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Unlocking C₃₋₄ Products in CO Electroreduction via One-Step Square-Ring Coupling on Cu₄-Embedded Carbon Nitride
No full textThe electrochemical conversion of CO2 and CO into value-added multi-carbon compounds through sustainable pathways presents a promising strategy for achieving carbon neutrality. Although significant advancements have been achieved in the electrocatalytic reduction of C1-2 products, such as methane (CH4) and ethylene (C2H4), the selective and efficient production of C3-4 compounds remains a formidable challenge. This is primarily due to the intricate nature of carbon-carbon coupling mechanisms and the complex dynamics of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). In this study, we employed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to systematically investigate the feasibility of C3-4 products formation on a Copper-embedded carbon nitride (Cu4-C5N2H2). Two distinct pathways for C3 coupling formation have been identified: trimerization of C-C-C through CO trimerization coupling mechanism and 3CO-ER coupling mechanism, propylene emerged as the preferred C3 product, with a low limiting potential (UL) of 0.55 V. For the generation of C4 products, we have proposed an unprecedented one-step square-ring coupling mechanism and a 4CO-ER coupling mechanism, with n-butanol as the predominant product, and we also discuss the potential generation of cyclobutane, n-butene and 1,3-butadiene. This work provides new insights into multi-carbon coupling mechanisms and offers a viable strategy for the development of efficient electrocatalysts for CO reduction to C3-4 products
The present of climate assemblies
No full textClimate assemblies are a fast-growing phenomenon in the fields of democratic innovation and environmental governance. These new civic institutions empower citizens to participate in evidence-informed deliberation to advance collective action on the climate and ecological crisis. Climate assemblies are part of ongoing efforts to democratise environmental governance and respond to the challenges of our climate-changed world. This introductory chapter provides a state-of-the-art overview of this emerging field of research and practice. We cover the history and development of climate assemblies, reflecting on the environmental, socioeconomic, and political contexts that explain their emergence. We also provide an overview of their characteristics, critiques, and impacts, and argue that practice is progressing faster than research. Then we outline how this book contributes to narrow that gap by focussing on both the internal and external dimensions of climate assemblies, and how they are intertwined. All chapters are introduced and summarised to offer an accessible guide to key insights, before concluding with reflections about the hope and hype that underpins the present state of the field
Innovating language motivation research:The localized possibilities of practitioner research
No full textThis paper discusses the potential of practitioner research (PR) in furthering understandings of motivation in additional language (L+) learning. Although there has been extensive research exploring this phenomenon, much of it relies on large-scale, quantitative approaches, often overlooking the contextual and pedagogical nuances of L+ motivation. After introducing PR and two approaches–action research and exploratory practice–the authors argue that PR can provide innovative, context-sensitive means to uncovering the lived experiences of L+ motivation. The paper draws on a range of exemplar studies of PR to highlight its utility in addressing key challenges in motivation research, such as its abstract, multidimensional, and dynamic nature. By embedding research within teaching practice, PR makes motivation observable, highlights its multidimensionality through context-specific studies, and captures its dynamic evolution over time. It also promotes ethical and socially responsive research by engaging learners and teachers as co-researchers and prioritising classroom relevance. Positioned at the intersection of research and pedagogy, PR has the potential to enrich the experiences of all those involved in L+ learning–learners, teachers, and researchers–whilst promoting impactful and sustainable pedagogical practices.</p
The CLASS (Cerebral visual impairment Learning and Awareness for School Staff) pilot study:An evaluation of the awareness of CVI amongst teachers and comparative evaluation of two different educational resources on understanding
No full textCerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of visual impairment in children in high income countries. Despite its prevalence, awareness of CVI among educators remains low, meaning that many affected children may not receive the support they need in school. While previous research has highlighted the challenges faced by children with CVI, few studies have systematically assessed teacher awareness and the effectiveness of targeted educational interventions in improving classroom practices. This study addresses this gap by evaluating: (1) teacher awareness of CVI, (2) existing classroom practices that may impact children with CVI, (3) the effectiveness of two CVI educational media formats (video and text) in increasing understanding, and (4) the changes teachers would be willing to implement following exposure to these resources. By comparing the impact of these two formats, this study provides insights into how best to deliver CVI training for teachers in a way that is both accessible and effective. A total of 111 teachers from primary, secondary, and special schools across the UK participated in a survey incorporating either a three-minute video simulation or a 1.5-minute text-based resource about CVI. Before