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Bilayer Electrodes to Enable Fast Charging and High Areal Capacity Na-Ion Batteries
Get PDFWe present a novel bilayer architecture of a Na-ion positive electrode consisting of two sub-layers of different active materials: sodium manganese oxide (Na0.7MnO2+x, NMO) and sodium vanadium phosphate ( Na3V2(PO4)3 , NVP). The bilayer electrodes are 100 μm thick with high areal loading of ≈17 mg cm−2. For low current densities (<1C ≡ 45.5 mAg−1cm−2) relative electrode charging capacity was not affected by bilayering, while at higher C-rates the overall charging capacity became sensitive to the relative position of NMO and NVP sub-layers. An optimum configuration of an NMO layer between the current collector and an NVP layer (CC/NMO/NVP) significantly increased overall electrode capacity during fast charging, with capacity retention ∼30% higher than the other configurations at 3C (136 mAg−1cm−2). The sensitivity of electrode performance to sub-layer position was attributed to the differing voltage-capacity profiles of NMO and NVP, combined with a decrease in overpotential likely due to a reduction in through-thickness Na-ion electrolyte concentration gradients. The faster charging CC/NMO/NVP arrangement showed no significant detriment in discharge behavior, and overall the electrode discharge responses were less sensitive to the spatial arrangement of active materials
Gender and Parenthood Differences in Work Time Fragmentation in the United States: The Moderating Role of Occupational Class
Get PDFWork time fragmentation refers to the number of distinct work episodes in a day, indicating disruptions in work schedules and the degree of workday fragmentation. With the expansion of flexible labor markets in the U.S., work time fragmentation has become more prevalent. Although gender and parenthood differences in labor market outcomes and family responsibilities are well studied, their manifestation in work time fragmentation remains underexplored. Using data from the American Time Use Survey 2003–2023 and OLS regression models, this study is the first to examine gender and parenthood differences in work time fragmentation and their variation by occupational class. Findings indicate that women experience greater fragmentation than men. For women, those with dependent children, particularly those with young children, show greater fragmentation than women without coresidential children. This pattern is most pronounced among those in higher occupational classes. For men, there is no evidence showing that there is a difference in work time fragmentation intensity by parenthood status or occupational class. The findings underscore the importance of equitable parental leave, shared caregiving responsibilities, and supportive workplace structures in addressing these dynamics and promoting equity in work-family relationships
Room‐temperature crystal structures of [CH(NH 2 ) 2 ] 3 Sb 2 X 9 ( X = Br and I)
Get PDFCrystals of formamidinium antimony, halides, FA3Sb2X9 {FA = [CH(NH2)2]+; X = Br− and I−} {or triformamidinium nonahalidodiantimony, (CH5N2)3[Sb2X9]}, have been synthesized using a counter diffusion crystal growth (CDCG) method in silica gel and their structures determined from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction data. FA3Sb2Br9 belongs to the trigonal space group P3m1, which is known as the Cs3Bi2Br9 structure type, and FA3Sb2I9 belongs to the hexagonal space group P63/mmc, called the Cs3Cr2Cl9 structure type. The change of the anion type from bromide to iodide results in the change of the structure type and the connectivity of the Sb—X octahedra. These structures are described and compared to the crystal types known for vacancy‐ordered triple‐perovskites
Reconceptualising the role of employers in England’s post-16 education and skills system: an initial analysis
Get PDFThis working policy brief sets out a proposal for reconceptualising the role of employers in England’s post-16 education and skills system. It is informed by over two decades of research at Oxford University’s Centre on Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), and is based on a consultative process, drawing on input and perspectives from a SKOPE Employer Roundtable held on 29 July 2025. The roundtable brought together employer representatives from a wide range of sectors, including the eight growth-driving sectors highlighted in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy (2025), and government officials from the Department for Education (DfE), Skills England, and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), to discuss a renewed vision for employers within the skills system. This was supplemented by thirty-one in-depth interviews with individual employers and industry stakeholders, as well as a subsequent workshop with government officials from DfE, Skills England, DBT, HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
England, and the UK more broadly, is facing widespread skills gaps, shortages, and mismatches driven by a long-standing disjuncture between employer skill demand and both training provision supply and uptake, which is becoming increasingly acute with rapid technological and industrial change. These challenges emphasise an urgent need to establish a more active and engaged role for employers within England’s skills system.
Our research suggests that such a shift in the role of employers will bring better alignment between post-16 education and training provision and employer needs, enhance productivity, and foster the innovation and workforce transformation needed to drive up opportunity, growth, and economic security within the context of these challenges. Such a shift in the role of employers is vital for employers as it enables them to achieve improved outcomes for securing the skilled workforce needed to compete and grow. To achieve these goals, this paper proposes two overarching strategic objectives:
1. Reframe the policy discourse on the role of employers in England’s skills system fundamentally, to move from an employer-led focus to an employer-engaged approach
2. Develop a clear and operationalisable articulation of specific roles of employers within England’s skills system
This paper also makes four key recommendations to achieve these strategic objectives and thereby renew the role of employers, and transition to an employer-engaged system:
1. Employers should view the skills agenda as a strategic priority that should be owned by their senior executive leaders.
