Centralized Research Articles

Social protection strategies in relations between Ukraine and the European Union

In today’s world, social protection is becoming an increasingly important topic that combines economic, political, and social aspects. Regardless of the level of development of a country, people are constantly looking for ways to ensure their well-being and protect themselves from negative influences. Social protection strategies are of particular importance in relations between Ukraine and the European Union. Ukraine, as a sovereign state, monitors the needs of its population and tries to adapt its social system to European standards. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to analyze the current state and prospects for the development of social protection strategies in Ukraine in the context of cooperation with the European Union to identify possible areas for improving the social sphere and ensuring a high level of social protection for the Ukrainian population. The study uses a variety of methods, including analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparative legal, dialectical, and others. Considering cooperation with the European Union helps to solve socioeconomic problems and ensure a high level of social protection.

Low carbon strategy and coordination for a two-echelon automotive supply chain considering dual credit policy

The dual-credit policy currently plays a crucial role in the automobile industry and significantly contributes to low-carbon operations in the automotive supply chain. This paper employs the game-theoretic approach to build a supply chain comprising a supplier (leader) and an automaker (follower), considers the impact of dual-credit policy, and incorporates vertical spillovers into the supply chain abatement. Both parties lower carbon emissions through vertical spillovers while maximizing profits, thereby studying the low-carbon strategy of the automobile supply chain. Our findings reveal that (1) increased vertical spillover rate reduces the prices of fuel vehicles (FVs) and new energy vehicles (NEVs), raises the low-carbon levels and profits of automakers and suppliers. (2) An increase in the NEV credit ratio under the centralized system raises both price and demand for NEVs, while the low-carbon levels of automotive enterprises are reduced. (3) The carbon emissions of each vehicle under the centralized system will be lower than those of the decentralized system, and the order of total carbon emission levels under both systems is closely related to the credit trading price and credits per NEV. Moreover, we explore the automotive supply chain coordination and find that the Nash bargaining model fully coordinates the supply chain, while the cost-sharing and revenue-sharing contracts do not. Also, numerical analysis shows that the optimal system profit under revenue-sharing is greater than cost-sharing.

Sustainable All-Day Thermoelectric Power Generation From the Hot Sun and Cold Universe.

Energy conversion from the environment into electricity is the most direct and effective electricity source to sustainably power off-grid electronics, once the electricity requirement exceeds the capability of traditional centralized power supply systems. Normally photovoltaic cells have enabled distributed power generation during the day, but do not work at night. Thus, efficient electricity generation technologies for a sustainable all-day power supply with no necessity for energy storage remain a challenge. Herein, an innovative all-day power generation strategy is reported, which self-adaptively integrates the diurnal photothermal and nocturnal radiative cooling processes into the thermoelectric generator (TEG) via the spectrally dynamic modulated coating, to continuously harvest the energy from the hot sun and the cold universe for power generation. Synergistic with the optimized latent heat phase change material, the electricity generation performance of the TEG is dramatically enhanced, with a maximum power density exceeding 1000mWm-2 during the daytime and up to 25mWm-2 during the nighttime, corresponding to an improvement of 123.1% and 249.1%, compared with the conventional strategy. This work maximizes the utilization of ambient energy resources to provide an environmentally friendly and uninterrupted power generation strategy. This opens up new possibilities for sustained power generation both daytime and nighttime.

On Some Issues of Modeling the Economic Efficiency of Measures Implemented by Subjects of Public Control as a Criterion for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Their Activities

Annotation. This article is devoted to the analysis of the need to model a system for assessing the economic efficiency of activities implemented by subjects of public control. In the modern world, the existence and development of individual independent and sovereign states is determined by the level of democracy in the organization and functioning of the apparatus of public power, which in its activities must take into account the interests and needs of the entire population of a particular country, or its overwhelming majority. In this regard, the role and importance of the entire set of civil society institutions in ensuring democratic regimes in individual national states is increasing. In the Russian Federation, the most important institution of civil society at the present stage is the institution of public control. The work substantiates the place and role of this institution of civil society as a legal guarantee of the system of constitutional rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of individuals and legal entities, the rights and legitimate interests of certain categories of legal entities. The authors formalized and analyzed the main factors influencing the effectiveness of the processes of organizing and conducting public control events. The work examines the main problems and prospects for increasing the performance of subjects of public control in the Russian Federation. It is substantiated that one of the main conditions for increasing the effectiveness of the functioning of the institution of public control is the need to assess the effectiveness of the activities of the entire system of subjects of public control in Russia. The work has developed and substantiated the author’s definition of the concepts "effectiveness of activities of subjects of public control", "model for assessing the economic efficiency of activities implemented by subjects of public control". The main features of these concepts, their essence and content are investigated and analyzed. The article formulates and substantiates a model for assessing the economic efficiency of activities implemented by subjects of public control (since it is the most important criterion for assessing the performance of subjects of public control in particular, as well as the institution of public control itself in general), which is a systemic set of quantitative and qualitative criteria.

