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Tailoring and Validating DOT-Virtual Reality Methods for Use with Neurodiverse Children
Get PDFRecent advances in diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and virtual reality (VR) offer powerful tools for studying cognitive development in controlled yet ecologically valid settings. However, their application in neurodivergent populations has been limited, raising concerns around inclusivity, compliance, and data reliability, defined as the degree to which a measure yields consistent results over time. In collaboration with caregivers, researchers, and our industry partner (Gowerlabs Ltd.), we developed a protocol to adapt DOT-VR setups to the needs of neurodiverse children and systematically assess their reproducibility. This project addressed two key gaps: (1) how to tailor DOT-VR setups for neurodiverse children aged 3–7, including autistic children, those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or at higher likelihood of ADHD, and children with low-empathy traits; and (2) whether these tools can produce reliable data in this population.RESPECT 4 Neurodevelopment, ref: R4N2023: Developing wearable diffuse optimal tomography and immersive virtual-reality for the reliable study of neurodevelopmental conditions
Representation Sampling and Hybrid Transformer Network for Image Compressed Sensing
Get PDFDeep unrolling networks (DUNs) have attracted substantial attention in the field of image compressed sensing (CS) due to their superior performance and good interpretability by recasting optimization algorithms as deep networks. However, existing DUNs suffer from low sampling efficiency, and the improvement in reconstruction quality heavily relies on large model complexity. To address these issues, we propose a lightweight Representation Sampling and Hybrid Transformer Network (RHT-Net). Firstly, we propose a Representation-CS (RCS) model to extract high-level features to achieve efficient sampling. This sampling strategy leads to highly dense, semantically rich and extremely compact features without observing the original pixels, which also reduces the cross-domain loss during iteration. Secondly, we design a Tri-Scale Sparse Denoising (TSSD) module in the deep unrolling stages to extend sparse proximal projections, leveraging multi-scale auxiliary variables to enhance multi-feature flow and memory effects. Thirdly, we develop a hybrid Transformer module that includes a Global Cross Attention (GCA) block and a Window Local Attention (WLA) block, using the measurements to cross-estimate the reconstruction error, thereby generating finer spatial details and improving local recovery. Experiments demonstrate that RHT-Net enhanced version outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods by up to 1.17dB in PSNR. The lightweight RHT-Net achieves a 0.43dB gain while reducing model parameters by up to 22 times. The code will be released publicly at https://github.com/songhp/RHTNet.10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 62472201 and 62172193
Advances in boiling and evaporative heat transfer science and applications
No full textEditorial comment.The response to the call for papers on heat and mass transfer in multi-phase flow for this special edition was most impressive, with 36 articles accepted for publication. As can be seen from the index, the topics covered are very wide-ranging, with a good mix of experimental and theoretical work, in a scientific field in which researchers face significant challenges with both approaches
Flow Boiling in Micro-Gap, Multi-Channels and Micro-Pin Fin Heat Exchangers
Get PDFThe paper presents heat transfer and pressure drop results in three different micro-scale heat exchangers, namely: a micro-gap, multi-channels and micro-pin fin heat exchanger in flow boiling of HFE-7100. It was found that the micro-pin fin heat sink had better thermal performance than the other two geometries. The pressure drop in the micro-pin heat sink was higher than the other two designs. The flow instability was less severe in the micro gap and micro-pin fin geometries.The support of EPSRC through grant (EP/P004709/1) is acknowledged
Building confidence in university students from year 1 to year 2
Get PDFUnderstanding how university students build confidence in key transferable skills during their early academic years is essential for improving educational outcomes and employability. This study investigated the development of students’ confidence in their skills over their first two academic years at university. We measured confidence levels of students in key transferable skills and how these levels change from their first to their second year. A survey was conducted using opportunistic sampling twice with the same cohort of students, once in their first year (N = 128) and once in their second year (N = 148). Data were analysed using t-tests in SPSS. Results indicated significantly higher confidence in several skills in the second compared to first year of study. The findings provide insights for curriculum development and support systems to enhance student learning experiences and employability. The study underscores the importance of both educational institutions and students in developing skills and confidence
