Scientific Phenomena Research Articles

Djaji Mahsheye, Moghrabeye, and Labaneh: Making science relevant

AbstractStudents often perceive school science as purely theoretical, overloaded with facts, and mostly disconnected from their school, home, and community life. One way to bridge the disconnection between school science and lived experiences, and support students in realizing the relevance of science to their everyday life, is by enabling them to integrate their funds of knowledge (FoK), the knowledge and expertise people have because of their roles in their families, communities, and culture, within science. To support students in this task, we developed Together with Science, a series of Vlogs (video blogs) designed to guide families and students through home‐based experiments and support the emergence of a third space, where science and everyday life intersect. The Vlogs provided the necessary scientific background for the experiments and encouraged participants to share aspects of their lived experiences and reflect upon the realization of scientific phenomena in their lives. Using videotaped discussions of students and family members, we examined the interactions between them, as well as the FoK addressed in the conversation. The results indicate that multiple types of interactions emerged between students and family members, as they jointly conducted the science experiments and discussed their findings. Shifts in these interactions were associated with the development of a shared third space, in which both students and family members were able to concurrently relate everyday life to the scientific phenomenon. Most FoK were associated with participants' homes and culture. Our results suggest that family members can serve as brokers to support their children in realizing the relationship between science and their everyday life, by bringing in their unique FoK into the scientific discussion, and highlighting the importance of thoughtfully designed learning environments to support them in the process.

Expressions of uncertainty in invisible scientific and religious phenomena during naturalistic conversation

Across cultures, studies report more confidence in the existence of unobservable scientific phenomena, such as germs, as compared to unobservable religious phenomena, such as angels. We investigated a potential cultural mechanism for the transmission of confidence in the existence of invisible entities. Specifically, we asked whether parents in societies with markedly different religious profiles—Iran and China—signal differential confidence across the domains of science and religion during unmoderated conversations with their children (N = 120 parent-child dyads in total; 5- to 11-year-olds). The results revealed that parents used fewer lexical cues to uncertainty when discussing scientific phenomena, as compared to religious phenomena. Unsurprisingly, this cross-domain distinction was observed among majority belief, secular parents in China (Study 2). More importantly, however, the same pattern was observed among parents in Iran, a highly religious society (Study 1), as well as among minority belief, religious parents in China (Study 2). Thus, adults in markedly different belief communities spontaneously express less confidence in religious, as compared to scientific, invisible entities in naturalistic conversation. These findings contribute to theories on the role of culture and testimony in the development of beliefs about unobservable phenomena.

Comparative analysis of Russian and foreign studies of the phenomenon of loneliness

This article discusses loneliness phenomenon, its causes and solutions, main approaches to the concept of loneliness in the psychological and pedagogical literature. In addition the loneliness phenomenon is presented as one of most important social problems.There is no generally accepted concept of loneliness phenomenon in science. Thus, this study analyses psychological approaches to the study of loneliness in the works of Russian and foreign researchers. In addition, this term is examined using active-personal, existential-humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, phenomenological and existential approaches for the purpose of definition. It is important to emphasise that most researchers study not only the negative, but also the positive aspects of loneliness. As the problem of this article the process of development of deep personal ideas about the subjective experience of loneliness, associated with the process of integration of this knowledge into the system of social relations were identified. Since there are very few conceptually well-developed descriptions of this phenomenon, this article will make a significant contribution to the development of the conceptual apparatus of loneliness, as well as deepen the understanding of this complex phenomenon.

