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AI-driven sentiment analysis for mitigating foreign language anxiety (FLA) in EAP: A proof-of-concept study
No full textForeign Language Anxiety (FLA) is a persistent affective barrier in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), yet little research has examined how artificial intelligence (AI) might support learners emotionally. This article presents a proof-of-concept study investigating the feasibility of using AI-driven sentiment analysis to identify and mitigate FLA. A small Padlet-based corpus of student reflections (n = 41) was analysed using GPT-4-based sentiment classification, followed by an AI-mediated reframing activity completed by a volunteer sub-sample of learners (n = 14). Rather than making generalisable empirical claims, the study explores the potential and limitations of large language models as tools for affective scaffolding. Results indicate that students frequently express mixed emotions, combining anxiety with hope and motivation, and that AI-supported reframing may promote short-term reassurance and increased confidence. The paper discusses methodological and ethical considerations and outlines how affect-aware AI tools could be meaningfully integrated into EAP pedagogy
Acquired bisalbuminemia: A case report
No full textBackground: Bisalbuminemia is a rare condition characterized by the presence of two distinct albumin peaks with different mobilities on serum protein electrophoresis (SPE). It may be inherited or acquired. In several cases it can result from interactions with different metabolites. Methods: A 36-year-old woman, with a history of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and a subsequent episode of severe cholestatic jaundice, underwent biochemical and haematological tests. SPE profile at capillary electrophoresis (CE) revealed an abnormal peak in the alpha1 region, suggestive of acquired bisalbuminemia. To investigate the nature of the ‘atypical’ SPE profile, we performed PEG treatment on the patient's serum. Results: The experiments performed after PEG treatment confirmed that the iatrogenic bisalbuminemia was due to the albumin-bile acids complex. Furthermore, neither standard nor high-resolution (HR) agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) revealed bisalbuminemia, detected by CE. The patient's treatment with odevixibat reduced bile acid and other cholestasis parameters, led to the disappearance of bisalbuminemia. Conclusion: In this case we demonstrated that acquired bisalbuminemia is related to the formation of albumin–bile acids complex. We observed that bisalbuminemia was absent on AGE, both in classical and HR electrophoresis, leading us to conclude that the interference due to albumin–bile acids complex was detected only in CE technique. A critical laboratory approach is essential to distinguish analytical interferences from clinically relevant abnormalities, allowing clinicians to make informed diagnostic and therapeutic decisions
Politiche Culturali Controcorrente. L'intreccio di competenze tra livelli di governo nel settore culturale.
No full textNel seminario è stato approfondito il ruolo contemporaneo delle politiche culturali alla luce dell'articolato rapporto tra i differenti livelli di governo con particolare riguardo al modello federale tedesco e a quello regionale italian
Toward the efficient utilization of solar energy for hydrogen production through photocatalytic reforming: A literature and patent review
No full textThe increasing global energy demand and urgent need to curb greenhouse gas emissions have intensified efforts to develop solar-driven hydrogen production technologies. Photocatalytic reforming of organic substrates – including biomass-derived compounds, organic species, and wastewater – has emerged as a promising route capable of simultaneously generating hydrogen and degrading pollutants. Recent advances have led to substantial improvements in photocatalyst performance, with reported hydrogen evolution rates ranging from below 1 mmol/gcat‧h for non-metal-doped semiconductors to over 50 mmol/gcat‧h for optimized dye-sensitized and heterojunction systems, and up to 112 mmol/gcat‧h for functionalized COF nanosheets. Apparent quantum yields span a similar breadth, from modest values below 1% to over 80% in state-of-the-art organic frameworks. Wastewater valorization studies demonstrate both environmental and energetic benefits, achieving hydrogen productivities up to 6.5 mmol/L in solar pilot plants and pollutant removal efficiencies exceeding 90% for dyes