Turning coal mine drainage into source of rare minerals

by Tatyana Woodall, The Ohio State University

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study investigates a novel process for lessening the negative environmental impact of coal mine drainage and extracting rare-earth elements from it, precious minerals needed to manufacture many high-tech devices.

"Rare-earth elements, like yttrium, for example, are necessary components of electronics, computers, and other gadgets that we use every day," said Jeff Bielicki, co-author of the study and an associate professor in civil environmental and geodetic engineering and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Engineering Science, assesses an experimental process patented by the team that was shown to successfully clean coal mine drainage while producing rare-earth elements in samples from various rivers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

"One thing that surprised me was just how well our process cleans up the water," said Bielicki. "From an environmental standpoint, the major benefit of this work is that we're successfully trapping and neutralizing so much pollution."

When abandoned coal mines leak water, the subsequent drainage can pollute thousands of miles of natural waterways, turning them orange, and can cause great injury to the ecosystem.

Although the rare-earth elements that are derived from coal mine drainage are in increasingly high demand, viable natural deposits of these minerals are found in only a few areas around the world, meaning that only a few countries can provide them.

For example, much of the Western world, including the United States, relies on China to supply about 80% of these critical resources. As a result, many government agencies seek to reduce this dependence by establishing a domestic supply of rare-earth elements, especially because getting them out of the ground can cause immense environmental and social harm, Bielicki said.

"By sourcing these materials from other countries, we don't really have any oversight of the environmental consequences of how they're mining and producing the materials," he said. "Domestic production is good in a variety of ways, in part because we can have regulations that better protect the environment and the people in the communities from where we get them."

Currently, coal mine drainage is treated using active treatment systems that employ chemicals to clean the water, or passive treatment systems, which often depend on bacterial activity or geochemical methods.

According to the study, passive approaches tend to require fewer resources and have fewer environmental impacts. The Ohio State team used a passive system employing a combination of alkaline industrial by-products, including materials like water treatment plant sludge, to neutralize the coal drainage and capture the rare-earth elements.

"It's designed to let the natural seepage of coal mine drainage percolate through the material to trap and extract it," said Bielicki. The average time it takes to rid water of waste often varies, because the process largely depends on how quickly water flows out from the mine.

The process captured a variety of metals used in modern technology, including terbium, neodymium and europium, which play critical roles in phone displays, batteries, microphones, speakers and other parts.

The process is currently more costly than the current market price of rare metals, but further advances will bring the price down, Bielicki said.

Bielicki said he hopes their research will inform future policy surrounding coal waste disposal and help the public to examine the environmental repercussions of mining outside of typical costs, like its impact on human health and the ecosystem at large.

"Nothing we do to our environment is benign, so while shifting away from coal and other fossil fuels is beneficial in several different dimensions, we need to effect these transitions in ways that address a larger sphere of issues than just cost," he said. "Our research is a vital step in addressing the legacies of those environmental and social consequences."

Other Ohio State co-authors of the study were Marcos Miranda, Soomin Chun, and Chin-Min Cheng. Other members of the team include Ohio State professors John Lenhart and Tarunjit Butalia.

More information: Marcos M. Miranda et al, Recovering Rare Earth Elements from Coal Mine Drainage Using Industrial Byproducts: Environmental and Economic Consequences, Environmental Engineering Science (2022). DOI: 10.1089/ees.2021.0378

Provided by The Ohio State University 

New process developed to extract high purity rare earth element oxides

£2.2m grant to investigate new solar cell material – which could be used in space

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

• Warwick University has been granted £2.2m to investigate a new type of solar cell material which could be used in space, helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels
• Metal halide perovskite compounds could be used to make transparent and flexible solar panels, which remain stable in space
• A new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer will be used to understand how to increase lifespan and durability of these solar cells.

Research led by the University of Warwick will investigate a new type of solar cell material, which could be used in space, in a bid to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

The European Research Council (ERC) has approved a five-year study which will delve into the atomic-level structure of a new type of solar cell material. This will address issues including stability and lifespan of metal halide perovskite compounds, which decrease in high humidity, strong sunlight and at elevated temperatures.

