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Welcome home? : Finding your (queer) place in Scotland and in STEM
No full textBoth innovation in the sciences and advancements towards greater equity and inclusion, particularly in education, have underpinned Scotland’s efforts to emerge as a progressive nation and differentiate Scottish identity across borders both within and beyond the UK. This is evident in Scotland’s early instigation of the repeal of Section 28, and the ongoing commitment to develop LGBTQ-inclusive education curricula. Additionally, Scotland has been at the forefront of the current efforts to address equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Without critical approaches, this ongoing repositioning of Scotland’s universities as enlightened institutions risks erasing both the new and the enduring ways that LGBTQ+ people experience oppression in supposedly progressive places. In this chapter, we explore queer people’s experiences in STEM environments where these tensions collide, normative ideas about queerness are reproduced by professional and institutional cultures, and new possibilities are created. Based on focus groups and interviews with academics and PhD students at universities in Scotland, we take a closer look, through intersectional and queer theory lenses, at the ways STEM environments reshape queerness and the multiple, contingent ways participants negotiate systemic and interlocking oppressions and inclusion. We explore our participants' experiences of navigating their queer place and we conclude by highlighting their attempts to create what feels like home for their queer identities both in Scotland and in STEM
Oral cholera vaccine uptake, acceptance and confidence among residents of a high-risk township in Zambia : key insights for future vaccination programs
Get PDFBackground: Oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) prevent cholera and save lives. Given the recent 2024 country-wide cholera epidemic in Zambia, we determined self-reported OCV uptake, acceptance and confidence among adults living in a high-risk, cholera-prone township in Zambia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from April to August 2024, involving 385 randomly selected adult participants residing in the Kanyama township of Lusaka, Zambia. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and statistically analysed. Results: Self-reported uptake of at least one dose of the OCV was 18%, with the majority (315 [82%]) reporting being unvaccinated against cholera. Among those who were unvaccinated, vaccine acceptance was <10% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8 to 13.7), with higher rates reported among women than men (p=0.002). Despite this, the majority (210 [84.3%]) expressed confidence in the vaccination program. Those knowledgeable about the OCV were twice as likely to get vaccinated (adjusted odds ratio 2.60 [95% CI 1.19 to 5.68]). Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions were associated with OCV uptake. Conclusions: Self-reported OCV uptake and acceptance were low in a high-risk cholera-prone township in Zambia. Community education on the benefits of the vaccine is urgently needed to enhance confidence and attitudes towards the OCV and improve vaccination rates in the future
Health prognostics and maintenance decision-making for wind energy : A comprehensive overview
Get PDFAs wind power installations continue to expand rapidly, ensuring reliable and cost-effective Operation and Maintenance (O&M) over the wind turbine lifetime has become increasingly important. With the development of Industry 4.0, predicting the health status of wind turbines and making informed maintenance decisions has become an urgent challenge that must be addressed to enable the next generation of O&M paradigms. This paper starts with presenting a comprehensive review of health prognostics for wind turbines. Existing approaches are generally divided into two main categories: (1) model-based methods, including physics-based and knowledge-based approaches, and (2) data-driven methods, which encompass statistical methods as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based methods, including both traditional and emerging AI methods. Subsequently, the maintenance decision-making problem informed by wind turbine health information is systematically summarized, with a particular focus on the historical evolution, problem formulation, data challenges, modeling techniques, optimization objectives, and solving techniques. Finally, key open challenges in the context of future digital and intelligent O&M are highlighted, and potential research directions are outlined to address these challenges
Screening of mine shafts for future energy technologies : a case study from the Scottish coalfields
