From geothermal brine to battery: balancing technological innovation with environmental and social responsibility: a case study from Lithium Valley.

This study synthesizes current research on lithium extraction, focusing on technological advances, the growing demand for lithium in the energy transition, and the environmental and social challenges associated with its production. It uses the Lithium Valley project in Imperial County, California, as a case study to examine these issues in detail. The analysis includes a review of literature, industry reports, and public meeting records related to lithium extraction. It examines conventional methods such as brine evaporation and compares them to emerging direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies. The study also assesses the environmental impacts, community concerns, and economic factors influencing the development of lithium extraction projects, particularly in Lithium Valley. The results indicate that lithium demand will increase dramatically due to the expansion of electric vehicle production and renewable energy storage that rely on lithium-ion batteries. DLE technologies offer a promising alternative to traditional methods, with the potential for reduced water consumption, land use and carbon emissions. The Lithium Valley Project, with its access to geothermal brines, represents a significant opportunity for domestic lithium production. However, the project faces challenges related to water resource management, air quality, and ensuring equitable benefits for local communities. Community engagement and transparent decision-making are essential to address these concerns and promote environmental justice. The economic viability of lithium extraction depends on technological innovation, efficient resource management and the ability to responsibly convert resources into reserves. The physical availability of lithium is not a limiting factor, but rather the ability to invest in environmentally and socially responsible extraction methods. This review integrates diverse perspectives from industry reports and scientific literature to provide a comprehensive analysis of lithium extraction methods, focusing on technical, economic, and social dimensions. Through a systematic evaluation of projects such as Lithium Valley, it highlights the critical need for comparative assessment of different lithium production pathways. The analysis underscores the importance of including stakeholder perspectives traditionally overlooked in academic and policy discussions, thereby promoting more inclusive and responsible development in the clean energy sector

Nothing so practical as a good prevention principle: lessons from the prevention principle in construction law.

The so called "prevention principle" in contract law operates differently in construction contracts compared with the wider law. This paper examines the prevention principle in construction law and within the wider developments of English contract law and its theoretical context. The Australian approach is also used as a helpful comparator

What is the welfare state for?

Most states in the world make some provision for the welfare of their citizens. Every state engages with health care provision, almost all provide education services, and, after an explosion of interest in recent years, a substantial majority now have national schemes in place for cash assistance. Welfare states matter for people's lives – but there is little agreement about what one is. What are these states trying to do, and why? The book discusses the institutions and methods that characterise welfare states around the world. It focuses on the aims, purposes and justifications for social welfare services in order to explain what the welfare state is for

Materials challenges and opportunities in high-temperature steam electrolysis with geothermal heat.

High-temperature steam is critical in many industrial processes and applications, including energy production (e.g., water splitting through solid oxide steam electrolysis (SOSE) leading to hydrogen production). Coupling of SOSE with geothermal heat becomes an attractive option for sustainable hydrogen production, as geothermal energy can provide both electricity and heat, potentially reducing the energy required for the electrolysis process. However, there are significant challenges and opportunities to address for realising the full potential of SOSE in geothermal systems. While the key benefit include access to both heat and power for the electrolysis process, however, there are numerous challenges. It is well known that the geothermal fluids at high temperature often contain corrosive gases and dissolved minerals, which can corrode or scale up SOSE components like electrolyser electrodes and ceramic membranes. High-temperature chemical environment leads to significant materials and structural degradation. SOSE systems are still in the early stages of development. This presentation will include an overview regarding high-temperature geothermal heat, high temperature aggressive corrosion of materials, SOSE materials and manufacturing, coating and structural materials degradation and will provide insight to enhance the coating and structural performance for high temperature steam applications

Application of magnetic resonance imaging in CO2 storage systems: a review.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques are increasingly being recognized as indispensable tools in advancing the study of carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). MRI enables non-invasive, high-resolution imaging of fluid distributions and interactions within porous media, offering valuable insights into two-phase flow dynamics. This review presents a comprehensive synthesis of recent advancements in the application of MRI for visualizing and quantifying multiphase flow behaviour, pore structure characteristics, wettability alterations, capillary trapping phenomena, CO2 leakage assessment, and hydrate dynamics in porous media. The paper critically analyzes experimental methodologies such as core flooding systems and advanced imaging sequences like low-field and high-field NMR techniques, highlighting their advantages and current limitations in simulating field-relevant reservoir conditions. It also explores recent innovations, including diffusion-weighted imaging and low-field MRI adaptations, which are expanding the scope of MRI applications in geosciences. Comparative assessments of relevant studies reveal how MRI-derived data support real-time visualization of fluid distributions, saturation changes, and pore-scale interactions across multi-phase systems such as CO₂–brine–oil. Despite their promising role, MRI techniques face challenges related to scale-up, resolution constraints in heterogeneous rock samples, and operational complexity under reservoir pressures. To overcome these, the review emphasizes future directions such as integrating machine learning for data interpretation, scaling up MRI systems with lab measurements for field deployment, and incorporating experimental insights into predictive reservoir models. This work contributes to the ongoing development of accurate monitoring and verification tools essential for the success of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) initiatives

Evidence synthesis methodology for questions relating to barriers and enablers in health care: a scoping review.