exposure, 72% of participants had not heard of CVI, with awareness particularly low among mainstream teachers (98% of primary and 80% of secondary teachers were unaware). Teachers also reported inconsistent use of CVI-supportive practices, such as reducing classroom clutter and simplifying smart screen content. Both media formats significantly increased teachers’ willingness to implement changes (p < 0.0001). The text format showed a slightly greater increase in average Likert scores, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a larger statistical effect for text (z = -12.91) compared to video (z = -8.90). However, the video format was also highly effective, producing a similarly strong impact, with both formats achieving an identical median increase of 1.0. These results suggest that while text may have led to slightly larger shifts in rank-based scores, the video format remained a powerful and engaging tool for increasing teachers’ willingness to implement CVI-supportive strategies. The findings suggest that small, manageable adaptations, such as reducing visual distractions and maintaining consistency in classroom layouts, are practical for teachers and may have a meaningful impact on children with CVI. This study highlights the potential of bite-size learning resources in raising awareness and encouraging evidence-based teaching adaptations. By providing concise, accessible materials, teachers can be equipped with strategies to support children with CVI while minimising additional workload demands. Future efforts should focus on scaling these resources to reach a wider audience, including families and caregivers, to foster a more inclusive understanding and response to CVI
Solubility Modelling for Key Organic Compounds Used in Adavosertib (Anti-Cancer API) Manufacturing
No full textThe solubility of organic compounds plays an important role in pharmaceutical manufacturing since key unit operations such as reactors, crystallizers, and solvent extraction units all rely on successful reagent and product dissolution. Consequently, predictive solubility modeling is very useful when developing new pharmaceutical processes, so as to minimize the experimentation required to understand the solubility of new molecular entities (NMEs). The present paper has thus employed the Non-Random Two-Liquid Segment Activity Coefficient (NRTL-SAC) model to describe the solubility of six organic compounds used in the production of an experimental anticancer drug, Adavosertib (specifically: AZD1775 Adavosertib Maleate, AZD1775 Aniline Maleate, AZD1775 Nitropip, AZD1775 Hydroxymethylsulfanyl, AZD1775 Bromopyridine.HBr, and AZD1775 Pyrimidine). The NRTL-SAC model has also been employed to estimate the melting temperature and enthalpy of fusion of these compounds, circumventing various difficulties arising in direct measurements (e.g., endothermic/exothermic phenomena near the melting point).</p
Leveraging context for perceptual prediction using word embeddings
No full textWord embeddings derived from large language corpora have been successfully used in cognitive science and artificial intelligence to represent linguistic meaning. However, there is continued debate as to how well they encode useful information about the perceptual qualities of concepts. This debate is critical to identifying the scope of embodiment in human semantics. If perceptual object properties can be inferred from word embeddings derived from language alone, this suggests that language provides a useful adjunct to direct perceptual experience for acquiring this kind of conceptual knowledge. Previous research has shown mixed performance when embeddings are used to predict perceptual qualities. Here, we tested if we could improve performance by leveraging the ability of Transformer-based language models to represent word meaning in context. To this end, we conducted two experiments. Our first experiment investigated noun representations. We generated decontextualised (“charcoal”) and contextualised (“the brightness of charcoal”) Word2Vec and BERT embeddings for a large set of concepts and compared their ability to predict human ratings of the concepts’ brightness. We repeated this procedure to also probe for the shape of those concepts. In general, we found very good prediction performance for shape, and more modest performance for brightness. The addition of context did not improve perceptual prediction performance. In Experiment 2, we investigated representations of adjective–noun phrases. Perceptual prediction performance was generally found to be good, with the non-additive nature of adjective brightness reflected in the word embeddings. We also found that the addition of context had a limited impact on how well perceptual features could be predicted. We frame these results against current work on the interpretability of language models and debates surrounding embodiment in human conceptual processing
Short-term aircraft noise stress induces a fundamental metabolic shift in heart proteome and metabolome that bears the hallmarks of cardiovascular disease
