While prior reviews have addressed single temperature ranges or isolated applications, this work provides the first unified cross-sectoral benchmarking framework spanning the full cryogenic-to-comfort spectrum (-160°C to +35°C) with charging strategies utilizing off-peak electricity, renewable sources, and waste cold recovery, integrated with techno-economic analysis. This review introduces a PCM Selection Index (PSI) with domain-specific criteria weighting across six sectors, and quantifies the conductivity energy-density trade-off (10-50x enhancement at 15-25% latent heat penalty) that governs all composite designs, the first framework of its kind to make this trade-off explicit and comparable across application domains. Analysis of 294 sources exposes a 15-35% laboratory-to-field performance gap for mature applications and identifies cycling durability beyond 10,000 cycles as the critical unvalidated barrier for building deployment, findings that reframe durability, not material discovery, as the field's principal bottleneck. Across field-validated deployments, PCM-CTES delivers domain-specific performance gains, 15-30% for HVAC load-shifting, up to 56% for envelope integration, 71-91% operating cost reduction in cold-chain transport, and 8-15°C peak temperature reduction in electronics cooling, though no single PCM class performs optimally across domains, underscoring the need for the domain-differentiated selection framework developed here. Future priorities include accelerated-aging protocol standardization with Arrhenius-based lifetime modeling, comprehensive lifecycle assessment, and grid-interactive demand-responsive systems that monetize peak-shaving via time-of-use tariffs.
The widespread presence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems raises concerns for ecological sustainability and human health. This study explores a cost-effective and operationally simple coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) process using tamarind seed (TS) as a natural coagulant or coagulant aid to remove polyamide (PA) MPs. Three coagulant systems, alum, TS and a combined system of alum with TS (alum-TS) were tested. The alum-TS system achieved the highest removal efficiency in a distilled water matrix at pH 7, using 15 mg/L alum and 50mmg/L TS. Optimal CFS parameters include rapid mixing at 200 rpm for 2 min, followed by slow mixing at 50 rpm for 30 min, and a settling phase of 30 min. Fitting the optimized experimental data to Brownian coagulation kinetics indicated that the removal of PA MPs by alum-TS follows second-order kinetics. Increasing MPs concentration, water hardness and anionic surfactants reduced removal efficiency, whereas salinity, cationic surfactants and humic acid improved it up to certain optimal levels. Tests on various water matrices, river, lake, tap water, and municipal wastewater, achieved removal efficiencies between 95.1 ± 0.85 Alum–TS system achieved 98.76
Intensive maize cultivation in the Brantas River basin, East Java, Indonesia, has increased the use of atrazine and phosphate-based fertilizers, raising concerns regarding drinking water safety. This study evaluated the performance of a nanofiltration system for atrazine and total phosphate removal, assessed the influence of coagulant type (Al2(SO4)3 and FeCl3) and biofiltration as pretreatment units, and optimized operational conditions using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Raw water underwent coagulation followed by slow sand biofiltration prior to NF. Membrane fouling was evaluated by monitoring permeate flux decline and further characterized through SEM–EDX analysis of the membrane surface morphology and elemental composition. Statistical evaluation using Design-Expert Version 13 (DX13) indicated that operating time, coagulant type, and biofilter inclusion significantly affected contaminant rejection (p < 0.0001). The optimum configuration, determined at a desirability value of 0.779, consisted of FeCl3 coagulation without biofiltration, operating for 9.828 days. Under these conditions, atrazine and total phosphate rejections reached 74.21
Background: Increased research attention has recently been given to the topic of programming education, due to its significance in promoting students' critical thinking, complex problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills-commonly known as the '4Cs'. In particular, collaborative programming has been recognised as a promising instructional approach to promote students' cognitive competencies in programming education. However, simply offering students opportunities to collaborate will not necessarily improve their 4Cs. Thus, the potential of ChatGPT has been considered to address the drawbacks of conventional collaborative programming and to improve students' cognitive capabilities. Objective: To ascertain whether ChatGPT is a viable instructional tool in collaborative programming, this study proposes the ChatGPT-CIDI (Clarify, Ideate, Develop and Implement) learning model. Methods: A quasi-experimental method was implemented, wherein 61 students from two 12th-grade classes participated. One class (Group One) (n = 28, M-age = 17.25) was assigned to individual-based collaboration using the ChatGPT-CIDI model, while the second class (Group Two) (n = 33, M-age = 17.61) undertook team-based collaboration using the same model. Results and Conclusion: The empirical results demonstrated that this approach significantly improved students' critical thinking in Group One (individual-based), compared to Group Two (team-based). However, neither group experienced significant improvement in their complex problem-solving, creativity, or communication skills. This study concludes with implications for research and practice, while also indicating the research limitations to determine future research directions.