Centre–State Relations in India: An Appraisal During Covid-19 Period

The framers of the Indian Constitution have tried to establish a federal system in which there is less of contradictions and more of coordination between the Union and the states. Accordingly, there is a clear division of powers between the States and the Centre in the Constitution. This arrangement has been in operation for more than seventy years. The changing sociopolitical and economic conditions have affected these relations at different phases including the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. The Indian federal structure was put to test during this period. However, during this pandemic period, both conflict and coordination in the Indian federal system have been noticed. In the initial phase of the pandemic, there was a clear conflict between the Centre and the states as the states were almost ignored in policy decisions and their implementation. Unilateral and all-of-a-sudden nationwide lockdown was imposed by the Centre during the first wave of the pandemic, but later on, a more reciprocal relationship evolved regarding the supply of essential medical inputs, advisories, medicines and medical equipments, issues related to migrant workers, etc. The Supreme Court of India had to intervene with stringent observations to regulate these relations for an effective and efficient disposal of various services to counter the pandemic outbreak. Therefore, during the pandemic, in spite of conflicts and challenges, cooperation by and large, prevailed in the Indian federation. The present research article evaluates the nature of the Indian federation, Centre–State relationships, particularly to deal with problems like that of the Covid-19 pandemic along with appropriate remedial measures.

Toward enhanced decentralized palliative care services in Neno District, Malawi: a qualitative study.

BackgroundPalliative care remains key in assisting patients who have life-threatening conditions. In most low- and middle-income countries, it is often offered through a centralized system with limitations, including Malawi. In 2014, the World Health Organization called for improving palliative care access through primary health care and community models. Malawi and Neno District subsequently decentralized palliative care delivery to local health centers. This qualitative study explored the decentralization of palliative care services in Neno District, Malawi.MethodsThe descriptive qualitative study was conducted between 2021 and 2022 in two conveniently selected health centers providing palliative care in the Neno District. Fourteen healthcare workers were purposefully selected to participate in two focus groups. Fifteen patients were conveniently selected and participated in three focus groups. Data was analyzed using deductive and inductive approaches. Focused group discussions were conducted in Chichewa (Malawi’s official local language), audio recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and analyzed thematically.ResultsFour main themes emerged from the focus groups. Patients described positive relationships with healthcare workers built on trust and holistic care over time. Accessing care included transport, social support, time constraints, and distance issues. Facilities effectively responded to needs through coordinated care and follow-up. Decentralization was perceived to benefit patients by reducing travel challenges and improving local access to efficient and inclusive palliative care services. However, challenges with resources, distance, and social support remained. Limitations in sampling and missing participant details necessitate further research with broader sampling.ConclusionOverall, the study provides empirical evidence that can optimize palliative care delivery in similar low-resource contexts by informing policies to address barriers through decentralized approaches.

Heralded initialization of charge state and optical-transition frequency of diamond tin-vacancy centers

Diamond tin-vacancy centers have emerged as a promising platform for quantum information science and technology. A key challenge for their use in more-complex quantum experiments and scalable applications is the ability to prepare the center in the desired charge state with the optical transition at a predefined frequency. Here we report on heralding such successful preparation using a combination of laser excitation, photon detection, and real-time logic. We first show that fluorescence photon counts collected during an optimized resonant probe pulse strongly correlate with the subsequent charge state and optical-transition frequency, enabling real-time heralding of the desired state through threshold photon counting. We then implement and apply this heralding technique to photoluminescence-excitation measurements, coherent optical driving, and an optical Ramsey experiment, finding strongly increased optical coherence with increasing threshold. Finally, we demonstrate that the prepared optical frequency follows the probe laser across the inhomogeneous linewidth, enabling tuning of the transition frequency over multiple homogeneous linewidths. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

#1705 Central delivery of acid concentrate for haemodialysis: a single-center experience

