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Bioenergy production from invasive plants in the Lower Mekong Basin using hydrothermal liquefaction and anaerobic digestion
Get PDFInvasive plants in the Lower Mekong Basin, although ecologically challenging, offer significant potential for bioenergy. This study assessed mimosa (Mimosa pigra), giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta), and water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), collected from Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand, as feedstocks for hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and anaerobic digestion (AD). The biomass underwent HTL treatment at 160–200 °C and was subsequently evaluated for biomethane potential (BMP). The HTL of mimosa at 200 °C for 3 h (M-200-3) yielded 16.2 wt% bio-oil (BO) and 6.98 wt% hydrochar (HC). The BO from M-200-3 possessed a higher heating value (HHV) of 31.4 MJ/kg and energy recovery efficiency (ERE) of 26.6%. Giant salvinia BO also performed effectively, with an HHV of 26.7 MJ/kg and an ERE of 23.2% at 4 h. In contrast, water lettuce showed limited HTL effectiveness, with BO yields below 10 wt%. Characterization through GC–MS revealed that phenolic compounds dominated the BO composition, while FTIR confirmed the presence of ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, and aromatic rings. TGA analysis demonstrated that BO thermal degradation occurred between 261 and 314 °C, with low-boiling-point components enhancing BO performance. Additionally, SEM images revealed the formation of carbon spheres in HC at 200 °C. Energy production calculations indicated mimosa could generate 49,418 kWh of BO and 19,273 kWh of HC per hectare of feedstock (kWh/ha) under maximum annual biomass conditions. BO and HC from giant salvinia could produce 5,023 and 986 kWh/ha, respectively. Notably, water lettuce excelled in anaerobic digestion, achieving the highest BMP of 0.238 ± 0.022 NL CH4/gVS and yielding 5,517 kWh/ha. These findings establish that invasive plant species can serve as viable bioenergy feedstocks, with mimosa optimal for HTL processing and water lettuce demonstrating superior performance in biogas production
Hybrid installations: Making meaning through the body in hybrid ethnography-art
No full textThis chapter examines the convergence of ethnography and digital art practice, starting from the author’s own practice-led research, an augmented reality (AR) installation. Blending theoretical considerations with practical recommendations, it offers insights from the creation of a hybrid ethnography-art installation that invites visitors to construct multilayered meanings from physical and digital materials. When exhibited beyond academic spaces, such installations engage diverse audiences in critical dialogues on human diversity, showcasing the potential of hybrid methodologies in contemporary public ethnography
Why committing epistemic injustice against close friends can be distinctively bad
Get PDFThere has been increasing attention given to epistemic injustice in different relational contexts. This paper adds to this literature by providing a novel argument for the claim that epistemic injustice in close friendship is distinctively bad. That is, while it is bad to be epistemically unjust to anyone, it can be distinctively bad to be epistemically unjust to one’s close friends. The friendship, at least in some cases, must figure in the explanation for why the injustice is bad. I argue that there are three reasons friendship gives us that we can appeal to in explaining this. Being friends with someone (especially, close friends) gives us reasons to support them emotionally, create conditions in which they can comfortably self-disclose, and to promote their self-esteem, including their epistemic self-confidence, especially when this is unduly undermined. Perpetrating epistemic injustice against our friends compromises our ability to respond to those reasons appropriately. The paper begins by setting out the initial intuition - that we do feel that epistemic injustice is distinctively bad in friendship, at least in some cases. It responds to some initial objections. It examines the empirical evidence on testimonially unjust microaggressions in friendship, which suggests they are an unfortunately common occurrence with significant effects on those who experience them, thus, worthy of philosophical attention. It gives an account of the three salient reasons friendship gives us, that epistemic injustice compromises. And it examines two cases of epistemic injustice being perpetrated against friends in detail, illustrating how this injustice undermines the ability of the perpetrator to live up to these reasons
Aging alone: a twin threat to decarbonisation and energy vulnerability in Japan and UK
