17390 research outputs found
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Science leads: more than just experienced colleagues
No full textScience leads play a vital role in schools. Serving as a bridge between senior leadership and their departmental colleagues, their role is multifaceted and highly complex. In the context of ongoing educational reforms, this article explores some of the challenges and opportunities science leads face, particularly in relation to their role in teacher development. The article argues that, for science leads to fully realise their potential as teacher developers and guide their departments in delivering a modern, forward-thinking science curriculum, they must see themselves not just as experienced colleagues but also as facilitators of professional development
Mechanistic influence of the torque cadence relationship on power output during exhaustive all-out field tests in professional cyclists.
No full textUnderstanding the torque-cadence-power relationship can be important in assessing a cyclist's performance potential. This study explored these relationships in elite male cyclists ( = 17; age: 24.1 ± 3.8 years; body mass: 66.0 ± 4.8 kg, critical power (CP): 5.5 ± 0.3 W.kg ) through sprint, torque, and CP tests conducted in fresh and after accumulated work. Testing protocols, performed during a pre-season training camp, included maximal efforts across varied gear ratios and durations (15 s, 3 min, and 12 min), under stable environmental conditions (15-20°C). Results revealed reduced power output, torque, and cadence after accumulated work compared to fresh conditions ( ≤ .001). Sprint-derived maximum torque (T ) was strongly correlated with torque intercepts for CP fresh ( = .558, = .020) and after accumulated work ( = .556, = .020). The cadence relationships demonstrated a large negative correlation between maximum cadence (C ) and optimum cadence (C ) from the sprint test and the 15 s, 3 min and 12 min cadence recorded during CP after accumulated work ( = -0.541 to -0.634, = 0.006 to 0.025). These findings highlight that accumulated work-induced reductions in work capacity (W') and CP values were accompanied by lower cadences across all effort durations
The effect to dose and diagnostic quality of limiting source-to-image distance on anterior-posterior semi-erect adult chest X-rays
No full textIntroduction
Mobile chest X-rays (CXR) examinations are requested for clinically unstable inpatients who cannot be transported to the radiology department. These examinations often have limitations, such as reduced source-to-image distance (SID) in anterior-posterior (AP) position due to limited space in ward environments. This study aimed to investigate the effect of entrance skin dose (ESD) and the diagnostic image quality of reduced SID from the standard 180cm to 150cm and 100cm on semi-erect AP CXRs.
Method
A human tissue equivalent Alderson Rando phantom was positioned in a hospital bed at an AP semi-erect 45-degree angle. Three exposures were taken for each SID; the dose was recorded with an Ion Chamber attached to the anterior chest wall to record the ESD and the dose area product (DAP). The mean dose from the three SID positions was compared using a t-test. Image quality was assessed using Image Quality Score (IQS) and RadLex criteria for diagnostic quality using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
Results
A linear response of decreasing the SID resulted in a 40.1 % increase in ESD (53.7 μGy; p = < 0.001) from 180 cm to 150 cm SID and a 121.5 % increase (329.9 μGy; p = < 0.001) from 180 cm to 100 cm SID. There was also a decrease in image quality from 180 cm to 100 cm SID (IQS p = 0.03), with 100 cm scoring poor against lower lung field visual reproduction and limited diagnostic quality on RadLex.
Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that in controlled X-ray settings, the ESD is increased when the SID is reduced from 180cm to 150cm SID (40.1 %) and to 100cm SID (121.5 %), which furthermore decreases image quality (p = 0.03) and the diagnostic value of the image. It is recommended that radiographers maintain the standard 180 cm SID during adult inpatient semi-erect AP CXR examinations to maintain as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) diagnostic X-ray examinations
Cover cropping increases the abundance of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi structures associated with ecosystem functioning
No full textSoil is one of the most complex microbial environments on earth, providing many ecosystem services to benefit humankind. Many of the services associated with soil microorganisms are particularly important to the agricultural industry as these improve crop stress tolerance, nutrition, and yield. However, conventional agricultural practices that use excessive chemical inputs, tillage, and monocropping have diminished the soil biosphere and lessened the ecosystem services that microbes are able to provide. Cover cropping is one of the key principles underpinning conservation agriculture systems. Despite it being relatively well-known that cover cropping has a beneficial impact on the overall abundance and community structure of soil microbes, the effects on specific microbial structures and their functions are vastly under-researched. In fact, some fungal structures investigated in this study have never been examined under cover cropping systems before. Therefore, soil samples were taken from five cover cropped and five conventionally managed fields growing spring bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Kent, UK, and the abundance of seven key mycorrhizal and endophytic fungal structures were identified. Cover cropping was associated with a significantly higher abundance of hyphae, arbuscules, vesicles, moniliform hyphae, and microsclerotia, but not spores or chlamydospores. Since these structures are known to be associated with nutrient exchange, overwintering and long-term survival, energy storage, and branching and inoculation, cover cropping practices are likely to improve the functioning of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi
Keeping streets safe at night: Navigating jurisdictional boundaries between the police and the private security industry
Full text linkPurpose
Keeping streets safe at night to protect users of the night-time economy (NTE) is a responsibility shared by the police and private security companies, yet little is known about this collaboration in practice. The study sought to explore the experience of both agencies to reveal examples of good practice as well as any tensions and risks that emanate from this partnership.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus groups with 19 police officers and four private security guards were conducted in one city in the Southeast of England, UK, during 2023, to elicit their narrative accounts of working at night and their attitudes towards one another.