Les mots du COVID: en créole martiniquais et créole guadeloupéen par Raphaël Confiant et Hector Poullet

Reviewed by: Les mots du COVID: en créole martiniquais et créole guadeloupéen par Raphaël Confiant et Hector Poullet Jeremy Patterson Confiant, Raphaël et Hector Poullet. Les mots du COVID: en créole martiniquais et créole guadeloupéen. Caraïbéditions, 2021. ISBN 978-2-37-311107-1. Pp. 48. Plenty of ink has been spilled since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of course much of it, if not scientific publications and research, has been very polemical in nature. Much of the public is probably to the point of wanting to read about anything other than the COVID-19 pandemic. It is, therefore, refreshing to have a little book like Les mots du COVID that provides a different perspective on the pandemic, one that is not combative or debating the scientific merits of different public health measures. Confiant and Poullet, from Martinique and Guadeloupe respectively, instead present an enjoyable and short journey through the COVID-specific vocabulary that has developed in their respective Creoles. They begin with a short preface on "Traduire la science en créole," in which they raise the question "comment […] à partir d'une langue principalement orale, parvenir à rendre les mots et expressions scientifiques?" (9). They do not actually answer the question, or at least not directly. They do point out that even languages with a much longer tradition of writing face the same challenge when new scientific phenomena, such as a new virus or pandemic, present themselves. Their answer to the question is, rather, their lexical work in proposing and recording Creole terms that relate to the COVID-19 epidemic. They are both well qualified to be engaging in this lexical undertaking. Both of the authors have published and worked on a variety of Creole dictionaries. Raphaël Confiant, even as he transitioned years ago from Creole to French in his published novels, has continued to work and advocate for the development of Martinican Creole. In 2007, he published Dictionnaire créole martiniquais-français. Hector Poullet published Dictionnaire des créoles comparés de Guadeloupe et de Martinique with Jude Duranty in 2020 and has worked on a variety of other dictionaries and lexicons as well, such as two volumes on Les mots du sexe en créole de la Guadeloupe. Their COVID book presents a variety of terms and expressions with useful examples for each. The first entry is quite familiar in the COVID-19 era—the French term "Antivax," which comes out in Creole as "Moun ki kont vaksen ora-kou" (15). Many of the terms are similarly recognizable at a global scale and even across many languages, from comorbidité ("malady-batjé") to déconfinement ("dézankazaj") to pandémie ("maladi-tout-wonlatè") to quarantaine ("karantjou-fèmen"). Others are more specific to the French or French Caribbean context—convoi sanitaire ("vréyaj-lasanté"), masque FFP ("mas ka koré partikil"), motifs impérieux ("bligasion red-mato"). In all, the forty-five terms that the authors present in Creole, with examples in both Creole and French translation, contribute to their effort to enrich their Creole languages, their intent "d'apporter [End Page 169] notre pierre aux efforts d'enrichissement lexical de nos créoles sans lesquels ces derniers n'ont pas d'avenir" (11). It is thus felicitous, if not a bit ironic, that out of the deadliest pandemic in recent history, Confiant and Poullet should manage to bring linguistic life through their demonstration of the ongoing vitality of both Martinican and Guadeloupean Creoles. [End Page 170] Jeremy Patterson Bob Jones University (SC) Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of French

Voting System and Electoral Malpractices in Nigeria: A Case Study of the Fourth Republic of Nigeria

This paper examines the effect of voting system and electoral malpractices in Nigeria with the fourth republic as the case study (1999 - 2023). In carrying out this work, two theories will be used: game theory will be used as the first context in the area of study, to explain reasons for why electoral malpractices is inherent in Nigeria voting system while the theory of E-Democracy will be used as the way forward for electoral malpractices and violence in Nigerian voting system. Game theory is a theoretical framework used in the explanation of many phenomena in political science, politics, economics, psychology etc, and game theory is simply a systematic study of strategic interactions among rational individuals. A popular example of game theory in politics is the sum zero game, the sum zero has to do with which one player winning all and others losing all. In the context of election in Nigeria with reference to “to first win the post” as the dominant type of electoral system in Nigeria, two things are usually involved which is; the winner wins all and the looser loses all, as the result of this, political actors device all forms of strategy to win an election in the political actors often take advantage of the lapses inherent in the traditional paper voting system in Nigeria to advance their interest. This is through rigging, electoral violence, ballot box stuffing, falsification of electoral result multiple voting etc. the exercise of franchise is the fulcrum on which democracy revolves. Unfortunately, anti-democratic practices such as underage voting, snatching of ballot boxes, denial of voting rights to qualified physically challenges and deliberate falsification of vote figures to favour a particular candidate have greatly bastardized the democratic procedure. This scenario has simply placed a question on the Nigerian democracy. Keywords: Elections, Electoral Process, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), E-voting (Electoral Voting), Electoral Malpractices, E-democracy theory. DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/13-4-04 Publication date: May 31 st 2023