Get PDFAbandoned mine shafts could be retrofitted for future energy technologies. We provide a high-level assessment of the potential for recorded mine shafts in the Scottish coalfields to be utilized for seven future technologies: geothermal heat extraction, thermal energy storage for waste heat and curtailed wind energy, gravity storage, underground pumped storage, compressed air energy storage, and CO2 loop power generation. Screening is based on depth, volume and geographical criteria using GIS data from the Mining Remediation Authority. The theoretical resource was estimated for the 6298 shafts that had information on depth and diameter. Heat extraction and thermal energy storage have potential capacities of 45 and 33 GWh, respectively. Nearly 10 GWh of surplus electricity could be stored as heat in 288 mine shafts within 1 km of a primary substation. The capacities of potential energy storage technologies were considerably lower. We apply the concept of reserve and resource commonly used in extractive industries to illustrate the theoretical resource. However many of these shafts may be inaccessible, have incurred damage that renders them unusable, or require significant engineering intervention. If this resource is to be realized as reserves, future work should focus on identifying and testing safe technological solutions
A 'snapshot' of engineering practitioners views of ChatGPT-informing pedagogy in higher education
Get PDFA new discourse has proliferated in teaching and learning committee meetings- Large Language Models (LLMs), most commonly Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT). ChatGPT ‘went viral’ across HEIs during 2022 and it could be said that for academics, this has been more ‘shock’ than ‘awe’. A shock that this Artificial Intelligence (AI) software can generate semi-credible coursework, and that students have swiftly enacted their agency. In this paper we take an ‘employability’ lens on ChatGPT and contribute to a growing body of research on AI within HEIs. Through understanding how employers and their employees are adopting LLMs in their workplace. Our Qualtrics survey of practicing engineers (N = 86) was undertaken over a four-week period during the period June-July 2023 and provides a ‘snapshot’ in time. That is, given the rapidity of how ChatGPT is metamorphosing, our data and subsequent conclusions are attributable to a version ChatGPT 3-3.5 in use during this period
Atomistic insights into the superior interfacial mechanics of basalt fiber–reinforced cementitious nanocomposite
Get PDFThe interfacial performance of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites is a key determinant of their mechanical properties, yet the interfacial interaction mechanisms between fibers and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) matrix still require in-depth investigation at the atomic scale. In this atomistic simulation study, it is demonstrated that basalt fiber (BF) significantly outperforms glass fiber (GF) in enhancing the interfacial mechanical properties of fiber/C-S-H nanocomposite system. The novelties of this study are (i) identifying Fe- and Mg-driven interfacial bonding mechanisms as the origin of BF's superior reinforcement ability and (ii) quantitatively demonstrating BF's mechanical advantages over GF under both tension and shear. Compared to GF, BF forms an enriched and densely packed interfacial transition zone (ITZ) containing unique Fe and Mg in addition to Si, Al, and Ca, which facilitates a broader and stronger bonding network with C-S-H matrix. As a result, the interfacial binding energy of BF/C-S-H system is 22% higher than that of GF/C-S-H. Under uniaxial tension, BF/C-S-H exhibits superior mechanical performance compared to GF/C-S-H, including 16% improvement in tensile strength, 82% increase in failure displacement, and 64% enhancement in fracture toughness. Besides, the higher stress transfer efficiency across the BF/C-S-H interface results in fracture occurring near the interface, whereas fracture in GF/C-S-H occurs within the C-S-H phase. Despite the slightly lower shear strength, the fracture toughness and failure displacement of BF/C-S-H are 26% and 38% greater than those of GF/C-S-H under simple shear. The enhanced shear-induced atomic mobility due to the inclusion of Fe and Mg in BF facilitates the atomic rearrangement, which leads to greater energy dissipation during the shear deformation of BF/C-S-H, thereby effectively delaying the shear fracture. These findings provide atomic-scale insights into the superior mechanical reinforcement capability of BF and offer valuable guidance for designing mechanically robust fiber-reinforced cementitious composites
Unveiling the unprecedented optical properties of citrate-stabilized hollow AgAu nanoshells under photothermal irradiation