Get PDFDemographic trends have attracted attention in the energy and climate change literature, where there is widespread concern about the potential for population level effects on both carbon emissions and energy vulnerability. Here, we offer a summary of the existing evidence associated with aging populations and reducing household sizes, and build on this to argue that ‘aging alone’ needs additional consideration. To that end, we present a novel cross-national comparison of the domestic energy effects of aging alone in Japan and the UK, to understand how these might shape broader societal goals of reducing energy vulnerability and decarbonisation. Older single-person households in both nations have lower incomes, but higher domestic energy use, related carbon emissions, and home energy costs per capita. There is a risk that more people aging alone could lead to more energy vulnerability, as well as a threat to decarbonisation targets. We conclude by encouraging scholars and policymakers to explore this issue in more detail in further research, and in designing housing and energy policy for this specific intersection
Fragment-guided new therapeutic molecule discovery and mapping of clinically relevant interactomes
No full textTherapeutic intervention solutions for complex diseases depend on the targeted modulation of key pathways in pathology. While growing clinical needs continue to drive advancements in the drug discovery space, current strategies primarily rely on searching
large volumes of chemical data without addressing the specific contributions of molecular features. Moreover, both clinicians and researchers recognize the need for improving drug discovery methods and characterization that could aid in clinical strategy selection. To address these challenges, we offer a new perspective on targeted therapy development as well as interactome mapping, utilizing molecular fragments. The present study focused on
therapeutic areas that represent emerging targets, namely JAK2 and GLP-1R, both of which have broad clinical potential. We developed a new self-adjusting neural network to capture drug features, which helped discover novel therapeutic candidates for the selected targets with improved binding. In addition, fragment-guided chemical space exploration allowed us to identify new metabolic trajectories that could support drug repurposing efforts and improve the prediction of side effects. Importantly, our work revealed that even a small compound library can effectively generate lead candidates, expediting the search and exploration process. Furthermore, building a robust in silico pipeline with integrated screening data can significantly reduce costs and guide therapy adoption. Thus, our proposed strategy underscores promising avenues for the discovery of new therapeutics and the development of clinical interventions
Post-mortem imaging in suspected child physical abuse: a systematic review
Get PDFObjectives
As post-mortem (PM) imaging in children becomes more common, there is a need to review the available evidence for its diagnostic yield in suspected child physical abuse. The aim of this review is to synthesise current evidence, assess study quality, and identify ongoing challenges.
Materials and methods
Following PRISMA guidelines, databases were searched until 31 December 2024. Original research articles reporting data on at least ten children with PM imaging in the context of physical abuse were included. Titles and abstracts were screened by two expert reviewers; full texts were assessed by a third, independent reviewer and one of the previous reviewers. Data was extracted by one of 12 experts and independently verified. The study risk of bias was evaluated with the ROBINS-I tool. Study heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis, resulting in descriptive synthesis.
Results
Eighteen out of 1687 potential papers were included. Seven described PM radiography, five post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT), four both PM radiography plus PMCT, and two post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMR). All but one were retrospective, and most (11/18, 61%) had a moderate-to-high risk of bias. Post-mortem skeletal survey (PMSS) detected subtle fractures, particularly corner metaphyseal fractures. PMCT provided a high-resolution assessment of injuries, particularly rib fractures. PMMR contributed soft-tissue and intracranial detail. All studies emphasised the importance of correlating autopsy findings. Technical variation and potential biases limited direct comparisons between studies.
Conclusion
PM imaging can reveal important injury patterns that may be overlooked by autopsy. Nevertheless, standardised imaging methods and larger prospective trials are needed to reduce bias and establish best-practice guidelines
Impact of redeployment on healthcare staff well-being and retention: a survey of staff in the UK National Health Service
Get PDFBackground
The redeployment of healthcare staff from their normal place of work and duties to alternative activities is not a new phenomenon and has typically been used as a temporary measure to address capacity gaps. While redeployment supports the mobilisation of a flexible healthcare workforce, it also presents as a source of tension in relation to staff well-being and retention. This paper reports findings from a survey of staff in the UK National Health Service (NHS), exploring the impact of redeployment.
