Repurposing Face Masks after Use: From Wastes to Anode Materials for Na-Ion Batteries

Nowadays, face masks play an essential role in limiting coronavirus diffusion. However, their disposable nature represents a relevant environmental issue. In this work, we propose the utilization of two types of disposed (waste) face masks to prepare hard carbons (biochar) by pyrolytic conversion in mild conditions. Moreover, we evaluated the application of the produced hard carbons as anode materials in Na-ion batteries. Pristine face masks were firstly analyzed through infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The pyrolysis of both mask types resulted in highly disordered carbons, as revealed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, with a very low specific surface area. Anodes prepared with these carbons were tested in laboratory-scale Na-metal cells through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling, displaying an acceptable specific capacity along a wide range of current regimes, with a good coulombic efficiency (>98% over at least 750 cycles). As a proof of concept, the anodes were also used to assemble a Na-ion cell in combination with a Na3V2(PO4)(2)F-3 (NVPF) cathode and tested towards galvanostatic cycling, with an initial capacity of almost 120 mAhg(-1) (decreasing at about 47 mAhg(-1) after 50 cycles). Even though further optimization is required for a real application, the achieved electrochemical performances represent a preliminary confirmation of the possibility of repurposing disposable face masks into higher-value materials for Na-ion batteries

Autism and the U.K. secondary school experience

This research investigated the self-reported mainstream school experiences of those diagnosed on the autistic spectrum compared with the typically developing school population. Existing literature identifies four key areas that affect the quality of the school experience for students with autism: social skills, perceived relationships with teaching staff, general school functioning, and interpersonal strengths of the young person. These areas were explored in a mainstream U.K. secondary school with 14 students with autism and 14 age and gender matched students without autism, using self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analyses showed consistent school experiences for both groups, although content analysis of interview data highlighted some differences in the ways in which the groups perceive group work, peers, and teaching staff within school. Implications for school inclusion are discussed, drawing attention to how staff awareness of autism could improve school experience and success for students with autism attending mainstream schools

To what extent is behaviour a problem in English schools?:Exploring the scale and prevalence of deficits in classroom climate

The working atmosphere in the classroom is an important variable in the process of education in schools, with several studies suggesting that classroom climate is an important influence on pupil attainment. There are wide differences in the extent to which classroom climate is considered to be a problem in English schools. Some ‘official’ reports suggest that behaviour in schools is ‘satisfactory or better’ in the vast majority of schools; other sources have pointed to behaviour being a serious and widespread problem. The paper details four studies conducted over the past decade which aimed to explore these disparities. The aim of the research was to gain a more accurate insight into the extent to which deficits in classroom climate limit educational attainment and equality of educational opportunity in English schools. The findings question the suggestion that behaviour is satisfactory or better in 99.7% of English schools and the concluding section suggests ways in which deficits in classroom climate might be addressed. Although the study is limited to classrooms in England, OECD studies suggest that deficits in the working atmosphere in classrooms occur in many countries. The study therefore has potential relevance for education systems in other countries

Antisocial behaviour and teacher–student relationship quality: The role of emotion‐related abilities and callous–unemotional traits

Background: Childhood antisocial behaviour has been associated with poorer teacher-student relationship (TSR) quality. It is also well-established that youth with antisocial behaviour have a range of emotion-related deficits, yet the impact of these students’ emotion-related abilities on the TSR is not understood. Furthermore, the addition of the Limited Prosocial Emotions specifier in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) indicates that understanding the role of callous-unemotional (CU) traits for youth with antisocial behaviour problems is of particular importance. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between antisocial behaviour difficulties and the TSR by examining the influence of emotion-related abilities and CU traits. Sample: Twelve teachers from 10 primary schools provided anonymised information on 108 children aged 6-11 years. Results: Antisocial behaviour was associated with higher teacher-student conflict (but not closeness) as well as higher emotion lability/negativity and lower emotion understanding/empathy. Emotion lability/negativity was associated with higher teacher-student conflict (but not closeness), and emotion understanding/empathy was associated with lower teacher-student conflict and higher closeness. CU traits was associated with higher teacher-student conflict and lower teacher-student closeness (controlling for antisocial behaviour more broadly). We found no evidence of a moderating effect of CU traits or emotion-related abilities on the association between antisocial behaviour and TSR quality. Conclusions: Interventions for behaviour difficulties should consider teacher-student relationships in the classroom. Strategies which aim to improve teacher-student closeness as well as reduce teacher-student conflict may be of particular value to students with high CU traits

