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Textile‐based triboelectric nanogenerators integrated with 2D materials
Get PDFThe human body continuously generates ambient mechanical energy through diverse movements, such as walking and cycling, which can be harvested via various renewable energy harvesting mechanisms. Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) stands out as one of the most promising emerging renewable energy harvesting technologies for wearable applications due to its ability to harness various forms of mechanical energies, including vibrations, pressure, and rotations, and convert them into electricity. However, their application is limited due to challenges in achieving performance, flexibility, low power consumption, and durability. Here, we present a robust and high‐performance self‐powered system integrated into cotton fabric by incorporating a textile‐based triboelectric nanogenerator (T‐TENG) based on 2D materials, addressing both energy harvesting and storage. The proposed system extracts significant ambient mechanical energy from human body movements and stores it in a textile supercapacitor (T‐Supercap). The integration of 2D materials (graphene and MoS2) in fabrication enhances the performance of T‐TENG significantly, as demonstrated by a record‐high open‐circuit voltage of 1068 V and a power density of 14.64 W/m2 under a force of 22 N. The developed T‐TENG in this study effectively powers 200+ LEDs and a miniature watch while also charging the T‐Supercap with 4‐5 N force for efficient miniature electronics operation. Integrated as a step counter within a sock, the T‐TENG serves as a self‐powered step counter sensor. This work establishes a promising platform for wearable electronic textiles, contributing significantly to the advancement of sustainable and autonomous self‐powered wearable technologies. imag
Awake craniotomy with English and British Sign Language mapping in a patient with a left temporal glioblastoma reveals discordant speech-sign language maps
Get PDFThe aim of this case study was to describe differences in English and British Sign Language (BSL) communication caused by a left temporal tumour resulting in discordant presentation of symptoms, intraoperative stimulation mapping during awake craniotomy and post-operative language abilities. We report the first case of a hearing child of deaf adults, who acquired BSL with English as a second language. The patient presented with English word finding difficulty, phonemic paraphasias, and reading and writing challenges, with BSL preserved. Intraoperatively, object naming and semantic fluency tasks were performed in English and BSL, revealing differential language maps for each modality. Post-operative assessment confirmed mild dysphasia for English with BSL preserved. These findings suggest that in hearing people who acquire a signed language as a first language, topographical organisation may differ to that of a second, spoken, language
From a candle to content creation
Get PDFThis article gives a short tour through the changing faces of science communication, including dissemination, public understanding of science and public engagement with science and technology to engaged research
Retail company voluntary arrangements: A dubious remedy?
Get PDFDespite much debate on Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVA) among UK retailers, understanding of retail CVAs remains limited. There is continuing uncertainty about the uptake of CVAs, what aspects lead to successful outcomes and whether CVAs can be viewed as a remedy for struggling UK retailers. To address these questions, we developed and analysed a novel and detailed dataset of Companies House records for the population of retailers' CVAs between mid‐2012 and early 2021. We find that CVAs, despite detrimental impacts on other actors (landlords and suppliers), can be a useful tool for some retailers in adjusting to the new market conditions. The uptake of CVAs among retailers is stable, though not among large retailers. Retail CVAs help to avoid immediate business failure, but we found limited evidence of the success and efficient longer term outcome of the procedure, suggesting that alternative methods could be considered. The success and efficiency of CVA do not seem to depend on the size of the business, but there are variations in both the uptake and efficiency of CVAs across retail sub‐sectors. This suggests that a range of mechanisms are required to cater to the different needs across retail categories. Despite the market challenges, CVAs are not prolonged on average. However, longer duration CVAs seem to have a lower chance of succeeding and of being efficient implying that CVA cannot remedy fundamental business issues. Finally, we observed differences related to who oversees the procedure, suggesting that greater emphasis should be put on upskilling and selection of insolvency practitioners
Re-thinking housing inspection and regulation: Using 360 technology as a new approach in environmental health practice training
Get PDFFront-line professions such as environmental health require practitioners to demonstrate competence in practice-based skills typically gained only through on-the-job experience. However, practice opportunities have been more scarce, owing mainly to austerity but also to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, so necessitating novel approaches to teaching and learning. 360 technology has recently emerged as a possible solution, but its potential for use in an environmental health setting, such as housing inspection and regulation, is virtually unknown. This study involved the use of a 360-degree camera to record a simulated walkthrough and mock inspection of a two-storey house. These 'photospheres' were demonstrated to under-and postgraduate students, who were then surveyed online to explore their attitudes towards the use of this technology as a training method. Analysis of the questionnaire responses revealed four self-reported themes: experience of housing regulation and enforcement practice and training; experiences of 360 technology in housing inspection practice and enforcement; attitudes towards using 360 technology versus traditional photograph and filming methods for experiential learning, training and practice purposes; and attitudes towards the application of 360 technology for experiential learning and training purposes in housing inspection enforcement and regulation. The results indicated that students found this a helpful and flexible tool, particularly valuing its immersive nature, both for initial training and continuing professional development (CPD) in housing inspections and interventions. It has wider applicability to other frontline professional practices and requires further development to help shape new forms of training
Self-reported anticipated harm from drinking water across 141 countries