Interestingly, while the properties of perovskite solar cells change in a range of atmospheric conditions, they remain remarkably stable outside the Earth's atmosphere. This points to the potential for harvesting energy in space – a topical area of research, after the European Space Agency revealed it would be investigating whether satellites could beam electricity back to Earth earlier this year.

Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR– an analytical chemistry technique that harnesses high magnetic fields and radiofrequencies targeted at atomic nuclei) scientists hope to answer an enduring question: what is causing this type of solar cell material to degrade at the atomic level?

The ERC Starting Grant of £2.2m will involve the purchase of a 400 MHz solid-state NMR spectrometer worth £0.9m, with unique capabilities that are currently not available in West Midlands. It will be installed specifically for this project, enabling researchers to investigate the atomic-level structure of solar cells. The eventual aim is to help improve the durability of these devices, so they can be relied on for decades to come.

What has already struck scientists is the viability of these new solar cells in applications where currently used silicon solar cells fall short: indoor light harvesting, use on highly flexible substrates, such as foils and fabrics, and in windows which require the material to be partially transparent.

The research will be led by Dr Dominik J. Kubicki, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, University of Warwick. He said: “This study will help diversify sustainable energy sources and explore more options in the quest to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. We’re keen to understand more about why these solar cells degrade in different atmospheric conditions at the atomic level, so we can design new, better materials and ensure maximum efficiency of this new sustainable energy source.

“Silicone is the current material used in solar cells and while those devices have a long durability of over 20 years, they have certain limitations. Solar cells need to be relatively thick; silicon is brittle, and it succumbs to cosmic radiation. Metal halide perovskites enable us to overcome these limitations, diversify the ways in which we can harvest solar energy, and apply them in contexts we had not previously anticipated. Investigating these materials will be very exciting, and we hope to find out how to make them more stable.”

Further details of the research department can be found here and by emailing dominik.kubicki@warwick.ac.uk

A new era of semiconductor innovation

Purdue & World Scientific co-launch new book and series to spearhead new era of semiconductor innovation

Book Announcement

WORLD SCIENTIFIC

 

IMAGE: COVER FOR "TRANSISTORS!" view more 

CREDIT: WORLD SCIENTIFIC

The transistor, the basic building block of electronic systems, was invented on December 16, 1947 at Bell Labs. In 2022, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of this powerful little device. Having been called one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, transistors are pervasive in modern technology, including billions used on silicon chips, which are used in telecommunications, aviation, data communications, audio and video recording equipment, and much more. As the world continue to advance in manufacturing and microelectronics design, transistors will have an even greater impact in the 21st century.

Today, the field of electronics is in a state of transition, much like it was in the 1960s when progressing from vacuum tubes to transistors. As identified in the ASA-SEMI vision paper, there is an urgent need to update and modernize the semiconductor curriculum. This is where the new book Transistors! – written by Mark Lundstrom and published by World Scientific – fills out a needed niche. It is the first among many in the new lecture notes series, New Era Electronics, aiming to advance electronics by providing crucial foundational knowledge.

This book and its corresponding series are intended for undergraduates, graduates, and semiconductor industry professionals who are working actively to advance electronics in new directions. A wide range of topics is addressed, from Statistical Data Analysis, Design of Experiments, and Machine Learning, to Probabilistic Computing, Quantum Networks and Sensors, Embedded Systems and the Internet of Things, Fiber Optic Communications, and R.F. Design.

Even while the initial authors of the series are from Purdue University, academics and industry professionals are invited to contribute as well. Said Purdue University's President-elect Mung Chiang at the book series launch, "This series is an example of how innovative solutions can lower the barriers and democratize quality semiconductor education. The New Era Electronics Lecture Notes series aims to engage faculty everywhere both as authors and as teachers bringing the most modern and up-to date content to students.“

Mark Lundstrom, author of the inaugural volume of the series, added, “This new series will help prepare students and working engineers to contribute to the second half of the silicon century, which promises to be even more exciting and impactful than the first half.”

