435032 research outputs found
Sort by
Living in Our Shoes Revisited:Summary of Phase One Report
Get PDFThis Phase One report revisits the 2020 Living in Our Shoes review, assessing progress in supporting UK Armed Forces families. It highlights achievements in policy development but identifies persistent challenges in housing, childcare, education, partner employment, and healthcare. Recommendations call for an integrated, “Think Family” approach across Defence and government. <br/
The nature and nurture of primary and secondary callous-unemotional traits:evidence from two independent twin samples
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits identify youth with more severe and chronic trajectories of conduct problems. However, the etiology of CU traits may be heterogeneous, undermining the search for effective treatments. The level of co-occurring anxiety has been used to identify "primary" (lower anxiety) versus "secondary" (higher anxiety) variants of CU traits. The primary variant has been hypothesized to emerge from strong genetic influence and secondary variants as an adaptation to adversity, such as exposure to childhood maltreatment. However, little research has tested this hypothesis directly.METHODS: We examined whether anxiety moderates the etiology of CU traits to determine whether this phenotypic feature can help distinguish CU traits with stronger genetic or environmental risk. In two population-based twin cohorts (initial sample: N = 1,196, aged 6-11, oversampled for exposure to neighborhood disadvantage; follow-up sample: N = 13,486, age 7), we used genotype-by-environment interaction twin modeling to examine if parent-reported child anxiety moderated the etiology of concurrent parent-reported child CU traits.RESULTS: Anxiety moderated the etiology of CU traits across both samples, such that nonshared environmental influences increased as anxiety increased. Additionally, in the larger sample, genetic influences decreased with increasing anxiety.CONCLUSIONS: These findings support theories suggesting that co-occurring anxiety may distinguish CU traits with different origins: CU traits with higher anxiety appear more influenced by nonshared environmental factors-potentially including adversity-and may show weaker genetic influence. Assessing for co-occurring child anxiety is likely important for diagnosing and personalizing treatments among children with CU traits.</p
Reply to Comment on “Cost Comparisons in NICE Technology Appraisals:An External Assessment Group Perspective”
No full textFor the love of Lego®:exploring the perceptions and use by academics in higher education
Get PDFThis study investigates the perceptions and utilisation of Lego® among academics in Higher Education, employing semi-structured interviews with eleven participants from a UK institution. Through snowball sampling, a network of participants engaged in incorporating Lego® and Lego® Serious Play® within Higher Education contexts was established. In-depth interviews were conducted to gain insights into their experiences and applications. The findings reveal three primary themes: Pedagogical Impact, Integration and Methodology, and Challenges. Lego® Serious Play® was found to enhance deep learning, student engagement, and critical thinking, yet challenges such as resource limitations, the need for educator training, and resistance to non-traditional teaching methods were also identified. This research underscores the role of Lego® Serious Play® in enabling future skills like teamwork, communication, and creative problem-solving, while promoting inclusivity and diversity in the classroom. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge and offers practical recommendations for educators seeking to enhance teaching practices, integrate additional tools, and support student success in a complex educational landscape.KEYWORDS
CO<sub>2</sub> fluxing and carbon assimilation by arc melts during magma–limestone interaction
Get PDFReworking of limestone (CaCO3) by magma is an important source of carbon in volcanic arc emissions. However, while it is broadly understood that CO2 is liberated during magma–limestone interaction, the degassing behaviour of calcite in silicate melts is less well constrained. In this study, we carried out microspectroscopic analysis of volatiles within fluid inclusions and glass (former melt) in the products of short-term experiments simulating limestone assimilation in mafic arc melt (T = 1200 °C, P = 0.5 GPa, runtimes of 0 to 300 s). The experimental products consist of partly to wholly assimilated limestone xenoliths enveloped by CaO-rich silicate glass (reacting melt) that grades into mafic glass (host melt). Micro- to milli-metric sized fluid-filled bubbles permeate the experimental products. This study reveals that limestone assimilation induces extremely fast apparent diffusivity of CO2 (DCO2 ≳ 10−7 m2/s) through both the reacting melt and the host melt. Volatile saturation is thus quickly reached, triggering nucleation of bubbles mainly containing CO2 ± CO, CH4, N2, H2, and H2O. Crucially, we find that the host melt contains dissolved CO2 from limestone, despite showing no other compositional evidence for limestone assimilation. Mafic melts in volcanic regions underlain by limestone may therefore mobilise and transport more carbon than previously thought, with implications for eruptive behaviour, volcanic CO2 inventories, and long-term climate warming
LINA: An Augmented Reality Social Game Enhancing Sense of Belonging Among Classmates:An Uncontrolled Pre-post Evaluation Study
Get PDFSupportive peer relationships are fundamental in the development of well-being. Since early adolescents spend a lot of time at school, especially in their classroom, a sense of belonging among classmates plays a pivotal role for mental health and academic functioning. Programs that enhance sense of belonging among classmates through improving peer relationships in classrooms are rare. Given that early adolescents increasingly use digital media to establish and maintain relationships with classmates, there is potential in digital social games that enhance social connectivity and collaboration, especially during the difficult transition from primary to secondary school. LINA (‘Lina Is Not Alone’) is a novel social augmented reality game for classrooms that is designed to enhance sense of belonging among classmates through improving their relationships with classmates. We conducted an uncontrolled pre-post evaluation study to evaluate (a) player experience, (b) translation of the theory-led LINA design into user experience and (c) increases in sense of belonging after engagement with LINA. In total, data from 99 participants (Mage = 10.94; range = 10–12; 51 girls, 48 boys) were included in this study. Our results provided evidence for (a) high satisfaction and acceptability of LINA, (b) a successful translation of theory-led design features into user experiences, and (c) increases in sense of belonging. We discuss practical implications and future development of LINA.</p
