Science Talks最新文献

{"title":"The role of theatre visits in authentic content development: A case from academic writing class","authors":"Tamilla Mammadova","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This tutorial aims to demonstrate the integration of authentic art, specifically theatre visitations, into the academic writing and information literacy course curriculum. It positions this approach as an innovative tool to prevent academic misconduct and boost student motivation.</div></div><div><h3>Background</h3><div>The incorporation of visual art into course programs fosters critical thinking, broadens students' contextual understanding, and significantly reduces instances of plagiarism. We emphasize the transformative impact of authentic theatre plays, arguing that they enhance imagination, encourage self-reflection, and promote skills like argumentation and critique. These competencies are essential for success not only in academic writing and information literacy (AW &amp; IL) courses but also in broader academic and professional contexts.</div></div><div><h3>Description</h3><div>The study employs a qualitative methodology to analyze students' perceptions of their theatre visitations as reflected in their written assignments. Follow-up reflections are also examined to provide deeper insights into the observed outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The analysis identified several key themes emerging from students' reflections. Among the reported benefits of theatre visitations were increased engagement, enhanced critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of course content. Additionally, students expressed a strong interest in incorporating task-based projects into the academic writing curriculum.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This tutorial provides valuable insights for academic writing and information literacy instructors seeking to develop innovative strategies for integrating authentic activities, such as theatre visitations, into their curricula. Such activities offer opportunities to rethink grading rubrics and address challenges related to academic misconduct, including the misuse of artificial intelligence in graded assignments. Furthermore, the tutorial offers practical recommendations and highlights new directions for enhancing student engagement and integrity in academic coursework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100458"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversification dynamics: Gold Coast's tourism industry in economic development perspective","authors":"Safdar Ullah Khan,&nbsp;Alexandra Bec","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100461","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The post-COVID landscape poses significant challenges and opportunities for the tourism sector in Gold Coast, prompting a reevaluation of policies and strategies to ensure sustainable recovery and future growth. This study examines the impact of tourism loss on a regional economy, focusing on mitigating upheavals through economic expansion in a portfolio framework. Utilizing modern portfolio investment strategies and economic development perspectives, we determine an optimal balance of high returns and low risk for the entire economy. Each sub-sector of tourism is analysed to understand its role in risk minimization, diversification, and long-term economic growth, integral to the Gold Coast's economic plan. Additionally, we explore how tourism intersects with other high-value industries. Initial findings suggest tourism could outpace overall economic growth and currently reduces 90 % of total risk in a fully diversified economy. Using the modern portfolio investment framework, we identify significant intersections between tourism and other sectors. This framework aids policymakers in devising effective sector development initiatives for stable long-term growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100461"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying otter conservation hotspots in human-dominated coastal wetlands of peninsular Thailand","authors":"Naruemon Tantipisanuh ,&nbsp;Wanlop Chutipong ,&nbsp;Anucha Kamjing ,&nbsp;Dusit Ngoprasert","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100440","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100440","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Species conservation in human-dominated landscapes poses more challenges because not only species ecology needs to be understood but also humans' dimension needs to be accounted for. This study aimed to identify conservation hotspots for Asian Small-clawed Otter and Smooth-coated Otter in coastal wetlands of southern Thailand. Camera trap surveys were conducted between 2016 and 2020. Occupancy model was applied to estimate probability of occupancy of two otters in relation to landscape characteristics and human factors. Then Bayesian Belief Network was applied to generated anthropogenic threat levels which was then related with occupancy probabilities to derive conservation hotspots. In total, 1137 camera-trap locations were set up for 26,387 trap-days. Smooth-coated Otter has higher occupancy probabilities on the Andaman where less disturbed wetlands still remain in larger proportion compared to the Gulf. Small-clawed Otter, in contrast, has higher occupancy on the Gulf. Smooth-coated Otter showed strong association with natural habitats, while Asian Small-clawed Otter better adapted with small isolated habitats. A majority of conservation hotspots was located along the Andaman coast and were not protected. In conclusion, otters can adapt and survive in human-dominated modified landscape; however, maintaining good quality of natural habitats and mitigating conflicts still be the main priority for successful otter conservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100440"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pre-treatment optimization to reduce membrane fouling during produced water treatment with an integrated FO-MD system","authors":"Muhammad Saqib Nawaz ,&nbsp;Sofiane Soukane ,&nbsp;Muhammad Bilal Asif ,&nbsp;Veerabhadraiah Gudideni ,&nbsp;Sultan