The Influence of White Noise and the Beta Derivative on the Solutions of the BBM Equation

In the current study, we investigate the stochastic Benjamin–Bona–Mahony equation with beta derivative (SBBME-BD). The considered stochastic term is the multiplicative noise in the Itô sense. By combining the F-expansion approach with two separate equations, such as the Riccati and elliptic equations, new hyperbolic, trigonometric, rational, and Jacobi elliptic solutions for SBBME-BD can be generated. The solutions to the Benjamin–Bona–Mahony equation are useful in understanding various scientific phenomena, including Rossby waves in spinning fluids and drift waves in plasma. Our results are presented using MATLAB, with numerous 3D and 2D figures illustrating the impacts of white noise and the beta derivative on the obtained solutions of SBBME-BD.

The Tawhidi Methodological Worldview as A Model of Circular Political Economy

The critique of mainstream socioeconomic reasoning in the light of the new yet opposing methodological worldview is explained by the specific problem of circular economy. Circular economy in its mainstream is functionally a macroeconomic concept disjointly constructed and explained away from any possible interrelations with microeconomics. Thereby, all the extra-domain of social and scientific phenomena are dissolved from mainstream socio-scientific reasoning. Yet reality is far from such a digitalized narrowed perception when viewed from the objectivity of the wellbeing criterion and its common sustainability prospect. In reference to such an opposing epistemic criticism the mainstream meaning of the General Flow of Goods and Services in the context of Circular Political Economy (CPE) is of exogenously separable connectivity of flows of inputs, resources, production, consumption, distribution, and re-circulation across financial and real economic sectors. Contrarily, from the participatory and unified organic linkages between micro-social entities aggregating to integrated society-wide unit of analysis, there is the new epistemic conception and methodology of a new GFGS-CPE understanding. This paper examines the emergent substantive methodological difference between the two worldviews – Tawhidi methodological contra mainstream

The Predictive-Observation-Explanatory (POE) Technology based Learning Management Results to Promote Scientific Explanations Making about the Change of the Substance for Primary School Students

The research aimed to 1) build and assess suitability of the learning management plan of the predictive-observation-explanatory (POE) technology based learning approach to promote scientific explanation making about the change of the substance for primary school students, 2) to distill the lesson learnt of the predictive-observation-explanatory (POE) technology based learning approach to promote scientific explanation making about the change of the substance for primary school students. The research was action research. The sample in the research consisted of: (1) a group of experts assessing the learning management approach, namely staff of teachers, teachers of science and experts of science learning management, accounting for 9 people and (2) the experimental group of learning management, namely 3 science teacher and 40 Year 5 primary school students. Purposive sampling was used to come up with a total of 52 people. The study results revealed that:
 
 1) Building and assessing suitability of the learning management plan of the predictive-observation-explanatory (POE) technology based learning approach to promote scientific explanation making about the change of the substance for primary school students has brought about the learning management plan for 3 learning management plans by using the total of 3 hours for learning. There is the process in organizing learning activities for 7 steps called “7P POE Technology based Learning Model” consisting of (1) Positive Stimulate, (2) Pre-debate, (3) Predict, (4) Post-debate, (5) Participant Observation, (6) Phenomenon Explanation and (7) Practice and the result of suitability assessment was at the highest level.
 