Decentralised task planning and motion coordination for scalable multi-robot collaborative manufacturing
Get PDFThis paper introduces a decentralised task planning and motion coordination (TPMC) framework for scalable multi-robot collaborative manufacturing (MRCMfg). Built upon cognitive digital twins, the framework addresses challenges in dynamic system configurations, such as real-time adjustments to the number and position of active robots. The manufacturing process is divided into four phases: cognition, configuration, planning, and coordination. A large language model (LLM) analyses and infers data from cognitive digital twin simulations for state cognition and configuration optimisation, ensuring scalability by dynamically adjusting robot layouts. Multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) is employed for TPMC, which relies solely on local observations and incorporates a Transformer, along with a Soft Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) module, to update the policy network. This results in a decentralised decision-making policy with superior scalability and generalisation capabilities. A novel decentralised Soft-Soft Actor-Critic (SSAC) algorithm is developed, integrating a Soft MoE into the policy network, enhancing policy generalisation. The method is trained and tested on a scalable MRCMfg system in cognitive digital twins, specifically for the disassembly of electric vehicle batteries. Experiments demonstrate the approach's effectiveness, scalability, and efficiency in handling dynamic system configurations, as well as achieving efficient TPMC. The paper concludes by highlighting the framework's ability to maintain continuous operation in dynamic environments. The paper also suggests future work on enhancing the coupling mechanisms between task and motion planning (TAMP), integrating stochastic task-duration modelling, and incorporating physical priors into training
Multi-Solvent Graph Neural Network for Reduction Potential Prediction Across the Chemical Space
Get PDFReduction potentials of redox-active molecules and materials are essential descriptors of their performance as catalysts, antioxidants, electrode materials, etc. For a given species, its practical applications often span a range of solvent environments, which profoundly impact its redox properties. In this work, we present a message passing graph neural network architecture with a Set Transformer readout trained on ca. 20,000 reduction potentials of chemically diverse closed- and open-shell organic redox-active molecules (the “ReSolved” data set), computed using a rigorously benchmarked density functional theory procedure. The predictor model affords high accuracy with mean absolute errors of ca. 0.2 eV and is uniquely able to generalize to previously unseen solvents. We couple this architecture with an evolutionary algorithm to inverse-design synthetically accessible candidate molecules with target reduction potentials for several battery-related practical applications.</p
Comprehensive compilation and quality assessment of street-level urban air temperature measurements across European networks
No full textThis study provides a comprehensive dataset (FAIRUrbTemp) that addresses the lack of high-resolution urban air temperaturedata across Europe. It compiles sub-hourly street-level air temperature data from 811 low-cost to commercial sensors acrossseveral European cities and offers data in a quality-controlled, standardized format in sub-hourly, hourly, and daily resolutions.In addition, detailed metadata, as an important source of information in urban studies, is provided at network, station, andmeasurement levels. This pan-European dataset is rigorously quality-controlled using a serially automatic method applicable todiverse city-scale air temperature data, which identifies systematic and minor inconsistencies to enhance reliability. Expertbasedvalidation shows that the QC reliably identifies problematic measurements, while its performance varies across urbanand climatic settings due to local environmental and instrumental effects. To ensure transparency, the results of the qualitycontrol are provided to the user together with the original value in the dataset. The validated FAIRUrbTemp is a valuableresource for urban climate studies, with direct applications in validating microclimate models, assessing heat-health risks, andinforming climate-adaptive urban planning
Beyond calories:climate-change threats to food safety and nutrition in UK food systems debate
Get PDFThis debate examines how climate change presents complex and compounding challenges to food safety and nutrition within food systems in the United Kingdom. It highlights that risks extend far beyond calories, as environmental hazards such as extreme heat, humidity, drought, flooding, and rising CO₂ levels interact in ways that amplify microbial growth, drive mycotoxin outbreaks, introducing pests, pathogens and microbes to crops and livestock, as well as diluting the micronutrient content of staple crops and altering the nutritional quality and diversity of diets. The overlapping pressures pose a challenge to existing risk assessment models, which were developed in such a way that they handle single hazards at a time. Recent evidence indicates that the compound effect of multiple stressors may destabilize health outcomes, trade systems, and economic stability, as well as exacerbate health inequalities. This necessitates new approaches to food governance and collaboration with food system actors. To address that, this paper recommends the incorporation of climate-hazard tiers into regular food safety checks, revision of food-based dietary guidelines and surveillance systems to incorporate the threat of nutrient dilution of food systems, and investment in predictive analytics, such as AI applications and satellite observations, to forecast food safety crises in the region and globally. It also suggests a compromise between decarbonizing the cold chain and microbiological safety, as well as supporting calls to expand the National Risk Register to consider nutrient security risks, as well as food-borne disease, in times of disaster. This Debate asks how UK food-safety and nutrition governance should evolve in light of compound climate hazards that simultaneously influence microbial risks, mycotoxin pressures and nutritional security and recommends three immediately actionable steps: introduce a climate-hazard tiering approach, deploy predictive analytics for horizon scanning, and validate cold-chain set-points under climate stress
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