"We are proud to partner with the Purdue University College of Engineering and the ASA Initiative to publish this book series and further innovation in the semiconductor industry," said Max Phua, managing director of World Scientific Publishing. "Through these ready-to-use, accessible teaching materials, students and professionals everywhere will be better equipped for the ever-evolving future of electronics."

Transistors! retails for US$58 / £50 (paperback) and US$108 / £95 (hardcover) and is also available in electronic formats. To order or know more about the book, visit http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/13168.

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About the Author

Mark Lundstrom is the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. He currently also serves as Interim Dean of Engineering, while spearheading the college's new microelectronics economic and workforce development initiatives. He is a Senior Research Fellow for the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy, Life Fellow of the IEEE, and Fellow for both the APS and the AAAS. Among his recognitions for his career contributions are the Semiconductor Industry Association's University Researcher Award, the Semiconductor Research Corporation's Aristotle Award, the IEEE's Cledo Brunetti Award, and the IEEE's Leon K Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award. Lundstrom was also elected to the US National Academy of Engineering for "leadership in microelectronics and nanoelectronics through research, innovative education, and unique applications of cyberinfrastructure". He also founded nanoHUB (https://nanohub.org), which now serves a global community of more than two million annually.

About World Scientific Publishing Co.

World Scientific Publishing is a leading international independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research and professional communities. World Scientific collaborates with prestigious organisations like the Nobel Foundation and US National Academies Press to bring high quality academic and professional content to researchers and academics worldwide. The company publishes about 600 books and over 160 journals in various fields annually. To find out more about World Scientific, please visit www.worldscientific.com.

For more information, contact WSPC Communications at communications@wspc.com.

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DOI

10.1142/13168 

Zebrafish testing identifies a gene potentially at the root of domestication

Peer-Reviewed Publication

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have shown that zebrafish can provide genetic baz1b clues to the evolution of social behaviours in humans and domesticated species.

The research, published in iScience, looked at genetically modified zebrafish that fail to make the baz1b protein.  The results suggest the gene is not only at the cornerstone of physical and behavioural changes in the fish and other domesticated species, but potentially also human beings’ social relationships.

Domesticated species - such as dogs and cats - show genetic differences compared to their wild type counterparts, including variation in the baz1b gene. These genetic changes correlate with physical and behavioural traits including smaller facial features such as skulls and teeth, as well as being more sociopositive, less aggressive, and having less fear.

However, studies have also suggested that modern humans domesticated themselves after they split from their extinct relatives, Neanderthals and Denisovans. In doing so, we experienced similar physical and behavioural changes.

Those changes have all been linked to the fact that domesticated animals have fewer of a certain type of stem cell, called neural crest stem cells.

The research led by the Queen Mary team builds on this by studying the impact of removing baz1b gene function, and the impact of doing so on neural crest development and social behaviour.

The mutant zebrafish studied were found to be more socially prone than their counterparts with functional baz1b. They showed an increased tendency to interact with members of the same species, although the differences between the two types of zebrafish were no longer observable once the fish were three weeks old.

As well as being more sociable, the mutant zebrafish showed distinctive facial changes in later life. These included altered eye length and width, a protruding forehead, and a shorter snout. This was accompanied by reduced anxiety-associated behaviours.

To measure this, the researchers examined the zebrafish’s response to a brief flash of light, specifically the distance travelled over a five-minute period following the flash, as well as their response to an acoustic startle and their response when exposed to a new environment. In all cases, the mutant zebrafish recovered more quickly following a change in condition, indicating less fear-related reactivity.

The mutant zebrafish also showed mild under-development of the neural crest at larval stages.

The research determined that in zebrafish the baz1b gene impacts both morphological and behavioural characteristics associated with the domestication syndrome in other species.

Jose Vicente Torres Perez, co-author from Queen Mary University of London and the University of Valencia, said: “Since the process of self-domestication, which allowed modern humans to form larger social groups, among other characteristics, is similar to the process of domestication in other “domesticated” species, our research has the potential to help us unravel the biological roots governing these behaviours.

“Our research backs up the existing hypothesis that behavioural and morphological changes that came with domestication in animals and humans can be traced to under-development of neural crest stem cells.”

