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Negotiating informal partnerships between universities and international schools for social and global justice; what role do PGCEi tutors have on this journey?
Full text linkHow can university-school partnerships be navigated through students on an M level programme globally? In this paper, we discuss the purposes of University-School partnerships and the challenges of managing these when there is no formal arrangement to establish these partnerships. The Postgraduate Certificate in Education international (PGCEi) attracts students who are employed at various educational establishments globally and want to develop their understanding of educational concepts and theories. We explore the challenges of supporting their PGCEi journeys when there is no formal University-School partnership in place, and evaluate the role of PGCEi tutors as they progress through the course. PGCEi tutors play a critical role in navigating the space between the student and the School’s expectations. We question the students on the purposes of teaching in international schools and challenge them to consider how knowledge and power are connected as part of a decolonial approach to learning and teaching. The process is grounded in the concept of epistemic dependence in which PGCEi students and tutors can co-create a space to develop a decolonial approach as part of a broader focus on social and global justice
Synthesis and characterization of monodisperse microencapsulated phase change material within poly(methyl methacrylate-co-pentaerythritol tetraacrylate) shell
Full text linkMicroencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCM) exhibit considerable potential for latent thermal storage and energy saving. However, traditional polydisperse MEPCM often demonstrates inconsistent thermal behavior during phase transition among different particles, which stems from variations in confined domain sizes. Our study presents the fabrication process of monodisperse microcapsules to mitigate discrepancies in thermal properties arising from geometric heterogeneity. This study systematically investigates the effects of initiator dosage, crosslinker dosage, and core content on the surface morphology and thermal performance of MEPCM. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed that MEPCM-C30% possesses a smooth surface with an average diameter of 38.5 μm and a coefficient of variation (CV) of the diameter of only 1.9 %. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) further confirmed the high surface smoothness of MEPCM-C30%, showing a root mean square roughness (Rq) as low as 7.92 nm. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses indicated that increasing the initial core content from 10 % to 30 % could enhance the phase change enthalpy from 157.2 J/g to 207.2 J/g, reinforce heterogeneous nucleation at the capsule wall and reduce the degree of supercooling from 3.4 °C to 2.8 °C, respectively. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis showed the initial thermal decomposition temperature of MEPCM-C30% increased from 144 °C to 162 °C compared with MEPCM-C10%. Overall, MEPCM-C30% demonstrated superior heat storage capacity, thermal responsiveness, and thermal stability
Is acquisition-related foreign direct investment during an economic crisis detrimental for domestic innovation?
Full text linkWe study how acquisition-related foreign direct investment during economic crises affects R&D investments and the direction of innovation of target firms, compared with acquisitions made during periods of strong economic growth. Using a panel of Spanish firms, we find that foreign multinationals cherry-pick the best domestic firms, irrespective of the timing of acquisition. Using matching and difference-in-differences regressions, we find that firms acquired during economic crises experience smaller declines in R&D than those acquired during boom periods. Our results are consistent with the opportunity cost theory of R&D over the business cycle: during recessions, the relative cost of R&D falls, incentivizing innovation, particularly in new product development. However, only firms with sufficient access to finance can capitalize on these conditions. Our results suggest that acquisitions can ease financial constraints at a critical time, enabling target firms to sustain or redirect innovation efforts when incentives are most favorable
Core-shell Pd@CeO2/γ‐Al2O3 catalysts: Boosting efficiency and durability in stoichiometric natural gas vehicle exhaust treatment
Full text linkNatural gas vehicles (NGVs) offer significant environmental advantages by reducing pollutant emissions, but effective exhaust treatment remains a challenge due to high methane emissions and catalyst deactivation over time. This study introduces a core-shell Pd@CeO2/Al2O3 three-way catalyst (TWC) designed to enhance the efficiency and durability of NGV exhaust treatment. The core-shell structure significantly improves catalytic performance. The optimized Pd@Ce/Al (S-500) catalyst demonstrates excellent low-temperature activity, with T50 values of 336 °C for CH4 and 397 °C for NO. It also achieves remarkable reductions of 113 and 177 °C in the T90 for CH4 and NO conversion, respectively, compared to the non-core-shell counterpart, Pd-Ce/Al (S-500). Characterizations reveal enhanced metal-support interactions, increased oxygen vacancies, and optimized Pd-CeO2 interfaces as key active sites. Density functional theory calculations further demonstrate that the core-shell structure facilitates electron transfer at Pd-CeO2 interfaces and lowers energy barriers for three-way reactions, enhancing catalytic efficiency. Notably, the core-shell Pd@Ce/Al (S-500) catalyst maintains high conversion efficiency for CH4 and NO, with only slight losses (5.5% and 6.6%, respectively) over a 100-h time-on-stream stability test, following 16 h of harsh hydrothermal aging at 800 °C, showcasing its long-term stability. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the role of the core-shell Pd@CeO2 structure in Pd-based TWCs and offer valuable insights for designing durable and efficient catalysts to meet the stringent emission standards of NGVs
Discrete-Time Household Epidemic Models
Full text linkWe present a general Markovian discrete-time SIR household epidemic model based on time units of a day. The model is flexible in how within-household infection depends upon the number of infectives at a given time and the interactions between global (between-household) and local (within-household) infections over the course of a day. Consequently, the temporal behaviour of the epidemic is important in studying final outcomes of the epidemic such as the final size. A branching process approximation is derived for the early stages of the epidemic initiated by a single infective. We also obtain a functional central limit theorem for the temporal evolution of the epidemic starting from a strictly positive fraction of the population infected in the limit as the population size tends to infinity. By combining the branching process approximation and functional central limit theorem we provide insight into the final size of the epidemic model. This enables us to provide fresh understanding of special cases of the generic model such as a time-of-day model, where individuals alternate between infecting in the community and within their household, and a household version of the Greenwood model
