21827 research outputs found
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Learning critical thinking skills with online bite-sized videos: a qualitative account of students’ perceptions
Full text linkLearning to think critically is a key educational goal for higher education that presents a significant challenge for many students. Surprisingly, few studies have reported students’ views and perceptions towards instructional methods in critical thinking. The current study explored university students’ experiences and perceptions towards an online intervention designed to improve critical thinking skills. The intervention employed video-based learning to introduce four common informal logical fallacies to students across two micro-learning episodes administered online. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 university students to gain insight into four key areas: i) the perceived usefulness of the intervention for critical thinking development, ii) the presentation of learning materials, iii) the factors impacting their engagement, iv) and the potential of this approach to support mainstream provisions. We identified four main themes using thematic analysis: 1) building understanding and awareness of critical thinking, 2) effective video design and presentation, 3) valuing technology-enhanced learning approach, and 4) divergent experiences derived from the practice phase. These themes encapsulate students’ experiences of learning critical thinking as a highly sophisticated skill within an online learning environment and their preferences towards an effective video design. We discuss the implications of these findings for future pedagogical research and training of critical thinking in higher education
What's beyond harvest? A sustainable livelihoods approach to rice straw bioenergy adoption in the Philippines
Full text linkRice straw is often perceived as an agricultural waste that leads to environmentally harmful disposal methods such as open field burning. This study rethinks rice straw as a resource for bioenergy innovation and examines its potential to enhance sustainable livelihoods in rice-producing communities in the Philippines. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework as an analytical lens, this research explores the allocation of key resources, stakeholder perceptions of challenges and opportunities, and priorities within the rice value chain. A gamified participatory approach was employed to engage stakeholders in structured decision-making. Mixed methods were used to analyse the data. Friedman Test and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance assessed rankings and consensus on priority resources, challenges, and opportunities in rice production, while thematic analysis provided qualitative insights. Findings reveal climate change as a compounding challenge that disrupts planting cycles and exacerbates livelihood vulnerability. Financial and natural capital emerged as the most crucial factors influencing decision-making. Structural barriers constrain farmer agency, such as debt dependency, limited post-harvest access, and weak market linkages. Social capital, while underutilised, holds transformative potential for collective action and equitable value distribution. The results of this study underscore the need for targeted interventions, including governance frameworks that support food production, bioenergy investment, farmer capacity-building initiatives, and multi-stakeholder partnerships to integrate bioenergy solutions into existing agricultural systems
Synergistic reinforcement of Diels–Alder cycloadducts with hydrogen bonding interactions in recyclable dual-dynamic polyurethane networks
Full text linkHere we report a facile, efficient strategy to prepare dual-dynamic networks (DDNs) comprising both thermally reversible Diels–Alder (DA) covalent bonds and non-covalent hydrogen bonds which combine excellent mechanical properties and creep resistance with facile processability at mild temperatures. A series of DDNs was synthesised via the copolymerisation of maleimide-terminated poly(ε-caprolactone urethane) or poly(1,4-butadiene urethane) prepolymers with multifunctional furan crosslinkers containing ester, urethane or urea functional groups. The mechanical properties of the resulting DDNs are enhanced by increasing the strength of crosslinker hydrogen bonding or reducing the polarity of the bismaleimide backbone, achieving a broad range of tensile strength (11.7–26.5 MPa), elongation (210–690%) and toughness (14.4–75.7 MJ m−3) values. DDNs comprising crosslinkers with stronger hydrogen bonding groups produced higher gel transition temperatures (Tgel), creep-resistance and tensile strength, implying synergistic network reinforcement. Furthermore, DDNs comprising the non-polar poly(1,4-butadiene) also presented improved creep resistance. For these materials, rubbery plateaus extended over broader temperature ranges resulting in higher Tgel up to 150 °C. Poly(ε-caprolactone) conferred networks with superior Young's modulus, tensile strength, toughness and flexibility. We have shown that materials can be thermally reprocessed multiple times whilst maintaining high stress recovery efficiencies and display rapid healing abilities under mild temperatures. This work highlights the crucial role of crosslinked network reinforcement via hydrogen bonding interactions to design high-performance yet recyclable polymer networks with tailored properties
Alliances with frenemies: capability-building mechanisms linking coopetition to firm performance
Full text linkCoopetition functions as a double-edged sword, offering both benefits and costs. Drawing on the capability-building perspective, we examine the intermediate mechanism through which coopetition gives rise to superior performance. We explore two interrelated yet seemingly paradoxical learning capabilities, namely absorptive capacity (AC) and unlearning, which serve as mediating mechanisms that link coopetition to financial and non-financial performance. Our findings from a sample of 190 Iranian SMEs confirm that AC mediates the effect of coopetition on both financial and non-financial performance, whereas unlearning did not directly mediate any of these relationships. However, we found that unlearning serves as an important catalyst for the development of AC, which in turn affects performance. This study contributes to the literature by examining the bridging mechanism underlying the performance impact of coopetition and contributes to the debate on the development of capabilities in coopetition partnerships
Expanding the clinical tumor phenotype of the EPAS1-asssociated tumor syndrome
