Is wellbeing a prerequisite for learning? an investigation into pupil perspectives regarding the role of wellbeing on learning engagement and outcomes

The wellbeing of students remains an ongoing focus, both inside and out of academia. Considering the recent global pandemic, the pertinence of this topic has only furthered due to the acceleration of individuals reporting mental health and wellbeing difficulties. Therefore, this study aims to investigate pupil perspectives regarding whether wellbeing is a prerequisite for learning. More specifically, whether wellbeing is needed prior to good academic attainment and learning engagement. Results will hope to add clarity to this crucial topic, whilst advising whether further wellbeing interventions are needed within primary school settings to increase the engagement, attainment and happiness of young individuals

Anti-viral action against type 1 diabetes autoimmunity: The GPPAD-AVAnT1A study protocol.

Viral infections in the first year of life are associated with islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes risk. The Anti-Viral Action against Type 1 Diabetes Autoimmunity (AVAnT1A)- study is a clinical phase IV investigator initiated, randomised, controlled, multicentre, primary prevention trial conducted to determine whether vaccination against COVID-19 from 6 months of age reduces the cumulative incidence of islet autoantibodies or type 1 diabetes in children with elevated genetic risk. Additionally, it investigates the role of viral infections in the etiology of islet autoimmunity by intense surveillance within the first two years of life. Infants aged 3.00-4.00 months from Germany, Belgium, UK and Sweden are eligible if they have a >10 % expected risk to develop islet autoantibodies by age 6 years as determined by HLA DR/DQ genotype, polygenic risk score and family history of type 1 diabetes. A total of 2252 eligible children are randomized 1:1 to COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty® 3 μg Omicron XBB.1.5 or future new variants) or placebo (0.9 % Sodium Chloride) administered three times. Children are followed until the minimum age of 2.5 years and maximum age of 6 years. The intervention is accompanied by analyses of immune and metabolic parameters to determine changes induced by viral infections and to investigate mechanisms by which viral infection may lead to islet autoimmunity. The Sponsor is the Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich. The study was approved by Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS, EU Trial number: 2023-507348-35-00) and by Integrated Research Application System (IRAS, IRAS-ID: 1009668)

It’s time to fix the biodiversity leak

As momentum builds behind hugely ambitious initiatives like the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 30 x 30 target and the European Union’s (EU’s) Biodiversity 5 and Forestry Strategies, there is a danger that hard-won local conservation gains will be dissipated through leakage, the displacement of human activities that harm biodiversity away from the site of an intervention to other places (1). These off-site damages may be less than on-site gains—in which case the action is still beneficial but less so than it superficially seems. However, if activities are displaced to more biodiverse (or less 10 productive) places, leakage impacts may exceed local benefits, so that well-intentioned efforts cause net harm. There is a pressing need for leakage effects like this to be acknowledged and as far as possible avoided or mitigated—through demand reduction, careful selection of conservation or restoration sites, or compensatory increases in production in lower-impact areas

Fingering instability of self-similar radial flow of miscible fluids in a Hele-Shaw cell

The linear stability of miscible displacement for radial source flow at infinite P\'eclet number in a Hele-Shaw cell is calculated theoretically. The axisymmetric self-similar flow is shown to be unstable to viscous fingering if the viscosity ratio $m$ between ambient and injected fluids exceeds $3\over2$ and to be stable if $m<{3\over2}$. If $1<m<{3\over2}$ small disturbances decay at rates between $t^{-3/4}$ and $t^{-1}$ (the exact range depending on $m$) relative to the $t^{1/2}$ radius of the axisymmetric base-state similarity solution; if $m<1$ they decay faster than $t^{-1}$. Asymptotic analysis confirms these results and gives physical insight into various features of the numerically determined relationship between the growth rate and the azimuthal wavenumber and viscosity ratio

Biomimetic Enzyme-Micelle Self-Assembled Systems for Semi-Artificial Photosynthesis.