Abstract Background and Aims Dialysate is produced by mixing ultra-purified water with acid and bicarbonate concentrates. Acidic concentrate for hemodialysis can be supplied to the dialysis machine through single-use bags or central concentrate supply. Central delivery of acid concentrate represents an innovation in hemodialysis settings in terms of practicality and eco-sustainability as this system is able to produce and distribute ready-to-use acid dialysis concentrate without the use of acid concentrate bags. The aim of our study was to compare the amount of material (including packaging) used to supply acid concentrate using a single-use bag (3.8 L or 4.5 L) or central acid supply at the Nephrology Dialysis and Renal Transplant Unit of Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy. In particular, we reviewed the amount of consumable material before (January-December 2019) and after the implementation of central concentrate supply (July 2022-June 2023). Lastly, a survey was delivered to all dialysis nurses who work in our dialysis Center to evaluate their feedback on central concentrate supply. Method Our center is equipped with 46 dialysis stations for patients on chronic hemodialysis that in 2019 delivered 30 000 hemodialysis treatments distributed across morning, afternoon, and evening shifts. Granumix system® (Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany) was installed in 2022. It produces and distributes acid concentrate fluid with two different concentrations of K+ (2 and 3 mEq/L) and a unique concentration of Ca2+ 1.5 mmol/L (see Figure). Results The data collected in 2019 at our Dialysis Center showed that 30 000 acid bags corresponding to 121 000 L of acid concentrate fluid were used to perform hemodialysis. Utilization of bags generated 3 750 kg of pallets, 4 500 kg of plastic and 5 367 kg of boxes. Considering that approximately 10% of the acid concentrate fluid remains unused during each dialysis treatment, approximately 12 000 L of unutilized acid concentrate fluid was wasted. Following the introduction of the Granumix® system, there was a significant reduction (−80.6%) in the utilization of single-use acid concentrate bags (n = 5 805) and, consequently, in the use of boxes (n = 2 294 vs. n = 11 667) and pallets (n = 40 vs. n = 208). The centralized distribution system of acid concentrate led to a significant reduction in waste including boxed, plastic and pallets (2 642 kg vs. 13 617 kg), disposal of residual acidic solution (2 351 liters vs. 12 100 liters), and handling of materials by dialysis staff (37 522 kg vs. 158 117 kg). Another advantage of this system is the optimized usage of acid concentrate fluid. This system ensures that only the required amount of acid for a specific treatment is used, effectively minimizing waste and decreasing the production of special waste. The results of the survey (response rate 75%) documented that 79.5% of the nurses received adequate training for its use; 94.9% experienced a reduction in fatigue and 84.6% declared that had more time to dedicate to patients. Lastly, the survey showed that 96.4% of the participants were completely satisfied with the implementation of this new system. Conclusion Central delivery of acid concentrate is an innovative solution with eco-sustainable potentialities in reducing the consumable materials and workload in hemodialysis. Overall, most nurses expressed satisfaction as this system reduces dialysis staff workload and allows more time for patient care.

RECONSTRUCTION OF HEATING SYSTEMS IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WHILE MAINTAINING EXISTING HEAT SOURCES

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the need for real reconstruction of single-pipe vertical centralized heating systems, which are operated in most multi-story residential buildings in Ukraine, into apartment horizontal systems. The paper presents the main design shortcomings of heating systems in residential buildings built in the second half of the 20th century. The feasibility of using horizontal apartment systems is substantiated. For the first time, the heating system was reconstructed during the heating season without displacing residents and without stopping the existing heating system. A technical solution is proposed for supplying heat to apartments from an existing individual heating station with an elevator without its reconstruction. The article presents the results of a number of studies aimed at improving the heating system and determining the indicators of its economic and energy efficiency. Installation work can be carried out selectively in any number of apartments, and "old" and "new" heating systems can operate in parallel. The methodology for the reconstruction of heating systems presented in this paper can be used in the process of post-war restoration of the destroyed infrastructure of the housing stock of Ukraine. Modernizing in-building systems while maintaining the existing heat source is much cheaper than decentralizing heat supply by installing independent heating systems with a gas boiler in each apartment. The main conclusions of the article include that the reconstruction of existing heating systems is an objective necessity, without which the subscriber's influence on his heat consumption is impossible. The modernization described in this article is dictated by all the regulatory deadlines for major repairs of heating systems, which in most cases are more than twice as long.

