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Durable crosslinked poly(arylene piperidinium)-based anion exchange membranes for alkaline electrodesalination
No full textThis study aims to tackle the issues of poor chemical stability and high swelling ratio that are faced by anion exchange membranes (AEMs) encountered in practical applications, with the goal of developing AEMs with enhanced long-term durability and performance. We designed and synthesized a range of AEMs featuring alkali-stable fluorinated side chains with varying crosslinking structures. The optimal membrane, identified as QPBP-QF-OBIMBr, was found to offer significant improvements. The inclusion of a flexible, hydrophilic bis-imidazolium crosslinker enables the structure to achieve a high water uptake while ensuring a low swelling ratio, maintaining both excellent ionic conductivity and alkaline stability. In electrodesalination experiments using a binary system containing NaOH aqueous solution, QPBP-QF-OBIMBr outperformed commercial AEMs. It achieved a desalination ratio of 93.55 %, alongside lower energy consumption of 3.26 kWh/kg and higher current efficiency of 94.28 %. After soaking in 2.0 M NaOH at 80 °C for 240 h, the desalination efficiency of commercial membrane decreased by 23.77 %, while QPBP-QF-OBIMBr showed only a 5.58 % decrease. Furthermore, QPBP-QF-OBIMBr exhibited excellent stability under alkaline conditions, retaining 88.12 % of its weight and 85.86 % of its ionic exchange capacity after 720 h of alkaline testing. These findings provide a viable method for designing high-performance, durable AEMs
A decade of smart urbanism in India through the Smart Cities Mission (SCM)
No full textThe open access publication is available at https://doi.org/10.20896/3jstx354India is at the forefront of Asia’s urban transformation, with its urban population projected to reach 814 million by 2050. The Smart Cities Mission (SCM), launched in 2015, aimed to modernise 100 cities by integrating smart technologies to enhance governance, infrastructure, and quality of life. Initially influenced by Western smart urban models, SCM implementation followed a top-down approach, yet over time, cities have adapted smart initiatives to local needs. At the same time, centralised projects such as Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCCs) shaped early implementations, decentralised, community-driven adaptations have gained prominence. Cities like Bhubaneswar, Indore, and Varanasi have prioritised inclusive urban services, including transportation, sanitation, and cultural heritage conservation. Despite significant achievements, future smart urbanism must prioritise smaller cities, marginalised communities, and ecological sustainability. Emphasising participatory governance, gender-sensitive planning, and nature-based solutions can foster a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient urban future for India
Trends of physical activity and sedentary behaviours among secondary school students in Singapore: What has changed in 15 years?
No full textThe objective of the current study was to examine the trends of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) of adolescents in Singapore with two datasets 15 years apart (2006 and 2021). A total sample of 1075 secondary students (mean age = 14.91 ± 0.43 years old) from 15 schools in Singapore took part in the study. A seven-day recall Self-administered Physical Activity Checklist (SAPAC) questionnaire was used to capture time spent on the internet/computer, gaming, homework, reading, sitting and talking/listening to music, telephone, television watching, and PA. Results showed that the 2021 sample spent significantly more time on gaming, homework, sit and talk/listening to music, phone, and PA compared to the 2006 sample, while time spent watching television was significantly lower than the 2006 sample. Both datasets found PA had low or close to zero correlations with all the seven SB, however, the patterns of correlations were different in the two datasets, indicating changes in the trends of SB and PA. Cluster analysis found similar cluster profiles in the two samples but the cluster proportions for certain profiles were different from the two datasets. Significant sex differences were also found in the cluster compositions. Overall, this study shows that PA and SB trends of adolescents have changed significantly.Accepted versionOER 11/20 JWC
Exploring the impact of depression, anxiety, stress, academic engagement, and dropout intention on medical students' academic performance: A prospective study
No full textBackground
Depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) have been linked to poor academic outcomes. This study explores the relationships among DAS, academic engagement, dropout intentions, and academic performance — measured by Grade Point Average (GPA) — in medical students. It aims to understand how these factors relate to each other and predict academic performance.Published versio