Supramolecular surfactants provide a versatile platform to construct systems for solar fuel synthesis, for example via the self-assembly of amphiphilic photosensitizers and catalysts into diverse supramolecular structures. However, the utilization of amphiphilic photosensitizers in solar fuel production has predominantly focused on yielding gaseous products, such as molecular hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO), and methane (CH4) with turnover number (TON) of synthetic catalysts typically in the range of hundreds to thousands. Inspired by biological lipid-protein interactions, we present herein a novel bio-hybrid assembly strategy that utilizes photosensitizers as surfactants to form micellar scaffolds that interface with enzymes, namely hydrogenases and formate dehydrogenases, for semi-artificial photosynthesis. Specifically, surfactants with a [ruthenium tris(2,2'-bipyridine)]2+ head group provide high photocatalytic activity upon association with the enzymes as their positively charged [Ru]2+ center electrostatically interacts with the enzymes favorably to enable direct electron transfer at the micelle-enzyme interface. Time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy support the beneficial charge carrier dynamics of the reductively quenched [Ru]+ species when the enzymes are introduced in the micellar solution. Thus, a new concept is introduced for solar fuel synthesis using a biomimetic enzyme-micellar system, providing also a platform for other photocatalytic transformations using enzymes in the future

The greater implications of Bartelson’s Becoming International

Of all major International Relations (IR) scholars active today, it is Jens Bartelson who has done the most in terms of getting us to rethink our assumptions about the basic building blocks of our field. In a series of very significant books — A Genealogy of Sovereignty (1993), The Critique of the State (2001) and Sovereignty as Symbolic Form (2014)— as well as numerous articles, he has changed our understanding of both the concept of sovereignty and its conceptual history, with serious implications also for the history of ‘the state.’ His 2017 book War in International Thought has led the reader through the evolution of the thinking about war. And his most recent book Becoming International (2024), which is the subject of this review essay, joins Visions of World Community (2009) in getting us to rethink the very basic notion of ‘the international’ and how it came about

The Association Between Egg and Egg-Derived Cholesterol Consumption, and Their Change Trajectories, with Obesity Among Chinese Adults: Results from the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

Background/Objectives: As a widely consumed, nutritious, and affordable food, eggs and their derivatives' impacts on obesity remain inconclusive. In this study, we aimed to determine the association between egg and egg-derived cholesterol consumption, and their change trajectories, with obesity among Chinese adults. Methods: Longitudinal data collected by the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1997 to 2015 were analyzed. The latent growth mixture model was used to identify eggs and egg-derived cholesterol consumption trajectories. Cox proportional hazard models with shared frailty were used to analyze the association between egg and egg-derived cholesterol consumption, and their change trajectories, with obesity. Results: Data from 10,971 and 9483 participants aged ≥18 years old were used for the analyses of general obesity and central obesity, respectively. Compared to participants with an average egg intake of 0.1-50.0 g/d during the follow-up period, adults who never consumed eggs or those with an average egg intake of 50.1-100.0 g/d and >100.0 g/d had a higher risk of general obesity, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.31 (1.08, 1.58), 1.30 (1.07, 1.60), and 1.98 (1.17, 3.35), respectively, and had a higher risk of central obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.17 (1.04, 1.31), 1.31 (1.14, 1.50), and 1.64 (1.15, 2.36), respectively. Participants with a "Baseline Low-Significant Rising Pattern" or a "Baseline High-Rising then Falling Pattern" of egg consumption trajectories during the follow-up period had a higher risk of general obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.56 (1.25, 1.93) and 1.38 (1.13, 1.69), respectively, and central obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.47 (1.29, 1.68) and 1.52 (1.34, 1.72), respectively. Compared to the second quartile (Q2) group of the average egg-derived cholesterol intake during the follow-up period, Q1, Q3, and Q4 groups had a higher risk of general obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.28 (1.06,1.54), 1.21 (1.02, 1.44), and 1.43 (1.19, 1.71), respectively, and a higher risk of central obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.20 (1.08, 1.33), 1.11 (1.01, 1.23), and 1.32 (1.19, 1.46), respectively. Participants with a "Baseline Low-Significant Rising Pattern" or with a "Baseline High-Rising then Falling Pattern" of egg-derived cholesterol consumption during the follow-up period had a higher risk of general obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.54 (1.25, 1.92) and 1.37 (1.15, 1.64), respectively, and a higher risk of central obesity, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.46 (1.28, 1.68) and 1.47 (1.32, 1.64), respectively. Conclusions: Both the insufficient and excessive intake of eggs and egg-derived cholesterol tended to be associated with a higher risk of general and central obesity. Suddenly increasing or consistently high levels of egg and egg-derived cholesterol intake seemed to be associated with a higher risk of obesity. To prevent obesity, people should consume a moderate amount of eggs and egg-derived cholesterol