Findings
The study revealed the importance of non-statutory agencies in maintaining order in the city centre at night, often in the absence of a police presence, at the expense of their own safety, and without legal and physical protection. However, private security guards recognised that they sometimes traversed their jurisdictional boundaries. This practice concerned the police as it compromised formal investigation and blurred lines of responsibility. Both the police and security guards identified training needs, experienced violence themselves, felt unsupported in their work, and recognised that more could be done to build collaborative working relations.
Practical Implications
The findings suggest several practical strategies that would enhance statutory and non-statutory collaboration, particularly through strengthening the understanding of where jurisdictional boundaries should be drawn. Specifically, the instatement of formal channels of communication between formal policing and private security, alongside joint training, would be beneficial.
Originality/Value
This study explores a gap in our current knowledge and understanding about how order is maintained at night. There is limited research into the role of private security and our understanding of police experiences of night working is nascent. By holding focus groups simultaneously with both agencies gave new insights into the current working relationship and views of one another. The respondents articulated mutual respect but also significant levels of distrust and misunderstandings, leading to risks for both groups and users of the NTE. The findings provide recommendations to strengthen collaborative working
Meaningful interaction with student evaluation
No full textMeaningful interaction with student evaluation of teaching has clear benefits. Student feedback on their learning can enhance teaching, enhancing the student experience and increasing student engagement, attainment and outcomes. To achieve these benefits, student evaluations must facilitate the student voice, truthfully and without bias. This chapter considers how to ensure meaningful student evaluation, by redesigning our evaluation tools, in partnership with students, academics and senior leaders. By doing this, we can harness the full potential of the student voice to ensure the transformative potential of higher education, for all who participate.
Investigating the effect of variable heat flux on buckling of carbon nanotubes using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation
No full textIt is critical to know the buckling behavior of carbon nanotubes under non-uniform heat flux for maintaining stability in thermal applications at the nanoscale. In this study, time-dependent external heat fluxes of 1, 3, 5, and 10 W/m² are applied to carbon nanotubes using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, and the resulting structural and energetic responses are analyzed systematically. The findings demonstrate that, in parallel with the evolution towards the post-buckling state, some kinetic energy and mean squared displacement increased during simulation before abruptly decreasing and stabilizing. Before buckling, potential energy peaked and then dropped to negative values, indicating structural relaxation. The center of mass displacement was constrained, and the interaction energy stabilized at 3.63×10¹³ eV, reflecting the structure's stability following buckling. Additionally, kinetic energy increased from about 50 eV to 130–140 eV and then decreased to 80–90 eV after buckling when the heat flux increased from 3 to 10 W/m². With a slight increase in atom mobility, mean squared displacement went from 0.41 to 0.412. After initially reaching its maximum, potential energy began to gradually decline, with the decline being greater at higher heat flux values. The interaction energy increased at 2.25 × 10⁻¹² eV at 3 W/m² and then decreased at 3.75 × 10⁻¹⁴ eV at 10 W/m², indicating that higher thermal energy generates higher molecular motion and structural relaxation, stabilizing the buckled shape. The center of mass displacement decreased with increasing heat flux, suggesting greater local deformation and less overall movement. The originality of this work lies in simulating an actual, spatially non-uniform heat flux and examining its direct effect on carbon nanotubes' thermomechanical behavior, a situation overwhelmingly unexplored by the literature. The results offer useful guidance for the design of carbon nanotube-based systems in nanoelectronics and thermal management systems operating under non-uniform thermal conditions
Artificial intelligence and open research: A "double-edged sword"
No full textSubstack post.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a transformative, yet complex, landscape for open research and academic publishing. While offering significant opportunities to enhance efficiency, accessibility, and discoverability, AI also introduces a series of challenges concerning research integrity, economic models, and ethical considerations. The intricate relationship between AI and open research (OA) is a "double-edged sword" (Lo, 2025), necessitating careful navigation to harness AI's benefits while mitigating its risks
Revolutionizing hydrogen production: Unveiling the role of liquid metals in methane pyrolysis over iron catalysts supported on titanium dioxide and alumina
No full textCatalytic methane decomposition offers an attractive and sustainable pathway for producing COx-free hydrogen and valuable carbon nanotubes. This work investigates the innovative use of liquid metals, particularly gallium and indium, as promoters for iron catalysts based on a titanium dioxide and alumina composite to improve this process even more. In a fixed-bed reactor operating at 800 °C and atmospheric pressure, all catalyst activities for methane decomposition were thoroughly assessed while keeping the gas hourly space velocity at 6 L/g h. Surface area and porosity, H2-temperature programmed reduction/oxidation, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetry analysis were utilized to investigate the physicochemical properties of the catalyst. The result showed that iron supported on a titanium-alumina catalyst exhibited higher activity, stability, and reproducibility with a methane conversion of 90% and hydrogen production of 81% after three cycles, with 240 min for each cycle and stability for 480 min. In contrast, the liquid metal-promoted catalysts improved the metal-support interaction and textural properties, such as surface area, pore volume, and particle dispersion of the catalysts. Still, the catalytic efficiency significantly improved. However, the gallium-promoted catalyst displayed excellent reusability. The characterization of the spent catalyst proved that both the iron supported on a titanium-alumina and its gallium-promoted derivative produced graphitic carbon; on the contrary, the indium-promoted catalyst produced amorphous carbon. These results demonstrate how liquid metal promoters can be used to adjust the characteristics of catalysts, providing opportunities for improved reusability and regulated production of carbon byproducts during methane decomposition