Emotional Wellbeing in the Context of Primary-Secondary School Transitions:A Concept Analysis Paper

The number of children experiencing poor emotional wellbeing, which can lead to clinically significant mental health conditions in the long term, is increasing rapidly, as are government initiatives outlining the ‘frontline role’ of the school in supporting children’s emotional wellbeing during critical periods such as primary-secondary school transitions. However, both concepts (‘primary-secondary school transitions’ and ‘emotional wellbeing’) are poorly and inconsistently conceptualised and/or theoretically defined. This has significant consequences for identifying and supporting children’s emotional wellbeing. The aim of this concept analysis is to report a synthesis of the extant literature and define emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions as a concept of emerging importance. The Walker and Avant (2005) method was utilised as a framework. Attributes, antecedents, and empirical referents were identified through synthesis of methodological approaches (specifically an international systematic literature review, UK-wide survey and 10 focus groups) and the mapping of multiple stakeholder perspectives (specifically researchers, educational practitioners, policy influencers and/or makers, and children). Attributes of emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions include children’s affective experience of navigating primary-secondary school transitions in the here-and-now (e.g. presence of both positive and negative emotions), and their evaluations of their emotional wellbeing both globally and in the context of specific domains. Antecedents include children’s perceptions of their internal and external resources to manage the demands of primary-secondary school transitions and maintain a stable affective state. Consequences (positive and negative) include academic attainment, social adjustment, and school belonging in the short-term, and mental health, life chances, and social inequalities in the long-term. Our novel conceptualisation overcomes limitations in existing understanding of both primary-secondary school transitions and emotional wellbeing, establishing a foundation for developing a more cohesive and theoretical body of work within the field. Our conceptualisation and operational definition will have notable positive implications in advancing future research, policy, and practice, which are outlined

Responsible Research and Innovation:Opportunities and Challenges for UK-China Collaboration in The Creative Industries

Responsible research and innovation (RRI) aligns research and innovation with societal values, needs and expectations. It increases the quality, relevance, social acceptability and sustainability of research and innovation outcomes. RRI is a key concept in the major research and innovation programme Horizon 2020, but it is unfamiliar to the creative industries. This paper explores the relevance of RRI to the creative industries and examines the opportunities and challenges for UK-China collaboration in this area. The research methods used were workshops for data collection and thematic analysis for data analysis. This paper has identified significant stakeholder interest in UK-China RRI collaboration in the creative industries, related emerging research and innovation trends, potential areas for collaboration and challenges. The main contributions of this paper include providing an understanding of RRI from the perspective of key stakeholders in both countries and offering practical next steps for further exploring UK-China RRI collaboration in the creative industries sector

The Trypanosoma cruzi cell atlas:a single-cell resource for understanding parasite population heterogeneity and differentiation

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, exhibits a complex life cycle with multiple hosts, stages and differentiation steps. We present a complete cell atlas for the T. cruzi life cycle, based on single cell transcriptomes for over 31,000 cells and population-based transcriptomics. The atlas reveals many life cycle associated genes and can be utilised to accurately annotate life cycle stages. It provides detailed insights into cell heterogeneity, including cell-specific repertoires of surface antigens in trypomastigotes, with key implications for immune responses. Enabled by single-cell resolution, we define the transcriptomic changes that occur across the epimastigote to metacyclic trypomastigote differentiation axis. Furthermore, we provide comprehensive UTR annotation, identifying previously unannotated transcripts as well as revealing alternative poly-adenylation and an unanticipated complexity of reverse strand and antisense transcripts. This T. cruzi atlas provides a comprehensive resource and unlocks a range of new avenues for research on this important human pathogen

Model organisms for investigating the functional involvement of NRF2 in non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are most commonly characterized by age-related loss of homeostasis and/or by cumulative exposures to environmental factors, which lead to low-grade sustained generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), chronic inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (NRF2) is a basic leucine-zipper transcription factor that regulates the cellular redox homeostasis. NRF2 controls the expression of more than 250 human genes that share in their regulatory regions a cis-acting enhancer termed the antioxidant response element (ARE). The products of these genes participate in numerous functions including biotransformation and redox homeostasis, lipid and iron metabolism, inflammation, proteostasis, as well as mitochondrial dynamics and energetics. Thus, it is possible that a single pharmacological NRF2 modulator might mitigate the effect of the main hallmarks of NCDs, including oxidative, proteostatic, inflammatory and/or metabolic stress. Research on model organisms has provided tremendous knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which NRF2 affects NCDs pathogenesis. This review is a comprehensive summary of the most commonly used model organisms of NCDs in which NRF2 has been genetically or pharmacologically modulated, paving the way for drug development to combat NCDs. We discuss the validity and use of these models and identify future challenges.</p

Identification of the dual roles of Al2O3 coatings on NMC811-cathodes via theory and experiment

Metal-oxide coatings are a favoured strategy for mitigating surface degradation problems in state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery Ni-rich layered positive electrode materials. Despite their extensive use, a full, fundamental understanding of the role of coatings in reducing degradation and extending cycling lifetimes is currently lacking. In this work, the interactions between an atomic layer deposited (ALD) alumina coating on polycrystalline LiNi 0.8Mn 0.1Co 0.1O 2 (NMC811) and a carbonate-based battery electrolyte are studied. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) heteronuclear experiments show that the Al 2O 3 coating transforms by reacting with electrolyte species present before and during electrochemical cycling, scavenging protic and acidic species. Density-functional theory calculations highlight the additional chemical effect of the coating in locally stabilising the structure of the NMC811, limiting oxidation of the oxygen atoms coordinated to both Al and Ni, thereby limiting the surface reconstruction process and improving the electrochemical performance. Improved NMC811 surface stability is confirmed by monitoring gaseous degradation species by online electrochemical mass-spectrometry and via X-ray spectroscopic analysis of the electrochemically aged samples to examine changes in Ni and O oxidation state and local structure. The combination of this experimental and theoretical analysis suggests that Al 2O 3 coatings have a dual role: as a protective barrier against attack from chemical species in the electrolyte, and as an artificial passivating layer hindering oxygen loss and surface phase transformations. This holistic approach, which provides a fundamental understanding of how the surface stability is improved by the coating, will aid the design of the state-of-the-art and future positive electrode materials.</p

Environmental Governance Review

Comment on the final report on the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance in Scotlan