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Who Benefits from Migration Bans?
Get PDFPublished: August 10, 2024. Updated::August 11, 2024 17:12. Bhagat is a Lecturer in Political Geography at Brunel University London. Mademba is a Researcher in Caste and Gender Marginalisation. Neupane is a politico-economic analyst.It’s time to abolish migration bans on domestic work and regulate the actors profiting from these policies.Gerda Henkel Stiftung grant ref: AZ 14/FM/23 Grant: Forced Migrant Labourers: A Study of Abandonment, Desertion and ‘Strandedness’ in Nepal
A Working Week Simulation Approach to Forecast Personal Well-Being
Get PDFBillions of people work every week. Forecasting which tasks gets done in a working week is important because it could help workers understand (i) whether their workload is manageable and (ii) which task scheduling approach helps to maximize the amount of work done and/or minimize the negative consequences of unfinished work. Here we present a working week simulation prototype, R2, and showcase how it can be used to forecast the working week for three archetypical workers. We show that R2 forecasts are sensitive to different task loads, task scheduling strategies and different levels of emerging work complications. We also highlight how R2 supports a new type of validation setting, namely that of user self-validation, and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of this new validation approach. We provide R2 as an online platform to allow users to create their own worker profile and task lists, and believe the tool could serve as a starting point for more in-depth research efforts on user-centric working week modelling
The mind and motion: exploring the interplay between physical activity and Mild Behavioral Impairment in dementia-free older adults
Get PDFSupplemental material is available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540261.2024.2360561#supplemental-material-section .Physical inactivity in mid-life is a modifiable risk factor for dementia. Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is a marker of potential neurodegenerative disease. We investigated the association between physical activity and MBI. Baseline data from the Canadian Platform for Research Online to Investigate Health, Quality of Life, Cognition, Behaviour, Function, and Caregiving in Aging (CAN-PROTECT) were used. Four categories of weekly physical activity (cardiovascular, mind-body, strength training, and physical labour) were derived from the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors questionnaire. MBI was measured using the MBI-Checklist. Multivariable negative binomial regressions modelled the association between the standardized physical activity duration and MBI severity, adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, ethno cultural origin, occupation, hypertension, dyslipidemia, mobility, and body mass index. Every 1 SD increase in cardiovascular activity was associated with 8.42% lower MBI severity. In contrast, every 1 SD increase in physical labor duration was associated with 5.64% greater MBI severity. These associations were neither moderated by the frequency engaging in each physical activity nor by sex. Cardiovascular physical activity in older persons may reduce levels of non-cognitive dementia markers like MBI, comparable to effects seen in cognition, potentially modulating dementia risk.CAN-PROTECT was supported by Gordie Howe CARES and the Evans Family fund via the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. DXG is supported by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Killam Trust, Alzheimer Society of Canada, and Canadian Institutes for Health Research. GBP was supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research [FDN-143290] and the Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair in Healthy Brain Aging. ZI is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Exeter Biomedical Research Centre
Effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on male fertility in patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia
No full textSupplemental material is available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10428194.2024.2343758#supplemental-material-section .Advancements in the management of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) allowed them to achieve survival comparable with their healthy counterparts. Consequently, their care has widened with growing focus on quality of life, including parenting children. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are contraindicated in pregnancy given their teratogenic effect, their effect on male fertility is less clear with contradictory results from animal studies and case reports/series. We compared the sperm analysis parameters, as the gold-standard assessment for male fertility, of 11 patients with CP- CML before and after TKI therapy. Median therapy duration was 5.1 years (range: 2.5–16.5). The sperm concentration, % progressive, and total motility before and after therapy were not significantly different (p = 0.376, 0.569, and 0.595, respectively). Our results suggest no impairment in fertility potential in male patients after TKI therapy. A larger sample size is crucial to support/refute our findings
A cavitation enabled green leaching of metals from spent lithium-ion batteries