 2) Distilling the lesson learned of the predictive-observation-explanatory (POE) technology based learning approach to promote scientific explanation making about the change of the substance for primary school students has found that scientific learning competency called (Scientific Explanations Making Concepts consists of (1) Positive Definition, (2) Scientific Phenomenon Prediction and (3) Logical Thinking. This is important scientific learning competency which should be developed to primary school students in the future.

Measuring Students' Scientific Argumentation Skills in Explaining Phenomena Related to Acid-Base Concepts

Scientific argumentation is one of the main competencies of students in communicating chemical phenomena through the application of conceptual mastery that they have understood. The development of this ability has been postulated in the 2013 curriculum through constructivist-based learning approaches and scientific inquiry, either in the classroom or the laboratory. However, there is relatively little information on how students' scientific argumentation skills develop. This study aims to measure students' scientific argumentation skills in explaining five science phenomena related to the acid-base concept, namely: acid rain, salt crystal making, the use of antacids as ulcer medicine, the use of CaMgCO3 dolomite fertilizer, and the difference in the acidity level of HCl and H2SO4, using Rasch modeling. Each phenomenon was measured by three multiple-choice test items, which were developed to test students' ability to make claims (Q1), evidence (Q2), and justification (Q3). The data were analyzed using Rasch modeling, allowing researchers to measure the item and individual respondent levels. Respondents were 100 chemistry students in Gorontalo, who were differentiated in gender and adversity quotient. The results showed that the measurement instrument has good validity and reliability. In addition, it was found that students' abilities differed; some items responded differently regarding gender and adversity quotient. Most students tended to be weak in explaining the phenomenon of acid rain, the use of antacids for ulcer disease, the use of dolomite fertilizer, and the difference in the acidity level of HCl and H2SO4

Developing and assessing pre- and in-service science and engineering teachers’ systems thinking and modeling skills through an asynchronous online course

Systems thinking and modeling are two critical 21st-century skills that teachers and educators are expected to impart to students, and students are expected to acquire and master them as part of their preparation to become literate citizens of a society and environment that is becoming ever more complex. Systems thinking is a thought process in which assumptions about interactions among interconnected elements of a system or a phenomenon can help predict the system’s behavior, outcomes, and in the case of human-made artifacts, the value to its beneficiaries. Conceptual modeling involves the simultaneous visual and textual representation of one’s ideas about a phenomenon or system in science or engineering. The qualitative study described here aimed to examine the effect of an online interdisciplinary asynchronous course on the development of systems thinking and conceptual modeling skills among pre- and in-service science and engineering teachers. Engaging in a qualitative case study with an exploratory orientation, we investigated how science and engineering teachers and teacher educators coped with (a) online learning of conceptual modeling and systems thinking using Object-Process Methodology in a food and sustainability context, and (b) developing an online assignment for teaching those skills to their students and assessing them. Research tools included the online assignment that the participants developed, a dedicated rubric for analyzing their assignments, accounting for use of modeling and systems concepts and the integration of sustainability and COVID-19 issues, a variety of thinking skills, visualizations and disciplines, and a mix of closed- and open-ended questions. Additionally, the participants’ reflections were analyzed to characterize their sense of self-efficacy and academic progression. We characterize five teacher-developed assignment cases along with the related teachers’ reflections, which exposed the benefits they had gained from the online course, as well as the systems thinking and modeling challenges they had faced. Analysis of the effect of the course with emphasis on the final task reveals that this approach is effective for developing the systems thinking and modeling skills of the teachers and serves as a catalyst for their professional development. The study offers a methodological contribution by providing a basis for evaluating teachers’ assessment knowledge and skills using a six attributes rubric.