Professor Caroline Brennan, lead author and Professor of Molecular Genetics at Queen Mary University of London added: “This study offers an interesting perspective into the origins of how we interact with others. While carrying the conclusions from zebrafish over to other vertebrates might be challenging, comparative studies such as these give insight into the evolution of human cognition.”

Zebrafish were partly chosen for the research because around 80% of genes associated with human diseases have a corresponding orthologue – a gene in a different species that evolved from a common ancestor - making zebrafish an ideal model in which to study the genetics and neuronal circuitry underlying behaviour.

ENDS

More information

Research publication: ‘baz1b loss-of-function in zebrafish produces phenotypic alterations consistent with the domestication syndrome’, Torres-Pérez et al, iScience.

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JOURNAL

iScience

Fewer moths, more flies

The complex relationships between plants and their pollinators have changed dramatically across the last century

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HELMHOLTZ CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH - UFZ

Their service is invaluable. The army of insects and other animals that pollinates the numerous plants of this earth has an essential function. Without these flower visitors, numerous wild plants could reproduce only poorly – or not at all. Ecosystems would thus no longer be able to function in their current form. More than three quarters of the most important crops depend on pollinators in order to be able to produce a high yield and good quality. A loss of pollinators would therefore also lead to economic losses amounting to billions.

It remains unclear whether the pollinators will still be able to provide their usual service. That’s because plants and their pollinators are intertwined in an elaborate network in which the distribution and abundance of the species involved as well as their seasonal occurrence, physiology, and behaviour are finely tuned. Even small changes could throw everything out of balance. Experts thus fear that human influences such as changes in climate and land use could lead to less effective pollination services.

However, because few studies have investigated the interaction between plants and different pollinator groups over longer periods of time, it is difficult to say whether and to what extent such developments are already under way. This makes the more than 120-year-old data from Finland on which the new study is based all the more exciting. Between 1895 and 1900, in the vicinity of Kittilä (a village that lies about 120 km north of the Arctic Circle), forester Frans Silén systematically recorded which insects visited which flowers and how often.

“I am passionate about working with historical datasets like this”, says Prof. Tiffany Knight from the UFZ. “If you repeat the historic studies again today, it’s often the only way to learn about long-term ecological processes”. For her, such work also challenges the imagination. “I am trying to understand what motivated the people who collected the data in the past and what challenges they faced”, she explains. “This information can then be used to plan a comparable modern study”.

The scientists thus first looked around Kittilä for sites where Silén had also made observations – and where the 17 plant species he studied best still grow today. At these sites, the team repeated the pollinator census in 2018 and 2019. The area remains sparsely populated, and little has changed in terms of land use. However, it has not escaped the consequences of climate change. “We have noticed drastic changes in the networks of pollinators”, says Leana Zoller from the MLU. Only 7% of the flower visits observed involved the same species of insects and plants as back then. “That is surprisingly little”, says Zoller.

For example, hoverflies and moths appear much less frequently on the flowers around the village today than they used to. This is probably not good news. That’s because these two groups have some particularly effective pollinators among them. These include the bumblebee hoverfly (Volucella bombylans) – a large, furry fly resembling a bumblebee. In Silén’s time, this species was the most frequent visitor to the Arctic raspberry (Rubus arcticus) and the woodland geranium (Geranium sylvaticum). The bumblebee hoverfly was likely able to effectively transfer the pollen of these species from one plant to the next.

Also moths use a physical advantage during pollination: with their long proboscis, they can also reach the nectar from the base of tubular flowers. This is why they used to be the most frequent visitors of the fringed pink (Dianthus superbus) and bladder campion (Silene vulgaris), both of which have such flowers.

Whilst these insects have become rarer, the flowers around Kittilä are now getting considerably more visits from bumblebees and certain flies. Whether these animals work as effectively as the earlier pollinators is not yet known. However, one trend in particular concerns the researchers. There are now considerably fewer insects that are specialists for certain flower shapes. These have been replaced by flies of the genus Thricops, which visit many different plants. Such generalists are often more robust when it comes to environmental changes; if one of their host plants is lacking, they can easily switch to others. But they also carry the pollen of various other plant species onto a flower, thereby potentially providing a less effective pollination service than the specialists.

