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Chemistry Education for Climate Empowerment and Action
No full textUrgent action is needed across the world to combat climate change and its impact on the social, economic, and environmental well-being of humans and the planet. This important topic is one that is a priority for integration into chemistry classrooms, laboratories, and outreach efforts. It connects strongly to foundational chemistry concepts and highlights the critical role chemistry will play in finding solutions to the many challenges faced in reducing greenhouse gases due to human activity. This Special Issue presents a broad collection of efforts by chemistry educators across the globe to create innovative ways to motivate and inspire students and preservice teachers with the relevant chemistry knowledge, climate literacy, and scientific responsibility needed for climate action. A range of interactive tools, active-learning methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches provide a wealth of resources for a broad range of teaching environments and ideas for instructors seeking to incorporate climate education and instill advocacy into chemistry programs
The Pain of Thinking at Light Speed: Posthuman Play as Response to “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream"
Full text linkSearching for solutions to the coming extinction brought on by the anthropocene, some turn their attention to increasingly powerful computation. Billionaires, transhumanists but also James Lovelock write of technological salvation as a solution to climate destruction. In contrast to this, apocalyptic science fiction warns against placing too much faith in supercomputers. Harlan Ellison’s short story “I have no Mouth and I Must Scream” serves as a starting point for discussing digital technologies in and after the Anthropocene. I suggest – with reference to both Ellison’s short story and the videogame inspired by it – that supercomputation is unlikely to be a viable solution to humanity’s extinction. Thinking as a supercomputer, looking for answers at light speed, the solution would emerge, as in Ellison’s work, that humanity is already doomed. Instead, embracing a rejection of standard of duration and experience, I champion an emphasis on the possibility, necessity, and unique power of play and making ‘odd kin’ in the face of a computationally unavoidable Armageddon
Promoting Treaties in Nigeria and Operationalising the Singapore Convention on Mediation
Full text linkIn Nigeria, the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (2018) has entered into force. This Convention was incorporated or domesticated by referring to it in the Arbitration and Mediation Act (2023), but statutes are often dedicated to the domestication of treaties. There is no consensus on the most pragmatic way(s) to facilitate Nigerian treaty engagement. This article examines the Nigerian legal regime on treaties and explores the extent to which the regime can be maximised considering the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969). A case is made for a principled basis to underpin the domestication of treaties that facilitate international business, including dispute resolution treaties. This analytical basis should enable legislative flexibility already woven into the overarching legal regime. The article articulates how such flexibility can be used to promote the operationalisation of relevant treaties using the Arbitration and Mediation Act as a paradigm
Autism and Dementia: A Summative Report from the 2nd International Summit on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia
Full text linkThis article synthesizes findings, from the Autism/Dementia Work Group of the 2nd International Summit on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia, on the nature of autism/autism spectrum disorder and later-age neuropathologies, particularly dementia. The convened group of experts explored genetic, neurobiological, and environmental risk factors that may affect the lifespan and lived experiences of older adults with autism. A review of current literature indicates a lack of comprehensive information on the demographics and factors associated with aging in autistic adults. However, our understanding of autism is evolving, challenging traditional views of it as a static, inherited neurodevelopmental disorder. The relationship between autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions—such as Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex—reflects the complex genetic landscape of neurodevelopmental disorders. These genetic and familial factors may contribute to progressive health challenges and cognitive decline in later life. Key findings reveal a complex link between autism and dementia, despite limited research on this relationship, particularly among older adults. The overall prevalence of dementia in this population appears to be influenced by co-occurring intellectual disabilities, particularly Down syndrome. While the association between autism and specific types of dementia is still not well understood, the reviewed evidence suggests a notable connection with frontotemporal dementia, although causality has not been established. Exploration of biomarkers may offer further insights. Currently, the relationship between autism, cognitive health, and cognitive decline in older adults remains a complex and underexplored area of researc
Technology adoption and skills changes in Scottish manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
Full text linkThe aim of this research is to explore and analyse ways in which new technology adoption changes skills utilisation in Scottish manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs). An array of large-scale studies, such as Osbourne and Frey (2013); Arntz et al. (2016); and Thomas and Gunson (2017), examine the disruptive effects of technological innovations on jobs, and consequently, skills. This research, however, highlights the need for a more nuanced view on technologies when examining technology adoption and skills changes. To gain a better understanding of the diverse effects of different technologies, the implementation of two types of technologies (namely management system technologies and automation) and their consequent effects on skills utilisation are compared. Following the social shaping of technology approach (Howcroft and Taylor, 2014), the research explores changes to skills utilisation at the intersection of people, technology and organisational context, to better understand the variety of skills changes that can happen in an organisation after technology adoption. For this, the study adopts a qualitative research method, including interviews with sectoral stakeholders and policymakers in the Scottish manufacturing sector; and case studies on four manufacturing SMEs that recently adopted new technologies.