Aim/Purpose This mixed-methods study investigates the effect of a technology-enhanced, learning-oriented assessment (LOA) intervention on the language proficiency of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in China. It seeks to uncover LOA strategies that could effectively enhance students' language learning outcomes in flipped classroom instruction, with special focus on the role of technology in mediating LOA practices. By synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data, this study aims to furnish substantial empirical evidence to validate LOA practices in the specific context of language teaching in TEVT and offer valuable insights into the optimization of technology-enhanced assessment practices within the flipped classroom contexts. Background Learning-oriented assessment prioritizes learning and demonstrates great potential in enhancing learning outcomes and fostering self-directedness. However, concerns have been raised about the practicality of the LOA and its claimed benefits across various contexts owing to reported implementation challenges and inconsistent evidence of its effectiveness in improving learning outcomes. These challenges can be addressed by improving the design of LOA interventions and enhancing the effectiveness of technological support. Methodology A pretest-posttest between-group quasi-experimental design, complemented by focus group discussions and classroom observations, was employed to examine the effects of LOA on language proficiency and to identify effective implementation strategies. The LOA intervention was developed based on Carless's (2007) LOA principles and Jones et al.'s (2016) LOA cycle. Four intact classes were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The modified PRETCO-A test, which had been verified for reliability prior to the intervention, was administered to both groups before and after the 12-week treatment period. Paired-sample and independent-sample t-tests were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to compare the mean scores of overall language proficiency and individual sub-skills within and between groups. Data from the focus groups and classroom observations were analyzed using content and descriptive analyses. Contribution This study contributes empirical evidence on the validity of LOA practice by revealing its positive effects on the specific language skills of TEVT students in an exam-oriented educational setting. By identifying the language skills most strongly enhanced by the LOA intervention and elucidating the challenges encountered and the practical strategies adopted in a flipped classroom, the findings offer valuable insights for researchers and educators seeking to optimize LOA implementation and technology-mediated assessment practices within a flipped classroom context. Particularly, this study advances the understanding of the role of technology in enhancing the LOA process by illustrating how digital tools can integrate assessment, instruction, and learning; enable an action-oriented feedback loop; support more effective assessment task design; and promote rubric-driven peer assessment. Furthermore, it expands the discussion on how the affordance of technology can be leveraged to bolster LOA without compromising academic honesty and fostering student disengagement. Findings Although the independent-samples T tests demonstrated no statistically significant overall gains in TEVT students' language learning outcomes following the LOA intervention, a considerable post-test difference emerged in writing skills (writing, p=0.039), with a small effect size (eta 2=0.0363), and no corresponding pre-test difference. Qualitative evidence from focus group discussions and classroom observations indicated that effective LOA strategies prioritized rubric-driven peer assessment, an action-oriented feedback loop integrating individualized e-feedback and teacher guidance, and protocol-based self-assessment and self-reflection. While technology has enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of the LOA procedure, teachers should remain alert to the risks of academic dishonesty and disengagement associated with technological use. Recommendations for Practitioners When designing LOA tasks, teachers should align them with TVET students' prior knowledge, desired learning outcomes, and future professional needs, ensuring appropriate challenges and relevance. Prior to peer or self-assessment, students should receive training on how to provide effective feedback and this practice needs to be supported by incentives to foster engagement. Well-structured, rubric-driven peer-assessment and protocol-based self- assessment and reflection protocols are recommended to reduce cognitive load and enhance participation. Additionally, instant diagnostic feedback and scaffolding should be provided to students to foster a growth mindset and diminish a grade-oriented mindset. Moreover, despite technological affordances, consistent teacher guidance remains crucial throughout the LOA process. Recommendations for Researchers The research suggests that the impact of LOA may be limited in scope and may vary across dimensions of language proficiency and among diverse learner types. Researchers are recommended to investigate the impact of prolonged interventions across different learner types and diverse pedagogical settings. Although the current study provides valuable quantitative insights, the discussion remains limited in pedagogical scope. More studies are needed to broaden the understanding of technology-enhanced LOA strategies by incorporating learners' perspectives to provide a more comprehensive view of the mediating effects of students' LOA literacy and prior learning experiences on learning outcomes. Moreover, given the growing concerns over academic integrity and student disengagement in technology-mediated assessment observed in this study, researchers are encouraged to explore the strategies that leverage technology to support LOA while simultaneously addressing these issues. Impact on Society The findings provide robust evidence for the validity and practicality of the LOA, particularly the effectiveness of rubric-driven peer assessment, feedback loops, and protocol-based self-assessment and reflection in enhancing language proficiency. This study offers educators valuable insights to optimize LOA implementation, foster pedagogical innovation, and contribute to the broader assessment reform promoted by national educational authorities. It also highlights the potential tensions in technology-mediated assessment, emphasizing the need to balance its benefits with safeguards that ensure academic integrity. Future Research Future research should focus on developing systematic strategies for implementing LOA by further testing its validity and effectiveness across different learner groups and in diverse pedagogical contexts. In addition, the integration of emerging technologies in LOA warrants thorough investigation, particularly regarding their pedagogical affordances and associated ethical considerations.