“So far, the pollinator network in our study area still seems to be working well”, says Zoller. “There is no evidence so far that the plants are getting too little pollen and are thus less capable of reproducing”. But according to the scientists, this can change in the future if changes in the insect communities continues. So far, the flies there seem to be coping with the rising temperatures. But further north in the high Arctic, one study has revealed a massive decrease in the number of flies. “If this also happens in our study area, it could become a problem”, says Zoller. Because at some point, the plants will no longer be able to compensate for the losses in their pollinator network.

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41559-022-01928-3 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Plant-pollinator network change across a century in the subarctic.

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Jan-2023

Penn Medicine invests in future nurses with ASPIRE program at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

The new Penn Medicine program offers education for and employment opportunities to high school students interested in nursing careers

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

PHILADELPHIA – Penn Medicine has partnered with the Howley Foundation and La Salle University to launch the ASPIRE Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), marking an important investment in the future of nursing. The high school and college program will support local high school students in Philadelphia with a goal of increasing diversity in health care and offering opportunities for economic mobility. The program is supported by a commitment from the Howley Foundation of up to $7.5 million.

 

Each year, up to 25 outstanding high-school juniors will be selected to be ASPIRE scholars and participate in an enrichment program, lasting for the reminder of their high-school careers. The enrichment program offers mentorship and exposure to health care, the role of nurses, patient safety, and more through a series of interactive and hands-on sessions at the hospital. The first cohort of high-school students will begin with juniors in early 2023.

 

Upon graduation and fulfillment of requirements, students then have the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at La Salle University with financial support from federal grants, a school scholarship, and a scholarship from the ASPIRE Program itself—which is funded by the Howley Foundation and Penn Medicine. During that time, they will have the opportunity to apply for paid positions at HUP where they can practice their skills and gain more relevant experience.

 

“ASPIRE firmly aligns with Penn Medicine’s and HUP’s goals to offer pipeline opportunities for members of our community to continue cultivating an inclusive workforce and providing outstanding patient care,” said Colleen Mattioni, DNP, MBA, the chief nurse executive at HUP. “The ASPIRE Program will welcome a diverse pool of young people into an environment of research, innovation, and evidenced based practice, and high quality clinical care. Of course, we will benefit from participants’ enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion.”

 

The first portion of the program consists of both lecture-type lessons and hands-on learning in the hospital for the high school students. Instructors are HUP nurses and hospital staff. While the students will not participate in clinical work with hospital patients, they will have opportunities to observe and assist nurses and other clinicians. At the end of this part of ASPIRE, scholars will also have a better understanding of the life of a nurse and the skills and approach required to excel at the job.

 

“Those who begin nursing school may not have much experience with the field unless they’ve volunteered somewhere or perhaps they have family members who are nurses,” said Beth A. Smith, MSN, the corporate director of Nursing Professional Development at HUP. “Not only will this program attract a more diverse generation of future nurses, but will also provide a unique opportunity to see the impact nurses make while providing them with skills and giving them a strong head start in a nursing career.”

 

During their college years, the ASPIRE Scholars will benefit from ongoing support and guidance through advisors who will offer guidance and support on academic and other matters effecting their education. They will also have regular check-ins with their peers and instructors from the program.

 

“We are excited to see the ASPIRE Program grow over time and look forward to creating an environment where ASPIRE scholars can thrive academically and professionally,” said Smith.

 

The ASPIRE Program at HUP builds upon the model established by the Howley Foundation for the Cleveland Clinic in 2017.

 

“The central focus of The Howley Foundation is supporting quality educational opportunities, and the many wonderful institutions of learning in the Philadelphia region have served generations of our own family well,” said Nick Howley, chair and founder of the Foundation. “We believe these programs are the keys to creating meaningful social and economic mobility, and we are thrilled to work with Penn Medicine and La Salle whose strengths align so closely with our mission. We look forward to  seeing the ASPIRE model in Philadelphia and providing the region’s students an educational continuum that spans exposure to the nursing profession, training and mentorship, and very real opportunities for employment.”

