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Governance for net zero project evaluation: Experiences from UK local authorities
No full textopen access articleThe United Kingdom has committed, through a legally-binding target, to achieve net zero emissions in the UK economy by 2050. The UK government envisages local authorities as being critical actors in achieving net zero. However, no coherent national guidance regarding net zero implementation exists for local governments. In the context of evolving national- and regional- scale energy planning, with the formation of Great British Energy, the National Energy System Operator and other bodies, local authorities will have an increasing role in energy planning. However, funding environments, human resources and technical capacity remain constrained. Strong governance mechanisms will be required to manage the socio-technical transition to a net zero future in the UK, and to engage with multiple actors across spatial and political scales. This article draws on research examining the challenges that UK local authorities (at County Council, District Council and Combined Authority scales) are having with access to and analysis of data for meaningful evaluation of current projects and future project planning. Through semi-structured interviews with 19 separate actors from UK local authorities, national bodies and consultancies working in net zero with UK local governments, we: • Examine the evaluation gap in carbon reduction, project costs and progress to net zero. • Consider the effect that an uncoordinated national policy framework for net zero is having on the ability for local authorities to effectively evaluate future project development routes. • Discuss how the increasingly adopted Local Area Energy Planning methodology is affecting local net zero policy and spatial planning, and what governance frameworks are needed to ensure that a net zero project is well-facilitated, timely and accelerated. Our findings highlight principles for how governance for monitoring and evaluation of net zero projects is a necessary foundation for assessing the success or failure of interventions, having relevance in the UK and beyond
Understanding cultural value in Germany
No full textopen access articleThis article investigates the concept of cultural value in the context of the German cultural sector. Cultural value is a well-established term in certain cultural policy environments, where an emphasis is placed on publicly funded cultural institutions and activities to evidence their value to society and individuals. No comparable discourse exists within the German sector. The purpose of this article is to examine this topic within the German cultural policy landscape, specifically concentrating on expressions of cultural value within state-funded cultural institutions via a qualitative research study. Cultural institutions in Germany believe it their responsibility to create value for the public and offer artistic experiences that can be considered as relevant to the public’s interests. To achieve this will require cultural policy makers to move beyond symbolic areas of cultural policy and towards an activating cultural policy that is cognisant of its value-creating ability
In-A-Container: Sustainable Digital Health Solutions for Resource- Challenged Communities
No full textAccess to comprehensive healthcare, education, and enterprise services in remote and resource-challenged communities remains a significant global challenge. This paper describes the In-A-Container initiative, a four-stage approach to delivering technology services that support telemedicine, community hospitals, education and community enterprise using secure, battery powered containers, photovoltaic panels and satellite communications. The first stage, for telemedicine, is in a suitcase-sized container small enough to transport in the cabin of a commercial airliner and delivered on-site using an electric bike; the container supporting a community hospital is a quarter-sized shipping container, delivered on an electric tuk-tuk; the largest containers for community education and enterprise are half-sized shipping containers, delivered on an electric truck. The final stage Enterprise-In-A-Container includes a battery bank that provides power for local community enterprises and a rental income that supports the ongoing operations. The first prototype of the Telemedicine-In-A-Container has been developed and tested in the laboratory; the second prototype is due for completion by the end of 2025. First pilots are scheduled for deployment in the first half of 2026 at the Darul Ikram Orphanage in Porto Novo, Benin and the El Roi Inland Missions Hospital in Jos, Nigeria
A didactic overview of Transformer applications: model variations and user guidelines
No full textopen access articleTransformers models were originally designed for the processing of textual data. In the last years they have been extended to handle different modalities of data including image and video, audio, tabular, and even multimodal data. Adapting the vanilla Transformer architecture is necessary to optimize the performance for each data type. The vast amount of new architectures that have emerged makes it difficult to detect and understand the differences with the original Transformer. This paper provides an overview of Transformer applications for various input modalities, and recommendations to guide the development and use of models
Do monitoring or advisory lead independent directors with financial expertise matter to managerial opportunism?
