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In alignment with the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDG s), nuclear science and technology (NST) significantly contributes to nine out of seventeen SDG s. As an integral component of nuclear human resource development (HRD), it is imperative to introduce young students to NST through effective STEAM or STEM methodologies. However, Thailand's progress in NST literacy and public awareness has been suboptimal, despite over five decades of nuclear HRD initiatives. While various nuclear-related organizations have undertaken numerous activities, their lack of coordination and comprehensiveness poses challenges for sustainable development. To address this, concerted efforts must involve collaboration with schoolteachers to integrate NST into the national science curriculum and syllabus. This entails a review and revision process aimed at incorporating more hands-on experiments to ignite students' curiosity and enthusiasm for NST. Through strategic planning and implementation, Thai students will develop a deeper familiarity with NST, thereby enhancing their overall NST literacy and contributing to the nation's sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new promising nuclear technique to determine the coal-ash content was investigated using a bismuth germinate (BGO) detector instead of a sodium iodide-thallium [NaI(Tl)] detector for the dual-energy gamma-ray transmission (DEGT) measurements at 59.6 and 661.7 keV. The peak detection efficiency of the high-energy gamma-ray radiation was about two- to three-fold higher when using a BGO than a NaI(Tl) detector. This would increase the potential operation safety by allowing the use of a lower radioactivity level or a shorter measurement time. To analyze the coal-ash content using DEGT, the relationship between the transmittance ratios and the coal-ash content was successfully achieved as a linear equation, while the coal-ash contents determined by DEGT were in a very good agreement with those determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and standard chemical ASTM3174 methods, showing a highly linear relationship. In brief, the DEGT at 59.6 and 661.7 keV using a BGO detector could be developed to be a new promising approach to determine the coal-ash content as a real-time and on-belt analysis or a portable device in further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present MOVPE-grown, high-quality Al x Ga1− x N layers with Al content up to x=0.65 on Si (111) substrates. Crack-free layers with smooth surface and low defect density are obtained with optimized AlN-based seeding and buffer layers. High-temperature AlN seeding layers and (low temperature (LT)/high temperature (HT)) AlN-based superlattices (SLs) as buffer layers are efficient in reducing the dislocation density and in-plane residual strain. The crystalline quality of Al x Ga1− x N was characterized by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD). With optimized AlN-based seeding and SL buffer layers, best ω-FWHMs of the (0002) reflection of 540 and 1400arcsec for the (101¯0) reflection were achieved for a ∼1-μm-thick Al0.1Ga0.9N layer and 1010 and 1560arcsec for the (0002) and (101¯0) reflection of a ∼500-nm-thick Al0.65Ga0.35N layer. AFM and FE-SEM measurements were used to study the surface morphology and TEM cross-section measurements to determine the dislocation behaviour. With a high crystalline quality and good optical properties, Al x Ga1− x N layers can be applied to grow electronic and optoelectronic device structures on silicon substrates in further investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]