Effects of Creep in Titanium at Room Temperature during Tensile and Profilometry‐Based Indentation Plastometry Testing

This work concerns the mechanical response of three Ti‐based alloys at room temperature, which is observed to be “creep‐affected” and hence to exhibit a dependence on time (within the “quasi‐static” range of strain rate). They have been tensile tested (over this range of strain rate) and subjected to profilometry‐based indentation plastometry (PIP) with a range of penetration velocities (and hence of effective average strain rate). In addition, they have been creep tested, with different fixed loads (corresponding to nominal stresses in the vicinity of the yield stress). Using the Miller–Norton equation to capture creep strain histories, the outcomes of these tests have been converted so that they correspond to those expected with a fixed true stress. These characteristics have then been used in a simple numerical model of a tensile test, incorporating the effect of creep. Good overall consistency is observed and the procedures described here are thought to have wide potential for the extraction of both plasticity and creep characteristics from a simple series of tensile (or PIP) tests carried out with a range of strain rates.</jats:p

Improving the diagnostic performance of Contrast-Enhanced Mammography through lesion conspicuity and enhancement quantification

Objectives: To analyse qualitative and quantitative enhancement of breast lesions on CEM and their impact on specificity and diagnostic performance in predicting malignancy. A secondary objective was to compare lesion enhancement patterns between CEM and contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI. Methods: The cohort included screening and symptomatic cases from CEM research studies (December 2016 – March 2023) with identifiable lesions. Three breast radiologists assessed lesion conspicuity as low, moderate, or high based on the BIRADS CEM lexicon. Lesion enhancement was quantified by drawing two regions-ofinterest over the lesion and background parenchyma to calculate contrast enhancement from early (CEearly) and late (CElate) views. Area-under-the-curve (AUC) was used to assess diagnostic performance, with thresholds determined using the maximum Youden index. Cohen’s κ measured agreement between CEM and DCEMRI enhancement patterns. p-values <.05 were deemed significant. Results: From 503 CEM studies, 143 BI-RADS 2–5 lesions were analysed. Lesion conspicuity was significantly associated with histology (p<.001), contrast enhancement metrics (CEearly, CElate), and enhancement patterns on CEM images. CEearly performed better in differentiating malignant from benign lesions or background parenchymal enhancement (BPE), with AUC values of 0.83 and 0.88 and 90% specificity in distinguishing BPE from cancers. Fair/moderate agreement was seen between CEM and DCE-MRI patterns (Cohen’s κ = 0.35, p<.001), with higher agreement for washout patterns (Cohen’s κ = 0.5, p<.001). Conclusion: Both conspicuity and quantification of lesion enhancement can improve CEM specificity in predicting malignancy, with CEearly offering the best diagnostic performance

Additionality in Theoretical von Thünenian Models of Deforestation and Conservation Payments

Simple theoretical von Thünenian models of deforestation and agricultural expansion have been extensively studied in the literature but have not yet been adapted to reflect contemporary conservation paradigms, such as the emergence of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiatives, related payments for forest conservation, and payments for ecosystem services (PES) more broadly. We revisit Angelsen’s 1999 seminal adaptation of the 1826 von Thünenian model of deforestation and agricultural expansion and propose a “toy model” to incorporate the potential revenues from conservation payments and build on the concept of additionality in the payments for environmental services literature. As theorized, our extended model illustrates how such payments are more effective when they approach the profit margins of geographically peripherical crops that replace the forest. Moreover, it illustrates how conservation payments influence the agricultural frontier while quantifying the avoided deforestation area.</jats:p