2. Employers should engage in place-based approaches to the design and delivery of skills systems, including contributing to action to increase porosity, collaboration, and coordination between education and skills training stakeholders.
3. Employers should be involved in the ongoing redesign of jobs and occupations, with a focus on aligning working approaches and career structures with the long-term needs of their sector, providing ‘good work’, and developing appropriate practices and structures that make best use of employees’ skills.
4. Employers should engage in both sector-level and cross-sectoral occupational discussions with government and skills system experts, to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach to skills foresighting and workforce planning
A systematic review of the global literature on gated communities: a temporal perspective
Get PDFThis study systematically reviews 336 peer-reviewed articles on gated communities (1997– 2023) to examine thematic evolution and geographic diversification. Guided by a unified conceptual framework, it identifies six meta-themes and traces a transition from early defensive architecture to contemporary sustainable assemblages. The findings also reveal a significant ‘Southern turn’ dominated by China and a conceptual shift where the gate has evolved from a physical barrier into a sophisticated filter for socio-political and ecological management. Transcending the state-retreat binary, this review advocates for assemblage theory and ‘negotiated urbanism’ to address the urgent environmental and equity challenges posed by global gated urbanisation
Diagnostic accuracy of a ‘stage-gated’ approach for reporting prostate screening MRI: “Is less more?”
Get PDFObjectives: To evaluate whether a two-step, ‘stage-gated’ reporting approach could improve the positive predictive value (PPV) of biparametric (bp)MRI for prostate cancer (PCa) screening compared to conventional Likert/PI-RADS scoring. Materials and methods: This retrospective secondary analysis utilised data from IP1-PROSTAGRAM—a prospective, population-based study of men aged 50–69 years who underwent PCa screening with bpMRI, ultrasound and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing between October 2018 and May 2019 at two centres (NCT03702439). MRI scans from IP1-PROSTAGRAM were retrospectively evaluated using the ‘stage-gated’ approach: three radiologists independently reviewed limited MRI sequences (axial T2-weighted and b1500 diffusion-weighted images) and classified scans as positive or negative; if positive, the remaining bpMRI images were reviewed and a hypothetical “decision-to-biopsy” made. The PPV of ‘stage-gated’ reading was compared to PI-RADS and Likert scores ≥ 4 from the original IP1-PROSTAGRAM bpMRI reports. The reference standard was IP1-PROSTAGRAM biopsy results with grade group (GG) ≥ 2 cancer considered significant. Results: Of 408 participants (median age 57 years [IQR 53, 61]), 405 had MRI scans available for secondary analysis. The prevalence of GG ≥ 2 cancer was 4% (17/405). The ‘stage-gated’ reporting approach achieved a PPV of 53% (95% CI: 30, 75; 8/15), compared to 29% (95% CI: 15, 47; 8/28) and 30% (95% CI: 17, 46; 11/37) for Likert and PI-RADS ≥ 4 pathways, respectively. The ‘stage-gated’ approach halved the number of recommended biopsies while maintaining similar cancer detection rates. Conclusion: The ‘stage-gated’ reporting approach, using limited sequences for the initial read, may improve the PPV and benefit-to-harm ratio of MRI-based screening. Key Points: Question The PPV of MRI in PCa screening is low, likely because conventional assessment systems are not optimised for low disease prevalence populations. Findings A two-step, ‘stage-gated’ reading approach achieved a PPV of 53% (8/15), compared to 29% (8/28) for Likert and 30% (11/37) for PI-RADS scores ≥ 4. Clinical relevance The ‘stage-gated’ reporting approach, which uses limited sequences for the initial read, may improve the PPV and benefit-to-harm ratio of MRI-based screening by reducing unnecessary biopsies. Prospective evaluation is needed to confirm these findings in real-world screening settings
Ginkgo Datapoints Antibody Developability Competition outcomes: limited model performance and a call for data standardization
Get PDFThe Ginkgo Datapoints Antibody Developability (AbDev) Competition, a blinded benchmark for developability prediction characterized entirely on a single, industrial-scale experimental platform, was conducted from September 8 to November 18, 2025. We benchmarked predictors across five biophysical properties - hydrophobicity, thermostability, self-association, expression titer, and polyreactivity - using a public training set of 246 clinical antibodies and a blinded, held-out test set of 80 antibodies. We received submissions from 113 teams spanning 25 countries, 38 companies, and 39 universities. Winning submissions differed by assay. Top Spearman's ρ values on the test set reached 0.708 (hydrophobicity), 0.392 (thermostability), 0.356 (polyreactivity), 0.337 (self-association), and 0.310 (titer). Cross-validation scores from the public training set consistently exceeded held-out test performance, indicating overfitting and limited out-of-distribution generalization. Together, these results provide a standardized snapshot of current antibody developability modeling capabilities and highlight a key bottleneck: available datasets are too small and heterogeneous to support robust, assay-spanning prediction. Meaningful progress will require larger, standardized, and diverse experimental datasets - with harmonized protocols and rich metadata - to train and validate models that generalize reliably for future antibody discovery campaigns