 

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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $9.9 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $546 million awarded in the 2021 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities include: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center—which are recognized as one of the nation’s top “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report—Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is powered by a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 52,000 people. The organization also has alliances with top community health systems across both Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, creating more options for patients no matter where they live.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2021, Penn Medicine provided more than $619 million to benefit our community.

Israel Ministry of Energy selects Bar-Ilan University and the Technion to establish $36.8 million national research institute in energy storage

Grant and Award Announcement

BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY

Bar-Ilan University and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have won a call published by the Israel Ministry of Energy for the establishment of a national research institute in the field of energy storage. The aim of the institute is to encourage Israel's energy sector to take a leap forward in response to national strategic challenges, with an eye toward global applications, as well as to train cadres of future experts in the field and facilitate the transfer of innovative technologies from the academic environment to industry.

The institute will be led by a joint steering committee of the Ministry of Energy, the research institutions, and outside parties. The steering committee will be headed by Ministry of Energy Chief Scientist Dr. Gideon Friedman. Prof. Doron Aurbach, Scientific Director of Bar-Ilan University's Energy and Sustainability Center, and Prof. Yoed Tsur, Director of the Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), will head the new national energy institute.

The institute will be established with a budget of approximately NIS 130 million for five years, of which the Ministry of Energy will invest NIS 100 million and the winning institutions have pledged to invest an additional NIS 30 million. The Ministry's investment will enable the purchase of expensive research infrastructure and the establishment of new laboratories.

With conventional technologies, growing energy consumption causes greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The goal set by the State of Israel for 2050 is a national energy economy free of greenhouse gas emissions. The way to reach this goal is through a transition to renewable energy sources, such as the sun and wind. Energy production from these sources isn’t steady, but fluctuates through the day. Therefore, development of novel technologies for storing energy in large quantities is required. This will be one of the main tasks of the new institute.

The institute will engage in research in the following areas, among others: sodium-ion batteries that can be less expensive and more available than lithium-ion batteries; improving fuel cell performance; producing green hydrogen efficiently and storing it safely and conveniently; solid state batteries free of liquid and safer; metal-air based batteries such as iron and zinc that have a very high energy density; novel cables with increased ability to convey electrical energy and very high power density; and flow batteries that have a large storage capacity.

The field of energy storage is of great importance for the transition of the economy to clean energy. Energy storage will allow an increasing integration of renewable energy, which is only available during part of the day.

Dr. Gideon Friedman, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Energy: "The field of large-scale energy storage is one of the most important challenges for the strong integration of renewable energies. The new energy institute will enable Israel to become a leader in the field, in continuation of the Ministry's additional efforts in the field of storage. For the first time, an institute is being established that will be led by a steering committee comprised of a combination of members of academia, industry and government."

Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Arie Zaban, an expert in renewable energy, said that the climate crisis is no longer just about articles in the professional literature, but a matter that's affecting our daily lives. "The transition to the use of renewable energy with significant storage capacity is a key component in dealing with the climate crisis. At the same time, it will bring the State of Israel energy independence and security. I thank the Ministry of Energy for its significant trust in the research teams and for this special cooperation between the Technion and Bar-Ilan University."

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan welcomed the Ministry of Energy's initiative and its support and said that "dealing with the climate crisis, one of the key challenges of the 21st century, requires multidisciplinary collaborations that cross disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The climate crisis is to a large extent an energy crisis. Dealing with it requires broad academic cooperation and partnerships with industry and government offices. Within the institute, innovative research infrastructures will be established that will serve all researchers in Israel. This is very significant news and I have no doubt that this move, initiated by the Ministry of Energy, will lead us to a better, cleaner and healthier future."

Pandemic put more parenting stress on mothers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

ITHACA, N.Y. - A first-of-its-kind study of parents’ work arrangements during the pandemic shows that mothers working from home increased their supervisory parenting fully two hours more than fathers did, and women were also more likely to adapt their work schedules to new parenting demands.