Application of the Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Approach for Solving Two-Point Fuzzy Ordinary Differential Equations of Fractional Order Arising in Physics

This work focuses on solving and analyzing two-point fuzzy boundary value problems in the form of fractional ordinary differential equations (FFOBVPs) using a new version of the approximation analytical approach. FFOBVPs are useful in describing complex scientific phenomena that include heritable characteristics and uncertainty, and obtaining exact or close analytical solutions for these equations can be challenging, especially in the case of nonlinear problems. To address these difficulties, the optimal homotopy asymptotic method (OHAM) was studied and extended in a new form to solve FFOBVPs. The OHAM is known for its ability to solve both linear and nonlinear fractional models and provides a straightforward methodology that uses multiple convergence control parameters to optimally manage the convergence of approximate series solutions. The new form of the OHAM presented in this work incorporates the concepts of fuzzy sets theory and some fractional calculus principles to include fuzzy analysis in the method. The steps of fuzzification and defuzzification are used to transform the fuzzy problem into a crisp problem that can be solved using the OHAM. The method is demonstrated by solving and analyzing linear and nonlinear FFOBVPs at different values of fractional derivatives. The results obtained using the new form of the fuzzy OHAM are analyzed and compared to those found in the literature to demonstrate the method’s efficiency and high accuracy in the fuzzy domain. Overall, this work presents a feasible and efficient approach for solving FFOBVPs using a new form of the OHAM with fuzzy analysis.

Soliton Solutions of Fractional Stochastic Kraenkel–Manna–Merle Equations in Ferromagnetic Materials

In this study, we take into account the fractional stochastic Kraenkel–Manna–Merle system (FSKMMS). The mapping approach may be used to produce various type of stochastic fractional solutions, such as elliptic, hyperbolic, and trigonometric functions. Solutions to the Kraenkel–Manna–Merle system equation, which explains the propagation of a magnetic field in a zero-conductivity ferromagnet, may provide insight into a variety of fascinating scientific phenomena. Moreover, we construct a variety of 3D and 2D graphics in MATLAB to illustrate the influence of the stochastic term and the conformable derivative on the exact solutions of the FSKMMS.

Decentralized Observation Allocation for a Large-Scale Constellation

Increased space sensing enables new measurements of a wide range of Earth science phenomena including volcanism, flooding, wildfires, and weather. Large-scale observation constellations of hundreds of assets have already been deployed (for example, Planet Labs’s Dove satellites), and several constellations of tens of thousands of assets are planned. New challenges exist to rapidly assimilate available data and to optimize measurements by directing spacecraft assets to best observe complex Earth science phenomena. Centralized approaches to managing request allocation in these large constellations are constrained by 1) the need to assign/elect a central node to assign requests to spacecraft and 2) reliance on a single agent communicating with potentially thousands of dependent agents. On the other hand, entirely decentralized approaches to request allocation and observation are prone to oversatisfaction of some requests and undersatisfaction of others due to a lack of communication among agents. In large constellations, an intermediary method is necessary to solve the request allocation problem in a distributed manner. We present distributed artificial intelligence/multiagent methods that leverage existing work on distributed constraint optimization to allocate observations in a satellite constellation. We compare their performance to centralized and highly decentralized approaches using realistic orbits and observation request distributions. Our distributed algorithms can find approximate solutions to the large-scale constellation request allocation problem with low data volume for agent coordination and extend to continuous planning problems with varying request sets and availability of spacecraft agents.

К вопросу о понимании феномена «правовая охрана»

The problem of understanding the phenomenon of "legal protection" is one of the urgent problems facing the modern theory of state and law. The subject of the study, the results of which are presented in this article, are the structural and functional patterns of legal protection as a phenomenon of legal science. In the course of the study, a number of results were obtained that constitute a certain scientific novelty: the concept of legal protection was given, which is proposed to be considered in two senses: in the objective and subjective. In an objective sense, legal protection should be understood as a system of protective rules of law that establish protection measures (methods for protecting and restoring violated rights) and measures of responsibility (punishment) in the event of unlawful acts. In a subjective sense, legal protection should be understood as the process of establishing and implementing protection measures and liability measures in the event of unlawful acts.
 Also in this article, the main elements of legal protection were considered, which include: subjects of legal protection; subject of legal protection, principles of legal protection, method of legal protection, mechanism of legal protection. In addition, the functions of legal protection, and factors affecting its effectiveness, were considered.