Resilience Lessons from Humanitarian Supply Chains: A Framework for Capabilities Integration
No full textDue to the increasing frequency and severity of disruptions and disasters around the world, current supply chains of almost every type are experiencing uncertainties, and supply chain resilience capabilities are one of the major concerns for every manager. Humanitarian supply chains are often at the forefront of this. However, the extant literature often keeps them separate from commercial supply chains and focuses more on their differences than similarities. This short-format research work analyses four case studies of recent humanitarian supply chains formed in response to natural and man-made disasters and how these supply chains endure proactive and reactive resilience capabilities. The lessons learned from these disaster responses in resilience will be of great value to supply chain scholars, students, and practitioners
Biocontainment measures to control Mycoplasma bovis transmission in pre‐weaning dairy calves: An evidence‐based approach
Full text linkMycoplasma bovis is a key pathogen in the bovine respiratory disease complex, known for causing significant health issues in cattle. A dairy farm in Scotland faced a significant outbreak of bovine respiratory disease in pre-weaning calves (0–60 days old) during the winter period. M. bovis was identified as the primary pathogen in this case due to historical, clinical and postmortem evidence. The farm's calf management practices were found lacking, notably in the use of pooled colostrum, waste milk and incorrectly prepared milk replacer. A biocontainment strategy was implemented, focusing on isolating affected calves and revising feeding and cleanliness practices. After 3 months, the morbidity rate decreased to 3%, and there were no dead calves due to bovine respiratory disease. These evidence-based interventions proved effective in containing the M. bovis outbreak, highlighting the critical role of proactive management and prompt response in controlling the disease
Advancing PV temperature modeling: comparative evaluation and a novel empirical model
Full text linkAccurate estimation of PV module temperature is essential for reliable prediction of solar electrical generation and system-level performance assessment. However, commonly used empirical steady-state models often oversimplify thermal processes by assuming that heat transfer depends solely on wind speed, while radiative losses are largely neglected. This simplification can introduce temperature-prediction errors exceeding 10 °C compared with measured values. This study aims to develop a simple yet accurate steady-state empirical PV temperature model that accounts for radiative effects without increasing model complexity or instrumentation requirements. This study proposes a novel empirical PV temperature model that goes beyond existing formulations by incorporating an irradiance-dependent correction to the effective heat transfer coefficient, enabling an implicit representation of radiative heat dissipation. Rather than explicitly modeling radiative processes, the proposed approach preserves the simplicity of conventional empirical models while improving physical realism and prediction accuracy. The proposed formulation is benchmarked against four established models: Ross, NOCT, Sandia, and the Faiman radiation model, using long-term field data from multiple climates and PV technologies. The results show that the proposed model achieves the lowest annual temperature prediction error, in terms of RMSE, across all sites and PV technologies considered. The improvement is particularly evident under high-irradiance conditions, where irradiance-driven thermal dynamics dominate module heating. For example, under strong solar irradiance, the proposed model exhibits an nMBE as low as 4.3%, whereas the benchmark models show substantially larger biases (up to approximately 17.5% in magnitude). These results also indicate that the advantages of the proposed model become more pronounced in sunnier climates. The enhanced temperature accuracy also results in reduced annual PV power prediction errors, highlighting the importance of refined thermal modeling for system-level performance assessment. Overall, the proposed empirical model offers a robust, accurate, and instrumentation-free approach for estimating PV temperature, providing practical advantages for large-scale performance modeling and forecasting applications
Structure–Property Relationships of Near-Infrared Cyanine Dyes: Chalcogen-Driven Singlet Oxygen Generation with High Fluorescence Efficiency
Full text linkWe report the design, synthesis, and optical characterisations of eight novel near-infrared (NIR) cyanine dyes incorporating different chalcogens (O, S, and Se). These dyes exhibited excellent deep-NIR absorption (λmax = 767–833 nm) and emission (λmax = 784–859 nm) profiles. TDDFT calculations matched well the experimental trends and data. All compounds exhibited high extinction coefficients (178,000–267,000 cm–1 M–1) and good fluorescence quantum yields, resulting in high overall brightnesses. Remarkably, the selenium-containing dyes featuring terminal indole and benzoindole-type units exhibited impressive singlet oxygen quantum yields of around 13%, a standout performance in the deep-NIR region. These values are particularly promising and highlights the potential of these dyes for deep-NIR imaging and photodynamic applications
Harm from indoor air contaminants: protection by exposure limit values
Full text linkThe protection from chronic harm provided by exposure limit values (ELVs) for indoor air contaminants varies significantly across Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC) member countries, revealing inconsistencies in public health protection. The concept of a regulated harm budget (RHB) is introduced, representing the total harm implicitly allowed by regulators. Spain is the only AIVC nation with an RHB of 2400 disability-adjusted life-year (DALYs)/105 person/year for contaminants of concern (CoC): PM2.5, NO2, and formaldehyde. Most AIVC countries exceed harm levels linked to smoking and alcoholism. This highlights the need to reduce indoor air contaminant harm to levels comparable to other regulated health risks
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