A cosmopolitan orientation: Teaching about migrant labour and literary form in Timothy Mo's Renegade or Halo 2 and José Dalisay's Soledad's Sister
No full textHow do we cultivate a cosmopolitan consciousness and orientation in our students through literature? In this chapter, I approach this question by discussing two novels about Filipino migrant labour in a global economy—Timothy Mo’s Renegade or Halo 2 (2000) and Jose Dalisay’s Soledad’s Sister (2008). The former is a picaresque novel featuring a rogue character, Rey Archimedes Blondel Castro, whose (mis)adventures around the world reveal a late-capitalist world characterised by stark socioeconomic inequality as well as inter-connectedness and mingling. Dalisay’s text is a dark comedy about mistaken identity arising from the loss of the corpse of a female domestic worker being transported back from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines. Both novels may be said to depict a ‘cosmopolitanism from below’ where lower-class, migrant worker characters find themselves constantly navigating liminal and inequitable spaces of cross-cultural exchange as they face exploitation on various fronts. I examine the affordances of the picaresque and dark comedy to consider how pedagogical practices focused on the way textual form and narrative strategies structure and mediate global mobilities may help orientate students towards the cosmopolitan dispositional stances of openness and critical self-reflection as well as better understand and ethically respond to contemporary realities
Creating task-specific creativity assessment tools.
No full textThe open access publication is available at https://doi.org/10.3934/steme.2025010Development of creativity is one of the desired outcomes of integrated STEM learning and can serve as an indicator of high-quality education. Reliable evaluation of creativity can serve as an indicator of the success of integrated STEM learning. Current methods of creativity assessment such as the Torrance Test of Creativity (TTCT) have limitations as they are domain-generic and may not accurately reflect creativity valued by specific domains. Furthermore, creativity has been argued to be a dynamic phenomenon, which tests such as the TTCT fail to measure accurately. To consider disciplinary peculiarities, this study examined the value of considering disciplinary epistemic practices and task requirements in evaluating creativity. We adapted the Scientific Creativity Test (SCT) by incorporating elements that are more domain- and task-specific to vertical farming integrated STEM learning and trialed it with pre-service teachers. To measure changes in creativity over time, behavior of pre-service teachers when they are engaged with the integrated STEM activity was monitored through video recordings. Scoring of the adapted SCT revealed a decrease in creativity, but low sample size and "memory" effects meant that no meaningful conclusions were drawn. Behaviors during the integrated STEM learning associated with higher creativity were identified. Findings suggested that the two creativity assessment tools are not substitutable but are complementary—the SCT is suited as an easy-to-administer assessment for a larger number of students, while monitoring behavior of students during integrated STEM learning is suited for smaller groups and can shed light on more aspects of the student's creativity. Recommendations for future studies on the SCT and behavior-monitoring were made.OER 24/19 TA
The effects of an education and exercise-based injury prevention programme on knowledge, eccentric shoulder strength, shoulder range of motion, and thoracic range of motion among competitive youth volleyball athletes: A randomized controlled trial
No full textA 12-week randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of an education and exercise-based programme among competitive youth volleyball athletes. Forty-five participants were randomized into intervention (n = 23) and control groups (n = 22). The intervention group attended the “Education program for youth athletes” in Week 1 and the “Exercise program” over 12 weeks. The education programme improved participants’ knowledge scores concerning overuse injuries and the growth and maturation process during adolescence from baseline to Week 12 (p = .001). The exercise programme improved shoulder internal rotation range of motion after 12 weeks (p < .001). No significant improvements were observed for eccentric shoulder external rotation strength and thoracic rotation range of motion following the exercise programme in the intervention group. The education and exercise-based programme improved knowledge regarding overuse injuries and the adolescence growth process and shoulder internal rotation range of motion among youth volleyball athletes.Accepted versio