Unravelling crystal growth of nanoparticles.

Crystal growth from nanoscale constituents is a ubiquitous phenomenon in biology, geology and materials science. Numerous studies have focused on understanding the onset of nucleation and on producing high-quality crystals by empirically sampling constituents with different attributes and varying the growth conditions. However, the kinetics of post-nucleation growth processes, an important determinant of crystal morphology and properties, have remained underexplored due to experimental challenges associated with real-space imaging at the nanoscale. Here we report the imaging of the crystal growth of nanoparticles of different shapes using liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, resolving both lateral and perpendicular growth of crystal layers by tracking individual nanoparticles. We observe that these nanoscale systems exhibit layer-by-layer growth, typical of atomic crystallization, as well as rough growth prevalent in colloidal systems. Surprisingly, the lateral and perpendicular growth modes can be independently controlled, resulting in two mixed crystallization modes that, until now, have received only scant attention. Combining analytical considerations with molecular dynamics and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we develop a comprehensive framework for our observations, which are fundamentally determined by the size and shape of the building blocks. These insights unify the understanding of crystal growth across four orders of magnitude in particle size and suggest novel pathways to crystal engineering.

Biology Students' Science Literacy Level on Genetic Concepts

Scientific literacy is one’s scientific knowledge to apply based on scientific problems. It is important for shaping generational readiness to face the challenges of the 21st century. Scientific literacy is necessary for learning Biology because it can support skills in identifying, explaining scientific phenomena, and generalizing scientific facts. However, the scientific literacy level of students in Indonesia is still relatively low, ranking 70th out of 79 countries with an average achievement of 396. Therefore, this study aims to precisely determine the scientific literacy ability of Biology students and its correlation with the scientific learning model that lecturers apply. The data collection technique was carried out by providing 15 multiple-choice Scientific Literacy questions in the field of Genetics issued by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The research data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively using the Miles and Huberman approach, which consisted of three processing steps: data reduction, data presentation, and data conclusion. The results showed that the level of students’ genetic scientific literacy was still relatively low, with scores of each class being observed at 32.63%, 42.97%, and 43.06%. Factors that indicate students’ low scientific literacy are the use of textual teaching materials, students’ misconceptions about the genetic material being studied, non-contextual learning, and low student reading power. Thus, improving the quality of teaching materials on integrated genetic material on scientific literacy and learning innovations that emphasize contextual learning and students’ reading power is necessary to increase scientific literacy as a form of competency needed in 21st-century learning.

ANALYSIS OF SCIENCE LITERACY COMPONENTS IN GRADE XII BIOLOGY TEXTBOOKS ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT MATERIAL

Scientific literacy is a form of scientific knowledge and skills possessed by someone to identify a question, acquire new knowledge, explain scientific phenomena. This study aims to analyze the contents of biology textbooks in scientific literacy on growth and development material in class XII SMA/MA. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach with content analysis method. Analysis of the scientific literacy component was carried out after obtaining book data. Data collection in research on the analysis of components of scientific literacy in class XI biology textbooks was carried out by means of surveys, observation and documentation. Percentage results between comparisons of 2 science literacy books, the first book with 18 points found at a percentage of 53% (Very good category) while the second book with 16 points found at a percentage of 47% (Good category). The two books do not have very much differences in content, it only takes a good understanding to digest the contents of each book's purpose in presenting its material.

