title: Biomedical Ti-Cu-Mn alloys with antibacterial capability

authors: Alqattan, M.

subjects: titanium alloys

abstract: This study aims to develop Ti–Cu–Mn alloys with antibacterial capability for reducing the possibility of bacterial infection during biomedical implant surgeries. Ternary alloys were designed to be manufactured via powder metallurgy, which has intrinsic manufacturing, economic, and environmental benefits. The amount of each of the alloying elements was limited to prevent the formation of brittle phases. It is found that the selected compositions of Cu (0.5-5 wt.%) plus Mn (0.25-2.5 Mn wt.%) can successfully be manufactured achieving microstructures, tensile properties and antibacterial capability performance comparable to those of other biomedical Ti alloys. Specifically, homogeneous compositions are achieved with the selected sintering parameters (1300 °C/120 min). The strength and hardness of the material increase proportionally with the addition rate of Cu and Mn, and antibacterial capability values were found to be above the 90% threshold required for antibacterial certification.

text: Biomedical Ti-Cu-Mn alloys with antibacterial capability This study aims to develop Ti–Cu–Mn alloys with antibacterial capability for reducing the possibility of bacterial infection during biomedical implant surgeries. Ternary alloys were designed to be manufactured via powder metallurgy, which has intrinsic manufacturing, economic, and environmental benefits. The amount of each of the alloying elements was limited to prevent the formation of brittle phases. It is found that the selected compositions of Cu (0.5-5 wt.%) plus Mn (0.25-2.5 Mn wt.%) can successfully be manufactured achieving microstructures, tensile properties and antibacterial capability performance comparable to those of other biomedical Ti alloys. Specifically, homogeneous compositions are achieved with the selected sintering parameters (1300 °C/120 min). The strength and hardness of the material increase proportionally with the addition rate of Cu and Mn, and antibacterial capability values were found to be above the 90% threshold required for antibacterial certification.

year: 2021

title: How an exchange of perspectives led to tentative ethical guidelines for visual ethnography

authors: Pope, Clive C.

subjects: visual ethics

abstract: Qualitative research, especially visual ethnography, is an iterative not a linear process, replete with good intentions, false starts, mistaken assumptions, miscommunication and a continually revised statement of the problem. That the camera freezes everything and everyone in the frame only complicates ethical considerations. This work, jointly authored by the researcher, the Research Ethics Committee (REC) chair and an informed outsider, walks the reader through the ethical challenges the researcher experienced seeking REC approval to conduct a visual ethnography of a secondary school's rowing event. Eventually, the researcher found the challenges and ambiguities of informed consent indicative of the current issues facing many researchers working with the visual medium. The account fleshes out a procedural ethics and ethics in practice dichotomy and ends with the researcher and REC chair retrospectively contemplating the iterative ethics of visual ethnography. We conclude our conversation by proposing five tentative guidelines for visual ethnography researchers and their research ethics committees.

text: How an exchange of perspectives led to tentative ethical guidelines for visual ethnography Qualitative research, especially visual ethnography, is an iterative not a linear process, replete with good intentions, false starts, mistaken assumptions, miscommunication and a continually revised statement of the problem. That the camera freezes everything and everyone in the frame only complicates ethical considerations. This work, jointly authored by the researcher, the Research Ethics Committee (REC) chair and an informed outsider, walks the reader through the ethical challenges the researcher experienced seeking REC approval to conduct a visual ethnography of a secondary school's rowing event. Eventually, the researcher found the challenges and ambiguities of informed consent indicative of the current issues facing many researchers working with the visual medium. The account fleshes out a procedural ethics and ethics in practice dichotomy and ends with the researcher and REC chair retrospectively contemplating the iterative ethics of visual ethnography. We conclude our conversation by proposing five tentative guidelines for visual ethnography researchers and their research ethics committees.

year: 2010

title: Integrating education for sustainability into secondary science classes: Practices and perceptions of New Zealand teachers

authors: Gundersen, Mandy

abstract: Global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss necessitate a collective shift towards sustainable living. Education for Sustainability aims to equip students with the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes and agency to meet sustainability goals and forge a better future. It is a holistic approach, yet single-subject school structures at the secondary level mean it must be integrated into subjects such as science. However, there is limited research, particularly in New Zealand, on how this integration is practiced in secondary science classes.

Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, this study interviewed five New Zealand secondary science teachers to understand their conceptualisations of sustainability and sustainability education. It explored how their understanding was translated into practice through detailed descriptions of lessons and units. The study provides insights into how these teachers integrate sustainability across junior science, the new National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level One science standards, and senior science subjects, while also elaborating on the benefits they believed students received and the challenges they faced in this integration.

This research found that these New Zealand teachers had a broad understanding of sustainability and recognised key components of sustainability education. They saw sustainability as a way to make science engaging and to develop scientific literacy among their students. To incorporate sustainability into science, they had all designed units which included place-based approaches, integrated topics, considered multiple perspectives, and interwove mātauranga Māori, or New Zealand indigenous knowledge. The boundaries of science as a subject, senior-level assessment requirements, and the time needed for some sustainability-focused activities were noted as challenges to sustainability’s integration.

The research recommends that for the effective integration of sustainability, support is required, particularly regarding teacher education and the provision of resources that exemplify sustainability in science. Furthermore, curriculum and assessment changes designed to incorporate sustainability must remain clear about the required science content to ensure students are robustly prepared for senior science studies.

text: Integrating education for sustainability into secondary science classes: Practices and perceptions of New Zealand teachers Global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss necessitate a collective shift towards sustainable living. Education for Sustainability aims to equip students with the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes and agency to meet sustainability goals and forge a better future. It is a holistic approach, yet single-subject school structures at the secondary level mean it must be integrated into subjects such as science. However, there is limited research, particularly in New Zealand, on how this integration is practiced in secondary science classes.

Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, this study interviewed five New Zealand secondary science teachers to understand their conceptualisations of sustainability and sustainability education. It explored how their understanding was translated into practice through detailed descriptions of lessons and units. The study provides insights into how these teachers integrate sustainability across junior science, the new National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level One science standards, and senior science subjects, while also elaborating on the benefits they believed students received and the challenges they faced in this integration.

This research found that these New Zealand teachers had a broad understanding of sustainability and recognised key components of sustainability education. They saw sustainability as a way to make science engaging and to develop scientific literacy among their students. To incorporate sustainability into science, they had all designed units which included place-based approaches, integrated topics, considered multiple perspectives, and interwove mātauranga Māori, or New Zealand indigenous knowledge. The boundaries of science as a subject, senior-level assessment requirements, and the time needed for some sustainability-focused activities were noted as challenges to sustainability’s integration.

The research recommends that for the effective integration of sustainability, support is required, particularly regarding teacher education and the provision of resources that exemplify sustainability in science. Furthermore, curriculum and assessment changes designed to incorporate sustainability must remain clear about the required science content to ensure students are robustly prepared for senior science studies.

year: 2025