Social movements, the European crisis, and EU political opportunities

Social movements in the wake of the financial crisis have shifted from the counter-summits and world social forums of the global justice movement to the camps of the anti-austerity mobilizations, and from a clear focus on building ‘another Europe’ to more domestically embedded issues. Among other reasons, this turn away from the EU can be linked to contracting political opportunities for social justice movements at the European level. This article addresses the closure of opportunities at the EU level for the work of social movement groups campaigning on specific EU policies. We reflect on the complexity of the EU’s political opportunity structure prior to the financial crisis, before examining changes to the EU’s architecture effected through responses to the crises and outlining arguments on how EU level opportunities around socio-economic issues in particular have shrunk as a result. We then show how the perception of other political opportunities at the EU level is affected by the austerity response by drawing on campaigns that sought to exploit new opportunities included in the Lisbon Treaty and designed to increase citizens’ input. Opportunities introduced by changes made in the Lisbon Treaty are perceived through the prism of contracted opportunities flowing from power shifts caused by the response to the financial crisis

Teacher Wellbeing: The Importance of Teacher–Student Relationships

Many studies have examined the importance of teacher-student relationships for the development of children. Much less is known, however, about how these relationships impact the professional and personal lives of teachers. This review considers the importance of teacher-student relationships for the wellbeing of teachers guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping of Lazarus (1991). Based on theories on interpersonal relationships, it is postulated that teachers have a basic need for relatedness with the students in their class that originates from the close proximity between teacher and student. It is discussed that teachers internalize experiences with students in representational models of relationships that guide emotional responses in daily interactions with students, and changes teacher wellbeing in the long run. In addition, the notion of mental representations of relationships at different levels of generalization could offer a window to understand how individual teacher-student relationships may affect the professional and personal self-esteem of teachers. Lastly, it is argued that the influence of student misbehavior on teacher stress may be more fully understood from a relationship perspective. The review shows that few studies have directly tested these propositions and offers suggestions for future research

Evaluating the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale in Italian Young Children: An Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The study analyzed the factorial and concurrent validity of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) using an Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) approach. Participants were 368 Italian children aged 3 to 6 (M = 4.60, SD = 0.98). The three-factor ESEM solution fit the data better than the classical confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model and the measurement invariance of the scale was confirmed across sex and age (3-4 vs. 5-6 years) groups. The concurrent validity of the STRS was investigated within the ESEM approach using children’s social behaviors as validity criteria. Findings supported the goodness of ESEM over CFA and attested to the validity of the STRS to understanding the teacher-child relationship quality in young children

Technology and employment. Twelve stylized facts for the digital age

Twelve stylized facts on the relationship between technology and employment are proposed in this paper as a summary of current trends, conceptual issues, methodological approaches and research results. They include the following: 1. Technology is shaped by social relations; 2. Technology saves human labour; technological unemployment is a serious concern; 3. In the digital age the nature and boundaries of work are changing; 4. Different technological strategies have contrasting employment effects; 5. Industries differ in their employment dynamics and role of technology; 6. We can see the employment impact of technology at the firm, industry and macroeconomic levels; 7. Technological change is a disequilibrium process; demand and structural change matter; 8. Business cycles affect technological change and its employment impact; 9. The impact of technology is different across occupations and skills; 10. Labour market conditions are relevant, but employment outcomes are not determined in labour markets alone; 11. In emerging countries employment outcomes are jointly affected by technology and catching up; 12. Technology is an engine of inequality; profits benefit more than wages, wage disparities increase. They have important policy implications in several areas of public action