The study used time diaries to examine how working parents managed school closures and childcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic – thought to be the first such use of that data.

“We found that women working from home shouldered more of the parenting burden during the pandemic,” said researcher Kelly Musick, professor of public policy and sociology and senior associate dean of research in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. “While the shift to work from home offered more flexibility, the lack of separation between work and family contributed to more challenging work environments, especially among mothers.”

An article detailing their findings, “Parents’ Work Arrangements and Gendered Time Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” published Dec. 9 in the Journal of Marriage and Family. Thomas Lyttelton of the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark was the lead author and Yale University sociologist Emma Zang and Musick were co-authors.

The researchers delved into data from the 2017–20 American Time Use Survey. A representative sample of Americans recorded their daily activities in detail, noting how long they spent on each task, where they were and who was present. Those records were then compared with how parents allotted their time prior to the pandemic, resulting in these key findings:

• There was no increase among parents working from home or on site in total childcare time as a primary focus, such as when feeding or bathing, playing, or reading to the kids. The added hours were in supervisory tasks – monitoring activities and making sure young ones were safe, while also doing other activities, often paid work – and that’s where the two-hour gap between women and men emerged. “The much larger increase among mothers relative to fathers in supervisory care points to mothers’ disproportionate responsibility for children,” Musick said.
• When activities did not involve multitasking or affect work duties, there was a more even divide between mothers and fathers. Moms disproportionately increased their time playing with children during the pandemic, and dads took on more household chores. That’s a reverse from what evidence suggests about home lives prior to the pandemic.
• While the pandemic afforded parents more time at home with children, the majority of that time was spent juggling paid work. Parents working on site experienced no such changes. All mothers – both working on site and at home – also altered their work schedules during the pandemic, increasing nonstandard hours and spells of work throughout the day, presumably to better accommodate increased parenting demands.

While the study focused on the pandemic, the findings have important implications for work and family in a post-pandemic world characterized by more remote work.

“The pandemic highlights a work culture unaccommodating of care demands and a policy infrastructure ill-equipped to support working parents,” Musick said. “Change is needed at both the public and private levels to better accommodate the health, productivity, and well-being of working families.”

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JOURNAL

Journal of Marriage and Family

DOI

10.1111/jomf.12897 

ARTICLE TITLE

Parents' work arrangements and gendered time use during the COVID-19 pandemic

Couples don’t have the same experience when both work from home

Gender differences found in studies in China, South Korea

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In dual-earner couples, working from home may be a better deal for husbands than wives in some ways, according to two related studies of workers in China and South Korea.

The research showed that both husbands and wives completed more family-related tasks when they worked from home versus the office.  However, when wives worked from home, husbands completed fewer family tasks than when their wives worked in the office. Wives did not complete fewer tasks when husbands worked from home.

In addition, wives in both studies felt increased guilt about failing to accomplish housework and spending time with their families when they did more work at the office. In men, that result was found in one study.

“We found that men and women don’t have the same experience working from home,” said Jasmine Hu, lead author of the study and professor of management at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

“There are still some gendered differences in how they manage their job and family responsibilities.”

The study was published recently in the journal Personnel Psychology.

The researchers did two studies, both during the COVID-19 pandemic.  One study involved 172 married dual-earner couples in mainland China who had at least one child. That study was done near the beginning of the pandemic in April and May of 2020.

The second study was done in South Korea, later in the pandemic from June to August 2021. This involved 60 dual-earner couples, some with children and some without.

In both surveys, all participants completed two surveys each day for 14 consecutive workdays. Each husband and wife reported their work-from-home status and the amount of work and family tasks they completed.

They also completed various measures, which could include work-family conflict and family-work conflict, how much guilt they felt toward their families and their work, and their psychological withdrawal from work and family.

Findings showed that when husbands had flexible work schedules, wives completed significantly more work tasks when working from home than in the office.  When wives had inflexible work arrangements, husbands completed significantly more family tasks when working from home.

“These findings suggest that husbands could help remote working wives when they have more flexible work schedules and do more family tasks when their wives have more rigid work schedules,” Hu said.