Artificial intelligence in functional food innovation: Bioactive enhancement and formulation optimization: A quasi-systematic review
Get PDFArtificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into functional food research. This quasi-systematic review analyzes 53 peer-reviewed studies (2015-2025) to outline current applications and emerging directions, including the underexplored domain of antioxidant food development. The review attempts to provide an updated synthesis of AI approaches across compound discovery, metabolomics, and consumer modeling, emphasizing knowledge gaps and opportunities for methodological integration. Data-driven AI (classical machine learning) and deep learning methods have been applied to predict antioxidant activity, identify bioactive compounds, and reveal patterns in metabolomic data. Unsupervised approaches have assisted in clustering complex datasets, whereas optimization algorithms supported the adjustment of sensory, nutritional, and functional attributes. However, many current systems remain limited to in silico findings, lacking experimental or clinical validation. Consumer modeling remains largely predictive, with limited integration of ethical and regulatory dimensions. Continued collaboration between food scientists and data scientists is essential for translating computational insights into practical applications
Alcohol Use Disorder With Metabolic Dysfunction Is Associated With Adverse Health Impacts in a United States Clinical Setting
Get PDFThe combined disease burden of excessive alcohol consumption and metabolic dysfunction (MD) is an escalating global concern. Although it is well established that both factors adversely impact health, the biological characteristics and comorbidities of their overlap remain understudied in the United States. The present study investigated whether concurrent MD and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with worse liver‐related and psychiatric health. A total of 1220 participants were recruited through the Natural History Protocol at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and categorized into the following four groups: healthy controls (HC), individuals with MD (metHC), individuals with current AUD without MD (AUD) and those with both current AUD and MD (metAUD). Sociodemographic and clinical biomarkers, liver injury indices (Fibrosis‐4 [FIB‐4], LiverRisk, NAFLD fibrosis score [NFS]), liver enzymes and inflammatory markers (GGT, AST, ALT, CRP), liver function tests (albumin, bilirubin, PT‐INR), psychiatric and substance use comorbidities as well as current smoking were assessed in the four groups using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). In addition, the clinical biomarkers were compared across three groups: mild (< 3 MD criteria) and severe (≥ 3) metAUD, as well as AUD only. Liver enzymes, noninvasive liver fibrosis scores and liver function tests showed additive effects across metHC, AUD and metAUD compared to HC, with the largest effects in metAUD for GGT, AST, ALT, CRP, albumin, direct bilirubin, FIB‐4, LiverRisk and NFS (p < 0.001). Psychiatric disorders also exhibited the most significant association with metAUD (p < 0.001). Within AUD, greater MD severity was associated with higher GGT, ALT, CRP, NFS and any DSM anxiety disorders (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that MD in the context of AUD is associated with greater liver dysfunction and psychiatric burden, supporting MD‐targeted treatment strategies in clinical care for AUD
A co‐produced analysis of SEND policy for children and young people: Centring racial and ethnic equity, mental health and accountability
Get PDFDespite decades of documented ethnic inequalities in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), the well‐established role of social determinants of health and growing awareness of cultural safety and trauma‐informed practices in supporting children's mental health, their integration into England's SEND policy remains unclear. This study, co‐produced with peer researchers and community stakeholders, examined national and local SEND policy and guidelines in England across three domains: justice and equity; content related to mental health, cultural safety and trauma‐informed practice; and effective implementation. Systematic searches of national documents (n = 129) and Local Authority websites (n = 152) identified eligible content analysed using a co‐developed coding framework. We calculated the frequency of content meeting baseline criteria and examined patterns and implications. Findings revealed current policy does not align with aspects of equitable and effective policy. Inequalities are superficially acknowledged with little recognition of social determinants of health. Although SEND provision, particularly for mental health, sits at the crossroads of education and health/healthcare rights, this connection is rarely addressed and requirements for children's participation are inconsistently exemplified. The SEND system lacks clarity in supporting mental health, cultural safety approaches are absent, and clear direction on trauma‐informed practices is missing. Accountability mechanisms are insufficient with poorly defined roles, lack of transparency in complaints processes, inadequate monitoring of inequalities and missing enforcement mechanisms. There is an urgent need to establish a unified rights‐based vision with tangible accountability measures and explicit equity‐orientation to achieve an inclusive and equitable system