Get PDFPerceptions of drinking water safety shape numerous health-related behaviors and attitudes, including water use and valuation, but they are not typically measured. We therefore characterize self-reported anticipated harm from drinking water in 141 countries using nationally representative survey data from the World Risk Poll (n = 148,585 individuals) and identify national- and individual-level predictors. We find that more than half (52.3%) of adults across sampled countries anticipate serious harm from drinking water in the next two years. The prevalence of self-reported anticipated harm is higher among women (relative to men), urban (relative to rural) residents, individuals with self-reported financial difficulties (relative to those getting by on their present income), and individuals with more years of education. In a country-level multivariable model, the percentage of the population reporting recent harm from drinking water, percentage of deaths attributable to unsafe water, and perceptions of public-sector corruption are associated with the prevalence of self-reported anticipated harm. Consideration of users’ perspectives, particularly with respect to trust in the safety and governance of water services, is critical for promoting effective water resource management and ensuring the use, safety, and sustainability of water services
Flood susceptibility assessment for improving the resilience capacity of railway infrastructure networks
Get PDFFloods often cause significant damage to transportation infrastructure such as roads, railways, and bridges. This study identifies several topographic, environmental, and hydrological factors (slope, elevation, rainfall, land use and cover, distance from rivers, geology, topographic wetness index, and drainage density) influencing the safety of the railway infrastructure and uses multi-criteria analysis (MCA) alongside an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to produce flood susceptibility maps within a geographic information system (GIS). The proposed methodology was applied to the catchment area of a railway track in southern Italy that was heavily affected by a destructive flood that occurred in the autumn of 2015. Two susceptibility maps were obtained, one based on static geophysical factors and another including triggering rainfall (dynamic). The results showed that large portions of the railway line are in a very highly susceptible zone. The flood susceptibility maps were found to be in good agreement with the post-disaster flood-induced infrastructural damage recorded along the railway, whilst the official inundation maps from competent authorities fail to supply information about flooding occurring along secondary tributaries and from direct rainfall. The reliable identification of sites susceptible to floods and damage may provide railway and environmental authorities with useful information for preparing disaster management action plans, risk analysis, and targeted infrastructure maintenance/monitoring programs, improving the resilience capacity of the railway network. The proposed approach may offer railway authorities a cost-effective strategy for rapidly screening flood susceptibility at regional/national levels and could also be applied to other types of linear transport infrastructures
Printing Technologies and Applications: A Multidisciplinary Roadmap
No full textPrint plays a vital role in our lives. It provides the means to communicate messages cheaply and with impact. It is an important vehicle for advertising, education, entertainment, information and plays a substantial role in modern manufacturing. Even though it is still mostly done on paper, print is applied to all kinds of substrates, from silk to steel, from plastic to glass. In the book the interactions between printing method, ink and substrate surface will be discussed in order to achieve optimal results and durability
Convenors’ note – Biotextiles and sustainable textiles
Get PDFThe environmental implications of textile practice are a critical consideration for contemporary design and research. As an industry where toxicity, pollution, waste, and resource depletion are devastating problems, alongside exploitative use of resources and people, material choices and their processing play a pivotal role in determining the environmental impact of textiles. As we begin to see a great focus on mitigating these impacts within industry, the Biotextiles and Sustainable Textiles track at the Textile Intersections Conference 2023, aimed to highlight an emerging wave of researchers, who are developing novel strategies to work with nature, not against it. A principle common to many global cultures and communities, but one that is less common in relation to industrial and R&D strategies.In this emerging and vital area of research we see many developments that explore the associations between textiles and nature, as well as bioprocesses in connection to textiles. For example, growing textiles, or bioelectronics for medical applications. This track invited papers that address the relationship between organic and inorganic, textile biomimetics, biobased structures and processes for material applications and beyond, towards improving sustainable and circular aspects of textile practices and production
Why children need to read about plants at a time of climate change
Get PDFWe begin developing our relationship with and for Nature during childhood, and over the last 20 years research has advanced our understanding of human relationships with Nature. However, a focus on human-animal relationships dominates environmental understanding, including through the medium of literature, especially children’s literature. It is critical that children know, engage with and care for plants at this time of climate crisis and this could be facilitated through climate literature. The popularity of children’s climate fiction has increased dramatically in the last few years due to what publishers are calling the ‘Greta Thunberg effect’ – resulting in many more books now available that aim to empower young people to save the planet. However, in these texts, we argue that there is still an emphasis on animal and human consequences of climate change rather than on those of plants and the agency of plants (or lack thereof). We argue it is imperative that children understand not just the importance of human-animal relationships in regard to the climate crisis, but also the fundamental role of botanical life forms in preserving life on Earth. Taking three recently published children’s books of fiction we consider how botanical encounters are represented in these texts, and how this can undermine the perceived environmental importance of plants and people’s relationships with them. Informed by the recent work of Lykke Guanio-Uluru (2020), we consider the position plants play in these examples of contemporary children’s climate literature and encourage a more critical consideration of the place of plants