The research finds that across the four case organisations, all group of workers experienced positive skills changes, with the most common skills utilisation change being the higher extent use of workers’ pre-existing skills. In support of the social shaping of technology approach, the research showed that technology-driven outcomes are not pre-determined, and the choices that employers make regarding technology adoption and skills utilisation in the organisation are influenced by an array of contextual factors.
Overall, the research contributes to the evidence base on the impact of technology adoption on skills utilisation. By demonstrating the mutual interdependency of technology, people and organisation, the research supported the social shaping of technology literature and further developed the approach by offering an alternative explanation for the key driver behind managerial choices in relation to technology adoption and consequent skills utilisation. In addition, the study also contributes to skills research on the effect of technological change. By exploring the effects of technology adoption at the organisational level, the research highlighted the influential role of contextual factors in the interplay of technology and skills and demonstrated nuanced skills utilisation changes in the case organisations that go beyond the quantitative changes in the division of work between technology and people
Development time for the no/lo drinks market in GB (2011 to 2022)
Full text linkIssue: There is a growing alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks market in Great Britain. Insight about when this emerged and how it has developed is needed to inform and interpret the growing body of research into the use of no/lo drinks. We therefore document the development of the no/lo market in Great Britain between 2011 and 2022 and examine which stakeholders have been involved in development and what actions they have taken. Approach: Narrative timelines created through a documentary review of trade magazines (2011–2022) and market intelligence reports (2015–2022), focusing on product launches, marketing activity, industry changes, retailer actions, governmental actions and third sector activity. Findings: A mainstream no/lo market emerged and established from 2015, with activity thereafter characterised by intensive market entry, expansion, and consolidation among both independent producers and mainstream alcohol brands. While initial development concentrated on beers, innovation has since proliferated across the cider, spirits, wine and ready-to-drink categories. Development appears predominately driven by market forces (e.g., product launches and marketing), with January a focal point of activity. Government has not introduced any legislation around no/lo drinks, although it has consulted on appropriate no/lo descriptors (in 2018) and committed (in 2019) to work with industry to grow the no/lo market. Implications and Conclusions: While initial development in the no/lo market concentrated on beers, recent developments across categories, coupled with continued consolidation and expansion among beers, suggest the market may still develop further. Any assessment of the public health impact of no/lo drinks should be subject to longer-term follow-up once the market matures.Good Health and Well-Bein
Identifying innovative approaches to the temporal availability of alcohol in Great Britain – a policy analysis.