Full text linkContext: Since the original discovery of the Pacak-Zhuang syndrome (PZS) in 2012, defined by the clinical triad of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) and/or duodenal ampullar somatostatinoma with erythrocytosis, multiple multisystemic phenotypes have been identified in patients with somatic mosaic pathogenic variants in EPAS1/HIF2A. Deep phenotyping of patients along with evaluation of a transgenic murine model has led to the understanding of the role of HIF-2α in developmental processes, including tumor development. Interestingly, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) occur in von Hippel-Lindau disease and the VHL gene product regulates HIF-2α expression. Objective: Characterize pancreatic NETs in PZS. Methods: We have reviewed the clinical records in the index patient at Addenbrooke’s Hospital (UK) and a cohort of patients with PZS from the NIH were assessed for pancreatic NETs. Results: Herein, we describe a novel series from two institutions of patients with EPAS1-associated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors including a case of a nonfunctioning pancreatic NET in association with an EPAS1 somatic mosaic variant. Conclusion: This case study extends our current understanding of the phenotypic spectrum in PZS and links pancreatic NETs to an additional hypoxia-associated gene, namely EPAS1
Stable silica-modified zirconia with tunable acidity for enhanced catalytic transfer hydrogenation of levulinic acid and esters to γ-valerolactone
Full text linkγ-Valerolactone (GVL) is a valuable bio-based chemical, solvent and fuel additive derived from levulinic acid, a key platform chemical from lignocellulosic biomass. Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of levulinic acid using secondary alcohols as hydrogen donors presents a sustainable alternative to conventional hydrogenation with molecular hydrogen and can be efficiently carried out with inexpensive oxides. Here, we demonstrate how controlled silica incorporation onto zirconia provides a route to tailor acidity and thus direct reactivity in the CTH of levulinic acid and its esters to GVL. Silica-doped zirconia catalysts with varying Si loadings were synthesised via colloidal deposition and comprehensively characterised using ICP-OES, TEM/EDX, XRD, BET, NH3-TPD, pyridine-adsorbed DRIFTS, XPS and NEXAFS. Moderate silica incorporation enhanced surface area, stabilised the tetragonal ZrO2 phase, and increased total acidity, and most importantly, altered the Brønsted-to-Lewis acid balance that dictated the reactivity. Ethyl levulinate conversion was favoured over Lewis acid-rich catalysts, whereas LA conversion required higher Brønsted acidity. The optimal catalyst (6 wt% Si) delivered 80% GVL yield from levulinic acid at 190 °C in 4 hours. Isopropyl levulinate was identified as a side-product that can also convert to GVL via CTH, though less efficiently. The 6 wt% Si/ZrO2 catalyst exhibited excellent stability across three consecutive cycles without calcination, demonstrating resistance to leaching, a major drawback of heterogeneous catalysts in liquid-phase reactions, as well as to carbon deposition. This study demonstrates that silica doping provides an effective means of tuning zirconia acidity, resulting in catalysts that combine good stability with practical applicability in sustainable chemistry
Whole-cell biotechnological applications with thermoacidophilic Crenarchaeota:Opportunities and challenges
Full text linkExtremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in harsh environmental conditions where no life exists. These environmental conditions can involve temperature, acidity, salinity, pressure, or radiation that are typically uninhabitable to most microorganisms. The thermoacidophilic Archaea (e.g., Acidianus , Metallosphaera and Sulfolobus) can thrive at high temperatures and low pHs. These organisms are capable of autotrophic, lithotrophic, heterotrophic, chemoheterotrophic, and chemolithoautotrophic lifestyles, and thus can easily be cultivated on many different substrates. Additionally, their innate capacities to oxidise ferrous iron and/or reduced inorganic sulfur compounds have gained recognition for their utility in biomining operations. Members of Acidianus and Metallosphaera have been applied in bioleaching operations to extract valuable metals from low-grade ores and mineral concentrates. The advances in Sulfolobus genetics have presented opportunities for their application as platform organisms in biotechnological and biorefinery processes due to the ability to cultivate these extremophilic organisms under non-sterile conditions. Furthermore, utilising inexpensive and sustainable feedstock such as lignocellulosic biomass is one key advantage of lowering cultivation costs. This review presents current research developments on thermoacidophilic Sulfolobales members, emphasising their whole-cell applications for biomining operations, biotechnology and biorefinery. Several laboratory-scale studies found these organisms promising for large-scale deployment based on their unique characteristics
Analysts Forecasts: The Secret Sauce Stirring Up CEOs’ Abnormal Pay
No full textJensen and Meckling (1976) claim that by facilitating firms’ activity monitoring, security analysis by financial analysts can reduce agency costs between management and external capital providers, and thereby increase shareholder value. Additionally, boards are required to design executive pay structures to minimise agency problems and related costs. Among the limited studies that explore the relationship between analysts’ forecasts and CEOs’ compensation, one strand reports a positive relation supporting the agency theory, while the other reports a negative relation contradicting the agency theory. This disagreement may stem from the unobserved determinants of CEOs’ compensation structures. Thus, we use CEOs’ abnormal compensation (ACOMP, the proportion of pay that economic determinants cannot accurately determine) to reinvestigate this relation and find conclusive evidence of its negative association with analysts’ forecast metrics. Although consistent with agency theory, this negative relationship is mainly witnessed in firms subject to stronger external monitoring, as indicated by higher corporate governance scores, takeover vulnerability, institutional ownership, and firm-level political risk. Our findings suggest that analysts serve as a proxy for unobserved factors influencing ACOMP and play a key role in aligning CEO interests with those of shareholders
The emotional toll of referral rewards: uncovering the relationship between referral rewards, anticipated embarrassment, self-image-concern, and recommendation likelihood
No full textUsing four experiments (N=765), this research shows that a referral reward offered only to the recommender negatively affects recommendation likelihood via anticipated embarrassment, and this effect is stronger for customers with high self-image-concern but can be minimized by appropriate reward design (e.g., reward both scheme and choice of reward)
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