No full textData availability: Data will be made available on request.Supplementary materials are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0255270124001880?via=ihub#sec0016 .As the world dabbles with increasing quantities of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and the need to recover valuable metals therein, sustainable approaches to achieving this need have become a necessity. In this work, we present the findings of an ultrasound-assisted intensification of a leaching process for the recovery of cobalt, nickel, manganese and lithium from spent LIBs. Molasses, methanesulfonic acid and ultrasonication were used together to enhance the leaching of the metals. The influence of ultrasonic modes, namely, sonication under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions, and leaching parameters, such as temperature, sonication amplitude, time, solid-liquid ratio, and reductant dosage, were evaluated. The leaching of metals was found to be strongly dependent on amplitude, temperature, and time. Compared to conventional mechanical stirring, the application of ultrasonic waves improves the leaching of metals by ∼22–74 %, with the degree of enhancement dependent on the temperature and the metal. The non-isothermal sonication mode (sonication without temperature control) has a lower energy input yet can yield a similar leaching performance as sonication under controlled temperature (isothermal mode). The results suggest that the introduction of ultrasonic waves created cavitation bubbles, which caused solid fragmentation, enhanced the mass transfer and diffusion of the reactants, and formed products that led to significant improvements in the leaching efficiency.The authors wish to acknowledge James Cook University, Townsville for the Postgraduate research scholarship
Human Evolutionary Demography: Introduction and Rationale
No full textHuman evolutionary demography combines research in evolutionary biology with the study of human demographic patterns and behaviors. Evolutionary biology and demography share many conceptual features that give rise to a natural complementarity, such as a focus on the population as a unit of study and emphasis on aggregate processes that have implications for individuals. They also have distinct strengths that further this natural partnership. Evolutionary approaches are often top-down and theory driven, while demographic ones are more often bottom-up and driven by data and robust estimation procedures. We suggest that human evolutionary demography reflects these areas of overlap and complementary strengths while emphasizing at least two main objectives: understanding the role of evolutionary processes in shaping population-level demographic patterns (e.g., the evolution of age-specific patterns of mortality or fertility), and using an evolutionary approach to understand contemporary variation between individuals in demographic patterns (e.g., how and why does fertility respond to environmental influences, and vary between and within populations?).
Evolutionary demography is also inherently interdisciplinary. Interdisciplinary approaches are vital to furthering our understanding of the complex processes underlying demographic patterns, in part because such approaches can be a disruptive force challenging researchers to question assumptions and see the world differently.
The papers in this volume demonstrate that integration of demography and evolutionary sciences strengthens both. This recognition by an ever-growing number of researchers has resulted in such a successful body of research that we are now able to showcase this field with this collection of papers, illustrating the vibrancy and diversity of research in human evolutionary demography
Nuclearization of maternal support networks in the UK and the US during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on women's financial and emotional wellbeing
Get PDFData availability statement: Data are available upon request from the authors.Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291124001293?via%3Dihub#appsec1 .The social isolation resulting from governments' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic likely limited support available to mothers. Evidence suggests tasks like childcare and domestic work fell disproportionately on mothers during the pandemic, with consequences for their wellbeing. We explore how the pandemic affected emotional and practical support available to mothers between March and August 2020 and whether changes in support are associated with changes in their paid work and mental health. Data were collected in August 2020 from 1528 UK and US mothers with at least one child under 5-years using a cross-sectional survey and are analysed using regression models. Women's in-person contact with support networks decreased, while virtual interactions increased. Most mothers experienced a ‘nuclearization’ of in-person support: childcare from fathers and siblings increased or remained constant but decreased from the grandparental generation. Women receiving less support during the pandemic had higher odds of reducing participation in paid work. Associations between support and mental health are limited. We also identify women who concurrently experienced reduced support and increased need for help, representing a particularly vulnerable group. The nuclearization of maternal social networks likely increased physical and emotional pressures on the immediate family, risking parental burnout and affecting reductions in female participation in paid labour. There is a need for reliable and affordable childcare options that help reduce women's burden of unpaid care labour, allowing them to re-enter (or remain in) paid labour.This project was supported by the John Templeton Foundation (grant number 61426 and 62773) and the Templeton Religion Trust (grant number TRT-2022-30378)
Intelligent processing and development of high-performance automotive aluminum alloys: Application of physics-based and data-driven modeling