Psychological Distance Matters: The Interaction between Content Display Order and Expectations of Change in Multi-content Instagram Posts
No full textSupplemental material is available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913367.2025.2499454# .The interaction between consumers and multi-content posts on Instagram, despite their widespread use as marketing tools, remains underexplored in academic research and marketing practices. The current research addresses this gap by employing construal-level theory and the concept of psychological distance to investigate how the order of content displays and individuals’ expectations of change influence consumer behavioral intentions. This study hypothesizes that presenting feasibility-focused content before desirability-focused content, aligning with the natural processing sequences of individuals, elicits more favorable responses than the reverse order. Results additionally reveal that individuals’ expectations of change significantly moderate their responses to content order. Specifically, those with lower expectations of change showed stronger positive responses to an initial presentation of feasibility-focused content, whereas those with higher expectations exhibited no difference in their responses regardless of the order. Furthermore, perceived psychological distance while processing the advertised multi-content post serves as a critical mediating factor, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms. This study provides valuable theoretical and practical insights, suggesting strategies for optimizing content arrangement in Instagram-based marketing communications
Development of the Hydrogen Market and Local Green Hydrogen Offtake in Africa
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.Creating a hydrogen market in Africa is a great opportunity to assist in the promotion of sustainable energy solutions and economic growth. This article addresses the legislation and regulations that need to be developed to facilitate growth in the hydrogen market and allow local green hydrogen offtake across the continent. By reviewing current policy and strategy within particular African countries and best practices globally from key hydrogen economies, the review establishes compelling issues, challenges, and opportunities unique to Africa. The study identifies the immense potential in Africa for renewable energy, and, in particular, for solar and wind, as the foundation for the production of green hydrogen. It examines how effective policy frameworks can establish a vibrant hydrogen economy by bridging infrastructural gaps, cost hurdles, and regulatory barriers. The paper also addresses how local offtake contracts for green hydrogen can be used to stimulate economic diversification, energy security, and sustainable development. Policy advice is provided to assist African authorities and stakeholders in the deployment of enabling regulatory frameworks and the mobilization of funds. The paper contributes to global hydrogen energy discussions by introducing Africa as an eligible stakeholder in the emerging hydrogen economy and outlining prospects for its inclusion into regional and global energy supply chains.This research received no external funding
Membrane transporter progressive ankylosis protein homologue (ANKH/Ank) partially mediates senescence-derived extracellular citrate and is regulated by DNA damage, inflammation, and ageing
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The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.Supplementary material is available online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2025.1583288/full#supplementary-material .Introduction: A considerable body of recent evidence supports citrate transport as a major regulator of organismal lifespan and healthspan. Citrate accumulates outside senescent cells in vitro and in vivo. However, the detailed mechanism of senescent cell extracellular citrate (EC) accumulation is not clear.
Methods: EC following various drug and cytokine treatments was measured in human fibroblast and keratinocyte conditioned medium by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy and liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Membrane transporters in similar human fibroblasts cultures were measured by western blotting and more extensively by reverse transcription and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in human fibroblasts, keratinocytes, myoblasts, adipocytes and astrocytes. Mouse tissues were tested for senescence markers and by qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunoFISH telomere associated foci (TAF) staining. Cytokine levels in conditioned medium were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and in mouse brain tissue and plasma samples using the V-PLEX proinflammatory panel 1 mouse kit.
