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Metal and metal oxide nanomaterials for heavy metal remediation: novel approaches for selective, regenerative, and scalable water treatment
Get PDFHeavy metal contamination in water sources poses a significant threat to environmental and public health, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Nanomaterial-based approaches have emerged as promising solutions for heavy metal removal, offering enhanced selectivity, efficiency, and sustainability compared to traditional methods. This comprehensive review explores novel nanomaterial-based approaches for heavy metal remediation, focusing on factors such as selectivity, regeneration, scalability, and practical considerations. A systematic literature search was conducted using multiple academic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, to identify relevant articles published between 2013 and 2024. The review identifies several promising nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, and metal-organic frameworks, which exhibit high surface areas, tunable surface chemistries, and excellent adsorption capacities. Surface functionalization with specific functional groups (e.g., carboxyl, amino, thiol) significantly enhances the selectivity for target heavy metal ions. Advances in regeneration strategies, including chemical desorption, electrochemical regeneration, and photocatalytic regeneration, have improved the reusability and cost-effectiveness of these materials. Scalability remains a critical challenge, but recent developments in synthesis methods, such as green synthesis and continuous-flow synthesis, offer promising solutions for large-scale production. The stability and longevity of nanomaterials have been improved through surface modification and the development of hybrid nanocomposites. Integrating nanomaterials with existing water treatment infrastructure and combining them with other remediation techniques, such as membrane filtration and electrochemical methods, can enhance overall treatment efficiency and feasibility. In conclusion, nanomaterial-based approaches hold immense promise for revolutionizing heavy metal remediation and advancing sustainable water management practices. As future research is geared towards retrofitting existing treatment plants, it is equally critical to mitigate unintended environmental and public health consequences associated with the widespread production and use of nanomaterials, such as their leachability into water systems and environmental persistence
Strategizing under conditions of Weberian bureaucracy and ethnic consociationalism
Get PDFThis study employs a single embedded case study design to investigate strategizing processes under conditions of Weberian bureaucracy and ethnic consociationalism. Drawing from a blend of secondary and primary sources, including semi-structured interviews, observations, and focus group discussions, we harness thematic and narrative qualitative analysis for generating knowledge about strategizing processes under conditions of Weberian bureaucracy and ethnic consociationalism, as apparent in an African public sector context, through the study of the case of The Gambia Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. The article contributes to understanding the dynamics of strategizing processes, offering insights that can enhance strategizing practices in similar contexts
Effect of whole-brain structural MRI feature selection on classification accuracy using multi-kernel machine learning
No full textA Systematic Scoping Review on Recruiting and Retaining Seldom Heard Families in Longitudinal Qualitative Research
Get PDFThe aim of this scoping review was to systematically scope the existing literature on the best practice in how to design and conduct longitudinal qualitative research that works for, and is welcomed by two seldom heard kinds of families: (a) families in which a child has a learning disability of chromosomal or genetic origin (sub-review 1); and (b) families in which a parent has experienced violence or abuse from a partner in the last year (sub-review 2). Research questionsRQ1 What challenges and elements of best practice can be found in the design and conduct of longitudinal and cross-sectional descriptive studies with hard to reach and hard to hear families? RQ 2. What evidence is there of successful strategies for overcoming these challenges
A systematic review of the physiological and biomechanical differences between males and females in response to load carriage during walking activities.
Get PDFThe purpose of this review was to systematically assess literature on differences between males and females in the physiological and biomechanical responses to load carriage during walking. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane library were searched. A total of 4637 records were identified and screened. Thirty-three papers were included in the review. Participant characteristics, load carriage conditions, study protocol, outcome measures and main findings were extracted and qualitatively synthesised. Absolute oxygen uptake and minute ventilation were consistently greater in males but there were limited sex-specific differences when these were expressed relative to physical characteristics. There is limited evidence of sex-specific differences in spatio-temporal variables, ground reaction forces (normalised to body mass) or sagittal plane joint angles with load. However, differences have been found in hip and pelvic motions in the frontal and horizontal planes, which might partly explain an economical advantage for females proposed by some authors
Exploring and Evaluating the Two-Factor Model of Perfectionism in Sport
Get PDFPerfectionism is a multidimensional personality trait with two higher-order dimensions; perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. The purpose of the present study was to explore and evaluate the two-factor model for the first time using three instruments developed to measure perfectionism in sport. In doing so, we (i) assessed the fit of two-factor models when including and excluding various contentious subscales (other-oriented perfectionism, parental pressure, coach pressure, organisation, and negative reactions to imperfection) and (iii) compared two-factor models to alternative one-factor (or unidimensional) models. Participants were recruited from community and university sports clubs in the UK (N = 527; M age = 18.07 years, SD = 0.49) and completed the Sport-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2 (Gotwals & Dunn, 2009), the Multidimensional Inventory of Perfectionism in Sport (Stoeber et al., 2006), and the Performance Perfectionism Scale-Sport (Hill et al., 2018). Support was found for the two-factor model, with superior fit displayed each time the aforementioned subscales were excluded and, in all cases, when compared to a unidimensional model. The findings suggest that the two-factor model is a adequate representation of the underlying structure of instruments designed to measure perfectionism in sport with better fit and conceptual clarity offered by more parsimonious models.
Introductio
Manifesting the Academic Psychological Contract
Get PDFThe level of research undertaken on the academic psychological contract, and it’s influence on academic’s behaviour is limited. This paper seeks to consider the academic psychological contract, by reviewing its manifestation within the role of and the influence on their undertaking of the role. Particularly important is academics’ interpretation of the role and what they consider important. Within this the paper considers in-role and extra-role activities and what may be the grey areas in which time is spent. The research adopts the combined usage of phenomenology with interpretivist processes to investigate the insights of eighteen academics at nine UK University Business Schools. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect to consider the constructs manifestation. Key aspects of behaviour were identified as discretionary effort and autonomy and managerialism with links to academic citizenship.
Key Words
Academics; Psychological Contract; discretionary effort; autonomy; managerialism; academic citizenship
Political-economic transformation and the reproduction of climate change vulnerability of a high-income city
Get PDFSystem transformation is important for low-lying coastal cities to adapt to natural disasters related to climate change, but not all forms of transformation enable adaptation. An important question is how an enduring system change undermines the enabling conditions for reducing vulnerability. This paper addresses the relationship between society-wide transformation and vulnerability reduction. A case study of Macao is used to explain structural vulnerabilities to storm surges in the context of a historic social change process marked by the end of colonial rule. The post-colonial regime seeks political legitimacy from extraordinary economic performance. The capitalist growth model has created new and resilient urban spaces, but reproduced the vulnerabilities of the older ones. The transformation has resulted in a perverse social contract and increased dependence on a shadow regime, undermining the social agency for change. We deconstruct the perceived legitimacy of transformation and examine the social and political consequences of performance legitimization. A society-wide transformation that seeks legitimacy from an unsustainable practice is a recipe for maladaptation. Socio-political realities mediate the effects of transformative social change. Our conclusions highlight the importance of analyzing transformation as an enduring system change. This requires framing the disruptive processes and impacts of transformation as a determinant and explicitly accounting for their socio-temporal dimensions in conceptualizing the non-linear relationship between transformation and vulnerability reduction