Method
An online survey was administered by YouGov (2023), addressing contemporary evidence on variables impacting staff health, well-being and disposition to remain in NHS employment. The sample comprised NHS employees representing the principal healthcare job families and grades across acute hospitals, mental health, community and ambulance services. Statistical analysis (SPSS V.29.0.2.0) compared (independent samples t-test, z-test and χ2 test for trend) redeployed and non-redeployed staff response profiles.
Results
The staff who had experienced redeployment in the 6 months prior to spring 2023 showed higher rates of submitting applications for non-NHS jobs (22%; non-redeployed staff 12%). Redeployed staff reported higher stress, lower morale and less ability to switch off from work than non-redeployed staff (p<0.01). They also showed higher ratings of symptoms of burnout (p<0.0001), higher rates of sickness presenteeism (66% redeployed; 54% non-redeployed), greater worry over current working conditions (p<0.05) and lower confidence in their improvement in the near future (p<0.01), than non-redeployed staff.
Conclusions
The findings highlight the negative impacts associated with staff redeployment and challenges to staff health, well-being and disposition to remain employed in healthcare. Despite a growing consensus regarding the need to support the redeployed, evidence regarding ‘what works’ remains under-researched. Such insight is particularly pertinent given the growing interest in technological solutions for a more agile workforce, where deployment flexibility is a key feature
A Greener Synthesis of the Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Celecoxib
Get PDFA laboratory experiment was developed to introduce green chemistry concepts through the synthesis of the nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug, celecoxib. There are a range of issues based on the traditional synthesis of celecoxib including the use of a toxic solvent such as toluene, which is becoming severely restricted in its use, and other issues such as high energy consumption due to long reaction times together with wasteful extractions. A greener synthesis has been developed by making use of 2,2,5,5-tetramethyloxolane (TMO), a hindered ether, as a solvent that can be potentially biobased together with reducing reaction times and optimizing extraction procedures. These changes reduced waste by over 100 kg per kilogram of product. When implemented with students, they synthesized celecoxib, and the adaptations to the traditional process were discussed and evaluated using green chemistry metrics in conjunction with the DOZN tool together with the underlying reaction mechanisms
A Stemma of Sigurgarðs saga frækna, and a Case Study of Saga-Anthologization
No full textThis article publishes the first stemma of the manuscripts of the fifteenth-century Icelandic romance Sigurgarðs saga frækna, taking in 58 of the 61 known witnesses. It capitalizes on digitally-native publication to publish all underlying data, presenting a fully open-data approach to stemmatics. The article shows how the post-medieval transmission of the saga supports previous claims about how Icelandic sagas in this genre circulated but also takes manuscripts containing Sigurgarðs saga frækna produced in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries in the Dalir region of Iceland as a case study for a methodologically novel investigation of how scribes went about anthologization. Refining previous work on the manuscript filiations of Ambrósíus saga og Rósamundu, Sigurðar saga turnara, Hálfdanar saga Eysteinssonar, Nítíða saga, and Konráðs saga keisarasonar, and making the first outline of a stemma of Nikulás saga leikara, the study gives our first systematic insight into how the scribes of the eighteenth-century manuscript Rask 32 assembled their anthology, and how their work influenced subsequent anthologies that drew material from that manuscript
Biodiversity as a Social–Ecological Capability:Extending the Natural Resource-Based View in Renewable Energy Systems
Get PDFBiodiversity loss is an increasingly critical sustainability challenge; yet, within the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV), it remains undertheorised and is often treated as a generic environmental factor rather than a structuring social?ecological mechanism. This study reconceptualises biodiversity as shaping how environmental capabilities emerge and create strategic value. Drawing on an inductive qualitative approach supported by Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, we investigate the solar farm sector in England?an ecologically embedded sector characterised by mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, complex land-use negotiations and multi-actor habitat management. Our analysis identifies three interconnected orientations?instrumental, integrative and ecosystem-based?that capture distinct logics through which firms interpret biodiversity, mobilise resources and govern biodiversity-related capabilities. The study extends the NRBV by specifying how environmental capabilities evolve in biodiversity-dependent infrastructures and by broadening its boundary conditions. It offers a more ecologically grounded foundation for strategy and supports nature-positive business models
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