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The 9th International Conference on Arctic Margins, held in Ottawa, Canada, from 13–15 June 2022, convened under the theme Through the Arctic Lens, drawing renewed attention to the scientific, logistical, and environmental challenges inherent to geoscience research in the Arctic. This Special Collection presents a suite of studies spanning the Arctic Ocean, its interconnected waterways, and the surrounding landmasses, reflecting the diverse approaches and research priorities showcased at International Conference on Arctic Margins meetings since the conference was founded in 1992. Collectively, these contributions underscore the complexity and scientific value of Arctic geoscience, while highlighting the critical importance of international, multidisciplinary collaboration in advancing understanding of this rapidly evolving and jurisdictionally complex region of the planet.

Despite general agreement that a 21st-century learning society must also be a literate society, there is still a long way to go to achieve a broad consensus on how to achieve this within an explicit lifelong learning vision. The Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII – June 2022) is an excellent opportunity to rethink literacy from a lifelong learning perspective in order to fully tap its transformative potential in the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By using a theoretical framework of lifelong literacy , this article analyses the main challenges associated with applying the lifelong learning principle to literacy, in particular in the context of aligning CONFINTEA’s review and improvement of adult learning and education (ALE) strategies with SDG processes. The authors demonstrate that a limited understanding of literacy as part of lifelong learning still prevails, and that literacy promotion suffers from ambiguity and dissonances. They also provide analyses of literacy policies, strategies and programmes that have been successful in adopting a lifelong learning approach, drawing out some important lessons on how this can be achieved. In particular, the authors argue, more attention needs to be paid to the demand side of a literate environment and to motivation, enabling continuity of learning by making literacy part of people’s broader learning purposes. To contribute to the ongoing discussion on reframing literacy from a lifelong learning perspective in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the potential development of a new “framework for action” during CONFINTEA VII, this article offers three fundamental considerations that should inform policy and strategic planning with regard to conceptual orientation, programmatic responses and institutional connections.

1. BackgroundThe conference is a continuation of the preceding 16th conferences that have been held in the name of the Asian International Conference on Fluid Machinery (AICFM). It has developed from the fourth conference (1993) as an International Conference though the start was held in two countries of Japan and China. After that the conference was held in Seoul (1997), Johar Baru (2000), Fukuoka (2003), Yichang (2005), Jeju (2007), Kualalumpur (2009), Chennai (2011), and Yogyakarta (2013), Tokyo (2015), Zhenjiang (2017), Busan (2019) and Yokohama (2021). The Asian Fluid Machinery Committee (AFMC) was established during the 9th AICFM 2007 held in Jeju, Korea.The conference is organized by AFMC and CSET. Participation of those who are relevant to every facet of fluid machinery, R&D will be encouraged.List of Objectives, Scope, Record, Acknowledgement, Appendix A. Organization, Appendix B. Committee Members, Appendix C. AFMC AWARD 2023 Winners, Appendix D. Excellent Papers are available in this pdf.

Resonance ionization mass spectroscopy has proven to be a very efficient and selective method for the spatially resolved ultratrace determination of actinide contaminations, and the analysis of specific element and isotopic distributions on surfaces and environment particles. We report on the identification of highly element-selective optical excitation schemes identified for this purpose, with a particular focus on the precise determination of the isobaric ratios of 235U to 239Pu as well as 243Am to 241Pu. The chosen two-step ionization schemes were characterized with respect to their element selectivity on synthetic multi-element actinide mixtures, with an element ratio Pu : Am : U of 1 : 10 : 104, a composition which is typical, e.g., for spent nuclear reactor fuels.

Organic solar cells are becoming a point of interest for researchers because they are less polluting than available solar cells in the photovoltaics industry. In this present work, we have optimized the characteristic parameters of the PTB7:PC71BM active layer along with graphene oxide (GO) as the hole transport layer (HTL) and PFN:Br as an electron transport layer (ETL) in the proposed organic solar cell. By optimizing the electron affinity (χActive) of the active layer, we observed the highest cell power conversion efficiency (PCE) of about 15.31% at χActive=3.9eV, and we analyzed the active layer thickness-dependent optical properties. Further, the simultaneous effects of electron and hole mobility of the ETL and the HTL were examined. In addition, the impact of series and shunt resistance was observed within the practical range (0–10 Ω cm2) and (1 × 102 − 1 × 1010 Ω cm2), respectively. The obtained result shows that the cell performance is best for the lowest series resistance with shunt resistance of about 1 × 103 Ω cm2. The obtained fill factor is about 55%, which decreases rapidly with the increase in shunt resistance. Furthermore, the influence of environmental conditions, such as weather temperature and illumination intensity of the sunlight, have been monitored. In this context, the intensity of the sun is varied from 1 Sun to 5 Sun with a temperature variation from 253 K to 333 K, and it is found that the proposed organic cell provides the best output in its class at 1.5 Sun and 333 K. Altogether, the results signify that the overall efficiency of the proposed organic solar cell considering the best values of all parameters is 13.21%.