Results and Discussion: We show here that EC is partially mediated by a newly described plasma membrane citrate transporter ANKH/SLC62A1 (progressive human ankylosis -ANKH) in senescent fibroblasts. Analogous to interleukin 6 (IL-6), EC and/or ANKH are regulated by telomere dysfunction, the p38 mitogen-activated kinase axis, transforming growth factor beta and p53, but in contrast not by steroids, sodium butyrate, or Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM). ANKH was upregulated in other senescent cell types relevant to ageing but not keratinocytes. In contrast, EC and ANKH were inhibited by interleukin 1α (IL-1α) in dividing and senescent fibroblasts, accompanied by an increase in IL-6 secretion. Loss- and gain of function mutations of ANKH/Ank are associated with disease and interestingly, Ank is also downregulated in both aged mouse liver and brain tissues in parallel with increased senescence markers and several cytokines, suggesting that inflammatory cytokines could inhibit EC production in vivo. These data identify ANKH/Ank as a novel regulator of senescence-derived EC in both humans and mice.The study was funded in part by the Dunhill Medical Trust (grant number R452/1115) and Barts and the London Charity (grant number MRD&U0004). Karen-Ng Lee Peng received a Ph.D. scholarship (Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan) from the Malaysian Ministry of Education. Ana O’Loghlen received funding from Barts Charity Grants (G-002158), Project I+D+i PID2021-125656OB-I00, financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE, and Project SenesceX-CM P2022/BMD-7393
Meta-analysis of the spatial distribution and composition of plastic macro-debris in Indonesia
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All data are provided within the main text or supplementary data.Supplementary material is available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485525004517#sec0070 .Plastic pollution is recognised as a global environmental problem with Indonesia identified as a major contributing source. However, a comprehensive understanding of pollution patterns remains hindered by fragmented data and methodological inconsistencies across studies. This study synthesises data from 44 peer-reviewed publications, spanning 68 field locations and 328 individual study sites across 19 provinces, to map the spatial distribution and composition of plastic macro-debris in Indonesia. We identified plastic bags, plastic food packaging, and plastic bottles as the three most prevalent item types, occurring as top three ranked items in 65 %, 63 %, and 40 % of field locations, respectively. Items were recorded across seven different environment types: beach (n = 43 field locations); river (n = 16); mangroves (n = 3); seabed (n = 2); coral reef (n = 2); sea surface (n = 1) and inland areas (n = 1), with research effort concentrated in Java, accounting for 40 % of all field locations. Despite Indonesia’s environmental and regional diversity, multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in litter composition between environment types or provinces, indicating that common plastic items dominate pollution across Indonesia. These findings underscore the need for coordinated national action targeting high-prevalence items and highlight the value of widespread beach litter monitoring as a proxy for broader environmental pollution patterns.This work was supported by "A Systems Analysis Approach to Reduce Plastic Waste in Indonesian Societies (PISCES)", funded by UK Research and Innovation/UKRI and UK Global Challenges Research Fund/GCRF (Grant Ref: NE/V006428/1)
Heat release performance of water-phase change material mixture under periodic heat sink condition
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No data was used for the research described in the article.This paper reports the construction of a composite phase change energy storage unit that incorporates water and phase change material (PCM). The presence of water expedited the solidification process of the PCM above it while serving as a sensible heat medium. The influence of heat sink fluctuations on the heat transfer dynamics was investigated during the internal heat release process of the energy storage unit. A comprehensive numerical model was developed, and the Taguchi method was utilized to optimize the design of heat sink parameters. Findings indicated that the contact phase change of water at the unit base significantly accelerated the solidification process of the PCM. Yet, a hard-to-melt region persisted in the upper right corner of the unit at the conclusion of the PCM solidification. Fluctuating heat sinks irregularly impacted water convection at the unit base, although the PCM temperature remained consistent with solidification under a steady heat sink with a given boundary temperature. The influence of sinusoidal heat sink parameters (Foundation Tw, Amplitude (A), half-time period (τ)) was examined using the Taguchi method, revealing that Foundation Tw exerted the most significant influence on solidification time, the average heat release rate of PCM, and the average heat release rate of water, with clear interactions between amplitude and time period. Amplitude and time period affected the sensible heat release process of PCM, while latent heat release remained unaffected by fluctuations due to multiple thermal influences from heat sink, water, and natural convection. Water demonstrated faster heat release compared to PCM owing to its high thermal conductivity, although its fluctuation characteristics were more perceptible. When compared to Case 5 (Foundation Tw = 304 K, A = 7.5 K, τ = 40 s), the solidification time for PCM in Cases 10 (Foundation Tw = 296 K, A = 7.5 K, τ = 50 s) and 11 (Foundation Tw = 296 K, A = 1.5 K, τ = 10 s), was reduced by 27.1% and 27.6%, respectively, with a corresponding increase of 43.1% and 44.4% in average heat release rate of PCM, and a 63.8% and 61.7% increase in the average heat transfer rate of water.This work was supported by the Key Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Shaanxi Province (2023-CX-TD-29)
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