Ratiometric Luminescent Thermometry with Excellent Sensitivity over a Broad Temperature Range Utilizing Thermally‐Assisted and Multiphoton Upconversion in Triply‐Doped La₂O₃:Yb³⁺/Er³⁺/Nd³⁺

A ratiometric optical thermometer based on triply‐doped La$_{2}$O$_{3}$:Yb$^{3+}$/Er$^{3+}$/Nd$^{3+}$ microcrystals is reported with a relative sensitivity above 1% K$^{-1}$ in the entire range from 300–700 K, and is between 1.8–0.7% K$^{-1}$ over the range 290–833 K. The 825 nm upconversion (UC) emission from the Nd$^{3+ 4}$F$_{5/2}$ level relies on thermally‐assisted energy transfer from Yb$^{3+}$; thus, unusually, the near‐infrared emission increases with increasing temperature in the relevant range. More typically, the two‐photon 660 nm UC from Er$^{3+ 4}$F$_{9/2}$ level decreases in intensity with increasing temperature due to increasing non‐radiative rates. The variation of fluorescent intensity ratio between these emissions is amplified by their opposite responses to temperature change leading to excellent sensitivity. Concurrently, the different pathways for the temperature response in the two emitting ions enable the high sensitivity to be maintained over an atypically broad temperature range. The wide separation in wavelength means that a standard silicon‐based monochrome camera with broad (inexpensive) band pass filters is sufficient to use this phosphor for thermography. The concept of combining thermally‐activated UC with classical Stokes‐shifted emission is demonstrated to provide combined features of excellent and broad‐range sensitivity plus excellent repeatability. Materials based on this concept are very promising for optical thermometry

Effects of lifestyle interventions on weight amongst Pasifika communities : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Pasifika populations experience high incidence and prevalence of obesity and T2DM. However, no international review of lifestyle intervention studies amongst Pasifika communities exists. This study seeks to identify the effect and translatability of lifestyle strategies on weight amongst Pasifika populations. Methods Lifestyle studies involving ≥90% adult Pasifika participants measuring weight change were eligible for inclusion. Database searching was carried out up to December 2021. Databases searched were MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost) and ProQuest Central. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB2 (RCTs) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) quality assessment tool. Meta-analysis and meta-regression used a bivariate random-effects model. Strategies were coded against pre-identified components of the newly proposed Cultural and Sustainability Assessment of Intervention (CSAI) framework. Findings Twenty-three studies (n = 4258 participants) met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty-two lifestyle strategies targeting weight loss (WL) and 7 targeting weight maintenance (WM) were extracted. Meta-analysis estimates small but significant effect of -0.26 standard deviations (95% CI -0.51 to -0.02), with RCTs demonstrating a non-significant effect of -0.23 standard deviations (95% CI -0.49 to 0.035). Culturally relevant strategies included community and peer support facilitators and team-based activities. The CSAI identified 14 out of 23 studies with low cultural competency and sustainability scores (<60%). Interpretation Qualitative and quantitative analysis show tailored lifestyle interventions has had an estimated small but beneficial effect on WL amongst Pasifika communities. Potential for tailored interventions design to incorporate psychosocial and behavioural considerations. The CSAI has the potential for systematically identifying cultural and sustainability components of efficacy in interventions

Traditional knowledge for dairy animals in Una district of Himachal Pradesh

Traditional knowledge (TK), also known as indigenous knowledge (IK) or local knowledge (LK) generally refers to the matured long-standing traditions and practices of certain regional, indigenous, or local communities. India stands at number 1 in milk production as dairy master across the world. However, due to large number of animal population, distant/remote location, shortage of veterinary staff, some time, veterinary aids are not available to the farmers. In such instances, it is the traditional knowledge of the people which guides them to mitigate the sufferings of the animals. In this article, some of the ITKs are described based on oral communication with the people

Correction: Guest-responsive polaritons in a porous framework: chromophoric sponges in optical QED cavities

Correction for ‘Guest-responsive polaritons in a porous framework: chromophoric sponges in optical QED cavities’ by Ritesh Haldar et al., Chem. Sci., 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0sc02436

Guest-responsive polaritons in a porous framework: chromophoric sponges in optical QED cavities

Introducing porous material into optical cavities is a critical step toward the utilization of quantum-electrodynamical (QED) effects for advanced technologies, e.g. in the context of sensing. We demonstrate that crystalline, porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are well suited for the fabrication of optical cavities. In going beyond functionalities offered by other materials, they allow for the reversible loading and release of guest species into and out of optical resonators. For an all-metal mirror-based Fabry–Perot cavity we yield strong coupling (∼21% Rabi splitting). This value is remarkably large, considering that the high porosity of the framework reduces the density of optically active moieties relative to the corresponding bulk structure by ∼60%. Such a strong response of a porous chromophoric scaffold could only be realized by employing silicon-phthalocyanine (SiPc) dyes designed to undergo strong J-aggregation when assembled into a MOF. Integration of the SiPc MOF as active component into the optical microcavity was realized by employing a layer-by-layer method. The new functionality opens up the possibility to reversibly and continuously tune QED devices and to use them as optical sensors

Into the Online Space: Outcomes for a PASS Online Pilot Across Different First Year University Subjects

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) is a student let program designed to support students transitioning into university and tackling traditionally difficult first year core subjects. The model is collaborative with student leaders facilitating activities and discussions driven by student need. Consistently research has found that students can benefit, in terms of increased grades, from attending PASS, however findings for online delivery modes are mixed. These studies have generally only compared face to face (F2F) with online modes of PASS-like programs for one subject. No study has compared different subjects from varying disciplines to investigate if the benefits of PASS online are the same for all students. PASS at UOW conducted a pilot study of synchronous online sessions, tested across three different first year university subjects. A total of 1.471 students enrolled into these subjects, with 409 attending some form of PASS. Result revealed PASS students gained significantly higher average final marks compared to students who did not attend any type of PASS, regardless off subject. However, results for PASS varied depending upon mode of delivery engaged in (F2F or online) and also with subject. Although not all differences were statistically significant, trends suggest a student/subject interaction that may vary the amount of benefit gained from PASS online formats. Possible drivers for these results are discussed as well as consideration given to cohort effects and student skills for online learning modes