A brand’s Initiation and Promotion in Relation to Modern Culture Wars

Nowadays, there is a tense geopolitical situation because of the advance of NATO to Russian borders, the threat of violation of its sovereignty. The collective West aims to dismantle Russian statehood and undermine social cohesion, law and order, national values, and socio-cultural values. They fixate on restoring neocolonialism and imposing global dominance on sovereign states. The paper focuses on the aggression of the collective West towards Russia’s cultural values, posing a threat to its national historical code. The subject of the study is the actions of cultural wars between brands and countries, which caused adopting anti-crisis measures. The purpose of the study is to analyze and provide possible strategies and models of brand behavior during crisis situations caused by culture wars. The research deals with the following issues: the modern phenomenon of culture wars; the role of the cultural brand in relation to culture wars; the possibility of using commercial brands as a tool of soft power; the influence of brands on the formation and changes of cultural, national and traditional values; the phenomena of culture shock and brand cancellation culture, as well as methods of countering crisis situations.

A Lyapunov-based control design for centralised networked control systems under false-data-injection attacks

ABSTRACT A central processing unit receives data from all agents and transmits control commands in a Networked Control System (NCS) which is centralised. Centralised NCSs have numerous applications in industrial settings due to their efficiency, simplicity and cost-effective design. However, centralised NCSs are vulnerable to false data injection (FDI) attacks. Despite the fact that researchers have developed detection and mitigation defense mechanisms during past several years, most of these methods have focused on systems with linear dynamics. Furthermore, the existing literature only assumes the injection of FDI attacks on measurement signals. In this paper, we assume that an adversary has injected the FDI attack into both state measurements and control signals with nonlinear dynamics while considering communication noises and disturbances. We propose a secure nonlinear control design that mitigates FDI attacks in real time by combining learning and model-based approaches. We used Lyapunov stability analysis to design the controller, estimator and updating laws of the neural network (NN). In addition, we selected a network of two robots with Euler–Lagrange dynamics to illustrate the robustness of the proposed controller and estimator.

БОЛАШАҚ ПЕДАГОГТАРДЫ КӘСІБИ ДАЯРЛАУДА САПАЛЫҚ ДАҒДЫЛАРЫН ДАМЫТУДЫҢ ПСИХОЛОГИЯЛЫҚ ТИІМДІЛІГІ

The article is based on the system of professional training of future teachers in higher educational institutions of the country. Today, an independent country is a country that determines the possibilities of future development, taking into account modern processes, technologies that provide its own system, model and quality of national education. Kazakhstan as a sovereign state, the signing of the Lisbon Declaration and participation in the Bologna process, etc. reflect its place in the global educational space. This circumstance contributes to the intensive development of the higher education system, taking into account the socio-cultural interests of our state and global educational processes that determine the quality and technological achievements in higher education. It is obvious that one of the urgent problems of pedagogical science and best practices is to identify priority areas for improving the upbringing and education of the free generation that has crossed the threshold of the XXI century. In the system of professional training of future teachers, their qualitative skills should correspond to social processes. Due to the transition of an independent country to a market economy in accordance with the changing requirements of the time, the main criteria of competitiveness oblige future teachers to have modern qualities along with knowledge, knowledge, business skills. In this regard, the article formulates the relevance and positions, features and rationality of the development of qualitative skills in the system of professional training of future teachers based on scientific analysis.

MetaSSI: A Framework for Personal Data Protection, Enhanced Cybersecurity and Privacy in Metaverse Virtual Reality Platforms

The Metaverse brings together components of parallel processing computing platforms, the digital development of physical systems, cutting-edge machine learning, and virtual identity to uncover a fully digitalized environment with equal properties to the real world. It possesses more rigorous requirements for connection, including safe access and data privacy, which are necessary with the advent of Metaverse technology. Traditional, centralized, and network-centered solutions fail to provide a resilient identity management solution. There are multifaceted security and privacy issues that hinder the secure adoption of this game-changing technology in contemporary cyberspace. Moreover, there is a need to dedicate efforts towards a secure-by-design Metaverse that protects the confidentiality, integrity, and privacy of the personally identifiable information (PII) of users. In this research paper, we propose a logical substitute for established centralized identity management systems in compliance with the complexity of the Metaverse. This research proposes a sustainable Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), a fully decentralized identity management system to mitigate PII leaks and corresponding cyber threats on all multiverse platforms. The principle of the proposed framework ensures that the users are the only custodians and proprietors of their own identities. In addition, this article provides a comprehensive approach to the implementation of the SSI principles to increase interoperability and trustworthiness in the Metaverse. Finally, the proposed framework is validated using mathematical modeling and proved to be stringent and resilient against modern-day cyber attacks targeting Metaverse platforms.