Full text linkBackground In Great Britain, local authorities responsible for alcohol premises licensing produce a statement of licensing policy setting out how they intend to exercise their statutory licensing functions including on trading hours. We aimed to describe and compare these policies on alcohol trading hours, including their interpretation and application of laws and guidance. Methods Policies were obtained from the websites of all 366 local licensing authorities and uploaded to NVivo. Using content analysis, relevant text was located through manual searching and coded inductively. Results Many local authorities do not explicitly seek to place controls on trading hours, while others create complex circumstances under which extended hours may be granted. Setting out core or matrix hours is the best example in the findings of local authorities applying their limited discretion to implement the law in ways that suit their needs. Conclusion Although licensing is ostensibly a policy system devolved to local areas, power remains at the centre in national legislation and guidance. Resultantly, local discretion is highly constrained especially in England/Wales. There is a need to attend to the details of statutory instruments to understand how headline principles and objectives can be made workable in practice for local authorities and board
Rethinking ‘recovery’: A comparative qualitative analysis of experiences of Intensive Care with COVID and Long Covid in the United Kingdom
Full text linkIntroduction Interpretations of ‘recovery’ from illness are complex and influenced by many factors, not least patient expectations and experiences. This paper examines meanings of ‘recovery’, and how it is strived towards, drawing on the example of COVID-19 infection. Methods Drawing on qualitative interviews (n = 93) conducted in the UK between February 2021 and July 2022, we compare adults' accounts of being admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with COVID-19 to accounts of being ill with Long COVID, defined as ongoing symptoms for at least 12 weeks postinfection. We conducted a multi-stage comparative analysis using Nvivo to organise and code the data. Results We identified similarities and differences in participants' descriptions of their ‘worlds of illness’. For both groups, perceptions of recovery were shaped by the novel, unknown nature of COVID-19. Participants questioned the achievability of full restoration of prior states of health, highlighted the heterogeneity of ‘recovery trajectories’ and described the hard physical and emotional work of adjusting to changed selves. Themes that revealed differences in ‘worlds of illness’ described included the different baselines, waymarkers, and pathways of illness experiences. Differences in other people's responses to their illness were also evident. For ICU participants, hospitalisation, and especially ICU admission, conferred legitimate patient status and authenticity to their symptoms. Family, friends and healthcare professionals acknowledged their illness, celebrated their survival, and granted them latitude to recover. For Long Covid participants, their patient status often lacked comparable authenticity in others' eyes. They reported encountering a lack of recognition and understanding of their ongoing need to recover
Investigating the association between health vulnerabilities and police enforcement during the Covid-19 pandemic: A novel study using linked administrative data in Scotland
Full text linkPublic health regulations introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic placed unprecedented restrictions on the U.K. public. To maximise compliance with the regulations, new policing powers were introduced enabling officers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to those believed to have breached them. In Scotland, where over 20,000 Covid-FPNs were issued for regulatory breaches, police officers reported particular challenges dealing with non-compliance amongst people with health vulnerabilities involving mental illness and substance use. Health studies suggest that people with such conditions were most severely impacted by the pandemic in a whole range of ways; however, there are no existing studies on whether this includes police use of enforcement. Our study addresses this gap using linked administrative data from police and health organisations in Scotland. Using a case-control design, we found that people who had accessed health services for psychiatric conditions or substance use were more likely to have received a Covid-FPN, especially during the first lockdown. The strength of this association was greatest amongst people with multiple health conditions and those accessing health services both before and during the pandemic. The findings suggest the new policing powers impacted disproportionately on people suffering from mental illness and/or addictions and point to a previously unidentified justice inequality. This novel administrative data linkage study highlights the importance of taking health vulnerabilities into greater consideration when planning for future pandemic preparedness
Exploring the link between spectra, inherent optical properties in the water column, and sea surface temperature and salinity
Full text linkSea surface salinity and temperature are important measures of ocean health. They provide information about ocean warming, atmospheric interactions, and acidification, with further effects on the global thermohaline circulation and as a consequence the global water cycle. In coastal waters they provide information about sub mesoscale circulations and tidal currents, riverine discharge and upwelling effects. This paper explores the methodology to extract sea surface salinity (SSS) and temperature (SST) from ground based hyperspectral ocean radiance. Water leaving radiance is linked to the inherent optical properties of the water column, effected by the constituent parts. Hyperspectral data at ground level is then used as input to train a linear regression model against temporally and spatially matched water data of SSS and SST. Furthermore, a neural network model to be able to estimate the SST and SSS with the hyperspectral data averaged to multispectral bands to emulate the satellite use case. The neural network model is able to learn the relationship between the multispectral radiance to both SSS and SST values, and can predict these with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.2PSU and 0.1 degree respectively. This demonstrates the feasibility of similar algorithms applied to multispectral ocean colour satellites with enhanced coverage and spatial resolution
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