­ing of scientific methods occurs not at the stage of the research, but at the stage of assessing its results. In the paper we use specific examples from the social sci­ences and humanities to consider three strategies of reductionism (as naturaliza­tion) from the point of view of their consequences for the development of social sciences and humanities in an internalist perspective.

On the Reception of Wilhelm Ostwald’s Energism in the United States: The American Frontier, Pragmatism, and a Non-Atomic Theory of Matter in the 1890s

This article discusses the reception of Wilhelm Ostwald’s energism in the United States. Ostwald, as a renowned teacher and contributor to the field of physical chemistry, was an important influence on the development of chemistry in the United States. In the final decade of the nineteenth century, he also developed and promoted a non-atomic theory of matter called energism. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the reception of energism in the United States was quite enthusiastic because of its perceived compatibility with American pragmatism, and with the values and concepts associated with the American frontier. Energism, in the interpretation of its American proponents, puts more emphasis on individual experience, volition, force, and initiative, as various manifestations of energy, the hypothetical fabric of the universe. This perspective led to interesting speculations about the equivalence of the mind and matter. The article will present primary sources by a philosopher and two natural scientists: John Elof Boodin, Edwin Emery Slosson, and Clarence L. Herrick.

Towards a national platform for Australia’s islands

Islands are important for maintaining a range of biodiversity, cultural and economic values. However, islands around the world face major and complex conservation challenges, often shared across multiple islands. The variety of tenures and uses also means there is a lack of coordination in policy and management. Addressing these challenges requires sharing lessons of success and failure. To facilitate knowledge-sharing, we need to develop common frameworks, platforms, guidelines and legislation to devise, advise and support actions and collaborations aimed to enhance island conservation. These need to consider both human needs and biodiversity, interactions, research, practice, and information sharing across islands. Pathways may include knowledge, data and experience sharing to ensure that cross-State and Territory coordination can disseminate the lessons learned from island projects to island stakeholders and vice versa. We discuss examples of existing organisational management structures that can potentially form the basis for a timely new platform focusing on Australia’s islands. We propose an island alliance be established as a multi-disciplinary platform to improve coordination among Australia’s islands, and to represent Australia’s environmental island challenges and solutions. Such an alliance would aim to bridge island communities, practitioners, managers, researchers and cultural advisors across diverse and complementary spheres along the continuum from biodiversity and ecosystems to people and social entrepreneurship. This alliance would have a mandate to develop national environmental collaborations, research and standards relating to island environments, facilitate business entrepreneurship with complementary outcomes to manage the threats that face Australian islands, and contribute to improving biodiversity conservation outcomes. The platform would draw together practitioners, natural and social scientists, policymakers, and importantly indigenous and non-Indigenous island communities to lead innovative collaborations and support Australian islands.

Automated performance analysis tools framework for HPC programs

In the high performance computing (HPC) field, computer and natural scientists work together to solve complex problems. While computer scientists try their best to meet the needs of domain experts, the latter ones still require deeper know-how in informatics to bring their science onto machines in an optimal way. Applications typically require significant optimisation and tuning efforts to harness the performance capabilities of HPC systems. A wide range of very different analyse tools are available for this purpose, but their use is time-consuming and thus also a financial burden. This work is the first to introduce an extensible framework which does not only provide a convenient graphical interface for HPC performance analysis tools, but also simplifies their usage extremely. On this path the foundation for automated scientific software analysis and optimisation workflows is layed, which is believed to become increasingly necessary.

К вопросу о корректировке биографии академика Э. Г. Лаксмана: по материалам государственного архива в Г. Тобольске

The basis for the article was the documents of the State Archives in Tobolsk, for the first time introduced into scientific circulation. The publication contains data that change the previously prevailing ideas about the final stage of the life of the natural scientist E.G. Laxman.

Impacts of conservation activities on people who are incarcerated: a case study based on qualitative and quantitative analyses

In the past two decades, conservationists and the corrections sector have implemented collaborative ecological restoration projects, creating more inclusive arenas for conservation. These venues provide people who are incarcerated with opportunities to have a positive impact on their environment, and for ecologists to communicate science and the importance of nature with people in nature-deprived environments. We provide examples of conservation programs and their associated media pieces nationwide, whose descriptions, to date, have been almost entirely anecdotal and without formal evaluation. In this study, a collaboration of ecologists and social scientists analyzed impacts on the “incarcerated citizen scientists” who participated in two conservation projects coordinated by these ecologists at the Salt Lake County Jail, Utah, using quantitative and qualitative approaches, including voluntary pre- and post-surveys. The quantitative results informed potential outcomes, but were inconclusive. However, the qualitative results revealed that a majority of the participants reported gaining knowledge about science and conservation, and that about a quarter of them reported psychological benefits from participating, such as feeling that they were able to give back to their community through the project. These results document the potential positive impacts that participation in ecological restoration projects can help promote well-being and community involvement, and to increase science knowledge from all participants. The results also reinforce the importance of collaborations between scientists who use quantitative and qualitative approaches and analytical tools, which, when combined, provide the capacity to measure, analyze, and interpret data from human participants. These considerations should be further explored with collaborations of natural scientists, social scientists, corrections staff, and people who are incarcerated as ecological restoration projects in correctional institutions become more prevalent.