Overall, the results suggested that when the boundaries between work and family time are blurry, dual-earner couples feel the conflict.

Findings showed that when employees (both husbands and wives) worked from home, they increased how much work they completed around their home and family, but that increased their feelings of inter-role conflict, psychological withdrawal from work and feelings of guilt concerning work for their employer.

“Managers should form realistic expectations about how much work their remote working employees can effectively handle and show more understanding of the home working situations of dual-earner couples,” Hu said.

Hu said the results suggest husbands with flexibility in scheduling work time can provide more support for their wives to complete their remote work tasks.

“Organizations and managers should give their male employees more flexibility when possible so they and their families can better adapt to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

While many of the work-from-home policies this study investigated were put into place because of the pandemic, Hu said that things won’t go back to the way they were when the pandemic is over.

“COVID-19 forever changed how we work. Remote working is going to become much more of a norm,” she said.

“People have really gotten used to the benefit of working from home and many won’t want to go back to the office full time.”

Hu said she sees hybrid work as the best possible future for working couples.

“This will allow employees to have the flexibility they get from working at home, while also having the opportunity to interact more with colleagues at the office, which can increase collaboration and inspire creativity and innovation,” she said.

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JOURNAL

Personnel Psychology

DOI

10.1111/peps.12559 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Double challenges: How working from home affects dual-earner couples’ work-family experiences

Carolina study shows habitual checking of social media may impact young adolescents’ brain development

The study provides some of the first findings on how social media usage could have long-standing and important consequences on the development of adolescent brains

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

In one of the first long-term studies on adolescent neural development and technology use, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill report adolescents’ habitual checking of social media is linked with subsequent changes in how their brains respond to the world around them.

The study, published today in JAMA Pediatrics, reveals that adolescents’ brains may become more sensitive when anticipating social rewards and punishments over time with increased social media usage.

“The findings suggest that children who grow up checking social media more often are becoming hypersensitive to feedback from their peers,” said Eva Telzer, a professor in UNC-Chapel Hill’s psychology and neuroscience department and a corresponding author.

Researchers tracked 169 students recruited from public middle schools in rural North Carolina over three years. At the beginning of the study, participants reported how often they checked three popular social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Their answers ranged from less than once to more than 20 times a day. Participants underwent yearly brain imaging sessions while completing the social incentive delay task, which measures brain activity when anticipating social feedback from peers.

“While this increased sensitivity to social feedback may promote future compulsive social media use, it could also reflect a possible adaptive behavior that will allow teens to navigate an increasingly digital world,” says Maria Maza, a doctoral student in psychology and one of the study’s two lead authors.

Social media platforms deliver a constant and unpredictable stream of social feedback in the form of likes, comments, notifications and messages.

“These social inputs are frequent, inconsistent and often rewarding, making them especially powerful reinforcers that can condition users to check social media repeatedly,” said Kara Fox, co-lead author of the study and a doctoral student in psychology. 

Other studies have shown that 78% of 13- to 17-year-olds report checking their mobile devices at least hourly; 35% of teens report using at least one of the top five social media platforms almost constantly. The study findings suggest that checking social media repeatedly among young teens ages 12 to 13 may be associated with changes in how their brains develop over a three-year period. The brains of adolescents who checked social media often - more than 15 times per day, became more sensitive to social feedback.

“Most adolescents begin using technology and social media at one of the most important periods for brain development during our lifetime,” said co-author Mitch Prinstein, who also serves as the chief science officer for the American Psychological Association. “Our research demonstrates that checking behaviors on social media could have long-standing and important consequences for adolescents’ neural development, which is critical for parents and policy-makers to consider when understanding the benefits and potential harms associated with teen technology use.”

Additional authors include Seh-Joo Kwon, a doctoral student in the department of psychology and neuroscience, and Jessica Flannery, a previous postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychology and neuroscience.

The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Winston Family Foundation through its Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain and Psychological Development established at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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JOURNAL

JAMA Pediatrics

DOI

10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.4924 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Association of Habitual Checking Behaviors on Social Media With Longitudinal Functional Brain Development

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Jan-2023