Understanding the therapeutic benefits of engagement with the natural environment within the Dandelion Time approach: a review of literature

There is a large and growing body of literature relating to the benefits of engagement with, or connection to, the natural environment. However, an initial scoping review found that the majority of this literature is focused on adults rather than children and on generalised health and well-being benefits rather than on specifically therapeutic perspectives. No studies were found that matched exactly to the work of Dandelion Time (DT). In order to maximise the relevance of this review to Dandelion Time, the research team drew upon the principles of ecoliteracy (Capra, 1994) to conceptualise The Dandelion Time approach. This ‘language of nature’ uses the ecosystem organizational patterns of networks, feedback, self-regulation and self-organization, and can offer a model for successful human systems

Developing an ECEC response to the global environmental crisis The potential of the Froebelian-inspired ‘NENE Pedagogy’

This scoping project set out to explore the potential of the concept of ‘Nature Engaging and Nature Enhancing’(NENE) pedagogy as a research and practice focus for the Froebel Trust from 2022. The concept derives from the Froebel Trust funded project ‘A life in and with nature in the period of earliest childhood: understanding provision for 0-2s in English babyrooms.’ This research revealed that whilst the pedagogic potential of the outdoors for babies and toddlers appears to be generally recognised, there is little emphasis on supporting them to engage with the natural characteristics of the outdoor environment. A further concern relates to the way that the outdoor environment is primarily positioned as a resource that supports human (child) development with its potential in terms of biodiversity unacknowledged.NENE pedagogy is a response to these concerns and offersa way of thinking about ECEC that emphasizes practicesthat support both human and planetary health (Josephidou and Kemp, 2022)

Wavelength dependent light tunable resistive switching graphene oxide nonvolatile memory devices

This paper reports on the first optically tunable graphene oxide memristor device. Modulation of resistive switching memory by light opens the route to new optoelectronic devices that can be switched optically and read electronically. Applications include integrated circuits with memory elements switchable by light and optically reconfigurable and tunable synaptic circuits for neuromorphic computing and brain-inspired, artificial intelligence systems. In this report, planar and vertical structured optical resistive switching memristors based on graphene oxide are reported. The device is switchable by either optical or electronic means, or by a combination of both. In addition the devices exhibit a unique wavelength dependence that produces reversible and irreversible properties depending on whether the irradiation is long or short wavelength light, respectively. For long wavelength light, the reversible photoconductance effect permits short-term dynamic modulation of the resistive switching properties of the light, which has application as short-term memory in neuromorphic computing. In contrast, short wavelength light induces both the reversible photoconductance effect and an irreversible change in the memristance due to reduction of the graphene oxide. This has important application in the fabrication of cloned neural networks with factory defined weights, enabling the fast replication of artificial intelligent chips with pre-trained information

Microwave oven fabricated hybrid memristor devices for non-volatile memory storage

© 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd. Novel hybrid non-volatile memories made using an ultra-fast microwave heating method are reported for the first time. The devices, consisting of aligned ZnO nanorods embedded in poly (methyl methacrylate), require no forming step and exhibit reliable and reproducible bipolar resistive switching at low voltages and with low power usage. We attribute these properties to a combination of the high aspect ratio of the nanorods and the polymeric hybrid structure of the device. The extremely easy, fast and low-cost solution based method of fabrication makes possible the simple and quick production of cheap memory cells

Capacitive effects and memristive switching in three terminal multilayered MoS<inf>2</inf>devices

We report on the electrical properties of gated two-terminal multilayered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) memristor devices having a planar architecture. The approach based on highly dispersed MoS2 flakes drop cast onto a bottom gated Si/SiO2 (100nm) wafer containing metal Pd contact electrodes yields devices that exhibit a number of complex properties including memristive and capacitive effects as well as multiple non-zero-crossing current-voltage hysteresis effects. The devices also show a reaction to a varying gate bias. An increasingly positive gate led to the devices displaying a linear ohmic I-V response while an increasingly negative gate bias drove the system to behave more memristive with a widening hysteresis loop

Non-ideal artificial phase discontinuity in long Josephson 0-kappa-junctions

We investigate the creation of an arbitrary $\kappa$-discontinuity of the Josephson phase in a long Nb-AlO_x-Nb Josephson junction (LJJ) using a pair of tiny current injectors, and study the formation of fractional vortices formed at this discontinuity. The current I_inj, flowing from one injector to the other, creates a phase discontinuity kappa ~ I_inj. The calibration of injectors is discussed in detail. The small but finite size of injectors leads to some deviations of the properties of such a 0-kappa-LJJ from the properties of a LJJ with an ideal kappa-discontinuity. These experimentally observed deviations in the dependence of the critical current on I_inj$ and magnetic field can be well reproduced by numerical simulation assuming a finite injector size. The physical origin of these deviations is discussed.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. B (12 figures). v 2: refs updated, long eqs fixed v 3: major changes, fractional vortex dynamics exclude

The magnetoelectrochemical switch

In the field of spintronics, the archetype solid-state two-terminal device is the spin valve, where the resistance is controlled by the magnetization configuration. We show here how this concept of spin-dependent switch can be extended to magnetic electrodes in solution, by magnetic control of their chemical environment. Appropriate nanoscale design allows a huge enhancement of the magnetic force field experienced by paramagnetic molecular species in solutions, which changes between repulsive and attractive on changing the electrodes' magnetic orientations. Specifically, the field gradient force created within a sub-100-nm-sized nanogap separating two magnetic electrodes can be reversed by changing the orientation of the electrodes' magnetization relative to the current flowing between the electrodes. This can result in a breaking or making of an electric nanocontact, with a change of resistance by a factor of up to 103. The results reveal how an external field can impact chemical equilibrium in the vicinity of nanoscale magnetic circuits

Nanotrench for nano and microparticle electrical interconnects

We present a simple and versatile patterning procedure for the reliable and reproducible fabrication of high aspect ratio (10 4 ) electrical interconnects that have separation distances down to 20 nm and lengths of several hundreds of microns. The process uses standard optical lithography techniques and allows parallel processing of many junctions, making it easily scalable and industrially relevant. We demonstrate the suitability of these nanotrenches as electrical interconnects for addressing micro and nanoparticles by realizing several circuits with integrated species. Furthermore, low impedance metal-metal low contacts are shown to be obtained when trapping a single metal-coated microsphere in the gap, emphasizing the intrinsic good electrical conductivity of the interconnects, even though a wet process is used. Highly resistive magnetite-based nanoparticles networks also demonstrate the advantage of the high aspect ratio of the nanotrenches for providing access to electrical properties of highly resistive materials, with leakage current levels below 1 pA. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd

Method to reduce the formation of crystallites in ZnO nanorod thin-films grown via ultra-fast microwave heating

© 2018 This paper discusses the nucleation and growth mechanisms of ZnO nanorod thin-films and larger sized crystallites that form within the solution and on surfaces during an ultra-fast microwave heating growth process. In particular, the work focusses on the elimination of crystallites as this is necessary to improve thin-film uniformity and to prevent electrical short circuits between electrodes in device applications. High microwave power during the early stages of ZnO deposition was found to be a key factor in the formation of unwanted crystallites on substrate surfaces. Once formed, the crystallites, grow at a much faster rate than the nanorods and quickly dominate the thin-film structure. A new two-step microwave heating method was developed that eliminates the onset of crystallite formation, allowing the deposition of large-area nanorod thin-films that are free from crystallites. A dissolution-recrystallization mechanism is proposed to explain why this procedure is successful and we demonstrate the importance of the work in the fabrication of low-cost memristor devices