No full textMetallic nanoshells heat efficiently on excitation of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Whilst investigating the photothermal properties of citrate-stabilized hollow gold nanoshells (HGNs) synthesized using a sacrificial silver nanoparticle (AgNPs), the LSPR undergoes a distinct blueshift (70 ± 20 nm (0.20 ± 0.06 eV)) when photothermally irradiated. Notably, when functionalized with a Raman reporter, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal unexpectedly and dramatically increases 8 ± 2-fold upon plasmonic heating, despite the LSPR shifting away from the excitation wavelength. This unprecedented enhancement of the SERS signal is absent in samples lacking citrate or prepared using a cobalt nanoparticle template, underscoring the importance of citrate, heat, and AgNPs in eliciting these effects. It is hypothesized that aqueous silver ions near the surface of the HGNs react with the citrate and form a complex that is both light and temperature sensitive. The formation of silver deposits, observed by electron microscopy, alters the core-to-shell thickness ratio, resulting in a blueshift in the LSPR, and change the scattering to absorption properties, enabling an improved SERS performance. This new optical phenomenon has now been understood and will be of significant interest to future studies in harnessing the properties of HGNs
Stoimenow matchings avoiding multiple Catalan patterns simultaneously
Get PDFMotivated by Vassiliev's knot invariants, Stoimenow introduced a special class of matchings, now known as Stoimenow matchings. These matchings have since been linked to various combinatorial structures enumerated by the Fishburn numbers. In a recent paper, a problem posed by Bevan et al. was addressed concerning the identification of subsets of Stoimenow matchings counted by the Catalan numbers. Five such subsets were presented, each defined by the avoidance of a single pattern, referred to as a Catalan pattern, within Stoimenow matchings. In the present paper, we extend this line of research by enumerating all cases of simultaneous avoidance of sets of Catalan patterns in Stoimenow matchings. This comprehensive analysis reveals connections to nine integer sequences listed in the OEIS
Leadership for wellbeing : how a Scottish secondary school embeds whole school health and wellbeing promotion
Get PDFPurpose Leadership is considered essential for successful implementation of whole-school health and wellbeing (HWB). However, individual schools face unique contextual factors which can enable or constrain action, for example, schools serving pupils from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, this study explores how school leaders adapt HWB practices to suit their local context and identifies leadership practices perceived by staff to support whole-school HWB promotion, which may inform future research, policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach Twelve educators were purposively recruited from a Scottish secondary school serving primarily affluent pupils, but with a minority of lower socioeconomic pupils. Participants were invited to take part in qualitative, semi-structured interviews and data were thematically analysed to gain insight into school context and HWB practices. Findings School leaders emphasised three key actions: communication, sharing power and provision of resource, and these efforts enabled leadership to drive shifts in organisational ethos, foster collegial relationships and encourage participative decision-making. These efforts were perceived by staff to enable whole-school HWB promotion and suggest that leaders were able to synthesise different leadership styles and practices to embed HWB across the school. Originality/value There is limited research, in Scotland or internationally, exploring socioeconomic composition and how it may impact school leaders’ thinking and practices to support HWB in schools serving pupils from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. This study explores this unique context to gain insight into how leaders responsively adapt school HWB practices when there is more socioeconomic diversity
Oxygen reduction reaction activity and durability of Pt-Ta-Co ternary catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells
Get PDFEnhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability of cathode electrocatalysts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) will be crucial for the implementation of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Here, ternary Pt-Ta-Co catalysts are developed, in which platinum, tantalum, and cobalt components are co-decorated onto a carbon support. During synthesis, the tantalum-containing electrocatalysts phase-separate into Pt-Co alloy nanoparticles and TaOx phases, forming a nanocomposite structure. The presence of tantalum oxide suppresses Pt-Co particle growth during high-temperature synthesis (leading to high initial activity) and during load cycling (suppressing Pt-Co agglomeration and ripening). Furthermore, the presence of TaOx phases prevents direct contact between the catalyst nanoparticles and the carbon support, preventing carbon corrosion during start-stop cycling. Overall, Pt-Ta-Co catalysts presented outperform conventional Pt/carbon catalysts in terms of both initial activity and durability. This work paves the way for the design of next-generation PEFCs for FCEVs
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