Photoluminescence studies of the charge states of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond after arsenic ion implantation and subsequent annealing

In this work, nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers of high nitrogen diamond implanted with arsenic ions were investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The transition of the NV center charge state was discussed by the regularly changing laser excitation power and measurement temperature following high-temperature annealing. After high-temperature annealing, the amorphous layer generated by arsenic ion implantation is transformed into a graphitization layer, resulting in a decrease in the NV yield. The electric neutral NV (NV0) center and negatively charged NV (NV−) center are affected by both radiation recombination and Auger recombination with increasing laser power. Accompanied by the increasing measurement temperature, the intensities of NV centers gradually decreased and eventually quenched. In addition, the charge states of NV− and NV0 centers were undergoing a transition. The zero phonon line positions of NV centers were also red shift, it was attributed to the dominant role of electron–phonon interaction in the temperature-dependent displacement of diamond energy gaps. The full width at half maxima of NV center were broadened significantly at higher temperatures.

Unifying Forces: Harnessing Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Integration for Enhanced Innovation

Blockchain and artificial intelligence have now become the emerging technologies of our time. However, both strategies induce a change in the market but differ in terms of how creative and complex they are. While block chain is decentralized; distributed ledger technology that the one stores information in multiple locations with no centralized monitoring system, on the other hand, Artificial Intelligence (AI) emulates human problem-solving ability as well as decision-making abilities using software, data or even robots. These two technologies combined together to bring about new opportunities such as productivity gain from both advantages of blockchain and AI security and transparency. Businesses can transform significantly through integration of AI with blockchain technology for data protection, clear data trails and general efficiency. Cyber security is one of the most important concepts linked to these two technologies. The possibility to combine AI’s capabilities with blockchain’s reliable and decentralized nature can be used to manage resources as well as decision making at educational institutes or within healthcare agencies; it may also be employed by society to influence agriculture outputs, planning urban dwellings among others. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify risks at an early stage whereas information security and integrity might vanish.

System of state measures to fight human rights violations in armed conflict

The article examines the modern challenges of human rights protection during the armed conflict, in particular in the context of the need to introduce the legal regime of martial law, which was introduced due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against the sovereign, democratic and legal Ukrainian state. The article focuses on the analysis of critical aspects of the protection of human rights in the context of armed conflict, emphasizing the difficulties arising from an aggressive invasion of a sovereign, democratic, and legal state. Special attention is paid to strategic priorities for the restoration and protection of human rights that have been seriously affected by military actions. The article argues the need for a specific legal framework adapted to the conditions of wartime armed conflict and the key priorities of post-war reconstruction. The article provides a detailed analysis of national legislation and relevant international legal norms and an attempt to identify and recommend effective strategies for strengthening the protection of human rights. Emphasis is placed on the need for legislative changes and reforms that would ensure rights and civil liberties and be consistent with European and international standards, thereby strengthening legal guarantees against potential human rights violations. The article provides a critical review of existing legal gaps that impair the protection of human rights during armed conflicts and discusses the key role of the international community and legal institutions in upholding justice and accountability. In addition, it is proposed to implement innovative legal measures and integrate the norms of international humanitarian law to strengthen the legal infrastructure, which is necessary for the effective restoration and protection of human rights and civil liberties. The article reveals modern scientific and professional discussions, emphasizing the urgent need for active and strategic legal measures that meet European and international standards, ensuring the protection of human rights in the complex conditions of military conflicts.

Historical and legal characteristics of the Act of Unity of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic and its state-building potential

The article is devoted to the study of the prerequisites and procedural aspects of the conclusion of the Act of Unity of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic on January 22, 1919, which was the culmination of centuries-old efforts of Ukrainians to unite their historical national lands within the boundaries of a single sovereign and independent state of Ukraine. The process of affirming the unity of the Ukrainian lands historically began with the search for support for the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic among the political elites of Trans-Dnieper Ukraine. The pre-accession agreement concluded between representatives of the Western Ukrainian political elite and the newly formed Directorate of the Ukrainian People’s Republic provided for the procedure for ratifying the union of the two parts of Ukraine. The aspirations of Western Ukrainian People’s Republic representatives regarding equal representation in the highest bodies of state administration, which they previously discussed with the Management, were not realized. In fact, the Directory recognizes the autonomous status of Western Ukrainian People’s Republic as one of the regions of Ukraine under the name Western Region of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The management of the Directory was aware of the declarative nature of the connection. The paradigm of the historical perspective and parallels through the centuries brings us back to the need to constantly study the strengths and positive experiences of the past, study mistakes in order to avoid them in the future. The period of Ukrainian national development studied in the article went through many difficult trials, but this encouraged Ukrainians to raise national liberation ideas to a new level - awareness of the need for national and territorial unity. The leaders of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and Western Ukrainian People’s Republic failed to realize the positive aspirations that were laid down in their positive movement towards the unity of the state. The main drawback was that the main institutions of power of the Ukrainian People’s Republic remained formed according to the imperial model. There was a lack of professional and at the same time nationally conscious personnel. An important historical experience of the relationship between the two parts of Ukraine, which must be taken into account in the current conditions of Ukraine, is the development of a common national policy, the vector of which is national interests, sovereignty and protection of the independence and territorial integrity of the state.