No full textDrawing from recent developments in data analytics, machine learning, and computational capacity, this chapter aims to review different modeling approaches to support the development of a new generation of aluminum extrusion alloys with enhanced performance for the automotive industry. The effectiveness of physics-based models for predicting mechanical properties in these alloys requires an in-depth understanding of how critical microstructural features, such as crystallographic texture and precipitates, evolve throughout the different steps of the processing route. The chapter addresses the application of finite element methods to model the extrusion process focusing on predicting the development of crystallographic texture. Moreover, developments in modeling of clustering and precipitation hardening are discussed. Multistage aging and the effect of plastic deformation on precipitation kinetics are also considered within the framework of mean-field models to describe the interaction between aging and deformation. We examine different data-driven approaches for predicting mechanical properties as an alternative to traditional alloy and process design methods. Finally, a potential extension of such models is proposed based on a combination of conventional physics-based modeling of precipitation hardening with data-driven methods. Such machine learning modeling would thus offer an opportunity to close the gap regarding developing a conceptual understanding of the physical systems and quantifying the complex (and often unknown) interrelationships between parameters to enhance the capabilities of physics-based models
Assessing Microstructural, Biomechanical, and Biocompatible Properties of TiNb Alloys for Potential Use as Load-Bearing Implants
Get PDFData Availability Statement: The original contributions given in this work are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.Titanium-Niobium (TiNb) alloys are commonly employed in a number of implantable devices, yet concerns exist regarding their use in implantology owing to the biomechanical mismatch between the implant and the host tissue. Therefore, to balance the mechanical performance of the load-bearing implant with bone, TiNb alloys with differing porosities were fabricated by powder metallurgy combined with spacer material. Microstructures and phase constituents were characterized with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanical properties were tested by uniaxial compression, and the corrosion performance was determined via a potentiodynamic polarization experiment. To evaluate a highly matched potential implant with the host, biocompatibilities such as cell viability and proliferation rate, fibronectin adsorption, plasmid-DNA interaction, and an SEM micrograph showing the cell morphology were examined in detail. The results showed that the alloys displayed open and closed pores with a uniform pore size and distribution, which allowed for cell adherence and other cellular activities. The alloys with low porosity displayed compressive strength between 618 MPa and 1295 MPa, while the alloys with high porosity showed significantly lower strength, ranging from 48 MPa to 331 MPa. The biological evaluation of the alloys demonstrated good cell attachment and proliferation rates.The EPSRC Future LiME Hub (EP/N007638/1); PhD studentship, the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education
Combustion mechanism of nanobubbled dodecane: A reactive molecular study
Get PDFData availability: The data of this paper can be accessed from the Brunel University London data archive, figshare at https://brunel.figshare.comBlended fuels, created by adding methanol to ammonia or incorporating nanobubbles such as a hydrogen nanobubbles into existing fuels, offer significant opportunities for decarbonization of combustion devices. Nanobubbles (NBs), defined as gaseous cavities smaller than 1 μm in diameter, possess unique characteristics such as long-term stability, the capacity for free radical generation, and a high surface-to-volume ratio. These attributes make them potential candidates for various industrial applications, including water purification, medical engineering, and the energy and power sector. However, the fundamental understanding of the effects of NBs on chemical processes such as combustion cannot be easily captured through experimental techniques. Alternatively, reactive molecular approaches can provide a clear understanding of the impact of NBs on the combustion process. In this study, ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulations were utilized for a comparative study of the combustion of pure dodecane and hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen nanobubbled samples. The findings reveal that nitrogen NBs lower the activation energy to 52.89 kcal/mol for samples with a density of 0.17 g/mL by boosting the production of intermediates and radicals, which in turn increases dodecane consumption. In contrast, oxygen NBs increase the activation energy to 66.93 kcal/mol for samples with the same density, reducing dodecane consumption. At 2000 K, C2H4 is the primary product in pure, hydrogen, and oxygen nanobubbled samples, while water is the most prevalent in nitrogen nanobubbled sample at a density of 0.017 g/mL. Moreover, a temperature increase significantly enhances the thermal decomposition of the fuel in pure sample compared to nanobubbled samples. Additionally, as the density of hydrogen nanobubbled samples increases, there is a corresponding rise in fuel consumption, and water emerges as the primary product in samples with a density of 0.25 g/mL at 2000 K.This work was supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/T042915/1) and EPSRC DTP (EP/T518116/1-2688449). MD simulations were run on ARCHER2 and MMM Hub Young, the UK's National Supercomputing Service
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