Alrubaish ,&nbsp;Noreddine Ghaffour","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During oil exploration, fresh water that is injected into underground reservoirs returns to the surface loaded with hydrocarbons, salts, and other contaminants. This complex solution is typically known as produced water (PW). Generally, different PW streams are generated at a given site, which, after suitable treatment, are sent for re-injection for enhanced oil recovery or to disposal wells. However, there is a potential for water recovery from this hypersaline contaminated stream. Forward osmosis (FO) and membrane distillation (MD) are two low-pressure membrane treatment technologies successfully used in a single hybrid system for PW treatment. During operation, the key foulants on the FO membrane were CaSiO₃, CaSO₄, and NaCl, while for MD, they were SiO₂ and CaSO₄ plus emulsified oil, causing pore clogging. Some foulants were tightly bound and not removed by osmotic backwashing or hydraulic flushing, thus requiring pre-treatment. Different pre-treatment techniques, like ion exchange resins and polymeric and ceramic membrane-based ultrafiltration (UF), were assessed in this study. The resins were able to remove bivalent metallic ions successfully from lower concentration streams only and thus caused an increase in FO flux and a reduction in MD flux by disturbing the FO-MD system equilibrium. The higher concentrations of resins and chemicals required for their regeneration make them unsuitable for such applications. On the contrary, PW pre-treated with polymeric and ceramic UF membranes led to increased FO and MD fluxes without any chemical requirement and proved suitable for pre-treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100467"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of weak transient broadband signals: Subspace and likelihood ratio test approaches","authors":"Cornelius A.D. Pahalson,&nbsp;Louise H. Crockett,&nbsp;Stephan Weiss","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigate the detection of a weak transient broadband signal, and compare a polynomial subspace detection approach to a likelihood ratio test. The former is based on an analytic eigenvalue decomposition of the array data in order to derive a subspace projection away from stronger stationary sources that obscure the transient signal. An energy detection in the noise-only subspace has been demonstrated to work well in a number of broadband array applications. In this contribution, we aim to explore its comparison to a statistically optimum test, the likelihood ratio test (LRT). The LRT requires more information about the scenario than the subspace test — namely the data covariance due to the transient signal — but can still serve as a suitable benchmark. Somewhat surprisingly, simulation results show that the more dispersive the propagation environment and the weaker the transient signal is compared to any stationary sources, the better it is to base a test — either the LRT or even a simple energy criterion — on the data in the noise-only subspace. This is due to the reduced matrix dimensions and enhanced condition numbers of the involved space-time covariance matrices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100451"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143681056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative study of frequency of torsional motion in crystals on the basis of X-ray thermal parameter and NQR data in chlorine compounds","authors":"Loganathan Ramu ,&nbsp;Narendra Kuppan ,&nbsp;Prathibha Acharya ,&nbsp;B. Lakshmeesha Rao ,&nbsp;Mahesh Bhat ,&nbsp;Rangaswamy Javarappa","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Torsional vibrations and the hindered rotational motions of the molecule or part of the molecule about definite axes in the crystal are the two types of molecular motions considered to have appreciable effect on the quadrupole interaction. Through NQR temperature dependence studies, the torsional frequencies at different temperature from 300 K to 77 K were estimated by numerical methods and torsional frequency at 300 K has been considered for the comparative study. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to calculate torsional frequencies in various 35Cl compounds on the basis of X-ray thermal parameter, crystal structure data and were compared with the results derived from nuclear quadrupole resonance data using Bayer's and Brown's approximation. The torsional frequencies obtained by X-ray thermal parameter and NQR are impeccable. Previous experimental data revels that the torsional vibrations lie in the scale of 15 cm⁻¹ to 150 cm⁻¹. In the present case, our study delineates the values obtained by X-ray thermal parameter for various compound falls in the range 17 cm⁻¹ to 63 cm⁻¹. The present approach could be a lucid illustration of the supplementary nature of the information obtained from X-ray studies in regard to NQR studies of compounds in solid state. This study demonstrates the potential of combining X-ray and NQR techniques to provide a more comprehensive understanding of molecular dynamics in solid-state compounds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100450"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143681057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond representation: Taking concrete action to move towards inclusion and social justice in specialty nursing education","authors":"Michelle House-Kokan,&nbsp;Farah Jetha,&nbsp;Annie Silveira","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inclusivity and equity are clear priorities in nursing education today. In the British Columbia Institute of Technology Specialty Nursing Department, concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion underpin all our nursing pedagogical approaches including clinical practice, theory, and simulation. However, operationalizing these ideas into meaningful activities can be challenging. Here we showcase a concrete educational approach to addressing inclusivity and equity in nursing education in the form of an assignment grounded in equity-oriented care principles that can be adapted for both academic and clinical nursing education contexts.