Lead-based organic–inorganic perovskite (OIP) materials have shown great possibilities as absorber materials in photovoltaic devices. Despite its better power conversion efficiency (PCE), the toxicity of lead limits its application in photovoltaic organic solar cells. This limitation has encouraged researchers to find an alternative lead-free organic perovskite material that must be eco-friendly. Therefore, in this present research work, we have proposed a lead-free OIP heterostructure solar cell using CH3NH3SnI3 as the absorber layer, Cu2O as the hole transport layer (HTL), TiO2 as the electron transport layer (ETL), and FTO as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer. Further, we have carried out a simulation study using SCAPS software to obtain a good performance of the proposed cell by optimizing various parameters. Thus, the obtained simulated results show that a moderate temperature of 305 K is necessary to achieve better cell efficiency. A significant decrease in efficiency is observed upon increasing the operating device temperature. Further, Gaussian energy distribution in the absorber OIP layer, CH3NH3SnI3 , shows better possibilities for obtaining a good performance from the proposed cell. On varying the Gaussian peak defect density from 1 × 1016 cm−3 to 6 × 1020 cm−3, the best-simulated result is offered at a concentration of 1.079 × 1016 cm−3. In addition, on varying the electron affinity of the active layer, we obtained the best result in its class at a value of 4.13 eV. Further, on energy band gap optimization of the active layer, we observed the maximum open-circuit voltage of 1.5 eV. Finally, all the performance parameters for the proposed OIP cell were found to be: PCE 18.27%, short-circuit current density 32.47 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage 0.7397 V, and FF 76.06%. Thus, we can proudly say that the present analysis may open a modern doorway for attaining clean energy.

Abstract “Africa + 1 summits” have emerged as a prominent prototype of contemporary African diplomacy. But it is important to examine how such summits were initially formed and how African states engaged in their institutional design. Earlier studies have yet to explain the preference of aid recipient countries for the summitry model over traditional bilateral schemes. Further, there is a limited understanding of how donors adjusted to the voices of aid recipients during negotiations to create such forums. This article examines the formative negotiations surrounding the launch of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in the early 1990s. As the first Africa + 1 summit, TICAD constituted a pioneering case that shaped the development of summit diplomacy between Africa and external actors. Drawing on documents recently declassified by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, obtained through information disclosure procedures, this article analyses how African states engaged with the inception of TICAD and influenced its institutional configuration. The analysis demonstrates that African states were not merely passive participants; they actively shaped Japan’s Africa policy during the 1990s by embedding their preferences in the conference’s design. Core features of TICAD and the broader Africa + 1 summit framework, such as the inclusive participation of all African states, including North Africa, and the establishment of follow-up mechanisms, emanated from African proposals during the preparatory process. By revealing how African agency operated at the formative stage of Africa + 1 summitry, this article contributes to scholarship on African diplomacy and the institutional evolution of summit diplomacy with external powers.

In this work, β-Ga2O3 thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with changing oxygen pressure in the chamber. The θ–2θ scan x-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal that the quality of the thin film obviously deteriorates when the oxygen pressure is greater than 0.1 Pa. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra measured at room temperature show that the major emission band can be separated into three Gaussian bands at about 370 nm (∼3.34 eV), 410 nm (∼3.03 eV), and 453 nm (∼2.74 eV), respectively. Using this analysis combined with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we found that the three luminescence peaks originate from a self-trapped hole (STH) (between two OII-s sites), (VGa + VO)1− and VGa2-(tetrahedral site), respectively. This work provides us a way to tune the emission of β-Ga2O3 thin films.

This paper investigates laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) of electrons using two-stage gas nozzles and ionization injection schemes. We present Fourier–Bessel particle-in-cell (FBPIC) simulation results for LWFA of electrons driven by Bessel-Gauss (BG) laser beams in hydrogen and hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixtures with varying nitrogen concentrations. A TW-class ultrashort 10 fs laser beam is employed to study the effect of different nitrogen gas concentrations on the electron beam quality up to an acceleration distance of 1 mm. Results indicate that electron energy is the lowest in pure hydrogen, while adding nitrogen enhances energy levels. Moreover, it is found that the highest electron energy is obtained when the nitrogen concentration is 1%, and the electron energy reaches around 150 MeV. Higher nitrogen concentrations (> 1%) also lead to reduced electron energy, demonstrating a declining trend with further increases.

This paper discusses anniversary events that we consider important in the field of demography in 2024–2025, including the birthdays of notable figures and significant conference dates, such as the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, as well as notable publications.