STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education has recently been encouraged and attracted much national attention. This qualitative study aimed to conduct a thematic analysis of college student STEAM open responses to provide an examination of college students’ perceptions of their STEAM experiences into the STEAM field. Based on transformative learning theory, a thematic analysis of 756 written responses to seven prompts by 108 college student participants revealed three primary themes: (1) exciting and challenging difficulties, and transdisciplinary learning in STEAM; (2) STEAM learning of gradual process, problem-oriented instruction, and creative problem solving; and (3) metacognition development in STEAM. The findings revealed that undergraduates’ STEAM perceptions provide strong support for STEAM implementation to enhance teaching effectiveness in higher education.

Sanitation challenges are growing at unprecedented rates in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, specifically in the country of Jordan, where more adversities are faced in the provision of inclusive and sustainable sanitation for marginalized communities. The overloaded water supply systems, strained by high population density in the face of political instability manifests itself in poor public health. How countries in the MENA region plan to handle these problems and improve the sanitation infrastructure is the starting point for this work. We aim to develop a comprehensive and multidisciplinary framework between stakeholders, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a specific emphasis on SDG 6, for providing feasible, community-oriented approaches to sanitation issues in disenfranchised communities in Jordan through the Initiative Sanitation and Hygiene Networking in Jordanian Poverty Pockets (ISNJO) project. The findings will be used to formulate strategic guidelines and inform the development and subsequent initiation of innovative and multidisciplinary initiatives to tackle the sanitation and water scarcity challenges at hand.

A large number of publications devoted to a new class of materials - high-entropy alloys (HEA), is associated with their unique chemical, physical and mechanical properties both in cast materials and in various classes of coatings and refractory compounds. As a result of the research, the features of solid-soluble high-entropy alloys based on BCC and FCC phases have been revealed. These include the role of the most refractory element in the formation of the lattice parameter, the relationship of distortion with elastic deformation, and the contribution of the enthalpy of mixing to the strength and modulus of elasticity. This made it possible, on the basis of Hooke's law, to propose a formula for determining the hardness of the HEA based on the BCC and FCC phases. Based on the fact that with an increase in temperature in high-entropy alloys, the values of the modulus of elasticity, distortion and enthalpy of mixing will obey the same laws, a formula is proposed for determining the yield strength depending on the test temperature of solid-soluble HEA based on BCC and FCC phases. A formula based on the role of the most fusible metal in the alloy is proposed to calculate the melting point of solid-soluble materials.

Three-dimensionally cross-linked polymer nanocomposite networks coated nano sand light-weight proppants (LWPs) were successfully prepared via ball-milling the macro sand and subsequently modifying the resultant nano sand with sequential polymer nanocomposite coating. The modified nano sand proppants had good sphericity and roundness. Thermal analyses showed that the samples can withstand up to 411 ℃. Moreover, the proppant samples’ specific gravity (S.G.) was 1.02–1.10 g/cm³ with excellent water dispersibility. Therefore, cross-linked polymer nanocomposite networks coated nano sand particles can act as potential candidates as water-carrying proppants for hydraulic fracturing operations.

Low integrity is a challenge for any organization. However, most organizations emphasize integrity without explaining what is required of an individual with high integrity. Exhibiting high integrity is necessary for academics; yet, the level of academic integrity remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the integrity level of academicians in a Malaysian public university. This paper shares the findings on the level of integrity of academics based on a questionnaire completed by 213 academicians. Data were collected by survey questionnaire and was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. An overall mean score of 9.45 from a possible 10.0 indicated a high level of integrity among academics. The self-evaluation results by academics also demonstrated that they have attained integrity at a high level for their generic task, teaching and learning, research and publications and service for community with a mean score between 9.36 and 9.49. The value with the highest mean score was for “service to community”, whereas the lowest was for “research and publication”. These findings show that the university has successfully instilled values of integrity among academicians. Nevertheless, the university must continue to enhance academic integrity by exploring religiosity. Using Google Scholar, a literature search identified an Islam-based academic integrity model to explain the quantitative findings. Finally, a mixed method approach and involving all universities in Malaysia are recommended to further the findings of this study.

The present work conducts a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of a 150 MW_e Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) using Indian coal as the fuel source. The plant layout is modelled and simulated using the “Cycle-Tempo” software. In this study, an innovative approach is employed where the gasifier's bed material is heated by circulating hot water through pipes submerged within the bed. The analysis reveals that increasing the external heat supplied to the gasifier enhances the hydrogen (H₂) content in the syngas, improving both its heating value and cold gas efficiency. Additionally, this increase in external heat favourably impacts the Steam-Methane reforming reaction, boosting the H₂/CH₄ ratio. The thermodynamic results show that the plant achieves an energy efficiency of 44.17% and an exergy efficiency of 40.43%. The study also identifies the condenser as the primary source of energy loss, while the combustor experiences the greatest exergy loss.