No full textopen access articleMotivated by the increasing interest and the monitoring and advisory roles that a lead independent director may play to decrease managerial opportunism; we examine the relationship between monitoring or advisory lead independent directors and managerial opportunism proxied by earnings management. Using a panel data of US firms from 2001 to 2020, we find that monitoring lead independent directors rather than advisory lead independent directors is negative and significantly associated with discretionary accruals. In an additional analysis, we find that advisory rather than monitoring lead independent directors improve earnings persistence and future cash flows, suggesting that both monitoring and advisory lead independent directors play complementary roles when it comes to corporate performance/earnings quality. We also find that, regardless of the role they play within boardrooms, monitoring and advisory lead independent directors with financial expertise have a decreasing effect on discretionary accruals. These findings provide new insights and improve our understanding of how monitoring and advisory lead independent directors contribute to corporate performance in complementary ways
Mental Health and Internalized Homophobia Among Lesbian/Gay and Bisexual Individuals in China: a Comparative Network Analysis
No full textSupplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material availableDirection: This study examined how multidimensional internalized homophobia (IH)—a key proximal stressor in Minority Stress Theory—relates to depression and anxiety among Chinese lesbian/gay and bisexual individuals. Although internalized stigma is a well-established risk factor for mental health problems, little is known about how culturally specific IH processes and symptom-level interactions differ across sexual orientation subgroups in non-Western contexts.
Method: Using cross-sectional data from 668 LGB participants in China, we assessed three culturally grounded IH dimensions (internalized heteronormativity, social-oriented internalization, and family-oriented internalization) and applied network analysis to compare symptom structures across groups.
Result: Lesbian/gay individuals showed higher IH levels, whereas bisexual individuals reported more severe depressive symptoms. Networks revealed shared core edges—especially between heterosexual preference and orientation-based distress, and between family shame and filial-piety conflict—reflecting culturally embedded stress mechanisms. Subgroup comparisons indicated stronger links between family-oriented internalization and emotional symptoms among lesbian/gay individuals, while identity-related distress, social-oriented pressure, and depressed mood were more central among bisexual individuals.
Conclusion: Overall, the findings demonstrate how family obligations, social conformity pressures, and culturally embedded expectations shape the way in which IH connects to depression and anxiety. These insights support the development of culturally sensitive school- and community- based mental health services that foster identity development and positive coping strategies among sexual minority populations in China
Toward Sustainable Corrosion Control: Comparative Assessment of Pyrazole Derivatives for Steel
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This study investigates the corrosion inhibition potential of two novel pyrazole derivatives, N1,N1-bis((1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methyl)-N4,N4-diethylbenzene-1,4-diamine (TP6) and N1,N1-bis((3,5-dimethyl-1H pyrazol-1-yl)methyl)-N4,N4-diethylbenzene-1,4-diamine (TD6). These compounds were synthesized via N alkylation of N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine with pyrazolylmethyl intermediates, yielding previously unre ported pyrazole-based diamine derivatives. The work focuses on their ability to protect mild steel from acid induced corrosion, a major concern in industrial processes. Methods: Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) techniques were employed to evaluate the inhibition efficiency of TP6 and TD6 in hydrochloric acid solution. Adsorption isotherms were analyzed to determine the thermodynamic parameters of adsorption, while quantum chemical calculations provided insights into the molecular properties influencing adsorption behaviour. Significant Findings: Both compounds demonstrated excellent corrosion inhibition, with TD6 consistently out performing TP6 due to the electron-donating effect of its methyl substituents, which enhanced adsorption and surface coverage. Thermodynamic analysis indicated a more spontaneous adsorption process for TD6, while surface characterization confirmed a substantial reduction in chloride-induced corrosion. These results highlight the critical role of molecular structure in corrosion inhibitor design and offer promising directions for developing more efficient pyrazole-based inhibitors