No full textEnvironmental stressors in the modern world can fundamentally affect human physiology and health. Exposure to stressors like air pollution, heat, and traffic noise has been linked to a pronounced increase in non-communicable diseases. Specifically, aircraft noise has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, such as arteriosclerosis, heart failure, stroke, and diabetes. Noise stress leads to neuronal activation with subsequent stress hormone release that ultimately activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, increases inflammation and oxidative stress thus substantially affecting the cardiovascular system. However, despite the epidemiological evidence of a link between noise stress and metabolic dysfunction, the consequences of exposure at the molecular, metabolic level of the cardiovascular system are largely unknown. Here, we use a murine model system of short-term aircraft noise exposure to show that noise stress profoundly alters heart metabolism. Within 4 days of noise exposure, the heart proteome and metabolome bear the hallmarks of reduced potential for generating ATP from fatty-acid beta-oxidation, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the electron transport chain. This is accompanied by the increased expression of glycolytic metabolites, including the end-product, lactate, suggesting a compensatory shift of energy production towards anaerobic glycolysis. Intriguingly, the metabolic shift is reminiscent of what is observed in failing and ischaemic hearts. Mechanistically, we further show that the metabolic rewiring is likely driven by reactive oxygen species (ROS), as we can rescue the phenotype by knocking out NOX-2/gp91phox, a ROS inducer, in mice. Our results suggest that within a short exposure time, the cardiovascular system undergoes a fundamental metabolic shift that bears the hallmarks of cardiovascular disease. These findings underscore the urgent need to comprehend the molecular consequences of environmental stressors, paving the way for targeted interventions to mitigate health risks associated with chronic noise exposure in modern, environments heavily disturbed by nois
Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy of Cationic Nitric Oxide Clusters, [(NO)<sub>n</sub>]<sup>+</sup>, and [NO<sub>2</sub>(NO)<sub>n</sub>]<sup>+</sup>
Get PDFPhotofragmentation spectroscopy provides a powerful method for the determination of structures and bonding in isolated gas-phase clusters. Here we report infrared action spectra of mass-selected cationic nitric oxide clusters, (NO)n+ (n = 3-8), and mixed NO2(NO)n+ clusters which are interpreted with the help of quantum chemical calculations. Despite the rich potential energy landscape which exhibits very many calculated low-energy isomers, clear structural motifs are observed. Important differences between our (NO)n+ spectra and others published previously are interpreted in terms of the qualitatively different experimental techniques employed in the initial formation of the clusters in each study. Finally, spectra recorded in different fragmentation channels provide clear evidence for intracluster chemistry leading to the formation of mixed nitrous oxide/nitrogen dioxide/nitric oxide complexes, (N2O)(NO2)(NO)n+.</p
Four Principles of Transformative Adaptation to Climate Change‐Exacerbated Hazards in Informal Settlements
No full textResidents of urban informal settlements are among the most at-risk of climate change-exacerbated hazards. Yet, traditional approaches to adaptation have failed to reduce risk sustainably and equitably. In contrast, transformative adaptation recognizes the inextricable nature of complex climate risk and social inequality, embedding principles of social justice in pathways to societal resilience. Its potential for impact may be greatest in informal settlements, but its application in this context introduces a new set of challenges and remains largely aspirational. To address this missed opportunity, in this focus article we provide clarity on how transformative adaptation can manifest in informal settlements. Although context-dependency precludes the formulation of specific guidelines, we identify four principles which are foundational to its deployment in these settings. Acknowledging constraints, we define levels of achievement of the principles and suggest how they might be reached in practice. Achieving transformative adaptation in informal settlements is complex, but we argue that it is already achievable and could represent a prime opportunity to accelerate the rate of adaptation to build a climate resilient society
How do brain regions specialised for concrete and abstract concepts align with functional brain networks?:A neuroimaging meta-analysis
Get PDFIdentifying the brain regions that process concrete and abstract concepts is key to understanding the neural architecture of thought, memory and language. We review current theories of concreteness effects and test their neural predictions in a meta-analysis of 72 neuroimaging studies (1400 participants). Our analysis includes more than twice as many studies as previous meta-analyses, allowing for a more sensitive mapping of these effects across the brain. We also conducted a quantitative assessment of the degree to which concreteness effects aligned with a range of large-scale functional brain networks. Our results suggest that concrete and abstract concepts vary both in the information-processing modalities they engage and in the demands they place on cognitive control processes. Abstract concepts preferentially activated networks for social cognition (particularly for sentences), language and semantic control (particularly when presented as single words). Concrete concepts preferentially activated action processing regions when presented in sentences, though we found no evidence that they activated visual networks. Specialisation for both concept types was present in different parts of the default mode network (DMN), with effects dissociating along a social-spatial axis. Concrete concepts generated greater activation in a medial temporal DMN component, implicated in constructing mental models of spatial contexts and scenes. In contrast, abstract concepts showed greater activation in frontotemporal DMN regions involved in social and language processing. These results align with prior claims that generating models of situations and events is a core DMN function and indicate specialisation within DMN for different aspects of these models
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