The objective of this scoping review was to map the range of methodologies and methods used to undertake evidence synthesis aimed at determining barriers and/or enablers in health care and to inform further research relevant to synthesis methodology in this area. Questions related to identifying and exploring barriers and/or enablers within healthcare are becoming increasingly popular. Currently, there are multiple approaches to synthesizing this evidence and it is unclear if a more consistent approach is warranted. Evidence synthesis on barriers and/or enablers (facilitators) that included interest holders at different levels of the health system were considered. Evidence synthesis projects had to include primary research studies and were published from 2010 to 2021. Literature reviews, narrative reviews and umbrella reviews were excluded as were reviews published in languages other than English. This scoping review followed JBI methodology and was based on a published a priori protocol and reported in line with PRISMA-ScR. A three-step search strategy using a combination of key terms and index headings was undertaken in October 2021 via the following databases/resources: PubMed (NLM), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, JBI Evidence Synthesis, and EPPI-Centre Systematic Reviews. An extensive piloting process for screening and selection, and data extraction was undertaken due to the large number of reviewers involved. All records were screened independently by two reviewers and any disagreements were resolved through either a third reviewer or discussion with a panel of reviewers. Extraction was undertaken using a customized form and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data is presented via tables, figures, word clouds and infographics and supplemented with a narrative synthesis. Following completion of the search, 22308 records were screened and 782 review were included in the scoping review. Systematic reviews were the most frequently used methodology [68%] to synthesize barrier and/or enabler question/s. Reviews commonly included diverse types of evidence and involved an assessment of methodological quality [70%]. Findings related to barriers and/or enablers were usually grouped and organized into categories, often by thematic methods [33%] or a narrative approach [21%]. Incongruencies related to nomenclature, missing information and methods used were evident across the large data set. A variety of methodological approaches are being followed to undertake reviews focused on barriers and/or enablers in health care. The current state of the literature indicates most authors answer these questions via the conduct of a systematic review and include diverse types of evidence. Further work is needed to determine whether authors are unclear when deciding on methodology and whether guidance is required

The lifecycle of a social media beauty trend: a case study of the Instagram body. [Article]

This article explores the evolution of the Instagram body as an example of a social media beauty trend and theorises an updated lifecycle model to convey this phenomenon. The advent and evolution of social media has led to an online beauty culture and ecosystem, with new influential creators, and consumers driving trends and standards in online spaces. Lifecycle models exist across a range of contexts, with the fashion lifecycle being the most relevant to the current study. However, these models have not been adapted to reflect the phenomenon of social media and the current study aims to address that gap. The current research consists of a qualitative case study of the Instagram body as an example of a social media beauty trend. Interviews were carried out with influential stakeholders (fitness professionals, content creators and a cosmetic surgeon) who could observe and provide insights into changing behaviour and beauty ideals. Archival data were collected through an analysis of song lyrics and music videos to underpin the timing of specific stages in the lifecycle. A six-stage life-cycle model is proposed, consisting of emergence, mainstreaming, normalisation/peak, criticism/fatigue, discard and retrospective phases. Themes around gender disparity in the production and consumption of contemporary beauty trends were uncovered, providing direction for future research in this area. This research has implications for future research in body image, fashion, media and cultural studies

When trade meets tradition: unpacking cultural differences and their impact on China's international trade.

Amidst renewed trade tensions and heightened uncertainty in global financial markets, this paper examines the impact of cultural differences on China's international trade. Departing from majority of prior studies treating cultural disparities as static, we employ dynamic models to capture cultural differences over 2001-2021 with its 44 key trading partners. We incorporate Hofstede's six cultural dimensions and apply both linear and non-linear models. Our findings show a consistent negative effect of cultural distance on China's trade. The non-linear analysis uncovers a S-shaped curve relationship, highlighting the subtle influence of cultural differences confirmed by robustness tests in export and import trades. We argue that the impact of trade tensions can be lessened by aligning with the evolving nature of consumer preferences and psychological factors

Analysis of UK repository platforms: who is using what and why?

Primarily focusing on the UK Higher Education sector, the author aims to investigate the variety of repository platforms currently in use based on available data from UKCORR. Through an analysis of the data, the author attempts to determine whether there are any particular trends - geographic, financial or otherwise - evident from the current spread of platforms across the sector. Additionally, the author draws on informal and anecdotal evidence from repository staff to begin exploring institutional decision-making behind switching repository platforms

Multi-scale infinite element analysis of GFRP pipe stiffness: effect of fibre volume fraction.

This study employs a multi-scale finite element analysis (FEA) to investigate the mechanical behaviour of a Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) pipe under diametral compression. A Representative Volume Element (RVE) was used to generate homogenised material properties for three fibre volume fractions (FVF) of 30%, 55% and 70%. These properties were implemented in a macro-scale model of FRP ring tested as per ASTM D2412. Results demonstrate a significant positive correlation between fibre content, structural stiffness, and ultimate strength, validating the multi-scale approach and providing key insights for composite pipe design