Experimental Analysis of Al2O3–SiO2–TiO2 Nanocoolant in Engine Cooling Systems and Performance Optimisation Via Machine Learning Approaches
No full textopen access articleThe present study investigates the effect of hybrid nanoparticle-added nanocoolant containing Al2O3–SiO2–titanium dioxide (TiO2) at different ratios on engine cooling system performance. The investigation involved the addition of hybrid nanoparticles to water and anti-freeze water at varying ratios, with the objective of examining their impact on the performance of engine cooling systems in terms of heat transfer. The optimal mixing ratio was then ascertained through the utilisation of a model constructed with artificial intelligence. The optimal outcome derived from the sample code of NF3 has demonstrated a substantial enhancement in the performance of an engine load of 8.8 kW, exhibiting an enhancement rate of up to 59.9% in comparison with water. The most effective mixture of Al2O3, SiO2 and TiO2 was determined through the utilisation of machine learning (ML) algorithms, resulting in an enhancement of 33% in operational conditions, with the incorporation of 0.24% Al2O3, 0.26% SiO2 and 0.25% TiO2 nanoparticle additives. In conclusion, the enhancement in heat transfer and engine fuel consumption was evaluated within the framework of the determined criteria and economic analysis. The payback (PB) period was determined to be 13 months
Blockchain-enabled identity management for IoT: a multi-layered defense against adversarial AI
No full textopen access articleThe growing deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT), especially in critical infrastructure, has increased the need for identity systems that are scalable and robust against attacks. However, existing centralized systems have fundamental weaknesses, especially where adversaries use artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques, such as generative spoofing, model poisoning, and deepfakes to create fake identities. In this paper, we present a novel blockchain-based IoT security system that combines decentralized identity verification, zero-knowledge proofs, Byzantine-resistant federated learning, and formal verification of smart contracts. The proposed architecture eliminates single points of trust, allows device registration while preserving privacy, and provides defense against AI-driven attacks through formally modeled state transitions. Experimental results show that this method shows significant improvements over previous frameworks, including a 48% reduction in false acceptance rate during GAN-based spoofing and speedup the ZKP verification. This work provides a blockchain-enabled identity management system for IoT to encounter AI-based threats and maintain a balance between performance and security with the help of adversarial simulation, symbolic execution, and threshold cryptography
Resource-Efficient Models for Edge Devices
No full textThis chapter surveys the reasons and methods for building resource-efficient AI for the network edge, where devices operate with tight limits on computing, memory, energy, and bandwidth. First, it motivates the need for on-device intelligence by linking the rapid growth of edge deployments with requirements for low latency, privacy, and real-time responsiveness, and sets out the main constraints that make efficiency central to design at the edge. The chapter then develops an anomaly-detection pathway that uses deep transfer learning to overcome scarce labels and domain shift, detailing clustering, one-class, and reconstruction methods, and showing how pre-training and fine-tuning enable predictive maintenance, fraud detection, and intrusion detection in IoT and IIoT settings. Next, it presents a lightweight model design for constrained hardware, covering architectural families such as MobileNet, SqueezeNet, EfficientNet, ShuffleNet, and TinyML, and explains core compression and acceleration ideas that preserve accuracy while reducing the parameters, FLOPs, and latency. It complements these with optimization techniques that are practical to deploy: pruning, post-training and training-aware quantization, and knowledge distillation with a temperature-scaled loss. The systems view includes hardware choices and trade-offs among GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs for edge inference, and a tooling overview for deployment through TensorFlow Lite, PyTorch Mobile, ONNX Runtime, and Edge Impulse. Finally, the chapter analyses energy-efficiency tactics such as DVFS-aware design, compression, and distillation for longer device lifetimes, and closes with open problems in continual learning, privacy and security at the edge, and emerging trends including federated learning and specialised edge AI processors, with a forward look to integrated model-hardware-software stacks for robust, scalable Edge AI
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