and pharmaceuticals. Techno-economic analyses indicate that integrated hydrogen–wastewater systems can reduce levelized hydrogen costs, with some configurations achieving internal rates of return above 10% and hydrogen yields approaching 800 L H2 per kg of organic removed. This review integrates scientific literature with international patent trends, providing a unified assessment of photocatalyst development, sacrificial agent strategies, and photoreactor design innovations. Building on these insights, the review delineates a forward-looking roadmap that prioritizes photocatalyst performance, wastewater matrices, scalable reactor architectures, and techno-economic integration as key research and engineering directions required to translate photocatalytic reforming from laboratory studies to commercially viable, large-scale hydrogen production
Phenothiazine-Based Self-Assembled Monolayer with Thiophene Head Groups Minimizes Buried Interface Losses in Tin Perovskite Solar Cells
No full textSelf-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have revolutionized the fabrication of lead-based perovskite solar cells, but they still remain underexplored in tin perovskite systems. To date, PEDOT remains the most effective hole-selective layer in tin perovskite solar cells (TPSCs), yet it presents challenges for both performance and stability. MeO-2PACz, the only SAM reported for tin perovskites consistently underperforms when compared to PEDOT. In this work, it is identified that MeO-2PACz's limitations stem from excessively strong interactions with the perovskite surface and poor lattice matching, which leads to inferior interface quality. To address these issues, a novel SAM-forming molecule called Th-2EPT is designed, synthesized, and characterized. Density functional theory (DFT) is used to evaluate coordination strength and lattice compatibility, complemented by electro-optical characterisation techniques that show significantly reduced interfacial recombination and improve material crystallinity in Th-2EPT/Perovskite films. With Th-2EPT, the first SAM-based tin perovskite solar cells that outperform PEDOT-based devices, delivering a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.2% with a DMSO-free solvent system, are demonstrated
Search for P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0} and P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4338)^{0} in Υ(1S,2S) Inclusive Decays at Belle
No full textUsing data samples of 102 million Υ(1S) events and 158 million Υ(2S) events collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider, we search for [udscc[over ̄]] pentaquark states decaying to J/ψΛ. Using the first observations of Υ(1S,2S) inclusive decays to J/ψΛ, we find evidence of the P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0} state with a local significance of 3.3 standard deviations, including statistical and systematic uncertainties. We measure the mass and width of the P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0} to be (4471.7±4.8±0.6) MeV/c^{2} and (22±13±3) MeV, respectively. The branching fractions for P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0} production are measured to be B[Υ(1S)→P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0}/P[over ̄]_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0}+anything]=(3.5±2.0±0.2)×10^{-6} and B[Υ(2S)→P_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0}/P[over ̄]_{cc[over ̄]s}(4459)^{0}+anything]=(2.9±1.7±0.4)×10^{-6}. The inclusive branching fractions of Υ(1S,2S)→J/ψΛ/Λ[over ̄] are measured to be B[Υ(1S)→J/ψΛ/Λ[over ̄]+anything]=(36.9±5.3±2.4)×10^{-6} and B[Υ(2S)→J/ψΛ/Λ[over ̄]+anything]=(22.3±5.7±3.1)×10^{-6}. We measure the visible cross section σ(e^{+}e^{-}→J/ψΛ/Λ[over ̄]+anything)=(90±14±6) fb for the continuum production at sqrt[s]=10.52 GeV. In all cases, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic
A fractional approach to strain-gradient plasticity: beyond core-radius of discrete dislocations
No full textWe derive a strain-gradient theory for plasticity as the Γ-limit of discrete dislocation fractional energies, without the introduction of a core-radius. By using the finite horizon fractional gradient introduced by Bellido et al. (Adv Calc Var 17:1039–1055, 2024), we consider a nonlocal model of semi-discrete dislocations, in which the stored elastic energy is computed via the fractional gradient of order 1-α. As α goes to 0, we show that suitably rescaled energies Γ-converge to the macroscopic strain-gradient model of Garroni et la. (J Eur Math Soc (JEMS) 12:1231–1266, 2010)