Problems of the Sources of Law Systematisation

Introduction . In the national legal science the concept of the sources of law multiplicity had been denied for decades. It was alleged that legislative acts are the only embodiment and the main form of the legal norms existence. The situation changed in the 90s of the twentieth century due to the crucial political and socio-economic transformations that took place in the Soviet Union, in Russia, on the former Soviet Union territory. Gradually not only legislative regulatory acts, but also authorized practice, judicial precedent, normative contract have become referred to as the sources of law. Over the past decades, the range of external forms of the legal norms expression has significantly expanded and become more complicated. One of the legal science most important objectives is classification of objects, distribution of objects (phenomena) by classes (types) depending on their characteristics. However, there are just few works focusing on the theoretical and practical issues of the sources of law classification within the post-Soviet period of the Russian legal science evolution. The aim of this study is to identify the problems in the sources of law systematisation. The relevance of this topic is determined by the theoretical and practical significance of the sources of law system, its reformation in the modern conditions. Materials and Methods. The research methodology consists of the general scientific and special juridical methods. Due to the rapidly changing attitude towards these methods among the scientific community the priority in the research was given to the contemporary sources. The conceptual statements of other authors were analysed and integrated with the own empirical experience which jointly made it possible to formulate the number of provisions. Results . One of the most important objectives of science is classification of objects, distribution of objects (phenomena) by classes (types) depending on their characteristics. It has been found that in the Russian legal science just single works are focusing on the theoretical and practical issues of the sources of law systematisation and classification. The diversity of theoretical approaches to understanding the essence of the source of law phenomenon in the legal science, the diametrical opposite of the authors’ interpretation of its meaning has accordingly led to the problems in the sources of law systematisation. It has been recognised that the problem of the sources of law classification is in the process of investigation and has not received the unified solution. Various approaches to the sources of law classification have been considered. The status of codified acts in the legislative system has been analysed. Discussion and Conclusions. The problems in the sources of law systematisation have been revealed. The difficulties are caused by the dichotomy (sources — forms) which a priori underlies the sources comprehension and presupposes distinction of the independent types under both conceptual and terminological uncertainty. The Russian sources of law system continues to develop dynamically. In the Russian legislative system the range of sources of law steadily expands, which is directly related to the process of convergence of the main legal systems, first of all the Romano-Germanic and Anglo-Saxon systems.

Intra-action analysis of emergent science phenomena: examining meaning-making with the more than human in science classrooms

Intra-action analysis of emergent science phenomena: examining meaning-making with the more than human in science classrooms

Mass-production of water-based ferrofluids capable of developing spike-like structures

Ferrofluids are among the most popular and engaging materials related to the nanotechnology field, with applications ranging from studies of basic science phenomena to educational and outreach activities. Therefore, there is a continuous interest in the synthesis strategies used to fabricate these systems, especially those that can lead to simple procedures able to be reproduced under a wide spectrum of laboratory conditions.The ferrofluids described in this work are systems composed of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized by the coprecipitation method and functionalized with citrate molecules to ensure the dispersion in an aqueous medium. During the experimental work we evaluated different operations and synthesis conditions, in order to arrive to a unique procedure that optimizes the functionalization results and the scaling potential. The optimized synthesis route has two main features that are worth to highlight. The first is the possibility of using readily available commercial products as chemical precursors; the second is the overall reduction of the procedure difficulties, as we show that several operations that are usually used in similar reports can be avoided, such as sonication, centrifugation, dialysis, inert atmospheres of Ar/N2 or heating of large volumes of liquid. Both features can be included in the synthesis route without compromising the ferrofluid quality. The procedure can be used to successfully prepare nearly 30 g of functionalized nanoparticles per synthesis batch. Furthermore, this production has the potential to increase due to the absence of significant limitations in the scaling process.We show that the synthesized nanoparticles can produce a stable colloid even at extremely high concentrations (above 50% wt), leading to the formation of ferrofluids that can develop static peak patterns, known as Rosensweig instabilities, when exposed to an external magnetic field. In turn, we show that the extent of these disturbances can be modified both with the concentration of nanoparticles and with the surface tension of the ferrofluid, as expected for this type of system.