The role of Ukrainian political and legal thought in strengthening the national self-identification of Ukrainians of Galicia in the interwar period

The article summarizes the contribution of national-democratic, conservative and nationalist thinkers to the restoration of Ukrainian statehood based on the analysis of ideological and worldview doctrines of representatives of Ukrainian political and legal thought of the interwar period. The forms and methods of struggle, which are the basis of the state concepts created by them, are summarized. It was established that the defeat in the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people at the beginning of the 20th century led to the transformation of the worldview of many Ukrainian scientists and politicians, who, despite ideological differences, had a common strategic goal - the need to restore and establish a sovereign, independent Ukrainian state. The study of the intellectual heritage of the leading representatives of Ukrainian political and legal thought gave reason to conclude that the failure of Ukrainians to form an independent state was largely connected with the weakness of the national consciousness of the people and the insufficient ideological and political maturity of its leaders. In view of this, Ukrainian political and legal thought was aimed at strengthening the national self-identification of Ukrainians and their awareness of their political interests. It is argued that the scientific approach to substantiating the idea of national-state independence of Ukraine was initiated by Stanislav Dnistryanskyi, one of the founders of Ukrainian political and legal thought of the national-democratic direction. It is characterized (according to Volodymyr Starosolskyi) that the struggle for one’s own (national) state is a historically political factor in the formation of a nation. It is emphasized that disappointment in the ineffectiveness of the republican-democratic methods of organizing power prompted V. Lipinsky and other representatives of conservative opinion to search for more adequate forms of state organization. It is shown that in the interwar period for the Ukrainians of Galicia, nationalist ideology was especially important, which had a powerful influence on the formation of the Ukrainian nation as a self-aware, social, cultural, legal and political community and was a prerequisite for the creation of its own sovereign and independent state.

Professional learning networks: a descriptive phenomenological study with primary school teachers in Greece

Purpose Professional learning networks (PLNs) involve teachers’ collaboration with others outside of their school to improve teaching and learning. PLNs can facilitate teachers’ professional growth and school improvement. This study aims to explore the drivers for participation within PLNs, the enactment process and the impact of PLN participation on teachers, students and schools in Greece. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experience of primary school teachers participating in PLNs. Findings The findings showed that individuals who were open to change were driving innovation to address a need or a lack in their daily practice that was not satisfied within their usual community of practice. The key element of the participation was peer collaboration with openness of communication without attendant accountability pressures. The change was mainly identified in teacher skills and the school climate. An individual could bring change only if the school is already open to change. In some cases, resistance to change in schools was identified before enactment or during enactment. The transformation of teachers’ and leaders’ stances is discussed, enabling the opportunity to maximise school improvement. Originality/value The study examines PLNs as European Union-funded initiatives that are developed by teachers in centralised education systems under the phenomenological research paradigm. It explores the PLNs in a different setting compared to the existing conceptual theory of change for PLNs.

The Rational Design of Atomically Dispersed Catalysts via Spin Manipulation.

The catalytic activity of transition-metal-based atomically dispersed catalysts is closely related to the spin states. Manipulating the spin state of metal active centers could directly adjust the d orbital occupancy and optimize the adsorption behavior and electron transfer of the intermediates and transition metals, which would enhance the catalytic activity. We summarize the means of manipulating spin states and the spin-related catalytic descriptors. In future work, we will build a quantifiable and accurate prediction intelligent model through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools. Furthermore, we will develop new spin regulation methods to carry out the directional regulation of atomically dispersed catalysts through this model, providing new insight into the rational design of transition-metal-based atomically dispersed catalysts through spin manipulation.