</div><div>All healthcare providers share accountability for decolonization, anti-discrimination, and equity-oriented approaches to health care. Nursing educators have both the opportunity and responsibility to support the upcoming generation of nurses and specialty nurses to address health inequities at the point of care by first understanding the disparities in their healthcare system. These assignments are a practical and applicable way to begin to plant the seeds of cultural change within the nursing profession, ultimately empowering nursing leaders on the frontline.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100448"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trust yourself and trust the students! Lessons learned from ditching straight lecturing and using arts-based strategies in the classroom","authors":"Sharon Martinelli,&nbsp;Michelle Camilleri","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In today's digital world, where information is literally out there at a click of a button, the approach to teaching and learning needs to change. Through our study unit on personal and professional growth and development, we transitioned from disruptors to innovators. We accomplished this by adopting a radically new approach to our teaching and learning processes using an arts-based lens so as to impact their growth and development as student nurses. Participation in the study was entirely voluntary. We designed a web-based survey of Likert scales and open-ended questions to explore students' perspectives on the approach to teaching and learning adopted. Data was also collected from students' reflective writing excerpts. Data from ourselves as educators was captured through ongoing conversations. Data was analysed using simple descriptive statistics for the quantitative data as well as thematic analysis for the text data. The findings show that the teaching and learning approach was well received as it was found to be situational, dynamic, engaging, active and above all relevant.</div><div>Similarly, as educators we observed significant growth and development in our students throughout the study unit, which was captured through the changing nature of the discussions, the engagement in the activities as well as changes to the writing overtime. There are wide ranging implications of our findings. Educators need to make a shift from imparting knowledge to the co-creation and generation of new knowledge or new understandings. Students will engage if the learning is meaningful to them, and when this is done in a collaborative manner.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100459"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144106107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Commercially focused strategies to enhance PCM thermal conductivity in latent thermal energy storage systems","authors":"Giulia Righetti ,&nbsp;Kamel Hooman ,&nbsp;Claudio Zilio ,&nbsp;Dario Guarda ,&nbsp;Simone Mancin","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is widely recognized among specialists that PCMs (Phase Change Materials) typically have low thermal conductivity, which significantly restricts their commercial use. This study presents alternative, low-cost, yet effective approaches to enhance the average thermal conductivity of a PCM system (a commercially available paraffin wax with a phase change temperature around 40 °C) intended for thermal energy storage. The system contains 600 g of PCM within an annular space around an inner tube, through which heat is either added to or removed from the PCM. Experiments were conducted to assess the effects of water flow rate and temperature, used as the heat transfer fluid, on the system's performance. The flow rate was varied from 2 to 8 L/min, and the temperature was set between 45 and 55 °C. We tested three types of aluminum-based thermal enhancers: a commercial metal foam, a wire mesh, and irregular aluminum flakes (chips) produced as waste from machining processes. The PCM-only sample required the longest time for both charging and discharging, while the PCM with metal foam had the shortest times. The intermediate solutions, using chips and wire mesh, showed moderate phase change times. To evaluate the economic feasibility, we introduced a performance metric based on cost per phase change rate, showing that these two affordable thermal conductivity enhancers could play a vital role in promoting the broader application of latent thermal energy storage technology across various fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100439"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143577548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving the adaptive capacity of NSW land use planning","authors":"Ian McNicol","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Australian communities are increasingly threatened by climate change. Land use planning as a system that anticipates and manages local spatial change is widely recognised as a climate adaptation solution. Climate problems will affect whole communities so effective adaptive responses will require planning that is both spatial and social in scope.</div><div>The planning system of NSW is used as a case study to establish how the planning system can guide local community adaptation. The problem of increasing local adaptive capacity draws in theories of planning, organisational learning, systems, adaptation, and adaptive and anticipatory governance. The emergent conceptual solution is a planning institution that enables recursive and adaptive learning. Transformative change is required to make the NSW planning system adaptive. Transformative changes would restructure planning as a self-learning system at all administrative levels which raises practical administration and maladaptation issues. Rather than focus adaptive change on land use planning, an optimal solution may be that NSW as an administrative and institutional system becomes an adaptation pathway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100462"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144124495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}